February 27, 2026
Testimony and Tension
Good morning, everyone!
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Today, we will look at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimony, tensions in the Middle East, and other developments spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-President Donald Trump hosted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office yesterday.
The meeting was their second since Mamdani’s election victory last year and comes as the two pledge to work together on housing development policy.
In a post to his social media following the previously unannounced meeting, Mamdani said he was “looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”
In a photo attached to the post, Trump holds up a copy of the New York Daily News with the headline “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD”, a reference to President Gerald Ford’s refusal to bail out the city during its major financial crisis in 1975. In his other hand, Trump held an altered newspaper with the headline “TRUMP TO CITY: LET’S BUILD.”
-Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Oversight Committee yesterday as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The six-hour deposition was held behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York, near where she and former President Bill Clinton live.
In her opening statement, Clinton said, “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes, or offices. I have nothing to add to that.” She went on to criticize the Republican members of the committee, saying, “You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.”
Read her full statement here:
Clinton addressed reporters following her testimony.
View it here:
The deposition was derailed shortly after it began when Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert shared a photo of Clinton during the proceedings to right-wing influencer Benny Johnson, who promptly shared it to social media.
Speaking to reporters, Committee Chairman James Comer said Clinton’s testimony was not part of a “partisan witch hunt,” saying Democratic members of the panel also voted to authorize the subpoenas to the Clintons.
View his remarks here:
Separately, Democrats called on Republicans to release the full video and transcript of Clinton’s testimony within 24 hours, and said that Trump should also have to answer questions by the committee on his ties to the now-deceased sex offender.
View it here:
President Clinton will appear before the committee today. His appearance before the committee makes him the first former president to be compelled to testify before Congress.
-The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against five more states yesterday, saying they failed to provide their full voter registration lists.
-Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced a proposal to counter fraud in state programs amid a crackdown by the Trump administration.
-A federal judge declined to block Trump’s construction of a White House ballroom, rejecting a challenge brought by preservationists.
-California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, sat for an interview with MS NOW’s Jen Psaki on Wednesday as part of a nationwide tour promoting his new book.
See the full interview here:
-Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, another prospective Democratic presidential candidate, delivered her final State of the State address to lawmakers in Lansing this week.
Whitmer, first elected in 2018, is term-limited and will leave office next year.
View her remarks here:
-Rapper Cardi B encouraged her fans to back Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
According to a new poll, Crockett holds a double-digit lead over State Representative James Talarico.
Early voting began last week and will end tomorrow, with Election Day next Tuesday.
In the Republican primary, four-term Senator John Cornyn is facing off against two primary challengers—state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt.
Speaking in Fort Worth last week, Cornyn said a potential Paxton victory in the race could lead to “an Election Day massacre” for Republicans.
Paxton, who has led Cornyn in the race, has run to Cornyn’s right while dealing with personal controversies.
Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race.
-Former President Joe Biden will attend a reception for the South Carolina Democratic Party in Columbia today, marking six years since his upset victory in the Palmetto State’s Democratic primary contest.
The strong showing helped catapult Biden to the Democratic nomination by building momentum for his fledgling campaign just ahead of Super Tuesday.
-The U.S. will assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday.
First Lady Melania Trump is expected to chair the body on Monday for a meeting titled, “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict,” according to the White House.
-On this day in 1968, Walter Cronkite, anchorman of CBS Evening News and known as “the most trusted man in America,” broke from his usual objective reporting and predicted that America’s war in Vietnam could not be won.
In 1991, President George H. W. Bush declared the end of combat operations in the Gulf War in a televised address from the Oval Office.
The end of hostilities came after Bush led a 42-nation coalition to swiftly eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
In his remarks, Bush called the operation a victory “for all mankind” and for the “rule of law.”
In 2013, President Barack Obama joined congressional leaders at the U.S. Capitol to unveil a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
Other Links:
DOJ reviewing if Epstein files with Trump allegations were wrongly withheld - Washington Post
Despite Trump push for voter ID law, Senate Republicans say votes aren’t there to change filibuster rules - CNN
Columbia student detained by ICE is abruptly released after Mamdani meets with Trump - AP
DHS admits it deported more than 80 DACA recipients - Politico
Federal judge rules Trump admin may not remove people to third countries without due process - NBC
Prosecutor claims that delayed charges against Abrego Garcia were ‘extraordinary’ but justified - AP
Congressional Republicans will also investigate missing Epstein files related to Trump - NPR
Vance Continues to Criticize Democrats’ Attitude During State of the Union - The New York Times
Democrats plan to force Iran war powers vote next week - CNBC
Anthropic says Pentagon’s “final offer” is unacceptable - Axios
Africa
-Attacks by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a town in the western Darfur region have displaced more than 3,000 people in recent days, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.
Earlier this week, U.N. investigators said the militants had carried out a campaign against the non-Arab residents of the region that shows the “hallmarks of genocide.”
The country descended into civil war in April 2023 following clashes between the country’s army and the RSF.
-The Congolese government announced yesterday that a mass grave had been found in eastern Congo in a town that the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group recently withdrew from.
Fighting between government forces and the militant group has intensified in recent months despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement.
-The United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to a $1.2 billion strategic health partnership yesterday.
-The European Union pledged 63 billion euros in humanitarian aid to Somalia as the United Nations warns that some 6.5 million people in the country are facing acute hunger amid a drought.
-Islamic terrorist groups have increased their presence in the border areas of Benin, Niger, and Nigeria over the past year, according to a monitoring group.
-On this day in 2015, President Obama hosted Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the Oval Office, where they highlighted a 95% reduction of Ebola cases in the West African country.
One year earlier, global health organizations warned that hundreds of thousands of people could die from the disease without major intervention.
In September 2014, Obama deployed 3,000 U.S. troops to West Africa to assist treatment efforts and provide logistical support.
View their remarks from the Oval Office here:
Other Links:
Guinea confirms detention of 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers - AP
Africa CDC head cites major concerns over data, pathogen sharing in US health deals - Reuters
Zimbabwe bans all raw mineral exports - Semafor
Ghana navy and air force rescue 71 fishermen after gunmen attack boats off the coast - AP
Botswana’s main interest rate on hold, with inflation in target range - Reuters
Nearly 8,000 migrants died or vanished on routes worldwide in 2025 - Africa News
Americas and the Caribbean
-Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she was considering legal action against Elon Musk after the tech billionaire suggested she had links to drug cartels in her country.
Musk’s comment came after Mexican forces carried out an operation that captured and killed Nemesio Oseguera, one of the most-wanted cartel leaders in the world.
His post came in response to a video of Sheinbaum’s daily press conference where she said that Mexico’s “war on drugs” was not feasible.
Oseguera’s killing set off a wave of attacks by his Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
-Ecuador announced yesterday it would hike tariffs on Colombian exports to 50% from the current 30% rate beginning next month, the latest move in an escalating rift between the neighboring countries.
Last month, Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa announced he would impose the initial levies on Colombia, accusing the government in Bogotá of not cooperating to combat drug trafficking along their shared border, an accusation it denies.
Colombia currently provides Ecuador with around 10% of its power consumption, according to Colombia’s energy minister.
Following the tariff announcement yesterday, the Colombian government said it was weighing its options in response.
-Cuba said it was in communication with U.S. officials one day after a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 Cuban exiles opened fire on Cuban soldiers off the island’s north coast.
The Cuban troops responded, killing four and injuring six others. A U.S. official said yesterday that one American was killed during the standoff.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana, as the Trump administration has sought to blockade nearly all oil shipments to the island nation. The stiff measures have brought life to a halt, leaving much of the island without electricity.
This week, Washington said it would authorize the resale of Venezuelan oil to the island.
-On this day in 1844, the Dominican Republic declared its independence as a sovereign state.
In 1997, Chilean President Eduardo Frei addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress, becoming the first Chilean leader to do so.
In his remarks, Frei urged lawmakers to support Chile’s accession to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), arguing his country had made the necessary economic reforms.
He also spoke of his country’s transition to democracy following General Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year rule, which ended in 1990.
Frei’s father, Eduardo Frei Montalva, served as president from 1964 to 1970.
Other Links:
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visits India to restore relations and diversify away from US - AP
Maduro’s lawyer says US is blocking Venezuela government from paying deposed leader’s drug defense - AP
Venezuela’s Capital, Laid Low by Misrule, Is Stirring Back to Life - The New York Times
Russia says Cuba situation is escalating after deadly incident with U.S.-tagged speedboat - CNBC
Experts urge informed planning for spring break in Mexico after cartel-related violence - AP
Coca-Cola to invest $6 bln in Mexico, Sheinbaum says - Reuters
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Pakistan’s defense minister said yesterday that his country was now at “open war” with Afghanistan after days of escalating fighting between the two countries.
-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter appeared with him yesterday at a military parade in Pyongyang to commemorate the conclusion of the ruling Workers’ Party gathering.
Ahead of the meeting, South Korea’s spy agency reported that Kim Jong Un had designated her as his successor. Believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, she is 13-years-old.
Kim, believed to be 42 years old, took power following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, who had taken power after his own father died in 1994. Altogether, the Kim family has ruled the Northeast Asian nation with an iron fist since 1948.
Separately, Kim’s influential and outspoken sister, Kim Yo Jong, was elevated to a ministerial role at the gathering.
-Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s fraud conviction and prison sentence was overturned on Thursday, although he will continue serving a 20-year jail term from a separate national security case.
Last month, Lai, a pro-democracy advocate and vocal critic of China, was sentenced under a national security law imposed by Beijing to crush dissent in the once semi-autonomous city.
He founded the newspaper Apple Daily in 1995 and served as the city’s most prominent advocate for democracy. The paper was forced to close in June 2021 following China’s crackdown.
Prior to China’s implementation of the national security law in 2020, Hong Kong exercised autonomy from the mainland, with an independent judiciary and a free press.
Beijing charged Lai with conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the law, charges rights groups have denounced as “profoundly unjust.”
China regained control of the city of 7.5 million people in 1997 after 156 years of British rule.
-On this day in 1972, the United States and China issued the Shanghai Communiqué, capping President Richard Nixon’s landmark visit to the People’s Republic of China.
The joint statement stated that Washington acknowledged the “One China position, that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it, and that both countries would work to establish formal diplomatic relations.
In 2019, President Trump and Kim Jong Un met in Hanoi, Vietnam, as Trump sought to push Kim to agree to limit his nuclear program.
The two leaders departed without an agreement following two days of talks.
The previous June, the two met in Singapore, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president met with a North Korean leader.
Other Links:
North Korea warns it could destroy South if threatened, but leaves door open for US dialogue - AP
The father of a US-based Hong Kong activist is sentenced to 8 months under national security law - AP
China removes 9 military officials ahead of Beijing’s ‘two sessions’ - South China Morning Post
Nvidia Gets US License for Small Amount of H200 Exports to China - Bloomberg
US trade panel to probe impact of revoking China’s permanent normal trade status - Reuters
Asia tech stocks rally as Nvidia earnings soothe AI slowdown fears - CNBC
Europe
-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that U.S.-backed trilateral peace negotiations will likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March. The comment came one day after he said that he and President Trump agreed that the next session of talks should lead to a leaders’ meeting to end the four-year-long war.
Zelenskyy, who spoke with Trump by phone on Wednesday, said the leaders’ meeting could take place as early as next month.
If the meeting comes to fruition, it would be the first meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2019.
Those talks, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, came as Russia had orchestrated a bloody separatist movement in Ukraine’s east, and five years after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region.
Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel also participated in the meeting.
Tuesday marked four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
-The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved an $8.1 billion loan to Ukraine yesterday.
-Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced yesterday that a snap parliamentary election will be held on March 24 as her standing in public opinion polls has surged amid a standoff with Trump over the status of Greenland.
In recent months, Trump ramped up calls for Denmark to cede the autonomous region to the U.S., arguing Washington needed it for security reasons.
-On this day in 1962, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met with French President Charles De Gaulle at the Élysée Palace in Paris as part of his 26-day, 14-country “Goodwill World Tour.”
Other Links:
Ukraine says Russia launched a major aerial attack before Kyiv’s talks with US - AP
Russia and Ukraine exchange more than 1,000 soldiers’ bodies - BBC
Russia says sending British troops to Ukraine would prolong war, not end it - Reuters
France’s Le Pen says she won’t run in 2027 if appeal court orders her to wear an electronic bracelet - AP
EU says social fund can be used for cross-border abortion access - Euronews
China’s Carmakers Cede Ground in Europe After Surging in 2025- Bloomberg
Middle East
-Negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Geneva yesterday without an agreement to limit Tehran’s nuclear program. The talks, which ran about three hours, were mediated by Oman and the third to be held in recent months.
Following the talks, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the two sides had made “significant progress” despite not agreeing to a deal.
A senior U.S. official described the negotiations as “positive,” according to Axios.
The development comes as President Trump has warned that “bad things” would happen if Iran does not agree to a deal while deploying what he has called an “armada” of aircraft and warships to the Middle East. The military buildup is the largest since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and comes just after a major protest movement rocked the country last month.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran possesses a substantial stockpile of enriched uranium, the fissile material needed to build a nuclear bomb. The watchdog reports that Iran has over 400 kg of 60% enriched uranium, which is just a short step from 90% weapons-grade.
In June, Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in a bid to disable its nuclear program. Tehran insists the program is for peaceful purposes, which Washington and European capitals reject.
In his first term, Trump withdrew Washington from the pact struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that placed curbs on Tehran’s then-nascent nuclear program. The Biden administration sought to bring Iran back into compliance with the terms of the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but was unsuccessful.
The United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, and Russia, in addition to the United States, were parties to the agreement.
-As the prospect of military conflict with Iran rises, Americans have low trust in Trump’s use of military force abroad, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
At the same time, nearly half of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a risk to U.S. security.
-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday.
-On this day in 1991, a crowd in Kuwait City, Kuwait, celebrated after a multinational force led by the U.S. swiftly expelled Iraqi troops from the country.
Other Links:
Top U.S. commander in the Middle East briefs Trump on Iran options - Axios
Vance: ‘No chance’ U.S. will be in drawn-out war in Middle East - Washington Post
Trump Iranian missile claim unsupported by U.S. intelligence, say sources - Reuters
Lebanon on edge over potential US strike on Iran - DW
Israeli fire kills eight people in Gaza as truce deal staggers - Reuters
Israeli Intelligence Agent Charged in Smuggling Goods Into Gaza - The New York Times
Trump asks Supreme Court to remove immigration protections for thousands of Syrians - CNN
Washington presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecom systems - Reuters
That’s all for today. See you next week.
Thank you for highlighting three different Presidents of impeccably high character -- Presidents Eisenhower, H.W. Bush, and Obama. Thank you as well for clear analysis of the dire situation in Sudan. Have a great week-end, Jacob.