President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The FBI has made an arrest in its nearly 5-year-old investigation into who placed pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The arrest marks the first time investigators have settled on a suspect in an act that had long vexed law enforcement, spawned a multitude of conspiracy theories and remained an enduring mystery in the shadow of the dark chapter of American history that is the violent Capitol siege.

The pipe bombs were placed on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021, near the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees in the District of Columbia. Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal.

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Melania Trump says 7 more children have been reunited with family in Ukraine

The first lady says the children are six boys and one girl.

That brings to at least 15 children who’ve been reunited with their families after they were separated by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Melania Trump announced in October that eight children were back with family following ongoing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She had written Putin a letter and had her husband, President Donald Trump, hand delivered it when the leaders met in Alaska in August.

? Read more about Melania Trump’s efforts to reunite families in Ukraine

Republican Matt Van Epps swiftly sworn into the US House

The newest member of Congress won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee this week that helped maintain the GOP’s slim grip on power in the chamber.

House Speaker Mike Johnson swiftly swore Van Epps into office, a speedy addition to the GOP ranks — in stark contrast to the seven-week long delay in swearing in the newest Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona. Johnson had refused to swear her into office during the government shutdown.

A West Point graduate and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District.

Admiral Bradley arrives on Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on boat strike

Lawmakers have many questions for Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who the White House has said ordered the follow-on strike on the alleged drug boat off the Venezuelan coast that’s drawn grave scrutiny.

The military attack reportedly on survivors in the water has led to questions of its legality. Some lawmakers have called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign.

Bradley is expected to speak to top leaders of the congressional committees handling national security matters during a day of meetings at the Capitol.

New York Times suing Pentagon over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new press rules

The New York Times filed the lawsuit Thursday against the Pentagon, attempting to overturn new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that have led to most mainstream media outlets being banished from the building.

The newspaper said the rules violate constitutional freedom of speech and due process provisions, since they give Hegseth the power to determine on his own whether a reporter should be banned. Outlets like The Times walked out of the Pentagon rather than agree to the rules as a condition for getting a press credential.

The Trump administration has instead populated the Pentagon press room with mostly conservative outlets that agreed to the rules, who participated Tuesday in a briefing with Hegseth’s press secretary.

“The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes,” said Charles Stadtlander, spokesperson for the newspaper. The Times filed the case with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

? Read more about The New York Times lawsuit against the Pentagon

FBI makes arrest in investigation into pipe bombs placed in DC on eve of Jan. 6 riot, AP source says

The FBI has made an arrest in its nearly into who placed pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of at the U.S. Capitol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The arrest marks the first time investigators have settled on a suspect in an act that had long vexed law enforcement, spawned a multitude of conspiracy theories and remained an enduring mystery in the shadow of the dark chapter of American history that is the violent Capitol siege.

The official who described the arrest spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss a case that hasn’t yet been made public. The arrest took place Thursday morning and the suspect is a man, the official said. No other details were immediately available, including the charges the person might face.

The pipe bombs were placed on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021, near the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees in the District of Columbia. Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal.

— Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer

? Read more about the pipe bomb investigation

Trump hosting the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign key deal for peace in eastern Congo

The peace signing Thursday will also open access to the region’s critical minerals for the U.S. government and American companies.

Lauded by the White House as a “historic” agreement brokered by President Trump, the so-called Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity between Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda follows monthslong peace efforts by the U.S. and partners, including the African Union and Qatar, and finalizes an earlier deal signed in June.

The Central African nation of Congo has been battered by decadeslong fighting with more than 100 armed groups, the most potent being the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The conflict escalated this year, with M23 seizing the region’s main cities of Goma and Bukavu in an unprecedented advance, worsening a humanitarian crisis that was already one of the world’s largest with millions displaced.

? Read more about the peace deal between Congo and Rwanda

Trump proposal would weaken vehicle mileage rules that limit air pollution

Trump on Wednesday announced a proposal to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry, loosening regulatory pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks.

The plan, if finalized next year, would significantly reduce fuel economy requirements, which set rules on how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline, through the 2031 model year. The administration and automakers say the rules will increase Americans’ access to the full range of gasoline vehicles they need and can afford.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projects that the new standards would set the industry fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles at roughly 34.5 miles per gallon in the 2031 model year, down from a projected 50.4 miles per gallon in 2031 under the Biden-era rule.

The move is the latest action by the Trump administration to reverse Biden-era policies that encouraged cleaner-running cars and trucks, including electric vehicles, and it sparked criticism from environmental groups. Burning gasoline for vehicles is a major contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

? Read more about the president’s proposed plan

Trump is fighting the Institute of Peace in court. Now, his name is on the building

The Trump administration has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after Trump and has planted the president’s name on the organization’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute’s control.

It’s the latest twist in a seesaw court battle over who controls the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives. It was an early target of the Department of Government Efficiency this year.

On Wednesday, the State Department said it renamed the organization to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace to “reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.” The new name could be seen on its building, which is near the State Department.

Trump has spent months openly lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize even though he was passed over for this year’s installment — arguing he had a hand in easing a series of conflicts around the world. But Trump has also ordered strikes on suspected drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela and repeatedly threatened that attacks on land could be coming, which would be an act of war against that country.

? Read more about Trump’s legal battle with USIP

Pentagon knew boat attack left survivors but still launched a follow-on strike, AP sources say

The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The rationale for the second strike was that it was needed to sink the vessel, according to the people familiar with the matter who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. The Trump administration says all 11 people aboard were killed.

What remains unclear was who ordered the strikes and whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was involved, one of the people said. The details are becoming crucial as lawmakers have launched investigations and are seeking to determine whether the U.S. acted lawfully during its military operations.

Hegseth is under growing scrutiny over the department’s strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, and in particular the follow-on strike that reportedly killed survivors. Some legal experts and lawmakers say that the strike would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict.

— Lisa Mascaro

? Read more about the revelations

Lawmakers will hear from Navy admiral who ordered attack that killed boat strike survivors

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders for the U.S. military to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is expected Thursday on Capitol Hill to provide a classified briefing to top congressional lawmakers overseeing national security.

The information from Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who is now the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, comes at a potentially crucial moment in the unfolding congressional investigation into how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth handled the military operation in international waters near Venezuela. There are mounting questions over whether the strike may have violated the law.

Lawmakers are seeking a full accounting of the strikes after The Washington Post reported that Bradley on Sept. 2 ordered an attack on two survivors to comply with Hegseth’s directive to “kill everybody.” Legal experts say the attack amounts to a crime if the survivors were targeted, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding accountability.

Bradley will speak to a handful of top congressional leaders, including the Republican chairs and ranking Democrats of the House and Senate committees on Armed Services, and separately to the GOP chairman and Democratic vice chairman on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

? Read more about the hearing

News from © The Associated Press, 2025