• Prosecutors quit: The former acting US attorney in Minneapolis and two of his top lawyers resigned amid White House pressure to focus the probe into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement-involved shooting last week of a mother on her actions and those of people around her, someone briefed on the matter said. • More feds to Minneapolis: About 1,000 more Customs and Border Protection agents are deploying as tensions flare after Renee Good's killing sparked protests nationwide. • Court fights: Democratic-led Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Trump administration, calling its immigration operation “a federal invasion.” The suit doesn't aim to kick out ICE but is “because of this escalation,” the state attorney general said. • White House reaction: President Donald Trump defended ICE agents in Minnesota, saying online a “day of reckoning and retribution is coming.” Trump ramped up the enforcement push to target undocumented Somali immigrants, but like similar actions across the US, it has nabbed others and many without criminal records. Tim Walz called the resignation of federal prosecutor Joe Thompson a “huge loss for our state.” “It's also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants,” he said in a post on X. The governor also praised Thompson as a “principled public servant.” Thompson, who as first assistant US attorney for Minnesota, previously uncovered federal funding fraud in the state. Thompson was previously the acting US attorney for Minnesota and then served as the first assistant US attorney for Minnesota. Thompson is a career prosecutor who, with Harry Jacobs, led the Justice Department's yearslong effort to tackle rampant social services fraud in Minnesota. Melinda Williams, another senior prosecutor, resigned along with Jacobs, the source said. Others are weighing whether to resign instead of following unusual demands on how to handle the shooting probe, the source said. An aggressive crowd of people followed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents gathered in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis this morning as they tried to leave the area after clashes with protestors. The protestors could also be seen attacking the side of a least one car, throwing snowballs at agents and furiously blowing whistles. “This is one of the worst scenes that I've seen,” Young reported. “What you have is people going back and forth with the ICE agents and some of the ICE agents are actually responding to some of these people who are in this crowd.” Pepper balls were dispersed as federal agents and protestors clashed Tuesday morning in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis. As agents returned to their vehicles, flash bangs were also fired at the crowd. Some protesters were then seen throwing snowballs at the agents. Video captured by CNN at the scene shows crowds and federal agents jostling. White House Border Czar Tom Homan defended the immigration operation in Minnesota and pushed back against claims from local officials stating it was a “federal invasion” on Fox News this morning. If these protesters don't like it, go protest Capitol Hill, because we're enforcing laws that they enacted. And we're not going to apologize for doing it,” he said. In Minnesota: In its lawsuit, the state asks a judge to “Declare that Defendants' unprecedented surge of Defendants' agents in Minnesota is unconstitutional and unlawful” and reinstate a previous policy avoiding immigration raids at schools, hospitals and houses of worship. The plaintiffs also want a judge to ban aggressive engagement techniques against suspects and protesters. Attorney General Keith Ellison told CNN's Sara Sidner the purpose is not to end all immigration enforcement in his state. “The word surge is important here,” Ellison said today. In Illinois: The state's lawsuit goes further, saying the court should “enjoin Defendant CBP from conducting civil immigration enforcement in Illinois” unless there is “express Congressional authorization” to do so. As CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted earlier, “There is no way a judge can say, ‘You, federal law enforcement agency: You are not allowed to execute federal law in a certain state or city. President Donald Trump just defended ICE agents on the ground in Minnesota, calling them “patriots” whose only motivation is to remove criminal undocumented immigrants from the community. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump attacked familiar political rivals and said Minnesota Democrats “love the unrest that anarchists and professional agitators are causing because it gets the spotlight off of the 19 Billion Dollars that was stolen by really bad and deranged people,” referring to fraud allegations in the state. He also said a “reckoning” was coming, as around 1,000 more US Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to Minneapolis in the wake of last week's shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer that left a mother of three dead. J.B. Pritzker said have “terrorized our communities” and violated the Constitution. Trump did not mention in his post Renee Good, the US citizen and mother of three who was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. On Air Force One Sunday, Trump called Good a “very violent” and “radical” person. The Department of Homeland Security said today it is ending a form of humanitarian relief for Somali nationals living in the United States. The termination of the relief, known as Temporary Protected Status, has prompted legal challenges nationwide and has been blocked by federal judges in some instances. Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law's requirement for Temporary Protected Status. We are putting Americans first,” DHS said in a statement. Today's announcement comes as protections for Somalis were set to expire on March 17. In November, President Donald Trump indicated that he intended to terminate protections for Somali immigrants residing in the US, claiming, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Somalis, particularly in Minnesota, have faced harassment and threats amid a welfare-fraud scandal that ensnared the community. Of the foreign-born Somalis in Minnesota, an overwhelming majority – 87% – are naturalized US citizens. Some context: Somali citizens were first granted TPS in 1991 and maintained it “due to insecurity and ongoing armed conflict,” according to an August Congressional Research Service report, which also said 705 Somali nationals were covered by TPS as of March 2025. Although Minnesota's new lawsuit asking a judge to declare the latest surge of immigration enforcement in the state “unconstitutional and unlawful,” Attorney General Keith Ellison says the purpose is not to kick agents out entirely. We're suing now because of this escalation,” Ellison said. The lawsuit by Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul that argues the Trump administration's widespread immigration enforcement operation is “a federal invasion of the Twin Cities” is not meant to stop federal agents from working within their legal limits, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her told CNN on Tuesday. They are terrorizing our neighborhoods and our communities, and (for) that they have to be held accountable,” Her told Kate Bolduan, adding the plaintiffs believe the Trump administration is neither complying with the Constitution and federal policies nor respecting states' rights. This “will be the precedent-setting case,” the Democratic mayor said when asked how this suit might align with prior legal claims. There wouldn't be any kind of case that exists already because this is the first this is happening,” Her said. While they may contain strong claims, the lawsuits filed by Illinois and Minnesota are “really political diatribes masquerading as lawsuits,” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said. “If you look at what both states are asking the courts to do, it's to kick ICE out of those states and cities and to bar ICE from carrying on federal law enforcement in Illinois and Minnesota,” he told Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central Tuesday morning. But “there is zero precedent for that,” Honig said. “There is no way a judge can say, ‘You, federal law enforcement agency: You are not allowed to execute federal law in a certain state or city. The most that Illinois and Minnesota could get out of their efforts – if they get sympathetic judges – “is a judge who's going to ask questions of ICE, who's going to hold hearings, who's going to demand questions about how they're training, how they're carrying out their policy,” Honig said. “But I don't give them much of a chance of achieving the legal thing that they're asking for in the courts.” In its new lawsuit seeking an order to effectively shut down enhanced Customs and Border Protection activity in Illinois, the state is asking for the case to be heard by a familiar face. The plaintiffs say the new case should be heard by Illinois federal judge Sara Ellis – an Obama appointee – who was previously assigned to a case challenging immigration agents' response to protesters and journalists in the Chicago area last year. In that case, Ellis ordered agents to avoid using pepper balls and tear gas unless directly engaged by protesters and only after giving a clear verbal warning. Ellis expressed frustration with Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino – the leader of Operation Midway Blitz – in her order, saying he “admitted in his deposition that he lied multiple times about the events that occurred in Little Village that prompted him to throw tear gas at protesters.” That case is still technically pending, but the plaintiffs have asked for it to be dismissed because Operation Midway Blitz ended in November. Ellis has not yet decided whether the case should be moved to her court. Minnesota's new lawsuit against the Trump administration claims Operation Metro Surge is an unconstitutional retaliation against the state for political reasons, but it also says federal agents have used “unlawful tactics” that “undermine public trust in state and local law enforcement.” Around 1,000 more US Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to Minneapolis in the wake of last week's shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer that left a mother of three dead, according to two federal law enforcement sources. CBP Commander Gregory Bovino has already been on the ground with hundreds of agents and has been conducting targeted operations, including door knocks, one of the sources said. Documents provided to those who receive door knocks are either administrative warrants – signed by an immigration officer but without the same legal weight as a judicial warrant – or copies of their final orders of removal. Minnesota's lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to end Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities, is not intended to cripple the ability of ICE to carry out its duties, Attorney General Keith Ellison said Monday. “Quite honestly, we need ICE to just do what ICE is supposed to do, which is immigration enforcement,” Ellison told CNN's Laura Coates last night. Administration officials initially cited investigations of fraud connected to billions of dollars of federal funds centered on the area's Somali community in announcing the surge, but Ellison argues the issues aren't connected. We don't need armed paramiltaries harassing students at Roosevelt High School,” he said. Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, was killed when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot into her vehicle during an encounter last week. Good and Ross — whose brief confrontation ended with him firing his weapon at least three times as she attempted to drive away — are now at the center of furious debate over President Donald Trump's administration's building immigration crackdown, each side angrily assigning blame to the other. Videos of the incident are still emerging, and there's more to be learned. Federal officials, including Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, quickly accused Good of trying to use her vehicle to kill or harm ICE agents. The lawsuit also claims Operation Metro Surge is not a legitimate law enforcement action, but rather a retaliation effort against Democratic-led Minnesota, citing the president's disparaging comments toward local officials. “President Trump expressed the root of his displeasure in plain terms during a recorded interview: he essentially claimed that Minnesota is ‘corrupt' and ‘crooked' because its officials accurately reported election results and those results did not declare him the winner,” the lawsuit says, citing a January 9 interview by the president. “DHS law enforcement have made over 2,000 arrests since Operation Metro Surge began,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Monday. In Minneapolis, snow flurries drifted down as thousands of people gathered in parks, along residential streets and outside federal buildings, chanting Good's name, whose death has become a focal point of national outrage over federal authorities' tactics in US cities while carrying out President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. “The response to ICE's horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good is loud, peaceful, and inescapable,” coalition member group Indivisible said in a Saturday Facebook post accompanied by images of protests in multiple cities. Protesters continued to take to the streets Sunday, demanding federal immigration officers be removed from their communities following the killing of Minneapolis woman Renee Good.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. Donald Trump's administration said Tuesday it will end temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia, the latest move in the president's mass deportation agenda. It comes during Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where many native Somalis live and where street protests have intensified since a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a U.S citizen who was demonstrating against federal presence in the city. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that affected Somalis must leave the U.S. by March 17, when existing protections, last extended by former President Joe Biden, will expire. But Trump has rolled back protections across multiple countries in his second presidency. Congress established the Temporary Protected Status program in 1990 to help foreign nationals attempting to leave unstable, threatening conditions in their home countries. The status has been extended for decades, most recently by Biden in July 2024. Noem insisted circumstances in Somalia “have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law's requirement for Temporary Protected Status.” Located in the horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the world's poorest nations and has for decades been beset by chronic strife exacerbated by multiple natural disasters, including severe droughts. The 2025 congressional report stated that Somalis had received more than two dozen extensions because of perpetual “insecurity and ongoing armed conflict that present serious threats to the safety of returnees.” Trump has targeted Somali immigrants with racist rhetoric and accused those in Minneapolis of massively defrauding federal programs. In December, Trump said he did not want Somalis in the U.S., saying they “come from hell” and “contribute nothing.” He made no distinction between citizens and non-citizens or offered any opinion on immigration status. Trump has repeatedly suggested she should be deported, despite her being a U.S. citizen, and in his rant last fall he called her “garbage.” Omar, who has been an outspoken critic of the ICE deployment in Minneapolis, has called Trump's “obsession” with her and Somali-Americans “creepy and unhealthy.”

Former President Bill Clinton, left, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listen as Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a eulogy for U.S. Rep.†Sheila Jackson Lee, Aug. 1, 2024, in Houston. WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that they will refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a House committee's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons, in a letter released on social media, slammed the House Oversight probe as “legally invalid” even as Republican lawmakers prepared contempt of Congress proceedings against them. “We will forcefully defend ourselves,” wrote the Clintons, who are Democrats. They accused Comer of allowing other former officials to provide written statements about Epstein to the committee, while selectively enforcing subpoenas against them. It also comes when Republicans are grappling with the Justice Department's delayed release of the Epstein files after a bipartisan push for their release. Comer said he'll begin contempt of Congress proceedings next week. It potentially starts a complicated and politically messy process that Congress has rarely reached for and could result in prosecution from the Justice Department. “No one's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters after Bill Clinton did not show up for a scheduled deposition at House offices Tuesday. He added, “Anyone would admit they spent a lot of time together.” Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein but had a well-documented friendship with the wealthy financier throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Republicans have zeroed in on that relationship as they wrestle with demands for a full accounting of Epstein's wrongdoing. Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He killed himself in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial. Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so. That history was invoked by President Donald Trump in 2022, between his first and second terms, when he faced a subpoena by the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot by a mob of his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. Trump's lawyers cited decades of legal precedent they said shielded an ex-president from being ordered to appear before Congress. Comer also indicated that the Oversight committee would not attempt to compel testimony from Trump about Epstein, saying that it could not force a sitting president to testify. Meanwhile, the congressional co-sponsors of legislation that forced the public release of investigative documents in the sex trafficking probe of Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell asked a New York judge in a letter to appoint a neutral expert to oversee release of the materials. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, told U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer they had “urgent and grave concerns” that the Justice Department has failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the files to be released last month. Maxwell, a former Epstein girlfriend, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 sex trafficking conviction for recruiting girls and women to be abused by Epstein and for sometimes joining in the abuse. Last month, Maxwell sought to set aside her conviction, saying new evidence had emerged proving constitutional violations spoiled her trial. Justice Department officials, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, have said the files' release was slowed by redactions required to protect the identities of abuse victims. They also recommended that a court-appointed monitor be given authority to notify and prepare reports about the true nature and extent of the document production and whether improper redactions or conduct have taken place. Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

• US President Donald Trump has canceled meetings with Iranian officials and encouraged protesters to keep demonstrating, saying “help is on its way” amid a brutal crackdown by Tehran. At least 1,850 protesters have now been killed in more than two weeks of demonstrations, according to a US-based rights group. • Trump will meet with his senior national security team today to discuss his options in Iran, after announcing a 25% tariff on countries that do business with Iran. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes the Iranian regime could be facing its “last days and weeks.” • Some landline and mobile phone users in Iran have been able to call abroad for the first time more than four days after the government shut down communications. President Trump did not attend a Tuesday morning meeting of national security principals regarding Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Air Force One on the way to Michigan. Earlier Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social that he's canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until “the senseless killing of protestors STOP.” In an update today, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 1,850 protesters have been killed and at least 16,784 have been arrested since the unrest began in December. But with Iran largely offline, the actual toll could be much higher. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks says the country has been without internet access for five days, since authorities imposed a nationwide shutdown last week — severely limiting the flow of images, videos and witness accounts. Multiple eyewitnesses have described violent crackdowns on protesters and “chaotic” conditions inside hospitals. Rare video that surfaced over the weekend from inside Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center appears to show people crowded around a monitor, looking to identify their loved ones. In 2019, Iran went almost entirely offline after nationwide protests gripped the country. CNN's Billy Stockwell, Catherine Nicholls, Helen Regan and Hira Humayun contributed to this report Iran has been under a near-total internet blackout for five days, according to cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks, as authorities crack down on anti-government protesters. Earlier today, telephone communications appeared to have been partially restored, with some landline and mobile phone users able to call abroad for the first time since the blackout began last week. At least 1,850 protesters have been killed, according to estimates from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). A number of European nations have summoned Iranian ambassadors and are condemning Tehran's violent clampdown on protesters. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Catherine Nicholls and Inke Kappeler contributed to this report. The United Kingdom will work towards carrying out more sanctions against Iran, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said today, in response to what she called the “most brutal and bloody repression against public protest in Iran for at least thirteen years.” CNN's Clarissa Ward breaks down some of the protest chants we have been hearing. We've recently received an updated death toll estimate from a US-based human rights group, which says more than 1,800 protesters have been killed during just over two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in Iran. To put that estimate into context, these are the estimated deaths from other times of unrest: As we reported earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that countries doing business with Iran will face a new 25% tariff. He did not define what qualifies as “doing business” with Iran and the post raised a number of questions, including how these additional tariffs could work, which countries would be targeted and whether services and not just goods would face higher duties. Experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council are urging Iran to refrain from using lethal force against demonstrators, following what it describes as “clear violations” of human rights law. “The use of lethal force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary arrests – including of children – and attacks on medical facilities represent clear violations of international human rights law,” the experts said, according to a news release from the Special Procedures United Nations Human Rights Council. The working group also raised concerns over the rhetoric being used to label demonstrators, like “rioters,” and said that inflammatory language should not be used to “suppress or criminalize legitimate demonstrations.” “Authorities have a choice between perpetuating cycles of violence and repression that have characterised past responses to dissent or establishing genuine respect for fundamental rights,” the group of experts said. According to the UN Human Rights Council, the experts are in contact with Iranian authorities and “call for immediate action to prevent further human rights violations.” Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Iranian officials' threats to punish protesters with the death penalty, were “extremely worrying.” On Friday, Tehran's prosecutor Ali Salehi said some protesters in Iran could face the death penalty for their actions, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim. CNN's Billy Stockwell and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report. President Donald Trump said today he's canceled any meetings with Iranian officials as a crackdown on protesters continues, suggesting the window of diplomacy that he saw opening days ago had closed. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. But his message two days later indicated he no longer believes talks would be fruitful. At least 1,850 protesters have been killed in more than two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in Iran, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). This is a significant increase from the group's previous toll of around 500. It remains unclear whether HRANA's tally fully captures the scale of casualties and arrests, given the authorities' shutdown of internet access and telephone lines. CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA's death toll or arrest figures. When President Donald Trump meets with his senior national security team later Tuesday to discuss his options in Iran, he'll face a complex set of decisions for how to proceed – all balanced by an equally complex set of risks. Trump must first decide whether to allow diplomacy time to proceed after his foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, received conciliatory messages from Iran's foreign minister over the weekend. Other officials have been less sanguine, believing Tehran is simply looking to delay an attack, which Trump has been threatening for more than two weeks. Trump has said he won't necessarily wait for talks with Iran before moving ahead. Any strike would likely be several days from happening, one official said. Each cascading decision will be weighed against potential responses from Iran. US officials believe any strikes inside Iran could lead to retaliatory action on American facilities in the region, an outcome Iranian officials have already threatened. And not taking any action at all could make Trump's threats appear empty, officials said. “I believe (the unrest) was generally a plot by the United States and Israel, but people do have issues that need to be heard,” an unnamed pro-government protester told Reuters at a counter-rally yesterday. A third pro-regime protester said, “the first step is to speak with determination about possible foreign interventions.” US President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued warnings to Iranian leadership over the last few weeks, threatening that his country could intervene if authorities continue their violence against protesters. CNN's Mostafa Salem, Tim Lister, Billy Stockwell, Nadeen Ebrahim, Kit Maher, Chris Lau, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Helen Regan, Banafsheh Keynoush and Elisabeth Buchwald contributed to this reporting. The Dutch foreign minister has summoned Iran's ambassador to protest Iran's brutal crackdown of anti-government protests, the first European government to announce such a move. “I have summoned the Iranian ambassador to formally protest the excessive violence against peaceful protesters, large-scale arbitrary arrests and internet shutdowns,” David van Weel said on Tuesday in a statement posted on X. Van Weel called on Tehran to “respect fundamental rights and immediately restore internet access,” after Iranians have been cut off for at least 108 hours, according to internet-monitoring group NetBlocks. At least 500 demonstrators, including nine minors, have been killed and more than 10,000 have been arrested since the protests began in late December, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Iranian state-affiliated media say more than 100 members of the security forces have been killed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the German government to “have some shame” after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian regime could be facing its “last days and weeks.” Merz earlier criticized the Iranian government, saying that “when a regime can only stay in power through violence then it has de facto reached the end.” Araghchi said Berlin should “end its unlawful interference in our region,” while condemning Merz' support for Israel during its war in Gaza following Hamas' deadly October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. CNN's Elisabeth Buchwald, Rhea Mogul, Helen Regan, Billy Stockwell and Zahid Mahmood contributed to this reporting. If they want to test military action, which they tested once and achieved no results, we are ready for that,” Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, adding that Iran is now more prepared to face strikes on its soil, compared to the 12-day war with Israel in June. US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran following deadly protests in the country, two US officials told CNN, as the US president considers following through on his recent threats to strike the Iranian regime should it use lethal force against civilians during recent protests. Araghchi said Iran is, however, willing to engage in diplomatic talks, and that Tehran hopes Washington will choose a “wise option.” Trump had said that Iran called him on Saturday to negotiate. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has described as “extremely worrying” statements from Iranian officials that protesters could face the death penalty. “It (is) also extremely worrying to see public statements by some judicial officials indicating the possibility of the death penalty being used against protesters through expedited judicial proceedings,” Türk said in a statement published on Tuesday. On Friday, Tehran's prosecutor Ali Salehi said that some protesters in Iran could face the death penalty for their actions, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim. The UN human rights chief urged the Iranian authorities to “halt immediately all forms of violence and repression” and called for accountability for “serious violations.” As protests stretched into Monday night across multiple Iranian cities, this footage shows crowds chanting in the streets — and by morning, images of a burned-out bank were a visual reminder of anger at the government and the country's economic crisis.

The Seoul Central District Court is to resume the closing arguments hearing on the trial of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol and his associates who have been indicted over rebellion charges in connection with Yoon's martial law imposition in December 2024. Then South Korea's ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol who is facing charges of orchestrating a rebellion when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, arrives to attend his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 12, 2025. Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside of Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea, July 9, 2025. Then South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of orchestrating a rebellion when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, attends his criminal trial at a courtroom of the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul Monday, April 21, 2025. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An independent counsel on Tuesday demanded the death sentence for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on rebellion charges in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024. Yoon, who was removed from office last April and is in jail, faces eight trials over various criminal charges related to his martial law debacle and other scandals that flared during his time in office. Charges that he directed a rebellion are the most significant ones. During Tuesday's court session, Park Eok-su, a senior investigator on Cho's team, described Yoon's decree as “anti-state activities” and “a self-coup.” He alleged that Yoon's action was designed to prolong his rule by neutralizing the constitutional structure of state governance systems. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports South Korea's former president faces a possible death penalty. Experts say the court will likely sentence Yoon to life in prison. South Korea hasn't executed anyone since 1997, and local courts rarely issue the death penalty in recent years. Yoon is the first South Korean president who has faced a potential death penalty after leaving office, since former military strongman Chun Doo-hwan in 1996 was sentenced to death for various crimes. Yoon was scheduled to make remarks at Tuesday's hearing. Yoon, a conservative, has maintained that his decree was a desperate yet peaceful attempt to raise public awareness about what he considered the danger of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which used its legislative majority to obstruct his agenda. He called the opposition-controlled parliament “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces.” Yoon's decree, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, brought armed troops into Seoul streets to encircle the National Assembly and enter election offices. Observers described Yoon's action as political suicide, marking a spectacular downfall for the former star prosecutor who won South Korea's presidency in 2022, a year after entering politics. Yoon's decree and ensuing power vacuum plunged South Korea into political turmoil, halted the country's high-level diplomacy and rattled its financial markets. Lee Jae Myung, a former Democratic Party leader who led Yoon's impeachment bid, became president in a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to delve into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates. There had been speculation that Yoon resorted to martial law to protect his wife, Kim Keon Hee, from potential corruption investigations. But in wrapping up a six-month investigation last month, independent counsel Cho's team concluded that Yoon plotted for over a year to impose martial law to eliminate his political rivals and monopolize power. Yoon's rebellion charges carry either the death sentence or life imprisonment, if convicted. Yoon's lawyers accused Cho's team of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such an “excessive” sentence. Charges at other trials accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine's drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor. Potential prison sentences that Yoon could receive in these trials could matter in the event that he avoids the death penalty or life imprisonment over his rebellion charges, said Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law. Dozens of high-level officials and military commanders of the Yoon administration have been arrested, indicted or investigated over their roles in Yoon's martial law imposition and other allegations. Cho's team on Tuesday demanded a life sentence for Yoon's defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, and 10-30 years in prison for former senior military and police officers.

Former President Bill Clinton, left, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listen as Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a eulogy for U.S. Rep.†Sheila Jackson Lee, Aug. 1, 2024, in Houston. WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that they will refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a House committee's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons, in a letter released on social media, slammed the House Oversight probe as “legally invalid” even as Republican lawmakers prepared contempt of Congress proceedings against them. “We will forcefully defend ourselves,” wrote the Clintons, who are Democrats. They accused Comer of allowing other former officials to provide written statements about Epstein to the committee, while selectively enforcing subpoenas against them. Comer said he'll begin contempt of Congress proceedings next week. It potentially starts a complicated and politically messy process that Congress has rarely reached for and could result in prosecution from the Justice Department. “No one's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters after Bill Clinton did not show up for a scheduled deposition at House offices Tuesday. He added, “Anyone would admit they spent a lot of time together.” Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein but had a well-documented friendship with the wealthy financier throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Republicans have zeroed in on that relationship as they wrestle with demands for a full accounting of Epstein's wrongdoing. Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He killed himself in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial. Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so. That history was invoked by President Donald Trump in 2022, between his first and second terms, when he faced a subpoena by the House committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot by a mob of his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. Trump's lawyers cited decades of legal precedent they said shielded an ex-president from being ordered to appear before Congress. Comer also indicated that the Oversight committee would not attempt to compel testimony from Trump about Epstein, saying that it could not force a sitting president to testify.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. DHS senior advisor Ron Vitiello joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the Minneapolis mayor's stance on anti-ICE protests and more as demonstrations spread nationwide. Police groups, MAGA supporters and the Department of Homeland Security mocked left-wing Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on social media for his warning to the National Guard and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid President Donald Trump's immigration and fraud crackdowns. "To ICE and the National Guard: if you commit crimes in Philadelphia, we will charge you and hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Krasner posted to X Saturday, accompanied by a black and white photo of himself wearing sunglasses and the caption "FAFO." "FAFO" is internet slang meaning "f--- around and find out." It increasingly has entered the MAGA political lexicon, been embraced by Trump, and been used in administration-linked messaging and by prominent Republican allies as a blunt warning to political opponents and foreign adversaries. Krasner has served as Philadelphia's district attorney since 2018, frequently coming under fire from conservatives for reduced reliance on cash bail, shifts in charging for some low-level crimes, and an aggressive posture on police accountability. Republicans have repeatedly pointed to his office's bail and prosecution policies as drivers of public-safety concerns, staging high-profile hearings and pushing an impeachment effort that ultimately collapsed in court. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is facing political pushback on social media after sending ICE a warning. "This embarrassment of a DA regularly gives the velvet glove treatment to murders, robbers, and rapists…what a joke," Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi posted to X, slamming Krasner. The Department of Homeland Security responded with at least two memes brushing off Krasner's comment, including a gif of a person dressed up as a founding father with the caption, "Oh no! "Note that Larry Krasner has never said FAFO to the actual criminals he's supposed to put behind bars, and thus his city is garbage. But good posturing you pathetic waste of space," Republican communicator Matt Whitlock wrote. "This is so cringe, even for a Soros DA," another commented. Left-wing billionaire George Soros was one of Krasner's donors amid his election effort, Fox Digital previously reported. "It would be news if Krassner prosecuted an actual criminal, let alone ICE," RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway posted. "LMAO, they try so hard to use social media the way this administration does, and it fails every time," another posted, referring to Democrats attempting to lean into MAGA's often searing use of social media. People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a rally outside the Whipple Building Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. "This idiot has never read the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution," former New Jersey Senate candidate Mike Crispi posted. Krasner's social media message joins a chorus of Democrats nationwide criticizing ICE and federal immigration law enforcement officials following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota earlier in January. Good was shot on a residential street while operating her car. DHS said Good used her car as weapon against the agents before the shooting, calling her actions an "act of domestic terrorism." Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal also slammed ICE earlier in January as made up, "fake, wannabe law enforcement," claiming ICE violated both "legal law" and "moral law" following the shooting. Democrats have rallied against the federal law enforcement officer's actions, with some left-wing lawmakers such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling the incident "murder," while other Democrats have underscored a push for more accountability of federal officers. ICE agents stand at the scene where a woman was fatally shot earlier in the day during an enforcement operation on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to be "staged and ready to support local and state law enforcement in protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining public safety following a shooting involving federal immigration enforcement agents in south Minneapolis." Trump has mobilized, or attempted to mobilize, the National Guard to other cities in 2025 as part of his mission to crack down on crime, including when he federalized the Washington, D.C., police force in August 2025. Krasner's office did not immediately respond to Fox Digital's request for comment on criticisms revolving around his Saturday message. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss Iran's deadly protests as the Trump administration weighs potential military action. President Donald Trump urged the people of Iran to "take over" the country's institutions on Tuesday, saying he has canceled all meetings with the Iranian regime until its crackdown on unrest ends. Trump made the announcement on social media, vowing that those responsible for killing anti-regime demonstrators will "pay a big price." Iran had previously claimed it was in contact with U.S. officials amid the protests. "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!" "I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY," he added. Since the unrest broke out, Iranian authorities have killed at least 646 protesters, with thousands more deaths expected to be confirmed. Reuters reported the death toll at 2,000, citing an unnamed Iranian official. The White House confirmed on Monday that Trump was weighing whether to bomb Iran in reaction to the crackdown. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that diplomacy remains Trump's first option, but that the president "has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary." Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime is using deadly force against protesters in Tehran and elsewhere. "He certainly doesn't want to see people being killed in the streets of Tehran. And unfortunately that's something we are seeing right now," she added. Iranian authorities have used deadly force against anti-regime protesters and have cut off public internet access in an effort to stop images and video from spreading across the globe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz went so far as to predict an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenie's regime. "I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime," he told reporters while in India on Tuesday. "When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime," he added. Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Former President Bill Clinton has responded after images of him were released from the latest Epstein files dump. Former President Bill Clinton appears to have defied a congressional subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday morning. Clinton was compelled to sit for a sworn closed-door deposition in the House's bipartisan probe into Jeffrey Epstein, but Fox News Digital did not see him before or after the scheduled 10 a.m. grilling. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., had threatened to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against Clinton if he did not appear Tuesday. Comer said Tuesday morning, "We will move next week in the House Oversight Committee … to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress." Former President Bill Clinton speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on Sept. 18, 2023, in New York City. "I think everyone knows by now Bill Clinton did not show up. And I think it's important to note that this subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan manner by this committee," Comer told reporters after formally ending the deposition. "No one's accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing. And that's why the Democrats voted, along with Republicans, to subpoena Bill Clinton." He said "not a single Democrat" showed up to the deposition on Tuesday. Other lawmakers seen going into the committee room include Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Michael Cloud, R-Texas, Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Scott Perry, R-Pa. Hillary Clinton had also been subpoenaed to appear on Wednesday but likely will not show up. Mindful of these defects, we trust you will engage in good faith to de-escalate this dispute," reads the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital. "President and Secretary Clinton have already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the Committee. They did so proactively and voluntarily, and despite the fact that the Subpoenas are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers," the letter said. "Your continued insistence that the former President and Secretary of State can be compelled to appear before the Committee under these circumstances, however, brings us toward a protracted and unnecessary legal confrontation that distracts from the principal work of the Congress with respect to this matter, which, if conducted sincerely, could help ensure the victims of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell are afforded some measure of justice for the crimes perpetrated against them, however late. Fox News Digital asked Comer if he would also move to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt next week if she defies the subpoena, to which he said, "We'll see. If the contempt resolution advances through committee next week, it will then be on the entire House to vote on whether to refer the former president for criminal charges. Burchett, however, told reporters he was not confident that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would pursue such a referral. "I've been really disappointed in our Justice Department, so I would hope that maybe they're making some changes over there," Burchett said. The former first couple were two of 10 people who Comer initially subpoenaed in the House's Epstein investigation after a unanimous bipartisan vote directed him to do so last year. Fox News Digital was first to report on the subpoenas in August. Clinton was known to be friendly with the late pedophile before his federal charges but was never implicated in any wrongdoing related to him. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News. Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Microsoft says it will ask to pay higher electricity bills in areas where it's building data centers, in an effort to prevent electricity prices for local residents from rising in those areas. The move is part of a broader plan to address rising prices and other concerns sparked by the tech industry's massive buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the United States. They hoover up vast amounts of electricity, but it's a project that leaders in Silicon Valley and on Capitol Hill have framed as essential for the economy and national security. Areas near data centers saw an increase in electricity costs of as much as 267% compared to five years ago, a Bloomberg News analysis from last year found. What's more, many Americans have argued that they did not ask for the AI buildout and worry they won't benefit from it, given warnings from tech leaders that AI could eliminate jobs. Microsoft, accordingly, is now saying it will seek to pay not just for the energy its data centers use, but also to cover the costs of updating and adding necessary electricity to the grid, so those costs aren't passed on to other local utility customers. Microsoft's efforts to be a good neighbor in the areas where it builds data centers also include plans to invest in local water systems, libraries and schools, as well as job and AI skills training. The company's Tuesday announcement comes a day after President Donald Trump teased plans he said his administration developed with Big Tech to address Americans' rising electricity bills. “Therefore, my Administration is working with major American Technology Companies to secure their commitment to the American people, and we will have much to announce in the coming weeks to ensure that Americans don't ‘pick up the tab' for their POWER consumption, in terms of higher Utility bills,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday, adding that the first announcement would come from Microsoft. The move comes as Trump has been taking steps to address Americans' affordability concerns. Despite the protests against AI data centers, Smith said, “we fundamentally believe that data centers can fuel economic prosperity, not for the few, but for everybody in a community that depends on these schools, and these hospitals, and all of these other public services and jobs.” Smith added that the company will pay for water “replenishment” when its data centers must draw on local water supplies. In Arizona, for example, Microsoft has worked with the municipality to find and fix leaks in their pipes that could be causing the community to lose fresh water. He also said Microsoft will not ask for property tax reductions or abatements in the areas where it plans to build. The company plans to provide job training for construction workers to build data centers and long-term data center operators, although data centers require fewer workers to run once they're fully built. Microsoft also says it will partner with local schools, libraries, non-profits and businesses to offer AI skills training. Smith framed the AI data center buildout in grand terms, as the next phase in America's infrastructure history. “Decade after decade, century after century, infrastructure has always raised new questions, new concerns, new controversies, and yet throughout it all, it has been vital to the growth and prosperity of our nation,” he said. US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Jillian Balow, a former Wyoming state superintendent of public instruction, is jumping into the congressional race to succeed Rep. Harriet Hageman in the Cowboy State's at-large U.S. House district. "Wyoming deserves a representative who understands our way of life and fights for it every day in Washington," Balow said, according to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital "I am running to defend Wyoming's energy economy, protect our constitutional freedoms, support parents and students, and make sure the voices of rural communities are never ignored." The race is an open contest as Hageman announced a U.S. Senate bid last month after GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced that she would not seek re-election. Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow gestures during a news conference in 2022 in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) "I am proud of the legacy Senator Cynthia Lummis and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman have built by standing up for Wyoming values and refusing to back down in Washington," Balow noted, according to the press release. "They are trailblazers for our state, and I am running to carry that same strong, independent Wyoming voice forward, to follow in their footsteps, and to fight for our state with the same conviction and resolve." Balow will face competition in the GOP primary for the U.S. House seat from Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Reid Rasner, who lost a 2024 Republican U.S. Senate primary in the state to incumbent Sen. John Barasso. In 2022, Balow resigned from her role as Wyoming state superintendent of public instruction to become the Virginia superintendent of public instruction. She resigned from the Virginia role in 2023. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wy., speaks at the annual CPAC D.C. conference at the Gaylord National Resort in Oxon Hill, Md., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. "I believe Wyoming leads best when we stand firm on conservative principles and deliver real results," Balow noted, according to the press release. "This campaign is about protecting what makes Wyoming strong and ensuring our state has a confident, independent voice in Congress." Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Tesla's robotaxi service has been mostly hypothetical so far, but it's certainly taking the company's shareholders for a real ride. Tesla debuted its ride-hailing service using cars with its so-called full self-driving (FSD) tech in Austin, Texas, in June. And at the start of 2026, robotaxis are available in just two locations — Austin and the San Francisco Bay area — and a company employee needs to be along for the ride in both. Tesla did not respond to CNN questions about its service. Shares of Tesla (TSLA), meanwhile, have climbed more than 50% since June to a record-high on Musk's big promises. But its main source of revenue — electric vehicle (EV) sales — is sputtering, falling by a record 9% in 2025. The company must start to live up to its bold promises on robotaxis, or risk losing much of those gains. “I think in the next six months there's a reckoning coming for Tesla,” said Ross Gerber, an early Tesla investor and CEO of investment firm Gerber Kawasaki. He's now a prominent critic of Musk. “I think once analysts realize that all these (robotaxi) numbers are fantastical and sales (of cars) are still going down, then Tesla's got a big problem,” Gerber added. Overall, US sales fell nearly 50% between the third and fourth quarters, according to Cox Automotive. That left Tesla's global car sales down 16% in the same period, and lower for the second straight year. That's a stunning turnaround for a company that at one time had seen nearly 50% increases in sales each year. Tesla's problems went beyond the end of a tax credit. There was backlash to Musk's political activities and involvement in the Trump administration, as well as increased competition, especially from China. Chinese automaker BYD even overtook Tesla as the world's largest seller of EVs despite not selling in the United States. And Tesla is falling further behind the offerings of other companies, like Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet. Waymo said it provided 14 million fully autonomous paid rides without any employees aboard in 2025, totaling 20 million over the past five years. Meanwhile, Tesla has yet to offer a single fully autonomous robotaxi ride. The Waymo service is also available in five metro areas: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. Yet Waymo's clear market advantage has not deterred Wall Street optimism for Tesla's robotaxi service. “I believe we will have 30 cities for the robotaxis in 2026,” said Dan Ives, analyst for Wedbush Securities and a Tesla bull. “You need to use a brick-by-brick process to build out the most important of growth in Tesla's history.” Such bullish assessments seem to discount a less-than-ideal initial rollout. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also conducting a number of investigations into the safety of its autonomous driving features, adding to critics' concerns that Tesla's robotaxis won't be safe enough to operate everywhere Musk promises. “He's benefited from putting out promises that are impossible to meet. “When you have a company losing cash in their core business, and not delivering on any of the promises, people are going to start to sell.” US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are set to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week to further the investigation into the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The Clintons have not confirmed their appearances for their subpoenaed depositions,” a House Oversight Committee spokeswoman said in a statement. If the Clintons do not appear for their depositions, the House Oversight Committee will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings.” The Clintons previously had depositions set last year but delayed their testimony. Bill Clinton has been called to testify after he had high-profile run-ins with Epstein, including 17 White House visits during the former's presidency, according to the New York Post, though less is known about Hillary Clinton's relationship with the pair. Last year, former girlfriend and convicted sex offender in Epstein's trafficking scheme Ghislaine Maxwell mentioned her interactions with Bill Clinton multiple times over the course of her interview with a senior Justice Department official, during which she claimed that the former president never went to Epstein's famous island. Maxwell also added that she never saw Hillary Clinton and Epstein together. “And I can be sure of that because there's no way he would've gone — I don't believe there's any way that he would've gone to the island, had I not been there. Because I don't believe he had an independent friendship, if you will, with Epstein. I didn't see President Clinton being interested in Epstein. “You know, in the case of Bill Clinton, as far as I was aware, there was no evidence that he visited the island,” former Attorney General Bill Barr stated in a transcribed interview conducted by the committee last year. “You know, the government did not obtain any such evidence.” The former president was among many who wrote a birthday note in a 2003 birthday card to Epstein, put together by Maxwell. “It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends,” Clinton's note reads. Epstein's pilot, who testified in Maxwell's trial, listed both Trump and Clinton on the list of those who flew on his private plane, adding that he would be given a notice if high-profile people were flying. “In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein's airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation,” Urena wrote in 2019. Clinton received the massage from then-22-year-old Chauntae Davies, who served as Epstein's personal masseuse. Davies told the Daily Mail of the interaction, “Although the image looks bizarre, President Clinton was a perfect gentleman during the trip, and I saw absolutely no foul play involving him.” She has come forward as a victim of Epstein's, saying she was repeatedly raped. From 2007 to 2008, Maxwell's nephew, Alexander Djerassi, worked on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign as a policy associate. Following his tenure as chief of staff, he was brought back on in 2016 to work on the transition team as Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee, before Trump defeated her in 2016. In 2010, Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton's wedding, a year after sexual abuse accusations against her emerged. In 2013, Maxwell was honored for her ocean conservation work by the Clinton Global Initiative, two years after Bill Clinton's staff recommended banning her from events. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), who led the bill to release the files, called on a federal judge to appoint a special master to oversee the DOJ's release of files last week.

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters. At Vox, our mission is to help you make sense of the world — and that work has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? So it's remarkable just how many judges have published opinions criticizing the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen (2022), a decision by all six of the Court's Republicans that instructs lower court judges on how they should handle Second Amendment cases. Or, at least, Bruen purports to provide lower courts with this kind of guidance. As one federal judge complained in a 2023 opinion, the “unique test” the Republican justices came up with in Bruen “does not provide lower courts with clear guidance.” Courts, a different federal appellate judge wrote, “are struggling at every stage of the Bruen inquiry.” Indeed, in her concurring opinion in United States v. Rahimi (2024), the Supreme Court's only attempt to interpret Bruen since that decision was handed down, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson quoted a dozen different judicial opinions complaining that Bruen simply does not work. One Trump appointee protested Bruen's “inconsistent and amorphous standard” and warned that it “created mountains of work for district courts that must now deal with Bruen-related arguments in nearly every criminal case in which a firearm is found” Briefly, Bruen held that for nearly any gun law to survive a constitutional challenge, “the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.” To meet this burden, government lawyers must show that the modern-day gun law they are defending is sufficiently similar to “analogous regulations” that existed when the Constitution was framed. And just how “analogous” must these long-forgotten laws be? As the dozen judges quoted by Justice Jackson show, no one really knows. In 2020, the federal government alone charged more than 14,000 defendants with firearm-related crimes. Which brings us to Wolford v. Lopez, the first of two Second Amendment cases that the Court plans to hear in its current term. A humbler Court would recognize that Bruen is a failure and overrule that decision — prior to Bruen, every federal appeals court used a two-step framework (which I explain in more detail here) to analyze Second Amendment cases. Historical analysis is currently fashionable among Republican judges, many of whom identify with originalism — an approach to constitutional cases which fixates on how words were understood more than 200 years ago. The Hawaii law at issue in Wolford imposes similarly strict restrictions on public carry through a different means. And few gun owners are likely to enter such a business without their firearm, track down the manager, obtain permission to bring their gun inside, and then go retrieve the weapon. If Bruen were a coherent decision that applied normal legal reasoning, in other words, the Wolford plaintiffs would have a fairly clear cut case. Typically, the Supreme Court does not allow states to bypass its decisions by concocting Rube Goldberg–like devices to achieve ends that the Court has already determined are unconstitutional. And yet, somewhat ironically, the best thing that Hawaii's lawyers have going for them in Wolford is the nonsensical historical framework laid out in Bruen. In their brief to the justices, Hawaii's lawyers identify various colonial and early American state laws that closely resemble the Hawaii statute forbidding gun owners to bring their weapons onto private land without the landowner's permission. This list includes a 1771 New Jersey law barring someone from bringing “any gun on any Lands not his own, and for which the owner pays taxes, or is in his lawful possession, unless he has license or permission in writing from the owner.” It also includes a similar 1721 Pennsylvania law preventing someone from hunting or bringing a gun onto another person's land without “Lisence [sic] or Permission from the Owner of any such Lands or Plantation,” and a 1763 New York law making it unlawful to carry a gun on “inclosed Land” without “License in Writing first had and obtained for that Purpose from such Owner, Proprietor, or Possessor.” That should be enough to uphold Hawaii's law under Bruen's “historical tradition of firearm regulation” standard. Wolford should be an awkward case for the Court's Republicans, because the largely pro-gun framework they announced in Bruen doesn't actually point to a pro-gun result in this case. Realistically, however, the Bruen framework is sufficiently malleable that these justices can reach whatever result they want in Wolford. Rahimi involved a cartoonishly violent individual who, when the Court decided this case, was accused of committing six different shooting crimes — that is, crimes where he actually discharged a firearm. In one of these incidents, he allegedly fired his gun at a bystander who witnessed him beating the mother of his child. Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion in Rahimi, primarily reasoned that this federal law was sufficiently similar to Founding Era laws that required individuals who were believed to be likely to engage in violence to post a bond, which they would forfeit if they “broke the peace.” In dissent, meanwhile, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that these bond-posting laws were not sufficiently similar to the modern-day ban on carrying a gun while under a restraining order, because the Founding Era laws “imposed a far less onerous burden.” They neither disarmed individuals nor incarcerated them if they were later found with a gun. Because Bruen's “analogous regulations” test is so vague, both Roberts and Thomas made plausible arguments: Bruen didn't fully explain just how similar a modern law must be to a colonial or early American law in order to survive judicial review. But every state permitted married partners to beat their spouses until 1871, when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a husband and wife “may be indicted for assault and battery upon each other.” Indeed, there is empirical evidence that Bruen gives judges broad leeway to decide gun cases however they choose. A 2023 paper by scholars Eric Ruben, Rosanna Smart, and Ali Rowhani-Rahbar indicates that “Bruen has not meaningfully constrained judges” and has instead freed them to decide gun cases according to their “judicial ideology.” The paper finds that “judges appointed by Republican presidents are 1.8 times as likely” to rule that a gun law violates Bruen “as judges appointed by Democratic presidents.” Rather than constraining how judges decide cases, it merely requires them to cite historical sources in an opinion that reaches whatever conclusion aligns with their politics. Why Trump is making a bid to control the US economy. Trump picked the worst possible time to go after Jerome Powell.