Epstein files shed light on Ghislaine Maxwell’s tactics for luring teenagers | First Thing

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A document among the tranche of newly released Jeffrey Epstein files casts fresh light on psychological tricks that his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell deployed in her effort to lure vulnerable teenage girls into his abusive orbit.

The disclosure of some grand jury documents in her Manhattan federal court case comes as she angles for a possible reprieve from her sex-trafficking conviction and resulting 20-year prison sentence. Maxwell’s manoeuvres have received renewed attention throughout Donald Trump’s second presidency – particularly in the wake of her controversial transfer to a minimum-security prison camp known for being more comfortable than other facilities of its kind.

• The DoJ failed to comply with Epstein files law – can Congress do anything? Lawmakers threatening legal action face major obstacle: those with legal power in this case are the ones accused of failing to follow the law.

CBS News delays airing of 60 Minutes segment featuring investigation into El Salvador’s Cecot megaprison

CBS News is facing a backlash, including from one of its own correspondents, after it cancelled a 60 Minutes investigation into a brutal prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrants.

The episode of its flagship program about the Cecot megaprison was due to air on Sunday night. However, in an “editor’s note” posted on X, the broadcaster’s official account announced that “the lineup for tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes has been updated. Our report ‘Inside Cecot’ will air in a future broadcast.”

A CBS News spokesperson said in an email that the segment “needed additional reporting”.

• Why is Cecot being investigated? In March, the Trump administration struck a deal with El Salvador to send to Cecot more than 250 Venezuelan migrants that it accused of terrorism and gang membership. Horror stories have since emerged about abuse that they are alleged to have endured, with lawyers for some of the men who were later released describing the conditions as “state-sanctioned torture”.

Russian general killed by car bomb in Moscow, say investigators

A Russian general has been killed after an explosive device detonated beneath his car in what Moscow described as a likely assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the operational training directorate of the Russian armed forces’ general staff, died of his injuries, a spokesperson for Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement.

• Who is responsible? We don’t know yet. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack but Ukrainian intelligence agencies have targeted dozens of Russian military officers and Russian-installed officials since the start of the war, accusing them of involvement in war crimes.

In other news …

• James Ransone, the American actor best known for his work in 12 episodes of The Wire, has died in Los Angeles. Information from the Los Angeles medical examiner indicated Ransone, 46, died on Friday from suicide.

• The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats as it moves to reshape the US diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of Donald Trump’s “America first” priorities.

• New details about the police case against the alleged Bondi beach terrorists have been released, including details of an alleged video manifesto linked to Islamic State and the undetonated explosives – including a “tennis ball bomb” – found at the scene.

• South Korea’s parliament has launched an independent inquiry into the deadliest air disaster on its soil amid accusations of investigation delays and cover-ups of last year’s Jeju Air crash.

Building power: ‘Am I Next?’ protest art in downtown LA boldly asks who’s safe from ICE

Three Los Angeles institutions have teamed up to launch a response to federal immigration raids in the nation’s second-largest city, projecting illuminated images of everyday LA residents on the facades of the California Community Foundation, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the Japanese American National Museum in support of the thousands of community members who have been detained this year.

Don’t miss this: Thanks to Donald Trump, 2025 was a good year … for white-collar criminals

For fraudsters and tax evaders, the past year has been a cresting wave of successes: the abandonment of seeming slam-dunk prosecutions, presidential pardons for even the most egregious crimes, and a steady hollowing out of the agencies tasked with holding them to account. But why would the Trump administration choose to set aside consequences from criminals whose actions threaten the stability of the broader American economy?

… or this: Gripes and infighting on display as Maga stars gather at Turning Point conference

The stars of the Maga conservatism converged for the four-day AmericaFest conference in Phoenix this weekend amid reports that the cohesion of the political-religious right, a year into Donald Trump’s second presidential term, is showing signs of stress. The gathering made headlines for the infighting on display among its high-profile participants.

Climate check: Was 2025 the year that business retreated from net zero?

Almost a year since Donald Trump returned to the White House with a rallying cry to the fossil fuel industry to “drill baby, drill”, a backlash against net zero appears to be gathering momentum. More companies have retreated from, or watered down, their pledges to cut carbon emissions, instead prioritising shareholder returns over climate action.

Last Thing: Jimmy Kimmel to deliver Christmas message to UK

Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show was briefly cancelled after pressure from Donald Trump’s government, will deliver an alternative Christmas message to UK audiences on Christmas Day. Sitting beside a cup of tea and a plate of jammy dodger biscuits, Kimmel will quip: “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.”

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