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ATLANTA (AP) — The FBI obtained a search warrant to seize hundreds of boxes of ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of a criminal investigation into possible “deficiencies or defects” in the vote count in the 2020 contest lost by President Donald Trump, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.

The affidavit provides the first public justification for an FBI search last month that targeted a county that Trump and allies have long seen as central to their false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

But the allegations outlined in the affidavit are largely based on claims that have long been made by people who assert that there was fraud in the 2020 election. Audits, state officials, courts and Trump’s own former attorney general have rejected the idea that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election that could have altered the outcome.

Among the “deficiencies or defects” investigators are looking at is Fulton County’s admission that it does not have scanned images of all the ballots counted during the original count or the recount, according to the affidavit. Fulton County has also confirmed that some ballots were scanned multiple times during the recount, the affidavit says.

“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome determinative for any particular election or race,” the document says.

The affidavit says seizures of the election records was necessary to determine whether election records were destroyed and or the tabulation of votes included materially false votes.” It cites potential violations of a law regarding the preservation and retention of election records, a misdemeanor. It also cites a law that makes it a crime to “knowingly and willfully” deprive residents of a “fair and impartially conducted election process,” which is a felony.

There was no reaction but we know Prince William and his team at least heard the shout, even if they didn’t hear the full question.

As William walked off a football pitch on the outskirts of Riyadh, where he is on an official visit, a reporter asked the prince: “Sir, to what extent do you think the Royal Family has done enough around the Andrew and Epstein issue?”

The palace is trying to keep this trip to Saudi on track, with no cancellations or obvious adjustments to engagements.

They want to remind us that William is used to navigating difficult times and takes his role seriously. If nothing else, they hope the heir and his family show the monarchy has got a positive future, at a time when they really need it, as they continue to compete against the seemingly uncontrollable noise around Andrew and Epstein.

It’s clear from the statements released on Monday that something has shifted over the past few days.

William and Kate publicly addressed the Epstein scandal for the first time, with Kensington Palace saying they were “deeply concerned” at the “continued revelations” and that their thoughts “remain focused on the victims”.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace said the King had “profound concern” over claims about Andrew and it would support police if contacted.

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Prince William’s trip overshadowed by Epstein?

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Silence was not an option, with the questions about what information Andrew was sharing during his time as trade envoy going right to the heart of the Royal Family’s public purpose and what they’re meant to be about.

Andrew has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Neither William nor the King have spoken about it on camera – not really a surprise – and William wasn’t going to do it here in Saudi.

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‘Bring justice to me and my husband’

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But it doesn’t help quell the voices of those who say they want to hear more from them – visible proof, you might say, of the “concerns” they have written about.

William will also no doubt have seen the calls for the King to encourage Andrew to voluntarily speak to the police and authorities in America. We know that even on official trips, he monitors the news back home.

Read more:
Timing of palace’s Andrew statement is extraordinary
Poll: Most people think King should encourage Andrew to testify

But here in Saudi there was a new global audience for him to think about – one that wasn’t going to ask him about Epstein.

William and Kate’s social media accounts feature a stream of photos of him meeting and greeting, and especially focusing on the time he spent with children and women.

For the palace, it was a day meant to be about important future relationships as headlines in the UK continue to dwell on the past.

Father of the year Howard Lutnick has been rumbled over his relations with Jeffrey Epstein.

Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary is facing calls to quit after lying about his relationship with Epstein after released files showed that he visited the billonaire’s so-called ‘paedophile island’ for lunch with his wife, friends and their eight children.

Lutnick admitted that he had met with Epstein twice after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child, reversing his bullish insistence on podcasts that he would ‘never be in the same room’ with the ‘disgusting’ paedophile billionaire after 2005.

Lutnick again downplayed his relationship with the disgraced financier who was once his neighbour in New York City as he was questioned by Democrats during a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He described their contact as a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart.

‘I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him,’ Lutnick told lawmakers.

But he quickly folded after the latest batch of emails were released. He admitted: ‘I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with – they were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island.

‘That is true  — for an hour. And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together.  

‘We were on family vacation. We were not a part — to suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012. I don’t recall why we did it but we did.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt abruptly cut short a press conference after she was asked questions about Lutnick’s appearance.

She replied that Trump ‘fully supports’ Lutnick and described him as ‘a very important member of President Trump’s team.’

It came as Congressman Ro Khanna named the six high-profile men that are included in the unredacted version of the documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

Khanna named, US businessman Leslie Wexner of Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and Bath & Body Works fame; Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem; and Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo.

‘If we found six men that they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they are covering up for in those 3 million files,’ Khanna said. ‘Why are they protecting these rich and powerful men? People I call part of the ‘Epstein class’.

‘Why are we in a country where there is no elite accountability for people who do the most heinous things?’

MORE: Prince William challenged over whether royals had done enough about Andrew

MORE: Irish man detained by ICE for five months is sharing a cell with 70 men

MORE: Justice is failing the young victims of sexual abuse, here and in the US

It is little exaggeration to brand this as Spurs’ biggest game since the Europa League final. Unthinkable even a few weeks ago, but Thomas Frank’s side now find themselves in a relegation battle, and a tricky fixture list provides few opportunities, on paper at least, to pick up points. Tonight is one Spurs simply must win.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.

The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, surprised economists who were looking for growth despite mounting concerns about slowing job growth, uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other economic headwinds. And it raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend after they have remained resilient for months despite souring consumer confidence, economists said.

Retail sales were flat in December from November, when business was up 0.6%, according to the Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a 0.4% increase for December.

The report was delayed because of the 43-day government shutdown.

Sales in October fell 0.1%, rose 0.1% in September, but jumped 0.6% in July and August and 1% in June, according to the Commerce Department.

The retail sales figures, which are not adjusted for inflation, showed that many types of businesses posted declines including furniture and home furnishings stores and electronics and appliance retailers.

Among the few bright spots: building materials and garden stores, which posted a solid sales increase. Gas stations and food and beverage stores saw small sales gains.

The snapshot offers only a partial look at consumer spending and doesn’t include many services, including travel and hotel lodges. But the lone services category – restaurants – registered a dip of 0.1%.

The data comes as U.S. consumer confidence has been souring for months. In fact, confidence declined sharply in January, hitting the lowest level since 2014 as Americans grow increasingly concerned about their financial prospects.

“Consumer spending has finally caught up with consumer sentiment, and not in a good way,” Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management in Charlotte, North Carolina, wrote in a report published Tuesday.

He noted that consumer confidence numbers have been disappointing for months, and shoppers have been complaining about the cost of everything – and yet they kept spending.

But he added, “This month’s data show that consumers are no longer relentlessly increasing their level of spending.”

Thomas Ryan, North America economist at Capital Economics, also noted the report was worrisome, but given expected stimulus from the bigger tax refund checks, he thinks that consumption at the end of the first quarter of this year “may turn out to be a lot stronger than it currently looks at the start.”

Economists will be closely monitoring a slew of economic reports on jobs and prices due out later this week.

But the economy is in a confusing place.

Growth is robust: Gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — advanced from July through September at the fastest pace in two years. But the job market is lackluster: Employers have added just 28,000 jobs a month since December.

In the 2021-2023 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns, by contrast, they were creating 400,000 jobs a month.

When the agency releases hiring and unemployment numbers for January on Wednesday, they are expected to show that businesses, government agencies and nonprofits added about 80,000 jobs last month — modest but up from 50,000 in December.

Analysts will also be studying consumer price report, to be released Friday. In December, consumer prices matched the 0.3% increase in November. If inflation cools in the coming months, it could increase the likelihood the Federal Reserve will reduce its key interest rate later this year, economists say.

Against this backdrop, some chains like Walmart, whose everyday low prices have pulled in shoppers from rivals, are thriving but others struggle.

A growing number of retailers are closing stores as companies reorganize under bankruptcy protection or pare down their operations to focus on profitable operations.

On Monday, the operator of roughly 180 Eddie Bauer stores across the U.S. and Canada filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming declining sales and a litany of other industry headwinds.

Last month, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue said it was seeking bankruptcy protection, buffeted by rising competition and the massive debt it took on to buy its rival in the luxury sector, Neiman Marcus, just over a year ago. A few days later, the parent company said it was closing most of its Saks Off 5th stores.

Amazon said earlier this month that it was closing almost all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations within days as it narrows its focus on food delivery and its grocery chain, Whole Foods Market.

Suggestions that Peter Mandelson may have shared government information with Jeffrey Epstein amid the fallout of the global financial crisis are being investigated by police.

Emails between Mandelson and the disgraced financier, released by the US Department of Justice, are said to include market-sensitive details. This was at a time when Mandelson was in government and ministers around him were scrambling to keep the UK economy afloat.

Now, the 2008 global financial crisis belongs to a different political generation, with almost all of the leading players having left the world stage. But the ripple effect of the credit crunch can still be felt in our politics and in our pockets.

This surely makes the allegations against Mandelson, some of which date to his time as UK business secretary, even more awful. The anaemic UK economy, its weakened public finances and the divisive nature of UK politics can all trace their ways back to the crisis.

This catastrophic event, where developed economies were brought to the brink of collapse, came at the end of a long period of prosperity. It put paid to a belief, embraced by Gordon Brown when he was chancellor, that the UK had achieved a “Goldilocks economy” – not too hot and not too cold. This was supposedly a triumphant end to the boom and bust of the past.

For a time it worked. Britain experienced 16 years of quarter-on-quarter economic growth, emerging from the aftermath of “Black Wednesday” in 1992 when sterling fell out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

The cracks first started to appear in 2007 as US lenders specialising in sub-prime mortgages (typically sold to high-risk borrowers) started to collapse. This was at the heart of what would become a global catastrophe. To meet market demand, lenders bundled together thousands of everyday home loans into “mortgage-backed securities”. These were then sold as low-risk debt to investors.

You can see the attraction: safe and steady repayments over the long term, underpinned by bricks and mortar. Only it was a deception, because that debt was not all safe. As house prices kept rising, banks increasingly agreed loans with customers who did not have the capacity to repay them. And the loans were made against property that had been overvalued.

Then the housing market weakened. Credit markets seized up, since holders of securitised debt found they couldn’t unwind their positions (put simply, they were unable to sell them on) – it was impossible to tell which parts of their holdings were sound and which were toxic. The result was that institutions stopped lending, interest rates on corporate borrowing jumped, investment ground to a near halt and stock markets plummeted.

Banks, big as well as small, started to fail. While the collapse of US giant Lehman Brothers in September 2008 marked the start of the global crisis, in the UK it was the liquidity emergency of Northern Rock that brought things into focus. Savers, having lost confidence, queued up outside branches in September 2007 to withdraw their money, marking the first run on a UK bank since the 19th century. But worse still, banks had lost trust in each other.

Banks are not just any business; they are the arteries of a functioning economy. Policymakers around the world judged that these banks were simply too big to fail. Governments responded with unprecedented interventions, including bank rescues, capital injections, fiscal stimulus and major regulatory reforms.

In Britain, this included nationalising Northern Rock in February 2008, recapitalising Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds, and launching wide-ranging guarantee and liquidity schemes. It meant containing the crisis, recapitalising the system, and restructuring the sector – all paid for by government borrowing.

In December 2008, Brown – by now prime minister – claimed he had “saved the world”. But what followed was the longest and deepest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. And that sharp downturn, in contrast to the previous decade, hit the young and the unskilled hardest as unemployment rose. For those in work, pay growth stalled.

It was during this period that Mandelson is suspected of sharing sensitive government information with Epstein. In June 2009, an email appears to show the then-business secretary forwarding details of proposals to sell off UK government assets to raise money for the public purse.

The crisis had blown a hole in the UK’s public finances as the Treasury grappled with falling tax receipts and increased demands on spending on public services and welfare. Added to this, bank rescues had of course piled up public debt.

Meanwhile, other emails in late 2009 appear to show Mandelson and Epstein discussing ways to push back against UK government plans for a “supertax” on bankers’ bonuses. These proposals were a bid to recoup some of the public money pumped into the sector.

For all the successes, perhaps the “Goldilocks economy” wasn’t entirely built on responsible policymaking. While inflation targets were hit, Bank of England experts had all but failed to notice the massive asset bubble. And then there were the “light-touch” banking controls, which even the regulator blamed for its failure to spot the storm brewing.

The long tail of the crisis

While economies eventually stabilised, not least because of Brown’s leadership and that of the subsequent coalition government, the consequences of the crisis play out to this day. In contrast to the optimism of the previous period, the years since the financial crisis have seen weak economic output, derisory productivity growth as well as slow improvements in pay.

Those were the years of austerity policies, with increasing distrust of institutions and a backlash against “elites”. All of this fuelled populism on the left and right.

Many felt left behind by the globalisation that had driven the economy from the mid-1990s, or were hit hard as low-skilled work became more precarious and public services squeezed, or felt taken for granted by the political class. When it came to their vote, Brexit was an opportunity to express their frustration and disrupt a system that they no longer believed worked for them.

And so it is impossible to understand the fractious nature of politics today, or the relatively feeble state of the UK economy, without understanding the huge challenge that the financial crisis posed to a generation of politicians. Although Mandelson is understood to deny any criminality, his alleged betrayal came at the peak of this jeopardy. We are all still paying the cost of bringing the global economy back from the brink.

Have you heard of the writer Brandon Sanderson? If you’ve not, you’re sure to soon as a major deal with AppleTV signals that his writing could be a big new fantasy franchise that everyone will be talking about.

Sanderson is best known for his expansive literary universe, the Cosmere, with books set on various planets that manifest different but interconnected forms of magic. What’s so significant about this AppleTV deal is that Sanderson will possess remarkable control over the production of adaptations of his entire back catalogue. Crucially, it has been reported that he will have approval over any decisions, enabling him to oversee projects as writer, consultant and producer.

It’s a level of creative control over the adaptation process from page to screen which has been described as unprecedented for an author.

Writers are often wheeled out when promoting an adaptation to reassure audiences of how “faithful” it is or to show support for any changes to the source material. But it’s not particularly common for an author to wield significant creative authority over the production process itself, especially for big-budget franchises.

In my book on the Harry Potter franchise I explore, for example, how JK Rowling’s approval (and supposed influence) was frequently invoked in promotion for Harry Potter films to build prestige for the franchise. But, it wasn’t until the Fantastic Beasts series (2016-22) that she actually received a production credit as screenwriter.

There are some exceptions. George RR Martin contributed to script-writing, casting and production in the first few seasons of the Game of Thrones TV show, an adaptation of his novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin has since acknowledged, however, that he had “less and less influence” over the TV show as it progressed, with similar breakdowns in communication during the adaptation of prequel series House of the Dragon.

Authors also sometimes write their own adapted screenplays. Gillian Flynn, for example, wrote both the novel Gone Girl and the screenplay for its film adaptation. Emma Donoghue won a best adapted screenplay Oscar for her work adapting her novel Room.

This process, called “self-adaptation”, has a long history in media and entertainment, even going back to Charles Dickens who adapted his works into stage plays. But authors may, of course, have strong opinions about how their work is adapted or have differing priorities to studio executives. Right now, when big-budget franchise instalments are expected to make hundreds of millions and hopefully attain long-term popularity, it’s a risky strategy to give creative control of a budding franchise to an author.

But that is exactly what’s happened with Sanderson. His literary properties are no doubt attractive to studio heads, having sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and slotting into the science fiction and fantasy niche carved out by mega-franchises like the MCU (Marvel Comic Universe), Game of Thrones and Harry Potter.

He’s also famously productive – publishing more than 50 novels in the last 20 years – which reduces the risk of acquiring a literary property whose overall narrative will never been concluded, something HBO had to navigate with the Game of Thrones TV show. The appeal for AppleTV is also clear, given its strategy to adapt genre fiction such as Foundation, Silo and Murderbot.

But how and why has Sanderson managed to retain so much creative control? I think the key lies in his commercial approach.

Sanderson established his own publishing and entertainment company, Dragonsteel Books, in 2012. As an online storefront it sells merchandise from special-edition books to board games to t-shirts. In 2020, it was reported he raised a record-breaking £30 million through Dragonsteel Books, using Kickstarter to self-publish four “secret projects” he had written during the COVID pandemic.

Since 2021, Dragonsteel Books organises a yearly Brandon Sanderson fan convention. And, in 2024, Sanderson announced that his company had purchased land to build “Dragonsteel Plaza”, which is expected to contain a bookstore, creative hub and company headquarters.

Sanderson challenges our cultural idea of the author as a creative genius who shuns commercial activity: he actively embraces it. He demonstrates the kind of attitude that aligns with the priorities of a global megacorporation such as AppleTV that is looking for ambitious large-scale franchises to launch.

With his Mistborn series touted for film and Stormlight Archive for television, it remains to be seen what Sanderson’s creative direction will look like. But what’s clear is the benefit of Sanderson’s collaboration for AppleTV: a creative figurehead and a commercially strategic ally for a fledgling franchise that has incredible potential for longevity.

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The story behind Steve Borthwick’s selection for Calcutta Cup match in Edinburgh on Saturday, is not the two changes he has made, with Luke Cowan-Dickie starting at hooker and Maro Itoje returning to captain the side at lock. Nor is it the decision to retain Henry Arundell on the wing despite the return to fitness of Ollie Lawrence, or the dropping of Marcus Smith from the 23-man squad following the victory over Wales.

No, the biggest take-away is from what Borthwick did not do, and that was switch Tommy Freeman, a wing for his club Northampton Saints and the British and Irish Lions, from outside centre, where he started against Wales.

It is something Borthwick must have considered when Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was forced to pull out with a hamstring injury at the 11th hour ahead of the Wales game, but instead the England head coach opted to bring in Tom Roebuck, who had only just recovered from a broken toe.

Again, with Lawrence fully fit this week having recovered from a knee injury, the Bath centre would have come under consideration for midfield berth, which would have allowed Borthwick to switch Freeman out to the wing, a move that could have led to Arundell’s relegation, despite his first-half hat-trick of tries against Wales.

Instead, the picture is becoming clear. Borthwick clearly sees Freeman’s best position for England at 13, and seems intent on giving him enough game time in the position to allow him to fully flourish at the World Cup in Australia next year.

Next season the midfield competition will intensify, when Joe Marchant joins Sale Sharks from Stade Français and Benhard Janse van Rensburg, the Pretoria-born Bristol centre, qualifies for England after completing the five-year residency rule. Seb Atkinson and Max Ojomoh are also strongly in the mix.

But Freeman looks to be in pole position for the 13 shirt, with the inside view that it brings the best out of his athletic ability, heft, and finishing power. Starting him at 13 also bakes-in versatility to allow Borthwick to persist with a six-two bench. With Ben Earl able to switch to the midfield, and Freeman finishing the game on the wing.

England also see him with the aerial skills to cover full-back if required, which in part explains why a fit-again Fin Smith is preferred on the bench to his namesake Marcus. The Northampton play-maker is now seen as a player who can also cover inside centre, and his more structured game suits England’s style, which now focuses on kicking to compete in the air.

A huge band of snow is set to hit the UK on Sunday morning (February 15)

A huge 860km wall of snow is set to hit the UK this weekend, with Met Office weather maps now showing exactly what time and which areas will be affected.

It comes after the UK is seeing record-breaking levels of rain, with forecasters warning that there are ‘no signs’ of a prolonged dry spell for at least seven to 10 days.

As of Tuesday afternoon (February 10) there are 97 ‘act now’ flood warnings in force across the UK as well as 154 ‘flooding is possible’ alerts.

And now, Met Office maps show a huge band of snow heading towards the UK on Sunday (February 15), spanning a whopping 860km.

At 9am on Sunday, Met Office maps reveal a wall of snow which stretches all the way from Brighton in the south of England to the village of Durness in Scotland.

Before then though, at 6am, the band is snow is slightly smaller, stretching from the Midlands all the way up to Scotland.

By 12pm on Sunday, it looks as though most of the snow has passed over the UK, leaving rain and some dry patches in its wake.

The Met Office has not issued any severe weather warnings for the weekend, however forecasters urge people to stay up to date with the latest weather forecast in your area.

Met Office’s UK-wide forecast for Thursday to Saturday reads: “Unsettled at first with further outbreaks of rain. Turning colder from Friday with a chance of snow showers, particularly in the north. Dry, cold and sunny for many on Saturday.”

Looking at the long-range weather forecast which covers the time between February 15 and 24, the Met Office says: “Showers or longer spells of rain are expected as Atlantic low pressure systems dominate in the vicinity of the UK.

“Some heavy rain is likely in places, probably focussed on western hills, with some snow at times in the north, mainly on high ground. Strong winds are possible at times, especially around coasts.

“Temperatures will probably be near normal. Later in the period, there is a chance that drier, more settled conditions may begin to develop.”

And looking even further ahead at the period between February 25 and March 11, the Met Office forecast reads: “Low confidence in the dominant weather patterns during this period.

“There are signals for both changeable, unsettled conditions, bringing a risk of some heavy rain, and also periods of drier, more settled weather, which may mean colder conditions.”

The forecast concludes: “The latter, more settled pattern is looking slightly more probable at this stage.”