February 9, 2026
Ghislaine Maxwell pleads Fifth Amendment, dodges questions in House Oversight Epstein probe
The House Oversight Committee’s deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell ended less than an hour after it began on Monday morning, when the convicted accomplice of the late Jeffrey Epstein pleaded the Fifth Amendment. Maxwell appeared before lawmakers virtually for a closed-door interview in the House bipartisan probe into the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s case. She […]
February 9, 2026
GOP accelerates Trump judge confirmations as pressure builds to kill Senate blue slip
Senate Republicans confirmed half a dozen of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees last week, continuing a quick pace to green-light as many of his picks as possible. While the Senate GOP is moving fast to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees, the president and some of his allies want to see an over-century-old tradition in the Senate […]
February 9, 2026
Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth in House Oversight Epstein investigation
The congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hit its latest snag Monday morning when Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, declined to answer questions in a sworn deposition. Maxwell, now serving a 20-year sentence for her part in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme, invoked her Fifth Amendment right over video from a prison camp in […]
February 9, 2026
Howard Lutnick faces bipartisan calls to resign over latest Epstein revelations
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing bipartisan calls to resign after he appeared in a recent batch of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused Lutnick in a statement Monday of having “lied” about the extent of his connection to Epstein. Lutnick has sought to downplay their relationship, saying […]
February 9, 2026
Ghislaine Maxwell to appear before House Oversight Committee lawmakers for Epstein probe deposition
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee are expected to be face-to-face with Ghislaine Maxwell Monday, the notorious accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with the late billionaire pedophile. Maxwell is due to appear virtually before the congressional panel at 10 a.m. ET while currently serving out her […]
February 9, 2026
JASON CHAFFETZ: 2028 election will be a referendum on our AI-dominated future
Neither party has put a stake in the ground on the issue that will drive the next presidential election cycle. Artificial intelligence is expected to transform the global economy at a dizzying pace, radically reordering nearly every industry and bringing with it unprecedented disruptions in the labor market. Nobody is prepared to address what could […]
February 9, 2026
Capitol agenda: Republicans prepare DHS punt
With fewer than five days to go before a DHS shutdown, Senate Democrats have put bill text for a full-year funding compromise on the table. But another punt is probably still the best-case scenario, and it’s by no means guaranteed. — What Democrats are pitching: The draft legislation Democrats sent Republicans on Sunday would codify […]
February 9, 2026
Inside the ‘Cigar SCIF:’ How Tom Cole pulled off a House appropriations miracle
The crucial votes to fund the government last week were brokered in Speaker Mike Johnson‘s ceremonial office just off the House floor. But the groundwork to get the $1.6 trillion spending package through the chamber was laid in a literal smoke-filled room just steps away. That would be the domain of Rep. Tom Cole, the […]
February 8, 2026
The world’s top nuclear powers have no arsenal limits, here are the countries with nukes
For the first time in decades, the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers are no longer bound by any treaty limiting their arsenals. The last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, known as New START, expired Thursday. The lapse removed limits on how many nuclear weapons Washington and Moscow could deploy on […]
February 8, 2026
Iran’s top diplomat says nation’s power lies in defying pressure: ‘No to the great powers’
Iran is prepared to pursue diplomacy while remaining ready to defend itself if challenged, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday, arguing that Tehran’s strength lies in its ability to stand firm against pressure. ‘We are a man of diplomacy, we are also a man of war; not in the sense that we seek war, but […]
February 8, 2026
DAVID MARCUS: In rural Virginia, mixed signals for Trump and the GOP
LEXINGTON, Va. – President Donald Trump’s poll numbers are a bit all over the place these days. The averages have him about seven points underwater, while some surveys show him down as much as 19. And then, one poll, the most accurate of 2024, has him up one point at 50%. Likewise, large majorities of […]
February 8, 2026
North Korea executed teens for listening to K-pop, watching ‘Squid Game’: report
North Korean authorities executed teenagers for watching the South Korean television series ‘Squid Game’ and listening to K-pop, human rights researchers announced in early February. Amnesty International cited testimony from an escapee with family ties in Yanggang Province who said people, including schoolchildren, were executed for specifically watching the popular survival drama series. It also […]