Nate Witkins @NateCNN

Following Jimmy Lai’s 20-year sentence in Hong Kong this week, his daughter Claire told me she fears it is effectively a death sentence: “Absolutely. I mean, my father is 78. The average life expectancy of a male in Hong Kong is 83. That is, he is five years away from that I mean, he doesn't have ten years, let alone 20. And he suffers from a litany of health issues like his heart diabetes you know, and so on so, you know if if this sentence is carried out, this is absolutely a death sentence.” @SupportJimmyLai

Iranian photojournalist @yaldamoayeri gave me a riveting eyewitness account of the anti-government protests in #Iran and the brutal crackdown, told with her powerful photographs. Yalda bravely shared her stories and images despite regime threats to arrest her. This is worth a few moments of your time.

As Poland investigates potential links between Epstein and Russian intelligence, I asked Polish FM @sikorskiradek for an update: “It was the KGB that gave us the concept of the honeytrap…we are investigating because there are names in the files of potential Polish victims, as well as Polish potential perpetrators. So I think this is a serious matter which needs investigating.”

Do you buy the WH explanation this was just a staffer? Congressional Black Caucus Chair @RepYvetteClarke “Well, we know that they always run for cover whenever they're called out for their inhumanity and the horrible things that they have done in the public square…it's egregious. We cannot have president of the United States that expresses such disdain and hatred and bigotry towards a significant part of our civil society. And that's what Donald Trump has done. That's what he continues to do.”

Question: Should democrats shut down the govt to get the changes they’re demanding to immigration operations? @RepSwalwell: “We should shut down the public executions. And most of the government is already funded. We're talking about the Department of Homeland Security, and I'm not going to vote to give them a penny so that we could see the murder of another nurse named Pretti, or a mom named Good. The reforms that I am seeking, and most of my colleagues on the Democratic side are seeking, are to end the roving patrols where you target people based on the color of their skin and the accent that they speak.”

Question: The WH says the president's assets are in a family-managed trust, and because of that, there is no conflict of interest. Is that a sufficient argument? Bush WH Ethics lawyer @RWPUSA: “No, we don't care who manages the trust - we care about who has a financial interest in the assets of the trust. Predent Trump has a financial interest in liberty financial, and he knows he does. It doesn't matter who's managing it and how many trusts you put into place. That's irrelevant.”

Question: Greg Bovino has been removed from leadership, Tom Homan going in. Is that a meaningful change? Rep @BennieGThompson: “Look, that's just musical chairs at the top leadership of ICE. You don't make change by just moving someone out and bringing the same type mouthpiece in - in another suit. So what we want is substantive change.”

Sweden’s Dep PM @BuschEbba tells me the crisis with the US re: #Greenland is not over: “We’re not out of the woods. And let’s be very clear. The last few weeks - apart from a very turbulent first year - have been very damaging for the relationship between the European Union, Europe as a whole, and the U.S.”

Question: Does Trump want to break the NATO alliance? @AmbJohnBolton : “Look, on a good day, Trump is indifferent to NATO. He said again publicly within the past couple of weeks, this may be a choice between Greenland and NATO. I think for some of his advisers, it would be a twofer: take Greenland and lose NATO.”

“That is not what this country is supposed to be about.” I speak to @SenSanders about what he calls the “outrageous” ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

Question: Is Greenland for sale? Danish EU MP @Anders_Vistisen:: “No. The Greenlandic prime minister and the Danish government have made that abundantly clear. And it's not very trustworthy to make a negotiation if you do it down the barrel of a gun. So I don't think there's any sense in negotiating people with people at gunpoint. And this continuous threat of military action is appalling.”

“We have 27 member states with different approach how to reach the point where we want to go. And so this is why we ended up with a loan,” @EUAmbUS Jovita Neliupsiene tells me after EU decided against accessing frozen #Russian assets. “But I have to admit, the assets are frozen and they are frozen for imminent time or until the war stopped and Russia starts paying reparations.”

“Look, it is not by accident that they're sending pictures of Bill Clinton. Okay?” House Oversight Cmte member @RepStephenLynch on the DOJ’s only partial release of #Epstein files today.

“We’re still grieving,” #JimmyLai’s daughter Claire told me of her father’s conviction in #HongKong. “But one thing that our father has taught us is that we should face any adversity, any sort of difficulty with a certain amount of cheer and a certain amount of spirit, so that’s what we try to do.” @SupportJimmyLai

CA @RepGaramendi reacts to SCOTUS decision upholding Texas congressional maps: “Let’s understand the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is marching side by side with Trump on most every issue…He's trying to control the next congress through the use of redistricting. It is wrong. We didn't want to do it in California. But if trump is going to do this, then we have to fight fire with fire.”

“If the president can go after one person, not just one individual, but somebody who's a sitting member of congress, what will he do to the average person who doesn't have power, who doesn't get to walk around the halls of power, who doesn't have people coming to their defense? I think an attack on congresswoman @IlhanMN is an attack on every single immigrant across the nation”. - MN State Sen @ZaynabMMohamed

With the WH and Pentagon now assigning blame for the double-tap Venezuela boat strike to SOCOM Cmdr Adm Frank Bradley, @YVindman , a former JAG himself, has this warning: “Look, if I were Admiral Bradley, I would be looking around for a bus because something's about to smack him. I had a conversation with senior officials at the department of defense, including uniformed officials, when these strikes were first reported - even before they provided a briefing to congress about these strikes in particular - and I warned those officials that I am very concerned about the prospect that a U.S. Uniformed service member and senior U.S. Official, civilian civilian officials may be held accountable for, committing war crimes.”

Question: Do you trust Steven Witkoff to negotiate peace? Ukrainian MP @HalynaYanchenko: “It's obvious that Ukrainians don't have trust to Steve Witkoff, especially after presenting so-called 28 point plan, there was a lot of proof that this plan was drafted in Kremlin in Russian language. And then basically, Ukraine was forced to discuss it and forced by Witkoff, by White House…however, I should say that Ukrainians, have more optimism after European partners have jumped in.”

Question: Has the president put your life and the lives of your colleagues in danger by accusing you of sedition punishable by death? Rep and Air Force Vet @HoulahanForPa: “There’s no other way to explain it than to say that emphatically the president has put our lives in danger. He directly, literally said that we were seditious and traitors and literally said that we should be hung. So there’s no other way to interpret that other than a call for our death.”

“To me, it looks like a summary of the previous Russian ludicrous and absolutely unacceptable Ukraine demands,” Ukrainian MP @ChairOlek told me of newest Trump peace proposal. “The plan seems to be aiming at surrender of Ukraine. And for us, it's totally unacceptable. And I do hope that it's not serious.”