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Microsoft on Friday announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan acquired in 2011.”Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a post from Skype support on X, directing users to sign into Microsoft’s Teams platform for further use of its services.Skype was founded in 2003 by Scandinavians Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, revolutionizing internet communication by offering free voice calls between computers and affordable rates for calls to landlines and mobile phones.Over the years, and as internet speeds improved, Skype evolved to include video calls, instant messaging, file sharing and group communication features.By 2005, Skype had already reached 50 million registered users, demonstrating its rapid global adoption.Online auction site eBay acquired Skype in 2005 for approximately $2.6 billion, but the expected synergies never panned out, and in 2009, eBay sold a majority stake to a group of investors, who then sold it to Microsoft.In recent years, especially after the rise of the smartphone, Skype failed to hold onto its place against new rivals such as Meta-owned WhatsApp and Zoom, as well as Microsoft’s own Teams.”We’ve learned a lot from Skype… as we’ve evolved Teams over the last seven to eight years,” Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms, told CNBC.”But we felt like now is the time because we can be simpler for the market, for our customer base, and we can deliver more innovation faster just by being focused on Teams.”Microsoft said that Skype group chats would remain intact in the transition to Teams and that during a 60-day window, messages on Microsoft and Teams will be interoperable so you can message contacts from Teams and those messages will be delivered to friends still using Skype.In one big change, Microsoft is removing Skype’s telephony features, meaning you’ll no longer be able to call regular phone numbers, cell phones, or make international calls through the service.Microsoft told The Verge that these features are no longer as relevant in today’s communication landscape where mobile data plans are less expensive.The name “Skype” derived from “Sky peer-to-peer,” the technology that was fundamental to Skype’s original architecture.The peer-to-peer aspect was crucial as it distributed the network demands across users’ computers rather than relying solely on centralized servers, which was a key innovation that allowed Skype to scale rapidly during its early years.

President Donald Trump closed out a packed week at the White House after hosting a string of eager-to-please guests, and generating the usual eye-popping menu of news items.- ‘Did I say that?’ -Last week, Trump branded elected Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” — but things change fast in this administration.”Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” Trump responded with a slight grin when asked if his opinion had evolved.On Friday, Zelensky was meeting Trump to sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine’s rare minerals.- RSVP the king -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid it on thick with Trump, handing the president a hand-signed letter from King Charles III inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit to London.Reading the invitation in front of a throng of journalists, Trump appeared deeply flattered that he had been invited to Windsor Castle.Starmer also gave him a golf cap in the Trump family tartan, while his wife Melania got a scarf from the posh store Liberty and a Downing Street candle.- AI: Trump and Netanyahu topless -The US president posted an AI-generated video depicting war-ravaged Gaza rebuilt as a seaside Trump-branded resort, with a towering golden statue of himself and bearded belly dancers.The clip’s soundtrack included the lyrics “Donald’s coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see”, and “Feast and dance, the deal is done, Trump Gaza number one.”Among the AI scenes was Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sipping cocktails in swimsuits by a pool, while another showed Elon Musk dancing under a shower of cash.- US, Russia, NKorea: UN allies -The United States sided with Russia twice at the United Nations, as Washington sought to avoid condemnation of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.The votes highlighted a seismic shift at the UN, where Washington had previously led votes for resolutions that lambasted its historic competitor and often enemy Moscow.A European-backed text won 93 votes for at the General Assembly and 18 votes against — with Washington siding with Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Sudan.- Ebola prevention ‘accidentally canceled’ -Starring at Trump’s first cabinet meeting, Elon Musk admitted his dramatic government cuts were not perfect.”For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention,” he said with a giggle, insisting there no actual interruption.But current and former staff told US media that USAID’s Ebola prevention work has indeed been largely halted since Musk took an axe to the aid agency.- Le Bromance, still on? -They hugged, they gripped hands, they touched knees and they backslapped. French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump rekindled their touchy-feely bromance at the White House.But when Trump repeated a false claim that Europe would get its aid money back from Ukraine, Macron interrupted to explain the cash was “like the US — loans, guarantees, grants.”Trump smirked and said, “If you believe that, it’s OK with me.”

A week ago Donald Trump branded Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. On Friday he will host the Ukrainian president at the White House and sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine’s rare minerals.The extraordinary turnaround caps a week of frantic international diplomacy centered on Washington, as Kyiv seeks to shore up support despite Trump’s recent pivot towards Russia.Trump upended years of US policy on Ukraine two weeks ago when he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and started talks on ending the three-year-old war — without Kyiv.He also alarmed allies as he appeared to turn on Zelensky, berating him as a “dictator without elections” and blaming Ukraine for Russia’s February 2022 invasion.But Trump’s tone has softened in recent days after visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.”I have a lot of respect for him,” Trump said of Zelensky on Thursday. “We’re going to get along really well.” Trump also backtracked on the “dictator” broadside he launched on social media at Zelensky last week — a jibe he had previously refused to retract even as he declined to call Putin a dictator too.”Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” Trump responded when asked about the Zelensky comment by journalists during a meeting with Starmer.The dictator outburst was sparked in particular by Zelensky’s initial rejection of the deal to give Washington preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources, including oil, gas and rare earth metals.Zelensky demanded US security guarantees as part of any deal but Trump has refused to give any commitments.- ‘Dig, dig, digging’ -Trump, a billionaire real estate tycoon, insisted the deal was necessary for Washington to recoup the billions of dollars it has given Ukraine in military and other aid.Finally, Zelensky relented and agreed to come to the White House to sign it.The deal would give the United States a share in much of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.”We’ll be dig, dig, digging” for Ukraine’s resources, Trump told reporters Thursday.Few details of the minerals deal have emerged. Zelensky told reporters this week that it would act as a framework for broader deals. Further discussions between US and Ukrainian officials would determine the nature of security guarantees for Ukraine and the exact sums of money at stake in the accord, he said.But Trump has repeatedly refused to commit to any guarantees. Britain and France have both offered peacekeepers in the event of a deal to end the Ukraine war but say there must be a US “backstop” — including American intelligence and possibly air power.The US president told Starmer Thursday he was “open to many things” in terms of security guarantees but that he wanted to get a Russia-Ukraine deal in place first.Trump added that there had been a “lot of progress” towards a deal but then added: “It’ll either be fairly soon or it won’t be at all.”After his visit to Washington, Starmer has invited more than a dozen European and EU leaders to a summit on Sunday to “drive forward” action on Ukraine and security.US and Russian officials met on Thursday in Istanbul in a new round of talks. Putin and Trump said after their February 12 phone call that they had agreed to meet personally — but they have not finalized any meeting yet.

China on Friday vowed to take “all necessary countermeasures” after US President Donald Trump said he would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports — a decision Beijing warned would “seriously impact dialogue”.Trump’s latest move will come into effect on Tuesday alongside sweeping 25 percent levies on Canadian and Mexican imports, intensifying a brewing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.The 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports will come on top of an existing levy of the same rate imposed by Trump on China earlier this month.Trump had announced — then halted — sweeping 25 percent levies on Canadian and Mexican imports this month over illegal immigration and deadly fentanyl, with Canadian energy to face a lower rate.But the month-long pause ends Tuesday.Following reporters’ questions on whether he planned to proceed on the tariffs next week, Trump wrote on social media Thursday that until the problem of fentanyl stops “or is seriously limited”, the proposed levies will happen as scheduled.”China will likewise be charged an additional 10 percent Tariff on that date,” he added, referring to March 4.In response to Trump’s allegations that Beijing is contributing to the fentanyl crisis in the United States, a spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry said Friday that Washington was “shifting the blame”.”China is one of the countries with the strictest and most thorough anti-narcotics policy in the world,” the statement read.”But the US side has always ignored these facts,” it said.”If the US side insists on going its own way, the Chinese side will take all necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests,” it said.The statement also said that the tariff hike “is not conducive to solving (the United States’) own problems”, adding that it would “increase the burden on American companies and consumers, and undermine the stability of the global industrial chain”.Shortly after the statement was published, China’s foreign ministry warned that the new tariffs would “seriously impact dialogue” between the two countries on narcotics control, accusing Washington of “blackmail”.”Pressure, coercion and threats are not the correct way to deal with China. Mutual respect is the basic premise,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a daily press conference.China’s leadership will convene next week to hammer out plans to shield its economy from Trump’s threats.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday said she hoped to speak with Trump to avoid being hit by his threatened tariffs.A high-level Mexican delegation is in Washington in search of an agreement.And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials are working around the clock to avert US levies but would have an “immediate” response if measures were imposed next week.Trudeau has repeatedly stressed that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.Trump’s threats have sent shivers through major exporter countries. Asian markets were all well in the red early Friday, with Tokyo briefly shedding three percent.- Reciprocal tariffs -Besides levies over fentanyl, Trump added on his Truth Social platform that an April 2 date for so-called reciprocal tariffs “will remain in full force and effect”.These will be tailored to each US trading partner, with details to come after government agencies complete studies on trade issues which Trump has called for.In a letter this week by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to newly confirmed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Wang noted that Trump has called for many trade investigations “aimed at China” and urged both sides to resolve their differences via dialogue.Beijing has pushed back against US fentanyl concerns, saying Washington has to solve the issue itself rather than taking aim at other countries with levies.Rather than the drugs being supplied directly to the United States, a Congressional Research Service report noted last year that US-bound fentanyl appears to be made in Mexico using chemical precursors from China.While some precursors face international controls, others may be made and exported legally from countries like China.In early February, China’s foreign ministry warned that fresh tariffs could hurt counternarcotics cooperation.

Five-year-old Shado is one of dozens of children being rushed to a health center in the US state of Texas to get the measles vaccine, after the recent death in the area of a child who was not immunized against the highly contagious virus.”Look at you, you’re so brave,” the nurse administering the shot tells the young girl, who is sitting on her father’s lap. The death came as immunization rates have declined nationwide, with the latest cases in the west Texas town of Lubbock concentrated in a Mennonite religious community that has historically shown vaccine hesitancy.Mark Medina brought his children, Shado and her brother Azazel, after they heard about that death.”It kind of sparked fear and we’re like, ‘Alright, it’s time to go get vaccinated. Let’s go,'” the 31-year-old father told AFP. Rachel Dolan, a Lubbock health official, said the initial outbreak spread rapidly through the community south of the town, potentially fueled by a lack of vaccination.”It’s the most contagious virus that we know of, and so just that one little spark, you know, really caused a lot of cases and rapid spread among that population,” she said.This year more than 130 measles cases already have been reported in west Texas and neighboring New Mexico, the vast majority in unvaccinated children.Around 20 have been hospitalized in Texas, and officials warn the outbreak is likely to grow.The disease’s spread comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long spread falsehoods about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, begins his tenure as President Donald Trump’s health secretary.Kennedy has downplayed the outbreak, saying: “It’s not unusual. You have measles outbreaks every year.”- ‘The safe side’ -Nationwide immunization rates have been dropping in the United States, fuelled by misinformation about vaccines. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a 95 percent vaccination rate in order to maintain herd immunity.However, measles vaccine coverage among kindergartners has dropped from 95.2 percent in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7 percent in 2023–2024, leaving around 280,000 children vulnerable.News of the death in Lubbock, however, has spurred some into action.”Well, I heard about this little kid… That’s one of the reasons, just to be on the safe side,” said Jose Luis Aguilar, a 57-year-old driver who was encouraged by his boss to get vaccinated.Dolan, the health official, said there was an increase in people seeking the vaccine since the death.”There are pockets of our population that are hesitant toward vaccination,” she said.”We have seen some of those people realize that this threat is more imminent and have made that decision to vaccinate.”The CDC says the MMR vaccine is “very effective” at protecting people against those illnesses.Two doses of the vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing measles, the agency says.The last US measles-related death was in 2015, when a woman in Washington state died from pneumonia caused by the virus. She had been vaccinated but was taking immunosuppressive medication. Before that, the previous recorded measles death was in 2003.Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus spread through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or simply breathes.Known for its characteristic rash, it poses a serious risk to unvaccinated individuals, including infants under 12 months who are not ordinarily eligible for vaccination, and those with weakened immune systems.While measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, outbreaks persist each year.

US President Donald Trump’s abrupt pivot to Russia will remould Moscow’s ties with China but is unlikely to prise apart its flourishing partnership with Beijing, analysts say.Since taking office last month, the US president has sought to unravel three years of Western opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, sidelining Kyiv and European allies while pushing a deal to end the war on terms purportedly favourable to Moscow.These overtures will have repercussions for China too, which has drawn Russia deeper into its orbit as its northern neighbour has endured economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation from the West.Russian “dependence on China will automatically be mitigated” once it improves its international standing, said Yun Sun from the US-based Stimson Center, a non-partisan think tank.”Russia traditionally is known for diplomatic manoeuvre and strategic manipulation. It was deprived of that space and ability during the Ukraine war, but once Russia improves relations with the US, the space will open up,” she said.Beijing has presented itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict, urging peace talks while refusing to condemn the invasion and boosting economic, military and political ties with Moscow. That stance was criticised by the previous US administration and Kyiv’s other allies, which urged Beijing to take a more active role and use its influence over Russia to end the war.  Trump’s taking the lead on talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin has — at least for the moment — taken that focus off Beijing as a potential mediator.- ‘Reverse Nixon’? -Trump’s about-face has drawn comparisons with another historic act of high-wire diplomacy, with some foreign policy experts dubbing the move a “reverse Nixon” moment.In 1972, then-US president Richard Nixon paid a shock visit to China, paving the way towards full diplomatic recognition and gaining leverage over a wrongfooted Soviet Union.By that same logic, a shock rapprochement between Trump and Putin could achieve the opposite, bringing Russia in from the cold while undermining its bond with Beijing.But the apparent parallels are a “misreading of history”, said Elizabeth Wishnick from Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.In Nixon’s time, China was “weak, isolated” and fearful of war with the Soviet Union. These days it is a global power with a huge economy and military, and has strong ties with Moscow.Alexander Gabuev, director of the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Russia “will definitely portray to Trump that they want to have space and distance from China… and not to be China’s junior partner”.However, Moscow sees the Chinese leadership as a consistent “towering presence”, in contrast to Trump at the whim of the US election cycle, he told AFP. “Why would they rock the boat with China, given their increased dependency, overlapping economic structures, and strategic interests to dislodge the United States as a global hegemon?” he added.Sun, of the Stimson Center, agreed that the United States would be unable to “‘break’ the Russia-China relationship, which has endogenous logic and strength”.”But Washington is able to tamper with the quality and the level of cooperation within that relationship,” she said.- Post-war prospects -China, Russia and the United States are inextricably interconnected as “the three main forces of world security and multipolarisation”, Wang Yiwei from the Renmin University of China told AFP. Beijing and Moscow appeared to reinforce their ties this week as President Xi Jinping and Putin held a phone call that coincided with the third anniversary of the Ukraine conflict.Their conversation was followed by top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu landing in Beijing on Friday — his second to China in the past three months, according to Russian media.Meanwhile, the United States and Ukraine are edging closer to a minerals deal that Kyiv hopes will bring future security guarantees from Washington after the war’s conclusion.For China, “a scenario where Russia was able to keep its territorial gains at Ukraine’s expense and still be able to rejoin the international community would be optimal”, Wishnick said.Such an outcome would also “encourage Chinese leaders to pursue their own territorial annexations with potential impunity”, she added in apparent reference to Beijing’s claims to self-ruled Taiwan.Zhao Long, from Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said China could play a practical role in ending the conflict, such as by pushing for dialogue among all stakeholders and even “providing a platform for… negotiations”.Beijing could also rally countries to explore peacekeeping operations in post-war Ukraine and explore opportunities to help rebuild the country’s destroyed infrastructure, “giving play to the comparative advantages of Chinese enterprises”, he said.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports while moving ahead with levies on Canada and Mexico next week, citing “unacceptable” drug smuggling.Markets opening in Asia on Friday tracked losses across the world from the previous day, as the Republican’s latest comments fanned fears of a global trade war. Trump had announced — then halted — sweeping 25 percent levies on Canadian and Mexican imports this month over illegal immigration and deadly fentanyl, with Canadian energy to face a lower rate. But the month-long pause ends Tuesday.Following reporters’ questions on whether he planned to proceed on the tariffs next week, Trump wrote on social media Thursday that until the problem of fentanyl stops “or is seriously limited,” the proposed levies will happen as scheduled.”China will likewise be charged an additional 10 percent Tariff on that date,” he added, referring to March 4.Earlier this month, Trump imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff hike on imports from China, prompting Beijing to retaliate.A US official confirmed to AFP that the new 10 percent levy adds to the existing one over fentanyl, saying that there has been “insufficient progress” on the drug front.The official added that Washington had to act against all three countries in order to tackle the fentanyl issue.On Thursday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concerns over Washington’s earlier 10 percent tariff.”China firmly opposes this and has taken corresponding countermeasures,” Wang said in a letter to newly confirmed US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.China’s leadership will convene next week to hammer out plans to shield its economy from Trump’s threats.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday said she hoped to speak with Trump to avoid being hit by his threatened tariffs.A high-level Mexican delegation is in Washington in search of an agreement.And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials are working around the clock to avert US levies but would have an “immediate” response if measures were imposed next week.Trudeau has repeatedly stressed that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.Trump’s threats have sent shivers through major exporter countries. Asian markets were all well in the red early Friday, with Tokyo briefly shedding three percent.- Reciprocal tariffs -Besides levies over fentanyl, Trump added on Truth Social that an April 2 date for so-called reciprocal tariffs “will remain in full force and effect.”These will be tailored to each US trading partner, with details to come after government agencies complete studies that Trump has called for on trade issues.In his letter to Greer, Wang noted that Trump has called for many trade investigations “aimed at China” and urged both sides to resolve their differences via dialogue.Beijing has pushed back against US fentanyl concerns, saying Washington has to solve the issue itself rather than taking aim at other countries with levies.Rather than the drugs being supplied directly to the United States, a Congressional Research Service report noted last year that US-bound fentanyl appears to be made in Mexico using chemical precursors from China.While some precursors face international controls, others may be made and exported legally from countries like China.In early February, China’s foreign ministry warned that fresh tariffs could hurt counternarcotics cooperation.

Andrew Tate, a right-wing influencer charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania, arrived in the United States on Thursday — the first time he has been out of the eastern European country since his 2022 arrest.Romanian prosecutors allege that self-declared misogynist Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.The brothers traveled to Florida together on a private jet, their lawyer Ioan Gilga told CNN — but received a frosty reception just before landing as state authorities said they were not welcome. The Tates have not stated publicly the purpose of this trip. “We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” said Andrew Tate after arriving in Fort Lauderdale. “There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet. We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.”The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationality and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24 and a no-show could lead to “preventive arrest.”Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate case, voiced concern last week that the US government might push Romania to ease the Tates’ travel restrictions and let them escape.Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference earlier in February.But Trump denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration — or help in bringing them to Florida.”I know nothing about that. I don’t know — you’re saying he’s on a plane right now? Yeah, I just know nothing about it. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know,” he told reporters when asked about the visit.Justice Minister Radu Marinescu told AFP on Thursday he was “not aware of any pressure from anyone” and had “not received any kind of request from the US authorities.”A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who was visiting Trump in Washington — declined to comment on the situation or whether the UK wanted to see Tate extradited to Britain.”There’s an English element here so obviously it’s important justice is done and human trafficking is obviously to my mind a security risk,” said Starmer, in a brief response to a journalist’s question at the White House.A Romanian court has already granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.- Not welcome -In a joint statement on Thursday, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.” The women are bringing a civil case in the UK against Tate, accusing him of rape and coercive control between 2013 and 2016.Matthew Jury, their lawyer, said Starmer should raise the issue “on behalf of the many British women who Tate is alleged to have raped and sexually assaulted who may now be denied justice.”On Thursday, a Romanian court granted the Tate brothers’ appeal to lift the seizure of their assets — properties, vehicles, bank accounts and company shares, their PR team said.Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the UK.He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the UK’s “Big Brother” reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.Last year, the Tates were sentenced in a tax fraud case in Britain.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said before the brothers landed that the state was not involved in organizing their trip, did not welcome them and had been exploring legal options to prevent the visit.”Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” he told a news conference.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released a set of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking and other serious offenses but committed suicide before his trial in 2019.Bondi said the files fulfilled a pledge of transparency in governance made by US President Donald Trump, although the documents did not immediately appear to contain any new revelations. The department said many of them had been previously leaked.”This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” said Bondi in a statement.The documents included an evidence list, flight plans, and a contact book that appeared to be part of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend who was convicted of sex crimes in 2021.Maxwell has been serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York since 2022.Bondi said her department had received 200 pages of documents in response to a request for “full and complete” files on Epstein.”However, the Attorney General was later informed of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein that were not previously disclosed,” the Justice Department statement said.Bondi requested the Federal Bureau of Investigation, run by Trump appointee Kash Patel, to provide the remaining documents to her office by Friday morning.Epstein, a financier with a powerful network in the United States and abroad, was accused of raping young girls, but his suicide by hanging in a New York prison in August 2019 halted his prosecution.He was accused of running a sex trafficking ring alongside Maxwell for almost three decades.Unsealed documents in the case included the names of a number of high-profile politicians, celebrities and businesspeople, fueling conspiracy theories around his death in August 2019.The US Department of Justice and the FBI, however, found no evidence of foul play in his death.A 2023 Department of Justice Inspector General’s report, however, found a “combination of negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures” led to circumstances that allowed Epstein to take his own life.

US president Andrew Jackson famously reacted to an unfavorable ruling by the Supreme Court chief justice with the defiant rejoinder: “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.”Nearly 200 years later, the United States teeters on the brink of a constitutional crisis as the administration of President Donald Trump — faced with a series of court setbacks to his aggressive right-wing agenda — flirts with open defiance of the judiciary.Trump has said he will abide by court rulings and appeal those he disagrees with, but he also recently posted on Truth Social a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”Vice President JD Vance and designated cost-cutter Elon Musk, on the other hand, seem to be inviting a clash between the executive and the judiciary.”If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance posted on X this month.Same thing if a judge tries to command the attorney general, he said, adding: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”Musk has called for the impeachment of judges he accuses of blocking his sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and government programs.”If ANY judge ANYWHERE can block EVERY Presidential order EVERYWHERE, we do NOT have democracy, we have TYRANNY of the JUDICIARY,” the billionaire said in a post on X.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also weighed in.”The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch,” Leavitt said, accusing judges in “liberal districts” of “abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority.”Leavitt’s comments are in line with a conservative legal doctrine known as the “unitary executive theory” under which the president holds the sole authority over the executive branch.The theory could meet its ultimate test in the Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority.- ‘Power grab’ -Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused Trump and Musk of “pursuing a power grab that — if left unchecked — will leave the federal courts impotent and Congress a museum piece.”Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said a constitutional crisis occurs when one of the three co-equal branches of government — the legislature, the executive and the judiciary — attempts to exercise the power of another branch.The United States has faced constitutional crises before, most notably when southern states seceded from the Union, precipitating the 1861-65 Civil War.Another was when Jackson, America’s seventh president, defied the Supreme Court order to stop the military from removing members of the Cherokee Nation from their land in Georgia.Steven Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, said there is no universally accepted definition of a constitutional crisis.”Some think we’re already in one,” Schwinn said. “Others say it’s if and when the president openly defies the Supreme Court.”I think we’re fast approaching a crisis with the administration seemingly openly defying court orders to re-start USAID funding,” he said.- ‘Dangerous suggestions’ -Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned of the danger of ignoring court rulings in a year-end letter in December that may prove to be even more prescient than he intended at the time.”Elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings,” Roberts wrote. “These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected.”The conservative chief justice noted that every administration suffers court defeats — sometimes in cases with major ramifications for executive or legislative power.”Nevertheless, for the past several decades, the decisions of the courts, popular or not, have been followed,” he said.What happens next is anybody’s guess.The courts do have some tools at their disposal if their orders are being defied, Tobias said, including civil and criminal contempt, possible fines and threats of imprisonment.At the end of the day, however, “the courts rely on the good-faith compliance of other constitutional actors with the rule of law,” Schwinn said.”If there’s no such good-faith compliance, there’s little the courts can do.”