NPR News: 02-27-2026 6AM EST
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What recent event is Bill Clinton involved in regarding Jeffrey Epstein?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Former President Bill Clinton is set to testify before a congressional committee in New York today as part of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The appearance follows closed-door testimony on Thursday from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told lawmakers she never met Epstein or had knowledge of his crimes.
I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. So it's on the record numerous times.
Neither of the Clintons has been charged with wrongdoing. However, the former president's name appears multiple times in Justice Department files tied to the case. The Clintons fought congressional subpoenas for months, arguing they were legally invalid and politically motivated. President Trump's name and image are now appearing on federal buildings. A move critics say blurs the line between government messaging and political promotion. NPR's Tamara Keith reports the shift is a break with presidential norms.
Trump's face looms large on banners outside of agency buildings, including the Justice Department. Then there's the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center and Trump Institute of Peace, the Trump Gold Card, Trump Rx and Trump Accounts. And I didn't name it. I didn't name it. I did not name that. That was Trump earlier this week, insisting he had nothing to do with it. Nobody believes me, but I did not name it. Normally, U.S. presidents are out of office or even dead before they're honored in this way, if ever. The author of the book Strongman said the current trend mirrors what autocrats have done for a century.
Tamara Keith, NPR News. Pakistan's defense minister says the country is now in what he calls an open war with Afghanistan. The comments follow Pakistani airstrikes overnight on multiple locations inside Afghanistan, marking a sharp escalation in a long-running border dispute. Betsy Joles has more from Islamabad.
Pakistan's defense minister, Khwaja Asif, said in a post on X that the country's patience had run out. His government claims its strikes killed 133 Afghan Taliban personnel and destroyed Taliban posts, tanks, and artillery. In a post on X, the Taliban government spokesperson confirmed airstrikes in three locations, including its capital, Kabul. The strikes were preceded by attacks on Pakistani troops by Afghan forces near the border. It's the latest flare-up in a wider conflict between the neighbors. Pakistan also carried out strikes in Afghanistan's border regions last weekend in response to a series of bombings earlier this month. For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joles in Islamabad.
Stocks closed higher across Asia today. On Wall Street, Dow futures are trading lower at this hour. This is NPR News in Washington. Anthropic is facing a deadline today to reach an agreement with the Pentagon or risk losing a major government contract tied to its artificial intelligence technology. The company's CEO says it cannot agree to Defense Department demands that would allow broader military use of its AI systems. Anthropic argues proposed contract language doesn't do enough to limit potential uses involving mass surveillance. The Pentagon disputes that claim, saying it intends to use the technology within existing legal boundaries. Residents near the San Diego-Mexico border say they're being overlooked.
They say the federal response has moved faster after a sewage spill near Washington, D.C. than along their own coastline. Tammy Merga reports from San Diego.
President Trump has declared an emergency after more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River. But millions more flow from Mexico into Southern California, where Marvel Harrison lives.
I'm very glad for the declaration. I'm disgusted that we have waited and struggled so long to not have one here.
She and her husband, Tom Shinadi, say their community deserves a rapid response, too.
On the worst days, we get headaches.
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