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Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) recent decision to release thousands of hours of Jan. 6, 2021, security footage to Fox News host Tucker Carlson is setting off alarm bells among Democrats, who see inherent security risks in sharing the raw video with a figure who has downplayed the Capitol attack — and a network entangled in a legal battle over false election claims.

Democratic leaders, joined by former members of the House select committee that investigated the riot, are warning that granting Carlson such access could ultimately reveal methods used by law enforcers to defend the Capitol complex — details the investigators say they took pains to obscure. 

“The apparent transfer of video footage represents an egregious security breach that endangers the hardworking women and men of the United States Capitol Police,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote Tuesday in a letter to the members of his caucus. 

The office of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was a target of the Jan. 6 rioters and launched the subsequent investigation, also weighed in harshly on Tuesday, characterizing Carlson as “the preeminent Jan. 6 truther” and McCarthy’s decision as “deeply dangerous and irresponsible.”

“If he has handed over sensitive security information, McCarthy is endangering Members, staff, institutional workers and Capitol Police heroes. He is also opening the floodgates for more disinformation about the deadly attack on our Democracy,” Pelosi spokesman Aaron Bennett said in an email.  

“This move is the latest concession by McCarthy to appease the far-right in his conference, many of whom cheered on the insurrection,” Bennett added. “There is a serious question as to whether Speaker McCarthy has the singular authority to release this footage.”

The 41,000 hours of footage shared with Carlson was not released by the select committee as part of its 18-month examination of the Capitol rampage of Jan. 6. 

McCarthy — who refused to participate in the investigation, characterizing it as a partisan witch hunt against former President Trump — has said the public has a right to learn the full story of the events of that day.

“We watched the politicization of this,” he told reporters last month. “I think the American public should actually see all what happened instead of a report that’s written for a political basis.”

Yet his choice of Carlson to access the trove of unreleased data has raised plenty of eyebrows, empowering the popular Fox pundit with access to information that even many members of the congressional committees with jurisdiction haven’t seen. 

Some observers said McCarthy, who has been criticized by Carlson and faced a revolt from conservatives during his Speakership bid, is now trying to curry favor as he seeks to unify a restive GOP conference heading into the 2024 elections. 

“I think the reason McCarthy did it, obviously, is the same reason that has motivated a lot of his decision-making: Trying to solidify himself among the right,” a former GOP aide said Tuesday. 

McCarthy’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

Some conservative pundits are also criticizing McCarthy’s move, wondering why they weren’t also granted access to the surveillance footage. The answer could be as simple as numbers: Carlson hosts the most-watched show on cable news, and exclusive access all but ensures that millions of viewers will see the findings — through Carlson’s lens. 

The Fox News personality has been a vocal defender of those who stormed into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, suggesting the worst of their crimes was “vandalism” and accusing the investigative committee of lying to the public about what took place. 

His 2021 documentary series, “Patriot Purge,” portrayed the rioters as loyal Americans wronged by a corrupt government, while floating the notion that the rampage was a “false flag” operation orchestrated by Trump’s adversaries.

Democrats are now highlighting that track record as Carlson and his producers sift through the many hours of surveillance footage, with designs to air their findings in the coming weeks.  

“Look, all of this is not in search of the truth — with Kevin McCarthy or with Tucker Carlson. It’s in search of a conspiracy theory,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the Jan. 6 select committee, told MSNBC on Tuesday. “We know that from his three-part miniseries that he put together, Patriot Purge, which asserted it was a false flag operation run by antifa and the FBI. We found no evidence of that.”

Republicans, defending Trump, blasted the select committee from the start, noting that all nine members, including the two Republicans, were hand-picked by Pelosi — a dynamic that empowered the panel to steer the narrative to their choosing. But Jan. 6 investigators maintain that any information they withheld was done so for security reasons, not political advantage.

“There’s thousands of hours of footage that are out there already, but the reason all of it wasn’t released is precisely because it lays out floor design, it lays out evacuation routes, it lays out where the vice president went, it lays out where the senior members of Congress were evacuated and so on,” Raskin said. “So I hope that Kevin McCarthy at least has planned for that.”

One source familiar with the Jan. 6 committee’s operations echoed that message, emphasizing that the panel never fully revealed then-Vice President Mike Pence’s evacuation route.

“We worked with Capitol Police ahead of time to make sure that we weren’t showing the VP’s exit route, the exit route for the Speaker, for the members,” the source said, noting the footage can also reveal the location of security cameras.

“We don’t want to let everyone know the schematics of the Capitol. This is a thing that is very important for the future security at the Capitol.”

The Capitol Police, for its part, said it is obligated to provide information requested by the Speaker. 

“When Congressional Leadership or Congressional Oversight Committees ask for things like this, we must give it to them,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said. 

Carlson, meanwhile, said on his show Monday that “the U.S. Congress has held thousands, tens of thousands of hours of closed-circuit camera footage from the public.”

He said the show’s producers are “looking at this stuff and trying to figure out what it means and how it contradicts, or not, the story that we’ve been told for more than two years. We think already that in some ways it does contradict that story.”

The Hill reached out to Fox News for further comment.

The news that McCarthy has granted Carlson access to the surveillance footage, first reported Monday by Axios, came four days after the release of new legal filings in the defamation lawsuit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems, which has accused the network of knowingly promoting false theories that Dominion’s balloting machines were faulty.

The filings revealed the network’s top stars — including Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham — all had strong doubts about Trump’s claims of a stolen election, but nonetheless brought on members of Trump’s legal team to promote the fraud allegations.

The filings also revealed that Carlson was furious when Fox News correctly called Arizona for President Biden. And he wanted to fire a Fox News reporter, Jacqui Heinrich, for fact-checking a Trump tweet that amplified his claims of fraud by citing two Fox News hosts. Carlson worried that that reporting would hurt Fox’s credibility with pro-Trump viewers and harm the network’s ratings. 

“Please get her fired,” Carlson texted Hannity, according to the Dominion filing. “It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.” North Korea: UN chief’s rebuke of missile test shows he has ‘extremely unfair’ attitude China rips senior Pentagon official’s visit to Taiwan

The behind-the-scenes revelations were remarkable enough that Bill O’Reilly, the ultra-conservative former Fox News host whose slot Carlson filled, weighed in Monday to blast his former employer for lying to its viewers for the sake of ratings. 

“I would never have done … what Fox did on the election fraud,” he said in an interview with NewsNation. “I would rather be fired. I would rather leave the job.” 

“I am not going to sell out for ratings.”

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

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Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.

The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.

Wrexham's James McClean lifts the trophy after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
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Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA

Wrexham's Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
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Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.

The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.

Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.

Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right) and Ryan's wife Blake Lively before the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
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Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA

Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.

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Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.

Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.

Wrexham's Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
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Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.

As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.

Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.

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Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been ‘successful’

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Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been 'successful'

“It has been a success.”

Just Stop Oil (JSO) insists it’s been “successful” – as its members ceremoniously hang up their orange high-vis vests during a march in central London.

Since the group formed three years ago, it’s drawn attention and criticism for its colourful, controversial protests, which ranged from disrupting sporting events to throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and climbing on gantries over the M25. It sprayed orange paint over Stonehenge, and cost police forces tens of millions of pounds.

Those days are now behind it; to the relief of many.

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As a few hundred activists marched through London on Saturday, blocking roads as they went; taxi drivers blared their horns and football fans shouted abuse from the pavement.

The PA News Agency filmed the moment a white minivan seemed to drive towards a group of protesters blocking the road.

Protesters shouted “I’m being pushed back!” to police, while the driver could be heard shouting “What about my right to get home?” to the officers gathered.

But JSO never set out to be popular. And it believes its tactics – though hated – have been successful; thanks to the new Labour government’s commitment to not issue new oil or gas exploration licences.

That’s why, it says, its ceasing direct action.

JSO hangs up its high vis jackets in central London on Saturday
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JSO hangs up its high-vis jackets in central London on Saturday

A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO's disbanding
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A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO’s disbanding

“This moment marks the success of the JSO campaign – our demand was to end new oil and gas licences and that is now government policy.

“As a result of which four billion barrels of oil are being kept under the North Sea. The campaign has reached a natural end.”

Dr Oscar Berglund, senior lecturer in international public and social policy, disagrees that JSO is disappearing because it’s been “successful”.

He told Sky News policing strength and public perception might have more to do with it.

“They have very low levels of popularity. About 17% of the British population are kind of broadly supportive of what Just Stop Oil do. And that’s too low to recruit.

“It’s difficult to recruit members to something that is that unpopular, and then that a lot of people for good reason I think have kind of stopped believing in that kind of disruption as a means to achieve meaningful change.”

Group triggers specific new protest laws

One thing it did change is the law.

Policing commentator Graham Wettone tells us: “Obstruction of the highway, obstruction of rail networks for example, these are specific offences now.

“It’s given the police more tactics, more methods, more offences they can consider, even stopping and searching somebody who may have something to either lock themselves on or glue themselves to something.”

A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague
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A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague

Emma Smart was held in prison for her activism with both Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.

“The high-vis might be going away,” she tells me, “but we aren’t.”

“These people aren’t going anywhere, we are still committed, dedicated, terrified by the failings of this government and governments around the world.”

JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh's sunflowers
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JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh’s sunflowers

Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge
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Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge

She hopes for a time of reflection before it returns in a new form but says the need for climate activism is stronger than ever.

She also believes that while most people dislike JSO tactics, it still raises awareness of the cause and might even push people to more moderate campaign groups.

Just Stop Oil came behind other, similarly controversial climate campaign groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, and as it says goodbye, its disruptive methods have been seized upon by other organisations like the Pro-Palestinian Youth Justice.

The infamous Just Stop Oil orange vests might be going away, but the individual activists, their cause and campaign tactics feel here to stay.

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