Jeffrey Epstein pressured media mogul Mortimer Zuckerman to influence coverage of allegations against him, according to documents released by the United States Department of Justice, as reported by Al Jazeera. The documents revealed Epstein's financial and personal relationship with Zuckerman and his attempts to control the narrative in the New York Daily News, a newspaper owned by the media tycoon.
The documents, released on February 9, 2026, detailed Epstein's efforts to leverage his ties with Zuckerman to suppress negative publicity regarding his alleged sexual abuse of girls, Al Jazeera reported. The nature of their relationship and the extent of Epstein's influence attempts were highlighted in the released files.
In other news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to meet with Donald Trump in the United States to discuss ongoing negotiations with Iran, according to Netanyahu's office, as reported by Al Jazeera. The meeting, scheduled to be the seventh between the two leaders since Trump returned to office the previous year, would address the US's discussions with Iran. Netanyahu believed that Tehran should be pushed for limitations on ballistic missiles and an end to its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand in 2019, sought to overturn his guilty pleas, claiming his mental health was compromised due to prison conditions, Sky News reported. Appearing in court via video link on February 9, 2026, Tarrant described the prison conditions as "torturous and inhumane," stating he was irrational when he pleaded guilty.
In the entertainment world, Amazon's documentary "Melania" experienced a significant drop in its second weekend at the box office, TechCrunch reported. The film's earnings fell 67%, grossing an estimated $2.37 million in its second weekend. The documentary, which cost Amazon $40 million to acquire and $35 million to market, had grossed a total of $13.5 million so far, making it unlikely to break even in theaters.
Finally, a startup's project to recreate lost footage from Orson Welles' classic film "The Magnificent Ambersons" using generative AI was profiled by The New Yorker, as reported by TechCrunch. The project, spearheaded by Fable and its founder Edward Saatchi, aimed to address the lost footage with a genuine love for Welles and his work, according to the profile. Saatchi recalled a childhood filled with watching films, which fueled his passion for the project.
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