In our news wrap Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel faced bipartisan criticism for not releasing all Epstein information in the bureau’s possession, FBI officials in Pittsburgh say they’re treating a car ramming at their local field office as an act of terror and the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says new evidence proves her husband was poisoned before his death.
Kash Patel, FBI Director:
I’m not going to break the law to satisfy your curiosity.
Amna Nawaz:
In his second day of contentious hearings on Capitol Hill, Patel faced bipartisan criticism for not releasing all Epstein information in the FBI’s possession. Patel also told lawmakers he’s never spoken to President Trump about the Epstein files. And he once again said there’s no credible information to suggest that Epstein trafficked women to anyone other than himself.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL):
Other than Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, your testimony in the Senate here is that, according to the evidence you have, the number of other names is zero?
Kash Patel:
That were charged based on credible evidence.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz:
Well, who are the other names? Give me the other names that weren’t charged.
Kash Patel:
We are not releasing the names of anyone, because the Department of Justice never does that of anyone that didn’t have any credible information.
Amna Nawaz:
In that same exchange, Patel agreed to look into the sexually suggested letter that President Trump allegedly sent Epstein as part of a birthday book in 2003. Trump has denied writing it, saying it’s fake.
Today’s hearing in the House comes a day after Patel clashed with Senate Democrats over his handling of the Charlie Kirk investigation and more. Today, authorities in Utah gave more details about the arrest of the suspected shooter. A sheriff involved with taking Tyler Robinson into custody said he feared being shot by police and agreed to surrender peacefully.
Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for the 22-year-old. Also today, students at Utah Valley University returned to classes for the first time since last week’s assassination. The site of the shooting area is still blocked off. A large American flag is now draped near where Kirk was speaking when he was shot.
In Pittsburgh, FBI officials say they’re treating a car ramming at their local field office as a — quote — “act of terror.” Authorities say a suspect is in custody after a car crashed into a security gate early this morning. The driver threw an American flag over the gate before fleeing the scene on foot.
He was arrested hours later. Officials say the man was familiar to the FBI office and had made a complaint there in recent weeks. No one was injured and authorities are still trying to determine the motive.
Jerry of Ben and Jerry’s cream is leaving the iconic brand he co-founded nearly five decades ago. In a letter, Jerry Greenfield says the company’s long-held commitment to social activism — quote — “has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.”
Most recently, the real-life Ben and Jerry have spoken out against Israel’s war against Hamas and Gaza. Today’s decision comes after years of increasing tensions between the ice cream makers and Unilever, which bought the company 25 years ago. Magnum, Unilever’s new spin-off for its ice cream business, said today that it disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective, but is committed to the brand’s mission.
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says that new evidence proves her husband was poisoned shortly before his sudden death in an Arctic penal colony last year. In a video posted to social media, his wife and political successor, Yulia Navalnaya, points to incident reports and photos suggesting Navalny vomited and convulsed in his final moments.
She also says that samples from Navalny’s body had been smuggled out of Russia to be tested at two independent labs and that the results prove he was poisoned.
Yulia Navalnaya, Widow of Alexei Navalny (through translator): I will not be silent. I affirm that Vladimir Putin is guilty of killing my husband, Alexei Navalny. I accuse the Russian special services of developing prohibited chemical and biological weapons.
Amna Nawaz:
Navalnaya urged the labs to release their findings. She did not provide direct proof of her claims herself. Today, a Kremlin spokesperson said he was unaware of Navalnaya’s statement. Russian authorities say the 47-year-old Navalny fell ill after taking a walk, but have otherwise provided few details on his death.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed following that interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones industrial average added 260 points on the day. The Nasdaq slipped around 70 points. The S&P 500 fell back slightly from its recent all-time highs.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: the ousted director of the CDC testifies before Congress; Senate Republicans change their rules to push through the president’s judicial nominees; and a woman wrongfully detained in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown speaks out.
