Today in one sentence: Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer all questions during a closed-door House Oversight Committee deposition; the top House and Senate party leaders received a heavily redacted May 2025 whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after an eight-month delay; the White House deleted Trump’s racist Truth Social post that depicted Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes; the Trump administration told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer it would release frozen federal funding for the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel if Penn Station and Washington Dulles International Airport were renamed after Trump; Trump, a noted athlete, called a U.S. skier at the Winter Olympics “a real loser"; and Trump, a noted pop-culture tastemaker, declared Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show “one of the worst,” calling the largely Spanish-language performance “absolutely terrible” and that “nobody understands a word.”

1/ Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer all questions during a closed-door House Oversight Committee deposition, part of its investigation into the government’s of Jeffrey Epstein case and records. Rep. James Comer, the committee’s chair, called it “very disappointing,” while Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat, said Maxwell “answered no questions and provided no information,” asking, “Who is she protecting?” Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, told lawmakers she “must remain silent” because a habeas petition is pending, but said “there is a straightforward path” for testimony: “Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” adding, “Only she can provide the complete account,” and claiming “both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing.” Separately, lawmakers who reviewed the unredacted files accused the Justice Department of “mysterious” or “baffling” redactions while also exposing victims. Rep. Jamie Raskin said he saw “tons of completely unnecessary redactions” and warned that the DOJ appeared to be “in a cover-up mode.” Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna said they saw “at least six men” whose names were redacted despite being “likely incriminated.” Massie added that he might disclose them “from the floor” if the DOJ doesn’t “correct their mistakes.” Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify on Wednesday. (Associated Press / Politico / The Guardian / Axios / New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NBC News / MS Now / The Hill)

2/ The top House and Senate party leaders received a heavily redacted May 2025 whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after an eight-month delay. The complaint followed an NSA intercept last spring of two foreign intelligence-linked callers discussing someone close to Trump involving Iran. The whistleblower’s lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, said Gabbard hand-delivered a paper copy to chief of staff Susie Wiles. Gabbard then told the NSA to stop routine publication and to route any related details only to her office. Gabbard’s office called that account “false” and said her actions were “fully within” her authority. (The Guardian / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News / CNBC)

3/ From the Weekend: The White House deleted Trump’s racist Truth Social post that depicted Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. Trump refused to apologize and insisted, “I didn’t make a mistake,” while claiming he saw only the start of the video. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage” and called it an internet meme, but the White House later said a staffer “erroneously” posted it. (Associated Press / BBC / NPR / Washington Post / Axios / CBS News / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / CNN / CNBC)

4/ The Trump administration told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer it would release frozen federal funding for the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel if Penn Station and Washington Dulles International Airport were renamed after Trump. Schumer rejected the request, saying he lacked authority over either facility. New York and New Jersey have sued the administration, arguing the funding freeze is unlawful. (CNN / New York Times / Axios / ABC News)

5/ Trump, a noted athlete, called a U.S. skier at the Winter Olympics “a real loser.” After Hunter Hess said he felt “mixed emotions” about representing the U.S. and that wearing the flag didn’t mean endorsing “everything that’s going on” at home, Trump claimed Hess “doesn’t represent his Country” and said it’s “very hard to root” for him. JD Vance, meanwhile, was booed after appearing on stadium screens during the opening ceremony. (Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press / The Athletic / CNN / The Guardian)

6/ Trump, a noted pop-culture tastemaker, declared Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show “one of the worst,” calling the largely Spanish-language performance “absolutely terrible” and that “nobody understands a word.” The performance ended with Bad Bunny saying “God bless America,” while holding a football that read: “Together, We Are America.” Turning Point USA, meanwhile, counter-programmed an alternative halftime concert led by Kid Rock, who played two songs and the stream ended with a video tribute to Charlie Kirk. (New York Times / Washington Post / The Hill / Rolling Stone)