Trump News for Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Khelif willing to take sex test for 2028 Olympics

Ailsa Cowen, BBC News

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif says she would take a sex test if it allowed her to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games.

Researchers say no evidence of TikTok censorship, but they remain wary

Bobby Allyn, NPR

Posts have been going viral on social media accusing TikTok's new owners of suppressing content, but eight academics examined the issue and found no evidence to support the claims.

Blame Jeff Bezos! And then stop hoping billionaires bail out the news.

Peter Kafka, Business Insider

The problem with billionaires like Jeff Bezos owning news properties like The Washington Post is they can decide one day to turn off the spigot.

Ukraine says first day of peace talks with Russia ‘productive’

Stephen Quillen, Al Jazeera English

Zelenskyy expects negotiations to soon lead to another prisoner exchange.

Is the Trump administration backing down in Minneapolis?

Cameron Peters, Vox

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration says it will remove 700 feder…

US Supreme Court rejects challenge to California redistricting effort

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Redrawing of electoral maps along partisan lines taken in response to similar measures in Republican-led states.

US-Iran nuclear talks set for Oman on Friday, Tehran confirms

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that nuclear talks with the US will take place in Oman on Friday.

Newly released court records reveal misconduct inquiry into federal judge

Carrie Johnson, NPR

A federal judge said he retired to speak out about threats to the rule of law. Newly released court orders suggest his exit coincided with a misconduct inquiry that ended when he stepped down.

Man convicted of trying to assassinate Trump to serve life in prison

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Judge says Ryan Routh engaged in 'premeditated' plot to kill Trump several months before the US presidential election.

Why is there a mixed reaction in India to the US trade deal?

Al Jazeera English

Trump and Modi hail agreement but details remains vague.

'This job sucks,' DHS lawyer says in hearing over ICE's judicial orders response

Jack Date, Luke Barr, Matt Rivers, Laura Romero, ABC News

“A court order is not advisory, and it is not conditional,” U.S. District Court Judge Jerry Blackwell said.

Colombia’s EGC suspends Doha peace talks over Petro-Trump meeting

Alfie Pannell, Al Jazeera English

The criminal group suspended talks in response to reports that the US and Colombia would target its leader for arrest.

Russia criticises US as final nuclear warhead treaty set to expire

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Experts have warned that the expiry of the US-Russia New START treaty could spark a fresh nuclear arms race.

Why the Epstein Files Are Reviving a Conspiracy Theory About Wayfair and Human Trafficking

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Sometimes a receipt for furniture is just a receipt for furniture.

Washington Post Lays Off Its Amazon Beat Reporter as Bezos Brings the Hammer Down

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

The paper is reportedly cutting roughly a third of its staff while its billionaire owner sits on a $261 billion fortune.

Technocracy 2.0

https://brooklynrail.org/contributor/anton-cebalo/, Brooklynrail.org

As Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir, says outright, the only lasting future for the United States is the merging of tech and the state. He cites the Manhattan Project as a precedent: a model that is now to be applied to virtually every lever of power. While Kar…

Some in Israel question its influence over US as Iran war decision nears

Simon Speakman Cordall, Al Jazeera English

Israelis wonder whether US will favour its own geopolitical priorities over Israel in its decision over Iran attack.

Washington Post announces massive layoffs in blow to storied paper

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Spokesperson says that cuts apply to about one-third of newsroom, with sport and international coverage largely gutted.

WATCH: Attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison

ABC News

U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon on Wednesday sentenced Ryan Routh to spend the rest of his life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Trump on his Florida golf course in September 2024.

Trump’s occupation of Minneapolis has broken the Justice Department

Ian Millhiser, Vox

“I wish you would just hold me in contempt of court so I can get 24 hours of sleep,” a lawyer representing Donald Trump’s government told a federal judge on Tuesday. Julie Le, the lawyer, who was temporarily detailed to the US Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis…

Supreme Court Rejects Republican Challenge To Gavin Newsom-Led State Redistricting Plan

Ted Johnson, Deadline

The Supreme Court delivered a win to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, rejecting a Republican challenge of a redistricting in the state that was passed overwhelmingly by voters last November. The high court denied an injunction that would have pu…

Gavin Newsom’s Biggest Problem Is Gavin Newsom

Sean Bell, The Intercept

As Newsom gears up for 2028, his record will be a problem — but only because he’s stood for nothing. The post Gavin Newsom’s Biggest Problem Is Gavin Newsom appeared first on The Intercept.

Federal Judges Are Done With The Deference: Courts Call Out Admin’s Immigration ‘Bullshit’ In Increasingly Pointed Terms

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Over the past week, two federal judges have issued rulings on immigration cases that aren’t just legally significant—they’re genuinely extraordinary documents. One includes a photo of a five-year-old in a Spiderman backpack, biblical citations, and closes wit…

Russia’s Putin holds video call with China’s Xi

Al Jazeera Staff, News Agencies, Al Jazeera English

The two leaders discussed maintaining their growing ties amid international instability.

What the Latest Epstein Documents Say About Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump

Mary Harris, Slate Magazine

Three million more pages of the Epstein files dropped last week. Here’s what you need to know.

Jim Cramer Says “I Actually Felt Sorry for Microsoft, Not Too Sorry Though”

Syeda Seirut Javed, Yahoo Entertainment

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer shared his opinion on. Cramer called the company the “least Magnificent of the Seven,” as...

WATCH: Fulton County files motion for return of seized 2020 ballots, spokesperson says

ABC News

Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, filed a motion Wednesday seeking the return of all files from the 2020 election that were seized by the FBI last week, according to a spokesperson for the county.

US announces proposed critical mineral trading bloc

Andy Hirschfeld, Al Jazeera English

The aim of the group is to challenge China’s stronghold on the globe’s rare earth mining.

How to Actually Reform ICE

Paul Rosenzweig, The Atlantic

Accountability, transparency, and trust must be centerpieces of “New ICE.”

Is the U.S. heading into a dictatorship?

Terry Gross, NPR

The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, "we're on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship."

Trump hails ‘excellent’ phone call with China’s Xi amid trade tensions

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump stresses his 'extremely good' personal relationship with Xi Jinping, key to maintaining stable US-China ties.

What the Kennedy Center Closure Really Means for Art

Lily Meyer, The Atlantic

Central to the venue’s existence is the belief that democracy and the arts are intertwined—a vision of cultural life that is under attack.

The Great Unwind

Occupywallst.com

The economy is crashing because Wall Street spent trillions shorting Japan's currency and now they're being squeezed.

Man sentenced to life in prison for 2024 attempt on Trump's life

BBC News

Prosecutors claimed that Routh, 59, remained 'totally unrepentant' for the incident in Florida.

DOJ Prosecutors Directly Contradict The DHS’s Oregon Shooting Narrative

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The two murders by immigration officers during Trump’s vengeful “surge” in Minneapolis, Minnesota have grabbed most of the headlines recently. And deservedly so. The violent rhetoric used by nearly every administration official — combined with a lack of train…

Steve Bannon Proposes Using ICE in Elections

Khaleda Rahman, Newsweek

Steve Bannon has said that ICE agents will “surround the polls“ at the midterm elections in November.

Trump administration withdrawing 700 federal agents from Minnesota

BBC News

"Border tsar" Tom Homan said about 2,000 would remain, and the US government is equipping more officers with body-worn cameras.

The Second Death of Charlie Kirk

Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic

The activist’s assassination unleashed an anti-Semitism that is pulling the Trump coalition apart.

WATCH: US fighter jet shoots down Iranian drone

ABC News

A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

US border security chief withdrawing 700 immigration agents from Minnesota

Joseph Stepansky, Al Jazeera English

Tom Homan cites increased cooperation with local authorities but promises enforcement operations will continue.

Can India switch from Russian to Venezuelan oil, as Trump wants?

Yashraj Sharma, Al Jazeera English

US President Donald Trump's plan to sell Venezuelan oil to India is neat, but may be operationally messy, analysts say.

Trump’s D.C. building boom includes a proposed arch, the ‘biggest one of all’

Associated Press, Ap.org

President Donald Trump says history is on his side.He wants to build a towering arch near the Lincoln Memorial and argues that the nation’s capital first clamored for such a monument two centuries ago — even going so far as to erect four eagle statues as part…

The Murder of The Washington Post

Ashley Parker, The Atlantic

Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.

Mediators propose framework for crucial Iran-US talks this week

Virginia Pietromarchi, Al Jazeera English

Proposals include requirement for Iran to halt uranium enrichment for three years and transfer stock to a third country.

Trumpland Ramps Up Attacks On Netflix Warner Brothers Merger To Help Larry Ellison

Karl Bode, Techdirt

So we’ve been noting how the Trump administration has been helping Larry Ellison wage war on Netflix’s proposed merger with Warner Brothers. Not because they care about antitrust (that’s always been a lie), but because they want Larry Ellison to be able to do…

EEOC Quietly Hired Lawyer Who Crusaded for Cases of Discrimination Against Men — Including His Own

Bryce Covert, The Intercept

Benjamin North, who had faced a college allegation, said discrimination against men pervaded the handling of campus sexual assault claims, including his own. The post EEOC Quietly Hired Lawyer Who Crusaded for Cases of Discrimination Against Men — Including H…

Global system of human rights in ‘peril’, warns HRW in its annual report

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The NGO warns that the rules-based order is being crushed under relentless pressure from the US, China and Russia.

Congress faces tight deadline to fund DHS. And, Ryan Routh faces sentencing

Brittney Melton, NPR

Congress ended the shutdown, but now faces a tight deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security. And, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump faces sentencing today.

Trump skipping Super Bowl over fears he'll be booed...

Asawin Suebsaeng, Andrew Perez, Zeteo.com

Trump skipping Super Bowl over fears he'll be booed... (First column, 5th story, link) Related stories:Bad Bunny Isn't Toning It Down, and MAGA Is Fuming...

Trump’s critical minerals meet: Who’s attending, what’s at stake?

Sarah Shamim, Al Jazeera English

More than 50 countries are represented at the Critical Minerals Ministerial to discuss how to reduce reliance on China.

DHS Attorney Removed from Post After Telling MN Judge That “This Job Sucks”

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

DHS Attorney Julie Le had been assigned 88 cases in less than a month, amid another wave of resignations and prosecutors quitting in protest.

‘We are exploited’: Congolese fear losing out as US makes minerals deals

Prosper Heri Ngorora, Al Jazeera English

As officials meet in Washington to discuss critical minerals, many in DRC fear their country will gain little.

Did JD Vance Read a Different Set of Epstein Files?

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Vance told the Daily Mail the latest dump actually exonerates Trump and proves he was "very much outside" of Epstein's social circle.

Ex-DOJ official's call for pro-Trump prosecutors could be 'dangerous': Ex-prosecutor

Mike Levine, ABC News

Calls by a former and current DOJ official for lawyers who "support President Trump" to join the DOJ "flatly contradict" federal laws, an ex-prosecutor says.

Impact of tariffs on cost of goods

Nathan Yau, Flowingdata.com

One year into these tariffs, Ana Swanson for the New York Times has the charts. On prices: Unsurprisingly, tariffs pushed up the prices of imported goods last year. Economic tracking shows that pri…

Trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia peace talks resume in UAE after major energy attack

David Brennan, ABC News

American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives are due to gather again in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for the next round of trilateral talks.

ICE agents have no operational police role in Winter Olympics: Italy

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

'We won't see anything on national territory that resembles what's been seen in the US,' Italy's interior minister says.

National Guard shooting suspect to be arraigned Wednesday

Steve Beynon, ABC News

Man accused of ambushing West Virginia National Guard members near the White House in November, killing one and severely wounding another, set to be arraigned Wednesday.

Can US-Iran diplomacy work? Inside the narrow window for talks

Ali Hashem, Al Jazeera English

Iran wants talks with the US to stabilise before inviting regional nations to join, as Trump sends mixed messages.

Will calls to 'abolish ICE' sway voters in 2026? The strategy has Democrats split

Elena Moore, NPR

The Trump administration's immigration efforts have led some Democrats to call for abolishing ICE. Others won't go as far, wary of appearing out of step with voters who want immigration laws enforced.

As Trump pushes for Venezuela's oil, here's what to know about the U.S. and Iraq's oil

Julia Simon, NPR

Oil analysts who worked in Iraq say Iraqi oil sales had more protections after the U.S. invasion than Venezuelan oil sales today.

Morning news brief

Michel Martin, NPR

Lawmakers have a little over a week to negotiate changes to federal immigration enforcement, peace talks to end the war in Ukraine resume, Trump says GOP should 'nationalize' elections.

Trump hits out at reporter for question on Epstein survivors

Al Jazeera English

Trump lashed out at a reporter after she questioned him about survivors of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

MAGA’s Bizarre Super Bowl Halftime Show Lineup Gets Brutally Roasted Online

Karina Babenok, Boredpanda.com

The lineup for the “patriotic” All-American Halftime Show, competing against Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl performance, was brutally mocked online.

Trump says talks with Iran continuing amid tensions

Al Jazeera English

US President Donald Trump has said that talks with Iran are continuing to try to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf.

Russia-Ukraine war: Second round of peace talks set to begin in Abu Dhabi

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The main sticking point in the negotiations continues to be the long-term fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.

Brothers of Renee Good call for action in Congress

The Associated Press, NPR

The brothers of Renee Good, killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, called on Congress to do something about the violence on American streets as a result of immigration operations.

China warns Panama as Hong Kong firm contests ruling on canal ports

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

China calls court ruling against Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison on Panama Canal ports 'absurd' and 'shameful'.

Attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh to be sentenced Wednesday

Peter Charalambous, ABC News

A federal judge is set to decide whether a man convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump deserves to spend the rest of his life in a federal prison.

Judge set to hear arguments as court gives Trump another shot at nixing hush money conviction

Yahoo Entertainment

Thousands march in Venezuela to demand US frees President Maduro, wife

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Pro-Maduro protesters hold banners calling on US to release 'kidnapped' President and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Kash Patel Creating Tension With Mexico Because He Can’t Shut The Fuck Up On Social Media

Timothy Geigner, Techdirt

Kash Patel, FBI Director, is not very good at his job. There are plenty of examples to demonstrate that notion, from him apparently completely misunderstanding the purpose and protections of the 2nd Amendment and Minnesota gun laws (whatever your thoughts on …

‘A great honor’: Key takeaways from Trump’s meeting with Colombia’s Petro

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Despite months of clashing over US military attacks and drug trafficking, the two leaders shared a 'terrific' meeting.

Pima County Sheriff's Latest Update on Search for Savannah Guthrie's Mom

TMZ Staff, TMZ

The search continues for Savannah Guthrie's kidnapped mother ... and law enforcement in Arizona is recapping what they know so far about Nancy Guthrie's abduction. The Pima County Sheriff's Department says Nancy's Tucson-area home has been…

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,441

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

These are the key developments from day 1,441 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

WATCH: New video shows FBI agents raid the election office in Fulton County, Georgia

ABC News

It comes as Pres. Trump doubles down on his call to nationalize elections.

Judge presses DOJ lawyers for precedent for Pentagon to punish Kelly over video

Anne Flaherty, Tierra Cunningham, Briana Stewart, ABC News

Judge sharply questioned DOJ lawyers for a legal precedent for the Pentagon's attempt to punish Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump.