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NYC officials plan to reraise pride flag at Manhattan’s Stonewall monument after Trump administration removed it
This affects the entire country.

New York City officials plan to reraise a pride flag at the federal monument at Stonewall in Manhattan, setting up a potential fight with the White House at the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement nearly 60 years ago.

Federal officials quietly took the flag down after the Trump administration in January issued guidance drastically limiting the types of flags that could be displayed at sites managed by the National Park Service. But Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said in an interview on Tuesday that he and other New York City-area politicians would reraise the flag at the federal monument on Thursday.

“I think it’s important that we speak out and stand up for the community, frankly, just as our forebearers, who exhibited much more courage back in 1969,” he said. “This is not a moment for our community to stand by idly as attempts to undermine our history are put forward by Trump and the federal administration.”

The Stonewall Inn was the site of famous protests in 1969, which were sparked after police raided the New York City gay bar and arrested its patrons. The subsequent uprisings led to greater visibility for gay and lesbian people across the country.

The Inn remains in private hands, but a park across the street is national parkland. Hoylman-Sigal said New York City officials intended to raise the flag on federal land.

The Department of Interior — NPS’ parent agency — confirmed the flag was removed in a statement.

“Under government-wide guidance, including General Services Administration policy and Department of the Interior direction, only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions,” the Department of the Interior said in a statement. “Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance.”

An Interior spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the New York City officials’ plans. The National Park Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has made several changes to national parks as the president pushes what he describes as an “anti-DEI” agenda. The agency took down exhibits on slavery at the Philadelphia site of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in January. And last August, NPS announced plans to reinstate a statue of Confederate general Albert Pike in Washington.

Hoylman-Sigal called the latest move “another outrage by the Trump administration directed at the LGBTQ community, whether it's transgender youth or immigrants or queer people in general.”

Pride flags have continued to fly at the Stonewall Inn and visitor’s center, which are privately owned, according to Brandon Wolf, the national press secretary at the LGBTQ+ …

Hochul challenger Antonio Delgado drops out of New York gubernatorial race
Why resist verification?

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D-NY) lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, on Tuesday announced he was dropping his challenge to his boss.

After launching his campaign for Hochul’s spot last June, Delgado failed to make much of a dent in Hochul’s commanding lead. Facing dismal polling numbers, the lieutenant governor ended his bid on Tuesday.

“After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no viable path forward. And though my campaign has come to an end, I fully intend to do all I can in our effort to build a more humane, affordable, and equitable state that serves all New Yorkers. I will also support Democrats in our effort to hold the line against Trump and take back our democracy,” Delgado said.

“I do not make this decision lightly, particularly given that so many have poured their belief into our campaign and are desperate to be given a voice,” he added, thanking those who supported his campaign.

Hochul was dismissive of the news, casting her sights on the general election in November and saying the Democratic Party “is focused, united, and ready to take back the House and beat President Donald Trump’s enablers this November,” all without mentioning Delgado.

Hochul campaign communications director Sarafina Chitika was similarly dismissive, telling Fox News the incumbent governor “spent all year uniting her big-tent party around a vision for affordability and safety for every New York family.”

“Thanks to her leadership, our campaign and our party are strong and ready to defeat Donald Trump and his enablers up and down the ballot, take back the House, and hand [Republican candidate for governor] Bruce Blakeman yet another loss this November,” Chitika said. “Donald Trump and Bruce Blakeman are united in their efforts to raise costs on working families, send masked [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents into our streets to terrorize innocent communities, and wage war on New York kids. Our party is now just as united to stop them.”

Delgado’s drop-out is the latest strike of good fortune for Hochul, who has seen repeated victories fall into her lap over the past few months. Her two most viable Republican rivals, Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) opted not to run and to drop out, respectively.

Delgado and Hochul enjoy a contentious relationship, falling from great heights since they were elected in 2022. In a June 2025 New York Times interview, he said his relationship with the governor began to sour just months after the …

DHS urges Newsom to honor ICE detainers after federal agent assaulted while arresting illegal alien at jail
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Homeland Security once again called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to keep dangerous criminal illegal immigrants in law enforcement custody, citing a recent incident in which federal authorities were physically assaulted by anti-ICE agitators while trying to take one suspect into custody in jail. 
The agency said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has 33,179 active detainers for criminal illegal aliens in California’s local, state, and federal prisons.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, 4,561 criminal illegal immigrants have been released from law enforcement custody into communities after ICE detainers were ignored, DHS said. 
"We are calling on Governor Newsom and his administration to commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 33,000 criminal illegal aliens in California's custody. It is common sense and vital for public safety," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans. If we work together, we can make America safe again. 7 of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE law enforcement." 
NOEM PUTS NEWSOM ON NOTICE, VOWS CALIFORNIA PROBE AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD BUST
DHS made a similar call to Newsom last week. The Trump administration has said that the willful failure to honor ICE detainers put communities and law enforcement at risk. 
At the time, Newsom's office referred Fox News Digital to a post on X: "California cooperates with ICE when it comes to REMOVING CRIMINALS — like sick rapists and murderers — in our state prisons."
Since Newsom took office in 2019, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has coordinated the transfer of more than 12,000 people, including murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders, into ICE custody.
"Contrary to Secretary Noem’s claims, California does not ‘harbor criminals,’" the governor's office said in a news release. "California law ensures violent offenders are held accountable while also ensuring that victims and witnesses — including victims of domestic violence and human trafficking — are not terrorized into silence by fear of deportation."
BORDER OFFICIAL FIRES BACK AT GAVIN NEWSOM'S POLITICAL ‘TANTRUM' OVER IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN LOS ANGELES
On Tuesday, DHS cited a Feb. 2 incident in which authorities were conducting an operation at the Ventura County Jail in Ventura, California. They were trying to take Jorge Lopez Santos, who had been arrested by local authorities for possession of a controlled …

Supreme Court Justice Alito says 'things are so different' since Scalia's death
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said in a recently published interview that he frequently wishes his late colleague, Justice Antonin Scalia, were still around.
"Even since Nino died, things are so different. I so often wish he were still here. He started so much, and it would have been good to have him around to see it to completion," Alito said, according to a Politico Magazine piece by Newsmax chief Washington correspondent James Rosen, who has authored books about Scalia.
Scalia, who was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, began serving on the Supreme Court in 1986 and remained on the bench until his death in 2016. 
ALITO RIPS SUPREME COURT MAJORITY AS ‘UNWISE’ FOR BLOCKING TRUMP'S NATIONAL GUARD PLAN
Rosen wrote that he conveyed that one of Scalia's children had told him that she was grateful to God for taking her father at that time because it meant that he did not have to witness much that would have been upsetting to him.
"He would have been appalled at so much," Alito concurred, according to the report.
Alito delivered the opinion in the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the controversial 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision.
REVISITING JUSTICE SCALIA'S SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DISSENT: PROPHETIC OR INFLAMMATORY?
"The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives," Alito declared in the 2022 opinion.
Rosen asked Alito whether that 2022 decision is "indebted to Antonin Scalia in any meaningful respect." 
"Yes, absolutely, because that was my effort to write an originalist’s opinion… I think I learned from the model of [District of Columbia v.] Heller," Alito said, referring to a case pertaining to a 2008 gun rights case in which Scalia delivered the court's opinion. 
"I don’t know that Nino would have written [Dobbs] any differently. I flatter myself to think that he wouldn’t have written it very differently. And the language, to a degree, may be influenced by him," Alito said, according to the report. 
JUDICIAL RESEARCH CENTER CUTS CLIMATE SECTION FROM JUDGES' MANUAL AFTER FOX NEWS DIGITAL REPORT
Alito was appointed by GOP President George W. Bush in 2005 and began serving on the Supreme Court in 2006.

Kid Rock admits to TPUSA halftime show being prerecorded
Every delay has consequences.

Kid Rock admitted that his performance for Turning Point USA’s rival Super Bowl halftime show was prerecorded, following speculations that he was lip-syncing.

TPUSA announced that it would put on an alternative show during Apple Music’s Super Bowl halftime show, as conservatives criticized the NFL for selecting Bad Bunny as the performer. Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has criticized the use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We’re here to address the fake news media and all the trolls that are piling on, trying to say I was lip syncing on the Turning Point USA  Bawitdaba,” Kid Rock said at the beginning of a video he posted on X.

My halftime performance was pre recorded but performed live. No lipsycing like the haters and fake news are trying to report. When they synced the cameras to my performance on Bawitdaba, it did not line up as I explain in this video.
— KidRock (@KidRock) February 10, 2026

Kid Rock argued that he was not lip-syncing but that problems syncing the audio together made it appear that he was.

“Because we were rapping it. That song takes so much energy,” he said. “I know these guys had a difficult time syncing it together, so I have nothing but good things to say, not only about Turning Point, but also the production team they work with.”

“[Turning Point USA production] top notch, first class all the way. Nobody is perfect or gets it right every time,” he added. 

TPUSA’s All-American Halftime show featuring Kid Rock drew in 6.1 million concurrent viewers on its YouTube channel on Sunday night. 

Kid Rock said the song he performed, “Bawitdaba,” would be the “last song” he would ever lip-sync if he ever did.

“If I was ever going to lip sync, which I wouldn’t, that would be the last song that I would ever have to bring into the fold to do it to,” he said. “We’ve performed the song every night on tour since 1998, since the day it was released.”

He said Turning Point USA sent him a first cut of the live performance, and he flagged that the video’s sync was off. Kid Rock said it was “difficult” for TPUSA because the person editing the video “wasn’t familiar” with the song. 

“First off, if we would’ve recorded it and played it like we lip-synced it, it would’ve been pie, it would’ve been pie lined up. It was very difficult for them because somebody wasn’t super familiar with the song,” he said.

He added that if TPUSA had more time, the audio problems could have been …

National Governors Association reportedly cancels meeting with Trump after White House snubs Democrats
Who benefits from this decision?

An association representing governors from across the country will not be holding a formal meeting with President Donald Trump after the White House reportedly snubbed Democrats, only inviting Republican governors to attend.
"The bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year. To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration," Bandon Tatum, CEO of the National Governors Association, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. 
"At this moment in our nation’s history, it is critical that institutions continue to stand for unity, dignity, and constructive engagement," he added.
TRUMP MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN SWING-STATE GOVERNOR'S RACE
"NGA will remain focused on serving all governors as they deliver solutions and model leadership for the American people. Traditionally, the White House has played a role in fostering these moments during NGA's annual meeting. This year, they will not," Tatum added.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who is the chairman of the NGA, said in a Monday letter to fellow governors that the association was "no longer serving as the facilitator" for an event scheduled for Feb 20, according to The Associated Press, which obtained Stitt's letter. Stitt said the NGA was meant to represent all governors — those of the 50 states as well as the governors of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE READIES SCHOOL CHOICE TAX CREDIT AS SOME DEM STATES PUSH BACK. HERE'S WHERE IT STANDS
In response to the reported snub, Democratic governors from across the country said they would not be attending White House events. The statement was issued by Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, DGA Vice Chair Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvanie Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
"Democratic governors have a long record of working across the aisle to deliver results, and we remain committed to this effort. But it’s disappointing this …

Battered in Ukraine, Russia races to rearm — but questions linger over its military strength
This affects the entire country.

Russia’s military has been badly battered by its failure to conquer Ukraine, but Moscow is now rebuilding its war machine for the long haul, according to a new assessment from Estonia’s foreign intelligence service, even as the force it is fielding relies more on mass and attrition than military quality. 
The report says Russia has suffered catastrophic losses since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an estimated 1 million soldiers killed or severely wounded, draining its ranks and forcing the Kremlin to rely on mass mobilization rather than professional military strength.
Despite those losses, Estonian intelligence says the Kremlin is compensating by shifting toward mass and attrition, dramatically expanding weapons production and reorganizing its military around volume rather than quality, even as fighting in Ukraine continues.
ZELENSKYY REVEALS 55,000 UKRAINIAN DEATH TOLL AS PEACE TALKS CONTINUE
Taken together, the assessment portrays a Russian military that has failed to defeat Ukraine, suffered historic manpower losses, and rebuilt around quantity over quality — leaving its true combat effectiveness increasingly in question.
Russia’s military-industrial complex has increased artillery ammunition production more than 17 times that of 2021, a surge the report says points to preparation for future conflicts rather than short-term battle needs, including the rebuilding of strategic stockpiles depleted during the war. Russia produced roughly 7 million artillery rounds in 2025 alone, according to the assessment.
The assessment cautions that Russia remains a diminished force compared with pre-war expectations — reliant on poorly trained recruits, convicts, foreign nationals and aging equipment — but warns that a degraded military rebuilt around attrition still poses a long-term challenge for Ukraine, NATO and European security.
Estonia, a frontline NATO state bordering Russia, has built one of Europe’s most detailed intelligence pictures of Russian military activity through its proximity, regional expertise and intelligence sharing with allies. Its annual assessments are closely read within NATO for its granular focus on Russia’s capabilities, limitations and long-term planning.
Nearly four years into the war, Estonia’s intelligence service says Russia has failed to achieve its core objective of subjugating Ukraine, which it describes as "more determinedly independent than ever before."
President Donald Trump recently mocked Moscow’s performance, calling Russia a "paper tiger" in a Truth Social post and questioning how a superpower could spend "four …

Democrats split on shielding Coast Guard, Secret Service as DHS shutdown threat nears
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

Democrats are split on whether to spare the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and other agencies from the possibility of a government shutdown as lawmakers remain gridlocked over Democrats' demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"The lawless, reckless people who are marauding bands wild on our street — to hell with that," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital, referring to the agents carrying out President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
"But let’s take care of those agencies that are doing the right thing."
Other Democrats, however, believe now is the time to play hardball over the changes they want to see and aren't inclined to cut deals that don't directly address their demands.
DEMS' DHS SHUTDOWN THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT
"I don’t think there should be any deals so long as Kristi Noem heads that department," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. 
"Fire her — then (they) can have my vote."
In the wake of two deadly confrontations between border enforcement and civilians in Minnesota earlier in 2026, Democrats are demanding stronger warrant requirements, a ban on masks, a ban against racial profiling, an end to paramilitary police and more before funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under DHS.
Republicans have balked at those demands, arguing they would handcuff the agency’s operations.
But even amid those tensions, DeLauro believes Democrats — and Republicans — can find common ground to shield unrelated agencies from suffering the fallout if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement by Friday.
Until then, DHS is running off a two-week spending extension lawmakers agreed to when this same issue threatened a larger, $1.2 trillion spending package earlier this in February. 
When the impasse over ICE looked poised to tank the bill, lawmakers split off non-DHS funding to shrink the scope of the disagreement. DeLauro believes Congress should do that again now.
"We are strongly supportive of TSA, of the Coast Guard, of FEMA, of cybersecurity, of the Secret Service, and we applaud what they do," DeLauro said, listing more services that could be affected.
"We are not for what ICE and CBP are doing. We are going to be supportive of the other agencies."
Other Democrats, especially moderates, agreed with DeLauro.
"Sounds reasonable," Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said of her idea. "I don’t think anybody likes shutdowns — certainly not the Coast Guard, certainly not TSA."
THUNE BLASTS JEFFRIES, SCHUMER AS 'AFRAID OF THEIR SHADOWS' AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT HEATS UP
"I …

Under GOP Pressure, Federal Agency Pulls Climate Change Chapter From Official Manual for U.S. Judges
This is performative politics again.

Under pressure from Republican state attorneys general, the agency that advises the U.S. Supreme Court and federal judges on scientific and technical matters has withdrawn the entirety of its content on climate change from a new judicial reference manual.

The move by the Federal Judicial Center leaves judges without any official support on how to weigh evidence about basic weather and climate changes just as numerous climate cases make their way through state and federal courts, including two on the docket of the U.S. Supreme Court for the current term.

The center was created as an education agency and is chaired by Chief Justice John Roberts. By law, it is charged with overseeing court policies and researching technical and scientific issues that come before the court. The Supreme Court press office did not respond to a request for comment.

On Dec. 31, 2025, the center released the first update in 15 years of its 1,682-page peer-reviewed guide, called the “Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence,” including more than 90 pages defining climate terminology and describing the state of scientific consensus on climate change and the methods used to attribute specific weather events to climate warming and its causes. The chapter acknowledges uncertainty in some areas of climate science; it generally reflects the conclusions of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The manual, widely cited and relied upon by law clerks and justices, is produced in partnership with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and also includes chapters on artificial intelligence, DNA identification and epidemiology, among other subjects. It is considered among the most important and trusted guides for justices grappling with technical material, in large part because it is endorsed by the judicial branch itself.

Its publication of the chapter on climate change, however, drew immediate criticism from conservatives, who allege that the section is slanted against oil and gas producers and represents an effort by activists to sway the opinion of judges deliberating on current cases.

The withdrawal comes as a number of lawsuits seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for the damage caused by climate change, which has been scientifically linked to the emissions produced by burning fossil fuels. Republican attorneys general have repeatedly criticized these lawsuits, accusing liberal groups of using tort law to enact regulatory policy and supporting efforts to have cases dismissed or moved into federal court.

On Feb. 2, more than 20 Republican attorneys general wrote to the House and Senate judiciary committees stating that the manual is “tainted by biased authors, reviewers, and sources involved in ongoing litigation,” and that it is an “inappropriate attempt to rig case outcomes in favor of one side.” The group encouraged the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, to include the publication in a recently announced investigation into a program by the Environmental Law Institute, a nonpartisan research group, to educate justices on climate change.

The next day, the Federalist Society, a conservative …

‘Indefensible’: Epstein survivors slam DOJ’s ‘incomplete’ release of files
Are they actually going to vote on something real?

Survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein rebuked the partial release of the Epstein files calling it “indefensible” in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The letter, obtained by CBS News, comes a day before the House Judiciary Committee’s is set to hold an oversight hearing with Bondi. The attorney general is facing criticism for the Justice Department releasing information on the survivors, while redacting names of coconspirators.

“We must be clear: this release does not provide closure,” the letter reads. “It feels instead like a deliberate attempt to intimidate survivors, punish those who came forward, and reinforce the same culture of secrecy that allowed Epstein’s crimes to continue for decades.”

The letter states the DOJ’s “redactions and disclosures” in the most recent tranche of released files are “reckless and dangerous.

“This release remains incomplete in a way that is both staggering and indefensible,” the letter reads.

The letter was sent as a handful of lawmakers visited the DOJ to review the unredacted Epstein files this week. This is the first time the documents have been made available to lawmakers in their entirety.

Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) viewed the documents on Monday. Massie said the attempt at making the files transparent was inefficient. In particular, Massie said he’d found the names of six men “likely incriminated” in Epstein’s crimes whose names were redacted.

“What I saw that bothered me were the names of at least six men that had been redacted that are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files,” Massie said. “It took some digging to find them.”

Khanna and Massie said they would give the DOJ time to fix the redactions, or they would consider reading the names on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives using the speech and debate clause.

MASSIE AND KHANNA CLAIM DOJ REDACTED NAMES ‘LIKELY INCRIMINATED’ MEN IN THE EPSTEIN FILES

“I think we need to give the DOJ a chance to go back through and correct their mistakes,” Massie told reporters.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the DOJ for comment.