Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from House lawmakers during a scheduled deposition at a federal prison facility in Texas, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights and declining to provide testimony in a congressional investigation into Epstein’s trafficking network. Behind closed doors, Maxwell’s legal team delivered a message to lawmakers: she would be willing to testify “fully and honestly”, but only if President Donald Trump were to grant her clemency or commute her prison sentence. Her attorney claimed that Maxwell could confirm that neither Trump nor former President Bill Clinton committed criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, framing her testimony as contingent on presidential intervention. WATCH 

A powerful and far-reaching winter storm is accelerating eastward, placing nearly two-thirds of the United States under escalating weather threats. Forecast models indicate a rapidly intensifying system stretching from Texas to New England, capable of delivering crippling ice, heavy snowfall and extreme Arctic cold over several days. A critical 72-hour window highlights a direct hit along the I-95 corridor, with cities from Washington D.C. to New York and Boston facing the potential for disruptive snow and damaging ice. Forecasters warn that ice accumulation in some regions could rival hurricane-level impacts, particularly where power infrastructure is most vulnerable. WATCH