Year: 2026

Newly released Justice Department files include an October 2019 FBI interview summary in which former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter says that in July 2006 Donald Trump called to thank police for investigating Jeffrey Epstein, telling them “thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” Reiter’s statement says Trump described Ghislaine Maxwell as “evil” and an “operative,” and said he distanced himself from Epstein after seeing him with teenagers. The FBI said it has no corroborating evidence of the call. Trump has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The documents are part of a DOJ release. (time.com)

President Trump posted that Attorney General Pam Bondi has a “slam dunk conspiracy case” accusing former Obama administration officials of election meddling, echoing a retired FBI agent’s comments that the evidence could support sweeping charges. The agent, Jonathan Gilliam, told Just the News that documents Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel turned over to Congress show agents were blocked from probing Democrats and that alleged evidence could predicate conspiracy counts. Bondi has instructed prosecutors to investigate alleged “weaponization” of government; allies call for major indictments while critics warn such prosecutions would be unprecedented and politically fraught. Prosecutions, if brought, would face fierce legal challenges. (justthenews.com)

Note: I could not independently locate an archived copy of the specific X post at pic.x.com/JbUexyZuGoo; the “slam dunk” phrasing appears in the Just the News report cited above.

Reports say former president Donald Trump is weighing swift, decisive strikes on Iranian regime bases aimed, officials say, at debilitating Tehran’s capabilities and allowing the Iranian people to reclaim their country. (nbcdfw.com) U.S. sources tell NBC and other outlets he seeks a limited, definitive operation; advisers warn the measures may not guarantee collapse and could provoke harsh retaliation. (nbcdfw.com) The moves follow heightened tensions — naval deployments, the downing of an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln, and resumed nuclear talks — and have drawn international criticism and warnings of regional escalation. (apnews.com) Diplomacy remains active even as military options are debated. (washingtonpost.com)

French president Emmanuel Macron warned on February 10, 2026, that the Trump administration was “openly anti‑European” and sought the EU’s “dismemberment” in interviews with Le Monde, the Financial Times and other papers. He called the recent “Greenland moment” a wake‑up call, predicted further clashes with Washington—including attacks over digital regulation and potential US import tariffs—and urged EU leaders at a Brussels summit to seize the moment by pushing long‑delayed economic reforms. Macron advocated “protection, not protectionism,” and renewed calls for common borrowing such as eurobonds to boost European strategic autonomy and counter US dominance and strengthen European industrial capacity rapidly. (uk.marketscreener.com)

At the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2026, Donald Trump mused he might not qualify for heaven, saying, “I just don’t think I qualify; I don’t think there’s a thing I can do.” (people.com) He quoted Matthew 5:8, said he was unsure he was “pure in heart,” and teased House Speaker Mike Johnson for praying at meals. (thedailybeast.com) The remarks echo an October 12, 2025 Air Force One exchange when he said he was “not maybe heaven-bound.” (wsfa.com) The comments drew mixed reactions from religious leaders and critics. (christianpost.com) In a nearly eighty‑minute address he blended spiritual reflection with political appeals to restore faith. (apnews.com)

Unsealed DOJ files show Donald Trump contacted Palm Beach police in July 2006 about Jeffrey Epstein, telling then-chief Michael Reiter “thank goodness you’re stopping him” and calling Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell “evil” and urging authorities to “focus on her.” The detail appears in a 2019 FBI interview included in the Justice Department’s January 30, 2026 release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Reiter said Trump told officers he had been around Epstein when teenagers were present and had barred Epstein from Mar‑a‑Lago. The disclosure is part of a massive dump of documents, images and videos revealing investigators’ knowledge and context. (justice.gov)

Newly released DOJ Epstein files include a 2019 FBI interview in which former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter said Donald Trump called him July 2006 to report Jeffrey Epstein’s activities. Reiter quoted Trump as saying, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him; everyone has known he’s been doing this,” urging investigators to focus on Ghislaine Maxwell and calling her “evil.” Reiter said Trump told him he “got the hell out” when teenagers were present and ejected Epstein from Mar‑a‑Lago. The files, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and an FBI denial about the call, have renewed scrutiny of Trump’s statements. (documentcloud.org)

ICE has begun targeting employers who hire undocumented workers, subpoenaing business records from roughly 1,200 companies and proposing nearly $1 million in fines as part of expanded worksite enforcement. (ice.gov) The agency also reports arresting over 1,000 unauthorized workers since Jan. 20 and says its Homeland Security Investigations directorate will hold businesses accountable. Advocates and reporters note that prosecutions of employers remain uncommon, with many companies avoiding criminal charges even after raids. Critics warn the approach disrupts communities and labor markets, while supporters call it necessary to deter illegal hiring and protect American workers. Raising concerns about enforcement priorities and oversight. (washingtonpost.com)

Authorities in Brazil, Australia and Canada have levied fines against Elon Musk’s social platform X after the company resisted court or regulator orders to remove content. Brazil’s supreme court threatened daily penalties amid a 2024 suspension for failing to block accounts tied to disinformation; Australia’s eSafety regulator fined X AU$610,500 for incomplete responses about child‑exploitation safeguards; a British Columbia tribunal imposed C$100,000 for failing to delete a non‑consensual intimate image. In December 2025 the European Commission fined X €120 million under the Digital Services Act for misleading verification, ad‑transparency and data‑access breaches. X has publicly defended its free‑speech stance, too. (aljazeera.com)

If you’d like, I can convert this into a neutral social post (no persuasion) sized for X, Facebook, or Instagram. Which platform?