Good evening everyone. I just returned home from a large protest in Washington, D.C., outside the headquarters of Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. There is a great deal of critical news to cover tonight.
We now have confirmation that the United States military likely committed another possible war crime, this time involving the crime of perfidy. President Trump threatened to revoke the citizenship of naturalized Americans while making an obscene gesture toward a Ford worker, among other alarming developments.
I am working nonstop, both online and on the ground, to report the truth as it unfolds. That independence is essential. I will continue fighting to ensure every American has access to accurate, timely, and accountable journalism. But I cannot do this alone. If you believe this work matters, I am asking you to stand with me. Subscribe to support my reporting. I am not stopping.
Here’s what you missed:
A Guardian investigation reports that a US aircraft used in a 2025 strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat was disguised as a civilian plane, killing 11 Venezuelans, and legal experts say concealing its military identity could constitute the war crime of perfidy or, absent an armed conflict, illegal extrajudicial killings, amid broader criticism of the Trump administration’s maritime airstrike campaign and sidelining of military legal advisers.
I was just at a protest in Washington, D.C. in front of the Customs and Border Protection headquarters:
House Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said they will seek to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress after he and Hillary Clinton refused to appear for subpoenaed depositions tied to the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, arguing the subpoenas are legally invalid despite no accusations of wrongdoing against the former president.
New video obtained by TMZ shows President Donald Trump flipping off a ford worker who called him a "pedophile protector"
Donald Trump threatened in a Detroit speech to revoke the citizenship of naturalized immigrants convicted of fraud, singled out Somali immigrants and Rep. Ilhan Omar with xenophobic rhetoric, and reiterated plans to cut funding to sanctuary jurisdictions—claims and proposals that critics note conflict with existing law and due process limits on denaturalization.
Congressional progressives vowed to oppose all DHS funding unless major immigration enforcement reforms are enacted, after an ICE agent fatally shot a US citizen in Minneapolis, calling for limits on militarized policing, stricter arrest rules, and greater accountability as Congress races to avert a government shutdown.
Donald Trump said the federal government will stop funding states and cities with sanctuary policies starting Feb. 1, reviving a plan that a federal judge previously blocked as unconstitutional and coercively punitive toward local governments.
Despite overwhelming bipartisan support and $70 million in private fundraising, legislation to secure a National Mall site for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum remains stalled in the House due to leadership inaction and GOP concerns over costs and priorities, frustrating supporters who may now pursue procedural workarounds to force a vote.
The U.S. Supreme Court signaled it is likely to uphold state laws in West Virginia and Idaho banning transgender girls from women’s sports, with conservative justices expressing skepticism toward equal-protection and Title IX challenges—raising the prospect of a sweeping precedent that could weaken legal protections for trans people nationwide.
NBC News has confirmed that a federal judge allowed Ohio State abuse survivors to use alternative methods (email, lawyers, or security) to subpoena Les Wexner for testimony and documents in ongoing civil lawsuits alleging the university failed to stop sexual abuse by former physician Dr. Richard Strauss while Wexner served on the Ohio State University board of trustees.
The White House pool reported that President Trump made a last-minute decision to return to the Oval Office rather than the residence and is currently reviewing a report.
Trump says that it is a "good idea" for Americans to leave Iran.
In a CBS Evening News interview, President Trump warned of “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters and suggested he may authorize targeted killings of regime leaders or officials.
According to NBC, Israeli and Arab officials have privately urged the Trump administration to delay large-scale U.S. strikes on Iran, warning that the regime may not yet be weak enough for military action to be decisive and that premature strikes could unify Iranians, while encouraging alternative measures to further strain the government amid escalating protests.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that if forced to choose, Greenland would side with Denmark, NATO, and the European Union over the United States.
A bipartisan group led by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Jeanne Shaheen introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act to prohibit the Trump administration from using Defense or State Department funds to blockade, occupy, annex, or otherwise take control of Greenland, responding to rhetoric from Trump allies about U.S. claims over the Danish territory and asserting that any such move would violate NATO obligations, the UN Charter, and U.S. national security interests, even as administration officials deny plans for military action.
A new Quinnipiac University poll finds 57% of U.S. voters disapprove of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws under the Trump administration, with opposition intensifying after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, sparking protests, clashes with federal officers, lawsuits by state and local officials to halt enforcement surges, and broader backlash against DHS’s aggressive immigration crackdown, even as about one-third of respondents approve of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s performance.
New Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show about 800,000 fewer people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans than a year ago, as looming premium increases tied to expiring Covid-era subsidies threaten coverage without congressional action.
According to KCTV, dozens of ICE-marked vehicles were spotted parked in a Kansas City lot with no visible enforcement activity, and city and federal officials have not confirmed why they are there or whether they are connected to a reported proposed immigration detention facility.
Actor Timothy Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities to face three felony charges related to alleged sexual abuse of two preteen boys he met on the set of The Cleaning Lady, denying the claims in a video statement while police cite detailed allegations, prior accusations, and an ongoing investigation that has prompted industry fallout.
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Good news:
A heartwarming profile recounts how Mesfin Yana, an Ethiopian immigrant whose life was saved as a teenager by US surgeons through charity-funded heart surgeries, went on to build a medical career in the United States and now returns to Ethiopia to operate alongside the very surgeon who once saved him, giving back through nonprofit surgical missions and serving as a vital bridge between volunteer doctors and patients.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy plan to privately fund a next-generation space telescope system, including a Hubble successor called Lazuli with a larger mirror and faster capabilities, aiming to launch by 2028–29 and bypass NASA’s slower, costlier processes through philanthropy-led design, construction, and deployment.
London recorded 97 homicides in the past year—an 11-year low and the lowest homicide rate in the city’s history—credited to targeted policing of violent offenders, expanded youth violence prevention programs, increased police presence, and greater use of data, CCTV, and facial recognition technology.
On Australia’s Kangaroo Island, predator-proof fencing built after the 2020 wildfires has led to dramatic recoveries of native wildlife, with endangered species like the Kangaroo Island dunnart rebounding by up to 90–100% and previously absent bird species returning as feral cat predation is eliminated.
See you soon.
— Aaron