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"Top Goldman Sachs lawyer to resign after emails show ties to Epstein."

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By Pavan Mahal February 13, 2026

In the news today: Goldman Sachs’ Kathy Ruemmler announces her resignation after emails show close ties to Jeffrey Epstein; how Trump’s political funds could rock the midterms; and investigators are asking for nearby security videos to help in their search for Nancy Guthrie. Also, cash bouquets are among Valentine’s Day’s most coveted tokens of love in Zimbabwe. Kathryn Ruemmler listens as President Barack Obama speaks at an installation ceremony for FBI Director James Comey at FBI Headquarters, in Washington, Oct. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) US NEWS Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler announces resignation after emails show close ties to Jeffrey Epstein Emails between Epstein and Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, showed a close relationship where she described him as an “older brother” and downplayed his sex crimes. Read more.

What to know: Up until her resignation, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman’s top legal post. In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing him.”   She had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. During her time in private practice after Ruemmler left the White House in 2014, she received several expensive gifts from Epstein. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender.  Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Professors in the Epstein files say they hoped friendship would lead to research funding Canadian and UK finance groups pause new ventures with DP World over CEO’s emails with Epstein POLITICS Trump boasts of over $1.5B in political funds. How he chooses to spend it could rock the midterms Trump’s stockpile — which dwarfs any amounts raised by his predecessors in their second terms — is not easy to precisely calculate. But what is not in question is that it represents a mountain of cash that could reshape Republican politics for years to come — if he chooses. People close to Trump say the main benefit of all that cash is unmatched influence heading into November.  Read more.

What to know: They insist Trump is eager to help Republicans so his political agenda isn’t stymied, like when Democratic victories derailed his first-term agenda after 2018’s midterms. His stockpile has helped the GOP build a sizable cash advantage over Democrats ahead of November, at least so far. Trump on Wednesday vowed political consequences for Republicans opposing his tariff policies, and could spend big to hurt them in GOP primaries. Still, the extent to which Trump will open his pocketbook in congressional races remains to be seen. Much of Trump’s political cash comes from the MAGA Inc. super PAC, which raised $100-plus million in the last six months of 2025 and entered this year with more than $300 million. The Republican National Committee reported raising $172 million last year. There’s also a constellation of pro-Trump nonprofits. “Because there are virtually no restrictions on what super PAC money can be used for, it essentially can be operated as a slush fund at the disposal of whoever controls it,” said Daniel Weiner, a former Federal Election Commission attorney and current director of the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Second US aircraft carrier is being sent to the Middle East, AP source says, as Iran tensions high As electricity costs rise, everyone wants data centers to pick up their tab. But how? Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a ‘scam’ A look at false claims made by the Trump administration as it revokes a key scientific finding Judge temporarily blocks Trump officials from rescinding health grants to some Democratic-led states Judge says US must help bring back some of the Venezuelans deported to notorious prison 2 Mexican Navy ships laden with humanitarian aid dock in Cuba as US blockade sparks energy crisis Trump immigration officials shown video of Alex Pretti’s death in tense Senate hearing A judge orders DHS to give Minnesota detainees swift access to lawyers before transfers Affordable housing residents near Portland ICE building to ask judge to limit feds’ use of tear gas Judge dismisses California deportation case for Mexican father of 3 US Marines DEA supervisor arrested as US shutters Dominican Republic office during visa-fraud probe Arizona GOP candidate drops out of primary, narrowing field to two Analilia Mejia, progressive ally of Bernie Sanders, wins special New Jersey House primary GOP senator says he’s open to compromise on Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve Indian unions and farmers stage a nationwide strike over interim trade deal with US Palestinian protester, detained for nearly a year, says ‘inhumane’ jail conditions prompted seizure Virginia Supreme Court rules US Marine’s adoption of an Afghan war orphan will stand Judge reads death threats during hearing on Trump decision to end legal protections for Haitians   Trump nominates a hospitality executive to lead the National Park Service US NEWS Search for Nancy Guthrie now seeks nearby security videos from the month before she vanished Investigators in Arizona want residents near Nancy Guthrie’s home to share surveillance camera footage of suspicious cars or people they may have noticed in the month before she disappeared. Their alert asked for video of “anything neighbors deem out of the ordinary or important to our investigation” since the beginning of January. Read more.

What to know: Federal and local officers have been going door-to-door in Tucson neighborhoods around 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie’s house while also looking for clues around the nearby home of one of her daughters, which she had visited just hours before disappearing. Investigators have recovered and are analyzing several pieces of evidence, including a pair of gloves, the sheriff’s department said. Authorities on Thursday briefly put up a tent in front of Nancy Guthrie’s entryway where her blood was discovered in the early days of the investigation, and where a doorbell camera captured images of a masked person the night she went missing. The FBI released descriptors of that person Thursday, whom it now calls a suspect, in a post on X.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Screening tips in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is ‘tremendous’ and critical work, experts say A look at all the videos from Nancy Guthrie’s family since her disappearance ADVERTISEMENT IN OTHER NEWS READ Bangladesh: Bangladesh Nationalist Party claims victory in country’s first election since 2024 uprising  Camp Mystic: Parents seek stronger camp regulations in other states Palestine Action: Britain’s High Court says it was illegal to outlaw protest group Olympic helmet: Artist behind banned Ukrainian helmet calls tribute ‘great heroism’ Trip-and-fall: Jeanine Pirro files a $250,000 negligence suit in New York Now streaming: Charli xcx and Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’ Today in History:  In 1996, the rock musical 'Rent,' by Jonathan Larson, premiered off-Broadway less than three weeks after Larson’s death WATCH Elephants: Thailand uses birth control vaccine to curb population near expanding farms A CHANGE OF PACE Florist Tongai Mufandaedza holds a money bouquet designed for Valentine's Day at his stall in Harare, Zimbabwe, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Ufumeli) In Zimbabwe, cash bouquets and scrap metal gifts rival flowers for Valentine's Day You can’t buy love, the saying goes. But from florists in traditional markets to social media sellers angling for attention on TikTok, dollar bills rolled and pinned together to resemble a floral bouquet are increasingly rivaling fresh flowers as Valentine Day’s most coveted tokens of appreciation in the southern African country.

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