Saturday, February 07, 2026

Bovino asked to leave establishment

Nazi-fetisher Gregory Bovino is in the news.  David Edwards (RAW STORY) reports:

A Las Vegas bar reportedly escorted former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino from the premises due to safety concerns.

On Thursday, the Bottled Blonde bar told The Daily Beast that staff asked the former Border Patrol chief to leave after he was spotted drinking wine and laughing with a group of young men.


Comments on the article include:

John Goodman 10 hours ago
Conservatives can't figure out the actual problem with ICE is not them removing illegals. The only way they could figure it out is being picked up and sitting in a holding center for 72 hours before being released after verification of citizenship. Problem is they have to experience something to understand it rather than being conceptualize the issue. How many times have we seen "this is not what I voted for" when a MAGA gets exactly what they voted for?

Martha Correll 10 hours ago
Kudos to that owner.Totally understandable that a private business did not want a controversial person in their establishment. His removal was to protect other patrons. That being said, Bovino is a total gestapo wannabe and deserves to be shunned for the rest of his life for his heinous behavior in MN. These people WILL learn that there are consequences for their actions.


TrumpIsWrong AboutEverything 9 hours ago
There was bound to be a little pushback on Bovino when he pranced around in that big trench coat looking like a German officer out of WWII. That was about as subtle as when Elon musk gave those Hitler salutes at Trump’s inauguration. It’s nice to see people doing whatever they can, big or small, to stand against this obviously racist administration.


In other news, I hope you saw Stan's "LaMonte McLemore."  LaMonte was one of The 5th Dimension -- a legendary group from the sixties and seventies.  "Stoned Soul Picnic" was one of their many hits.


 

McLemore's death leaves four of the remaining original members of The 5th Dimension alive: Marilyn McCoo and her husband Billy Davis Jr., Ronald Towson and Florence La Rue. 


"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Friday, February 6, 2026.  Chump posts racist content portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys in an effort to distract from (a) the economy, (b) ICE and Kristi Noem and (c) his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein which includes Epstein hanging out with him as late as 2016, and much more.


They need to answer some basic questions.  Who raped these underage girls from working-class families? What did they see? What did they know? What did they participate in? The American people are frustrated with the rich and powerful getting a different set of justice.

SCRIPPS NEWS GROUP quotes US House Rep Ro Khanna making those remarks on the floor of the House and he's referring to those "who exchanged e-mails with [Jeffrey] Epstein: 

Khanna said he remains concerned about communications that remain partially redacted by the Justice Department. Some emails suggest Epstein offered to connect men with women, though it is unclear whether the recipients knew that some of the women Epstein trafficked were underage.


Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficked children and young adults.  They preyed on them.  They lied and tried to pretend they were respectable and yet they were sex traffickers and pedophiles.  Epstein died behind bars -- an apparent suicide.  Maxwell went on the lam and was finally discovered and put in prison.  Real prison.  Last July, she played footsie with Chump's Deputy AG Todd Blanche and got herself a sweetheart deal which has landed her in Club Fed -- a cushy prison that she doesn't qualify for.  

She remains there.  

Even though her conviction on sex crimes means she can't be there.  She remains there. 

And Todd Blanche wants us to believe now that she's there for her own safety.

Is Todd trying to say Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself?  

Is that what Todd's doing?

Because to claim that her life depends upon her remaining at Camp Bryan seems to suggest that the Justice Dept is not capable of protecting people in prisons.  If that's the case, then every prisoner should be moved to Bryan, Texas for the facility there.  

Donald Chump has put her in Bryan, Texas.

That's reality.

He wants her there.

Chump wants her there.  

And that begs the question of what she's hiding.

That's not me suggesting that we would find out what she's hiding by asking her.  She's a known liar.  

But Chump can pretend all he wants that he's innocent of any wrong doing with regards to Epstein; however, when he has Maxwell in a cushy prison that she doesn't qualify to be in and the best excuse Blanche can offer is that there are threats against Maxwell?  Chump's own actions confess to questionable behavior.  

And questions can be asked.  And should be.  And maybe officially will be after the November mid-terms.  Pedro Camacho (LATIN TIMES) notes

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said his party would seek to interview President Trump as part of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation if they regain control of the House after the midterm elections, according to a post published Wednesday by CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes citing remarks Garcia made to Manu Raju.

According to Holmes, Garcia said Democrats would pursue an interview with the president in connection with the Epstein files probe if the party wins back the House majority, which would give them subpoena and investigative authority through the committee.
In a separate interview published Thursday by Politico, Garcia said Democrats believe the Justice Department has not fully complied with disclosure requirements tied to Epstein records and described the investigation as ongoing. "The DOJ thinks this investigation is over. We think it's just getting started," Garcia said. He also said, "There is a subpoena that's been in place since the summer. They have been unresponsive."


Maybe Donald's worried about something simple coming out?  A little lie like his claiming that he cut off contact with Epstein years ago?  Tom Latchem (DAILY BEAST) notes:


Jeffrey Epstein told a friend he was in Palm Beach with “all the trump boys” on Christmas Day 2016—a month after Donald Trump won his first U.S. election, a newly released email shows.

In a message sent on December 25 that year, following Trump’s victory in the November election, the convicted child sex offender wrote to Bill Gates’ advisor Boris Nikolic: “im in palm with all the trump boys. . = fun.”

A reply from Nikolic in the early hours of Dec. 26 reads: “Have fun!!”

Epstein did not spell out what “palm” means—although both he and Trump, 79, owned luxury homes in Palm Beach, Florida—or who exactly the wealthy financier was referring to when he said “the trump boys.”

It is also unknown whether the meet-up ever happened, or whether the president—who this week continued to try to shift media attention away from the files—was expected to be there himself.


2016?  At THE AMERICAN PROPSECT, Ryan Cooper noted Epstein and Chump together in 2016 back in November:


  • 2003: As part of an incredibly revolting book celebrating Epstein’s 50th birthday, Trump sends a birthday note with a hand-drawn note of a pubescent, nude female form, and a poem reading in part: “Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? … A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
  • 2008: Epstein is finally investigated for sexual abuse of minors. Then-U.S. attorney Alex Acosta grants Epstein one of the most bizarre sweetheart deals in American legal history, in which Epstein not only secretly pled to a much lesser charge of soliciting an underage prostitute, but also got all his unnamed accomplices immunized forever.
  • 2011: Epstein sends the above email.
  • 2016: Epstein claims in another email that he is hanging out in Trump Tower a week after the election.
  • 2017: Trump nominates Acosta, who has no relevant experience, to run the Department of Labor, which he does until 2019.

  • So November and December of 2016 found Epstein and Chump together again.  

    Over a month ago.  The efforts to deny the public the truth and answers is telling.  And we can't even get answers as to why the Justice Dept took so long to release what they have and about the 3 million pages still unreleased.  Alexand Bolton (THE HILL) notes that Senator Chuck Schumer tried to get answers:

    Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.) on Thursday objected to a Democratic request to initiate legal action against the Department of Justice for not releasing all files and records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) rose on the Senate floor to ask for unanimous consent to agree to a resolution directing the Senate to sue the Trump administration for violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed overwhelmingly last year. The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, directed the Justice Department to make public all its files related to Epstein by Dec. 19.

    “The question before the Senate Republicans today is simple. Will they enforce the law that they helped pass or object and keep the Epstein files hidden?” Schumer asked.


    What are Chump, Bondi, Blanche and the rest hiding?






    Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have requested a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche seeking answers about why the names of some people listed in email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein are redacted in files released by the Justice Department.
    “@RepThomasMassie and I have requested a meeting with @DAGToddBlanche to ask why the senders of these emails have been redacted,” Khanna wrote in a Thursday post on the social platform X. 

    “Concealing the reputations of these powerful men is a blatant violation of the Epstein Transparency Act we passed,” he added.

    Khanna included an image of one email in his post where the sender of a message to Epstein was blacked out. The March 2014 email said “Thank you for a fun night” and “Your littlest girl was a little naughty.”


    What are they hiding?  And why do they keep covering for those who stand in the shadows, for those who justice apparently cannot touch?  



    And, on that, we need to return to the topic of Ghislaine Maxwell.

    Why is Chump and his DOJ working so hard to give her special privileges?  She's a convicted sex trafficker.  

    Yet Donald Chump has moved her to a cushy prison.  

    Now he has so many friends who are pedos -- we noted one just yesterday one of his 'spiritual advisors'  Robert Morris -- so maybe he's just extra fond of them?  He really needs to answer as to when Ghislaine is going back to the prison her conviction demands she serve out her sentence in?  Again, if they're telling us that Ghislaine will only be protected at Camp Bryan, that's an alarming reality that needs to be the subject of Congressional hearings -- 'Chump proclaims Maxwell can't be protected in the prisons she belongs in!!!!'

    He's acting awful guilty. 



     



    With all of this and so much more kicking Chump in his saggy ass, his crazy and his evil came out last night.  As Ben notes on this morning's MEIDASTOUCH NEWS, Chump's late night posting included posting a video of Barack and Michelle Obama's heads on monkeys bodies.  Yeah, that is a vile act of racism.  




    Chump's in a panic because he's loathed.  Because the public's caught on to him and all of his hypocrisy and lies.  Epstein, the economy, you name it.  Harry Thompson (DAILY BEAST) notes:

    Despite President Trump’s claims about a miraculous economy, planned layoffs reached their highest level for January since the Great Recession.

    New data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas released on Thursday revealed that last month saw more job-cut announcements than in any January since 2009.

    The outplacement firm said that the 108,435 announcements made were up 205 percent compared to December 2025. That’s also 118 percent higher than January 2025.


    Layoffs are at a record high?  Well thank goodness Chump's policies have led to an increase in job creation, right?  Oh.  Wait.  They haven't.  In fact, Sam Sutton (POLITICO) reports


    The Labor Department reported on Thursday that job openings in December unexpectedly dropped to their lowest level since mid-2020, during the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a sign that companies have cooled on hiring despite an economic expansion that the White House has framed as the dawn of a new Golden Age.
    [. . .]
    A new poll from The Economist/YouGov found that Trump is 14 percentage points underwater on his handling of jobs and the economy, and a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that consumer expectations have deteriorated with regard to wage growth and finding new work.


    Well he wrecked the economy and after years of talking about Epstein and the need to hold people like Epstein accountable he backed off on that and, with Maxwell, proved he had no desire to hold them accountble.  Remember, he did tell former US House Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene that he had to protect his friends from being exposed.  At least he can point to pride in how he's conducted his war on immigrants and -- Woops.  That's a failure as well.  Sarah Rumpf (MEDIAITE) reports:

     
    Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL ) referenced President Donald Trump’s previous role on The Apprentice during a congressional hearing Wednesday to advocate for the firing of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    The tactics used during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have been loudly criticized and sparked nationwide protests and multiple court challenges, especially after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 by Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
    Recently, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino was removed from overseeing the operations in Minnesota and sent back to California, with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan sent to replace him. Noem’s announcement Monday that her agency would be “deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis…[e]ffective immediately” satisfied a key demand from protesters and Democratic members of Congress, but has failed to quell the ongoing anger and frustration at the administration’s immigration policies.


    And it's not just elected Democrats who have a problem with Kristi Noem.  Sarah Ewall-Wice (DAILY BEAST) reports:

    Republican Senator Roger Wicker is urging the Department of Homeland Security to take its plans for a massive immigration detention center elsewhere as he slaps down having the facility in his state.

    The powerful Mississippi lawmaker wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday rejecting the plan to buy a warehouse to convert it to hold immigrants in the deep red state.

    It's not just a Republican senator facing the reality of Kristi Noem, it's the whole country.  Dace Potas (USA TODAY) reports:

    From Hegseth’s leaks of military operations to the press, RFK Jr.’s disastrous vaccine overhauls to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s botched handling of the two fatal Minneapolis shootings, Trump has suffered plenty of political consequences due to his poor Cabinet choices. 

    Not only did Senate Republicans let down Americans by yielding to Trump's poor impulses on his nominations, but they have also left the party vulnerable heading into the midterm elections.

    In the cases of RFK Jr. and Hegseth, their incompetence and incompatibility were clear from day one. Americans were skeptical of RFK Jr. at the time, and few had strong feelings on Hegseth. Americans have since soured on both Hegseth and Noem just one year into Trump's term, and trust in federal health authorities has fallen further under RFK Jr.

    According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Jan. 14, 50% of registered voters disapprove of RFK Jr. And nearly half – 49% – disapprove of the way Hegseth is doing his job. As for Noem, 58% of voters think she should be removed from office, according to a separate Quinnipiac poll published Feb. 4.


    58%.  It's almost a supermajority (60%).  A majority of Americans want to see Kristi removed from office. And Panties Hegseth and Junior aren't very far behind.  Chump's a loser and he picked losers for his cabinet.

    Let's wind down with this from Senator Alex Padilla's office:

     
    WATCH: Padilla hears from Martin Daniel Rascon, a U.S. Citizen from California who was unlawfully stopped and shot at by CBP

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined a bicameral spotlight forum to denounce Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents’ violent tactics and disproportionate use of force as they enact President Trump’s mass deportation agenda in American cities.

    U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, convened the forum to hear testimony from U.S. citizens who have been victims of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents’ violent abuse of power. Martin Daniel Rascon, a U.S. citizen and resident of San Bernardino, California, was among the witnesses who testified, recounting his experience when ICE and CBP agents unlawfully stopped him and his family last August before a CBP agent fired on their car multiple times.

    Padilla slammed the out-of-control Trump Administration’s reckless, indiscriminate immigration enforcement campaign that has terrorized American communities, starting with Los Angeles. He condemned ICE and CBP’s cruel and unlawful violence against immigrants, peaceful protesters, bystanders, and U.S. citizens alike.

    Padilla demanded meaningful reforms and accountability for DHS’ rogue violence after ICE and CBP’s violent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti last month in Minneapolis. After Good’s brothers and her family’s lawyer offered powerful testimony at the forum, Padilla expressed his deep condolences to Good’s family and warned that more lives could be lost if ICE and CBP continue their violent operations in Minneapolis and in other cities across the country. Padilla also criticized his Republican colleagues for refusing to hold DHS accountable and blasted the Administration for villainizing victims of the violent actions of ICE and CBP agents before any unbiased, independent investigations take place.

    In addition to Mr. Rascon, the following witness offered testimony:

    • Marimar Martinez: A U.S. citizen and resident of Chicago, Illinois. In October, she was shot five times by CBP agents. After being shot by the Border Patrol Agent, Ms. Martinez was later charged with assaulting the agents who shot her. All charges were dropped by the U.S. Attorney’s Office six weeks later.
    • Aliya Rahman: A U.S. citizen and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is also a person with autism and a traumatic brain injury. In January, she was violently dragged from her car by immigration agents after telling them she had a disability; she was then detained without immediate access to medical care or accommodations.
    • Luke and Brent Ganger: The brothers of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in January.
    • Seth Stoughton: A former police officer and Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he is the Faculty Director of the Excellence in Policing & Public Safety (EPPS) Program.

    Key Excerpts:

    • Let’s not let our Republican colleagues off the hook, because under normal circumstances, regardless of who’s in the majority, when tragedies like this happen, Congressional committees convene to conduct our job to provide that oversight, but our Republican colleagues refuse to. Not at the House, not at the Senate, not at the full committee, and not even the subcommittee level. But at least we are here doing what we can to bring this information to light.
    • We’ve seen the masks, the unmarked cars, the agents who refuse to identify themselves. We’ve seen the agents coming out of helicopters, rappelling onto an apartment building in Chicago, kicking in doors indiscriminately, all for purposes of making a promotional video for themselves. We’ve heard and seen about the tear gas. We’ve seen the shootings of cars like Mr. Rascon’s experience and others.
    • Instead of proceeding with the best practices of an independent investigation, what do we hear from the Administration, all the way to the top? “No, these officers have complete immunity.” Number one, that’s not true, it’s wrong. Number two, it’s the opposite message, the wrong message to send to the agents in the field.
    • So as heartbroken as I am, I’m not shocked that less than three weeks later, Mr. Pretti was shot. 10 times. In the back. All for what? Because Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti were exercising their First Amendment rights? They’re speaking up on behalf of their neighbors. That’s so core to our democracy, freedom of speech.
    • Under normal circumstances, we turn to the Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Division to oversee a credible, independent investigation and bring forth consequences and accountability when warranted. But sadly, we’re not living in normal times. And so we do need to exercise any leverage point we can for the important reforms and restraints of what’s happening on the streets, for the safety of our communities and our constituents.
    • Ms. Martinez deserves justice. Ms. Rahman deserves justice. Mr. Rascon deserves justice. The people of our country deserve better.

    Video of Padilla’s remarks is available here.

    Today’s event was the second public forum Padilla joined as part of an ongoing inquiry into the lawless and abusive tactics used by federal immigration agents. In December, Padilla heard testimony from five U.S. citizens, including three Californians, whom DHS agents have violently arrested and detained. Padilla and Senator Blumenthal also introduced the Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act that month to allow individuals — regardless of citizenship — the right to sue federal law enforcement officers and agencies in civil court for violations of their civil and constitutional rights.

    Senator Padilla has been a leading voice in opposition to President Trump’s cruel and indiscriminate mass deportation agenda, including against his unprecedentedillegal militarization of Los Angeles and other American cities like Minneapolis. Last week, Padilla spoke on the Senate floor to hold the line against any additional funding for President Trump’s DHS after the brutal killings of Good and Pretti by ICE and CBP officers and agents. He also voted “no” against funding ICE and CBP’s cruelty. Additionally, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and every Senate Judiciary Democrat in urging the Department of Justice to heed the calls of career prosecutors and open a civil rights investigation into the death of Renee Nicole Good. Last month, Padilla joined leading immigration advocates and interfaith leaders at an “ICE Out for Good” rally and vigil to condemn the Trump Administration’s abuses against American communities and to demand ICE and CBP leave Minnesota after Good’s killing. 

    ###


    And the new edition of THE BLACK COMMENTATOR is out:

    BlackCommentator.com February 5, 2026 - Issue 1073: Black History Month Cover Story - Four Hundred Souls and the Need To Teach Black History 24/7- Color of Law By David A. Love, JD, BC Executive Editor
     


    The following sites updated:


    Friday, February 06, 2026

    National Butch Up Day

    Didn't realize that it was National Butch Up Day.  Jordain Carney (POLITICO) reports:


    Lindsey Graham is back right where he likes to be — at the center of the action in Washington.

    As the South Carolina Republican gears up to seek a fifth Senate term, he moved diligently in recent weeks to position himself as a key player in the Capitol Hill drama of the moment: the fierce debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
    His rekindled push for a crackdown on so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security has given an opportunity to tout his MAGA bona fides and sidle up to Trump.

    Quite literally: During an Oval Office bill signing Tuesday, Graham stepped out in front of the Resolute Desk and made a direct presidential appeal as a clutch of House and Senate GOP colleagues looked on.

    “I’ve got a better idea — it's your idea,” Graham said, turning to point at Trump. “End sanctuary cities.”


    Miss Lindsey.  John McCain's rolling over in his grave as he looks down on Lindsey sucking up to Donald Chump.  Our Miss Lindsey Graham.  Aging kitten with a whip.  

    You really have to wonder about him.  Still in the closet.  All these years later, still in the closet.  He must really hate being gay.  He must really hate it.  

    Meanwhile Molly Sprayregen (LGBTQ NATION) reports:


    In a world overrun by fake news, Professor Juana María Rodríguez is unflinchingly committed to facts.

    Since 2016, the University of California, Berkeley professor has mobilized students to preserve LGBTQ+ stories on one of the world’s most extensive historical records: Wikipedia.

    Through a unique course taught in partnership with Wiki Education, Rodríguez and her students produce entries for the site that cover niche LGBTQ+ subjects, many of which have fallen through the cracks due to contributor bias. And as the Trump administration works overtime to erase LGBTQ+ history from the national consciousness, Rodríguez knows that the best defense is putting cold, hard facts in front of as many readers as possible.

    “We can really change the narrative of how some of these stories are told,” Rodríguez told LGBTQ Nation, explaining that her students are involved in both editing existing pages and creating new ones.

    “The Trump administration can erase the T from Stonewall, but we can point them to 20 academic sources that talk about the centrality of trans people to Stonewall and to other uprisings,” she explained.

    In essence, she added, “We bring the receipts.” 

    That's a wonderful program.  Good for Professor Juana María Rodríguez and her students.  


    "The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

    Thursday, February 5, 2026.  Donald Chump continues to be haunted by the Epstein files and by his other pedo friends, Americans are ready for Kristi Noem to quit or be fired, while one five-year-old was freed from Chump's gulag this week many more children remain imprisoned, Senator Mark Kelly is not backing down, and much more.


    The Epstein Files.  Still not fully released.  The administration is still refusing to follow the act of Congress and release everything  And Donald Chump is all over last week's release.  There's a report of him raping a girl, for instance, in the release last week.  He keeps lying and pretending that it's not, but it is.  THE NEW YORK TIMES is so scared of being sued that they did not note it in their coverage -- or any of the allegations against him in the last release.   They say so in an article credited to "THE NEW YORK TIMES," "The New York Times is not describing the details of the unverified claims."  What is the paper of record ignoring?   Zachary Leeman (MEDIAITE) explains:

    In a complaint made by a friend, the president was accused of forcing a 13-14-year-old to perform oral sex on him.

    “[Redacted] reported an unidentified female friend who was forced to perform oral sex on President Trump approximately 35 years ago in NJ. The friend told Alexis that she was approximately 13-14 years old when this occurred, and the friend allegedly bit President Trump while performing oral sex. The friend was allegedly hit in the face after she laughed about biting President Trump. The friend said she was also abused by Epstein,” the complaint reads.


    Farrah Tomazin  (THE DAILY BEAST) notes:
     



    Of the release in general, Peter Rubinstein (THE MIRROR) reports:

    A new tranche of Justice Department documents related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein appeared to show that President Donald Trump's and his commerce secretary may have been in contact with the convicted sex trafficker long after they said they had ended their relationships with him.
    Amid bipartisan demands for transparency into the Justice Department's findings since Trump retook office last year, the president has maintained that he ended his long friendship with Epstein in 2006, when they had a falling out after Epstein allegedly abducted underage female employees of Trump's Palm Beach resort. Trump also claimed he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago the same year.

    But according to a report at the time from the New York Post, Epstein denied having had his Mar-a-Lago membership revoked. In fact, he had recently been invited to an event there, Page Six reported in October 2007. Now, according to the latest batch of Justice Department files, Epstein planned to communicate with Trump in April 2011.
    In an email sent by Epstein to someone named William Riley, he references a call he planned to make to Trump regarding "vrginina." Though the file, EFTA00909374, does not further identify the subject of the alleged call, Virginia Giuffre, who worked as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago, was one of Epstein's most prominent accusers before her apparent suicide in April 2025.

    The email is dated April 18, 2011.


    Howard Lutnick is the Secretary of Commerce and, like Chump, his memory is apparently not very good.  He got a lot of attention in October by claiming he had washed his own hands of Epstein in 2005 ("I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again") but the records show differently.  The date dump last Friday included a December 2012 e-mails (that would be seven years after he claimed he had broken off contact with Epstein) from Lutnik to Epstein:

     

    “Hi Jeff, we are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to St. Bart’s/Anguilla on Monday at some point. Where are you located (what is exact location for my captain)? Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good?” Lutnick wrote to Epstein on Dec. 19, 2012, according to file EFTA02151286.


    Poor memory (and easy lying) are the least of the administration's problems when it comes to the Epstein files.  Chump is insisting nothing-to-see-here-move-along.  But  Leigh Kimmins (DAILY BEAST) reports not everyone in the administration is singing from the same hymnal: 

    The newest tranche of documents, released last week, re-ignited a familiar headache for POTUS. It also saw the return of a familiar veiled plea, after his name or related terms were found 5,300 times within the documents. “I think it’s really time for the country to get onto something else,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon.

    But, around an hour prior, the Daily Mail dropped a wide-ranging interview with Trump’s second in command, where he suggested that he was open to a fresh probe in relation to the files.
    Over the weekend, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, previously known as Prince Andrew, should be prepared to testify before Congress about his past dealings with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.

    “I saw Keir Starmer said something about this,” Vance told the Mail, before firmly stating his position. “I’m certainly open to it,” he added.


    As Trump was trying to brush three million files under the rug in the Oval Office, the vice president was telling one of the world’s most read publications that he thinks official probes into the files should continue.


    When asked about Epstein on Tuesday, Chump attacked the journalist asking the question.  Sarah Ewall-Wice (DAILY BEAST) reports:

    President Donald Trump lost it at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins as she tried to ask him a question about survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the Oval Office.

    “What would you say to survivors–” Collins, 33, started to ask before the president, 79, cut her off.

    “You are so bad. You know, you are the worst reporter. No wonder,” Trump ranted. “CNN has no ratings because of people like you.”
    The president then turned to others in the room, which included multiple Republican lawmakers and reporters, as he kept attacking her.

    “She’s a young woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” Trump said.
    Collins countered that she was asking a question about Epstein’s survivors, but the president kept going.

    “You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth, and you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you,” the president lashed out.

    The one not telling the truth is, as usual, Donald Chump.  And his ties with people close to Epstein remain largely unexplored.  Etan Nechin (HAARETZ) notes:

    Pro-Trump billionaire Marc Rowan, whom the president appointed to his Board of Peace tasked with reconstructing Gaza, maintained close connections with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, newly released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice show.

    Rowan co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management with fellow Wharton graduate Josh Harris and investor Leon Black. He has been its CEO since 2021, succeeding Black, who was forced to step down in 2021 after revelations that he paid Epstein more than $150 million for personal financial advice. Black was also accused of raping a 16-year-old girl with Down syndrome and autism, allegations he denied.
    The documents show that Rowan had multiple phone conversations and email exchanges with Epstein. These included discussions in which Epstein considered purchasing Rowan's private jet and plans for the two to meet at Epstein's home.

    The Financial Times reported that Rowan discussed tax arrangements and sent Apollo financial documents to Epstein over several years, even though the company previously stated that it had no business with him.

    According to the FT, the two met at least once. In an email, Epstein wrote, "Mark [sic] was here this morning; we talked Athene, Montauk Rothschild. Planes boats etc."

    In another email from 2016, Epstein's assistant confirms plans for Rowan to visit his townhouse that day, along with members of the Edmond de Rothschild financial group and a business partner of Rowan.


    And while we're noting Chump's closeness with pedos, Sophie Clark (NEWSWEEK) notes:

     
    A Dallas-area pastor known for his involvement in GOP politics and his close relationship with President Donald Trump has been indicted in Oklahoma on child sex charges which stretch back four decades.

    Robert Morris was the lead pastor of the Gateway megachurch until last year when he resigned due to sexual abuse allegations.
    The 63-year-old served on Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board in 2016, hosted the President's 2020 "Roundtable on Transition to Greatness" a fundraising dinner which cost $580,600 per couple, and worked to organize Evangelicals in 2021 ahead of Trump's 2024 Presidential bid.

    He is now indicted in Oklahoma for allegedly committing repeated indecent acts to a child in Oklahoma in the 1980s.


    Chump's a pedo protector.  Alex Shephard (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:

    Musk, it seems, had few concerns about corresponding or—whether or not they ever actually hung out—associating with Epstein given his reputation. To the contrary, it seems to have been the point of associating with Epstein. Of course, the millions of emails released last week make it clear that a lot of other powerful people, most of them men, felt the exact same way. There is a sense of admiration, sometimes even envy, in their correspondence with Epstein. Mostly, though, they thought he was a good hang—not in spite of his reputation but because of it.

    Musk’s defense is notable because it mirrors the one offered by Donald Trump of his yearslong friendship with Epstein, which began in the late 1980s and ended in the mid-2000s. But Trump’s relationship with Epstein was not limited to correspondence. Indeed, given Trump’s relative paucity of grown-up friendships, one could credibly make the case that his relationship with Epstein was one of the deepest of his adult life. (Epstein told the journalist Michael Wolff—whose disturbingly close relationship with his “source” is detailed throughout the files—that Trump was once his “closest friend.”) “I’ve known Jeff [Epstein] for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Around the same time, he sent Epstein a birthday card featuring a hand-drawn silhouette. “A pal is a wonderful thing,” Trump wrote. “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

    Trump has since suggested that his relationship with Epstein deteriorated when he learned that his friend was a creep—specifically when Epstein attempted to “steal” a young masseuse (possibly Virginia Giuffre, who recently published a memoir detailing Epstein’s abuse and who died by suicide last year) who worked at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Trump’s allies have repeated that claim ad nauseam, also claiming that Epstein was “banned” from the club at the same time. There’s no evidence that’s true. (Epstein, it seems, was never a dues-paying member of Mar-a-Lago but was treated as one, given his close relationship with Trump.) Instead, the best contemporaneous evidence of their falling out suggests that it was over real estate, not Epstein’s treatment of women: The two engaged in a bitter battle to buy a historic Palm Beach property in 2004 that ultimately destroyed their friendship.

    That real estate, not misogyny or criminal sexual activity, destroyed Trump and Epstein’s relationship makes sense because it’s clear from public comments and private correspondence that Trump was aware that Epstein was a creep—he just thought it was cool. Every day with him, after all, was a “wonderful secret.” The fact that Epstein liked women on the “younger side” was something to toast. The extent to which Trump participated in Epstein’s criminal activity is not clear. But what is obvious is that he was well aware of who his friend was, and that it was worth celebrating. He liked Epstein because he liked young girls and was frequently surrounded by them. Which is also why, years after Epstein and Trump’s falling out, Musk wrote to him to ask when he would be throwing the “wildest” party.





    ICE continues destroying communities while pretending that they are going after the worst of the worst.   Leah Vann (HOUSTON CHRONICLE) reports:

    On Tuesday evening, community members were encouraged to walk along the sidewalk at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center to protest senior Mauro Yosueth Henriquez's detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Henriquez and his father, Mauro Rigoberto Henriquez, were taken into custody on Dec. 16 and are reportedly at a detention center in Conroe. The younger Henriquez is a senior captain and midfielder of the school's soccer team and also volunteers as a local soccer coach in the community. 

    A GoFundMe by Esther Galvez has raised over $8,000 to cover the family's legal expenses and help them cope with "immense emotional and financial strain," caused by the absence of the elder Henriquez, the primary breadwinner. 

    "He (Mauro Yoseuth Henriquez) is known by teachers and mentors as a hardworking, respectful young man who loves his school and community," Galvez wrote. "They are pleading for his release so he can return home and graduate with his class." 

    Neither the father nor the son has a criminal record, according to Harris County District Clerk's Office. According to the Houston Chronicle, the two are originally from Honduras, but ICE has not responded to a request for comment on their immigration statuses. 


    Children are being held in these gulags all over the country.  Five-year-old Liam is one that ICE was ordered to release.  US House Rep Jasmine Crockett was part of the effort to free Liam and she revealed this week "so many other children whose names you don't know that are suffering right now -- including children as young as one month old."



    Jasmine rightly praises the judge's verdict in the case so let's again note Joe Patrice (ABOVE THE LAW) on that landmark ruling:
     

    Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas issued an order releasing five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Liam became a symbol of the human cost of the Trump administration’s occupying surge in Minnesota when a camera caught him standing in the cold with a blue bunny hat and backpack while government agents arrested the child. Judge Biery’s short, poignant order delivers a comprehensive civics lesson laced with contempt for what the judge calls “the perfidious lust for unbridled power.”

    [. . .]

    Judge Biery may have fired off a bare bones opinion, but it only takes a handful of sentences to lay out the legal issue:

    Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer.

    This is, of course, exactly right. ICE has been conducting enforcement actions based on administrative warrants — essentially permission slips the executive branch writes for itself — rather than judicial warrants supported by probable cause. The Fourth Amendment requires the latter. This has always been the case, and the administration keeps lying about it.




    The Trump administration’s response to the two recent killings in Minneapolis has achieved the peculiar distinction of being both horrifying and ridiculous at the same time — like watching “The Death of Stalin,” except without the self-awareness or the courtesy of being fiction
    One of the faces of this farce is that of Kristi Noem, the cowgirl-hat-wearing secretary of Homeland Security, who told the nation that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were “domestic terrorists,” while the immigration officers who killed them were just practicing, you know, wholesome, all-American defensive shooting.

    It takes a special kind of audacity to announce the exact opposite of what everyone can plainly see on viral videos. Which raises an obvious question: Why would anyone attempt a lie this naked and doomed?

    Noem became a serial prevaricator the same way that teenager in the old anti-drug ad learned to smoke weed: “I learned it by watching you.”

    Trumpworld is a finishing school for shamelessness. Graduates are taught that prudence is weakness, apology is surrender and reality itself is alterable — if you just say the right words with enough swagger.


    Kristi Noem has been exposed as someone who has no respect for the Constitution.  She needs to go.  ATLANTA BLACK STAR NEWS notes:

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has shown little interest in restraining her rhetoric lately, posting and posturing with the apparent confidence that having President Donald Trump firmly at her back would shield her from real consequences. That swagger didn’t hold up for long.
    In a sharp and very public setback, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a stay blocking Noem’s directive to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Haitian immigrants living and working in the United States — a ruling that landed just as her toughest talk was echoing back at her.
    Judge Ana Reyes made Noem’s humiliation stick when she even used Noem’s hateful and bigoted words from a December social media post about immigrants against her in an 83-page opinion issued Monday, Feb. 2, denying the secretary’s plan to strip Haitians of their TPS, according to news outlets.
    In December Noem wrote on X several days before announcing the decision to revoke TPS for Haitian immigrants that after meeting with President Donald Trump, “I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
    “Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” a spiteful Noem continued before adding, “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”

    Reyes’ scathing opinion threw Noem’s words right back in her face.

    “The plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, ‘killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies,’” Reyes wrote.
    “They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id., and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse.”


    She is an embarrassment and a hate monger.  And this administration of scolds and hall monitors (like Prissy Pete Hegseth trying to order the Scouts around) has realed themselves to be deeply corrupt. That's why the pubic is turning on them.  Sarah Davis (THE HILL) reports public sentiment is against Kristi Noem:


    More than half of respondents in a new poll said they support the removal of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. 

    The Quinnipiac Poll comes as Democrats in Congress have called for Noem’s ouster after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis last month. Noem is overseeing the largest immigration enforcement operation in DHS history in Minnesota, and more than 2,000 agents were reportedly deployed to the state.
    Of the poll’s respondents, 58 percent said they would support replacing Noem, while 34 percent were in favor of keeping the secretary in her role.



    Last week, Chump and Pam da Bimbo Bondi arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for the 'crime' of carrying out journalism.  LZ Granderson (SEATTLE TIMES) notes:

    Nearly a year ago, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had the Epstein client list on her desk for review. Then the administration waffled and refused to turn over its files. On Friday, it finally did release 3 million pages of documents.

    And on Thursday night, knowing that release was imminent, the Justice Department just happened to arrest journalists.

    That doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

    It doesn’t even feel like politics. It all feels like a test democracy desperately needs America to pass.


     Chump thinks he can distract from reality but he is mistaken.  He can't even distract his new hires at ICE.  BALLER ALERT notes:


    New hires at ICE are blasting the agency for not delivering the huge bonuses they were promised when they signed up to expand Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement ranks.

    In multiple Reddit posts reviewed by the International Business Times UK, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents complained that they “hadn’t yet seen their signing bonuses materialize.” Others said that when their bonus finally arrived, it was only a “few thousand dollars after taxes.” One agent said they “were unable to cover medical costs for their sick child due to an insurance coverage gap.”
     The Trump administration pledged up to $50,000 in incentives for recruits willing to beef up so-called homeland defenders, a campaign that helped swell ICE’s ranks. The Department of Homeland Security touted an incoming class of 12,000 new agents after receiving more than 220,000 applications, though the rapid growth has reportedly strained internal systems. One unnamed administration official previously described the hiring surge as a “s**t show” inside ICE.


    Meanwhile Matt Brown and Terry Tang (AP) report that the names that the administration is using for the ICE raids are bothering a number of people:


    The names send a message that immigrants in the U.S. are “sub-human,” Congressman Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, told The Associated Press.

    “That is why they have those disgusting names,” said Gomez, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Administration officials “don’t even use that kind of language when they conduct operations across the globe dealing with some of the worst terrorists imaginable.”
    [. . .]

    Operation Catch of the Day, which wrapped up in Maine last month, immediately drew backlash from Democratic lawmakers when the name was first announced. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree called the branding “racist and degrading” to Mainers in general and the state’s immigrant communities in particular.

    “It’s a sick joke,” Pingree said in a social media post.

    Shenna Bellows, Maine's Democratic secretary of state who is also running for governor, denounced “the grotesquely named operation,” warning the Trump administration's actions and messaging have chilled business and civic life in the state.

    “When ICE agents are patrolling the streets and arresting and imprisoning people, wrongly, then people are afraid to go out,” Bellows told AP.

    State Democratic Sen. Joe Baldacci agreed: “This isn’t a special on a restaurant menu. This is people’s lives.”

    In more bad news for Chump and Noem, Anna Commander (NEWSWEEK) notes:

    A new poll from The Economist and YouGov on Tuesday shows a 15 percent uptick in Americans saying immigrants make the country “better off.” In January 2025, 31 percent of Americans felt that sentiment, the pollster notes.
    A shifting public stance toward immigration could influence congressional races and policy strategies ahead of the midterm elections, as Republicans weigh the potential costs of hard-line enforcement—while Democrats seek to mobilize voters against mass deportation efforts, arguing the Trump administration’s tactics have punished the U.S. economy while triggering a humanitarian crisis.
    The trend also intersects with approval of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration, which registered net-negative ratings in recent national polling.




    Most Americans (61%) believe that the Trump administration hasn't been honest about the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis nearly two weeks ago, according to a new Quinnipiac poll.

    Why it matters: Public opinion on President Trump's hardline immigration agenda is hardening, even as the administration attempts to tamp down fallout from the killings of Pretti and Minneapolis mother Renee Good.
    The polling comes as Trump's border czar Tom Homan announced the administration would withdraw 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota "immediately" — a major de-escalation move following weeks of backlash over Pretti's killing.
    By the numbers: 93% of Democrats and 65% of Independents say the administration hasn't been honest about the shooting, compared with 19% of Republicans.

    62% of voters say the shooting was not justified, while 22% say it was — and 16% did not offer an opinion.
    State of play: The vast majority of Americans (80%) say there should be an independent investigation into the shooting, compared with just 15% who disagree.

    Senator Mark Kelly is retired military.  He and others who have served taped a public service announcement noting that those in the military have a duty to not follow an illegal order.  It's part of training, what they announced.  But the White House ginned up outrage as they usually do with the demented Donald Chump insisting that Mark and others could be executed for what they had stated.  And Panties Pete Hegseth took time off from playing Secretary of 'War' to attack Kelly.  He went beyond throwing words and announced that Kelly was going to be dropped to a lower rank.  Will Neal (DAILY BEAST) notes:

    Pete Hegseth looks to be heading home with his tail between his legs after a judge poured cold water on the defense secretary’s vengeful crusade against a top Democrat.

    “You’re asking me to do something that the Supreme Court has never done,” D.C. District Judge Richard Leon said in a preliminary hearing reported by the New York Times.

    He further described the Pentagon’s case against Sen. Mark Kelly as a “bit of a stretch.”



    “You're asking me to do something the Supreme Court has never done,” the judge told Justice Department attorney John Bailey. “Isn't that a bit of a stretch?”
    Bailey argued that Congress decided that retired military service members are subject to the same Uniform Code of Military Justice that applies to active-duty troops.

    “Retirees are part of the armed forces,” Bailey said. “They are not separated from the services.”

    Benjamin Mizer, one of Kelly's lawyers, said they aren't aware of any ruling to support the notion that military retirees have “diminished speech rights.” And he argued that the First Amendment clearly protects Kelly's speech in this case.

    “And any other approach would be to make new law,” Mizer added.

    Jan Wolfe (REUTERS) notes, "The judge, who said he intends to rule by February 11, signaled agreement with Kelly that the demotion proceedings were unlawful retaliation for constitutionally protected free speech.  The judge said there is no question that the Defense Department can limit the free speech rights of active-duty soldiers to promote cohesion, but that the Trump administration wants to create new precedent that would allow it to treat retired personnel similarly."

    Senator Kelly's office issued the following:

    Today, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly released the following statement after today’s federal court hearing on his case against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: 

    “Today was a day in court not just for my Constitutional rights, but for millions of retired veterans and all Americans. There is nothing more fundamental to our Democracy than the freedom to speak out about our government – that’s what I’m fighting for.   

    Given what’s at stake, I appreciate the judge’s quick and careful consideration in this lawsuit. 

    I wore the uniform to defend this country and our Constitution. 

    Secretary Hegseth has censured me and is trying to demote me for things I said. For doing my job as a Senator.

    This isn’t happening in isolation. Since taking office, this administration has repeatedly gone after the First Amendment rights of Americans.  

    That’s not how we do things in the United States of America.

    We have the Constitution and the law on our side.” 

     
    Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

    Warren: “It is not a surprise that ICE agents seem to think that they are above the law because Donald Trump, JD Vance, and the Republicans are treating them like they are above the law.”

    Warren: “It is Congress’s responsibility to step up and say we are going to put new rules in place for ICE, but most of all, we’re going to demand accountability for those who break the law.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube) | Renée Good’s Family Testimony (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned witnesses in a spotlight forum held by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on the violent tactics used by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the lack of accountability following instances of misconduct. At the forum, Renée Good’s two brothers testified on her behalf.

    This spotlight forum follows months of violent and abusive tactics used by ICE agents, including the murder of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January. Recent comments from the Trump administration raise concerns that ICE agents are being told to behave illegally when conducting immigration enforcement. Vice President J.D. Vance has reportedly told agents they have “absolute immunity” from any repercussions. This week, Senator Warren led her colleagues in a push for an expedited probe of ICE’s violence after a watchdog confirmed an investigation.

    Among these witnesses was Ms. Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was shot five times by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents on her way to a doctor’s appointment. At the forum, Ms. Martinez confirmed that she has not been informed of any investigations against the agent who shot her and that the agent left the state after the shooting, making it more difficult to pursue an investigation.

    Senator Warren criticized the Republican Party for attempting to expand ICE’s federal budget, “an amount that is larger than most countries' military budgets.” When asked whether there had been any halt in ICE’s “slush funding” in response to the killing of Renée Good, the Good family’s legal attorney, Mr. Antonio Romanucci, confirmed that he was “not aware of any money being frozen as a result of what is happening in Minneapolis or any of the other cities.” Mr. Romanucci also called for a public investigation to ensure accountability.

    Senator Warren highlighted Congress’s duty to ensure there are consequences when ICE agents break the law, as well as the importance of independent investigations similar to local officer-involved shootings.

    “It is Congress's responsibility to step up and say we are going to put new rules in place for ICE, but most of all, we're going to demand accountability for those who break the law,” concluded Senator Warren.

    ###



    The following sites updated: