Source: The Daily Beast
by Chris Cillizza
“In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump carried the 9th State Senate district in Texas by 17 points. Over the weekend, however, Democrat Taylor Rehmet beat Republican Leigh Wambsganss by 14 points in a special election run-off. Republicans had, prior to this point, held the seat for decades—the incumbent who won last in 2022 had left to take a statewide position. But, wait, there’s more.
Wambsganss outspent Rehmet 10 to 1. And Trump sent out three get-out-the-vote messages on her behalf via Truth Social over the last few days, describing her as a ‘true MAGA warrior’ and candidate ‘who has my Complete and Total Endorsement.’ Trump has, of course, since pretended to know nothing about the race; ‘I’m not involved in it,’ he said on Sunday. ‘That’s a local Texas race.’ Ha!” (02/02/26)
https://archive.is/u3LE4
Source: Washington Post
“Top Justice Department officials have stripped Ed Martin of the bulk of his expansive responsibilities, leaving the staunch ally of President Donald Trump on the sidelines of many of the controversial investigations he has championed, according to two people familiar with the personnel move. As a result of the changes, Martin will no longer chair the department’s Weaponization Working Group, which was tasked with reviewing special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump and other perceived examples of ‘prosecutorial abuse,’ according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move that has not been made public. Martin will continue to serve as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney but will no longer work at Justice Department headquarters.” (02/02/26)
https://archive.is/F7fPX
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Why is Everyone Suddenly Sick All the Time.” (02/02/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-why-is-everyone-suddenly-sick-all-the-time
Source: The UnPopulist
by Ken White
“I’m a long-time critic of the modern concept of ‘free speech culture’ — the culturally pervasive notion that supporting freedom of speech requires me not just to refrain from official censorship, but to avoid a wide array of expression that might chill, deter, or punish other people’s speech. The legal view of free speech protects an unpopular speaker from being jailed or (successfully) sued; ‘free speech culture,’ by contrast, is a social norm that discourages me from calling for that person to be fired, shunned, socially sanctioned, or criticized to a degree that is, by some poorly defined measure, excessive.” (02/02/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-fashionable-notion-of-free-speech
Source: Town Hall
by Stephen Moore
“The Democrats circa 2026 have almost become tax-and-spend parodies of themselves. They used to pretend that raising taxes was a last resort. Now, the left-wing base regards raising taxes as a badge of honor. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared last week that he has no other choice but to raise taxes on the rich and corporations because there aren’t enough savings from efficiencies in agency budgets. New York City spends more money per capita than any other major city in the country, but there’s no way to save money. Uh-huh! At least Mamdani was honest and campaigned as a socialist. The Manhattanites are getting exactly what they voted for. But the two new rising stars of the party, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, the newly elected governors of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, won what were thought to be tight races by comfortable margins.” (02/03/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/stephenmoore/2026/02/03/i-guess-thats-why-they-call-it-the-blues-n2670602
Source: Associated Press
“Immigration officers with guns drawn [abducted] some activists who were trailing their vehicles on Tuesday in Minneapolis, a sign that tensions have not eased since the departure last week of a high-profile commander. At least one person who had an anti-ICE message on clothing was handcuffed while face-down on the ground. An Associated Press photographer witnessed the [abductions]. … Meanwhile, Tuesday was the deadline for the Minnesota governor, state attorney general and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul to produce documents to a federal grand jury in response to a Justice Department request for records of any effort to stifle the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Officials have denounced it as a bullying tactic.” (02/03/26)
https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-immigration-crackdown-arrests-29ab636ca0f7db5389418463ca8b67c7
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“A federal judge on Monday ruled that an offshore wind project aimed at powering 600,000 New York homes can resume construction, the fifth such project put back on track after the Trump administration halted them in December. In clearing the way for Sunrise Wind to proceed, Judge Royce Lamberth found that the government had not shown that offshore wind is such an imminent national security risk that it must halt in the United States.” (02/02/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/02/trump-offshore-wind-new-york/
Source: The Bulwark
“Tim Miller join Nicolle Wallace to talk about the shifting politics of immigration, Trump’s comments about ‘taking over’ voting in ‘at least 15 places,’ and special-election results in Texas.” (02/02/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDSwLM_loZY
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Marie McMullan
“Recording and reporting were repackaged as disruptions and interference by University of Maryland officials.” (02/02/26)
https://www.thefire.org/news/paper-was-her-lifeboat-umd-called-it-interference
Source: Expression
by Aaron Terr
“Last Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced an investigation into Signal group chats that Minnesotans are using to track ICE activity. Independent journalist Cam Higby spurred the move with an X thread that appears to show users of the encrypted messaging app reporting ICE sightings and sharing license plate numbers of agency vehicles. What the thread doesn’t show is evidence of a crime. … speech does not lose constitutional protection simply because it might lead others to break the law. That was true when progressive commentators warned about ‘stochastic terrorism’ — the idea that conservative rhetoric on hot-button issues incites violence against minority groups — and it’s true now.” (02/02/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/the-federal-bureau-of-investigation
