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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country's theocracy remains under pressure, both from U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, and a public angrily denouncing Tehran'sbloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

The commemoration represented a split-screen view of life in Iran, with state television showing hundreds of thousands of people across the country attending pro-government rallies, which included the burning of American flags and cries of "Death to America!" The night before, as government-sponsored fireworks lit the dark sky, witnesses heard shouts from homes in the capital, Tehran, of "Death to the dictator!"

Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian got on stage at Azadi Square in Tehran and insisted that Iran is willing to negotiate over its nuclear program asfledgling talkswith the U.S. hang in the balance.

Whether the talks succeed remains an open question — and Mideast nations fear their collapse could plunge the region into another regional war. A top Iranian security official met Qatar's foreign minister in Doha on Wednesday, after earlier visiting Oman, which has mediated this latest round of negotiations. Just before the official's arrival, Qatar's ruling emir received a phone call from Trump.

In his speech at the anniversary ceremony, Pezeshkian said Iran was "not seeking nuclear weapons" and is "ready for any kind of verification." However, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — has been unable for months to inspect and verify Iran's nuclear stockpile.

"The high wall of mistrust that the United States and Europe have created through their past statements and actions does not allow these talks to reach a conclusion," Pezeshkian said. "At the same time, we are engaging with full determination in dialogue aimed at peace and stability in the region alongside our neighboring countries."

Commemoration overshadowed by crackdown

Iranian state TV broadcast images of people taking to the streets across the country Wednesday to support the theocracy and its 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Others criticizedIran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, who had been calling for anti-government protests.

"I am here to say we don't stop supporting our leader and our country as the Americans and Israelis are increasingly threatening" us, said Reza Jedi, a 43-year-old participant.

Iranian missiles were on display, as were fragments that authorities described as being from downed Israeli drones. Fake coffins draped in the American flag could also be seen, one bearing the picture of U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military's Central Command, which covers the Middle East.

Among Iran's 85 million people, there is a hard-line element of support for Iran's theocracy, including members of the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which put down the protests last month in a bloody suppression that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained, according to activists.

Many Iranians often take part in pro-theocracy demonstrations as they are government employees or turn up to enjoy the carnival atmosphere of a government-sponsored holiday. Iran has 2.5 million government employees, with a fifth in Tehran alone.

While not directly addressing the bloodshed, Pezeshkian acknowledged the crackdown that began in earnest on Jan. 8 had "caused great sorrow."

"We are ashamed before the people, and we are obligated to assist all those who were harmed in these incidents," he said. "We are not seeking confrontation with the people."

One man sadly watched the commemoration from a sidewalk in Tehran, not taking part.

"I regularly participated in the rally in past years," said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "But how can I do that now as the streets' asphalt were bloodied last month?"

A senior Iran official visits Qatar

As the commemoration took place, senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani left Oman for Qatar, where he met with Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar hosts a major U.S. military installation that Iran attacked in June, afterthe U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sitesduring the 12-day Iran-Israel war. Larijani also met with officials of the Palestinian Hamas militant group in the Qatari capital. While in Oman, he met with Tehran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen.

Qatar has been a key negotiator in the past with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf. Its state-run Qatar News Agency reported that ruling emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with Trump about "the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace," without elaborating.

Speaking to the Russian state channel RT, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran still does "not have full trust for the Americans."

"Last time we negotiated, last June we were in the middle of negotiation then they decided to attack us and that was a very, very bad experience for us," Iran's top diplomat said. "We need to make sure that that scenario is not repeated and this is mostly up to America."

Despite that concern, Araghchi said it could be possible "to come to a better deal than Obama," referencing the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers Iran reached when former U.S. President Barack Obama was in office. Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew America from the accord.

Trump suggests sending another carrier to the Mideast

The U.S. has moved theaircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, ships and warplanes to the Middle East to pressure Iran into an agreement and have the firepower necessary to strike the Islamic Republic should Trump choose to do so.

Already, U.S. forces haveshot down a dronethey said got too close to the Lincoln and came to the aid of a U.S.-flagged ship that Iranian forces tried to stop in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Trump told the news website Axios that he was considering sending a second carrier to the region. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going," he said.

It remains unclear what carrier could go. The USS George H.W. Bush has left Norfolk, Virginia, according to U.S. Navy Institute News. The USS Gerald R. Ford remains in the Caribbean after the U.S. military raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

U.S Vice PresidentJD Vanceduring a visit to Baku, Azerbaijan said the focus has been on reaching a deal through negotiations, but not ruling out other options if talks break down.

"He's going to have a lot of options, because we have the most powerful military in the world," he said.

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Baku, Azerbaijan, contributed to this report.

A sizable majority of Americanswant significant changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — but while they largely disapprove of ICE and say its tactics have gone too far, the country is divided over just how much to reform the agency and how to handle immigration policy broadly, according to a new survey.

The new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey finds nearly 3 in 4 U.S. adults support some changes to ICE, with 29% saying it should be abolished outright. Approval of President Donald Trump's sweeping deportation policies dropped steeply after federal agents killed two Americans last month in Minneapolis.

Meanwhile, Congress is debating federal funding for the agency, and a potential shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security looms at the end of the week, with congressional Democrats taking issue with agents' tactics, clashes with protesters and questions surrounding due process for the targets of immigration enforcement.

RELATED: Poll: Trump's ratings on immigration tumble as Americans lose confidence in his top issue

A plurality of Americans (43%) say ICE should be reformed, while 29% say it should be abolished, and 29% say it should continue in its current form. The survey of U.S. adults was conducted from Jan. 27 to Friday, after the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

Views about the future of ICE also fell along partisan lines, with most Republicans (71%) saying it should continue in its current form, while Democrats and independents say it should be reformed or abolished. A majority of independents said the agency should be reformed but not abolished, while Democrats were almost evenly split between those two options. The issue has become alitmus test in a growing number of Democratic primariesahead of the midterm elections.

A push among Democrats to abolish ICE emerged around the 2018 midterms in response to Trump's first-term immigration policies, gaining purchase particularly among progressive candidates and activists. Enthusiasm for the push died down during the Biden administration, when Democratic border policies turned into a political advantage for Republicans.

But Democrats have grownnewly emboldened by the public sentiment to demand, at minimum, an overhaul of ICE.

A quarter of Republicans said ICE should be reformed, with 5% saying it should be abolished altogether. That group was largely made up of Republicans who view themselves more as supporters of the Republican Party as opposed to viewing themselves as supporters of Trump's Make America Great Again movement.

The public and legislative push for changes to ICE comes as federal immigration agents have faced criticism for their tactics in detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. A spate of polling in recent months has reinforced howpublic sentiment has turned against the Trump administrationon immigration enforcement.In a recent interview, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas asked Trump what he had learned from Minneapolis. "Maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch," Trump said.

"But you still have to be tough," he continued.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say ICE and Customs and Border Patrol personnel's tactics have gone "too far," while 23% say they have been about right, and 10% say they have not gone far enough.

And 66% of Americans disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, while 34% approve.

Again, views of ICE and its tactics are politically polarized, though with some notable divisions among Republicans.

Overwhelming shares of independents (81%) and Democrats (97%) say federal agents' immigration tactics have gone too far, while a majority of Republicans (57%) say they have been about right.

But 21% of Republicans say they have gone too far, while a similar share of Republicans also disapproves of how ICE is handling its job. They are likelier to be more aligned with the traditional party than the MAGA movement.

The White House is negotiating with congressional Democrats over future funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a deadline of Friday.

Democratic leaders have saidthey will not support new funding without certain reformsto the department. Measures they have floated include requiring judicial warrants for any actions on private property, banning officers from wearing face masks while requiring them to wear identification, and guaranteeing rights and treatment of those detained.

Sixty-three percent of adults disapprove of federal immigration officers' and agents' wearing masks during recent enforcement activities, including 49% who say they "strongly disapprove," compared with 37% who approve. More than 90% of Democrats and 75% of independents disapprove of their wearing masks, compared with 18% of Republicans.

An overwhelming majority of adults, 87%, believe federal officers should not be "granted immunity from prosecution for any unlawful activity during immigration enforcement actions." Vast majorities of basically every demographic say the same, including more than 9 in 10 independents and Democrats, as well as 73% of Republicans.

While there is some agreement over those dynamics, Americans remain deeply divided over immigration policy.

Asked more broadly whether undocumented citizens should be offered a chance to apply for citizenship or deported to the countries they came from, Americans broke two-thirds for a pathway to citizenship and one-third for deportations.

Majorities of Democrats and independents backed a pathway to citizenship, but the question also revealed a notable divide among Republicans.

While just 18% of MAGA supporters preferred a pathway to citizenship, 41% of those who identify more as supporters of the Republican Party wanted to see one.

The NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey surveyed 21,995 adults online from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

HAT YAI, Thailand (AP) — A 17-year-old with a gun opened fire at a public high school in southern Thailand and briefly took people hostage Wednesday in a two-hour attack that left at least three people injured, police and local officials said.

Police also wounded the assailant in a gunbattle at the Patongprathankiriwat School in Songkhla province before taking him into custody to end the standoff, the provincial government said in a statement. The attack took place in the late afternoon shortly after classes were dismissed.

The school's director was severely wounded by gunshots in the attack, and a student also was injured by gunshots, while another student was injured while jumping off a building trying to flee the scene, the provincial government said.

The suspect was identified by local officials as a 17-year-old with a history of drug abuse and mental health problem.

Officials were still investigating the motive for the attack.

Gun violenceisn't uncommon in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership and gun-related deaths in Asia, though mass shootings are rare.

Data collected in 2017 by the groups Small Arms Survey and GunPolicy.org. found that there were about 10.3 guns per 100 people in Thailand, compared with less than one per 100 in neighboring Malaysia. If illegal guns are added to the total, Thailand's rate is 15.1.

In October 2022,a police sergeant who was fired from his jobkilled 36 people, including two dozen toddlers, at a day care center in the small northeastern town of Uthai Sawan. The shocking gun and knife attack spurred calls for tighter gun controls, though there have been no major reforms.

In February 2020, a disgruntled Thai soldier angry over a financial dispute with his commanding officer went ona shooting rampage in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people and wounding dozens of others before police shot him dead after an overnight siege at a major shopping mall.

Love Is BlindSeason 10returned toNetflixthis week with a new group of singles hoping to find their forever partner. 32 men and women took part in the social experiment to see if they could find love before ever seeing their partners' faces, and seven couples left engaged.

Keep reading to find out who gets engaged inLove Is BlindSeason 10.

Christine and Vic

Vic was the first man to pop the question this season. He proposed to Christine after the two connected early on in the pods. These two were immediately drawn to each other during their dates, and they bonded over their religious views and their goals in life.

"People I've dated have seen me as Superman, and that makes it hard to open up," Vic told Tudum when speaking about his fears in a relationship. "My biggest fear is being vulnerable and getting hurt."

However, it didn't take long for Christine to calm his nerves and they're one of the couples that are in it for the long haul.

RELATED:'Love Is Blind' Reunion Turns Explosive as Castmates Clash

Amber and Jordan

Anyone would be hard-pressed to be charmed by Amber's bubbly personality, and she and Jordan vibed almost instantly. Amber has a daughter at home, and she was worried that being a single mom might make it harder for her to find a partner, but Jordan was all in. The two clicked right away, and they're one of the sweetest couples so far this season.

Ashley and Alex

Alex was up front and honest about how he's previously put physical aspects first in his relationships in the past, but duringLove Is Blind, he found a connection with Ashley without ever knowing what she looked like. Ashley, on the other hand, wanted to find "the Ken to her Barbie," and she appears to have done just that. The two looked like a match made in heaven when they saw each other for the first time.

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Brittany and Devo

These two seemed like a perfect match in the pods, so it was no surprise when Devo eventually proposed to Brittany. However, they appeared to hit a rough patch during their trip to Cabo. The two were having issues connecting on a physical level, and that might be a problem in the long run. However, for now, they're engaged and planning on heading to the altar.

Jessica and Chris

Chris and Jessica hit it off early inLove Is BlindSeason 10, and Chris said that meeting Jessica changed his perspective on several things. He was blown away by how kind and compassionate she was from the start. Jessica also described the opportunity to meet Chris as the "greatest gift she's ever been given," and it didn't take long for them to decide they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Bri and Connor

Connor and Bri's love blossomed overjokesand laughter while they were in the pods. Bri even told the other women in the pods that "falling in love with Connor every day was so exciting."

"I knew from the moment I met you, you were my perfect match," Bri told him shortly before he proposed. "You take away all my self-doubts of never being enough or being too much and embrace me for all that I am, even though I cut you off every other sentence."

When they got to the couple's vacation, however, things got a little rough. Bri was disappointed in the reaction of the other men she somewhat connected with in the pods, and that put Connor on edge. Now, fans are wondering if they'll actually say "I do" when the time comes.

🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬

Emma and Mike

Emma connected with a couple of different people in the pods. She was open about her insecurity regarding some scarring on her arms and legs, but Mike assured her that it was her personality and heart that counted. The two seemed to be great when meeting the other couples, and even if Mike was a little annoyed by Emma's messiness, it looks like they have a great chance of taking the plunge into marriage.

Love Is BlindSeason 10 Episodes 1-6 are currently streaming on Netflix. Episodes 7-9 will be available on February 18.

This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 11, 2026, where it first appeared in theTVsection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Whitney Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012

• The singer was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room following an accidental drowning

• Her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died three years later at 22

Fourteen years afterWhitney Houston's tragic death, her unmistakable voice and career have continued tomake a major impacton the music industry.

The singer died on Feb. 11, 2012, the day before theGrammy Awards, when she accidentally drowned in a hotel room. She left behind daughterBobbi Kristina Brown, who died three years later at the age of 22.

Houston was known as "The Voice" for her powerful vocal talents that continued to win accolades even after her death. By the end of her life, though, she was also well-known forher lengthy journey with drug addiction, which was immortalized in the 2022 biopicI Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Here is what to know about Whitney Houston's sudden death, and the legacy she left behind.

How did Whitney Houston die?

Houston's death was ruled as an accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use, according to the 42-pagecoroner's report.

The toxicology report found that "cocaine and metabolites" contributed to her passing. Other substances found in her body included marijuana, Xanax (anti-anxiety medication), Benadryl (allergy medication) and Flexeril (muscle relaxer), but they did not contribute to her death.

"There was water found in her lungsthat indicated to us that she was alive when she was submerged underwater," Los Angeles County chief coroner Craig Harvey told PEOPLE at the time. "According to our tests, the level of cocaine was not necessarily a lethal level of cocaine. But her death was complicated by chronic cocaine use and heart disease."

Coroner assistant chief Ed Winter shared with PEOPLE two potential scenarios about the circumstances of her death: "She could've passed out first due to the intoxication from the cocaine, or she could've had a heart attack and then drowned. It's probably one of those two scenarios."

Where did Whitney Houston die?

Houstonwas found unresponsiveand submerged in her bathtub inside Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The singer was seemingly fine when speaking with her mother, Cissy Houston, at 3:15 p.m. Less than 30 minutes later, hotel security was called at 3:43 p.m. when the singer was found unresponsive in the bathtub by her assistant.

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Police officers arrived in her suite two minutes later, as they were already at the hotel in preparation forClive Davis' pre-Grammy Awardsparty that evening. Officials attempted CPR on Houston before she was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.

What were Whitney Houston's last words?

Houston spoke on the phone with her mother around 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 11, just 40 minutes before she was pronounced dead in her hotel room. The nature of their phone call has not been revealed by Cissy, but she said her daughter seemed to be fine.

Two days before her death, on Feb. 9, Houston visited singersBrandyandMonicaduring their rehearsals for Davis' party on Feb. 11. Later that day, Houston made her last public performance singing "Jesus Loves Me" onstage withKelly Pricein Hollywood at a pre-Grammys party.

How did the public react to Whitney Houston's death?

Lovers of Houston's music worldwide were devastated by her death. Davis, who was Houston's friend and mentor,still hosted his pre-Grammy partyin the Beverly Hilton hotel on the evening of Feb. 11, despite the singer's bodyremaining inside the buildinguntil 12:45 a.m.

At the start of the event, he shared a tribute to Houston: "By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends."

The Grammy Award winner continued, "I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on."

In the days after Houston's death, dozens of her friends and colleaguesshared tributes to the late singer. "She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth,"Mariah Careywrote on X.

"To me Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang. Heart is heavy, spirit grateful for the GIFT of her," saidOprah Winfrey. Other stars that shared messages of support includedTony Bennett,Smokey Robinson,Toni Braxtonand more.

The singer'sfuneralwas held on Feb. 19 in Newark, N.J., where she performed as a child in choir. The services included performances from several notables names, includingAlicia Keys, who sang an emotional rendition of "Send Me An Angel," andStevie Wonder, who told mourners he "had a little crush on Whitney" before singing one of her favorite songs, "Ribbon in the Sky."

Read the original article onPeople

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Photos from the set of Amazon Prime's newTomb Raiderseries just dropped, giving us one of our first looks at Sophie Turner in the iconic role! The actor was spotted in Surrey parachuting onto a beach the rain, and looks pretty badass.

The plot ofTomb Raiderhas been awash in mystery, and Sophie toldThe Julia Cunningham Show(viaEW) that security measures are "crazier security thanGame of Thrones,"noting that reading scripts involves "a million log-ins" and "the face recognition thing." As she put it: "It's like raiding a tomb just getting to the scripts."

Sophie's also been training a ton, and revealed "I've learned I have a perpetual back problem, but I also realized that it's much easier to kind of build muscle if you've ever worked out before in your life, which I never had, so it has taken me months and months and months to get into good shape. That's what I've learned."

Fleabagcreator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is writing and executive producingTomb Raiderfor Amazon Prime, and Sophie said she texts her "all day long" and is "totally obsessed."

"I mean, I feel really lucky to have signed on toTomb Raiderand to have, you know, the opportunity to play a character over a certain number of episodes and I love TV," she added. "I love doing TV because you do get to develop and develop over potentially years and years, and so I feel really lucky to be able to have this opportunity and let's hope that it does go on for years and years."

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One year before he was charged with sex trafficking, Jeffrey Epstein was planning a major renovation of his private islands,Little St. Jamesand Great St. James, documents newly released by theDepartment of Justicereveal.

• Jeffrey Epstein had planned an extensive renovation to his two private islands before his 2019 arrest.

• Designs in the newly released Epstein files include plans for a "ladies' residence" and an "isolated" master suite.

• Epstein fired the architect after seven months, and seemingly never began construction.

Hundreds of pages of emails, contracts, and renderings in the Epstein files give insight into his plans for the islands, one of which has become notorious for the sexual abuse that prosecutors allege occurred there, as well as an inside look into his exacting nature.

Over the course of eight months, Epstein paid at least $150,000 to Florida-based design firm Radyca for architectural and interior plans.

The remit: "My employer owns 2 islands in the Caribbean off of St. Thomas that he would like completely redone," one of Epstein's assistants wrote the firm in November 2017.

The work was supposed to begin in January 2019 and take two years, according to a December 2017 agreement. Epstein fired the firm in June 2018, emails show.

Ramon Alonso, the president of Radyca and Epstein's main point of contact for the work, declined to comment on the project or the island. He visited the island at least twice, according to emails and travel information included in the files.

A 'ladies' residence' and 'isolated' master bedroom

Various schematics, proposals, and designs — as well as the correspondence about them — reveal how Epstein imagined the properties.

The plans for the two islands included a "ladies' residence" and master retreat in proximity, as well as a cinema, a "funhouse point," and various other guest pavilions and outbuildings.

The ladies' residence was of particular interest to Epstein and the subject of dozens of emails between Epstein and Alonso, who discussed the appropriate structure for "the girls."

Epstein also gave several notes on the 7,700-square-foot master retreat. In one email, Alonso wrote that "we completely isolated the bedroom from any noise or daylight as requested." In another, Epstein said he didn't want guests above his bedroom and that his bedroom windows didn't need to open any more than to "air out the place."

The designs were inspired by luxury hotels, including the Soori Hotel in Bali and theAmanera in the Dominican Republic.

Throughout the process, tensions arose between the disgraced financier and his design team.

"i might add that the cost incurred to date. are mine. with virutally nothing to show for it," Epstein wrote in a May 2018 email, with his usual idiosyncratic punctuation.

In other emails, he called the designs "silly," said he was "shocked and disappointed," and told Alonso that the firm had created "nothing at all . of any use. ZERO."

By June 2018, relations appeared to reach a tipping point.

"Please understand that I don't mind changing direction as many times as it's needed to your full satisfaction and I also really like you and working with you but I don't appreciate when you diminish our work," Alonso wrote in an email to Epstein.

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Two weeks later, Alonso was fired.

"this is silly sorry i have no more time for this," Epstein wrote on June 30, 2018. "I wish you well."

It was the last correspondence between the pair in the files. About one year later, Epstein was arrested, and the FBI raided the island. Photos taken at the time show the redesign never occurred.

Little St. Jeff's: A notorious island

Little St. James was central to the disgraced financier'ssex-trafficking operation, according to witness testimony included in the US's 2019 case accusing Epstein of sexual abuse and trafficking of underage girls. Epstein pleaded not guilty and died by suicide in jail that year while awaiting trial.

The US Virgin Islands, where the properties are located, suedEpstein's estatefollowing his death, accusing him of sex trafficking and abusing underage girls on the islands. They reached a settlement in 2022, with the estate agreeing to pay the government of the Virgin Islands $105 million in cash, half the proceeds of a planned sale of Little St. James, and other damages. The settlement did not include any admission of guilt.

Epstein purchased the 72-acre Little St. James in 1998 for $7.95 million. In 2016, he added the 162-acre Great St. James to his portfolio for $22.5 million, according to deeds included in the Epstein files.Epstein's islandssold in 2023 for $60 million — less than half of the initial $125 million asking price. The buyer, billionaire Stephen Deckoff, has said he plans to transform them into a luxury resort.

Throughout his decades on the Little St. James — often referred to as Little St. Jeff's —Epstein hosted famousand powerful figures.

LinkedIn cofounderReid Hoffman, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and Howard Lutnick had plans to visit Little St. James, according to emails in the latest batch of Epstein files.

The island had a reputation for parties and, in Epstein's words, "a ratio" of men to women that could make women "uncomfortable."

"What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?"Musk asked Epsteinin 2012 about the possibility of a visit that Musk said never occurred.

Over the years, Epstein embarked on several redesign projects, documents and emails included in the Epstein files show, hiring architects, surveyors, and decorators.

The renovations and redecoration of the islands were also a subject of the 2021 testimony of Ghislaine Maxwell's former executive assistant, Cimberly Espinosa, with one detail so unexpected that the judge had to follow up

"We even shipped in sand and palm trees and all kinds of things to get the island to what he wanted it to be," she said, answering the judge's questions about the scope of her work on the island.

"To be clear," the judge said, "you shipped in sand to a tropical island, why was that?"

"He wanted more sand on the beach," the former assistant said.

Jacob Shamsian contributed reporting to this story.

Read the original article onBusiness Insider