Thursday, June 25th, 2026
What we learned from Bill Gates’s interview with Congress about Epstein
Bill Gates is shown leaving following a closed-door interview before the House’s oversight committee investigating late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Washington, D.C., on June 10. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates told a congressional panel that files released by the Justice Department in January only added to his embarrassment over interacting with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein Transparency Act, passed in late 2025, mandated that the U.S. Justice Department release millions of files related to investigations into Epstein, whose death in aRead more
Trump’s D.C. reflecting pool is the butt of online jokes. What happened?
It was big, bold American flag blue. And then it was green. And then it was spotted with chunks of floating paint. U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to renovate the 600-metre-long Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., for the country’s 250th anniversary celebration has backfired spectacularly. The pool’s $14.7-million US renovation and subsequent rapid deterioration has become the butt of internet jokes. Some have dubbed June “ALGAEBTQ Pride Month” or commented that Trump, who promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, has instead created a swamp. In oneRead more
Deadly ‘Omega’ heat wave breaks more temperature records in Europe
People cool off in the Trocadéro Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Wednesday. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters) Western Europe was in the grip of a heat wave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week. Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 36.1 C in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of western Europe. France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peakedRead more
Trump asks Congress for $87bn, mostly for ‘urgent’ Iran war costs
The White House has asked lawmakers to approve $87.6bn (£66.5bn), mostly for “urgent needs” connected with the US war on Iran, a day after Congress passed a resolution rebuking the military action. The bulk of the funding – $67bn – is for the Defence Department, including $21bn for munitions, $17.3bn for operational costs and $12.1bn for classified programmes, said the White House. The other money is for unrelated measures including $11bn for US farmers and $1.4bn to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. But the proposal faces an uphillRead more