Tampa man killed in Cuban boat shootout wanted to overthrow island's government, loved ones say

The family and friends of Michel Ortega Casanova said he was one of four men killed in an armed confrontation off the Cuban Coast.

Denver mayor bans federal immigration agents from city property

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) on Thursday announced that federal immigration agents are banned from city property while also mandating Denver law enforcement to protect protesters. Johnston issued the ban via an executive order. The order mandates that Denver police and

ICE, Maryland sheriffs slam new state law prohibiting cooperation agreements

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Maryland sheriffs on Thursday slammed a new state law that bars cooperation agreements between federal immigration officers and local authorities. ICE accused Maryland lawmakers of allowing Americans to become "hurt or, worse,

Trump administration enacts 6-month moratorium on Minnesota Medicaid payments

Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story Trump administration enacts 6-month moratorium on Minnesota Medicaid payments Vice President Vance and top health official Mehmet Oz announced a 6-month “moratorium” on Medicaid payments to

Hillary Clinton criticizes UFO, Pizzagate questions from GOP during Epstein deposition

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday criticized questions she said she got from House Republicans about UFOs and the "Pizzagate" conspiracy during her deposition as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into convicted sex

Anthropic, Pentagon talks at standstill

{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Pentagon draws scrutiny with Anthropic threats, Defense Production Act The Pentagon is threatening to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) against Anthropic amid a dispute over the company’s restrictions on its AI tools, in a move

‘You'll have to ask my husband:’ House Republicans say Hillary Clinton punted questions on Epstein

The former secretary of State testified for roughly six hours, paving the way for Friday’s scheduled grilling of former President Bill Clinton.

At least 2 aboard boat in Cuba firefight were US citizens: Official

At least two individuals on the boat involved in a shooting with Cuban forces on Wednesday were U.S. citizens, with one dead and the other injured, a U.S. official told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation on Thursday. A third person on the U.S.-registered boat was on a U.S.

Paramount wins bid to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery after Netflix bows out

Netflix on Thursday said it would not match a bid from Paramount seeking to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, the sprawling media empire that includes legacy brands in news and entertainment like CNN and HBO. News of the streamer bowing out of its deal with Warner Bros.

Anthropic says 'virtually no progress' on Pentagon AI talks as deadline looms

Anthropic said Thursday that “virtually no progress” had been made in the company’s talks with the Pentagon over the terms of use for its AI models ahead of a Friday afternoon deadline. The Department of Defense (DOD) delivered its last and final offer to the company on

Childhood obesity hits record: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday revealed that childhood and teen obesity rates in the U.S. have reached record highs in recent years. The first report details how the CDC's researchers found that 40.3 percent of adults 20 and older were found

Wyden presses DEA for answers on secret Epstein investigation

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Wednesday pressed Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole for answers on an investigation into possible drug trafficking and suspicious financial transactions involving the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wyden sent a letter to

House Democrats assemble outside Washington in search of a midterm agenda

“We can't be just anti-Trump,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell.

More than 32M watched Trump's 2026 State of the Union Address

More than 32 million people tuned in to watch President Trump's annual State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 32.6 million figure is down from the 36 million who watched the president's first address to Congress of his second term

Dem analysis: OBBA created billions in fossil subsidies

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Dem analysis: OBBA created billions in fossil subsidies Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act subsidizes fossil fuels by an average of $3.5 billion each year, according to a new report from Senate Budget

Paxton's daughter defends him against Cornyn's attacks

The daughter of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is coming to her father’s defense amid political ad attacks targeting his U.S. Senate campaign. Paxton is running to unseat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and will face off against the senator and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) in

GOP senators warn Justice Department to release all Epstein files mentioning Trump

Republican senators are putting pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department to release all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that mention President Trump’s name, warning the issue won’t go away until there is full transparency. GOP

Mamdani touts productive meeting with Trump on housing

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday touted his “productive” meeting with President Trump at the White House, during which the mayor said they discussed the prospect of building more housing in their shared hometown. “I had a productive meeting with President Trump

As strikes loom, Democrats to force vote to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story As strikes loom, Democrats to force vote to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran House Democrats will force a vote next week to curb President Trump’s

Warner Bros. Discovery: Paramount's hostile bid 'superior' to Netflix offer

Warner Bros. Discovery, the sprawling entertainment company that owns major media brands like HBO and CNN, said Thursday it now favors a bid made by Paramount to buy the company's key assets over a previous agreement with streamer Netflix. The company's board, "following

Power plant pollution rose last year, green group analysis finds

U.S. power plant pollution rose last year, according to a green group’s analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. Emissions of sulfur dioxide increased by 18 percent in 2025, according to an analysis of the EPA data by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an

US threatens to cut off Swiss bank from financial system over alleged Iran, Russia ties

The Treasury Department on Thursday threatened to cut off MBaer Merchant Bank AG’s access to U.S. financial institutions over the Swiss bank’s alleged ties to sanctioned Iranian and Russian actors. The Treasury Department accused MBaer and its employees of enabling corruption

Trump DOJ to Investigate Itself Over Epstein Files Release

The Department of Justice has announced that it will investigate itself for failing to disclose documents containing allegations against President Donald Trump as part of the files on Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement on X Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Justice announced

Columbia student released from ICE custody hours after arrest

Columbia University student Ellie Aghayeva was released by immigration enforcement Thursday afternoon after she was detained at a school residential building early in the morning. Aghayeva said in an Instagram post she is on her way home and in “complete shock” over the

Noem: DHS shutdown is affecting World Cup, America 250 preparations

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said the ongoing shutdown of her department is affecting preparations for the 2026 World Cup and the celebration of 250 years of the United States. In a post Thursday on social platform X, Noem said the Federal

Texas grand jury rejects indictments in fatal shooting of US citizen by immigration agents

A Texas grand jury on Wednesday rejected indictments regarding a fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents that left a U.S. citizen dead last year. The grand jury's decision follows the death of Joshua Orta, who was with Ruben Ray Martinez when he was shot and killed

Pentagon draws scrutiny with Anthropic threats, Defense Production Act

The Pentagon is threatening to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) against Anthropic amid a dispute over the company’s restrictions on its AI tools, in a move that many experts say is an unusual use of the measure. The Department of Defense (DOD) warned Anthropic on Tuesday

EPA firing 22 environmental justice staffers, union says

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved to fire 22 more of its staffers, a union representing agency employees said Thursday. Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, which represents EPA staff, said that the agency

MAGA Is Furious Lauren Boebert Derailed Hillary’s Epstein Deposition

Lauren Boebert successfully pissed everybody off during Hillary Clinton’s closed-door deposition Thursday. Clinton appeared before the House Oversight Committee to share what she knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking empire (Clinton insisted she knew nothing). But

Platner deletes social media post promoting far-right figure Stew Peters

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing backlash after amplifying a post made by far-right figure Stew Peters. “War with Iran is the only thing republicans and democrats have both given a standing ovation for. Let that sink in,” Peters, who has been deemed a conspiracy

Kansas invalidates more than 1,000 transgender residents' driver's licenses, birth certificates

A Kansas law invalidating the driver’s licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents who changed their gender on the documents took effect Thursday. The legislation, Senate Bill 244, requires all Kansans to identify with the same gender as their birth sex on official

A Private Prison Falsified Death Records. ICE Gave Them More Money.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement discovered that GEO Group, the country’s largest private prison company, had falsified the death records of an inmate—but that didn’t stop the federal agency from throwing even more money at them, according to The Intercept . On December 6,

Top Oversight panel Democrat calls for Trump to testify in Epstein probe

Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Thursday called for President Trump to testify under oath before the committee as part of its investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He did so as the

Florida Republican on Cuba killing 4 on speedboat: 'We need the regime to go'

Florida Republicans are repeating calls for regime change in Cuba in the wake of the Cuban coast guard killing four people and detaining others who were in a Florida-registered motorboat that Havana said crossed into Cuban territorial waters. The deadly confrontation adds

Judge orders changes to Pacific Northwest dam operations to help salmon

A federal judge this week granted a partial win to conservation groups after the Trump administration pulled out of a salmon restoration agreement last year. Obama-appointed Judge Michael J. Simon issued a preliminary injunction ordering the federal government to take certain

Texas GOP rep defends Gonzalez in wake of calls to resign

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) on Wednesday defended Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who has recently faced pressure over allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who later killed herself. “He’s not been indicted for anything. Does it look good? No, I don’t like the appearance

Rove: Trump made 'key mistake' during State of the Union

Republican strategist Karl Rove on Wednesday accused President Trump of making a “key mistake” during the State of the Union by not addressing the concerns of disenchanted voters who are seeking relief from financial hardship. “For them, the president’s speech almost certainly

Second GOP lawmaker backs Iran war powers act, barring 'new information'

Rep. Warren Davidson (Ohio) on Thursday became the second House Republican to pledge support for a resolution aimed at limiting President Trump’s ability to take unilateral military action in Iran. Davidson wrote in a post on the social platform X that he has requested a

Democrats fume after Boebert leaks deposition photo of Hillary Clinton: 'Clown show'

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee tore into Republicans on the panel after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) leaked a photo from inside former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deposition on Thursday. Clinton is testifying as part of the panel’s

Mamdani says Trump told him ICE-detained Columbia student 'will be released imminently'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that President Trump had assured him in a phone call of the forthcoming release of a Columbia University student who had been detained on campus earlier in the day. “In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia

Trump Officials Welcome Far-Right U.K. Activist Tommy Robinson

Trump administration officials met with racist, Islamophobic, far-right U.K. activist Tommy Robinson—and gave him a tour of the State Department. One of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s senior advisers publicly boasted about meeting with Robinson on Wednesday. “Honored to have

Here are the states putting flags at half-staff for Jesse Jackson

As mourners pay their respects Thursday to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson as he lies in state at his Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Chicago headquarters, a number of states have lowered or will lower their flags to half-staff in honor of the deceased civil rights activist. The governors

Democrats demand fast turnaround of unedited transcript of Hillary Clinton’s deposition

Sanctioned UN human rights investigator's family sues Trump administration

The family of a sanctioned United Nations human rights investigator on Wednesday sued the Trump administration for sanctioning her over her criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza, arguing that the sanctions violate her First Amendment rights. U.N. Special Rapporteur

Burgum: Sanders data center moratorium would be like waving 'surrender flag' to China

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) proposal for a national moratorium on data centers, deeming the idea as an intentional “surrender” to China amid their rapid development of artificial intelligence. “A moratorium on data centers

Virginia Democrats in House backing redistricting proposal

Virginia Democrats in the U.S. House are urging voters to support a constitutional amendment that would permit redistricting ahead of the midterm elections after a state judge recently imposed a temporarily block on the referendum. The judge's emergency injunction remains in

Astronaut Mike Fincke reveals he was crew member with medical issue

NASA brought Crew-11 home from the International Space Station early due to a medical event.

Walz unveils antifraud package after Trump administration freezes Minnesota Medicaid funds

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Thursday unveiled a legislative package intended to mitigate fraud a day after the Trump administration paused $259.5 million in Medicaid funds for the North Star State. Walz’s package would create a new statute that increases penalties for

Reconciliation bill subsidizes fossil fuels by $3.5B each year, Democratic report finds

Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act subsidizes fossil fuels by an average of $3.5 billion each year, according to a new report from Senate Budget Committee Democrats. An analysis that was first shared with The Hill tabulated both official and unofficial estimates of the

Mortgage rates fall below 6 percent for first time in more than 3 years

Mortgage rates fell below 6 percent on Thursday for the first time in more than three years, marking an opening for homebuyers as inflation cools. Currently, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 5.98 percent, down .03 points from last week, according to Freddie Mac.