“The House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into reports that a key swing state could have noncitizens both in its jury pools and voter rolls. Committee Chairman James Comer [R-KY] is sending a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi alongside Rep. John James [R-MI], asking whether a specific county in the Detroit metropolitan area is giving rights exclusive to U.S. citizens to others residing there — which could potentially violate federal law. ‘Non-citizens have appeared in the state’s jury pool, and in some instances, have been registered to vote. The Committee is requesting a briefing to understand the U.S. Department of Justice’s role in investigating such matters, and the potential for similar issues to be occurring nationwide,’ the letter said.” (02/10/25)
“French National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet said Tuesday she was opposed to the creation of a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal involving late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning that such a move would ‘compete with the justice system.’ Braun-Pivet, an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, was responding to calls by the left-wing La France insoumise (LFI) party for the establishment of a cross-party inquiry to investigate Epstein’s French ties. … Braun-Pivet’s comments came a day after Macron sought to distance France from the Epstein affair, saying it was ‘a matter that mainly concerns the United States.'” (02/10/26)
“After a month of outrage from the San Diego community, Mayor Todd Gloria has announced the city will walk back new parking fees at Balboa Park. In a statement released Friday, Gloria announced adjustments to the paid-parking program, including making more lots free for residents. … What had previously been free suddenly cost as much as $16 per day for anyone hoping to go out to dinner, visit any of the museums or just go for a walk. … A few days before implementation, visitors spotted vandalized parking kiosks, with foam stuffed into the cardholders and feces covering the screens.” (02/09/26)
“The Trump administration is expected this week to revoke a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, according to a White House official. The Environmental Protection Agency will issue a final rule rescinding a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding. That Obama-era policy determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of an official announcement, confirmed the plans, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. ‘This week at the White House, President Trump will be taking the most significant deregulatory actions in history to further unleash American energy dominance and drive down costs,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Tuesday.” (02/10/25)
“Police say a Mississippi woman, fearing for her life, shot and killed one of two suspects wearing ski masks who broke into her apartment. The incident happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Park at Inverness Apartments in Jackson. Jackson Police say their investigation revealed two [b]lack males wearing ski masks broke into a woman’s apartment. Fearing for her life, the resident fired a weapon, hitting and killing one of the suspects. The second suspect fled the scene.” (02/09/26)
“Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna claimed on Monday that the Department of Justice improperly redacted the names and faces of six potential co-conspirators of the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The two lawmakers, who led the congressional charge to compel the DOJ to release every government file related to Epstein, arrived at Two Constitution Square to review less-redacted versions of the files than have been released to the public so far. After their in-person review on Monday, they again accused the DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act. … Massie claimed the men were ‘likely incriminated’ based on the document’s context, but declined for now to share their names. He said he first wanted to give the DOJ a chance to explain why those names weren’t made public.” (02/09/26)
“Israel’s government has taken unilateral steps to give itself greater control over the occupied West Bank, challenging President Trump’s opposition to Israeli annexation of the territory and possibly violating international law. The measures, which make it easier for [squatters to steal] land and undercut the Palestinian Authority in parts of the West Bank that it administers, appear to flout important agreements that Israel signed under the Oslo peace process decades ago. The changes were made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet at a closed-door meeting on Sunday. By enhancing Israel’s control over West Bank territory [within the borders of the State of Palestine], they effectively advance the cause of annexation by degrees — continuing a strategy that the government has been pursuing for years.” (02/09/26)
“U.S. military [pirates] boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said Monday. The Pentagon’s statement on social media did not say whether the ship was connected to Venezuela, which faces U.S. sanctions on its oil and relies on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. However, the Aquila II was one of at least 16 tankers that departed the Venezuelan coast last month after U.S. forces captured then-President Nicolás Maduro, said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship’s movements.” (02/09/26)
“Russian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in [Donetsk], Kyiv’s military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk [republic]. Ukraine has struggled to halt slow Russian advances around Pokrovsk and elsewhere along the 1,200-km (746-mile) front line while it comes under U.S. pressure to reach a peace deal to end the four-year war in ongoing talks. Kyiv’s General Staff said on Monday its forces still held the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and were also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby.” (02/09/26)
“Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions during a deposition with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday, asserting her Fifth Amendment right. Maxwell previously indicated her plans to do so, saying she would testify under oath only if she was given criminal immunity. Lawmakers exiting the deposition were incensed she asserted her Fifth Amendment right on every question posed to her, arguing the blanket response was inappropriate given that they had many questions that did not concern her conduct.” (02/09/26)
