Trump rants about Epstein in Christmas Day post

President Donald Trump has shared a bizarre Christmas day social media post about Jeffrey Epstein, saying that he dropped ties with the late sex offender “long before it became fashionable,” and that the controversy surrounding the release of the so-called Epstein files is a “Radical Left Witch Hunt.”

The Trump administration has been facing ongoing scrutiny, mainly from Democrats but also some Republicans, for its handling of government files related to Epstein as the public pushes for more transparency about the disgraced financiers’ life and crimes.

“Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein…only to ‘drop him like a dog’ when things got too HOT, falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn’t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday evening.

The president was friends with Epstein decades ago, calling him a “terrific guy” in a 2002 New York magazine profile. In the midst of the Epstein controversy, The Wall Street Journal reported on a lewd birthday card Trump supposedly gave Epstein in 2003, but the president has denied that he authored such a letter.

But Trump has said their relationship ended before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. The White House has said Trump did “nothing wrong” and that the president kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach for being a “creep.”

Trump suggested in Wednesday’s Truth Social post that these people who thought Epstein was “the greatest guy on earth” were all Democrats.

“When their names get brought out in the ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt…and it is revealed that they are Democrats all, there will be a lot of explaining to do…Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!” Trump wrote.

When the Justice Department started to release its trove of Epstein documents last Friday — thanks to Congress pushing through legislation to force the Trump administration to reveal all the information it had on the convicted sex offender — photos of former Democratic President Bill Clinton emerged.

In one photo, Clinton and Epstein were smiling as they stood next to each other wearing silky shirts. In another, Clinton was swimming in a pool with Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

This is a developing story…

Two men still missing in sea off Devon in ‘truly tragic incident’

Two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, remain missing at sea after getting into difficulty off a beach in Devon on Christmas Day.

Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton at 10.25am after concerns for people in the water, and a number of people were safely recovered to shore and checked by paramedics or taken to hospital as a precaution.

However, despite extensive searches, the two men remained missing, before the coastguard and RNLI searches concluded in the area in the evening.

Their families have been informed of developments, a spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall said.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind was in place across parts of the South West and Wales on Christmas Day.

No warnings have been issued for Boxing Day but police urged people not to go swimming in the sea.

Detective Superintendent Hayley Costar, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “Today, emergency services have been responding to a truly tragic incident in Budleigh Salterton.

“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident. The local community will have seen a significant amount of emergency services in the area throughout the day as extensive enquiries have been ongoing.

“As dark falls, a number of these searches have been stood down, with some police enquiries on land continuing this evening.”

HM Coastguard said it had responded to reports of “people in difficulty” in the water in the Budleigh Salterton area.

Coastguard rescue teams from Exmouth and Beer attended, along with RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay.

They were assisted by coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with police and ambulance personnel.

“Searches have continued throughout the day to find two men believed to still be in the water. After extensive shoreline and offshore searches, the coastguard part of the search was stood down at 5pm,” a spokeswoman said.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: ““Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the incident and the family and friends of the two people who are missing.”

A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall were cancelled this year because of a yellow weather warning for wind.

The Met Office warned of “strong and gusty east to northeasterly winds” from 4am until 11.59pm on Christmas Day in parts of south-west England and Wales. It said peak gusts would reach 45-55mph but these could reach 55-65mph along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills.

Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special plummets to unimaginable new depths

For professional and other reasons (and I stress not exactly willingly), I’ve had to watch a fair amount of Mrs Brown’s Boys over its inexplicably long presence on our screens. Often, I have felt very much like the character played by Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. If you recall the scene, the criminal, Alex, undergoes experimental compulsory aversion therapy to cure his violence. He is strapped to a chair, his eyelids forced open with metal clamps, so that he has to observe footage of the most appalling depravity, and is left screaming in agony, mentally scarred for life.

Anyway, back to the show. As I say, it’s always painful viewing, but the 2025 Christmas special plummets some way beneath the usual low standard to reach fresh, unimaginable depths of unfunniness. There’s one excruciating sequence in particular that has burned itself into my consciousness. This is when Mammy (Brendan O’Carroll, the progenitor of the comedy) is in the pub with her cronies Winnie McGoogan (Eilish O’Carroll) and Birdie Flanagan (June Rogers), and the conversation turns from Winnie buying an oddly fragranced Gwyneth Paltrow candle to… yes indeed, their own vintage vaginas.

So we’re already in questionable territory, if you’ll pardon the expression, and then, I’m sorry to report, they just go deeper. The euphemisms used by the old ladies are ridiculously contrived. “Ladygarden” is the one favoured by Winnie, as advised by her mother when she was a young girl. Scarcely more credible is Birdie’s “meow meow”, not least because its common usage is to do with a street drug rather than pudenda. Even so, the very mention draws a huge “aaaahhhh” of sentimentality from the audience, as if the old girl had just announced that her lonely vulva was to star in next year’s John Lewis Christmas ad campaign. By the end of this bit we find that the sole purpose of this bleak absurdity is to tee up a punchline from Mammy herself. Ready? OK. It goes like this: “I used to call it ‘St Bridget’s Purse’. Then I had Dermot and I changed it to ‘St Patrick’s haversack’.” Even if this is a bloke in a dress, or especially if it’s a bloke in a dress, this is just weird.

The runner-up for lamest attempt at humour in this laugh-free extravaganza is the running joke about grandad (Dermot O’Neill) getting a VR headset for Christmas, which, all too predictably, climaxes with him on the kitchen table air-humping a raw turkey, and then falling over (unconvincingly), like you do when performing virtual sexual intercourse in front of your family. It is further proof that, as well as puns, sight gags, double entendres and irony, O’Carroll and his gang can’t manage to make even a bit of simple slapstick vaguely comical.

If you’re of a certain age, Mrs Brown’s Boys makes one nostalgic for the craft that went into the gently smut-laden Benny Hill Show, albeit sometimes misguidedly. Or even has you pining for the honest, if depressingly flat-footed, efforts of the Little and Large Tellyshow. It feels a much less well-assembled affair than its antecedents in the 1970s.

So it’s badder than bad, worse than ever in fact, weaker than the childish riddles that fall out of a cracker. I happily concede that it still pulls a decent enough audience in to qualify for the Christmas Day (and New Year’s Day) BBC One schedule, even if it’s broadcast at around the time most people are safely unconscious. I don’t blame folk for watching it – each to their own and all that. I do, however, wonder why the BBC is still buying it with our money, and why O’Carroll and his collaborators’ scripts are still so lazy, this time with scarcely an attempt at a storyline, and the actors so poor. Bunch of meow meows, the lot of them.

Worst areas for unsolved car crimes revealed

Ministers are facing urgent calls to establish a dedicated police unit to tackle car theft across the nation, as new figures reveal that more than three-quarters of cases went unsolved last year.

Analysis by the House of Commons library indicates a staggering 121,825 motor vehicles were reported stolen across England and Wales in the 2024-25 financial year.

Of these, a concerning 92,958 investigations were closed without a single suspect being identified, contributing to an average national unsolved rate of 76.3 per cent.

The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest proportion of unsolved cases, with 88.5 per cent of car thefts in the capital going unaddressed.

Other forces struggling significantly include British Transport Police (84.4 per cent), South Yorkshire (82.6 per cent), City of London (81.5 per cent), Sussex (81.1 per cent), and Warwickshire (80.7 per cent).

The analysis, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that 35 out of 44 forces in England and Wales saw more than 60 per cent of their car theft investigations conclude without an identified suspect.

In response to these alarming figures, the Liberal Democrats are advocating for the creation of a specialist team within the National Crime Agency.

This unit would leverage data from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, insurance records, police intelligence, and border control to specifically target organised car crime networks.

Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson stated: “Time and time again victims of crime are left without the support they need, it’s a disgrace and communities deserve so much better.

“The previous Conservative government betrayed our communities with years of self-defeating cuts to our police forces – and now the current Labour Government must not turn a blind eye to this epidemic. Enough is enough.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a car theft crackdown, to finally catch the organised gangs and criminals who for far too long have been getting away with it.”

The Home Office, however, highlighted a 12 per cent reduction in vehicle crime and a 7 per cent drop in vehicle theft in the year leading up to June 2025.

They also pointed to new legislation designed to outlaw electronic devices used to bypass vehicle security, with criminals facing up to five years in prison for their use.

A Home Office spokesman commented: “Vehicle theft has a devastating impact on individuals, families, businesses, and the wider industry. For too long, not enough has been done to prevent these crimes or to bring those responsible to justice.

“This Government and the police are taking decisive action to change that – from introducing new laws to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, to training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.”

Urgent appeal for teenage girl who went missing days before Christmas

An urgent appeal has been launched as police try to find track down a missing teenage girl who disappeared a few days before Christmas.

Isla Davies, 17, was last seen at Warrington Bank Quay Railway Station on Monday 22 December at around 5.30pm.

Cheshire Police are searching for the young girl who is described as “5’9″ tall, with dyed red hair, brown eyes, and has a tattoo on her middle finger of an infinity symbol.

“She was last seen wearing a black leather jacket and white trousers and is believed to be wearing slider style shoes or grey Converse trainers.”

The teenager has links to Warrington, Halton, and Merseyside, according to police.

Chief Inspector Robert McLoughlin said: “It has now been three days since anyone has seen Isla and our officers have conducted a number of enquiries to locate her. As part of our ongoing investigation, we are now asking anyone who has any information relating to her whereabouts to please contact us.

“We are also asking anyone who may have captured her on any dash cam footage or on CCTV to please get in touch.

“I would like to appeal to Isla directly to please get in contact with us to let us know you are safe and well.”

Anyone with any information regarding Isla’s whereabouts is asked to contact Cheshire Police via the website or on 101 quoting IML 2238951.

A young person is reported missing roughly every two-and-a-half minutes in the UK.

This Christmas season, The Independent raised £165,000 in its SafeCall campaign to tackle this national crisis and offer support, safety and connection to vulnerable children when they need it most.

Our publication is working alongside the charity Missing People – the free, round-the-clock service which was set up to reach the 72,000 children who disappear in the UK every year.

To donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which has raised £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.

For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit missingpeople.org.uk/get-help

It’s about experience: Further Education teachers share what it takes

In the modern world, many of us are working longer than ever. Research based on ONS Labour Market data found that there are almost one million more workers aged 65 and above since the millennium and the state pension is set to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by the late 2030s. Subsequently, having multiple careers is becoming increasingly popular. And after decades working in a specific industry, sharing the work-based knowledge you have gained via teaching in further education is one of the most rewarding career shifts you can make.

Further Education teaching (defined as any education for people aged 16 and over who aren’t studying for a degree) allows you to switch up your working days and harness the skills and experience you have developed, all while helping shape the next generation of workers in your field.

To find out more about the role, from what it takes to the best parts of the job, we spoke to Further Education teachers who have switched from doing their day job to teaching it…

John Ryan, 51, from Weston Super Mare, worked for more than a decade on site in the construction industry, mainly in bricklaying and supervising roles, before an opportunity to become a Further Education assessor changed his path in his thirties. Travelling nationally to assess the work of new bricklayers in order to sign off their NVQs (National Vocational Qualification), the college John was associated with then started offering him some teaching work.

With no prior teaching qualifications, John completed these alongside his assessing and teaching roles with the fees picked up by the teaching college. “I liked the idea of passing on my knowledge and giving young people the skills and confidence to progress in a trade,” he says. “Teaching in Further Education felt like a natural next step because it would allow me to combine my practical background with coaching and mentoring.” There were practical draws too. “On site in the construction industry you are self-employed so you do not get holidays or sick pay. The stability of income and regular paid holidays was a big draw of Further Education teaching,” he adds.

Since his first assessing role 18 years ago, John has worked between assessing, teaching and jobs back on the construction site and now, he currently teaches bricklaying and groundwork full-time at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

John’s extensive site and supervisory experience has proved to be hugely valuable when it comes to teaching his students there. “I can explain not just the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’ behind industry standards,” he explains. “Learners often respond well to hearing about real jobs, site challenges, and the professional behaviours that employers expect. It makes the lessons more relatable and credible,” he shares.

“For example, I can share stories of accidents when teaching site safety, or explain how a mistake of a few millimetres on a construction site can cost you time to rectify, which in turn will cost you money,” he says. “These hands-on, real world experiences make the theory relatable and show learners the real value of getting it right.”

Coral Aspinall, 52, who became a full-time Further Education teacher 12 years ago, agrees. “My experience allows me to put my teaching into context,” she says. Coral started out her engineering career at 16 as an apprentice in a local engineering company. Following a BSc in Engineering and Business Management, she worked for many years in the engineering industry before enrolling on a part-time PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) course for teaching. She’s now the Engineering Programme Leader at the Stockport campus of the Trafford and Stockport College Group. Here, they offer qualifications such as Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations as well as engineering-focused Level 3 T Levels and Level 3 Btec Awards. They also offer Level 3 apprenticeships across engineering including Technical Support, Engineering Fitter and Maintenance Management.

“Because I’ve been an engineering apprentice myself, I understand what the student needs to be successful in terms of skills, knowledge and behaviour,” she explains. “I also have contacts in the wider engineering community and understand what an employer is looking for in an apprentice, and can also share insights in terms of how the sector is shifting and evolving to help support their progress.”

Working for an extensive period of time in a field before passing on that knowledge gives teachers maturity and empathy which can be hugely helpful for students, especially those facing complex life situations.

Beyond the practical techniques, a big part of John’s role is helping learners build confidence, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills that employers look for. “Many of my learners have different challenges, so they value teachers who are approachable, who believe in them, and who prepare them for real opportunities in work or further study,” he says. For John, his previous work experience has allowed him to do this. “On site, I worked with people facing all sorts of pressures, from work to life issues, which taught me to be patient and supportive,” he explains.

Coral has had a similar experience. “I see my role as more than imparting knowledge; it is about preparing the young person for the next stage of their journey. The students trust me to have their best interests at heart; they come to me for advice on their next steps and how they can achieve their aspirations, and I’ll support them with both practical advice and words of encouragement.”

For Coral, teaching later in life allows her to draw from a mature perspective, and teach her students positive workplace behaviours alongside skills and knowledge. “Students thrive when they have clear unambiguous boundaries, so I’m firm around expectations in terms of timekeeping, attendance and attitude. This is particularly important to succeeding in the workplace as employers value these behaviours as much as, or even more than having specific expertise or know-how (which can generally be developed).”

If you’re looking for a fresh career option, and keen to share your skills with the next generation, Further Education teaching could be a really enriching new phase. Further Education covers a huge range of career sectors including construction, law, engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism, beauty and more. This includes BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council qualifications), T Levels, NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) or City & Guilds Qualifications.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, further education teachers share their years of real world industry skills with a diverse mix of people from those straight out of school aged sixteen to those making career switches later in life.

You don’t always need an academic degree or prior teaching qualifications to start teaching in further education. You can undertake teacher training on the job, often funded by your employer, so you can start earning straight away.. Furthermore, it doesn’t mean you have to stop working in your chosen field. Further education offers hybrid opportunities – so you could teach part time alongside your other commitments. This means you could have the best of both worlds, where you are still working in your chosen industry and teaching alongside it at a time that suits your schedule. Find out if it’s the right move for you here.

If, like John and Coral, you see the appeal in sharing the knowledge and skills you’ve developed with the next generation, exploring the option of becoming a Further Education teacher can be a great next step. As John shares, the reward is always worth it: “It never gets old passing on my knowledge to people starting on their journey, knowing I have made a difference and getting a smile and thanks in return!”

Looking for a new role that’s rewarding, flexible and draws on your current career? Why not consider sharing your experience where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit Further Education to find out more

TikToker who hit a man with car as she livestreamed is arrested: cops

A TikTok influencer who hit a pedestrian as she livestreamed herself driving has been arrested, according to authorities.

Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, a 43-year-old woman from Zion, Illinois, who goes by Tea_Tyme_3 on TikTok, faces charges of reckless homicide and aggravated use of a communication device causing death, following the deadly crash.

On the evening of November 3, Darren Lucas, a 59-year-old grocery store worker from Beach Park, was going to walk home after his shift, but as he tried to cross the street, he was hit by a car, NBC 5 Chicago reported, citing police. Lucas later died from his injuries, officials say.

McCarty-Wroten, identified by police as the suspected driver of the Ford Edge that hit Lucas, told authorities she believed she had a green light, according to the cops. But surveillance video appeared to show the TikToker driving through a red light, according to NBC 5 Chicago.

Police said Wednesday afternoon that they had received “numerous” reports of a TikTok video “that allegedly showed Ms. McCarty-Wroten livestreaming herself driving at the time of the crash.”

“The video was preserved and verified through extensive investigation, including the execution of multiple search warrants and analysis of electronic data,” the cops said.

On Thursday, the Tea_Tyme_3 account could not be located on TikTok.

McCarty-Wroten was taken to the Lake County Jail, according to media reports. Information about McCarty-Wroten’s legal representation was not immediately clear.

A GoFundMe page to help support Lucas’ widow was created by his son-in-law Chris King and has raised more than $3,000 so far.

“He leaves behind a wife without her everything,” King wrote on the fundraising website. “I know he would really want his everything to not have to worry so much about the future, especially without him by her side.”

King told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner following McCarty-Wroten’s arrest, “Our grieving will last forever, but seeing justice starting to happen helps.”

The son-in-law said Lucas worked at Torres Fresh Market, which used to be a Piggly Wiggly, located across the street from where he was fatally struck.

“I personally just lost a great friend, while so many lost much more, hope…hope that if this guy can make people happy, no matter their background or affiliation, at his own expense at times. But we loved him for who he was, and the light that he shone on our lives,” King said.

Nearly 3,300 people were killed by distracted driving incidents in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Cellphone usage is a particularly dangerous form of distracted driving. The administration said sending or reading text messages takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds, which when driving 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes shut.

Lucky US lottery player wins $1.8 billion jackpot on Christmas eve

A Powerball player from Arkansas won $1.87 billion on Christmas Eve in one of the biggest lottery wins in history.

The massive jackpot was the second biggest U.S. lottery prize ever, according to Powerball, and is set to make the winner richer than some of the wealthiest celebrities in the United States.

The identity of the winner remains a mystery, although Powerball revealed that the lucky Arkansan chose numbers 4, 25, 31, 52, and 59. They also chose a red Powerball 19 and a Power Play multiplier of 2.

Eight other winners matched all five white balls, with those tickets being sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Two others were purchased in New York, with the winners set to bank $1 million.

Meanwhile, 114 Powerball tickets won cash prizes of $50,000, and 31 tickets banked $100,000 jackpots.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”

The odds of winning a prize stand at 1 in 24.9, according to Powerball. However, the odds of winning the jackpot are a staggering 1 in 292.2 million.

The unnamed winner now faces a choice in how they wish to bank the mammoth cash win. They can have the money dished out to them in annuitized amounts over 30 years or take a cut to their winnings by taking a lump sum now.

The lump sum would be valued at $834.9 million. However, both options are before taxes.

Choosing the annuitized version would make the mystery winner richer than some of the U.S.’s biggest celebrities, including Bruce Springsteen, who has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to Forbes.

They would also be richer than Rihanna, who is worth $1.4 billion, and Taylor Swift, who reportedly has a fortune worth $1.6 billion.

Although their wealth might not stack up to Oprah Winfrey’s $3 billion estate or Michael Jordan’s reported net worth of $3.5 billion, the winner’s jackpot does slightly exceed Kim Kardashian’s $1.7 billion fortune.

The lucky Arkansan would easily be able to purchase a range of luxuries with their new winnings, including a private island.

According to Private Islands Online, buyers can purchase their own property off the coast of Florida for just $2 million.

Larger islands can cost as much as $75 million, although this would still be well within the winner’s budget, even if they took the lump sum amount.

Purchasing a house in some of the U.S’s swankiest neighborhoods would be easy too, with glamorous mansions in Beverly Hills, California, costing between $1.149 million and $175 million according to JamesEdition.

Holiday pads in the Hamptons would be well within reach, too, with Sotheby’s International Real Estate selling 12-bedroom, 15,000-square-foot homes in the prestigious New York neighborhood for $49.9 million.

This is the second biggest Powerball win ever, with the largest standing at $2.04 billion. That winning ticket was sold to Edwin Castro in California in November 2022.

Castro opted to take the lump sum, meaning that he banked a fortune worth $997.6 million, according to the California Lottery.