Bill Clinton testifies in House Jeffrey Epstein investigation
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Clinton is the first sitting or former president to testify before members of Congress in more than 40 years.
Highlights from Feb. 27, 2026...
- BILL CLINTON TESTIMONY: Former President Bill Clinton faced questions today from members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, making him the first sitting or former president to testify before members of Congress in more than 40 years.
- EMBASSY WARNING: The United States today told some embassy staff that they could leave Israel — and that those who want to must do so quickly — as fears of an American attack on Iran fueled alarm throughout the region.
- FRIENDLY FIRE: The U.S. government said it would do better to communicate between agencies after the military reportedly used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas yesterday.
- CHAMP SLAMS WHITE HOUSE TIKTOK: U.S. hockey player Brady Tkachuk said he didn't appreciate a doctored TikTok video shared by the White House that made it look like he was disparaging Canadians, calling it something he would never say. Tkachuk also denied being the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s celebratory phone call with President Donald Trump.
Biden seizes on Trump’s sinking favorability in a combative speech in South Carolina
Former President Joe Biden stood before a South Carolina crowd today and took aim at Trump’s State of the Union address.
“Is he still talking?” Biden asked, to laughter.
The reference to Trump’s Tuesday night speech, which went on at record length at 1 hour and 47 minutes, would be the mildest criticism Biden leveled at the president.
During his roughly 20 minutes of remarks, Biden accused Trump of having a “weird obsession with Barack Obama” and scheming to “steal the election” by attempting to put up roadblocks to voting in the midterms. He then simply stated there was “something wrong with this guy.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Lauren Boebert appears to post photo of Bill Clinton from closed-door deposition
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., posted to social media a photo of former President Bill Clinton this evening after he gave closed-door testimony to members of Congress over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
The post from Boebert, who attended the deposition as a member of the House Oversight Committee, did not specify if the photo was taken today.
It comes a day after conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted photos of Hillary Clinton during her closed-door deposition, briefly halting her testimony, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News. Johnson credited Boebert for the pictures.
Boebert's office and representatives for Bill Clinton did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday night's post.
After yesterday's incident, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told reporters that sharing the photo of Hillary Clinton was “completely against the rules” and that there should be “repercussions.”
Trump administration asks court to wait on ordering tariff refunds
Tonight, in response to small businesses asking the Federal Circuit to order tariff refunds following last week's Supreme Court ruling against Trump, the Justice Department is asking the court to take a beat.
DOJ attorneys noted that the Supreme Court typically sends down its judgment 32 days after entering its ruling, and said the small businesses in this case "have not stated any reason" to speed up that process.
The attorneys for the Trump administration also argued that compensable monetary loss — which the small businesses say they’re facing — “is a classic harm that can be remedied by payment of money with appropriate interest, and a plaintiff’s bare desire to be paid immediately is not a basis to demand this Court comply with his every whim.”
That means the Trump administration appears willing to pay refunds, with interest — just not now.
Why not now?
The Trump administration is asking this court to “withhold issuance of the mandate for 90 days to allow the political branches an opportunity to consider options.”
“Complexity in the future counsels appropriately careful process, not breakneck speed,” the DOJ attorneys wrote.
In his dissenting opinion last week, Justice Brett Kavanaugh addressed the issue of refunds.
“The United States may be required to refund billions of dollars to importers who paid the IEEPA tariffs, even though some importers may have already passed on costs to consumers or others," he wrote. "As was acknowledged at oral argument, the refund process is likely to be a 'mess.'"
“Refunds of billions of dollars would have significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury,” Kavanaugh added. “The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers."
Trump says no decision has been made on Iran
Trump said this afternoon that there has been no decision made yet on Iran, telling a crowd in Texas "we've got to make a deal that’s meaningful."
"We have a very big decision to make," Trump said. "We have a country that’s been for 47 years blowing people’s legs off, arms off, face. They’ve been knocking out ships, killing people, lots of people, not only Americans."
"They want to make a deal, but got to make a deal that’s meaningful," Trump said.
The president added that he "rather do it the peaceful way, but they're very difficult people, dangerous people."
The United States and Iran met in Geneva yesterday as Trump continues to put pressure on Tehran with threats of military action. Yesterday's meeting was the third round of indirect negotiations, but sources declined to give details on them.
At his State of the Union address Tuesday, Trump said Iran was in the process of developing missiles that could "soon" reach the U.S. and that it was working to restart its nuclear program.
However, a report last year by the Defense Intelligence Agency indicated that such capability would come in 2035 at the earliest.
Trump sidesteps endorsement in Texas Senate race
Trump is continuing to hold out from taking a side in the upcoming Texas Senate race, neither endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton nor Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
"We have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton, where’s Ken? Hi Ken," Trump said in Texas today. "We have a great senator, John Cornyn, Hi, John."
"They're doing the race together," the president continued. "It’ll be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too."
Trump did mention Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is also running in the GOP primary, but later in his remarks than when he referenced Paxton and Cornyn's campaigns.
The president has avoided giving just one of the Republican candidates his endorsement in the race, but recent public surveys have suggested that Paxton could advance to a runoff. The surveys show Cornyn and Hunt battling it out for the second spot.
Trump told FBI Director Kash Patel he didn’t like his Olympics hijinks
Trump was disappointed in FBI Director Kash Patel’s behavior at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and conveyed his displeasure in a conversation with him, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Patel went viral for his locker-room celebration with the U.S. men’s hockey team after its win against Canada on Sunday — the first time the U.S. team took home gold since 1980. In a video that was first posted by ProPublica, Patel, an avid hockey fan, could be seen chugging a beer and banging on a table, while yelling in an exuberant display of celebration.
Trump — who does not drink — told Patel he was unhappy not only with that scene, but also with Patel’s use of government aircraft for the trip to Milan, Italy, according to the person familiar with the matter.
The FBI declined to comment on whether Trump was upset with Patel.
Trump continues attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar: 'Get her the hell out of here'
Trump again took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., today, calling her "crazy" and to "get her the hell out of here" when speaking to a crowd in Texas.
"How did you like the State of the Union?" Trump asked the crowd.
"How about Omar? Screaming, screaming, screaming like a lunatic," the president said. "You looked at her bulging eyes. She's crazy. Get her the hell out of here."
During his address on Tuesday, Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., yelled out at Trump in protest against the administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
The next day, the president said in a social media post that the two congresswomen should be sent "back from where they came" and called them "low IQ."
"They screamed uncontrollably last night at the very elegant State of the Union, such an important and beautiful event, they had the bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized," Trump said in the post.
Kamala Harris jumps into the Texas Senate race, endorsing Jasmine Crockett
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has made her first major return to campaign politics since her 2024 presidential run, endorsing Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the competitive Texas Senate primary.
The endorsement, first reported by the Texas Tribune, was confirmed by the Crockett campaign. The Texas Tribune also noted the endorsement comes with a robocall of Harris saying, “Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate. Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable.”
Crockett is in a hotly contested race against state Rep. James Talarico for the Democratic Senate nomination on March 3. GOP Sen. John Cornyn is also in a competitive primary against state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Trump bans federal employees from using Anthropic
After months of increasingly heated rhetoric between the Defense Department and leading AI company Anthropic over the military’s use of its systems, Trump announced this afternoon that he was banning federal agencies from using Anthropic’s services.
“I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Anthropic did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The company, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has made clear in months of contract negotiations with the Pentagon that it will not allow its AI systems to be harnessed for domestic surveillance or direct use in lethal autonomous weapons.
Clinton said Trump told him he stopped being friends with Epstein over a 'land dispute,' lawmaker says
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said on X that Clinton, during the deposition, said Trump told him that his falling out with Epstein was over a “land dispute.” Trump has repeatedly said that he and Epstein stopped being friends because of Epstein’s behavior.
Lawmakers asked Clinton about Epstein files' jacuzzi photo
During his deposition, Clinton told lawmakers he did not know the woman he was pictured with in a jacuzzi in the Justice Department’s release of its files related to Epstein, according to a person in the room for his deposition. Clinton said he did not have sex with the woman, when asked during his deposition. CNN was first to report this detail. The former president also repeatedly said during his deposition that he never visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
Files related to the Epstein probes that have been released to date include numerous pictures of Bill Clinton with Epstein and Guislaine Maxwell. In some of the photos, Bill Clinton is shown in a hot tub, swimming in a pool with Maxwell and sitting at a table with a woman sitting on his leg.
The pictures are undated, and it’s unclear where they were taken. None suggests any wrongdoing.
Lawmakers say Trump came up during Clinton deposition
Trump was the subject of some of the questions in the Clinton interview, the top lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee said. Chairman James Comer told reporters that Clinton said that Trump “has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved” with Epstein.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said that Comer’s remarks were “not an accurate description” of the questioning. He said Clinton “did bring up some additional information about some discussions with President Trump,” and a full record “brings up some very important new questions about comments that President Trump has actually said in the past.” He did not elaborate but called for the full transcript to be released.
From left, Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in Chappaqua today. Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images
The Clintons told the committee in sworn declarations last month that they had “no personal knowledge” of any “criminal activities” by Epstein or Maxwell.
Trump calls Lutnick 'a very innocent guy'
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told reporters that Hillary Clinton was questioned yesterday about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick acknowledged earlier this month that he’d visited Epstein’s island with his family in 2012.
Lutnick has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Comer said yesterday he was open to deposing him, something Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said today she was in favor of. “I believe we will have votes to subpoena him,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that “Howard would go in and do whatever he has to say. He’s a very innocent guy.”
Trump says U.S. may 'end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba'
President Donald Trump said the U.S. has been "talking" with the Cuban government and may take over the country.
"We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba after many, many years. We've had a lot of years of dealing with Cuba," the president told reporters before departing on Marine One.
After the U.S. captured the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, in January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump signaled that Cuba could be the next target. At the initial press conference, Rubio issued a warning to Cuban officials, stating, “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.” He reaffirmed the threats in an interview NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
In late January, Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on any country that sells oil to the country. Cuba heavily relied on assistance and oil from allies like Venezuela, Mexico and Russia amid an economic crisis.
At least one U.S. citizen killed in Cuba boat shootout, officials say
The Cuban government says it is willing to exchange information with the United States as both countries open investigations into the deadly shootout off Cuba’s coast. U.S. officials tell NBC News American citizens were among the passengers on the boat involved in the confrontation. At least one U.S. citizen was killed and another is now detained. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports for the "TODAY" show.
Bill Clinton says he ‘saw nothing’ and ‘did nothing wrong’ related to Jeffrey Epstein
Former President Bill Clinton told members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee investigating his ties to Jeffrey Epstein that he “saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong,” and ripped the panel for making his wife sit for a deposition.
“As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes,” Clinton said of Epstein in his opening statement to the panel, which he posted on X.
The former president is being deposed in a closed-door setting one day after the committee questioned his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for around six hours about what she knew about the late sex offender and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
While he acknowledged knowing and traveling with Epstein, he said his wife had “nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein” and “no memory of even meeting him.”
“Whether you subpoena 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right,” he wrote.
His statement concluded, “Since I am under oath, I will not falsely state that I am looking forward to your questions. But I am ready to answer them to the best of my abilities, consistent with the facts as I know them: the legitimate, the logical and even the outlandish.
“With that, Mr. Chairman, fire away.”
Texas’ Big Bend braces for border wall in national park, worrying local Republicans and Democrats
Two hours from the closest stoplight, the Rio Grande runs through rugged canyons under the darkest skies in the continental United States, carving cliffs that drop 1,500 feet below the Texas desert floor of the beautifully desolate Big Bend National Park.
The few who call the region home feel a unique bond to the land. In their eyes, it’s the kind of natural barrier that steel cannot supplement. It’s one reason why the Big Bend has so far been spared from the bulldozer crews that come with new stretches of border wall.
“We’ve got a God-made barrier,” said Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, a Republican who oversees a department of five deputies just east of Big Bend.
But this year, the Trump administration is forging ahead with a plan Cleveland never thought he would see.
Locals and elected leaders from both parties across far West Texas are condemning the Department of Homeland Security’s newly revealed plans to build a border wall through Big Bend National Park and its neighboring state park. They are warning it will cut off access to popular destinations, choke off tourist dollars and disrupt one of the nation’s most pristine regions, while doing little to stop illegal immigration.
Democrats say GOP has set a new precedent with Bill Clinton's deposition
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said this morning that Democrats have "real questions that deserve serious answers from former President Clinton" during his closed-door deposition in Chappaqua today.
"We have said from day one that Democrats want to talk to anyone, whether they are a Republican or a Democrat, no matter how powerful they are, whatever position that they've been in," Garcia told reporters ahead of the deposition.
Garcia said that they don't want to see another "sideshow" today like what happened during Hillary Clinton's deposition yesterday, in which he said Republicans asked her about UFOs and conspiracy theories.
A motorcade carrying former President Bill Clinton approaches the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center this morning. Angelina Katsanis / AP
Because "Republicans have now set a new precedent, which is to bring in presidents and former presidents to testify," Democrats are again demanding that Trump testify before their panel about his relationship with Epstein, Garcia said.
Trump appears in the Epstein files "almost more than anybody else," Garcia said.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and authorities have not accused him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Hillary Clinton deferred a number of questions to Bill Clinton yesterday, Comer says
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said this morning that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton deferred a number of questions during her deposition yesterday to her husband, who will be asked about them today in his closed-door testimony to the committee.
"There were at least a dozen times when she said, 'You'll have to ask my husband that, I can't answer that.'" Comer told reporters in Chappaqua, New York. "So we already had a big portfolio of questions for him, and that increased yesterday, so we look forward to that."
"A lot of the Clinton Global Initiative questions yesterday went unanswered because Ms. Clinton deferred to her husband," Comer added.
Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., arrive today. David Dee Delgado / Getty Images
Bill Clinton has acknowledged that he flew on Epstein's plane several times in 2002 and 2003 on Clinton Foundation trips.
Comer also said this morning that there was a “a pretty thorough line of questioning” between Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Hillary Clinton related to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, adding that he thought reporters “will find it very interesting," without offering details.
Mace this morning called for the Oversight Committee to question Lutnick about his ties to Epstein, and Comer said yesterday that it is "very possible" that he could ask Lutnick to testify before the panel.
Lutnick told lawmakers recently that he had no personal relationship with Epstein but acknowledged visiting his island while on a family vacation more than a decade ago.
Diet Coke brought into building ahead of Bill Clinton's deposition
Boxes of snacks and drinks, including Diet Coke, are brought into the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center ahead of former President Bill Clinton's closed-door deposition. David Dee Delgado / Getty Images
Bill Clinton was frequently photographed drinking Diet Coke during his presidency.
What to expect at Bill Clinton's testimony to House Oversight
The House Oversight Committee will conduct a deposition with Bill Clinton today in its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s what you need to know.
Where is the deposition?
The former president’s deposition will be in the same place former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s was yesterday, at a performing arts center in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons live. The committee can hold depositions outside of the Capitol, as it did last week in Ohio with billionaire businessman Les Wexner.
Media crews gather in front of The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center this morning. Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images
Who will be there?
Several committee members and staff are expected to attend today as they did yesterday, including Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif.
What will we see?
The deposition will be behind closed doors again, so we won’t see anything in the moment. The testimony will be filmed like Hillary Clinton's was yesterday. Comer committed last night to release the video from the former first lady's deposition “hopefully within the next 24 hours.”
How do depositions work?
Committee rules require that witnesses are under oath in depositions and that the testimony is transcribed.
Depositions proceed in one-hour rounds of questioning, alternating between the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans, who are in the majority, will get to ask questions for the first hour and then Democrats in the second hour. Typically, lawyers for the committee lead asking questions, but members of Congress may ask questions as well.
Vance to meet with Omani foreign minister amid U.S. threats to Iran
Vice President JD Vance is expected to meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi in Washington today, a source familiar with the plans said, as concerns about a U.S. attack on Iran spread in the region.
The meeting will include other U.S. officials as well, the source said.
The Trump administration and Iran have been holding indirect discussions about the country's nuclear enrichment and missile programs. Possible U.S. action has prompted warnings in the region, including the U.S. telling some embassy staff in Israel that they could leave the country if they do so quickly.
Rep. Nancy Mace says House Oversight Committee should question Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Epstein probe
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said this morning in a post on X that the House Oversight Committee should question Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over his ties to Epstein.
Mace reposted another post that included a photo from the DOJ's Epstein files release that showed what appeared to be Lutnick and Epstein with some other men at a shoreline.
"Howard Lutnick should take questions from the Oversight committee," she wrote in her post.
Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said ahead of Hillary Clinton's deposition yesterday in the committee's Epstein investigation that he may also ask Lutnick to testify.
"That’s very possible," Comer said. "And I think there, you know, I think it’s a good possibility that his name will arise in some questioning today."
Lutnick recently told lawmakers at an unrelated hearing that he had no personal relationship with Epstein but acknowledged visiting the late convicted sex offender’s island while on a family vacation in 2012.
Trump to travel to Texas to deliver remarks on energy
Trump is set to travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, to deliver remarks on energy this afternoon, the White House said.
The visit comes just days before Texas' Senate Republican primary. While the president has endorsed candidates in other races, he has yet to back a Republican Senate candidate in the state, where incumbent John Cornyn is facing a tough challenge from the state attorney general, Trump ally Ken Paxton, in a three-way race with Rep. Wesley Hunt.
“President Trump looks forward to returning to the great State of Texas next week to discuss the economy and tout his ‘Drill Baby Drill’ agenda,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week.
When asked about the lack of an endorsement last week, Trump said, “I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t, he’s a good man. John (Cornyn) is a good, I like all three of them. Actually, I like all three. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good, and you’re supposed to pick one, so we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.”
Trump last traveled to Texas in July to survey the damage after the devastating floods in the Hill Country region.
Trump’s takeover of the GOP upends Texas Senate race
Unlike many of the Texans packed into the Angry Elephant last week, Phillip Mori wasn’t completely sold on Senate candidate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Mori, a 64-year-old mortgage banker and ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, came to the Republican-themed bar hoping to hear Paxton talk about how he would address border security. Paxton laid out the case for his primary challenge against GOP Sen. John Cornyn and his experience taking on Democratic presidents as attorney general, but Mori thought he focused too much on the past.
Even so, Mori still said he’d likely be voting for Paxton by “default” in Tuesday’s primary. He feels that he cannot support Cornyn, who “seems like he’s conservative when it’s time to run for office,” Mori said.
“There’s a lot of people that wear the name Republican [who] are more Bush-era people and Romney people than they are out for America First,” said Mori, noting that he counts Cornyn among those Republican relics.
Voters like Mori are making Cornyn’s primary the toughest fight of his political career. And even though Trump remains neutral in the primary, the dynamics underscore the practical effects of the GOP’s transformation in Trump’s image over the last decade, with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement elevating more combative and bombastic candidates.
Left-wing plumber helps Greens sink ruling Labour and far right in surprise U.K. election win
LONDON — Britain’s beleaguered government has spent much of its time in power concerned about the surging far right. Instead, it just received a sucker punch from the progressive left.
The Green Party delivered a stunning blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer early today with a victory in a hotly contested special election in the northern city of Manchester.
The vote in the constituency of Gorton and Denton was seen as a three-way tussle between the Greens, the rising far-right party Reform UK led by Trump ally Nigel Farage, and Starmer’s ruling center-left Labour Party, which has long dominated politics in the area.
It was a comfortable victory for Green candidate Hannah Spencer, 34, who becomes the party’s fifth member of Parliament and one of 650 lawmakers in the U.K.’s lower house.
Spencer was a plumber before she entered politics, a hint of the appeal insurgents from both sides of the political spectrum now have in a country where wages are stagnant, public services are ailing, and years of government scandal have eroded trust in institutions.
Starmer’s position has been under intense scrutiny for months, but recent revelations linked to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal have left him badly weakened.
U.S. hockey player Brady Tkachuk slams White House TikTok as ‘clearly fake’ after anti-Canada slur
American hockey player Brady Tkachuk said yesterday that he did not appreciate a doctored TikTok video shared by the White House that made it look like he was disparaging Canadians after winning Olympic gold, calling it fake and something he would never say.
The video includes fabricated audio of Tkachuk referring to Canadians as “maple syrup eating (expletive),” with the expletive bleeped out. The video carries a note saying it “contains AI-generated media.”
“It’s clearly fake because it’s not my voice and not my lips moving,” Tkachuk said. “I’m not in control of any of those accounts. … I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.”
Asked if he liked the video, Tkachuk said he did not: “I would never say that. That’s not who I am.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. military reportedly used a laser to shoot down Customs and Border Protection drone, sparking new air closure
The U.S. government said it would do better to communicate between agencies after the military reportedly used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas yesterday.
Some Democratic members of Congress, including the ranking members of the House Homeland Security and Transportation committees, called the incident another example of “incompetence.”
It comes two weeks after CBP used a military laser to shoot down what turned out to be party balloons in Texas, which caused the temporary closure of El Paso’s airspace.
U.S. tells embassy staff in Israel to leave now if they want amid Trump threats to attack Iran
TEL AVIV — The United States told some embassy staff today that they could leave Israel — and that those who want to must do so quickly — as fears of an American attack on Iran fueled alarm throughout the region.
The message, conveyed in an email from Ambassador Mike Huckabee that was sent to the U.S. mission, instructed those wishing to leave to “do so TODAY.” NBC News has seen the email, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The guidance was issued out of “an abundance of caution” after meetings and calls through the night including conversations with the State Department, Huckabee said in the email.
“There is no need to panic,” the email read. “For those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”
Bill Clinton to face lawmakers in Epstein probe for rare testimony by a former president
Former President Bill Clinton is set to face questions today from members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, making him the first sitting or former president to testify before members of Congress in over 40 years.
He will be deposed in a closed-door setting one day after the committee questioned his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for around six hours about what she knew about Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said yesterday that he expected the former president’s deposition to take “even longer.” The meeting is taking place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons have a house.
The Clintons told the committee in sworn declarations last month that they had “no personal knowledge” of any “criminal activities” by Epstein or Maxwell.
