By JULIE CARR SMYTH

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Les Wexner’s long-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein will be the subject of a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio on Wednesday, where the billionaire retail magnate is expected to face questions about new revelations contained in the latest release of Justice Department documents related to the late sexual predator.

Wexner, 88, the retired founder of L Brands, has said he plans to cooperate with a subpoena from Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

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As one of Epstein’s most prominent former friends, Wexner has already spent years answering for their decades-long association. In court documents, prominent Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre claimed that Wexner was one of the men Epstein trafficked her to.

Wexner has consistently denied any knowledge of or involvement in the millionaire financier’s crimes and says he never met Giuffre. He told L Brands investors in 2019 that he was embarrassed that he ever got close to someone “so sick, so cunning, so depraved.”

He has never been accused of wrongdoing and the overall picture provided by the DOJ documents is that Epstein did not run a sex trafficking ring.

Wexner’s name appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files, which his spokesperson said is not unexpected given their longstanding relationship. The documents shed new light on his relationship to Epstein — which ended bitterly after Wexner and his wife Abigail learned he’d been stealing from them — while raising many new questions.

‘A most loyal friend’

Epstein first met Wexner through a business associate around 1986.

It was an opportune time for Wexner’s finances. The successful Ohio businessman had grown a single Limited store in Columbus into a powerhouse suite of ’80s mall-culture staples: The Limited, Limited Express, Lane Bryant and Victoria’s Secret. Abercrombie & Fitch, Lerner, White Barn Candle Co. and others would follow.

Within a couple years, Wexner had turned over management of his vast fortune to Epstein. He gave his now-trusted associate his power of attorney in 1991, allowing Epstein to make investments and do business deals and to purchase property and help develop what would become the vast Wexner estate in then-rural New Albany, Ohio, documents show. Wednesday’s deposition will take place either there or nearby, according to participating lawmakers.

Epstein had “excellent judgment and unusually high standards,” Wexner told Vanity Fair in a 2003 interview, and he was “always a most loyal friend.”

Epstein recalls ‘gang stuff’

In one of the newly released documents, Epstein sent rough notes to himself about Wexner saying: “never ever, did anything without informing les” and “I would never give him up.” Another document, an apparent draft letter to Wexner, said the two “had ‘gang stuff’ for over 15 years” and were mutually indebted to each other — as Wexner helped make Epstein rich and Epstein helped make Wexner richer.

A spokesperson for Wexner said he never received the letter.

“It appears Epstein was furious that Mr. Wexner refused to meet with him years after Mr. Wexner terminated Epstein and cut off all ties with him following Mr. Wexner’s discovery of Epstein’s theft and criminal conduct,” the spokesperson, Tom Davies, said. “The draft appears to fit a pattern of untrue, outlandish, and delusional statements made by Epstein in desperate attempts to perpetuate his lies and justify his misconduct.”

A relationship unravels

Wexner did not publicly reveal until after Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 that he had severed their relationship. In a Wexner Foundation letter that August, he said that happened in 2007. However, the Justice Department’s newly released records show the two were in touch after that.

Wexner emailed Epstein on June 26, 2008, after a plea deal was announced that would require him to serve 18 months in a Florida jail on a state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor in order to avoid federal prosecution. He wound up serving 13 months.

“Abigail told me the result… all I can say is I feel sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule…always be careful,” Wexner wrote. Epstein replied: “no excuse.”

Davies said the 2007 date Wexner cited in 2019 applied to firing Epstein as financial adviser, revoking his power of attorney and removing his name from Wexner’s bank accounts.

Wexner also said in the 2019 letter that Epstein had misappropriated “vast sums” of his and his family’s fortune while overseeing his finances. An investigative memo from the latest document release says that Wexner’s attorneys told investigators in 2008 that Epstein had repaid him $100 million, thought to be just a portion of what he stole.

Continuing fallout for Wexner

Newly released documents emboldened sexual assault survivors in ways that have increased pressure on Wexner.

Epstein survivor Maria Farmer has said she was vindicated by a redacted FBI report contained in the documents, which confirms that she filed one of the earliest complaints against Epstein.

Though the complaint reported his possession of nude photos of underage girls, the records have drawn new attention to the harrowing account of an alleged sexual encounter forced on her by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the summer of 1996 at Epstein’s home in New Albany. The home was located about a half mile from the Wexners’ home. The Wexners have said they had never heard anything about Farmer’s account of the crime until it appeared in news accounts years later.

Meanwhile, survivors of another sexual predator — the late Dr. Richard Strauss, a team doctor at the Ohio State University who was found to have sexually abused at least 177 male students over years — are citing Wexner’s association with Epstein to try to get his name removed from a campus football complex built with his contributions. Their request is pending before a university committee. Davies declined comment.

The alumni group scored a legal victory last week, though, when a district court judge said they can compel Wexner to testify in their lawsuit against the university. He sat on Ohio State’s board of trustees during the period when Strauss, who died before his deeds came to light, committed his crimes.

Separately, a spokesperson for Ohio State said the head of its Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Mark Landon, is cooperating with the school’s investigation into his mention in the Epstein files. Newly released documents indicated that Epstein had Landon on retainer in 2006 for $25,000 a quarter.

“I did not provide any clinical care for Jeffrey Epstein or any of his victims,” Landon said in a statement. “I was a paid consultant for the New York Strategy Group regarding potential biotech investments from 2001 to 2005.” A statement from Davies said the advice Epstein was soliciting was on the Wexners’ behalf.

By JAMEY KEATEN and ILLIA NOVIKOV

GENEVA (AP) — The latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough and with both sides saying the talks were “difficult,” as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by the U.S., after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway. Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low.

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“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up and he spoke briefly by phone from Kyiv with his negotiating team.

He earlier accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” while it presses on with its invasion — an accusation he and European leaders have repeatedly made in the past.

Despite that, some progress was made on military issues although political differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelenskyy said.

The head of the Russian delegation, Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters that the two days of talks in Geneva “were difficult but businesslike.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it’s “too early” to speak about the outcome of the talks. Putin has been receiving reports about progress in Geneva, he said.

Both sides said a new round of talks is set to take place.

US will help monitor any ceasefire

Zelenskyy described the military discussions as “constructive,” adding that the armed forces of both countries considered how any future ceasefire might be monitored.

“Monitoring will definitely be carried out with participation of the American side,” he said in a voice message shared in a media group chat on WhatsApp.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on social media that Washington’s push for peace in Ukraine over the past year has “brought about meaningful progress,” without elaborating.

The two armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 750-mile front line, while Russia bombards civilian areas of Ukraine daily.

Hours after the first day of talks ended on Tuesday, Russian drones killed a woman and injured a 6-year-old girl and 18-month-old toddler in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said.

Overnight, Russia launched one ballistic missile and 126 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Europe is involved

Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian and American envoys in Geneva met with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Europe’s participation in the process is “indispensable,” Zelenskyy said.

In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, soldiers control an FPV drone to send food to fellow-soldiers on a mission on the frontline near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)

European leaders, mindful of Putin’s wider ambitions, say their own security is at stake in Ukraine and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.

Russia and Ukraine appear to still be far apart on their demands for a settlement.

Zelenskyy has offered a ceasefire and a face-to-face meeting with Putin. But Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement before committing to a truce.

Putin’s key goals remain what he declared when Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022: Ukraine must renounce joining NATO, sharply reduce the size of its army and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.

Additionally, Putin wants Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the four eastern regions Moscow has occupied but doesn’t fully control.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t surrender land to Russia.

Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Lake Alice in William O’Brien State Park, which virtually disappeared in August after a dam valve failed and the water drained into the St. Croix River, will remain empty until the fall of 2027, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials said Tuesday.

DNR officials plan to replace Lake Alice’s 65-year-old water-control structure, which manages water levels within the spring-fed, manmade lake in northern Washington County, by releasing water from the lake through a culvert into the St. Croix River.

“We determined a total replacement is the most cost-effective, sustainable and long-term solution for maintaining the park’s natural resources and recreation opportunities,” said Laurel Quill, the agency’s Central Region Parks and Trails manager.

The $325,000 project also includes dredging the St. Croix River at William O’Brien’s public-water access to remove sediment deposited around the access during the drawdown, she said.

Park staff in July partially opened the valve of the structure after heavy rain caused water levels to overflow the lake’s earthen dike, raising erosion concerns.

On Aug. 8, staff opened the valve further to address ongoing water-level concerns, DNR officials said. Having successfully addressed the high water levels, staff attempted to close the valve the following day.

“It was at this point that staff discovered the closure mechanism had failed and the valve was stuck open, resulting in the near total water-level drawdown,” DNR officials said at the time.

DNR officials plan this summer to apply for permits and undertake land and archaeological surveys, and other natural resource work field work. The water control structure construction and public-water access dredging is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2027; the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027, Quill said.

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Public recreation on Lake Alice will not be available until the project is completed.

The park’s public water access to the St. Croix at the Walter F. Mondale Day Use Area will be open, as water levels allow, throughout the year. Visitors should check the William O’Brien State Park (mndnr.gov/Obrien) website for updates before going to the park, Quill said.

“We’re thankful for the public’s continued patience as we tackle this challenge,” she said. “We look forward to welcoming visitors back to a Lake Alice that has a modernized infrastructure that makes the lake more resilient for the future.”

By LINLEY SANDERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic candidates have notched a series of wins in recent special elections — but a new AP-NORC poll finds views of the Democratic Party among rank-and-file Democrats have not bounced back since President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024.

Only about 7 in 10 Democrats have a positive view of the Democratic Party, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While the overwhelming majority of Democrats still feel good about their party, they’re much less positive than they’ve been in the past.

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The midterm elections are still many months away, and lackluster favorability doesn’t spell electoral doom. Other factors could benefit Democrats this year, including broadly negative views of Trump and other Republicans. Additionally, recent polling has found that independents tend to identify more with the party that’s out of power, which could boost Democrats this year too. Historically, the party not in the White House has picked up seats in Congress in midterm elections.

But the lack of enthusiasm could be a longer-term problem for the party. Democrats’ favorability of their party plummeted after the 2024 election, from 85% in September 2024 to 67% in October 2025. And despite overwhelming victories in November’s off-season elections and a string of wins since then, those views haven’t recovered. Other polling indicates that Democrats are deeply frustrated with their party.

At the same time, there’s some potential good news for Democrats in the new poll. Although Republicans are slightly more enthusiastic about their own party, Americans in general don’t think highly of either party. Health care is on many Americans’ minds this year, and it’s an issue where Democrats have a large advantage, according to the survey. Meanwhile, Republicans have lost some ground on two of Trump’s signature issues, the economy and immigration, although Americans don’t necessarily trust Democrats more on those issues as a result.

Many Democrats are frustrated

FILE – Part of the stage with the DNC logo is seen at the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Other polling suggests that Democrats’ post-2024 slump is unusually large.

In Gallup’s measure of favorability, Democrats’ positive views of their own party declined about 12 percentage points in the last year. That marked the lowest measure in that question’s history, which dates back to 2001. Notably, Democrats did not see a similar decline after their first loss to Trump in 2016.

That diminished view of the Democratic Party in the AP-NORC polling is consistent regardless of Democrats’ age, race, ideology or educational background — suggesting that appealing to a specific group or two won’t fix the problem.

A separate survey from the Pew Research Center last fall found roughly two-thirds of Democrats in September said their own party made them “frustrated” compared to just 4 in 10 Republicans.

Among those frustrated Democrats, about 4 in 10 felt their party was not fighting hard enough against Trump while about 1 in 10 said there was a lack of good leadership or a cohesive agenda.

Many Americans are negative about both parties

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., stepped off the Senate floor, Friday evening, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Capitol in Washington. The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through the end of September after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out Homeland Security funding and allow Congress to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

It’s not just Democrats — Americans aren’t thrilled with either party right now.

Roughly one-quarter of Americans have a negative view of both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, according to the AP-NORC data. That double-negativity is especially sharp among independents and Americans under 45.

About half of U.S. adults only view one party positively, and only about 1 in 10 feel good about both parties.

But Democrats’ loss of goodwill is more recent. Polling over the last 25 years from Gallup shows that Americans used to feel much more positively toward the Democrats. Around 2010, public sentiment turned against the Democrats. Since then, at least half of Americans have held unfavorable views of the party, according to Gallup.

Negative views of the Democrats now rival the most negative points in time for the Republicans.

Democrats hold health care as a strength

FILE – A podium is prepared before Democrats hold news conference on the health care funding fight on the steps of the House before votes to end the government shutdown on Capitol Hill, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

With health care at the top of Americans’ priority lists as costs and premiums rise, Democrats have a possible advantage going into the midterm year.

About one-third of U.S. adults — 35% — trust the Democrats to do a better job handling health care, compared to 23% for the Republicans. That is broadly in line with the last time the question was asked in October 2025.

FILE – People stand outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, June 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Holston, File)

At the same time, Republicans have lost some ground on the issues that were key to Trump’s reelection — the economy and immigration. But Democrats haven’t managed to capitalize on it. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults, 31%, say Republicans are the party they trust to handle the economy, down slightly from 36% last year. But Democrats haven’t made any gains on this issue; rather, slightly more Americans now say they trust “neither” party to handle the economy.

Neither party has an edge on who is better equipped to manage the cost of living, which was first asked in the most recent poll.

Republicans are also down slightly on handling immigration. Only about one-third of U.S. adults trust them to better handle immigration, an apparent decrease from 39% in October. Democrats didn’t appear to benefit from that shift either.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,156 adults was conducted Feb. 5-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. The margin of sampling error for Democrats overall is plus or minus 6.0 percentage points.