News On Tap For Thursday, February 5, 2026

Cruelty, Failure, & Coverups - The Hallmarks Of A Trump Regime

Today’s “News On Tap” has that old familiar Trump regime flavor: Cruelty, failure, & coverups - and we’ve got news updates on all of it. In the war against the ICE monsters, the people in Minnesota are still showing the way, even as the rest of the U.S. joins in the fight. On the economy, Trumponomics is failing and getting worse. Meanwhile, Democrats need to get serious about fighting Trump’s war on democracy, even as Trump continues his war on good government. There’s more news from the Trump/Epstein files, and more Election Land news too, as well as media news & entertainment news. Plus, John Fugelsang is back at the bar tonight to help us go through all of it. Read up, get informed, & we’ll see you tonight!

First Round - War Against The ICE Monsters

ICE Monsters In Minnesota

• Trump’s Border-Czar Takeover Does Little To Calm Minneapolis Tensions: ‘The Agenda Is Still The Same’

• Despite Trump Regime Rhetoric, Feds Continue Aggressive Crackdown In Minneapolis

• Minnesota Districts And Teachers Union Sue To Stop ICE Near Schools: ‘None Of This Should Be Legal’

• Top Minnesota DOJ Prosecutor Says ICE Cases Are Sidelining ‘Pressing Priorities’ In Other Areas

• DOJ Prosecutor Julie Le Fired After Voicing Frustration With Avalanche Of Cases Created By ICE

• New Quinnipiac Poll Shows 58% Of Voters Think DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Should Be Removed For Mishandling ICE Issues

ICE Monsters Across The U.S.

• Concerns Grow Across U.S. Over ICE’s Plans To Build Mega Warehouses For Immigration Detention

• New Mexico Senate Approves Bill To Ban ICE Detention Centers As Bill Goes To Governor

• Federal Judge Rules ICE Agents Can No Longer Make Warrantless Arrests In Oregon Unless There’s A Risk Of Escape

• Virginia’s New Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger Ends Statewide ICE Cooperation Program. Local Contracts Allowed To Remain, For Now.

• Newly Exposed Documents Reveal Real Reason For Overnight ICE Raid On Chicago Apartment Building Was Squatters, Not Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua

• Jennifer Rubin: Voters Want Massive Changes To ICE, Democrats Should Not Underestimate Their Leverage

• Garrett Graff: What Democrats Need To Know To Truly Reform Or Replace ICE

Second Round - Trumponomics Is Failing

• Labor Dept. Reports U.S. Job Openings Fall To 6.5M, Fewest Since 2020, As Labor Market Remains Sluggish

• Private Firm CGC Confirms U.S. Layoffs In January Were The Highest To Start A Year Since 2009

• U.S. Applications For Jobless Benefits Jump To 231,000 Last Week, The Highest Level In 2 Months

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren Launches Probe Into Booming Levels Of Car Repossessions

Third Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Trump’s War On Democracy

• Dir. Of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s Office Confirms They Obtained And Tested Voting Machines In Puerto Rico

• Congress To Finally Gain Access To Whistleblower Complaint Against Tulsi Gabbard From Before She Was Confirmed To DNI

• Elie Mystal: Democrats Need To Get Serious About Stopping Trump From Rigging The Midterms

Trump’s War On Good Govt.

• Trump Regime, Through Russ Vought, To Make New Rule Making It Easier To Fire 50,000 Federal Workers

• New Trump Admin. ‘Sabotage’ Rule Will Make It Much Easier To Fire Workers For Political Beliefs

• Trump’s CIA Ends Publication Of Its Popular World Factbook Reference Tool

• Amid Major Staffing Crunch, IRS Taps Employees With No Relevant Experience To Assist In Performing Entry-Level Tax Processing During Filing Season

• New York City & Illinois Join WHO Network, Following Similar Move By California, After Trump Pulls U.S. Out Of Global Health Body

Fools On The Hill

• Mask Ban For ICE Agents Emerges As Flashpoint In Congressional Negotiation Over DHS Funding

• House Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) Breaks Ranks On ICE: ‘They Need To Remove Masks’

• Senate Talks To Revive ACA Tax Credits Appear To Be Fizzling Out

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trump/Epstein Files

• Epstein’s Emails Show He Claimed He Gave Russians Insight Into Trump

• Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk Says Poland Will Probe Whether Epstein Had Ties To Russian Intelligence

• Brad Karp, Longtime Chairman Of Major Law Firm Paul Weiss, Resigns Amid Epstein Fallout [Gift Link]

• Hillary Clinton Dares Republican Oversight Chair James Comer To Hold Her Epstein Deposition Hearing “In Public”

Election Land

• Virginia Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Redistricting Challenge, To See If Democratic Efforts Can Move Forward

• Rep. Barry Loudermilk Becomes 29th House Republican To Not Seek Reelection

• New Secret Super PACs Pouring Money Into Democratic Primaries In Illinois, Angering Dems Across The Board

Foreign Affairs

• U.S. And Russia Closing In On Deal To Continue To Observe The Expiring New START Arms Control Treaty

• Latest Round Of Ukraine-Russia Talks End With Little Progress And Hints Of An Impasse

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• ‘TODAY’ Co-Anchor Savannah Guthrie And Family Make Tearful Plea For Mother’s Return

• Perry Bacon: After Mass Layoffs, The Washington Post Is In Free Fall – And There’s Only One Person To Blame

Entertainment & More

• Michelle Obama Documentary Rises 13,000% In Views As Melania Film Opens

• Doberman Pinscher Named Penny Takes Westminster’s Best In Show As Catherine O’Hara Honored

• ‘Saturday Night Live U.K.’ Unveils Cast, Sets March Air Date

• NFL MVP & Other Top Awards To Be Announced Tonight At NFL Honors, Ahead Of Super Bowl 60

• Scamurra Scores 2, And U.S. Opens Women’s Olympic Hockey Tournament Beating Czechia 5-1

• Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, 3,500 Athletes, 1,300 Performers, Three Ice Agents & Maybe Tom Cruise - What To Expect At The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony On Friday

Tonight’s Bar Regular:

John Fugelsang, our friend, comedian, broadcaster, podcaster, Host of “Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang” weeknights on Sirius XM and author of the bestselling book “Separation of Church and Hate” is back to hang out with us in the bar tonight! We’ll talk about all the news of the last week, including the ongoing Trump/Epstein files scandal, and America’s long history of disgusting cover-ups We’ll also draw a few rounds from the “News On Tap” and talk about a little entertainment too. Join us!

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