U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
The congressional panel investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection was ruled in favor of by the Supreme Court, with the National Archives releasing the related records. According to a former federal prosecutor, the ruling by the high court on executive privilege has cleared the way for former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows to get criminally indicted.
Speaking on MSNBC Friday last week, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner explained that only political factors are standing in the way between Meadows and a criminal indictment. Meadows initially cooperated with the congressional committee and turned over records only to stop cooperation, later on, citing executive privilege.
Former President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege in his attempt to appeal to the Supreme Court to block the archives from releasing January 6-related documents. The Supreme Court almost unanimously ruled against Trump, and the archives have begun releasing the related documents to the committee.
Kirschner explained that Meadows’ assertion of executive privilege no longer carries any weight, and it has become evident that the Justice Department is also probing into Meadows since the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“We now know that the Department of Justice is factoring in the Supreme Court’s rejection of Donald Trump’s executive privilege claim. And that clears the decks for the indictment of Mark Meadows,” said Kirschner. “Because if Donald Trump doesn’t have an executive privilege claim, then Mark Meadows can’t invoke Trump’s by extension.”
Kirschner said that an indictment on Meadows may take some time, as long as there is an indictment on the way.
The same may hold true for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who has already been indicted by the DOJ for refusing to cooperate with the subpoena. Bannon has also cited executive privilege as his reason for non-compliance. Previously, law professor Neal Katyal said that the Supreme Court’s ruling against the former president’s executive privilege claims now spell trouble for Meadows and Bannon.
Katyal, who was the acting solicitor general during the Obama administration, explained that because the Supreme Court ruling dismantled their only defenses for not complying with the committee, Meadows and Bannon will have no choice but to testify before the panel. The ruling also affects the plans made by other Trump associates to cite executive privilege as a way to escape testimony.
