Former President Bill Clinton is testifying Friday before members of Congress who are investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, answering for his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n
The closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York, will mark the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress. It comes a day after Clinton\u2019s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sat with lawmakers<\/a> for her own deposition.<\/p>\n Meanwhile President Donald Trump is traveling to Texas on Friday<\/a> to talk about his energy and economic policies amid a red-hot Senate Republican primary race. All three GOP candidates are expected to join him, just days before the election.<\/p>\n Bill Clinton says lawmakers may hear \u2018I don\u2019t recall\u2019 from him often<\/p>\n \u201cThat might be unsatisfying,\u201d the former president says of his plans to answer some questions by saying he has no recollection. \u201cBut I\u2019m not going to say something I\u2019m not sure of. This was all a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Clinton adds that he is \u201cbound by my oath not to speculate, or to guess\u201d \u2014 a standard he says \u201cis not merely for my benefit but because it doesn\u2019t help you for me to play detective 24 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere in his prepared opening remarks, Bill Clinton is more emphatic about his own actions.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn\u2019t see,\u201d he says. \u201cI know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Clinton says he would have reported Epstein had he known of abuse<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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 \u2014 I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals,\u201d Bill Clinton says in his prepared opening statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Clinton chides Republicans for calling Hillary Clinton to testify<\/p>\n The former president says in his prepared opening remarks that his wife \u2014 the former secretary of state and first lady \u2014 should never have been ensnared by the committee.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we start, I have to get personal,\u201d Bill Clinton says in his statement. \u201cYou made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties.\u201d<\/p>\n He continues: \u201cWhether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right.\u201d<\/p>\n And he tells lawmakers that, just as he\u2019s bound in sworn testimony, \u201ceach and every one of you owes nothing less than truth and accuracy to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Clinton opening statement says he saw no signs of Epstein abuse<\/p>\n The former president is telling the House Oversight Committee that his \u201cbrief acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to a printed copy of his opening statement as it was prepared and released by Clinton\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,\u201d Clinton says. \u201cI saw nothing that ever gave me pause.\u201d<\/p>\n Clinton\u2019s remarks state that he is testifying \u201cto offer what little I know so that it might prevent anything like this from ever happening again\u201d and because \u201cthe girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not only justice, but healing.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. John Cornyn is on board Air Force One<\/p>\n The Texas Republican fighting for reelection in a March 3 primary is flying with Trump back to his home state.<\/p>\n Cornyn was spotted at Andrews Air Force Base ahead of Trump\u2019s departure from Washington for an event in Corpus Christi. The other Texas senator, Ted Cruz, is also traveling with the president, but he is not on the ballot this year.<\/p>\n Democrats renew calls for Trump to testify on Epstein<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to ask President Clinton the hard questions today,\u201d said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. \u201cWhat is truth about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein? But let\u2019s be real. We\u2019re talking to the wrong president today.\u201d<\/p>\n Democrats hope to leverage the Clintons\u2019 appearances before House Oversight. They\u2019ve noted that files released so far suggest Trump was more closely involved with Epstein than Clinton. And they want to emphasize that it\u2019s the former president who is submitting to questions while the sitting president denies any involvement.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump is the one who is blocking our investigation. President Trump is the one who wants us to go away, but it will not go away,\u201d Subramanyam said.<\/p>\n Top Democrat on House Oversight says Bill Clinton should not invoke the Fifth Amendment<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was telling that Secretary Clinton did not take the Fifth one time,\u201d Garcia told reporters, referring to the constitutional protection defendants and witnesses sometimes cite when declining to answer questions in legal proceedings.<\/p>\n Garcia continued: \u201cI think it\u2019s important the president (Bill Clinton) do the same. I think he will answer questions today.\u201d<\/p>\n Republicans, Democrats offer different accounts of Hillary Clinton testimony<\/p>\n Mace described Hillary Clinton \u201cscreaming\u201d during her deposition on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that President Clinton is less unhinged than his wife was yesterday,\u201d Mace said Friday outside the building where the House Oversight panel is convening.<\/p>\n Democrats dismissed Mace\u2019s description, which Rep. Robert Garcia said proves the need for Comer to release the \u201cfull, unedited\u201d video. The Clintons had wanted to testify publicly but Comer insisted on the private sessions.<\/p>\n Garcia called the Republican questioning Thursday a \u201cdisgrace\u201d focused on old \u201cconspiracy theories.\u201d He praised Hillary Clinton for participating.<\/p>\n He reminded reporters Friday that Democrats still want the proceedings to be open \u201cso that you can hear the answer and the questions directly.\u201d<\/p>\n Mace says Howard Lutnick should testify on Epstein relationship<\/p>\n Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said ahead of Bill Clinton\u2019s testimony Friday that Trump\u2019s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick<\/a> should answer questions before the House Oversight Committee.<\/p>\n The secretary has admitted meeting Epstein after previously denying knowing him.<\/p>\n After Hillary Clinton\u2019s testimony on Thursday, Comer would not rule out asking Lutnick to appear for questioning.<\/p>\n Comer promises Bill Clinton updates, release of Hillary Clinton deposition video<\/p>\n Chairman James Comey says he\u2019ll send Republican members of his House Oversight Committee out to update reporters as Bill Clinton is being deposed.<\/p>\n Comey also promised to release video and transcripts of Hillary Clinton\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n The Clintons had wanted to testify in public, but the Republicans in control insisted on closed-door depositions. Democrats on the committee called for Comey to release the full video of the former secretary of state\u2019s Thursday session.<\/p>\n Scouting America says it\u2019s sticking to \u2018core commitments\u2019 after Pentagon talks<\/p>\n Scouting America says it is waiving registration fees for military families and creating a merit badge that focuses on military services and veterans after months of talks with the Defense Department.<\/p>\n The organization released its statement Friday after Hegseth said it was altering policies about transgender kids, among other changes. But Scouting America\u2019s statement did not mention transgender youth.<\/p>\n \u201cScouting America held\u202ffirm\u202fon the core commitments that define us. We\u202fmaintained \u202four name as \u2018Scouting America\u2019 and preserved our service to the more than 200,000 girls who\u202fparticipate\u202fin our programs,\u201d the organization said.<\/p>\n Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, said it has been talking with Defense Department officials for months as the Pentagon takes aim at the military\u2019s partnership with the organization. Hegseth said he wants to root out scouting\u2019s \u201cwoke culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Marco Rubio to visit Israel next week as tensions with Iran soar<\/p>\n The Secretary of State will make a quick trip to Israel early next week as tensions between the United States and Iran soar amid a massive buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, the State Department said Friday.<\/p>\n The department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to \u201cdiscuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump\u2019s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.\u201d It offered no other details.<\/p>\n The announcement comes just hours after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem implemented \u201cauthorized departure\u201d status for nonessential personnel and family members, which means that eligible staffers can leave the country voluntarily at government expense.<\/p>\n US advises embassy staff to leave Israel now if they want, as risk of war hangs over Middle East<\/p>\n The email from Ambassador Mike Huckabee to embassy employees was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the U.S. mission who wasn\u2019t authorized to share details. Sent before 10:30 a.m., it urged staff considering departure to get on any flight out of Israel and then make their way to Washington.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no need for panic, Huckabee wrote, but for those desiring to leave, it was important to make plans soon. \u201cWhile there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,\u201d Huckabee wrote.<\/p>\n Iran and the United States<\/a> walked away from nuclear negotiations Thursday without a deal. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet Friday in Washington with a mediator, Oman\u2019s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sam Mednick and Sam Metz<\/p>\n Republicans relishing the chance to scrutinize the former Democratic president under oath<\/p>\n \u201cThe Clintons haven\u2019t answered very many, if any, questions about their knowledge or involvement with Epstein and Maxwell,\u201d Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, said Thursday. \u201cNo one\u2019s accusing, at this moment, the Clintons of any wrongdoing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n But Hillary Clinton said she had answered their questions \u2014 telling lawmakers she had no knowledge of how Epstein had sexually abused underage girls and had no recollection of even meeting him.<\/p>\n Hillary Clinton said she expected her husband to testify that he had no knowledge of Epstein\u2019s sexual abuse at the time they knew each other.<\/p>\n US stocks slump and oil prices jump as worries about AI, inflation and possible war hit Wall Street<\/p>\n The report showed U.S. wholesale inflation at 2.9% last month, much higher than the 1.6% economists expected. It\u2019s so much worse than expected that it could help persuade the Federal Reserve to hold off longer on the interest rate cuts<\/a> that Trump constantly pushes for. Lower rates would give the economy and prices for investments a boost, but they risk worsening inflation at the same time.<\/p>\n Oil prices also jumped amid worries of military conflict between the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n Biden draws attention at Reagan Airport en route to SC<\/p>\n Joe Biden\u2019s appearance in a boarding area awaiting a flight to South Carolina drew a crowd Friday morning at the airport near downtown Washington.<\/p>\n The former president is spending Friday evening with Democrats in South Carolina who have organized a thank you event to commemorate his thunderous victory in the state\u2019s 2020 Democratic presidential primary.<\/p>\n Other passengers were primarily deterred by the dozen Secret Service agents who surrounded Biden as he sat at the gate. But Biden took selfies with American Airlines employees, and dozens of passengers in the area filmed him on their cellphones.<\/p>\n Once on board awaiting takeoff, passengers passed by to shake Biden\u2019s hand. \u201cGod bless you, sir,\u201d one woman said.<\/p>\n Defense secretary says Scouting America will alter its policies \u2014 or lose Pentagon support<\/p>\n Scouting America will alter several policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including a requirement that members use \u201cbiological sex at birth and not gender identity,\u201d Pete Hegseth announced Friday.<\/p>\n Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested in January in response to Defense Department pressure. Hegseth has taken aim at the military\u2019s partnership with Scouting America, decrying its historic rebrand to include girls and other \u201cwoke culture\u201d efforts he wants to root out. He said in video posted on X that the Pentagon will \u201cvigorously review\u201d the changes in six months and cease its support of Scouting America if it fails to comply.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men. Maybe someday,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Scouting America didn\u2019t immediately comment.<\/p>\n US military acknowledges using anti-drone laser again in Texas<\/p>\n After criticism by lawmakers, the FAA, CBP and the Pentagon issued a joint statement late Thursday acknowledging that the military responded to a \u201cseemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace\u201d over Texas.<\/p>\n Congressional Democrats said it was a laser that shot down a Border Protection drone, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to shut down Texas airspace for the second time in two weeks. Illinois Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the ranking member on the Senate\u2019s Aviation Subcommittee, called for an independent investigation into what she calls Trump administration \u201cincompetence\u201d causing \u201cchaos in our skies.\u201d<\/p>\n Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was planning to brief members of Congress about the incident.<\/p>\n Most Americans support an independent Palestinian state<\/p>\n About 6 in 10 U.S. adults favor the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, according to the new polling<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not significantly different from recent years, as at least half of U.S. adults have supported an independent Palestinian state since 2020.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s been an uptick among Democrats and independents in support for the two-state solution. About three-quarters of Democrats and roughly 6 in 10 independents say they support an independent Palestinian state.<\/p>\n The opinions of the people who would be directly affected by a two-state solution are quite different, according to separate Gallup polling. Only about 3 in 10 Israelis living in Israel and Palestinians living in the West Bank and east Jerusalem say they support a two-state solution.<\/p>\n Democrats and independents drive increased sympathy for Palestinians<\/p>\n Americans\u2019 changing sentiment has been largely driven by Democrats, who are now much more likely to sympathize with Palestinians than with the Israelis.<\/p>\n The Gallup polling shows<\/a> that about two-thirds of Democrats say their concerns lie more with the Palestinians, while only about 2 in 10 sympathize more with the Israelis.<\/p>\n Democrats\u2019 sympathy for the Palestinians intensified as the war progressed, Gallup\u2019s polling shows, and independents\u2019 views also shifted.<\/p>\n This year, independents expressed more sympathy for the Palestinians than the Israelis for the first time in Gallup\u2019s trend. About 4 in 10 independents are more sympathetic toward the Palestinians, compared to about 3 in 10 for the Israelis.<\/p>\n Anthropic CEO says it \u2018cannot in good conscience accede\u2019 to Pentagon\u2019s demands for AI use<\/p>\n Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday that the artificial intelligence company \u201ccannot in good conscience accede\u201d to the Pentagon\u2019s demands to allow unrestricted use<\/a> of its technology, deepening a public clash with the Trump administration that is threatening to pull its contract and take other drastic steps by Friday.<\/p>\n The maker of the AI chatbot Claude said in a statement that it\u2019s not walking away from negotiations but that new contract language received from the Defense Department \u201cmade virtually no progress on preventing Claude\u2019s use for mass surveillance of Americans or in fully autonomous weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Parnell, the Pentagon\u2019s top spokesman, said earlier on social media that the military \u201chas no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthropic is the last of its peers \u2014 the Pentagon also has contracts with Google, OpenAI and Elon Musk\u2019s xAI \u2014 to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network.<\/p>\n A nearly blind refugee is found dead after Border Patrol agents drop him at Buffalo doughnut shop<\/p>\n Family friends of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who died after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a doughnut shop in Buffalo speak out.<\/p>\n A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead on the street five days later, prompting a police investigation and complaints from city officials that he\u2019d been abandoned without care for his safety.<\/p>\n Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was detained by Border Patrol agents on Feb. 19 after his release from a county jail, but was let go that same day after federal authorities determined he wasn\u2019t eligible for deportation.<\/p>\n The agents brought him to a Tim Hortons restaurant north of Buffalo\u2019s downtown and dropped him there, authorities and advocates said. His family, which had initially expected him to walk out of jail, wasn\u2019t informed he had been released. Shah Alam\u2019s lawyer reported him missing to Buffalo police on Feb. 22 after learning that an area immigration detention center didn\u2019t have him in custody.<\/p>\n Shah Alam was found dead Tuesday night. It was unclear when he died.<\/p>\n Khaleda Shah, a family friend and spokesperson, said the family wants justice.<\/p>\n US and Iran wrap up latest nuclear talks without a deal as the risk of war looms<\/p>\n Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations Thursday over Tehran\u2019s nuclear program but walked away without a deal, leaving the danger of another Mideast war on the table as the U.S. has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships<\/a> in the region.<\/p>\n Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been \u201csignificant progress in the negotiation\u201d without elaborating.<\/p>\n But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transfer it abroad and sought the lifting of international sanctions, indicating it was not prepared to meet Trump\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n Al-Busaidi said technical talks involving lower-level representatives would continue next week in Vienna, the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The United Nations\u2019 atomic watchdog likely would be critical in any deal.<\/p>\n Americans\u2019 sympathies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have shifted dramatically, new poll shows<\/p>\n American sympathies in the Middle East have shifted dramatically toward the Palestinians, according to new Gallup polling<\/a>, after decades of overwhelming support for the Israelis.<\/p>\n That shift accelerated during the war in Gaza. Three years ago, 54% of Americans sympathized more with the Israelis, compared to 31% for the Palestinians.<\/p>\n Now, their support is about evenly balanced, with 41% saying their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians, and only 36% saying the same about the Israelis.<\/p>\n The numbers reflect how support for Israel has become deeply contentious in the U.S., with profound implications for American politics and foreign policy. The changing sentiment has been largely driven by Democrats, who are now much more likely to sympathize with Palestinians.<\/p>\n Gallup\u2019s data indicates that the shift was already happening before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, then increased during Israel\u2019s subsequent military operations in Gaza. The polling has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, meaning sentiment toward Israelis and Palestinians are roughly even.<\/p>\n Columbia student detained by ICE is abruptly released after Mamdani meets with Trump<\/p>\n Students relax on the front steps of Low Memorial Library on the Columbia University campus, in New York City, Feb. 10, 2023. (AP Photo\/Ted Shaffrey, File)<\/p>\n Federal immigration authorities arrested a Columbia University student early Thursday, triggering protests on campus and allegations that agents gained entry to the university-owned residence by posing as police officers searching for a missing child.<\/p>\n Just hours after detaining student Ellie Aghayeva, though, the federal government abruptly reversed course, permitting her to walk free after an apparent intervention by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n In a social media post<\/a> Thursday afternoon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he expressed concerns about the arrest during an unrelated meeting with Trump, who then agreed to release her immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cI am safe and okay,\u201d Aghayeva wrote on Instagram, minutes after Mamdani\u2019s post, adding she was in \u201ccomplete shock\u201d from the experience.<\/p>\n The head-spinning series of events marked the latest consequence of the unlikely relationship between the Republican president and Mamdani, a democratic socialist who Trump once threatened<\/a> to have deported.<\/p>\n Trump heads to Texas, where 3 friends are battling it out in the Senate Republican primary<\/p>\n So when he travels to the state on Friday, Trump will have all three candidates in the competitive race join him \u2014 just days before his party casts ballots in the primary race.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s hesitation to endorse in the Texas Senate primary speaks to the tricky dynamics of the race.<\/p>\n Hillary Clinton testifies she has no information on Epstein\u2019s crimes and doesn\u2019t recall meeting him<\/p>\n Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton<\/a> told members of Congress on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s or Ghislaine Maxwell\u2019s crimes, starting off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton<\/a>.<\/p>\n The depositions in the Clintons\u2019 hometown of Chappaqua come after months of tense back-and-forth<\/a> between the former high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee as it investigates Epstein. It will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress.<\/p>\n Yet the demand for a reckoning over Epstein\u2019s abuse of underage girls has become a near-unstoppable force on Capitol Hill and beyond.<\/p>\n Trump, who has expressed regret that the Clintons are being forced to testify, bowed last year to pressure to release case files on Epstein. The Clintons, too, agreed to testify<\/a> after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the Oversight panel and its chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges<\/a> against them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former President Bill Clinton is testifying Friday before members of Congress who are investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,77,31695,9041,714,1462,3302,3277,182],"class_list":["post-503534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-international","tag-international-politics","tag-latest","tag-politics","tag-the","tag-toronto","tag-trump","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}