This Week in Explainers: Inside the bombshell sexual abuse lawsuit against JPMorgan executive

It’s been a busy, busy week with the United States in focus. The US war against Iran, though Donald Trump is not calling it one anymore, has entered its second month. Negotiations between America and Iran have stalled, with Trump vowing to continue his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran refusing to budge.

Pakistan’s role as mediator between the US and Iran also came under the lens this week as Islamabad opened six overland transit routes for goods destined for Iran. The move raised eyebrows as it weakens Trump’s policy of maximum economic pressure on Iran.

This week, the security in the US was also heightened. Washington continues to reel from the shooting that unfolded at the White House Correspondents’ dinner, which saw Donald Trump in attendance, too.

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Washington also played host to royalty this week. King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, undertook a royal State visit with hopes of mending ties between the US and the UK. During their four-day visit, King Charles also addressed a joint session of the US Congress where the monarch offered diplomacy lessons in the best possible way.

Another story that made big headlines this week was the lawsuit against a JPMorgan executive for sexually harassing a junior. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that Lorna Hajdini made unwanted advances at her colleague, whom she referred to as ‘little brown boy’, and when he refused her, she issued threats to his job.

As you sit back and enjoy the day off from all the drama, here’s a recap of all the big headlines from around the globe.

1) Last weekend, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner became the scene of a shooting when the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, opened fire at the event that also saw Donald Trump in attendance.

Allen has been taken into custody and is facing charges of attempting to assassinate the US president, transporting firearms to commit a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm during violence.

On his arrest, investigators found that the 31-year-old resident of Torrance, California, had sent out a 1,056-word manifesto to his family, outlining his thoughts before the shooting.

He outlined his “rules of engagement” for the shooting and stated he believed it was his righteous duty to target administration officials.

Here’s what else he included in his missive.

2) The other big news this week continued to be the Iran war. US President Donald Trump vows to keep his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure tactic. However, Pakistan, which has emerged as a close ally of Washington and the peacebroker, has appeared to ditch the US president.

Islamabad has been accused of double-dealing by granting Iran six overland routes to trade with Russia, China, and beyond. Derek J Grossman, a US national security expert, warned that by granting these overland routes to Iran, Pakistan was undermining Trump’s strategy of maximum economic pressure, as it would help Tehran bypass the American blockade of its port and continue its oil trade uninterrupted.

But Pakistan’s move against the US is not something new. Analysts often interpret this in light of a long history of complex interactions between the United States and Pakistan.

Read more about Pakistan’s ‘double-dealing’ ways with the US here.

The UAE demanded Pakistan repay $3.5 billion loan amid the Iran war. Representational image/Reuters

3) While we remain on the topic of the Iran war, one of the consequences of this conflict has been the fraying of ties between nations. Relations between the US and its Western allies have been impacted amid the course of this war.

Ties between the UAE and Pakistan have also been affected, and the biggest indicator of that was Abu Dhabi’s demand that Islamabad pay back its $3.5-billion deal. The request came as a surprise to Pakistan’s economic managers.

But what drove the UAE to demand the money? Analysts say the decision reflects its growing frustration with Islamabad — over the defence pact with rivals, Saudi Arabia, and efforts to mediate between the US and Iran.

But there seems to be a third reason: India. How?

Here's the answer for you.

4) Speaking of dipping ties, the Iran war has resulted in Donald Trump lashing out at his counterparts across Europe for their lack of support. He’s gone after UK’s Keir Starmer, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

And continuing this tirade, Trump indicated that he was open to reducing US troop presence from other NATO members such as Germany, Spain, and Italy. When asked about it, the US president said, “Why shouldn’t I. Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”

This got us thinking: How many US troops are positioned across Europe? Also, does this weaken the continent? Here’s a deep dive into the issue.

Britain's King Charles leaves after his address to a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Reuters

5) This week, we also saw King Charles III undertake a royal state visit to the US. This trip generated many eyeballs even before it began; while some in the UK didn’t want the monarch to visit Trump amid the war, citing that it was a bad look, others hoped that the royal would be able to repair US-UK ties.

So, did that happen?

It’s not clear yet. However, King Charles proved why the British are among the best at dry humour and diplomacy. In his address to the US Congress and an evening state dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump at the White House, the British royal used his sense of humour and words to blunt recent disagreements over the war in Iran and past criticism by Trump of Britain’s defence posture.

Read more about Charles’ masterclass here.

The famous Kohinoor diamond is set in the crown of the Queen Mother. It was last seen on the coffin in 2002. File image/Reuters

6) While King Charles was in the US, he also visited the city of New York and paid tribute to the victims of 9/11. Hours before the UK king landed in the Big Apple, the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was asked what he would tell the king if given a chance.

Mamdani, who is of Indian descent, responded that he would urge Charles to return the Kohinoor to India. The remarks quickly turned viral and got everyone talking about the controversial gem, which has been in Britain’s possession for centuries.

The many attempts by New Delhi to get back the precious stone from the UK have failed over the course of the years, with London showing no inclination to do the same.

What’s behind the UK’s refusal to hand over the Kohinoor? The answer is here.

7) Wall Street has been left shocked this week, courtesy of a lawsuit filed by a former employee of JPMorgan. The unidentified junior staffer at the American financial institution has filed a lawsuit against the executive director at JPMorgan Chase's Leveraged Finance division, Lorna Hajdini, accusing her of sexual abuse, racial harassment, and professional coercion.

In the lawsuit, the male employee has made bombshell accusations. He alleges that Hajdini forced him to establish sexual relations, and when he refused, she issued threats against him.

He’s also accused Hajdini of drugging him with date-rape drugs and engaging in sexual activities with him while he was under the influence of these drugs.

He claims that she also referred to him as little brown boy” and made remarks questioning whether senior management would accept “some Brown boy Indian leading originations.”

8) Our last story deals with speculation and rumours about the US’s most secret military base — Area 51. Over a span of 24 hours, at least 17 earthquakes were recorded in the vicinity of the classified area.

The swarm of quakes ranged from 2.5 to 4.4 in magnitude. While earthquakes are relatively common in the region, the tremors at Area 51, which has long been shrouded in secrecy and public fascination, has once again prompted questions online about secret nuclear tests being carried out.

What do we know of the area and the mystery that surrounds it? Our explainer has it all.

That’s it from us this week. We hope you have a laidback Sunday and enjoy some down time. If you are seeking more such explainers, here’s the page you should have bookmarked.