Top Items:
New York Times:
Surge in Immigration Cases in Minnesota Pushes Prosecutors and Judges to Brink — Remarks by a prosecutor opened a revealing window onto how the courts in the state are buckling under the weight of a deluge of cases arising from the Trump administration's campaign.
Discussion:
Esquire, Reason, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Politico, The Independent, Raw Story, CNN, NBC News and Washington Times
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Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’ … In a filing accompanying Rosen's statement, Justice Department attorneys emphasized that the “crushing burden” caused by immigration cases had led U.S. attorneys offices to “shift resources away from other critical priorities, including criminal matters.”
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
The unfathomable Minnesota transcript that must be read, as it tells the reality of America today — On Tuesday in Minnesota, a lawyer made headlines — including at Law Dork — for her shocking statement in court representing that government that the “system sucks.”
Discussion:
Law and Chaos, Balls and Strikes, KARE-TV, NOTUS, MPR News, New Republic, MeidasTouch News and The Daily Caller
Laura Van Drie / PR Newswire:
Paul, Weiss Appoints Scott Barshay Chairman — Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Scott Barshay has been appointed Chairman of the firm, effective immediately, following Brad Karp's decision to resign as Chairman. — Mr. Barshay was previously Chair of the Paul, Weiss Corporate Department.
Discussion:
NewsNation, The Daily Caller, Above the Law, CNBC, Bloomberg and NewsMax.com
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New York Times:
Brad Karp Resigns as Paul Weiss Chairman Amid Epstein Fallout — The decision followed the release of a series of embarrassing emails between Mr. Karp and Jeffrey Epstein. — Brad Karp, the longtime chairman of Paul Weiss, one of the nation's top corporate law firms …
Discussion:
The Hill and Semafor, more at Mediagazer »
Financial Times:
Brad Karp to step down as Paul Weiss chair after Epstein revelations — Files released by US Department of Justice detailed his relationship with the child sex offender — Brad Karp is stepping down as chair of Paul Weiss and will be replaced by top deals lawyer Scott Barshay …
Discussion:
New York Post and Raw Story
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Brad Karp resigns as chair of Paul, Weiss amid Epstein fallout
Wall Street Journal:
Negotiators Say Talks to Restore ACA Subsidies Likely Dead — New, higher health-insurance bills are kicking in for many households — WASHINGTON—Top Senate negotiators said that an effort to renew expired healthcare subsidies had effectively collapsed, likely ending the hopes …
Discussion:
KFF, The Hill, Forbes and Nashville Banner
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Pascal Sabino / Bolts:
Virginia's New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now. — Virginia's then-Governor Glenn Youngkin rushed to assist President Trump's deportation agenda last year, ordering the state agencies under his control to join ICE's 287(g) program, which gave them the power to make civil immigration arrests.
Discussion:
The Hill, Townhall, Cardinal News, NOTUS, WVTF, KSTP-TV, The Virginian-Pilot, NewsMax.com, RedState, The Daily Caller, Washington Post and Fox News
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ProPublica:
“You're Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer” — It doesn't happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents. Legal experts say there's a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable when they violate the Constitution and the law.
Discussion:
New York Times, MS NOW and Chicago Tribune
Marist Poll:
The Actions of ICE, February 2026 — Americans Increasingly Disapprove of ICE's Actions — Americans have increasingly grown opposed to the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). About two-in-three Americans now say ICE's actions in enforcing immigration laws have gone too far …
Discussion:
NPR, The Status Kuo and PBS NewsHour
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Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Voters Want Massive Changes in ICE
CIA:
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell — One of CIA's oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. The World Factbook served the Intelligence Community and the general public as a longstanding, one-stop basic reference about countries and communities around the globe.
Discussion:
Politico and The Daily Caller
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NBC News:
Read the extended transcript: President Donald Trump interviewed by ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Tom Llamas — Trump spoke about immigration, the Fed, artificial intelligence, the economy and more in the February 2026 interview. — Add NBC News to Google — 50:08 — TOM LLAMAS:
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William Kristol / The Bulwark:
What Trump REALLY Thinks About Stephen Miller
What Trump REALLY Thinks About Stephen Miller
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
Natalie Andrews / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration to Make It Easier to Fire 50,000 Federal Workers — A rule expected to be completed on Thursday would create a government-employee category that offers fewer job protections — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is planning to make it easier to discipline …
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, NewsMax.com and Raw Story
Jeff Abbott / El Paso Times:
New Mexico Senate approves bill to ban ICE detention centers — A bill bans Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in New Mexico has been approved by state's 2026 Legislature. — The Immigration Safety Act, or House Bill 9, was approved by the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in an emotional vote.
Discussion:
Raw Story and NewsMax.com
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Reuters:
Exclusive: US spy chief's office investigated voting machines in Puerto Rico — A team working for President Donald Trump's spy chief, Tulsi Gabbard, last spring led an investigation into Puerto Rico's voting machines, said Gabbard's office and three sources familiar with the previously unreported events.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Raw Story and The Guardian
Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
Democrats Soften Their Demand To Ban Masks For ICE — Masks might still be OK in “extraordinary and unusual circumstances,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. — WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on Wednesday seemed to soften their demand to ban masks on federal agents.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Scripps News, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Breitbart, OutKick, MS NOW, Fox News, The Hill, Grabien, New York Times and New York Daily News
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Andrew Solender / Axios:
“Needs to get the hell out”: House Dems fume at Schumer
“Needs to get the hell out”: House Dems fume at Schumer
Discussion:
Politico, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, MS NOW, PoliticusUSA and Washington Examiner
Paul Krugman:
Is This Crypto's Fimbulwinter? — Political power may not be enough to save the crypto cult … This newsletter is often focused on depressing stuff: Scandals, lies of the powerful, scams that defraud the public. But today I thought I'd offer a change of pace and talk about what is happening to cryptocurrency.
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says … Layoff plans hit their highest January total since the global financial crisis while hiring intentions reached their lowest since the same period, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.
New York Times:
Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons — Beijing, Moscow and shaken American allies are seeking new warheads as President Trump ends more than a half century of nuclear arms control with Russia. — The deadline has been looming over Washington and Moscow for years.
Discussion:
CNN, Breaking Defense, Council on Foreign Relations, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, Al Jazeera, Metro.co.uk, El País, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Japan Times, Christian Science Monitor, CBS News, Semafor, Fox News, PBS NewsHour, 19FortyFive, France 24, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Independent, The Nevada Independent, San Diego Union-Tribune and The Times of Israel
Amy Howe / SCOTUSblog:
Supreme Court allows California to use congressional map benefitting Democrats — The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon cleared the way for California to use a new congressional map intended to give Democrats five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CBS News, New York Times, NPR, Los Angeles Times, PJ Media, Associated Press, The Maine Wire, All Rise News, The Contrarian, Al Jazeera, MS NOW, The Federalist, Long Beach Post News, Roll Call, Straight Arrow News, NOTUS, The National Pulse, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, The Daily Signal, New York Sun, Washington Post, Daily Caller News Foundation, Democracy Docket, NewsNation, GV Wire, Fox News, New Republic, Blaze Media, Scripps News, Politico, NBC News and Althouse
Jill Lawrence / The Bulwark:
Trump and the Kennedy Center: Renaming, Rebuilding, Revolting — IMAGINE A RENAMING SPREE in your town or state. The Donald Trump-Radio City Music Hall. The Donald Trump-Hollywood Bowl. The Donald Trump-Las Vegas Sphere. The Donald Trump Ryman Auditorium. Donald Trump's Red Rocks.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and MS NOW
Andrew Goudsward / Reuters:
Exclusive: Justice Department unit on police misconduct sees staffing plunge and probes scaled back, sources say — The U.S. Justice Department unit responsible for prosecuting potential wrongdoing by law enforcement, including during the crackdown on illegal immigration in Minneapolis …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
To Win Back the House, Democrats Take the Fight to Deep-Red Areas … When some of the most promising Democrats running for Congress visited Washington for a “candidate week” last fall, the people besieging one of them for photos or brief introductions weren't the usual lobbyists or lawmakers.
Russell Contreras / Axios:
Why young state lawmakers are weighing the exit — Political violence, stagnant pay and family-unfriendly legislatures are pushing Gen Z and Millennial state lawmakers to consider leaving office — even as many say they still believe in public service, a new report finds.
Garrett M. Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
Six Ways to Reform ICE and CBP — And why congressional “reform” isn't actually the real problem.... In my testimony to the Illinois Accountability Commission last week about the long-running corruption and abuses by CBP and ICE, I concluded with a basic point:
Discussion:
Mother Jones, To the Contrary, The Atlantic and The Maine Wire
Bob Bauer / Executive Functions:
Yet Another Sign that the Trump Administration is Laying the Groundwork for Election Intervention? — DOJ may be retreating from long-standing internal constraints on federal government intervention in elections. — Please click here to opt in to receive via email our Roundup …
Claire Rush / Associated Press:
ICE agents can't make warrantless arrests in Oregon unless there's a risk of escape, US judge rules — U.S. immigration agents in Oregon must stop arresting people without warrants unless there's a likelihood of escape, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai issued …
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Oregonian, CBS News and Washington Examiner
The Hill:
Watch live: Bessent testifies before House on financial stability — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will appear before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday morning to deliver the annual report from the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which is tasked with identifying and responding to economic risks.
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Examiner, NOTUS, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, RedState, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Townhall, New York Post, Mediaite, The Post Millennial and Bloomberg
Politico:
This Supreme Court decision could upend millions in political spending ahead of the midterms. Here's how the parties are preparing. … The court's pending decision could open the floodgates to even more campaign ads from the national parties and extend the timeline of campaign advertising much earlier into the summer.
Erik Wemple / New York Times:
He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years — Martin Weil, one of hundreds being let go at The Post, has worked on local news there since 1965, witnessing the paper's rise and now retrenchment. — Not long into his career at The Washington Post …
Discussion:
HotAir
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Kentucky 2026 Poll: GOP Voters Split in Three-Way Primary to Succeed McConnell — Home Polls Kentucky 2026 Poll: GOP Voters Split in Three-Way Primary to Succeed McConnell — President Trump & Governor Beshear with Majority Job Approval — A new Emerson College Polling survey …
Discussion:
Quinnipiac University Poll, The Hill and New York Post
New York Times:
Man Convicted of Trying to Assassinate Trump Gets Life Sentence — Federal prosecutors told the judge that Ryan Routh had “plotted painstakingly” to ambush Donald J. Trump in 2024 at his golf course near West Palm Beach. — A man who plotted to kill Donald J. Trump at one of his Florida golf courses during …
