Year: 2026

President Donald Trump will host the White House’s traditional governors’ meeting later this month but has limited invitations to Republican governors only, breaking a decades‑long bipartisan practice. The National Governors Association said the decision politicizes the event and declined to use NGA resources to support the altered meeting; two Democratic governors — Maryland’s Wes Moore and Colorado’s Jared Polis — were reportedly uninvited from a presidential dinner. Moore criticized the move as a “blatant disrespect,” noting he is the nation’s only Black governor. The White House has not explained why Democrats were excluded, prompting concern about federal‑state collaboration this year. (kgfw.com)

Rep. Thomas Massie said he’s prepared to start reading alleged Jeffrey Epstein “client” names aloud on the House floor if Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department refuses to unredact them. (newsweek.com) Massie, co‑sponsor of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, said survivors could privately provide names and that he would invoke the Speech or Debate Clause’s immunity to disclose them. (theguardian.com) His warning follows the DOJ’s court‑ordered release of millions of Epstein‑related documents amid sharp criticism over heavy redactions and missing records. (washingtonpost.com) Lawmakers have demanded fuller transparency; Massie says using floor immunity is a last resort to force disclosure now.

President Trump’s administration announced sweeping restrictions barring people unlawfully present in the U.S. from federal tuition, food assistance and many health and social programs. Departments including HHS, Education and Agriculture say they will reinterpret the 1996 welfare law to add 13 programs and expand exclusions to about 44 federal benefits, end free post‑secondary tuition in some programs, and tighten eligibility verification. Officials framed the move as protecting taxpayer resources; advocates warn it will worsen public health, harm children and prompt legal challenges and state injunctions. The policy follows earlier executive orders tightening immigration and benefit rules and could face courts. (whitehouse.gov)

A new Emerson College survey (Aug. 18–19, 2025) shows Vivek Ramaswamy leading the Ohio governor’s race by eight points over Democrat Tim Ryan (49%–41%) and by ten points over Democrat Amy Acton (49%–39%). The poll of 1,000 active registered voters has a credibility interval ±3 points. Ramaswamy — the former presidential candidate backed by former President Donald Trump and the Ohio GOP — has surged early after rivals like AG Dave Yost exited the primary. Pollsters caution these are early, name-recognition-driven numbers that could change before the 2026 primary and general elections. Voters remain closely divided across suburbs, women, and independents’ preferences. (newsmax.com)

At a pre–Super Bowl party in San Francisco on February 6, 2026, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong delivered a politically charged set, urging ICE agents to “quit that shitty-ass job” and warning that Trump-era figures would “drop you like a bad habit.” He altered lyrics live—changing a line in “Holiday” to “the representative from Epstein Island has the floor”—and updated other verses to criticize MAGA figures. The remarks, made at a Spotify/FanDuel pregame event ahead of Green Day’s Super Bowl opening performance, were widely shared online and reported by major outlets. Reactions were mixed across the political spectrum. (forbes.com)

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show was “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst, EVER,” adding, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children.” (nbcbayarea.com) He also criticized the NFL’s new kickoff rule and praised the economy. (thewrap.com) Bad Bunny’s largely Spanish, Puerto Rican set included a staged wedding, (theguardian.com) cameos from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, (people.com) and closed with a football reading “Together We Are America” and the line “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love.” Remarks drew media and political reaction. (euronews.com)

Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn announced she is stepping away from social media after backlash to comments criticizing Donald Trump’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. Glenn, who identifies as queer and competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, said on Instagram she had received “a scary amount of hate/threats” after speaking at a press conference and will limit her social media for her mental well‑being. She reiterated she won’t be silenced and intends to keep using her platform for advocacy, but said the volume of online abuse has made a temporary break necessary while she focuses on competing. (nbclosangeles.com)

President Donald Trump slammed the Super Bowl LX halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny and featuring artists including Lady Gaga, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.” Posting on Truth Social after the broadcast, he wrote that the performance “makes no sense,” is “an affront to the Greatness of America,” and “doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.” He complained “nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” called the dancing “disgusting, especially for young children,” and denounced media praise; the halftime set emphasized Latin and Puerto Rican themes and closed with a unity message. (ew.com)

Italy has declined to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, citing “insurmountable” constitutional limits because the board’s charter vests final authority in a single chair — Trump — which conflicts with Italy’s constitution requiring equality among states. Tajani told ANSA Italy remains willing to discuss peace efforts but cannot sign onto an organisation that concentrates power in one leader. The decision, announced February 7, 2026, follows similar refusals or hesitations by other Western democracies and reflects worries that the Board’s structure and funding model could undermine the United Nations’ role in post-conflict reconstruction. (aljazeera.com)

Breaking: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a trove of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s files that included an image of President Trump standing with women whose faces were redacted. On MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera show a legal analyst suggested the redactions “suggest” the women could be minors or survivors — a claim critics say was false. Reporting afterward found the unredacted photo showed Hawaiian Tropic models at a Mar-a-Lago event in the late 1990s who said they were adults. Social media and conservative commentators urged Trump to sue MSNBC and circulated a poll asking whether he should do so now. (mediaite.com)