Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“A narrative that’s quickly forming for the 2026 midterm is that control of the Senate may be in play. This narrative is forming because Trump’s approval ratings have been on a downward trajectory for months, and little his administration has done to reverse course appears to be working. It’s entirely possible for Democrats to take the Senate, but a lot has to go right for them.” (02/05/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/is-the-really-senate-up-for-grabs
Source: Reason
by Damon Root
“‘Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant.’ Those are the complaining words of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R–La.), who was voicing his support for the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which now claims that its agents have the right to forcibly enter private homes without first obtaining a warrant signed by a judge. … ‘Imagine if we had to go through the process of guaranteeing freedom of speech.’ ‘Imagine if we had to go through the process of respecting the right to keep and bear arms.’ ‘Imagine if we had to go through the process of paying just compensation when private property is taken for a public use.’ You get the idea.” (02/05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/05/mike-johnson-wants-to-spare-ice-the-hassle-of-getting-the-right-warrant-before-forcibly-entering-a-home/
Source: Seattle Times
“An Israeli court on Thursday indicted a brother of the chief of Israel’s security service for smuggling tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes into war-ravaged Gaza Strip at a time when getting aid into the territory was difficult and many Palestinians were going hungry. The indictment of Bezalel Zini is the latest in a burgeoning scandal implicating more than a dozen people, many of them Israeli reserve soldiers, of personally profiting from the Israel-Hamas war and delivering goods into Gaza that could potentially benefit the militant group. His brother, Shin Bet chief David Zini, has not been implicated in the scandal.” (02/05/26)
https://archive.is/Ygk90
Source: Antiwar.com
“US and Russia ‘No Longer Bound’ by New START, Israel Kills 23 in Gaza, Including 7 Kids, and More.” (02/05/26)
https://rumble.com/v75benw-us-and-russia-no-longer-bound-by-new-start-israel-kills-23-in-gaza-includin.html
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Lee Schlenker
“The US president wants to talk and so does Havana. They both have things the other needs and we all want to avoid a hostile overthrow.” (02/05/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/deal-cuba-trump/
Source: US News & World Report
“A federal judge in Missouri on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit by the Republican-led state accusing Starbucks of using its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a pretext to systematically discriminate based on race, gender and sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge John Ross in St. Louis said the state’s case failed to prove that Starbucks actually discriminated against ‘even a single Missouri resident’ who worked at Starbucks or applied for a job there. Ross was appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat. The office of Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, alleged that Starbucks had unlawfully tied executive pay to the company’s achieving racial and gender-based hiring quotas. The lawsuit was filed by Hanaway’s predecessor, Andrew Bailey, before he joined the Trump administration as co-deputy director of the FBI.” (02/05/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2026-02-05/starbucks-wins-dismissal-of-missouri-lawsuit-over-dei-policies
Source: The Bulwark
by Mona Charen
“Trump is governing like he has a huge mandate. The numbers disagree.” (02/05/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-big-is-maga-really-more-in-common-economist-pew-poll-trump-approval
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“After having lived in California the past four years, I can attest to the near-insanity of progressive politics in this state, yet California’s very progressive governor, Gavin Newsom, is considered a front-runner for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 2028. Given how the Trump administration has helped to tank the economy through its tariffs, inflation, and outright regime uncertainty, there is a real possibility that Newsom can make California governance a reality for the entire country. In other words, politically speaking, their seems to be no ceiling for the damage that progressive politicians in California can do with no objections from their constituents.” (02/05/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/idiocracy-california-politics
Source: Fox News
“Brandon Scott, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, is facing questions about the taxpayer funds he uses for his transportation as well as social media pushback over a press conference where he suggested racism was a factor. Scott, a progressive who has served as mayor since 2020, is facing pressure over a Fox Baltimore report showing his primary vehicle, a 2025 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, is the most expensive government-issued vehicle operated by any mayor, governor, county executive or county commissioner in the state, costing taxpayers $163,495. Scott has responded to the report, which claims his SUV costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state, by pointing to the cost of President Donald Trump’s ‘Beast’ vehicle, arguing that inflation is not being factored in and suggesting politics are at play.” (02/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/baltimores-progressive-mayor-calls-reporter-racist-in-heated-exchange-over-luxury-taxpayer-vehicle
Source: New York Times
“The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has begun a hunger strike in an Iranian prison in protest of what she said was her unlawful detention, according to a statement from her family released on Wednesday. Ms. Mohammadi, a prominent Iranian rights and democracy activist, has been arrested and imprisoned repeatedly on charges of threatening national security. She was on a hunger strike most recently in 2023, when her family said she was being denied medical care while in detention. Ms. Mohammadi, 53, was allowed to temporarily leave prison for treatment in 2024 but was arrested again last December.” (02/05/26)
https://archive.is/jP3E9
