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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued without evidence that The Wall Street Journal had proven President Donald Trump did not send a birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even though the publication released a copy of the note.On Monday, the Journal reported that House Democrats had obtained a copy of the letter from Epstein's estate. The note included a doodle of a woman and mentioned a "wonderful secret.""The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire 'Birthday Card' story is false," Leavitt claimed later on X. "As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.""President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation," she added, referring to a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal.Leavitt also complained that reporter Joe Palazzolo had not given her enough time to respond before publishing the story."This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!" she exclaimed.Supporters of the president have insisted that the signature on the note to Epstein does not match Trump's.

Many demonstrators say they are also on the streets over corruption and nepotism they allege is rampant At least 19 people have been killed during protests in Nepal over a government ban on dozens of online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and X.The government has faced mounting criticism after imposing a ban on 26 prominent social media platforms and messaging apps last week because they had missed a deadline to register under new regulations. Continue reading...

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) probed a Marine assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for ties to a pro-Russia neo-Nazi group in Poland, according to internal military files exclusively obtained by Raw Story.The Marine was arrested when the FBI disrupted a plot to attack an energy facility on U.S. soil. Authorities found that a co-defendant in the case, also a Marine and a Russian linguist, was in possession of classified material. The links to the pro-Russian group and details of the classified materials investigation are reported here for the first time.NCIS initially refused to provide records in response to a Raw Story Freedom of Information Act request, citing an exemption to protect privacy. Raw Story sued the federal agency, and the courts found in its favor.“‘Disclosure of the requested records would likely reveal a great deal about law enforcement policy,’ including how defendants handled investigations related to the mishandling of classified information and how the ‘military is addressing extremism in the ranks,’” Judge Lori AliKhan, a federal judge on the D.C. bench, wrote in 2024. “‘Thus, disclosure would offer the public visibility into defendants’ ‘performance of [their] statutory duties’ and would further ‘let citizens know ‘what their government is up to.’”‘Insider threat’NCIS began investigating the case in April 2020, following a Newsweek story exposing Lance Cpl. Liam Collins as a member of Iron March, a global neo-Nazi online forum. The investigation uncovered messages exchanged between Collins and two self-identified members of the Polish group, Falanga, discussing potentially coordinating paramilitary activity.By the time the NCIS began investigating Collins’ links to Falanga, he had organized a neo-Nazi paramilitary group that was illegally manufacturing guns and stealing military gear from Camp Lejeune, while plotting an attack on critical infrastructure designed to spark a race war, according to federal prosecutors. In October 2020, while Collins was under investigation for his links to the Polish neo-Nazi group, he was arrested on firearms charges, along with Cpl. Jordan Duncan, a Marine and Russian linguist assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. The two Marines had met at Camp Lejeune in late 2018.When the FBI raided Duncan’s home in Boise, ID, they seized his laptop and an external hard drive. Authorities discovered classified material on the devices, and the NCIS and FBI opened a new investigation for potential violation of a federal law regulating the handling of national defense information. As the NCIS and FBI reviewed the classified material as part of an “insider threat” investigation, the case widened to include a new charge of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, and three co-defendants, including another Marine and a New Jersey Army National Guard member.In August 2021, while Duncan was in jail awaiting trial, investigators determined that the files discovered on his devices included a secret “capabilities brief” for the 2nd Radio Battalion, according to another set of investigative files exclusively obtained by Raw Story. The files included other documents labeled “FOUO,” or “For Official Use Only,” a designation that denotes sensitive material exempt from public release, though not classified. The documents included “Standard Operating Procedures and tactics” specific to the battalion that a special security officer determined “would be detrimental to the Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare community as a whole if obtained by an adversary,” according to the investigation.The investigation revealed that the FOUO materials were commingled with “a large library of improvised explosive device schematics, chemical weapons schematics” and other manuals on Duncan’s hard drive. “It appears that Mr. Duncan’s hard drive was kind of a source for the entire group,” NCIS Agent Christopher Little testified during a detention hearing for one of Duncan’s codefendants in August 2021. “There was multiple documents from that hard drive on multiple other group members’ devices.”‘Fresh and ready’Before Collins met Duncan or started assembling his paramilitary group, he communicated with two self-identified members of Falanga, the neo-Nazi group with roots in the Polish skinhead scene, according to a data set of leaked Iron March chats reviewed by Raw Story. When Collins began communicating with Falanga members in June 2016, he was a rising senior in New Jersey still more than a year out from entering Marine Corps bootcamp at Parris Island, SC. Collins told other users on the forum his mother was Polish, that he was proud his “great-grandparents were Nazi collaborators,” and that he didn’t dispute Jews who claimed “Poland helped with the Holocaust.” In fact, it was a point of pride.“I have a deep interest in creating a sort of ‘alliance’ with you and any members of Falanga that might be able to talk to me,” Collins wrote to a self-identified Falanga member with the username “Phalanx22” in August 2016. “Like being able to relay information and propaganda between Poland and the United States. I will be serving in the military soon, so I want to come out fresh and ready to train my Polish brothers how to defend their blood and soil.”Falanga made no secret of its anti-American stance.The group was founded because of its leader’s perception of “liberalism, capitalism and USA/NATO as the greatest enemies,” a member with the username “Bombenhagel” told Collins.Collins’ comments in the Iron March chats do not reveal his position on Russia, but he disparaged NATO — a bulwark of the US military alliance with Poland — for its role in the Balkans war of the 1990s.“Opportunists like NATO wanted a reason to build more bases in Eastern Europe after the Cold War,” Collins wrote, “so they stopped Serb and Croats from genociding every last Muslim in the Balkans.”Addressing an Iron March user in Canada, Collins said he was forming a “paramilitary.” In April 2017, Collins told “Bombenhagel” his group would be “purchasing a lot of land soon for training, so if Falanga ever organizes a trip to the U.S., you are welcome to come train with us.”“Bombenhagel” thanked Collins for the invitation. It’s unclear if Falanga members ever traveled to the U.S. to train. The last documented exchange between Collins and Falanga on Iron March took place in May 2017, but an NCIS investigative report noted that Collins expressed concern about the security of the forum, while suggesting they continue to communicate through a different platform. It is unclear how long the relationship between Collins and Falanga lasted.In early 2018, three Falanga members were detained by the Polish Internal Security Agency on suspicion of carrying out an arson attack against a Hungarian cultural center in Ukraine. The three were convicted, according to Przemyslaw Witkowski, a Polish scholar who researches the far right and pro-Russia influences at Civitas University in Warsaw, and who described the attack in the book Russia and the Far-Right: Insights from Ten European Countries as “the most infamous act of terror committed by Polish citizens in the last 20 years.”Polish prosecutors argued that the purpose of the crime was to “publicly incite national hatred between Ukrainians and Hungarians” and to cause “disruption of the political system in Ukraine.” The clear beneficiary was Russia, which in 2014 had annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and was backing separatists in the Donbas. Three years later, Russia launched a full-scale invasion that continues to exact a bloody toll.Witness testimony in the trial for the 2018 terror attack implicated Manuel Ochsenreiter, a German journalist active with the far-right Alternative for Germany party, according to Witkowski. Ochsenreiter reportedly denied involvement but relocated to Moscow, where in 2021 he died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 45. ‘Exchange of information’Falanga members have addressed the Duma in Moscow, visited Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas, and interviewed Aleksander Dugin, a Russian intellectual close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Witkowski noted. Witkowski told Raw Story he finds it unlikely that Falanga would be able to maintain such high-level contacts without some kind of approval from Russian intelligence services.“For sure there is an exchange of information in this environment,” Witkowski said.The secret “capabilities brief” and other sensitive U.S. military information Duncan obtained through his assignment to the 2nd Radio Battalion in the II Marine Expeditionary Force would likely be of interest to Collins’ counterparts in Falanga, Witkowski said. He noted that Falanga members have demonstrated an interest in infiltrating the Polish police, national guard and army.Duncan is now serving a seven-year sentence in Pennsylvania, for illegally manufacturing a short-barrel rifle. His lawyer declined to comment.Collins, who is serving a 10-year sentence in South Carolina for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms, could not be reached for comment.Emails to Bartosz Bekier, the leader of Falanga, went unreturned.NCIS told Raw Story the investigation yielded no evidence that any military information on Duncan’s devices was transferred to Falanga or wound up in Russian hands.“NCIS has determined, in coordination with the FBI and [the U.S. Department of Justice], that there were no indications that classified information was provided to other groups or to foreign entities,” said Meredith March, an NCIS spokesperson. March added that NCIS was “unable to provide information that may be contained in the FBI’s investigative files.”The FBI National Press Office and FBI joint terrorism task forces in Wilmington, NC and Boise, ID, declined to comment.The NCIS “insider threat” investigation on Duncan for potential violations of the federal law on communicating, transmitting or retaining national defense information was closed in November 2021. Federal prosecutors agreed to refrain from mention of the classified materials on Duncan’s devices, to avoid prejudicing a jury if he were to go to trial on firearms charges. Duncan pled guilty to the gun charge shortly before his trial was scheduled to begin.While the National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted Duncan, alongside federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Department of Justice opted to not charge him for mishandling classified materials.A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Camp Lejeune is located, declined to comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump interrupted his appearance at the US Open to send out a message about Israel's war in Gaza."Everyone wants the Hostages HOME," the president wrote Sunday on Truth Social. "Everyone wants this War to end!" "The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," he continued. "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter."Before heading to the men's final tennis match in New York, Trump told reporters at the White House that he was also ready to move to a "second stage" of sanctions against Russia. The president, however, did not provide specific details.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he issued a military strike on a drug cartel, killing 11 people. Taking to Truth Social after, Trump explained it was a "kinetic strike," which is typically a bullet, bomb, drone, or missile, though there have been political "strikes" for regime change. Trump claimed that the cartel leaders he killed were "positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists." Trump's administration claimed previously that people were in the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs due to their tattoos, like an autism ribbon.Trump said that the terrorists were in the "SOUTHCOM area of responsibility." According to its website, SOUTHCOM covers "Central America, South America, and The Caribbean (except U.S. commonwealths, territories, and possessions)." Trump went on to say that he designated the group a "Foreign Terrorist Organization (sic)," which he claims is under the command of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.Trump said that the gang is "responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere."He went on to say that "the strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!"Trump then closed the post writing, "Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!" which Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has mocked him for relentlessly.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to "do something" after Russian President Vladimir Putin flouted his latest two-week deadline on the war in Ukraine.In an interview with conservative radio host and CNN contributor Scott Jennings, Trump said he was "very disappointed" in Putin."He and I always had a great relationship," the U.S. president told Jennings. "Very disappointed. Thousands of people are dying. They're not Americans that are dying, but they're Russians and they're Ukrainians, and there's thousands, and it's a war that makes no sense.""And it would have never started if I were president, and that's what bothers me even more, because the election was totally rigged," he continued. "We'll see what happens, but I'm very disappointed in President Putin.""I can say that, and we'll be doing something to help people live."In August, Trump extended an earlier deadline, giving Putin "a couple of weeks" before deciding what actions to take against the Kremlin. "We'll see what happens," he said. "I think in two weeks, we'll know which way I'm going, because I'm going to go one way or the other, and they'll learn which way."

If Donald Trump doesn’t make an attempt to buck the Constitution and run for president once again in 2028, which he has hinted at, his middle son, Eric, has indicated he might like to take his turn in the Oval Office.According to a report from Newsweek’s Theo Burman, Eric made rumblings about jumping from the Trump family business into a run, likely against a handful of Republicans seeking the MAGA crown and what comes with it.The report notes that Eric Trump spoke with Nikkei Asia on Sunday during an overseas trip where he is promoting cryptocurrency, when talk turned to a Trump “dynasty.”According to Newsweek's Burman, Eric Trump stated, "I'm not ruling it out. I'm not saying no, but I'm also not saying yes."In July, Eric Trump boasted about his executive abilities in an interview with the Financial Times as he attacked DC lawmakers and stated he was “wholly unimpressed by half the politicians I see . . . I could do it very effectively.”At that time he added, “Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I’ve lived? You know, if the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it. And by the way, I think other members of our family could do it too.”You can read more from the Newsweek report here. Newsweek report here.

A massive rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan Monday, after a strong earthquake and multiple aftershocks flattened homes in a remote, mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, the Taliban authorities said. The earthquake struck just before midnight, shaking buildings from Kabul to neighbouring Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.More than 1.2 million people likely felt strong or very strong shaking, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Near the epicentre in the east of Afghanistan, around 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured in remote Kunar province alone, chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Another 12 people were killed and 255 injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province, he added. "Numerous houses were destroyed," interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP.The majority of Afghans live in low-rise, mud-brick homes that are vulnerable to collapse.Some of the most severely impacted villages in remote Kunar provinces "remain inaccessible due to road blockages", the UN migration agency warned in a statement to AFP.The Taliban authorities and the United Nations mobilised rescue efforts to hard-hit areas. The defence ministry said 40 flight sorties had so far been carried out. A member of the agricultural department in Kunar's Nurgal district said people had rushed to clear blocked roads to isolated villages, but that badly affected areas were remote and had limited telecoms networks. "There is a lot of fear and tension... Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives," Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad told AFP. He said that many living in quake-hit villages were among the more than four million Afghans who have returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan in recent years. "They wanted to build their homes here." The quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was 27 kilometres from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the USGS.Nangarhar and Kunar provinces border Pakistan, with the Torkham crossing the site of many waves of Afghan returnees deported or forced to leave, often with no work and nowhere to go. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added his condolences to those shared by the Taliban government and several nations."I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today," he said.- Frequent quakes -After the initial quake, a series of at least five aftershocks followed throughout the night, with the strongest being one of magnitude 5.2 just after 4:00 am (2330 GMT Sunday).Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Nangarhar province was also hit by flooding overnight Friday to Saturday, which killed five people and destroyed crops and property, provincial authorities said.In October 2023, western Herat province was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude quake struck the impoverished eastern border province of Paktika, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.Ravaged by four decades of war, Afghanistan is already contending with a series of humanitarian crises.Since the return of the Taliban, foreign aid to Afghanistan has been slashed, undermining the already impoverished nation's ability to respond to disasters.