The Washington Post cut nearly one-third of its workforce on Wednesday, terminating some 300 employees and axing several editorial sections entirely.
According to several reports detailing the situation, executive editor Matt Murray and human resources director Wayne Connell informed employees that they were to work from home on Wednesday and be on hand to attend a Zoom webinar where they&#8217;d be informed of &#8220;some significant actions across the company.&#8221;
The &#8220;significant actions&#8221; mentioned appear to be the abrupt termination of the current sports section, the books section, and the Post Reports podcast — along with hundreds of employees across several different sections.
Several employees shared the news directly on X.
Correspondent Yeganeh Torbati posted, &#8220;I&#8217;m heartbroken to announce that I&#8217;ve been laid off from my position at The Washington Post. Working at this newspaper, and especially being a foreign correspondent covering Iran and Turkey over the last few short months, was a dream come true for me.&#8221;
Sports columnist Barry Svrluga announced the demise of his own section: &#8220;&#8216;First, we will be closing the Sports department in its current form.&#8217; — Matt Murray, editor of the Post.&#8221;
&#8220;Some personal news: I’m among today’s @washingtonpost layoffs. It was a dream 11-year run as an investigative reporter focused on sports—making billionaires tremble (or at least mildly annoying them and their lawyers),&#8221; said sports investigative reporter Will Hobson.
Caroline O&#8217;Donovan, Amazon beat reporter: &#8220;I’m out, along with just a ton of the best in the biz. Horrible.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m among the hundreds of people laid off by The Post,&#8221; race and ethnicity reporter Emmanuel Felton claimed that the move was &#8220;ideological&#8221; because his job had previously been labeled a boon for the outlet. &#8220;This comes six months after hearing in a national meeting that race coverage drives subscriptions. This wasn’t a financial decision, it was an ideological one.&#8221;
Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler added, &#8220;After 8 years writing the tech column @washingtonpost, I am among folks who were laid off today. I’m grateful for the stories I got to tell and the impact we made on privacy, sustainability &amp; AI.&#8221;
Critics of the move complained that the cuts were a bridge too far.
Retired Washington Post editor Robert McCartney added, &#8220;Apparently The Post has laid off every reporter and editor covering the Middle East. Jerusalem bureau closed. Also Ukraine bureau closed.&#8221;
&#8220;The @WashPost has now laid off its Asia editor, its New Delhi bureau chief, its Sydney bureau chief, its Cairo bureau chief, the entire Middle East reporting team, China correspondents, Iran correspondents, Turkey correspondents, and many more. The world is becoming less America-centric by the minute while the United States is becoming more America-centric than ever. It is just a depressing yet somehow perfect summation of our current moment that one of the most important newspapers in the history of the country — one that has actually shaped the history of the United States &#8211; doesn&#8217;t think reporting on the world is of any use anymore. What an utterly perfect encapsulation of where we have arrived,&#8221; Evan Feigenbaum posted.
But some argued that the cuts were the obvious next step, and people should have seen them coming.
&#8220;Over the last decade at the Washington Post: — A number of major corrections and journalistic scandals. —Major intra-newsroom drama with reporters threatening to sue the paper. — Declining circulation and losing lots of money. Stop acting like the layoffs are shocking,&#8221; Mark Hemingway posted.
Clay Travis added, &#8220;The Washington Post made its business contingent on far left wing subscribers who hated Trump &amp; when Bezos became embarrassed by the far left wing product that created, he tried to fix it by moving closer to the center. But the Post’s subscribers revolted, crushing the business.&#8221;
&#8220;The business lesson here is newspaper subscribers at the WaPo and New York Times don’t want centrist, fair journalism, they want to be told their political opponents are evil Nazis and they are the heroic good guys. That narrative must dominate all coverage,&#8221; he added.

Washington Post

Legacy News Outlet Tells Hundreds To Work From Home On Wednesday, Cuts 300 Jobs In Zoom Meeting

Legacy Media Takes Another Blow As Storied Outlet Cuts 300 Jobs

Jobs

Journalism

Media

Tyler Robinson&#8217;s defense team suggested during a Tuesday hearing that the Utah County Attorney&#8217;s Office had only moved to seek the death penalty because it was clear that was what President Donald Trump wanted.
Richard Novak, an attorney for Robinson (who is accused of assassinating the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk), questioned Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZukNzYKgcYM">pre-trial hearing</a> aimed at having Gray&#8217;s office removed from the case due to a perceived conflict of interest.
At issue was Gray&#8217;s decision to seek the death penalty — and the fact that he announced his plan to do so early in the investigation — a move that Novak attributed to &#8220;strong emotional reactions&#8221; within the prosecutor&#8217;s office.
Novak raised several issues that he argued could have driven such an emotional response from the prosecution: the fact that Gray had campaigned on a promise to seek the death penalty in cases he deemed &#8220;appropriate,&#8221; the fact that the adult child of a prosecutor in Gray&#8217;s office had been present at the time of Kirk&#8217;s assassination, and the knowledge that President Trump had already declared his wish to see Kirk&#8217;s killer face the death penalty.
Gray, under questioning from Novak, said that he&#8217;d become aware at some point that a prosecutor in his office had an adult child who had witnessed the shooting, but that they had not discussed it and it had not been a factor in his decision-making process.
Gray also said in a previous filing that the adult child in question had returned to classes after the shooting and had not experienced lasting trauma outside of being scared in the moment.
&#8220;Under these circumstances, there is virtually no risk, let alone a significant risk, that it would arouse such emotions in any father-prosecutor as to render him unable to fairly prosecute the case,&#8221; Gray said in the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/defendant-in-charlie-kirks-killing-asks-judge-to-disqualify-prosecution-team">filing</a>, arguing that the defense&#8217;s claims were rooted in a desire to delay proceedings rather than to pursue justice.
When Novak asked whether Gray had been aware that Trump had posted about the suspect, &#8220;I hope he gets the death penalty,&#8221; Gray said he knew the president had said that, but that he had not taken Trump&#8217;s social media posts into consideration when determining whether or not to seek capital punishment.
Novak also raised the question of campaign promises, and, noting that Gray had run on a promise to seek the death penalty, wondered whether he&#8217;d simply been in a hurry to check that off his to-do list.
Gray corrected Novak then, saying that he&#8217;d promised to seek the death penalty in cases where it was appropriate to do so — and that both he and Governor Spencer Cox (R) had determined it was appropriate in this case regardless of promises he&#8217;d made during his 2022 campaign.
When given a chance to explain why he&#8217;d announced the decision to seek the death penalty as early as he did — noting that he had until arraignment to do so — Gray said that his goal had been to limit speculation from social media and the press and to lessen the anxiety felt by the victims, specifically, Charlie&#8217;s widow Erika Kirk.
&#8220;The longer you delay that decision … the more delay, then it just creates all this unnecessary speculation and everything else,&#8221; Gray said, adding that he did it to prevent &#8220;unnecessary angst with the families of victims … so Erika Kirk didn’t have to deal with that uncertainty.&#8221;
The defense also petitioned the court to bar all video recordings and still photography in the courtroom during the trial.

Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Tyler Robinson Attends Court Hearing

Charlie Kirk’s Suspected Assassin Fights Death Penalty, Says Trump Influenced Prosecutor

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Courts

Death Penalty

Donald Trump

Utah

Ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon embarked on a post-arrest press tour of sorts, joining late night host Jimmy Kimmel to complain about President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration and the arrest he claimed was proof of a campaign of &#8220;intimidation.&#8221;
Lemon joined Kimmel on Monday evening, and the ABC host outdid himself in his efforts to help Lemon paint himself as the victim in a grand scheme — orchestrated by President Trump&#8217;s Justice Department, of course — designed to &#8220;intimidate&#8221; Lemon and others like him into silence.
Kimmel opened the segment by first skipping over the video that appears to show Lemon discussing plans with protest organizers prior to entering the church and then repeatedly referring to Lemon as a &#8220;journalist&#8221; who just happened to be there to record whatever transpired.
Lemon repeated the same as if to reassure the audience that he was, in fact, acting solely as a journalist. &#8220;I&#8217;m not a protester,&#8221; he insisted.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jimmy Kimmel tries justifying Don Lemon storming a church because he&#8217;s a &#8220;journalist&#8221; and not a protester.
Barging into a church and disrupting service isn&#8217;t journalism, Jimmy. It&#8217;s a blatant violation of federal law.<a href="https://t.co/uUKkUKXGNJ">pic.twitter.com/uUKkUKXGNJ</a>
— MRC NewsBusters (@newsbusters) <a href="https://twitter.com/newsbusters/status/2018557195189702734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The pair followed that by suggesting that the Justice Department had essentially crowd-sourced the decision to arrest Lemon, taking their cues from right-leaning social media accounts rather than the evidence — and complained that Lemon had been arrested without being offered the chance to quietly surrender himself to law enforcement.
They immediately shifted focus to the judges who&#8217;d <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/appeals-court-finds-probable-cause-to-charge-don-lemon-but-rejects-dojs-bid-to-force-arrest-warrant">declined to sign off</a> on a warrant to arrest Lemon, but ignored the fact that a grand jury had found probable cause to indict him, and at least one of the judges had agreed with their assessment.
Lemon went on to muddy the waters around the grand jury indictment by suggesting that prosecutors could write &#8220;whatever they want&#8221; in an indictment and would never face repercussions if it was not true.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel and Don Lemon mischaracterize both the appellate process and the grand jury. Not once do you hear an acknowledgement that the grand jury found probable cause. <a href="https://t.co/z5uvDEiCWN">pic.twitter.com/z5uvDEiCWN</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/2018554887399788839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-claims-trump-will-go-around-a-judge-to-prosecute-him">Lemon said</a> in the days leading up to his arrest, he believed the Trump administration would &#8220;go around&#8221; a judge or possibly even &#8220;retrofit&#8221; laws in an effort to get him, declaring afterward that he was not concerned with the possibility that he could land behind bars, and saying that he planned to be even more outspoken in the days to come.
President Donald Trump, who was asked about the situation while aboard Air Force One over the weekend, made it clear that he did not like Lemon, but said that he was unaware of plans to have him arrested before they were carried out.

DON LEMON, JIMMY KIMMEL

Don Lemon Kicks Off Post-Arrest Press Tour With Jimmy Kimmel Interview

Don Lemon

First Amendment

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Jimmy Kimmel

Politics

Author Michael Wolff responded to President Donald Trump&#8217;s threat of a lawsuit by essentially daring him to go through with it — and then he claimed that he would be the one to come out on top if such a lawsuit were actually filed.
Wolff explained in an Instagram video that he would love nothing more than to be able to subpoena both the President and first lady Melania Trump — and that he&#8217;d have standing to do so if either of them ever filed suit against him.
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&#8220;I woke up this morning and found that last night, Donald Trump had threatened to sue me again. I think this is the third or possibly fourth time the president of the United States has threatened to sue,&#8221; Wolff began, referencing Trump&#8217;s most recent threat — made aboard Air Force One — to sue him for &#8220;conspiring&#8221; with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Wolff admitted to pressing Epstein for information, claiming that he&#8217;d done so in order to convince the disgraced financier to give up any information he had on Trump: &#8220;Yes, I tried to encourage Jeffrey Epstein in any way I knew how to come forward with what he knew about Donald Trump.&#8221;
The author went on to note that he had already filed suit against first lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-threatens-hunter-biden-with-1b-lawsuit-false-defamatory-disparaging">Melania Trump</a> — after she&#8217;d threatened legal action against him for claiming that she had traveled in the same circles as Epstein — and said that if the president made good on his threat, he would be able to subpoena both Trumps.
&#8220;This lawsuit gives me the power to subpoena Mrs. Trump, Mr. Trump, and all their friends &#8230; Bring it on!&#8221; he said. &#8220;I believe that if the American public knew the real nature of Donald Trump’s long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, they would turn away in horror and revulsion. So sue me. Let’s sue each other.”
“I have nothing to hide, but Mr. President, you surely do,&#8221; Wolff declared.
Wolff said that Melania Trump threatened legal action months earlier after he authored an article for The Daily Beast claiming that Epstein had been the one to introduce her to the president. Hunter Biden later repeated that claim in an interview, prompting Trump&#8217;s litigation counsel Alejandro Brito to fire off a letter to former President Joe Biden&#8217;s son as well.
&#8220;Following receipt of our cease-and-desist demand letter just a week ago, The Daily Beast issued an apology to Mrs. Trump and retracted the false and defamatory statements contained in the Article by deleting it in its entirety,” Brito wrote, describing Wolff as a &#8220;serial fabulist&#8221; and adding, “Despite this, you have unjustifiably relied upon Mr. Wolff’s false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements about Mrs. Trump and maliciously elected to republish them.&#8221;

Author Michael Wolff Discusses His Controversial New Book On Trump Administration

‘Let’s Sue Each Other’: Author Claims Trump’s Lawsuit Threat Will Actually Help Him

'Let's Sue Each Other': Author Claims Trump's Lawsuit Threat Will Actually Help Him

Jeffrey Epstein

Lawsuit

Melania Trump

Vogue&#8217;s Spring 2026 issue delivered a fawning puff piece extolling the virtues of Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — complete with a photo spread from celebrity-favorite photographer Annie Leibovitz — just as he prepares to wrap up his final term as governor and plan his next move.
Newsom has long been considered a heavy favorite to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — and if he does choose to throw his hat into the ring, his February 1 Vogue profile (written by Maya Singer) could easily be considered an in-kind donation to his campaign.
Indeed, Singer refers to Newsom as &#8220;presidential&#8221; in her first paragraph. Of course, that came only after she describes him as &#8220;embarrassingly handsome.&#8221;
<blockquote>Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence as he delivers his final State of the State address.</blockquote>
And the fawning continues. Paragraph two begins: &#8220;It must drive Trump nuts. Newsom: lithe, ardent, energetic, a glimmer of optimism in his eye; Kennedy-esque. Add to that his stunning wife and four adorable kids, and the executive strut of a self-made millionaire who has spent the past seven years at the helm of a state big, complex, and rich enough to be a nation of its own.&#8221;
Singer continued in that same vein, observing the differences between her previous Zoom meetings with the California politician and the moment she sat down with him in person.
<blockquote>As he spoke, late-summer sun slanted in through the windows, bathing Newsom in an oh so California magic-hour glow. I’d prepared for this sit-down by consuming the spectacle of Gavin Newsom—tweets, TV hits, interviews, umpteen episodes of his podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom—and was having a hard time taking in the man. His actual molecular reality. Immaculate. Fantastic at gab, like a windup doll.</blockquote>
Her words painted a picture — not just of Newsom, but also of a writer smitten by the subject of her piece.
“Newsom’s lanky frame was folded onto a sofa a bit too low-slung for him. This made him lean back—away from me,” Singer wrote, musing, “Or it could be that his body language had nothing to do with ergonomics and is a function of Newsom’s quality of being at once gregarious and aloof.”
Singer spoke with Newsom about his decision to start a podcast — “This is Gavin Newsom” — and to kick it off with a conversation with the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“My purpose in having Charlie on wasn’t to discuss his politics. I don’t share his politics. I don’t like the way he talked down to people. I don’t like what he said about the gay community and minorities,” Newsom said, claiming that his purpose had been centered on finding out what Kirk was doing to reach so many people — young men, in particular.
“Wake up. There’s 40 percent or whatever it is in this country that feels deeply differently than we do, and we need to understand this movement and not be so quick to dismiss it. Divorce is not an option. So what are we going to do about this?” Newsom continued. “We’ve got a lot of work to do—rebranding, rebuilding, a lot of work as a party. Wake the hell up.”
Pushing back on critics who’d attacked him for allowing Kirk a platform, Newsom argued that it was Kirk who had platformed him: “I didn’t have one follower. He had millions.”
The governor’s strategy appears to have worked on at least one person: Singer.
“Newsom,” she wrote, “has been vindicated by history.”
Critics were quick to call out the clear bias in Singer’s writing.
Kevin Dalton wrote on X, “‘Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence as he delivers his final State of the State address.’ —Vogue, apparently taken over by a 15-year-old girl with a crush on Gavin Newsom or Izzy.”
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the whole thing, “Very Beto.”
“The Gavin Newsom piece in Vogue is something to behold. A true monument to sycophancy, obsequiousness and outright slobbery,” Gerry Callahan said, adding, “The writer, Maya Singer, abandons all professional dignity and acts less like a reporter and more like a golden retriever whose owner just returned from a long trip.”

Governor Newsom And San Francisco Mayor Lurie Announce New Funding For Homelessness And Mental Health Ffforts In The City

Vogue Puff Piece On Gavin Newsom Delivers Overdose Of Cringe

2028 presidential election

Gavin Newsom

Media Bias

Vogue Magazine

While Democrats move to potentially trigger yet another government shutdown over the Trump&#8217;s administration insistence in allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, former CNN host Don Lemon says he &#8220;ain&#8217;t worried&#8221; that his connection to a church-disrupting protest could land him behind bars.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
Across multiple media outlets, the Trump administration&#8217;s continued efforts to apprehend and deport criminal illegal aliens are still front page, above-the-fold news. Flashpoints in areas facing major crackdowns — such as Minneapolis — have resulted in a series of viral narratives that all too often have beaten the truth to the punch.
On Sunday, a week after Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis and just days after Lemon was arrested in connection with a protest at Cities Church, much of the commentary was focused on the Democrats in Congress and whether they would leverage the threat of another government shutdown against funding for the Department of Homeland Security — specifically: ICE.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for extensive reforms within the Department of Homeland Security — including a measure that requires federal agents to not wear masks despite exponential increases in assaults against federal agents and threats against them and their families.
Jeffries also called for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-democrats-could-cripple-ice-without-defunding-dhs">judicial warrants</a> to be required for immigration arrests — a move that, by most accounts, would cripple efforts to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens in a timely fashion.
&#8220;There would be no more immigration arrests,” a source within Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Daily Wire. “It’s the functional equivalent of getting a warrant before issuing a speeding ticket. It’s the entire reason why ‘administrative’ arrests exist in the first place. If every single illegal alien who is charged with ‘Entry without Inspection’ was treated like a criminal arrest then they would have, among other things, right to counsel provided by the United States would be impossible.”
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) echoed that sentiment on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union, telling CNN anchor Dana Bash, &#8220;Demanding judicial warrants is [Democrats&#8217;] sneaky way of basically neutering our ability to enforce any immigration laws.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson: &#8220;Demanding judicial warrants is [Democrats&#8217;] sneaky way of basically neutering our ability to enforce any immigration laws.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/SQjQjavb16">pic.twitter.com/SQjQjavb16</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2017994421996834826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com
But Jeffries was adamant: &#8220;ICE agents should conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country as opposed to running around — masked thugs, in many instances unleashing brutality on law-abiding American citizens.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries calls the Senate-passed funding deal “a meaningful step in the right direction,” but adds that “we need a robust path toward dramatic reform. The administration can&#8217;t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk.” <a href="https://t.co/ewJ2fbuHm5">pic.twitter.com/ewJ2fbuHm5</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2017999655968121137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @ThisWeekABC/X.com
Democrat operative-turned ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos also spoke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during Sunday&#8217;s broadcast, asking him to defend Don Lemon&#8217;s arrest. Stephanopoulos asked Blanche if perhaps the Justice Department was in the wrong by suggesting Lemon had crossed the line between reporting on the protest and becoming a part of it.
Blanche pushed back, saying that Lemon&#8217;s indictment was public and anyone who chose to do so could read the charges for themselves.
&#8220;Nobody in this country should feel comfortable storming into a church while it&#8217;s ongoing and disrupting that church service and thinking that we&#8217;re just going to stand by and let that happen,&#8221; Blanche added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Deputy AG Todd Blanche on the arrest of journalist Don Lemon: “Nobody in this country should feel comfortable storming into a church while it&#8217;s ongoing and disrupting that church service and thinking that we&#8217;re just going to stand by and let that happen.” <a href="https://t.co/3BFEBVPRR2">https://t.co/3BFEBVPRR2</a> <a href="https://t.co/AaRU7EuApD">pic.twitter.com/AaRU7EuApD</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2017983385147212029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @ThisWeekABC/X.com
Lemon also took to the airwaves to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-aint-even-worried-about-getting-locked-up-after-arrest">address his arrest</a>, telling his audience that his arrest had only helped him to see things more clearly — and that he was only going to be more outspoken in the future.
&#8220;So I know that there are people who think like oh, you know, do this, and I’m going to be locked up or whatever. I ain’t worried about that. You heard the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I ain’t even worried about that. Like not. Don’t even think about it,&#8221; Lemon said.
CNN anchor Dana Bash pressed Blanche on Lemon&#8217;s arrest as well, asking whether it might have been done because Lemon and Trump have often been at odds rather than because Lemon had done anything that warranted such a response.
&#8220;Was it about trying to make an example out of somebody who the President has sparred with?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t even know that the President has even ever thought of Don Lemon,&#8221; Blanche replied.
Trump, aboard Air Force One on Saturday, made it clear that he did not care for Lemon — but he also said that he&#8217;d had no advance knowledge that the former CNN host was going to be arrested.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dana Bash pushes Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on the arrest of former CNN journalist Don Lemon:
BASH: &#8220;Was it about trying to make an example out of somebody who the President has sparred with?&#8221;
BLANCHE: &#8220;I don&#8217;t even know that the President has even ever thought of… <a href="https://t.co/pA2bCGgVjC">pic.twitter.com/pA2bCGgVjC</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2017970465508122635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com
On &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan hosted a roundtable discussion with several mayors from around the United States to talk about the tensions between federal and local authorities with regard to immigration enforcement.
&#8220;Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican, said that “mayors are certainly caught in a little bit of an impossible situation &#8230; When the federal government and federal law enforcement comes into your city, we are fully subservient to that in the eyes of the law, and we also believe in the rule of law. So, we get caught kind of in the middle of these tensions, and we need a federal government who will use discretion and restraint with that power.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Republican Oklahoma City, OK, Mayor David Holt said that “mayors are certainly caught in a little bit of an impossible situation” with federal law enforcement in cities.
“When the federal government and federal law enforcement comes into your city, we are fully subservient to… <a href="https://t.co/xB4nk6oOPj">pic.twitter.com/xB4nk6oOPj</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2018016343803445466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @FaceTheNation/X.com
In the last week, Trump has shaken up the personnel on the ground in Minneapolis, sending border czar Tom Homan in to oversee the efforts.
And if we know Tom Homan, we know he &#8220;ain&#8217;t worried.&#8221;

MixCollage-30-Jan-2026-03-55-PM-1994

Spin Cycle: Don Lemon ‘Ain’t Worried’ And DOJ Takes The Heat On ICE

Spin Cycle: Don Lemon, On ICE

ABC News

CBS News

NBC News

Ana Navarro suggested on Monday that President Donald Trump and his administration had effectively cooked the books in their efforts to arrest former CNN host Don Lemon in connection with a protest that disrupted a Minneapolis church service a week earlier.
Navarro and her cohosts on ABC&#8217;s midday talk show &#8220;The View&#8221; discussed Lemon&#8217;s arrest, and their conversation covered the entire spectrum, from Navarro and Sunny Hostin insisting that the case had no merit and would be dismissed to Whoopi Goldberg wringing her hands and warning that the Trump administration could arrest anyone the president didn&#8217;t like.
Navarro began by claiming that an appellate court&#8217;s refusal to compel a lower court judge to sign off on Lemon&#8217;s arrest warrant amounted to judges laughing the DOJ out of their courtrooms. She did not mention the fact that one of the judges concerned said that he agreed there was probable cause to arrest Lemon.
&#8220;So, they basically did it themselves,&#8221; she asserted. &#8220;Make no mistake about it. This was about gaslighting, this was about going against Don lemon and other journalists. By the way, all of whom happen to be black. Happy Black History Month. And I think it&#8217;s to send a chilling message to anybody who is covering facts.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Despite the grand jury indictment, Sunny Hostin (who&#8217;s friends with Lemon) proclaims &#8220;this case will be thrown out.&#8221; While not going over any of the facts of the case, Hosting declares: &#8220;[H]e was getting the story and nothing should have gotten in the way of that. He had a… <a href="https://t.co/B3uvC56BQR">pic.twitter.com/B3uvC56BQR</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2018362490866860216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Hostin, also ignoring that fact that Lemon was indicted by a federal grand jury, claimed that the former CNN host was only acting as a journalist covering the protest as it unfolded — despite video appearing to show that he was privy to the plans prior to the group storming into the church while parishioners attempted to hold a worship service.
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin also defended Lemon, claiming that he had acted only as a journalist.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Whoopi seems to suggests what happened with Lemon will happen to everyone on the left: 
&#8220;Listen, what I said to you before, you see what&#8217;s happening, you know what&#8217;s happening. If it&#8217;s happening like this for someone who is out and clearly doing his job, what do you think will… <a href="https://t.co/39028c42wV">pic.twitter.com/39028c42wV</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2018364076322169131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Goldberg hit the panic button, however, and fretted about how easy it might be for the Justice Department to arrest anyone if Lemon was fair game.
&#8220;Listen, what I said to you before, you see what&#8217;s happening, you know what&#8217;s happening. If it&#8217;s happening like this for someone who is out and clearly doing his job, what do you think will happen to us?&#8221;
Since the protest just over a week earlier, several disturbing reports have come out detailing the behavior of the protesters — who reportedly harassed and terrified members of the congregation — while inside the church.

Day Two Of The 2024 Democratic National Convention

Ana Navarro Says Trump Admin Cooked The Books On Don Lemon Arrest

Ana Navarro

Sunny Hostin

The View

Whoopi Goldberg

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is gunning for the Nashville Electric Service (NES) as thousands of Nashville residents remain without power — more than a week after Winter Storm Fern wreaked havoc on the area — and some may not see their power restored for another ten days.
Blackburn argued that NES had spent more time focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives than on the kind of preparation that could have helped them manage a massive winter storm more efficiently.
&#8220;The Nashville Electric Service held 102 DEI-related training sessions by the end of 2024. They should’ve been using those resources to trim trees and bury utilities. This is what happens when companies put woke politics over the needs of the people they serve,&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/2018009739926605839">posted</a> on Sunday.
Blackburn also sent a letter directly to NES demanding answers regarding the still unfolding situation in her home state — as well as a detailed plan explaining how the company planned to prevent anything similar from happening again.
&#8220;The failure to adequately prepare for Winter Storm Fern is precisely the reason line crews are working overtime and citizens are clearing limbs and debris at great risk to their own safety to help friends and neighbors,&#8221; Blackburn wrote in the letter. &#8220;This disruption (crew members in the field) are working to correct reflects a failure of leadership and planning, one that could have been mitigated with thoughtful preparation ahead of the storm. You owe your customers transparency, accountability, and a clear explanation of how this breakdown occurred and how you will prevent this from happening in the future.&#8221;
Blackburn gave NES a deadline of February 2 and laid out six key questions she wanted addressed. She posted the letter itself on X, adding, &#8220;By failing to properly prepare for Winter Storm Fern, @NESpower put Tennesseans in harm’s way. NES owes its customers transparency, accountability, and a clear explanation for why thousands of people remain without power. I’m demanding answers to ensure this can’t happen again.&#8221;
<ol>
<li>&#8220;According to reporting by The Tennessean, experienced linemen offered to aid with storm recovery, but Nashville Electric Service declined the offer, stating it already had sufficient resources. Why did NES turn down that offer for additional personnel during a widespread outage of this magnitude?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Given the lessons learned from past devastating storms, such as Nashville’s 1994 ice storm, why was NES not adequately prepared for Winter Storm Fern, despite ample warning and clear historical precedent?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Forecasts warned days in advance that this would be a generational severe weather event. Why were recovery operations and service restoration plans not fully prepared and mobilized ahead of time?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Why has there been such inconsistency in power restoration updates, with many customers being told their power has been restored when it has not, particularly given NES’s acknowledgment that it recently implemented a new outage notification and tracking system?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Residents in some areas have been told they may be without power for up to two weeks. How does NES consider that timeline acceptable, especially for residents who rely on electricity for life-sustaining medical equipment and other critical needs?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Due to extended outages, many residents had no choice but to seek temporary lodging. Will NES be reimbursing customers for expenses incurred during this period?&#8221;</li>
</ol>
NES responded to Blackburn&#8217;s letter on Saturday, and the Tennessee Senator posted that letter as well — and said that their answers were not good enough.
&#8220;@NESPower&#8217;s response to my letter is entirely insufficient. The company refused to take any accountability and is forcing Tennesseans to wait another week for full restoration of power. This is unacceptable. Whoever is responsible for this breakdown should be fired,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/NESpower?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NESpower</a>’s response to my letter is entirely insufficient. The company refused to take any accountability and is forcing Tennesseans to wait another week for full restoration of power.
This is unacceptable. Whoever is responsible for this breakdown should be fired. <a href="https://t.co/ptaDtZC9mi">pic.twitter.com/ptaDtZC9mi</a>
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/2017996925975609468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In the letter, NES explained that half of the people in their entire service area (about 230,000) had lost power when the storm first hit, and that power had been restored to all but 44,000 of them. The remaining homes without power, NES assured Blackburn, would be back online within another week.
But some individual cases may prove to be more difficult, as one local investigative reporter described a situation currently affecting a viewer who had written him: &#8220;Wow! From viewer regarding Nashville Electric Service issue: &#8216;We can’t report an outage at a single residence after others around us have been restored. We report it, and the system immediately responds that it has been restored. Neighbors have power, but we have not due to a line down in the back yard. If it doesn’t stay on the NES list as needing repair, we may never get power restored. We have been in our house for 6+ days without power, like the rest of Nashville. It’s 38-40 degrees in the house. We run a generator intermittently, and we are doing better than most. But to not be able to reliably report an outage is absurd.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wow! From viewer regarding Nashville Electric Service issue: “We can’t report an outage at a single residence after others around us have been restored. We report it, and the system immediately responds that it has been restored. Neighbors have power, but we have not due to a… <a href="https://t.co/bH9E6k7JLm">pic.twitter.com/bH9E6k7JLm</a>
— Phil Williams (@PhilNvestigates) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilNvestigates/status/2017399479444365402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Blackburn made it clear on Sunday that she was frustrated with the leadership at NES, not the rank and file employees.
&#8220;The linemen who are on the ground making repairs and working in the frigid temperatures to restore power are the unsung heroes of the response to this horrible winter storm. So grateful for these men and women,&#8221; she said.

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Senator Declares War On ‘Woke’ Nashville Power Company After Week-Long Outage

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Electricity

Nashville

Power

Tennessee

Wokeness

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon said that he &#8220;ain&#8217;t even worried&#8221; about the possibility that he could end up behind bars following his arrest in Los Angeles — and promised that he planned to be even more outspoken in the days to come.
Lemon, who was arrested in connection to a protest in Minneapolis that disrupted a Sunday morning church service, has maintained in the days since that he was only there in his capacity as an &#8220;independent journalist&#8221; to record what happened during the protest.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DON LEMON: &#8220;I know there are people who think I’m gonna be locked up or whatever. I ain’t worried about that. I ain’t even worried about that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gkFezhl2XK">pic.twitter.com/gkFezhl2XK</a>
— BensonNewsHub (@BensonNewsHub) <a href="https://twitter.com/BensonNewsHub/status/2018040532925083795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I have so many thoughts,&#8221; Lemon said on his show, apparently referencing his arrest. &#8220;And what this did was really open my eyes to a lot. So if you think that I was outspoken before this &#8230;&#8221;
Lemon trailed off and then let out an exaggerated fake laugh before adding, in ominous tones, &#8220;Just wait. Just wait.&#8221;
&#8220;So I know that there are people who think like oh, you know, do this, and I&#8217;m going to be locked up or whatever. I ain&#8217;t worried about that. You heard the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I ain&#8217;t even worried about that. Like not. Don&#8217;t even think about it,&#8221; he said.
The chyron below read, &#8220;Republicans better wake up. A dictator doesn&#8217;t need Congress.&#8221;
&#8220;So whatever — you know, whatever happens — I am — I always think that something good is going to happen,&#8221; Lemon continued. &#8220;And something good usually always happens if you have that mindset.&#8221;
Lemon was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-helped-protestors-keep-church-plans-under-wraps-blocked-congregants-from-leaving-indictment">arrested</a> after a grand jury found probable cause to indict him. The indictment stated in part that Lemon had &#8220;entered the church with the “first wave of agitators,” and &#8220;oppressed, threatened, and intimidated the Church’s congregants and pastors by physically occupying most of the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the Church, engaging in menacing and threatening behavior, chanting and yelling loudly at the pastor and congregants, and/or physically obstructing them as they attempted to exit and/or move about within the Church.&#8221;
President Trump weighed in on Lemon&#8217;s arrest while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, saying that he had not had any advance knowledge that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abc-host-and-top-trump-official-spar-over-don-lemon-arrest">Lemon</a> was going to be arrested but making it clear that he was not a fan of the ousted CNN personality.
&#8220;He’s a sleazebag! Everyone’s known that. He’s a washed up,” Trump said. “Probably from his standpoint, the best thing that could happen to him. He had no viewers. He was a failed host. And now, he’s in the news. I didn’t know anything about it.&#8221;

Don Lemon ‘Ain’t Even Worried’ About Getting Locked Up After Arrest

Don Lemon 'Ain't Even Worried' About Getting Locked Up In Wake Of Arrest

Protesters

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos did his best to run cover for ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon — but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche quickly pushed back.
Stephanopoulos spoke with Blanche during Sunday morning&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;This Week,&#8221; where they discussed the Justice Department&#8217;s move to arrest Lemon over his participation in a protest that disrupted a Sunday service at a Minneapolis church days earlier. Despite video that appears to show him conferring with the protesters prior to their coordinated incursion, Lemon has insisted that he was simply acting as a journalist at the time and had nothing to do with the protest itself.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Deputy AG Todd Blanche just CALLED OUT Fake News ABC George Stephanopoulos to his FACE for running cover for Don Lemon storming a church
&#8220;CONVENIENTLY missing from what you just showed, George, is the appellate court and a judge on the appellate court who said just… <a href="https://t.co/xXMd06A5hm">pic.twitter.com/xXMd06A5hm</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2017972800217059798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When do you believe that Mr. Lemon crossed the line from reporting what was going on to criminal activity?&#8221; Stephanopoulos asked.
&#8220;Conveniently missing from what you just showed, George, is the appellate court and a judge on the appellate court who said just a few days later there was clearly probable cause — and it wasn&#8217;t even a close question!&#8221; Blanche shot back.
&#8220;And by the way, a grand jury, which is what our system has set up to determine whether probable cause exists, concluded that there was probable cause!&#8221; he continued. &#8220;That indictment is now public. Everybody in this country can pull it up and read for themselves and see what the grand jury found that Mr. Lemon did. I am not going to comment on the charges specifically because that&#8217;s not appropriate.&#8221;
Blanche went on to talk about the protest as a whole, arguing that disrupting a church service and attempting to intimidate those who were just there to worship was a violation of their First Amendment rights to practice religion without being harassed while doing so.
&#8220;We talk about the First Amendment right. You have a right of freedom of religion, which is just as important as any other right that we have!&#8221; he explained. &#8220;And George, I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;ve watched the videos or read the indictment about what it&#8217;s alleged that Mr. Lemon did, but if anybody in this country thinks that that is quote, independent journalism, I would like to have a conversation with you.&#8221;
Blanche concluded by saying that Lemon was certainly entitled to hire an attorney and raise any defense he saw fit, but that protesters should not be allowed to feel comfortable disrupting church services and intimidating those who had just come to worship.
President Donald Trump, aboard Air Force One on Saturday, minced no words when delivering his opinion of the former CNN anchor — but said that he had not known Lemon was going to be arrested.
&#8220;He’s a sleazebag! Everyone’s known that. He’s a washed up,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Probably from his standpoint, the best thing that could happen to him. He had no viewers. He was a failed host. And now, he’s in the news. I didn’t know anything about it.&#8221;

ABC Host And Top Trump Official Spar Over Don Lemon Arrest

George Stephanopoulos

This Week

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery has ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias, an illegal alien who was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, and his five-year-old son Liam Conejo Ramos.
Biery, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/judge-orders-5-year-old-liam-conejo-ramos-dad-detained-minnesota-released-ice-detention-texas/18516884/">issued a ruling</a> on Saturday that focused almost entirely on the child — who was being held in a San Antonio detention center with his father, at his father&#8217;s request — and blamed President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration for leaving the five-year-old &#8220;traumatized.&#8221;
In his ruling, Biery suggested that Arias had only been swept up because ICE was attempting to meet specific &#8220;quotas&#8221; for deportation, adding, &#8220;the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.&#8221;
He went on to accuse the Trump administration of taking actions against illegal aliens that were reminiscent of the actions taken by England, driving the American founders to revolt. &#8220;Apparent also is the government&#8217;s ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence,&#8221; he wrote.
Judge Biery included one photo in his ruling — a photo of the child with his Spiderman backpack and blue knitted bunny hat — and punctuated that by quoting the New Testament: &#8220;Jesus said, &#8216;Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'&#8221;
Biery&#8217;s ruling ordering the pair to be freed comes after they were visited by prominent Texas politicians like Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), the latter of whom is running for the U.S. Senate.
Castro even went so far as to deliver the two back to Minnesota personally.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Liam is home now and we are grateful to <a href="https://twitter.com/JoaquinCastrotx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoaquinCastrotx</a> for traveling to Minneapolis with him and his dad.
Welcome home Liam ❤️❤️ <a href="https://t.co/nqza20kLkv">https://t.co/nqza20kLkv</a> <a href="https://t.co/EPr0sLJo9g">pic.twitter.com/EPr0sLJo9g</a>
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/2017994107168112940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The two have been in the headlines since the day Arias was originally detained, when photos circulated of the little boy alone with ICE officers — prompting Democrats and media to quickly claimed that ICE was detaining a child and using him as bait to draw out his mother.
The Department of Homeland Security told a very different story, however, explaining that Arias had been in a vehicle with Liam when officers approached — but had left his son behind and fled on foot. Federal officers took custody of the boy then, reportedly taking him to McDonalds, while others followed and ultimately apprehended his father.
Since they were detained in San Antonio, protesters have surrounded the facility, claiming that Liam was &#8220;stolen from preschool&#8221; and demanding his release. Biery had issued a previous ruling stating that Arias and Ramos could not be deported.

UNITED-STATES-NATIONAL-DAY-OF-TRUTH-AND-FREEDOM-RALLY-IN-NEW-YOR

Clinton-Appointed Judge Orders Illegal Released, Claims ICE ‘Traumatized’ His Son

illegal alien

Illegal Immigration

Minneapolis

Taylor Rehmet (D-TX) coasted to a 14-point victory in a special election for the Texas State Senate seat recently vacated by Kelly Hancock (R-TX) prompting Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin to warn Republicans across the country to beware.
Rehmet, a veteran and a union leader, dedicated his win to &#8220;everyday working people&#8221; and immediately pivoted to raise funds for his imminent reelection campaign in November.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This win goes to everyday, working people.
I’ll see you out there! <a href="https://t.co/kPWzjn2LhW">pic.twitter.com/kPWzjn2LhW</a>
— Taylor Rehmet (@TaylorRehmetTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorRehmetTX/status/2017848430547108211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Republicans just lost a district Trump won by 17 points — in Texas. That’s not an anomaly, it’s a pattern,&#8221; Martin crowed when Rehmet was projected to win the seat. &#8220;Democrats are building on our historic overperformance, and we’re not slowing down. November is coming, and we’re ready. ALL GAS, NO BRAKES!!&#8221;
President Donald Trump gave Rehmet&#8217;s opponent, Leigh Wambsganss, a lengthy endorsement as voters went to the polls for Saturday&#8217;s special election.
&#8220;Today is the day! To all Voters in Texas’ 9th State Senate District: GET OUT AND VOTE for a phenomenal Candidate, Leigh Wambsganss. She is a highly successful Entrepreneur, and an incredible supporter of our Movement to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,&#8221; Trump posted via Truth Social. &#8220;My very good friend, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, needs a strong conservative Republican in SD-9 to KEEP TEXAS RED! The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat a true MAGA Warrior, Leigh Wambsganss. You can win this Election for Leigh, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement.&#8221;
Hancock, the out-going Republican who had served four terms in the same seat, won every reelection campaign with plenty of breathing room.
Democrats have delivered in several key elections since Trump&#8217;s second term in the White House began, but the majority have been in districts that ranged from purple — like Virginia — to more reliably blue like New Jersey.
Rehmet&#8217;s win comes as another Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, ramps up her own campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in the reliably red state.

Ballot Box – Election – Texas, USA

Democrat Flips State Senate Seat In Texas District Trump Won By Double Digits

Democrats

Texas

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Virginia Kruta