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Billionaire Leon Black sues US House committee over Epstein investigation

2026-09-03T16:04:36.219Z / Reuters

Leon Black, Chairman, CEO and Director, Apollo Global Management, LLC, speaks at the Milken Institute’s 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

• Summary
• Companies

• Leon Black sues House Oversight Committee to block subpoenas
• Black claims lawmakers launched an unlawful “fishing expedition”
• Black’s testimony is crucial, House Oversight Chairman says

NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Wall Street billionaire Leon Black on Thursday sued a congressional committee that had ordered ​him to provide lawmakers with copies of non-disclosure agreements as part of a probe into the activities of the late convicted ‌sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In June, Black refused to answer questions from lawmakers about victims of Epstein’s abuse and the agreements. He declined to appear at a deposition the committee had scheduled for Thursday. He accused lawmakers of exceeding their constitutional authority when they subpoenaed him to provide ​the agreements.

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In a complaint filed in Washington federal court, Black alleged that the House Oversight Committee and its chairman James ​Comer weaponized a voluntary June interview to launch an unlawful “fishing expedition.”

Black, the co-founder of private equity giant Apollo Global Management

(APO.N)
, ⁠said the committee’s subpoenas have no legitimate legislative purpose and threaten to violate the privacy of women who have no connection to ​the Epstein scandal.

“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black. We ​were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power,” Susan Estrich, attorney for Black, said in a statement.

The committee is proceeding with Thursday’s deposition to formally document the Apollo co-founder’s absence before discussing next steps, House Oversight Chairman James ​Comer said in a statement. He defended the probe’s scope, saying it aims to uncover how federal authorities mishandled the Epstein ​and Ghislaine Maxwell cases for decades, and how Epstein leveraged powerful connections to evade justice.

Epstein was found dead in a New York ‌City ⁠jail cell in 2019, and his death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after a 2021 conviction for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.

“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people,” Comer said. “Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee-paying ​clients and has several nondisclosure ​agreements.”

EPSTEIN TIES, APOLLO FALLOUT

Black ⁠is one of several prominent political and business figures who have been called to testify about their ties to the late financier. Black relinquished the chief executive role at Apollo in ​2021 after an external law firm found he had paid Epstein $158 million for tax and ​estate planning.

Thursday’s scheduled deposition followed ⁠a voluntary private appearance Black made in June.

On that occasion, Black told the committee he never abused women or engaged in sex trafficking and had never had sex with underage women. He walked out during the interview, according to members of the committee, who ordered him to ⁠come back ​to testify under oath and subsequently subpoenaed him for documents.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 ​to state prostitution charges and served 13 months in jail. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.

Apollo declined to ​comment on Black’s appearance this week.

Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru and Isla Binnie in New York; Editing by David Gregorio

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Mamdani gives influencers special access as Signal use raises records-law questions

2026-09-03T13:27:14-04:00 / Fox News

Mamdani’s ‘influencer army’ pushes his NYC agenda and programs — with taxpayers footing some of the bill

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published September 3, 2026 1:27pm EDT

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faces questions about the Signal chat City Hall uses to reach his 200-strong ‘influencer’ army

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is giving special access to a network of more than 200 social media influencers who take City Hall talking points and videos to promote municipal programs online to residents, according to a new report.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is giving special access to a network of approximately 200 social media influencers who take City Hall talking points and videos to promote municipal programs online to residents, according to a new report.

The report, by the Columbia Journalism Review, highlights that the online personalities get their talking points through an encrypted Signal group text, called “NYC Creators Announcements.”

Signal offers a disappearing-messages feature that can automatically delete messages after a set period of time if enabled. It is unclear whether that feature is active in the Mamdani administration’s group, raising questions about compliance with city record-keeping laws.

Questioned by reporters whether the use of Signal possibly breaks city laws, Mamdani said, “My administration will always strive to fully comply with all legal requirements, including those that relate to the preservation of city records.”

THIS IS WHAT MAMDANI JUST BANNED FOR NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York on Feb. 17, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“If there are any departures from what is legally required, my administration will look into it immediately and take corrective action,” Mamdani added on Wednesday.

The use of Signal for government communications made major headlines last year, when then-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came under fire after sensitive, real-time details about U.S. military strikes were shared in a Signal group that included a journalist.

The Columbia Journalism Review report also said influencers are not paid by the city for participating in the group or for their coverage, although some receive payments from marketing and advertising firms with contracts from city agencies for work on specific messaging campaigns. The municipal programs promoted include voting, healthcare, immigration and tenants’ rights, participatory budgeting and composting.

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers his inauguration address, on Jan. 1, 2026, outside City Hall in New York City.(Fox News / Pool)

City employees told researchers the payments to influencers for their work ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 per campaign, according to the report.

The Signal group was formed out of Creators4Zohran, a group that supported Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign. Mamdani rocked the political world by winning election as the first socialist mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

The group chat is steered by Emilia Rowland, the New York City director of new media and cultural communications. Rowland and her staff push out daily updates, talking points, and clips that the influencers can use in their posts.

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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 4, 2025, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Mamdani defeated Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the closely watched election for New York City mayor.(Michael M. Santiago/Getty)

The chat operates like a traditional press list used by communications teams to send updates and information to reporters.

Cities are increasingly using influencers to promote municipal services, policies and to engage the public more directly than through traditional media.

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Video

“New Yorkers get their news in a wide variety of ways, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we communicate information from city government directly to the people of the city, whether that means to all of you, to TV, to radio, to social media, to content creators and so on and so forth,” Mamdani emphasized.

Fox News Digital reached out to City Hall but didn’t receive a response at the time this report was published.

Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News

Social Security overpaid a woman by $35,000. Now the agency wants its money back — pronto.

September 3, 2026 / 1:59 PM EDT / CBS News

More than 75 million Americans rely on Social Security checks each month to help them get by. But sometimes recipients get a financially painful surprise: a notice from the Social Security Administration that their retirement or disability benefits were overpaid — often by thousands of dollars — and that they need to repay the money. Fast.

That’s what happened to one Social Security recipient in her mid-seventies who was recently told she owes the agency $35,000. She isn’t alone: The agency sends millions of overpayment notices to beneficiaries each year.

Even if the overpayment is the agency’s fault, the recipient is still on the hook for repayment.

The woman spoke with CBS News on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from the agency as she navigates an appeal process.

The bad news started earlier this year when her monthly benefit check was suddenly reduced in February by about $600, leaving her with around $2,700 per month after taxes, voluntary withholding and Medicare deductions.

“I started calling Social Security to figure out what happened and [to share] why I was upset about it,” she said.

According to a copy of a letter the agency sent the woman that was viewed by CBS News, the Social Security Administration reduced her monthly payment “to correct [her] benefit amount.” No other explanation was provided, the woman said.

Then came an even bigger shock: The Social Security Administration sent a notice in August informing the woman that she owed tens of thousands of dollars. The agency said it had been overpaying her for the past four years, which coincides with the timeline for when she started claiming her own benefits.

She said the agency has not provided an explanation for why it overpaid her. As far as she knows, she didn’t do anything wrong.

In the letter, Social Security informed her that she had 30 days to repay the full balance. If she couldn’t, the agency would reduce her benefits by 50% for two years starting in December to recover the overpayment, leaving her with around $1,350 a month.

“I’m alarmed,” she said, adding, “I’m trying to sort out what I should do next at this point because I was already underway with a plan.”

The Social Security Administration didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Why does SSA issue clawbacks?

So-called clawbacks occur when the Social Security Administration overpays beneficiaries and then requests the money back. Last year, the agency told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that it sends overpayment notices to roughly 2 million people a year across its benefit programs.

According to Social Security’s website, overpayments occur “because of missing or wrong information.” That can happen if people fail to tell Social Security about changes that could affect the agency’s benefit calculation, such as changes to their income or marital status.

Even if people do report the changes, they may still unexpectedly find themselves on the hook for overpayment, said Nancy Altman, the president of the advocacy group Social Security Works.

“SSA is so understaffed that even when people do report changes in a timely manner, they don’t always get inputted in time to stop an improper payment,” she said in an email. “That means someone could get overpaid for several months, without their knowledge.”

One of the most common reasons for overpayment is that beneficiaries who claim Social Security before they reach their full retirement age — 67 for people born in 1960 or later — face an income cap, said Martha Shedden, the president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts. Earning above that threshold can reduce the Social Security benefits they are entitled to receive, potentially leading to overpayment, she said.

“That can go unnoticed due to a delay in the earnings being reported to the SSA,” she told CBS News in an email.

In other cases, it boils down to number-crunching mistakes. Sometimes the agency miscalculates the person’s original benefit, Shedden said. Errors can also crop up for people who receive more than one type of Social Security benefit, Shedden added.

People are still required to repay the agency, even if they are not at fault. Altman said the best way to address this issue would be to change the law.

“When an overpayment is made through no fault of the beneficiary, the government should absorb the cost,” she said.

Whatever the cause, overpayments can stretch back years before people are notified, as was the case with the woman who spoke with CBS News on the condition of anonymity.

The Social Security Administration gives recipients 30 days to repay the agency. If the person does not take steps to challenge the overpayment, the agency automatically withholds 50% of the person’s Social Security benefit or 10% of their Supplemental Security Income until it’s repaid, according to its website.

What should I do if I find myself in this situation?

While receiving an overpayment notice can be a shock, experts say Social Security recipients have options and shouldn’t panic.

“People should understand that an overpayment notice is a determination by Social Security, not the final word,” Shedden said. “SSA can make mistakes, and beneficiaries have the right to challenge both the existence of the overpayment and the amount.”

While making a field office appointment may be difficult due to understaffing, recipients can try calling the agency directly for information, Altman said. If the agency doesn’t respond, they can contact a member of Congress, who may be able to elevate their case, she added.

If recipients want to challenge the overpayment, they have two options.

They can file an appeal saying that they disagree with the overpayment amount or the assertion that they were overpaid at all. People have 60 days to file the appeal, called a Request for Reconsideration (Form SSA-561-U2). However, they must file within 30 days for Social Security to pause collection.

If the person cannot afford to repay the amount they allegedly owe, believes the overpayment was not their fault or feels the request is unfair, they can submit what’s called a Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery (Form SSA-632-BK) asking the agency not to collect. That can be filed at any point.

Recent data on the approval rate for these waivers is scarce. A 2015 Office of the Inspector General report found that approvals can vary drastically from state to state, with some field offices approving 96% and others approving 30% or less.

How to find help

Given how cumbersome the process can be, experts advise people to turn to legal aid groups or Social Security specialists for assistance.

“The most important action is do not delay, and if a deadline has passed, people should still file the appropriate forms and make sure everything is in writing, including logging calls, saving emails and copies of SSA forms, etc.,” Shedden said.

The woman who spoke to CBS News is now working with an advisor to navigate the appeal process, which is keeping Social Security’s collection process on pause. But that’s providing little relief as she tries to plan for her future.

She told CBS News that she started reducing her workload around six months ago, confident that her savings and Social Security benefits would cover her expenses. But that’s all up in the air now.

“Now I’ve lost income. Now they want money back,” she said, adding, “I don’t know what my retirement, if I go forward with it, what it looks like.”

US convenience stores say looming healthy food rule puts food stamps use at risk

2026-09-03 18:11:21 UTC / Reuters

By Leah Douglas

September 3, 2026 6:11 PM UTC Updated 43 mins ago

A general view of the tobacco section of a 7-Eleven store at Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Jessica DiNapoli/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Thousands of U.S. convenience stores could stop accepting food stamps unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture delays enforcement of ​a rule requiring those stores to stock more fresh produce ‌and protein, according to a letter sent this week from nearly 250 stores to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The USDA in May issued a final rule that ​requires retailers accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also called food ​stamps, to meet the expanded stocking standards by November 4.

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But ⁠the industry has not received adequate guidance from the USDA on ​how to meet the new compliance standards, according to the letter sent ​August 31 by the stores and their trade associations, the National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Truck Stop Owners and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers.

The ​USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here are more ​details:

• The USDA rule requires retailers to offer at least seven varieties in each of ‌four ⁠staple food categories to accept SNAP benefits: dairy, vegetables or fruits, grains and protein
• Retailers that do not meet the new requirements will be withdrawn from participating in SNAP
• More than 117,000 convenience stores participate in SNAP, ​the largest share of ​any store ⁠format and nearly half of all SNAP-authorized stores, according to the letter
• Retailers want the USDA to delay enforcement ​for 6 months after further guidance is issued, to ​give time ⁠to source compliant products, negotiate with distributors and restock shelves
• Convenience stores say they play a critical role in food access for people with unusual ⁠schedules or ​who live in areas without grocery stores
• The ​letter was signed by outposts of major chains, including 7-Eleven, Wawa, Sheetz and RaceTrac, along ​with smaller operators

Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Gas prices are surging just before Labor Day, as diesel nears an all-time high

September 3, 2026 / 3:41 PM EDT / CBS News
By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch

Gasoline prices are surging ahead of Labor Day, with AAA predicting travelers will face the highest pump prices on record for the holiday weekend amid ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.

The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.14 a gallon Thursday, up 4 cents from a week earlier, according to AAA data. Diesel averaged $5.78 a gallon, just below its record of $5.81 set in June 2022.

Gas prices have never eclipsed $4 per gallon on Labor Day, the motor club noted.

“Even though gasoline demand decreases this time of year, typically bringing down gas prices, this year is different due to the high cost of crude oil,” AAA said in a report.

Although inflation has cooled from its post-pandemic highs, high fuel costs are squeezing consumers and businesses alike. Since the start of the Iran war, higher gas and diesel prices have cost Americans more than $741 per household, according to a tracker from Brown University.

Soaring diesel costs are raising expenses for trucking, construction, agriculture and other industries that rely on heavy-duty vehicles and machinery.

“Diesel is just a couple of ticks away from hitting a new record,” GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan told CBS News. “That will happen.”

High diesel prices can stoke inflation by raising the cost of transporting goods across the U.S., thereby pushing up consumer prices.

“The everyday consumer will see higher diesel prices in the consumer goods they purchase,” said Susan Bell, senior vice president of downstream research at Rystad Energy. “Think of the groceries that get shipped around the nation, and fruits and vegetables that come from California and move by truck or rail. It’s inflationary.”

President Trump on Tuesday met with U.S. oil refiners to discuss increasing capacity as the White House seeks to contain sky-high oil prices.

Last week, he also struck a deal with Venezuela to gain control of about 65 billion barrels of its proven oil reserves. But energy experts caution that it could take years for those fields to yield enough crude to move the needle on fuel prices in the U.S.

Energy analysts say fuel prices are likely to remain elevated until shipping resumes in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.

Oil prices rose again Thursday as Iran claimed new strikes targeting U.S. forces across the Middle East. In afternoon trading, the price of Brent crude, the international standard, was $95.55 per barrel, while the U.S. benchmark hovered around $91.50.

Oil accounts for about half the cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. The rest is a combination of refining, taxes and marketing, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The time of year also influences gas prices, as demand for fuel rises during warmer months.

“Typically, prices decline in the fall, but right now, it has more to do with geopolitical tensions that could change at a moment’s notice,” De Haan said.

GOP lawmaker gives expected timeline for Mitch McConnell’s return

2026-09-03 12:06 PM ET / CNN

By Annie Grayer

Updated Sep 3, 2026, 12:24 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 3, 2026, 12:06 PM ET

Sen. Mitch McConnell delivers an opening statement during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, on Capitol Hill on May 12.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File

House Oversight Chair James Comer of Kentucky said Thursday that Sen. Mitch McConnell’s staff have told him they are hoping the senator – who has had an extended absence from Washington due to health issues – will return when the Senate comes back into session on September 14.

Although he said he has not spoken to McConnell directly, Comer said he communicates regularly with the senator’s staff as their offices often work together on matters for their state.

Asked if McConnell is expected to be back at that time, Comer said, “I expect that. I sure hope so.”

“I have not talked to Leader McConnell. I’ve talked to his staff, many of whom are from my district originally. And they have all said it’s their goal for Senator McConnell to be here when the Senate comes in,” Comer said.

Stephanie Penn, a spokesperson for McConnell’s office told CNN on Wednesday when asked if there is a date for his return that there are “no scheduling announcements at this time.”

McConnell spokesman David Popp on Thursday referred CNN to the office’s latest statement.

The former Senate majority leader, who is 84 and not running for reelection, was admitted to the hospital on June 14, but his office did not disclose the reason for the hospitalization at the time.

In July, after weeks of speculation over his health status, McConnell announced that a fall had landed him in the hospital.

The senator then moved to a rehabilitation center to continue regaining his strength and later announced he was discharged in early August and would continue to recover at home.

The Senate is currently in a five-week recess period for the summer and will return Monday, September 14.

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed

Rep Ralph Norman affirms that he’ll ‘support’ ex-rival Sen Darline Graham in election

September 3, 2026 12:22pm EDT / Fox News

Norman said that ‘defeating the Democrats and protecting our conservative values must remain the priority’

By Alex Nitzberg

Ralph Norman responds to question about whether he would support Sen. Darline Graham

Rep. Ralph Norman responds after being asked on Aug. 31 whether there is “a world where” he would “campaign for or support, even tacitly,” Sen. Darline Graham. (Credit: CSPAN)

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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., indicated in a Wednesday post on X that he would “support” Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate general election contest.

“As I said repeatedly on the campaign trail, my fight was never with other Republicans. It’s with the socialist Democrats and the RINOs who enable them,” Norman said in part of the post. “I respect the decision of South Carolina voters, and I congratulate Senator Darline Graham on winning the Republican nomination. I will support our Republican nominee in November because defeating the Democrats and protecting our conservative values must remain the priority.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to fill the vacancy following her brother’s death in July.

Then in August, the new senator, who was backed by President Donald Trump, defeated Norman in the South Carolina special Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff.

TRUMP ENDORSEMENT BOOSTS SISTER OF LATE LINDSEY GRAHAM TO HISTORIC RUNOFF VICTORY

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks to the media as he departs a House Republican conference meeting in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

During remarks the day he lost the runoff last week, Norman had said he would “support” the senator the “best I can.”

But earlier this week, someone asked Norman whether there is “a world where” he would “campaign for or support, even tacitly,” Sen. Darline Graham.

THE PRIMARY IS OVER; NOW COME THE PRIMETIME MISTAKES

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a campaign event at the Green Boundary Club on Aug. 24, 2026, in Aiken, S.C.(Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“She won the nomination,” Norman replied. “What I disagree with, she got all of her money from Washington D.C. The liberal PACs, Lisa Murkowski supported her. That’s concerning.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Graham’s campaign on Thursday but did not immediately hear back. Fox News Digital also reached out to Murkowski’s office, which declined to provide comment.

President Donald Trump congratulates U.S. Sen. Darline Graham after she spoke during a campaign rally at Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Aug. 21, 2026.(SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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Dr. Annie Andrews is the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee running against Graham in the general election.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

ICE agent charged with lying over Minnesota shooting, source says

2026-09-03T19:35:29.788Z / reuters.com

The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is embroidered on a polo shirt of an ICE employee in Arlington, Texas, U.S. August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Federal indictment charges Castro with six counts of lying to investigators, source says
• Charges to be unsealed once Castro is in custody, source says
• DHS had suspended Castro for making false statements

WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) – An immigration officer has ​been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements about the shooting of a ‌Venezuelan man in Minnesota during a deportation surge last winter, according to a source familiar with the matter on Thursday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro was indicted on six counts of lying to investigators, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak ​publicly about the investigation. The charges will be unsealed once Castro is in custody, the person said.

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The charges ​are an extraordinary step by a Justice Department that has refrained from alleging criminal wrongdoing by federal officers. This is the ⁠first known Justice Department prosecution of a federal immigration officer over wrongdoing in the Minneapolis operation, part of President Donald Trump’s ​immigration crackdown.

Castro faces state charges in Minnesota for shooting and wounding Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14, at ​the height of Trump’s deportation campaign in Minnesota, which drew weeks of protest.

There is an active Minnesota state arrest warrant for Castro, who spent 90 days in a Texas county jail. He was released last week after Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said he was refusing to sign ​extradition papers sent by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat.

The state charges also include falsely reporting a crime after Castro allegedly ​wrongly told superiors at the Department of Homeland Security that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom, which was ‌disproved by ⁠video evidence.

DHS has suspended Castro, and the person familiar with the case said a civil rights investigation is ongoing and no decision has been reached yet in that matter.

Matt Evans, a federal prosecutor who had been working on the case, was fired this week after ProPublica reported he sent an email to Sosa-Celis’ lawyers saying DOJ attorneys had stopped his efforts to bring ​federal charges, according to the person ​familiar with the case. ⁠Evans is now being investigated for obstruction of a grand jury investigation, the person said.

Castro has not publicly addressed the state charges against him since his release from the Cameron County jail ​last week, and he could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.

The Trump administration ​has largely defended ⁠the conduct of ICE agents, saying incorrectly that they have absolute immunity from state prosecutions.

Robin Wolpert, a lawyer for Sosa-Celis, said in a statement her client wants Castro to be held “fully accountable” with stronger civil rights charges. “Mr. Castro has been indicted for making false ⁠statements,” she ​said. “But he made them to cover up the fact that he shot ​my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification.”

The ACLU of Minnesota announced on Thursday that it will represent Sosa-Celis as he sues ​the Trump administration.

Reporting by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff in Washington, D.C. and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Elon Musk’s super PAC starts spending to help GOP in midterms, including Texas’ Ken Paxton

Sep 3, 2026, 12:43 PM ET / CNN

By Fredreka Schouten

Elon Musk looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks in Washington, DC on November 19, 2025.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Elon Musk’s super PAC has disclosed its first spending on behalf of Republican candidates, providing roughly $800,000 to help congressional contenders across several states, new filings show.

The expenditures by America PAC, made in August and disclosed on Wednesday night to the Federal Election Commission, cover printing costs – a sign that Musk’s political operation is focused on direct voter outreach. The spending includes help for candidates competing in high-profile Senate races from Maine to Texas.

The largest share of the newly disclosed spending, more than $247,000, went to aid Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who has been vastly outspent on the airwaves by Texas’ Democratic nominee James Talarico. In recent weeks, America PAC’s feed on X has targeted Talarico, arguing that his views are out of touch with Texas voters.

Musk, the world’s richest person, already is one of the biggest funders in the midterm elections, plowing more than $50 million into his America PAC and donating $10 million each to the main Republican super PACs active in House and Senate races. He also has given $10 million to a super PAC active in Kentucky’s Senate race.

Other races where America PAC has made early investments include Senate contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and Ohio and key House races in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The activity marks a reengagement in Republican politics for Musk more than a year after he publicly bickered with President Donald Trump. At one point, he threatened to start his own political party before abandoning those plans and reconciling with Trump.

The PAC has committed to helping Republicans retain their House and Senate majorities in November’s midterm elections, spending both to defend Republican-held seats and pick up districts now held by Democrats, according to a source familiar with the committee’s plans.

DOJ charges ICE officer who shot immigrant in Minnesota with lying to investigators

September 3, 2026 / 1:10 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Federal prosecutors have charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Venezuelan immigrant in Minnesota with making false statements to investigators about the incident, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News.

The officer, Christian Castro, was charged in May by local prosecutors, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has refused to extradite him, prompting a legal battle. He was released from a Texas jail last week.

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment Wednesday, but the case has not yet been unsealed, the sources said. Law enforcement officers are currently trying to locate Castro, one source said. The Associated Press first reported Castro had been charged by federal prosecutors.

The shooting at the center of the case occurred during the Trump administration’s federal immigration surge in Minnesota, just a week after agents killed Renee Good.

In January, two men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were hit with federal charges of forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers. Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, had been shot by an ICE agent in the leg.

Accounts of the interaction that led to the shooting shifted in the immediate aftermath. The Department of Homeland Security initially said Sosa-Celis fled a traffic stop, crashed the vehicle and fled on foot. DHS said two men emerged from a nearby apartment and attacked the agent with a broom handle and snow shovel. Sosa-Celis allegedly broke free and also started striking the officer, DHS said, adding that an officer then fired a “defensive shot to defend his life.”

But an FBI affidavit filed to support the charges against the two men said Aljorna was the one who fled, and that Sosa-Celis initially struck Castro with a broomstick while the agent tried to arrest Aljorna. And cellphone video shared by a Democratic state lawmaker showed a woman telling 911 that her husband was chased by ICE agents before he reached his home, and was shot in front of his family.

Christian Castro Cameron County Sheriff

The charges against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis soon unraveled. Federal prosecutors dropped the case in February, citing “newly discovered evidence” that was “materially inconsistent” with the allegations against them. The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they could not be reintroduced.

Todd Lyons, then the acting head of ICE, said that video evidence contradicted statements made under oath by Castro and a second officer. Both were placed on leave. Castro has since been suspended without pay.

“Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” Lyons said at the time. “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense.”