Falling oil prices are pushing stocks near record highs, but drivers shouldn't expect significant relief at the gas pump just yet.
The average fuel price in the U.S. is hovering around $4.47 per gallon, down from about $4.50 two weeks ago. Experts say the decline will be slow, as the gas Americans buy today is refined from crude oil purchased weeks ago at a more expensive price. Even though oil prices have fallen to under $90 per barrel, that effect won't be felt for at least a few weeks.
Investors are watching energy markets closely as crude oil prices drop amid the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is holding, but the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The International Energy Agency says 20 million barrels of crude oil were shipped through the strait in 2025, making up about 25% of the world's seaborne oil.
Reuters has reported that Iranian state television says, per a framework deal with the U.S., Iran will restore commercial traffic within a month to pre-war levels and will manage ship traffic through the strait.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says it is critical that the strait be reopened soon.
"What's happening there is unlawful," Rubio said. "It's illegal. It's unsustainable for the world. It's unacceptable. The straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls, and obviously that needs to happen immediately as soon as anything is agreed."
If the ceasefire holds and the Strait of Hormuz opens, more oil supply will become available potentially even a surplus later this year that could trigger much lower gas prices.
Federal prosecutors have indicted two men accused of planning an ISIS-inspired attack last month during a counter-protest outside the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
According to a newly released indictment, authorities claim Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, tried to detonate two improvised explosive devices and were hoping to kill up to 60 people. But the improvised devices did not detonate and both men were quickly detained.
Investigators claim they recovered a notebook that included plans for the attack, including instructions on how to make explosive devices. Authorities say the suspects' conversations were also recorded on a family member's dashcam as they commuted from Pennsylvania to New York ahead of the attack.
According to the indictment, one of the suspects said that he wanted "to start terror" and "petrify these people." The other suspect also allegedly said that he had "calculated" how many people they could kill.
Investigators said the men also had a backup plan to throw an explosive device into a cafe or potentially use their vehicle as a bomb if their original plan failed. According to prosecutors, the suspects made it clear in their conversations that they wanted to target the government and civilians with hopes of becoming martyrs.
During the initial attack and arrest, one of the men expressed support for ISIS. Then when he was taken to police headquarters for questioning, he waived his Miranda rights and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Both suspects are being held without bail on charges that include attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.
The House Oversight Committee is preparing for months of testimony tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
High-profile figures, including Bill Gates, are expected to testify about their interactions with Epstein. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has been photographed with Epstein, has volunteered to speak with the committee but has not yet scheduled an interview.
"I mean, that's a step, but isn't this, I mean, how many years late is this?" said Jennifer Freeman, who represents a group of survivors.
While prominent names are expected to draw attention, Freeman said testimony from former assistants, lawyers and close associates could provide the most revealing details about Epsteins actions. She has called for immunity for some of Epsteins closest confidants.
"You need an inside person to tell you what was really going on," she said. "And I don't understand why there's been no effort. I do understand, but I'm frustrated that there's been no effort, you know, talk to the lieutenants."
Tova Noel, one of the correctional officers on duty the morning Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, is scheduled to appear before the committee on March 26.
Noel was charged in 2019 with falsifying records to indicate she completed required rounds, when she had not conducted a prisoner count the night Epstein died. According to a Justice Department Office of Inspector General report, surveillance video showed Noel at about 10:40 p.m. that night carrying linens to the tier where Epstein was housed.
The charges against Noel were later dismissed as part of a deal with prosecutors. Investigators have said she is believed to be among the last people to see Epstein alive.
The House Oversight Committee this week continued its inquiry into the Department of Justice's handling of its investigations of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Fireworks during a briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi are raising more questions about her pending subpoena.
Chairman James Comer brought Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in for an evening briefing Wednesday. Democrats say they found out about the format and their ability to question the officials only shortly before the briefing began. They walked out in the middle of the briefing.
"This is being staged at some kind of fake hearing," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). "She's not under oath. And she would not commit to actually going under oath and following the law."
Comer called out Democrats for what he calls a gross lack of seriousness in the proceedings. He was noncommittal to fulfilling the bipartisan subpoena issued for the Attorney General in April.
"We had the sitting attorney general and the top brass of the Department of Justice there yesterday," Comer said. "If you're mature, credible members of Congress leading the investigation, you don't want that televised because you want to get information that will hopefully lead to criminal referrals and lead to accountability."
Depositions in the investigation have previously been behind closed doors and have not been televised live. Many, but not all, have been taped and later released by the Republican majority, with some editing.
Comer said some of the five Republicans who voted for the bipartisan subpoena were embarrassed. Only Congresswoman Lauren Bobert and Congressman Tim Burchett have commented publicly.
Bondi remains under heavy scrutiny for the way the files have been handled, including questionable redactions, naming survivors and millions of files believed to be currently withheld.
A cyberattack on U.S.-based medical technology company Stryker, reportedly linked to an Iranian-backed hacking group, is raising concerns about the safety of Americans at home as the war in Iran continues.
The attack on Wednesday wiped phones and computers tied to Stryker's global systems. The Wall Street Journal reported that the logo of an Iran-linked hacking group also appeared on the company's login pages.
Stryker said in a statement that it is working to ensure its electronic ordering system is back up and running as soon as possible.
"It is safe to communicate with Stryker employees and sales representatives by email and phone, and within your facility," the statement read. "We are committed to keeping our stakeholders informed as we manage this situation. There is nothing more important to us than the customers and patients we have."
The attack comes after the FBI issued a warning that Iran plotted to carry out a revenge attack on California using drones. The FBI has also warned that Iran has set up a significant network in Mexico and in South America.
While experts warn that large-scale attacks are very unlikely, the threat still exists. Daniel Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats and Terrorism program at CSIS, said the ongoing war is also raising new questions about how Iran may approach future attacks.
"In the past, Iran has been careful about attacks on the U.S. homeland although there have been some plots," Byman said. "But there really is question right now, which is are the rules different? Is the all-out war changing how Iran approaches this? But I'm also looking at Iranian attacks on American and Israeli targets around the world. There Iran has been more aggressive over the years. We've seen Iran do attacks in places as different as Argentina and Bulgaria and southeast Asia. And of course there are a lot of Americans, there are a lot of American companies, there are a lot of Israeli and Jewish targets around the world and Iran in the past has been willing to attack these. And I think it's at least possible that they're trying to do so right now. The good news is there is a pretty aggressive counterterrorism effort to stop it, but unfortunately the terrorists only have to get lucky once."
A diary written by a young girl details graphic accounts of abuse involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The handwritten pages describe trauma she says she endured.
I think the diary was one of the most striking pieces of evidence that I've come across in the probably tens of thousands of pages of the Epstein files that I've reviewed thus far, said Eliza Orlins, a career public defender who has been reviewing the Epstein files. I found it incredibly disturbing.
Dozens of diary pages that were made public in the release of Epstein-related investigative materials focus on what the girl describes as repeated abuse, including multiple pregnancies. She provides detailed accounts of childbirth with Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly in the room and of a baby, born alive, being taken away.
In one entry, she asks herself, Why didn't I close my eyes fast enough? She writes that Maxwell told her to close my eyes and put her hands over my eyes.
In a separate coded entry, she writes: I can't bring myself to write what happened. I'm beyond broken. I only got 10 to 15 minutes to hold and feed her before they took her. She is mine. I want her back.
An image of a sonogram is glued to the same undated page. She goes on to refer to multiple pregnancies.
Tomorrow is the halfway ultrasound for Jeffrey. This one stuck. After they took the first baby who survived in the early miscarriage, I think it was called, I no longer feel like a person, but a vessel. Will they take this one too?
In a style reminiscent of teenage scrapbook collages, the girl glued magazine words onto pages to describe her abuse.
She was basically a sex slave, Orlins said. She was put through forced birth. She was put through so much trauma and horror.
Other pages are filled with prayers asking to be released from what she calls torture and hell.
To date, there are no known related investigations or charges connected to the girl who wrote the diary.
We all should be screaming and yelling and talking about why there weren't investigations, you know, why there weren't certain searches, why prosecutions weren't brought, why sweetheart deals were given, Orlins said.
It is unclear what happened to the baby or who the father is. Scripps News reached out to the law firm representing the survivor. The firm declined to comment, and Scripps News does not know the survivors identity.
A top New Mexico official is calling for an investigation into public land near Jeffrey Epsteins Zorro Ranch after a newly released email alleged that two foreign girls were buried there.
Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said she requested an investigation after learning about a 2019 email included in recently released Epstein-related documents. The email, sent to a conservative radio host, claimed that two girls were buried on public land leased near the ranch. The act was allegedly done at the direction of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking.
There was a very disturbing allegation that came out that could potentially be linked to state land, Garcia Richard said. Because I am the manager of that land. Im the elected steward of that land and what occurs there and what the land is used for is of utmost interest and importance to us at the State Land Office.
She said, to her knowledge, neither the state land nor Zorro Ranch has ever been searched as part of a criminal investigation.
From reviewing historical documents, Garcia Richard said it appears the leased state land may have been used as a buffer around the ranch.
It seems like the state land was used almost as a buffer, a shield to hide what activity was occurring on the ranch ... to insulate visibility to what was occurring there, she said.
Garcia Richard said she is concerned the land could be a potential crime scene.
If state land was used for criminal activity, that is definitely something New Mexicans need to know, she said. Those are answers that victims and survivors need to have.
Garcia Richard said she has the authority to cancel leases on state land and confirmed that any party associated with Epstein was removed from the property. The lease was canceled in 2019 and has not been issued to anyone else.
However, she said the State Land Office does not have law enforcement authority.
"We are looking to partner with other agencies that do have that capacity to investigate the land," Garcia Richard said.
Garcia Richard said technology exists in New Mexico to conduct searches for possible unmarked graves, including ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.
The land in question is fairly large, she said, but investigators would likely focus first on a specific area referenced as the hills behind Zorro Ranch, which she said is state land.
Garcia Richard said she has asked the New Mexico Department of Justice and federal authorities to get involved and plans to pursue other state partnerships if necessary.
Garcia Richard also said she reached out to the attorney generals office in 2019 seeking an investigation, but nothing was done at the time.
The Department of Justice has not released a single document pertaining to its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell since Dec. 23, and survivors aren't holding their breath that they'll see more relevant documents released any time soon.
"I'm losing faith," Epstein survivor and advocate Lisa Phillips said, "I thought when the president signed the bill, whether he wanted to or not, that we were going to get answers and the files were going to be released at some point, but just seeing what's being released, I just feel like it's a joke."
Phillips tells the Scripps News Group she's felt an increase in nervousness and anxiousness since the deadline hit on Dec. 19.
According to Phillips, the documents made public so far fail to tell a coherent or truthful story about Epstein's operation. She described the releases as superficial, where evidence has been omitted that could reveal how Epstein's trafficking network actually functioned.
"It doesn't take the audios, the videos, the emails and put it all together to paint a real picture," she explained.
The Department of Justice has said it is consulting with victims and their attorneys as it makes redactions. In repeated letters to federal judges, Attorney General Pam Bondi says her team is going through millions of documents and redacting information to protect victims. Phillips rejected that explanation, arguing that the redactions serve a very different purpose.
"They've never been worried about the victims," she said, "They're worried about politicians and powerful people" who could be embarrassed or incriminated.
Phillips pointed to Epstein's extensive use of surveillance inside his homes, saying, unless it's been destroyed, authorities already possess far more evidence than they are willing to release.
"Epstein had, in his home, cameras everywhere," she said. "They have video of every person who walked into those houses, every person who went into a room with a minor or a young woman. They can see what happened before, during, and after."
She and another survivor recently joined Congressmen Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie in asking the judge overseeing Maxwell's criminal case to appoint an independent authority to oversee the review and release of the files. The request was denied.
"It was really disappointing," she said. "The best solution would have been someone unbiased, nonpartisan, just going through the files and connecting the dots properly."
Those dots, Phillips said, stretch far beyond Epstein himself.
"Epstein had tentacles in all different areas, including academia, tech, universities, modeling agencies," she said. Phillips described Epstein as a calculated manipulator who tailored his grooming to each victim's ambitions.
"Nothing was random with Jeffrey Epstein," she said. "He worked on what you wanted."
Still, she says, even with a full release of the files, she doesn't expect to see every perpetrator behind bars.
"We know how powerful these men are," Phillips said. "Justice doesn't mean everyone goes to prison. But it does mean the truth comes out."
Phillips is arguably one of the most outspoken of the survivors. Last fall, at a press conference on Capitol Hill, she said survivors might begin naming names themselves if the government failed to act.
When Scripps News asked her about the status of the list, she said pieces have already been released.
"I've been making that a reality," she said, noting that some individuals she has publicly called out have since resigned.
This time, Phillips says, the list came from survivors realizing many of them were sent to various universities on scholarships by Epstein himself.
Maxwell has filed a habeas corpus petition with the Court, where she reveals there are four potential co-conspirators and 25 men who allegedly settled their claims. All of their identities, Maxwell says, are known to the government.
Maxwell is expected to give a virtual deposition to the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 9.
"We don't want her releasing names so she's let out of prison," she said. "We want her in prison because she did abuse young girls."
Aside from the Committee's work, she concedes there's not much appetite on Capitol Hill to pressure the administration to release the files. "They're scared," she added.
Her ire lies with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Phillips said has not kept her word.
Bondi is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in February.
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