Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Category: Associated Press

  • Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen dies at age 91

    Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen dies at age 91

    Sonny Jurgensen, the Hall of Fame quarterback whose strong arm, keen wit and affable personality made him one of the most beloved figures in Washington football history, has died. He was 91.

    A Washington Commanders spokesperson confirmed Friday the team learned of Jurgensen’s death that morning from his family.

    Jurgensen arrived in Washington in 1964 in a surprise quarterback swap that sent Norm Snead to the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the next 11 seasons, Jurgensen rewrote the team’s record books.

    Eagles players (from left) Sonny Jurgensen, Pete Retzlaff, Timmy Brown and Tommy McDonald in 1963.

    He topped 3,000 yards in a season five times, including twice with Philadelphia, in an era before rules changes opened up NFL offenses. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and remains the only Washington player to wear the No. 9 jersey in a game.

  • The detention of the couple that owns Jersey Kebab sparked change. Deportation still looms.

    The detention of the couple that owns Jersey Kebab sparked change. Deportation still looms.

    COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. — The shawarma, falafel wraps and baklava at Jersey Kebab are great, but many of its patrons are also there these days for a side of protest.

    A New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia has rallied around the restaurant’s Turkish owners since federal officers detained the couple last February because they say their visas had expired.

    In fact, business has been so good since Celal and Emine Emanet were picked up early in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown that they have moved to a bigger space in the next town over. Their regulars don’t seem to mind.

    Jersey Kebab owner sought a better life for his children in the U.S. Now he and his wife face deportation.

    The family came to the U.S. seeking freedom

    Celal Emanet, 52, first came to the U.S. in 2000 to learn English while he pursued his doctorate in Islamic history at a Turkish university. He returned in 2008 to serve as an imam at a southern New Jersey mosque, bringing Emine and their first two children came, too. Two more would be born in the U.S.

    Before long, Celal had an additional business of delivering bread to diners. They applied for permanent residency and believed they were on their way to receiving green cards.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic began and the delivery trucks were idled, Celal and Emine, who had both worked in restaurants in Turkey, opened Jersey Kebab in Haddon Township. Business was strong from the start.

    The Emanet family thanks their South Jersey neighbors with free food as deportation proceedings loom

    It all changed in a moment

    On Feb. 25, U.S. marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested the couple at the restaurant. Celal was sent home with an ankle monitor, but Emine, now 47, was moved to a detention facility more than an hour’s drive away and held there for 15 days.

    With its main cook in detention and the family in crisis, the shop closed temporarily.

    Emine Emanet hugs her husband Celal as she leaves the ICE Elizabeth Detention Facility on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

    Although the area is heavily Democratic, the arrests of the Emanets signaled to many locals that immigration enforcement during President Donald Trump’s second term wouldn’t stop at going after people with criminal backgrounds who are in the U.S. illegally.

    “They were not dangerous people — not the type of people we were told on TV they were looking to remove from our country,” Haddon Township Mayor Randy Teague said.

    Supporters organized a vigil and raised $300,000 that kept the family and business afloat while the shop was closed — and paid legal bills. Members of Congress helped, and hundreds of customers wrote letters of support.

    Celal Emanet works at the grill in his Jersey Kebab restaurant on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2025.

    Space for a crowd

    As news of the family’s ordeal spread, customers new and old began packing the restaurant. The family moved it late last year to a bigger space down busy Haddon Avenue in Collingswood.

    They added a breakfast menu and for the first time needed to hire servers besides their son Muhammed.

    The location changed, but the restaurant still features a sign in the window offering free meals to people in need. That’s honoring a Muslim value, to care for “anybody who has less than us,” Muhammed said.

    Judy Kubit and Linda Rey, two friends from the nearby communities of Medford and Columbus, respectively, said they came to Haddon Township last year for an anti-Trump “No Kings” rally and ate a post-protest lunch at the kebab shop.

    “We thought, we have to go in just to show our solidarity for the whole issue,” Kubit said.

    Last month, with the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis dominating the headlines, they were at the new location for lunch.

    Gretchen Seibert tapes up hearts with words of support for Celal and Emine Emanet, the owners of Jersey Kebab, after the couple was detained by ICE in February 2025.

    The legal battle hasn’t ended

    The Emanets desperately want to stay in the U.S., where they’ve built a life and raised their family.

    Celal has a deportation hearing in March, and Emine and Muhammed will also have hearings eventually.

    Celal said moving back to Turkey would be bad for his younger children. They don’t speak Turkish, and one is autistic and needs the help available in the U.S.

    Also, he’d be worried about his own safety because of his academic articles. “I am in opposition to the Turkish government,” he said. “If they deport me, I am going to get very big problems.”

    The groundswell of support has shown the family they’re not alone.

    “We’re kind of fighting for our right to stay the country,” Muhammed Emanet said, “while still having amazing support from the community behind us. So we’re all in it together.”

  • Savannah Guthrie’s family renews plea to mother’s kidnapper, while sheriff says they have no suspect

    Savannah Guthrie’s family renews plea to mother’s kidnapper, while sheriff says they have no suspect

    TUCSON, Ariz. — “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s brother on Thursday renewed the family’s plea for their mother’s kidnapper to contact them, hours after an Arizona sheriff said investigators don’t have proof Nancy Guthrie is alive but believe “she’s still out there.”

    “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video posted on social media.

    “We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward,” but first the family needs to know the kidnapper has their mother, he said, echoing a statement his famous sister read the day before.

    Five days into the desperate search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

    Authorities think she was taken against her will from her home in Tucson over the weekend. DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.

    “Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference earlier Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence she’s OK.

    Demands for ransom

    Investigators said they are taking seriously notes seeking ransom that were sent to some media outlets.

    It’s unclear if all of the notes were identical. Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn’t met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie’s home and an Apple watch, Janke said.

    “To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.

    At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.

    A note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.

    “When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said.

    The sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, but if she was, investigators don’t know if that’s because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.

    Authorities say any decision on whether to fulfill ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.

    A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a message to her mother’s kidnapper, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. There’s been no response to their pleas so far.

    New timeline of Guthrie’s disappearance

    Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night. She was eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in a upscale neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain, the sheriff said.

    About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so the doorbell company was unable to recover any footage.

    Software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal.

    Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone.

    Search enters a fifth day

    Guthrie was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.

    While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the sheriff said she has difficulty walking even short distances. She also requires daily medicine that’s vital to her health, he has said.

    A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.

    Investigators searched in and around Guthrie’s home again for several hours Wednesday.

    Authorities are bringing more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.

    The kidnapping has attracted the attention of the American public, much like other famous abductions in U.S. history.

    Savannah Guthrie’s emotional plea

    Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today” — NBC’s flagship morning show — for more than a decade and had been set to co-anchor the network’s coverage of Friday’s opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. For now, she’s staying close to her mother’s home.

    She joined her two siblings in an emotional plea on social media Wednesday to say they’re ready to talk to whoever sent the ransom notes.

    “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” she said while fighting off tears.

    With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her. She was flanked by Camron and their sister, Annie.

    “Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.

  • Analilia Mejia and Tom Malinowski’s race in New Jersey’s special Democratic primary is too early to call

    Analilia Mejia and Tom Malinowski’s race in New Jersey’s special Democratic primary is too early to call

    TRENTON, N.J. — The race in New Jersey between a onetime political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders and a former congressman was too early to call Thursday, in a special House Democratic primary for a seat that was vacated after Mikie Sherrill was elected governor.

    Former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski started election night with a significant lead over Analilia Mejia, based largely on early results from mail-in ballots. The margin narrowed as results from votes cast that day were tallied.

    With more than 61,000 votes counted, Mejia led Malinowski by 486, or less than 1 percentage point.

    New Jersey special primary results: Who will fill Mikie Sherrill’s seat?

    All three counties in the district report some mail-in ballots yet to be processed. Also, mail-in ballots postmarked by election day can arrive as late as Wednesday and still be counted.

    Malinowski did better than Mejia among the mail-in ballots already counted in all three counties, leaving the outcome of the race uncertain.

    The Democratic winner will face Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, on April 16.

    Malinowski served two terms in the House before losing a bid for reelection in a different district in 2022. He had the endorsement of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim, who has built support among progressive groups.

    Analilia Mejia, center, speaks during a rally in Washington calling for SCOTUS ethics reform on May 2, 2023.

    Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance in the state and political director for Sanders during his 2020 presidential run, had the Vermont independent senator’s endorsement as well as that of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York. She also worked in President Joe Biden’s Labor Department as deputy director of the women’s bureau.

    Both Malinowski and Mejia were well ahead of the next-closest candidates: Brendan Gill, an elected commissioner in Essex County who has close ties to former Gov. Phil Murphy; and Tahesha Way, who served as lieutenant governor and secretary of state for two terms under Murphy until last month.

    Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski speaks during his election night party in Garwood, N.J., on Nov. 8, 2022.

    The other candidates were John Bartlett, Zach Beecher, J-L Cauvin, Marc Chaaban, Cammie Croft, Dean Dafis, Jeff Grayzel, Justin Strickland and Anna Lee Williams.

    The district covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey, including some of New York City’s wealthier suburbs.

    The special primary and April general election will determine who serves the remainder of Sherrill’s term, which ends next January. There will be a regular primary in June and general election in November for the next two-year term.

    Sherrill, also a Democrat, represented the district for four terms after her election in 2018. She won despite the region’s historical loyalty to the GOP, a dynamic that began to shift during President Donald Trump’s first term.

  • Austin Reaves scores 35 to help Lakers snap the Sixers’ five-game winning streak

    Austin Reaves scores 35 to help Lakers snap the Sixers’ five-game winning streak

    LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves scored 35 points in just 25 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Luka Doncic’s departure with a left leg injury for a 119-115 victory over the 76ers on Thursday night.

    LeBron James had 17 points and 10 assists for the Lakers, who snapped Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak with a big second-half rally in their first game back from an eight-game road trip.

    Joel Embiid had 35 points and Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and 13 assists for the Sixers, who blew a 14-point lead and nearly came back from a 16-point deficit in the second half of their first loss since Jan. 26.

    The Sixers got under the tax and took a small step back at the NBA trade deadline

    The Lakers led 110-94 with four minutes left, but the Sixers closed the gap to 116-113 when rookie VJ Edgecombe stole James’ inbounds pass and hit a three-pointer with 36 seconds to play. James had eight turnovers.

    But Maxi Kleber fed Rui Hachimura for a dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Lakers hung on.

    With 12-of-17 shooting and five three-pointers while coming off the bench, Reaves was phenomenal despite playing on a minutes restriction in his second game back from a 5½-week absence with a calf injury.

    But just when the Lakers’ core was finally healthy again, Doncic went down during their fifth win in seven games.

    Lakers guard Luka Doncic (right) left their game against the Sixers with a leg injury.

    The NBA’s leading scorer limped to the locker room with 3 minutes, 3 seconds left in the first half after apparently hurting his leg on the far end of the court moments earlier. He didn’t return for the second half due to what the Lakers called left leg soreness.

    Reaves, Doncic and James were playing in only their 10th game together during a season in which all three have struggled with significant injuries.

    The Lakers took their first lead with Reaves’ back-to-back three-pointers to open the fourth on a 21-6 run.

    The Sixers continue their west coast roadtrip by facing the Phoenix Suns on Saturday (9 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Rams QB Matthew Stafford edges Patriots’ Drake Maye for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award

    Rams QB Matthew Stafford edges Patriots’ Drake Maye for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award

    SAN FRANCISCO — Matthew Stafford walked away with the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award and a declaration that he’s returning to the Los Angeles Rams for another season.

    Stafford edged Drake Maye for the MVP award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.

    Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23. But Maye has a chance to go home this week with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He leads the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

    Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, wants another opportunity to try to win his second Super Bowl ring with the Rams.

    “Oh yeah, I’ll be back. It was such an amazing season and I play with such a great group of guys and great group of coaches that I was lucky enough to finish this season healthy, and I want to make sure that I go out there and see what happens next year,” Stafford told the AP.

    Stafford brought his four daughters — all dressed in identical black-and-white dresses — to the stage to accept the award.

    He thanked his team and saved his wife and daughters for last: “You’re unbelievable cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it. I am so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me, and I can’t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we’re out there kicking (butt).”

    It was Stafford’s way of announcing he will be back next season after contemplating retirement.

    Myles Garrett was a unanimous choice for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a season record for sacks with 23.

    All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat out Christian McCaffrey for the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

    New England’s Mike Vrabel beat out Jacksonville’s Liam Coen for the AP NFL Coach of the Year award, becoming the seventh coach to win it with two different teams.

    McCaffrey became the first running back to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 24 years.

    Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was a runaway winner for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

    Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in the first season of his third stint with the team.

    A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm Lutz and Carr.

    Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

    Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, received two first-place MVP votes, and Justin Herbert got the other one.

    Stafford, who earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career, finished with 366 points to Maye’s 361. Allen placed third with 91 points, Christian McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Trevor Lawrence (49) came in fifth.

    It’s McCaffrey’s second top-five finish in three years, more than any other non-quarterback since the weighted point system was implemented in 2022.

    Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams lost to Seattle in the NFC championship game.

    Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks. The second-year pro led the league in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).

    Coach of the Year

    Vrabel can get his first Super Bowl title as a head coach Sunday if the Patriots beat the Seahawks. He received 19 first-place votes to Coen’s 16 and finished with 302 points.

    Vrabel, the 2021 Coach of the Year winner with the Titans, led the Patriots from worst to first in the AFC East, a 10-win turnaround in his first season in New England.

    Coen had 239 points after leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to 13 wins and an AFC South title in his first season.

    Seattle’s Mike Macdonald got eight first-place votes and finished third (191). Chicago’s Ben Johnson received one first-place vote and came in fourth (145). San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan had six first-place votes to place fifth (140).

    Defensive Player of the Year

    Garrett received all 50 first-place votes to become the ninth player to win DPOY multiple times and second unanimous choice following J.J. Watt, who did it in 2014. Cleveland’s edge rusher also was a unanimous All-Pro selection. Garrett previously won the award in 2023.

    “It doesn’t just start with me,” he said. “It starts with great teammates, a great organization, great coaches being able to put us in position. I’m thankful for every single one of teammates to help get me up here. It’s not possible without them.”

    Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. finished second with 77 points, Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons came in third (63) followed by Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto (52) and Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (42).

    Garrett surpassed both Michael Strahan (22.5) and T.J. Watt (22.5) when he sacked Joe Burrow in the final game of the regular season.

    Offensive Player of the Year

    Smith-Njigba got 14 first-place votes to McCaffrey’s 12 and finished with 272 points. McCaffrey, who won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, had 223 points.

    Smith-Njigba caught 119 passes and led the league with 1,793 yards receiving. He had 10 TDs.

    Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, a unanimous All-Pro like Smith-Njigba, finished third with eight first-place votes and 170 points. Falcons All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson was right behind him with six first-place votes and 168 points.

    Comeback Player of the Year

    McCaffrey, San Francisco’s All-Pro do-it-all back, received 31 first-place votes and 395 points, outgaining Aidan Hutchinson. Garrison Hearst was the last running back to win it in 2001.

    Hutchinson got nine first-place votes and 221 points. Dak Prescott came in third with six first-place votes and 167 points. Lawrence got two first-place votes and finished fourth (130). Stefon Diggs came in fifth (40).

    Philip Rivers and Chris Olave each received one first-place vote.

    McCaffrey played in just four games in 2024 due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis followed by a season-ending PCL knee injury. He returned to play every game for the 49ers and had 2,126 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs.

    Defensive Rookie of the Year

    Schwesinger received 40 first-place votes and had 441 points to become the sixth player in the last 45 seasons to win the award after not being picked in the first round. Shaq Leonard (2018) and DeMeco Ryans (2006) were the only others in the last 20 seasons. Cleveland selected Schwesinger in the second round at No. 33 overall.

    Versatile Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori got seven first-place votes and finished second (199).

    Offensive Rookie of the Year

    McMillan earned 41 first-place votes after catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven TDs.

    Saints quarterback Tyler Shough got five first-place votes and finished second with 168 points, way behind McMillan’s 445.

    Assistant Coach of the Year

    McDaniels received 17 of 50 first-place votes and finished with 249 points. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph placed second with 10 first-place votes and 176 points.

  • Epstein emails show he helped arrange White House visit for Woody Allen

    Epstein emails show he helped arrange White House visit for Woody Allen

    NEW YORK — In 2015, Woody Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, went on a trip to Washington, D.C. With the help of their friend Jeffrey Epstein, they were able to tour the White House.

    Allen’s friendship with Epstein has been known for years, but emails in the huge trove of records released by the Justice Department in recent days illustrate that relationship in new depth.

    The filmmaker, his wife and Epstein were neighbors in New York City, and the three dined together often, records show. They offered each other emotional support during periods when they were being criticized in the media. They commiserated about being accused — unfairly, they told each other — of sexual misconduct.

    And in 2015, Epstein used his connections to another friend who had been in President Barack Obama’s administration to help the couple get a White House tour.

    “Could you show soon yi the White House,” Epstein wrote in a May 2015 email to former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler. “I assume woody would be too politically sensitive?”

    “I am sure I could show both of them the White House,” Ruemmler responded, although she doubted whether Epstein, who in 2008 had pleaded guilty to solicitating prostitution from an underage girl, would be allowed in.

    “You are too politically sensitive, I think,” she added.

    White House records show that Allen, Previn, and Ruemmler visited on Dec. 27, a Sunday. Obama was in Hawaii at the time.

    Ruemmler and Allen were among a long list of notable people who maintained friendships with Epstein for years, even though he was a registered sex offender who had been accused of abusing children, and whose legal problems had been widely covered in newspapers.

    Some of the guests who accompanied Allen and Previn to dinners with Epstein included talk show host Dick Cavett, linguist Noam Chomsky, and the late comedian David Brenner. Epstein also attended screenings of Allen’s movies and, according to emails, would visit with Allen so he could watch him edit his latest film.

    “Wide variety of interesting people at every dinner,” was how Allen described some of their gatherings in a letter commissioned for a 2016 Epstein birthday party. “It’s always interesting and the food is sumptuous and abundant. Lots of dishes, plenty of choices, numerous desserts, well served. I say well served often it’s by some professional houseman and just as often by several young women reminding one of Castle Dracula where (actor Bela) Lugosi has three young female vampires who service the place.”

    A message sent to an assistant for Allen and Previn via email seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned. Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

    Emails suggest that Previn, too, had a close relationship to Epstein and she often served as the intermediary between Epstein and Allen.

    Numerous exchanges among Allen, Previn, and Epstein refer to the scandals that began in the early 1990s when Allen acknowledged he was having an affair with Previn, the adopted daughter of his then-girlfriend Mia Farrow. Around the same time, he was investigated by state authorities over allegations he had assaulted their adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, while visiting Mia’s Connecticut home.

    A Connecticut prosecutor said in 1993 that there was “probable cause” to charge Allen with molesting Dylan, but that he decided not to pursue the case.

    Allen, who married Previn in 1997 and has since adopted two daughters, has denied any wrongdoing. Dylan’s allegations returned to the news in 2014 when an open letter from her was published in the New York Times. Allen has since been largely ostracized by the American film community.

    In emails in 2016, Epstein, Previn, and Allen compared their own scandals to another celebrity in the news at the time: Bill Cosby, who had denied allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulting numerous women.

    “The crowd needs a witch to burn, and there are not many left,” Epstein wrote.

    Allen replied, in a message relayed through Previn, that his own situation is “radically different” from Cosby’s.

    “I do expect (and get) many ugly unfair accusations, (but) he has to battle 50 women and criminal charges,” Allen said, according to Previn’s email. “I have one irate mother whose case was investigated and discredited,” he said, referring to Mia Farrow.

    Epstein replied that the public scorn Allen received was more likely related to his relationship with Previn, which he called a “publicly broken taboo.”

    “Everything else is noise,” he added.

    Allen, in comments relayed through Previn, responded that if the couple’s taboo relationship was the issue, “there’s nothing to be done.”

    “I’m certainly not going to dump her and I’m not going to apologize because I don’t feel either of us did anything we have to apologize for,” he says. “Our romantic life is our business and not the business of the public so it’s a hopeless situation because there’s no way out if that’s what they’re holding against us.”

    Epstein advised his friends to just enjoy themselves and in life.

    “Some actors or actresses might decline a role,” Epstein wrote. “But, so what.”

    Allen hasn’t been accused of having any involvement in Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of girls and women.

  • Argentina and U.S. sign a major trade deal to slash tariffs and boost a political alliance

    Argentina and U.S. sign a major trade deal to slash tariffs and boost a political alliance

    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina and the United States agreed Thursday to ease restrictions on each other’s goods in an expansive trade and investment deal that boosts a drive by President Javier Milei’s government to open up Argentina’s protectionist economy and a push by the Trump administration to reduce food prices for Americans.

    The deal, which slashes hundreds of reciprocal tariffs between the countries, also reflects the importance of Milei’s ideological loyalty to President Donald Trump, even as the chronically distressed South American nation long isolated from the global economy has little to offer Washington in the way of economic reward or geopolitical clout.

    Argentina’s radical libertarian leader has gone to dramatic lengths to prove his devotion to Trump, reshaping his country’s foreign policy to align with the U.S. and championing Trump’s increasingly aggressive interventions in the Western Hemisphere. Milei has traveled to the U.S. at least a dozen times since entering office and plans to visit Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida again next week.

    The efforts have already paid off. Last year as market turmoil threatened to derail Milei’s free-market overhaul and drain Argentina’s foreign currency reserves ahead of a crucial midterm election, Trump offered his ally a $20 billion credit line. Milei avoided a currency devaluation and won a decisive victory in the election that sent markets rallying.

    A trade deal between ideological allies

    On Thursday, Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signed the trade and investment agreement in Washington.

    After imposing sweeping tariffs on its traditional trading partners for months, the Trump administration changed its tune last November in announcing framework deals with four Latin American countries, including Argentina.

    The White House argued that the reduction of mutual tariffs on a range of food imports, like Argentine beef and Ecuadorian bananas, would improve the ability of American firms to sell industrial and agricultural products abroad and relieve rising prices for American consumers. The announcement also came as Trump’s steep tariffs drew scrutiny from the Supreme Court.

    Argentina on Thursday became the first of the four countries to finalize its agreement with the U.S. Quirno hailed it as a milestone not only in Argentina’s alliance with the U.S., but also in Milei’s campaign to rebuild the serial defaulter’s reputation.

    “Today Argentina sent a clear signal to the world,” he wrote on social media. “We are a reliable partner, open to trade and committed to clear rules, predictability and strategic cooperation.”

    Concessions could revive criticism

    Argentina’s foreign ministry said it would scrap trade barriers on more than 200 categories of goods from the U.S., including chemicals, machinery and medical devices, slash tariffs to 2% on a range of imports like auto parts and allow sensitive imports like vehicles, beef and dairy products to enter the country tariff-free under government quotas.

    Those are key concessions as local Argentine industries long protected by steep tariffs voice concern about their ability to compete with American manufacturers.

    Washington, for its part, will eliminate reciprocal tariffs on 1,675 Argentine products, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said, adding $1 billion in export revenue. It did not name all the products, while the White House only said the U.S. would remove reciprocal tariffs on “unavailable natural resources” and ingredients for pharmaceutical goods.

    The text of the deal also shows the U.S. agreeing to review its stiff 50% taxes on steel and aluminum imports that have hobbled Argentine manufacturers since last year and quadruple the amount of Argentine beef it allows into the country annually at a lower tariff rate.

    An influx of Argentine beef

    The influx of beef could reignite criticism from cattle ranchers and Republican lawmakers in farm states who were outraged last October when Trump first floated plans to increase imports of Argentine beef, threatening to lower the price that American ranchers receive for their cattle.

    The move, aimed at shoring up the South American country’s limping economy while helping bring beef prices in the U.S. down from record highs, came shortly after the Trump administration offered Milei the $20 billion lifeline and directly purchased both U.S. dollar-denominated Argentine bonds that ratings agencies were classifying as “junk” at the time and the volatile Argentine currency that local investors were dumping in droves.

    The backlash came from across the political spectrum. Trump’s MAGA base questioned the need to bail out a far-flung country that has never been a natural U.S. trading partner: The two countries export many of the same things and directly compete in markets of soy, corn, wheat, meat and oil.

    Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage that Trump was staking taxpayer money on a political gift to an ideological soulmate. That criticism continues, with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, on Thursday appealing to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to end the $20 billion lifeline.

  • Families of plane crash victims ask U.S. appeals court to revive a criminal case against Boeing

    Families of plane crash victims ask U.S. appeals court to revive a criminal case against Boeing

    Thirty-one families that lost relatives in two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to revive a criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer.

    Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families, urged a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court’s dismissal of a criminal conspiracy charge Boeing faced for allegedly misleading Federal Aviation Administration regulators about a flight-control system tied to the crashes, which killed 346 people.

    The dismissal came at the request of the U.S. government after it reached a deal with Boeing that allowed the company to avoid prosecution in exchange for paying or investing an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures.

    Cassell said Thursday that federal prosecutors violated the families’ rights by failing to properly consult them before striking the deal and shutting them out of the process.

    Federal prosecutors countered that, for years, the government, “has solicited and weighed the views of the crash victims’ families as it’s decided whether and how to prosecute the Boeing Company.”

    More than a dozen family members attended Thursday’s hearing in New Orleans, and Cassell said many more “around the globe” listened to a livestream of the arguments.

    “I feel that there wouldn’t be meaningful accountability without a trial,” Paul Njoroge said in a statement after the hearing. Njoroge, who lives in Canada, lost his entire family in the second of the two crashes — his wife, Carolyne, their children, ages 6, 4, and 9 months, and his mother-in-law.

    All passengers and crew died when the 737 Max jets crashed less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 — a Lion Air flight that plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed into a field shortly after takeoff.

    U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas, who oversaw the case for years, issued a written decision in November that described the families’ arguments as compelling. But O’Connor said case law prevented him from blocking the dismissal motion simply because he disagreed with the government’s view that the deal with Boeing served the public interest.

    The judge also concluded that federal prosecutors hadn’t acted in bad faith, had explained their decision and had met their obligations under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

    In the case of its deal with Boeing, the Justice Department had argued that given the possibility a jury might acquit the company, taking the case to trial carried a risk that Boeing would be spared any further punishment.

    Boeing attorney Paul Clement said Thursday that more than 60 families of crash victims “affirmatively supported” the deal and dozens more did not oppose it.

    “Boeing deeply regrets” the tragic crashes, Clement said, and “has taken extraordinary steps to improve its internal processes and has paid substantial compensation” to the victims’ families.

    The appeals court panel that heard the arguments said it would issue a decision at a later date.

    The criminal case took many twists and turns after the Justice Department first charged Boeing in 2021 with defrauding the government but agreed not to prosecute if the company paid a settlement and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws.

    However, federal prosecutors determined in 2024 that Boeing had violated the agreement, and the company agreed to plead guilty to the charge. O’Connor later rejected that plea deal, however, and directed the two sides to resume negotiations. The Justice Department returned last year with the new deal and its request to withdraw the criminal charge.

    The case centered on a software system that Boeing developed for the 737 Max, which airlines began flying in 2017. The plane was Boeing’s answer to a new, more fuel-efficient model from European rival Airbus, and Boeing billed it as an updated 737 that wouldn’t require much additional pilot training.

    But the Max did include significant changes, some of which Boeing downplayed — most notably, the addition of an automated flight-control system designed to help account for the plane’s larger engines. Boeing didn’t mention the system in airplane manuals, and most pilots didn’t know about it.

    In both of the deadly crashes, that software pitched the nose of the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor, and pilots flying for Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were unable to regain control. After the Ethiopia crash, the planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months.

    Investigators found that Boeing did not inform key Federal Aviation Administration personnel about changes it had made to the software before regulators set pilot training requirements for the Max and certified the airliner for flight.

  • U.K.’s Starmer didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein. But the prime minister’s job is under threat

    U.K.’s Starmer didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein. But the prime minister’s job is under threat

    LONDON — Keir Starmer never met Jeffrey Epstein. But the British prime minister’s job is under threat because of the fallout from the late sex offender’s global web of relationships.

    Friendship with Epstein has already brought down a British royal — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew — and U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, fired by Starmer over his links to the financier.

    Now new revelations have plunged Starmer’s center-left government into turmoil.

    The prime minister is facing mounting pressure from within his governing Labour Party over his decision in 2024 to appoint Mandelson, a veteran Labour politician, to the Washington role despite his ties to Epstein. Just how close those ties were has been exposed in newly released documents that have dominated headlines in the U.K.

    Starmer apologized on Thursday to Epstein’s victims, saying Mandelson had repeatedly lied and “portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew.”

    “I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you,” Starmer said. “Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”

    Critics believe it’s an error that could end Starmer’s premiership.

    “He is now essentially a boxer on the ropes,” said Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester. “His administration could fall over tomorrow, or it could stagger on for months or even years. [But] his authority is seriously shot.”

    Mandelson a risky appointment

    Starmer fired Mandelson, 72, in September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Epstein committed suicide in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on U.S. federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing dozens of girls.

    Documents published last week by the U.S. Justice Department contain new revelations, including papers suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis, and records of payments totaling $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 from Epstein to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

    There are also chatty, jokey messages pointing to a much closer relationship with Epstein than Mandelson had disclosed.

    British police are investigating Mandelson over potential misconduct in public office. He is not accused of any sexual offenses and says he never witnessed any sexual wrongdoing,

    Mandelson was chosen as ambassador because his trade expertise, contacts and mastery of the political “dark arts” were considered assets in dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration.

    Critics say Starmer was, at best, naive in not recognizing the risks involved. Aside from his association with Epstein, Mandelson twice had to resign from senior government posts because of scandals over money or ethics.

    ‘His judgment is questionable’

    In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Starmer answered “Yes” when asked whether the vetting process in 2024 had revealed that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein continued after the latter’s 2008 conviction.

    The answer sent shock waves through the chamber. On Thursday Starmer said he had meant only that it had “been known publicly for some time that they knew each other.”

    The government plans to release files related to the vetting process that it hopes will exonerate Starmer and show Mandelson lied. But the government is not entirely in control of the process. Some documents are likely to be held back because of the police investigation. Others will be reviewed by Parliament’s independent Intelligence and Security Committee for potential national security implications.

    Labour lawmaker Paula Barker said the prime minister “has shown that his judgment is questionable.”

    “I think he has a very long way to go to rebuild trust and confidence with the public, and trust and confidence within our party,” she told the BBC.

    A string of setbacks

    Starmer has faced a string of setbacks since he led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living. He pledged a return to honest government after 14 years of scandal-tarred Conservative rule, but has been beset by missteps and U-turns over welfare cuts and other unpopular policies.

    Despite his struggles on the home front, Starmer has been praised for his work on the world stage. He has played a key role in maintaining European support for Ukraine, and in keeping Trump engaged with peace efforts and NATO. He has also worked to rebuild ties with the European Union after the U.K.’s acrimonious departure from the bloc in 2020.

    Labour consistently lags behind the hard-right Reform U.K. party in opinion polls, and its failure to improve had sparked talk of a leadership challenge, even before the Mandelson revelations.

    The Epstein files may have brought a challenge closer, but key rivals are holding back, for now.

    Senior lawmaker Angela Rayner, a popular figure on the left of the party, is still stinging after being forced to resign as deputy prime minister in September for failing to pay enough tax on a home purchase. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a star of Labour’s right, was close to Mandelson in the past.

    Some Labour lawmakers are calling for Starmer to fire his top aide Morgan McSweeney, a powerful backroom figure mistrusted by many Labour lawmakers, and widely seen as a key force behind Mandelson’s appointment.

    Legislator Karl Turner said the prime minister should “get rid of those advisers who frankly have given terrible advice to him over these weeks and months.”

    On Thursday Starmer vowed to carry on doing the “vital work” of governing.

    But more potential flashpoints loom. Labour may lose a long-held seat in Parliament in a Feb. 26 special election in Greater Manchester. The party is also expected to fare badly in regional and local elections in May.

    Ford said that “whenever the moment comes when Starmer does finally leave, either of his own volition or because his MPs oust him … It will all be traced back to appointing Peter Mandelson.”