Trump News for Thursday, February 5, 2026

Trump to unveil TrumpRx website connecting to lower-priced prescription drugs

Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News

President Donald Trump on Thursday night will unveil his TrumpRx to help Americans buy prescription drugs at a lower cost.

Venezuela’s National Assembly approves amnesty bill in first of two votes

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The bill would provide clemency for opposition members and protesters who have been charged with crimes under Maduro.

Cubans rendered powerless as outages persist and tensions with US escalate

Dánica Coto, Associated Press

Residents of a small coastal Cuban town face severe hardships despite living near energy sources. Santa Cruz del Norte experiences daily blackouts and fuel shortages, forcing people to cook with coal and firewood. Tensions between Cuba and the U.S. have worse…

'This is kill or be killed': Suspect arrested on charges of threatening ICE agents

Jack Date, Bill Hutchinson, ABC News

A Minneapolis man who described himself as an "Antifa member" has been arrested on charges of making threats against federal immigration agents.

Stephen Colbert’s Brutal Response After Appearing In Epstein Files Goes Viral

Analice Couto, Boredpanda.com

Stephen Colbert delivered a viral, Tolkien-inspired roast after discovering his name in the Epstein files.

Religious freedom group says US military members were 'pressured' by commanders to see 'Melania'

Jason Guerrasio, Business Insider

An active-duty enlisted member of the US military said their unit was "pressured" into seeing Amazon's "Melania" documentary about the first lady.

Why a Republican Supreme Court just handed a victory to Democrats

Ian Millhiser, Vox

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court handed down a one-sentence order announcing that California’s newly gerrymandered maps, which are expected to give Democrats as many as five more seats in the US House, may go into effect during the 2026 midterms. These maps we…

Trump tempers criticism of UK’s Chagos Islands deal after talk with Starmer

Zaid Sabah, News Agencies, Al Jazeera English

Despite calling it earlier an ‘act of great stupidity’, Trump signals support of Starmer’s Chagos deal.

You’ve Never Seen Super Bowl Betting Like This Before

Jacob Stern, The Atlantic

Prediction markets are turbocharging America’s obsession with sports gambling.

How “Bitcoin Jesus” Avoided Prison, Thanks To One Of The “Friends Of Trump”

Avi Asher-Schapiro and Molly Redden, Techdirt

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Days into President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, a cryptocurrency billionaire posted a video on X to his hundreds of thousands of followers. “Ple…

Why Cops Frequently Got Caught Planting Drugs in 2017

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Look. All technology comes with a learning curve.

Middle East Preparing For War Ahead Of U.S.-Iran Negotiations

Howard Altman, Twz.com

The talks in Oman tomorrow are seen as a last-ditch diplomatic effort to prevent another conflict in the tumultuous Middle East.

We have a miraculous anti-aging vaccine. Why aren’t more people getting it?

Dylan Scott, Vox

An elixir for keeping our brains and bodies younger may already be sitting on pharmacy shelves across the United States — if only we’d take advantage of it. I’m talking about the shingles vaccine.  It was invented because, well, shingles is a terrible disease…

Cuba to introduce plan to address fuel shortage amid US blockade

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The shortage has led to blackouts across the Caribbean nation.

Trump endorses Prime Minister Viktor Orban for Hungary’s April election

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The US president has praised the Hungarian leader for his hardline approach to immigration and nationalist policies.

“We’re at risk of an arms race”: US-Russian nuclear arms treaty expires

Garrett Owen, Salon

Lawmakers fear a global arms race as the last treaty comes to an end.

Jeff Bezos used to be in love with The Washington Post. What happened?

pkafka@insider.com (Peter Kafka), Business Insider

After Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013, the billionaire was considered a model owner. Not anymore. I asked an insider what happened.

DHS Is Hunting Down Trump Critics. The ‘Free Speech’ Warriors Are Mighty Quiet.

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

For years, we’ve been subjected to an endless parade of hyperventilating claims about the Biden administration’s supposed “censorship industrial complex.” We were told, over and over again, that the government was weaponizing its power to silence conservative…

US treasury secretary declines to rule out future Federal Reserve lawsuits

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Scott Bessent used a Senate appearance to defend President Donald Trump's campaign to slash interest and raise tariffs.

Trump puts FBI at “complete disposal” of authorities searching for Savannah Guthrie’s mom

Garrett Owen, Salon

President Donald Trump ordered federal law enforcement to assist in the ongoing search.

The Full Orwell: DOJ Weaponization Working Group Finally Gets Off The Ground

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

I have to admit: the first one-and-a-half paragraphs of this CNN report had me thinking the Trump administration was shedding another pretense and just embracing its inherent shittiness. Justice Department officials are expected to meet Monday to discuss how …

Germany’s Merz warns of potential escalation as US, Iran prepare for talks

Adam Hancock, Al Jazeera English

Friedrich Merz said concerns about a further escalation with Iran have dominated his trip to the Gulf region.

Pima County Sheriff: Nancy Guthrie Search Update, Watch Live

TMZ Staff, TMZ

The search for Nancy Guthrie has entered its fifth day ... and the Pima County Sheriff's Department is staying true to its word and providing another update you can watch live. Sheriff Chris Nanos and other authorities are expected to speak on any…

On day 5 of the search for Nancy Guthrie, here's what we know

Alana Wise, NPR

Arizona officials say they believe Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was taken by force from her Tucson area home this weekend. The family has pleaded for her safe return home.

Trump defends Noem, Gabbard and Bondi at National Prayer Breakfast

Yahoo Entertainment

US envoy shuns Polish parliament speaker over Trump remarks

Stephen Quillen, Al Jazeera English

US Ambassador Tom Rose says: 'We will not permit anyone to harm US-Polish relations, nor disrespect' President Trump.

UN rights chief warns his office is in ‘survival mode’ over funding crisis

Al Jazeera Staff, News Agencies, Al Jazeera English

Volker Turk appeals for $400m after cuts to operations in 17 countries.

Lawmakers Call on Meta to Stop Running ICE Ad Featuring Neo-Nazi Anthem

Austin Campbell, The Intercept

Asked about an ICE ad featuring the song “We’ll Have Our Home Again,” DHS said: “Not everything you dislike is ‘Nazi propaganda.’” The post Lawmakers Call on Meta to Stop Running ICE Ad Featuring Neo-Nazi Anthem appeared first on The Intercept.

Where are all the protest songs?

Ann Powers, NPR

Protest requires people to take a stand and hold firm. Pop songs are designed to appeal across demographic lines. In music, as in the rest of the world, resistance takes place closer to the ground.

New Trump administration rule makes it easier to fire career civil servants

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The OPM rule says that high ranking officials could be fired for 'intentionally subverting Presidential directives'.

Stephen Colbert Says ‘Melania’ Numbers Impressive ‘Until You Realize It’s Less Than 10 Percent of Budget’

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel skewered the opening box-office numbers for Amazon's Melania Trump doc 'Melania' on their late-night shows.

GOP resists call to “nationalize voting” — but Trump’s trying it anyway

Jelinda Montes, Salon

The president continues to deny his 2020 election loss, claiming voter fraud is why Republicans must "take over"

How Jeff Bezos Broke The Washington Post

Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic

The paper of record for the nation’s capital cut a third of its staff this week. It didn’t have to be like this.

ICE's 'Death Cards' in Colorado Illustrate 'Immigration Enforcement' as Power Fantasy

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

In Colorado, immigrant families found ace of spades "death cards" left in abandoned vehicles from which ICE had abducted their loved ones.

Why is the Trump administration really appealing its Meta loss?

Lauren Feiner, The Verge

After a federal judge ruled that Meta was not an illegal monopolist in a blow against the Federal Trade Commission, the agency issued what was in part a typical statement of disappointment. Another part of the statement was anything but: a political attack on…

I toured the USS Massachusetts, the 680-foot battleship that fired the last shot of World War II. Take a look inside.

Talia Lakritz, Business Insider

The USS Massachusetts, known for its pivotal role in World War II, is now a museum and war memorial in Massachusetts.

Trump’s building a new world order, and there’s a method to his ‘madness’

Nick Dearden, Al Jazeera English

His goal is to replace international law with the rule of the bully. And he's getting there.

Ukraine, Russia conduct POW swap after trilateral talks with US end

David Brennan, ABC News

Trilateral talks between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators resumed in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, after a round of meetings on Wednesday.

It’s time for the world to boycott the US

Donald Earl Collins, Al Jazeera English

A global boycott may be the only nonviolent way to curb US aggression and repression.

Trump foe dons MAGA hat after Maduro raid

Heather Digby Parton, Salon

Once branded a "lunatic" by Trump, Colombian President Gustavo Petro is now on board to "Make Americas Great Again"

Josh Hawley Trots Out Trans Panic Attacks On Netflix To Help Larry Ellison Buy CNN, HBO

Karl Bode, Techdirt

We’ve been talking about how the Trump GOP is launching an all out attack on Netflix’s proposed merger with Warner Brothers. Not because they care about antitrust or corporate power, but because they really want Trump-allied billionaire Larry Ellison to buy W…

Homan to draw down agents in Minnesota. And, U.S.-Russia nuclear arms deal expires

Brittney Melton, NPR

U.S. border czar Tom Homan says 700 federal agents will be leaving Minnesota. And, the New START Treaty between the U.S. and Russia expired today.

America’s Future With Measles Is Hanging in the Balance

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic

How many deaths might tip vaccination rates back upwards?

When the Chips Are Down

Julian Gewirtz, The New York Review of Books

President Trump’s reversal of a ban on sales of advanced semiconductors to China undercut the strategic logic behind years of American policy that was meant to keep the US ahead in the race to develop AI systems.

The Struggle for the Fed

Trevor Jackson, The New York Review of Books

The Fed is under attack. Can it be both protected and held accountable?

An American Reckoning

Ben Rhodes, The New York Review of Books

Robert McNamara’s failure to reckon with the exceptionalism that led the United States into the Vietnam War contributed to fifty years of foreign policy failures. It can help us understand the crisis facing American democracy today.

Poland: Halfway to Democracy

Joy Neumeyer, The New York Review of Books

What do the far right’s fluctuating fortunes in Poland suggest about countries seeking an off-ramp from autocracy?

Torn Asunder

Oscar Lopez, The New York Review of Books

As Guatemala and El Salvador were being torn apart by violent US-backed regimes, tens of thousands of children—many of them war orphans, others forcibly taken from their birth parents—were being adopted overseas.

Theater’s Hilarious Clap Back After Brutal Joke Resulted In Amazon Pulling ‘Melania’ Documentary

Karina Babenok, Boredpanda.com

The movie was yanked from the Oregon theater after Amazon made an issue over their promotional messages, seemingly taking a sarcastic dig at ‘Melania.’

The Intellectual Edgelords of the GOP

Laura K. Field, The Atlantic

The mainstreaming of transgressive ideas is the culmination of a yearslong conservative project.

Is It Easy Being Green?

Mark Roller, Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books

To the Editors: Regarding Bill McKibben’s review of The Story of CO 2 Is the Story of Everything [“It’s a Gas,” NYR, January 15], and with all due respect to McKibben, I believe that his characterization of the transition to a wind and solar economy as someth…

WATCH: 'Can you shut him up?' House Democrats clash with Bessent in fiery hearing

ABC News

House Democrats clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday during a fiery hearing on Capitol Hill that devolved into shouting matches.

Christian group says all abductees taken in Nigeria’s Kurmin Wali released

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Nigerian government yet to confirm that 166 villagers and churchgoers who were kidnapped last month are now back home.

Russia says will act responsibly despite New START nuclear treaty expiry

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Both Beijing and Moscow expressed regret at lapse of last Russia-US nuclear arms control treaty.

They said Trumpism was fading

Chauncey DeVega, Salon

Mainstream commentators said Donald Trump’s authoritarian campaign was exhausted. They were very wrong

Democrats’ ICE demands play into Trump’s hands

Russell Payne, Salon

DHS and Democrats are both demanding a closer relationship between local officials and ICE

Being MAGA Means Pretending That a Giant, Golden Columbus Statue Improves Your Life

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

One of the most critically important aspects of MAGA is simply refusing to ever learn new information on a historical subject like Columbus.

Apple TV Europe Boss Jay Hunt Approached About BBC Director General Role

Jake Kanter, Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Apple TV executive Jay Hunt has been sounded out about becoming the next director general of the BBC. Deadline understands that Hunt, the European creative director at Apple TV, has been approached about succeeding Tim Davie, who dramatically resig…

WATCH: Mom shares warning after son is severely burned following social media trend

ABC News

A 9-year-old boy in Illinois is on the mend two weeks after putting a simple toy in the microwave -- something that has become a trend on social media.

Election officials draw on sobering 2020 lessons as Trump calls for nationalizing voting

Alexander Shur, Votebeat, Salon

Officials who faced threats in 2020 prepare for pressure from Trump.

ICE’s Private Prison Contractors Spent Millions Lobbying to Force Banks to Give Them Loans

Biplob Kumar Das, The Intercept

Major banks have denied financing to GEO Group and CoreCivic — but legislation pushed by the firms could force their hand. The post ICE’s Private Prison Contractors Spent Millions Lobbying to Force Banks to Give Them Loans appeared first on The Intercept.

Vance heads overseas for the Winter Olympics. Then he'll stop in Armenia, Azerbaijan

MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press, ABC News

Vice President JD Vance is heading overseas to lead President Donald Trump’s delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics

Staff Photographers at The Washington Post All Lose Their Jobs

Matt Growcoot, PetaPixel

The Washington Post laid off roughly a third of its workforce yesterday, including every single one of its staff photographers, PetaPixel understands. [Read More]

Panama’s president hits back after China threat in canal ports row

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

President Mulino responds to China, insists his country upholds the rule of law and and has an independent court system.

Bitcoin plunge continues, erasing gains since Trump’s election

John Power, Al Jazeera English

The world's most popular cryptocurrency has fallen nearly 20 percent in value since the start of 2026.

Trump's EPA issues record low legal actions against polluters, watchdog group finds

Jeff Brady, NPR

The EPA enforced a record low number of environmental laws and regulations during the first year of President Trump's second term in office.

UN warns of humanitarian collapse in Cuba as US seeks to block oil supplies

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Warning comes as US threatens tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the Caribbean island.

Measles Has Now Begun To Infect Immigrant Detention Camps

Timothy Geigner, Techdirt

It’s darkly funny, in a way, to recall a racist trope that gets trotted out about immigration all the time: immigrants bring disease into the country. That in itself isn’t funny, obviously. The funny part is that it seems like we’re proving the opposite to be…

WATCH: Newly released video shows NYPD shoot man in emotional distress holding knife

ABC News

Newly released body camera video shows the moment officers shot and injured a man who was suffering a mental health crisis in Queens. His family says they called 911 for medical aid, not police.

Nike probed by Trump appointee over claims of bias against white workers

John Power, Al Jazeera English

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's probe is latest effort by Trump administration to stymie diversity policies.

Pro-life group says Trump has power to overturn Biden-era policy allowing mail-order abortions

FOX News Videos, Fox News

Restoration of America Foundation CEO Doug Truax is urging the Trump administration to end a Biden administration FDA policy that he says is driving around...

Trump declines to take sides between Vance, Rubio in 2028 successor debate

By Steve Holland, Yahoo Entertainment

By Steve Holland WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to take sides in the debate over whether his vice president, JD...

LA Mayor Sidesteps Calls For Casey Wasserman’s Olympics Resignation After Epstein Files Revelations; IOC Brass Still Has “Full Trust” In LA28 Chief

Dominic Patten, Deadline

Casey Wasserman still has the support of Karen Bass and the International Olympics Committee to stay in charge of LA28, for now. IOC Executive Board member Nicole Hoevertsz said on February 3 in Italy that the increasingly besieged Wasserman and his “entire t…

Donald Trump Now Says He “Shouldn’t Be Involved” In DOJ Review Of A Netflix Or Paramount Acquisition Of Warner Bros.

Ted Johnson, Deadline

Donald Trump told NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas that he has decided that he “shouldn’t be involved” in his administration’s review of the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger or if Paramount succeeds in its hostile bid. “I haven’t been involved,” Trump said in th…

What to know about the congressional fight over ICE restrictions

John Parkinson, ABC News

Democrats say they're unified in forcing the issue amid public backlash.

WATCH: Renting is less expensive than owning a home in every large American city: Study

ABC News

A new analysis from Lending Tree shows that renting is less expensive than owning a home with homeowners paying roughly 37% more per month than renters.