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Venezuela’s interim president will soon visit the United States, a senior US official said Wednesday, further signaling President Donald Trump’s willingness to embrace the oil-rich country’s new leader. Delcy Rodriguez would be the first sitting Venezuelan president to visit the United States in more than a quarter century — aside from presidents attending United Nations meetings in New York. She said Wednesday that she approached any dialogue with the United States “without fear.””We are in a process of dialogue, of working with the United States, without any fear, to confront our differences and difficulties…and to address them through diplomacy,” said Rodriguez.The invitation reflects a head-snapping shift in relations between Washington and Caracas since US Delta Force operatives swooped into Caracas, seized president Nicolas Maduro and spirited him to a US jail to face narcotrafficking charges. Rodriguez was a former vice president and long-time insider in Venezuela’s authoritarian and anti-American government, before changing tack as interim president.She is still the subject of US sanctions, including an asset freeze.Rodriguez on Wednesday began reorganizing the leadership of the country’s military forces, appointing 12 senior officers to regional commands.As a flotilla of US warships remains off the Venezuelan coast, she has allowed the United States to broker the sale of Venezuelan oil, facilitated foreign investment and released dozens of political prisoners. A senior White House official said Rodriguez would visit soon, but no date has been set. – All for oil -The last bilateral visit by a sitting Venezuelan president came in the 1990s — before populist leader Hugo Chavez took power. Since then, successive Venezuelan governments have made a point of thumbing their nose at Washington and building close ties with US foes in China, Cuba, Iran and Russia.The US trip, which has yet to be confirmed by Venezuelan authorities, could pose problems for Rodriguez inside the government — where some hardliners still detest what they see as Washington’s hemispheric imperialism.Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez remain powerful forces in the country, and analysts say their support for Rodriguez is not a given. Cabello on his weekly state television program Wednesday night denied reports he had met with US officials ahead of Maduro’s ouster.”It’s a campaign. They say, ‘Diosdado met with the United States’…I haven’t met with anyone,” he said.Trump has so far appeared happy to allow Rodriguez and much of the repressive government to remain in power, so long as the United States has access to Venezuelan oil — the largest proven reserves in the world. Trump hosted Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado at the White House earlier this month. After initially dismissing Machado and her ability to control the country’s powerful armed forces and intelligence services, he said Tuesday that he would “love” to have her “involved in some way.” Machado’s party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections that Washington said were stolen by Maduro. Analysts say Trump’s embrace of Rodriguez and avoidance of wholesale regime change can be explained by an unwillingness to repeat mistakes made in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. “Those kinds of intervention operations — and the deployment of troops for stabilization — have always ended very badly,” said Benigno Alarcon, a politics expert at the Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas. Trump’s stance has however angered democracy activists who argue that all political prisoners must be freed and granted amnesty, and Venezuela must hold fresh elections.

US President Donald Trump will show off his new “Board of Peace” and meet Ukraine’s leader at Davos on Thursday — burnishing his claim to be a peacemaker a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland.Trump abruptly announced on Wednesday that he was scrapping tariffs against Europe and ruling out military action to take Greenland from Denmark, partially defusing a crisis which has shaken the meeting of global elites.On his second day at the Swiss ski resort, Trump will seek to promote the  “Board of Peace”, his controversial body for resolving international conflicts, with a signing ceremony for the organisation’s charter.The fledgling board boasts a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership and Trump has invited leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungary’s Viktor Orban to join.”I think it’s the greatest board ever formed,” Trump said Wednesday as he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, another of the leaders who have agreed to join.The launch of the board comes against the backdrop of Trump’s frustration at having failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his disputed claim to have ended eight conflicts.Originally meant to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board’s charter does not limit its role to the Strip and has sparked concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations.Key US allies including France and Britain have expressed skepticism but others have signed up, particularly in the Middle East where Trump-friendly Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have agreed to join.About 35 world leaders have committed so far out of the 50 or so invitations that went out, a senior Trump administration official told reporters on Wednesday.Trump also said on Wednesday that Putin had agreed to join — despite the Kremlin so far saying it was still studying the invite.- ‘Framework of a future deal’ -The inclusion of Russian president Putin has caused particular concern among US allies, but especially in Ukraine as it seeks an end to Moscow’s nearly four-year-old invasion.Trump said he was due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the “Board of Peace” meeting as difficult negotiations for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war continue.At Davos on Wednesday, Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be “stupid” not to reach a peace deal in the conflict that he said he could solve within a day of taking office a year ago.Trump repeated his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal, although he has veered between blaming one or the other for the lack of a ceasefire so far.”I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don’t, they’re stupid — that goes for both of them,” said the US president.Trump has long been a skeptic of US support for Ukraine and says that it is now up to NATO and Europe to back Kyiv. But his belief that he has a personal connection with Putin has not brought an end to the war so far.The US leader’s roving special envoy, businessman Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Moscow from Davos with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and hold talks with Putin on Thursday.Zelensky has meanwhile voiced fears that Trump’s push to seize Greenland could divert focus away from Russia’s invasion of his country.Trump however said late Wednesday he had reached a “framework of a future deal” after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte, and that he would therefore waive tariffs scheduled to hit European allies on February 1.Rutte told AFP in Davos that the meeting had been “very good” but that there was “still a lot of work to be done” on Greenland. Trump insists the mineral-rich Arctic island is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China.

A US jury on Wednesday acquitted the former school police officer for his response to a 2022 mass shooting at a Texas elementary school which killed 21 people, including 19 children — the the frustration of the victims’s families.Adrian Gonzales, 52, was accused of failing to “engage, distract or delay the shooter,” and faced 29 felony counts of child endangerment — one for each of the 19 children who died and for the 10 students who survived. The jury took several hours to deliberate.”In each of the 29 counts, we the jury find the defendant, Adrian Gonzales, not guilty,” Judge Sid Harle said as he read the verdict in a Corpus Christi courthouse, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Uvalde, where the shooting took place.Nineteen young children and two teachers were killed in the city of Uvalde on May 24, 2022 when a teenage gunman went on a rampage with an AR-15 style assault rifle at Robb Elementary School, in what was America’s deadliest school shooting in a decade.The official response by law enforcement was heavily criticized after it emerged that more than a dozen officers waited for over an hour outside classrooms where the shooting was taking place and did nothing as children lay dead or dying inside.Family members voiced frustration at the decision, which followed an uncommon attempt to hold law enforcement accountable for their response to a mass shooting. “They failed the children again,” Javier Cazares, the father of Jackie Cazares who was killed in the attack, told press. “I’ve been emotionally shattered since day one, but again, we had to brace for the worst.”A total of 376 officers — border guards, state police, city police, local sheriff departments and elite forces — responded to the massacre, a Texas state lawmakers’ report said in July 2022.After the verdict was read, Gonzales thanked god and his attorneys, who insisted he did risk his life.The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was reportedly killed by law enforcement at the site of the attack.Former school district police chief Pete Arredondo also faces charges over the tragedy, but will be tried separately and has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces.

The votes are in and the moment is here: the Academy is set to reveal the nominations for this year’s Oscars, with “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” expected to top the list. Experts predict that the acclaimed hits, both from Warner Bros, could each rack up a dozen or more nods for Hollywood’s grandest awards ceremony — from best picture and best actor to the new best casting prize.Some even suggest that the films could tie — or even break — the all-time record of nominations for a single film, jointly held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14.It is rare for a single Hollywood studio to have the two clear Oscar frontrunners, and it ironically comes in what could be Warner Bros’ swansong year as an independent distributor.Warner Bros is the target of a fierce bidding war between Paramount Skydance and Netflix.”Sinners,” a blues-inflected period horror film about the segregated US South, comes from “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler.It is expected to land a best actor nomination for Michael B. Jordan, who plays two twins battling vampires and racists in 1930s Mississippi, plus everything from screenplay to score.For Variety awards expert Clayton Davis, the nominations record is within reach for “Sinners.” Coogler is “rewriting the math entirely,” and could enter “a statistical stratosphere no filmmaker has ever touched,” Davis wrote.But so far this awards season, Paul Thomas Anderson — whose formidable, eclectic filmography runs from “Boogie Nights” to “There Will Be Blood” — has won almost every prize going for “One Battle After Another.”A zany thriller about a retired revolutionary looking for his teen daughter against a wild backdrop of radical violence, immigration raids and white supremacists, it broke the all-time record for nominations by Hollywood’s actors guild.Former best actor Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio is all but certain to secure his seventh acting nomination from the Academy.Netflix has its own hopefuls in Guillermo del Toro’s monster horror flick “Frankenstein,” tragic Western pioneer drama “Train Dreams” and animated musical sensation “KPop Demon Hunters.”- Best casting -“Hamnet,” a tragic literary adaptation that imagines William Shakespeare coping with the death of his son, is likely to land a bagful of nominations.Jessie Buckley, who plays the Bard’s long-suffering wife Agnes, appears a lock for a best actress nomination.She is likely to be joined by Emma Stone playing an alien — or is she? — in conspiracy theorist drama “Bugonia,” and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve in arthouse darling “Sentimental Value.”With the Academy’s overseas voter base rapidly expanding, “Sentimental Value” is one of a trio of non-English-language films that could contend for best picture.Along with Persian-language Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just An Accident,” there is also Brazil’s “The Secret Agent,” though “space feels limited” for all three to make the list, wrote Davis.”The Secret Agent” star Wagner Moura, playing a scientist on the run from Brazil’s 1970s dictatorship, is expected to vie with DiCaprio and Jordan for best actor.But that category’s frontrunner is Timothee Chalamet, whose turn in “Marty Supreme” as a bratty, talented and fiercely ambitious ping pong player in 1950s New York has already won a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award and more.This year sees the introduction of a new Oscar for best casting, honoring the experts who attach actors to projects long before future blockbusters or indie hits begin production.With no precedent, it is unclear what exactly voters will be looking for. “Is it star power? Ensemble cohesion? Finding a discovery?” asked Davis.The nominations will be unveiled Thursday at 5:30 am (1330 GMT) in Los Angeles, with the 98th Oscars ceremony to follow on March 15.

Madeline Marchiano realizes that this winter’s runaway heating prices mean she can’t afford to raise her thermostat enough to warm her entire South Philadelphia rowhouse.So Marchiano, who also lacks the budget to replace drafty old windows, avoids the colder rooms.The heating bill is yet another cost pressure facing many Americans like Marchiano, who says prices are “outrageous” for groceries and other staples.”I try to survive,” said the 61-year-old, who lives on a fixed income. “Like everyone else, I worry about bills.”Even before winter started, consumer advocates sounded the alarm on higher heating costs in light of torrid electricity demand growth and costly revamps of pipes and other infrastructure that have led to utility rate hikes.US households are expected to spend $995 on heating this winter, an increase of 9.2 percent from last year, according to a December forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA).Of course, the final tally will depend on the weather. So far, the 2025-26 season has been a bear in Philadelphia, with forecasts of an arctic blast and a potential blizzard expected to boost usage further.Through mid-January, the average temperature in Philadelphia was 36.2, the sixth coldest since the year 2000 and about six degrees colder than the winter of 2023-24, said Chad Merrill, a meteorologist at Accuweather.- Assistance programs -Pennsylvania bars utilities from shutting off low-income consumers during the winter months. But consumers who fall behind can face a shutoff once the moratorium ends at the end of March.”It catches up to you,” Luz Laboy, who assists low-income consumers through a maze of assistance programs, said of consumers who don’t pay winter bills. She works at Hunting Park Neighborhood Advisory Committee, an NGO in North Philadelphia.Qualifying consumers are eligible for federal assistance through the US Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which pays an annual stipend, as well as crisis funding that provides grants of up to $1,000.Other Pennsylvania programs allow consumers with large balances to establish a monthly payment plan or to apply to repair broken radiators.Jose Rosario, 75, a retiree who lives on his monthly Social Security check of $1,038 and pays $375 to rent his basement apartment, came to the NGO for help completing his LIHEAP application and managing a $4,000 gas balance.Also there was Linda Croskey, who has borrowed heaters from her sister after her nearly 70-year-old system broke down. Staffers at the NGO think a replacement is likely given the age of the equipment.Croskey, 61, made too much income in prior years for LIHEAP. But she spent much of last year taking care of her husband, who suffered a stroke, meaning she made less in her job as an insurance broker.”It is what it is, I am not mad about anything,” she said. “I just hope to have heat.”- Middle-class hit -Laboy said this winter’s number of applicants for LIHEAP is about the same as last year, but the process has been more fraught. “It is a lot more stressful this year,” said Laboy, noting the program was delayed by the US government shutdown.US President Donald Trump’s administration eliminated the Washington LIHEAP staff in the spring and had initially sought to zero out funding. But Congress ultimately maintained funding for the program.Seth Blumsack, a professor of energy and environmental economics at Pennsylvania State University, tied this winter’s increase in natural gas prices mainly to costs associated with replacing aging infrastructure. This is also a factor behind higher electricity rates, although a bigger driver is the growth of energy-guzzling data centers, he said.”Electricity demand in the US is increasing…in ways we have not seen in decades,” said Blumsack, who pointed to the retirements of older generation units as another factor.The issue resonates with Pennsylvania lawmakers like Representative Heather Boyd. Boyd’s most recent electric and gas bill was for $860, up from $660 the prior month, for a 1,400 square foot home in suburban Philadelphia, she said at a hearing Tuesday on energy affordability.”When I can’t pay that, my community can’t pay that,” she said.The cost-of-living struggle means “it’s not just the poorest families” strained by higher heating prices,” said NEADA executive director Mark Wolfe. “It’s affecting middle-class families, which is why it’s becoming a political issue.”

If there’s one material that defines modern life more than any other, it’s plastic: present from the moment we’re born in newborn stool, in product packaging, in the soil beneath our feet and the air we breathe.Hard as it is to imagine, it wasn’t always thus — and doesn’t have to remain this way, argues Judith Enck in her new book, “The Problem with Plastics.””Half of all plastic ever produced was since 2007,” the year the iPhone debuted, she told AFP in an interview.”We have a fighting chance to reduce plastics because it’s very much a contemporary issue.”Enck, a former senior environment official under Barack Obama, is clear-eyed about the challenges posed by the “rabidly anti-environmental” President Donald Trump.Last year, the administration helped derail a global plastics treaty and reversed a phase-out of single-use plastics in national parks.Nevertheless, she sees momentum building at the state and local level — hailing, for example, New Jersey’s “Skip the Stuff” law enacted this week, which requires restaurants to provide single-use cutlery only upon request, a measure shown to significantly reduce waste.- ‘Myth’ of plastic recycling – Enck’s book traces the history of plastic: from its earliest incarnation in 1909, when Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, through the “myth” of plastic recycling promoted by industry from the mid-20th century onward.Along the way, Enck argues that responsibility for the crisis has been systematically shifted onto consumers, even as plastic production continues to soar.”In the United States, only five to six percent of plastics actually get recycled,” she notes. Unlike metal, paper or glass, consumer plastics are made up of thousands of different types, or polymers, making large-scale recycling economically unviable.Early advertising campaigns helped popularize terms like “litterbug,” while today the focus has shifted to “chemical recycling,” promoted by industry as a way to break plastics down into their basic building blocks. Dig deeper, though, and this too is a “false solution,” Enck said: a report by the Beyond Plastics nonprofit she leads found just 11 such facilities handling about one percent of US plastic waste — three of which have since shut down.Around 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean every year, “the equivalent of two large garbage trucks filled with plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute.” Microplastics, along with ultra-tiny nanoplastics, can kill or severely sicken marine life before entering the food web and ultimately ending up on our plates.Research into the health effects is ongoing, and some findings are contested. But a 2024 study found that people with microplastics in their heart arteries face an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and premature death.For those living in the shadow of the expanding petrochemical industry, the impacts of toxic emissions have long been felt. Nowhere is this more evident than Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” where cancer rates are seven times the national average.”Our zip code is dictating our health, and plastics therefore are a major environmental justice issue, because these are communities of color and low-income communities,” Enck said.- No to shaming – The recent surge in plastic production, she argues, is driven by a “glut” of gas generated since the mid-2000s by the hydraulic fracturing industry, which has sought new markets for its product even as it fuels climate change.It may be easy to lose hope, but Enck says it is not too late to make a difference — pointing to a twofold approach that combines personal action with collective pressure. Her book is replete with advice on how to organize, lobby local governments and advance model legislation.While Enck would prefer consumers shop at stores that sell toiletry refills, ditch plastic coffee pods and take other steps, she acknowledges that such choices are not yet realistic for many people.”I am not into plastic shaming,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of choice when we go to the supermarket, so you do the best you can. But what we really need is systemic change — and what I mean by that is new laws that require less plastic.”

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had reached a framework of a deal that satisfies him on Greenland, as he backed down both on threats to seize the island by force from Denmark and on imposing tariffs against European allies.Trump said the deal was long-term but offered few details and was conspicuously silent on whether the deal would mean US control over the Arctic island, which he has repeatedly demanded.Trump made the startling turnaround after talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.”We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region”, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.Trump said he would therefore scrap tariffs of up to 25 percent that he had vowed days ago to slap starting February 1 on Denmark as well as close European allies that have sent troops to Greenland in solidarity, including Britain, France and Germany.He later told reporters from outlets including AFP that the deal “gets everything we wanted” and will be in force “forever”.Asked if the United States would gain sovereignty over the vast but sparsely populated island, Trump hesitated and then said, “It’s the ultimate long-term deal.” “I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security, and minerals and everything else,” Trump said.”It’s a deal that people jumped at, really fantastic for the USA, gets everything we wanted.”NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said that allies would discuss the framework which addresses Trump’s claims that the island is not protected from Russia or China.”Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold — economically or militarily — in Greenland,” she said.- Relief in Europe -Trump’s threats had triggered one of the biggest transatlantic crises in decades, with warnings that he could single-handedly destroy NATO through aggression against a fellow member.His apparent climbdown eased jitters in Denmark, long a steadfast US ally where Trump’s bellicose language has triggered shock and feelings of betrayal.”Trump said that he will pause the trade war, he says, ‘I will not attack Greenland’. These are positive messages,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public television DR.Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that the United States and Europe were “now on the path to de-escalation”.Trump has repeatedly said that the United States, the key force in NATO, deserves Greenland as it would be forced to defend the island against Russia or China, although neither country holds any claim to the island.The issue dominated Trump’s first address to the World Economic Forum in six years, in which he slammed Denmark as “ungrateful” for refusing to give up the Arctic island.But he appeared to take the threat of military action off the table.”I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland,” Trump said.The shift in tone also brought relief to global markets, with Wall Street’s key indices climbing.- Facing down Trump -Before Trump’s apparent turnaround, Greenland’s government unveiled a new brochure offering advice to the population in the event of a “crisis” in the territory, saying it was an “insurance policy”.Trump repeatedly referenced Greenland in his speech, although he mistakenly called it Iceland several times.The US president also lambasted Europe on a number of fronts from security to tariffs and the economy, saying it was “not heading in the right direction”. Europe and Canada had earlier closed ranks against what they viewed as a threat to the US-led global order from Trump’s territorial ambitions.Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney won a standing ovation at Davos on Tuesday when he warned of a “rupture” to the US-led system. French President Emmanuel Macron for his part said Europe would not be bullied.But Trump renewed his attacks on the two leaders, mocking Macron in particular for wearing sunglasses at Davos, which the French president said was because of an eye condition.In remarks that veered from topic to topic, Trump also expressed hope of ending the Ukraine war soon, saying he expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday.burs-dk-sct/md

US YouTuber IShowSpeed visited Nigeria’s cultural and economic capital Lagos as part of his African tour on Wednesday, where he celebrated his 21st birthday by hitting 50 million subscribers.The YouTube and Twitch star’s tour kicked off on December 29, travelling through some 15 countries across Africa and drawing crowds at every stop.Rolling Stone magazine named him the Most Influential Creator of 2025 while Forbes estimates his net worth at $20 million.IShowSpeed began his Lagos visit at the bustling Balogun Market in the Lagos Island district, where crowds heckled him and asked for money.”What are they saying? It’s like they’re speaking English, but a different kind of English,” the influencer, surrounded by bodyguards, remarked as he quickly left the market.At Freedom Park, located on the site of a former prison, he jumped at the spicy kick of his first bite of jollof rice before heading to the Nike Art Gallery — a must-see for every celebrity and high-ranking political figure who comes to Lagos.”IShowSpeed is showcasing the culture, relationships, cultural differences and food,” Stephen Oluwafisayomi, a 24-year-old YouTuber known as Stevosky, told AFP at Freedom Park.”He wants Americans to see Africa as a place they can also come to,” he added.At around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) IShowSpeed, who was celebrating his birthday, stopped his security convoy at the side of the road to watch his YouTube channel hit 50 million subscribers and proceeded to shove his face into a cake for the occasion.”He may have shown some negative aspects of these countries, but that should be able to motivate people to help, contribute and try to improve them, whether by creating businesses, raising funds or by any other means at their disposal,” according to Karim Jari, an 18-year-old high school student at the Nike Art Gallery.The day before, IShowSpeed celebrated Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) victory in Dakar.Born in Cincinnati as Darren Jason Watkins Jr., the YouTube star began gaining traction 10 years ago, first by publishing video game content and later by posting about his travels around the world.His Africa tour has featured a race against a cheetah in South Africa, a football match with 100 children in Angola, a visit to Kenya’s Maasai and the AFCON final in Morocco.

A Republican-led US House panel voted Wednesday to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its probe into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The Oversight Committee advanced resolutions accusing the Democratic ex-president and former secretary of state of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to the disgraced financier, who died in custody in 2019.The full House of Representatives, also majority Republican, will now decide — at a date yet to be announced — whether to formally cite the couple for contempt and refer them to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.”No witness, not a former president or a private citizen, may willfully defy a congressional subpoena without consequence,” committee chairman James Comer said.”But that is what the Clintons did and that is why we are here today.”The vote underscored how the Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.Lawmakers are examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into Epstein, whose 2019 death in custody as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges was ruled a suicide.Democrats say the probe is being weaponized to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump — himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify — rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities to whom he was suspected of trafficking girls and young women for sex.Democrats on the committee noted that the Justice Department was itself violating the law, having released only a fraction of the case files it was required to make public more than a month ago.  – ‘White House cover-up’ -“Donald Trump is leading a White House cover-up right now of the Epstein files, and we all know Epstein himself said Donald Trump was his best friend for over 10 years,” said Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat.”It is shameful, illegal and unconstitutional that the Department of Justice has released one percent of the files.”Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.But Republicans say the Democratic couple’s past links to the business tycoon, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in‑person questioning under oath.In letters refusing to appear in Washington, the Clintons argue that the subpoenas are invalid because they lack a clear legislative purpose.Instead, the couple submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking.Comer announced that Maxwell had been scheduled to give a deposition on February 9, although he said he expected her to assert her constitutional right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited his private island. Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island. The full House vote could expose divisions among Democrats, some of whom privately acknowledge that their party has long argued no one should be beyond scrutiny in efforts to uncover the full scope of Epstein’s crimes. Others fear that advancing the contempt resolutions plays into a partisan strategy to shift attention away from Trump’s own past contacts with Epstein and from criticism that his administration has moved slowly to release all related records.

A winter storm bringing icy temperatures will slam a massive stretch of the United States this week, with more than 175 million people facing the prospect of heavy snowfall, power outages and travel disruption.Winter Storm Fern is forecast to engulf an area stretching from Texas and the Great Plains region to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Forecasters warned it could be 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) long — well over half the length of the continental US. The storm’s peak is expected to come Thursday and Friday, with Texas already having declared an emergency. More than a foot of snow could be seen across the mid-Atlantic region, the forecasters warned, with Virginia and Maryland likely to bear the brunt as arctic air blows in.US weather channels were running apocalyptic predictions of “crippling ice,” and a 1,500-mile (2,414-kilometer) “snow zone” liable to see record-breaking snowfall, while warning that freezing rain could damage power infrastructure and trees.New York City, the US financial capital and the country’s most populous urban area, could see as much as 12 inches of snow, the Weather Channel warned.In New York, the current cold snap has caused temperatures to collapse. On the morning of January 20, the National Weather Service’s observatory in Central Park recorded a temperature of 16F (-9C) — or 2F (-17C) accounting for wind chill — the coldest temperature that the city has seen so far this winter.- ‘Sub-zero’ -“Frigid temperatures will expand across the eastern two-thirds of the country behind an Arctic cold front,” the National Weather Service said in an advisory. “Frigid sub-zero and single digit temperatures will expand from the Northern Plains Thursday into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Northeast by Sunday. “This Arctic blast will be accompanied by gusty winds, leading to dangerous wind chills. The coldest wind chills may fall below minus 50 Fahrenheit (minus 46C) across the Northern Plains. An extremely cold air mass, combined with a frontal zone to its south will produce a major winter storm from the Central-Southern Plains region to the East Coast starting Friday and lasting into the weekend, the advisory added.Some areas likely to be affected were bracing for the arrival of severe weather.In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and activated emergency resources including the state’s national guard and transport department assets to help ease the pressure on roads.A combination of snow, rain and sleet could make travel almost impossible, local media warned.The Monroe County Road Commission, which covers a large area outside Detroit, Michigan, warned “there is a shortage of salt.””This year we’ve used more than we have the last four Decembers combined,” David Leach, the commission’s managing director, told CBS News.In past years, rural areas in the northeast have been entirely cut off as snowplows struggled to clear roads.