U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Trump’s Name Appears on U.S. Institute of Peace Ahead of Rwanda–Congo Deal Signing 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Donald Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, has agreed to sit down and testify before the House Committee regarding the Capitol insurrection. Prior to his upcoming testimony, Meadows made one damning revelation about the former president involving his first debate with Joe Biden.
The Guardian reported that Meadows revealed in an upcoming book that the former president had actually tested positive for COVID-19 three days before his first presidential debate against Joe Biden. But the sudden revelation was met with skepticism, especially as the revelation was made just as Meadows is set to testify before the House Committee regarding his knowledge of what transpired behind the scenes about the insurrection.
“Nonetheless, the stunning revelation of an unreported positive test follows a year of speculation about whether Trump, then 74 years old, had the potentially deadly virus when he faced Biden, 77, in Cleveland, on 29 September -- and what danger that might have presented,” said the report.
Politico Playbook co-author and CNN contributor Rachel Bade described the sudden revelation as “irresponsible” and also questioned the timing of the revelation, noting that the Trump White House was determined to make it seem like the now-former president was not suffering from COVID at the time.
Regarding the timing, Bade suggested that Meadows, knowing that his compliance with the subpoena presented to him would make headlines, made the revelation to distract from the fact that he was set to testify before the committee.
The former president has sought to block the National Archives from releasing documents related to the insurrection to the House Committee, maintaining that he has the right to invoke executive privilege. Biden has already authorized the Archives to turn over the documents, repeatedly waiving any claims of executive privilege made by his immediate predecessor.
In an op-ed for the Washington Post, three legal experts exposed a flaw in the former president’s legal defense. They argued that it would be inappropriate for the courts to rule in favor of Trump. They also said that the former president is only looking to delay the release until after the 2022 midterm elections in the event that the Republicans regain the majority in the House.
