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• 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

Russia US Nuclear Treaty

The New START treaty expired Feb. 5, leaving no restrictions on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of anunconstrained nuclear arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to thetreaty's limits for another yearif Washington followed suit, but U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rejected.

Remarks to Russian lawmakers

Speaking Wednesday to the parliament's lower house, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that even though the U.S. hasn't responded to Putin's offer, Russia will respect New START's caps for as long as it sees that the U.S. observes them too.

"The moratorium declared by the president will remain as long as the U.S. doesn't exceed these limits," Lavrov told lawmakers. "We will act in a responsible and balanced way on the basis of analysis of the U.S. military policies."

He added that "we have reason to believe that the United States is in no hurry to abandon these limits and that they will be observed for the foreseeable future."

"We will closely monitor how things are actually unfolding," Lavrov said. "If our American colleagues' intention to maintain some kind of cooperation on this is confirmed, we will work actively on a new agreement and consider the issues that have remained outside strategic stability agreements."

US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi

Lavrov's statement followed a report by Axios claiming Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed a possible informal deal to observe the pact's limits for at least six months during talks last week in Abu Dhabi. Asked to comment on the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that any such extension could only be formal, adding that "it's hard to imagine any informal extension in this sphere."

At the same time, Peskov confirmed that Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed future nuclear arms control in Abu Dhabi where delegations from Moscow, Kyiv and Washington held two days of talks on a peace settlement in Ukraine.

"There is an understanding, and they talked about it in Abu Dhabi, that both parties will take responsible positions and both parties realize the need to start talks on the issue as soon as possible," Peskov said.

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The limits of the New START treaty

New START, signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, was the last of a long series of agreements between Moscow and Washington to limit their nuclear arsenals, starting with SALT I in 1972.

New START restricted each side to no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads on no more than 700 missiles and bombers deployed and ready for use. It was originally set to expire in 2021 but was extended for five years.

The pact envisioned sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance, although they stopped in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed.

In February 2023, Putin suspended Moscow's participation, saying Russia couldn't allow U.S. inspections of its nuclear sites at a time when Washington and its NATO allies openly declared they wanted Moscow's defeat in Ukraine. But the Kremlin also emphasized it wasn't withdrawing from the pact altogether, pledging to respect its caps on nuclear weapons.

In September, Putin offered to keep the New START's limits for another year to buy time for both sides to negotiate a successor agreement.

Even as New START expired, the U.S. and Russiaagreed on Feb. 5to reestablish high-level, military-to-military dialogue following a meeting between senior officials from both sides in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. military command in Europe said. The link was suspended in 2021 as relations grew increasingly strained before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Additional AP coverage:https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

This means Valentine's Day could be a total washout for millions.

While the fine details are still uncertain, it looks as if this system will bring more rain than snow.

We will break down what we know now, then continue to tweak as the forecast becomes clearer in the coming days.

Friday

The storm system will take shape across the Southwest, as an area of low pressure tracks across the southern half of the country.

The focus on Friday will be from the Four Corners to the Southern Plains.

Winter weather will be possible for the Southern Rockies, and even a wintry mix as far south as the higher elevations of Arizona and New Mexico. Meanwhile, showers will be possible from southern Arizona to Arkansas. The heaviest rain is expected across portions of the Southwest. We could even see a few thunderstorms.

Saturday

As the system shifts eastward on Saturday, the impacts could be far-reaching. From the Deep South to portions of the Plains and mid-South there could be rain. Thunderstorms could be possible as well, mainly across the Gulf Coast.

This includes everyone trying to get out for Valentine's Day and the more than one million people expected to fill the streets of New Orleans for Mardi Gras parades this weekend.

The Weather Prediction Center has even highlighted an area fromTexas to Tennessee, with Arkansas right in the crosshairs of excessive rainfall. The heavy downpours could lead to flash flooding in these areas.

With the warmer than average temperatures dominating much of this region this week, the forecast for Saturday seems to be primarily liquid form, as temperatures won't be cold enough to support snow.

However, that could change overnight.

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Sunday

As the system shifts further eastward on Sunday, the forecast calls for precipitation pretty much everywhere east of the Mississippi River.

We could see heavy rain anywhere from the Gulf Coast to the Southeast to the Ohio Valley, with thunderstorms possible across the Southeast.

This is where the models are having a hard time deciding on how much cold air will be available for snow. We could see a quick shot of winter weather in the higher elevations of the Appalachians and Northeast, but how much is still uncertain.

Folks along the busy I-95 corridor need to pay attention to how this forecast evolves, because there's a chance we could see another round of snow or a wintry mix Sunday into Monday.

Pinpointing exactly where the snow will fall and how much is still uncertain, but at the very least, we could see a quick shot of snow for these locations.

Monday

This system will wrap up Monday as it heads offshore, however, snow could linger for the big cities in the Northeast. This could mean messy morning commutes as what's left of the winter weather moves away.

We aren't expecting high snowfall totals at this point, and there's quite a bit of uncertainty with this, considering we are still 5 days away. But we will keep you posted on any changes.

Why There's Uncertainty

As I mentioned earlier, there's quite a bit of uncertainty with this forecast. We know there will be impactful weather, just knowing exactly who will see what is the challenge.

The reason for this is the uncertainty in exactly how far north or south the low will track.

If the low tracks further to the north, then it will be able to tap into colder air, which means we will see more ice and snow for the northern cities.

If the low takes a more southern track, then it will encounter warmer air, and therefore, the storm will be more of a rainmaker than a snowmaker.

Regardless, if you live in the eastern half of the country, make sure you have a Plan B for any outdoor weekend plans, as it might make more sense to have a cozy Valentine's Day indoors this year.

Jennifer Grayis a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.

Actor Noel Clarke has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, exposure and sexual assault by touching, according to reports.

The Doctor Who and Kidulthood star was questioned by detectives on Tuesday and bailed pending further inquiries.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrest related to a sexual offence which is alleged to have taken place in 2007 in London against a woman in her 20s.

According to the Sun newspaper, Clarke, 50, arrived at Islington police station in north London shortly after midday by appointment, accompanied by his wife and lawyer.

BBC News has approached Clarke's representatives for a response.

The Sun said the actor was arrested and questioned by detectives from the Met's Central Specialist Crime Command.

A Met spokesperson said: "A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, exposure and sexual assault by touching on Tuesday, 10 February. He was interviewed by detectives.

"This arrest relates to a sexual offence, which is alleged to have taken place in 2007 in London against a woman in her 20s.

"The man was also interviewed in relation to a voyeurism allegation, for which he was previously arrested in September 2025. This relates to an offence allegedly committed in 2013 at an address in London against a woman in her 20s.

"The man was bailed pending further enquiries and the Met's investigation continues."

Career collapse

Clarke found fame playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010, and went on to become a successful actor, writer, producer and director.

But his screen career collapsed in 2021 after the Guardian published accounts from several women who had worked with him, alleging sexual misconduct, which he denied.

In August, Clarke lost his libel case against the Guardian, after he sued the newspaper's publisher.

In September, a High Court judge ruled that Clarke must pay at least £3m of the Guardian publisher's legal costs.

Clarke, who represented himself at the hearing, told the court he thought the Guardian's legal costs were excessive and should be reduced.

But he is likely to have to pay even more in total after the Guardian told the court that a conservative estimate of its total costs was £6m.

The Gist

• John Travolta uploaded a rare photo of himself with his children, Benjamin and Ella.

• "My beautiful babies in my belated Christmas card 2025. Hope all is going well," the actor captioned a new Instagram post shared this week.

• Travolta shared his son and daughter with his late wife, Kelly Preston.
  

John Travolta's son clearly got the tall gene from his dad. This week, the actor uploaded a "belated Christmas card" on Instagram,sharinga rare photo of himself with his two children, 15-year-old Benjamin and25-year-old Ella.

In the new portrait, Benjamin appears slightly taller than his dad, who wraps his arms around his two children and leans his head on his son's shoulder.

"My beautiful babies in my belated Christmas card 2025. Hope all is going well," Travolta wrote in the caption.

"❤️❤️❤️," Ella replied in the comments.

Travolta shared his son and daughter with his late wife, Kelly Preston. They also had an older son named Jett, who died at the age of 16 in 2009. Preston passed away after a battle with breast cancer in 2020.

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Ella has previously referred to herself as her dad's "biggest fan."

"I say he's my biggest fan, and I'm his biggest fan," she toldParadein 2023. "So there's a lot of support going on, which is—it's amazing. I learned so much from him."

Aissaoui Nacer / SplashNews.com

Ella, who has followed in her parents' footsteps as an actor and singer, lost her mother at just 20 years old.

"I grew up very much so in the public eye," she later explained toPeoplewhile promoting her single "Little Bird," which served as an ode to her late mother. "And with that comes a lot of attention, especially when you lose someone."

"She is her own person," Travolta once toldPeopleof his only daughter. "She is gracious, generous, poised, graceful, and gorgeous. I don't know how she came to be, and I don't take any credit other than just adoring her. And maybe that's a valid contribution."

Getty Images

Read the original article onInStyle

Surveillance photos and videos showing a subject in the disappearance ofNancy Guthrie, "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie's mother, were released by authorities on Tuesday.

TheFBIand the Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizonaposted the imagesto social media, showing a masked person wearing a backpack on the porch of Nancy Guthrie's Tucson home. FBI Director Kash Patel alsoposted videosof the individual outside the home. Patel was at the law enforcement command post for the Guthrie investigation in Arizona on Monday, according to law enforcement sources.

A27-second videoshows the person approaching the front door and raising a gloved hand to a home security camera outside the door before walking away. A14-second videoshows the person facing the camera holding a flashlight in their mouth before covering the camera lens with some vegetation. Law enforcement officials told CBS News the material the individual is holding up appears to be prairie brush.

The FBI said law enforcement uncovered the images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera on the morning of Guthrie's disappearance. The 84-year-old was reported missing Feb. 1.

According to law enforcement sources, the masked figure possibly has a gun on the front of their belt. From their behavior, the individual appears to already know there's a camera on the Guthrie home.

Savannah Guthriereactedto the new images on social media,writing: "Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home."

Photos from Nancy Guthrie's home surveillance video

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters Thursday that a doorbell camera at Guthrie's home was disconnected at approximately 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1. At around 2:12 a.m., one of the home's cameras detected what the system classified as a person, but Nanos said at the time that video footage wasn't available because the home wasn't signed up for that service, and footage would be overwritten after a period of time.

The FBI and the sheriff's department said Tuesday the images were recovered from "residual data located in backend systems." Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the FBI worked with Google to get the Nest camera video.

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the individual in the images is considered a subject that they are seeking to identify. The person at this point is not considered a suspect or a person of interest, according to the sources.

No suspects have been identified in the investigation. Two law enforcement sources earlier told CBS News that several vehicles were captured on surveillance cameras in the area on the night of the disappearance and were being tracked down. Investigators also removed a camera from Nancy Guthrie's roof and towed her car from her garage to examine it for possible fingerprints and potential other clues, according to the sources.

After the new images were distributed Tuesday, the sheriff's department said no press briefings were planned at this time.

Investigators were seen going door to door on Tuesday as law enforcement continued to canvas the area.

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New photos, videos are latest twist in Nancy Guthrie case

The new images are the latest development in a case that has attracted attention nationwide. In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said her afternoon press briefing was delayed because she and President Trump were reviewing the newly released footage.

Leavitt said Mr. Trump encourages anyone with information about the individual in the footage to call the FBI.

"The prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time," Leavitt said. "We hope this person is found soon and that her mother is brought home safely."

Savannah Guthrie has asked people across the countryfor helpwith the search, saying in a social media video Monday that the family believed Nancy Guthrie was "still out there" and they don't know where.

"I'm coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement," Savannah Guthrie said. "We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help."

Thelatest deadlinefrom an apparent ransom note that demanded paymentin bitcoinpassed Monday. An FBI spokesperson told CBS News on Monday that the bureau wasn't aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and the suspected kidnappers.

"Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home," the spokesperson said. "We need that person to share what they know. Please call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI."

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery or a conviction in the case.

The search for Guthrie is in its second week. Critical medication was left behind at her home, adding more urgency to efforts to find her.

Over the weekend, Savannah Guthrie spoke directly to those who may be behind her mother's disappearance in another social media video, sayingthe family would payfor her return.

"We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her," Savannah Guthrie said in Saturday's Instagram video with her siblings, sister Annie Guthrie and brother Camron Guthrie, sitting beside her. "This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."

Details on new images of subject in Nancy Guthrie disappearance

More details emerge on whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard

Trump criticizes Super Bowl halftime show, calling it "one of the worst"

Seamus Culleton's detention is part of a pattern in the Trump administration's increasingly tough enforcement effort, which has swept up not only people who crossed the border illegally but also thosewho overstayed their visaor legal entrance documents.

Culleton is being held inCamp East Montana, a detention facility erected on the Fort Bliss Army base with a projected capacity of 5,000 people.

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

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'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

While in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Culleton has missed at least two scheduled interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to confirm his green card, his attorney, Ogor Okoye, told USA TODAY.

USCIS and ICE are sister agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.

"ICE, you have the power to allow him to attend the interview," Okoye said. "The interview that will confirm the status you say he doesn't have."

In an emailed response to questions, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Culleton "received full due process" and has been ordered removed by a judge.

"A pending green card application and work authorization does not give someone legal status to be in our country," she said.

Irish citizens don't require a visa to travel to the United States. Culleton, who arrived in 2009, stayed beyond the 90 days allowed and has lived here for 15 years, his attorney said. He started a plastering business and met his wife, Tiffany Smyth; they married in 2025.

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Anyone who comes to the United States on the Visa Waiver Program, as Culleton did, legally gives up their right to contest their removal if they violate the terms of the agreement.

Buta longstanding policy, dating to 2013, made an exception for the "immediate relatives" of a U.S. citizen. As long as applicants don't have a deportation order or a criminal record, they can apply for an immigration benefit, like legal permanent residency.

Culleton applied. He has no criminal record, his attorney says, not even a traffic ticket. In court documents, Culleton refutes the government's claim that he has received a final order of removal. He said he's never received or signed the order.

Immigration authorities picked up Culleton in September after running his license plate in a Home Depot parking lot in Massachusetts, court records show. He was briefly held in New York, then moved to the Texas facility.

The Trump administration has been flying detainees from Democrat-friendly jurisdictions such as Massachusetts to ICE detention centers that fall within the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals – including Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi – where it is harder for immigrants to win bond or release.

Culleton's wife, Smythe, paid a $4,000 bond to secure his release, Okoye said, but ICE appealed the judge's decision and it was overturned.

A federal judge rejected his "habeas corpus" petition to be released due to his prolonged detention, ruling the petition was premature. Immigrant detainees can petition for their release after being held in detention for six months beyond a judge's order for removal or release.

Detainees and immigrant advocateshave raised alarms over the conditionsin Camp East Montana. Three detainees in custody there have died since December; onewas ruled a homicide.

Lauren Villagran covers immigration for USA TODAY and can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Irishman detained by ICE despite American wife, pending green card