News On Tap For Monday, February 2, 2026

A Moment Of Clarity

Today’s “News On Tap” is full of flavor & surprisingly smooth, given all the insanity in the news. Trump’s Immigration Wars continue, with the battles in the streets, the battles in the courts, and the battles in Congress. There’s a lot of news in the Trump/Epstein files, and some other Trump scandals you may have missed. Trump’s government is still failing - and that was reflected in a HUGE special election over the weekend. Plus, the Grammys were rollin’, right over Trump & his ICE monsters. Plus, Brooklyn Dad Defiant is joining us tonight. You should too - but first, read up & get informed.

First Round - Trump's Immigration Wars

The Battle In The Streets

• Two CBP Agents Who Killed Alex Pretti Identified As Longtime DHS Employees Jesus Ochoa & Raymundo Gutierrez

• Scott MacFarlane: Former Jan 6 Prosecutors Draft Strategy For Congress To Probe Killings & DHS Agent’s Conduct In Minneapolis

• Portland Mayor Issues Scathing Statement To Ice Agents After Protesters Gassed At Portland Ice Building: Resign & Leave

• Springfield, Ohio Now Bracing For Possible Ice Operation This Week Targeting Haitian Immigrants

• Springfield, Ohio On Edge As Federal Judge Set To Decide Fate Of Temporary Protected Status For Local Haitian Immigrants

• Will Bunch: A Not-‘Toned Down’ Trump Regime Is Now Preparing For Ethnic Cleansing In Ohio

The Battle In The Courts

• Federal Judge In Minnesota Refuses To Halt ICE Actions In The State As Lawsuit Proceeds

• Five-Year-Old Liam Ramos & His Father Return To Minnesota After Judge Orders Release From Immigration Custody In Texas

• Related: Schools Canceled In Columbia Heights MN School District, Where Preschooler Liam Ramos Goes To School, Due To Credible Bomb Threats

• Amid Tensions Over Their Actions, ICE Expands Power Of Agents To Arrest People Without Judicial Warrants

• Adam Liptak: A Conservative Legal Tool For Holding ICE Agents Accountable Has Been Hiding In Plain Sight Since 1987 - And It’s Time To Use It [Gift Link]

The Battle On Capitol Hill

• House Republicans Say Partial Federal Govt. Shutdown Now Likely To Continue At Least Into Tuesday

• Speaker Johnson Warned By Leader Jeffries Not To Count On Democrats’ Votes To End Shutdown

• Democrats’ Divisions Over DHS Funding Spill Out In Private Call, As Mushy Moderates Think About Voting For The Bill

• Monica Potts: The Battle Over DHS Funding Should Prompt Democrats To Once Again Take Control Of The Topic Of Immigration

Second Round - Trump's Corruption Land

More Trump/Epstein Files Have Arrived

• Tech Titans And Foreign Dignitaries Among The Powerful Men Named In Latest Release Of Epstein Files

• Newest Epstein Files Reveal He May Have Trafficked Girls To Others Despite His - & Their - Official Denials

• Newly Released Epstein Files Show Trump Was In Contact With Epstein Long After Claiming He’d Cut Off Contact

• New Epstein Files Show Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Planned Trip To Epstein’s Island [Gift Link]

• Trump’s Fed Chair Pick Kevin Warsh Named In Newly Released Epstein Files Just Hours After His Nomination

• Newly Released Files Reveal Epstein Lawyers Discussed Possibility Of Cooperation With Prosecutors Days Before His Death

• Trump Admin. Allowed Dozens Of Nude Photos Of Victims To Be Published In The Latest Epstein Files Release [Gift Link]

• Epstein Files Release Exposes Names Of At Least 43 Victims, In Files That Are Supposed To Be Redacted To Protect Victims

Other Trump Scandals You May Have Missed

• United Arab Emirates’ ‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret 49% Stake In Trump Crypto Company Months Before Trump Admin Greenlit Sale Of Advanced AI Chips To The UAE

• Trump’s Venezuela Oil Sell-Off Sparks Serious Corruption Concerns

• Timothy Noah: Trump’s Lawsuit Against The IRS Is Even More Outrageous & Corrupt Than It Seems

Third Round - Trump's Failing Government

• Fear And Anger Grow As Thousands Remain Without Power - And Without Federal Govt. Help - In The South, More Than A Week After Major Winter Storm

• Sec. Noem Is Holding Up More Than $1 Billion In Hazard Mitigation Funds To Multiple States

• Trump Regime Now Attempting To Seize Control Of L.A. Wildfire Rebuilding From California

• New Fed Analysis Reveals Trump’s Tariffs Have Cost U.S. Economy Tens Of Thousands Of Jobs Monthly

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Election Land

• Democrat Taylor Rehmet Wins Solidly Red Texas Senate Seat In Stunning Special Election Upset

• How Taylor Rehmet & Texas Democrats Upset A MAGA Candidate To Flip A North Texas Senate District Trump Carried By 17 Points In 2024

• Republican Redistricting Project In Texas Now Under Added Scrutiny After Major Texas Defeat

• Democrat Christian Menefee Also Wins Special Election For Vacant, Deep-Blue U.S. House Seat In Texas

Foreign Affairs

• U.S.-Iran Talks Now Planned For This Friday In Turkey Amid Military Buildup

• Rafah Crossing From Gaza To Egypt Reopens, In Another Step Forward For Fragile & Violence-Riddled Israeli-Palestinian Cease-Fire

• Right-Wing Extremist Laura Fernández Elected To Costa Rican Presidency, After Promising To Crack Down On Rising Violence

• Ukraine Peace Talks Postponed Several Days After Russia And U.S. Meet

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Savannah Guthrie’s Mom’s Arizona Home Now Being Treated As ‘Crime Scene’ Following Her Disappearance

• Trump Now Says Kennedy Center Will Close In July For 2 Years, Supposedly For Renovations

Entertainment & More

• Grammy Winners 2026: Kendrick Lamar Leads With Five; Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga Score Key Wins

• Bad Bunny Makes History With Grammy Win For Album Of The Year

• ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ Makes History With First K-Pop Song To Win A Grammy

• A Smiling Cher Laughed At Her Grammy Flubs In A Good-Natured, Yet Poorly Produced Appearance

• Music’s Biggest Stars Use The Grammys Stage To Protest Trump’s ICE Attacks

• Patriots And Seahawks To Kick Off Super Bowl Festivities Tonight With Annual Media Blitz

• NBA Suspends Paul George 25 Games For Violating Anti-Drug Policy

• Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz Beats Novak Djokovic To Become The Youngest Man To Complete A Career Grand Slam

Your Bar Regular Today

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid M. Padellan, blogger, author, activist, and host/co-host of TWO online shows – ‘The Defiant Weekly’ on Wednesdays, and ‘The JoJo & BDD Show’ with Jo Carducci on Thursdays - and both are available on his YouTube channel. BDD is back tonight for another evening of “Monday’s with Majid” - and there’s plenty to talk about. From the ongoing ICE monster attacks, to the new Trump/Epstein files, to the Grammys last night, and the Super Bowl next weekend – and as BDD notes over at his Substack, Trump’s continuing obsession with his mortality & legacy. Grab a drink & jon us tonight!

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