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In the news today: A large new Epstein document release includes multiple mentions of Trump, but little revelatory news; a former close aide to Israel's prime minister says Netanyahu tasked him with making a plan to evade responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack; and how department stores are fighting back as shoppers go online for beauty advice and products. Also, the U.S. military continues the decades-long tradition of tracking Santa.
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President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
New Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news
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The Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender. Read more. |
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- Many of the mentions of Trump in the file came from news clippings, though it includes a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier's private plane more often than had been previously known. The two men were friends for years before a falling out. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The Justice Department issued a statement Tuesday that some documents contain "untrue and sensationalist claims" about Trump made shortly before the 2020 election — and said one document, purported to be a letter from Epstein to Larry Nassar, a sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes, had been deemed fake.
- Well-known people shown in the files include former President Bill Clinton, the late pop star Michael Jackson and singer Diana Ross. The mere inclusion of someone's name or images in files from the investigation does not imply wrongdoing.
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Ex-aide says Netanyahu tasked him with making a plan to evade responsibility for Oct. 7 attack
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A former close aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that immediately following the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered Israel's two-year war in Gaza, the Israeli leader instructed him to figure out how the premier could evade responsibility for the security breach. Read more. |
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Former Netanyahu spokesperson Eli Feldstein, who faces trial for allegedly leaking classified information to the press, made the explosive accusation during an extensive interview with Israel's Kan news channel Monday night.
Speaking to Kan, Feldstein said "the first task" he received from Netanyahu after Oct. 7, 2023, was to stifle calls for accountability. "He wanted me to think of something that could be said that would offset the media storm surrounding the question of whether the prime minister had taken responsibility or not."
- Critics have repeatedly accused Netanyahu of refusing to accept blame for the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Netanyahu's office called the interview a "long series of mendacious and recycled allegations made by a man with clear personal interests who is trying to deflect responsibility from himself," Hebrew media reported.
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For 2026, department stores try to distinguish themselves as beauty lovers turn to TikTok and Amazon
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Fast-changing consumer preferences have all types of retailers racing to outdo each other for a slice of the $129 billion U.S. beauty and personal care market. Read more.
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Once the ultimate beauty destination, department stores lost sales and their authority as skincare and makeup trendsetters starting in the late 1990s. The competition is fiercer than ever due to the ease of e-commerce.
To keep up, companies with both physical and online stores are investing in upgrades that are meant to give beauty fans an experience they can't get anywhere else. Macy's and Nordstrom, for example, renovated the beauty floors of their flagship New York stores to add more space, ultra-luxury brands and cutting-edge technology. At Nordstrom, customers can book an appointment to get robot-applied eyelash extensions for $170.
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Volunteers take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Dec. 24, 2024. (Thomas Paul/North American Aerospace Defense Command. via AP) |
NORAD continues decades-long tradition of tracking Santa's trip around the world
More than 1,000 volunteers will be taking calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD on Christmas Eve. The tradition started in 1955 when NORAD's predecessor was on the lookout for any sign of a possible nuclear attack from the then-Soviet Union. NORAD says a child mistakenly called and asked to speak to Santa Claus. The commander on duty didn't want to disappoint the child, so he ordered staffers to start tracking Santa and take calls from children. The story goes that the first phone call was either the result of a misprint or a misdial of a number included in a Sears advertisement in a local newspaper encouraging children to call Santa.
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