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Khanna says DOJ ‘muddying the waters’ on Epstein files by naming Janis Joplin in letter
Are they actually going to vote on something real?

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is accusing the Department of Justice of “muddying the waters” in its latest disclosure of the Epstein files by naming the late singer Janis Joplin in a new letter to Congress.

Joplin was among more than 300 high-profile figures mentioned in a six-page letter on Saturday. The DOJ said these figures were either government officials or “politically exposed persons” who were named or referenced in the documents. The department noted the Epstein Files Transparency Act does not define what a politically exposed person is, but released all relevant names.

The inclusion of Joplin’s name in the letter stands out because she died in 1970, long before convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was in the public spotlight.

BYRON YORK: IN THE EPSTEIN MESS, GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP

“The DOJ is once again purposefully muddying the waters on who was a predator and who was mentioned in an email,” Khanna posted on X late Saturday.

“To have Janis Joplin, who died when Epstein was 17, in the same list as Larry Nassar, who went to prison for the sexual abuse of hundreds of young women and child pornography, with no clarification of how either was mentioned in the files is absurd,” he continued.

Khanna, who has been particularly critical of the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files, called on the DOJ to release all documents and to “stop protecting predators.” The department has faced scrutiny for redacting the names of certain individuals, including nonvictims. Khanna argued that only the names of victims should be redacted.

In the letter to top leaders of the Senate Judiciary and House Judiciary committees, the DOJ maintained it has released “all” records related to Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. The department added that it did not withhold or redact records “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary,” as defined in the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The bill was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump late last year.

The new letter lists Trump, Melania Trump, and Ivanka Trump among the long list of public figures. Some of the other names include Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Notably, Khanna and other members of Congress who have pushed for the full release of the Epstein files are also listed in the …

Trump announces $5 billion pledge in Gaza aid from Board of Peace members
Who's accountable for the results?

Members of President Donald Trump's Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza, the president announced Sunday.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, saying the funding would be formally pledged during a February 19 meeting in Washington, D.C.
"On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that Member States have pledged more than $5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and Local Police to maintain Security and Peace for Gazans. Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization. The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman," Trump wrote.
"The Board of Peace has unlimited potential. Last October, I released a Plan for the permanent end to the Conflict in Gaza, and our Vision was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Shortly thereafter, we facilitated Humanitarian Aid at record speed, and secured the release of every living and deceased Hostage. Just last month, two dozen distinguished Founding Members joined me in Davos, Switzerland, to celebrate its official formation, and present a bold Vision for the Civilians in Gaza, and then, ultimately, far beyond Gaza — WORLD PEACE!" he said.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

Fraud Nation
Be honest—this is ridiculous.

Americans want to help people in need, but when government does that, about 500 billion taxpayer dollars get stolen.

It’s how the system is designed, says the United Council on Welfare Fraud’s Andrew McClenahan in this new video. “You’re measuring success by the amount of money you put out.”

Because of that, government agencies rarely check whether their handouts go to the right people.

Minnesota is just the latest example.

Government officials didn’t uncover that fraud—YouTuber Nick Shirley did.

I say to McClenahan, “It’s weird that a kid did what government investigators couldn’t do.”

“Articles back in 2018 talked about millions of dollars in suitcases being flown out of Minneapolis,” he replies. “But it took a 20-year-old with an iPhone to go in there and expose it on Twitter.”

After Shirley publicized the fraud, the White House froze billions in welfare payments.

Progressives didn’t like that.

“What they are doing is creating confusion, chaos, trying to intimidate people,” complains Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. “There is no reason for them to fully stop funding these programs. The only reason they’re doing that is for PR purposes.”

Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz was hardly better. “This is on my watch. I am accountable,” he said.

But he did nothing about the fraud.  

During the pandemic, President Joe Biden said: “My message to those cheats out there is this: You can’t hide. We’re going to find you!”

But they didn’t.

Of the hundreds of billions stolen in 2024, the Department of Justice barely recovered $2.9 billion.

Is there nothing we can do to stop fraud?

“Sure, you can!” says McClenahan. “It takes less than a second to verify things with data connections these days.”

But government rarely uses modern data connections.

Elon Musk, when he ran the Department of Government Efficiency, complained that government records weren’t computerized. Many agencies doled money out without even saying what the money was for, or where it went! He calls government recordkeeping a “time warp.”

“They’re relying on rules and regulations written for pen and paper,” says McClenahan.

Poor recordkeeping makes fraud easier.

Some people openly brag about it.

During President Donald Trump’s first term, a rapper wrote a song about stealing benefits that Trump rushed out for pandemic relief: “I gotta shout-out to Donald Trump. I just might swipe me a lump sum.”

That was in California. There’s lot of fraud there. The state gave phone subsidies to 94,000 accounts of dead people.

“Everybody knows that the United States is the easiest game in town,” says McClenahan.

Some stolen funds go to alleged terrorists.

“We literally rang the dinner bell for the whole world, and they answered,” he says.

“These are American programs,” I point out. “People in other countries aren’t eligible.”

“But if you’re not checking to see where somebody lives, where they’re applying from, who they are, you’re not going to find them!” says McClenahan.

In addition, many state politicians don’t try to find fraud. Handouts mostly come from the federal government, so local politicians reason: “People in other states pay, but my taxpayers collect! Why make a big effort to stop …

Massie rips Trump’s lack of transparency on files as head of ‘Epstein administration’
Same show, different day.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) derided President Donald Trump for his lack of transparency related to the Epstein files, going so far as to claim the president is in charge of the “Epstein administration.”

“Donald Trump told us that even though he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent, but he’s not,” the congressman said on the ABC News Sunday morning news program This Week. “He’s still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration, and they’re attacking me for trying to get these files released.”

Within the Trump administration, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz are facing scrutiny for their past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the extent of which is seen in the files.

KHANNA SAYS DOJ ‘MUDDYING THE WATERS’ ON EPSTEIN FILES BY NAMING JANIS JOPLIN IN LETTER

Neither administration official nor Trump has been accused of any criminal behavior in relation to Epstein’s sexual crimes.

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has tried to distance himself from his past relationship with the convicted sex offender. At several points, he claimed Democrats were pushing the Epstein files as a “hoax” to undermine his administration.

Trump later signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill passed by Congress to compel the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related records in full and in a timely manner, as a way to expose Democrats’ ties to the late financier.

The DOJ maintains it is complying with the law by disclosing millions of records, but members of Congress continue to apply pressure on the department’s leadership.

Massie, for one, was not fond of answers made by Attorney General Pam Bondi during a contentious hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Asked on ABC if he has confidence in Bondi as attorney general, Massie replied, “I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi. She wasn’t confident enough to engage in anything but name-calling in a hearing. And so no, I don’t have confidence in her.”

EPSTEIN FILES IMPLODE BRITISH POLITICS WITH ‘BIGGEST SCANDAL’ IN ‘OVER ONE CENTURY’

The Kentucky Republican cited Bondi’s evasive response to his question about the redaction of former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner’s name from a certain document.

“She wouldn’t give me an answer,” he said. “But ultimately, it’s her who is responsible for the document …

Campus Radicals Newsletter: Antifa-linked group tells students to mobilize, college students fake disabilities
How is this acceptable?

ANTI-WOKE WAVE: Tufts professor says students are ditching woke culture and finding performative politics 'cringy'
TRAINING GUIDE LEAKED: Scathing report reveals Antifa-linked org passing out material to K-12 students: 'Political revolution'
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FAITH VS FACULTY: Notre Dame student calls professor appointment a 'betrayal' over pro-abortion stance at Catholic university
'IT'S FRAUD': Cal State prof warns scrapping SAT in name of ‘inclusivity’ is leaving students unprepared
DUBIOUS DIAGNOSES: Experts rip college students as reports expose them for abusing system with fake disabilities

Immigration Is Shaking Up Political Parties in Britain, Europe, and the US
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces calls to resign for his appointment of Epstein-tied Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, one is struck by the sudden instability of British governments.

In the 28 years between 1979 and 2007, Britain had only three prime ministers, while in the 19 years since 2007, it has had seven, and may soon have eight. Only one of those, David Cameron, carried his party to a reelection victory, and he resigned a year after being beaten in the Brexit referendum.

It’s not just leaders who have stumbled. Even historically long-lasting parties have. Britain’s Conservatives, who, since the party’s founding in 1846, 180 years ago, have been the most electorally successful party anywhere, are polling at 19% today. So is the Labour Party, founded in 1900 and Britain’s second party since 1923, 103 years ago.

Similarly, elsewhere in Europe, France’s historic socialist, communist, and Gaullist parties have more or less disappeared, and the National Rally, dismissed as unthinkable, to the point that the judicial establishment disqualified it from the ballot, still leads the polls under its 30-year-old successor.

Germany’s Social Democrats, founded in the 1880s, were swept in and promptly swept out of office, while the Christian Democrats, the descendants of the anti-Nazi Catholic Center party, have barely been holding their own against the oft-denounced AfD.

Italy’s dominant asymmetric duo, for two generations after World War II, the Christian Democrats and the Communists, fell on bad times in the 1990s, with the fading of belief in their founding faiths, Catholicism and communism.

Dominant since then have been media millionaire Silvio Berlusconi, the Five Star Movement party, founded by a comedian, and the current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose party’s roots were once dismissed as neo-fascist.

The two American political parties, the oldest and third-oldest in the world, have shown more stability. In the first half of the 20th century, Democrats survived the landslide rejection of Woodrow Wilson in 1920, and Republicans survived the landslide rejection of Herbert Hoover in 1932.

The two parties’ resilience prevented Americans from succumbing, as many feared they would, to the totalitarian temptations that swept much of continental Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

In the volatile years after what was then called the Great War, communists took over Russia in 1917 through 1920, fascists took over Italy in 1922 through 1924, and Nazis took over Germany in 1933 through 1934. No one could be sure that a similar upheaval would not succeed in France, Britain or America.

Before that war, American presidents opposed restrictions on immigration, confident that assimilation efforts, such as big-city public schools and Henry Ford’s English-language classes, would Americanize the Ellis Island generation of 1892-1914.

Fears of revolution and the wartime capacity to control people’s movements led to bipartisan majorities for the 1924 law that cut off immigration from eastern and southern Europe.

Now, a century later, immigration is the problem that, more than anything else, is threatening the hold of …

Obama says ‘respect for the office’ lost after Trump shares racist ape video
Trust is earned, not demanded.

Former President Barack Obama said a “clown show” is happening on social media and television in response to a viral video President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social.

Trump took down an election conspiracy video from his social media earlier this month after it generated mass controversy, as it included a racist stereotype, portraying Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The former president reacted to the video by saying most people in the United States find Trump’s behavior “deeply troubling” and called it a “distraction.”

“But as I’m traveling around the country, as you’re traveling around the country, you meet people, they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness, and there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” Obama said on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast. “And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right? So that’s been lost.”

HUGO GURDON: AMERICAN DECLINE, OR A REBOUND?

Obama also said the Democratic Party did come off as “scolds” to voters on certain issues, describing this as “virtue-signaling” that pushes voters away. He added that in order to create a welcoming environment, the party’s message needs to be “none of us are perfect,” something he said the party needs to recover.

In comparison, the former president said the Republican Party conducts “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics,” whereas Democrats are “coming together.” He cited the recent Super Bowl halftime performance by Bad Bunny, who gave a “smart” performance by demonstrating “what a community is.”

“And people who did not speak Spanish and have never been to Puerto Rico, they saw that elderly woman serving a drink and the kids dancing with their grandmas, and it was intergenerational,” Obama said. “And it was a reminder of what Dr. King called ‘the beloved community’ can look like, which is not perfect, and it’s messy sometimes, and I guarantee you, not all of those lyrics were probably politically correct, and if you translated them. You know, people are complicated, but there was a sense of, ‘All right, there’s room for everybody here,’ and that, I think, is where we win.”

DEMOCRATS TEST ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK LINE AGAINST TRUMP’S ORBIT

Washington Examiner Executive Editor Bob Cusack said last week the Republican Party is off to “a very bad start” …

The one sentence in Rubio's Munich speech that revealed Trump's red line for Europe
Who's accountable for the results?

Standing in Munich, where a Cold War wall once symbolized the division of a continent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered President Donald Trump’s red line for Europe.
"We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline," Rubio said during his Friday remarks before the Munich Security Conference.
America's top diplomat called for tighter borders, revived industry and a reassertion of national sovereignty, arguing that the West’s drift was not inevitable but the result of policy choices the Trump administration now intends to reverse.
RUBIO STEPS INTO MUNICH SPOTLIGHT AS TRUMP LEANS ON HIM TO CARRY VANCE’S POPULIST MESSAGE ABROAD
"We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history," he added, urging an alliance that "boldly races into the future."
Rubio’s 3,000-word address marked one of the clearest articulations yet of Trump’s break with the global status quo. It underscored a broader shift in transatlantic ties, with Washington pressing European allies to shoulder more of their own defense and elevate national sovereignty.
He described the erosion of manufacturing, porous borders and dependence on global institutions as symptoms of Western complacency.
RUBIO BLASTS ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ FANTASY, WARNS MASS MIGRATION THREATENS WESTERN CIVILIZATION
Reclaiming supply chain independence, enforcing immigration limits and rebuilding defense capabilities, he said, would be key to reversing course.
His remarks landed before an audience of European leaders who have long relied on U.S. security guarantees and remain wary of a more transactional Washington. 
The shift was striking in a forum that has traditionally served as a showcase for transatlantic unity, where U.S. officials in previous years stressed multilateral cooperation and institutional continuity.
Whether European capitals embrace that vision remains to be seen. But Rubio made clear that, under Trump, the U.S. no longer sees itself as the quiet steward of a fading order.

Trump says Board of Peace member states have vowed over $5 billion to rebuild Gaza
Notice what's missing.

President Donald Trump teased the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace set for later this week, revealing that member states of the international body have collectively pledged over $5 billion to rebuild Gaza following Israel’s two-year war with Hamas.

The meeting will take place on Thursday at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which the State Department renamed after Trump, in Washington, D.C.

“We will announce that Member States have pledged more than $5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and Local Police to maintain Security and Peace for Gazans,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday.

OBAMA SAYS ‘RESPECT FOR THE OFFICE’ LOST AFTER TRUMP SHARES RACIST APE VIDEO

The United States and United Arab Emirates each promised more than $1 billion toward the reconstruction effort, the New York Times previously reported. About 25 countries have joined the Board of Peace so far, though it remains to be seen how much each member has vowed to provide.

Trump’s preview of the $5 billion pledge comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally signed an agreement with the Board of Peace while visiting the White House.

Netanyahu traveled to the U.S. a week in advance of the Board of Peace meeting to discuss Gaza and other issues, including the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal talks. Because Netanyahu’s visit came earlier than initially expected, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will be taking the prime minister’s place at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Feb. 19.

As chairman of the Board of Peace, Trump is putting pressure on Hamas to demilitarize as required under his 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

“Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization,” he wrote in the social media post.

Hamas is currently in demilitarization talks with mediators in Egypt, but the terrorist group has repeatedly pushed back against the demand to disarm under the Trump-led peace plan.

Hamas has indicated its government in Gaza would be dissolved once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee assumed control of the enclave. The group has yet to relinquish full control of Gaza as Israel faces accusations for blocking members of the committee from entering the territory.

NETANYAHU SIGNS ISRAEL ONTO BOARD OF PEACE IN MEETING WITH MARCO RUBIO

A senior envoy on the Board of Peace is worried the …

(What’s Left of) Our Economy: Why That Last Official U.S. Jobs Report was Especially Good
This affects the entire country.

Before it gets too far back in our rear view mirrors, it’s definitely worth reporting on how strong many of the internals were in last week’s official U.S. jobs report (for January).

Not only were the headline figures good – with total employment rising by the most (130,000) since last December (237,000) and a main unemployment rate of 4.3 percent representing the best such result since the identical level in August. 

But the employment-to-population ratio – which measures the share of the working age population (aged 16 and over) with a job – was back up to its highest level (59.8 percent) since last April (60 percent).

The average mean period of unemployment (23.9 weeks) was down to its lowest level since last June (23.1 weeks).

The main indicator of underemployment – the so-called U-6 rate – dropped from 8.4 percent to eight percent (its lowest since last August’s 8.1 percent).

The number of Americans employed only part-time because a full-time job couldn’t be found dropped all the way from 5.341 million in December to 4.888 million.  That was the biggest monthly decrease in absolute terms since October, 2022 (4.131 million to 3.676 million).    

Multiple job holders as a share of those employed declined to 5.3 percent – a post-July, 2025 (5.1 percent) best. 

Unemployment for women dipped to 4.3 percent – back to where it was last August.  

January’s African American joblessness hit 7.2 percent – its best monthly result since last July’s identical number.

Youth unemployment (ages 16 to 19) is still way too high (13.6 percent).  But that’s the best such result since last May’s 13.4 percent.

The jobless rate for workers under 25 years of age lacking a high school diploma sank to 5.2 percent – the lowest since January, 2025.

At the same time, the January jobs results weren’t all roses.

First, they showed that revisions in employment totals for November and December were revised down by 17,000 altogether – and the preliminary results were pretty weak. (At the same time, due mainly to the Trump border and deportation policies, there’s lots of evidence that the numbers of net new jobs the economy needs to create to keep unemployment from rising has decreased considerably – indeed to the levels seen lately.  See, e.g., here.)

In addition, American job creation continues to be very narrowly based.  Positions that even Trump administration officials have (IMO, rightly) belittled as “government adjacent” (that is, government-subsidized) jobs accounted for an enormous 79.65 percent of all the January net new employment officially characterized as “private sector” jobs.

That’s especially worrisome if you believe, as I’ve been long arguing (e.g., here), that this trend is worrisome because the real private sector is more innovative and more productive than parts of the economy dominated by politicians’ decisions.

Also in January, unemployment for workers with a high school diploma but no college increased to 4.5 percent.  That’s still low by historical standards, but it was the highest level since November, 2024’s identical rate. 

In an especially discouraging development, the unemployment rate for veterans jumped from 3.9 percent to …