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GOP Kentucky House speaker snatches microphone from Thomas Massie mid-speech
What's the endgame here?

Rep. Thomas Massie‘s(R-KY) speech over the weekend at a GOP dinner in his district was cut off by the Kentucky House speaker.

In the minutes before Massie’s microphone was taken, the congressman was discussing his Trump-backed opponent, Ed Gallrein. Massie was saying he works for the people of his district, rather than Trump or House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), when Republican Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne snatched his microphone.

“They can steal the microphone but I will never be silenced. I was defending my wife, calling out my opponent’s COVID PPP fraud, and explaining that Congressmen work for the People, not the Speaker or the President!” Massie wrote on X in response to the incident.

The fiscal hawk has represented Kentucky’s 4th District in the northern part of the state since 2012, dominating any general election and primary challenges he has had since taking office. But in the 2026 midterm elections, Massie is facing a significant primary challenge from Gallrein, who has the support of Trump and many of his backers in the Bluegrass state. The challenge came after Massie sparred with the president on matters like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Epstein files throughout the first year of the second Trump administration.

During his speech before Kentucky Republicans’ annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Oldham County, Massie addressed the comments Trump made about his wife, Carolyn Moffa, which were reposted by Gallrein last week. Massie also accused Gallrein of participating in COVID-19-related fraud schemes, saying he took two COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans and “never paid back that loan, and he took it for baling hay.”

“If you want to rubber-stamp, you can vote for my opponent. If you want somebody who makes up their own mind and does things for you — the chain of command does not go to the Commander-in-Chief — when you are a congressman, you work not for the Speaker of the House,” Massie said just before Osborne snatched his microphone.

“I work for you. Thank you and God bless,” Massie continued, yelling to the room with no microphone.

Gallrein did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.

Though there were several boos during Massie’s speech, he told the Courier-Journal that several of his supporters left the event in protest after his microphone was taken. Massie said he joined the folks who walked out for drinks elsewhere.

“People are saying I stormed off after my speech. They had us seated so …

TPUSA: Over 20 million people viewed their halftime show over all streaming media platforms
The headline tells the story.

Still waiting for the numbers to come in on the cable channel partners that also broadcast the TP halftime show. Looks like upwards of 25 million might be within reach

Ghislaine Maxwell didn't implicate Trump, Clinton in wrongdoing during Epstein deposition, lawmaker says
This looks less like justice and more like strategy.

The House Oversight Committee's deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell ended less than an hour after it began on Monday morning, when the convicted accomplice of the late Jeffrey Epstein pleaded the Fifth Amendment.
Maxwell appeared before lawmakers virtually for a closed-door interview in the House bipartisan probe into the federal government's handling of Epstein's case.
Her attorney apparently told lawmakers, however, that she could not implicate neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton in any wrongdoing.
"The attorney for Miss Maxwell said that she has no indication and would say that, neither Presidents Trump or Clinton, are culpable for any wrongdoing. And that's one thing they said, in his opening statement to us today," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a member of the committee, told reporters afterwards.
NEW GHISLAINE MAXWELL MUGSHOT INCLUDED IN DOJ'S LATEST EPSTEIN FILES RELEASE
She is currently serving out a 20-year sentence at a Texas prison.
"As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the fifth and refused to answer any questions. This is obviously very disappointing," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters afterward. "We had many questions to ask about the crime she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for the survivors."
Comer said Maxwell's lawyer told the committee that she would only answer questions if she was granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
Maxwell did say through her attorney, however, that neither Trump nor 
Democrats on the panel, who spoke after Comer, accused Maxwell of trying to lobby for a pardon and demanded that Trump publicly rule out the possibility.
"What we did get was another episode in her long-running campaign for clemency from President Trump, and President Trump could end that today," said Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va. "He could rule out clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the monster. The question for all of us today is why hasn't he done that?"
DEMOCRATS SAY CLINTONS' AGREEMENT TO TESTIFY UNDERCUTS SUBPOENA PUSH, WON'T BRING NEW EPSTEIN ANSWERS
The former British socialite was found guilty in December 2021 of being an accomplice in Epstein's scheme to sexually traffic and exploit female minors.
The DOJ said at the time of her sentencing that Maxwell "enticed and groomed minor girls to be abused in multiple ways."
Comer announced lawmakers would hear from Maxwell late last month during a meeting on holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of …

Where Sanders and AOC backed progressive congressional candidate Analilia Mejia stands on key issues
This affects the entire country.

A progressive candidate backed by champions of the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is close to pulling off an upset victory with votes still being counted in a Democratic congressional primary for a blue-leaning seat in New Jersey.
Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer, has a slight lead — nearly 900 votes out of more than 63,000 votes counted — ahead of former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski in the battle for their party's nomination in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.
Mejia and Malinowski are the leaders among a field of 11 Democratic candidates in the race to fill the seat left vacant after now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning the November 2025 gubernatorial election in the Garden State.
The results in the primary showdown are being closely watched by the political world as an early testing ground in the debate between progressives versus the more mainstream elements of the Democratic Party.
BALLOT BOX SHOCKER IN HIGH-PROFILE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY
And a victory by Mejia, who worked as national political director on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, would be the latest boost for the left against the establishment since now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, sent shockwaves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
"She stands for a progressive populist economic agenda," progressive leader Rep. Ro Khanna of California emphasized Friday in a social media post. "She is the future!" 
And Mejia, speaking to supporters on primary night, highlighted that "we have to rebuild our party, we have to rebuild what is happening in our nation. We have to reclaim our democracy. We know that our economy is rigged to suit the billionaires."
'FULL-BLOWN BATTLE' BREWING IN DEM PARTY AS MAMDANI-STYLE CANDIDATES RISE IN KEY RACES
Here's a closer look at where Mejia stands on some key issues.
During her primary campaign, Mejia took aim at President Donald Trump's unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration, and has called for scrapping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency most visible in the aggressive tactics used in the administration's massive deportation effort.
"I say abolish ICE now," Mejia said on the campaign trail in January. "You can’t reform it. It’s not fixable. Get it out." 
Speaking with reporters Friday about her overperformance in the primary, Mejia gave credit to her stance on immigration in the wake of backlash against the Trump administration following the fatal shootings in Minnesota by federal agents of two …

Lessons From Portugal for European Conservatives
Trust is earned, not demanded.

When an election produces results not seen in decades, it is a shock to the system. Andre Ventura’s second place finish in the first round of the Portuguese presidential election was just such a shock. The leader of the national populist Chega party broke through the previous duopoly of the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Party.

This result forced a surprise matchup against the Socialist Party’s António José Seguro. While Seguro came out on top in the second (and final) round of Portugal’s presidential election on Feb. 8, the election still holds valuable lessons for European conservatives in 2026.

Portugal’s presidential election, like many in Europe, has two major differences from American presidential elections.

First is the variety of candidates. Not only did 11 candidates from parties across the political spectrum compete in the first round, but multiple candidates had a credible shot at the second round.

Second, unlike America’s first past the post electoral system, the winning presidential candidate in Portugal (and most European countries) must win 50%+1 vote to win, and if no candidate achieves this in the first round, a second-round election is called.

Over the last year, André Ventura has led the Chega party into the limelight in Portuguese politics as they became the leading opposition party in Parliament following the May 18, 2025 election in line with a wave of conservative victories in Europe.

In this context, Ventura improved on his 2021 presidential election performance in 2026 and catapulted Chega into final contention for the presidency for the first time. With over 99% of the vote counted, Ventura came second to Seguro with 33.18% of the vote.

Though he fell short in the second round of the presidential election, Ventura established Chega as the leading party on the right in Portugal by receiving a higher percentage of the votes than Portugal’s Democratic Alliance of the center-right won in the May parliamentary elections.

Despite controversy over his campaign rhetoric on immigration that led to the court-ordered removal of certain campaign posters, voters on the Right responded to his advocacy for conservative principles of sovereignty over immigration and bucking the mainstream elite parties that have governed Portugal for decades.

 This is one of the key lessons for conservative politicians in Europe: voters are trending towards the Right, but are fed up with established parties’ milquetoast policy approaches and unwillingness to tighten immigration policies.

Yet, while Ventura’s success in the first round underlines the need for political parties to remain responsive to voter’s concerns, his failure in the second round sounds a warning note for conservatives. Conservatives globally have learned the strength of partnership from prior progressive groupings as they develop policies, but they too often fail to unify in elections.

This was on display in Portugal over the past month as Ventura was the only representative of the political Right in the second round. Yet, other conservative Portuguese politicians actively endorsed the progressive candidate, António José Seguro, rather than leaving the …

Top ICE Lawyer in Minnesota Departs as Immigration Lawsuits Overwhelm Courts
Every delay has consequences.

archival link
The article seems to be saying the federal government is overwhelmed by the lawsuits and the government's own lawyers are refusing to defend these cases.
The next administration if it's a Democratic one, is going to spend a significant amount of taxpayer dollars settling lawsuits. I doubt a democratic administration is going to want to defend the trump administration's illegal actions.
One could argue, "when administrations change, the Department of Justice doesn’t automatically abandon ongoing defenses." I would have to disagree with that, they often do in these polarized times. Trump's DOJ stopped defending Obamacare. Biden's DOJ reversed course on numerous Trump policies. Obama's DOJ stopped defending Section 3 of DOMA.
The scale of the violations here is also unprecedented. A federal judge saying an agency violated more court orders in one month than some agencies do in their entire existence isn't normal policy disagreement territory. These aren't cases where reasonable lawyers could argue different interpretations of immigration law. These are documented instances of ignoring direct judicial orders to release people from custody.
A Democratic administration will look at this situation and refuse to spend years and millions of dollars defending the indefensible. The political cost of defending documented court order violations would be enormous, the government's legal position is fucking awful and the practical reality is that juries and judges are going to be hostile to the government's position when the evidence shows they are willfully in contempt of court.
The mass settlement costs will be substantial and taxpayers will be holding the bag.

Nadler endorses former aide for seat he is vacating as Democratic heavyweight backs Schlossberg
Are they actually going to vote on something real?

Retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) endorsed his former longtime aide in the crowded Democratic primary for his House seat, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) plans to endorse the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy.

Nadler announced his endorsement of New York state Rep. Micah Lasher on Monday, calling his former employee the “best candidate to succeed” him.

“No other candidate in the race comes close to the depth and breadth of Micah’s record, not just on one issue, but across the many fronts where Democrats need to be stronger and smarter than ever,” he said in a video.

The 78-year-old congressman touted Lasher’s record on fighting gun violence, investing in mental health care, and defending New Yorkers’ access to abortion services. Before he started serving in the state legislature last year, Lasher was the policy director for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and the state legislative affairs director under former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As a state lawmaker, Lasher introduced a bill to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from conducting arrests at sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, without a judicial warrant.

Nadler cited the bill as an example of Lasher’s commitment to standing up to the Trump administration.

“He’s emerged as New York’s protector-in-chief against all things Trump and drafted the blueprint for what Democratic-led states can do to fight back,” Nadler said.

Lasher thanked his former boss for the support.

“This endorsement means so much to me,” Lasher posted on X on Monday morning. “Jerry Nadler has set an incredibly high bar for decades for smart, principled, progressive leadership on issue after issue. I’m honored beyond words to have his support.”

The Democratic primary candidate has also received endorsements from New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, New York City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, and New York state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, among many other state politicians.

Despite securing Nadler’s endorsement, Lasher could face significant opposition from Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg, whom Pelosi is rumored to endorse soon. The House speaker emerita would be Schlossberg’s highest-profile endorsement so far.

HOUSE RACES IN 2026 SEE BIG COMPETITION WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT CANDIDATE FIELDS

Nadler previously dismissed Schlossberg’s chances in the primary, telling CNN in September that he lacked the requisite legislative experience to become a congressman. Schlossberg entered the …

Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary narrows further after Jensen drops bid
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

Minnesota GOP Gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen said Monday he will no longer seek the leading office in the state and will instead run for state auditor to “declare war” on fraud. 

“It’s time to declare war on waste and fraud and abuse,” Jensen said in a video posted on X. “It’s time to resurrect a good government.” 

Jensen is the second Republican candidate to drop out of the governor’s race in Minnesota after GOP attorney Chris Madel ended his campaign last month.

Madel cited conflict with the national party’s approach to immigration as reason for his exit. His announcement came after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti. Pretti died in a physical confrontation that began when he intervened in an immigration operation he had been recording on his phone. 

Both Jensen and Madel announced their resignations just weeks after Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said she will seek the governor’s office. 

Madel said at the time that his decision had nothing to do with Klobuchar’s run. Jensen did not mention the senator in his announcement.

Klobuchar has pushed ahead of GOP candidates in the governor’s race. Kristin Robbins and Phillip Parrish have emerged as Republican front-runners. Jensen was previously the leading GOP candidate to take on Klobuchar before announcing he would not seek the office. 

Jensen said his decision to end his gubernatorial campaign is due to Minnesota’s inability to be fixed by a leadership change. 

“Our state’s problems can’t be fixed by simply replacing a leader,” Jensen said. “Our biggest problem right now is broken trust in government.”

Jensen positioned himself as a “watchdog” that would end massive fraud in the state that has made it the “laughingstock of the nation.”

The former state senator ran a campaign for governor in 2022, but was beaten by Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) by 192,000 votes. 

Jensen centering his campaign for state auditor on an anti-fraud platform comes as Walz is set to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month on the widespread fraud in the state. 

The Minnesota fraud scandal involves the alleged theft of billions in taxpayer dollars from public benefit programs — including food aid, Medicaid, and child care — due to systemic oversight failures and ignored warnings. 

GOP KENTUCKY HOUSE SPEAKER SNATCHES MICROPHONE FROM THOMAS MASSIE MID-SPEECH

Investigators estimate that these fraudulent schemes, such as the Feeding Our Future case, diverted essential resources …

Ghislaine Maxwell told lawmakers Trump, Clinton 'innocent of any wrongdoing' regarding Epstein
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.

The House Oversight Committee's deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell ended less than an hour after it began on Monday morning, when the convicted accomplice of the late Jeffrey Epstein pleaded the Fifth Amendment.
Maxwell appeared before lawmakers virtually for a closed-door interview in the House bipartisan probe into the federal government's handling of Epstein's case.
Her attorney apparently told lawmakers, however, that she could not implicate neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton in any wrongdoing.
"[B]oth President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation," lawyer David Oscar Markus posted on X after the deposition.
NEW GHISLAINE MAXWELL MUGSHOT INCLUDED IN DOJ'S LATEST EPSTEIN FILES RELEASE
Markus also told lawmakers that she would only answer questions if her prison sentence was cut short by Trump, according to the statement.
"If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.   Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters," his statement said.
Maxwell is currently serving out a 20-year sentence at a Texas prison.
"As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the fifth and refused to answer any questions. This is obviously very disappointing," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters after the deposition. "We had many questions to ask about the crime she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for the survivors."
Comer said Maxwell's lawyer told the committee that she would only answer questions if she was granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
Maxwell did say through her attorney, however, that neither Trump nor 
Democrats on the panel, who spoke after Comer, accused Maxwell of trying to lobby for a pardon and demanded that Trump publicly rule out the possibility.
"What we did get was another episode in her long-running campaign for clemency from President Trump, and President Trump could end that today," said Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va. "He could rule out clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the monster. The question for all of us today is why hasn't he done that?"
DEMOCRATS SAY CLINTONS' AGREEMENT TO TESTIFY UNDERCUTS SUBPOENA PUSH, WON'T BRING NEW EPSTEIN ANSWERS …

Where Sanders and AOC-backed progressive congressional candidate Analilia Mejia stands on key issues
Who's accountable for the results?

A progressive candidate backed by champions of the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is close to pulling off an upset victory with votes still being counted in a Democratic congressional primary for a blue-leaning seat in New Jersey.
Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer, has a slight lead — nearly 900 votes out of more than 63,000 votes counted — ahead of former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski in the battle for their party's nomination in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.
Mejia and Malinowski are the leaders among a field of 11 Democratic candidates in the race to fill the seat left vacant after now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning the November 2025 gubernatorial election in the Garden State.
The results in the primary showdown are being closely watched by the political world as an early testing ground in the debate between progressives versus the more mainstream elements of the Democratic Party.
BALLOT BOX SHOCKER IN HIGH-PROFILE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY
And a victory by Mejia, who worked as national political director on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, would be the latest boost for the left against the establishment since now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
"She stands for a progressive populist economic agenda," progressive leader Rep. Ro Khanna of California emphasized Friday in a social media post. "She is the future!" 
And Mejia, speaking to supporters on primary night, highlighted that "we have to rebuild our party, we have to rebuild what is happening in our nation. We have to reclaim our democracy. We know that our economy is rigged to suit the billionaires."
'FULL-BLOWN BATTLE' BREWING IN DEM PARTY AS MAMDANI-STYLE CANDIDATES RISE IN KEY RACES
Here's a closer look at where Mejia stands on some key issues.
During her primary campaign, Mejia took aim at President Donald Trump's unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and has called for scrapping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency most visible in the aggressive tactics used in the administration's massive deportation effort.
"I say abolish ICE now," Mejia said on the campaign trail in January. "You can’t reform it. It’s not fixable. Get it out." 
Speaking with reporters Friday about her overperformance in the primary, Mejia gave credit to her stance on immigration in the wake of backlash against the Trump administration following the fatal shootings in Minnesota by federal agents of two …