About a year before the World Cup, FIFA held a splashy opening for its latest office, a 17th-floor suite in Trump Tower. President Trump’s son Eric Trump said his family’s organization was “honored” to host the global soccer body.

FIFA signed a more than seven-year lease, worth about $4 million, according to two officials directly involved in the deal and documents reviewed by The New York Times. The suite mostly sits empty.

The terms of the deal, which have not been previously reported, raised concern among some senior FIFA officials about renting space in a Trump-linked building, in a high-tax state, without a clear need.

The deal offers another example of how FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, sought closer ties to President Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup, despite pushback from senior soccer officials.

Mr. Infantino has lavished praise on the American president, even creating a special peace prize in his honor. During the World Cup, FIFA rescinded the suspension of Folarin Balogun, a star striker for the U.S. team, after a call between Mr. Trump and Mr. Infantino, prompting accusations of bias and political interference.

Since the tournament, Mr. Infantino has faced intense scrutiny over his conduct, including for engaging in secret talks to sell a portion of future tournaments to a private fund run by the brother of Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The plan prompted European soccer’s governing body to threaten to bring a complaint to criminal court. Mr. Infantino has accused his critics of a harassment campaign.

FIFA’s American operations are mostly based in two offices in Miami. The organization has no plans to fully staff the Trump Tower location and the office sits largely idle, according to current and former FIFA officials who, like others cited in this article, requested anonymity to discuss private discussions and business deals.

In response to questions about the lease, FIFA defended the arrangement, saying that it paid market-level rent for the property. The lease “complies with all local laws” and “was signed in accordance with FIFA’s standard internal processes,” FIFA said in a statement.

FIFA uses the nearly 5,000-square-foot space for special events and for meetings with dignitaries and soccer leaders, the organization said. It is mostly used during the yearly United Nations General Assembly.

The decision to open a representative office in Trump Tower was driven by Mr. Infantino, according to the two officials who were involved in the deal.

FIFA hired an international real estate consultancy to assess whether the deal was in line with market rates. But the two officials said that there was no clear business need for the office, especially since FIFA had the offices in Miami.

Officials flagged that opening another U.S. office, in New York State, could create an additional tax liability for FIFA, the documents show, and the organization worked with lawyers to establish that no business or commercial activities would take place there to avoid such taxes.

In an emailed response to questions about the lease, FIFA said, “New York is a global city, and FIFA is a global organization; it is therefore logical for FIFA to have a presence there.”

Miguel Maduro, a Portuguese former governance head at FIFA, said that selecting a facility tied to the American president might breach the organization’s conflict-of-interest provisions.

Mr. Infantino’s relationship with Mr. Trump has also prompted an ethics complaint by Norway’s soccer federation.

Alex Phillips, a former official at FIFA and other top soccer governing bodies, called the Trump Tower office “a completely unnecessary level of pandering.”

https://apnews.com/live/trump-greece-envoy-russia-diesel-midterm-elections-news-updates-10-12-2026

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A woman just filed a lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump, claiming that she was raped by Trump in a Florida hotel room. Jeffrey Epstein, according to the complaint, was present during the 1997 incident. We are only publishing the complaint as filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts. The actual document follows this text. We note the Clerk’s office has temporarily put a hold on the case due to a “cover sheet” issue — but a case number has been assigned. A response has not been filed to the complaint.

50-2026-CA-011136-XXXA-MB

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Elyse Relford

Georgetown, KY 40324

Plaintiff, Pro Se

v.

Donald J. Trump

Defendant.

COMPLAINT

Plaintiff, Elyse Relford, appearing pro se, alleges as follows:

I. PARTIES

1. Plaintiff, Elyse Relford, is an individual residing in Georgetown, Kentucky 40324.

2. Defendant Donald J. Trump is an individual who may be served through counsel or as otherwise authorized by applicable law.

II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

1. This action is brought in the State of Florida because the events giving rise to these claims are alleged to have occurred in Florida.

2. Venue is proper in the appropriate Florida court because the alleged wrongful conduct occurred within the State of Florida.

III. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

1. Plaintiff incorporates the preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth herein.

2. In or about 1997, Plaintiff was present at a hotel in the State of Florida with Jeffrey Epstein and Defendant Donald J. Trump.

3. Plaintiff informed Defendant that her birthday was the following day and that she was disappointed she would not be able to celebrate it.

4. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant then raped her, causing vaginal bleeding and severe physical injury.

5. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant repeatedly impersonated Plaintiff’s biological father by saying, “I’m Manuel,” intending to taunt Plaintiff because Defendant allegedly knew Plaintiff had been separated from her biological father by Jeffrey Epstein.

6. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant stated, “Oh, she’s a black girl. What if I get a disease?”

7. Plaintiff alleges that Jeffrey Epstein responded by stating, “She’s rich.”

8. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant’s conduct caused severe emotional trauma, humiliation, mental anguish, and continuing psychological harm.

9. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant’s conduct damaged her reputation and caused financial losses.

COUNT I – SEXUAL BATTERY (RAPE)

1. Plaintiff realleges all preceding paragraphs.

2. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant intentionally subjected Plaintiff to nonconsensual sexual intercourse.

3. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant’s conduct caused physical injury, pain, emotional suffering, and other damages.

COUNT II – INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS

1. Plaintiff realleges all preceding paragraphs.

2. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct.

3. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant’s conduct intentionally or recklessly caused severe emotional distress.

4. As a direct result, Plaintiff has suffered emotional pain, mental anguish, humiliation, and continuing psychological injuries.

COUNT III – DEFAMATION (IF SUPPORTED BY APPLICABLE LAW AND FACTS)

1. Plaintiff realleges all preceding paragraphs.

2. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant made false and defamatory statements that injured Plaintiff’s reputation.

3. Plaintiff alleges that these statements caused reputational and financial damages.

COUNT IV – HARASSMENT (TO THE EXTENT RECOGNIZED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW)

1. Plaintiff realleges all preceding paragraphs.

2. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant engaged in repeated harassing and degrading conduct that caused substantial emotional harm.

DAMAGES

1. As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s alleged conduct, Plaintiff has suffered:

a. Emotional distress;

b. Physical injuries;

c. Mental anguish;

d. Damage to reputation;

e. Financial loss; and

f. Other damages to be proven at trial.

PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Court:

A. Enter judgment in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant;

B. Award compensatory damages in the amount of $1,300,000;

C. Award any additional damages authorized by law;

D. Award costs of this action as permitted by law; and

E. Grant such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

Respectfully submitted,

Elyse Relford

Plaintiff, Pro Se

Georgetown, KY 40324

Full Article here:

https://bocanewsnow.com/2026/10/02/woman-sues-donald-trump-for-alleged-rape-in-florida-hotel-with-jeffrey-epstein-present/

Lawsuit here:

https://bocanewsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Redford-v-Trump.pdf

Possible Epstein files EFTA number:

EFTA00020517

"...founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told WTOP he expects up to 180 soldiers stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, will ultimately seek guidance to avoid being a member of the team that will execute Hasan at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, on the basis of their religious beliefs."

https://wtop.com/local/2026/10/soldiers-seeking-help-to-avoid-being-part-of-grotesque-and-barbaric-livestreamed-firing-squad/

Nicolae Stefanuta Greens/EFA co-president in the European Parliament posted a message in support of Ukraine, opposing Trump’s plan to buy Russian diesel.

The message came today, after EU imposed the biggest package of sanctions against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

Anthropic’s AI reportedly submitted a fake homicide tip to Philadelphia police during testing, despite being instructed not to perform harmful actions. The company eventually disclosed the incident and introduced new safeguards, but the mistake went undetected for over two months.

This raises a bigger question about AI accountability: Should we praise companies for voluntarily reporting mistakes, or does an incident like this prove that self-regulation isn't enough?

As AI agents become more autonomous and interact with real-world systems, where should we draw the line between innovation and public safety?

Curious to hear what people think. Is mandatory government oversight necessary, or would stricter regulation discourage companies from being transparent?

Source: Verity (link here)