February 9, 2026 at 10:07 PM EST
Georgia judge deals fatal blow to MAGA election lawsuit

A Georgia judge has officially dismissed lawsuit filed by supporters of President Donald Trump in Fulton County, Georgia, and paused another one. That's according to a Monday article in the New York Times, which reported that Fulton County Superior Court Judge C.I. McBurney -- who was appointed to the bench in 2012 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal (R) -- ruled against conservative activist and 2020 election denier Garland Favorito on Monday. Favorito filed this particular lawsuit over 2020 ballots in Fulton County, and prior to issuing his decision, Judge McBurney said he planned to allow the ballots to be viewed upon request by members of the public.

February 9, 2026 at 9:29 PM EST
Trump told police 'everyone' knew Epstein and Maxwell were 'evil': expert

A newly unearthed document in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) latest release of Jeffrey Epstein-related investigative materials suggests President Donald Trump was fully aware of the scope of the crimes both Epstein and his chief accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, committed in Palm Beach, Florida. In a Monday post to her Substack account, Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown reported that Trump apparently called Palm Beach Police Department chief Michael Reiter in 2005 to alert him that Epstein -- his longtime friend and Mar-a-Lago member -- was preying on young girls. Brown discovered Reiter's 302 form (an FBI agent's summary of a witness interview) in the DOJ's newest batch of Epstein files, containing notes from a 2019 interview with the FBI.

February 9, 2026 at 8:23 PM EST
'Clown car presidency': Trump mocked after threatening Canada in social media meltdown

President Donald Trump recently issued a new threat to Canada, declaring that he would refuse to allow a new bridge between Canada and the U.S. to open unless Canada's government made significant concessions. In a Monday post to his Truth Social account, Trump complained that the United States' northern neighbor has treated the U.S. "very unfairly for decades," and complained that Canada was no longer buying American-made goods. He then pledged to prevent the new Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan from opening unless Canada agreed to give the U.S. partial ownership. He even baselessly claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping would "terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup" if Prime Minister Mark Carney finalized a trade deal with China.

February 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM EST
Massie hints at identities of alleged Epstein co-conspirators whose names were redacted

Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) - who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act - spent several hours on Monday reviewing Jeffrey Epstein documents without the Department of Justice's (DOJ) redactions. Now, Massie is dropping hints on social media about the names of some of Epstein's alleged co-conspirators. Both Khanna and Massie have not yet publicly named any of the men named in the latest batch of Epstein files, arguing that President Donald Trump's DOJ should release that information to the public. However, Massie spent some time on Monday strongly hinting that some of Epstein's alleged co-conspirators were powerful men being protected by the administration.

February 9, 2026 at 6:34 PM EST
Election-denying Trump lawyer now being supplied with 'highly classified material': report

One of President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign attorneys known for spreading baseless allegations of election fraud now has unprecedented access to sensitive U.S. intelligence, according to a new report. Politico's John Sakellariadis wrote Monday that Kurt Olsen is being furnished with "highly classified material" with few limitations. Some of the documents he has received from American spy agencies reportedly includes "sensitive compartmented intelligence programs," which are among the most secretive materials held by intelligence agencies. He reportedly has a direct line to Trump and exploits it whenever agencies push back against his demands for material.

February 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM EST
Carville predicts Trump will get a complete and total 'whipping'

Prominent political strategist James Carville served up some strong language and colorful remarks about President Donald Trump on Super Bowl Sunday. On his Politicon streaming show, Carville predicted that Trump would get a complete and total "whipping," and will be "disgraced."

February 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM EST
Trump's MAGA successor 'handcuffed' by increasingly 'problematic' policy

Donald Trump's most likely MAGA successor is potentially "handcuffed" by an issue that is growing more and more "problematic" for the GOP, according to Politico, and which could pit key elements of Trump's coalition against each other in 2028. In an extensive new piece from Monday, Politico broke down the increasing importance of artificial intelligence issues within the Republican Party, as various figures attempt to stake out their own stances ahead of the 2028 presidential race. As the outlet pointed out, notable GOP figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox have come out against the unchecked expansion of AI and proposed measures that would rein in the technology in the name of protecting workers.

February 9, 2026 at 4:10 PM EST
Trump will prompt 'historic reversal' of rights for all veterans if he wins Mark Kelly case

Sen. Mark Kelly's (D-Ariz.) lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration has far greater implications then the retired U.S. Navy captain's military pension. That's according to a Monday essay by the Atlantic's Missy Ryan, who wrote that all retired military personnel are likely following Kelly's lawsuit very closely given what's at stake. Attorneys representing the Department of Defense (DoD) are attempting to justify the Pentagon's decision to cut Kelly's retirement pay by claiming his video -- which he made with with five other Democrats who served in the military or in intelligence agencies -- by saying he undermined the chain of command and harmed military discipline.

February 9, 2026 at 3:31 PM EST
GOP oversight head floats subpoena for Trump commerce secretary over Epstein

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces bipartisan calls for his resignation after new disclosures of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's files revealed previously-undisclosed close ties between the two men. Lutnick should "make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign," said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in a comment to CNN on Monday. The previous day, Massie urged Lutnick's resignation by referencing recent resignations in the British government that have occurred due to the Epstein scandal.

February 9, 2026 at 3:27 PM EST
Democrats ignoring 'biggest political issue' of 2028 race: strategist

Democrats are ignoring the "biggest political issue" that will define the 2028 elections -- an issue with long-range consequences -- a prominent political strategist warns. Artificial intelligence -- and its effects on the workforce and the economy -- is a phenomenon about which some Republicans have started to sound the alarm, says Kamala Harris's 2024 deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty. But the Democratic Party needs to be better prepared, he writes in a New York Times op-ed.

February 9, 2026 at 12:12 PM EST
Republicans in battleground states privately urge top Trump aide to tone it down

Republicans in Congress are butting heads, according to a Monday report from The Hill, over conflicting stances on Donald Trump's top adviser, Stephen Miller, whose radical policy goals have become increasingly unpopular with voters. Miller has been a prominent figure in both Trump administrations, noted for his ability to influence the president and for his staunchly far-right, anti-immigration views. He currently serves in the second Trump White House as the deputy chief of staff for policy and a homeland security adviser, and has been widely credited with leading the direction for Trump's mass deportation agenda.

February 9, 2026 at 11:38 AM EST
How 'washed up' Kid Rock exposed MAGA's failed 'bid for relevance'

On Sunday, February 8, Kid Rock headlined Turning Point USA's All-American Super Bowl Halftime Show -- a MAGA alternative to the actual 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which featured Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny. MAGA Republicans were furious because Bunny, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, performed en español at the event. But Bunny attracted a lot more viewers: CBS News reported that 135 million people watched Bad Bunny, while the El Paso Times reported that that 6.1 million people watched Turning Point's event.