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What we learned from the latest release of Epstein files
A trove of newly released Epstein files include emails that appear to involve Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, while another suggests Donald Trump travelled on the billionaire's private jet "many more times than previously has been reported".

The US Department of Justice released at least 11,000 more files on Tuesday.

It went on to claim that some of them "contain untrue and sensationalist claims" about President Trump.

Here are some of the latest news lines from this release of Epstein files. Being named in these papers does not suggest wrongdoing.

Who is 'The Invisible Man'?

Among the documents released is an email sent to Ghislaine Maxwell that speaks about "the girls" being "completely shattered" at a Royal Family summer camp at Balmoral.

It is dated 16 August 2001 and sent by a person referred to only as "The Invisible Man", but whom Sky News is reporting appears to be the former prince, Andrew.

We have come to that conclusion from reviewing the email address used, which is assigned to the Duke of York in Epstein's contacts book and the chain of correspondence.

In the correspondence, "The Invisible Man" asks Maxwell: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any allegations against him.

The Peru trip

Another email appears to show Maxwell arranging "two-legged sight seeing" for "The Invisible Man" during a trip to Peru.

She appears to forward to "The Invisible Man" part of a conversation between herself and another person.

The email says: "I just gave Andrew your telephone no. He is interested in seeing the Nazca lines. He can ride but it is not his favorite sport ie pass on the horses."

"Some sight seeing some 2 legged sight seeing (read intelligent pretty fun and from good families) and he will be very happy. I know I can rely on you to show him a wonderful time and will only introduce him to friends that you can trust," Maxwell said.

The context of the email is unclear and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.

Trump on Epstein's jet?

The latest bunch of files also includes an email from an unidentified prosecutor dated 7 January, 2020, in which President Trump is mentioned.

The email accuses him of travelling on Epstein's private jet "many more times than previously has been reported".

It adds that President Trump "is listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, including at least four flights on which Maxwell was also present".

The email's sender and receiver have been redacted. However, at the bottom of the email it says assistant US attorney, Southern District of New York. The name has also been redacted.

President Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his relationship with Epstein, and being on any of Epstein's flights does not indicate any wrongdoing.

Read more:
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Limousine driver report about Trump

One of the documents in the release shows a report made to the FBI that was recorded on 27 October 2020.

It includes an unverified claim by a limousine driver that he overheard the US president discussing "abusing some girl" in 1995.

The driver also mentions Trump said "Jeffrey" while on the phone during a journey to Dallas Fort Worth Airport in Texas.

A significant part of the statement, along with the driver's identity, has been redacted.

The US justice department has said that some of the documents in the latest Epstein files release "contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election".

"To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already," it said.

Postcard mentions 'our president'

Also among the documents is a postcard that claims to have been sent by Jeffrey Epstein, but has been refuted by the justice department.

In it, the sender tells the recipient: "Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls."

It's not clear who "our president" refers to and the context of the postcard is also unclear.

The US justice department initially said it was "looking into the validity" of the postcard but later said on X that the "FBI has confirmed" the postcard is "FAKE".

It cited reasons including a claim that the writing does not appear to match Epstein's and another that the letter was postmarked three days after his death.

Row over unreleased documents

It is believed that many files relating to Epstein are yet to be made public.

There has been anger at the justice department's slow release of the files, with politicians threatening to launch legal action against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The deadline for the release of all the documents has passed.

"The DOJ needs to quit ⁠protecting the rich, powerful, and politically connected," Republican congressman Thomas Massie said.


Epstein survivor speaks of moment she met Andrew on private island
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein has spoken of the moment she met Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the disgraced financier's private island.

Lisa Phillips says that revealing the true extent of Epstein's abuses is important for the protection of future generations.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any allegations against him.

Speaking to US correspondent James Matthews on the day a new tranche of documents was released, she said she believes the "really important stuff" wasn't released.

She recalled meeting Epstein in 2000 when she was working as a fashion model.

Ms Phillips said she was working on an island near Saint Thomas in the Caribbean and went over to Epstein's island for a day, and met Epstein himself at dinner that evening.

"It took a few hours of him speaking to me one-on-one at the table, basically asking me a lot of questions about my life and my relationship with my family and my ambitions."

She said Epstein was "very big" on her goals and became excited when he heard she had lived in Oxford, England, as a child.

"He asked me if I wanted to meet a prince, and I said yes."

Epstein files latest: New batch of documents released

Ms Phillips explained that a man walked up and was introduced to her, and that he spoke to some people there and then said goodbye.

"It was very brief," she said, adding that only years later did she realise that this was the former prince, Andrew.

She was asked about an email in the recently released files that appears to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asking Ghislaine Maxwell about "inappropriate friends".

"That is a very revealing email, isn't it?" Ms Phillips said. "It's very creepy, disturbing, and I mean, that's why she's in jail, right?"

The context of the email is unclear, and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any allegations against him and Sky News has contacted Andrew's representatives for comment on the latest release.

Asked about the impact being in Epstein's orbit has had on her life, Ms Phillips said: "It hasn't felt good to know that so much of my past that I worked hard for was really just smoke and mirrors and part of a bigger web."

On the delays in releasing the files, she claimed "the really important stuff wasn't released".

She also spoke about her and other survivors' ongoing fight for justice.

"We're still doing our research, and we will still be bringing whatever we find to the proper authorities. And we're not going to give up."


Details of King Charles's Christmas message revealed - as he chooses to deliver it away from palace
A photograph has been released by Buckingham Palace showing the King delivering his Christmas message again outside of traditional palace walls.

This year the annual address was filmed in the Lady Chapel inside Westminster Abbey, the second time the monarch has recorded it away from a royal residence.

The palace has revealed the abbey was chosen for the setting this year to reflect a major theme of the message, pilgrimage.

The full details of what he says are always kept secret until it is broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day. The message is always seen as a deeply personal one from the monarch, as a rare speech delivered by the King without advice from, or consultation with, the government.

Westminster Abbey was seen as a perfect location to reflect the theme of pilgrimage with pilgrims visiting every year to remember the legacy of Edward the Confessor, whose shrine lies at the heart of the abbey. Around the walls of the Lady Chapel are 95 statues of saints dating from the building of the chapel in the 16th century.

The abbey, as the site of the King's own coronation and that of every monarch since 1066, also has royal significance. The Henry VII Lady Chapel is the burial place of 15 Kings and Queens including Elizabeth I, Mary I and Mary Queen of Scots. Below the central aisle is the Hanoverian vault where George II and members of his family are buried. The Stuart vault is in the south aisle where Charles II, William III and Mary II, and Queen Anne lie buried.

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It is understood the King takes a particular interest in where the message is filmed each year, favouring different locations outside of royal palaces over the past two years.

In the photograph, taken during filming, you can also see brightly lit Christmas trees used for another royal event in December. They were still inside the abbey following the filming of the Princess of Wales's Together at Christmas carol service, which will be broadcast on Christmas Eve.


'Catastrophic' explosion at US nursing home
Two people have died and others are missing after an explosion at a nursing home in the US.

Black smoke was seen rising from the nursing Home in Bristol Township, outside Philadelphia, just after 2pm local time on Tuesday after a suspected gas leak.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed two people had died and "some number of individuals" remain missing.

A rescue operation is under way to try to locate those trapped in the building.

Images of the scene showed parts of the front of the building had completely collapsed and most of the windows were shattered.

"It is a sad and tragic evening here in Bucks County," Mr Shapiro said during a news conference.

"An explosion occurred just a few hours ago... we believe preliminarily that it was a gas leak, the explosion was really quite catastrophic."

Bristol Township fire chief Kevin Dippolito said parts of the first floor of the building had collapsed into the basement of the building.

He said many people were pulled out of the building by emergency services, but "specialised equipment" has been brought in to search the debris for missing people.

"We are still in rescue mode," he said, adding: "We have not transitioned into recovery mode."

A local disaster emergency was declared by Bristol Township manager, Randee J Mazur, who said the explosion had caused "significant structural collapse" and there was risk of further collapse.

He said the declaration would remain in place for seven days.

An investigation to confirm the cause of the explosion is ongoing, but it occurred at the same time crews from the local gas company, PECO, said it had responded to reports of a gas odour.

'Loud kaboom'

Willie Tye, who lives close to the home, said he was watching TV when he heard a "loud kaboom".

He said he went to look and saw "fire everywhere" and people escaping the building.

Read more from Sky News:
What we learned from latest Epstein files release
Details of King's Christmas message revealed

The 174-bed nursing home, about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia, is called Bristol Health & Rehab Centre but had been known until recently as Silver Lake Healthcare Centre.

The home's owner, Saber Healthcare Group, said it was working with local emergency services.


Why there's frustration a year after deadly LA fires - and two Trump policies have come at worst time
The lighting of the village Christmas tree is a yearly tradition for the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles.

The community comes together, drinking hot chocolate and mulled wine while local children sing hymns on stage. A countdown to Santa Claus lighting the tree is accompanied by artificial snow cannons blanketing the street.

But this year, the tree lighting is another milestone for a community bonded together by trauma.

It's been almost a year since wildfires ripped through LA, killing dozens and destroying thousands of homes.

Now people gather beside a building site, where homes once stood.

Carolyn and Rob Owens have lived in the Palisades for 49 years. "Every time I do something for the first time after almost a year, it's very emotional," says Carolyn, wiping away tears. "We were always here with our grandkids."

"It's sad," says Rob. "But at least I feel like there's some light at the end of the tunnel at this point. It's still a ways away, but we'll get there."

Carolyn and Rob's house survived the fire but so many didn't, even on the same street.

"It's lonely there are little pods of people but it's not the same," says Rob.

The Palisades is now a construction site. The majority of restaurants and shops are still shut and the clanging and clattering of lorries carrying building material is constant.

Outside every house that was destroyed is a sign advising that debris collection is complete. Most of the more than 20,000 people who lived in the Palisades are still in temporary housing. The rebuilding process is painstaking and with insurance displacement money running out, for many it's not happening fast enough.

'How could you not be frustrated?'

In January, with the fires still smouldering, my crew and I were driving through the palisades with a local woman when she spotted California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Rachel Darvish, a lawyer and mother, jumped out of the car and approached Newsom. Their interaction went viral as she asked him what he was going to do to help.

Almost a year on, Rachel is back at the scene of that exchange.

"When we ran into the governor here on 8 January, that was probably one of the few times I could tell you I knew where my governor was," she says. "Have I ever spoken to the governor since then? No. He's been running for president."

Read more:
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I ask if she is frustrated with the speed of the rebuilding here.

"How could you not be frustrated with the speed, or lack thereof, of rebuilding here?", she says.

"Look around. This is what we're dealing with. We are not dealing with rapidly issued permits. We are not dealing with rapidly coming up buildings. We're not. We're dealing with red tape, bureaucracy, and politics."

There are so many issues hampering the rebuilding process - not least Donald Trump's tariffs, meaning building materials from abroad suddenly soaring in price.

There are labour shortages, too, because of his mass deportation programme.

Those new policies have come at the worst time for this place as people here try to come to grips with the loss, to recover, and reclaim their community spirit.


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