Top World News

Jun 12, 2026 - World

A young woman missing for nearly 11 years has resurfaced in Jeffrey Epstein's files, her name pitched to the convicted sex offender by an alleged recruiter now under investigation in France for human trafficking.A Der Spiegel and ZDF investigation published Friday identifies the woman only as Michele — her last name withheld at her family's request — who was 22 when she walked out of her mother's home in September 2015 and never came back. Her parents only learned her name was in the Epstein documents when reporters told them."I fear she's no longer alive," her mother Annett said. "That something was done to her."The man who apparently put Michele's name in front of Epstein was Daniel Siad, a Swedish modeling scout whose name appears nearly 2,000 times in the documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice. In one email, Siad described himself as a "fisherman" who catches women for Epstein across France, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe."You will love her," Siad wrote to Epstein, according to Der Spiegel — his second apparent attempt to broker an introduction, describing Michele in an earlier message as "the girl you missed from Germany."Michele's father, Vlado, says he once confronted his daughter after overhearing a call with Siad. "Michele said she worked for him as an escort," he recalled. An ex-boyfriend told the outlet he believed "her drug addiction was exploited."Siad is under investigation in France, where five complaints have been filed against him, including for human trafficking. Separately, two women — a former Swedish model and a German woman — have accused him of rape. Siad denies knowing them and says he has "never in his life" raped anyone. He denies all wrongdoing. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau has said around 20 suspected victims have come forward in the broader French Epstein probe, about 10 of them new.German prosecutors are expected to decide soon whether to open a formal criminal investigation into Michele's disappearance — a move that came only after Der Spiegel and ZDF published their findings. As recently as March, German police said they saw "no concrete indication of a crime," despite apparently being aware her name appeared in the files of a convicted sex offender.Her family is still waiting. "We just want to find her," her father said, "no matter what her situation."A second cell phone belonging to Michele has been sitting with German police for more than 10 years. Authorities told Der Spiegel a forensic analysis had not been possible for technical reasons — and that they now plan to try again.

Jun 12, 2026 - World

An announcement by Donald Trump that he is on the verge of a peace deal with Iran that preempted what was expected to be a major bombing campaign was not greeted with universal approval by members of his MAGA base.Late Thursday, the president took to his Truth Social platform to write, “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.”That came after the president had promised just hours earlier, “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT.”Trump’s stand-down resulted in some of his supporters feeling let down that he is not finishing the job they had hoped for when he started the war.As one supporter not so subtly suggested, “You should keep bombing!”That sentiment was echoed by more than a few Truth Social commenters.Self-described “Constitution and Trump!” supporter Jenny Wiseman lamented, “Iran will never be honest and hold to a cease-fire. They hate us.They wanna cut every one of our heads off. They will lie every time and then they will blow another helicopter out of the sky. Come on man what about that do people not understand?  we are iinFidel’s in their eyes. They hate us.”Psychofan1, who claims to “love” Trump, pleaded, “Darn. I want this to end! I am sick of constant talking-failed agreements-high gas prices. Let’s end this. No more socializing with Iran….’talks’ aren’t helping! They just play you-drag it out. Just do something already.”Deplorathal flipped out and wrote, “NO!!! God damn it, keep your foot on the gas and vaporize these terrorists. NOTHING they say can be trusted. Talking time is over. Take their oil and let them die screaming in fire.”“Blow the f out of Iran just for them jerking you around for so long, Sir! Bridge and power plant day should come NOW!” agreed Gulf War Vet Shelby Jones.

Jun 12, 2026 - World

Should a desperate Donald Trump sign off on the latest deal with Iran that led him to call off a major attack late Thursday, he would suffer a “major humiliation” based on leaked details.That is according to Insider editor Michael Weiss, who appeared on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” on Friday morning and claimed that the president has come to the realization that he was duped into the whole endeavor.Pointing out that the president has announced an imminent deal is at hand countless times, co-host Joe Scarborough asked, “Why do we keep hearing the same thing over and over and over again when the Iranians have rejected this deal time and again, and hardliners in America have rejected this deal?”Weiss replied, “I mean, I just want to read you — Iran's Mehr News Agency put out their version of this deal. Now, again, underscore we ... don't know if this is going to be the memorandum of understanding. But in their version of the deal they get $300 billion in reconstruction money, $24 billion in a cash infusion, half of which will come before the negotiations begin.”“Remember, this isn't a deal, this is an agreement to keep talking and an extension of a cease-fire. There's nothing new in here,” he elaborated. “Again, the Iranian version that talks about the missile program or financing or arming terrorist proxies like Lebanese Hezbollah.”“I mean, this would be an utter humiliation. I could see why Trump would want JD Vance to go to a signing ceremony instead of Donald Trump,” he laughed.He continued, “If this is any pale shade of what this thing is going to look like — look, I think he knows he's being had. He knows he's been abased by a regime that shouldn't exist by his lights, right? We were going in to do regime change. The Israelis certainly thought we were going to do regime change. We were going to arm the Kurds. We were going to install Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust-denying former president, as our preferred satrap."All of these plans came to dust, and he just wants out of it. I think [MS NOW’s] Jonathan [Lemire] is right: he's got buyer's remorse. He thinks he's been sold a bill of goods. He probably has been. And he just wants this thing over and done with. He's already looking at Cuba.” - YouTube youtu.be

Jun 12, 2026 - World

Relatives of those killed on flight AI171 are still struggling to obtain answers about what happenedWhen Sagar Patel’s mother boarded Air India flight AI171 on 12 June last year, she called her son as she always did before takeoff. The flight was due to leave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and was destined for Gatwick.“We always had a little traditional thing,” said Patel, a business manager from London. “Once she got on the flight, she would sit down and call me. She’d tell me: ‘Yep, I’m on the flight. See you later.’” Continue reading...

Jun 11, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he would take over Washington, D.C. if the mayoral candidate he doesn't want to win gets elected, according to The Washington Post. Trump made it clear for the first time that he was opposed to democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George winning the Democratic primary next week. "One of the two leading candidates is running a Zohran Mamdani campaign focusing on socialist policies," a reporter said. "How would you feel if she wins?" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he "wouldn't like it" if Lewis George wins. He also threatened that his administration “maybe would take back Washington, run it on the federal basis.”Lewis George, who has been leading in polls and criticized the president throughout the campaign, issued this statement: “We are not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president. We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. The people of DC elect the mayor of DC. And they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.”Trump would need congressional approval to take over Washington, D.C. He has not explained why he is against the candidate."While he has authority to seize temporary control of the city’s police department and to deploy the D.C. National Guard, as he did last year, Trump is legally barred from unilaterally revoking the city’s right to self-government, a step that would require an act of Congress," according to The Post.Q: Here in Washington DC, there's a Democratic primary for mayor. One of the two leading candidates is running a Zohran Mamdani campaign focusing on socialist policies. How would you feel if she wins?TRUMP: Maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis. We won't… pic.twitter.com/H3E69bXzdW— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 11, 2026