World Economic Forum faces fresh scrutiny as Epstein ties revive past scandals, criticism
The ghost of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has struck again. This time, even though he died in 2019, his is still adding to the stress and criticism of the World Economic Forum.
On Feb. 26, WEF president and CEO Børge Brende resigned after revelations that he had three dinners, and some emails and SMS communications with Epstein. His ouster followed an independent investigation earlier in February.
Brende said he wasn’t aware of Epstein’s sex crimes.
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“Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation to join Rod-Larsen and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications,” he said.
That response hasn’t been well received by observers, given that Epstein’s conviction occurred in 2008 and would have been easy to uncover. As Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, perhaps he should have been more cautious, some observers say.
“If you are standing on a public stage, you have to know who you are standing with,” said Ben Habib, right-leaning leader of the British political party Advance UK, and an entrepreneur.
Founder of the U.K.-based Henry Jackson Society, Alan Mendoza, added, “The moral is that people in positions of authority should be very careful with whom they have dinner. Mendoza also wonders how many people with a criminal record have attended the WEF.
The news of Brende’s resignation comes hot on the heels of other scandals and bad publicity for the WEF, commonly known as Davos, after the Swiss village in the Alps where the annual meeting takes place. Last year, Klaus Schwab, the founder of the WEF, stepped down in July after accusations that he had misused WEF funds and treated employees inappropriately.
Both Schwab and his wife were both ultimately cleared by the WEF board for any material wrongdoing, though a board of trustees statement noted in part that, “Minor irregularities, stemming from blurred lines between personal contributions and Forum operations, reflect deep commitment rather than intent of misconduct.”
Others have a beef with the WEF. Two years ago, Argentina’s President Javier Milei spoke at Davos.
“The Western world is in danger,” Millei said. “It is in danger because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty.”
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Milei also noted that many countries have ditched freedom for collectivism, a.k.a., socialism.
“We’re here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world; rather, they are the root cause,” he said at Davos in 2024.
Since 2023, when Milei took office as Argentina’s president, inflation has dropped from more than 200% to 32%, according to data from Trading Economics.
Likewise, others have a lot to tell the WEF, most of it not positive.
“Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at this year’s Davos meeting. “It’s a failed policy. It is what the WEF has stood for.”
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The fact is, America has been left behind in the global economy as the WEF has encouraged offshoring manufacturing to places with cheap labor, Lutnick said. He also encouraged other countries to follow the “America First” model, which is that the workers come first.
Lutnick also attacked Europe’s alternative energy push, which includes solar and wind energy. “Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don’t make a battery? he said at Davos. Achieving net zero means countries aim to have no increase in overall carbon emissions by 2050.
But if Europe does pursue Net zero, then the EU will be subservient to communist China, Lutnick says. China is by far the dominant producer, accounting for approximately one-third of global renewable energy, compared with 11% in the U.S.
“The WEF is the embodiment of power and wealth,” Habib said. “Big money is diverting policy. It’s fascism.” He says the world may have been tricked into believing the economic promises made by globalist organizations. “The shine is now off. It is failing and not gaining traction.”
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The WEF isn’t the only organization that is running roughshod over multiple countries. The European Union is also doing similar work with the countries in its bloc through a multitude of regulations, Habib said.
Iran proxies wage war on Israel, threaten US interests as Iraq slammed for not disarming them
FIRST ON FOX: The Israeli military spokesman confirmed to Fox News Digital this week that multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, have been launched into Israel from Iraqi territory since the start of the conflict with Iran to eradicate the Islamic Republic of Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons facilities, missile systems and terrorism infrastructure.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, said that the army has had a “near complete success” rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets.
The drones fired from Iraq are presumed to come from the Iranian regime-controlled Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF. An umbrella organization of Shiite terrorists, that attacked Israel with drones in 2024 during Israel’s war against the Tehran-backed Hamas movement.
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An Iraqi Kurdish official told Fox News Digital, “Iraq has become a vessel for the Iranians. Is it so hard to see? I don’t see a distinction between the PMF and the state. They’re paid by the state, hold sovereign portfolios in this cabinet, go on foreign travel and now they’ve entered the federal legislature.”
The official continued: “In the last two decades, Iran has systemically taken over the state, weaponizing what were supposed to be institutions into tools to protect the Shia regime in Baghdad and punish any threat to it, including the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Through Baghdad and state institutions, it has economically strangled the Kurdistan Region, torn strips from our autonomy and exposed us to more attacks.”
An attack was reported on the country’s shrinking Christian community. The Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, from the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, wrote on X on Thursday: “A miracle no one was injured when 2 drones struck our community, 150 meters from our Catechist Center that serves 1,000 Catholic children. Our university & schools are also closed so the young can be with their parents. Please pray for us & for all who suffer in this war.”
Kurdistan Regional Government authorities confirmed the attack and said it was carried out by two drones.
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Phillip Smyth, an expert on Shiite militias in Iraq, told Fox News Digital about the strikes on the Chaldean Catholic school that “Kata’ib Hezbollah was first to talk about it and it was likely Kata’ib Hezbollah, but it is possible it was another two pro-Iran militias because they all work together on drone launches.”
A drone attack struck an oil field operated by U.S. firm HKN Energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Thursday, causing a fire and halting production, according to a Reuters report citing security sources and an oilfield engineer.
No group claimed responsibility, but Kurdish officials accused Iran-allied Iraqi militias of carrying out the attack.
If so, the attack would mean Iran‑aligned Iraqi militias, who have vowed to retaliate for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, have expanded targets from U.S. military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to U.S. energy interests.
Production at the field was halted as a precaution after an explosion at its power unit, the engineer told Reuters.
Some energy companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan shut oil and gas production at their fields as a precaution after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on neighboring Iran.
Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, echoed the comments of the Iraqi Kurdish official in his statement to Fox News Digital: “The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are fully funded by the Iraqi government. In fact, they are formally included as a line item in Iraq’s federal budget. Officially, more than $3 billion is allocated annually just for salaries, but when logistics, weapons, food, and other operational costs are included, the PMF’s budget likely exceeds $10 billion. That is the size of the budget of a small country in the Middle East,” he claimed.
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Qanbar said there is a way to change Iraq’s behavior: “If the United States wants to stop this situation, there are clear tools available. Sanctions must be imposed on the Iraqi government for funding these militias. Another powerful mechanism involves Iraq’s oil revenues, which are deposited at the U.S. Federal Reserve. The United States could suspend transfers of those funds unless Baghdad halts the financing of the PMF. Make no mistake: every terrorist who launches drones or rockets against Kurdistan, U.S. interests, Gulf states or military bases is effectively being paid by the Iraqi government,” he claimed.
When asked if the Islamic Republic of Iran urged Shiite militias from the PMF to fire drones at Israel, a spokesman for Iran’s U.N. mission said, “The Mission declined to comment.”
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his government is “not tolerating any attempt aimed at dragging Iraq into war or threatening the country’s stability,” according to Kurdistan24.
Salwan Sinjari, chief of staff to the Iraqi foreign minister, referred Fox News Digital to the Iraqi foreign ministry page for official statements by his minister and the government. He did not respond to follow-up messages and calls on whether Iraq’s government was failing to crack down on the PMF.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein claimed the government was seeking to convince Iran-backed militias to disarm in January 2025, according to the Long War Journal.
However, Iraq’s government has issued mixed messages about the PMF over the years. In May 2025 al-Sudani was quoted as saying, “Today, the Popular Mobilization Forces constitute a basic force in defending Iraq.”
Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S. did not immediately respond to email, WhatsApp and telephone queries. A second Iraqi diplomat said he was unable to provide Fox News Digital a comment.
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The Times of Israel reported on Thursday, after military strikes eliminated a senior officer from Kataeb Hezbollah — Iraq’s largest pro-Iran militia — south of Baghdad that PMF militias pledged to strike the Middle East interests of European nations that joined in the “Zionist-American” strikes on the Islamic Republic and its proxies.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department.
Major city doubles its visitor tax to become one of highest amid overtourism concerns
As popular vacation destinations continue their crackdown on overtourism, one major city has recently raised its traveler tax — making it one of the highest in Europe.
The city of Barcelona, Spain, has nearly doubled its hotel guest tax, from $5-$9 to $10-$17 per person, per night — while holiday rentals rose from 12.5 euros per night, up from $7.24 to a maximum of $14.49, Reuters reported.
The change follows overcrowding concerns from local residents due to the high number of visitors and a shortage of affordable housing for native Spaniards.
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Barcelona citizens held a large protest last summer, even spraying tourists with water guns, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
Demonstrators marched with signs saying, “One more tourist, one less resident,” and “Tourist Go Home.” The demonstrators are demanding a reworking of their local economy.
Andreu Martínez of Spain humorously said at the time that the use of squirt guns was to annoy the tourists a bit.
“Barcelona has been handed to the tourists,” said Martínez. “This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents.”
He said his rent had risen over 30%, with apartments in his neighborhood continually being rented out for short-term vacation use instead.
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The regional parliament of Catalonia said it is planning to ban all short-term rental accommodation by 2028.
“I don’t think this added expense is fair.”
Short-term rentals in Barcelona have been stagnant for years, remaining at around 10,000 since 2014, according to figures from Barcelona’s City Hall.
Barcelona city data indicates around 850,000 homes exist in Barcelona, making the 10,000 or so short-term rentals a fraction of total housing.
Italian nurse Irene Verrazzo, who traveled to the city, told Reuters that Barcelona was already very expensive. She said she would probably not visit again.
“I don’t think this added expense is fair,” she told Reuters. “They already make money from tourists spending in shops, visiting their monuments, etc.”
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Barcelona hotel owners have expressed concern the tax rise could deter too many tourists from visiting.
Manel Casals, Barcelona’s hoteliers’ group general director, told Reuters that proposals to monitor the taxes’ impact and raise them gradually instead were ignored.
“One day, they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” said Casals.
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Last year, 96.8 million people visited Spain — with nearly 94 million visiting in 2024, according to government data.
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Fox News Poll: Voters give poor marks to economy, Congress and Trump
With prices still a concern and economic confidence subdued, voter anger toward Washington has reached new highs.
Majorities say the economy is struggling, inflation is not under control and the federal government is falling short.
A new Fox News survey finds a record 70% disapprove of the job congressional Democrats are doing, up 6 percentage points since December (29% approve).
Views of congressional Republicans have mostly held steady, with 36% approving and 64% disapproving.
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The gap reflects greater party unity on the right: 77% of Republicans approve of their party’s leaders, while just 62% of Democrats approve of theirs.
The sour mood extends beyond Congress. Eight percent are “enthusiastic” about how the federal government is working, and another 26% are “satisfied.” But a majority is “dissatisfied” (33%) or “angry” (32%) with Washington.
While these views are similar to the one-year point in Joe Biden’s presidency (February 2022), there are two key differences. First, the 8% enthusiastic and the 32% angry are at record highs. And, second, the partisan intensity has flipped. Republicans were more than four times as likely as Democrats to be angry in 2022, while Democrats are more than five times as likely as Republicans to feel that way now.
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“Political science research indicates anger is a more powerful mobilizing force than hope or fear,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducted the survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The anger on the left may be one reason Democrats have been doing so well in recent special elections and early 2026 primaries.”
Much of that frustration appears rooted in the economy. Only 30% rate it positively, down from 32% earlier in President Trump’s term (July 2025). More than twice as many say economic conditions are only fair or poor.
Voters are still feeling cost pressures. Compared to a year ago, most say grocery prices have increased (81%), including more than half who say they are up a lot (56%). Large numbers also say costs have increased for utilities (79%), healthcare (71%), housing (65%) and gas (51%).
And while 22% say inflation is completely or mostly under control, the highest going back to 2022, most say it is not.
More than half, 57%, rate their personal finances negatively, and those ratings are especially high among independents (61%), Black voters (66%), voters under 30 (66%), women (66%) and households with income below $50,000 (74%).
Just 9% say there are a lot of jobs in their community that pay decent wages, while 15% say there are almost none.
Reflecting those concerns, half of voters identify the cost of living (50%) as the most important economic issue facing the country, far ahead of government spending (18%), jobs (10%), income inequality (9%), tariffs (8%) and taxes (4%).
Currently, 43% approve and 57% disapprove of the job Trump is doing overall. It was 44% and 56% in both January and December.
Another 6 in 10 say he is focused on the wrong things. By comparison, 54% said Biden had the wrong focus in November 2021.
Virtually all Democrats are unhappy with the job Trump is doing (95% disapprove) and say he is focused on the wrong issues (94%). Republican unity is strong but not absolute: 87% approve and 83% say he has the right focus. There is a fault line within the GOP over support for the MAGA movement.
Among Republicans who identify with MAGA, approval of the president climbs to 98% compared to just 63% among non-MAGA Republicans. And there is a similar 38-point gap in whether he is focused on the right issues (95% MAGA vs. 57% non-MAGA).
Most independents disapprove of Trump’s job performance (72%) and think he is focused on the wrong issues (78%).
Border security is the president’s only positive issue, with 52% of voters approving (48% disapprove). His ratings are underwater by 35 points on the cost of living (32% approve, 67% disapprove), 27 points on tariffs, 23 points on the economy and healthcare, 20 points on foreign policy, 19 points on taxes, 13 points on jobs and 6 points on immigration. Republicans rate Trump far more negatively on the cost of living (33% disapprove) than other measures.
On tariffs, 63% of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling them, while another 56% oppose tariffs in general. The top concerns about tariffs are higher consumer costs, the risk of a trade war and reduced product availability. The main reasons for supporting them are preventing unfair trade practices from other countries, protecting U.S. jobs, increasing government revenue and reducing the trade deficit.
After the Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 ruling limiting the administration’s tariff authority, 62% say Trump is being treated fairly by the high court, including majorities of Democrats (76%) and independents (58%) and half of Republicans (50%).
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Still, the Court’s own ratings have slipped: 57% disapprove, up 7 points since last summer. The higher disapproval is driven largely by a near doubling among Republicans, from 20% disapproving in 2025 to 39% today.
US whiskey exports to Canada collapse nearly 70% after Trump tariff fight
EXCLUSIVE: LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A year after Canadian provinces yanked American whiskey from store shelves in a trade clash triggered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, U.S. spirits exports have collapsed by nearly 70%, gutting what had been one of the industry’s most important overseas markets.
In 2025, Canada slid from the second-largest destination for American spirits to sixth, as exports declined two-thirds to $89 million, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
Before the dispute, the market had generated roughly $250 million annually for American distillers.
The drop was immediate and relentless. From March through December, exports fell from $203 million in 2024 to just $60 million in 2025 — a roughly $143 million wipeout.
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Despite the lifting of some tariffs, most Canadian provinces continue to shut American alcohol out of retail stores.
“Our industry thrives in a zero-for-zero tariff environment,” Chris Swonger, DISCUS president and CEO, told Fox News Digital.
The export downturn comes as Trump continues to use tariffs as economic leverage — a strategy his administration argues is designed to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and reduce trade imbalances.
While Swonger said the industry recognizes the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce trade imbalances, he noted that the loss of Canadian shelf space has had a significant impact on exports.
“Since Liberation Day, it’s unfortunate to report that our industry has lost over 70% of our exports to Canada because many provinces have decided not to carry American spirits,” Swonger said.
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Nowhere is the fallout felt more acutely than in Kentucky, the epicenter of America’s bourbon business.
The Bluegrass State is bourbon’s beating heart, producing 95% of the world’s supply, employing more than 23,000 workers and generating a cool $9 billion annually, according to figures provided by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
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For distillers on the ground, the trade dispute doesn’t end at the border.
Owen Martin, master distiller at Angel’s Envy, said the consequences reach into the bourbon-making process itself.
“There are the tariffs on finished goods and on us shipping abroad, but I’m even thinking a step below that,” Martin said.
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He pointed to barrels as one example. By law, bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels, which can only be used once for bourbon production. But port casks — used to finish Angel’s Envy bourbon — can be reused multiple times.
“Those are the sorts of things, as a maker, that I have to be aware of in any given year,” Martin said. “You have different opportunities and different challenges.”
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Beyond supply chain pressures, the export downturn is largely tied to provincial retail bans in Canada. The majority of provinces have yet to restore American alcohol to government-run retail stores.
Swonger said the dispute has produced a striking irony between two whiskey-loving nations.
“American consumers love Canadian whisky, and Canadians love Kentucky bourbon,” he said. “We’re hoping this gets resolved.”
Supreme Court blocks Trump tariffs—but hands him a smarter path forward
President Donald Trump has lost his tariff case in the Supreme Court. However, with careful and prudent use of the tariff powers he does have, he can turn this into a win for his policies and for America.
The Supreme Court has just ruled in Learning Services v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. While the act unquestionably gives him the power to regulate imports in the event of unusual and extraordinary emergencies, the dispute was whether tariffs — a kind of tax — are legally and constitutionally “regulation.”
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While there were reasonable arguments on both sides, six of the nine justices ruled they are not, and that the IEEPA does not empower the president to impose tariffs. What are the likely economic consequences of this ruling, and what should it imply for future Trump trade policy?
First, note that as economic policy, tariffs are a bad idea. International trade raises incomes and promotes economic growth in every country that trades. Trade is mutually beneficial, win-win for all trading parties. It is a popular myth that trade destroyed American manufacturing. American manufacturing has steadily increased since 1970, more than doubling, as shown by data collected by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
On the other hand, roughly 90% of the costs of the “liberation day” tariffs have been borne by American businesses and consumers, as shown in analysis by economists at the New York Federal Reserve. The American economy has had solid growth and low unemployment under Trump, but this is owing to his excellent energy and deregulation policies, which have reduced regulatory burdens. Tariff costs are another burden on the economy. Removing this drag should further encourage economic growth and employment.
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It is also a popular myth that a trade deficit is a loss for a country. The trade deficit, or current account, is balanced by the capital and financial accounts, that is, foreigners investing in America. There are two reasons why foreign investment flows into America. One is that America’s security and dynamism make it an attractive place to invest, a good thing. The other is the federal government’s growing appetite for borrowing to cover its burgeoning deficits, a bad thing. Tariffs and trade restrictions make America’s economy less dynamic and do nothing to curb the government’s fiscal irresponsibility. There is no good economic argument for tariffs.
However, for foreign policy and national security purposes, tariffs can have an important role. Numerous other laws authorize the president to impose such tariffs. For example, the Trade Act of 1974, Section 122 (under which Trump has now imposed 10% tariffs) authorizes tariffs in the event of severe balance-of-payments deficits. The Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Section 232, authorizes tariffs on goods for national security purposes.
Numerous other laws authorize the president to impose tariffs. However, all of these include various reasonable conditions and limits. For example, if the president imposes a national security tariff, Section 232 gives the administration 270 days to develop a study justifying the tariff. Trump still holds broad power to impose tariffs, but now it is more constrained and requires transparent reasons for any particular exercise of this power.
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While this constrains Trump somewhat, he can turn this into a win for his presidency. Tariff power can be useful as a foreign policy tool, and by using a more nuanced and targeted approach to tariff policy, he can accomplish a lot of good for the American economy.
For example, the European Union is attempting to impose its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards on American firms doing business in Europe, via the EU’s Corporate Due Diligence and Sustainability Mandates. EU mandates would apply to all of a firm’s activities everywhere, not just those in Europe.
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Similarly, the EU has attempted to impose its Digital Services Act on American media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta. This would require firms to monitor and censor free speech, despite America’s First Amendment protections. Targeted tariffs could be a very useful tool for punching back at this, protecting free commerce and defending American firms from such attacks. This would have the effect of strengthening America’s economy and position in the world.
President Trump has lost a round in the Supreme Court and his ability to impose tariffs is constrained. But with judicious use of the powers he retains, he can turn this into an opportunity to make America stronger and his presidency a greater success.