Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resign from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations, avoiding expulsion votes. Their departures end House Ethics investigations but legal probes continue.
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The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell following multiple sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell denies the claims and recently ended his California gubernatorial campaign amid growing calls for his resignation or expulsion from Congress.
President Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, appointing Todd Blanche as acting attorney general amid frustrations over prosecutions and department priorities. Bondi will transition to a private sector role, with EPA head Lee Zeldin considered a likely permanent replacement.
Bank of America has agreed to a $72.5 million settlement in a lawsuit alleging the bank facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation by providing banking services while ignoring warning signs and regulatory duties. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Epstein’s alleged victims, accuses the bank of enabling Epstein’s control over victims and highlights the involvement of billionaire Leon Black, who allegedly transferred funds used to finance Epstein’s activities. This settlement is part of a broader legal effort targeting financial institutions that supported Epstein, following similar settlements by JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank.
The Senate passed a Democratic-backed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with Democrats demanding reforms before supporting these agencies. House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, oppose the Senate’s approach and plan to introduce a bill funding the entire DHS, including ICE and CBP, though the timing remains uncertain. The funding impasse has drawn sharp criticism from conservatives and frustration from moderate Democrats, leaving the DHS’s financial future uncertain as lawmakers return from recess.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are set to appear in a Manhattan federal court facing charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which they deny. Since their January arrest, Maduro has been held under strict conditions in a high-security unit at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, while their legal team argues that U.S. sanctions have hindered their ability to pay for defense counsel. The U.S. Attorney’s Office disputes these claims and has sought protective measures to safeguard witnesses, with the case currently pending before Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
The U.S. Justice Department admitted to mistakenly citing a May 2025 ICE memo to justify arrests at immigration courthouses, despite the memo explicitly excluding federal immigration courts where arrests have been made. This error, uncovered amid ongoing litigation by immigrant advocacy groups, has prompted a reconsideration of court rulings that previously upheld the practice. Despite the admission, DHS affirmed it will continue courthouse arrests, a policy criticized for its harsh impact on immigrants like Dylan Contreras, a student detained after a routine hearing.
A Trump administration official has made new criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging possible homeowner's insurance fraud related to two properties in Norfolk, Virginia. The referrals claim James falsified occupancy information on insurance applications, but her attorney denounced the actions as politically motivated and part of a vendetta by the Trump administration. These allegations follow previous unsuccessful attempts to prosecute James on mortgage-related charges amid her ongoing legal battles with Trump and his organization.