In today’s newsletter: Bill Clinton faces questioning from members of Congress over his Epstein ties. Netflix dramatically pulls out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. And North Korea’s Kim Jong Un fuels succession buzz.
Here’s what to know today.
Former president Bill Clinton will be first president to testify in House hearing in 40 years
Former President Bill Clinton will face questions today from House Oversight Committee members about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, making him the first sitting or former president to testify before members of Congress in over 40 years.
His wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified for six hours yesterday. She said she had no new information about Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, and criticizing Republicans’ handling of their investigations into the late convicted sex offender.
Committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., said he expects Bill Clinton’s deposition to take “even longer.”
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The former president has acknowledged he flew on Epstein’s plane in 2002 and 2003 while he was traveling internationally for his charity, the Clinton Foundation.
President Donald Trump has accused Bill Clinton of having taken dozens of trips to Epstein’s island in the Caribbean, though Clinton says he was never there.
Released Epstein documents include numerous undated pictures of Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell. None suggest any wrongdoing.
More about Bill Clinton’s upcoming hearing here.
More politics news:
- Analysis: As Trump touted a “golden age of America” during the State of the Union, gory details dominated the night.
- Despite an avalanche of GOP pressure, top Senate Republicans are skeptical of using a “talking filibuster” to pass Trump’s election bill.
- Redistricting is pitting Democratic colleagues and allies against each other in Texas ahead of March primaries.
Netflix won’t increase its offer for Warner Bros., ceding bidding war to Paramount
Netflix said it would not submit a higher offer for Warner Bros. Discovery after the company’s board described Paramount Skydance’s latest offer as “superior” — leaving Paramount in position to take control of the media giant.
Paramount’s bid was for the entire company while Netflix was seeking to acquire only its streaming service, HBO cable channel and film studio business. Paramount’s updated offer valued WBD at roughly $77 billion. Including WBD’s debt, the takeover bid totals more than $110 billion.
Netflix shares soared as much as 15% after the news broke, signaling relief from shareholders who have seen the stock decline by more than 20% since their bid was officially announced in December.
The Paramount bid isn’t finalized yet. A WBD shareholder vote is scheduled for March 20, and the board still needs to formally terminate the Netflix agreement.
More about the bidding war’s close here.
As North Korea’s leader hardens grip on power, his daughter may be waiting in the wings
As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un affirmed his authority over the country during a rare party congress, speculation is growing that his teenage daughter is closer than ever to being named his successor.
Since Kim Ju Ae’s first public appearance in 2022, she has accompanied her father at several public events — though there was no sign of her at the party congress, which began last week in Pyongyang. The succession buzz was fueled in part by their matching leather jackets at a military parade — garb Kim often wears at public events.
The family, which has ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948, signals successors well in advance. Earlier this month, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers it believed that Kim Ju Ae had entered the “designation stage” of the succession process after a period of training.
However, some experts have expressed skepticism, as she has not received an official party title or other past markers of succession.
Here’s what experts said about Kim Ju Ae’s rise.
Read All About It
- Pakistan is in ‘open war’ with Afghanistan, its defense minister says. Afghan capital, Kabul, and two other provinces were attacked hours after the Taliban launched cross-border assaults.
- A left-wing plumber has helped sink the ruling Labour Party and the surging far-right in a surprise U.K. election win.
- Iran is attempting to crush dissent with a new wave of arrests, targeting groups perceived as threats to the regime.
- At least one U.S. citizen was killed in Wednesday’s Cuba boat clash, and another was injured, officials said.
- The federal panel behind cancer screening recommendations hasn’t met in nearly a year.
- Over 55,000 pounds of blueberries were recalled for risk of potentially fatal listeria contamination.
- A Columbia University student was released after being detained by DHS agents, who university officials say misrepresented themselves to gain access to a campus residence.
- AI giant Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, made $120 billion in profit last year. Investors are still spooked.
Staff Pick: When home births go wrong, hospitals can add to the complications
Nearly a year ago, I set out to explore why midwives who had master’s degrees or had completed professional trainings couldn’t obtain licenses in many U.S. states.
But, I uncovered a different issue: Even midwives who were licensed struggled to collaborate with nearby hospitals when their patients had a complication.
Almost every midwife I spoke with could recall a time when they tried to transfer a patient to the hospital and were met with hostility or discouraged from showing up. The problem was widely understood among their colleagues, but less so among patients or the general public.
In time, I learned that the same reason midwives struggled to obtain licenses — a distrust of their practices that is somewhat unique to the U.S. — was also making it harder for them to transfer patients in emergency scenarios. Midwives worried that the issue could escalate amid the rise of home births in the U.S.
Thankfully, there are solutions, such as integrating midwives into hospital care or creating joint guidelines on how to handle transfers. These options are slowly, but steadily, gaining ground.
— Aria Bendix, health reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
The perfect spring refresh includes a new pair of trusted walking shoes. This week, you can find Nike sneakers for up to 20% off, editor-loved Hokas up to 30% off, and Ugg boots on steep discount for a limited time only.
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