Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search  —  The phone conversation was arranged by the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who met with the agents a day after the search for reasons that remain unclear, The New York Times has learned.

Justice Dept. demotes Ed Martin, stripping Trump ally of most authority  —  Martin will no longer head the Justice Department task force that pushed investigations into Trump's foes.  —  Top Justice Department officials have stripped Ed Martin of the bulk of his expansive responsibilities …

How Mike Johnson is scrambling to keep the shutdown short  —  Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to meet with Rules Committee Republicans shortly before the panel convenes this afternoon to take up a massive shutdown-ending funding package, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the private plans.

Bill and Hillary Clinton now agree to testify before Congress … Although both have said they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes, they have maintained that the subpoenas were not tied to a legitimate legislative purpose, rendering them invalid.  They also complained the GOP-led exercise …

Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency  —  Congress hasn't seen the complaint, which was filed eight months ago with the U.S. intelligence community's watchdog office  —  WASHINGTON—A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director …

Trump says he won't tear down the Kennedy Center arts venue but it needs to be closed for repairs  —  President Donald Trump said Monday that he won't tear down the Kennedy Center but said it needs to be closed for about two years for work that cannot be done with patrons coming and going for shows and other performances.

Defendant contacted police before freeway shooting  —  Charles Glen Simmons, 53, of Dillard, is in the Douglas County Jail on $1 million bail after Thursday morning's alleged crime spree.  According to a press release from the Oregon State Police, Simmons had contacted their office before at least one shot was reportedly fired nearby.

CBS News Expected to Cut Ties With Contributor Peter Attia Over Epstein Links |  Exclusive  —  In newly released emails, the wellness guru made crude jokes in chummy correspondence with the late convicted sex offender  —  CBS News is expected to cut ties with new contributor Peter Attia …

DHS's account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’  —  Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims  —  Immediately after a US border …

Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance  —  The Trump administration has lowered the bar for a deal with the university, backtracking on its insistence on a $200 million payment to the government, The New York Times has learned.  —  President Trump has backtracked …

What it's like to see ICE tear gas kids  —  The Handbasket is now on Instagram!  Follow here for news updates.  —  If you want to support my 100% independent journalism, subscribe to The Handbasket for free now.  You can also become a premium subscriber or leave a tip.

Sloppy redactions in Epstein documents are traumatizing survivors  —  An abuse survivor whose sensitive personal information was released in latest drop calls the Justice Department's mishap “profoundly distressing.”  —  On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the press …

ICE Employees Vent on Reddit, Saying They're Not Getting Paid and Still No Insurance Despite Promises  —  Staff claim promised bonuses and insurance have failed to materialise, with some reporting they cannot afford medical care for sick children  —  US Immigration and Customs Enforcement …

Where are ICE and Border Patrol agents coming from?  —  ProPublica has identified the Border Patrol agents who shot and killed Alex Pretti as Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, both of South Texas.  There have been numerous reports that the federal agents who've blanketed Minnesota …

Trump ally Pirro threatens jail for anyone bringing a gun into D.C.  —  U.S. Attorney and President Trump ally Jeanine Pirro warned Monday that anyone who brings a gun into Washington, D.C., would face “going to jail.” … - “I don't care if you have a license in another district and I don't care …

Trump Tirade Over Protests Goes Off Rails as Crushing Fox Poll Hits … Donald Trump appears in deep denial about how widely hated his ICE raids have become.  He let out a strange, rambling tirade to reporters about how the “silent majority” is still behind what ICE is doing …

Judge lifts order to preserve evidence in Alex Pretti shooting … “Though the record is not one-sided, the greater weight of the evidence shows Defendants are not likely to destroy or improperly alter evidence related to Mr. Pretti's shooting during the life of this case …

Man, 24, sparks evacuation at French hospital after doctors find 8ins-long live WW1 artillery shell in his rectum  —  A man sparked an evacuation at a French hospital after doctors discovered an eight-inch-long live World War I artillery shell in his rectum.

Brazilian influencer who defended US immigration crackdown arrested by ICE  —  Trump supporter Júnior Pena falsely claimed migrants being rounded up, including Brazilians, were ‘all crooks’  —  A rightwing Brazilian influencer who claimed Donald Trump's immigration crackdown targeted only …

Father of 5-year-old detained in Minnesota disputes government assertion he abandoned the boy  —  The father of a 5-year-old boy who was detained by immigration officers and held at a federal facility in Texas denied government accounts Monday that he abandoned his son last month while being pursued by authorities.

Judge says Trump administration must let lawmakers make unannounced visits to ICE detention facilities … The judge's action comes several weeks after three Democratic lawmakers were blocked from visiting the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis to survey conditions amid …

How DHS Spent $35 Billion Since Trump Retook Office  —  To support its deportation push and erect border walls, Homeland Security gave big contracts to Anduril and construction firm Fisher Sand  —  The Department of Homeland Security's spending on contracts surged 35% during 2025 …

Philly DA Larry Krasner says 'don't be a wimp' after Gov. Josh Shapiro decried his comparison of ICE agents to Nazis  —  Philadelphia's bombastic district attorney, Larry Krasner, is no stranger to opposition from within his own party, but the anger directed at him last week after he said ICE agents are …

Judge Hands Trump a Fifth Loss in His Effort to Halt Offshore Wind Projects  —  The court ruled that construction can restart on a wind farm off the coast of New York State.  The Trump administration had ordered work to stop in December.  —  A federal judge on Monday struck …

H.H.S. to Expand Faith-Based Addiction Programs for Homeless  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said addiction is a “spiritual disease” that calls out for the involvement of religious organizations.  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that the federal government …

Labor Department delays January jobs report because of partial shutdown  —  The Labor Department, citing the partial federal government shutdown, said Monday that it will not release the January jobs report on Friday as scheduled.  In a statement, the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said …