Netanyahu to push Trump to take tough Iran stance during White House visit – US politics live | US news
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Bondi to face questions about Epstein files in House testimony
Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before a House panel on Wednesday, where lawmakers are expected to pressure her over the Justice Department’s handling of files on late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee came as lawmakers, including some Republicans, expressed frustration with the amount of Epstein material the department redacted and withheld despite a federal law requiring the release of nearly all files.
The Justice Department released the latest tranche of more than three million pages of documents late last month, drawing renewed attention to the rich and powerful who maintained ties to Epstein even after he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
But lawmakers complained that the redactions in the filings went beyond the limited exemptions allowed in the law that Congress passed almost unanimously in November.
The ministry also refused to release large amounts of material, citing legal privileges.
Netanyahu will pressure Trump on Iranian missiles during White House talks
Hello, welcome to the live blog of US politics. I’m Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you the latest news over the next few hours.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump to take a tougher stance in nuclear negotiations with Iran on WednesdayAfter rushing to Washington to strengthen the US president’s resolve, AFP reported.
On the eve of a hastily arranged White House meeting – scheduled to start at 11 a.m. – Trump said he was considering sending a second US “armada” to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.
However, Netanyahu, who is making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also urge the US leader to take a tougher stance against Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington in Oman last week, warned of “devastating effects” on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s visit on Monday.
On Wednesday, Iranian president Massoud Pezeshkian said his country “will not bow to excessive demands” regarding its nuclear program, but said the country was not seeking atomic weapons.
Netanyahu was expected to come to Washington for the meeting of Trump’s Gaza ‘Peace Board’ on February 19, but it was reported that he brought forward his visit while US-Iran talks continued.
Trump will also meet with Britain’s special envoy, Mark Burnett, later today. Attorney General Pam Bondi will face questions from lawmakers about the Justice Department’s handling of files on Jeffrey Epstein.
In other developments:
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Federal prosecutors reportedly tried unsuccessfully Tuesday to persuade a grand jury to indict six Democratic lawmakers. a social media video They made the recording to remind service members in the military and intelligence agencies that they do not have to obey illegal orders.
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Donald TrumpThe sudden turn against a new publicly owned bridge being built to connect Detroit, Michigan, to Windsor, Ontario, comes on the heels of a meeting with Trump’s commerce secretary by a Republican donor who owns a private, competing bridge. The New York Times reported.
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Canadian prime minister, Mark Carneyand the premier of Ontario, Doug FordThey took on the daunting task of trying to explain to Trump that the reasons he gave when threatening to block the opening of the new bridge were completely false. Carney told Trump that Canada paid for the bridge and US ownership of the shares.
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Inside a view a Republican congressman from Missouri on the right-wing channel Real America’s Voice, Mark Alford“We’re still researching” the lyrics of the song, sung in Spanish by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, he said. During the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday.
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As the US supreme court prepares to rule on whether Trump has the authority to impose tariffs on foreign imports to address the economic emergency he has declared, the president confirmed in an interview that he sets tariff rates in part based on his feelings about the leaders of other nations.
