Compared with CBO projections from January 2025, before Mr. Trump took office, the federal government is now expected to run a $23.1 trillion shortfall over the next nine years, rather than a $21.8 trillion one, a $1.4 trillion wider gap.
In a Facebook post stretching three times the length of the Gettysburg Address, a North Carolina senator praised Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance as "the most American halftime show I have even seen," an experience that drove him to tears and kept him writing nearly to midnight.
The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on Feb. 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information. The shutdown is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
The Trump administration removed a large Rainbow Flag from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument in Christopher Park, NYC, representing the president's latest attack on the queer community at the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.Christopher Park
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) deployed internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons, often referred to as vacuum or aerosol bombs, capable of generating temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius [6,332 degrees Fahrenheit] against Palestinians in Gaza, leaving behind no remains other than blood spray or small fragments of flesh.
US-made Vacuum Bombs
Donald Trump: "The Peace President"
New analysis from trans journalist and researcher Jessica Kant has found that Fox News publishes more articles about trans people than any other media outlet in the country. And that includes LGBTQ+ publications. The findings bolster what Democrats have long argued, that it's actually Republicans who are obsessed with trans people and not the other way around. Kant also noted that right-leaning publications produce far more articles on trans people than the mainstream media. "Our annihilation has become a central organizing principle of the Republican Party," Kant wrote in her analysis, which used her research to unpack how the right "manufactured the illusion of a dangerous all-powerful enemy out of a tiny demographic with no political influence, financial resources, nor social capital."
Trump has broken a new, unwanted record with a leading polling expert's approval rating tracker, underscoring how polarizing his presidency has become. Read more
A federal grand jury on Tuesday declined to indict Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey any illegal orders from the Trump administration, according to two people familiar with the matter. Read more
The Grand Jury refused to return an indictment on Senators Elissa Slotkin (D- MI), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Chris Deluzio (D- PA). The Congresspeople put out a video reminding members of the armed services they DO NOT HAVE TO follow an illegal command.
Vice President JD Vance has deleted a post about the Armenian Genocide from his social media accounts in an embarrassing climbdown. After attending the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday, he flew to Armenia as part of a much-touted trip to support a U.S.-brokered deal to end the country's long-running conflict with Azerbaijan. But he accidentally broke ranks with his own boss after he and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, laid a wreath on a memorial honoring those who died during Armenia's 1915 genocide. In the initial now-deleted social media post, Vance said they were "at the Armenian Genocide memorial to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide." Trump has long refused to call the systematic killing of Armenians a "genocide," a term disputed by U.S. ally Turkey. The initial post was supposedly made in error by a staffer who was not part of the delegation, an official said.
A grand jury on Tuesday refused to indict a coalition of Democratic lawmakers over their participation in a controversial "illegal orders" video last fall. The failed federal indictment was pursued by the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, as first reported by The New York Times. The lawmakers urged military servicemembers and intelligence community personnel to defy illegal orders in a joint video statement released in November. The video followed the Trump administration's decision to carry out deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean. "We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now, Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens like us. You all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution," the lawmakers said in the video.
ICE plans to have a presence at the FIFA 2026 World Cup this summer, bleated acting director Todd Lyons. Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and ICE's actions have fueled international backlash that could affect how global fans, teams, and governments engage with the World Cup."
FIFA World Cup 2026 Cities
Turning Point USA's widely-viewed alternative halftime show to the Super Bowl LX spectacle was reportedly entirely pre-recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with multiple sources indicating that roughly 200 audience members were paid to appear, raising questions about authenticity and public reception. Advertised extensively across social media, the performance featured country and rock artists including Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett and was presented as a live tribute to 'faith, family and freedom.'
Immigrants Use Less Welfare at Every Income Level. An astute reader of our recent Cato policy brief on immigrant welfare use suggested stratifying it by income since many welfare programs are intended to help the poor. We do that below and find that immigrants consistently report lower welfare participation than natives for nearly every program across poverty status and the income distribution Read more
A federal employee who police say conducted background checks for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other government agencies was arrested last week in a Bloomington prostitution sting. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said Department of Defense contractor Brashad Johnson, 36, of Maple Grove, was one of 30 suspects arrested as part of an undercover operation targeting people seeking to pay for sex. "This is the most disturbing arrest that we've had here," Hodges said of Johnson during a news conference on Tuesday. "He is a backgrounder for ICE, Homeland Security and federal agencies. So when you're getting your security clearance, this is one of the guys that does your backgrounds, which is kind of scary."
