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February 9, 2026
Trump accepts ownership of the current economy: 'I'm very proud of it'
(NBC News) President Donald Trump says it’s his economy now. In an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, the 47th president said the country is already experiencing the Trump economy. “At what point are we in the Trump economy?” Llamas asked. “I’d say we’re there now,” he replied. “I’m very proud of it.” His remarks come at a time when most Americans tell pollsters they are not satisfied with the state of the economy.
Go to discussion5 glaring warning signs for Republicans in this year's midterm elections
(NPR) Times Square's digital screens have nothing on the glaring warning signs for Republicans ahead of these upcoming midterm elections. President Trump, his policies and actions are unpopular. The GOP continues to lose special elections. Republicans are retiring at faster rates than Democrats. And people are saying they'd rather Democrats control Congress. At this point, all of it adds up to trouble for the party in power.
Go to discussionSteve Bannon fires warning shot to Trump over midterms: 'There is a massive lack of enthusiasm among the base'
(The Independent) Steve Bannon has warned President Donald Trump and the Republican Party that there is a “massive lack of enthusiasm” among the MAGA base heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Bannon, Trump’s former adviser during the first administration, complained that Republicans were “running for the hills” over current negotiations on the Department of Homeland Security funding to avoid a shutdown. “Step up and do something,” Bannon said on a recent episode of his War Room podcast. “You have a massive lack of enthusiasm among the base because they're sitting there going, ‘I'm just not feeling it right now.’”
Go to discussionSearing Dem Letter Asks Ghislaine Maxwell If She or Epstein Procured 'Underage Girls to President Trump'
(Mediaite) Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) sent a searing letter in which he stated his intention to ask Ghislaine Maxwell if she or Jeffrey Epstein ever procured “underage girls” for President Donald Trump. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-TN) announced last month that Maxwell would be deposed by the committee, and that deposition is scheduled for this Monday. But on Sunday, Maxwell’s attorney made clear she intends to plead the Fifth Amendment. Congressman Khanna, the ranking member on the committee, responded with a searing letter to Comer listing the questions he planned to ask Maxwell — including a few loaded ones about Trump.
Go to discussionLess than 14% of ICE arrests are violent criminals
(CBS News) Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News. The official statistics contained in the DHS document, which had not been previously reported publicly, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's far-reaching deportation operations across the U.S.
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Activists Hand Out 'ICE OUT' Towels at Super Bowl LX
(Newsweek) At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, activists distributed 15,000 rally towels emblazoned with “ICE OUT” ahead of Super Bowl LX. The towels, which were handed out by volunteers stationed at multiple entrances. The effort was organized by Contra-ICE, a coalition of musicians and artists, in response to Department of Homeland Security statements that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be present at the game.
Go to discussionKid Rock Mocked for Lip Syncing Through MAGA Super Bowl Stunt
(Daily Beast) Kid Rock’s own fans were left wondering whether he was lip-syncing at MAGA’s anti-Super Bowl. Rock, 55, jumped up onstage in a fur vest and his signature black hat for a high-powered performance of his 1999 song “Bawitdaba.” He was the headliner for Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” intended to counter Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s highly anticipated performance in California. Notably, Kid Rock didn’t take the stage until after Bad Bunny had left the official Super Bowl halftime stage.
Go to discussionTurning Point USA's bid for cultural relevance -- and more money -- just couldn't compete with Bad Bunny
(Salon) Perhaps it’s a sign that I am an empathy-poisoned liberal, but it was hard to choke back the pity watching the alternative halftime show aired by Turning Point USA during Sunday’s Super Bowl game. Despite having months to book and organize an event that was supposed to draw millions away from the real deal, TPUSA couldn’t even pack the small space for audience members on the soundstage — not a stadium, arena, theater or even a club — they rented for the occasion.
Go to discussionZelensky Says Russia Proposing Huge Deals with U.S.
(Political Wire) Days after negotiations to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine ended inconclusively in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia and the United States were discussing bilateral economic agreements worth some $12 trillion, including deals that would affect Ukraine,” the Washington Post reports. Zelensky said intelligence sources showed him documents that laid out a framework for U.S.-Russian economic cooperation that he called the ‘Dmitriev package’ — named for Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been a central figure in negotiations over a potential ceasefire.
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