Good morning everyone. It is already an extraordinarily busy news day, and I have the latest developments right now. Republican senators are breaking with Attorney General Pam Bondi on Capitol Hill, demanding the release of all withheld Epstein files related to allegations involving Donald Trump and not ruling out an investigation into the Justice Department itself.
Meanwhile, Bill Clinton is set to testify today in a historic and unprecedented appearance by a former president before Congress. At the same time, the Pentagon is escalating its clash with Anthropic after the company refused to lift guardrails that would allow its AI model to be used for domestic mass surveillance.
Overnight, Netflix officially dropped its bid for Warner Bros., clearing the path for the Ellisons and Paramount to move forward with their takeover, with Trump’s apparent blessing. If approved, the deal would further consolidate power in a massive media conglomerate whose leadership is closely aligned with this White House. Newsroom staff are deeply concerned, and if this merger goes through, the media landscape could be fundamentally and permanently reshaped.
Independent media has never mattered more than it does right now. We cannot afford outlets that bend under political pressure or billionaire influence. I do not have the Ellisons’ billions and I never will, and I will never take them. If you believe in truly independent journalism that holds power accountable, subscribe and help me continue to build it.
Here’s the news:
- Republican senators are urging the Justice Department to release all Jeffrey Epstein-related files that mention President Trump, warning that withholding FBI interview memos about a woman’s past allegations against Trump would contradict the Epstein Files Transparency Act and fuel suspicions of a coverup.
- Lawmakers including Senators John Kennedy, Chuck Grassley, Susan Collins and Thom Tillis called for maximum transparency, while Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer accused the department of protecting Trump and vowed aggressive oversight, as the DOJ said it is reviewing whether any responsive documents were improperly withheld.
- Pressure continues to build to have Donald Trump and Melania Trump testify on Capitol Hill as well:
- Former President Bill Clinton is set to testify in a closed-door deposition before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first time in more than 40 years that a sitting or former president has testified before Congress, as lawmakers intensify scrutiny over the Epstein files; Clinton has denied any knowledge of criminal activity, acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for foundation travel but denied visiting Epstein’s island, and Democrats argue the probe should also compel President Trump to testify under oath.
- A public feud erupted between the Pentagon and AI firm Anthropic after the Defense Department demanded by a Friday deadline that the company allow its Claude AI model to be used for “all lawful purposes” or risk losing a $200 million contract; Anthropic refused without explicit bans on mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons, while Pentagon CTO Emil Michael accused CEO Dario Amodei of lying and argued existing laws already prohibit such uses, highlighting broader tensions over AI safety, military autonomy and national security competition with China.
- According to the Washington Post, Defense officials claimed Amodei hesitated when asked if the system could assist in intercepting an incoming ICBM, an account Anthropic disputes. The Pentagon has demanded access to Claude for “all lawful purposes,” including potential roles involving autonomous weapons and surveillance, and has threatened to terminate contracts, blacklist the company, or invoke the Defense Production Act if Anthropic refuses.
- Amodei has held firm that current AI systems are not reliable enough for lethal autonomous decision-making and warned that AI-enabled surveillance could undermine democratic values, turning the dispute into a broader political and philosophical battle over who controls the military use of advanced AI and how far its wartime authority should extend.
- Netflix has withdrawn from its planned $82.7bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, saying the price needed to match Paramount Skydance’s sweetened $31-a-share offer made the deal “no longer financially attractive,” clearing the way for the Ellison family–backed Paramount to acquire the entire company, including CNN, pending shareholder and regulatory approval, with the merger expected to face antitrust scrutiny and likely trigger significant cost-cutting and job reductions.
- With apparent backing from President Trump, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is poised to build a media empire after winning the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would combine major film studios, streaming platforms and CNN under one umbrella, pending shareholder and regulatory approval; while the merger could provide needed scale in a struggling industry, it is expected to trigger billions in cost cuts and thousands of layoffs, and raises concerns about political influence and antitrust scrutiny.
- According to The Guardian, staff at CBS News and CNN are expressing alarm after Paramount Skydance emerged as the winning bidder for Warner Bros. Discovery following Netflix’s withdrawal, fearing potential layoffs, newsroom consolidation and ideological shifts under Trump-friendly ownership; employees worry about possible leadership changes at CNN and broader impacts on editorial independence, though the merger still faces shareholder approval and regulatory scrutiny.
- According to the Associated Press, lawmakers said the U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near Fort Hancock, Texas, marking the second laser deployment in two weeks in the El Paso area; the FAA expanded local airspace closures (though commercial flights were not affected this time), and members of Congress criticized the Trump administration and federal agencies for poor coordination and sidestepping drone safety legislation, citing broader concerns about communication failures between the Pentagon and FAA.
- When asked whether President Trump’s claim that the women’s team is coming to the White House was true, Caroline Harvey said she had not heard anything confirming it and, when asked if she would attend, responded that she is currently busy with school.
- U.S. hockey player Brady Tkachuk criticized the White House for sharing a doctored TikTok video that made it appear he was disparaging Canadians, saying he would never make such remarks, and he also denied being the person who shouted “close the northern border” during Team USA’s celebratory phone call with President Trump.
- U.S. producer prices increased by 0.5% in January, surpassing economists’ expectations of a 0.3% rise, as businesses passed higher import tariff costs on to customers, signaling potential inflationary pressure ahead. The gain follows a downwardly revised 0.4% increase in December, and the stronger-than-anticipated Producer Price Index reading suggests that inflation could pick up in the coming months as companies adjust to elevated input costs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- FedEx said it will refund customers and shippers any money it recovers after suing in the U.S. Court of International Trade to reclaim tariffs imposed by President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, following a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the tariffs illegal, though the process and timeline for issuing refunds remain unclear as courts and the government determine next steps.
- The U.S. Embassy in Israel has authorized non-essential personnel and family members to leave the country due to safety risks amid the possibility of a strike on Iran, advising Americans to consider departing while commercial flights remain available, as the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group is set to arrive in the region as part of a broader U.S. military buildup.
- In an email to embassy staff, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged anyone who still wishes to leave the country to “do so TODAY,” underscoring heightened security concerns as the U.S. authorizes non-essential personnel to depart amid fears of a potential strike on Iran.
- The U.S. State Department has ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel and their family members from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, citing heightened security risks as regional tensions intensify, a move that typically reflects concerns about potential attacks, instability, or broader military escalation that could threaten American diplomatic staff in Iraq.
- Pakistan launched widespread airstrikes on major Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar, with its defense minister declaring an “open war” after Afghan Taliban forces carried out cross-border attacks on Pakistani troops, escalating months of rising tensions; both sides reported dozens of casualties, accused each other of harboring militants, and continued fighting along the disputed Durand Line border, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
- Emergency records and 911 audio reveal that ambulances were dispatched at least 11 times since September to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for children suffering medical crises including respiratory distress, seizures and dangerously low oxygen levels, with several transferred to hospitals and some to a pediatric facility in San Antonio.
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- The Trump administration is moving to roll back key protections under the EPA’s Risk Management Program, which requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to implement safety measures to prevent chemical disasters, by undoing strengthened 2024 rules, removing a public database of hazardous sites and scaling back worker protections, prompting critics to warn the changes prioritize industry cost concerns over public safety in a country that averages a chemical accident every other day.
- Rapper Flavor Flav announced he will host a Las Vegas “She Got Game” weekend in July to honor the U.S. women’s Olympic ice hockey team’s gold medal and celebrate other female Olympians and Paralympians, offering the team a celebratory trip after they declined to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address, and launching a GoFundMe campaign to support women athletes.
- A Columbia University student from Azerbaijan was detained by ICE agents who allegedly misrepresented themselves as police searching for a missing child to gain access to her off-campus residence without a judicial warrant, according to the university’s acting president, prompting outrage from state and local officials; DHS said agents identified themselves and that her student visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes, and she was later released after public backlash and intervention from elected officials.
- According to The Guardian, family of UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has sued the Trump administration in federal court, arguing that U.S. sanctions imposed on her over her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza violate the First Amendment, with the lawsuit claiming the penalties have severely disrupted the family’s life and were retaliatory in nature, while the U.S. and Israel have rejected her genocide accusations and defended the sanctions.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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