Thursday, February 19 | By Cate Martel |
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Happy Thursday! It's remarkable how warm 43 degrees and cloudy can feel after the frigid winter we've had. Think the groundhog wants to have a change of heart over this year's prediction? | Lawmakers react to ex-Prince Andrew's arrest Fallout over leaders' Epstein ties intensifies Trump appoints Jared Kushner as peace envoy Colbert, CBS controversy gives Talarico a boost DC mayor seeks Trump's help in historic sewage spill Today's big NASA test for the moon mission
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Andrew becomes first senior British royal arrested in nearly 400 years: |
AP Photo | Kirsty Wigglesworth |
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested this morning over suspicions of misconduct while in public office. This comes amid new revelations around his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What alleged misconduct?: The BBC reports that Mountbatten-Windsor has been accused of sharing confidential information with Epstein while serving as the U.K.'s special representative for trade and investment. However, the investigation is broader than just these revelations. πΈ Police activity at Andrew's residence and former residence What a way to spend your birthday: Today happens to be the former prince's 66th birthday. π Andrew is the first British senior royal to be arrested since King Charles I in 1646. King Charles III's reaction: In a statement obtained by NewsNation, Charles says authorities have his "full and wholehearted support and co-operation" in the investigation into his brother, adding that "the law must take its course." A little reminder on Andrew's past year: The king stripped his brother of his royal titles in October over his ties to Epstein. π¬ Follow today's live blog |
➤ HOW US LAWMAKERS ARE REACTING: |
Numerous Democrats and some Republicans are pointing out that authorities in the United Kingdom have treated the Epstein files much more aggressively than in the U.S. No charges have been brought in the United States against anyone other than Epstein or his former longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Democrats are also emphasizing a renewed desire to go after President Trump. As one House Democrat put it: "If a Prince can be held accountable, so can a President." Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing, despite his name appearing in the files, while Democrats assert the administration has not been transparent with information. |
➤ MORE BACKLASH ON THE EPSTEIN SCANDAL: |
Since the Epstein files release, a number of executives and former government figures have resigned from their positions over their alleged ties to the convicted sex offender. Here's a list of some of the VIPs so far: ❎ Kathy Ruemmler, a former Obama White House counsel, resigned as Goldman Sach's top lawyer after the files revealed her close relationship with Epstein. ❎ Tom Pritzker, the cousin of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), resigned as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his association with Epstein. ❎ Former United Kingdom Ambassador Peter Mandelson left his post last fall because of his alleged ties to Epstein. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney recently resigned over scrutiny for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson — and so did Starmer's communications director, Tim Allan, who is a friend of Mandelson. ❎ Brad Karp, the chair of the major law firm Paul, Weiss, resigned over email exchanges he allegedly had with Epstein. ❎ Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the chair and CEO of DP World, resigned after he was named in the Epstein files. ❎ Norwegian Ambassador to Jordan Mona Juul resigned over her alleged ties to Epstein. ❎ The Slovakian prime minister's national security adviser Miroslav LajΔΓ‘k has resigned. ❎ Canadian physicist Lee Smolin is leaving the institute he helped start over his alleged ties to Epstein. ⚖️ Former Norwegian Prime Minister ThorbjΓΈrn Jagland has been charged with "gross corruption" over his ties to Epstein. π€ Oh, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates just canceled a high-profile AI speech amid the backlash over his past connection to Epstein. |
Representatives from more than 40 countries are in Washington today for President Trump's first meeting of his new Board of Peace. The group was meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but Trump says it should be involved in other conflicts around the world. Here are the highlights: π· Trump pledges $10 billion: The president said the U.S. is pledging $10 billion to his Board of Peace. It's unclear where exactly the money would be coming from for the pledge. π· His son-in-law gets a new gig: Trump said he's going to make his son-in-law Jared Kushner a special envoy for peace. Keep in mind that Kushner helped negotiate the Gaza ceasefire and has had a key unofficial role within the administration. π· Trump teased Rubio: Trump joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio did such a great job at the Munich Security Conference, he may fire him. "Marco, don't do any better than you did please because if you do, you're out of here," Trump said. π₯ Watch the clip Back story on the group: Many of the U.S.'s allies have declined to join Trump's group, in part because of Russia's and Belarus's involvement. π» Watch the meeting |
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This interview is getting way more attention than it otherwise would have: |
"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert says that CBS told him not to broadcast his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, citing pressure from the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Colbert publicly bashed his network in a segment, which has been getting a lot of attention this week. Colbert then published the Talarico interview on YouTube. π» Watch Colbert's Talarico interview on YouTube π» Watch Colbert's segment bashing his network For what it's worth, CBS denies the accusation. The network says Colbert was not prohibited from broadcasting the interview but made the decision for itself after receiving legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC's "equal time" rule. However, Colbert notes that late-night talk shows are famously exempt from that rule. But regardless, this controversy has given much more attention to both Talarico and the recent changes at CBS. For example, Talarico is getting a boost: Colbert's interview with Talarico has racked up more than 7.4 million views already. And his campaign has raised millions of dollars. Early voting has just kicked off in Texas — and this new attention may be a game changer for him, reports The Hill's Julia Mueller. Read more: 'Talarico gets burst of momentum from CBS controversy' Tidbit: FCC Chair Brendan Carr told reporters on Wednesday that he was "highly entertained" watching this saga unfold. |
This should be fun when DC's weather becomes swampy …: |
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) declared a local public emergency over the massive sewage spill into the Potomac River. Bowser has requested federal support to help with the cleanup and sent a letter directly to President Trump, asking him to declare a major disaster in the D.C. area. Backstory: the Potomac Interceptor collapsed on Jan. 19, spilling 243 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the river over the course of five days. DC Water then created a temporary fix. A little, possibly problematic tidbit: Federal disaster relief support is currently not funded because of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Omg, this Politico headline on the sewage spill: "In feud with Wes Moore, Trump slings feces." |
➤ SPEAKING OF THE DHS SHUTDOWN …:
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Negotiations between the White House and Democratic leaders have hit a wall. Read Al Weaver's reporting on where the discussions stand. |
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Georgia this afternoon. (All times EST) |
1:50 p.m. Trump visits a local business in Rome, Ga. 2:30 p.m. Trump participates in a podcast interview. 4:40 p.m. Trump tours a local factory. 4 p.m. Trump delivers remarks on the economy at an event in Rome. π» Livestream Friday: The U.S. and Canadian men's hockey teams play in separate Olympic semifinals. And Team USA and Team Canada are playing for gold today in the women's hockey final this afternoon. |
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π± Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate Mint Day! π This is a big day for NASA: NASA will perform its big wet dress rehearsal today to determine whether its spacecraft is ready to fly. If all goes well, astronauts could perform their mission around the moon as soon as March 6 (!), per space.com. A simulated liftoff is expected at 8:30 p.m. EST. π» Watch it live π«π₯ The grandson of the Reese's inventor is not happy: Brad Reese, whose grandfather invented the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in 1928, is criticizing the Hershey Co. for "quietly replacing" the chocolate and peanut butter used for the famous candy. π«Mayo *has to be* more controversial than this!: YouGov published a survey of Americans' favorite and least favorite condiments. Peanut butter, honey and salsa had the most favorable views. Relish, fish sauce and hoisin sauce were at the bottom . π Americans' views of 22 popular condiments |
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