Posts by jookco

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2026, calling him “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken.” (mediaite.com) He labeled Newsom “economically illiterate,” blamed California’s outward migration, budget shortfalls and homelessness, and quipped the governor had a “brain the size of a walnut.” (foxnews.com) Bessent warned Newsom’s suggestion to withhold federal tax payments would amount to criminal tax evasion and cautioned payroll officials about personal liability. (newsweek.com) The clash, sparked by Newsom’s earlier online jabs and a kneepad stunt in Davos, escalates tensions between the governor and the Treasury and national politics. (mediaite.com)

On January 30, 2026, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of Jeffrey Epstein investigative records, along with over 2,000 videos and roughly 180,000 images, to the public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The materials, posted to the DOJ website, were reviewed and heavily redacted to protect alleged victims and sensitive ongoing investigations; certain categories—child pornography, medical and personal records, and things that might jeopardize probes—were withheld. Blanche said Congress will receive a report on redaction decisions. The disclosure follows earlier partial releases and intense public and congressional pressure. (washingtonpost.com)

President Trump announced he signed an executive order to “bring back mental institutions and insane asylums,” saying, “Hate to build those suckers but you’ve got to get the people off the streets,” during a White House press briefing marking his first year back in office. (theguardian.com) He invoked Creedmoor in Queens as an example of past institutional care. (breitbart.com) The order reportedly emphasizes expanded civil‑commitment tools and directs agencies to pursue involuntary treatment options. (thunderreport.org) Advocates and legal experts warned of civil‑rights risks and feasibility concerns, while supporters argued renewed inpatient care could help address public‑safety and homelessness. (nwpb.org)

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested and taken into federal custody in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026, after a grand jury returned an indictment tied to a January 18 protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. (washingtonpost.com) His lawyer Abbe Lowell says Lemon was acting as a journalist and was in Los Angeles covering the Grammys. (theguardian.com) A magistrate judge had earlier declined to approve charges, but federal prosecutors persisted. (13abc.com) Authorities say the case alleges interference with worshippers’ civil rights; Lemon could appear in court as soon as Jan. 30, 2026. (latimes.com) Lemon denies any wrongdoing. (apnews.com)

Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026, in connection with a January 18 protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Authorities say he faces accusations of conspiring to deprive people of their civil rights and of interfering with First Amendment protections. Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said he was acting as a journalist and called the arrest an unprecedented attack on press freedom. A magistrate previously declined to approve charges, and the arrest—reported while Lemon was covering the Grammy Awards—has reignited debate over prosecutorial priorities and press protections nationally. (apnews.com)

Records show the Department of Homeland Security, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement named on the deed, paid just over $70 million in cash for a newly built 418,000‑square‑foot warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, near Dysart Road. The building, marketed as Surprise Pointe Commerce Center and completed in 2024, sits on about 24 acres with dozens of dock doors, truck courts and large parking areas. City officials say they were not notified and DHS/ICE have not disclosed intended uses, prompting local alarm and speculation that the structure could be retrofitted for immigration processing or detention operations, possibly by April 2026. (washingtonpost.com)

President Donald Trump announced on January 30, 2026, that he will nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair when Powell’s term ends in May 2026. (apnews.com) Trump praised Warsh as “one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” calling him “central casting.” (washingtonpost.com) Warsh, 55, served on the Fed’s Board from 2006–2011 and was its youngest governor at 35. (en.wikipedia.org) Long affiliated with Stanford and the Hoover Institution, he has said Bitcoin “does not make me nervous” and sees it as a policy signal. (theblock.co) The nomination requires Senate confirmation and could move markets. (apnews.com)