Justice Department publishes missing Epstein files involving uncorroborated claim about Trump

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By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday released additional Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump that the department said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review.

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The department said last week that it was working to determine if any records were improperly withheld after several news organizations reported that the massive tranche of records that had been made public didn’t include some files documenting a series of interviews conducted in 2019 with a woman who made an allegation against Trump.

The accuser was interviewed by the FBI four times as it sought to assess her account but a summary of only one of those interviews had been included in the publicly released files.

On Thursday, the department said those files had been “incorrectly coded as duplicative,” and therefore were inadvertently not published along with other investigative documents related to the disgraced financier, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.

“As we have consistently done, if any member of the public reported concerns with information in the library, the Department would review, make any corrections, and republish online,” the department said in a post on X.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The department noted in January that some of the documents contain “untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as she testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

The new disclosures come as Attorney General Pam Bondi faces continued turmoil over the department’s handling of the files released under a law passed by Congress after months of public and political pressure. Five Republicans on the House Oversight Committee joined Democrats in voting Wednesday to subpoena Bondi, demanding that she answer questions under oath in a sign of mounting frustration among members of the president’s own party.

The Trump administration has faced constant political headaches since the rollout of the files began in December, with critics accusing the department of hiding certain documents or over-redacting files, or in some cases, not redacting enough. In some cases, the department inadvertently released nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.

Department officials have defended their handling of the files, saying they took pains to release the files as quickly as possible under the law while also protecting victims. Department officials have said errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials, the number of lawyers viewing the files and the speed at which the department had to release them. The department has said it’s entitled to withhold records that exposed potential abuse victims, were duplicates or protected by legal privileges, or related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Some of the new records published Thursday pertained to a woman who contacted the FBI shortly after Epstein’s 2019 arrest and claimed that a man named “Jeff” living in Hilton Head, South Carolina, had raped her there in the 1980s when she was around 13 years old. The woman told the agents she didn’t know the man’s identity at the time, but decades later concluded he was Jeffrey Epstein when a friend texted her his photo from a news story.

In a follow-up interview a month later, the woman added a host of other claims, including that Epstein had schemed to have her mother sent to prison, beaten her, arranged sexual encounters with other men and once flew her to either New Jersey or New York, where she claimed to have bitten Donald Trump after he tried to sexually assault her.

Agents spoke with the woman two more times, at one point asking her to provide more detail on her supposed interactions with Trump, but reported that she declined to answer additional questions and broke off contact. There’s no indication that Epstein ever lived in South Carolina and it was unclear whether Trump and Epstein knew each other during the time period involved.

The woman’s report was one of a number of uncorroborated, sometimes fantastical, reports that federal agents received from members of the public alleging misconduct by Trump and other famous people in the months and years after Epstein’s arrest.

US and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic relations in historical shift

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CARACAS (AP) — The United States and Venezuela agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship, the State Department said on Thursday.

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The move comes after rounds of Trump administration officials have visited the South American nation following a U.S. military operation that deposed former President Nicolás Maduro in January. Since then, the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Maduro loyalists now in power to accept its vision for the oil rich nation.

Relations between the two countries were cut off following another geopolitical debacle in 2019, during the first Trump administration. The U.S. Embassy was closed in Caracas and diplomatic staff moved to neighboring Colombia.

The State Department said in a statement that talks between the countries were “focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.”

Since the unprecedented U.S. offensive in Venezuela, the Trump administration has pushed the government to open its oil sector to foreign companies. The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Maduro’s vice president, approved an amnesty law that would enable to release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations.

A demonstrator holds a Venezuelan flag during a student-led march calling for the release of people whose relatives and human rights groups consider political prisoners on National Youth Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

On Sunday, Venezuela’s top opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize María Corina Machado said that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in Venezuela.

Such seismic shifts would have been unthinkable just months before in the South American nation. Venezuela’s main political current, known as Chavismo, has been able to dodge curve balls thrown at it for years, from U.S. sanctions to spiraling economic crisis.

Boys hockey: Rosemount’s Cade Sherman scores in overtime to beat Grand Rapids

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Rosemount’s Avery Hanowski sprinted across the blue line and laid off the puck for an overlapping Cade Sherman, who perfectly placed his shot into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Grand Casino Arena erupted, and bedlam broke out in the Irish half of the stadium as Sherman scored in overtime to send his squad to the semifinals. Fourth-seed Rosemount gritted out a 3-2 overtime win over No. 5 Grand Rapids in Thursday’s second quarterfinal in St. Paul.

Sherman said fellow senior forward Gavin McNeil told the team ahead of overtime that these are “the moments we dreamed of,” and he is still reflecting on the gravity of that moment.

“It’s really surreal and still kind of settling in here,” Sherman said. “Super excited and happy for Rosemount.”

The Irish (24-4-1) and Thunderhawks (15-13-1) traded blows in regulation, but Sherman delivered the knockout punch in a defensive duel decided by a moment of magic in overtime.

Sherman said he used the defenseman as a shield to make it even more difficult for Grand Rapids’ goaltender Luke Sherlock.

“Hanowski picked up the puck and drove the middle, drop pass, and I kind of took his lane right behind him,” Sherman said. “I use [the defender] as a screen and then changed the angle as much as I could.”

Rosemount head coach Ricky Saintey said it is a special feeling to be the coach who led the Irish to their first tournament win in over three decades.

“I’m so happy for our kids, and that’s No. 1,” Saintey said. “Before the third period, I said, ‘Hey, how many weekends, long weekends, late nights, early mornings, workouts you didn’t want to do, and you get to live in this moment.’”

Saintey said it was “surreal” driving down 7th Street West toward the arena and seeing all the kids in Rosemount jerseys, thinking “that was me.”

Rosemount went to Yanmar Arena and knocked off Grand Rapids 6-0 on Dec. 12. The second matchup featured the Irish stepping onto the biggest stage in Minnesota high school boys hockey for the first time since 1992.

Grand Rapids junior Ander Rajala scored on the power play 5:24 into the game on a tight-angle, top-shelf shot from just above the goal line. It was against the run of play as the Irish had six shots on goal to the Thunderhawks’ two.

In the second period, Rosemount senior defender Oliver Goren trailed behind junior Connor Schubert on a 3-on-3 rush. Once Schubert’s shot was saved, Goren placed the rebound past Sherlock. The Irish found the breakthrough on their 20th shot on goal.

Rosemount goaltender Sam Clements made four crucial saves to not only kill off the final minute of a penalty but also keep it tied early in the third period. Clements finished with 35 saves in the game.

Saintey said Clements deserves the spotlight for attitude and effort throughout the season as the backup to Drew Sherman.

“I’m so proud of [Clements],” Saintey said. “That’s the stuff as coaches you dream of. This guy has been fighting it. He’s been the best supporter of Drew Sherman, which is a hard task, and to battle with him and show up in the big moment when the lights come on.”

Drew Sherman started the section final against St. Thomas Academy, but Saintey decided to go with Clements against Grand Rapids and reaped the rewards.

The Irish could not capitalize on a power play late in the third, but extended zone time led to a goal. Channing Goodwin looked to set up McNeil in front of the goal, but the puck bounced his way, and he converted to put Rosemount up 2-1 with 3:26 remaining in the quarterfinal.

Grand Rapids yanked Sherlock with 44 seconds to play, and the extra man paid off as Jameson Duell scored 15 seconds later to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Rosemount did not panic and held its nerve, leading to a smooth break led by Hanowski, who dropped it off for Cade Sherman. The senior forward hit his spot and sent the Irish into the second round.

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Mexico and US will start talks March 16 on reviewing their free trade agreement

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and the U.S. said Thursday they will start talks March 16 ahead of a review of the free trade agreement that has shaped both economies and kept some of their commerce steady despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s constantly changing tariff policy.

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The bilateral trade talks are ahead of a scheduled review later this year of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the latest version of free trade agreements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada dating back to the early 1990s that have intertwined the economies of the three North American countries.

The USMCA has allowed Mexico to avoid much of Trump’s protectionist measures because many Mexican goods are covered by the free trade agreement. However, a number of products are not covered, including medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which face a 25% tariff. A 50% tariff on steel, aluminum and copper remains in effect, as does a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes.

Mexico’s Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on X that the first round of upcoming bilateral talks were arranged with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and that they would address issues related to rules of origin, increasing production, supply chain security and integrating economies to boost competitiveness against other regions.

Greer’s office said that, after the initial talks, the two sides would “meet regularly thereafter.”

Relations among the three USMCA partners have been strained over the past year by Trump’s protectionist measures, which have set markets and investors on edge. Ebrard and other Mexican officials have been regularly traveling to Washington and meeting with American officials to try to offset tariff threats.

Mexico and Canada also are holding talks to strengthen cooperation on trade and security ahead of the USMCA’s scheduled review, six years after taking effect.