Clintons begin

depositions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told members of Congress she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and didn’t recall ever meeting him. Thursday’s testimony comes at the start of two days of depositions that will include former President Bill Clinton.

The depositions are in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, north of New York City. The depositions come after months of tense back-and-forth with the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. Hillary Clinton has said the Democratic couple’s knowledge of Epstein is “very limited.”

Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein. Republicans pledge lengthy days of questioning for both Clintons.

Cuba says its

troops killed 4

MIAMI (AP) — The Cuban government says its troops exchanged gunfire with a Florida-registered speedboat of armed Cuban expatriates, killing four people and wounding six. Cuban officials say the boat neared the island and opened fire first.

They say Cuban soldiers shot back, and later found guns, explosives, and combat gear on board. Relatives in Miami say one man killed, Michel Ortega Casanova, lives in the U.S. and often dreamed of toppling Cuba’s government.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio questions Cuba’s account and says the U.S. will gather its own facts.

Judge allows

ballroom work

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project. The preservationists sought an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.

Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from a pair of federal review panels. Trump hailed the ruling, but the National Trust said the judge’s decision also determined it had standing to continue the case.