In a dramatic social-media post, longtime Trump adviser\u00a0Roger Stone\u00a0claimed that several prominent Democrats will appear in upcoming releases of documents related to\u00a0Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s\u00a0client network. Stone \u2014 a highly influential figure in Republican politics \u2014 suggested that the disclosures would name multiple well-known Democratic figures.<\/p>\n
The Epstein scandal has remained a point of intense partisan debate. Democrats have often highlighted Trump\u2019s past proximity to Epstein, while Republicans counter that several major Democratic figures also had associations with the disgraced financier. Against this backdrop, Stone asserted that \u201cthe ones on the Epstein client roster are all Democrats,\u201d listing former President\u00a0Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary\u00a0Larry Summers, former New Mexico Governor\u00a0Bill Richardson, former Senator\u00a0George Mitchell, and philanthropist\u00a0Bill Gates. These claims remain\u00a0unverified, and those named have issued various denials regarding past allegations.<\/p>\n
Rep.\u00a0James Comer\u00a0(R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has also pointed to Bill Clinton as someone he expects to question as part of his committee\u2019s investigation. Comer stated that the public \u201cwants to know what went on on Epstein Island\u201d and described Clinton as \u201ca prime suspect to be deposed,\u201d citing reports that Clinton had traveled on Epstein\u2019s plane. Comer said he hopes the committee\u2019s subpoena efforts will lead to Clinton testifying later in the year, noting that this subpoena battle has been his most challenging to date \u2014 though he emphasized that Democrats joined Republicans in supporting it.<\/p>\n
Former President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0has also weighed in, repeating longstanding allegations about Clinton and raising questions about Larry Summers\u2019 past interactions with Epstein. Trump claimed Clinton had flown on Epstein\u2019s plane \u201csupposedly, 28 times\u201d and suggested that Summers, whom he described as \u201cJeffrey Epstein\u2019s best friend,\u201d had close ties to the financier. Summers has previously denied wrongdoing, and no charges or findings of criminal conduct have been brought against him regarding Epstein.<\/p>\n
Over the years, several names Stone mentioned have surfaced in civil litigation involving Epstein. As reported by the\u00a0BBC, accuser\u00a0Virginia Giuffre\u00a0has alleged that she was directed to provide sexual services to certain prominent individuals, including former New Mexico Governor\u00a0Bill Richardson. Richardson strongly denied the accusations before his death, and his spokesperson reiterated that Richardson had never met Giuffre, had never visited Epstein\u2019s island residence, and had never witnessed inappropriate behavior during his limited interactions with Epstein.<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell (D-ME) issued a similar rejection of past claims. In response to allegations referenced in newly released documents, Mitchell said the accusation was \u201cfalse,\u201d insisting he had never met, spoken with, or had any contact with Giuffre. He added that he had not observed anything improper in the course of his interactions with Epstein and only learned of Epstein\u2019s crimes through media reporting years later.<\/p>\n
Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this weekend, and it could bring \u201clife-threatening and catastrophic\u201d flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic early next week, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center warns.<\/p>\n
Melissa, the 13th named storm of the Atlantic season, isn\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019t expected to have major impacts on the mainland United States<\/p>\n
Melissa\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019s forecast and path<\/p>\n
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On Friday night, Melissa\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019s core was about 180 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 245 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the hurricane center said. Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph, with tropical storm-force winds extending some 140 miles east from the storm\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019s center. It was inching north at 3 mph.<\/p>\n
Map shows the forecast path for Melissa, which is forecast to become a major hurricane in the Caribbean. \/ Credit: CBS News<\/p>\n
It was forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday and a major hurricane \u2014 meaning a\u00a0Category 3\u00a0or higher \u2014 by Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019s going to intensify very rapidly,\u201d CBS News weather anchor Lonnie Quinn said Friday evening.<\/p>\n
Jamaica, Haiti and eastern Cuba should brace for \u201ccatastrophic rainfall, up to nearly 3 feet of rain,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cMountainous terrain \u2014 there\\\\\\\\\\\\\u2019s going to be mudslides. I am fearful for what we will find by the time we get into next week for this portion of the Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On top of that, he warned, the storm could be packing 140 mile per hour winds.<\/p>\n
\u201cJamaica, I think, is going to take the worst of it,\u201d Quinn said.<\/p>\n
A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
Although Melissa was moving north Friday, the hurricane center said it was forecast to take a turn to the west on Saturday and continue that westward movement through Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week and could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week,\u201d the hurricane center said.<\/p>\n
Melissa is expected to drop up to 25 inches of rain on parts of southern Haiti, the southern Dominican Republic and Jamaica through Tuesday, with higher amounts possible in some areas, the hurricane center said. Southeast Cuba could see up to 12 inches of rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are possible across portions of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, while catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti,\u201d forecasters said.<\/p>\n
A satellite image of Tropical Storm Melissa in the Caribbean at 1:50 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 24, 2025. \/ Credit: NOAA\/NESDIS\/STAR<\/p>\n
Additional heavy rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday, the hurricane center said, but uncertainty remains about the more extended forecast.<\/p>\n
Tropical Storm Melissa forecast to become major hurricane as Jamaica under threat<\/p>\n
Topical Storm Melissa has been called a \u2018slow-moving disaster\u2019 amid warnings of catastrophic flash flooding in Haiti<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2025\/10\/24\/16\/01\/Affectations-due-to-Tropical-Storm-Melissa-in-Santo-Domingo-6jqz23lt.jpeg\")
open image in gallery<\/p>\n
A woman is standing on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic\u00a0(REUTERS)<\/p>\n
Tropical Storm Melissa\u00a0could soon strengthen into a\u00a0powerful hurricane\u00a0and brush past Jamaica, forecasters have warned.<\/p>\n
The storm is currently almost stationary in the central Caribbean, but threatens catastrophic\u00a0flash flooding\u00a0and landslides in southern\u00a0Haiti, where at least\u00a0three deaths\u00a0have already been reported.<\/p>\n
Copious amounts of rainfall are expected to drop across\u00a0Jamaica, southern Haiti, and the\u00a0Dominican Republic\u00a0throughout the weekend as a result of the erratic storm.<\/p>\n
Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, highlighted the danger, stating: \u201cThe rainfall is a huge risk with the storm. Rainfall has historically been the biggest cause of loss of life of tropical storms and hurricanes in the\u00a0Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n
The storm was located approximately 215 miles (345 kilometres) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 250 miles (405 kilometres) southwest of\u00a0Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It maintained maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving east-southeast at a sluggish 2 mph (4 kph), according to the U.S. centre.<\/p>\n
A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain is forecast for portions of southwestern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Monday, with higher amounts possible in some areas.<\/p>\n
Up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was expected for the remainder of southern Haiti and for the southern Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2025\/10\/24\/05\/Haiti_Displaced_50753.jpg\")
open image in galleryPeople place plastic tarps over their tents ahead of expected rain at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti\u00a0(AP)Catastrophic warnings for Haiti<\/p>\n
The\u00a0National Hurricane Center\u00a0warned that heavy rainfall would cause \u201ccatastrophic flash flooding and landslides across southwestern Haiti by this weekend into early next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt noted that strong winds could also potentially last for a day or more over Haiti\\\\\u2019s Tiburon peninsula.<\/p>\n
Haiti\\\\\u2019s Civil Protection Agency said Friday that a landslide in Port-au-Prince killed two people and injured another, with the death toll rising to three. Earlier this week, a large tree fell on an elderly man in southern Haiti and killed him, while five other people in the country\\\\\u2019s central region were injured in flooding.<\/p>\n
The U.N. said it has prepared more than 100 emergency shelters in Haiti\\\\\u2019s southern region.<\/p>\n
A slow-moving disaster<\/p>\n
Melissa was expected to slowly begin moving closer to Jamaica over the weekend. It was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday and become a major hurricane by Sunday, possibly reaching\u00a0Category 4\u00a0status before dawn on Monday.<\/p>\n
Forecasters said that Jamaica could see life-threatening flooding and landslides because the ground is already saturated from recent heavy rains unrelated to the storm.<\/p>\n
The storm is moving so slowly that parts of Jamaica could experience hurricane conditions for 72 hours or longer, said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather\\\\\u2019s lead hurricane expert.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa is evolving into a slow-motion disaster,\u201d he said. \u201cMillions of people are at risk of catastrophic impacts. We are increasingly concerned about the threat of a humanitarian disaster unfolding, especially if this storm stalls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schools, health centers and government offices closed across Jamaica on Thursday, with authorities warning that all airports would close within 24 hours if a hurricane warning is issued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is indeed serious,\u201d said Matthew Samuda, Jamaica\\\\\u2019s minister of economic growth and job creation.<\/p>\n
The Bahamas\\\\\u2019 Foreign Affairs Ministry announced it would evacuate Bahamian students out of Jamaica on Friday ahead of the storm.<\/p>\n
Flooding persists in Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
The storm has damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out dozens of water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights and unleashed a couple of small landslides.<\/p>\n
All public schools across the Dominican Republic were closed Friday, while government offices in 12 provinces under alert would do the same, officials said. Nearly two dozen communities were cut off by floodwaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an event that we should be following minute by minute,\u201d said Juan Manuel M\u00e9ndez Garc\u00eda, emergency operations director in the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
Officials noted that evacuations in areas under alert were mandatory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing here is to save lives. The risk is the enormous amount of rain,\u201d said Dominican President Luis Abinader.<\/p>\n
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year.<\/p>\n
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes, which pack winds of 111 mph (178 kph) or greater.<\/p>\n
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a dramatic social-media post, longtime Trump adviser\u00a0Roger Stone\u00a0claimed that several prominent Democrats will appear in upcoming releases of documents related to\u00a0Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s\u00a0client network. Stone \u2014 a highly influential figure in Republican…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20827\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}