Peter Mandelson, former UK ambassador to the United States, is currently under investigation by the Metropolitan Police concerning an allegation of criminal misconduct in public office.
The allegation centres on evidence that Mandelson passed sensitive, confidential information – received in his capacity as a minister – to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
If that is true, then it is, of course, not the first time that ministerial confidences have been breached. However, what makes this case potentially serious is the possibility that the information passed to Epstein was known to be likely to assist Epstein financially and that this favour may have been bound up with a relationship between the men in which Epstein conferred financial benefits on Mandelson.
The offence of misconduct in public office – described by famous legal commentator Sir William Blackstone in 1765 as “a crime of deep malignity” – dates back many centuries. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In most cases, a significant prison sentence is imposed on a convicted offender – and there are around 25 to 50 convictions each year. Misconduct in public office is what lawyers call a common law offence. That is to say, it is an offence invented and developed (like the definition of murder) by judges, without parliamentary intervention.
Advertisement
In its modern form, the offence has three main elements. The accused must have been acting in an official capacity at the time of the alleged offence, they must have wilfully misconducted themselves and their conduct must have fallen “so far below acceptable standards that it amounts to an abuse of the public’s trust”.
Prosecutors must be confident that the evidence for these elements points to a reasonable prospect of conviction and separately that there is sufficient public interest in prosecution.
Keir Starmer faces questions over Mandelson in PMQs. Flickr/UK Parliament, CC BY-NC-ND
A typical case might be one in which a prison officer accepts money for passing information to a prisoner on the whereabouts of the latter’s former criminal associates. Such cases are ones in which the offence operates in a broadly top-down manner: servants of the state entrusted with powers are called to account for the knowing misuse of those powers.
However, the offence can also operate in a more bottom-up manner. Those holding the highest elected or judicial offices can themselves be criminally accountable for misuse of power, if need be, through a private prosecution launched by an ordinary citizen or a pressure group. For example, the MPs in the so-called expenses scandal who knowingly made false claims were convicted of false accounting, but they could all equally have been charged with misconduct in public office.
Advertisement
Corruption in public office?
In Mandelson’s case, there seems to be evidence that while acting in a public capacity as a minister (element one), he wilfully – knowingly – misconducted himself (element two). He must have known that it was wrong to share confidential information with Epstein if he received it in a ministerial capacity.
The key is probably element three: did his wilful misconduct fall so far short of what is expected of a holder of ministerial office as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust? Misconduct in public office is a serious offence, and so this is a high bar to surmount. Central to the determination of element three will be whether information was wrongly disclosed for a purpose itself involving significant impropriety, such as benefiting a private individual financially.
There is also the possibility that such an improper purpose was also associated with corruption. If the information was disclosed as part of an exchange of favours, that makes the case stronger for saying that there was an abuse of the public’s trust. Corrupt activity has long been equated in law with the abuse of public trust. Proof of both improper purpose and corruption would be very serious indeed.
The lapse of time, and his political disgrace, may have diminished the public interest in prosecuting Mandelson; and it should be noted that public outrage is not the same as public interest. Even so, he would be well advised to find himself a first-rate lawyer.
GOSSIP Girl is making a comeback with a “sequel” novel centered around Blair Waldorf as an adult in New York City, over a decade after the show’s end.
The series, which was adapted from the book of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, aired on The CW for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.
Sign up for the TV newsletter
Thank you!
Advertisement
Gossip Girl is returning with a ‘sequel’ novel, over a decade since the show’s endCredit: AlamyThe new book centers around Blair Waldorf, played on TV series by Leighton Meester, 20 years after the original novelCredit: Alamy
According to Deadline, the author is revisiting the character’s story, portrayed by Leighton Meester on-screen, for a new standalone novel titled Blair.
Alloy Entertainment sold the novel to Karen Kosztolnyik, VP, Executive Editorial Director of Fiction at Grand Central Publishing, in a major book deal, per the outlet.
The book will be published in the U.S. and through Charlotte Mursell, Publisher of Orion Fiction at Orion, a division of Hachette UK, for a global English-language release.
Advertisement
Blair will reportedly take place 20 years after the original Gossip Girl series was released, with the former snobby overachiever in her 40s, returning to the Upper East Side to regain her dominance in the food chain.
It’s unknown if the book could make its way to the small screen, but Alloy Entertainment – which is also behind other successful book-to-series favorites including The Vampire Diaries, You, and Pretty Little Liars – has obtained film and television rights if it drums up interest.
The original novel surely did, having sold over 6 million copies and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list after its 2002 release.
Advertisement
There have been no reports on whether anyone else in Blair’s former inner circle will appear in the book, although her relationships with many of them translated differently in the TV series.
Serena van der Woodsen was the other main character in the book and in the show, as Blair’s BFF and sometimes nemesis, played by Blake Lively.
Penn Badgley, Chase Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle, Taylor Momsen, and Jessica Szohr also portrayed prominent characters in the TV adaptation.
Gossip Girl got a reboot on HBO Max in 2021, featuring an all-new cast, with Kristen Bell returning as the narrator.
Many complained that the show’s teachers’ actions were “predatory,” and the overall allure was nowhere near that of the original namesake.
The revival also didn’t seem to thrust its cast into the same level of stardom as the former series did for stars such as Blake, Leighton, and Penn.
Blake has starred in a number of films since her Gossip Girl run ended, including the romance, It Ends with Us, which was the matchbox that sparked her ongoing legal war with her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Leighton has had fans swooning over her since joining the cast of the Netflix series Nobody Wants This, alongside fellow Gossip Girl alum Kristen Bell and her husband, Adam Brody.
Penn also cemented his place in another TV series, playing a vastly different character than the “Lonely Boy” from Brooklyn, Dan Humphrey.
The actor portrayed obsessive stalker and serial killer Joe Goldberg in the Netflix series, You, for five seasons from 2018 to 2025.
Gossip Girl is available to stream on multiple platforms, including HBO Max, Netflix, and Hulu.
Advertisement
The book will follow Blair’s life in her 40s as she returns to New York City and regains her dominance in the food chainCredit: AlamyCecily von Ziegesar, the author of the original bestselling novel, is the writer behind the next installmentCredit: Little, Brown and CompanyThe original book and show also featured Blair’s BFF, Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake LivelyCredit: Alamy
Pål K. Lønseth, head of Økokrim – the economic crime unit investigating Jagland – said: “We consider there are reasonable grounds for investigation, given that he held the positions of chair of the Nobel Committee and Secretary General of the Council of Europe during the period covered by the released documents.
Baroness Hilary Cass, who led that review, has previously said her report “uncovered a very weak evidence base” for the benefits of puberty blockers for children and young people with gender dysphoria, but that “given that there are clinicians, children and families who believe passionately in the beneficial effects, a trial was the only way forward to make sense of this”.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Derrick Johnson buried his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree with purple blossoms at his home on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano, fulfilling her wish of a final resting place looking over her grandchildren.
Then the FBI called.
It was Feb. 4, 2024, and Johnson was teaching an eighth-grade gym class.
“‘Are you the son of Ellen Lopes?’” a woman asked, Johnson recalled in an interview with The Associated Press.
Advertisement
There had been an incident, and an FBI agent would fly out to explain, the caller said. Then she asked: “‘Did you use Return to Nature for a funeral home?’”
“‘You should probably google them,’” she added.
In the clatter of the weight room, Johnson typed “Return to Nature” into his cellphone. Dozens of news reports appeared, details popping out in a blur.
Hundreds of bodies stacked on top of each other. Inches of body decomposition fluid. Swarms of bugs. Investigators traumatized. Governor declares state of emergency.
Johnson felt nauseated and his chest constricted, forcing the breath from his lungs. He pushed himself out of the building as another teacher heard his cries and came running.
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., holds family photos in his aunt’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., holds family photos in his aunt’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Two FBI agents visited Johnson the following week, confirming his mother’s body was among 189 that Return to Nature’s owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, had stashed in a Colorado building between 2019 and Oct. 4, 2023, when the bodies were found.
Even as the Hallfords’ bills went unpaid, authorities said they spent lavishly on Tiffany jewelry, luxury cars and laser-body sculpting, pocketing about $130,000 clients paid for cremations.
Advertisement
They were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023 and charged with abusing nearly 200 corpses.
Hundreds of families learned from officials that the ashes they ceremonially spread or kept close weren’t actually their loved ones’ remains. The bodies of their mothers, fathers, grandparents, children and babies had moldered in a room-temperature building in Colorado.
Jon Hallford will be sentenced Friday, facing between 30 to 50 years in prison, and Carie Hallford in April after a judge accepted their plea agreements in December. Attorneys for Jon and Carie Hallford did not respond to an AP request for comment.
Johnson, 45, who’s suffered panic attacks since the FBI called, promised himself that he would speak at Hallford’s sentencing and ask for the maximum penalty.
Advertisement
“When the judge passes out how long you’re going to jail, and you walk away in cuffs,” he said, “you’re gonna hear me.”
“She lied”
Jon and Carie Hallford were a husband-and-wife team who advertised “green burials” without embalming as well as cremation at their Return to Nature funeral home in Colorado Springs.
She would greet grieving families, guiding them through their loved ones’ final journey. He was less seen.
Johnson called the funeral home in early February 2023, the week his mother died. Carie Hallford assured him she would take good care of his mother, Johnson said.
Advertisement
Days later, she handed Johnson a blue box containing a zip-tied plastic bag with gray powder, saying those were his mother’s ashes.
“She lied to me over the phone. She lied to me through email. She lied to me in person,” Johnson told the AP.
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., poses for a portrait in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., poses for a portrait in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The following day, the box lay surrounded by flowers and photos of Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes at a memorial service at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs.
Johnson sprinkled rose petals over it as a preacher said: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Caught on video
On Sept. 9, 2023, surveillance footage showed a man appearing to be Jon Hallford walk inside a building owned by Return to Nature in the town of Penrose, outside Colorado Springs, according to an arrest affidavit.
Advertisement
Camera footage inside showed a body laying on a gurney wearing a diaper and hospital socks. The man flipped it onto the floor.
Then he “appeared to wipe the remaining decomposition from the gurney onto other bodies in the room,” before wheeling what appeared to be two more bodies into the building, the affidavit said.
In a text to his wife, Hallford said, “while I was making the transfer, I got people juice on me,” according to court testimony.
The neighborhood mom
Johnson grew up with his mother in an affordable-housing complex in Colorado Springs, where she knew everyone.
Advertisement
Johnson’s father wasn’t around much; at 5 years old, Johnson remembers seeing him punch his mom, sending her careening into a table, then onto a guitar, breaking it.
It was Lopes who taught Johnson to shave and hollered from the bleachers at his football games.
Advertisement
Photographs of Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes, whose body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., are stacked in her sister’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Photographs of Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes, whose body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., are stacked in her sister’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Neighborhood kids called her “mom,” some sleeping on the couch when they needed a place to stay and a warm meal. She would chat with Jehovah’s Witnesses because she didn’t want to be rude. With a life spent in social work, Lopes would say: “If you have the ability and you have the voice to help: Help.”
Johnson spoke with his mother nearly everyday. After diabetes left her blind and bedridden at age 65, she’d ask Johnson to describe what her grandchildren looked like over the phone.
It was Super Bowl Sunday in 2023 when her heart stopped.
Advertisement
Johnson, who had flown in from Hawaii to be at her bedside, clutched her warm hand and held it until it was cold.
A gruesome discovery
Detective Sgt. Michael Jolliffe and Laura Allen, the county’s deputy coroner, stood outside the Penrose building on Oct. 3, 2023, according to the 50-page arrest affidavit.
A sign on the door read “Return to Nature Funeral Home” and listed a phone number. When Jolliffe called it, it was disconnected. Cracked concrete and yellow stalks of grass encircled the building. At back was a shabby hearse with expired registration. A window air-conditioner hummed.
Someone had told Jolliffe of a rank smell coming from the building the day before, the affidavit said.
Advertisement
One neighbor told an AP reporter they thought it came from a septic tank; another said her daughter’s dog always headed to the building whenever it got off-leash.
It was reminiscent of rancid manure or rotting fish, and struck anyone downwind of the building.
Advertisement
A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Jolliffe and Allen spotted a dark stain under the door and on the building’s stucco exterior. They thought it looked like fluids they had seen during investigations with decaying bodies, the affidavit said.
But the building’s windows were covered and they couldn’t see inside.
Allen contacted the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agency, which oversees funeral homes, which got in touch with Jon Hallford. Hallford agreed to show an inspector inside the next afternoon.
Advertisement
Inspector Joseph Berry arrived, but Hallford didn’t show.
Berry found a small opening in one of the window coverings, the affidavit said. Peering through, he saw white plastic bags that looked like body bags on the floor.
A judge issued a search warrant that week.
Bodies stacked high
Donning protective suits, gloves, boots and respirators, investigators entered the 2,500-square-foot (232-square-meter) building on Oct. 5, 2023, according to the affidavit.
Advertisement
Inside, they found a large bone grinder and next to it a bag of Quikrete that investigators suspected was used to mimic ashes. Bodies were stacked in nearly a dozen rooms, including the bathroom, sometimes so high they blocked doorways, the affidavit said.
There were 189.
Some had decayed for years, others several months, according to the affidavit. Many were in body bags, some wrapped in sheets and duct tape. Others were half-exposed, on gurneys or in plastic totes, or lay with no covering, it said.
Investigators believed the Hallfords were experimenting with water cremation, which can dissolve a body in several hours, the document said. There were swarms of bugs and maggots.
Advertisement
Body bags were filled with fluid, according to the affidavit. Some had ripped. Five-gallon buckets had been placed to catch the leaks. Removal teams “trudged through layers of human decomposition on the floor,” it said.
Investigators identified bodies using fingerprints, hospital bracelets and medical implants, the affidavit said. It said one body was supposed to be buried in Pikes Peak National Cemetery.
Investigators exhumed the wooden casket at the burial site of the U.S. Army veteran, who served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Inside was a woman’s deteriorated body, wrapped in duct tape and plastic sheets.
The veteran’s body was discovered in the Penrose building, covered in maggots.
Advertisement
“Ashes to ashes”
Following the call from the FBI, Johnson promised himself he would speak at the Hallfords’ sentencing. But he struggled to talk about what had happened even with close friends, let alone in front of a judge and the Hallfords.
For months, Johnson obsessed over the case, reading dozens of news reports, often glued to his phone until one of his children would interrupt him to play.
When he shut his eyes, he said he imagined trudging through the building with “maggots, flies, centipedes. There’s rats, they’re feasting.” He asked a preacher if his mother’s soul had been trapped there. She reassured him it hadn’t. When an episode of the zombie show “The Walking Dead” came on, he broke down.
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., poses for a portrait in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., poses for a portrait in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Johnson started seeing a therapist and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He joined Zoom meetings with other victims’ relatives as the number grew from dozens to hundreds.
After Lopes’ body was identified, Johnson flew in March 2024 to Colorado, where his mother’s remains lay in a brown box in a crematorium.
Advertisement
“I don’t think you blame me, but I still want to tell you I’m sorry,” he recalled saying, placing his hand on the box.
Then Lopes’ body was loaded into the cremator and Johnson pushed the button.
Justice
Johnson has slowly improved with therapy, engaging more with his students and children. He practiced speaking at the Hallfords’ sentencings while in therapy. Closing his eyes, he envisioned standing in front of the judge — and the Hallfords.
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., is interviewed in his aunt’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., is interviewed in his aunt’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Advertisement
Advertisement
“Justice is, it’s the part that is missing from this whole equation,” he said. “Maybe somehow this justice frees me.”
“And then there’s part of me that’s scared it won’t, because it probably won’t.”
Kristen Stewart has purchased the historic Highland Theater in Los Angeles, which was closed down in 2024, and will be restoring it into “something for the community”.
The Oscar-nominated actor confirmed the news to Architectural Digest, saying she was “fascinated by broken-down old theaters”.
“I didn’t realise I was looking for a theater until this place came to my attention. Then it was like a gunshot went off and the race was on. I ran toward it with everything I had,” she said.
The theater opened in 1925 and closed after nearly a century in operation. It was designed by Lewis Arthur Smith and began as a vaudeville and silent-film house before shifting to mainstream releases. It was eventually subdivided into a triplex in the 1980s.
Advertisement
Owner Dan Akarakian told the Los Angeles Times in March 2024 the theatre was unable to recover in the post-pandemic world and he was forced to shut it down.
It closed permanently on 29 February 2024, six days before its 99th anniversary, with the final films screened including Madame Web and Bob Marley: One Love.
Stewart said she intended to turn the theater into a community space.
“It’s an opportunity to make a space to gather and scheme and dream together. This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward,” the actor said.
Advertisement
“We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles,” she added.
“I see it as an antidote to all the corporate bulls***, a place that takes movie culture away from just buying and selling. I think there’s a huge desire and craving for what this kind of space can offer.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Advertisement
Kristen Stewart says she will turn the historic Highland Theater in Los Angeles into ‘something for the community’ (Getty)
The Spencer star acknowledged the challenge and scale of the restoration work. “There are so many beautiful details that need to be restored,” she said. “There’s a way to bring the building back to life in a way that embraces its history, but also brings something new to the neighborhood and something new to the whole LA film community.”
Stewart’s purchase of the theater puts her in the league of film figures who have taken an active role in preserving Los Angeles’ cinema heritage.
Quentin Tarantino bought the New Beverly Cinema in 2007 and the Vista Theater in 2021, telling Deadline in 2014 he bought the former theater to ensure it wouldn’t get turned into a commercial multiplex and remain dedicated to film screenings.
“Reality is breaking completely under Trump,” the actor, 35, told The Sunday Times. “But we should take a page out of his book and create the reality we want to live in.”
She called Trump’s threat of tariffs on films made outside the US “terrifying” for the industry and said she “can’t work freely” in the US.
“But I don’t want to give up completely,” she added. “I’d like to make movies in Europe and then shove them down the throat of the American people.”
Shaun Simon, 42, has been arrested and jailed after he was accused of shooting dead Bill Toth in Seminole County.
The incident allegedly occurred on Tuesday around 11:30 p.m in the Markham Woods neighborhood where Simon lived with his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and his wife, according to WESH.
According to court records, Toth’s reportedly worsening dementia was causing friction inside the house. Making matters worse, Toth’s wife reportedly was suspicious that he was not being faithful.
Advertisement
Toth’s daughter told deputies that on Tuesday night, her father and mother were arguing about their marriage. Toth allegedly slapped his wife in view of his daughter. She says she told her husband, Simon, about the incident, after which Simon confronted Toth, ClickOrlando reports.
Shaun Simon, 42, of Sanford, Florida, was arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder relating to the shooting death of his father-in-law, Bill Toth (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
When Seminole County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, Toth was reportedly lying on the floor with a gunshot wound in his chest.
Simon’s wife called 911 after the shooting.
Toth was taken for treatment at a local hospital in critical condition but died at the facility around 2:15 a.m.
According to Fox 35 Orlando, Simon reportedly told deputies that he shot Toth once in the chest. He also reportedly told investigators that Toth had made his “life miserable,” and called the man a narcissist.
Advertisement
A neighbor, Jan Hall, told WESH that she thought Toth was a “nice guy” and said she believed he was afraid of Simon, who she described as a “violent man.”
A judge denied Simon bond during his court appearance on Wednesday. Simon is allowed to have contact with his wife but has been barred from contacting his mother-in-law.
President Donald Trump announced the official launch of his TrumpRx online pharmaceutical drug market during a press event in Washington, D.C.
The site, which goes live tonight, is a direct-to-consumer, government-operated market allowing Americans to purchase prescription drugs at discounted prices, according to the president on Thursday evening.
“This is a big deal, this is a very big deal, people are gonna save a lot of money and be healthy,” Trump said.
The president confirmed that all Americans will be able to purchase “dozens” of the “most commonly used prescription drugs” through the portal.
Advertisement
Trump said specifically that popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs will be included, noting that Ozempic “will come down from $1,000 to $199. “
Donald Trump announced the launch of his ‘TrumpRx’ website on February 5, 2026. Americans can visit the site to purchase discounted pharmaceutical drugs (AFP via Getty Images)
“Novo Nordisk will be slashing the price, as an example of Ozempic, from more than $1,000 to to $199,” he said.
He also said that the price of Wegovy, another GLP-1, will drop from $1,300 to $199.
Advertisement
The president claimed that the reduced drug prices secured by his administration mark the “largest reduction in prescription drug prices in history by many, many times, and it’s not even close.”
The discounted prices offered on the website represent Trump’s oft-touted “most favored nations” pricing scheme. Drug companies have agreed to sell the American public prescription drugs at the same rate as the nation that is paying the least for the drug, thereby ending what Trump described as the American people “effectively subsidizing the cost of drugs for the entire world.”
President Donald Trump said his administration’s new TrumpRx discount pharmaceutical website will offer popular weight-loss drug Ozempic at $199 per month, down from $1,000 per month (AFP/Getty)
He noted that, while prices will come down significantly for Americans, they are likely to increase in other nations.
Advertisement
Dr Mehmet Oz, Trump’s Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, spoke during the event and demonstrated how the site works.
The website provides access to the direct-to-consumer purchasing platforms for major pharmaceutical companies and has links to coupons that can be taken to a pharmacy for in-person drug purchases.
During his presentation, he said TrumpRx would protect the “most vulnerable” Americans by providing them access to affordable drugs.
“One in three Americans are turned away from the drugstore,” Oz said. “They can’t afford the drugs. No more. Our most vulnerable are protected.”
Advertisement
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 14: Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Oz is U.S. President Donald Trumpâs nominee to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Thursday’s announcement comes after months of hype from Trump and top administration officials who have made the planned TrumpRx website a central plank in their pitch to voters who remain skeptical of the president’s work to tackle the cost-of-living problems that led voters to return him to the White House despite multiple criminal indictments — and convictions on more than 30 felonies in his former home state of New York.
Trump and other administration figures have teased the TrumpRx website for months as he has hosted various pharmaceutical industry leaders in the Oval Office to announce pricing agreements under which their respective companies would offer American customers the same prices for their prescriptions that are paid in foreign countries and make investments in American manufacturing facilities.
Trump’s “most favored nation” pricing model is aimed at making medications more affordable for low-income Americans, including those on Medicaid, by connecting consumers directly with manufacturers who will charge prices equivalent to those paid by patients in countries with single-payer health care systems.
Advertisement
The president first pushed the idea of forcing drug companies to match prices offered abroad during his previous term, but faced significant resistance from the industry, including pushback in a lawsuit that resulted in a federal court order blocking his administration from carrying the plan out because it had failed to follow proper regulatory procedures.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington, as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz watch. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
After returning to the White House, he revived the plan in an executive order he issued in May, which directed his administration to take various actions to bring drug prices in the U.S. in line with prices negotiated between pharmaceutical companies and foreign countries that have single-payer health systems, such as the British NHS.
Last July, he sent letters to leading drug companies demanding that they bring down prices offered to Americans to match the negotiated prices available in foreign countries.
Advertisement
In the eight months since, 14 major drug companies gave in to his demand by striking agreements to offer “most-favored nation” prices to Americans and participate in the TrumpRx website.
But the purportedly lower prices offered by the website may not make much difference to voters who are reeling from skyrocketing insurance premiums in the wake of his administration’s decision not to support extending Covid-era tax credits that lowered the cost of health plans purchased on Affordable Care Act exchanges.
In January, Trump unveiled an alternative plan that would institute direct payments as a substitute for the direct federal subsidies that expired at the end of last year.
Advertisement
A screenshot showing the TrumpRx.gov prescription drug site’s homepage. President Donald Trump announced the website’s launch on February 5, 2025. He said that ‘dozens’ of the ‘most popular prescription drugs’ will be available at deeply discounted prices through the site. (TrumpRx.gov)
Millions of Americans were left facing massive rate increases for their plans in 2026 as Congress left in December without finding a legislative path to extend the premium tax credits.
The White House plan also calls for a crackdown on pharmacy benefit managers and broadening the scope of medicines that can be purchased over-the-counter, which the administration hopes will cut down on doctor’s appointments. It also asks Congress to codify the “most-favored nation” status the White House has used to secure trade agreements aimed at lowering drug prices.
The TrumpRx website rollout also comes as the White House is facing headwinds on affordability matters with just nine months remaining until voters decide whether to extend the Republican Party’s unified control of Washington.
Fans of John Wick are told they have to watch the film before it is too late
Peter Harris Live Content Editor
01:20, 06 Feb 2026
Content cannot be displayed without consent
A ‘gruesome’ action thriller that some claim is ‘superior to John Wick’ is quietly disappearing from Netflix.
Advertisement
Featuring legendary actor Denzel Washington, The Equalizer first arrived in cinemas back in 2014. The film serves as a reboot of the beloved 1980s television series of the same name.
Washington takes on the lead role of former CIA operative Robert McCall. He’s a figure of enigmatic background who believes he has left his brutal past behind and commits himself to building a peaceful new existence.
Nevertheless, when he encounters Teri, a young woman who has been mistreated by ruthless Russian gangsters, he simply cannot turn away. Armed with his impressive abilities, McCall abandons his self-imposed retirement and resurfaces as a vengeful guardian, prepared to eliminate anyone who terrorises the defenceless.
Whilst the picture may not have won over critics, it still succeeded in earning a remarkable $192 million at the global box office. This level of commercial triumph eventually spawned two follow-up films, reports the Mirror.
The Equalizer’s original theatrical release was somewhat eclipsed by a comparable production that debuted around the same period – John Wick. Throughout the years, the two films have inevitably found themselves being contrasted by audiences.
Advertisement
It remains a contentious discussion, but those who have yet to witness whether Washington’s performance surpasses Keanu Reeves’ are running short on time. Although the movie joined Netflix’s catalogue last summer, it’s scheduled to vanish from the streaming platform within days.
A notice now shows that the final day to view the film on the platform is February 28. Nevertheless, at the time of writing, it can also be accessed via Sky Cinema or NOW.
Therefore John Wick devotees who haven’t yet experienced Washington’s action thriller are encouraged to watch it without delay. As one viewer suggests: “Well if you’ve watched John Wick, then you have got to see this. Not only it has such badass moments intricately represented by Denzel Washington but also has moments that give you that ‘feel good’ when you see him going about his business.”
They continued: “Action is neatly choreographed and in certain scenes you don’t need to think how that guy went down. Special mention to the subtlety that The Equalizer brings to the table which seemed to be lacking in John wick. Definitely worth your time!”.
Advertisement
Another user posted on Reddit with the headline ‘The Equalizer is better than John Wick. Change my mind’ and argued: “They managed to make The Equalizer a much deeper movie, with a slower pace and much better character development. The gruesome violence has much more impact and is better filmed, without that gratuitous barrages of bullets and bulletproof jackets. One could also argue that Denzel being a better actor helps The Equalizer to stand out.”
Someone else declared: “It’s like Sherlock Holmes meets John Wick with a hint of the Accountant. Best of all there is compassion and a will to do good.”
Yet another remarked: “Amazing movie. Ten out of ten. Could watch on repeat and would never get bored.”
Advertisement
Meanwhile there are several who simply say that both movies are just as worth your time. As one individual summarised: “It’s pure entertaining action drama which gives you John Wick type vibes. I’m not comparing the movies, both are good in their own style.
“The story was simple and effective, the screenplay was good but little bit loose, the direction was good and the performances were also good especially Denzel’s.”
The Equalizer is streaming on Netflix until February 28.
For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website.
With Farrell rolling the dice in his selection – dropping James Lowe as well as giving Cian Prendergast a rare start – there were interesting subplots aplenty as the game neared.
Such was the nature of the Paris performance, however, that few such themes could be given fair scrutiny.
Ireland had picked a team to compete in the air but rarely challenged in that regard with the new-look back three of Jamie Osborne, Tommy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale largely on the periphery.
While the loss of both usual starting props to injury, as well as two back-ups on the loose-head side, was unwanted, it gave the opportunity for others to step up and show what they can do, yet the set-piece was rendered a virtual non-factor.
Advertisement
Indeed, Ireland won a scrum penalty in the 45th minute but, such was the lack of pressure elsewhere, it was the first time Les Bleus had drawn a whistle from Karl Dickson.
Discipline had been a key area to improve after the autumn but, while Ireland did concede only six penalties, they frequently did not get close enough to infringe either, with 38 missed tackles on the night.
Ireland’s failure to get to grips with the non-negotiables – what Farrell called the “main part of the game” – left little point in sifting through much else.
“I think you make your own luck in this game,” said Farrell.
Advertisement
“Without the ball, I thought we lost that battle in the first half. The things like the high ball and winning the scraps on the floor, running through tackles or missing tackles etc – that’s the main part of the game.
“We certainly came off second best in that regard in the first half. Our response was gallant, but that’s not what we want to be, we don’t want to be a responding team. We needed to show it from the get go.”
Here’s how we rated the Ireland players after their Six Nations opener against France in Paris
23:35, 05 Feb 2026Updated 23:36, 05 Feb 2026
Jamie Osborne – Found himself manning the last line of defence frequently during an uneasy debut appearance in the opening period. 5.
Tommy O’Brien – Despite being Leinster and Ireland’s standout performer throughout the season, the increased intensity on the flank proved challenging. 4.
Garry Ringrose – Combined effectively with McCloskey though attacking chances proved scarce. 6.
Advertisement
Stuart McCloskey – Demonstrated his defensive credentials during his 50-minute stint, forming a robust midfield barrier with eight successful tackles and only one miss. 7.
Jacob Stockdale – Showed determination and remained committed at the breakdown, displaying quality moments when he had the ball. 6
Sam Prendergast – Presented plenty for observers to assess. Looked assured with ball in hand and going forward, though he missed seven tackles. 5.
Jamison Gibson-Park – Struggles when compared to his counterpart. Made a brave attempt to bring order to the disorder. 5.
Advertisement
Jeremy Loughman – Fulfilled his core scrummaging duties well. Completed 12 tackles with just two misses, exceptional. 7.
Dan Sheehan – A relatively subdued performance by his usual standards, managing five carries over 17 minutes during his hour-long appearance. 5.
Thomas Clarkson – Provided adequate stability at scrum time, contributing four carries and six tackles, whilst giving away two penalties. 5.
Joe McCarthy – Will face questions from Andy Farrell regarding one of his first-half infringements. Made 10 tackles with two misses. 5.
Advertisement
Tadhg Beirne – Has required considerable time to regain form following the Lions tour. Accumulated 13 carries and 14 tackles alongside two misses. 6.
Cian Prendergast – Making his Paris debut and getting stuck into the action. Completed a dozen tackles, proving his value. .
Josh van der Flier – Delivered solid defensive contributions during the opening period, completing 11 tackles without missing any throughout his 50-minute appearance. 7.
Caelan Doris – Proved instrumental in both Ireland’s attacking and defensive efforts. Made 13 carries covering 341 metres, completed 15 tackles with just one miss. 8.
Advertisement
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher 5, Michael Milne 6, Finlay Bealham 5, James Ryan 5, Jack Conan 5, Nick Timoney 6, Craig Casey n/a, Crowley 5.
