## Zelenskyy faces pressure to fire top aide Yermak amid corruption scandal

Authored by politico.eu

The attacks on such a crucial ally could hardly come at a more sensitive moment for Zelenskyy.

Kyiv faces a massive budget shortfall, and the president must convince his Western allies that Ukraine is a safe place to send billions of euros in vital funding.

Two people directly involved in the political discussions said Zelenskyy would fight back and defend Yermak from the mounting criticism later this week.

While there have been attempts to link Yermak directly to the snowballing corruption scandal, the campaign against him is also a sign of broader frustration — within both the opposition and Zelenskyy’s party — over Yermak’s domineering presence in the presidential office.

An earlier drive by that office to strip Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau of its independence triggered public fury in July.

The immediate flashpoint rocking Ukrainian politics — and fueling the attack against Yermak — is a corruption scandal in the country’s shattered energy sector.

The NABU anti-corruption bureau, however, says it can “neither confirm nor deny” that allegation, and Yermak himself protests his innocence. »

### Singer D4vd considered suspect in investigation of teen found dead in his Tesla: Sources

Authored by abcnews.go.com

Singer D4vd considered suspect in investigation of teen found dead in his Tesla: Sources.

David Anthony Burke, aka D4VD, attends the Ottolinger Womenswear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week, March 9, 2025, in Paris.

The singer D4vd is now considered a suspect in the death investigation of a teenage girl whose decomposing body was discovered in September in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer, sources confirmed to ABC News. »

### Senate suddenly passes the Epstein bill just hours after it cleared the House

Authored by ms.now

“Donald Trump has tried to cover up for Jeffrey Epstein long enough,” Schumer said on the Senate floor before asking to pass the bill.

“It’s time that the Senate finished the job to finally compel the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.”.

The move was so swift that the Senate hadn’t even formally received the bill from the House. »

### California invests big in battery energy storage — and leaves rolling blackouts behind

Authored by latimes.com

Much of that is new battery energy storage, which captures and stores electricity for later use.

Battery storage in the state has grown more than 3,000% in six years — from 500 megawatts in 2020 to more than 15,700 megawatts today.

In the wake of that event, California’s energy leaders vowed to take action to make the grid more resilient. »

### Arachnid super-web reveals the surprising ‘constant party’ life of cohabiting spiders

Authored by apnews.com

“The fact that there was this massive colony of spiders living in a place that nobody had really noticed before — I find extremely exciting.”.

Dr. Grinsted draws parallels between the cohabiting spiders and how humans tend to coexist in apartment blocks.

“Spiders in the cave lay about a third of the eggs compared to spiders that live outdoors. »

## In pictures

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