META MAG

The latestbatch of documentshas revealed Epstein's network of friends and associates reach beyond his Caribbean island and East Coast circles into the gilded palaces of two of Europe'sroyal familiesand touch some of the highest offices of foreign governments.

More:Who is in the latest Epstein files release? Documents reveal new names

While inclusion in the files does not indicate a person is a criminal suspect, it does, in some cases, show a person had social or business connections. Several people in European power circles are facing inquiries or investigations, while others have stepped down from various professional roles.

What appears to be outdoor furniture is seen in a photo released by US Department of Justice from one of Jeffrey Epstein's properties.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Epstein's house was filled with odd objects. See the photos.

While Epstein's connections to leaders in business, academia and government have been known for years, the DOJ'sJan. 30 document drophas provided a wider sense of the relationships cultivated by Epstein, who died awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Many maintained contact with him even after his conviction in 2008 for soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution in Florida. His plea required him to register as a sex offender in 2009.

UK government under fire over Epstein emails

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing calls to step down, including from some within his own party, in connection with the Epstein files after he appointed Peter Mandelson, a friend of Epstein, as ambassador to the United States. (Starmer himself is not in any of the released documents.) Details of Mandelson's friendship with the late wealth manager became public after the latest round of documents from the DOJ revealed he'd corresponded with Epstein after he was a registered sex offender in 2009.

A little over a week after the Jan. 30 document dump, two of Starmer's aides have resigned: Communications chief Tim Allan and Starmer's top aide, Morgan McSweeney, who said he took responsibility for advising on the appointment of Mandelson to Britain's top diplomatic role. Mandelson has also resigned from the House of Lords.

British police are investigating Mandelson over allegations of "misconduct in public life" after he was accused of passing market-sensitive information to Epstein when he was business secretary under former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown over a decade ago. Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Two royal families ensnared in Epstein controversy

Among the most well-known European figures who the documents show to have had yearslong friendships with Epstein are members of two royal families:Norway's Princess Mette-Maritand the United Kingdom'sAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III.

While Mountbatten-Windsor's relationship to Epstein has been known for years, the January document dump was the first time the Norwegian princess's correspondence became publicly available.

More:King Charles' brother Andrew crouches over woman in new Epstein photos

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titlein October 2025 andpushed out of his vast homeat Royal Lodge after reports of his association with Epstein hit a fever pitch. He wasousted as a senior royalthree years prior. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who died by suicide in 2025, alleged she was sexually abused by the former royal multiple times when she was 17 years old. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegations.

The latest release has only intensified scrutiny of the former prince, with the country's prime ministerurging him to testifyto U.S. lawmakers and forcingPrince William and Princess Kate to speak outabout the controversy after years of silence. Britain's King Charles said in a statement Feb. 9 released by Buckingham Palace that the palace isready to support the policeas they investigate allegations against the king's brother.

Princess Mette-Marit, the Crown Princess of Norway, exchanged dozens of emails with Epstein, some as recently as2014.The emails contradict a 2019 comment from the Royal Palace that she'd broken off contact with Epstein in 2011, according to theNorwegian tabloid VG.

Mette-Marit, wife of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has apologized for maintaining contact with Epstein, saying she displayed poor judgment. In her most recent statement, released Feb. 6, she apologized again, "for the situation that I have put the royal family in, especially the King and Queen."

Norway's prime minister on Feb. 9 said that Mette-Marit and other prominent Norwegians named in the recently released Epstein documents should provide more details about their involvement with Epstein.

Norway opens investigations into ex-leader and diplomats

Norwegian authoritiesannouncedthey are investigating two former ambassadors and a former prime minister over corruption tied to the Epstein files. All were known to have had ties to Epstein, but the new files have provided more details on their relationships and dealings with the late money manager.

The country's economic and environmental crime unit said in a statement on Feb. 9 it had conducted searches at two locations tied to former ambassador Mona Juul and her husband, Terje Rød‑Larsen. The pair is being investigated over charges of aggravated corruption and contribution to aggravated corruption. Authorities had opened a separate corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland several days prior due to his alleged links to Epstein.

Jagland served as prime minister from 1996 to 1997, and also held top positions as chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and secretary general of the Council of Europe.

The diplomatic couple, Juul and Rød‑Larsen, helped facilitate contacts between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government that led to the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords. Juul had been Norway's ambassador to Jordan and Iraq upon the latest Epstein file release, and has stepped down from the position. Rød‑Larsen is a former Deputy Prime Minister.

The files suggest that the couple and their children visited Epstein's island, and were named in a version of his will released in the Epstein documents. The two children stood to inherit $5 million apiece from him, according toReuters.

French and Slovakian officials scrutinized, among others

Jack Lang, a former French culture minister, has stepped down from his role as the head of a cultural center in Paris following allegations he previously had financial ties to Epstein. The allegations have triggered a tax investigation. Lang denies wrongdoing and has described the allegations against him as "baseless."

Lang was the head of the Arab World Institute, an organization that promotes exchanges between France and Arab nations. In a letter to Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, viewed by the AFP news agency, Lang said that he would submit his resignation at the next board meeting of the Arab World Institute. Lang served as France's culture minister between 1981 and 1993. He later served as minister of education.

Miroslav Lajčák, an ally of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his national security adviser, resigned after it emerged in documents from the Epstein files that he had exchanged text messages with Epstein about women and diplomacy. The texts date from when Lajčák was Slovakia's foreign minister in 2018.

In a statement, Lajčák said he was resigning to avoid causing any political damage to Fico. He denied any wrongdoing. He also condemned Epstein's alleged crimes.

Contributing: Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY; Reuters.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Epstein file revelations spark probes, controversy in Europe

While passport revocations for unpaid child support of more than $2,500 have been permitted under 1996 federal legislation, the State Department had in the past acted only when someone applied to renew their travel document or sought other consular services. In other words, enforcement depended on the person approaching the department for assistance.

Starting soon, however, the department will begin to revoke passports on its own initiative based on data shared with it by the Health and Human Services Department, according to the U.S. officials familiar with the plan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the change has not yet been publicly announced.

The number of people who could be affected was not immediately clear, but it is believed to be in the thousands. Because of the potentially large universe of those owing child support who currently hold passports, the State Department will make the change in tiers, the officials said.

The first group to be affected will be passport holders who owe more than $100,000 in past-due child support, the officials said. One of the officials said fewer than 500 people meet that threshold and could avoid having their passport revoked if they enter into a payment plan with HHS after being notified of the pending revocation.

Advertisement

The official acknowledged, though, that if and when the threshold is lowered to a smaller past-due amount, the number of those affected will rise significantly. The official could not say when any further changes would take effect or estimate how many people might then lose their passports.

In an emailed response to the AP's queries about the change, the State Department said it "is reviewing options to enforce long-standing law to prevent those owing substantial amounts of child support from neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children." It added: "It is simple: deadbeat parents need to pay their child support arrears."

Since the Passport Denial Program began with the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the initiative has taken in nearly $621 million in past-due child support payments, with nine collections of more than $300,000, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement at the Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS did not respond to questions about how many people are in arrears.

Associated Press writer Ali Swenson contributed to this report.

Britain Premier League Soccer

Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor sealed the comeback for Leeds, which dealt a blow to Chelsea's hopes of Champions League qualification.

Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer from the penalty spot seemed to put Rosenior on course for a fifth-straight league win. But Chelsea was stunned by two goals in the space of six minutes from in-form Leeds and had to settle for a point.

Tottenham is being sucked into a relegation battle after a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle.

The pressure is building on coach Thomas Frank, whose team is still to win a league game in 2026.

Newcastle ended a three-game losing run in the league. Jacob Ramsey slid a winner into the bottom corner from close range in the 68 minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Malick Thiaw put Newcastle ahead in first-half stoppage time.

Advertisement

Archie Gray gave Spurs hope in the 64th, but Ramsey sealed the points for the visitor shortly after.

Bournemouth scored twice in the space of three minutes to come back from a goal down to beat Everton 2-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Iliman Ndiaye's penalty before the break gave the home team the lead, but Rayan leveled in the 61st and Amine Adli scored the winner three minutes later.

James Robson is athttps://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

"These players aren't soft. We aren't talking about sensitive personality types," lawyer Keenan D. Holmes told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Obviously, there are expectations placed on players. But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency."

Verdi, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, also tried to force players into the transfer portal, putting their scholarships at risk and threatening their academic and athletic futures.

The university denied the allegations in a brief statement issued Tuesday on behalf of both the coach and the school.

"The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended," the statement said.

Verdi has struggled over three seasons at Pitt after notching a winning record in seven seasons at the University of Massachusetts. According to the lawsuits, he once told his Pitt players: "Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you."

He told one athlete, according to the legal complaint, "I don't like you as a player, but I'd let my son date you."

And he once divided the players by race and had them face off at practice, it said. Some of the women are now in counseling or therapy, and others have sought a red-shirt year of NCAA eligibility based on mental health problems, Holmes said.

The former players include Favor Ayodele of Spain, now at Grand Canyon University; Raeven Boswell, who left the team but stayed at Pitt to finish her degree; Isabella Perkins, now a student at Boston College; Jasmine Timmerson, now playing for Davidson College; and MaKayla Elmore and Brooklynn Miles, who had transferred to Pitt for their senior years.

Some of the players reached out repeatedly to Verdi's supervisors in the athletic department for help, to no avail, the lawsuits said.

The women seek an acknowledgment that the school violated their civil rights underTitle IX, which prohibits gender-based discrimination in education, along with the restoration of their school records and reputations, and compensatory and punitive damages.

Norway's Sturla Holm Lægreid won a bronze medal in the 20km biathlon and used his post-race interview to reveal that he had cheated on his girlfriend.

Speaking toNorway's NRK, Lægreid saidthat he told his partner last week about his unfaithfulness.

"Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world's most beautiful, sweetest person," Lægreid said through tears. "And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her."

The 28-year-old Lægreid, who won gold at the 2022 Olympics in the 4x7.5km relay and is a seven-time world champion in five different biathlon disciplines, expressed his desire to share this medal moment with his partner. He added that while people may see him differently after his confession, he "only has eyes for her."

Advertisement

Fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn won gold in the event in his Olympic debut. Lægreid said he felt bad about using the post-race moment to overshadow Botn's accomplishment.

"Now I hope I didn't ruin Johan's day," Lægreid said. "Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I'm not really here, mentally."

At a post-race press conference, Lægreid said he decided to reveal his infidelity on Tuesday in the hopes that there is a chance his partner "will see what she really means to me."

Will Lægreid's global confession lead to a rekindling of their romance? He sure hopes so.

"I hope there's light at the end of the tunnel for both of us," Lægreid told NKO following the medal ceremony. "And that she can still love me."

FBI agents on Jan. 28 seized 700 boxes containing ballots and other materials associated with the 2020 election from the county's  Elections Hub and Operations Center after obtaining a search warrant. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that there wasvoter fraudin the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia, that contributed to his election loss.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump nominee, on Sunday ordered the government to unseal the affidavit that was filed in support of the search warrant, subject to "the redaction of the names of non-governmental witnesses."

Fulton County files motion seeking return of seized 2020 ballots, spokesperson says

In his ruling, Boulee noted that the government did not oppose the unsealing of the affidavit, which could provide more information on the search and the investigation that lead to it.

The ruling came after Fulton County Chairman Robb Pittsfiled a motionseeking the unsealing of the affidavit, as well as the return of the election documents that were seized.

Advertisement

Pitt's office said Tuesday it was reviewing the affidavit and that he would hold a news conference in the afternoon.

Pitts had earlier said in a statement he was "pleased" with the judge's ruling.

"Fulton County will continue to pursue every legal option to seek the return of election records and to defend our elections from possible takeover," Pitts said. "Even in the midst of this unprecedented legal action, we will not allow our staff to be deterred or distracted from preparations for the 2026 election, which will be once again free, fair, transparent and legally compliant."

While the judge on Sunday ordered the release of the affidavit that was the basis for the search warrant, the warrant itselfauthorized the FBIto search for "All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election" in addition to tabulator tapes from voting machines and 2020 voter rolls, according to a copy of the warrant that was obtained by ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB following the raid.

The warrant said the material "constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offense."

The warrant listed possible violations of two statutes -- one which requires election records to be retained for a certain amount of time, and another which outlines criminal penalties for people, including election officials, who intimidate voters or to knowingly procure false votes or false voter registrations.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

APTOPIX Albania Protest

Sixteen protesters were treated in a hospital for burns and other injuries, police said, adding that 13 protesters were arrested.

Prime Minister Edi Rama's government has come under fire over corruption allegations involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, but Rama has resisted calls to dismiss her. There have been growing demands that lawmakers lift Balluku's immunity from prosecution, which can only be done in a parliamentary vote.

Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused Balluku, who is also minister for energy and infrastructure, of interfering in public procurement for construction projects to favor certain companies, and has called for her immunity to be lifted.

Tuesday night's protest in the Albanian capital was attended by thousands of people. It was the third such demonstration in recent months demanding Rama's resignation. More than 1,300 police officers had been deployed to ensure security. Previous protests also turned violent, with demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at police and a government building, and with authorities responding with tear gas and water cannons.

Advertisement

Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, a former prime minister who has also faced corruption charges himself, described the protest as a "peaceful uprising" at a critical moment for Albania. Speaking at the protest, he accused Rama of "declaring war on the justice system."

Political analyst Mentor Kikia said it was unlikely that any major change would result from the protests. "Citizens are distrustful, having consistently voted for the lesser evil to remove the greater evil from power," he said.

"The current perception is that if Rama leaves, Berisha will return. One left power because of corruption, the other must also leave power because of corruption," Kikia said.

Albania hopes to join the European Union, and is under close monitoring by the bloc as part of its accession process, which it hopes to complete by 2027.

However, international watchdogs say the country continues to suffer from widespread corruption.