GRIF MAG

Britain Epstein Mandelson

Starmer continues to weather the fallout from Mandelson's appointment — and later sacking — but the nearly 150 pages of documents released by his government Wednesday were just a small fraction of the thousands of pages still to come.

"It's hard to believe that later releases are going to persuade anybody to see the PM's decision in a better light," said Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary University of London. "It's damning stuff and, if the country weren't preoccupied with rather more important Middle Eastern matters at the moment, it might even have hastened Starmer's departure."

Starmer picked an ambassador tainted by scandal

Documents confirmed what was already known: Starmer chose the savvy veteran politician despite a reputation tainted by previous scandals and ties toEpstein.

The due diligence checklist released from Mandelson's vetting highlighted in bold letters the red flags Starmer ignored, spelling out where his relationship with Epstein could expose the government to "reputational risk."

It also spelled out unrelated reputational issues over Mandelson's work in a previous Labour government — when he twice had to resign over financial matters — and his work at Global Counsel, a lobbying firm he co-founded.

In one document, Starmer was warned that making a political appointment to the post was riskier than choosing a veteran diplomat, as is more common in Britain.

"If anything goes wrong, you could be more exposed as the individual is more connected to you personally," then-Cabinet Secretary Simon Case advised.

Starmerfired Mandelsonin September after documents showed he maintained contact with Epstein — whom he once called his "best pal" — after the financier's 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor.

Starmer says Mandelson misled him about the depth and extent of his friendship with the convicted sex offender. He said he regrets ever giving him the ambassador's job.

"It was me that made a mistake, and it's me that makes the apology to the victims of Epstein, and I do that," Starmer said Thursday.

Documents released so far have not provided evidence to back up Starmer's claim he was misled, in part because police investigating Mandelson requested that correspondence between the prime minister and Mandelson be withheld to protect the integrity of the probe.

Advertisement

Mandelson was briefly arrested last month on allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. He has denied wrongdoing andhasn't been charged. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

Defense lawyer Marcus Johnstone, who is not connected to Mandelson, said civil servants, government lawyers and the police had probably fought a "small war" behind closed doors before deciding what documents to release. He said that fight will continue as batches of thousands of pages of documents are released in the weeks and months ahead.

"We need to remember that the files we are seeing today are only the thin end of the wedge on Mandelson," Johnstone said. "But we should be under no illusions that what we are currently seeing is anything like the full picture."

A question of judgment

Despite firing Mandelson in September, Starmer faced new questions about his judgment whena huge trove of filespublished by the U.S. Department of Justice in January provided more details about Mandelson's ties with Epstein. Opponents and even some members of the governing Labour Partycalled for the prime minister's resignation.

Starmer survivedthe immediate danger, but his position remains fragile, even though he never met Epstein and is not implicated in his crimes.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday accused Starmer of lying to Parliament about the appointment and suggested Labour members of Parliament reconsider his leadership.

"It is very clear that he told lie after lie after lie about the appointment of Peter Mandelson," Badenoch said. "He wanted to make this all about Peter Mandelson. This is about his judgments."

The prime minister's spokesperson Tom Wells said Thursday that proper rules were followed in scrutinizing Mandelson, but the vetting process needs to be improved.

Crisis is overshadowed by the Iran war

Starmer has often appeared more sure-footed on the international stage than at home and that could provide the political cover he needs at this time.

He responded cautiously to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — not joining in the airstrikes, which he hinted broke international law, and initially refusing to let American warplanes use British bases.

After Iran struck back by firing missiles and drones at neighboring countries, Starmer said U.S. planes could use U.K. bases to strike Iran's missile program, but not other targets.

Starmer's reticence angered Trump, who complained last week that Starmer was "not Winston Churchill." But polls suggest his reaction to the war aligns broadly with public sentiment, which is wary of deeper involvement in the conflict.

"The whole affair, while certainly doing nothing to help him, seems — rightly or wrongly — pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things," Bale said about the Mandelson documents.

After an extended May preview, the "false spring" in the eastern United States is over, and is being replaced by more typical chilly March weather (for now).

Highs in the 60s, 70s and 80s are being replaced by highs in the 40s, 50s and 60s,AccuWeathersaid.

Along with the chill, a pair of snowstorms are in the forecast for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes over the next couple of days and later in the weekend, with heavy snow likely in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Meanwhile, the southwestern U.S. is seeing adramatic warm-up, with record heat possible in cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas as temperatures soar into the 90s.

Overall, the weather pattern over the next week or so will be similar to the pattern seen for much of the winter, with cold in the East and heat in the West.

Jose Castillo of Tarrytown, NY. walks through snow along Route 9 in Tarrytown during the early hours of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. A huge winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See fun faces of people making the best of winter weather

Jose Castillo of Tarrytown, NY. walks throughsnowalong Route 9 in Tarrytown during the early hours of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. A huge winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S.

A winter reality check

"Straight out of the textbook for wild swings in March weather, this winter reality check will follow on the heels of asevere weather outbreakand spell of record warmth in the central and eastern U.S. that will now intensify in the Southwest," said Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman in anonline forecast.

The warmth included temperatures in the 80s as far north as New York City.

However, unlike the persistent cold from late January to February, this time, colder air will come in waves with warm surges in between, and March sunshine lending a hand, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in anonline forecast.

Polar vortex ends 'false spring'

Not every cold wave is tied to the polar vortex, but this one is,AccuWeather said.

Another displacement or weakening of the polar vortex is underway, which can allow bursts of Arctic air to spill into the Midwest and Northeast at times, according to AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

"There will be an active storm track with snow and ice along the U.S./Canada border this week," Pastelok said. "The wake of these storms will help draw colder air farther south. As the pattern evolves, a storm sometime from March 16-19 can bring mixed snow, ice and rain to parts of the East, with a more significant discharge of cold air to follow from the Plains to the East."

Advertisement

Some subzero lows are possible in parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula early next week,Erdman said. Much of the Deep South, including parts of far northern Florida, is forecast to dip below the freezing mark.

When will it warm up in the East?

If you've had enough of winter weather, especially following the recent warmth, there is some good news in the forecast, Erdman said.

"Warmer air should work its way eastward in the Plains by the middle of next week, then may ooze farther east later next week," Erdman said in an online forecast. "However, some longer-range models are suggesting some chillier air may spill back into parts of the Midwest and Northeast during the week of March 23."

Blizzard in the north-central US?

After an Alberta Clipper dumps snow across the northern tier over the next couple of days, it is becoming more likely that a second, more significant winter storm will develop across the northern High Plains before rapidly strengthening as it moves into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes over the weekend, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sWeather Prediction Centersaid in an online forecast.

"At least six inches of snow is likely, with much higher amounts possible," the WPC said. "Snowfall rates that will likely exceed 1 inch per hour will combine with strong winds gusting 30-50 mph to produce extremely reduced visibility and dangerous to potentially impossible travel at times."

Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue, in an email to USA TODAY, said that the storm could be classified as abomb cyclone, and that blizzard conditions are likely.

Southwestern warmth could break records

While the East and central U.S. shivers, thesouthwestern U.S.will see near-record warmth over the next week or so.

Record highs may be challenged in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13, with temperatures near 90 degrees, AccuWeather said. Records could also be topped in Las Vegas and Phoenix through the weekend as the early-season desert heat wave throttles up.

Next week, Phoenix could hit the 100-degree mark as the heat intensifies. If the temperature in the city reaches the century mark before March 26, it would be the earliest 100-degree reading on record.

A Northwest mess

A plume of Pacific moisture with embedded storms will bring multiple rounds of heavy rain and mountain snow to western Washington, northwestern Oregon and southern British Columbia through the end of the week, Sosnowski said.

On Thursday, March 12, strong winds were reported across much of the interior Northwest. Tens of thousands of customers were without power in Washington and Idaho, according toUSA TODAY's outage tracker.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Polar vortex is back, winter weather forecast says. What now?

FILE PHOTO: Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran

DUBAI/BEIRUT, March 12 (Reuters) - Iran will fight on and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut as leverage against the United States and Israel, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday in defiant first comments attributed to him since he succeeded his slain father.

Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his first press conference since the start of the war to make his ‌own strong statement, issuing a veiled threat to kill Khamenei and defending the military assault on Iran.

"I wouldn't issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organization ... I don't intend to give ‌an exact message here about what we are planning or what we are going to do," Netanyahu said, standing between two Israeli flags and taking questions via video link.

In Iran, Khamenei did not appear in person and his remarks were read out by a state television presenter. No images have been ​released of him since an Israeli strike at the start of the war that killed much of his family, including his father and wife.

Khamenei's statement called on Iran's neighbours to shut U.S. bases on their territory and warned that Iran would continue to target them.

"I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs," said the hardline cleric, who is close to Iran's top military force.

"The popular demand is to continue our effective defence and make the enemy regret it. The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used," Khamenei added, referring to the shipping route through which a fifth of global oil normally passes along Iran's coast.

Iranian state television offered no explanation for why the message was read out rather than delivered in person. ‌Iranian officials have said Khamenei was lightly wounded in the initial February 28 airstrikes, ⁠but the extent of his injuries is unclear.

The prospect of one of the most severe disruptions ever to global energy supplies enduring sent oil prices up about 9% to $100 a barrel, after falling earlier in the week on hopes of a swift end to the conflict. [O/R]

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, with the S&P 500 notching its biggest three-day percentage drop in a month.

TANKERS ABLAZE IN ⁠IRAQI PORT

Two tankers were ablaze in an Iraqi port after a hit by suspected Iranian explosive-laden boats, a clear sign of defiance toward U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on Wednesday the United States had already won the war.

Images verified by Reuters as filmed from the Iraqi port of Basra showed ships engulfed in massive orange fireballs that lit up the night sky. At least one crew member was killed.

Hours earlier, three other ships were struck in the Gulf. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for at least one attack - on a Thai bulk ​carrier ​that was set ablaze. Another container vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile near the United Arab Emirates.

On another front in the ​unpredictable war, Israeli airstrikes hit a building in central Beirut on Thursday, sending thick smoke above ‌the Lebanese capital.

Israel also ordered residents out of another swathe of southern Lebanon, intensifying its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after it fired its biggest volley of rockets into Israel since the start of the war.

Advertisement

So far the war has killed more than 2,000 people, including almost 700 in Lebanon.

AS DRONES FLY, TRUMP SAYS US WILL BENEFIT

Undermining U.S. and Israeli claims to have knocked out much of Iran's stock of long-range weapons, more drones were reported flying into Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.

Iran has said it will not let oil back through the strait until U.S. and Israeli attacks cease, but Trump played down the higher prices.

"The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," Trump wrote on social media.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News in an interview that the U.S. Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz when it is ‌militarily possible.

The U.S. is a net oil exporter but also the world's biggest oil consumer. Economists say sustained high prices would drive broad ​inflation.

Separately, Trump said the Iranian men's national soccer team was welcome to participate in the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting, but added ​that it was not appropriate that they be there "for their own life and safety".

'SECURITY FORCES ARE EVERYWHERE'

Inside Iran, residents ​said security forces were increasing their presence to demonstrate continued control.

"Security forces are everywhere, more than before. People are afraid to come out, but supermarkets are open," teacher Majan, 35, said by phone ‌from Tehran.

Israel said it had struck checkpoints in Tehran of the Basij, the Revolutionary Guard's ​voluntary militia.

Israel and the United States have called on Iranians to ​rise up and topple their clerical rulers. Many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the elder supreme leader's death on February 28, the war's first day, after his forces had killed thousands of anti‑government protesters in January. But there has been no sign of organised dissent while the country is under attack.

TEHRAN SEEKS PROLONGED ECONOMIC SHOCK

Iran's message is that its strategy now is to impose prolonged economic shock to force Trump to back off. A ​spokesperson for Iran's military command said on Wednesday the world should prepare for oil prices ‌of $200 a barrel.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday he did not expect that to happen, but did not totally rule it out. "I would say unlikely, but we are focused on the military operation ​and solving a problem," Wright told CNN.

Oil prices rose despite the announcement Wednesday that developed countries would release 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, nearly half from the United States.

(Reporting by Reuters ​bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff, Crispian Balmer and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones, Ros Russell and Cynthia Osterman)

Lane savagely slammed both actors during a Thursday morning appearance onThe View, where moderatorWhoopi Goldbergasked the Hollywood veteran to weigh in onthe ongoing controversythat saw Chalamet — amid a town hall discussion with McConaughey — dismiss the popularity of art forms like opera and ballet.

"Oh, what a schmuck," Lane said, as comedianJoy Beharobserved, "He opened his mouth. Poor guy. Leave him alone!"

Lane replied, further digging in on Chalamet: "It was kind of kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity, and yet strangely telling about where we are in this country."

He added, with a nod towardhis own filmography, "First of all, one should remember, people will be going to seeSwan LakeandLa Traviatalong after someone at a dinner party says, 'Who was Timothée Chalamet?' It's the show businesscircle of life."

Lane posed that "the bigger question is, why was there a town hall meeting with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet? Who deemed this meeting of the minds necessary?"

He then jabbed Donald Trump upon asking why there isn't "a town hall meeting with Democrats discussing how to get this lunatic out of the White House?"

Speaking on the subject of the Oscar-nominatedMarty Supreme, which follows Chalamet as a hyper-competitive ping-pong player, Lane added: "I've got news for Timmy. If you think nobody cares about opera and ballet, I can't tell you how much we don't care about ping-pong."

Advertisement

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Lane issued a final criticism of both stars when he joked that "some weed was smoked beforehand" at their joint town hall.

"This may just be a tragic case of terribly unfunny people trying to be funny, which always ends in disaster," he finished.

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to representatives for McConaughey and Chalamet for comment.

Earlier this week,Goldberg and Sunny Hostin also criticized Chalametfor saying that "no one cares" about ballet and opera.

Hostin said that Chalamet's words were "vapid" and "shallow," while Goldberg advised him to "be careful, boy" about his words on other people's art — especially as he contends for Best Actor at the Oscars this Sunday.

In EW'sannual Secret Ballot feature ahead of the Oscars, one anonymous actor told us that he "lost a lot of respect" for Chalamet amid the 30-year-old performer's comments: "F--- that guy," the actor said.

The Viewairs weekdays on ABC.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

The Gist

• At some point in the 1980s, Charles and Camilla began an extramarital affair, which Diana (and the rest of the world) knew about.

• Diana's former bodyguard Ken Wharfe remembered the dramatic moment where Diana confronted Camilla at a party.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for this moment.

The entire world, it seems, knew aboutPrince Charles's extramarital affair withCamilla Parker Bowles—now Queen Camilla—and so, too, didPrincess Diana, Charles's wife. Camilla was always a presence in her marriage to Charles, even attending their royal wedding on July 29, 1981. It all came to a head during what Diana later called the "bravest moment" in her marriage to Charles, which ended in 1996, almost exactly one year before she died as a result of a Paris car accident on August 31, 1997 at just 36 years old.

The former Princess of Wales's former bodyguard Ken Wharfe recounted the time Diana confronted Camilla about her affair with Charles at a party, marking a turning point in Diana's marriage, according toBrides.

Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot, was hosting a party, and Diana was invited. Nobody expected Diana to actually show, though—but she did.

"Diana didn't have any particular friendships at that party, but when we arrived there, it as almost like freeze-framing a scene in a movie because there was this surprise that Diana had even arrived," Wharfe told ITV (perThe Mirror).

Advertisement

After about an hour, Diana motioned to her protection officer. "I went out, and there was Diana, who said, 'You've got to come with me. I can't find my husband or Camilla,'" Wharfe said. "Now, I couldn't say no—clearly, this woman was in some distress, and eventually, we found the prince and Camilla [sitting] on a sofa in the basement of this property, just talking."

Upon seeing this, Diana confronted Camilla—the first time she'd ever done so, Wharfe said. "I didn't know quite what Diana was going to do at that point, but with a great deal of confidence, Diana just went up to both of them and said to Camilla, 'Please don't treat me like an idiot. I know what's going on,'" he remembered.

"And Camilla sort of said something, to which still to this day I have never really understood what she meant by that is, 'Well, you know, you have two wonderful boys,'" Wharfe said. "Well, it was an incredible moment for me, and certainly them as well. That was a defining moment in their life because I think at that point…this was an indicator the end was nigh."

Charles and Diana ultimately separated in 1992, and their divorce was finalized four years later. In a 1995 interview, Diana famously said, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded"—and eight years after Diana's 1997 death, Charles and Camilla themselves married in 2005.

Read the original article onInStyle