Thursday, February 26th, 2026 - Bill & Hillary testify; DOJ withheld Epstein files; FBI agents fired; Paramount sweetens WB-Discovery bid

Today’s Headlines: Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton are set to testify before the House Oversight Committee today — with lawmakers traveling to their home in Chappaqua for the interviews. Meanwhile, after reporting revealed the DOJ appears to have withheld Epstein documents referencing past allegations involving Donald Trump, the Justice Department now says it’s “looking into” whether anything was improperly held back.  Adding to the Epstein pile, The Telegraph reports a previously overlooked Jeffrey Epstein storage unit packed with computers, VHS tapes, address books, and alleged “training manuals.” Authorities reportedly missed it during earlier searches. Consequences, however, remain selective. A former Harvard president resigned his remaining university roles and an OpenAI board seat amid Epstein scrutiny. Bill Gates, at a Gates Foundation town hall, acknowledged past affairs that Epstein later became aware of but said he “did nothing illicit” and saw nothing illicit. At the FBI, Director Kash Patel reportedly fired at least 10 agents tied to the Jack Smith classified documents investigation after learning subpoenas had included his own communications and those of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. In other news, Trump’s surgeon general nominee, wellness influencer Casey Means, declined at her confirmation hearing to firmly reject a link between vaccines and autism and would not explicitly urge Americans to get vaccinated. “Science is never settled,” she said. That’s one way to approach public health. On the corporate-national-security beat, the Pentagon is weighing whether to designate AI company Anthropic as a potential “supply chain risk” after friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The label could jeopardize federal contracts — a category tech companies tend to enjoy keeping. Media merger drama continues as Paramount’s David Ellison sweetened his bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, potentially complicating Netflix’s existing deal. And in quieter political news, Democrats flipped or held three state House special elections — one in Maine and two in Pennsylvania — expanding their Pennsylvania majority to 102–98, with one race outperforming 2024 margins by 34 points. There are three more Republican-held seats up next. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: AP News: Bill and Hillary Clinton, battle-tested, gear up for another Washington fight AP News: Justice Department says it's reviewing whether any Epstein-related records were mistakenly withheld The Independent: Contents of Epstein’s secret storage locker revealed: Sex slave manuals and photos of naked women Axios: Summers leaves Harvard as Epstein reckoning rocks academia WSJ: Bill Gates apologizes to foundation staff over Epstein ties CNN: FBI Director Kash Patel ousts personnel tied to Trump classified documents probe AP News: Surgeon general nominee faces sharp questions about vaccines, birth control and qualifications Axios: Exclusive: Hegseth gives Anthropic until Friday to back down on AI safeguards The Hollywood Reporter: Warner Bros. Discovery Says It’s Reviewing Sweetened Paramount Bid WGAL: Pa. Democrats hold House majority after special election wins Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices