Politics

• Rep. Adam Smith to Newsmax: Trump's ICE Approach Is 'Confrontational'
  
  Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said on Newsmax on Saturday that immigration enforcement is "enormously important" but argued President Donald Trump is inflaming tensions by pursuing it in a "confrontational and escalatory" way.
• Justice Dept. Asks Federal Judge to Deny Special Master for Epstein Files
  
  The U.S. Justice Department has asked a New York federal judge to deny a request by two lawmakers seeking an appointment of a special master to monitor the public release of records tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
• Trump Threatens Europe Tariffs Unless Greenland Deal
  
  President Donald Trump said Saturday the United States will impose 10% tariffs on goods from Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and other European countries starting Feb. 1 unless a deal is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland.
• Oversight Probes Omar Wealth Surge Amid Fraud Scandal
  
  The House Oversight Committee is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and her rapidly rising family wealth after her latest financial disclosure listed her net worth at $30 million.
• Dick Morris to Newsmax: Poll Says Dems 'Marginalized' as Independents Rise
  
  Dick Morris, adviser to President Donald Trump, said Saturday on Newsmax that the Democratic Party has "completely marginalized itself," arguing that voters fed up with the party's positions on immigration enforcement and clashes involving ICE.
• Netanyahu: Gaza Committee Contradicts Israel's Policy
  
  The Gaza Executive Board led by the U.S. and composed of officials from countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Egypt "runs contrary to [Israel's] policy," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Saturday.
• Nick Sortor to Newsmax: Walz, Frey Lighting Minn. 'Tinderbox'
  
  Independent journalist Nick Sortor warned that Minneapolis is on the brink of escalating violence, blaming state and local leaders for inflaming tensions surrounding ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Virginia's First Female Gov. Spanberger Sworn Into Office
  
  Democrat Abigail Spanberger has been sworn into office as Virginia's first female governor.
• Trump: Khamenei a 'Sick Man,' Time for 'New Leadership' in Iran
  
  President Donald Trump on Saturday called for an end to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's reign, stating that it is "time to look for new leadership" as protests in the country appeared to be fading.
• Rep. Tenney to Newsmax: Media Is Wearing Team Jersey for Dems
  
  Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., on Newsmax Saturday said the Trump administration is right to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over comments and actions she argues may be interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
• Trump to Sue JPMorgan Over Alleged 'Debanking'
  
  President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would be suing JPMorgan Chase & Co. "for incorrectly and inappropriately DEBANKING me after the January 6th Protest."
• Gen. Breedlove to Newsmax: Iran Crackdown Could Trigger Trump
  
  Retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove warned on Newsmax that continued violence against Iranian protesters could become the "triggering event" that pushes President Donald Trump from talk of de-escalation to military action.
• Taibbi to Newsmax: ICE Coverage Flipped Because Trump Is President
  
  News coverage of ICE has shifted sharply over the last decade largely because President Trump is in office, even though many of the enforcement procedures being criticized today have been standard practice for years, journalist Matt Taibbi told Newsmax on Saturday. 
• Khamenei Calls Trump 'Criminal,' Blames Protesters for Deaths
  
  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday branded President Donald Trump a "criminal" for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths.
• Supreme Court Tests Fed Independence in Trump Case Against Cook
  
  The U.S. Supreme Court signaled four months into Donald Trump's second presidential term its interest in shielding the Federal Reserve from political interference.
• Cohen: Felt 'Pressured and Coerced' to Help Build Trump Cases
  
  Michael Cohen, a former attorney to President Donald Trump, says he felt "pressured and coerced" by prosecutors to provide information and testimony designed to help build cases against his client.
• Trump Jabs CNN as Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Year Low
  
  President Trump said Friday that "Even Fake News CNN is praising the DROP in Mortgage Interest Rates!" as new Freddie Mac data showed the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to its lowest level since September 2022.
• Ukraine Team in US for Peace Talks as Russia Strikes Grid
  
  A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks Saturday on a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly 4-year-old war as Russian attacks again took aim at Ukraine's power grid.
• Algemeiner: Vance Can't Be Silent on Antisemitism
  
  An essay by attorney and commentator Micha Danzig this week in the online Jewish news magazine The Algemeiner argues that VP JD Vance’s failure to confront antisemitism within the populist right represents a serious moral and political failure, not a peripheral issue.
• Judge Blocks Feds From Detaining Peaceful Protesters in Minneapolis
  
  Federal officers in Minneapolis participating in its largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren't obstructing authorities, a judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.
• Plan to Fold ATF Into DEA Dropped
  
  The Trump administration has abandoned its proposal to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into the Drug Enforcement Administration after opposition from gun-rights and gun-control groups, CNN reported Saturday.
• Dem Sen. Coons Leads Delegation to Support 'Kingdom of Denmark'
  
  An anti-President Donald Trump delegation Saturday sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support following Trump's threat to punish countries with tariffs if they do not back the U.S. taking over the strategic Arctic island.
• Trump Warned Venezuelan Minister to Not Oppose US on Maduro Op, or After
  
  Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela's hardline interior minister Diosdado Cabello months before the U.S. operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication with him since then.
• Dem Rep. Crow Floats Shutdown as Leverage on ICE
  
  Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said Friday that a government shutdown "should always be on the table" as Democrats look for leverage to curb Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
• Sinaloa Cartel Figure Pleads Not Guilty to Drug Charges
  
  A senior member of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel who was extradited from Mexico to Atlanta earlier this month pleaded not guilty on Friday to cocaine trafficking charges, the Department of Justice announced.

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