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Lawmakers escalate Epstein probe with possible Bill Gates subpoena
Ask who never gets charged.

Bipartisan lawmakers are voicing support for Rep. Nancy Mace's, R-N.C., push to subpoena Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates over what she called "sick" allegations tied to Jeffrey Epstein — accusations his ex-wife, Melinda Gates, said he must answer for.
Those calls come as lawmakers wrestle with what Congress can do to responsibly work through the 3.5 million newly disclosed Epstein files.
"I did write a letter to [Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.] today requesting that we subpoena Bill Gates," Mace told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
"Epstein was sending emails about how he had contracted an STD, may have been involved with various women, allegedly — all allegedly. I’m not saying he did anything, but I’d like to bring him in," she said.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING HANDLING OF EPSTEIN CASE
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, said he supported the idea and hinted the committee’s work could go further.
"I’ve had conversations with Chairman Comer today on some additional folks we want to talk to, and so I think there’ll be some announcements pretty soon on that," Garcia said, declining to elaborate further.
Mace’s calls for bringing in Gates for questioning come as the DOJ released a new tranche of files in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act last week. Since then, lawmakers have struggled to make sense of the deluge of images, messages, documents and files. Questions remain about how Congress can manage its focus to bring about accountability for the names that prompt the most questions.
For her part, Mace said she was left wanting answers about Bill Gates from recent interviews about his personal life.
"I watched Melinda Gates interview last night. I'm deeply disturbed. I want to bring Bill Gates in and question him about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," Mace said, referring to an interview Bill Gates' ex-wife did with NPR.
Melinda Gates was married to Bill for 27 years before the couple parted ways in 2021.
The files imply that Epstein may have helped Gates conceal sensitive information from his wife during their marriage.
In an email that Epstein sent to himself, Epstein claimed Bill Gates had asked for help slipping antibiotics to Melinda in connection to a sexually transmitted disease (STD) he had contracted. Epstein claimed Gates had also asked him to delete messages about that STD.
Bill Gates has denied any misconduct. His foundation did not respond to a request for comment about Mace's subpoena demands.
‘AWAY FROM ALL THE MUCK’: MELINDA FRENCH GATES SAYS EX-HUSBAND …

Gabbard’s office seizes voting machines from Puerto Rico as part of 2020 election investigation
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard seized voting machines from Puerto Rico as part of an investigation into the 2020 election.

Gabbard’s team investigated Puerto Rico’s voting machines last spring, a development revealed in a Reuters report on Wednesday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence told CNN in a statement on Wednesday that it seized voting machines from the island to investigate them for insecurities.

The office said the seizure came as a result of “extremely concerning” cybersecurity and operational deployment practices with Puerto Rican voting machines. The operation appeared smoother than the FBI raid of Fulton County, with the ODNI statement saying the federal government’s team “facilitated the voluntary turnover of electronic voting hardware and software to ODNI for analysis.”

The U.S. attorney in Puerto Rico, Homeland Security Investigations agents, and an FBI supervisory special agent took part in the operation.

The investigation was based on “publicly reported claims relating to elections in Puerto Rico alleging discrepancies and systemic anomalies in their electronic voting systems,” the statement added.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the ODNI for comment.

The seizure of the machines quickly drew protests from Democrats, who argued that election matters were out of Gabbard’s jurisdiction.

“Director Gabbard’s own team acknowledges there was no evidence of foreign interference, yet they seized voting machines and election data anyway. Absent a foreign nexus, intelligence agencies have absolutely no lawful role in domestic election administration. Are our intelligence tools being abused to pursue this farce?” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said in a post on X.

FULTON COUNTY SUES FOR FILES TAKEN BY FBI RAID

Gabbard has found herself at the center of concerns around election integrity after she showed up at an FBI raid of an election center in Fulton County last week. She later brokered a call between President Donald Trump and the FBI agents involved. Trump praised her role the day after the raid, saying she was working to keep elections secure.

“She’s working very hard on trying to keep the election safe, and she’s done a very good job,” he said of Gabbard. “They got into the votes with a signed judge’s order in Georgia, and you’re going to see some interesting things happening. They’ve been trying to get there for a long time.”

Warning Signs for Republicans in 2026
Confidence requires clarity.

Republicans are beginning to sound the alarm about the 2026 midterm elections, and not without reason. The concern was crystallized by a Texas state Senate race in a district President Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024 but which recently shifted 14 points toward Democrats–a staggering 31-point swing.

That race is not an anomaly. Republicans closely tracking special elections from Texas to Mississippi to Georgia are seeing the same troubling pattern: deep-red districts drifting, sometimes sharply, toward Democrats. These are not battlegrounds. They are places Republicans typically take for granted.

The warning signs extend beyond individual races. Betting markets currently give Republicans a 63% chance of retaining control of the Senate, compared with 37% for Democrats. That may sound reassuring, but it represents the weakest outlook Republicans have faced this cycle. The numbers are converging, and Democratic optimism is rising accordingly.

The House picture is even bleaker. Markets suggest a 78% chance Democrats will win the House, with just 22% betting on Republicans holding the majority.

Polling data reinforces the concern. A recent Harvard-Harris survey shows Democrats ahead by four points on the generic congressional ballot–a historically bad position for Republicans at this stage. In the Senate, several GOP seats are vulnerable. In Maine, betting markets now list Susan Collins as the underdog. In North Carolina, the open seat being vacated by Thom Tillis appears to lean Democratic. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown could plausibly pull off another victory.

Add those together and Democrats can plausibly reach 50 Senate seats before even stretching into traditionally Republican territory. Alaska, Iowa and even Texas–long-shot targets in normal years–could come into play if conditions worsen.

So what, if anything, can Republicans do to reverse course?

There is some mildly encouraging news buried in the same Harvard-Harris poll. It reveals a striking disconnect between economic reality and public perception. Fifty-six percent of Americans believe the economy is shrinking. It is not. Sixty-six percent think inflation is above 3%. It is not. Only 38% believe the economy is on the right track, even as Americans split roughly 50-50 on whether the economy is strong or weak.

That gap is political opportunity–but only if Republicans address it. The administration has failed to effectively communicate economic fundamentals, allowing misinformation and anxiety to fill the void.

Compounding the problem are the administration’s least popular economic messages: tariffs and inflation. The two are closely linked in voters’ minds. Trump’s repeated public pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates fuels inflation concerns, while his frequent rhetoric around tariffs reminds businesses–and voters–of higher costs and uncertainty.

If the president simply stopped emphasizing tariffs so aggressively, or eased off the public campaign against the Fed, perceptions around inflation might improve. Messaging matters, especially when economic confidence is fragile.

But the larger political battle is unfolding elsewhere.

If you want to understand …

Xi Urges Trump Use ‘Extreme Caution’ With Taiwan
What's the administration thinking here?

China’s Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump to use “extreme caution” regarding arms sales to Taiwan, in a phone call between the two leaders.  

Taiwan was one of more than half a dozen topics Trump and Xi discussed during a “long and thorough” call Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social.  

The two leaders discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine, Iran, and China’s purchases of U.S. exports, but Taiwan was central to the conversation, the New York Times reports.  

Beijing claims it must safeguard its territory, and considers Taiwan part of that territory, according to reporting from the South China Morning Post. 

In December, the Trump administration announced an $11.1 billion weapons sale to Taiwan, the largest arms agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan to date. 

The deal was announced as China continues to claim sovereignty over the island, but Taiwan operates as a democracy separate from the Chinese Communist Party.  

During Wednesday’s call, Xi reportedly told Trump that Taiwan is the “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” adding that China “will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China,” according to the Times. 

Following the call, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it welcomes “efforts to ensure regional stability and shore up the status quo amid increasing [People’s Republic of China] pressure.”  

With the U.S. and “like-minded partners, we remain dedicated to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X.  

We welcome efforts to ensure regional stability & shore up the status quo amid increasing PRC pressure. Taiwan?? values US?? commitments under the #TRA & #SixAssurances. Together with the US & like-minded partners, we remain dedicated to a free, open & prosperous Indo-Pacific.
— ??? Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) ?? (@MOFA_Taiwan) February 5, 2026

Trump and Xi last spoke in November, following an in-person meeting in October in South Korea. At that meeting, they reached their current trade agreement, including China resuming purchases of U.S. soybeans.  

The two leaders are scheduled to meet again in April when Trump visits China.  

“The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I believe that there will be many positive results achieved over the next three years of my Presidency having to do with President Xi, and the People’s Republic of China!”

The post Xi Urges Trump Use ‘Extreme Caution’ With Taiwan appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Kid Rock called out for old lyrics about ‘underage’ girls ahead of TPUSA alternative halftime show
This affects the entire country.

Kid Rock has come under fire for lyrics from his 2001 song that resurfaced on the internet ahead of his headline performance at Turning Point USA‘s “All-American Halftime Show.”

His song “Cool, Daddy Cool” with rapper Joe Calleja, or Joe C., includes lyrics in which Kid Rock sang, “I like ’em underage,” referring to women.

“Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see. Some say that’s statutory,” Kid Rock sings in the song.

“But I say it’s mandatory,” Joe C. sings in response.

Kid Rock, born Robert James Ritchie in 1971, would have been 30 years old when the song was released.

The Michigan-born country-rock artist is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump and is headlining TPUSA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show that will run counter to the official show headlined by Bad Bunny, a prominent critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

As Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny takes the Super Bowl Halftime stage on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, TPUSA’s alternative to his show will be streamed on stations such as The National News Desk and Real America’s Voice.

TPUSA announced its counterprogram in October, tapping Kid Rock as the headliner on Monday. Country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett will also be performing.

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, upped his anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement rhetoric ahead of the Super Bowl during the Grammy Awards on Sunday. He echoed celebrity calls for “ICE out” as he accepted his Best Música Urbana Album award.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans,” Bad Bunny said.

When TPUSA announced the “All-American Halftime Show,” conservative activist Riley Gaines bashed Bad Bunny’s call for Americans to practice their Spanish ahead of his performance.

STARMER APOLOGIZES TO EPSTEIN VICTIMS FOR APPOINTING MANDELSON AS AMBASSADOR

“Bad Bunny told Americans they had 4 months to learn Spanish if we wanted to understand the Super Bowl halftime show. No thanks. We’ll just have our own. Enjoy your low-rated halftime show,” Gaines wrote.

TPUSA did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment on Kid Rock’s lyrics.

Watchdog releases scathing report on Tlaib's alleged ties to terrorist groups warning of 'potential risks'
Notice what's missing.

FIRST ON FOX: A comprehensive new briefing document from a prominent nonpartisan research and policy group is sounding the alarm on "serious ethical and national security concerns" related to Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her affiliations with individuals and organizations linked to designated foreign terrorist entities.
"The conduct of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, including her rhetoric, affiliations, campaign infrastructure, and ideological alignment with certain individuals and organizations, raises serious concerns about potential risks to the ethical and institutional integrity of the United States government," the report, released by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy’s advocacy and policy-oriented arm, states.
The report details a "recurring pattern" of behavior that it says suggests an ideological affinity for radical movements, ranging from participation in conferences featuring convicted terrorists to significant campaign payments made to activists linked to Hamas and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-aligned networks.
The briefing covers Tlaib’s financial history and says her campaign apparatus poured large sums of cash to anti-Israel activists, including almost $600,000 between 2020 and 2025 to Unbought Power, a consulting firm headed by Rasha Mubarak.
MEET THE RADICAL ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS JOINING 'SQUAD' DEM TLAIB AT DETROIT CONFAB
Mubarak has faced scrutiny for her past affiliations with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2009 Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial, and the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), which has been investigated for ties to the PFLP-linked group Samidoun.
Tlaib, according to the briefing, has shared the stage with a variety of questionable figures highlighted by a conference alongside Wisam Rafeedie, a convicted PFLP operative, who defended the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack as "resistance."
"Through public endorsement, co-sponsorship, and amplification, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has consistently engaged with a range of organizations known to maintain operational or ideological ties to terrorist networks," the briefing states. "Tlaib has engaged with and disseminated the messaging of these groups and has shared related content on social media platforms, has participated in events organized by these groups, and has referenced their terminology and conceptual frameworks in official congressional communications."
FORMER BIDEN AIDE ACCUSES ‘SQUAD’ REP. TLAIB OF ABANDONING CONSTITUENTS FOR 'ACTIVIST' AGENDA
Tlaib is …

Epstein files give ‘breadcrumbs’ for Justice Department to pursue: Kaelan Deese
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.

Washington Examiner Justice Department reporter Kaelan Deese questioned why the DOJ is not pursuing answers from people mentioned in files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The DOJ released a massive batch of documents related to Epstein on Friday, with various high-profile names listed, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Deese said that a person’s name appearing in these files does not mean they were up to nefarious practices, but their names do give “breadcrumbs” for examination.

“But more importantly, the question is why isn’t there more interviews happening by the Justice Department over some of these people that are mentioned in it?” Deese said Wednesday on Newsmax TV’s Carl Higbie: Frontline. “They keep saying that they can’t do anything with these files to bring prosecutions. OK, you’ve convinced me on that, but why can’t you bring in people for further interviews and questioning?”

Deese also said there are emails in the file that suggest Epstein allegedly said, “Gates was sort of his right-hand,” and was asked “on multiple occasions” to partake in “morally inappropriate” things. Deese said these claims raise questions of “can you really believe them?” and that the “bottom line” of these questions is that it demonstrates the need to conduct more interviews.

“And it’s OK if they happen in private,” Deese said. “The FBI, the DOJ, they can’t talk about active investigation, that’s fine. But they need to be calling these people in for interviews if there’s something there.”

A document that was included in the Justice Department release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, photographed Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, shows an April 2012 International Driving Permit for Epstein. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said Wednesday that she asked House Oversight and Government Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to subpoena Gates after he was mentioned in the Epstein files.

STARMER APOLOGIZES TO EPSTEIN VICTIMS FOR APPOINTING MANDELSON AS AMBASSADOR

Gates said Wednesday that he met Epstein in 2011 and frequently had dinner with him. However, Gates said he never visited Epstein’s private island nor met “any women” under questionable circumstances and admitted he was “foolish to spend time” with Epstein.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before Congress in late February regarding their relationships with Epstein.

A Grieving Planet
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Society OppArt Today 8:30 am A Grieving Planet A Grieving Planet
Half mast for a troubled world.

Tom Toro

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February 5, 2026

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Tom ToroTom Toro is an acclaimed New Yorker cartoonist and cover artist, and award-winning children’s book creator. His books include the debut cartoon collection And to Think We Started as a Book Club… (Andrews McMeel), A User’s Guide to Democracy (Celadon), and Crocodiles Need Friends, Too! (Little, Brown). He draws the comic Substack “Undiscovered Masterpieces.”Instagram Facebook Linktree

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Watchdog releases scathing report on Tlaib's alleged ties to terrorist groups, warning of 'potential risks'
Ask why this angle was chosen.

FIRST ON FOX: A comprehensive new briefing document from a prominent nonpartisan research and policy group is sounding the alarm on "serious ethical and national security concerns" related to Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her affiliations with individuals and organizations linked to designated foreign terrorist entities.
"The conduct of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, including her rhetoric, affiliations, campaign infrastructure, and ideological alignment with certain individuals and organizations, raises serious concerns about potential risks to the ethical and institutional integrity of the United States government," the report, released by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy’s advocacy and policy-oriented arm, states.
The report details a "recurring pattern" of behavior that it says suggests an ideological affinity for radical movements, ranging from participation in conferences featuring convicted terrorists to significant campaign payments made to activists linked to Hamas and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-aligned networks.
The briefing covers Tlaib’s financial history and says her campaign apparatus poured large sums of cash to anti-Israel activists, including almost $600,000 between 2020 and 2025 to Unbought Power, a consulting firm headed by Rasha Mubarak.
MEET THE RADICAL ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS JOINING 'SQUAD' DEM TLAIB AT DETROIT CONFAB
Mubarak has faced scrutiny for her past affiliations with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2009 Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial, and the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), which has been investigated for ties to the PFLP-linked group Samidoun.
Tlaib, according to the briefing, has shared the stage with a variety of questionable figures highlighted by a conference alongside Wisam Rafeedie, a convicted PFLP operative, who defended the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack as "resistance."
"Through public endorsement, co-sponsorship, and amplification, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has consistently engaged with a range of organizations known to maintain operational or ideological ties to terrorist networks," the briefing states. "Tlaib has engaged with and disseminated the messaging of these groups and has shared related content on social media platforms, has participated in events organized by these groups, and has referenced their terminology and conceptual frameworks in official congressional communications."
FORMER BIDEN AIDE ACCUSES ‘SQUAD’ REP. TLAIB OF ABANDONING CONSTITUENTS FOR 'ACTIVIST' AGENDA
Tlaib is no …

Trump's Denunciations of the Iranian Killings Are Pure Hypocrisy
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

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Trump's Denunciations of the Iranian Killings Are Pure Hypocrisy

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February 5, 2026

Trump’s Denunciations of the Iranian Killings Are Pure Hypocrisy

The arbitrary arrests and killings committed by agents of Trump’s authoritarian-style rule differ only in number, not in kind, from those in Iran.

Juan Cole

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Donald Trump gestures while speaking during an executive order signing event in the Oval Office of the White House.

(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

The pro-democracy protesters in Iran deserved so much better. They deserved the support of a democratic United States that could sincerely urge the rule of law and habeas corpus (allowing people to legally challenge their detentions) be respected, not to speak of freedom of speech, the press, and assembly in accordance with the Constitution. Unfortunately, President Donald J. Trump has forfeited any claim to respect for such rights or a principled foreign policy and so has proved strikingly ineffective in aiding those protesters.

The arbitrary arrests and killings committed by agents of Trump’s authoritarian-style rule differ only in number, not in kind, from the detainments and killings of protesters carried out by the basij (or pro-regime street militias) in Iran. In fact, they rendered his protests and bluster about Iran the height of hypocrisy. Above all, the killing of Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis by a Trumpian ICE agent haunted his response, providing the all-too-grim Iranian regime with an easy rebuttal to American claims of moral superiority.

Rioters and Terrorists

Trump’s threats of intervention in Iran came after the latest round of demonstrations and strikes there this winter. In late December, bazaar merchants in Iran decried the collapse of the nation’s currency, the rial. For many years, it had been under severe pressure thanks to Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions, renewed European sanctions over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, and incompetent government financial policies. In December, the rial fell to 1.4 million to the dollar — and no, that is not a misprint — having lost 40% of its value over the course of the previous year. Inflation was already running at 42%, harming those on fixed incomes, while the rial’s decline particularly hurt the ability of Iranians to afford imported goods.  

Such currency instability contributed to economic stagnation, as many merchants went on strike and halted commercial transactions altogether, given the heavy losses they were suffering. For the rest of December and early January, those striking traders were joined by professionals, workers, and students nationwide, some of whom wanted not just a better economy, but a less …