Trump Deletes Racist Video of Obamas After Outcry  —  The White House press secretary had dismissed criticism of the clip's racist content as “fake outrage.”  But later Friday, the clip disappeared from the president's social media feed.  —  President Trump posted a blatantly racist video …

Officials Pressed Schumer to Help Name Penn Station, Dulles for Trump  —  Administration officials told the top Senate Democrat the president would release frozen funding for the Gateway project if the transportation hubs were renamed for him.  —  The Trump administration has sought …

Border Patrol boss Gregory Bovino tossed from Las Vegas bar  —  Former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino was reportedly asked to leave a Las Vegas bar out of safety concerns for the venue's customers.  —  Days after being removed from his post in Minneapolis …

GOP's new fear: Losing the Senate in November … But a Democratic takeover of the Senate would be a political earthquake — and neuter his last two years in office. … - Operatives say they've reviewed polling that shows the GOP facing competitive Senate races not just in traditional battlegrounds …

JD Vance should have been sold by his mother for drugs, NYT columnist says  —  The vice president celebrated his mother's 10th year of sobriety in April  —  New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie suggested Vice President JD Vance's mother was right to have attempted to sell him for drugs in a Bluesky post on Wednesday.

DHS seeks deportation for Liam Conejo Ramos' family  —  The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.  The 5-year-old returned home this week after he was detained with his father …

CNN Data Guru Reveals Trump's Catastrophic ‘Failure’  —  LOSING FORMULA  —  The animated numbers wiz said Trump has a “formula that equals failure.”  —  CNN's data guru foresees that the president's “failure, failure, failure” will defeat the GOP in the midterms.

Iran Is at Work on Missile and Nuclear Sites, Satellite Images Show  —  Repairs at key missile sites began soon after they were hit by Israeli and U.S. strikes last year, but work at Iran's nuclear facilities has been slower.  —  Iran appears to have rapidly repaired several ballistic missile …

Is Samuel Alito Preparing to Disrobe?  —  In this installment of Elie v. US, our justice correspondent explores the week's big legal news, including a possible Alito retirement.  Also, the anti-trans mob's latest target: tight clothing.  —  Pocket … Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has a new book coming out.

‘Ignore It.’ How the Elite Consoled Jeffrey Epstein Over His Crimes.  —  Newly released emails show Noam Chomsky, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon commiserated with Epstein about his legal troubles and bad press  —  Since Jeffrey Epstein's death, a parade of powerful people who associated …

Key participant in 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attack that killed 4 Americans is in custody, Bondi says  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths …

Trump's Online Drugstore Opens for Business  —  TrumpRx is aimed at helping patients use their own money to buy medicines.  But researchers who study drug pricing warned that many patients could pay too much if they use the site.  —  President Trump announced the debut of a website …

DOJ omitted communication from Bondi, Patel in Epstein files, watchdog says  —  A watchdog group is asking the Justice Department to explain why it hasn't included communication from top Trump administration officials in its release of over 2 million pages tied to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a complaint filed Friday.

Elections overhaul takes center stage in House as hard-right pressure mounts … The issue almost tanked a massive government funding package this week and threatened to extend a four-day partial government shutdown — until Trump intervened and ordered House Republicans to pass the bill without attaching the elections legislation.

Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak  —  Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines.  US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show  —  Over two days of questioning during …

Inside Trump's Takeover of D.C.'s Golf Courses  —  In early spring, the founders of the National Links Trust met with a White House adviser to talk about the future of golf in Washington, D.C.  —  The White House adviser, William Doffermyre, who was set to become the solicitor general …

‘Gang Stuff’ and ‘Illicit Trysts’: How Epstein Sought Leverage With the Wealthy  —  Jeffrey Epstein drafted letters to men like the retail billionaire Leslie Wexner in which he hinted at shared secrets.  —  Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender, was drafting a letter to Leslie Wexner …

Commission preliminarily finds TikTok's addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act  —  Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design.  This includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications …

Understanding Epstein's Crimes  —  “I'm not a sexual predator, I'm an ‘offender’ ... It's the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel,” Jeffrey Epstein told the New York Post in 2011.  —  Epstein compared raping a 13-year-old girl to stealing a bagel.  Let that sink in.

Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service  —  Published Document: 2026-02375 (91 FR 5580)  —  This document has been published in the Federal Register.  Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.  — View printed version (PDF)

How ICE agents are using facial recognition technology to bring surveillance to the streets  —  Witnesses describe an expansion of biometric surveillance as immigration agents use facial scanning and photography to track targets and bystanders.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Federal judge rules DOJ can ‘no longer’ be trusted in voter roll crusade  —  A federal judge in Oregon issued a sweeping rebuke of the Justice Department's nationwide push to seize state voter rolls, ruling that the department can no longer be presumed to be acting in good faith and warning …

International Olympic Committee Asks Fans to Not Boo JD Vance at the Opening Ceremony  —  The U.S. delegation will be led by the Vice President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  —  Leading the U.S. delegation in Milan for the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony will be Vice President JD Vance …

What Americans actually want done about ICE  —  In a letter sent on Feb. 4, 2026, Democratic congressional leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer laid out their 10 key demands for the current fight in Washington over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and thus Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

American Decency Still Lives  —  If you want to accomplish anything in politics, you have to have realistic expectations about voters.  Ordinary people aren't deeply informed about policy or politics.  They have jobs to do, children to raise, lives to live.

The past two days have seen a growing struggle between Democrats, who are demanding accountability from the Trump administration, and Republicans trying to hide what the administration is up to.  —  Last night, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) published a letter he sent to Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe.

Amazon's tax bill plunges after GOP tax cuts  —  The 87 percent drop is largely due to a more generous depreciation break in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ … Also helping, though less important: The law's expanded breaks for businesses research and development expenses.

The Finance Industry Is a Grift.  Let's Start Treating It That Way.  —  It's bonus season on Wall Street, and a record-setting 2025 is yielding bigger paychecks than ever for America's investment bankers, thanks to their hard work doing, well, what exactly?

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Gives Way to Trump's Patriotic Fair  —  The summer festival, held annually since 1967, will not take place as usual on the National Mall, which will instead host the president's Great American State Fair.  —  The Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Festival …

Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together?  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Happy Friday.  We made it.  This is Adam Wren.  Get in touch.  —  WAITING FOR A CALL: The race to determine who'll likely be the newest member of Congress is too close to call as of this morning.

Why Delia Ramirez thinks DHS needs to be dismantled  —  In solidarity with Minnesota communities being hurt by DHS's ongoing occupation of the Twin Cities, we're donating all new revenue from today's edition of the newsletter to The Energy CENTS Coalition, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that helps struggling folks pay their utility bills.