Disgraced

Novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer is trending across multiple countries, including the UK, US, India and Sweden. Archer, author of bestselling books such as Kane and Abel, was jailed in 2001 for perjury after a libel case, following his resignation as a Conservative Party deputy chairman in disgrace. BBC coverage describes him as a successful novelist, disgraced politician and convicted liar, renewing public interest in his turbulent career.

Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert has died at the age of 84. Hastert, an Illinois Republican, served as Speaker from 1999 to 2007, the longest-serving Republican in that role. His later years were marked by disgrace: in 2016 he was sentenced in a federal hush-money case tied to sexual abuse allegations from his time as a high school teacher and coach.

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, has died at the age of 84. Once one of the most powerful politicians in Washington, his legacy collapsed in 2016 when he admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys decades earlier while working as a high school teacher and wrestling coach. Obituaries are revisiting his rise to power and his dramatic fall from grace.

Dennis Hastert, the Illinois Republican who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, has died at the age of 84. His later years were overshadowed by scandal: in 2015 he pleaded guilty to banking violations tied to hush-money payments and admitted to sexually abusing former high school students when he was a teacher and wrestling coach. Obituaries are recalling both his record-long speakership and the fall from grace that followed.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, is taking legal action against police over his arrest connected to the Epstein files, according to the Telegraph. The move by the disgraced royal, who was stripped of his titles amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, is drawing fresh attention to his ties to the case and the police conduct surrounding his detention.

The BBC has published a profile of Jeffrey Archer, the British author and former Conservative politician whose career has spanned bestselling novels, a resignation from government over a financial scandal, and a 2001 conviction for perjury that sent him to prison. The piece recounts how he rebuilt his public life as a writer despite his criminal record and lasting political disgrace.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has begun legal action against Thames Valley Police, challenging whether the force acted lawfully during searches connected to his arrest in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein affair. The former prince is seeking to establish that the police overstepped their legal authority in the raids. The case adds a new legal front for the disgraced royal, who continues to face scrutiny over his ties to Epstein.

Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife and son, has filed a lawsuit against a former court clerk who served during his double murder trial. The suit alleges misconduct connected to the trial process. Details of the specific claims and the clerk's response were not immediately available.

Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former Conservative politician whose career was overshadowed by scandal, has died at the age of 86, according to Reuters. Archer sold millions of books worldwide while serving as a Conservative MP and later a peer, but his political career ended in disgrace with a prison sentence for perjury. Tributes and reflections on his turbulent career are circulating following the announcement.

The Elizabeth Holmes film is drawing early reviews, with The Washington Post assessing whether it lives up to expectations and laying out five key takeaways. The film centers on the disgraced Theranos founder, whose fall from Silicon Valley prominence remains one of the most talked-about corporate fraud cases in recent years.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of Brazil's disgraced former president Jair Bolsonaro, has taken the lead in the country's election race, according to the Guardian's First Thing briefing. The development points to the continued strength of the Bolsonaro family in Brazilian politics despite the elder Bolsonaro's legal and political downfall, and is drawing attention to what it could mean for the country's right wing ahead of the vote.

Former Prince Andrew has launched a legal challenge to quash police search warrants, according to Al Jazeera. A London court is expected to hold a private hearing on Thursday over the application, which comes as authorities seek access tied to their investigation. The case keeps the disgraced royal, who was stripped of his titles, at the centre of legal scrutiny.

A son of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has taken the lead in the country's election race, according to a Guardian briefing on the race. The development comes despite Bolsonaro's own political disgrace, and suggests his family retains strong support among Brazilian voters as the contest for the presidency takes shape.

Michigan State Police have ruled out claims that disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was removed from the state's sex offender registry. The denial follows reports suggesting Nassar, who is serving decades in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of athletes, may no longer be listed. Authorities say the claim is false and his registry status is unchanged.

Nathan Fielder has commented on his experience living alongside disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes while filming the documentary 'You Can See Everything'. He said she came across as genuine but that he knows she is a liar. The remarks offer a rare personal account of spending time with Holmes, who remains a controversial figure after her fraud conviction.

Shunya Theatre Company has mounted a production of Ayad Akhtar's play Disgraced, and BroadwayWorld has published a review of the staging. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores identity, religion and prejudice at a dinner party gone wrong. No further details about the cast, reception or run are available yet.

A son of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has taken the lead in an election race, according to the Guardian's First Thing briefing. The development marks a notable showing for the Bolsonaro family in Brazilian politics despite the ex-president's disgrace and legal troubles. Observers are watching closely as the race develops.

Judge McCaslin has ordered South Carolina prosecutors to respond by a set deadline to complaints filed by Alex Murdaugh's defense lawyers, reportedly alleging prosecutorial misconduct. The dispute comes as the disbarred former attorney serves a life sentence for murdering his wife and son, and could affect his efforts to win a new trial.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, has petitioned the US Supreme Court to hear his appeal. Commenters note his legal team is relying on an argument the Court unanimously rejected just last year, and many observers doubt the justices will agree to take up the case.

The Public Domain Review has published an essay examining Philip Sidney's use of the parenthesis, a punctuation mark once derided as an 'extreme disgrace' in Elizabethan rhetoric. The piece explores how early modern writers viewed parenthetical asides as stylistic failings, and how attitudes toward this now-common punctuation mark shifted over literary history.

An essay published by The Public Domain Review examines how Elizabethan poet and courtier Philip Sidney used parentheses in his writing, and how the punctuation mark was viewed with suspicion by critics of his era. The piece looks at early modern debates over grammar and style, arguing the parenthesis carried both rhetorical grace and disgrace in sixteenth-century English prose and poetry.