Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is testifying before U.S. House lawmakers in New York as part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, kicking off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.
The closed-door depositions come after months of tense back-and-forth between the former high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee.
The Clintons agreed to testify after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the Oversight panel and its chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.
It will be the first time a former president has been forced to testify before Congress — the latest sign that the demand for a reckoning over Epstein’s abuse of underage girls has become a near-unstoppable force on Capitol Hill and beyond.
Here's the latest:
First lady Melania Trump to preside over UN Security Council in a historic first
When the wife of President Donald Trump sits in the president’s seat to chair a meeting on Monday afternoon, it “will be the first time a first lady, or first gentleman for that matter, has ever presided over a Security Council meeting,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday.
The United States takes over the rotating presidency of the 15-member council for the month of March and the first lady’s office said the meeting she will preside over on Monday will “emphasize education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace.”
Asked the significance of Melania Trump’s presiding role, Dujarric said: “Obviously, it’s a sign of the importance that the United States feels towards the Security Council and the subject.”
He said U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo will be briefing the Security Council at the meeting officially entitled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict” on behalf of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Pentagon spokesman says they won't let AI company dictate limits
The Pentagon’s top spokesman reiterated that the military wants to use Anthropic’s AI models in legal ways and won’t let the company dictate any limits ahead of a Friday deadline to agree to the demands.
Sean Parnell said Thursday on social media that the Pentagon “has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.”
Anthropic’s policies prevent their models from being used for those purposes. It’s the last of its peers to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network.
Parnell says the Pentagon wants to “use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes” but didn’t offer details and asserted that Anthropic’s resistance is “jeopardizing critical military operations.”
After meeting Tuesday, the Pentagon told the company to open up its technology or risk losing its contract and be designated a supply chain risk.
Mediator cites progress as indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran wrap up
Oman’s foreign minister said Thursday that talks between the United States and Iran had ended in Geneva but “will resume soon.”
Badr al-Busaidi wrote on X that there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating.
He said technical-level talks would take place next week in Vienna, home to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
There was no immediate comment from either American or Iranian officials. Analysts had been concerned that ending Thursday’s talks without an immediate deal could spark U.S. military action against Iran.
Trump hails ruling on White House ballroom construction
"Great news for America, and our wonderful White House!," Trump posted on his social media site after a federal judge rejected a preservationist group's request to block continued construction of a ballroom that crews demolished the East Wing to build.
Trump wrote that the project is “ahead of schedule, and under budget” and that the finished project “will stand long into the future as a symbol to the Greatness of America.”
Hillary Clinton deposition resumes
After a pause, the House Oversight Committee’s deposition of the former secretary of state has restarted.
It was put on hold after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert shared a photo of Clinton at the closed-door proceeding with a conservative influence who posted it on social media.
The photo violated committee rules for depositions, but Boebert posted on social media that the influencer “did nothing wrong.”
Vance speaks in Wisconsin on affordability, fraud
Vice President JD spoke on Thursday in Plover, Wisconsin, about affordability and reducing fraud, making the case for Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
“The question in November is do we give power to the people who fight for corruption, who fight for fraud, who fight for illegal aliens, or do we give the government to the American citizens for whom it was designed and for whom it was created?” he asked during his address at Pointe Precision Inc., a machining facility. “I think I know the answer. Let’s vote for our people.”
Vance blamed Democrats for the current affordability crisis and called out alleged corruption in Minnesota, citing an example that involved money supposedly being taken away from autistic children.
Democratic senator says Vance is visiting Wisconsin to help congressman
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says that Vice President JD Vance is visiting Wisconsin to “shore up” a Republican congressman in a district targeted by Democrats.
Vance’s trip to central Wisconsin on Thursday was touted by the White House as a chance to talk about President Donald Trump’s successes in the wake of the State of the Union address.
But Baldwin says the true purpose is to help Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who she says is in “lock step with this administration.” Van Orden planned to attend Vance’s event at a manufacturing business in Plover, Wisconsin.
Baldwin says it’s good for Vance to come to Wisconsin “so he can see exactly how this administration’s policies are affecting and in many ways harming Wisconsinites.”
She says Van Orden has not been responsive to voters who oppose Trump’s tariffs, cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies and reductions to federal food aid.
Trump, Mamdani to meet at the White House
The New York City mayor is planning on meeting with the president at the White House on Thursday.
That’s according to a person with knowledge of the meeting, granted anonymity to discuss something that was not on Trump’s public schedule. The meeting is expected to be in part about housing.
Despite deriding Mamdani as he campaigned for mayor, Trump has taken a liking to him after their one-on-one meeting late last year.
Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project.
Hillary Clinton deposition paused over leaked photo
The House Oversight Committee’s deposition of Hillary Clinton is being paused after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a photo of the closed-door proceeding to a conservative influencer.
Benny Johnson, a right-wing Youtuber, posted a photo of Clinton at the deposition online and said Boebert had provided it.
The deposition is being recorded on video, but Comer has said that will only be released after Clinton’s attorneys have a chance to review it. The committee’s rules do not allow outside press or photographers to take photos of the proceedings.
GOP chair of House Oversight panel says it’s possible lawmakers will question Lutnick on Epstein ties
Outside the House Oversight Committee’s deposition for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. James Comer told reporters that it’s “very possible” that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is called to testify in the House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Comer is seeking to cast the investigation as a bipartisan effort that is also willing to question Republicans.
Lutnick was Epstein’s neighbor in New York City. He had previously claimed that he cut all ties with Epstein after 2005, but the release of case files on Epstein showed that they had several interactions in the years after that.
Noem says more than 250 DACA recipients arrested and dozens deported in 2025
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a letter to Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and other senators that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program provides just that, a deferral of removal “for a period of time.”
Dubin and Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Ca., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., blasted the treatment of DACA recipients, known as Dreamers.
“News of DACA recipients being arrested and deported is deeply troubling,” the senators said in a statement.
The DACA program was created during the Obama administration to provide a way for young people who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the country, so long as they register, undergo a background check and meet other requirements, such as attending school or working. Many have spent much of their lives in the U.S., and have since become adults with families of their own.
From Jan. 1, 2025 to Nov. 19, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported 261 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 had been removed from the country, according to Noem’s letter.
It said of those arrested, 241 had criminal histories, but didn’t provide further information, citing privacy issues. The senators demanded DHS provide more information on the rationale for arresting and deporting Dreamers.
Hillary Clinton testifies she has no information on Epstein’s criminal activities
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is telling U.S. House lawmakers she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's or Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes.
“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” Hillary Clinton said in an opening statement she shared on social media.
Her testimony starts off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.
Hillary Clinton’s deposition is getting underway
The House Oversight Committee’s closed-door deposition of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is getting underway in Chappaqua, New York, as lawmakers start two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.
Hillary Clinton has previously told the committee she has no memory of ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who killed himself in 2019 while facing charges for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls.
“There is no indication — zero, zip, zilch, nada — that Secretary Clinton had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes,” Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Virginia Democrat, said just before the deposition.
Clinton did have connections to Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, through the Clinton Foundation. Maxwell was also a guest at the 2010 wedding of their daughter Chelsea Clinton.
Democrats call for Trump to answer questions in House Epstein investigation
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are arguing that former President Bill Clinton’s appearance for a deposition sets a precedent that should apply to President Donald Trump as well.
” Let’s get President Trump in front of our committee to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel.
The Republican chair of the committee, Republican Rep. James Comer, has previously said the committee can’t deposition Trump because he’s a sitting president. Trump, however, has expressed regret that the Clintons are being forced to testify in the committee’s probe.
Republicans relishing the chance to question the Clintons
It’s hardly the first time congressional Republicans have pressured the Clintons to answer their questions, but this time it comes as both former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are more than a decade removed from public office.
None the less, the Clintons have emerged as a top target for Republicans in the House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and they were successful in forcing them to appear for depositions in Chappaqua, New York, over the next two days.
“No one’s accusing at this moment the Clintons of any wrongdoing,” Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters just before the deposition for Hillary Clinton began.
Comer added that Republicans were hoping to understand how Epstein accumulated his wealth and influence with high-powered men around the world.
Republican chair pledges long days of depositions for the Clintons
Rep. James Comer, the GOP chair of the House Oversight Committee, previewed lengthy interviews for both Hillary and Bill Clinton as lawmakers question them about Jeffrey Epstein.
“This is going to be a long deposition,” Comer told reporters outside the convention center in Chappaqua, New York, where the depositions are being held.
Hillary Clinton has said she doesn’t remember ever meeting with Epstein, although she does have some connections to his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
House Democrats to force war powers vote on Iran
House Democratic leaders say they’ll force a vote next week on legislation requiring President Trump to terminate military force against Iran unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war from Congress.
The U.S. has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East and the two nations are engaged in indirect talks to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and potentially avert a war.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries was joined in the announcement by several Democrats who serve as the ranking member on committees with jurisdiction.
Their news release says the Iranian regime is “brutal and destabilizing,” and cited the killing of thousands of protesters.
“However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our servicemembers and to escalation, is reckless,” the news release stated. “We maintain that any such action would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress.”
Trump administration appeals to the Supreme Court in immigration case
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to end legal protections for migrants from Syria for now. It’s the administration’s latest emergency appeal to the nation’s highest court.
The government wants the court to lift a New York judge's ruling halting the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end temporary protected status for Syrians.
The justices have previously allowed immigration authorities to end legal protections for migrants from Venezuela while lawsuits continue to play out. The federal government argued the Syria case is similar.
About 6,000 people from Syria have temporary legal status after fleeing armed conflict. Ending those protections could mean people lose work authorization and be exposed to possible deportation.
White House drug czar is in Mexico following operation that killed powerful cartel leader
Sara Carter, who heads the administration's Office of National Drug Control Policy, is in Mexico for talks with government officials following this week's operation that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the country's most powerful drug lord.
“The Mexican government is demonstrating a sincere ongoing commitment to the shared counternarcotics cause which has plagued both of our nations for decades,” Carter said in a statement. “Defeating the cartels is an ongoing mutual effort necessary for the safety and security of both our nations.”
U.S. intelligence officials provided support to the Mexican government for the operation that killed the cartel leader known as “El Mencho,” according to the White House.
The operation follows President Trump repeatedly pressing the Mexican government to more aggressively target the country’s illegal drug trade. The U.S. president has threatened to send U.S. troops to take out cartels, if Mexico’s government can’t.
Carter and U.S Ambassador Ronald Johnson have met with Mexico’s security cabinet and offered condolences to Mexico’s defense secretary, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla, for the deaths of 33 Mexican national guardsmen and three special operations members killed in the operation.
Led by new generation, Democrats prioritize transparency on Epstein over defending former party leaders
Several Democratic lawmakers joined with Republicans on the Oversight panel to advance the contempt of Congress charges against the Clintons last month. Several said they had no relationship with the Clintons and owed no loyalty to them.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said both Republican and Democratic administrations “have failed survivors in not getting more information out to the public.” He also said he wanted to ask about Epstein’s possible ties to foreign governments.
Democrats are also coming off an effort this week to confront Trump about his administration's handling of the Epstein files by taking women who survived Epstein's abuse as their guests to Trump's State of the Union address. Even senior Democrats, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, said it was appropriate for the committee to interview anyone, including the former president, who was connected to Epstein.
World Economic Forum head Børge Brende steps down following pressure over Epstein links
Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he'd decided "after careful consideration" to step down as president and chief executive of the forum, known for its annual January summit in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos.
“I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” Brende said in a statement released by the WEF.
Brende was Norway's foreign minister from 2013-2017 and is one of several prominent Norwegians who've faced scrutiny following the latest release of Epstein files.
He didn’t refer directly to that controversy in Thursday’s statement, but the WEF announced earlier this month that it was opening an internal review into Brende to determine his relationship with Epstein after files indicated the two had dined together several times and exchanged messages.
Iran would be outgunned in any war with the US but could still inflict considerable pain
As U.S. forces mass in the Middle East, Iran faces the threat of major strikes by the world's most powerful military, potentially targeting its leaders, military, nuclear sites and critical infrastructure.
Iran has nowhere near the same capabilities, and is even more vulnerable after last year's war launched by Israel and recent anti-government protests. But it could still inflict pain on American forces and allies, and may feel it has to if the Islamic Republic's survival is at stake.
While Iran suffered major losses last June, it still has hundreds of missiles capable of hitting Israel, according to Israel's estimates. Iran boasts a much larger arsenal of shorter-range missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases in Gulf countries and offshore American forces, soon to be joined by a second aircraft carrier.
Iran has previously threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the global oil trade, and claimed to have done so partially during military drills last week.
Slightly more Americans now see Iran and the US as enemies: AP-NORC poll
Most Americans, 61%, say Iran is an "enemy" of the U.S., according to the new AP-NORC poll. That is up slightly from 53% in a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll conducted in September 2023.
Roughly 3 in 10 Americans currently say the countries are “not friendly, but not enemies,” and only about 1 in 10 Americans consider the two nations “friendly” or “close allies.”
At the same time, there’s a bit of an age gap on that perception. Only about half of U.S. adults under 45 say Iran is an enemy, compared with about 7 in 10 Americans ages 45 and older.
Most US adults have low trust in Trump’s judgment on military force: AP-NORC poll
Most Americans have significant reservations about Trump’s judgment on foreign conflicts, the AP-NORC poll shows.
Only about 3 in 10 of U.S. adults have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in Trump’s judgment on the use of military force, relationships with U.S. adversaries or the use of nuclear weapons. More than half trust him “only a little” or “not at all.”
On each measure, Republicans are more likely than Democrats and Independents to trust that the president will make the right decisions. About 6 in 10 Republicans have a high level of trust in Trump, while roughly 9 in 10 Democrats have a low level of trust in him.
Most Americans see Iran as an enemy but doubt Trump’s judgment on military force, AP-NORC poll finds
As the U.S. and Iran head into their next round of nuclear talks in Geneva, a new AP-NORC poll finds that many U.S. adults continue to view Iran's nuclear program as a threat — but they also don't have high trust in Trump's judgment on the use of military force abroad.
About half of U.S. adults are "extremely" or "very" concerned that Iran's nuclear program poses a direct threat to the United States, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 are "moderately" concerned and only about 2 in 10 are "not very" concerned or "not concerned at all."
The survey was conducted Feb. 19-23, as military tensions built in the Middle East between the United States and Iran. The U.S. is seeking a deal to limit Iran's nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it is not pursuing weapons and has so far resisted demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
FBI fires agents who worked on Trump classified document investigation, AP sources say
The FBI has fired additional agents who worked on an investigation into Trump, this time terminating employees who participated in the probe into the Republican's hoarding of classified documents, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The firings are part of a broader personnel purge under the leadership of Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee who, over the last year, has pushed out dozens of employees who either contributed to investigations of the president or who were perceived as not in alignment with the administration's agenda. The Justice Department has engaged in similarly sweeping firings of prosecutors since Trump took office last year.
The FBI Agents Association condemned the firings as unlawful and endangering national security.
“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk,” the association said in a statement.
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