Investigations into the Texas Lottery grow after courier controversy
AG Ken Paxton’s office joins two other investigations by state officials into the commission as one service suspends operations due to the agency’s ban.
Delhi Weather Update: Delhi-NCR witnesses rain with thunderstorms, AQI remains in ‘poor’ category, IMD predicts maximum temperature to drop…
Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday, despite several days of moderate air quality. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 260 on February 27, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
AG Pam Bondi says some Epstein files coming Thursday: ‘It’s pretty sick’
Attorney General Pam Bondi made an explosive revelation on Wednesday when she told Jesse Watters on “Jesse Watters Primetime” that some information about Jeffrey Epstein would be released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday. She told Watters there are over 250 alleged victims, and her office needs to ensure all of their identities are protected. “What you’re going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information,” Bondi said when asked about the type of information that will be released Thursday. “But, it’s pretty sick what that man did, along with his co-defendant.” Bondi’s revelation comes after Republican lawmakers pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the release of classified documents and records related to Jeffrey Epstein and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, among other federal secrets, received a response, though it fell a bit flat. GOPERS PRESS FOR THE RELEASE OF JFK, EPSTEIN FILES: HERE’S WHY THEY’RE NOT OUT President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month calling on agencies to create plans to release and distribute top-secret documents, including those pertaining to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is leading the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, and, after sending letters to the DOJ Feb. 11 and Feb. 19, said she finally heard back. “My office just received a formal response from the DOJ on the Jeffrey Epstein, JFK, MLK, & RFK files,” Luna wrote in a post on X, attaching a copy of the letter. In the letter, the DOJ thanked Luna for the two letters, in which she requested briefings and any documents in the department’s possession relating to the classified investigations. The DOJ also acknowledged Luna’s request for written confirmation of the date and location of the release of those records. “The integrity of criminal investigations and prosecutions is essential to every component of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our nation safe, and protect civil rights,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis wrote. “The Department remains committed to meeting its legal recordkeeping obligations as it pursues that mission. We are reviewing your requests and look forward to engaging further to accommodate your oversight and legislative needs. “We hope this information is helpful,” Davis added. “Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.” ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO LEAD TASK FORCE ON DECLASSIFICATION OF JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS, EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST The response came two days after Luna said she had faced silence from the DOJ. “On Feb 11 & Feb 19, house oversight sent a letter to the DOJ asking for status on releasing the Epstein files as well as JFK etc.,” Luna said in a post on X Monday. “The DOJ has not responded. Reaching out on X because we can’t seem to get a response from the AG. @AGPamBondi what is the status of the documents? These documents were ordered to be declassified.” Luna also sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and White House Counsel David Warrington requesting a briefing by Thursday on plans for the release of the documents. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS Trump’s executive order instructed the Department of Justice to coordinate with Gabbard, Waltz and Warrington to establish a plan by Feb. 7 for the release of the JFK files and to create a plan for the release of the MLK and Robert F. Kennedy files by March 9. Additionally, Luna is pushing the Justice Department to share details regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. The American financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Bondi previously said Epstein’s client list was awaiting review and that she was looking over the Kennedy and King files. Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
DOJ responds to Rep. Luna’s request for Epstein, JFK files as AG Bondi promises transparency
Republican lawmakers pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the release of classified documents and records related to Jeffrey Epstein and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, among other federal secrets, received a response, though it fell a bit flat. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month calling on agencies to create plans to release and distribute top-secret documents, including those pertaining to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is leading the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, and, after sending letters to the DOJ Feb. 11 and Feb. 19, finally heard back. “My office just received a formal response from the DOJ on the Jeffrey Epstein, JFK, MLK, & RFK files,” Luna wrote in a post on X, attaching a copy of the letter. GOPERS PRESS FOR THE RELEASE OF JFK, EPSTEIN FILES: HERE’S WHY THEY’RE NOT OUT In the letter, the DOJ thanked Luna for the two letters, in which she requested briefings and any documents in the department’s possession relating to the classified investigations. The DOJ also acknowledged Luna’s request for written confirmation of the date and location of the release of those records. “The integrity of criminal investigations and prosecutions is essential to every component of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our nation safe, and protect civil rights,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis wrote. “The Department remains committed to meeting its legal recordkeeping obligations as it pursues that mission. We are reviewing your requests and look forward to engaging further to accommodate your oversight and legislative needs. “We hope this information is helpful,” Davis added. “Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.” ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO LEAD TASK FORCE ON DECLASSIFICATION OF JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS, EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST The response came two days after Luna said she had faced silence from the DOJ. “On Feb 11 & Feb 19, house oversight sent a letter to the DOJ asking for status on releasing the Epstein files as well as JFK etc.,” Luna said in a post on X Monday. “The DOJ has not responded. Reaching out on X because we can’t seem to get a response from the AG. @AGPamBondi what is the status of the documents? These documents were ordered to be declassified.” Luna also sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and White House Counsel David Warrington requesting a briefing by Thursday on plans for the release of the documents. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS Bondi was a guest on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Wednesday and said her office plans to release information about Epstein tomorrow. She told Watters there are over 250 alleged victims, and her office needs to ensure all of their identities are protected. “What you’re going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information,” Bondi said when asked about the type of information that will be released Thursday. “But, it’s pretty sick what that man did, along with his co-defendant.” Trump’s executive order instructed the Department of Justice to coordinate with Gabbard, Waltz and Warrington to establish a plan by Feb. 7 for the release of the JFK files and to create a plan for the release of the MLK and Robert F. Kennedy files by March 9. Additionally, Luna is pushing the Justice Department to share details regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. The American financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Bondi said Friday that Epstein’s client list was awaiting review and that she was looking over the Kennedy and King files. Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
Real Madrid win marred by more racism directed towards Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad in a Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg clash marred by further racist abuse of Brazilian international Vinicius Junior. Fellow Brazil forward Endrick scored the only goal of the game in the first half at Reale Arena in San Sebastian in the north of Spain. However, there was controversy just before half-time when the match was paused because of chants of “Asencio die” being aimed at Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio. A video subsequently emerged on social media of a Real Sociedad fan appearing to make monkey gestures at Vinicius Junior while the game was stopped. Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid spoke to referee, Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, in front of Real Sociedad fans before the game was temporarily halted [David Ramos/Getty Images] Fans have aimed the chant at 22-year-old centre-back, Asencio, at various stadiums in recent weeks, but this was the first time the match has been stopped. Asencio is alleged to have shared a sexually explicit video of a minor recorded by two former Real Madrid youth players and is under investigation by a Spanish court. The match was stopped just before half-time after Vinicius reported the chants against Asencio to the referee. “Vinicius spoke to the referee, the referee stopped the game, he applied the protocol, that was what had to happen,” Real Madrid coach Ancelotti told reporters. Advertisement The coach substituted the defender at halftime for Lucas Vazquez. “I took him [Vinicius Jr]off because of two things, he was affected, and he had a yellow card, so I preferred to take him off,” explained Ancelotti. “I think nobody likes that a stadium chants for you to die. I think he was affected in that sense. He wasn’t exactly happy, I preferred to take him off in case how he was feeling could affect the game.” Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal added: “The insults should be condemned, we don’t like them … there are other ways to condemn the actions that others may have committed. We don’t think this is the right way.” Real Sociedad’s LED board stated, ‘No to racist, xenophobic and intolerant chants. Encourage and support the team while respecting the rival,’ following an incident involving Vinicius Junior [not pictured] and fans in the first half [David Ramos/Getty Images] The images of the racist abuse aimed at Vinicius were quickly recirculated online, while with the match delayed, Sociedad posted a message on the big screen inside the stadium saying: “No to racist, xenophobic and intolerant chants. Encourage and support the team while respecting the rival.” Vinicius has long been a target of racist abuse in Spanish football. In October, four people were arrested and questioned in Spain on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign against the 24-year-old. In June last year, three Valencia fans were each sentenced to eight months in prison for hate crimes against the forward. It was a landmark case as they were the first convictions for racist insults in a football stadium in Spain. Advertisement Spanish and European champions Madrid will entertain Sociedad in the second leg on April 1 at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the right to meet either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in the final. Endrick’s 19th-minute strike, finishing with the outside of his boot after racing on to Jude Bellingham’s diagonal ball, was enough to claim the first tie. Madrid were without French superstar Kylian Mbappe after a dental problem as well as Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois. Ancelotti chose to rotate his side further ahead of the visit to face Real Betis in LaLiga on Saturday – and next week’s Champions League last 16 clash against Atletico Madrid – by making seven changes in total from Sunday’s 2-0 win against Girona. Real Madrid’s Endrick scored the only goal of the game [Vincent West/Reuters] Despite his many replacements, including starts for Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Eduardo Camavinga, Madrid put on a solid showing. Endrick sent Los Blancos ahead when Bellingham sent the 18-year-old attacker in on goal. After taking one touch to control, with his second Endrick stroked home stylishly at the near post. It was his sixth goal of the campaign, four of those coming in the Copa del Rey, where Ancelotti has given him the most chance to shine. Bellingham, who missed Madrid’s win at the weekend through suspension, looked refreshed and helped his side stay largely on top. Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, left, Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti, centre, Real Sociedad’s head coach Imanol Alguacil, right, spoke immediately after the incident reported by Vinicius Junior [Miguel Oses/AP] Vinicius came close with a low shot which Alex Remiro tipped to safety. Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made a fine double save early in the second half to keep Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo at bay. Advertisement Madrid came close to a second at the other end when Endrick crashed a shot against the bar from the edge of the box. Remiro produced a fine save to push away Bellingham’s deflected strike and then another to thwart the same player from long range in the final stages, keeping Real Sociedad’s hopes of a second-leg comeback alive. In the other semifinal first leg on Tuesday Atletico Madrid fought back to draw 4-4 with record 31-time cup winners Barcelona. Adblock test (Why?)
Pakistan vs Bangladesh – Champions Trophy: Match start time, teams, stream
Who: Pakistan vs BangladeshWhat: ICC Champions Trophy Group A matchWhen: Thursday, February 27 at 2pm (09:00 GMT)Where: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, PakistanFollow Al Jazeera’s live text and photo commentary stream from 05:00 GMT. Pakistan’s hurting players will be motivated by pride in their dead rubber against Bangladesh, head coach Aaqib Javed said, after the hosts were dumped out of the Champions Trophy in the group stage. The defending champions’ hopes of reaching the semifinals were ended after defeats to New Zealand and India, leaving their final Group A game in Rawalpindi inconsequential. Rain washed out the Australia-South Africa Group B match on Tuesday and more is predicted on Thursday, leaving Pakistan in danger of finishing fourth and last on net run-rate. Whatever happens, it will be a disappointing conclusion to Pakistan’s first hosting of a major international cricket competition in three decades. “There are no excuses, there shouldn’t be any in life, but I can assure you that the players are more hurt than the fans and want to leave a mark in the last game,” said Aaqib on Wednesday. Advertisement “The players are not satisfied, no one is satisfied after losing, but everyone tries hard to win, and by doing so, we have recently won a series in Australia and South Africa.” Pakistan beat Australia 2-1 in November – their first ODI series win there for 22 years – before whitewashing South Africa 3-0 in the build-up to the Champions Trophy. “This is the Champions Trophy, where the eight best teams are playing, so after two defeats we have to start from zero,” said Aaqib. “Every game is played for pride, so we want to leave a mark on Thursday,” said Aaqib. Their Champions Trophy flop left former Pakistan players and fans angry over the continuous failure of the team, having also crashed out of the 2023 World Cup and Twenty20 World Cup last year, both in the first round. Aaqib admitted losing to archrivals India left fans emotional. “People are more involved in an India-Pakistan match and they do not accept a defeat against India and that defeat in Dubai has left them more dejected,” said Aaqib. Pakistan were below par against a formidable India in Dubai on Sunday, losing by six wickets. “We managed just 241 in batting and when facing a strong batting line-up, you attack in order to get wickets, and in the process, you bowl on both sides,” said Aaqib. A fast bowler himself, who played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan, Aaqib backed his struggling pace trio. “People blamed two, three players, which is not correct,” said Aaqib. “If you assess Shaheen [Afridi], Naseem [Shah] and Haris [Rauf], they are still the best bowlers in the world.” Advertisement Pakistan vs Bangladesh: Head-to-head record In terms of match results, Pakistan hold an upper hand over their South Asian opponents in all formats of the game. In ODIs, the hosts have beaten Bangladesh in 34 of their 39 encounters with the last one coming at the World Cup 2023 in India. Bangladesh’s first of five wins came at the World Cup 1999 in England, where they famously beat the mighty Pakistan side of the 1990s in the group stage. The teams have never faced each other in the Champions Trophy’s eight previous editions. Form guide: Pakistan The hosts came into the tournament on the back of three ODI series wins but swiftly left the form behind to lose their first two group matches. From their misfiring batting lineup to poor fielding and below-par bowling, not much has gone Pakistan’s way in the tournament. Last five ODIs: L W L L L Forum guide: Bangladesh Bangladesh’s form in ODI cricket has been abysmal of late, with the Tigers losing all three matches away to West Indies in December on the back of a 2-1 series loss against Afghanistan in November. Last five ODIs: L L L L L Team news: Pakistan Pakistan could opt to make a couple of changes in their lineup for their last group match as it is inconsequential to their fate in the tournament. Middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir could lose his spot to Kamran Ghulam, while the hosts may also be tempted to slot in Usman Khan for Imam-ul-Haq. Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain, wicketkeeper),Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi Advertisement Team news: Bangladesh Bangladesh are expected to field the same XI that faced New Zealand on Monday. Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana Adblock test (Why?)
Trump threatens 25% tariffs on EU, claims bloc was formed to ‘screw’ US
European Commission says it will react ‘firmly and immediately’ against unjustified trade barriers. United States President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from the European Union, claiming that the bloc was created to “screw” his country. Speaking at the first meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday, Trump said a decision on tariffs had been made and would be announced “very soon”. “It’ll be 25 percent, generally speaking,” Trump told reporters. “And that’ll be on cars and all other things.” Returning to his regular talking point that the US is treated unfairly in trade, Trump claimed that the 27-member union does not accept US cars and farm products while the US takes “everything from them”. The EU currently imposes a 10 percent tariff on US vehicle imports, which is four times the tariff applied by the US to European passenger car imports. The US, however, applies a 25 percent tariff to imported pick-up trucks. “Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump said. “That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it.” Advertisement Trump’s comments drew a swift response from the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, which said the world’s largest single market area had been “a boon” for the US. “The EU will react firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, including when tariffs are used to challenge legal and non-discriminatory policies,” a spokesperson said. “The EU will always protect European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified tariffs.” Carl Bildt, Sweden’s prime minister from 1991 to 1994, said on X that Trump had a “seriously distorted” view of history and that the EU had been actually set up to “prevent war on the European continent”. Trump’s latest trade salvo comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Brussels over his administration’s “America First” approach to international affairs. On top of stoking trade tensions, Trump has prompted concern about his commitment to Europe’s security and the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with his outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin and verbal attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. With Trump pledging to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine, officials in Kyiv and Brussels fear that the US president is inclined towards striking a peace deal that heavily favours Russia, including by letting Moscow keep Ukrainian land it seized during its invasion. On Monday, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz said his country must achieve “independence” from the US because “Americans, or at least this portion of the Americans … care very little about the fate of Europe.” Advertisement Merz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after his Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance won the most seats in parliamentary elections on Sunday, said he was not sure that NATO would exist in its current form by the middle of this year, “or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly”. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to assuage concerns about NATO’s future while calling on European governments to invest more in their own defence. “My reaction is NATO is not in jeopardy. The only thing that puts NATO in jeopardy is the fact that we have NATO Allies who barely have militaries or whose militaries are not very capable because they’ve spent 40 years not spending any money on it,” Rubio said when asked about Merz’s comments. “These are rich countries, especially in Western Europe,” Rubio added. “They have plenty of money. They should be investing that in their national security, and they’re not.” Adblock test (Why?)
Operaciones de ICE en Texas: Qué derechos tienen los inmigrantes
Abogados y grupos de inmigración recomiendan a los inmigrantes informarse sobre las acciones de la administración del presidente Donald Trump, como la expansión del uso de expulsiones aceleradas.
Who are the Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading?
The group is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained relations with authorities.
Trump to subject all contracts, grants through rigorous standards with DOGE executive order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday requiring government payments and travel expenses to be justified and made public where possible. The requirement is part of Trump’s executive order to implement the cost efficiency initiative for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Using modern technology, the order aims to transform spending by putting all federal grants and contracts through rigorous standards to justify their existence. Trump’s order will have federal agencies acting immediately, reviewing all contracts and grants for waste, fraud and abuse. Travel expenses and government payments are also being analyzed closely, as they must be justified and made public if possible. MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION The order also tells agencies to treat their credit cards as if they were frozen for 30 days. “To the maximum extent permitted by law, all credit cards held by agency employees shall be treated as frozen for 30 days from the date of this order, except for any credit cards held by employees engaged in, or charges related to employees utilizing such credit cards for, disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services as determined by the Agency Head, and subject to such additional individualized or categorical exceptions as the Agency Head, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, deems appropriate,” Trump’s executive order reads. Working with DOGE, agency heads will review and terminate any contracts deemed unnecessary. HOUSE DOGE HEARING ERUPTS OVER DEMOCRAT DEEMING ‘GRIFTER IN CHIEF,’ REFERRING TO ‘PRESIDENT MUSK’ Additionally, the executive order will look at how the government manages property, requiring the General Services Administration to submit a plan for disposing of unnecessary owned or leased properties. Trump’s order is being implemented to add “discipline to a wasteful system.” “The existing system fails to safeguard taxpayer dollars or promote merit among contractors and grant recipients,” White House officials said in a fact sheet, noting that the government spends large sums of money on contracts and grants. FEDERAL WATCHDOG RELEASES FIRST DOGE-ERA REPORT DETAILING AREAS OF GOVERNMENT PRONE TO FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE The sheet also notes that in fiscal year 2023, the government committed about $759 billion in contracts. “This flood of spending historically had minimal safeguards,” the fact sheet read. “In the Biden Administration, GSA directed its efforts to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) rather than merit and efficiency.” Since his return to the Oval Office, Trump has set sort of a wildfire on federal government spending, unleashing DOGE, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk. According to the DOGE website, the total estimated savings as of Tuesday were $65 billion, which is a combination of fraud detection and deletion, contract and lease cancelations, contract and lease renegotiation, asset sales, grant cancelations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes and regulatory savings. The site is updated two times a week. The DOGE site also has a “Wall of Receipts,” showing a breakdown of how much was saved and where the savings were found.