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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.

Dulcinea

5 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.

BumRushDaShow

Steve 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.’”

BumRushDaShow

Searing 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.

Pototan

Less 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.

KS Toronado

Monday's Condensed News Cartoons

BumRushDaShow

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.

RandySF

Kid 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.

marmar

Turning 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.

applegrove

Zelensky 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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Ghislaine Maxwell invokes Fifth Amendment in House deposition

21 min ago - (MS NOW) Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded the Fifth Amendement virtually before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday as part of a high-profile inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities and the federal g ... (MS NOW)

Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump's 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows

36 min ago - February 9, 2026 / 4:00 AM EST 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 ... (CBS News)

Trump's Religious Liberty Commission sued over lack of diversity

55 min ago - Feb. 9, 2026, 10:20 a.m. ET A group of multifaith organizations sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Feb. 9 over what they contend is an illegal lack of religious and ideological diversity on the Department of Justice’s Religiou ... (USA today)

Progress reported as Mount Sinai reviews mediator proposal amid nurses' strike

1 hr ago - Monday, February 9, 2026 9:22AM NEW YORK (WABC) -- As the nurses' strike enters a fifth week, Mount Sinai says they are in the midst of reviewing a new proposal from the mediator. "Both parties continued to make progress with the mediator to resolve ... (WABC)

'Trump is showing us the playbook': Officials scramble to protect against election interference

1 hr ago - Feb. 9, 2026, 5:00 AM EST In Minnesota, state election officials are gaming out how to respond if armed agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement show up at polling places this November. In the nation’s capital, congressional Democrats a ... (MS NOW News)

San Francisco public schoolteachers strike over wages and health benefits

2 hrs ago - Updated 7:43 AM CST, February 9, 2026 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of public schoolteachers in San Francisco went on strike Monday, the first public schoolteachers strike in the city in nearly 50 years. The strike comes after teachers and the ... (AP)

Nicaraguan government blocks key pathway used by Cuban migrants to reach United States

2 hrs ago - Updated 12:42 AM EST, February 9, 2026 MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua’s government on Sunday blocked Cuban citizens from entering the country without a visa, effectively cutting off a key route for Cuban migration to the United States at a ti ... (AP)

Breast cancer survival rates higher in Medicaid expansion states, study finds

3 hrs ago - By: Nada Hassanein - February 9, 2026 4:45 am Women with breast cancer living in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility were less likely to die from the disease — but not everyone benefited equally, according to a recent study published in th ... (Nebraska Examiner)

Activists Hand Out 'ICE OUT' Towels at Super Bowl LX

3 hrs ago - Published Feb 08, 2026 at 08:28 PM EST 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 ... (Newsweek)

US figure skater Amber Glenn faces backlash over politics and copyright issues after Olympic gold

3 hrs ago - By DAVE SKRETTA Updated 4:38 AM CST, February 9, 2026 MILAN (AP) — On the same day Amber Glenn won Olympic gold as part of the team event, and stepped away from social media due to backlash over her comments on politics and the LGBTQ+ community, ... (AP)

Searing Dem Letter Asks Ghislaine Maxwell If She or Epstein Procured 'Underage Girls to President Trump'

4 hrs ago - Feb 8th, 2026, 8:02 pm 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 Cha ... (MEDIAite)

March for Life attendees may have been exposed to measles, DC Health warns

4 hrs ago - February 8, 2026 7:06 PM ET Health officials are warning that confirmed cases of measles may have spread at this year's National March for Life rally and concert in Washington, D.C. Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators converged upon the National ... (NPR)

Trump administration appeals ruling on releasing New York City tunnel funds

5 hrs ago - February 8, 2026 7:07 PM EST Updated 22 mins ago Feb 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday appealed against a decision requiring the Transportation Department to unfreeze federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson Tunne ... (Reuters)

Obama Shades MAGA in Celebratory Super Bowl Post

6 hrs ago - Updated Feb. 8 2026 6:43PM EST Published Feb. 8 2026 5:31PM EST MAGA world caught a sly snub from former President Barack Obama in a tongue-in-cheek post about the Super Bowl. The Obama Foundation posted support of Bad Bunny ahead of his Super Bowl ... (Daily Beast)

Mexico Dispatches Two Ships to Cuba With Humanitarian Aid

6 hrs ago - February 8, 2026 at 5:48 PM EST Two Mexican navy ships departed for Cuba on Sunday with more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid as the island strains under growing US economic pressure. One ship will transport more than 500 tons of staples such as bea ... (Bloomberg)

Lawmakers locked in standoff over ICE reforms as DHS funding deadline approaches

7 hrs ago - Updated on: February 8, 2026 / 5:13 PM EST / CBS News Washington — Republicans and Democrats in Congress are locked in a standoff over reforming the nation's immigration enforcement operation as a deadline to reach a resolution and fund the Depa ... (CBS News)

Warner questions whether Trump will interfere in 2026 midterms

7 hrs ago - 02/08/26 4:26 PM ET Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Sunday questioned the possibility of President Trump interfering in the 2026 midterm elections. Warner’s concern stemmed from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s effort to gathe ... (The Hill)

Steve Bannon fires warning shot to Trump over midterms: 'There is a massive lack of enthusiasm among the base'

8 hrs ago - Sunday 08 February 2026 16:18 EST 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 ... (The Independent)

Republican Urges Immigration Reform, Says Mass Deportation 'Not Realistic'

8 hrs ago - Published Feb 08, 2026 at 03:49 PM EST updated Feb 08, 2026 at 03:50 PM EST Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, has urged lawmakers on Sunday to find a bipartisan path towards immigration reform, saying that trying to deport all undocu ... (Newsweek)

For $1 Million, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Trump

8 hrs ago - Feb. 8, 2026 Updated 3:24 p.m. ET President Trump's allies are offering access to him and other perks to donors who give at least $1 million to a new group supporting flashy initiatives he is planning around the nation's 250th birthday, according to ... (New York Times)