🏛️ Congressional Negotiations Stall Over Voter ID and ICE Reforms in DHS Funding Talks
Negotiations for long-term funding of the Department of Homeland Security have reached an impasse as Republicans seek to attach the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID for casting ballots in federal elections, while Democrats demand reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations including judicial warrants for certain arrests, body-worn cameras, bans on facial recognition and agent masks, visible officer identification, and restrictions on use of force and profiling. Following a brief partial government shutdown that ended in early February 2026 with most agencies funded through the fiscal year but DHS extended only until February 13 via a continuing resolution, talks have hit a wall amid strong Democratic opposition to the voter ID measure, which party leaders describe as suppressive, and Republican insistence on election integrity provisions, with some Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman expressing support for voter ID and border enforcement but acknowledging a shutdown risk.
🎦 Democrats Backtrack on ICE Body Camera Push Amid Privacy Fears
Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, recently demanded that ICE agents wear body cameras as part of accountability reforms following fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. This position garnered some bipartisan support, including from President Trump, who noted body cameras help prevent false claims against law enforcement. However, within days, privacy advocates raised alarms that the footage could fuel mass surveillance, such as feeding into facial recognition to monitor protesters. Democrats then shifted to calling for strict restrictions on how body camera data could be used, with Sen. Ed Markey emphasizing the need to balance accountability for officers with protections against suppressing free speech. This quick pivot highlights the party’s apparent unease when the same transparency tool might shield agents and complicate anti-enforcement narratives, even as DHS moves forward with deploying cameras in Minneapolis and planning nationwide rollout.
🤡 Jeffries Claims Trump Seeks to Steal Midterms Via Voter ID Push
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused President Donald Trump of attempting to “steal” the upcoming midterm elections by pushing to nationalize voting rules, including through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act that would require photo ID and proof of citizenship for federal elections. In a CNN “State of the Union” interview, Jeffries described the effort as voter suppression disguised as reform, insisting states should retain control over elections while noting New York already has some ID requirements. He dismissed broad public support for voter ID measures and vowed Democrats would block any federal overreach, framing it as an effort to undermine free and fair voting because Republicans fear losing otherwise.
Sources: The Post Millennial, Breitbart
⚠️ Department of Defense Employee Indicted in Multimillion-Dollar Money Laundering Scheme
A 33-year-old Pennsylvania man formerly employed as a logistics specialist by the Department of Defense faces federal charges after prosecutors say he moonlighted as a money mule. Samuel D. Marcus allegedly handled millions in proceeds from Nigeria-based wire fraud operations targeting American victims through romance scams, business email compromise, and other cons between July 2023 and December 2025. He reportedly received stolen funds into his accounts, quickly converted them to cryptocurrency, and shuttled them overseas while lying to banks and investigators about the sources—even after FBI warnings—leading to indictments on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, six counts of illegal monetary transactions, and one count of money laundering with concealment.
Sources: US Justice Dept, NewsMax
💸 Minnesota Woman Gets Year in Prison for $325K SNAP Benefits Scam
A 39-year-old Minnesota woman named LaTasha Thomas was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison followed by a year of supervised release after pleading guilty to mail fraud in a scheme that bilked the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program out of more than $325,000. She conspired with her daughter Ambrosia Thomas and relative Cynthia Thomas over two years to create fake identities using phony temporary driver’s licenses, then applied for Electronic Benefit Transfer cards in Hennepin County while falsely claiming high-risk pregnancies with fabricated doctor’s notes to inflate benefits. The group had EBT cards mailed to an apartment in Roseville under pseudonyms, withdrew cash from ATMs, made purchases, and sold access to the cards to others for fees typically around 50-60% of the allotment, leading to losses exceeding $325,159 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which Thomas must repay in full as restitution.
Sources: FOX News, US Justice Dept
🚨 Chicago’s Homicide Drop Largely Attributed to Federal Crackdown Under Trump
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has grudgingly noted a roughly 30% reduction in homicides for 2025, ending the year with 416 murders—the lowest since 1965—but the Trump administration and DHS have pointed to Operation Midway Blitz and aggressive federal immigration enforcement as the key driver behind the sharp decline in violent crime, including murders down 15-16%, shootings down 35%, and other categories like robberies and carjackings seeing substantial drops since the operation’s launch in September, despite local leaders’ claims that the trend predated federal involvement and their resistance to such interventions.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, FOX News
💰Leftist Protest Networks Shift Causes but Follow the Same Money Trail
Various activist outfits, particularly those tied to anti-ICE efforts, keep switching their focus from one hot-button issue to the next—like racial justice, police defunding, or immigration enforcement—yet the cash keeps flowing from the same handful of big leftist donors and murky pass-through groups. Groups such as Showing Up for Racial Justice provide the backbone with training, toolkits, and coordination, while funding often loops through outfits like the Tides Foundation or links back to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations and even some China-connected dark money channels, allowing the same professional protesters to pop up across causes without missing a beat on logistics or bail support.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, The New York Post
⚖️Trump Administration Taps Fired New York Attorney for FTC Role Targeting Gender Care Claims
The Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission has hired Glenna Goldis, a former New York assistant attorney general specializing in consumer fraud, who was terminated by New York AG Letitia James in January 2026 after publicly criticizing pediatric gender medicine, including the use of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers on children as lacking clear definitions and potentially fraudulent. Goldis, described as a liberal lesbian who spoke at events and podcasts against what she calls misleading “gender-affirming care,” now joins the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection as a senior litigator to pursue cases against companies or providers accused of deceiving young people about opposite-sex drugs and procedures.
Sources: The Daily Wire, NewsMax
🎓 UW-Madison Closes DEI Division but Staff Largely Persist on Equity Work
An investigation reveals that the University of Wisconsin-Madison shuttered its Division of Diversity, Equity, and Education Achievement last year amid financial mismanagement concerns and political pressure. The unit, which employed around 100 people with salaries topping $7 million annually, was closed in July 2025, with its former leader demoted earlier that year. Most staff members were reassigned to other departments, where they continue similar equity-focused roles and programming, leading critics to call the move largely symbolic rather than substantive. Audits had previously highlighted poor tracking of DEI spending and questionable expenses, contributing to the decision, though the core activities appear to have survived the reorganization.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, Heartlander News
⛽ California Refinery Closures Threaten Higher Fuel Prices and Tighter Supply
California’s ongoing refinery shutdowns, driven by heavy regulations and losses, are slashing in-state capacity by about 17%, with Valero’s Benicia facility idled early and Phillips 66’s Los Angeles-area plant already closed; experts warn this will push gasoline prices even higher in a state already paying far above the national average, increase reliance on costly imports, and heighten volatility and potential shortages for drivers across the West Coast.
Sources: The Epoch Times, FOX News
⚠️ Starmer’s Premiership Teeters Amid Resignations and Calls to Quit
Keir Starmer’s position as UK Prime Minister faces serious jeopardy following the resignations of his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney on February 8, 2026, who took responsibility for advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite Mandelson’s known ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and communications director Tim Allan on February 9, 2026, to allow a new Downing Street team. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar announced at a press conference on February 9 that Starmer should resign to end the distraction and enable fresh leadership, marking the most senior Labour figure to make such a demand amid the fallout from the Mandelson-Epstein controversy. Starmer has insisted he will not step down and is focused on the job, with some cabinet ministers rallying in support ahead of his address to the Labour Parliamentary Party later on February 9, though bookmaker odds heavily favor his replacement as Labour leader within the year.
Sources: The UK Express, SKY News
⛓️ Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai Gets 20 Years in National Security Crackdown
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai, aged 78, received a 20-year prison sentence on February 9, 2026, the harshest handed down under Beijing’s national security law. Convicted in December 2025 of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious articles through his now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai faced charges tied to alleged efforts to incite foreign sanctions and stir public hatred against authorities. The trial, which lacked a jury and lasted 156 days, drew international criticism as politically motivated, with Lai’s family calling the outcome effectively a life term given his age and health concerns after years in detention since 2020. Co-defendants, including former Apple Daily staff, got terms from about six to 10 years.
Sources: The UK Sun, BBC News
🕋 Iran Tightens Grip with Arrests of Reformist Figures After Brutal Protest Crackdown
Iranian authorities have expanded their post-protest suppression by detaining prominent reformist politicians, including Azar Mansouri (head of the Reformist Front), Mohsen Aminzadeh (former diplomat), Ebrahim Asgharzadeh (former parliamentarian), and others like Javad Emam (Reformist Front spokesperson). These arrests, reported on February 8-9, 2026, follow massive nationwide demonstrations that erupted in late December 2025 and peaked in early January 2026, during which security forces killed thousands and detained tens of thousands in a violent effort to crush unrest over economic collapse and regime oppression. The detainees face accusations of disrupting political and social order, often tied to alleged foreign influences like the US and Israel, as the regime seeks to prevent any resurgence of dissent amid ongoing repression that includes forced confessions and extended prison terms for figures like Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Reuters
🗳️Thailand’s Conservatives Claim Decisive Election Victory
In Thailand’s February 8, 2026 general election for the 500-seat House of Representatives, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, secured a surprising and strong win with projections of around 193-194 seats based on near-complete counts. This outcome defied pre-election polls favoring the progressive People’s Party, which trailed with about 116-118 seats, while the Pheu Thai Party placed third with roughly 74 seats. Voters appeared to favor stability, nationalism, and monarchy respect amid recent border tensions with Cambodia, handing conservatives their first outright top finish this century and positioning Anutin to form a coalition government and extend his premiership, though formal talks with partners remain ahead.
🚢 U.S. Forces Board Venezuela-Linked Tanker in Indian Ocean After Long Pursuit
U.S. military personnel boarded the crude oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean on February 9, 2026, following a tracking operation that began in the Caribbean. The vessel, which departed Venezuelan waters in early January carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of heavy crude, apparently destined for China, was accused of violating President Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned tankers tied to Venezuela. The Pentagon described the action as a right-of-visit maritime interdiction conducted without incident in the Indo-Pacific Command area, emphasizing enforcement against shadow fleet vessels evading restrictions. This marks an expansion of the crackdown beyond the Caribbean, where multiple similar boardings and seizures have occurred since late 2025 amid broader efforts to control Venezuelan oil flows after the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.