January 31, 2026

The great thing about bad movies or (ha-ha) documentaries is that they provide platforms for film critics (three linked down the page) and fodder for late-nite comedians: ~~~

Marie: It's beginning to look like, "... and in a related story ..." will apply to every report involving Trump & his cohort -- because they're all Friends of Jeffrey. Like ferinstance: ~~~  

~~~ Hafiz Rashid of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: “Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, appeared in the government’s Friday release of additional Jeffrey Epstein tiles. Warsh’s name appears to be on an emailed list of guests to 'St. Barth’s Christmas 2010,' among others such as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and disgraced director Brett Ratner. [MB: but as RAS, late-nite comedians and film critics have noted, not too disgraced to direct 'Melania'] Warsh also appears on a list of people attending a dinner hosted by British aristocrat William Astor.... The news comes the same day that Trump picked Warsh for the Fed.... [Warsh's]  inclusion in the Epstein files is actually not surprising, considering that his wife is billionaire heiress Jane Lauder, granddaughter of Estée Lauder and daughter of Republican donor Ronald Lauder. That puts him in the same wealthy circles that Epstein himself operated in.” Thanks to RAS for the link.

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Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: “Under fire for the deadly, chaotic federal crackdown in Minneapolis..., [Donald] Trump this week signaled that he might be open to changing course. 'We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,' Mr. Trump told reporters on Tuesday, trying to calm a mounting crisis.... And while Mr. Trump has taken some steps to rein in the tactics of federal agents, he reverted almost immediately to saying he would not pull back the operation, 'not at all.' Even amid calls for calming tensions, Mr. Trump issued a social media post at 1:26 a.m. on Friday calling one of the victims, Alex Pretti — a 37-year-old U.S. citizen whom federal agents shot repeatedly — an 'agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist.' The president’s dueling messages, of de-escalation and doubling down, are part of a pattern during times of political pressure and crisis, when he seems to dial back his impulses temporarily before appearing to decide that he was right all along.” ~~~

~~~ Gregory Walton of AFP, published by Yahoo! News: "... Donald Trump walked back his conciliatory tone following public outrage over the killings of Alex Pretti, a veterans' hospital nurse, and another American citizen in Minneapolis.... Trump took to Truth Social ... to describe Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse gunned down on Saturday, as an 'agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist.' 'Alex Pretti's stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer,' Trump wrote. Footage shared online this week reportedly shows Pretti in a scuffle with federal agents 11 days before he was shot dead. AFP could not immediately verify the footage, in which a man said to be Pretti is seen kicking and breaking the taillight of the agents' car before they emerge and tackle him to the ground." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We still don't know what happened before Alex Pretti spit at the vehicle the feds were using, but I'd have to guess -- not nuthin'. We know what happened afterwards: Trump's "very calm and under control ICE Officer" and several other feds grabbed him, wrestled him to the ground, held him down & reportedly broke his rib before they released him & walked away. As far as I can tell, then, the agents' only purpose was to brutalize someone who had vandalized their vehicle. Very calm. Why didn't they arrest him. In the video below, we hear Greg Bovino instructing his people in L.A., "'Arrest as many people that touch you as you want to. Those are the general orders, all the way to the top." If that instruction really came from the top, then it would have been conveyed to all DHS immigration thugs everywhere. Why didn't the "very calm ICE Officer" arrest Pretti after he damaged the vehicle? Why did the officers rough him up instead? And I still think it's possible/likely this incident was the predicate for CBP officers killing Pretti days later. Whether or not that's true, what Pretti did is scarcely a capital offense and Trump's using it as an excuse for murder is abominable. Then there's this. ~~~

~~~ Sheera Frenkel & Aaron Krolik of the New York Times: “...  at least seven American citizens [have been] told by ICE agents this month that they were being recorded with facial recognition technology in and around Minneapolis, according to local activists and videos posted to social media.... None had given consent for their faces to be recorded. Facial recognition is just one technology tool that ICE has deployed in Minneapolis, where thousands of agents are conducting a crackdown. The technologies are being used not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to track citizens who have protested ICE’s presence.... The agency is also using cellphone and social media tools to monitor people’s online activity and potentially hack into phones. And agents are tapping into a database, built by the data analytics company Palantir, that combines government and commercial data to identify real-time locations for individuals they are pursuing.... ICE has vastly expanded its tech tools over the last year after an influx of cash.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As you will recall, videos have surfaced that show Alex Pretti in the minutes before CBP agents shoved him, gang-tackled him and shot him dead. He is seen directing traffic and guiding a woman out of the street. Immigration officers were in the immediate vicinity during that time. That is, they had time to use facial recognition software that could identify Pretti. Earlier this week, we also learned that DHS was assembling a database of "agitators." After the taillight incident on January 13, Pretti would certainly have been a candidate for their agitator database. In fact, "a CNN source indicated that federal agents knew the identity of Alex Pretti..., though it remains unclear whether he was included in the database before his death." 

~~~ However, if you read the following CNN analysis of the movements of the two shooters, it sure sounds they were a couple of dimwitted, hopped-up (I'll bet they weren't tested for drugs after they executed Pretti), violence-happy thugs who were just looking to mix it up with anybody. ~~~  

~~~ Isabel Chapman, et al., of CNN (Jan. 29): “In the chaotic moments leading up to Alex Pretti’s death on Saturday, the aggressive actions of two federal agents transformed the encounter into a deadly shooting, a CNN analysis of video has found. While other agents helped restrain Pretti on a Minneapolis street and seized a handgun from his waistband, video shows these agents significantly escalated the confrontation — first by pepper spraying and striking Pretti repeatedly in the face and on the head, and then by drawing their weapons and firing at him, even after he was on the ground, unarmed. The conduct of those two agents, from the earliest moments interacting with demonstrators up through their decision to pull weapons and fire at Pretti, illustrate the dangers of flooding American cities with officers ill-equipped to deal with protesters in urban environments, experts told CNN.... Law enforcement experts who reviewed the videos for CNN said the officers’ use of deadly force likely stemmed from lack of training or a failure by the agents to follow it during the heated encounter.... DHS said it wouldn’t release the identities of the officers....” ~~~

~~~ Aaron Pellish of Politico: “The Department of Justice is conducting a civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti, who was shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday.... Blanche sought to portray the probe as 'standard,' even as the Trump administration faces significant backlash for its hostile response in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s shooting. Lawmakers in both parties have called for top immigration officials to face accountability.... The decision to open the probe in the Pretti shooting marks a distinction with the administration’s response to the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in January. Blanche said shortly after Good’s death that the DOJ would not open a civil rights probe into her case.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Hamed Aleaziz, et al., of the New York Times: “The former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., his lawyer said, in a case rejected last week by a magistrate judge. Mr. Lemon has said he was simply reporting as a journalist when he entered the Cities Church on Jan. 18 to observe a demonstration against the immigration crackdown in the area.... The Trump administration sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship. But the magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three of the people, rejecting the evidence against Mr. Lemon and the others as insufficient. The Justice Department then petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants, only to be denied.... 'Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,' [Abbe] Lowell[, a lawyer for Mr. Lemon,] said in a statement.” The article does not say who authorized his arrest on the third try. Update: the link has been changed to what appears to be a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ryan Reilly, et al., of NBC News: Don “Lemon, 59, and three other journalists —Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy — were arrested 'in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X on Friday.... Lemon was arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Beverly Hills at approximately midnight, according to a federal warrant issued in another district. Details of the charges against the four were not immediately available.... "The arrest of journalist Don Lemon in connection with his reporting on a protest in Minnesota should alarm all Americans," Katherine Jacobsen [of the Committee to Protect Journalists] ... said in a statement.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Unless they get lucky with a really dimwitted jury, Blondie & team are going to have a helluva time turning these arrests into convictions. Update: Nevertheless, as Akhilleus pointed out in yesterday's Comments, "The point is harassment, intimidation, and fear.... Prior to his becoming king, Fatty would simply sue the shit out of everyone, but now that the DoI serves as his personal law firm, he has the Atty General arrest people he hates, bring them up on charges, and fuck with their lives. It's pure intimidation.... [And] there's no telling how many citizens and elected officials have self-censored in order to avoid the kind of tactics they know will be used against them for standing up for their rights. In the Fat Hitler Reich, only he has rights." ~~~

~~~ Perry Stein of the Washington Post: Don Lemon “was released without bond after a court appearance in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon.... Lemon’s court appearance took on the air of a Los Angeles political rally, with Jane Fonda, actress and longtime activist, speaking to protesters outside the courthouse and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) going inside to show support for the defendant. 'The arrest of Don Lemon doing his journalistic duty is one page more out of an authoritarian playbook,' Fonda said. Inside the courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Robbins asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue for a $100,000 bond because the 'defendant knowingly joined a mob to storm the church.' The judge rejected that request....

“[Independent journalist Georgia] Fort and two other defendants — Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lynell Lundy — appeared at an afternoon hearing Friday before Federal Magistrate Dulce Foster in downtown Minneapolis. As they filed into court..., supporters in the packed gallery cheered and applauded. A federal prosecutor requested that Fort ... be kept in custody.... The judge refused, saying that because the charges did not involve a crime of violence, Fort should be released on bond. She made similar rulings releasing the other defendants on bond. The civil rights prosecutor who presented the cases, Rob Keenan, is not based in Minnesota and has handled a number of politically charged cases for the Justice Department over the past year.” The link is a gift link.

~~~⭐Quinta Jurecic in the Atlantic: “One year in, the Trump administration has amassed a startling record of hostility toward open public discourse—including barring journalists from the White House press pool, evicting any less-than-sycophantic reporters from the Pentagon, and, just this month, sending the FBI to search the home of a Washington Post reporter. Today, it crossed a new line. It arrested two journalists: Don Lemon, the former CNN news personality, and Georgia Fort, a freelance reporter based in Minnesota....  On the basis of the record available so far, the case against them appears factually weak, legally shoddy, and marred by a baffling series of procedural irregularities that raise serious questions about the Justice Department’s ability to win in court. This prosecution is best understood not as law enforcement but as propaganda, junk intended purely to get attention. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous.... No attorneys other than political appointees appear on the filing....” Thank you to akaWendy for this gift link. Do read Jerecic's whole essay. There's a good deal more to it than I've been able to convey here. ~~~

~~~ The DOJ indictment of Lemon, Fort and others is here, via MS NOW. The signature page, starting with Pam Blondie, contains the name of political appointees only, as Jurecic writes, and as Carol Leonnig said on MS NOW yesterday. Leonnig said that career prosecutors had refused to sign because they determined that the evidence didn't line up with the charges: they found no implication of a threat or obstruction or actual violence, as required by the statutes. (Jurecic learned from a former DOJ trial attorney that the statute under which the defendants were charged "has never been used — probably because 'it’s plainly unconstitutional.'...") Leonnig was on-air a least twice Friday afternoon. You can hear part of her comments in this video; her remarks related to this matter begin at about 5:30 minutes in. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Here is video of federal agents showing up at night at the home of Georgia Fort. You can see one armed, masked man peering in her window like some creepy night stalker. Speaking to Anderson Cooper of CNN last night, Fort said that about a dozen officers showed up to serve her warrant. Bear in mind, too, that she lives in the same city where a man impersonating a police officer went to the homes of state legislators and their spouses, and when the legislators opened their doors, the fake policeman shot them. He killed two of them -- and their dog -- and two others took life-threatening gunshot wounds. (BTW, according to Heather Cox Richardson, it took "more than two dozen federal agents" to take Don Lemon into custody.) ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson: "The arrests of Lemon and Fort are windows into the deep concern of administration officials about how dramatically Americans have turned against ICE and the Trump administration. At its most basic level, the attack on two independent journalists is undoubtedly designed to intimidate other independent news producers from covering the Trump administration, particularly the violence of ICE and Border Patrol agents. It is a dramatic assault on the First Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the government from curtailing the freedom of the press. It is also a transparent attempt to change the popular narrative.' ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The pattern here is consistent with longstanding Trump methodology: blitz the media. The violent attacks on migrants living in large American cities run by Democrats were -- among other things -- designed to change the subject from the Epstein scandal, which had begun to dominate the right-wing media's attention. But when the violent attacks -- which included cold-blooded murders of Americans -- became the dominant scandal, even in some right-wing media outlets -- the Trumpies had to do something. So they clamped down on Black journalists. But that not surprisingly didn't fly well among the media. So Trump's DOJ fell back on the Epstein matter -- the genesis of the bad-ress problem -- and released more Epstein files to divert attention from the killing the White citizens and arresting the black journalists. Rinse and repeat. ~~~

~~~ Marie: It is not by accident that the three most prominent people arrested in this Trumpian extravaganza are Black: Don Lemon, Georgia Fort & attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. (Some or all of the others may be, too; I'm not going to check.) To make sure you didn't miss Armstrong's color, the White House posted a digitally-altered photo of her in which she is depicted as crying (which in reality she was not), and in which her skin color had been darkened. It is also not accidental that two of these people are women, and the man, who is by far the best know among them, is gay. Their color, their gender and Lemon's sexual orientation all feed into Donald Trump's pathetic prejudices. Pam Bondi, who promised from the get-go to charge these people, knows this. (Indeed, it didn't take Trump long to jump on his failing social-media site to call the protesters and journalists "agitators," "insurrectionists" and "lunatics." If their cases actually go to trial, the defense will more than likely raise Trump's remarks.)

Hamed Aleaziz & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “...  federal agents were told this week that they have broader power to arrest people without a warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo reviewed by The New York Times. The change expands the ability of lower-level ICE agents to carry out sweeps rounding up people they encounter and suspect are undocumented immigrants, rather than targeted enforcement operations in which they set out, warrant in hand, to arrest a specific person. The shift comes as the administration has deployed thousands of masked immigration agents into cities nationwide.... [Last week,] it came to light that Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of the agency, had issued guidance in May saying agents could enter homes with only an administrative warrant, not a judicial one.... The [new] memo, addressed to all ICE personnel and signed on Wednesday by Mr. Lyons, centers on a federal law that empowers agents to make warrantless arrests of people they believe are undocumented immigrants, if they are 'likely to escape' before an arrest warrant can be obtained.... 'An alien is “likely to escape” if an immigration officer determines he or she is unlikely to be located at the scene of the encounter or another clearly identifiable location once an administrative warrant is obtained,' Mr. Lyons wrote.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So here's how that works. If (a) you "look or sound 'foreign'" -- Kavanaugh Stop -- and (b) you're walking or driving or otherwise moving around in a public or quasi-place -- Lyons Stop -- then ICE can arrest and detain you. Since every damned human being in the Americas, right up to and including AmerIndians, is descended from people who "look like" they came from Africa directly or indirectly through Europe or Asia, then none of us is free to walk around town or even open the front door. Under Donald Trump's administration and the right-wing Supreme Court we are no longer even a vaguely free society.  

Great Moment in F-U, Donald Trump History. Annie Gowen of the Washington Post: “More than 34,000 Minnesotans have signed up to be trained as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement observers with various activist groups in recent weeks, many of them since Jan. 7, when a federal agent shot and killed Renée Good, a poet and mother of three, after an encounter with an ICE convoy in South Minneapolis. The killings of Good and, on Saturday, ICU nurse Alex Pretti underscore the dangers for the city’s widespread resistance movement, a loosely connected network of neighborhood volunteers who communicate on Signal, the private messaging app, as they play cat and mouse with heavily armed and masked federal agents on snowy streets.... Trump has called the protesters 'paid agitators and insurrectionists,' and FBI Director Kash Patel said this week the agency is investigating the activists’ group chats. On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against 16 people in Minneapolis accused of assaulting officers or interfering with federal immigration enforcement operations.”  

Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: Donald “Trump’s complaint, filed in federal court in Miami against the I.R.S. and the Treasury Department, created what legal experts said was the unparalleled situation of federal agencies facing a lawsuit from the head of the executive branch. Mr. Trump has demanded at least $10 billion in damages [as the result of] ... the leak of his tax returns by Charles Littlejohn, a former I.R.S. contractor.... Mr. Trump, who brought the suit along with two of his sons and his family business, is not without merit, legal experts said. But its success would hinge on genuine legal questions that the Justice Department, which would represent the I.R.S., may or may not contest in court.... 'It’s an enormous conflict of interest,' said Richard Painter, the chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration. 'His own appointees could turn around and say: “Let’s give the Trump family a couple of billion. That’s a fair sell.”’” Duehren goes on to outline some of the “normal” legal issues in the matter.

The New York Times put up a liveblog late Friday morning. From the pinned item: “The Justice Department on Friday released 3 million more pages from its Jeffrey Epstein files, and thousands of videos and images. The release is the largest trove of Epstein files released to date by the Justice Department, and came weeks after a Dec. 19 deadline imposed by Congress. The law that required the Justice Department to make virtually all its Epstein investigative files public also required it to explain to Congress why it redacted any information. Todd Blanche, the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, said Friday that federal officials would submit its report 'in due course.' Times reporters are sifting through the material and providing updates and analysis of the records.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer: Todd “Blanche said the department was releasing 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and some 180,000 images.”

Michael Gold: “Blanche said that the Justice Department had redacted images of every woman in the files it just released except for Ghislaine Maxwell. 'We did not redact images of any men,' he said, 'unless it was impossible to redact a woman without also redacting a man.'”  

Alan Feuer: “Blanche said there was still an open investigation related to Epstein, but he declined to specify what it was about.” 

Michael Gold: “... the Justice Department did withhold and redact materials under attorney-client privilege and deliberative process privilege, which typically allows government agencies to withhold communications made before a final decision is made in a given matter.The lawmakers who wrote the Epstein files law have said that they did not intend to shield that material from public view.” 

Glenn Thrush: “It was noteworthy that Blanche — and not Attorney General Pam Bondi — was answering questions about the Epstein files. The White House has long been frustrated by her missteps, and has increasingly put Blanche forward as the Justice Department’s main conduit for public information about the files.”

Jessica Silver-Greenberg & Coral Davenport: “Jeffrey Epstein drafted notes to and about Bill Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, suggesting that he engaged in extramarital sex....Mr. Epstein wrote the messages about Mr. Gates not long after his attempt to broker a venture between Mr. Gates’s foundation and JPMorgan Chase fizzled out — depriving Mr. Epstein of what he had hoped would be a gusher of income. In one of Mr. Epstein’s emails, written in the style of a personal journal entry, the convicted sex offender wrote that he had helped Mr. Gates acquire drugs 'in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls' and that he had facilitated trysts for Mr. Gates with married women.” 

Michael Gold: “The Justice Department redacted or withheld about 200,000 pages of Epstein-related material 'based on various privileges,' Attorney General Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said in a letter sent to Congress. In the letter, Bondi and Blanche said that Friday’s release of files was the end of its document-review process.” 

Coral Davenport: “A 2013 email exchange between the British billionaire Richard Branson and Jeffrey Epstein suggests that the two had a warm, familiar relationship, built at least in part around their interest in women. In an email on Sept. 11, 2013, Mr. Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, wrote to Mr. Epstein, 'It was really nice seeing you yesterday.' He added: 'Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!'” 

Michael Gold: “Representatives Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, formally requested a meeting to review the unredacted Epstein files. In a letter to Todd Blanche..., the lawmakers cited concerns 'regarding the scope and consistency of redactions' in the documents that had been released so far, including in so-called 302 reports documenting victims’ statements. 'Congress cannot properly assess the Department’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases without access to the complete record,; the representatives, who wrote the law requiring the release of the files, said.” ~~~

~~~ TMZ: "Bombshell allegation in the latest Epstein Files document release ... an underage girl claims she was forced to perform oral sex on Donald Trump approximately 35 years ago in New Jersey. The allegation is from a document in the files that describes a tip that was sent to the feds. The complaint summary says the feds were told the underage girl was approximately 13-14 years old when the alleged incident occurred, and it says the alleged victim 'allegedly bit President Trump while performing oral sex' and was 'allegedly hit in the face after she laughed about biting President Trump.' The document says the feds forwarded the lead to the Washington Office to conduct an interview.... 

"Another allegation is from a woman who claims she was 13 years old and pregnant in 1984 when she was forced to perform oral sex acts. She told the feds she was sex trafficked by high-profile individuals and that Trump regularly paid her money to force her to perform sex acts. She also alleged Trump was present when her uncle murdered her newborn child. The fed say they were unable to contact the woman. A different caller -- who the feds were unable to make contact with -- alleged a friend thought she had been raped by Trump in 1987 at Trump Plaza." Oh, read on. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Elon Musk, Island Hopper. Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: “A search of the documents for 'Elon Musk' revealed multiple emails to and from jeevacation@gmail.com, which was known to be Epstein’s private email address.... In one email exchange on Dec. 14, 2013 with a subject line 'Christmas and New Year’s,' Musk allegedly wrote, 'Will be in the BVI/St Bart’s area over the holidays. Is there a good time to visit?' Epstein’s account answered several hours later, 'I will send a heli for you....' On Dec. 25, 2013, an email purportedly from Musk to Epstein read, 'Actually, I could fly back early on the 3rd. We will be in St Bart’s. When should we head to your island on the 2nd?'” Thanks to RAS for the link.

~~~ Mike Baker & Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times: “

Howard Lutnick, the billionaire businessman who serves as ... [Donald] Trump’s commerce secretary, once planned a trip to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, according to documents that the Justice Department released on Friday. The planned visit in 2012 came years after Mr. Lutnick has said he severed ties with Mr. Epstein.  In December 2012, the records show, Mr. Lutnick sent an email to Mr. Epstein saying that he had a group of people — including his wife and children and another family — who were visiting the Caribbean. He asked where Mr. Epstein was located and whether they could visit for a meal.... The documents suggest the visit did occur.... In a podcast interview last year, Mr. Lutnick claimed that around 2005, he and his wife had been so revolted by Mr. Epstein that they decided not to associate with him again.” The link appears to be a gift link. A version of this story appeared as an item in yesterday's New York Times liveblog & was excerpted it in yesterday's Reality Chex page. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's so-o-o-o disappointing to find out Howard Nutlick is a self-serving liar. 

Kyle Cheney of Politico: “The Justice Department’s Friday release of its investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein is packed with details about his ties to the most powerful figures in politics, tech and global affairs. The documents shed new light on the depth of his relationships between the convicted sex offender and figures such as Steve Bannon, Elon Musk and world leaders. In particular, the files contain extensive exchanges with Bannon as he mounted a political influence campaign across Europe, and numerous overtures — the unrequited kind — to Musk. And the documents add new heft to earlier indications that Epstein wielded extraordinary influence for years — even as investigations into his trafficking of young girls had ramped up.”

James Reynolds of the Independent summarizes of some of the allegations revealed in the files. 

~~~ Devlin Barrett, et al., of the New York Times: “The Justice Department on Friday finished its belated release of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker, though officials conceded that the disclosure of more than three million pages was unlikely to put to rest the suspicions that surround the case. That was quickly reinforced by Democratic lawmakers and some of Mr. Epstein’s victims, who had forced the Trump administration to disclose the documents related to the case. They asserted that the massive tranche still fell short of a full accounting, and that the documents revealed personal information about people Mr. Epstein abused.... Hours after the release of the documents, a group of 18 survivors of Mr. Epstein’s abuse said in a joint statement..., 'Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected....'...

“Hundreds of prosecutors have spent the last two months reviewing more than six million pages potentially related to the case. As of Friday, around 3.5 million pages had been published in response to a law passed by Congress last November. The files appeared to contain at least 4,500 documents that mention Mr. Trump, according to an initial review by The New York Times.... [Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche] said that members of Congress would be allowed to review unredacted copies of files that were released partially redacted.”

Marie: I forgot Trump held a Cabinet meeting Thursday. I heard on the teevee he didn't let ICE Barbie or Blondie speak. Well, they're just girls anyways. But here's Aaron Rupar, once again doing heroic duty, listening to Trump & the TrumpenSchleimers and telling us what-all they said. Via digby. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lynsey Chutel of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Thursday warned Britain and Canada against boosting trade with China, which several Western leaders have visited in recent months to hedge against their increasingly volatile relationships with the United States. 'It’s very dangerous for them to do that,' Mr. Trump, referring to Britain, told reporters in Washington outside a screening of a documentary about the first lady, Melania Trump. 'It’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China,' Mr. Trump later said. 'Canada’s not doing well, they’re doing very poorly. And you can’t look at China as the answer.'... Mr. Trump, who described Mr. Xi as 'a friend,' suggested that Canada would likely have to give up playing ice hockey if it wanted to deal with China, although he did not explain why that would be.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right. Canada & the U.K. are increasing trade with China precisely because "it's very dangerous" for them to try to do business with an insane, volatile, narcissistic megalomanic. And of course China will make Canadians stop playing hockey. It's probably already in the fine print of their trade agreements. And the Brits had better watch out; surely the Chinese will make them give up cricket. This is the kind of "reasoning' that should get a president* 25th-Amended out. (Although points for imaginative rationale.)

~~~ Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: “Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall [triumphal arch] overlooking the Potomac River..., a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts.... Built to Trump’s specifications, it would transform a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery into a dominant new monument, reshaping the relationship between the two memorials and obstructing pedestrians’ views. Trump has considered smaller versions of the arch.... But he has favored the largest option, arguing that its sheer size would impress visitors to Washington, and that ‘250 for 250’ [i.e., the nation's 250th anniversary] makes the most sense....  

Ken Dilanian & Ebony Davis of MS NOW: "The special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office was forced out this month after questioning the Justice Department’s renewed push to probe Fulton County’s role in the 2020 election.... Paul Brown was ousted after expressing concerns about the FBI’s investigation into ... Donald Trump’s longstanding and unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the county anchored by Atlanta, and for refusing to carry out the searches and seizures of records tied to the 2020 election, according to the sources, who spoke to MS NOW on condition of anonymity." (Also linked yesterday.)

Catie Edmondson & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “The Senate passed a bipartisan spending package on Friday to fund most of the government and keep the Department of Homeland Security running for two weeks while Democrats and ... [Donald] Trump negotiate restrictions on the administration’s immigration crackdown. The agreement, the culmination of an intense round of haggling between the White House and Democrats, did not come together in time to avert a brief lapse in federal funding over the weekend, starting on Saturday morning. The House still must clear it for Mr. Trump’s signature, but is not expected to return to Washington to do so before Monday. But it amounted to a major breakthrough fueled by a sharp pivot by the president and Republicans in Congress, who have rushed in recent days to distance themselves from the chaos and violence wrought by federal agents carrying out Mr. Trump’s deportation drive.” ~~~

~~~ Jacob Bogage & Riley Beggin of the Washington Post: “The second government shutdown of ... Donald Trump’s second term began early Saturday.... Lawmakers missed a midnight deadline to approve six new spending bills because the Senate changed some of the measures after the House passed them, in response to deadly shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minnesota....  Money for housing assistance programs could be at risk in the aftermath of a winter storm that sent temperatures in much of the country plummeting to historic lows. Federally backed scientific research will immediately halt. Military service members, transportation security agents and air traffic controllers will continue to work — unpaid. But this shutdown may be brief and have limited effects.... House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has said his chamber will aim to pass the package when lawmakers return early next week, despite frustrations from conservative members of the Republican caucus and skepticism from House Democrats.” An MS NOW story is here.

Mattathias Schwartz & Maxine Joselow of the New York Times: “The Trump administration’s claim that it has the power to rewrite American history along its preferred ideological lines was tested in federal court on Friday, as a judge considered whether to order the National Park Service to reinstall displays commemorating nine enslaved African people who worked at George Washington’s home in Philadelphia. During a daylong hearing, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe of Federal District Court expressed deep skepticism that the administration has the power to unilaterally make changes at the historic house, where Washington lived while leading the fledging U.S. government during his presidency..... The idea that the site 'changes on the whim of someone in charge' is  'horrifying to listen to,' Judge Rufe said. 'I’m sorry, that’s not what we elected anybody for.'... Judge Rufe called that assertion of executive power 'cavalier,' adding that 'it’s frightening to think that could happen to Independence Hall tomorrow.'” ~~~

~~~ Here's another “Great Moment in F-U, Donald Trump History”: “Judge Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee..., appeared to reject the government’s claim that reasonable minds could disagree about whether the site should acknowledge Washington’s ownership of slaves. From the bench, she read aloud from a tweet by ... [Donald] Trump during his first term bemoaning the removal of monuments to Confederate generals. 'Can’t change history, but you can learn from it,' he wrote then.” 

Film Reviews. Xan Brooks of the Guardian reviews “Melania”: “No doubt there is a great documentary to be made about Melania Knauss, the ambitious model from out of Slovenia who married a New York real-estate mogul and then found herself cast in the role of a latter-day Eva Braun, but the horrific Melania emphatically isn’t it. It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality. I’m not even sure it qualifies as a documentary, exactly, so much as an elaborate piece of designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch and proffered like a medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.... [Brett] Ratner’s film plays like a gilded trash remake of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest in which a button-eyed Cinderella points at gold baubles and designer dresses, cunningly distracting us while her husband and his cronies prepare to dismantle the Constitution and asset-strip the federal government.” ~~~

    ~~~ Nick Hilton in the Independent: “To call Melania vapid would do a disservice to the plumes of florid vape smoke.... She calls herself a 'mother, wife, daughter, friend', yet is only depicted preening and scowling.... Trump himself is an instantly more charismatic presence on screen. His scenes offer a relief from Melania’s mask of pure nothingness. Hitting cinemas as the streets of America remain filled with the angry and grieving – with the country on the verge of an irreparable schism – the vulgar, gilded lifestyle of the Trumps makes them look like Marie Antoinette skulking in her cake-filled chateau, or Hermann Göring’s staring up at his looted Monet.... The 'film' is part propaganda, sure, and part sop to Big Tech companies who require constant regulatory approval for financial manoeuvrings. Even then, it is bad.” ~~~

    ~~~ Owen Gleiberman in Variety: “The movie plunks us down at Mar-a-Lago, where Melania struts out the door and into the back of an SUV, which will take her to the red-white-and-blue private plane painted with the word TRUMP that’s waiting for her at the airport. Wherever she lands, she’s in a mobile bubble, jetting from the palace of Palm Beach to Trump Tower in New York, where she meets for a fashion fitting in what looks like a dining room of the Titanic designed by Liberace, then to St. Patrick’s Cathedral right down the block (where she attends an anniversary mass for her mother) and on to the renovated 19th-century charm of Blair House in Washington, D.C., then back to Trump Tower and back to the Capital.... 'Melania,' like the Trump regime, is a designed-from-the-top-down reality show that’s devoted to shutting reality out.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't think they liked it. I really don't care. Do U?  

Benjamin Weiser & Hurubie Meko of the New York Times: “A Manhattan federal judge on Friday ruled that prosecutors would not be able to seek the death penalty at the trial of Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old man accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive in 2024. The judge, Margaret Garnett of Federal District Court, said the case would still proceed to trial on other counts, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, in the killing of the executive, Brian Thompson. Judge Garnett said in her opinion that two stalking charges against Mr. Mangione, one of which carried a maximum sentence of death, did not meet the legal definition of a crime of violence, and had to be dismissed.... The decision from Judge Garnett is a significant blow to the Trump administration, which has sought to revive the use of the death penalty in federal cases.... Mr. Mangione’s lawyers have argued the decision was 'explicitly and unapologetically political.'  And statements made by administration officials, including Mr. Trump, have 'indelibly prejudiced him,' his lawyers said arguing that the judge should remove the government’s ability to seek the death penalty.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Marie: Today reminds me of a day like this: something terrible has happened. There's been a hurricane or a tornado. Or a fire. In any event, it's a catastrophe. Your house has been reduced to rubble. Your family, your pets got out safely, but like you, the family is distraught. It isn't just that the structure that for decades kept you all safe is gone, so are many things you held dear. The keepsakes not just of your own lifetime but also of your parents and grandparents. Almost reflexively, you start picking through the ruined remains. You are in shock, nearly hopeless. And then, and then. You find that one thing: a snapshot of your grandparents on their honeymoon. Or a plaster-of-Paris disc with your now-grown child's hand imprinted into it. Standing in a ruin, you feel a surge of joy. And so, as we all stand here among the rubble, I bring you Today's One Thing:

You don't have David Brooks to kick around any more, because, ladies and gentlemen, this is his last column. 

Oh, all across this curs-ed land deep sadness fills the air,
The band is silent elsewhere, and elsewhere hearts despair;
And here the men are weeping, and there the children frown,
But there is great joy in my heart – David Brooks is leaving town. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Mostly Europe. Christopher Schuetze of the New York Times: NATO is conducting military exercises “at a Spanish port 50 miles northwest of Gibraltar.... About 10,000 troops from 11 nations will participate. But not a single U.S. weapon or soldier will be among them. Conceived long before ... [Donald] Trump was accused of undermining faith in the military alliance and its defense pact, the exercise, called Steadfast Dart, is being watched closely to see how well the allies manage without their largest and most important partner.... The operation is the largest NATO exercise planned for this year, and with it, European NATO partners aim to show what they can do on their own.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jeanna Smialek, et al., of the New York Times: “After ... [Donald] Trump shocked the world last week by threatening Europe with economic pain, humiliating its politicians and excoriating their values, leaders from across the continent wrestled with the fallout the next day at an emergency dinner meeting in Brussels.... What emerged was a sort of playbook for how to deal with a Trump administration that is expected to remain volatile, according to three officials briefed on the meeting and leaders’ public statements. The leaders’ plan is to remain calm during Mr. Trump’s future provocations, threaten to hit back with tariffs and, the officials said, work behind the scenes to make Europe less militarily and economically dependent on its increasingly unreliable ally.... To keep Mr. Trump placated in the short term, Europeans are talking about how to beef up Arctic security. To lessen their reliance on Washington in the long term, they are working to diversify their trade relationships, improve their militaries and make their countries less dependent on American technology.”