Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned lunch on Epstein's island, new release shows

By Brad Heath, Julia Harte and Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Friday published millions of new files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that showed Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's commerce secretary, apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch years after he claimed to have cut off ties.

In another set of emails, billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk asked whether Epstein was planning any parties but ​declined an invitation to visit the island.

In a reflection of the elite circles Epstein inhabited, the documents included mentions of many prominent figures in politics, business and entertainment, including Trump himself, who was friends with Epstein years before his crimes ‌came to light.

For instance, Kevin Warsh, whom Trump nominated on Friday to be chairman of the Federal Reserve, appeared in an email from a publicist to Epstein listing 43 people, including celebrities such as Martha Stewart, headed to a Christmas gathering. It was not clear whether Warsh knew Epstein or why Epstein was sent the note, and ‌Warsh did not immediately comment.

Previous document releases have renewed scrutiny of Epstein's relationships with other prominent people, including former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who have denied wrongdoing and said they regret their association with the late financier.

Todd Blanche, the U.S. deputy attorney general, said Friday's batch of documents marked the end of the Trump administration's planned releases under a law calling for all Epstein-related files to be made public. The new cache includes more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, he said at a press conference.

Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. But the scandal has dogged him for months, in part because he promised to release the files during his 2024 presidential campaign, then reneged after taking office.

The newly published files included hundreds of documents that mention Trump, many of which were collections of media reports.

TRUMP ⁠REFERENCES

One file details what appeared to be internal emails by federal investigators looking into salacious accusations ‌involving the president and Epstein. The emails, all from August 2025, give no indication that any claims had been substantiated, and investigators noted several of the accusers were deemed not credible.

The Justice Department said in a press release that some of the documents contained untrue and sensationalist claims against Trump.

Another message, whose sender and recipient were both redacted, reads, "What does JE think of going to Mar-a-Lago after xmas instead of his island?" ‍referring to Trump's Florida club. The message is from 2012, years after Trump said the two men had stopped socializing.

The files also included what appeared to be a 2002 email from Trump's wife, Melania Trump, to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's partner and co-conspirator, about a New York Magazine piece on Epstein.

"Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture," the email says. "Give me a call when you are back in NY."

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor and other charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

LUTNICK, MUSK ​MESSAGES INCLUDED IN FILES

Emails show Epstein and Lutnick made plans to meet for lunch on December 23, 2012, on Epstein's Caribbean island, Little Saint James. That morning, Lutnick's wife wrote to Epstein's secretary, "We are heading towards you from St. Thomas" and asked where to ‌anchor.

A day later, Epstein's assistant sent Lutnick a follow-up note from Epstein that read in part, "Nice seeing you."

In November 2015, Epstein's assistant forwarded him an invitation from Lutnick to a fundraiser at his financial firm for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton would go on to lose to Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Campaign finance records showed Lutnick donated $2,700 to Clinton's campaign, the maximum allowed by law at that time.

The emails appeared to contradict Lutnick's comments on a podcast last year. Lutnick said Epstein, his next-door neighbor at the time, invited him and his wife around 2005 to tour Epstein's townhome, where the financier made a sexually suggestive comment about a massage table he had set up. Lutnick said he vowed to "never be in a room" with Epstein again.

A Commerce Department spokesperson said in a statement that Lutnick had "limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing."

MUSK SEEKS PARTIES

In another email exchange, Epstein and Musk discussed an invitation from Epstein to visit his island.

"The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite ⁠of what I'm looking for," Musk wrote Epstein on Christmas Day in 2012. Musk said he had been "working to the edge of sanity" and asked Epstein ​if he had "any parties planned."

Epstein replied that he understood Musk turning down the invitation, adding that "the ratio on my island" might make Musk's female companion uncomfortable, without ​elaborating further.

A few days later, Musk invited Epstein to join him and others for drinks in "St. Bart's," presumably the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy, but it is unclear if the two met there.

Musk responded on Saturday on his X social media platform that he had been "well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name."

"No one pushed harder than me to have the Epstein files ‍released and I'm glad that has finally happened," Musk wrote. "I had very ⁠little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his 'Lolita Express.'"

DEMOCRATS SKEPTICAL

The documents were released weeks after the December 19 deadline mandated by Congress, which passed a bipartisan law requiring the release of the Epstein files despite months of effort by Trump to block it.

Many were heavily redacted, which Blanche said was done to protect victims or ongoing investigations in accordance with the law's permitted exceptions. One 82-page document, for instance, had all but one page blacked ⁠out.

Democrats immediately questioned whether the administration had provided all relevant material, noting that the Justice Department had identified 6 million potentially responsive pages but released only 3.5 million.

Epstein was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019. While his death was ruled a suicide, it has engendered years of conspiracy theories, some of which Trump ‌himself amplified to his own supporters during his 2024 campaign.

(Reporting by Brad Heath and Andrew Goudsward in Washington and Julia Harte in New York; Additional reporting by Jason Lange, Richard Cowan, Jonathan Stempel, Bhargav Acharya, Susan Heavey, Ryan ‌Jones and Katharine Jackson; Additional reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)

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Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned lunch on Epstein's island, new release shows

By Brad Heath, Julia Harte and Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Fr...

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This cute AI-generated schoolgirl is a growing far-right meme

At first glance, Amelia, with her purple bob and pixie-girl looks, seems an unlikely candidate for the far right to adopt as an increasingly popularmeme.

Yet, for the past few weeks,memesandAI-generatedvideos featuring this fictional British teenager have proliferated across social media, especially on X. In them, Amelia parrots right-wing, often racist, talking points, connecting her celebration of stereotypical British culture with anti-migrant and Islamophobic tropes.

She sips pints in pubs, reads "Harry Potter" and goes back in time to fight in some of Britain's most famous battles. But she also dons an ICE uniform to violently deport migrants and embraces such extreme rhetoric that even British far-right activist Tommy Robinson has posted videos of her. It's an unlikely life for a schoolgirl.

But Amelia has other characteristics that have made her "memeable" – namely, that she was originally created two years ago for a computer game as part of the British government's anti-extremist Prevent program.

The game, called "Pathways: Navigating Gaming, the Internet & Extremism," was developed by Shout Out UK (SOUK), a nonprofit attempting to improve public understanding of politics, as part of a learning package funded by the UK's Home Office.

It aimed to educate young people about the dangers of online radicalization, requiring them to navigate six different scenarios using multiple-choice options. Users play as a cartoon character, "Charlie," who joins a new school and makes friends with "Amelia," who shares anti-migrant ideas and disinformation before attempting to recruit Charlie to join anti-migrant groups and protests.

The game was relatively simple, and it was picked apart online for the logical leaps it made in each of its scenarios, though it is "not supposed to be played in isolation," as SOUK CEO Matteo Bergamini told CNN.

Instead, it was meant to be part of a "wider learning package that allows teachers to facilitate more nuanced discussions about what constitutes healthy and safe behaviors and what could be potentially unsafe and/or illegal," he explained.

Amelia's appearance was "not particularly significant," Bergamini said, but experts say her being a White, purple-haired girl who espouses far-right ideas inadvertently created an avatar who could be coopted by the online right.

She "ticks a lot of boxes" for that group, which, in its specific, sarcastic, online tone, memes everything, said Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan, an analyst at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue.

Her role in the game embodies the broad "stereotypes" many right-wingers have of the British government – namely that they perceive it to be "anti-White" and a "nanny state," he told CNN.

And, importantly, she is a beautiful woman with the same views as them. "It's striking how many of the edits are highly sexualized" at the same time as similar accounts "accuse migrants of being sexual predators and sexually deviant," Venkataramakrishnan added.

When asked for comment, a Home Office spokesperson told CNN that its Prevent strategy "has diverted nearly 6,000 people away from violent ideologies, stopping terrorists and keeping our country safe." The local council for whom the game was made hasn't yet responded to CNN asking whether the game was still in use.

'Degree of plausible deniability'

The meme first started spreading on January 9, after The Telegraph, a right-leaning British newspaper, ran an article titled "The Prevent video game that treats every teenager like a far-Right extremist." Bergamini described the headline as "misleading."

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Right-wing outlet GB News picked up the story the next day, wrongly saying that the game "warns children they'll be treated like terrorists for questioning mass migration."

That was "outright misinformation," Bergamini said, underlining that the game said children would only be referred to anti-extremist programs if they became involved in illegal activity, not for their opinion on an issue. Still, with that fuel and the perception of a British government-funded game policing teenagers' political opinions, the Amelia meme spread like wildfire.

"I think I'm in love with Amelia," one X user posted alongside a screenshot of the game, garnering more than 5 million views. One X community group called "for the Based, the Phenomenon that is, Amelia," had more than 11,000 members as of Thursday. Elon Musk retweeted an Amelia meme last week and, by last weekend, there were two Amelia cryptocurrency "meme coins," according to CoinGecko.

Memes, which operate as a sort of coded language, imbued with different layers of meaning depending on how much context the viewer has, have become integral to any political discourse. And those that connote hate speech have a "degree of plausible deniability," noted Venkataramakrishnan, because they can be defended as "just a joke."

As AI allows people to churn out content almost instantaneously, these memes and images can spread quickly both inside the country in which they originated – the UK in Amelia's case – and internationally.

Flooding the internet with content like this, which aligns with their world view, "really helps" the far right, said Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit based in Britain and the United States.

User-generated videos featuring Amelia soon adopted references to other far-right memes beloved internationally. In one AI-generated video, she holds out two pills and urges "Charlie" to take the "purple pill," referencing the far -right's insistence it is "red-pilled" and the famous scene in "The Matrix" where Keanu Reeves' character, Neo, chooses between taking the blue pill, which will keep him in blissful ignorance, or the red pill, which will reveal an uncomfortable, enlightened reality.

In another AI-generated video, posted on X, she stands alongside US President Donald Trump as the poster calls on Americans to "repost if you support Amelia and want Britain to remain British – ethically, culturally, religiously."

CNN has contacted X for comment.

Though Amelia is a particularly viral example, using AI to generate content was already a popular pastime for the online right in Britain. It allows them to "fabricate support from empathetic, trustworthy-looking British characters," as well as simply generate images "they want to place in people's minds," Hood told CNN.

He cites one example where a Facebook page "churning out images of trustworthy-looking British pensioners or veterans talking about their concerns about immigration" was run from Sri Lanka, according to the platform's own transparency information.

And without tech companies clearly labeling such content as AI, it becomes difficult for people to distinguish between real images and AI ones, Hood added, especially if they aren't already in on the joke.

"Our research indicates that there seems to be a significant number of people who treat these images as credible… Particularly where there's an effort to make this stuff look believable, you will find comments that seem to suggest the users responding thinking that's a real person."

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Thousands flee northwest Pakistan after mosques warn of possible military action

By Muhammad Amin Afridi and Saad Sayeed

BARA/KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people have fled a remote mountainous region in northwestern Pakistan in recent weeks, residents said, after warnings broadcast from mosques urged families to evacuate ahead ​of a possible military action against Islamist militants.

Residents of the Tirah Valley, in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that ‌borders Afghanistan, said they have moved out of the area into nearby towns despite heavy snowfall and cold winter temperatures because of the announcements to avoid the possible fighting.

"The ‌announcements were made in the mosque that everyone should leave, so everyone was leaving. We left too," said Gul Afridi, a shopkeeper who fled with his family to the town of Bara located 71 km (44 miles) east of the Tirah Valley.

Local officials in the region, who asked to remain unidentified, said thousands of families have fled and are being registered for assistance in nearby towns.

The Tirah Valley has long been a sensitive security zone ⁠and a stronghold for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an Islamist ‌militant group that has carried out attacks on Pakistani security forces.

The Pakistani government has not announced the evacuation nor any planned military operation.

On Tuesday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif denied any operation was planned or ‍underway in Tirah, calling the movement a routine seasonal migration driven by harsh winter conditions.

However, a Pakistani military source with knowledge of the matter said the relocation followed months of consultations involving tribal elders, district officials and security authorities over the presence of militants in Tirah, who they said were operating among ​civilian populations and pressuring residents.

The source asked to remain unidentified as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The source said ‌civilians were encouraged to temporarily leave to reduce the risk of harm as "targeted intelligence-based operations" continued, adding there had been no build-up for a large-scale offensive due to the area's mountainous terrain and winter conditions.

Pakistan's military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the interior ministry, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government did not respond to requests for comment made on Friday.

NOT THE COLD

Residents rejected suggestions that winter alone drove the movement.

"No one left because of the cold," said Abdur Rahim, who said he left his village for Bara earlier this month after hearing evacuation ⁠announcements. "It has been snowing for years. We have lived there all our lives. People ​left because of the announcements."

Gul Afridi described a perilous journey through snowbound roads ​along with food shortages that made the evacuation an ordeal that took his family nearly a week.

"Here I have no home, no support for business. I don't know what is destined for us," he said at a government ‍school in Bara where hundreds of ⁠displaced people lined up to register for assistance, complaining of slow processes and uncertainty over how long they would remain displaced.

Abdul Azeem, another displaced resident, said families were stranded for days and that children died along the way. "There were a lot of difficulties. ⁠People were stuck because of the snow," he said.

The Tirah Valley drew national attention in September after a deadly explosion at a suspected bomb-making site, with officials and ‌local leaders offering conflicting accounts of whether civilians were among the dead.

(Reporting by Muhammad Amin Afridi in Bara and ‌Saad Sayeed in Karachi; writing by Ariba Shahid; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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Thousands flee northwest Pakistan after mosques warn of possible military action

By Muhammad Amin Afridi and Saad Sayeed BARA/KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people h...

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Stephen Curry leaves early as Warriors fall to Pistons

Stephen Curryleft theGolden State Warriors'131-124loss to theDetroit Pistonswith an injury on Friday, Jan. 30.

Curry experienced right knee soreness and left the game late in the third quarter. It is the same knee that's been nagging the star guard for the past week.

Curry was seen grimacing after an and-1 layup and limped down the tunnel and to the locker room.

Warriorscoach Steve Kerr was optimistic about Curry's status in the moments following the game.

"I think he's OK. I don't think it's anything major," Kerr told reporters during his postgame media availability.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Kerr indicated that there will be an update on Curry's knee on Saturday.

Pat Spencer took over at point guard in place of Curry.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Steph Curry injury update: Warriors star leaves loss to Pistons

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Stephen Curry leaves early as Warriors fall to Pistons

Stephen Curryleft theGolden State Warriors'131-124loss to theDetroit Pistonswith an injury on Friday, Jan. 30. ...

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Patriots QB Drake Maye misses practice with illness, the latest hiccup to Super Bowl preparations

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is dealing with an illness and did not practice on Friday, the latest wrinkle in the quarterback's preparations forthe Super Bowlmatchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

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Coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Maye sat out after he was not spotted during the limited period at the beginning of workouts that is open to reporters. It came a day after Maye was alimited participant in practicewith a shoulder injury. Vrabel said both issues kept of him off the field Friday.

Maye was at the team facility, however, and able to participate in team meetings. The coach said Maye responded "favorable" after Thursday's practice in which he did some throwing and would have practiced Friday if not for the illness.

Vrabel reiterated that he isn't concerned about Maye's availability going forward.

"Nope. We've had a lot of guys over the last month or six weeks with illness," Vrabel said. "Again, trying to do what's best for the player and the team. And try to take care of guys (and) don't spread things. But we've worked with this here for the past six weeks."

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Friday was the team's final practice in Massachusetts before heading toSanta Clara, California,for the start of Super Bowl week.

Maye said Thursday that his focus was on being ready to go in time forthe Super Bowl.

"I'm feeling good and looking forward to being ready to go," Maye said. "This is the game you dream of playing, so looking forward to getting out there and playing in the Super Bowl."

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Patriots QB Drake Maye misses practice with illness, the latest hiccup to Super Bowl preparations

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is dealing with an illness and did not practice on F...

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Lakers' Luka Dončić records triple-double in first half during blowout 142-111 win over Wizards

The Washington Wizards likely would've preferred for Luka Dončić to sit out Friday's game to give his sore left ankle a rest.

Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers' star played against the Wizards after being listed as questionable earlier in the day on the NBA's injury report due to left ankle soreness. And he was explosive from the game's opening tip ofa 142-111 win.

Dončić scored 11 of the Lakers' first 20 points and assisted on two Deandre Ayton baskets on his way to finishing the first quarter with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as the Lakers scored 41 points in the opening 12 minutes.

By halftime, he already had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Lakers went to the locker room with a 77-48 lead. Oh, and he only played 19 minutes in the first half.

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Demonstrating that it was simply his night, Dončić posed after making a lob pass to Jaxson Hayes (before Hayes even finished the dunk) and banked in a 3-pointer for the Lakers' final score of the second quarter. Lakers coach JJ Redick wasn't too impressed by the bank shot during his halftime interview, however.

"Sometimes, he gets bored. So it did not surprise me,"Redick saidon the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast. "He did not call it, though."

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Dončić insisted after the game that he intended to bank the shot in, however.

He hrottled down in the second half, sitting out the entire fourth quarter with the Lakers holding a big lead. Dončić finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals. The NBA's leading scorer has tallied 30 points or more in seven of his past 10 games.

By the end of the game, it was Bronny James who entertained the fans at Capital One Arena with a breakway dunk from a steal by Jake LaRivia.

Prior to that, LeBron James gave the fans a highlight with a reverse dunk on a lob pass from Marcus Smart.

The elder James scored 20 points, while Bronny tallied four. Ayton added 28 points (his second-highest total of the season) with 13 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura provided 11 points off the bench.

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

The Lakers have won of five of their past seven games and improved to 29-18 as they wrestle with the Phoenix Suns forthe No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles continues its eight-game road trip with a Sunday primetime matchup against the New York Knicks.

For the Wizards (12-35), Malaki Branham scored a team-high 17 points. Alex Sarr followed with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington each scored 13 points. Washington next hosts the equally struggling Sacramento Kings (12-37) on Sunday.

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Lakers' Luka Dončić records triple-double in first half during blowout 142-111 win over Wizards

The Washington Wizards likely would've preferred for Luka Dončić to sit out Friday's game to give his sore left a...

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What to know about the Strait of Hormuz as Iran plans military drill while tensions are high with US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, again has become a focus of tensions asIran prepares to launch a military drillthat could see fire into a lane crucial for global shipping.

Iran has warned ships that it will conduct a live fire drill Sunday and Monday in the strait, which seesa fifth of all oil traded passthrough the tight corridor between the Islamic Republic and Oman.

The U.S. military's Central Command issued its own warning early Saturday, telling Tehran that any "unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation and destabilization."

Here's what to know about the drill, the U.S. warning, what caused the tensions and what might happen next in the Strait of Hormuz.

A key waterway for global shipping

The Strait of Hormuz resembles a bend looking down from space. Its narrowest point is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. It flows from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman. From there, ships can then travel to the rest of the world. While Iran and Oman have its territorial waters in the strait, its viewed as an international waterway all ships can ply. The United Arab Emirates, home to the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, also sits near the waterway.

The strait long has been important for trade

The Strait of Hormuz through history has been important for trade, with ceramics, ivory, silk and textiles moving from China through the region. In the modern era of supertankers, the narrow strait proved deep and wide enough to allow for oil to pass through it. While there are pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE that can avoid the passage, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says "most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region." The vast majority of the oil and gas moving through the strait goes to markets in Asia. Threats to the route havespiked global energy pricesin the past, including duringthe 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June.

Iran plans drill that could enter trade route

A notice to mariners sent Thursday by radio warned that Iran planned to conduct "naval shooting" in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and Monday. The coordinates provided by the message put the drill potentially going into what is known as the Traffic Separation Scheme — a 3.2-kilometer- (2-mile-) wide, two-lane system in which ships coming into the Persian Gulf go north and ships exiting onto the Gulf of Oman go south. That northern lane is within the coordinates of the drill. While Iran has provided no other public details about the drills, it will likely involvethe country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard operates a fleet of small fast-attack vessels in the strait that routinely hastense encounters with the U.S. Navy.

US issues warning over the Iranian drill

Early Saturday, the U.S. military's Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard over the drill. While acknowledging Iran's "right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels. The command, which oversees the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said it "will not tolerate unsafe (Guard) actions" that could include its aircraft or vessels getting too close to American warships or pointing weapons toward them. The command added that "the U.S. military has the most highly trained and lethal force in the world."

Tensions high over Iran's protest crackdown, nuclear program

U.S. President Donald Trumphas threatened to launch a military strike against Iranafterits bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. He has laid down two red lines — the killing of peaceful protesters and Iran launching a wave of mass executions of those held. In recent days, he's also included the fate ofIran's nuclear program. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and supporting guided missile destroyers are now in the Arabian Sea where they could launch an attack if Trump calls for it. Iran has warned it could launch its own preemptive strike or target American interests across the Middle East and Israel. While the 12-day war saw Iran fire off ballistic missiles and Israel target its stockpile, Tehran maintains an arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles that could hit surrounding Gulf Arab states.

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1/31/2026 09:32:00 PM

What to know about the Strait of Hormuz as Iran plans military drill while tensions are high with US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, again has become a focus o...

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Murder suspects among 8 inmates who escaped Louisiana jail; manhunt launched

Amanhunt has been launchedafter eight inmates — three of whom are facing murder charges — escaped Friday morning from a northeast Louisiana jail.

Louisiana State Police confirmed the men, all considered "violent offenders," were reported missing from the Riverbend Detention Center at 1:20 a.m.

Five inmates remain unaccounted for: Destin Brogan, 22, Kelin Looney, 21, Krisean Salinas, 21, Kevin Slaughter, 25, and Koplelon Vicknair, 19.

The three inmates who were captured after the escape were identified as Hugo Molino, 27; Trenton Taplin, 29; and Savon Wheeler, 31.

Manhunts Across America In 2025: Five Cases That Left Cities, Campuses And Towns On Edge

Louisiana Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill said she has been in contact with East Carroll Parish Sheriff Wydette Williams and Louisiana Sheriffs' Association President Kevin Cobb.

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"[I] have offered the full assistance of my office, including the Fugitive Apprehension Unit," Murrill wrote in astatementon X. "I am actively monitoring the situation."

The East Carroll Parish Sheriff's Office requested theLouisiana State Police Detectives–Monroe Field Officeassume the lead role in finding and apprehending the fugitives.

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The sheriff's office, which previously had most of its deputies searching for the inmates, will serve as the lead agency in the investigation.

New Orleans Officials Grilled Over 'Coordinated' 10-Inmate Jailbreak

"Do not approach under any circumstances," state police wrote in a statement. "If you observe or have information regarding their whereabouts, contact law enforcement immediately."

It is unclear how the men escaped, and no additional details have been released by authorities.

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Local outletWAFB 9 Newsreported Taplin was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and Brogan and Looney were both facing charges of second-degree murder.

Vicknair was reportedly awaiting sentencing on charges related to a 2023 homicide, according toKQKI News.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Original article source:Murder suspects among 8 inmates who escaped Louisiana jail; manhunt launched

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Murder suspects among 8 inmates who escaped Louisiana jail; manhunt launched

Amanhunt has been launchedafter eight inmates — three of whom are facing murder charges — escaped Friday morning from a n...

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Putin praises Russian military exports despite Western pressure

Jan 30 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin praised the export record of Russia's military industries on ​Friday, saying it had expanded its markets and ‌prospects, particularly in Africa, despite Western pressure.

Russian President Putin chairs a meeting in Moscow

"Russian production of military ‌goods was supplied last year to more than 30 countries and the amount of foreign exchange earnings exceeded $15 billion," Putin told a meeting on military-technical cooperation in ⁠the Kremlin in ‌a pool video.

Putin said the sector was operating in "complicated conditions".

"Pressure from Western countries remained ‍and was even intensified to slow down or block business ties with Russia," he said. "But despite all these attempts, ​our export contracts were on the whole being ‌honoured consistently."

African countries, he said, were particularly expressing interest in Russian production.

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"Despite pressure from the West, African partners are showing readiness to expand their relations with Russia in the military and military-technical fields," he said.

Russia ⁠has been cultivating ties with ​a string of African countries, ​including in the domain of military cooperation.

The Central African Republic in 2018 brought in Russia's ‍Wagner mercenaries ⁠to fend off rebel groups. Its newly reelected president, Faustin-Archange Touadera, invited Putin this month to ⁠visit the country.

Russia has also boosted relations with military administrations ‌in Mali and Burkina Faso.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski, ‌Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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Putin praises Russian military exports despite Western pressure

Jan 30 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin praised the export record of Russia's military industries on ​Friday, say...

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Greg Biffle plane crash: NTSB report indicates Biffle wasn't flying plane, co-pilot 'was not qualified' to fly the Cessna Citation 550

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report intothe plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his family and three others determined that Biffle was not flying the plane owned by his GB Aviation Leasing LLC company when it crashed on Dec. 18.

Per the report released Friday, the plane was flown by Dennis Dutton, a pilot certified to operate numerous commercial aircraft, with his son Jack, in the right cockpit seat. Biffle, a licensed pilot with "civil flight experience that included over 3,500 hours of flight time," was seated behind the two and is identified as the rear passenger in the report.

However, neither Biffle nor Jack Dutton were licensed to fly the Cessna Citation. The report notes that Dennis Dutton was licensed to fly the Citation with a second-in-command on board, and even though Jack Dutton was a pilot himself he "was not qualified to perform second in command duties for the flight," according to the NTSB, as he had just over 175 hours of single-engine aircraft experience.

Aero Consulting Experts CEO Ross Aimer told Yahoo Sports that Jack Dutton's lack of qualification was "troublesome" and said the plane required two pilots.

"In this particular case, because it requires two pilots, and neither of those — Biffle or the young man — were qualified, they should have had a licensed pilot in that seat," Aimer said.

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Biffle, his wife Cristina, their son Ryder, Biffle's daughter Emma, Dennis and Jack Dutton and Craig Wadsworth were aboard the plane as it attempted to land at Statesville (North Carolina) Regional Airport shortly after taking off from the same airport. They were flying to Sarasota, Florida.

The Cessna Citation 550 is a dual-engine aircraft, and the report states that issues with the plane started before the flight began. Here are the key takeaways from the NTSB's findings.

• The left engine initially did not start before both engines were powered on at approximately 9:53 a.m. ET. As the plane was taxiing for takeoff "the pilot and the two pilot-rated passengers discussed that a thrust reverser indicator light(s) for an unspecified engine was inoperative, but that the thrust reverser for the affected engine was working properly."
  

• The plane took off at approximately 10:06 a.m. "During takeoff roll, the rear passenger commented that the left engine was producing more power than the right and indicated there may have been a faulty gauge. The pilot continued the takeoff." The report states that it was overcast at approximately 5,000 feet for the entirety of the flight, though visibility dropped from 10 miles to five miles from 9:54 to 10:15.
  

• Early GPS data shows that the plane turned left as it climbed and that Dennis Dutton said he'd fly under visual flight rules before he was cleared to fly under instrument flight rules. After a 180-degree turn and reached 2,200 feet, it "continued to turn left and began to descend. The right-seat passenger attempted to contact" air traffic control "and activate the flight's IFR flight plan between 10:08 and 10:10 but was unsuccessful due to the controller's workload and associated radio communications.
  

• At 10:09, Dennis Dutton and Biffle discussed climbing higher even though they were supposed to continue flying under visual flight rules. The report states that "the pilot initiated a climb, and shortly after, the rear passenger noted a difference between the left and right engine interstage turbine temperature indications." There were no other discussions that covered the instruments throughout the remainder of the [cockpit voice recorder] recording" and the autopilot disengaged — either intentionally or independently — just after 10:10.
  

• Seconds later, "the cockpit area microphone captured the pilot making remarks indicating his altitude indicator was not working properly and that additional left side flight instruments may not have been working properly." The Garmin GPS on board had stopped recording airspeed data and heading data at around that time.
  

• At 10:11 "airplane controls was transferred to the right seat passenger, at an altitude of about 4,500 ft msl." At 10:13, the plane was at just under 1,900 feet and that all three said they could see the ground. "Although a positive transfer of airplane control was not recorded, subsequent communication between the pilot and right seat passenger was consistent with the pilot having resumed control of the airplane at that time." At just after 10:13, the pilot turned the plane right towards the west and requested that the landing gear be extended. "Subsequent discussions were consistent with the landing gear being configured, however, the gear indicator lights were not illuminated."
  

• Jack Dutton noted just before 10:14 on the common traffic advisory frequency that they were "having some issues here." Biffle references power to an alternator — the Cessna Citation 550 does not have an alternator. After a brief audio quality issue with the cockpit voice recorder, Dennis Dutton is heard saying there was a "problem" but did not specify what the problem was "or what actions were taken to correct it."
  

• The GPS data resumed recording just after 10:14 and Dennis Dutton "made comments which indicated he had acquired the runway visually" around 10:15. Data from the GPS "showed that the airplane's airspeed and altitude continued to decrease from the time the airplane was aligned on final approach to the runway until 10:15:18" when the airplane's altitude had dipped below 1,000 feet and under 99 KTS.
  

• The plane hit a light station approximately 1,400 feet from the runway threshold and "a group of damaged trees located about 235 feet" from that light station "were sheared about 12 feet above ground level. "The first indication of fire was blackened branches and grass near the west side of the trees."
  

• "A ground impression was observed about 350 feet from the [light station], near the airport perimeter fence, and extended through the [runway lights]. The debris path continued along a westerly heading through the runway overrun to where the main wreckage came to rest on the runway blast area about 400 feet short of the runway 28 threshold." "Heavy charring" was seen from a second set of lights "and continued along the remaining length of the debris field to the wreckage."
  

• The engines remained attached to the plane after it came to a stop and both thrust reversers were in the stowed position. Investigators found "no evidence of unconfined engine failure with either engine. Examination of the cockpit throttle quadrant found both thrust levers to be in the full forward position and both reverse throttle levers in the down position, consistent with being stowed."
  

Biffle competed for 16 full or part-time seasons in NASCAR's Cup Series from 2002 through 2022. He raced full-time in the Cup Series from 2003 through 2016 and scored 19 wins and 92 top-five finishes over 515 career starts.

His best season came in 2005, when he finished second to Tony Stewart in the points standings. Biffle's six wins were the most of anyone in the Cup Series that season and his average finish of 11.9 was second only to Stewart.

Biffle is one of just two drivers to have won both a championship in the third-tier NASCAR Truck Series and the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series.

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1/31/2026 08:04:00 PM

Greg Biffle plane crash: NTSB report indicates Biffle wasn't flying plane, co-pilot 'was not qualified' to fly the Cessna Citation 550

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report intothe plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Gr...

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Justin Rose breaks out to 4-shot Farmers lead; Brooks Koepka makes cut

Justin Rose will carry a four-stroke lead into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open after posting a stellar 7-under-par 65 on Friday in San Diego.

Rose broke his own 36-hole record at the tournament by two shots at 17-under 127. After opening with a 62 on Torrey Pines' North Course, he recorded the round of the day at the more challenging South Course with an eagle, six birdies and just one bogey.

The 45-year-old Englishman is continuing a career renaissance after he went to a playoff with Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Masters and won a FedEx Cup playoff event later that season.

"I feel like in my career I've won on tough golf courses generally, so that's my M.O., I would say," Rose said. "It's the kind of a place I enjoy. It's one of my favorite tournaments on Tour just the whole area, the whole atmosphere, the whole vibe."

Irishman Seamus Power is alone in second at 13 under. After shooting the only 65 at the South Course on Thursday, he settled for a 66 at the North Course in the second round.

Joel Dahmen (63, North Course) and Max McGreevy (67, North Course) are tied for third at 11 under, and Si Woo Kim of South Korea (66, North Course) rounds out the top five at 10 under.

Everyone in the field played one round at each course, and those who made the 36-hole cut will spend the weekend on the South Course.

Rose recorded his eagle at the par-5 sixth hole after he landed his second shot inside 8 feet of the pin. He also ended his round with back-to-back birdies.

"Yeah, that was two special rounds of golf," Rose said. "Today probably even more so just given it's hard to often follow up a low one. Obviously this week you kind of go from the easy course to the tough course, but it was really kind of cool to keep momentum up out there."

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Power made easy work of the North Course and rolled in a long eagle putt at the par-5 ninth to finish his round.

"As well as I scored (Thursday), it was more the putter and I knew I was a little off with the long game," Power said. "So I was able to get that figured out after the round yesterday, so it felt much, much better long-game wise and the putter obviously was still there. So feeling really good going into (Saturday)."

Brooks Koepka made the cut on the number at 3 under par in his first tournament back on the PGA Tour following nearly four years with LIV Golf. Koepka, like many, struggled on the South Course on Thursday but hit his stride on Friday with a 4-under 68 on the North Course, sinking an eagle putt at the par-5 17th.

"I think (Thursday) I was excited to play, nervous, and kind of didn't know what to expect, but today felt more normal, I guess," Koepka said.

"But yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong, I definitely still got antsy, but I guess maybe a little bit of nerves, just trying to figure it out and test -- see where my game's at too, right? I feel like I'm playing really well. It's just been a long layoff."

Not everyone was as fortunate. Xander Schauffele's consecutive cuts streak of 72 -- the longest active on tour -- came to an end as he finished 2 under for the week. He only managed a 69 at the North Course and missed a birdie putt to qualify on the number on his final hole, the par-5 ninth.

"It's going to be nice to have the weekend off," Schauffele quipped. "Going to go home and relax and regroup."

Other big names who have the weekend off include Patrick Cantlay (2 under), Gary Woodland (1 under), Will Zalatoris (1 under), J.J. Spaun (even), Max Homa (1 over) and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (6 over). Max Greyserman, who began the day one shot off the lead, followed his opening 64 with a disastrous 78 at the South Course to miss the cut by a shot.

--Field Level Media

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Justin Rose breaks out to 4-shot Farmers lead; Brooks Koepka makes cut

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David Robertson, a World Series champion and All-Star, retires after 17-year MLB career

David Robertson, who recorded 179 saves over a 17-year major league career while pitching for eight teams, announced his retirement Friday.

"Baseball has given me more than I ever dreamed possible over the last 19 seasons,"Robertson posted on social media. "... Saying goodbye isn't easy, but I do so with deep gratitude for every opportunity, challenge, and memory. I'll forever be thankful for the game and for everyone who made this journey extraordinary."

Robertson, who also went 68-46 and had a 2.93 ERA, made the All-Star Game in 2011 while pitching for the New York Yankees. He totaled at least 34 saves from 2014-16 playing for the Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

The right-hander was part of 10 playoff teams, including the 2009 Yankees club that won the World Series.

Robertson, 40, pitched for Philadelphia last season, making 20 appearances with two saves.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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FBI now leading investigation into fatal shooting of Alex Pretti

The FBI is now leading the federal investigation into the fatal shooting ofAlex Prettiin Minneapolis, with the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security – known as Homeland Security Investigations – supporting the investigation, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

HSI had been leading the probe into Saturday's shooting of Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The FBI's lead role in the investigation marks a major reversal from earlier in the week, when sources told CBS News that the bureau was only playing a marginal role in assisting HSI by helping analyze some of the evidence in the case.

At a press conference Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the FBI was investigating. He also said the criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division would be participating in the probe.

"The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has the best experts in the world on this," Blanche told reporters. "They've been doing it for decades. And so I expect the investigation will proceed with those parameters."

Blanche stopped short of formally calling it a civil rights investigation, however, and declined to discuss the scope of what the FBI will be examining.

"I don't want to overstate what's happening because I don't want this takeaway to be that there's some massive civil rights investigation that's happening," he said.

He also told reporters, "This is what I would describe as a standard investigation by the FBI when there are circumstances like what we saw last Saturday."

The decision to initially place HSI in the lead investigative role was unusual andraised questionsamong current and former federal law enforcement officials about the credibility and breadth of the probe, given that HSI is not typically tasked with investigatingofficer-involved shootingsand is not structured or equipped to handle core elements of such cases, including ballistics analysis, forensic processing, firearm examinations, video review and large-scale witness canvassing.

HSI historically has investigated crimes with an international or immigration nexus, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, child exploitation and the theft of stolen artifacts.

The FBI, by contrast, is the agency that typically leads "color of law" civil rights investigations into law enforcement officials who may have violated people's constitutional rights, such as using excessive force.

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota earlier this weekheld a somber meetingwith Minnesota U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen, where they questioned him about why they had not been allowed to open a formal civil rights investigation into Pretti's death, CBS News previously reported.

Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agentsfired their weaponsduring the shooting, according to a government report sent to Congress and obtained by CBS News that does not mention Pretti reaching for his firearm.

CBS News previously reported that the FBI was responsible for processing only Pretti's firearm at one of its forensic laboratories, while the firearms discharged by Customs and Border Protection personnel during the fatal confrontation remained in HSI custody.

To date, it remains unclear at this point which federal agency now possesses most of the evidence in the case.

Blanche, when pressed by CBS News on whether the FBI has since received the evidence for processing – including the firearms of officers involved in Pretti's fatal shooting – told reporters, "I don't know. I don't have an answer to those questions."

In addition to the criminal probe, Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility previously launched an internal administrative review into the incident.

The federal agents who were involved in the deadly shooting have been placed on administrative leave, a federal law enforcement officialpreviously confirmed to CBS News.

It is unclear exactly when the personnel were placed on leave. Typically, the protocol is for federal law enforcement agents who have been involved in a shooting to be placed on administrative leave during the course of the investigation.

In another encounter with federal immigration officers 11 days before the shooting, Pretti was seen on videoconfronting agentson a Minneapolis street, a Pretti family representative confirmed to CBS News.

In thevideo, recorded on Jan. 13 and posted Wednesday by The News Movement, a digital media outlet, Pretti is seen kicking and damaging the taillight of a government SUV. The vehicle then stops, and federal agents emerge and tackle him to the ground.

President Trump reacted to the video overnight on social media, calling Pretti an "agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist."

"It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control," Mr. Trump said on hisTruth Social platformat 1:26 a.m. EST Friday. "The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances!"

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Protesters close schools and stores during a nationwide strike against Trump's immigration policies

Protesters held "no work, no school, no shopping" strikes across the U.S. on Friday to oppose theTrump administration's immigration crackdown.

The demonstrations took place amid widespread outrage over the killingAlex Pretti, an intensive care nursewho was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration's tactics after the Jan. 7 death ofRenee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

"The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE's reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN," said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.

Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.

Protests continue in Minneapolis

Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.

After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility's restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to "quit your jobs" and "get out of Minnesota." Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.

Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

"They're roaming our streets, they're staying in hotels near our schools," she said. "Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We're here to remind them."

High schoolers stage walkouts and some businesses close

In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree (minus 18 degrees Celsius) temperatures and walked about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.

"We're here to protest ICE and what they're doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota," said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. "It's not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way."

Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.

"For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something," the sophomore said.

Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday's "blackout." Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.

Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.

"As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday," they posted.

Maine residents revel in end of immigration enforcement surge in state

In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collinsannounced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said "No ICE for ME," a play on the state's postal code.

Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an "enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect." She said ICE's actions brought "daily trauma" to the school system.

"Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family," Valenzuela said.

Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE's actions in the city.

"Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It's the cornerstone of our democracy," Dion said.

Federal agents deploy chemical sprays at Los Angeles protest

In Los Angeles, where Trump's immigration surge first began last June, thousands of protesters gathered in front of city hall in the afternoon and later marched to the federal detention center. As the demonstration stretched into the evening, federal agents began using chemical sprays to push the crowd back.

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters joined the protest, chanting "ICE out of LA" in front of a line of officers in riot gear.

"What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights," Waters said. "And of course, they're now trying to tear gas everybody. It's in the air, but people are not moving."

Nebraska student hit by SUV flying a Trump flag

On Thursday, a student in Nebraska was hit by an SUV flying a Trump flag at a student-led protest against the immigration crackdown.

A few students entered the street outside Fremont High School around 2 p.m. and one was hit by a vehicle that had stopped in front of the crowd, then began moving, Fremont Public Schools said in a statement.

Officials said the student was taken to a hospital but they didn't release details on the extent of the student's injuries.

Video from the scene shot by News Channel Nebraska shows a red SUV displaying a blue Trump 2024 flag accelerating as a student carrying a sign walks in the direction of the vehicle. The student is knocked onto the hood and falls onto the ground. The vehicle stops briefly and then takes off.

Associated Press reporters Emilie Megnien in Atlanta, Mae Anderson in New York, Jake Offenhartz in Minneapolis, Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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Venezuela announces amnesty bill that could lead to mass release of political prisoners

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's actingPresident Delcy Rodríguezon Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons.

The measure had long been sought by the United States-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodríguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after thebrazen seizureof then-PresidentNicolás Maduroin a U.S. military attack in Venezuela's capital, Caracas.

Rodríguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency.

"May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism," she added in the pretaped televised event. "May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans."

Rodríguez also announced the shutdown of Helicoide, a prison in Caracas where torture and otherhuman rights abuseshave been repeatedly documented by independent organizations.The facility, she said, will be transformed into a sports, social and cultural center for police and surrounding neighborhoods.

Rodríguez made her announcement before some of the officials that former prisoners and human rights watchdogs have accused of ordering the abuses committed at Helicoide and other detention facilities.

Relatives of some prisoners livestreamed Rodríguez's speech on a phone as they gathered outside Helicoide. Some cried. Many chanted "Freedom! Freedom!"

"God is good. God heard us," Johana Chirinos, a prisoner's aunt, said as tears rolled down her face.

Opposition leader andNobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machadoin a statement said the announced actions were not taken "voluntarily, but rather in response to pressure from the US government." She also noted that people have been detained for their political activities from anywhere between a month and 23 years.

"The regime's repressive apparatus is brutal and has responded to the numerous criminal forces that answer to this regime, and it is all that remains," Machado said. "When repression disappears and fear is lost, it will be the end of tyranny."

The Venezuelan-based prisoners' rights group Foro Penal estimates that711 people are in detention facilities across the South American country for their political activities.Of those, 183 have been sentenced.

Among the prominent members of the political opposition who were detained after the2024 presidential electionand remain in prison are former lawmaker Freddy Superlano, Machado's lawyer Perkins Rocha, as well as Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former governor and one of Machado's closest allies.

The government did not release the text of the bill on Friday, leaving unclear the specific criteria that will be used to determine who qualifies for amnesty.

Rodríguez said the "general amnesty law" will cover the "entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present." She also explained that people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations will not qualify for relief.

Rodríguez's government earlier this month announced plans to release a significant number of prisoners in a goodwill gesture, but relatives of those detained have condemned the slow pace of the releases.

"A general amnesty is welcome as long as its elements and conditions include all of civil society, without discrimination, that it does not become a cloak of impunity, and that it contributes to dismantling the repressive apparatus of political persecution," Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, said on social media.

The organization has tallied 302 releases since the Jan. 8 announcement.

The human rights group Provea in a statement called out the lack of transparency and "trickle" pace of prisoner releases. It also underscored that while the freeing of those still detained "is urgent, the announcement of an amnesty should not be conceived, under any circumstances, as a pardon or act of clemency on the part of the State."

"We recall that these people were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising rights protected by international human rights instruments, the National Constitution, and Venezuelan laws," the organization said.

The U.S. Department of Stateon Friday confirmed that all U.S. citizens known to have been held in Venezuelan prisons had been released. It also announced that Laura Dogu, who will serve as its top diplomat in Venezuela, will arrive Saturday in the capital.

Outside another detention facility in Caracas, Edward Ocariz, who was detained for more than five months after the 2024 election, joined prisoners' relatives in demanding their loved ones' swift release.

"We, Venezuelans, have all endured so much, all unjust, merciless and trampling on our dignity. No one deserves this," Ocariz said. "And today, the guilty continue to govern Venezuela."

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Athletics extend Jacob Wilson on 7-year, $70 million deal

TheAthleticsand shortstop Jacob Wilson agreed to a seven-year, $70 million contract extension,the team announced on Friday.

The deal includes a club option for the 2033 season.

Wilson, 23, is coming off his first full MLB season. He finishedsecond in AL Rookie of the Year votingto teammate Nick Kurtz after batting .311 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 games and was named to the AL All-Star team.

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The sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Grand Canyon University,Wilson, whose dad, Jack, played 12 MLB seasons, told MLB.com recentlyhe was using this offseason to improve his strength.

"It's definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now," Wilson said. "Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I've been at the A's facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead."

This is the latest move for the Athletics this offseason after signing reliever Mark Leiter Jr., acquiringinfielder Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets, and extending outfielderTyler Soderstrom with a seven-year contract.

Wilson, Kurtz, Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers represent a hitting core the Athletics hope can lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and drum upexcitement for their future move to Las Vegas.

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Athletics extend Jacob Wilson on 7-year, $70 million deal

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Lydia Ko, Lottie Woad tied for lead at Tournament of Champions

An LPGA Hall of Famer and a 22-year-old phenom shared the 36-hole lead at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Friday in Orlando, Fla.

Lydia Ko, the three-time major champion from New Zealand, fired a 5-under-par 67 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club to move to 8 under for the tournament. Lottie Woad built on her opening-round 67 with a 69, moving the Englishwoman to 8 under as well.

They're one stroke ahead of South Korea's Amy Yang (69) and Japan's Nasa Hataoka (71), the latter of whom was the first-round leader.

Thirty-nine players were invited to the season opener, a 72-hole event without a cut. They are playing alongside 44 amateurs contesting a separate competition with a Modified Stableford scoring format. Former Major League Baseball outfielder Aaron Hicks posted a round of 43 Friday to move past tennis player Mardy Fish for a two-point lead, with a two-day score of 78.

Ko is bogey-free through 36 holes at her "home course" in Orlando. She scrambled for five birdies and 13 pars Friday despite missing half the 14 fairways and six of 18 greens in regulation.

"I would never say this golf course is easy," Ko said. "Obviously we play mixed tees. We tee off some of the black tees and the white tees and the blue tees.

"I think this golf course changes a lot depending on how the conditions are. In May, actually, it actually plays hard because it's so soft because of that time of the year.

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"The greens (are) the biggest change, I think, between a day-to-day time that I play out here and when it's tournament-ready. The superintendents do an unbelievable job making the greens as pristine as possible and as fast as possible."

Woad (four birdies, one bogey) felt she could have played better, but her position is buoyed by her first-round score.

"I looked at the leaderboard quite a lot today because I was getting annoyed," Woad said. "Seemed like there weren't that many low scores out there, so kind of knew I was still in it. The pins were probably a little trickier, so weren't as many birdies as yesterday, so I just got to keep giving myself chances is all I could do."

Woad won the Women's Irish Open last July as an amateur, then captured the Women's Scottish Open in her professional debut three weeks later.

Nelly Korda knows something about being a promising young talent. The current World No. 2 and former No. 1 is in the mix, three shots off the pace at 5 under following a 71.

Korda hasn't won an event since November 2024.

"I think the weather is going to get a little worse, so I'm going to go to the putting green, go to the range because wasn't hitting it the best today," Korda said. "Just going to figure some things out ahead of the weekend."

--Field Level Media

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Lydia Ko, Lottie Woad tied for lead at Tournament of Champions

An LPGA Hall of Famer and a 22-year-old phenom shared the 36-hole lead at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Cha...

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