​ Melania Trump rejects any connection to Jeffrey Epstein and calls for a hearing for survivors. Seven hours ago. Bernd Debusmann Jr. at the White House. First Lady Melania Trump has rejected any ties to Jeffrey Epstein, instructing White House reporters that allegations connecting them “must stop today.” In an unexpected Thursday statement, she urged Congress to hold hearings for Epstein’s sex trafficking survivors. She also dismissed internet rumors that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, labeling them “vicious efforts to tarnish my name.” The reason for her remarks remains unknown. Her office gave no previous hint of addressing Epstein, and the White House hadn’t previewed the subject when listing her comments on its daily agenda. She stated she was never Epstein’s victim, having only “briefly crossed paths” with him in 2000. “I had no awareness of Epstein’s mistreatment of his victims,” she added. I was never involved in any way. I did not participate. She also denied any knowledge of Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned associate of the disgraced financier. She cited a 2002 email exchange with Maxwell that was made public in the Epstein documents, dismissing it as mere “casual correspondence” and a “polite reply.” The email in question, seemingly the one she mentioned, is addressed to “G”—likely standing for Ghislaine—and offers praise for a New York Magazine story about “JE” that included a photo of G. She wrote that she “cannot wait” to visit Palm Beach. “Call me when you’re back in NY,” the email states.  

​ The US has admitted 8,483,499 refugees since October—all but three from South Africa. 11 hours earlier. Mayeni Jones, Africa correspondent in Johannesburg. Reuters. US government data indicates that President Donald Trump’s reforms to refugee policies have significantly altered the volume and origins of individuals admitted to the country. The Refugee Processing Center reports that 4,499 refugees have been resettled in the US since October 2025. All but three Afghans were South African. During the Biden administration’s final full fiscal year, beginning in October 2023, 125,000 individuals from 85 countries were admitted. Last year, Trump suspended all refugee admissions—even from war zones—but permitted Afrikaners, a white minority group he claimed was facing persecution, to pursue resettlement. South Africa took issue with his description. Trump, in revealing the policy shift, stated it would bolster national security and public safety. The announcement specified that priority would go to Afrikaner South Africans and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” Diplomatic strains between Washington and Pretoria have intensified since Trump’s return to the White House. Just over a year earlier, South Africa’s US ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after charging Trump with “mobilizing a supremacism” and attempting to “project white victimhood as a dog whistle.” In May, Trump challenged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, asserting that white farmers there faced persecution and “genocide.” Ramaphosa rebutted the claims, supported by John Steenhuisen, the white leader of the Democratic Alliance—a key player in the coalition government—who told Trump, “Certainly, the majority of South Africa’s commercial and smallholder farmers really do want to stay in South Africa and make it work.” In October, Pretoria condemned the US move to fast-track refugee claims from white Afrikaners, noting that white genocide allegations have been broadly debunked and lack credible proof. It pointed to an open letter from notable Afrikaner figures—including scholars, executives, and heirs of apartheid leaders—who dismissed the story, with some labeling the resettlement program as racist. The initial batch of 68 South African refugees arrived in the US in May of the previous year. This year, the numbers started rising, with 2,848 people arriving in February and March. They have resettled throughout the US, with the largest number—543—located in Texas. More on the story from the BBC. White South Africans split over US refugee proposal.  

​ White House employees instructed not to bet on prediction markets. Five hours ago. Osmond Chia, business reporter. Images from Getty. Last month, White House personnel were cautioned against using confidential information to bet on prediction markets. The advisory email went out to staff on March 24, one day after President Donald Trump announced a five-day delay on his threat to strike Iranian power plants and energy facilities. It cited media stories expressing worries that officials might be leveraging non-public data for wagers on sites such as Kalshi or Polymarket. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle stated to the BBC that “any suggestion that Administration officials are involved in such conduct without proof is unfounded and reckless journalism.” The Wall Street Journal first reported on the email Thursday. Ingle also noted that all federal employees must follow government ethics rules barring the use of insider information for personal financial benefit. “The only special interest that will ever guide President Trump is the best interest of the American people,” he added. The BBC has reached out to Kalshi and Polymarket for comment. Polymarket faced scrutiny in January when a bettor won nearly half a million dollars on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro right before the official announcement. It was unclear who placed the bet. The anonymous account featured a blockchain ID made up of letters and numbers. The event sparked worries about whether it had gained from insider knowledge of the US military operation. Prediction markets, hosting over $44bn (£33bn) in trades, have grown more popular over the past year. The predictions can cover any topic. They mostly involve sports, but users can also bet on things like whether the US central bank will cut rates or the outcomes of local elections. Oil traders bet millions just minutes before Trump’s Iran talks post.  

​ Trump claims Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz violates our agreement. Five hours ago. Joel GunterJerusalem. Getty Images via AFP. US President Donald Trump has criticized Iran for mishandling oil transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “very poor job” and stating it was “not the agreement we have.” These remarks underscore the shaky ceasefire deal, amid disputes over its terms. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government would launch direct negotiations with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah—the Iran-supported militant group—and fostering peaceful ties. A US State Department official verified plans to host a Washington meeting next week “to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon.” Lebanese leaders had urged a ceasefire prior to the talks, but Netanyahu later told northern Israeli residents: “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon.” Israeli strikes persisted in Lebanon all Thursday, hitting what it called Hezbollah rocket sites in the south, but attacks seemed to taper off at least temporarily overnight in the area. In an interview, Trump stated Israel would “scale back” its operations there to aid peace talks. “I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it.” Trump told NBC News after a call with Netanyahu that they needed to be a bit more low-key. The Thursday strikes prompted fresh evacuation orders for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that this affected the Jnah area, home to two major hospitals. “Currently, no alternative medical sites exist to accommodate about 450 patients from these hospitals (including over 100 in the ICU), making evacuation practically impossible,” he stated. Among the patients were some of the 1,150 wounded in Wednesday’s extensive Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. At least 303 people were killed. Tedros also stated that the Ministry of Public Health headquarters, which “hosts five shelters accommodating more than 5,000 people,” is located in the evacuation zone. That ceasefire started amid confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel’s second front, was included.  

​ Regardless of ceasefire or not, the Middle East’s realignment is far from over. 11 hours earlier. Jeremy Bowen, BBC International Editor. The greatest prospect for the ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan lies in the fact that both the United States and Iran have compelling motives to end the war. The greatest barrier to their success is a complete lack of trust, no apparent common ground, and Israel’s massive escalation of its attacks on Lebanon, as America’s full partner in the war. US President Donald Trump is already referring to the war in the past tense. He proclaims victory and requires a way out. He has a state visit from King Charles scheduled for later this month, followed by a summit with China’s President Xi Jinping in May, plus midterm elections in November. As America’s summer vacation season approaches, Trump also needs gasoline prices to drop back to pre-war levels.