Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from House lawmakers during a scheduled deposition at a federal prison facility in Texas, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights and declining to provide testimony in a congressional investigation into Epstein’s trafficking network. Behind closed doors, Maxwell’s legal team delivered a message to lawmakers: she would be willing to testify “fully and honestly”, but only if President Donald Trump were to grant her clemency or commute her prison sentence. Her attorney claimed that Maxwell could confirm that neither Trump nor former President Bill Clinton committed criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, framing her testimony as contingent on presidential intervention. WATCH 

A massive four-alarm fire ripped through a residential block in Elmhurst, Queens, turning multiple buildings into a wall of flames and chaos on Monday evening. The fast-moving inferno engulfed three structures, sending thick black smoke across the neighborhood and triggering a large-scale FDNY emergency response. One woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A man remains in critical condition at a nearby hospital. Eight people were injured, including two FDNY firefighters, as rescue teams worked through extreme heat, heavy smoke infiltration, and collapsing structures. Basements and residential units were quickly filled with smoke, prompting panic calls from neighbors and immediate 911 responses. WATCH