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, New York Post, Reason, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, The Independent, Raw Story, Reuters, Politico and NBC News
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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.”
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:
Straight Arrow News, Mediaite, The Hill and Semafor
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Laura Van Drie / PR Newswire:
Paul, Weiss Appoints Scott Barshay Chairman
Paul, Weiss Appoints Scott Barshay Chairman
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNBC, NewsNation, Syracuse Post-Standard, UPI, The Daily Caller, Above the Law, NewsMax.com and Bloomberg
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:
Oregonian, New York Times, MS NOW and Chicago Tribune
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Pascal Sabino / Bolts:
Virginia's New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now.
Virginia's New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now.
Discussion:
The Hill, Townhall, Cardinal News, NOTUS, New Republic, WVTF, KSTP-TV, The Virginian-Pilot, NewsMax.com, RedState, The Daily Caller, Fox News and Washington Post
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:
USA Today, The Guardian, Council on Foreign Relations, Metro.co.uk, The Daily Wire, Al Jazeera, El País, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Japan Times, Christian Science Monitor, Semafor, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, 19FortyFive, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Independent, The Nevada Independent, San Diego Union-Tribune and The Times of Israel
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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 Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, NewsMax.com, The Status Kuo and PBS NewsHour
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Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Voters Want Massive Changes in ICE
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.
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
The Washington Post Is No Longer Useful to Jeff Bezos — When I was home over Christmas, I was digging through some of my dad's baseball memorabilia when I came across a copy of the Washington Post from March 7, 1999: “Printing Revolution Spurs New Look,” the lead headline read.
Discussion:
Slate, The Cross Section, The Contrarian, The Atlantic, Truthout, Ace of Spades HQ, Pen Strokes, Al Jazeera, Grabien, Blue Virginia and New Yorker, more at Mediagazer »
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Erik Wemple / New York Times:
He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years
He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years
Discussion:
HotAir, more at Mediagazer »
Spencer Ackerman / FOREVER WARS:
Ron Wyden Only Talks Like This When The Spies Do Something *Real* Bad — ALMOST FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) granted me an interview in his Senate office, with the understanding that he was going to say nearly nothing. — Wyden is a longstanding member of the Senate intelligence committee.
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Trump contradicts Gabbard on who sent her to Georgia — President Trump on Thursday said Attorney General Pam Bondi insisted that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attend the search of Fulton County's election center, contradicting Gabbard's claim that the president requested her presence.
Discussion:
CBS News, The Independent, Democrats, The Daily Caller, WLT Report, New Republic, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, The Bulwark, Grabien, The Hill and UPI
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump to launch TrumpRx.gov, branding his push to lower prescription prices — The president has argued his drug-pricing initiative “should win us the midterms.” Experts say its impact could be positive but limited. — President Donald Trump on Thursday is set to launch TrumpRx.gov …
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, Axios, AJMC and The Hill
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Joseph Choi / The Hill:
White House to launch TrumpRx.com, revealing results of Trump's MFN policy
White House to launch TrumpRx.com, revealing results of Trump's MFN policy
Discussion:
Associated Press and STAT
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
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:
CNN, Axios, The Hill, New York Times, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Blue Virginia, The Guardian, 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
RELATED:
US Department of Justice:
Anti-ICE Antifa member arrested on federal charges of Cyberstalking and Threatening Communications after allegedly calling for the murder and assault of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis — For Immediate Release — MINNEAPOLIS - Self-identified Antifa member Kyle Wagner …
Discussion:
CBS News, Townhall, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, The National Pulse and The Post Millennial
Keren Landman / NPR:
Some Public Health Service officers quit rather than serve in ICE detention centers — In 2025, as immigrant arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement soared, so did the demand for health care providers to staff hastily constructed detention centers.
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.
Discussion:
Challenger …, Fox Business, Forbes, The Hill, Raw Story, UPI and Democrats
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
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, CNN, New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and The Guardian
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
David Smith / The Guardian:
'Do you think you're the devil himself?': highlights from the bizarre, newly released Bannon-Epstein interview — The interview, revealed in the latest tranche of Epstein files, was reportedly intended for a sympathetic documentary — Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to Donald Trump …
Mike Rothschild / Talking Points Memo:
Donald Trump Became President By Appealing to Conspiracy Theorists — Now He's Driving Them Away — This excerpt is part of TPM Cafe, TPM's home for opinion and news analysis. — Donald Trump may not have been the first president to believe in conspiracy theories, but he was definitely …
New York Times:
Jeffrey Epstein's Money Mingled With Silicon Valley Start-Ups — The disgraced financier regularly courted tech industry figures not just for their prestige but also for access to promising companies. — In 2014, Coinbase was a two-year-old start-up offering people the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin.
Discussion:
CoinDesk, more at Techmeme »
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
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.
Andrew Solender / Axios:
“Needs to get the hell out”: House Dems fume at Schumer … - “I'm gonna continue to tell you that Schumer needs to get the hell out over and over and over until he does,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios. — “He continues to demonstrate to us that he can't meet the moment,” she added.
Discussion:
The Senate Democratic Caucus, Politico, New York Post, New Republic, MS NOW, PoliticusUSA and Washington Examiner
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Lower courts can't fix what's broken in Minnesota — Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🏛️ Subscribe to PN 🏛️ — Last weekend, Minnesotans desperate to stop thousands of heavily armed, masked …
Stephen Richer / New York Times:
What's Really Driving These Bogus Claims of Voter Fraud — This week, President Trump called on his party to nationalize American elections, an unconstitutional move that he said would be justified because of the danger of noncitizens casting ballots. “These people were brought to our country to vote …
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:
DOJ Looks to Automatically Dismiss Immigration Appeals as Trump Pushes Mass Deportations — The Trump administration's mass deportation campaign is about to receive a forceful boost, with the Justice Department planning to quickly and automatically dismiss immigration cases on appeal.
Discussion:
The Independent, NewsMax.com, Wall Street Journal and AppleInsider
Megan Mineiro / New York Times:
Congress Nixes Visas for Afghan Partners, Closing Off a Key Path — President Trump froze a program to allow Afghans who had worked with American troops to come to the United States. Now Congress has quietly scrapped the visas, leaving little hope of reviving them.
Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg:
Bessent Says It's Up to Trump on Suing Warsh Over Interest Rates — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that it would be “up to the president” if he wants to sue his nominee to chair the Federal Reserve for not lowering interest rates to his liking. — During a hearing Thursday …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNBC, The Hill, NOTUS, Washington Times, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Crooks and Liars and Grabien

