Good morning. Today marks a pivotal moment in the Epstein files. United Nations experts say the newly released records may meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity, signaling that the fallout is no longer just national but global. At the same time, a key alleged co-conspirator is being placed under oath in the United States. The Pope has formally rejected Trump’s invitation to join the proposed “Board of Peace.” And in another striking development, Trump arranged for a pardoned drug trafficker to be sent to a luxury New York hotel after his release. There is far more unfolding.
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Here’s the news:
- According to Reuters, a panel of independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council said that millions of newly released U.S. Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein point to what they described as a “global criminal enterprise.” They said the systematic and transnational abuse of women and girls outlined in the documents—allegedly carried out amid racism, corruption and extreme misogyny—could meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
- The experts called for an independent and thorough investigation and criticized compliance failures and botched redactions that exposed sensitive information about more than 1,200 identified victims. They also noted that Epstein, who had ties to prominent figures and pleaded guilty to prostitution charges in 2008, was found dead in jail in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.
- Les Wexner is set to give hours of closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee as part of a bipartisan investigation into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, with questioning to take place at his New Albany, Ohio, residence rather than in Washington. Legal experts say the sworn deposition will allow lawmakers from both parties to question him in multiple rounds, and Wexner may invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, though details of the session will not be made public.
- Rep. Ted Lieu said the recently released Epstein files reference Donald Trump numerous times and contain what he described as highly disturbing allegations, including claims that Trump raped and threatened children, though he characterized them as allegations.
- After President Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking, federal prison officials removed his immigration detainer late at night so he would not be transferred to ICE custody and instead allowed him to walk free, per ProPublica.
- Rather than being released with a bus or plane ticket like most inmates, Hernández was permitted to use a government phone to speak with a senior Bureau of Prisons official, and a specialized tactical team was paid overtime to drive him from a high-security West Virginia prison to a luxury hotel in New York, treatment that staff described as unprecedented and far different from standard release procedures .
- Susie Wiles and other political advisers discussed having Cabinet members travel to targeted congressional districts to support vulnerable lawmakers, coordinating closely with the White House on where to deploy them. They plan to emphasize an affordability-focused message and strategize how to divide messaging responsibilities with Trump, marking their first major gathering ahead of next week’s State of the Union in an election year.
- Axios has confirmed that the Trump administration is edging closer to possible military action against Iran as nuclear negotiations show little sign of success, with officials warning that if talks collapse, a large-scale, potentially joint U.S.-Israeli campaign could follow. The U.S. has significantly expanded its military presence in the region, deploying aircraft carriers, warships, fighter jets and moving large quantities of weapons and ammunition, while advisers signal that Trump may be unwilling to back down without major nuclear concessions from Tehran, raising the prospect of imminent strikes if diplomacy fails.
- Overnight, a massive airlift of American aircraft began to the Middle East in preparation of what could be a large-scale war.
- The Vatican said it will not participate in President Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” with Cardinal Pietro Parolin stating that international crises should be managed primarily by the United Nations rather than a state-led initiative. The board was initially created to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance following a fragile ceasefire and is set to hold its first meeting in Washington to discuss reconstruction, but it has drawn criticism for resembling a colonial structure and for not including Palestinian representation.
- A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a strong majority of Americans believe wealthy and powerful people are rarely held accountable, following the release of millions of records detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to elite business and political figures. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said that view described their thinking very or extremely well, with another 17% saying it fit somewhat well, and more than 80% of both Republicans and Democrats agreeing at least to some extent.
- FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez criticized CBS for what she described as “corporate capitulation” to the Trump administration, accusing the government of attempting to censor and control speech after Stephen Colbert said the network told him not to air an interview with a Texas Democratic Senate candidate. Gomez, the only Democrat on the FCC, said the agency has no authority to pressure broadcasters for political reasons and emphasized that CBS is protected under the First Amendment to decide its programming, making its reported decision to yield to political pressure especially concerning.
- More than a dozen health and environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency in federal court over its repeal of the landmark 2009 “endangerment finding,” arguing that the rollback undermines the Clean Air Act and weakens the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and power plants, while the Trump administration defended the move as a major deregulatory action and dismissed concerns about public health impacts.
- Federal and Minnesota authorities are investigating an ICE arrest in which Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a Mexican citizen, suffered eight skull fractures and a brain hemorrhage after agents took him into custody in January. He alleges officers beat him with a baton, while ICE claims he injured himself by falling while trying to flee in handcuffs, a version doctors say is inconsistent with his injuries. Investigators are seeking surveillance footage as scrutiny grows over ICE conduct in Minnesota, and Castañeda Mondragón faces a pending immigration appointment that could result in renewed detention.
- NBC has confirmed that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker plans to propose a two-year suspension of tax incentives for new data centers, citing concerns about their impact on the state’s energy grid, rising utility costs and community backlash, while directing agencies to study their economic and environmental effects; the proposal, which requires legislative approval, comes as other states weigh increased oversight amid the rapid expansion of AI-driven facilities
- A Pennsylvania man whose murder conviction was overturned after 43 years in prison was denied bail as he fights deportation, with an immigration judge ruling that his past felony drug conviction makes detention mandatory, while his attorney argues he would likely have become a U.S. citizen if not for the wrongful conviction and maintains he poses no danger to the community.
- NBC News has confirmed that a senior U.S. official said seismic data suggests China conducted a low-yield underground nuclear test in June 2020, though international monitors said the data was insufficient to confirm this, and China denied the allegation, calling it political manipulation amid rising tensions over nuclear arms control.
- A federal judge in Florida has scheduled a trial date of February 15, 2027, for President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over a Panorama program, with a calendar call set for February 9, 2027, and proceedings to take place at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami.
- The FDA will review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine after previously declining to evaluate it, following amendments to the proposal and discussions with regulators. The updated application seeks full approval for adults ages 50 to 64 and accelerated approval for those 65 and older, with a required follow-up study, easing concerns in the drug industry that the earlier rejection signaled broader resistance to new vaccine development under the Trump administration.
- Fifteen members of Congress wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking information on what actions the U.S. has taken in response to the alleged mistreatment of Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian American teenager from Florida who spent nine months in Israeli detention after being arrested at age 15 in the West Bank. Lawmakers cited reports that he was severely underweight, suffered a skin infection, and described beatings, threats and inadequate food and medical care while detained, urging a thorough investigation and accountability, particularly given that he is a U.S. citizen.
- A new study found that chikungunya, a painful mosquito-borne tropical disease, can now be transmitted across most of Europe due to rising temperatures and the spread of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, lowering the minimum temperature threshold for transmission and expanding the number of countries and months at risk, with scientists warning that continued climate warming could drive the disease further north and lead to larger outbreaks.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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