Good morning.
The convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apparently served as a behind-the-scenes adviser to the former Trump official and Maga influencer Steve Bannon during an August 2018 media campaign to defend Trump and his agenda, and to promote Bannon’s media ventures.
Text messages released by the House oversight committee on Wednesday detail a six-day exchange between the men from 17 to 23 August, and show Epstein coaching Bannon on television appearances and political messaging.
One side of the conversation is sent from an iMessage account associated with an Epstein email address, with contextual clues making it clear the other participant is Bannon.
What else has been released in the flood of recent Epstein emails? Among many, many other things, one email shows an exchange between him and an associate in which they discuss “girls” and travel. The justice department continues to downplay the possibility that other men were involved in Epstein’s abuse of teen girls.
What’s happening with rest of the Epstein files? Trump is facing the prospect of a politically damaging congressional vote to release the files, after attempts to press two members of Congress to withdraw their backing for it appeared to have failed.
China and Saudi Arabia among nations receiving climate loans, analysis reveals
China and wealthy petrostates including Saudi Arabia and UAE are among countries receiving large sums of climate finance, according to an analysis.
The Guardian and Carbon Brief analysed previously unreported submissions to the UN, along with data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), that show how billions of dollars of public money is being committed to the fight against global heating.
The investigation found a broadly functioning system that shifts capital from rich polluters to vulnerable nations, helping them clean their economies and adapt to a hotter world.
Russia attacks ‘every district’ of Kyiv, sparking fires across Ukrainian capital
Russia unleashed a massive combined attack on Kyiv early today, sparking fires and scattering debris across many districts of the capital, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said. At least 11 people were injured as emergency crews responded to multiple strikes, he said in a statement.
Five people were hospitalised, including one man in critical condition and a pregnant woman, after a series of powerful explosions sounded in the city and air defences were activated.
The attack on the capital was ongoing, officials said, urging residents to remain in shelters until the air raid alert is lifted. City authorities warned that power and water outages were possible.
What has the Ukrainian president said? Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was “deliberately calculated” and “aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure”.
This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.
In other news …
The BBC has apologised to Donald Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary that led to the resignation of its director general and news chief, but disagreed there was a basis for his accusation of defamation.
The justice department yesterday joined a lawsuit brought by California Republicans to block the state’s new congressional map, as a number of states are fighting over partisan redistricting designed to give either Democrats or Republicans more seats in the House of Representatives.
A man found guilty in the 1979 rape and murder of a six-year-old girl was executed in Florida yesterday, just hours after clemency was granted at the very last minute to Tremane Wood, a 46-year-old death row inmate in Oklahoma.
Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia’s breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of “serious implications” for the future of the species.
Stat of the day: Two hours a night: Japan PM’s sleep schedule prompts concerns about work-life balance
Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has said she gets by on just two to four hours sleep a night – prompting concern over her commitment to a better work-life balance among the country’s fatigued employees.
Don’t miss this: ‘I found it 35 years later and dissolved into tears’ – readers’ favourite photo booth moments
A hundred years ago, Anatol Marco Josepho, a Russian immigrant to the US, invented the world’s first fully automated, coin-operated photo booth. A reported 280,000 people lined up to use it in the first six months. To mark 100 years, nine writers shared their favourite photo booth pictures, and we asked Guardian readers to show us their favourites and tell us what they mean to them. Here are some of their stories.
… or this: Eight winter clothing essentials Scandinavians swear by – from heated socks to ‘allværsjakke’
Scandinavians know how to dress for forbidding weather. The long Scandinavian winter, which typically stretches from November until late March, demands layers of clothing and plenty of protection against the cold. Our team at the Filter has helped gather eight products from the streets and slopes across the Nordic region to help you brace for the cold.
Last Thing: The great escape – seal flees killer whales by jumping on to photographer’s boat
A wildlife photographer on a whale-watching trip in waters off Seattle captured dramatic video and photos of a pod of killer whales hunting a seal. The seal only survived by clambering out of the water and on to a swimming platform at the stern of the boat near the motor – claiming it as a life raft of sorts.
Sign up
Sign up for the US morning briefing
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters, please email newsletters@theguardian.com
