United News of Bangladesh

Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, have agreed to testify before a congressional committee investigating the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, just days before lawmakers are due to vote on whether to hold them in criminal contempt of Congress. The decision follows months of standoff with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, which late last month approved a motion to hold the Clintons in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas. Several Democrats backed the move. Confirmation of the Clintons’ agreement came on Monday evening from Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, who said the couple would appear before the panel. However, it remains unclear when the depositions will take place. If it goes ahead, the testimony would mark the first time a former US president has appeared before a congressional committee since Gerald Ford did so in 1983. Bill Clinton has acknowledged past contact with Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, but has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. He has said he severed ties with Epstein more than 20 years ago and has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse. Ureña said the Clintons had previously cooperated by providing sworn written statements and sharing what they described as limited information they possessed about Epstein. He criticised the committee’s approach, accusing it of acting in bad faith and pursuing partisan objectives. The Clintons have dismissed the subpoenas as an attempt to embarrass political opponents, alleging the move was politically motivated. In a letter sent last month to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, they accused him of mishandling the investigation and said the panel’s actions had hindered efforts to uncover facts about the government’s role in the Epstein case. Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, has rejected those claims, noting that the subpoenas were authorised by a bipartisan vote and insisting that no one is above the law. He said the committee had given Clinton’s legal team multiple opportunities to appear voluntarily, accusing them of repeatedly delaying. Epstein’s private jet flight logs show that Bill Clinton took four international trips aboard the financier’s aircraft in 2002 and 2003. Photographs released by the US Department of Justice last December also show Clinton at Epstein’s estate, including images of him swimming in a pool and relaxing in what appears to be a hot tub. Clinton’s spokesman said the images were decades old and predated any public knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. The Oversight Committee’s investigation forms part of a broader congressional effort to review government handling of Epstein’s case, following the release of large volumes of previously sealed records mandated by law.   With inputs from BBC

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has been admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington following a fever, according to his spokesperson. The 78-year-old was hospitalized Monday afternoon for observation and tests, as stated by his deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena. Clinton is reportedly in good spirits and appreciates the care he is receiving. Biden's final overseas tour to include Pope Francis and PM Meloni Clinton, a Democrat who served as president from January 1993 to January 2001, recently addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and supported Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in her unsuccessful presidential campaign earlier this year. Over the years, Clinton has faced several health challenges. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 after experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath. The following year, he required surgery for a partially collapsed lung, and in 2010, he had two stents implanted in a coronary artery. To improve his health, Clinton adopted a primarily vegan diet, which helped him lose weight and boost his overall well-being. Extreme heat at Colorado airshow sickens about 100 people with 10 hospitalized, officials say In 2021, he was hospitalized in California for six days due to a urological infection that had spread to his bloodstream. Though serious, he avoided septic shock and was placed in a hospital section with intensive care capabilities, but did not require ICU treatment. Clinton's spokesperson has assured the public that he is recovering well and remains in positive spirits.

Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to a Southern California hospital Tuesday with an infection but he is “on the mend,” his spokesman said Thursday. Clinton, 75, was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday evening for a non-COVID-related infection, Angel Ureña said in a statement. “He is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care,” Ureña said. Also read: Clinton jabs again at Sanders, says he didn't unite party A second statement from Clinton's spokesman quoted physicians Dr. Alpesh Amin and Dr. Lisa Bardack, who said the former president has been “administered IV antibiotics and fluids.” "After two days of treatment, his white blood cell count is trending down and he is responding to antibiotics well,” the doctors said. “The California-based medical team has been in constant communication with the President’s New York-based medical team, including his cardiologist. We hope to have him go home soon.” In the years since Clinton left the White House in 2001, the former president has faced health scares. In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath. He returned to the hospital for surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and in 2010 had a pair of stents implanted in a coronary artery. He responded by embracing a largely vegan diet that saw him lose weight and report improved health. Also read: Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny co-writing mystery novel He repeatedly returned to the stump, campaigning for Democratic candidates, mostly notably his wife, Hillary, during her failed 2008 bid for the presidential nomination. And in 2016, as Hillary Clinton sought the White House as the Democratic nominee, Bill Clinton — by then a grandfather and nearing 70 — returned to the campaign trail. A spokesman for the Clinton Foundation said the former president was in the Los Angeles area for private events related to his charitable organization. The UCI Medical Center is in Orange County, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.