Politics
The Epstein files are creating headaches for New Hampshire’s most powerful political dynasties
A New Hampshire magnate with ties to power players in both parties has appeared in successive batches of the Epstein files, roiling politics in his home state and threatening its two most influential political dynasties.
Documents recently released by the Department of Justice suggest that entrepreneur Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway and other devices, kept in contact with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, with emails indicating he visited the disgraced financier’s Caribbean island in 2013. Kamen has not been accused of wrongdoing and did not respond to requests for comment through his companies Monday.
The recently released files indicate a closer relationship between the two than was previously known. The disclosures have prompted Kamen’s organizations to launch investigations into their ties. And the situation has ratcheted up scrutiny of the New Hampshire politicians who have worked with him, received campaign contributions from him or helped his organizations secure tens of millions in federal funds.
That includes members of the Shaheen and Sununu families, the best-known and most powerful clans in the state’s Democratic and Republican parties. Both have scions running for Congress this year: House candidate Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.), the son of a former governor, who is seeking to return to the Senate.
They now face Epstein-fueled attacks from their lower-polling rivals.
“Anywhere Epstein pops up these days, it’ll become a campaign issue,” said Ryan Williams, a GOP strategist who has worked with Sununu and his father. “And there are certainly politicians who have worked with Kamen in New Hampshire, taken his money and associated with him. And those who did will have to answer for it.”
Kamen is a New Hampshire institution and local celebrity — often described as a quirky one — in a state that has few big-name figures but exerts a powerful hold on the presidential nominating process. The pioneering inventor and entrepreneur who developed the first portable insulin pump and a wheelchair that can climb stairs, Kamen is also widely credited for driving the transformation of Manchester’s old mill district into a technological and health care hub. He was lauded as a “hero” for helping secure 91,000 pounds of protective equipment for first responders and health care workers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when such resources were scarce.
Kamen has donated roughly $90,000 to federal candidates and campaign committees on both sides of the aisle over the past four decades, according to federal campaign finance filings. That includes over $7,000 apiece to Sununu, Sen. Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte, the former senator who’s up for reelection as governor this year. Kamen has not made any federal campaign contributions this election cycle, per federal reports.
He’s hosted a raft of high-profile politicians at his businesses and his Bedford home over the years, from Ayotte to then-President George W. Bush. He traveled to Dubai with Sununu’s younger brother, then-Gov. Chris Sununu, in 2019 during a trip in which the two attended the World Government Summit. Chris Sununu, through Airlines for America, the lobbying firm he now leads, did not respond to a request for comment.
Those ties, once promoted in press releases and splashed across social media, have turned into a political liability after successive document drops showed deeper connections between Kamen and Epstein.
Photos released in December show Kamen socializing with Epstein in a tropical location and riding a Segway with Ghislaine Maxwell, the Epstein associate who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. Documents released on Jan. 30 showed Kamen made plans to visit Epstein’s Caribbean island in 2013. At the time, assistants sent emails discussing “which flight Dean prefers the girls to be on.” Days later, he wrote to Epstein: “thank you for hosting an incredible visit to [sic] a magical place. It really is almost unbelievable.”
Kamen did not respond to questions from POLITICO about his association with Epstein, including whether he visited Little Saint James. He previously described having “limited interactions” with Epstein in statements to other media outlets and has denied knowledge of his “horrific actions” beyond what he learned from news reports. He told The Boston Globe that Epstein had reached out to him about becoming involved in international development projects but after initial meetings, “it became apparent that his only interest was self-promotion” and “I avoided further meetings.” He did not respond to The Globe’s inquiry about the reference to “the girls.” After the latest tranche of documents was released, he recused himself from board activities of at least four companies he’s involved with as they engage outside law firms to conduct independent investigations into the disclosures.
Williams, the Republican strategist, said “the Epstein episode is the first real blemish that’s marked his reputation in the state, and it’s an extremely hot issue right now.”
EPSTEIN FILES AS A CAMPAIGN CUDGEL
Stefany Shaheen, who is running for New Hampshire’s open House seat and served as chief strategy officer for Kamen’s Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute from September 2018 until last month, is facing intensifying scrutiny over her dealings with Kamen. She has posted photos of her with Kamen on social media over the years, one of the two of them in the cockpit of a plane that was uploaded to LinkedIn seven years ago, and another from a gala for Type 1 Diabetes research last April where she was an honoree. Her campaign said the former was taken during a flight to Washington with others affiliated with ARMI for an American Society Of Mechanical Engineers meeting on June 14, 2018, where Kamen spoke.
She is now facing calls from two of her Democratic primary rivals to publicly condemn Kamen. One of them, Christian Urrutia, has also accused her of potentially helping Kamen craft his statements in response to the files, which she has denied.
“There’s certainly an element of transparency. I think there is a fundamental question of: Do we want our members of Congress and our senators to have these types of relationships?” said Urrutia, who also asked why Sen. Shaheen did not disclose her daughter’s role at ARMI when securing a $1.2 million earmark for the company in 2023. A spokesperson for the senator said that her daughter was paid through non-federal funding sources and that her office was advised by Senate Ethics Committee staff that the request for funding for ARMI did not violate ethics rules.
A Republican running for the seat, state Rep. Brian Cole, has called on the younger Shaheen to drop out: “Until Stefany Shaheen provides full and honest answers about her association with Dean Kamen and ARMI, she should end her campaign,” he said in a statement.
Sununu, who is running to reclaim the Senate seat he lost to Shaheen’s mother in 2008, has faced questions over a possible reference to him in a 2010 email between Epstein and Boris Nikolic, a former Bill Gates adviser. In the email, Epstein emailed Nikolic that “john sununu, has good stories,” but did not provide any additional details. It’s unclear what he meant or whether he was referring to the senator or his father, former governor and White House chief of staff John H. Sununu.
The younger Sununu was a director of operations at Teletrol Systems, one of Kamen’s companies, in the 1990s before he was elected to Congress.
His GOP primary rival, former Sen. Scott Brown, has seized on the email to attack the Sununu family’s “‘insider’ ties” as he attempts to gain traction in a race where the Republican establishment and the president have lined up behind his opponent. Brown said on a local podcast that Sununu “needs to fully explain why” his surname is mentioned in the files. Brown added on X that voters “shouldn’t have to guess who, or which one of their representatives were associated, or what ‘stories’ are being referenced in federal documents.”
The Shaheen and Sununu campaigns have sought to dismiss the criticism from their opponents.
Shaheen said in a statement that she “never advised Dean Kamen on these matters” and that the “extent of my knowledge” about his and Epstein’s relationship is what has been publicly reported. Harrell Kirstein, a spokesperson for her campaign, dismissed the criticism as “desperate political attacks — flat out lies — that ignore basic facts.”
Both Shaheens said they supported outside investigations of Kamen.
Sen. Shaheen said in a statement that Kamen “was right to step back” from his organizations, and that it was appropriate for them “to conduct independent reviews to fully understand his connection to Epstein and take any action merited by the findings of those reviews.”
Stefany Shaheen is the polling leader in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s blue-leaning 1st Congressional District, a position operatives in both parties attribute in large part to name recognition. A University of New Hampshire survey from January showed her with 33 percent support, and no other candidate with more than 10 percent, with 39 percent of likely primary voters undecided.
Sununu led Brown by 23 percentage points in the same poll, with 26 percent of likely GOP primary voters undecided. They both trail Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in hypothetical general-election matchups.
Mike Schrimpf, a spokesperson for Sununu’s campaign, said in a statement that “John had no knowledge whatsoever of any relationship between Dean Kamen and Epstein” and believes the latter “was a despicable human being.” Neither Sununu or his father “have ever met or communicated in any way with Boris Nikolic, Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.”
He went on to attack Shaheen and Pappas — who, along with other members of the all-Democratic congressional delegation, had touted federal funding for ARMI before the Kamen scandal broke — over their connections to the entrepreneur: “Unlike Chris Pappas who celebrated federal funding for Kamen’s ARMI, or Stefany Shaheen who worked for him last week, John never advocated or requested funding for any of Kamen’s ventures,” Schrimpf said.
Gates MacPherson, a spokesperson for Pappas’ campaign, said in a statement that the congressman “believes Dean Kamen’s relationship with Epstein is deeply troubling and must be independently investigated, and all federal contractors and grant awardees should be held to the highest possible standards, including ARMI and FIRST.”
In the governor’s race, Democrats are preparing to attack Ayotte over Kamen’s past contributions to her campaigns and his appearance in an ad for her 2016 Senate reelection campaign. Ayotte has yet to draw a serious opponent in her bid for a second term. Representatives for the governor did not respond to an email to her official and campaign inboxes seeking comment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced its flagship new “Youth Jobs Grant” scheme in March. It did so alongside a package of new policies to tackle the so-called rise in young people “not in education, employment, or training” (NEET). But now, it has admitted that all is not what it seems.
DWP Youth Jobs Grant
The grant scheme offers employers £3,000 for every young person aged 18-24 they hire who has been claiming universal credit for over six months.
The DWP will issue the grant irrespective of the claimant’s conditionality regime. It means that this could also apply to young disabled people claiming limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA), who the DWP has assessed as not fit for work.
Alongside its new Youth Jobs Grant, the DWP is also introducing a £2,000 “Apprenticeship Incentive” to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to employ 16-24 year-olds into new apprenticeship roles.
It also announced an expansion to its so-called “Jobs Guarantee“. This will now make the fully funded six-month wage subsidy available to employers hiring young people aged 18 to 24.
However, the Canary’s Rachel Charlton-Dailey has highlighted how the government’s raft of youth employment policies risks coercing young chronically ill and disabled claimants into low-waged and unsuitable work.
Cat out of the bag
Now, in response to a series of parliamentary written questions, the DWP has admitted that the Youth Jobs Grant will “not require employers to demonstrate” that they have hired young people into any roles that wouldn’t have already existed without the new incentive funding.
Independent MP James McMurdock asked “what steps” the DWP “plans to take to help ensure that jobs created through the Youth Jobs Grant are additional to existing positions”.
The answer came amid a lengthy response addressing 14 separate written questions McMurdock had tabled probing the government’s youth employment plans.
On 27 March, DWP minister Andrew Western wrote:
The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has separately said:
Offering £3,000 to all employers without checking for additionality would result in substantial dead weight.
In particular, it has highlighted how “DWP statistics from 2022–25 show that only 19% of 16- to 24-year-olds on UC who have been unemployed for 6 months are still on the benefit 18 months later”.
It said this “implies that the majority are likely to find work even in the absence of wage subsidies”.
Barriers to employment
Disabled young people face significantly greater barriers to employment, so the grant’s lack of an additionality requirement could fail to ensure employers offer accessible roles for 18-24 year-olds well enough to work and/or not in the LCWRA group.
Western told McMurdock that the DWP would pay the grant in “staged instalments”. The department has yet to specify what these will be. It also hasn’t confirmed the length of time these instalments will span in total.
But Western admitted that the government isn’t planning to place any minimum retention requirements on employers for the grant.
He said that the staged instalments would “encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period”.
Elsewhere in the response, he stated that the scheme’s “purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market”.
According to Western, the grant aims to do that “by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone”.
The revelations call into question the government’s claims that its new package of employment policies will create 200,000 new jobs for young people.
More DWP nonsense?
The DWP anticipates that the Jobs Guarantee and the Youth Jobs Grant will create 30,000 and 20,000 new job roles for young people respectively. However, the IFS has said that in tandem, even if these are additional, the policies will “directly benefit a small percentage of the almost 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds who are NEET”.
Now, Western’s response has confirmed that the DWP can’t guarantee these will be genuinely additional.
The government has been citing its programme of employment support, including these employer incentives, to justify widespread cuts to welfare.
From 6 April, DWP will slash the universal credit health element in half for new claimants.
The cut exempts existing claimants, those who meet the department’s “severe conditions criteria”, and those who are terminally ill.
In its Pathways to Work green paper, the government also floated plans to restrict the health element of universal credit to over 22s. It has yet to make a decision on the proposal.
However, in November work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden referred to former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn’s “independent” investigation into Young People and Work.
He said that he did not “want to make a decision” on the minimum age requirement proposal until Milburn had looked at “the whole issue of young people, sickness, unemployment and work”.
The inquiry’s terms of reference show that it will solely target chronically ill and disabled claimants.
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After a long, dreary winter, it’s finally spring, which means one very important thing – that’s right, it’s time to cycle out our cold-weather wardrobes at last.
Sure, it’s not exactly tropical outside right now, but the height of spring is looming, and with that comes an influx of springtime-friendly dresses.
And I, for one, have been on the edge of my seat waiting to say goodbye to my big coat and thermals for another year.
From florals to LBDs to leopard print, if you’re looking for some shopping inspo to get you started for the new season, here’s a list of the best spring dresses you can buy right now.
As a psychologist working with children and families, I often meet parents at a moment of both clarity and uncertainty.
They may have started to notice that their toddler experiences the world a little differently. Perhaps their child becomes overwhelmed in busy environments, struggles with communication or finds social interaction more difficult than other children their age.
For many families, recognising neurodivergence brings a sense of relief. But it is usually followed by a daunting question: how do we get the right support for our child?
In the UK, that journey can be particularly complex during the early years.
According to the Department for Education, around 1.6 million pupils in England are identified as having special educational needs, representing roughly 18% of the school population. Yet families with preschool children often face long waiting lists for assessments and limited access to early support.
This delay matters. Early childhood is a critical period for brain development. Evidence shows that early support programmes for neurodivergent children, particularly those on the autism spectrum, can significantly improve communication, social skills and everyday functioning.
When support arrives early, it does not change who a child is, nor should it. What it can do is help children develop strategies that make learning and taking part in daily life much more manageable.
The early years can be very difficult for families
The period after recognising that a child may be neurodivergent can be one of the most stressful times for parents.
Families are often required to navigate complex systems across health, education and social care, while also supporting their child’s day-to-day needs.
Research has shown that parents of neurodivergent children report significantly higher levels of stress during the early stages of seeking support, particularly when services are delayed or fragmented.
In practice, many parents become the main coordinator of their child’s support: they research therapies, push for assessments and adapt their home routines to help their child manage emotions and sensory challenges.
Yet this expertise is not always recognised by the professionals they encounter.
Challenging outdated advice
In my clinical work, I still hear well-intentioned but outdated advice offered to parents of neurodivergent toddlers. Comments such as “they will grow out of it” or “they simply need firmer discipline” reflect a misunderstanding of how neurodivergent children develop.
Research increasingly shows that behaviours often described as disruptive are more accurately understood as a child trying to express sensory, emotional or communication needs.
When a child struggles to join in with group activities or becomes overwhelmed in a busy environment, it is rarely deliberate defiance. It is often a sign that the environment does not yet suit the way their brain works.
A more helpful approach shifts the focus away from controlling the behaviour and towards understanding what is behind it.
What early years settings could do differently
Nurseries and early years settings are well placed to support neurodivergent children before formal schooling begins.
However, according to the Department for Education, many staff feel underprepared to recognise and respond to the different ways children develop and learn.
Inclusion means more than simply allowing neurodivergent children into mainstream settings. It means adapting those environments with calmer spaces, flexible routines, visual aids and genuine collaboration with families.
When these changes are made, the benefits extend to all children. Every young learner does better in an environment that feels predictable and safe.
One young child I worked with struggled to join in at nursery and was frequently described as disruptive. Staff were unsure how best to respond.
After introducing a simple visual timetable and a quiet space where the child could go when feeling overwhelmed, the difference in their participation was remarkable.
What changed was not the child but the environment. This reflects a broader principle: when we adjust our surroundings to meet a child’s needs, their ability to engage often grows considerably.
Dr Marguerita Magennis is a psychologist, educational consultant, counsellor and psychology tutor at FindTutors.
Rock icon Bruce Springsteen had a blunt message for US leader Donald Trump and his administration on Tuesday night, during a politically-charged tour opener in Minneapolis.
“The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration,” Springsteen told fans at the start of the show, to cheers from the audience.
The singer then called on the crowd to choose “resistance over complacency, unity over division and peace over war”, with that last word signaling the start of a rousing cover of The Temptations’ War, followed by his own 1984 hit, Born In The USA.
Later in the show, Springsteen accused Trump and his “corrupt White House” of turning the United States into a “reckless, unpredictable, predatory rogue nation”.
“This is happening now,” he repeated throughout his comments.
Variety reported that Springsteen slammed Trump for waging an “unconstitutional and illegal war”, for “abandoning NATO” and for threatening “our neighbours and our allies”.
He added: “Our museums are being told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts like the full history of the brutality of slavery. You want to talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can’t handle the truth.”
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images
Springsteen also lashed out at Attorney General Pam Bondi, claiming she “prosecutes our president’s perceived enemies, covers up for his misdeeds and protects his powerful friends”.
He and his E Street Band were joined by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello for the show, which was nearly three hours long.
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images
Springsteen has a habit of getting under Trump’s skin.
Last year, he spoke out against Trump during a tour of Europe, which triggered a social media meltdown, prompting the president to verbally attack Springsteen, branding him “a pushy, obnoxious JERK” and “dried out ‘prune.’”
Trump also told Springsteen to “KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT”. Springsteen has done just the opposite.
Earlier this year, he released the anthemic protest song, Streets Of Minneapolis, after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good – two Americans who were protesting against Trump and his violent immigration crackdown in the city.
Soon after, Springsteen announced his Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour, which he will bring to Trump’s doorstep when it wraps up in Washington, D.C., in May.
Israel’s invasion and attempted annexation of southern Lebanon has been portrayed as a sideshow to the war in Iran. And legacy media coverage has tended to miss out details of stubborn resistance to the Israeli military campaign.
Israel is struggling
In reality, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have not had an easy time at all. Met with determined local resistance, they’ve failed to achieve key goals.
Photojournalist Guy Smallman, recently on the ground in the south, reported on an Israeli mission to take the town of Nabi Chit:
This story of a failed Israeli ground mission explains why occupying Lebanon will never be an option for them. There is a multi-layered culture of resistance that is many decades old and constantly evolving.
Detailing a raid on 6 March, mayor Sayyed Hani el Moussawi said:
the Israeli raid failed in its mission. Despite their massive firepower, they were forced into a hasty retreat.
He explained that until the Israelis invaded the town:
local resistance fighters had been taking shelter from the airstrikes. But once we discovered that the Israelis were in the village, the fighters appeared and fought an epic gun battle.
Eventually, the Israelis fled:
under the cover of airstrikes. Some 40 to 50 airstrikes hit the village and surrounding roads. They fired artillery, dropped bombs, used helicopter gunships and quad-drones.
Israeli encirclement plans
Other sources in the south sketched a picture of Israel’s plans:
From the very first day in southern Lebanon, the enemy has relied on a tactic of encirclement and isolation rather than storming and seizing villages, in order to avoid attrition and heavy casualties, and to hasten its advance to points that would give it the appearance of a swift victory.
Adding:
The enemy is seeking to implement a geographical separation operation stretching across the southern Litani, fragmenting the resistance lines into separate pockets. It has been noted that the enemy deliberately began the invasion through crossings within non-Shiite villages, where there are no resistance elements.
Communications seen by the Canary suggest that Israel been trying to cut supply lines and encircle troublesome population centres in the western, central and eastern sectors of southern Lebanon.
Sources also indicated:
that the morale of the resistance fighters is very high, and that the management of the battle is cohesive, flexible and determined to sustainably wear down the enemy, and that the enemy lacks a great deal of intelligence, as evidenced by its operations and raids.
Multi-stage war of attrition
They said this implies:
that the resistance has carried out a significant portion of its work since the last war in complete secrecy, which complicates the enemy’s mission. All of this points to the extent of the lessons and insights the resistance has drawn, and is applying creatively in the current battle.
The aim of local resistance forces seems to be determined to bog down in:
a multi-stage war of attrition, beginning by raising the cost of its advance, then preventing it from establishing a foothold, and finally attacking its forces and rear lines.
They have also deployed new technologies to do so:
The resistance is making use of the Sariq anti-armour system and the drone and unmanned aerial vehicle systems, in addition to small units engaging in mobile ambushes with fire support.
They claim that:
To date, the enemy has suffered the damage and destruction of more than 100 Merkava tanks.
In theory, Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia paramilitary group and political party, breached a US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ with Israel in early March which had held up since their last war in 2024. In practice, the US gave Israel carte blanche to strike Lebanon, which it has done constantly since the deal was struck. During the intervening period, Israel attacked southern Lebanon about 15,400 times.
Israel remains determined to enforce it colonial ambitions on Lebanon. But while the nuclear-armed, US backed state remains the most powerful country in region on paper, it will not have an easy ride if it wishes to annex its neighbour.
Featured image via the Canary
WASHINGTON – A quarter century after retired general and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell warned against invading Iraq by citing what became known as the Pottery Barn rule of “you break it, you own it,” President Donald Trump is unveiling his own motto for his war on Iran: I broke it, someone else can fix it.
In a social media post on Tuesday, followed up with statements to reporters, Trump is walking away from any responsibility for the global energy crisis he created when he attacked Iran 32 days ago, particularly Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a full fifth of the world’s oil flows.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump wrote in a morning social media post. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
He subsequently told the New York Post that “the strait will automatically open” when the US leaves the area and told CBS News that if other countries want the oil, they should just go get it. “Let them come up and take it. They didn’t want to give a hand to anybody. NATO is terrible, and they’re all terrible. So if they want oil, come up and grab it,” he said.
And in an Oval Office photo opportunity later in the afternoon, he said he would likely end the attacks in “two or three weeks” after destroying all the targets he wants to hit. “In a fairly short period of time, we’ll be finished,” he said.
The suggestion that he is ready to wash his hands of opening the strait to unfettered navigation contradicts what he promised on March 3 — “the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD” — and again on Monday, when he demanded that Iran open the strait “immediately.”
“It’s a major geopolitical failure,” said Robert Kagan, once a senior State Department official in the Reagan administration and now with the Brookings Institution.
“If Trump TACOs now, the net effect of the war will be to give China unprecedented influence in the Gulf, and therefore over the world economy,” he added, using the shorthand for “Trump Always Chickens Out” coined by Wall Street traders when he backed down from his massive tariffs a year ago. “Substantially worse than the status quo ante.”
While Powell specifically denied calling his advice the “Pottery Barn rule,” pointing to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as the originator of the phrase, he admitted to warning former President George W. Bush about the responsibility for nation-building after an invasion. (Pottery Barn does not actually have a “you break it, you buy it” policy.)
Trump, who campaigned as a critic of the war in Iraq and American nation-building efforts there and in Afghanistan, has largely avoided talking about improving the lives of everyday Iranians and has instead claimed that Iran was an imminent threat to the United States while pushing a might-makes-right goal of confiscating that country’s oil.
His decision to start a major war without consulting any of America’s traditional allies has inflamed the nation’s relations with much of the world. In recent days, Spain and Italy have refused to let the US use air bases on their soil for attacks on Iran, while France has forbidden the use of its airspace for military flights to assist Israel, which is also attacking Iran.
While Americans have seen gasoline prices jump a dollar a gallon and truck drivers are seeing increases of about twice that for diesel fuel, Trump’s war is wreaking even worse havoc around the planet. Egypt has ordered earlier closing hours for businesses. China has stopped exporting refined petroleum products. Sri Lanka has declared Wednesdays national holidays, while Slovenia has become the first member of the European Union to impose fuel rationing.
It’s unclear whether Trump knows or much cares about the effects on other countries. Thus far, he has claimed that he expected fuel prices to rise much higher and the stock market to fall much lower in the United States and that he expects gasoline prices to fall “like a rock” when the war is over.
Still, with air attacks likely to produce diminishing returns and with the only remaining alternative to escalate further by deploying ground troops, Trump may finally decide to declare victory.
“I think Trump is looking for a way out, not for strategic reasons, but for domestic political reasons,” said John Bolton, a longtime advocate of forcing regime change in Iran and one of Trump’s first-term national security advisers. “That’s always a mistake.”
“I anticipate he walks claiming victory and says the Europeans and the Gulf states have to sort out the strait,” agreed Jim Townsend, an analyst with the Center for a New American Security and a former staffer at the Pentagon and NATO.
At this point, Kagan believes, an unwarranted declaration of victory may well be the least bad of the options available.
“Because he could also go in on the ground, lose lots of Americans, commit war crimes, and still end up with that result,” Kagan said. “On top of destroying the alliances.”
The BBC has issued an apology for its response to an allegation raised with the broadcaster last year about former Radio 2 host Scott Mills.
On Monday morning, it was announced that Mills had been abruptly fired by the BBC due to an allegation about his personal conduct.
It later emerged that he’d previously been questioned by the police as part of an investigation into “allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy”, who was under 16 at the time.
The Mirror claimed that Mills’ firing came following a complaint made about this police investigation, though this remains unconfirmed by the BBC.
Since then, The Telegraph reported that a separate allegation about “inappropriate communications” involving Mills had been raised with the BBC by a freelance journalist last year.
According to the journalist, they questioned the BBC about whether they were “aware of or involved in any related matters” or had ever received “formal or informal complaints” about Mills “relating to safeguarding, inappropriate conduct or harassment”, but did not receive a response.
The BBC then apologised as part of a statement (as reported by The Guardian) on Tuesday, which read: “We received a press query in 2025 which included limited information. This should have been followed up and we should have asked further questions. We apologise for this and will look into why this did not happen.
“More broadly, we would always urge anyone who has concerns or information to raise it with us.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told The Mirror earlier this week: “In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force.
“The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy. These were reported to taken place between 1997 and 2000. As part of these enquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview, was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.
“A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019.”
In response to this, a BBC spokesperson told HuffPost UK they had no further comment, other than to reiterate a previous statement, which read: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”
HuffPost UK also contacted Scott Mills’ team for further comment but did not receive a response.
Before his sudden firing, MIlls had worked with the BBC for almost 30 years, joining the corporation in 1998 as a presenter on Radio 1, before making the jump to Radio 5 Live and Radio 2.
Last year, he took over at the helm of Radio 2’s flagship breakfast show from outgoing host Zoe Ball.
Over the years, he has also helped present coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest and competed in the BBC reality shows Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Race Across The World, winning the latter in 2024.
In one of the most critical moments that raises questions about crowd culture in European football stadiums, the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona witnessed a series of racist, anti-Muslim chants during Tuesday 31 March night’s friendly match between Spain and Egypt. The chants sparked outrage from players, officials, and fans alike. Specifically, racists targeted Lamine Yamal.
Lamine Yamal targeted by racists
The match, which ended in a 0-0 draw, turned sour in the first half when racist chants against Muslims, including the slogan “If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim,” were heard from the stands. This provoked strong reactions both inside and outside the stadium, prompting the Catalan police to open an official investigation into the chants, which they described as “Islamophobic and xenophobic,” according to Spanish security services.
At the heart of this controversy was the young Spanish player of Moroccan origin and rising star at Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, who responded with a clear, mature statement on his official Instagram account, rejecting these chants in the strongest terms.
Addressing those criticising the chants, he said:
I am a Muslim, thank God. Yesterday at the stadium, I heard chants like these. I know I was heading towards the opposing team and the chants weren’t directed at me, but as a Muslim, this behaviour remains disrespectful and intolerable.
Yamal added in his statement:
I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who chant such things: using religion to mock people in a football stadium makes you ignorant and racist. Football should be enjoyed and cheered on, not used to insult people for who they are or what they believe.
Lamine Yamal thanked the fans who attended the match, expressing his anticipation for upcoming games, saying: “Thank you to everyone who came to support us… See you at the World Cup.”
In response to the incident, criticism wasn’t limited to the player. In its first official reaction, the Spanish Football Federation condemned the incident, emphasizing in a statement published on its official social media accounts its categorical rejection of such behavior.
The statement read:
The Spanish Football Federation stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence within stadiums.
Megan Thee Stallion is in hospital after falling ill on stage in New York on Tuesday night.
The Grammy winner recently took over the role of Zidler in the Broadway production of the musical Moulin Rouge!.
During her latest performance, Megan was forced to leave the stage mid-show, and was subsequently rushed to hospital due to an undisclosed illness.
The Hot Girl Summer rapper’s representative told Variety: “During Tuesday night’s production, Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated.
“We will share additional updates as more information becomes available.”
The Texas-born musician began performing as Zidler last week, taking over the role from RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob The Drag Queen.
She previously enthused: “Stepping onto the Broadway stage and joining the Moulin Rouge! The Musical team is an absolute honour.
“I’ve always believed in pushing myself creatively and theatre is definitely a new opportunity that I’m excited to embrace.
“Broadway demands a different level of discipline, preparation and storytelling, but I’m up for the challenge and can’t wait for the Hotties [Megan’s name for her fans] to see a new side of me.”
Megan’s breakthrough moment came in 2019 with the Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign collaboration Hot Girl Summer.
The following year, Beyoncé recorded a guest feature on her hit Savage, with Megan and Cardi B later teaming up on the hit WAP, which reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic and generated a lot of conversation due to the song’s sexually-charged lyrics and music video.
In 2021, Megan was awarded Best New Artist at the Grammys – beating stiff competition from the likes of Doja Cat and Phoebe Bridgers – as well as picking up Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for the Beyoncé mix of Savage.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Stop the War (StW) formed a coalition in shared opposition to the genocide in Gaza. Since then, more than 20 national protests across the UK have demonstrated that the British public does not support the mass killing of Palestinians.
However, authorities convicted PSC director Ben Jamal and StW vice-chair Chris Nineham on two counts under the authoritarian Public Order Act introduced by Suella Braverman.
This ruling has sent shockwaves through the pro-Palestinian community, as repressive police powers actively undermine and curtail the ability to protest.
Refusing to be deterred, the PSC has published a statement on behalf of the coalition, condemning the verdicts as:
extraordinary and shocking and a huge setback for civil liberties.
We spoke to Chris Nineham following his conviction under this draconian law:
Stop the War and Palestine Solidarity Campaign activists Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal have been found guilty of “breaching protest conditions” – we spoke to Chris Nineham@STWuk pic.twitter.com/zDr6JxRDeJ
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) April 1, 2026
“A seismic threat to democratic freedoms” say pro-Palestine coalition
In this statement, it is made clear that Nineham and Jamal intend to appeal their verdicts. Helping them with that appeal, they will have full support of the pro-Palestine coalition behind them. Undoubtedly, they will have support of the wider British public in which a majority oppose Israel’s bloodthirsty actions.
They then go further by highlighting “significant concerns” about how the six-day trial was conducted. These concerns will be subsequently raised in their imminent appeal.
Arguably pointing to a stitch up, the statement reads:
The substantive issues at the heart of the case were clear. From the stage that day, Ben Jamal explained that a delegation of leaders of the coalition, plus MPs, trade union leaders and members of the Jewish bloc, would walk peacefully in a symbolic protest towards the BBC to lay flowers to mark the Corporation’s failures to report the truth of genocide in Gaza.
Ben made clear that, if stopped by the police, the flowers would be laid at the police line. In the event, as copious video evidence shows, police officers invited the delegation to pass though.
They also argue that the claims of public disorder made by the police were categorically untrue.
In fact, they underscore the violence that they did see that day:
The only moment of violence was when Chis Nineham was brutally pulled to the ground and hauled away by police officers.
Contradicting Police Commander Adam Slonecki’s adamant insistence that the imposed late restrictions did not follow political pressure from pro-Israel groups, they added:
The logs of the Police Gold Commander Adam Slonecki reveal that enormous political pressure was placed on the police by pro-Israel groups to prevent a protest at the BBC.
Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the judge’s verdict, saying he is “appalled”:
I am appalled by today’s verdict against Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham.
In January 2025, we held an entirely peaceful demonstration in support of Palestinian people. At all times, they — and we — followed all police instructions. We ended the demonstration by laying down flowers… https://t.co/A8bCsKOJ9X
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 1, 2026
Defending the actions of Jamal and Nineham at the protest, which Corbyn was also taking part in, he wrote:
In January 2025, we held an entirely peaceful demonstration in support of Palestinian people. At all times, they — and we — followed all police instructions. We ended the demonstration by laying down flowers at their feet to mourn the deaths of Palestinian children.
Today’s verdict is a dark day for civil liberties in this country — and is a disgraceful assault on the right to protest.
We wrote earlier today after the court’s judgement:
It is clear that the government are refusing to back down in its attempts to intimidate and bully British citizens into no longer standing by our Palestinian comrades. Heavily funded by the Israel Lobby, Starmer’s government have long ignored and diminished rising islamophobia, whilst unduly declaring anti-Zionist positions as antisemitic.
Crime and Policing Bill
The statement goes on to draw attention to the Crime and Policing Bill which is making its way through Parliament:
It confirms the view, widely held across civil society, that these proposed increased powers represent a seismic threat to democratic freedoms.
They raise alarm at the chilling impact this is clearly intended to have on people supporting Palestinians:
The unprecedented charging and now conviction of leaders of a movement that has brought millions to the streets in support of the people of Palestine is designed to chill ongoing opposition to genocide, apartheid and illegal occupation.
It finishes with a typical show of dogged resistance to state oppression and repression:
It will not succeed.
That it most certainly won’t, as a call to action is heard for the upcoming protest on the 16 May in London:
So, Ben Jamal and I have been convicted for organising a peaceful protest against genocide in a bizarre decision by one judge.
This is a big attack on civil liberties.
We will appeal. We call for a massive mobilisation in support of the Palestinian people for Nakba on 16 May. https://t.co/ftX7S069Bl
— Chris Nineham (@ChrisNineham) April 1, 2026
Featured image via the Canary
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