Trump News for Monday, February 9, 2026

Trump opposes Israeli annexation of occupied West Bank: White House

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

White House official says Trump sees stability in the Palestinian territory as a 'goal to achieve peace in the region'.

5th Circuit Says Due Process Rights For Immigrants No Longer Exist In Its Jurisdiction

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

Trump and his supporters clearly believe migrants have no constitutional rights. But that’s simply not true. They have the same rights as citizens for one truly obvious reason: a government could choose to declare certain people non-citizens in order to strip…

The Marines pulled off another clean audit. The rest of the US military still hasn't.

Kelsey Baker, Business Insider

As the Pentagon struggles with financial accountability, the Marines have passed their third audit in a row.

United Nations presses for answers on US funding commitments

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

UN spokesperson says the international body is 'waiting to see exactly when payments' will be made by Washington.

Trump’s border tsar warned immigration crackdown would upset public

Iona Cleave, Yahoo Entertainment

Donald Trump’s border tsar warned months ago that the administration’s aggressive and sweeping immigration crackdown risked losing public support.

The MAGA court decision that just supercharged ICE

Ian Millhiser, Vox

Two judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a court dominated by MAGA Republicans, just handed the Trump administration broad authority to lock up millions of immigrants — provided that it can get those immigrants to Texas, Louisia…

NBC Hid The Boos For JD Vance. Where’s Trump’s ‘Unfair Editing’ Lawsuit?

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

If you watched NBC’s prime time broadcast of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, you saw Vice President JD Vance in the stands at San Siro Stadium in Milan with his wife, Usha. The commentary team said “JD Vance” and moved on. Pleasant enough. But…

Who Sent Jeffrey Epstein a Gizmodo Article About Deleting Your Google History?

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Members of Congress are set to get a look at the un-redacted files this week.

Meta Faces Two Key Trials That Could Change Social Media Forever

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

TikTok has already fled the scene.

Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba due to fuel shortage

Elizabeth Melimopoulos, News Agencies, Al Jazeera English

Over the following days, Air Canada will operate empty flights to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already in Cuba.

When the Two Sides of the Culture War Meet

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

Turning Point USA’s halftime show had some surprising overlap with the performance it was meant to protest.

US urges American ships to stay ‘as far as possible’ from Iranian waters

Ali Harb, Al Jazeera English

New US Maritime Administration advisory comes after first round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran.

Trump to exclude Democratic governors from usually bipartisan White House meeting

Hannah Demissie, ABC News

President Trump is hosting an annual meeting with governors at the White House, but he will not invite any Democrats, only Republicans, breaking tradition.

“Stomped”: Erika Kirk Roasted After Speaking Out On Turning Point USA’s Alternate Halftime Show

Lei RV, Boredpanda.com

Erika Kirk faced a brutal "ratings reality check" after Bad Bunny outperformed her alternative halftime show at Super Bowl.

US Congress seeks answers, Maxwell invokes Fifth amid Epstein case tensions

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Ghislaine Maxwell avoids answering questions on alleged co-conspirators in case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Election expert says Trump posts on false election conspiracies ‘appear like it’s more about 2026’ then 2020

CNN

David Becker, the Executive Director & Founder of The Center for Election Innovation & Research joins Inside Politics to discuss the deluge of 2020 election ...

White House to make it harder for US federal workers to challenge firings

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

If the proposal is implemented, workers will not be able to seek remedy through an independent review board.

US seizes Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Pentagon says US will enforce Trump-ordered blockade against South American country even 'halfway around the world'.

‘We have a voice’: Latinos celebrate Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show

Urooba Jamal, Al Jazeera English

With celebrity cameos and cultural nods, Bad Bunny’s show highlighted Latino identity and resilience on a world stage.

Jeff Bezos Reportedly Afraid Trump Would Seek ‘Vengeance’ on Him After Making Himself an ‘Enemy’—He’s ‘Dependent’ on the President

StyleCaster Editors, STYLECASTER

What happened between them?

Ammon Bundy is fed up with federal overreach again. This time, it’s about ICE

Joel Odom, OregonLive

"I think the left has it much more correct than the nationalist right,” Bundy told The Atlantic.

Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to answer questions at congressional deposition, lawmakers say

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 () - Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions at a deposition before the U. House's Committee on Oversight...

Trump brands skier a 'loser'...

By Karolos Grohmann and Lisa Richwine, Yahoo Entertainment

Trump brands skier a 'loser'... (Third column, 14th story, link) Related stories:Olympic athletes' medals breaking during celebrations... Medal Count...

WATCH: The legacy of Black Americans in cowboy culture

ABC News

Patricia Kelly, founder of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., educates people about the history of Black equestrians while mentoring new generations about building life skills by learning about horses.

Immigration courts fast-track hearings for Somali asylum claims

Ximena Bustillo, NPR

Their lawyers fear the notices are merely the first step toward the removal without due process of Somali asylum applicants in the country.

'Pedophile Protector' Trump-Heckling Ford Employee Officially Receives No Discipline And Keeps Job

staff@jalopnik.com (Brad Brownell), Jalopnik

The constitution didn't protect Mr. Sabula from being fired by his employer for exercising his free speech, the UAW did that.

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show highlighted Puerto Rico's power grid. Here's why

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American

Bad Bunny performed part of the Super Bowl halftime show from a powerline set, drawing attention to the problem of widespread blackouts in Puerto Rico

Iran suggests it could dilute highly enriched uranium for sanctions relief

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Iran's atomic energy chief makes comment as more mediated negotiations with the US expected.

Israeli plans deepen de facto annexation of occupied West Bank

Mohammad Mansour, Al Jazeera English

Israel approves plans to expand its power across the West Bank, making it easier to seize Palestinian land illegally.

Strong support in Pakistan for Gaza peacekeeping force but questions linger

Abid Hussain, Al Jazeera English

Poll finds Pakistanis ready to support Gaza peacekeeping mission under Muslim alliance and UN approval framework.

Will Trump adopt Israel’s ‘red lines’ on Iran?

Al Jazeera English

The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi says ‘the changing goal posts’ of Iran-US talks leave little room for success.

Imane Khelif Drops Bombshells As She Admits To Having Y Chromosome Gene After Years Of Controversy

Rocio Corsi, Boredpanda.com

Imane Khelif admitted to carrying the SRY gene while defending her natural right to compete at Olympics.

Jonny Greenwood Wants His Music Pulled From the Melania Movie

Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork

Greenwood and Paul Thomas Anderson said Universal licensed out a song from Phantom Thread without permission

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in Hong Kong

Britt Clennett, Karson Yiu, ABC News

Lai was convicted in December on charges related to national security.

Siemens CEO Roland Busch’s mission to automate everything

Nilay Patel, The Verge

Today, I’m talking with Roland Busch, who is the CEO of Siemens. Siemens is one of those absolutely giant, extremely important, but fairly opaque companies we love to dig into on Decoder. At a very basic, reductive level, Siemens makes the hardware and softwa…

Greenlanders Are Ready to Fight

Ken Harbaugh, The Atlantic

Remote, frigid, desolate, and armed to the teeth: Greenland isn’t planning on submitting to Donald Trump.

I Wasted 30 Minutes of My Life Watching the Turning Point USA Halftime Show So You Don’t Have To

Casey Epstein-Gross, Jezebel

It’s hard to mount a culture war when your big counteroffensive looks like a youth-group lock-in made up of kids who found God in a megachurch but lost their personality somewhere in suburban Atlanta.​

'Together, We Are America': MAGA Crashes Out Over Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Message

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Alexis Wilkins, Kash Patel’s girlfriend, praised the artist’s messaging, then got backlash and swore she didn't even watch.

Europe's sovereign cloud spend set to triple as geopolitics bite

Lindsay Clark, Theregister.com

Gartner predicts strong uptake driven by concerns over reliance on foreign providers European spending on sovereign cloud infrastructure services is forecast to more than triple from 2025 to 2027 as geopolitical tension drives investment in homegrown services…

The Latest: Justice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted Epstein files

The Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump has lashed out at reporters raising questions about the Epstein files, demanding that the country “get onto something else,” but...

Muslim countries slam Israel for ‘illegal annexation’ push in West Bank

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

In joint statement, countries urge international community to 'compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation'.

Japan's Takaichi to pursue conservative agenda after election landslide

Anthony Kuhn, NPR

Japan's first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, brought the ruling Liberal Democratic Party its biggest-ever electoral victory, fueling her ambitions to pursue to a political agenda which she says could "split public opinion."

Live Nation’s monopoly trial is reportedly fracturing Trump’s Justice Department

Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

Live Nation executives have reportedly sidestepped the Justice Department's antitrust division to negotiate directly with more sympathetic senior officials in the hopes of avoiding a monopoly trial. Citing "people familiar with the matter," Semafor reports th…

Democrats' Special Election Winning Streak Makes Me Wanna Lib Out Like It's Summer 2016

Lauren Tousignant, Jezebel

The vibes are getting dangerously hopeful.

‘Tell the truth’: Epstein survivors demand justice in Super Bowl ad

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The advertisement urges US Attorney General Pam Bondi to disclose all remaining files related to the late sex offender.

Trump Phone finally shows up in real images after another round of shifting goalposts

Tushar Mehta, Android Authority

The Trump Mobile's first phone may be a step closer to being a reality, as company's execs reveal its pre-production design.

A Healthy 41-Year-Old Entered ICE Detainment. Five Hours Later He was Dead, Cause Unknown

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

Jean Wilson Brutus was healthy when a nurse did his intake examination. Hours later he was dead, and even the ICE report doesn't explain why.

As US Olympians call for tolerance and LGBTQ rights, some face Trump attacks and online hate

Brian Mann, NPR

President Trump called U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess a "loser" after Hess voiced concern about political turmoil in the U.S. Gold medal U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn says she's faced online hate and threats after advocating for LGBTQ rights.

Follow the money: Switzerland remains Europe's top destination for tech pay

Connor Jones, Theregister.com

Average Swiss salaries dwarf those on offer across the rest of the continent European techies looking for the biggest payday are far better off in Switzerland than anywhere else, with average salaries eclipsing all other countries on the continent.…

This whistle fights fascists

Sean Hollister, The Verge

Kit Rocha and Courtney Milan have a knack for drawing attention to a cause. The bestselling romance novelists helped raise half a million dollars for Georgia voting rights in 2020. Now, their cause is whistles, because whistles let neighbors alert each other …

Jeffrey Epstein’s Bonfire of the Élites

John Cassidy, The New Yorker

His correspondence illuminates a rarefied world in which money can seemingly buy—or buy off—virtually anything, and ethical qualms are for the weak-minded.

This Is So Much Bigger Than Pete Hegseth or Mark Kelly

Missy Ryan, The Atlantic

A decision against the senator could affect all military retirees.

The Risk of Speaking Spanish in Public

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic

Trump’s immigration crackdown has Latinos wondering if they belong in his America.

Japan PM's big election win could mean more beef with Beijing

By Tim Kelly, Yahoo Entertainment

TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s thumping election win has blunted domestic opposition to her hawkish security agenda...

Matrix is quietly becoming the chat layer for governments chasing digital sovereignty

Liam Proven, Theregister.com

One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all FOSDEM 2026 Amid growing interest in digital sovereignty and getting data out of the corporate cloud and into organizations' ownership, the Matrix op…

Shipping giant MSC facilitates trade from Israeli settlements through EU

Federica Marsi, Al Jazeera English

Commercial documents shed light on hundreds of shipments from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

US scientists adapt after the Trump administration's funding blows

Kate Grumke, NPR

Scientists say the Trump administration's policies have led to major changes and uncertainty about scientific efforts and accomplishments.

Kid Rock Breaks Silence After Alternative Halftime Show That Was Mercilessly Mocked

Gabija Saveiskyte, Boredpanda.com

“Kid Rock is a grandpa who was born rich and complains about not getting enough attention.”

Netanyahu to meet Trump in US to discuss Iran, says Israeli PM

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The Israeli PM wants US-Iran talks to address Tehran’s ballistic missiles – a red line for Tehran.

Israeli forces capture a local Sunni Islamist official and Hamas ally in southern Lebanon

Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

In an operation in southern Lebanon early on Monday, Israelis forces seized a local official with a Sunni Islamist group and an ally of the Palestinian...

China critic and former media tycoon Jimmy Lai is sentenced to 20 years in a Hong Kong security case

The Associated Press, NPR

Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city's …

Kid Rock’s Alternative Super Bowl Show By Turning Point USA Sparks Backlash Online

Karina Babenok, Boredpanda.com

“You can give your life to Jesus,” Kid Rock sang during what was branded as a patriotic All-American Halftime Show, organized by MAGA heavyweights.

Machado ally is kidnapped in Venezuela hours after prison release, son says

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

Feb 8 (Reuters) - A prominent Venezuelan opposition politician was kidnapped in Caracas on Sunday night just hours after his release from jail, according to ...

Japan’s Takaichi vows to deliver on tax cuts after LDP’s ‘historic’ win

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

LDP looks set to secure 316 seats in Japan's 500-member house, marking its best result since its founding in 1955.

“So He Did Watch?”: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show Sparks Trump’s Fury

Rocio Corsi, Boredpanda.com

Donald Trump ignited a political firestorm after labeling Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance the "worst ever."

Trump's review of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show is in and it's safe to say he didn't like it

Cheryl Teh, Business Insider

President Donald Trump called Bad Bunny's halftime show "absolutely terrible."

WATCH: Dangerous arctic blast impacts Northeast

ABC News

An arctic blast pounds the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as New York City issues an extreme cold warning.

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai faces sentencing in national security trial

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper faces possible life in prison on charges of foreign collusion.

Iran arrests prominent reformist politicians, cites links to US, Israel

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Detainees are accused of trying to disrupt Iran's 'political social order' at a time of threats from the US and Israel.

Humiliated Trump Tries to Steal Super Bowl Spotlight

Yahoo Entertainment

Bad Bunny Makes History at the Super Bowl — And Brings Out Lady Gaga

Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone

The Puerto Rican superstar performed in Spanish, singing song like "Baile Inolvidable" and "Titi Me Pregunto"

Melania Trump’s Perfectly Polished Appearance Slips As The Wind Uncovers A Hidden Secret

Rocio Corsi, Boredpanda.com

“I love how she’s just as bald as he is. So many extensions, toppers, and comb-overs,” wrote Monsees.