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Nicki Minaj fans say they’re leaving Democrat Party as rapper’s politics spark backlash and praise
Confidence requires clarity.

Nicki Minaj’s recent embrace of President Donald Trump, including her support for voter ID laws and public praise for the president, is now sparking a fresh wave of political reaction online with some fans saying they are leaving the Democrat Party and aligning with Republicans.
The fan posts, first reported by Newsweek on Saturday, surfaced after a week of heightened attention around Minaj’s political comments. 
Several self-identified fans, often known as the "Barbz," said on X that Minaj’s stance had influenced their own political thinking.
One fan wrote on X, "Today is the day I switch to republican," in a post that had been viewed more than 300,000 times. The user later wrote in replies that they had never voted before but planned to do so.
NICKI MINAJ PRAISES TRUMP, JD VANCE AT TPUSA EVENT, SAYS SHE HAS 'UTMOST RESPECT' FOR THEM
Another fan account posted, "Officially a Republican!!!!!!! I’ll never vote for a democrat ever again," alongside a photo of Minaj and Trump. The post also surpassed 300,000 views.
A third account wrote, "MAGA BARBZ IT IS I will never vote dem again!!" in a post that drew more than 70,000 views.
The online reaction follows a series of political statements and public appearances by Minaj over the past week that drew widespread attention. Earlier this month, the rapper voiced support for voter ID laws in a post on X, questioning why the issue remains a subject of debate in the U.S. The comments drew praise from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.
NICKI MINAJ PRAISED FOR SPOTLIGHTING CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN NIGERIA: 'BODY COUNT IS JUST TOO HIGH TO IGNORE'
Days later, Trump publicly praised Minaj while walking the red carpet at the premiere of Melania, calling her "a terrific person" and "a winner." Minaj has also appeared alongside Trump at public events, including the Trump Accounts Summit, where she described herself as "probably the president’s number one fan."
As the conversation continued online, conservative activists and organizations pointed to the fan reaction as a potential opportunity for voter outreach. Scott Presler wrote on X that he would personally help Minaj’s fans register to vote or change their party affiliation.
Tyler Bowyer of Turning Point Action also weighed in, writing on X, "Nicki Minaj should go on tour and we can all help register tens of thousands of new voters through her concerts."
UN AMBASSADOR EXPLAINS HOW 'UNLIKELY' TEAM-UP WITH NICKI MINAJ CAME TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PUSH
Minaj’s political shift has also drawn backlash from critics and some fans. Viral clips have circulated …

Tulsi Gabbard denies wrongdoing over delayed whistleblower complaint referral to Congress members: 'Baseless'
What's the endgame here?

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard denied any wrongdoing on Saturday as Democrats question why a whistleblower complaint filed against her last May took nearly a year before it was referred to Congress.
"[Virginia Democrat] Senator Mark Warner and his friends in the Propaganda Media have repeatedly lied to the American people that I or the ODNI ‘hid’ a whistleblower complaint in a safe for eight months," Gabbard wrote in a lengthy X post on Saturday. "This is a blatant lie."
She continued, "I am not now, nor have I ever been, in possession or control of the Whistleblower’s complaint, so I obviously could not have ‘hidden’ it in a safe. Biden-era IC Inspector General Tamara Johnson was in possession of and responsible for securing the complaint for months."
The highly classified complaint by a U.S. intelligence official alleging wrongdoing on the part of Gabbard was filed eight months ago with the intelligence community’s watchdog office and was first reported on by the Wall Street Journal.
EXCLUSIVE: GABBARD OUTLINES ELECTION SECURITY ASSESSMENT, PRESENCE AT FULTON COUNTY SEARCH
The complaint has been locked in a safe since its filing, according to the Journal, with one U.S. official telling the newspaper that the disclosure of its contents could cause "grave damage to national security."
The whistleblower’s lawyer has accused Gabbard’s office of slow-walking the complaint, which her office has denied, calling it "baseless and politically motivated." 
Meanwhile, Democrats are also questioning why it took her office so long to hand the complaint over to Congress.
TRUMP CONFIRMS WHAT TULSI GABBARD WAS DOING AT GEORGIA ELECTION CENTER
"The law is clear," Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday, according to NPR, adding that the complaint was required to be sent to Congress within 21 days of its filing. "I think it was an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint."
Neither the contents of the complaint nor the allegations against Gabbard have been revealed.
Gabbard wrote on Saturday that the first time she saw the complaint was "when I had to review it to provide guidance on how it should be securely shared with Congress."
TRUMP CLAIMS DNI TULSI GABBARD WAS AT GEORGIA ELECTION HUB SEARCH BECAUSE AG PAM BONDI WANTED HER THERE
"As Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Warner knows very well that whistleblower complaints that contain highly classified and compartmented intelligence—even if they contain baseless allegations like this one—must be secured in a safe, which the …

Witkoff and Kushner board US aircraft carrier off Iran’s coast after nuclear talks
We're watching the same failure loop.

President Donald Trump‘s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner boarded the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday, just one day after high-stakes negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

Witkoff, Kushner, and U.S. Central Command Cmdr. Bradley Cooper met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team in Oman on Friday for the nuclear talks, discussions that were inconclusive but were framed by principal figures as a positive step to reaching a deal. With more rounds expected, the three U.S. negotiators visited a U.S. aircraft carrier over the weekend that has been operating off Iran’s coast for weeks as tensions remain high between the two nations.

The visit including the three observing “live flight operations,” as well as a discussion with the pilot who shot down an Iranian drone that was flying “aggressively” toward the ship on Tuesday.

“Proud to stand with the men and women who defend our interests, deter our adversaries, and show the world what American readiness and resolve look like, on watch every day,” Witkoff posted on X, along with multiple photos of him aboard the aircraft carrier.

While the timing of the trip is odd, especially given Trump has still not ruled out a military response to Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters last month, the purpose of it was supposedly solely to express gratitude for the U.S. service members in the Middle East, according to CNN. A regional source also said both the Iranians and Omanis, who mediated the nuclear negotiations, knew of the visit ahead of time.

The USS Abraham Lincoln was originally deployed to the Indo-Pacific region late last year, but was redirected to the Middle East as tensions soared with Iran. It is part of a “massive” armada Trump has sent to the region in a show of force to the regime.

At least for now, Trump has signaled he wants to reach a deal with Iran rather than resort to military action, calling the Friday talks “very good” and even suggesting an “acceptable” deal is on the table.

WILL TRUMP FALL FOR IRAN’S NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS BLUFF

While it is unclear what that deal includes, the United States has expressed a desire for a more encompassing agreement that focuses on Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile production, and support for terrorist proxies in the region.

Iran, however, has drawn a red line on the latter two, restricting negotiations to just its nuclear program, while also insisting it is not pursuing nuclear weapons …

Analyzing the iran "Totalitarian Trap": What are the viable exit strategies for a nation stuck between a failed monarchy and a violent isolationist regime?
Be honest—this is ridiculous.

In political science, we often discuss the transition from autocracy to democracy, but less attention is given to what I call the "Double-Autocracy Trap." Consider a scenario where a foreign-backed monarchy is overthrown by a popular revolution, only for a more violent, isolationist, and totalitarian regime to seize power.
Currently, we are seeing a real-world case study of this deadlock. Reports indicate extreme domestic suppression (with casualties reaching tens of thousands) while an external "Maximum Pressure" campaign is escalating, including a massive naval buildup in the region.
I would like to open a discussion on the following points:
Historical Precedents: Beyond the "Iraq Model" (external invasion), have there been any successful transitions where a population broke such a violent deadlock through internal "implosion" or military defection?

The Effectiveness of Naval Escalation: From a geopolitical perspective, does a massive naval presence (like the current U.S. buildup) accelerate the collapse of such a regime, or does it provide the dictator with a "nationalist" excuse to further suppress the population?

The "Outsider" Endgame: What is the most realistic "endgame" that international policy-makers should aim for? Is a "managed transition" possible when the ruling elite perceives any concession as an existential threat?

I am looking for an analytical and strategic perspective on how these types of political stalemates are historically or theoretically resolved.

Calm amid chaos: Noem defies calls to resign, touts border victory as shutdowns, storms and riots swirl
This affects the entire country.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been a lightning rod for criticism amid anti-ICE riots that have rocked the country, sparked a government shutdown and left many wondering whether the nation’s eighth DHS secretary would keep her job.
Despite the mounting pressure, Noem appeared calm, collected and confident during a trip this week that included a stop in Mississippi to assess winter storm damage recovery efforts, visits to the southern border in Texas and Arizona as well as the northern border in North Dakota and a barbecue dinner hosted and served by Noem to Border Patrol agents in Arizona.
During the first half of the four-day stint, Congress was still dealing with a partial government shutdown largely over how to fund DHS. The House ultimately reached an agreement, funding the agency through Feb. 13, but Noem's focus remained the same before and after the bill passed, and her schedule was left unchanged.
During an exclusive interview along the border wall in Nogales, Arizona, Noem told Fox News Digital the national security functions of the agency are too vital to be sidelined by a spending fight.
BORDER CROSSINGS HIT 55-YEAR LOW — AFTER DEMOCRATS SAID REFORM WAS THE ONLY FIX
"Every day [DHS is] finding terrorists and removing them from our country, protecting our cybersecurity systems, our critical infrastructure," Noem told Fox. "Only 11% of the DHS budget is ICE. The rest of it is FEMA, TSA, that runs our security checkpoints at our airports.
"It is also the Coast Guard, which is absolutely critical to our maritime protection and also partnering with the Department of War," Noem added. "We have weapons of mass destruction, science and technology, our national labs.
"We have a lot of responsibilities that we absolutely need to fund in order to do them properly. So, I'm hopeful that Congress will recognize that and pass this bill quickly."
KRISTI NOEM TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE NEXT MONTH
But the debate over government spending wasn’t about the Coast Guard, FEMA or TSA. It was almost entirely based on one of the 23 agencies Noem oversees, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Specifically, it centered around ICE's actions in Minneapolis, a so-called sanctuary city in which local authorities provide only minimal support to federal officers enforcing immigration laws.
Since the beginning of the year, DHS estimates that Operation Metro Surge has resulted in the apprehension of 4,000 criminal illegal migrants in Minneapolis. The operation was launched mainly due to a fraud scheme that involved members of the Somali …

Netanyahu rushes to Washington for meeting with Trump on Iran
What's the administration thinking here?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is headed to Washington, D.C., earlier than expected, as President Donald Trump appears optimistic a nuclear deal with Iran is in sight.

Netanyahu was initially planning to meet with Trump at the White House on Feb. 18, the day before the first meeting of the Board of Peace, which is devoted to Gaza’s redevelopment. Now, following the conclusion of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, Netanyahu has accelerated that time frame and will now meet with Trump on those negotiations alone a week earlier, on Feb. 11.

His office announced the change in a statement on X that suggested Netanyahu is concerned the deal, if struck, may be far too limiting. It said Netanyahu wants any negotiations with Iran to include “limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis.”

Those two issues have been a red line for Iran, which has insisted those are nonstarters while remaining open to discussing its nuclear program.

The United States, led by Middle East special envoy and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has largely held Israel’s view, though Trump was strikingly positive after the Friday negotiations that initially seemed inconclusive.

Calling the talks “very good,” he suggested to reporters aboard Air Force One that a deal is on the table, one that would have been “accepted immediately” and avoided the hostilities of the 12-Day War last summer.

While details of that proposed deal are unclear, Trump said it must include “no nuclear weapons,” which Iran insists it is not pursuing anyway despite evidence to the contrary.

Netanyahu’s demands may derail the negotiations if Trump is still favorable to them, especially as Iran is digging in on its hard-line stance following the Oman negotiations.

Earlier Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led Iran’s negotiating team there, told Al Jazeera that its ballistic missile production was “never negotiable” because it is related to the country’s defense.

Araghchi also revealed some nuances to the nuclear component. He was firm that uranium enrichment is Iran’s “inalienable right and must continue,” but maintained that the regime is open for a deal on it.

“We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment. The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations,” he said.

In the event negotiations collapse, a U.S. military response would appear to be likely as Trump has been weighing the prospect for over a …

Federal appeals court upholds Trump mass detention policy for illegal immigrants
Every delay has consequences.

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the Trump administration's mass detention policy, allowing illegal immigrants to be detained without bond.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can lawfully deny bond hearings to immigrants arrested nationwide under the Constitution and federal immigration law.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reacted to the ruling, saying the Department of Justice (DOJ) "secured yet another crucial legal victory" in support of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.
"The Fifth Circuit just held illegal aliens can rightfully be detained without bond — a significant blow against activist judges who have been undermining our efforts to make America safe again at every turn," she wrote on X. "Thank you to Ben Hayes who argued this case, Brett Shumate and the @DOJCivil Division. We will continue vindicating President Trump’s law and order agenda in courtrooms across the country."
BOASBERG ORDERS TRUMP TO BRING BACK CECOT MIGRANT CLASS DEPORTED IN MARCH
Circuit judge Edith H. Jones wrote in the majority opinion that "unadmitted aliens apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided inside the United States."
Many illegal immigrants who were not detained at the border previously had the opportunity to request a bond hearing as their cases progressed, and those without a criminal history who were not deemed flight risks were often granted bond.
"That prior Administrations decided to use less than their full enforcement authority under" the law "does not mean they lacked the authority to do more," Jones wrote.
SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP ICE RAIDS TO RESUME IN CALIFORNIA
Writing in dissent, Circuit Judge Dana M. Douglas said that the members of Congress who passed the Immigration and Nationality Act roughly 30 years ago "would be surprised to learn it had also required the detention without bond of two million people."
Douglas noted that some of the people detained are "the spouses, mothers, fathers, and grandparents of American citizens."
The ruling stems from two separate cases filed last year against the Trump administration, both involving Mexican nationals who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade and were not considered flight risks, according to their attorneys.
Although they did not have criminal records, both were jailed for months last year before a lower court in Texas granted them bond last October.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Gabbard denies hiding whistleblower complaint: ‘A blatant lie’
What's the endgame here?

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has denied withholding a whistleblower complaint from Congress, calling such claims from some “Gang of Eight” lawmakers “lies and baseless accusations.”

Gabbard issued a lengthy defense of her actions in dealing with the complaint, which dates back to May 2025 but was largely unknown until this week due to its highly sensitive nature. While details are thin, it accuses Gabbard of wrongdoing and alleges she withheld classified information “for political purposes.” Recent reporting has also revealed it was partly about an intelligence intercept of a call between two foreign nationals discussing someone close to President Donald Trump, a discussion that was about Iran.

“Senator Mark Warner and his friends in the Propaganda Media have repeatedly lied to the American people that I or the ODNI “hid” a whistleblower complaint in a safe for eight months. This is a blatant lie,” she posted on X on Saturday.

Gabbard said she has never been “in possession” of the complaint and “obviously” could not hide it in a safe, where it has been both before and after being hand-delivered to the Gang of Eight for solely a “read and return” review of its contents earlier this week. Gabbard also said the first time she saw it was just two weeks ago, when she reviewed it “to provide guidance on how it should be securely shared with Congress.”

She reiterated that neither the Biden-era inspector general of her office at the time the complaint was filed, Tamara Johnson, nor the current inspector general, Christopher Fox, have deemed the complaint to be credible. That conclusion from the two oversight heads notwithstanding, Gabbard maintained it still must be held in the safe because “the complainant chose to include highly sensitive information within the complaint itself rather than referencing the sensitive reporting and leaving the complaint at a lower level of classification.”

“Security standards for complaints that include such sensitive intelligence required the Inspector General to keep the complaint and the intelligence referenced secured in a safe from the time the complaint was made, until now,” she added.

Gabbard’s first public defense in dealing with the whistleblower complaint comes as she has been hammered by some “Gang of Eight” lawmakers over the monthslong delay in notifying Congress about the complaint.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has led that charge, …

Newslinks for Sunday 8th February 2026
How is this acceptable?

Mandelson 1) Lammy claims he warned against appointment

“David Lammy turned on the Prime Minister as allies revealed he had warned against appointing Lord Mandelson as the ambassador to the US. In a blow to Sir Keir Starmer, friends of the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed on Saturday night that he had not been in favour of bringing the “Prince of Darkness” back into government over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Lammy is the first Cabinet minister to break openly with the embattled Prime Minister, whose future hangs in the balance over the Mandelson scandal.” – Sunday Telegraph

‘Starmer’s position untenable’, says Richard Burgon MP – BBC

Police finish search of Peter Mandelson’s addresses – Sunday Times

Three things that could bring Starmer down and what might save him – BBC

Prime Minister “agonising over his future, see-sawing between anger and self-reproach” – Sunday Telegraph

Starmer’s losing sleep – Caroline Wheeler, Sunday Times

Comment

From the Russians to the Americans, and from our own spies to the Civil Service, everyone knew the truth about Mandelson – everyone, that is, except Keir Starmer – Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday

Shorn of its moral purity, what is Starmer’s Labour now for? – Leader, Sunday Times

Starmer must go. But there may be worse to come – Leader, Sunday Telegraph

How Mandelson and a bunch of revolutionaries created the sordid world in which we live – Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday

For once, Keir Starmer thought outside the box. It may finish him – Matthew Syed, Sunday Times

Starmer’s gullibility over Mandelson vetting scandal gets worse by the day – Leader, The Sun on Sunday

I saw first-hand how Epstein and Ghislaine got their claws into the world’s most powerful men – Barbara Amiel, Mail on Sunday

Starmer has only his own judgment to blame – Jason Cowley, Sunday Times

Controlling the story is what Mandelson is about – and now he has lost it – Janet Daley, Sunday Telegraph

The Peter Mandelson scandal has turned ‘No drama Starmer’ into a lurid soap opera – Andrew Rawnsley, Observer

A soft-left coup won’t save Labour. It’s not what people voted for – Josh Glancy, Sunday Times

I have known Peter Mandelson for 40 years, He has always had two sides and one of them is dark like Voldemort – David Blunkett, The Sun on Sunday

One thing we know: Epstein was no Mossad agent – Jake Wallis Simons, Sunday Telegraph

Mandelson 2) Payoff worth tens of thousands for being sacked as ambassador

“Lord Mandelson received a taxpayer-funded payoff worth tens of thousands of pounds despite being sacked as ambassador to the US over his links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, secured an exit payment equivalent to three months’ salary from the Foreign Office after he was forced out in September last year, …

Lies, betrayal, scandal and civil war – but can the Conservatives benefit now it’s not them going through it
This deserves loud pushback.

It has everything the media could want and the country could do without.

A paedophile sex trafficker, a big beast politician who has held high office and been  sacked three times, possibly the Russians, countless victims of the first with horrific stories of abuse, a Prime Minister, Advisers, spooks and two former Princes: one once of the House of Windsor the other of ‘Darkness’

Political hacks, and I’ve been one, will occasionally play, for their own amusement, a game of who can come up with a scandal that has it all. This one, had anyone dared suggest it, fits the bill.

Many outside the media bubble are describing it as the biggest ever scandal in British politics, edging Profumo and Kelly out to allow the name Mandelson to overtake it. His former Lordship clearly felt his last two falls from grace were not sufficiently spectacular enough and he’s decided third time unlucky.

Only luck has nothing to do with it.

Despite his lucrative dismissal from the highest diplomatic position Britain has to offer, the choice to appoint in the first place was made in Downing Street, against warnings – and even David Lammy, the then Foreign Secretary who actually did the appointing, has let it be known he warned about it – as the PM’s rivals, sorry, colleagues, dive for cover.

Last Wednesday Kemi Badenoch fired the potential kill shot.

She simultaneously proved that whilst strong performances at PMQs are not enough to make someone Prime Minister, on occasion they matter enormously, and that when you disprove naysayers who complain you weren’t good enough at it, being consistently better and better is seemingly never enough.

The impact of forcing this Prime Minister to damn himself at the dispatch box in one word was nothing short of sesimic.

Part of Badenoch’s personal revival has been built on an impressive collection of scalps. Hitherto it’s contained a gaggle of Ministers, a deputy leader and deputy Prime Minister, the infamous Mandelson himself, and now she’s going for the big  two. The Prime Minister’s chief of staff and the PM himself.

Downing Street this weekend is seething with anger and resentment. Starmer has been swinging between enough foul-mouthed fury to fuel a power plant, and a sense of bitter betrayal that is souring dealings with a cabinet that have concluded Labour would be better off following the Tories past example and swapping horses mid race.

That there is ‘no way back’ for Sir Keir is now old news. He may still cling on, his own fall is not a done deal, but he can’t ‘turn it around’ now. When he answered Badenoch’s question whether security vetting had mentioned Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, post-conviction with a hesitant ‘Yes’ he confirmed what everyone felt they knew. And so did he, but …