DANY BLOG

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal judges around the country are scrambling to address a deluge of lawsuits fromimmigrantslocked up under the Trump administration'smass deportationcampaign.

Under past administrations, people with no criminal record could generally request a bond hearing before an immigration judge while their cases wound through immigration court unless they were stopped at the border. PresidentDonald Trump's White House reversed that policy in favor ofmandatory detention.

Immigrants by the thousands have been turning to federal courts by using another legal tool: habeas corpus petitions. While the administration scoreda major legal victoryFriday, here's a look at how that's affecting federal courts and what some judges have done in response:

Judges are raising the alarm

In one federal court district in Georgia, the enormous volume of habeas petitions has created "an administrative judicial emergency," a judge wrote in a court order on Jan. 29. U.S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus said the Trump administration was refusing to provide bond hearings to immigrants at Georgia's Stewart Detention Center despite his "clear and definitive rulings" against mandatory detention. Instead, the court had to order the hearing in each individual case, wrote Land, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush.

In Minnesota, where the administration'simmigration enforcement surgecontinues, U.S. DistrictChief Judge Patrick Schiltzsaid in a Jan. 26 order Trump officials had made "no provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result." The court had received more than 400 habeas petitions in January alone, according to a filing by the government in a separate case.

Schiltz, who was also nominated by Bush, said in a separate order two days later that the government since January had failed to comply with scores of court decisions ordering it to release or provide other relief to people arrested during Operation Metro Surge.

And in the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said in an opinion in December that the district had been "flooded" with petitions for relief from immigrants who posed no flight risk or danger but were nonetheless imprisoned indefinitely. Subramanian, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and presides in New York City, granted a 52-year-old Guinean woman's habeas petition and ordered her release.

"No one disputes that the government may, consistent with the law's requirements, pursue the removal of people who are in this country unlawfully," he wrote. "But the way we treat others matters."

The administration defends its actions

TheDepartment of Homeland Securitysaid in a statement on Friday that the administration was "more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary to deliver President Trump's deportation agenda for the American people."

DHS and the Justice Department, which also emailed a statement, slammed the judiciary.

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"If rogue judges followed the law in adjudicating cases and respected the Government's obligation to properly prepare cases, there wouldn't be an 'overwhelming' habeas caseload or concern over DHS following orders," the Justice Department statement said.

On Friday, a federal appeals court backed the administration's policy of detaining immigrants without bond. The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marked a major legal victory for the government and countered a slew of recent lower court decisions that argued the practice was illegal.

Immigration attorneys accuse the administration of flouting a key court decision

In November, a federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy was illegal. U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, who was also nominated by Biden, later expanded the scope of the decision to apply to detained immigrants nationwide.

But plaintiffs' attorneys said the administration continued to deny bond hearings.

"This was a clear cut example of blatant defiance, blatant disregard of a court's order," Matt Adams, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Associated Press in January.

According to Sykes, the government argued her decision was "advisory" and told immigration judges, who work for the Justice Department and are not part of the judicial branch, to ignore it. The judge said she found the latter instruction "troubling."

In its statement, DHS said "activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people's mandate for mass deportations."

Judges are trying to find ways to ease the burden

Land, the federal judge in Georgia, directed other judges in his district to immediately order the government to provide bond hearings to immigrants who meet criteria established by two previous habeas cases.

Maryland District Court Chief Judge George L. Russell III has ordered the administration not to immediately remove any immigrants who file habeas petitions with his court, under certain conditions. Russell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, said in an amended order in December that the court had received an influx of habeas petitions after hours that "resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings."

In Tacoma, Washington, U.S. District Judge Tiffany Cartwright ordered the administration last month to give immigrants detained at a processing center in Tacoma notice of her ruling that the mandatory detention policy was illegal. Cartwright, who was also nominated by Biden, said the high volume of habeas filings had put a "tremendous strain" on immigration attorneys and the court.

Lawyers for the Venezuelan men who were sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador last year argued in court Monday that due process for their clients would mean giving them the immediate right to return to the U.S. for a court hearing, or have remote hearings about their cases.

The men, who were detained by federal immigration authorities, were held for four months in the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, aSalvadoran megaprisonknown for its harsh conditions. They were sent back to Venezuela in July as part of a prisoner swap between the two nations, andhave said they suffered physical and psychological abuse while imprisoned in CECOT.

In December, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration should not have sent the 137 Venezuelan men to CECOT after invoking the Alien Enemies Act, finding that the men were denied due process.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the federal government to either facilitate the return of the men to the United States or otherwise follow due process and provide them with hearings. The men are now living in Venezuela or in nearby countries.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who is representing the plaintiffs in this case, argued Monday that his clients who have made it out of Venezuela and to a third country should have the immediate right to either return to the U.S. for a hearing, have a remote hearing, or at the very least be able to file habeas claims on paper.

For those still in Venezuela, a paper filing is probably the best place to start given the turmoil in the South American country, the lawyer said.

Boasberg asked Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis why the 137 men shouldn't be treated the same asKilmar Abrego Garciaand returned to the U.S., especially because the Supreme Court previously ordered Abrego returned to the same condition he was in before he was mistakenly deported.

"Obviously, if the court ordered that, we could do that," Davis said. He said trying to coordinate remote hearings, for legal, jurisdictional, and practical reasons, would be the "worst" option.

Davis said the Trump administration would prefer if any of the 137 individuals arrived at a U.S. port of entry or had boarding letters, saying "that is the least problematic" pathway here.

Gelernt and Davis both agreed that these individuals, if they were to present themselves at a port of entry, would not be allowed into the U.S. freely. They would be taken into U.S. custody and their individual immigration proceedings would continue from there, Davis said.

Boasberg said he would rule on how the government is to proceed within the next week or so.

The men were sent to CECOT in March after Trumpinvoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law,declaring the Venezuelan gangTren de Aragua an invading force.Their removal to El Salvador cameeven as Boasberg, in a ruling at the time,blocked the deportations and ordered any flights carrying migrants subject to the presidential invocation to return to the United States.

Trump said heinvoked the Alien Enemies Actto target members of the gang, which the administration deems a foreign terrorist organization and accuses of engaging in "mass illegal migration to the United States to further its objectives of harming United States citizens." By invoking the law, Trump was able to swiftly detain and remove immigrants he claimed were members of the gang at the time.

The men who spoke to NBC News,as well as the families of former detainees and their attorneys,strongly denied any ties to gangs and said they were unfairly targeted because oftattoos that may be popular in Venezuela and are unrelated to Tren de Aragua.

A New York Times investigation, which relied on interviews with prosecutors and law enforcement officials as well as court documents and media reports in multiple countries, found that most of the men sent to CECOT did not have criminal records in the United States or in the region. It found at least 32 of the more than 200 men sent to CECOT, including the 137 under the Alien Enemies Act, faced serious criminal accusations or convictions in the United States or abroad. Very few of them appeared to have any documented evidence connecting them to Tren de Aragua.

Three of the Venezuelan men told NBC Newsafter their release from CECOT and return to Venezuela that they experienced physical and psychological torture, including one man's allegation that he was sexually assaulted at the prison.

After what's felt like weeks of the same old weather, a pattern shift will bring some changes this week. Here's what we have our eye on.

1. Warmth Finally Spreads

The West and Plains have been enjoying the warmth recently, while the Midwest, Southeast and East have been shivering. We should finally see some relief from the cold in the Midwest and Southeast. Last weekend, Florida saw below freezing temperatures. But this week, they're forecast to see 70s and 80s. Much of the South will see highs in the 60s or 70s, while parts of the lower Midwest could see high temperatures in the 40s, 50s, even 60s.

2. Welcomed Mountain Snow Returns To The West

While the Northeast and Midwest, and even the South, have gotten their fair share of snow this season, theWest is still far behind their average snowfall totals. Fortunately for them, that will change this week. While accumulations will be modest, much of the Mountain West should at least see their first fresh snowfall in some time.

3. Valentine's Weekend Concerns?

In a very broad sense, computer forecast models are suggesting an increased chance of rain, perhaps thunderstorms in the South late in the week into Valentine's weekend. But they're currently far apart on the details, including where the rain and storms may be, and if there may be any strong to severe storms.

They're also not clear if any moisture will stream north into colder air to produce any ice, sleet or snow next Friday into the weekend.

It's fairly common for forecast models to struggle in winter this far out in time. So, check back with us at weather.com for updates to this forecast in the days ahead.

(MAPS:Daily US Forecast Rain, Snow)

Why This Is Happening

All these changes are due to a shift in the upper-level pattern. This week, a trough dominates the East, while a ridge dominates the West. That will shift this week, with a trough in the West and a ridge in the East.

This pattern shift in the upper level brings a change in wind directions. The Midwest and South will see winds coming from warmer temperatures further south, including bringing moisture from the Gulf into the Southeast.

Meanwhile, the West will see colder air coming from the North, as well as a low pressure system associated with rain and snow.

Miriam Guthrie graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and is now a meteorology intern with weather.com while working toward her master's.

A small plane collided with several cars after making a crash landing on Feb. 9 in Georgia, local authoritiesannounced. Two people were taken to the hospital in connection with the incident.

The pilot made an emergency landing in the middle of a roadway in Gainesville, Georgia, after the plane experienced a mechanical failure, according to Gainesville Fire spokesperson Joshua Sheridan. The pilot and a passenger onboard were uninjured. The two motorists were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, Sheridan said.

Videoof the emergency landing shows the plane hit the ground in the middle of the roadway and twist at high speed into traffic. Photossharedby police show the single-engine plane stopped between a Pizza Hut and Golden Corral.

The front of the plane appeared dented in the video, and a propeller blade was twisted. An SUV in one of the photos from the scene had its front bumper knocked off.

USA TODAY has reached out to Gainesville police for more information.

The crash happened near the intersection of Browns Bridge Road and Pearl Nix Parkway in Gainesville, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, police said. The city ofnearly 50,000is the seat of Hall County.

Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a small plane crashed into cars while making an emergency landing on a road in Gainesville, Georgia, police said.https://t.co/Wk2ww5qZ9kpic.twitter.com/eHe8xolzRY

— ABC News (@ABC)February 9, 2026

ABC News shared footage of the crash on social media.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Small plane crashes into vehicles after emergency landing on roadway

NEW YORK (AP) — One year after the Trump administration took control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the consumer watchdog has largely retreated from enforcement and regulatory work, changes that consumer advocates and Democrats now estimate have cost Americans at least $19 billion in financial relief.

In a report provided to The Associated Press ahead of its release by the office of Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday, the authors say the CFPB harmed consumers by abandoning major consumer protections, stalling investigation and dismissing a number of lawsuits.

"Trump's attempt to sideline the CFPB has cost families billions of dollars over the last year alone," said Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, as well as one of the bureau's fiercest defenders in Congress.

The administration and congressional Republicans have argued that the bureau needed to be downsized and reined in because it had grown too large and overreaching.

The administration assumed control of the CFPB in February 2025 after Rohit Chopra, the bureau's director under President Joe Biden, resigned, leaving White House budget director Russell Vought as acting director. Since then, few new investigations have been opened,many employees have been ordered not to workand several pending enforcement actions against financial companies have been dropped.

The White House announced in April that it wanted to reduce the Bureau's staff from 1,689 positions to 207 positions, but that move has beenblocked by courts. Even if the employees' union does succeed in its lawsuit against Vought, Congress cut the bureau's budget by roughly half in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It's unlikely that all of those employees will still have their jobs once all litigation is settled.

"The CFPB may still be standing, but it's essentially on life support," said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, in a statement. Consumer Reports put out its own data Monday that arrives at similar conclusions as Warren's office.

A spokeswoman for the CFPB did not respond to a request for comment.

One form of relief the report said consumers were denied was a limit on overdraft fees, which the Biden CFPB finalized in 2024 but the Republican-led Congress overturned last year. That would have saved consumers $5 billion a year, according to the Bureau's estimates at the time.

The bureau also tried to cap the amount of money consumers pay to credit card companies when they pay their bills late. That would have saved Americans roughly $10 billion, according to Bureau estimates when the rule was proposed. The regulation was blocked by a federal court last year, and the bureau, under the control of the Trump administration, decided not to fight the lawsuit in court.

Another roughly $4 billion in consumer relief would have come from a series of lawsuits or settlements that were dismissed by the bureau under Acting Director Vought. For example, the bureau sued Capital One in January 2025 for $2 billion, days before President Trump was to be sworn into office, alleging that Capital One has misrepresented the interest rate paid on its savings accounts to customers. That lawsuit was dismissed.

The bureau also sued Early Warning Systems, the company that runs the money transfer service Zelle, in December 2024 for $870 million alleging that the EWS and the banks that operate Zelle were negligent in protecting consumers from fraud and scams. That lawsuit was also dismissed last year.

There's also been a slowdown in the number of complaints resolved by the bureau as well. The CFPB runs its own consumer complaint database, where a consumer can allege wrongdoing by their bank or financial services company and the bureau will act as intermediary between the consumer and financial company to resolve the complaint. Under the Biden CFPB, roughly half of all consumer complaints were resolved with relief for the consumer, whereas under the Trump CFPB, that figure has dwindled to less than 5%.

The independent Government Accountability Office made public a separate report Monday outlining its attempts to keep track of the Trump administration's reorganization and restructuring of the CFPB. The GAO said it received no cooperation from the White House or the bureau, and the GAO needed to rely on mostly public records to produce its report. In a response to the GAO, the CFPB cited ongoing litigation between its employees and management as the primary reason why it could not cooperate.

The GAO's report largely matches what has been documented in news reports that the bureau has cancelled dozens of enforcement actions against alleged wrongdoers, unwound rules and regulations that previous bureau management said would protect consumers or bring them financial relief. There have been even rules and regulations enacted during President Trump's first term that have been targeted by the bureau's current management.

Mark Paoletta, the bureau's chief legal officer and effectively its deputy director under Vought, called the GAO's report "biased and flawed" in a letter to the agency did not raise any specific issues with its conclusions, other than to say the GAO was working with incomplete information.

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III is ready to "support'' UK police examining claims that the former Prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.

The statement came after Thames Valley Police said Monday that they were"assessing" reports that theformer prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The department, which serves an area west of London that includes Mountbatten-Windsor's former home, previously said it was evaluating allegations that Epstein flew a young woman to Britain to have sex with Andrew, also in 2010.

"The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct,'' the palace said in a statement. "While the specific claims in question are for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.''

The statement is just the latest effort by the palace to distance the royal family from Mountbatten-Windsor as the U.S. Justice Department's release of more than 3 million pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein reveal more embarrassing details about the relationship between the two men. Earlier in the day, Prince William and Princess Catherine released their own statement saying they have been "deeply concerned" by recent revelations.

The palace also reiterated Charles and Queen Camilla's concern for the victims of Epstein's abuse.

"As was previously stated, Their Majesties' thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse,'' the palace said.

The jeopardy faced by the royal family could be seen Monday when Charles visited Lancashire, in northwest England. While most of the crowd clapped, cheered and waved flags, one person shouted, "How long have you known about Andrew?"

Concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Epstein have dogged the royal family for more than a decade.

The late Queen Elizabeth II forced her second son to give up royal duties and end his charitable work in 2019 after he tried to explain away his friendship with Epstein during a catastrophic interview with the BBC. After more details about the relationship emerged in a book published last year, Charles stripped him of the right to be called a prince and ordered him to move out of a royal residence close to Windsor Castle.

But the Justice Department documents have brought new attention to Mountbatten-Windsor as reporters home in on dozens of email exchanges between Epstein and the former prince, many of which took place after the financier was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.

Correspondence unearthed in recent days appear to show that Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein copies of his reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which he undertook as Britain's envoy for international trade. An earlier email appears to show Andrew sharing his itinerary for the two-week trip to Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with Epstein.

"We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures," Thames Valley police said in a statement released on Monday.

Adding to the storm, a U.S.-based attorney said on Feb. 1 that he represented a woman who alleges Epstein flew her to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor. The encounter took place at Royal Lodge, the former prince's longtime home in Windsor, the attorney said in an interview with the BBC.

Police previously said they were assessing this report.

The king last week forced Mountbatten-Windsorto move out of Royal Lodge months ahead of schedule. Anger over Mountbatten-Windsor's living arrangements had grown amid concern that he was still reaping rewards from his status as a royal even though he is no longer a working member of the royal family.

Mountbatten-Windsor is now living on theking's Sandringham estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs. Unlike Royal Lodge, which is owned by the crown and managed for the benefit of taxpayers, Sandringham is owned privately by the king.

Thames Valley Police began its latest inquiry after Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected abuse of public office and violations of Britain's Official Secrets Act.

Smith, whose group seeks to replace the king with an elected head of state, compared Mountbatten-Windsor's correspondence with Epstein to earlier revelations about Peter Mandelson, Britain's former ambassador to the U.S., who is already the subject of a police investigation into whether he shared sensitive information with Epstein. Those communications were also revealed in the Justice Department documents.

"I cannot see any significant difference between these allegations and those against Peter Mandelson," Smith said on social media.

NEW YORK (AP) — Nurses and two major hospital systems in New York City have reached a deal to end anearly monthlong strikeover staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance and other issues.

The tentative agreement announced Monday by the nurses' union involves the Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems. Nurses remain on strike at NewYork Presbyterian.

The walkout began Jan. 12, prompting the hospitals to scramble to hire legions of temporary nurses to fill in duringa demanding flu season.

The union said members at Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospitals will vote this week on whether to ratify the contracts and return to work.

The three-year deal affects roughly 10,500 of the some 15,000 nurses on strike at some of the city's biggest private, nonprofit hospitals.

"For four weeks, nearly 15,000 NYSNA members held the line in the cold and in the snow for safe patient care," Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, said in a statement. "Now, nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai systems are heading back to the bedside with our heads held high."

The nurses union said the tentative agreement calls for a 12% pay raise over the life of the contract, as well as maintains nurses' health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs.

In addition, the proposed pact includes new protections against workplace violence, including specific protections for transgender and immigrant nurses and patients, as well as provisions addressing artificial intelligence in hospitals, the union said.

Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospitals will vote to ratify their contracts starting Monday, the union said. If the tentative contract agreements are ratified, nurses will return to work on Saturday.

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Mount Sinai said it would comment later on the deal while a Montefiore spokesperson declined to comment other than to say its nurses are expected to vote Wednesday.

Meanwhile, NewYork-Presbyterian said it agreed over the weekend to a proposal presented by mediators that includes pay raises, preserves nurses' pensions, maintains their health benefits and increases staffing levels. The union reiterated that the strike remains in effect at NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals.

The affected hospitals have insisted theiroperations are running smoothlyduring the walkout, with organ transplants, cardiac surgeries and other complex procedures largely uninterrupted. Many of the medical centers, however, canceled scheduled surgeries, transferred some patients and discharged others ahead of the strike.

The striking nurses priorities vary by hospital, but staffing has generally been a central issue. Nurses complained of being overworked, saying the hospitals held out for weeks on committing to more manageable patient loads. The union said Monday that the tentative agreements would increase staffing and otherwise address those concerns.

The hospitals and nurses also have been at odds over benefits, and the union sought workplace security upgrades and restrictions on the use ofartificial intelligence. Hospital staffers' longstanding security concerns flared into public view when agunman entered Mount Sinaiin November and a manholed up in a Brooklyn hospitalwith a sharp object last month. Police killed both men.

The hospitals said the union's demands were exorbitant. They say unionized nurses' salaries already average $162,000 to $165,000 a year, not including benefits.

The nurses and their political allies, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, countered that top hospital executivesmake millions of dollars a year.

Not every hospital in the three health care systems was affected by the strike, nor were any city-run public hospitals. Other private hospitals reached last-minute deals with the union.

Nurses staged a three-day strike in 2023 in the Mount Sinai and Montefiore systems. They ultimately inked contracts that raised pay 19% over three years and sought to make staffing improvements enforceable by allowing for extra pay if nurses worked short-handed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thechildren of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and China critic, said Monday that a possible visit by President DonaldTrump to Beijing in Aprilcould be "crucial" in securing the release of their 78-year-old father.

Britain Hong Kong Jimmy Lai Family

Lai's son and daughter pleaded for their father's freedom on humanitarian grounds after a Hong Kong court on Mondaysentenced him to 20 years in prisonfollowing convictions under a Beijing-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city's dissent.

"The president has said multiple times that this is a case that he cares about," Sebastien Lai said about Trump during a call with reporters. "We are in a situation where the April visit will be, more obviously, be crucial, and, hopefully, my father will still be OK health-wise until that point."

Speaking of his father, the younger Lai said "this is a man who is, unfortunately, is very close to dying. He's a man who has gone through a tremendous amount. His body has deteriorated."

The ruling in Hong Kong is certain to add friction toalready fragile U.S.-China relations, with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to meet this year to keep ties stabilized over thorny issues like tariffs, export restrictions andU.S. arms sales to Taiwan,a self-governed island that Beijing claims is Chinese territory.

While Trump has said several times he will be visiting Beijing this April, China has yet to confirm it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision to sentence Lai to 20 years "an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case." In a statement, Rubio urged Chinese authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole, noting that Lai and his family "have suffered enough" after a trial lasting two years and his detention for more than five years.

After Lai was convicted in December, Trump said he felt "so badly" and that he had asked Xi to consider releasing Lai, who is the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, which was known for its critical reports about the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing.

"We're hopeful but we don't know," his daughter Claire Lai said of the prospects that Trump would successfully negotiate for her father's release.

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Chris Tang, Hong Kong's secretary for security, accused "external forces" of ignoring the facts and making biased criticisms of court decisions. "We will refute baseless allegations and smearing resolutely by presenting the truth and facts for all to see," Tang said.

In an interview with The Associated Press in London, Sebastien Lai said it's time forworld leaders to keep pressure on Beijingwhen they visit China or meet with Xi by bringing up his father's case.

"I could only pray that this pressure helps," the younger Lai said. "I think my father's case is the litmus test to whatever engagement we have with China."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government said he directly raised Jimmy Lai's case with Xi duringa visit to Chinalast month. U.K. officials said they will "rapidly engage further" after Monday's sentencing, but it wasn't clear what that entailed.

Sebastien Lai said he is "incredibly grateful" for Trump's past remarks about freeing his father, which have "given my family a lot of hope."

Now, it's about saving his father's life, the son said.

"It's a 20-year sentence, which is comically large, given that my father's 78. At that point in 20 years, he'll be 100 almost," he said. "But in the conditions he's been kept in ... he might die before then."

Hui reported from London.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, invoked the Fifth Amendment during the closed-door virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, according to Chairman James Comer and others who attended the session.

"This is obviously very disappointing," Comer told reporters after the brief deposition. "We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth to the American people and justice for the survivors. That's what this investigation is about."

Latest release of Epstein files includes some survivors' names, despite DOJ assurances, lawyers say

It was expected that Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison in Texas,would refuse to answer questionsfrom lawmakers and committee staffers as part of the panel's investigation into the late financier and his ties to some of the world's most powerful figures in politics, business and entertainment. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in 2019 while at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

Maxwell has a petition pending in federal court in New York that seeks to overturn her conviction or reduce her sentence.

Maxwell's attorney "pointed out a number of times that she has a habeas corpus petition pending for new trial or release," Republican Rep. Andy Biggs said. "And that's why she is not going to answer questions."

Asked whether he suspects that Maxwell, who is now in a minimum-security prison in Texas, succumbed to political pressure by refusing to testify, Comer said he had "no idea."

"Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has, questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment," Comer said.

Despite Maxwell refusing to cooperate, Comer emphasized his committee's investigation will continue with five confirmed depositions "on the books" in the coming weeks, including Leslie Wexner, the retail billionaire who was once Epstein's largest financial client, on Feb. 18.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clintonhas agreed to sit for a deposition on Feb. 26while former President Bill Clinton has agreed to a Feb. 27 deposition. Comer said that the committee will also interview Epstein's accountant and lawyer next month.

Biggs told reporters that Maxwell's lawyer read a statement at the outset of the deposition -- clearing both President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton "of any wrongdoing."

"One thing that the attorney for Ms. Maxwell said is that she has no indication and would say that neither Presidents Trump or Clinton are culpable for any wrongdoing," Biggs said.

AfterDeputy Attorney General Todd Blancheinterviewed Maxwell over two daysin a proffer session in July, Maxwell told Blanche that she never witnessed nor heard of any criminal or inappropriate activity by Trump, Clinton, nor any of the well-known men who associated with Epstein. Maxwell was moved to a federal minimum security prison in Texas, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed on Aug. 1.

Biggs said Monday that the lawyer continued to press for clemency in exchange for Maxwell's testimony -- a pitch her legal team has floatedsince last July.

Last month, Maxwell's attorney David O. Markus again asked Comer to delay any compelled testimony from Maxwell until her habeas proceedings have been resolved, but suggested there was one scenario that might change Maxwell's stance -- clemency from the president.

"Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing -- and eager -- to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.," Markus wrote to the committee on Jan. 21. "She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning."

Democrats complained that Maxwell used the virtual deposition to renew her bid for clemency -- after Trump, in July,did not rule out pardoning Maxwell.

"Ghislaine Maxwell should have no hope of ever getting out of prison," Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam told reporters on Monday. "But today, she, through her lawyer, explicitly stated that she wants to be out of prison through a clemency that this president would grant."

Subramanyam claimed the hope of clemency is "why she's continuing to not cooperate with our investigation."

Comer also discouraged the president from granting Maxwell any form of clemency.

"Initially she had asked that the Oversight Committee grant immunity, and when we met with the survivors of Epstein it was pretty clear, according to the survivors -- and we had 20-some members in that meeting -- that Maxwell was a very bad person, and she committed a lot of crimes, and it was the intent, in my opinion, when we left that meeting in a bipartisan manner that we would not grant immunity," Comer explained. "Now, what she said today, she's asked for clemency from the president. So I personally, for the reasons you just stated, don't think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency."

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said Maxwell has shown no remorse and "is not seeking to bring about some kind of closure for these women."

After Epstein's death, investigation weighed potential charges against co-conspirators

"I got news for you, Ms. Maxwell: we're not done. We're going to continue to go," Crockett said.

Maxwell's deposition was more than six months in the making, and was first requested last July, when Comerformally issued a subpoenafor a deposition with Maxwell to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on Aug. 11.

Comer agreed to delay the deposition as Maxwell awaited a Supreme Court ruling on her appeal,which she ultimately lost.

The closed deposition with Maxwell comes on the same day that members of Congress can go to the Department of Justice to view unredacted versions of the Epstein files that the department has withheld from public disclosure.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said Monday.

US Iran

The Pentagon's statement on social media did not say whether the ship was connected to Venezuela, which faces U.S. sanctions on its oil and relies on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers tosmuggle crude into global supply chains.

However, the Aquila II was one of at least 16 tankers that departed the Venezuelan coast last month after U.S. forcescaptured then-President Nicolás Maduro, said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship's movements.

According to data transmitted from the ship on Monday, it is not currently laden with a cargo of crude oil.

The Aquila II is a Panamanian-flagged tanker under U.S. sanctions related to the shipment of illicit Russian oil. Owned by a company with a listed address in Hong Kong, ship tracking data shows it has spent much of the last year with its radio transponder turned off, a practice known as "running dark" commonly employed bysmugglers to hide their location.

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U.S. Southern Command, which oversees Latin America, said in an email that it had nothing to add to the Pentagon's post on X. The post said the military "conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction" on the ship.

"The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean," the Pentagon said. "It ran, and we followed."

The U.S. did not say it had seized the ship, which the U.S. has done previously with at least seven othersanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela.

Since theU.S. ouster of Maduroin a surprise nighttime raid on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has set out tocontrol the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela's oil products. Officials in President Donald Trump's Republican administration have made it clear they see seizing the tankers as away to generate cashas they seek to rebuild Venezuela's battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump also has been trying torestrict the flow of oil to Cuba, which faces strict economic sanctions by the U.S. and relies heavily on oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela.

Since the Venezuela operation, Trump has said no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is ready to fall. Trump also recently signed anexecutive order that would impose a tariffon any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, primarily pressuring Mexico because it has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba.

Former Hong Kong media tycoonJimmy Laihas been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing's transformational crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.

The 78-year-old self-made billionaire was among the highest-profile government critics charged since Beijing imposed a sweepingnational security lawon the semi-autonomous southern city in 2020.

The sentence is the longest delivered under that law and means Lai will not be eligible for parole until he is in his late 90s.

It has galvanized international calls for the pro-democracy media mogul's release, following a landmark trial that was closely watched by Western world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who previously vowed to "get him out."

Trump is expected to travel to China in the coming months to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping and many of Lai's supporters will be lobbying him to raise the case.

Lai's son Sebastien called the sentence draconian and "life-threatening" for his father.

"Twenty years, it's a farce. It's essentially tantamount to a life sentence, or as Human Rights Watch calls it a death sentence, because in the conditions that my father is being kept in, I don't know if he even has a tenth of that," his son said.

His daughter Claire described it as "heartbreakingly cruel."

"I have watched my father's health deteriorate dramatically and the conditions he's kept in go from bad to worse. If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars," she said.

Lai's outspokenness over Hong Kong's shrinking freedoms – including to top US officials – and his role as the founder of now-defunct Apple Daily, a fiercely pro-democracy tabloid newspaper, had long made him a thorn in Beijing's side.

Both Beijing and Hong Kong's government have repeatedly rejected international criticism of Lai's prosecution and dismissed accusations that his jailing was politically motivated or an assault on press freedom. Authorities have said Lai has received adequate medical attention in prison.

"Lai used Apple Daily to poison the minds of citizens, incite hatred, distort facts, deliberately create social division, glorify violence, and openly beg external forces to sanction China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," city leader John Lee, a former police officer and security chief, said on Monday.

Lai wasfound guiltyof two national security charges and a sedition charge in December following a years-long court battle.

Looking visibly slim in a white jacket, Lai smiled slightly upon hearing the sentence Monday. Before the court session began, he had put his hands together to greet those sitting in the court gallery and turned to see six former Apple Daily colleagues who were also awaiting sentencing.

Those colleagues were jailed too, receiving sentences ranging from 6 years, 9 months to 10 years behind bars. Apple Daily and its affiliated companies were fined 6 million Hong Kong Dollars ($767,000).

Beijing's national security law has transformed Hong Kong, with authorities jailing dozens of dissidents; forcing civil society groups and outspoken media outlets to disband; and neutering the city's once-raucous political scene.

City and national authorities say the law has "restored stability" following mass anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent at times.

Supporters had been lining up for days outside the West Kowloon court since last week hoping to catch a glimpse of Lai. Police ramped up security outside, searching those lining up.

"He is the flag of Hong Kong," Chan Chun-yee, 75, who arrived outside the court on Thursday, told CNN. "I don't agree with everything he did but I aligned with his spirit and the things he pursued, such as freedom, democracy and justice."

Conspiracy 'mastermind'

When convicting Lai in December, the three judges hand-picked by the Hong Kong government to preside over national security cases said they found that there was "no doubt that (Lai) had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC (People's Republic of China)," calling him a "mastermind of the conspiracies."

They pointed to his lobbying of US politicians during Trump's first term – much of it before the security law was enacted – as evidence of sedition and colluding with foreign forces, including his meetings with senior White House figures and attempts to meet Trump himself.

Lai also used Apple Daily to call for international sanctions against China and Hong Kong, the judges concluded. The US alone sanctioned more than a dozen Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

In a press summary of Monday's sentence, the judges called his actions "conspiracies" that were "not only well planned but were premeditated" to reach both local and overseas audiences.

They also concluded that Lai committed the "most serious category" of sedition given the number of articles involved and the duration of the offence. Prosecutors previously said Apple Daily had published up to 161 seditious articles.

Lai can appeal the verdict and sentence. But the process often drags on for years, with a slim success rate. Only one in almost 100 people charged under the national security law has ever been fully acquitted.

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Will Trump seek release?

International relations experts said Lai's battle for freedom could now spill over into the diplomatic sphere.

Lai, a British passport holder and a practicing Catholic, has powerful voices lobbying for his release in both Britain and the United States. In the latter, many on the Christian right have been vocal supporters.

Trump has vowed repeatedly to secure Lai's release. In August, Trump said he had put out a "request" to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, asking him to consider freeing Lai.

Lai's treatment could turn into another sticking point for the world's two biggest economies, which are already clashing over a range of issues from trade to Taiwan.

"Trump will likely raise it again in his bargaining with Xi," said Hung Ho-fung, Professor of Political Economy at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

"He (Lai) is British citizen and a pro-democracy icon in the greater China region. Just raising the issue to Beijing is good press."

Meanwhile, Beijing may also find Lai a "useful bargaining chip," given his ailing health.

"If Beijing could exact compromises from Washington over trade, tech, and even Taiwan by eventually granting Lai a compassionate release based on health grounds, it is a good bargain," he said.

"Better than letting him die in jail and become another martyr," Ho added.

There was swift global reaction to Lai's sentence from multiple human rights groups, including Amnesty International which described the sentence as "a cold-blooded attack on freedom of expression."

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called it a "politically motivated prosecution" in a statement on Monday, adding that she was concerned for Lai's health.

Many Western governments have also condemned Lai's prosecution and previously called for his release.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian hit back on Monday urging other countries to "refrain from making irresponsible remarks on judicial proceedings in (Hong Kong), and not to interfere in (its) judicial affairs."

Hong Kong, a city transformed

In many ways Lai's life story tracks that of the city whose cause he came to embrace.

Born in mainland China, Lai arrived in British-ruled Hong Kong at 12 years old, just one of millions of mainlanders who fled communist China and moved to the free-wheeling business hub.

He worked his way up from factory laborer to wealthy clothing tycoon and then pivoted to media, founding Apple Daily in 1995, two years before Hong Kong was handed over to China.

The outspoken publisher and his newspaper were once at the forefront of the city's pro-democracy movement, in a time of much greater press freedom.

The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets. Many ex-Apple Daily journalists have since left Hong Kong.

The city's press freedom ranking plunged drastically from 80th out of 180 countries in 2021 to 140th last year, according to Reporters Without Borders. Hong Kong once ranked 18th, in 2002.

A Hong Kong government spokesperson has said Lai's case has "nothing to do with freedom of the press at all."

Eric Lai, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Asian Law, and no relation to Jimmy Lai, said a credible financial hub requires the free flow of information to safeguard a transparent investment environment.

"With critical media outlets shut down and criminalized, as well as open exchange with foreign officials and policymakers on critical policy affairs being deemed criminal activities, the state of information access and free exchange of ideas and opinions are sharply jeopardized," he said.

"It has nothing to do with press freedom because they prioritize the need for safeguarding regime security over freedom of expressing sharp critiques," Eric Lai said.

CNN's Samra Zulfaqar contributed reporting

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Rebels backed by the Islamic State group killed at least 20 people in an attack over the weekend on a village in eastern Congo, the military said Monday.

The attack by theAllied Democratic Forces, or ADF, took place early Saturday in the village of Mambimbi-Isigo in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province, military administrator Col. Alain Kiwewa Mitela told The Associated Press over the phone.

There was no immediate comment from the ADF.

The attack has caused a mass displacement of residents, aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation, Mitela said.

According to civil society activists in the area, the rebels first raided several farmers' fields before attacking civilians with knives and firearms.

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"This toll is still provisional because many civilians are missing," Kinos Kitwa, head of civil society in Bapere, said. He criticized the small number of Congolese army troops in the area.

Armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.

At least 62 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year by ADF fighters in the Beni and Lubero territories, according to the North Kivu Provincial Civil Society Coordination.

On Monday, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix began a two-day official visit to eastern Congo, including Beni, which has been particularly affected by ADF attacks.

The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent withPresident Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.In July 2025, the group carried outa series of attacks that killedmore than 100 people.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Israel PresidentIsaac Herzogstarted a state visit Monday aimed at consoling grieving Australian Jews and improving bilateral relations by laying a wreath and stones at the site of anantisemitic attack in Sydneythat left 15 dead.

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Herzog met victims' families and survivors of the Dec. 14 attack on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach. Only one of the two alleged gunmen survived following a gunbattle with police.Naveed Akramhas beencharged with committing a terrorist act, murdering 15 people and wounding another 40 in what was Australia'sworst mass shooting in 29 years.

Herzog laid the wreath and two stones he had brought from Jerusalem at the rain-swept Bondi Pavillion near the site of the massacre. The pavilion became on impromptu memorial in the days after the tragedy as flowers and cards were placed there.

Herzog says he's in Sydney to show solidarity and love

The Israeli president said the stones would remain at Bondi in memory of the victims and as a reminder that good people of all faiths and nations "will continue to hold strong in the face of terror, violence and hatred, and that we shall overcome this evil together."

"We were shaken to our core when we first heard about the Bondi Beach attack. Our heart missed a beat, like all Israelis and all Jews. And I'm here to express solidarity, friendship, and love," Herzog told reporters.

"And I also believe that this is an opportunity to upgrade the relations between Israel and Australia because we are two democracies that share values together and we are confronting the roots of evil from all over the world. And we should do so together," he added.

The visit to Bondi within hours of the president landing in Sydney with his wife Michal Herzog came with tight security. Police snipers were visible posted on Bondi roof tops.

Herzog will also visit Melbourne and the national capital Canberra before he returns to Israel on Thursday. Sydney and Melbourne are Australia's largest cities and home to 85% of the nation's Jewish population.

Protests were held in Sydney and Melbourne later Monday over how Israel has waged thewar against the militant Hamas group in Gazaand treated Gaza's civilian population. Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering the war.

Mainstream Jewish groups have welcomed the visit of Herzog, a former leader of the centrist Labor Party who now plays a largely ceremonial role.

Some Jews say Israeli president is not welcome in Australia

The smaller Jewish Council of Australia community group ran full-page ads in Sydney and Melbourne newspapers on Monday, endorsed with the names of 687 Australian Jews, that said: "Herzog does not speak for us and is NOT WELCOME HERE."

"We refuse to let our collective grief be used to legitimize a leader whose rhetoric has been part of inciting a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and has contributed to the illegal annexation of the West Bank," the council's executive officer Sarah Schwartz said.

Jewish leaders initiated the invitation extended by Governor-GeneralSam Mostyn, Australia's equivalent of Israel's president, at Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese'srequest.

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Albanese and his Israeli counterpartBenjamin Netanyahuhave been openly hostile toward each other since the Australian announced six months ago that his government wouldrecognize a Palestinian state.

On Monday, Herzog said he welcomed the "positive steps" the Australian government had taken to tackle antisemitism since the Bondi attack, which was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group.

The Australian Parliament last monthrushed through legislationthat lowers the threshold requirements for groups to be banned for hate speech.

The government also announced its highest form of public inquiry, aroyal commission, would investigatethe nature, prevalence and drivers of antisemitism in general, as well as the circumstances of the Bondi shooting.

Herzog said he shared the frustrations of the victims' families that more had not been done to prevent such an attack on Australia's Jewish community.

"These frustrations were shared by many, many of us, including myself," Herzog said.

"I've seen this wave surge all over the world, and I've seen it in many countries, including Canada, Great Britain, the United States, and Australia — all English-speaking countries," Herzog added.

Police tighten restrictions on Sydney protests

After the Bondi shooting was declared a terrorist attack, the New South Wales state parliament rushed through legislation increasing police powers to arrest protesters.

Police can restrict protests for two weeks at a time for up to 90 days following a declared terrorist attack. Police last week continued the restrictions for another two weeks in an effort to contain civil discord in Sydney during Herzog's visit.

On Monday evening, police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Sydney Town Hall. They sprayed the crowd with pepper spray and several protesters were arrested.

The protest had continued after the Palestine Action Group organizers lost a court challenge to a police order preventing them from marching from the Town Hall to the New South Wales Parliament.

In Melbourne, 5,000 protesters gathered outside downtown Flinders Street Railway Station, then marched several blocks to the State Library, blocking evening peak-hour traffic, police said.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly burning two flags and causing fire damage to a tram stop, police said. She was released and was expected to face charges of willful damage, police said.

Earlier, Herzog said protests targeting him were mostly attempts to "undermine and delegitimize" Israel's right to exist.