Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan on Thursday to cement Moscow's ties with its old ally, while Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the West over the Israel-Hamas war...

North Korea said Wednesday it had succeeded in putting a military spy satellite in orbit after two previous failures, as the United States led its allies in condemning the launch...

By Dietrich Knauth NEW YORK The International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Tuesday called for changes to U.S. bankruptcy

BASEL, Switzerland & SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 31, 2023--

The people of Ecuador are heading to the polls -- but they're voting for more than just a new president. For the first time in history, the people will decide the fate of oil extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The federal government will not be allowed to separate migrant families under a zero-tolerance policy like the controversial measure former President Donald Trump's administration pursued, according to a settlement deal filed Monday.

Boker Jake Paul talked about using psychedelic drug ayahuasca during a recent interview

The Chinese government has begun reviewing its tariffs on Australian wine, with Beijing likely to remove the taxes

When Ray Epps, now 61, arrived in Washington DC in early January, 2021, he believed he was answering the call of his president. Mr Epps was one of the thousands of MAGA loyalists who believed former President Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election had been stolen. He also thought he and a throng of conservative allies would protest the election's certification. The night before the Capitol riot on Jan 6, Mr Epps told a crowd of fellow Trump supporters that they should enter the Capitol. This exchange was caught on video. He did not call for violence, and later claimed that he was encouraging a peaceful protest inside the building. Nearly 900 people have been arrested for their participation in the failed insurrection that occurred the following day. Though Mr Epps is not among that number, he has nonetheless become the focus of a MAGA-world conspiracy theory placing the blame for the entire debacle squarely on his shoulders. Who is Ray Epps? Mr Epps is a former Marine who runs a wedding and event venue in Queen Creek, Arizona. He describes himself as a staunch conservative, and was a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Mr Epps went to Washington DC believing that the 2020 election had been stolen. Politico has reported that Mr Epps is a former Oath Keeper, the militant right-wing gang whose members are currently under investigation on seditious conspiracy charges. Since the Capitol riot, his life has been turned upside down by the very people he once marched alongside. The conspiracy theory After failing to pin the Capitol riot on Antifa, right-wing media outlets refocused their efforts to reshape their narrative around Mr Epps. According to the New York Times, obscure right-wing outlets like Revolver Media began reporting on selectively-edited videos of Mr Epps during the Capitol riot, and later capitalised on the footage from 5 January in which he called for people to enter the Capitol. The theory claims that Mr Epps, who was not arrested in the wake of the Capitol riot despite apparently encouraging people to enter the building and participating in the event himself, could only have evaded law enforcement if he was working with the government. To explain this apparent contradiction, outlets and conspiracy theorists decided that Mr Epps had to have been an FBI agent sent into the crowd to stir dissent and set up a "false flag" event meant to justify the incarceration of hundreds of Trump supporters. Larger right-wing media platforms, including Fox News' Tucker Carlson, picked up on the story, thrusting Mr Epps into the mainstream conservative consciousness. Republican lawmakers including Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz leapt on the theory in their efforts to reframe the Capitol riot narrative. Mr Trump himself eventually signed onto the conspiracy theory, feeding the man who believed his lies into the right-wing conspiracy machine's ever hungry maw. What really happened? Days after the Capitol riot, Mr Epps learned that the FBI was treating him as a person of interest in its then nascent investigation into the riot. He immediately called the agency and agreed to call them to discuss what had happened. During their talks, Mr Epps insisted that he had remained peaceful and had instructed other rioters to do the same. Video footage that was eventually edited and used to suggest Mr Epps was inciting violence actually showed that he was trying to talk down other protesters who were getting angry. In one video, he tells another protester, Ryan Samsel, to relax and reminds him that the Capitol police were doing their jobs. According to the Times, Mr Samsel was questioned by the FBI and fully corroborated Mr Epps' version of events. “He came up to me and he said, ‘Dude’ — his entire words were, ‘Relax, the cops are doing their job,’” Mr Samsel told investigators. Further, Mr Epps was able to prove that he had left the Capitol before the violence began in earnest. A protester who had fallen ill required help away from the chaos, and Mr Epps volunteered to help lead them out. The fallout Since then, Mr Epps’ life has turned upside down. He has become a persona non grata in conservative circles due to his association with the conspiracy theory. After the conspiracy theory picked up steam, Mr Epps began receiving death threats and even had intruders trespass on his property. According to Mr Epps, those individuals approached him and demanded to know the "truth" about his supposed involvement with the FBI. He has had to leave his home in Arizona and is currently hiding out in an RV with his wife at an undisclosed location. Mr Epps told theTimes that he fears the direction the US is heading, and called what was done to him "criminal." “I am at the center of this thing, and it’s the biggest farce that’s ever been,” he said. “It’s just not right. The American people are being led down a path. I think it should be criminal.” Lawsuit In July 2023, Mr Epps filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News and its former host, Tucker Carlson. Mr Epps filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Delaware, the same court in which Fox was given a $787.5m judgement to settle a separate defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems, the New York Times reports. Fox News has since sought to have the lawsuit moved to the Federal District Court in Wilmington. Mr Epps is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. The move comes after Mr Epps demanded in March that Fox News and Carlson retract their stories and issue on-air apologies to him. “Ray is taking the next steps to vindicate his rights by seeking accountability for Fox’s lies that have caused him and [his wife] Robyn so much harm,” his attorney, Michael Teter, told the Times. The lawsuit blames Fox News for spreading 2020 election fraud misinformation, painting Mr Epps as a loyal viewer who trusted the network’s commentary. “When Fox, through its on-air personalities and guests, told its audience that the 2020 election had been stolen, Epps was listening,” the complaint says. “He believed Fox. And when Epps kept hearing that Trump supporters should let their views be known on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., Epps took that to heart.” It goes on further to claim that Fox News and Carlson made Mr Epps the “villain” of their stories, and said Carlson in particular became “fixated” on the former Marine. Read More Ray Epps sues Fox News and Tucker Carlson for ‘defamatory attacks’ after January 6 Trump 2020 election interference probe hears from Michigan official – live GOP lawmaker compares Hunter Biden to glitter: ‘You cannot get rid of him’ Trump 2020 election interference probe hears from Michigan official – live GOP lawmaker compares Hunter Biden to glitter: ‘You cannot get rid of him’ Russian lawmakers move to further restrict transgender rights in a new legislation

A 79-year-old South Carolina man likely faces life in prison when he is sentenced for killing two police officers and wounding five more in a 2018 ambush he set up after detectives told him they were coming to serve a search warrant on his son

The siblings of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves will receive her posthumous degree on the sixth-month anniversary of her murder. Kaylee, her best friend Madison Mogen, and fellow students Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in a vicious attack on the night of 13 November inside the young women’s off-campus home. Bryan Kohberger, then a PhD student at the neighbouring Washington State University, has been charged with their murders. On Saturday, the grieving families plan to attend the University of Idaho’s 2023 graduation ceremony, where their late loved ones will be celebrated for their achievements. Goncalves and Mogen were set to graduate this semester, while the families of juniors Kernodle and Chapin will receive certificates for the semesters they completed. During an interview with Good Morning Americaaired on Friday, Goncalves’ parents talked about the many emotions they’ve experienced on the days leading up to their daughter’s posthumous graduation. Their other children, they said, will walk across the stage to honour the milestone their sister had envisioned before her life was cut short. “It’s still an out-of-body [experience],” Kristi Goncalves said about grieving her daughter. “I never would have thought a year ago, or even six months ago, that there was going to be a reason that Kaylee wouldn’t be able to accept her own degree. That she wouldn’t be here.” “I think it shows respect for Kaylee and her hard work ... It’s important for somebody to walk for her.” Meanwhile, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he is looking forward to Mr Kohberger’s next appearance in court on 26 June, for a preliminary hearing in the quadruple murder case. “I can’t wait to see the evidence. ... And then I’m gonna bring it,” Mr Goncalves said. “And he’s gonna realise that this ... is the family that’s gonna make sure he doesn’t get away with it.” The Goncalves family said they don’t believe Mr Kohberger ever met Kaylee in person, let alone attended one of her parties, as online speculation suggested. “You’re not having just some random stranger at your party,” Kaylee’s brother told ABC. “There’s plenty of things that would have quickly [been] noticed and [he’d be] removed from the party.” Ms Goncalves also recounted the moment she first saw Mr Kohberger in court, noting she was overwhelmed by the situation. She said while she can’t wait to get justice for her daughter, she will not be present in the courtroom when graphic evidence on the case is presented. “I was completely overwhelmed. I actually almost thought I was gonna pass out,” she said. “My daughter saw him face-to-face and in a very different light than we saw him, sitting there [in court], looking very meek.” She added: “I think a big thing is for us to go in strong, united as a family ... I’ve never been to a preliminary trial before. ... I have no idea what to expect, I have no idea what we’re going to hear. ... But I know that I’ve got my son, and my daughter will be there, and my sister, and my husband.” Mr Kohberger has not entered a plea but said earlier this year through a public defender that he “was eager to be exonerated.” The former criminology PhD student was linked to the crime thanks to DNA found at the scene, cellphone data and surveillance video of what prosecutors believe to be his white Hyundai Elantra leaving the scene after the slayings, according to the affidavit for his arrest. One of the victims’ surviving roommates was also able to partially describe the killer to investigators after she came face to face with him in the aftermath of the murders. The murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – was not recovered during the searches and it is still unclear where it may be. Two warrants made public in April and obtained by The Independent show that investigators collected a Glock .40 calibre gun, empty gun magazines, a knife, a pocket knife, black face masks, black gloves, electronic devices, and more clothing items from the home of Mr Kohberger’s parents in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested. Mr Kohberger’s family home was raided on the same day as another search was carried out at his apartment in Pullman, Washington, which was a 15-minute drive from the crime scene in Moscow. The warrant from the Washington search was made public in January, revealing investigators seized a “collection of dark red” spotting and a pillow with a “reddish/brown stain” at Mr Kohberger’s Pullman apartment. At least two items seized from the Pullman search tested positive for blood. Read More Lori Vallow trial verdict – live: Jury to decide fate as ‘cult mom’ turns on Chad Daybell in closing arguments Daniel Penny: Everything we know about ex-Marine filmed choking Jordan Neely in fatal subway incident Ex-Marine surrenders to New York authorities to face charge over Jordan Neely death

Lil wayne has previously served a prison sentence over gun possession