Good evening everyone. It’s a slower news day, which means I actually get to take my wife out to dinner tonight, so the video update is short. Scroll below for the full breakdown. We’re covering tomorrow’s critical deposition of Les Wexner, the Colbert censorship controversy that is now backfiring on the White House, disturbing developments inside detention facilities in Texas, and more.
Today I was flooded with messages from people angry about my reporting on Epstein. That comes with the territory. If you speak plainly and follow the facts, some people will try to shout you down. I’m not backing off. I will continue reporting the truth, especially when powerful people would prefer silence.
If you value independent reporting that doesn’t bend to pressure from Washington, please consider subscribing or gifting a subscription. This work only continues with your support, and I will never cave to censorship.
Here’s the news:
- House Oversight Committee members will depose Ohio billionaire Leslie Wexner over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein—including questions about his knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s crimes—after documents unredacted his name as an unindicted co-conspirator, while separately Hyatt executive chairman Thomas Pritzker stepped down, expressing regret over his association with Epstein following the release of emails detailing their continued contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
- Lawmakers are urging the CIA to turn over all classified and unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, demanding transparency about any relationship the agency may have had with Epstein and asserting that Congress and the public deserve to know what information the CIA possesses.
- Despite Trump censoring the Stephen Colbert interview of James Talarico, the viewership for the interview has surged:
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s aggressive use of Coast Guard aircraft and resources to prioritize immigrant deportation flights—at times allegedly shifting assets away from search-and-rescue missions and sparking clashes over travel demands and aircraft purchases—has strained her relationship with senior Coast Guard officials, fueled morale concerns within the service, and drawn criticism from Democrats, though DHS denies wrongdoing and says operational priorities have not changed.
- Three U.K. police forces have formed a joint task force to reassess allegations against Prince Andrew related to Jeffrey Epstein, reviewing millions of newly released documents amid mounting pressure for a full criminal investigation into possible sex trafficking and other misconduct.
- A 2-month-old infant, Juan Nicolás, detained with his mother at ICE’s South Texas Family Detention Center in Dilley, was rushed to the hospital after reportedly choking on vomit and suffering ongoing respiratory issues; Rep. Joaquin Castro warned the facility lacks adequate medical capacity, while DHS says detainees are receiving proper care amid broader concerns about health conditions and a recent measles outbreak at the center. The latest on Juan is that no one knows where he is:
- ProPublica published letters and drawings from children detained with their families at ICE’s Dilley facility in Texas, where more than 750 families are being held, revealing accounts of sadness, depression, illness, missed school and prolonged confinement, while DHS says detainees receive adequate care and services amid a sharp rise in the number of children in immigration detention under the Trump administration.
- Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s outspoken spokesperson and a leading defender of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown, is leaving the department next week amid declining public support for the policy, internal turbulence at DHS, and ongoing political backlash, though her departure had reportedly been planned since December.
- Fulton County, Georgia, accused the Justice Department of misleading a judge to obtain a search warrant for 2020 election ballots, arguing the FBI omitted key information—including prior investigations that debunked the alleged “defects” and credibility issues with witnesses—and relied on routine human errors rather than evidence of intentional wrongdoing, as a federal judge prepares to hear the county’s request to have the seized materials returned.
- The Capitol Police has confirmed that an 18-year-old man was arrested on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol after rushing toward the building with a loaded shotgun while wearing a tactical vest and gloves; he complied when officers ordered him to drop the weapon and lie on the ground, and police later found extra ammunition on him as well as a Kevlar helmet and gas mask inside his nearby white Mercedes SUV, with authorities saying he was not known to police, not from the D.C. area, and that the motive remains under investigation.
- The CFTC, led by Chairman Michael Selig, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Crypto.com in a Nevada legal battle, arguing that fast-growing prediction markets like Kalshi are federally regulated financial exchanges under the CFTC’s authority—not state-regulated gambling—pitting the agency against states such as Nevada, Massachusetts, and Utah that are trying to restrict the platforms, amid surging popularity.
- During a discussion of polling showing Democrats leading congressional vote preference 52% to 46%, Martha MacCallum noted the numbers would be unfavorable for the GOP majority, while J.D. Vance dismissed the results by criticizing Fox News’ polling as unreliable.
- A federal judge in Maryland ruled that ICE cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported last year and later returned to the U.S.—because the 90-day detention limit has expired and there is no realistic plan to deport him to proposed countries in Africa; Abrego Garcia, who has a U.S. wife and child and previously won protection from removal to El Salvador due to gang threats, is also facing federal human smuggling charges to which he has pleaded not guilty.
- A Guatemalan man in the U.S. illegally, Oscar Vasquez Lopez, was charged with vehicular homicide and other offenses after allegedly fleeing an ICE traffic stop near Savannah, Georgia, running a stoplight and crashing into a car driven by Linda Davis, a beloved special education teacher on her way to work; the incident has sparked debate over ICE tactics and coordination with local authorities, with officials questioning whether the fatal crash could have been prevented.
- A U.S. immigration judge ended the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder and Columbia University student who helped lead Gaza-related protests, after he was arrested at a naturalization interview; the ACLU argued he was targeted for protected speech, though the government could still appeal or refile the case.
- In honor of Black History Month, I had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Earl Lewis, a prominent history professor at the University of Michigan. We have seen rights being rolled back in significant ways right now. We need to fight back, and we need to do it together to preserve the post-Brown v. Board era.
- U.S. Southern Command said it carried out strikes on three suspected drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, killing 11 people it described as “narco-terrorists,” marking part of more than 40 such operations under the Trump administration that critics call unlawful and lacking evidence, amid escalating tensions with Venezuela following earlier U.S. military actions against its leadership.
Good news:
- In Ramsgate, one of England’s poorest coastal towns, community members successfully saved their last youth center, Pie Factory Music, from closure by campaigning against the sale of its land and securing over $500,000 in government “Pride in Place” funding to purchase the property and continue providing vital support, counseling, and creative programs for young people.
- In Louisville, Kentucky, Officer Josh Thompson was searching for a missing 3-year-old when a stray dog began persistently guiding him down the street and back toward the child’s home, ultimately leading officers to a parked car where the boy was locked inside with child safety locks engaged; after coaching him to open the door, police safely rescued the child—who hugged the officer in relief—while the dog, whose owner remains unknown, was credited as the unlikely hero of the rescue.
- Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) carried out one of its largest operations, rescuing 51 mostly large-breed dogs from a struggling Arkansas shelter after a divorce between its owners left the animals neglected and stuck in austere conditions for years—some for as long as a decade—transporting them to its Nashville-area rescue center for veterinary care, enrichment, and eventual placement with trusted adoption partners.
- Dutch agri-tech firm LocalDutch is launching “Urban Farm Shops” that combine automated, AI-managed greenhouses with on-site grocery stores and local delivery, aiming to grow fresh produce year-round within cities, reduce transport and food waste, and make the model scalable in places like the U.S., backed by strong investor interest and early grant funding.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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