President Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is under scrutiny after the Pentagon’s inspector general concluded his use of the encrypted messaging app Signal earlier this year violated Department of Defense policy and could have endangered U.S. service members, according to sources. The review found that Hegseth shared sensitive details of an active bombing mission — including planned strike times — with a group chat that included outside journalists. Hegseth has denied sending classified information. The White House says the president stands by him as questions mount over recent Caribbean boat strikes and related orders that some members of Congress and military veterans have called unlawful.
House Democrats released previously unseen photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, showing living spaces, a dentist’s chair reportedly installed for one of Epstein’s girlfriends, and other images tied to survivors’ accounts. The footage, obtained by members of the House Oversight Committee, is part of bipartisan pressure that prompted a new law requiring the administration to release the full Epstein files. A deadline for releasing those records is approaching.
A wave of Arctic air pushed record-breaking cold across parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Forecasts warned of plummeting temperatures, with Midwestern towns expecting below-zero lows and the Northeast facing near-century-old record lows in some areas. Meteorologists noted a phenomenon called hoarfrost — rapid freezing creating a crystalline coating — that accompanies the swift temperature drops, while forecasters urged residents to prepare for dangerous cold and travel disruptions.
In other national headlines, President Trump pardoned Congressman Henry Cuellar, a longtime Democrat indicted on bribery charges. The pardon came before Cuellar’s trial, a move the president said was necessary. Separately, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, the physician who pleaded guilty to illegally providing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before the actor’s overdose death, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Family members of the actor described emotional moments in court, including direct remarks to the doctor from Perry’s relatives.
A Georgia inmate who escaped from a hospital was recaptured after being spotted on a doorbell camera. Police tracked him to an abandoned home where dogs helped officers take him into custody.
Immigration and fraud: Minnesota is confronting fallout from a major pandemic-era fraud case that involved dozens of people, many of Somali descent, accused of siphoning government relief funds through bogus claims related to meal programs, housing assistance and behavioral health services. The president used the case to attack Somali immigrants in Minnesota, prompting fears in the community of increased enforcement and ICE activity. Federal investigators told local reporters that there is no evidence funds were diverted to international terror groups; instead, prosecutors allege money was stolen for cars, houses and luxury goods.
A federal lawmaker’s comments about illegal orders prompted debate inside the Defense Department. Secretary Hegseth launched an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly after Kelly urged service members not to follow unlawful orders. Critics noted past remarks from Hegseth acknowledging the military’s refusal to follow unlawful orders — comments from before he led the Defense Department.
A science and ethics segment examined “IVF+,” a new commercial offering from a genomics company that screens embryos for disease risks and traits like height, eye color and intelligence. The company says parents can use embryo DNA screening to reduce the chances of disease and to select for desired characteristics — potentially delivering “your best baby.” Bioethicists and technology reviewers, including the MIT Technology Review, raised concerns about designing babies based on genetic predictions, noting that DNA is only part of the story and that social and environmental factors heavily influence outcomes. The CEO of the company argued DNA is not destiny and emphasized that screening aims to reduce disease risk and enhance health, not to create “superhumans.”
Business and technology coverage looked at the rise of prediction markets — online platforms where people can bet on outcomes of real-world events, from elections to sports and even whether a public official will say a particular word in a speech. Platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket and PredictIt allow users to trade on event outcomes in ways that resemble stock trading and betting combined. Regulators and some states have challenged certain offerings as unlawful sports wagering. Critics warned that when betting features are integrated into financial apps that also hold retirement savings, it raises the risk that consumers could inadvertently gamble with long-term investments.
Investigative and human-interest reporting included new imagery from notorious locations associated with sexual abuse allegations as Congress presses for full records and files, and a final salute to World War II D-Day medic Charles Shay. Shay, a 101-year-old Penobscot Native American, died in Normandy near where he earned a Silver Star pulling wounded soldiers from the water on Omaha Beach. CBS recalled his accounts of the landings and the memorial now honoring Native Americans who served.
A note of international and legal interest: law enforcement and congressional probes continue into military actions and classified information handling, while multiple congressional and judicial matters around fraud, pardons and medical accountability remain active. The evening’s coverage balanced immediate national security and legal concerns with longer-term ethical debates about genetics and the changing intersection of betting and finance.
This edition also included local stories, weather warnings, national updates and reflections on service and sacrifice as the nation marked anniversaries and losses of notable veterans. The CBS Evening News returned viewers to the headlines and deeper reporting across politics, science, weather and human affairs.
