Top Items:
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
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.
RELATED:
Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket:
Will Republicans kill the filibuster to pass Trump's voter suppression bill?
Punchbowl News:
2/3/26☀️ AM: … The partial government shutdown, all of three days old …
2/3/26☀️ AM: … The partial government shutdown, all of three days old …
Discussion:
The European Conservative
Politico:
House Democrats once again left complaining about a Senate spending deal
House Democrats once again left complaining about a Senate spending deal
Discussion:
NewsNation
Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Maryland House passes new congressional map, setting up a showdown with the state Senate
Maryland House passes new congressional map, setting up a showdown with the state Senate
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Roll Call, NewsMax.com, The Hill, Democracy Docket and New York Times
New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
Associated Press, WAGA-TV, Axios, New Republic, CNN, NBC News, Mother Jones, Politico, Bloomberg, UPI, The Good in Us, Salon, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, The Independent, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, NextDraft, Newsweek, The Contrarian, Reuters, Democracy Docket, Democracy Now and MS NOW
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections — The comments, made on a conservative podcast, follow a string of moves from his administration to try to exert more control over American elections. — President Trump called in a new interview for the Republican Party to …
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, Fox News, Reuters, Zeteo, Mediaite, ABC News, CNN, Civil Discourse …, The Hill, Newsweek, Raw Story, NOTUS, PoliticusUSA and The Daily Caller
Jacob Wendler / Politico:
Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, Reuters, NewsMax.com, Patterico's Pontifications, NOTUS, Mediaite, WLT Report, New Republic, CNN and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Seth McLaughlin / Washington Times:
Trump blames Massie's wife for his disloyalty — even though she voted for him three times
Trump blames Massie's wife for his disloyalty — even though she voted for him three times
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Raw Story and Mediaite
France 24:
Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit raids X's French office — The cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office on Tuesday launched a search of the French offices of social media platform X. The raid was connected to an ongoing investigation launched in January 2025 over alleged algorithm manipulation …
Discussion:
BBC, MeidasTouch News, Reuters, Associated Press and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
New York Times:
Police Search X's Premises in France as Prosecutors Summon Elon Musk — The move followed a yearlong investigation into X and escalated a wider standoff between European officials and American tech companies over the regulation of social media. — The French police searched the premises …
Discussion:
The Guardian, CBS News, Reuters, Politico and NewsMax.com
Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
Townhall, NBC News, Law and Chaos, Raw Story, Straight Arrow News and Mediaite
RELATED:
CNN:
Exclusive: Trump's one-time weaponization chief is expected to depart Justice Department in coming weeks
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, WLT Report, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Fox News, NewsMax.com, The Daily Caller, CBS News, CNBC, MS NOW, New Republic, The Hill, Daily Mail, Mediaite and Esquire
Sam Levin / The Guardian:
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 …
Discussion:
KGW-TV
Reuters:
Exclusive: Despite new curbs, Elon Musk's Grok at times produces sexualized images - even when told subjects didn't consent — Elon Musk's flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people even when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent, Reuters has found.
Discussion:
Forbes, The Japan Times, TechCrunch and The Verge
Washington Post:
‘Crisis’: The fallout from Trump's surprise plan to close Kennedy Center — The president's announcement shocked artists and staff. A message obtained by The Washington Post brought the National Symphony Orchestra's future into focus. — President Donald Trump's surprise Sunday announcement …
RELATED:
Raquel Coronell Uribe / NBC News:
Kennedy Center won't be torn down during $200 million renovation, Trump says
Kennedy Center won't be torn down during $200 million renovation, Trump says
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
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 …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in House Epstein probe ahead of contempt vote
Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in House Epstein probe ahead of contempt vote
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, New York Times, France 24, New York Post, CNN, NewsMax.com, ABC News, Axios, GV Wire, Washington Post, UPI, One America News Network, The Independent, Associated Press, Scripps News, KTSA, WAGA-TV, Roll Call, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, Wall Street Journal, The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media, The Guardian, twitchy.com and CBS News
Marisa Kabas / The Handbasket:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Post
David Uberti / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Manufacturing Is in Retreat and Trump's Tariffs Aren't Helping — Levies on imports were supposed to bring back a golden age of U.S. manufacturing. They haven't worked, so far. — The manufacturing boom President Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse.
Discussion:
New York Times
New York Times:
Trump Is Said to Have Dropped Demand for Cash From Harvard — Hours after The Times reported that President Trump had lowered the bar for a deal, he denied backtracking and made new threats against Harvard. — President Trump has backtracked on a major point in negotiations with Harvard …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, New York Post, The Times of Israel, UPI, Al Jazeera, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Patrick Moore / nrtoday.com:
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.
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Monday's Final Word — Ya got tabs on your face, big disgrace, somebody better put you back into your place ... Fox News: Conservative critics unleashed on Newsom attempting to portray himself as having a struggling childhood when his father worked as a “consigliere” — or trusted advisor …
Discussion:
Fox News, Variety and New York Post
Chadwick Moore / New York Post:
‘Grassroots’ anti-ICE campaigns funded by left-wing billionaire donors: sources — Its the same dark money, with new signs. — Anti-ICE protests in Minnesota may appear to be “grassroots” campaigns organized by concerned citizens, but they're really funded with megadonor money — some coming from China.
New York Times:
Wall St. Lawyer Brad Karp Says He Regrets Epstein Interactions — Newly released emails between Mr. Karp, the chairman of Paul Weiss, and Jeffrey Epstein reveal a number of social interactions between them. — Brad Karp, chairman of the giant law firm Paul Weiss, said on Monday that he regretted …
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Why the Epstein scandal may never die — The internet is awash in speculation, suspicion and disgust over the millions of new pages of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Justice Department on Friday. — Few believe the story is anywhere near finished.
Discussion:
The Wrap, UnHerd, Reuters, The Guardian, Associated Press and New York Times
Thea Felicity / International Business Times:
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and New Republic
Maggie Astor / New York Times:
Peter Attia ‘Ashamed’ After Epstein Emails Become Public — The longevity influencer said he “never witnessed illegal behavior” but would not defend his crude remarks about women and comments on Jeffrey Epstein's “outrageous” life. — The physician and longevity influencer Peter Attia …
Discussion:
New York Post, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Atlantic, Deadline, CBS News, Variety, Just Jared and Defector, more at Mediagazer »
Julianna Bragg / Axios:
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 …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, The Daily Signal, Washington Examiner and Fox News
Rebecca Santana / Associated Press:
Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis is now being issued a body-worn camera, Noem says — Every Homeland Security officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be immediately issued body-worn cameras, Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday …
Discussion:
Politico, Reuters, New York Post, UPI, Washington Post, Straight Arrow News, CBS News, The Hill, WLT Report, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, NOTUS, NewsMax.com, FOX 10 Phoenix, Associated Press, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Fox News, IJR, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Scripps News, Mediaite, Townhall, The European Conservative, Semafor, MS NOW and KUSA-TV
Tom Schaller / Public Notice:
Guns for me, but not for thee — Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🌊 Subscribe to PN 🌊 — I screwed up on January 6. — Like tens of millions of Americans, I sat in front of my television set aghast …
Ken Klippenstein:
Feds Identify “Leader of Antifa” — This story is the first in a three part series on the government's war on American “terrorism” - please subscribe so you don't miss the next two (and to make this work possible!) I don't have any corporate money, I just have readers like you; so please chip in if you are able!
Discussion:
Raw Story
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Election officials grapple with a brain drain as threats rise … The new data on election officials comes at the same time as another report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue — shared first with POLITICO — found a more than 200 percent increase in violent rhetoric toward public officials …
pbump:
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 …
Discussion:
Federal News Network
Politico:
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 …
NBC News:
Tulsi Gabbard accused of trying to ‘bury’ whistleblower complaint — Gabbard's press secretary said that the intelligence chief hadn't tried to stonewall Congress and that the whistleblower complaint was “baseless.” — Listen to this article with a free account
Discussion:
Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, Fox News, Raw Story, MS NOW, NewsMax.com, Daily Mail, New York Post, Esquire, The Hill, New Republic, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Politico:
Trump prepares to let go of arms control with Russia … “We're looking at a very uncertain path ahead,” said Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association. “Unless Trump and Putin reach some sort of understanding soon, it's not unlikely that Russia and the U.S …
Discussion:
Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic and Syracuse Post-Standard
