Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“If you won’t stand up for the rights of those you dislike, you don’t really believe in rights at all. At best, you believe in privileges — things you can do as long as some government official agrees and gives you temporary permission to do it.” (02/04/26)
Source: United Press International
“About 25% of federal agents in Minnesota will leave ‘effective immediately,’ leaving about 2,000 still in the state, mostly in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. Homan cited an ‘unprecedented’ amount of cooperation between local officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state since he was sent there as the reason for the drawdown. … ICE and Border Patrol agents have been in Minnesota since December, and people have been actively protesting their presence. Two American citizens have been [murdered] by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge began.” [editor’s note: Did Tim Walz cough up $50k in cash in a shopping bag for Homan? – TLK] (02/04/26)
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge
“Certificate-of-Need (CON) laws require the approval of states’ health planning agencies for health care providers to engage in regulated actions such as opening or expanding facilities or purchasing equipment. Additionally, in many states with CON regulations, the decision to grant a CON is made by a board whose members may work for incumbent providers. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘competitor’s veto.’ … As of December 2025, 15 states have fully repealed CON regulations. Additionally, numerous states have reformed their CON regulations to shrink the healthcare services that require a CON. … Preventing incumbent providers from participating in the CON review process (including requesting hearings and appeals) can help reduce cronyism in the CON application process.” (02/04/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“I need you to understand that nothing is going to be done about anything in the Epstein files. Nothing. The people in the documents will suffer no consequences. The institutions responsible for the abuses you’ve learned about will not change anything about how they operate. Your government will change absolutely nothing about its policies and behavior. Nothing will be done if you vote in the other political party. Nothing will be done if you vote in new politicians. Nothing will be done if you write letters to your senators and representatives. Nothing will be done if you hold protests outside government buildings. No meaningful laws will be passed. No prosecutions of any meaningful consequence will occur. Don’t believe me? Just watch and pay attention.” (02/04/25)
Source: Orange County Register
“A government lawyer who told a judge that her job ‘sucks’ during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter. … At a hearing Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, for several immigration cases, [Julie] Le told U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell that she wishes he could hold her in contempt of court ‘so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.’ ‘What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,’ Le said, according to a transcript.” (02/04/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/04/immigration-lawyer-removed/
Source: Reason
“What the Media Gets Wrong About Crime.” (02/04/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/02/04/what-the-media-gets-wrong-about-crime/
Source: The UnPopulist
by Eric Lob
“Outside players with their own agenda are undermining the cause of regime change in the country.” (02/04/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/irans-protesters-are-trapped-between
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“Why Nothing Works (with Marc Dunkelman).” (02/04/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“Ukraine is losing the land in the war that they refuse to lose in the peace. But, for Zelensky, losing the war may be preferable to losing the peace. The result will be the same for Ukraine, but perhaps not for its president. If Ukraine loses the peace, Ukrainians will blame Zelensky. But if Ukraine loses the war, Zelensky can blame the U.S. and Europe.” [editor’s note: Ah a little bit of progress — After nearly four years of the Russian forces failing to secure the Donbas, Snider has progressed from “Ukraine CAN’T WIN” the war to “Ukraine IS LOSING” the war. Maybe he’ll eventually figure out that this war, like all wars, only has losers (excepting political class profiteers) – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/for-zelensky-is-losing-the-war-better-than-losing-the-peace/
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Caitlin Scialla
“When Ben Bagdikian, an esteemed journalist and early FAIR contributor, published his groundbreaking book The Media Monopoly in 1983, he painted a troubling picture of US media consolidation, reporting that 50 corporations controlled the media business. With each reprint, that number dwindled (FAIR.org, 6/1/87). When FAIR replicated his analysis in 2011 (Extra!, 10/11), it stood at 20. Now, over 40 years after the initial release of The Monopoly Media, the media landscape has transformed drastically. Even Bagdikian’s later editions, written at the dawn of the internet, could not fully anticipate how profoundly digital technology would reconfigure the media oligarchy. ‘News’ is increasingly synonymous with online news. Over half the US public (56%) say that they ‘often’ get news through their digital devices — compared to less than 1 in 3 (32%) who often get news from TV, 1 in 9 from radio, and only 1 in 14 from print publications like newspapers or magazines (Pew, 9/25/25).” (02/04/25)
https://fair.org/home/the-digital-media-oligarchy-who-owns-online-news/