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The three House Republicans who bucked Trump on tariffs
This is performative politics again.

A House GOP bid to block future votes on President Donald Trump’s tariffs until the end of July failed on Tuesday after three House Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the procedural measure.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Kevin Kiley (R-CA) each bucked the president on his emergency tariffs, bringing the final vote to 217-214.

The procedural rule, if passed, would have kept the House from striking down any tariff policy for the next five to six months.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) argued any such vote should wait until the Supreme Court weighs in on Trump’s national emergency declaration used to justify his tariffs. Given the case’s significance, a decision likely won’t come down until the end of June or the beginning of July.

Massie and Bacon have been particularly outspoken about tariffs as they relate to Congress’s constitutional authority over the matter.

A frequent critic of Trump, Massie argued Congress is required under federal law to allow a floor vote on national emergencies within 15 days of being declared by the president. Johnson’s measure would have altered the definition of a single legislative day to last several months.

“The vote tonight was to subvert the Constitution and the 1976 National Emergencies Act by literally saying a day is not a day,” Massie wrote on X.

Explaining his vote against the rule, Bacon said tariffs have been a “net negative” for the economy that significantly taxes American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers.

“Article I of the Constitution places authority over taxes and tariffs with Congress for a reason, but for too long, we have handed that authority to the executive branch,” Bacon posted on X. “It’s time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility. I also oppose using the rules votes to legislate. I want the debate and the right to vote on tariffs.”

Meanwhile, Kiley was largely opposed to the rule because the tariff provision was included in an otherwise unrelated bill.

“I think that, you know, it doesn’t really make sense to put something on the floor that’s not going to pass,” Kiley said, per Roll Call. “A rule is meant to bring a bill to the floor, set the parameters for debate. It’s not meant to smuggle in unrelated provisions that expand the power of leadership at the expense of our members.”

After the rule failed, the House Rules Committee convened to exclude the tariff language. The rule was intended to start a debate on three unrelated bills.

Last year, House …

Nancy Guthrie search stalls after authorities release detained suspect
Ask who never gets charged.

Authorities appeared to come to another dead end in their investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, after they released a man detained in connection with the case overnight. 

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department detained the man for questioning on Tuesday during a traffic stop south of Tucson. The sheriff’s office and the FBI then conducted a court-authorized search of his home in Rio Rico. His detention came shortly after the FBI released a series of chilling doorbell camera videos and still images of a masked person appearing to tamper with Nancy Guthrie’s security camera and pacing the elderly woman’s front porch the night she vanished without a trace from her Arizona home eleven days ago. 

But the search concluded in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and the man was released from custody, leaving the Guthrie family in limbo once again, according to multiple outlets. The man is a delivery driver identified as Carlos Palazuelo, according to NBC News. Palazuelo said that law enforcement agents told him he looked like the person seen in security camera footage from Guthrie’s house, but said he could not remember delivering anything to that location. 

“I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it. They better do their job and find the suspect that did it so they can clear my name, and I’m done,” Carlos told reporters as he returned home, according to the New York Times.“Look at what I’m putting my family through.”

Palazuelo said he was shocked at being detained, telling KNXV that he was held in custody from around 4 p.m. Tuesday to after midnight.  “What the f*** am I doing here? I didn’t do anything. To be honest, I’m innocent,” he said. 

Investigators have struggled to get a grasp on the case, with no suspect or person of interest appearing to be on the horizon nearly two weeks after Nancy Guthrie, 84, is believed to have been abducted. Officials have warned that she is particularly at risk due to her daily dependence on health medication. “The clock is literally ticking,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Feb. 3.

Authorities made one key breakthrough on Tuesday, when the FBI released doorbell camera footage of the apparent suspect authorities had previously said they were not able to access. 

Authorities say Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera was removed and disconnected at 1:47 a.m. the night she went missing. Software still detected a person on camera at 2:12 a.m. Feb. 1. However, no video was available because Nancy Guthrie did not have …

Trump's tariffs cost American households $1,000 last year: Research group
Who benefits from this decision?

President Donald Trump's tariffs cost the average American household $1,000 last year, according to new research from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
The cost is set to go even higher this year to $1,300 per household, assuming the existing tariffs stay in place, the research said.
The research called Trump's tariffs "the largest U.S. tax increase as a percent of GDP since 1993." It suggests the president's signature economic policy is exacerbating cost of living concerns at a time when many households are grappling with persistently high prices.
According to the research think tank Tax Foundation, the federal government collected $264 billion in total tariff revenues in 2025 -- far short of the trillions regularly touted by the White House. The research also finds the tariffs will offset most of the economic benefits of the new tax cuts from Trump's signature tax law that took effect this year.
Tariffs, which fluctuated through 2025 as the U.S. struck trade deals, primarily affected the cost of electronics, toys and cars that aren't manufactured domestically and foods that are grown abroad. The price of coffee rose by 33.6%, ground beef by 19.3%, romaine lettuce by 16.8% and frozen orange juice by 12.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Tax Foundation data shows the average effective tariff rate in the U.S. has surged from around 2% in 2024 to roughly 10% in 2025, the highest since 1946.
Do you think American voters would prefer tax hikes or price hikes? Are the macroeconomic benefits worth it to voters regarding tariffs, like the sense of helping fellow American companies? How have tariffs impacted your shopping trends?

What do you think of the idea of a results based decisionmaking system?
We're watching the same failure loop.

This premise will depend on two main factors: An objective which has been decided upon, perhaps by a constitutional provision, perhaps by plebiscite, or a bill enacted as law, or similar. Something that can be considered to be somewhat like a general will, as Rousseau might have said. And secondly, a metric by which the result is going to be measured by (as part of the objective's adoption) and a system for finding out if that result, by that metric, has been achieved, or else some disincentive or incentive is imposed on those tasked with achieving the objective (a reward for achieving it or sanction for failing to do so). The rule here will not specify in more detail than necessary how to achieve it. It is not the suggestion of a grand ideal someone might suggest like no law infringing free speech, given that there is no included definition of that that actually means nor a way to empirically prove what it is and no incentive or disincentive for those with the power to decide on what that ends up meaning.
Soldiers in many modern armies are given exactly this kind of expectation, where they can use whatever legal methods they can think of to carry out the aim of their superior, and it is the norm to not dictate an order in more detail than necessary to achieve the goal.
The objectives could be one of a wide variety of options. Sweden has the objective of Vision Zero on roads, aiming to have 0 KIA while engaged in traffic. Some cities have aimed for the elimination of the homeless and I don't mean by exterminating them. Perhaps MPs get a bonus of 10 or 15% to their pay if they can maintain a balanced budget in times other than armed conflict or a major natural disaster or verified recession or if they keep the cost of housing of the median family to 30% or less of their after-tax income or some definition. Maybe get fined a tenth of their income in a year if they let the cases in the judiciary and administrative tribunals languish and they don't use their powers to ensure they are dealt with rapidly like settling on the number of judges and actively solicits good candidates.
What a society will decide is valuable enough to become such an objective, at what level it is imposed (such as whether it will bind the executive or also the legislature and perhaps local governments), what sanctions or incentives will be used, what metric will be used, and so on, that could vary across many places and times, I don't know in all cases, but maybe you have some ideas for what you'd see?

Trump awards final contracts under US-Finnish icebreaker partnership to Canadian defense company
Who benefits from this decision?

EXCLUSIVE — The U.S. Coast Guard is awarding a contract to Canada’s Davie Defense, Inc. to construct the final five of 11 Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers ordered by President Donald Trump last year.

In October 2025, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced a new partnership between the United States and Finland to build out America’s icebreaker fleet, a critical leg of the president’s Arctic defense strategy. The partnership dictated that four of the American icebreakers be constructed in Finland, the undisputed global leader in icebreaker construction, with the remaining seven built domestically in the United States.

“America has been an Arctic nation for over 150 years, and we’re finally acting like it under President Trump. Our adversaries continue to look to grow their presence in the Arctic, equipping the Coast Guard with Arctic Security Cutters will help reassert American maritime dominance there,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking capabilities is crucial for our security and prosperity, and today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.”

Davie will construct two of its five awarded Arctic Security Cutters at the Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and anchor construction of the remaining three at shipyards in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.

While the decision to award the final icebreaker contract to a Canadian defense company may raise some eyebrows in Washington, given the recent threats the president has levied against America’s northern neighbor, a senior Trump administration official pointed to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact signed by the U.S., Canada, and Finland last November.

“We have a trilateral agreement, and it’s working out great for us,” the official stated.

Davie Defense CEO Kai Skvarla said the firm was “deeply honored” by the Coast Guard’s “vote of confidence.”

“We can’t wait to get started on delivering mission-ready cutters to our valued U.S. Coast Guard partner,” he wrote in a statement. “By anchoring construction in Texas, while drawing on Helsinki Shipyard’s proven icebreaker expertise, we can deliver the ASCs to meet the Coast Guard’s operational needs in the world’s harshest environments.”

Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, added that Trump’s icebreaker partnership “ensures the United States maintains its leadership as a maritime power in the Arctic.”

“Accelerating construction of these …

Trump awards final contracts under US-Finnish icebreaker partnership to Canada-linked defense company
Who benefits from this decision?

EXCLUSIVE — The U.S. Coast Guard is awarding a contract to an American arm of Canada’s Davie Shipbuilding, Davie Defense, Inc. to construct the final five of 11 Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers ordered by President Donald Trump last year.

In October 2025, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced a new partnership between the United States and Finland to build out America’s icebreaker fleet, a critical leg of the president’s Arctic defense strategy. The partnership dictated that four of the American icebreakers be constructed in Finland, the undisputed global leader in icebreaker construction, with the remaining seven built domestically in the United States.

“America has been an Arctic nation for over 150 years, and we’re finally acting like it under President Trump. Our adversaries continue to look to grow their presence in the Arctic, equipping the Coast Guard with Arctic Security Cutters will help reassert American maritime dominance there,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking capabilities is crucial for our security and prosperity, and today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.”

Davie will construct two of its five awarded Arctic Security Cutters at the Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and anchor construction of the remaining three at shipyards in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.

While the decision to award the final icebreaker contract to a to a subsidiary of a Canadian shipbuilding company may raise some eyebrows in Washington, given the recent threats the president has levied against America’s northern neighbor, a senior Trump administration official pointed to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact signed by the U.S., Canada, and Finland last November.

“We have a trilateral agreement, and it’s working out great for us,” the official stated.

Davie Defense CEO Kai Skvarla said the firm was “deeply honored” by the Coast Guard’s “vote of confidence.”

“We can’t wait to get started on delivering mission-ready cutters to our valued U.S. Coast Guard partner,” he wrote in a statement. “By anchoring construction in Texas, while drawing on Helsinki Shipyard’s proven icebreaker expertise, we can deliver the ASCs to meet the Coast Guard’s operational needs in the world’s harshest environments.”

Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, added that Trump’s icebreaker partnership “ensures the United States maintains its leadership as a …

Virginia redistricting and raw political power
Why resist verification?

Virginia’s proposed new congressional map, which gives Democrats all but one seat in a state that still votes more than 40% Republican, is sparking new debates over the proper use of political power.

Conservatives in particular are split over whether Virginia Democrats’ aggressive gerrymander is an abomination to be condemned or an example red states should follow ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states such as Texas to pursue mid-decade redistricting to help the GOP defend its razor-thin House majority by creating new pickup opportunities for the president’s party. Some red states heeded Trump’s call. Others, like Indiana, demurred.

But blue states have answered with redistricting pushes of their own. California voters approved a map backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), a likely 2028 presidential candidate, to counter any Republican gains in Texas. Maryland Democrats’ new map could erase the state’s last Republican-held House seat.

Nowhere has been quite as audacious or lopsided as Virginia. If approved by voters and allowed by the courts, the commonwealth’s congressional map could be up to 10-1 Democratic.

All of Virginia’s statewide elected executive officers, including the governor, were Republicans as recently as mid-January. (Democrats swept the off-year elections in Virginia last November.) Former Vice President Kamala Harris won just 51.8% of the vote against Trump there in 2024. Large swathes of the state south of the Washington, D.C., suburbs remain heavily Republican. The current split in the Virginia congressional delegation is just 6-5 Democratic, though both senators are Democrats. Virginians haven’t elected a Republican to the upper chamber since George Allen in 2000. 

Beyond the merits of the individual state maps in question or partisan gerrymandering in principle, however, conservatives are debating whether this is a prudent use of political power.

Some conservatives would like to see Republican-led states be as ruthless in pursuing partisan advantages in the drawing of congressional maps as they legally can be, precisely because Democrats have shown little hesitation in wielding such political power themselves.

Many blue states were arguably already more gerrymandered than their Republican counterparts before the current redistricting wars started. In California, Democrats held 82% of congressional seats in a state Harris won with 59% of the vote, while Republicans occupied 66% of …

The FAA created - then lifted - a ten day closure of the airspace around El Paso, leaving more questions than answers. Is this an example of the breakdown of federal government responsibilities under the Trump Administration?
Policy without accountability is dangerous.

Late Tuesday night the FAA closed the airspace around El Paso for ten days for "special security reasons", with little notice to the impacted airport, airlines, and community. Little information on what the reason for the closure were available, leading to speculation of further military action of some sort. However, the closure was lifted less than 12 hours later, with a similar lack of clarity on the reason why the "special security reasons" were no longer valid
A later announcement was that the shutdown was "related to a test of new counter-drone technology by the military at nearby Fort Bliss Army base". Why this would require a ten day shutdown is unclear
Airspace closures absent emergency situations have historically been announced months in advance to give communities and businesses enough time to adjust around any disruptions. Putting aside the speculation on the reason for the closure - which is disruptive enough itself - is this an example of the hollowing out of regulatory agencies under the Trump Administration causing more errors to creep into systems that had previously worked in the background mostly unnoticed?
What further disruptions of background systems would be expected to occur, and what might the impacts be?

FAA lifts flight restrictions over El Paso and New Orleans hours after instituting closure
Who's accountable for the results?

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its airspace closure over El Paso and New Orleans just hours after instituting it.

The FAA originally instituted the shutdown for 10 days, through Feb. 21, but it was lifted after a few hours, according to the Associated Press.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the FAA for comment.

A White House official told NewsNation that Mexican drug cartels were behind the closure, as they had breached U.S. airspace.

“Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Dept. of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” the official said.

The order was issued without advance notice and went into effect on Feb. 10 at 11:30 p.m. local time, multiple sources reported. However, NOTAM mentioned that the airspace restriction at El Paso began on “Feb. 11 at 0630 UTC.”

“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described),” information posted in an “Operating Restrictions and Requirements” section said. “EXCLUDING MEXICAN AIRSPACE.”

The official reason posted on the NOTAM for the closure was “Temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons.”

FAA RESTRICTS FLIGHTS OVER NEW ORLEANS AND EL PASO AIRPORT FOR ‘SECURITY REASONS’

The sudden notification took many by surprise and left some travelers temporarily stranded.

An order to shut down all flights, including medivac and police helicopters, has no precedent in U.S. history, going beyond the nationwide shutdown after 9/11, CNN reported.

Bondi to face grilling in House Judiciary Committee over Epstein files, weaponization allegations
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers are expected to confront her over the Department of Justice’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files, numerous high-profile, politically charged indictments and broader structural changes at the department.
The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m., marks Bondi’s first appearance before the House panel since taking the helm of the DOJ.
While some Republicans are likely to praise Bondi for shifting the department’s focus to street crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, Democrats and other Republicans have signaled they will grill her on the department’s attempts to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that required the DOJ to publish all unclassified files related to Epstein’s case.
LAPSED EPSTEIN DEADLINE UNDERSCORES CHALLENGE OF REVIEWING TROVES OF FILES IN 30 DAYS
Republicans on the committee may highlight the DOJ’s efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking and the opioid epidemic, as well as violent crime and immigration, which the Trump administration has made clear are its top priorities.
In the most prominent of the drug cases brought during Bondi's tenure, the DOJ brought a superseding indictment against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, alleging narco-terrorism conspiracy and firearms charges. After his stunning capture last month, Maduro and his wife were brought to the Southern District of New York and are being detained there as they await trial.
Several recent controversial judicial developments are also likely to surface during the hearing.
A federal judge ruled that the interim appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who was leading the U.S. attorney's office in Eastern Virginia, was unlawful. The move derailed the DOJ's high-profile indictments of FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading a judge to toss out the cases. The DOJ is now appealing them.