European Parliament, Deutsche Bank, Austria: Your Monday Briefing

So many players were on the ice at Colorado Avalanche practice Monday that callup Jason Polin didn’t have a stall in the team’s locker room. In total, eight players who hadn’t been available two days ago when the Avs played in Winnipeg were on the ice at Family Sports Center. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, activated from injured reserve Sunday, went through practice and will be available to either start or back up Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Wedgewood sustained what looked like a serious ankle/foot injury Jan.

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON — The criminal charges against Hunter Biden “were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a report released Monday that sharply criticized President Joe Biden for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son. “Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” said the report from special counsel David Weiss, whose team filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon. The report is the culmination of years-long investigations that predated the arrival of Attorney General Merrick Garland but became among the most politically explosive inquiries of his entire tenure, capturing Republican fascination on Capitol Hill and ultimately producing a fissure between the Justice Department and the White House over the treatment of the president’s son. The document, as is customary for reports prepared by Justice Department special counsels, provides a recap of the investigative findings.

Two students sued the University of Colorado on Monday, alleging school leaders violated their free speech and due process rights by temporarily barring them from the Boulder campus after they participated in a peaceful pro-Palestine protest at a university job fair. The lawsuit, filed in U. S. District Court in Denver by attorney Dan Williams with Hutchinson Black and Cook LLC, alleges students Max Inman and Mari Rosenfeld were singled out by the university and retaliated against based on their demonstration in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war. CU Boulder issued an order that excluded Rosenfeld and Inman from campus for any reason other than attending classes, according to the federal complaint.

The Broncos have a big chunk of their defensive core already under contract for 2025. The biggest free agent decision to make: Defensive tackle D. J. Jones. Jones turns 30 next week and just played the final season of a three-year, $30 million deal he signed before the 2022 season. He turned in a season typical of an interior defensive lineman in 2024: Impressive, but under the radar. Now he said he’s unsure of what the next step in his career looks like. “It’s up to God, man,” Jones told The Denver Post on Friday.

Colorado Rapids center back Michael Edwards will get a chance to crack the rotation in 2025. The club announced Monday that it re-signed the 24-year-old to a one-year deal with an option for 2026. His previous contract had an option for 2025, which was declined in November. With more center backs inbound than outbound on a team already heavy in defensive numbers, the move indicates Edwards will have another shot at more minutes this year. The Homegrown, who had to wait nearly three-and-a-half seasons since signing with the Rapids to make his debut, made the most of his 207 minutes in 2024.

ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. — After the Broncos’ 31-7 loss to the Bills in the wild-card round on Sunday, here’s a look at which stock improved or declined during the 2024 season. Stock Up OLB Nik Bonitto: In his third season, Bonitto established himself as one of the top pass rushers in the league.