Global News Podcast - Hillary Clinton accuses Trump of Epstein 'cover up'

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state, and her husband, the former president Bill Clinton, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. She said the government's behaviour indicated it had something to hide. President Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says he broke off contact with the convicted sex offender many years ago. Also: Australia's Prime Minister has refused to repatriate a group of Australians in Syria associated with the Islamic State group, saying they could face prosecution if they went back. Ahead of the resumption of indirect talks, President Trump says he believes the Iranians want to make a deal over its nuclear programme, while the foreign ministry in Tehran says the US is moving towards a "more realistic position". Italy laments the loss of one of the Adriatic's most famous landmarks, the rock structure "Lovers' Arch", which collapsed on Valentine's day following days of bad weather. And, the American actor, Robert Duvall, has died aged 95.

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Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and in the early hours of Tuesday the 17th of February, these are our main stories. The former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the BBC she thinks there's been a cover-up by the Trump administration over the Epstein files. something the White House strongly denies. President Trump believes Iran wants to make a deal as a second round of indirect talks over Tehran's nuclear program are about to begin. Also in this podcast.

My mother would have said if you make your bed, you'll own it. There's people who went overseas supporting Islamic State. Australia's Prime Minister says he will refuse to repatriate women and children trying to leave a detention camp in Syria and there are tributes to the legendary American actor Robert DeVold who's died aged 95. Our top story is comments made to the BBC by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

She's told us she thinks there's been a cover-up by the Trump administration over Jeffrey Epstein. Mrs Clinton and her husband, the former US president, Bill Clinton, have agreed to testify later this month in the congressional investigation into the last sex offender, which will allow them to avoid being found in contempt of Congress. Mrs. Clinton was speaking in Berlin to our correspondent Jessica Parker, who began by asking her

if she regretted the links between Epstein, his convicted associate, Galane Maxwell, and the Clinton family. Well, let me start by saying that a law was passed in Congress to require that all the files that have anything to do with them be released. And what we're seeing, I think it's very to say is a continuing cover-up by the Trump administration. In fact, when the Attorney General testified last week, it was quite a scene because she refused to answer questions. She diverted attention away from the matters at hand. She refused to look at the survivors. So there's something about this administration's attitude toward this, which I think really leads us to conclude they have something to hide. We don't. We have.

been willing to say whatever we know. We've even done it under oaths. But they want us to testify, not everyone else who's mentioned many, many times, hundreds of thousands of times in these files. So we've said, fine, let us do it in public. And we will appear in public and we'll answer all your questions. And we'll get to that in just a moment. But just to be clear, do you regret the links that there have been? You know, we have no links. We have a very clear record that we've been willing to talk about, which my husband has said he took some rides on the airplane for his charitable work. I don't recall ever meeting him. Did you ever meet Alain Maxwell? I did on a few occasions and thousands of people go to the Clinton Global

Initiative. So it to me is not something that is really at the heart of what this matter is about. They are accused and in both cases were convicted of horrific crimes against girls and women. That should be the focus. And we are more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behavior or their crimes. And we want to do it in public, because let's make this transparent. The survivors deserve that. The public deserves that. But But, you know, the Republican member of Congress who is running this hearing or this investigation is trying to protect the president. So let's get to what's really at stake here. Just on this hearing, and obviously I'm sure Donald Trump and his administration would reject your characterization of what's going on and he's denied anyone doing.

How can they reject it? They can't answer questions. And the Attorney General was clearly unwilling to answer questions. She works for him. So let's be very clear here. According to what we now know, Mr. Trump, President Trump, has mentioned, some say, a million times in the files. People in his cabinet are mentioned. That's what it says, you know, on the Internet over and over again. So let's find out what the truth is. That's why we want it to be transparent and in public. And on that, your upcoming appearance before the Oversight Committee, where are we with that?

You want to appear in public, public versus closed door deposition. Is it going ahead and how? What is the format going to be? We will show up, but we think it would be better to have it in public. Because what we want is for everybody to get to the facts about this. We have nothing to hide. We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly. We think sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Get the files out. They are slow walking it. They are redacting the names of men who are in it. They are stonewalling, legitimate requests from members of Congress. That has nothing to do with us. Something is going on. They know it. I know it. If they're going to have me testify, I would prefer to do it in public because I want everybody to see it at the same time. If I have to do it behind closed doors, they're not going to like what I have to say, because I have very strong opinions about what it is they're hiding and who they are protecting. I just want to ask you, there are calls for another individual who denies wrongdoing to go before Congress on this matter. Andrew Manbatten Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew. Do you think he should testify? I think everybody should testify, including the former prince.

I think everybody should testify who was asked to testify. I just want it to be fair. I want everybody treated the same way. That's not true for my husband and me, because other witnesses were asked to testify. they gave written statements under oath. We offered that. Hillary Clinton there speaking to the BBC's Jessica Parker in Berlin, and we put those claims that there have been a cover-up to the White House. The BBC's Katrina Perry got the details from our North America correspondent, Helena Humphrey. Secretary Clinton made the allegation that the speed and scale and scope of the release

of the Epstein files was what she called a cover-up, And in response to that, writing to the BBC, the White House has said, quote, by releasing thousands of pages of documents cooperating with the House Oversight Committee's subpoena request and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein's Democrat friends, the Trump administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have. Now, there was also a claim made by Secretary Clinton that President Trump was mentioned. She said some say millions of times. and we have previously heard from the administration saying references with regards to President Trump are from an FBI tip line.

And this was essentially tips that were given without evidence and haven't been verified. And of course, as we always point out, inclusion in these files doesn't mean any sort of wrongdoing. And the president himself has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. And President Trump has said that he had long cut off contact. with Jeffrey Epstein. He says around 2004 before he was first arrested, he is mentioned in the files, as you say, is not proof of any wrongdoing or of any criminal misconduct. But the Department of Justice has previously referenced the fact that the president was mentioned. And again, I can

quote you some of that statement. They have said, some docs contain untrue and sensationalist claims against Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. This statement says, to be clear, it goes on to say, the country. claims are unfounded and false, and if they have any shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against Trump already. That's from the Department of Justice. Now, on another matter, we also heard Hillary Clinton there call for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former prince to come to the US and answer some questions. Others have made that same call, but can he be compelled to do so? Well, to be clear, there isn't a legal mechanism that would force the former

Prince Andrew, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, to come to the United States, to respond to that subpoena, give testimony despite those growing calls and of course being named in those files, as we say, not indicative of misconduct. We know that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, for his part, has strenuously and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Our North America correspondent Helena Humphrey, on Monday, a group of Australian citizens held in a camp in northern Syria for nearly seven years due to their links to Islamic State fighters were released to begin their journey back home. But after being seen boarding minibuses for the capital Damascus,

they were quickly forced to turn around, reportedly, because of issues with the Syrian authorities. Speaking to ABC, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to help the 34 women and children. My mother would have said, if you make your bed, you'll own it. There's a people who went overseas supporting Islamic State. And, you know, it is... Unfortunately for the children, though, caught up.

It is, but we have a very firm view that we won't be providing assistance or repatriation. Our Sydney correspondent Katie Watson told me what we know about this case. We know that they've been in Northern Syria for nearly seven years. 34 Australian women and children believed to be the wives and children of IS fighters. So they've been stuck in a detention camp because the Australian government has this policy of refusing. to repatriate them officially. Now, you mentioned why they were meant to be released and then that was halted, were unclear really about what the future is as a result. But Australia has been very clear, and we heard it from Albanese, citing his mother there, that they wouldn't be repatriating people

from Syria, that those who returned had committed crimes, they'd be met with a full force of law. But I think this is the issue, and that was brought up by the interest. interviewer on ABC, as we heard there. You know, what about there are children involved? And that's something that the camp's director has been pleading Australia to take back their citizens, that children were growing up in the camp, surrounded by dangerous ideas and ideologies and that they needed to throughout that Australia needed to take responsibility for their citizens. Yeah, you mentioned the law there. What exactly does the Australian law say on this? So the Australian government's been very clear that it doesn't repatriate people from Syria. They say that they're monitoring, they continue to

monitor the situation in Syria. to make sure that they are prepared for any Australians seeking to return back here. But they have also made it very clear that if they have committed a crime, if they want to return to Australia, they will be met with the full force of law. But they're also clear and saying that the safety of Australians is paramount, the protection of Australia's national interests. That's the main priority. But there is an understanding that if people present to the Australian embassy,

that there is a responsibility to issue them passports, but these people didn't get to that point. And just quickly, I mean, it's not just Australian citizens in these camps in Syria, is it? No, I mean, probably the most famous kind of case in the UK is Shmimu Bang. She, there's been a huge controversy over her and whether she can, you know, she should be able to return to the UK, but the decision was made to remove her citizenship. You know, this, I think this is clearly not just an Australian case. This is a universal case, but also a humanitarian case as well.

Our Sydney correspondent Katie Watson. World Cup winning cricketer Smriti Mandana has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award. She was vice captain as they won the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup. This is part of her acceptance speech. Thank you to BBC for giving me the award for best sportswoman of the year, Indian. And 2025 was special year for women's cricket, especially if we had a World Cup, and I'm happy that I could contribute in any ways to help India win matches. Thank you. Smriti Mandana was chosen by a grand jury, which included Grand Slam tennis champion Leander Pess,

and World Championship long jump medalist, Andrew Bobby George. But her journey into sports was perhaps easier than other girls and women, as she had the support of her family. Her brother and father were cricketers. So what challenges do female athletes face in India? Our correspondent in Delhi, Isha Drita Lahiri explains. I interviewed Smithy Mandhana a few days ago and she was telling me that it's almost surreal that women's cricket has come to this point in India.

And she was telling me how when she was younger, she grew up practicing against male cricketers. And now for women's cricket to be at a point where women's cricketers are getting advertisements at a certain point in time was only what. you'd associate with the main cricketers. And this particular award is important because there aren't many awards

which are for sports women in India. It is an uphill journey even now. If I could just give you an example. I was speaking to one of our jury members Anjubobobby George, India's premier athletes. And she was telling me that in her sports academy, which is supposed to be one of the best in India and very difficult to get into,

she often gets requests from younger female players and from their parents to drop out from the academy so that they can get married before they turn adults. And to think that this could even happen in an elite sports academy really tells you how much Indian sports, especially for women, how much ground it still has to cover. And, you know, it's very interesting because in India, if you are playing a certain kind of sports,

whether you're a man or a woman, it makes you eligible for government jobs. So a lot of people in rural areas who probably do not have... the means to make it big in sports. They just start out in sports so that they can get a government job. And that just says that there's a lot of talent in India, but we still need that capital to come into Indian sports, especially for women, to make it big in the world state. That was Ishajadrita Lahiri.

Still to come in this podcast, heartbreak in Italy as a famous natural landmark collapses. Today we worked with some really serious news. sad news. It's very painful and on Valentine's Day of all days. I've spent the last three decades trying to better understand money across the border room, the newsroom and the trading floor. That's longer than most podcasts hosts have been alive. But even though I've got questions. Join me, Merrin's Upset Web, every week for my show Merrin Talks Money from Bloomberg Podcasts, where I have in-depth conversations with fund managers, strategists and experts about her markets really work. And join

for a separate episode where I answer listener questions and how to make those markets work for you. Follow Merritt Talk's Money on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen. This is The Global News Podcast. The rhetoric from the US and Iran over what the barriers are to a nuclear deal and how to break them seems to shift day by day. The two countries are resuming indirect talks over Tehran's nuclear program. Ahead of the meeting in Geneva, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said it believed Washington have moved towards a more realistic position. Lees-Ducet is reporting from Tehran

on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service. These restrictions apply to all international organisations operating in Iran. Both American and Iranian negotiators say they want a deal. What's not clear is just how wide the gaps are between them. Iranian officials say they're ready to compromise, as long as the US is ready to lift sanctions, now crippling Iran's economy. They're also adamant that these talks can focus only on their nuclear program,

not on other issues, including ballistic missiles, which some senior U.S. officials, as well as Israel, insist, must be on the table. Iran believes it's now winning this argument. But President Trump continues to send conflicting signals. He often says he prefers to do a deal, but he recently remarked that regime change would be the best thing to happen in Iran. Donald Trump has been speaking to reporters about the impending talk, saying he thinks Iran does want to make a deal, but is that likely? I asked our correspondent,

Peter Bose. I think as far as President Trump is concerned, we've been hearing this message from him for some time that he believes that Iran wants to make a deal, although it is far from clear what a framework would look like for a deal to be agreed, given the complexity of the issue. But the President said, and he didn't elaborate, that he would be indirectly involved in the talks, talks with tough, as he put it, Iranian negotiators, the second round of talks in Switzerland. He said that they were very important and that crucially he didn't think Iran wanted the consequences of not making a deal, that he believed that the Iranians were motivated to negotiate. So there is that implied threat of unspecified consequences if at the end of this process, however long it takes, the White House believes that it hasn't got what it's set out to achieve.

And what about from an Iranian perspective then? Well, from an Iranian perspective, and we've just heard in Lisa's report there, that as far as the Iranian's concern, that essentially there is one issue on the table here, and that is the nuclear issue, that they do not want it complicated, by, and this may be unrealistic, but the complexities involve the demand of Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, for example, that all enriched uranium is removed from Iran as part of any eventual deal. Iran has ruled that out, saying that the enrichment is for civilian purposes. Israel also wants to curb Iran's development of ballistic missiles, which have been used to strike Israel. Those issues complicate an already complicated scenario between the US and Iran. Peter Bose. A BBC eye investigation has revealed how two US agents from homeland security investigations rescued a 12-year-old girl who'd been sexually abused for six years after images of her were found on the dark web. The only information the agents had was that the girl was located somewhere in America. Their job was to find her based on what they could see in the

images her abuser was sharing. So the girl's face and the interior of the room she was being abused. So how do you find someone whose abuser is determined to keep them hidden? BBCI documentary maker Sam Piranti reports. To look at her as a six-year-old little girl and to see her eyes and the light that is quite normal in a child that age. And then to look at her in that 12-year-old range and just to see that start to dim, you see what looks like an old woman behind those eyes. and to go who has the right to extinguish that. Special agents Greg Squire and Pete Manning are part of a network of undercover investigators

who track and catch paedophiles who operate on the dark web. This girl in very normal environments surrounded by the things that she would have in everyday life or her favorite clothes, her bed, all these things that you'd normally see in just everybody's house was now like captured in these terrible moments that were surrounded by normal things.

The abuser the agents are looking for has taken care to ensure there is nothing in the images he is sharing on the dark web which could reveal her location. So they look elsewhere. Clothing, bedding, furniture, just, you know, anything we saw, basically. They're tracking down every item they can see in the pictures,

trying to trace all the people who have bought the item and if any of them have been flagged as child abusers. But then they have an idea. We looked at the bricks. One wall in the room in the images is made of exposed brick. The agents decide to take a photo of them and send it to the American Brick Industry Association. I think within just a few hours, we started getting responses. We started getting emails from people going, hey, my name is so-and-so.

I work for this brick company. that brick is called yada yada yada and i was like smiling so bad i was like i can't believe we found the experts at this my name is john harp and i worked for acme brick company for 43 years i asked greg squire if they could enhance the photo any and when i saw that i knew exactly what the brick was special agent greg squire was at home when he took the call from acme brick salesman john harp who told him that the specific brick had only been made at one plant. He goes, if we sold an Alamo fire brick, that brick didn't travel outside 100 miles of this plant right here.

And I was so happy when he said that I could barely, like, contain myself. That very next morning, we took all of the data records we had, and we took a map and drew ourselves a hundred mile radius. and said she's inside this circle somewhere. The agents cross-referenced the sale records of the items and the images with the area they now knew she lives in. They find her within days. Her abuser was her mother's boyfriend,

but she is just one child. There are thousands more whose images are being shared by paedophiles on the dark web. This is a calling in a way, just like a soldier has a calling and many professionals do. You don't get asked a lot of second questions. sometimes when you talk to people. And I get that. You know, we don't, I don't do the work because I need anything more than we're doing the best we can for the children.

That report by Sam Piranti, and we can tell you that within hours, the girls' abuser was arrested. He was subsequently sentenced to more than 70 years in jail. You can hear more of that as well. You can listen to the full investigation. It's called The Darkest Web, and it's available wherever you get your BBC podcast. There's also a BBCI documentary on the World. World Service YouTube page and on BBC.com if you're in the US. Next, a born actor with a phenomenal gift.

Just one of the tributes that's been paid to legendary American actor Robert DeValle, who's died at the age of 95. He starred in some of the most critically acclaimed films of the 20th century, including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. And to give you an idea of how well he's thought of in Hollywood, that quote I started with was from none other than Al Pacino. Oliver Conway looks back at Robert Duval's illustrious life and career. It was not a lead role, but as Colonel Kilgore in United Artists' Apocalypse Now, Robert Duval stole the show.

You smell that? Hey fun, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of May Palm in the morning. It earned him a second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, after the Godfather from Paramount Pictures by the same director Francis Ford Coppola seven years earlier when he played concierge Tom Hagan opposite Marlon Brando. It was Michael who killed Salon, but he's safe.

We're starting to work to bring it back now. Duval said the film gave an overly romantic portrayal of the mafia, but was a masterpiece nonetheless. Despite the dark subject matter, he and James Kahn found time to play jokes on their illustrious co-star. You know, Brando would say, could I have a minute, and then he'd get emotionally prepared, and then he'd do a wonderful scene, and the next day, Stephen Kahn would say, Francis could Bobby have a minute, and I go like this, and I just walk across the stage, they'd say, cut, and Brandon would give me a dirty look.

But we were always fooling around, and Brando reads his lines sometimes, so we'd take the lines away, so we couldn't read them, you know. It was a great time. Son of an admiral, Robert Duval, said acting was the only thing he was ever any good at. He studied theatre in New York, where he did. was good friends with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. He got his break when Arthur Miller saw him appear in his play A View from the Bridge. TV and film roles followed, to kill a mockingbird, True Grit and Mash, and a lead part in THX 1138. After Godfather parts one and two, he had

further success in Network, and then leading performances and Oscar nominations in the Great Santini and Tender Mercies. The latter, made by Universal and Universal. or pictures and directed by Bruce Beresford, saw Duval singing his own songs and winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Let me know what you decide, dear. Then let me rest my head for a while. He never really capitalised on that Oscar success,

refusing to do Godfather 3 because he was offered much less money than Al Pacino. He turned to TV and was nominated for a series of Emmys, but couldn't get studios interested in his film The Apostle, which he ended up financing and directing himself, as well as being the main star. It's always you underneath. I mean, if I was going to play King Lear, it would be me underneath.

It has to be, you only have one temperament. You only have one psyche, it's only one mind, so it's always you underneath. It earned him another Oscar nomination. Two more were to follow, including one at the age of 84, for the judge. A big fan of The Tango, he included the dance in a film he made with his four, wife. He had no children but leaves a body of work that few actors can rival. Oliver Conway there, looking back on the life of actor Robert Duval, and I'm sure millions of people will be re-watching classics like The Godfather and Apocalypse now this week.

We finish with a cruel twist of irony. A famous rock formation in southern Italy, dubbed Lover's Arch, has collapsed. It happened on Valentine's Day following days of bad weather. Raina Aslam reports. The lover's arch at Santandria in the region of Puglia has served as a backdrop for countless wedding proposals, film shoots, tourist photos and postcards. But it's now been reduced to rubble. According to local authorities,

strong winds and heavy rains in recent days weakened the rock structure until it finally collapsed into the sea on Saturday. The local mayor, Mauricio Cisternino, told reporters it was an unwanted Valentine's gift. Today we woke to some really sad news. It's very painful. and on Valentine's Day of all days.

It's a devastating blow to the heart. Officials have warned that other parts of the rocky coastline could now also be at risk, with cracks visible along the cliff, underscoring the growing threat of coastal erosion. This is all part of a wider pattern of extreme weather in southern Italy, which has caused over a billion dollars in damage this year

and led the government to declare a state of emergency in three regions. Environmental groups are calling for greater protection against climate change. Aina Aslam. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at global podcast at BBC.com. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. Don't forget, we've got a sister podcast called The Global Story.

That goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Johnny Hall. The producers were Paddy McGuire and Marion Storer. drawn. The editor's Karen Martin and I'm Will Chalk. Until next time, goodbye. I've spent the last three decades trying to better

understand money across the border room, the newsroom and the trading floor. That's longer than most podcast hosts have been alive. But even though I've got questions, join me, Merrin's Upset Web, every week for my show Merrin Talks Money from Bloomberg podcasts, where I have in-depth conversations with fund managers,

strategists and experts about her markets really work. And join me for a separate episode where I answer listener questions and how to make those markets work for you. Follow Merrim Talks Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.