Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, L7 and Heart

Music grab bag.

Following Tina Turner's passing in 2023, her legacy continues to shine in unexpected ways.

Take the city that she once embraced as a teenager, for example. To celebrate one of the most iconic female artists of all time, the St. Louis CITY SC professional soccer team just unveiled The Tina Turner Kit, a historic collaboration with adidas honoring the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll and her deep ties to St. Louis.

The MLS team’s homage to Turner marks the first adidas collaboration with a female music artist on a soccer kit and includes a number of cultural events to celebrate her impact on St. Louis, including a concert with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), a Turner-focused pop-up shop and a music-themed community education initiative for youth and young adults.

"Introducing The Tina Turner Kit 🎤," the caption of the soccer team's recent joint Instagram post reads. "A tribute to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll and her unstoppable energy. A celebration of her enduring spirit and the city where she found her voice."

Tina Turner, a legend and, though the article doesn't note it, she was a huge fan of soccer. Tina's a legend and so is Jimi Hendrix .

Kory Grow (VIBE) reports:

Expect heavy crosstown traffic in Greenwich Village later this month when the City of New York officially co-names West Eighth Street “Jimi Hendrix Way.” The sign will be affixed to the stretch of Eighth Street where Electric Lady Studios, the recording outpost Hendrix opened in 1970, is located. The ceremony will take place on the corner of West Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue at 11 a.m. on Feb. 24.

Speakers at the event will include Hendrix’s sister, Janie, musician Stevie Van Zandt, and NYC District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein. Janie Hendrix, who is president and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, led the charge for the co-naming alongside Van Zandt, acting on behalf of his TeachRock nonprofit educational initiative, and writer Jeff Slate.

TeachRock is launching a new lesson, Jimi Hendrix: Rock's Trailblazing Innovator and Influential Guitarist, which examines the late artist’s blues and R&B roots, for the occasion. The lesson uses exclusive archival footage from Experience Hendrix and expert interviews.

"This collaboration speaks to the heart of our mission - carrying on Jimi's legacy through education," Janie said in a statement. "His music is a powerful gateway for young minds to connect with history, creativity, and their own potential."

Jimi remains a guitar legend. He still towers over everyone all these decades later. L7 is a rock band that is often associated with grunge or alternative rock. They predated grunge by few years forming in 1985.

Jacqueline Burt Cote (PARADE) reports:

Fans were pretty bummed when pioneering grunge/alt-rockers L7 broke up in 2001, nearly 10 years after their hit song "Pretend We're Dead" climbed the charts. But the all-female band reunited in 2014, due to popular demand, and now they're rocking harder than ever.

As announced over a couple of recent Instagram posts, L7 has a super busy summer ahead. First up, in June, the group is hitting the road with Australian punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers, making stops in Toronto on the 4th and Montreal on the 5th before playing Colorado's iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the 17th.

Then, in July, L7 is heading to Belgium with Joan Jett, Chris Isaak, The Raveonettes and about a million other acts for the Sjock 50 festival, which takes place on the 10th, 11th and 12th.

Commenters on L7's post about the Sjock fest appearances were definitely excited.

"I might need to hop in the road case for this one," one person joked, with a second adding, "Best news of the year!"

"What a lineup!" raved someone else.

Heart is a rock band with Ann and Nancy Wilson at its heart. They have a huge string of hits including "Magic Man," "Tell It Like It Is," "What About Love," "Never," Barracuda," "Alone," "Who Will You Run To," "Crazy On You," "Straight On," "Heartless," "Straight On," "This Man Is Mine," "Even It Up," "Nothing At All," "Dog & Butterfly," "These Dreams," "There's The Girl," "Who Will You Run To," "Stranded," "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You," "I Didn't Want To Need You" and "Will You Be There In The Moring."

Lizzy Buczak (PARADE) notes:

Heart's 1975 debut album, "Dreamboat Annie," is set to be inducted into the prestigious Grammy Hall of Fame.

The Recording Academy revealed the latest choices, a mix of iconic albums and songs, for the induction on Feb. 11.

Established in 1973, The Grammy Hall of Fame lists eligibility requirements for recordings that exhibit "qualitative or historical significance" and are at least 25 years old. The ones chosen to be immortalized are selected by a special vote.

Closing with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Thursday, February 12, 2026. Pam Bondi has a psychotic break while appearing before the House Judiciary Committee, she also reveals on camera by accident that the Justice Dept is spying on members of Congress, AP looks into ICE and finds several problematic issues, and much more.

"You don’t tell me anything you washed up lawyer." So hissed Pam da Bimbo Bondi yesterday as she appeared before the House Judiciary Committee. She can't speak plainly. She can't address facts. All she knows how to do is rage like an angry sow. She embarrasses herself in front of the nation. US House Rep Jim Jordan is the Chair of the Committee and US House Rep Jamie Raskin is the Ranking Member. We'll note the Ranking Member's opening statement.

Ranking Member Jamie Raskin: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Attorney General Bondi.

You’ve got the best lawyer’s job in America. Your mission is justice and your clients are the American people.

But, to promote justice for the people, you must listen to the victims, like the women seated behind you. They’re some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex trafficking ring demanding the truth for America and accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them. You still haven’t met with these survivors.

So with their permission, let me introduce to you the survivors and late survivors’ family members who are present today:

Theresa Helm; Jess Michaels; Lara Blume McGee; Dani Bensky; Liz Stein; Marina Lacerda; Sky and Amanda Roberts, who are the family of the late Virginia Giuffre; Sharlene Lund; Rachel B.; and Lisa Phillips.

Now, you’re not showing a lot of interest in the victims, Madam Attorney General.

Whether it’s Epstein’s human trafficking ring or the homicidal governmental violence against citizens in Minneapolis, as Attorney General, you’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims. That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course.

You’re running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Justice Department. You’ve been ordered by a subpoena and by Congress to turn over six million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files but you’ve turned over only three million. You say you’re not turning over the other 3 million because they’re somehow duplicative. But we know that there are actual memos of victim statements in there. And you also took down the Department of Justice’s prosecution memo from 2019. So it’s clearly not all duplicative. But even if it were, why not release it, just release all the duplicative stuff.

In the half you did produce, you redacted the names of abusers, enablers, accomplices and coconspirators, apparently to spare them embarrassment and disgrace, which is the exact opposite of what the law ordered you to do.

Even worse, you shockingly failed to redact many of the victims’ names, which is what you were ordered to do by Congress. Some of the victims had come forward publicly, but many had not. Many had kept their torment private, even from family and friends. But you published their names, their identities, their images on thousands of pages for the world to see. So you ignored the law.

And even with over 100,000 employees at your disposal, you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference, and jaded cruelty towards more than 1,000 victims raped, abused and trafficked. This performance screams cover-up.

Convicted sex trafficker and groomer Ghislaine Maxwell “opened the gates of hell” to Virginia Giuffre and hundreds of other victims, as Virginia recorded in her remarkable book Nobody’s Girl. But when Maxwell was subpoenaed to testify before Congress, you and Todd Blanche quickly moved her from a higher-security prison to a minimum-security camp in Texas where she’s enjoyed five-star treatment, including catered meals, private gym time, and access to a therapy puppy. All because Todd Blanche, who has utterly failed to investigate the monstrous crimes of Epstein and Maxwell’s co-conspirators, spent nine hours with Maxwell to satisfy himself she would have nothing untoward to say about Donald Trump, which is your only real interest in this whole matter.

But abandoning victims and coddling perpetrators is what you do best. When the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the brutal killing in Minneapolis of Renée Good, a poet and 37-year-old mother of three, by Trump’s masked paramilitary ICE agents, you shut it down. You claim you’re investigating the cold-blooded murder of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the VA, but how can we trust the Administration when the President and Kristi Noem call Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and Stephen Miller called him a “would-be assassin”? Not only do you refuse to share evidence with the state and local investigators and prosecutors in Minnesota, but you blocked their access to the crime scene and the evidence.

How are you seeking justice for Marimar Martinez, the Montessori school teacher in Chicago who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent who bragged about it over text; or the family of Keith Porter Jr., a father of two shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in LA; or the family of Silverio Villegas González, shot and killed in Illinois minutes after dropping his children at school? There’s no sign of any movement at the Department of Justice. You even launched a criminal investigation into Renée Good’s grieving widow.

But it’s even worse. You’ve turned the People’s Department of Justice into Trump’s instrument of revenge.

Donald Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza, and you deliver every time. He tells you to go after James Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, and Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve Board, and Members of the United States Congress including Adam Schiff, Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio and Maggie Goodlander to name just a few. And you snap to it. You replace real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the president’s bidding. Nothing in American history comes close to this complete corruption of the justice function and contamination of federal law enforcement.

The good news is many serious lawyers at DOJ, including your very own political appointees—your own people—have refused your lawless orders.

Danielle Sassoon, your original pick for Acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, resigned rather than follow your corrupt order to quash an indictment against Mayor Eric Adams as a political favor from Donald Trump. A Federalist Society member who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Attorney Sassoon refused to participate in this blatantly corrupt scheme. Her top assistant, Hagan Scotten, an Iraq War veteran and two-time Bronze Star recipient who clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts and then-Judge Kavanaugh, promptly resigned too, writing to your office: “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”

You and the President nominated Erik Siebert, a fifteen-year career prosecutor, to be your U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. But after five months investigating Letitia James and James Comey, Siebert found no evidence to justify criminal charges. So you forced him out and replaced him with Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s personal lawyer from the Mar-a-Lago documents case, who had zero prosecutorial experience and no qualifications. And then you were humiliated when a federal judge found that this corrupt appointment was blatantly unlawful and threw out Halligan’s indictments entirely. And grand juries of American citizens have repeatedly rejected your vendettas and baseless indictments brought by the hacks left at DOJ now, with two different grand juries in Virginia voting down indictments against Letitia James in a single week. Just yesterday, another grand jury shut down your vendetta factory by rejecting an indictment against the six Members of Congress who had reminded servicemembers that they have a duty to refuse illegal orders.

You tried to get a grand jury to indict six Members of Congress who were veterans of our armed forces, on charges of seditious conspiracy, simply for exercising their First Amendment rights. I hope you will heed the wisdom and the constitutional patriotism of those grand jurors and not try it again by doubling down on that humiliation.

As your best lawyers are sacked for having participated in the January 6 case or just flee for the exits now, your new lawyers keep lying in court. In dozens of cases, your lawyers have been excoriated for lying to federal courts. Chief Judge Boasberg, right here in the District of Columbia, suggested your DOJ presented “a fraud on the court.” Other judges found your DOJ’s statements to be “inexplicably misleading,” “patently incredible,” “totally inconsistent,” and “so disingenuous that the Court is left with little confidence that the [government] can be trusted to tell the truth about anything.”

Now, as Ranking Member, I asked the Chairman to add a few extra rounds of questions today because we each have five hours of questions, not five minutes, but we’re stuck with five minutes. That’s clearly insufficient to give voice to America’s victims and survivors and demand answers about the corruption and cover-ups that have overtaken your Department.

We have just one round, so we ask you politely but firmly, Madam Attorney General: please don’t waste one second of our precious time by evading our questions, changing the subject, randomly reciting statistics to eat up time, or engaging in personal attacks against Members of Congress. We saw your performance in the Senate and we aren’t going to accept that. This isn’t a game. In the Senate, you brought a burn book, a binder of smears, to attack Members personally for doing the people’s work of oversight. Please set the burn book aside and answer our questions. And when you hear us reclaim our time, that means it’s time for you to stop speaking. We only have five minutes, so when we reclaim our time, that means you stop. And if you don’t, we will ask the Chair to stop the clock and let you go on his time.

The quality of justice in America depends on the character of our government. Please do your job and bring the Department of Justice back from the brink. The survivors seated behind you, and the American people watching everywhere, deserve a Department of Justice worthy of its name.

I yield back.

She lied in her opening remarks insisting that she had spent her "entire life fighting for victims and I will continue to do so." No, Pam, you can't go after Chump's political enemies and then claim you've spent your life fighting for victims.

All she wanted to do was to rant and rave and attack. As she's done before, she came armed with binders. It's where she writes down her insults ahead of time. She also carries papers in the binders and that got her into trouble in this hearing.

Let's note this exchange which was a fairly typical exchange.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: We are joined in this room by some of the thousands of survivors from Jeffrey Epstein's horrific sex trafficking ring. They have shown incredible courage in speaking out, in demanding accountability to bring the predators and pedophiles to justice. The Epstein Files Transparency Act required your Department of Justice to disclose the perpetrators connected with Epstein's criminal activities and to redact the information of survivors to protect their identities. Let me show you what actually happened. First, in violation of the law, your department has shown a pattern of redacting the names of powerful predators. Here behind me is one example of an e-mail from Epstein to a man whose name was redacted. The e-mail reads "Where are you? Are you ok. I loved the torture video." Only after members of Congress demanded that we see the unredacted files did the world learn the name of this individual, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulaye, the chairman and CEO of a company that had financial ties to President Trump's business and personal ties to Trump's advisors, Steve Bannon Second, the survivors were not similarly protected. Also in violation of the law. Here is another e-mail entitled Epstein Victim List. We have blurred the names of the survivors for their protection but your Department of Justice initially released this list of 32 survivors names with only one name redacted along with numerous files that disclose not only the names, the e-mails and the addresses of survivors but also nude photographs and even the identities of Jane Does who had been protected for decades until your department released their names. Survivors are now telling us that their families are finding out for the first time that they were trafficked by Epstein. In their words "This release does not provide closure. It feels like a deliberate attempt to intimidate survivors, punish those who came forward and reinforce the same culture of secrecy that allowed Epstein's crimes to continue for decades." To the survivors in the room, if you are willing, please stand, [at least 7 women stood up] and if you are willing please raise your hands if you have still not been able to meet with this Department of Justice. Please know for the record that every single survivor has raised their hand. Attorney General Bondi, you apologized to the survivors in your opening statement for what they went through at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. Will you turn to them now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information?

AG Pam Bondi: Congress woman, you sat before Merrick Garland, sat in this chair twice --

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: Attorney General Bondi --

AG Pam Bondi: No, I'm gonna finish my answer.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: No, I'm going to reclaim my time because I asked you [crosstalk] Attorney General, I would like you to answer the question which is will you turn to the survivors? This is not about anybody that came before you. It is about you taking responsibility for your Department of Justice and the harm that it has done to the survivors who are standing right behind you and are waiting for you to turn to them and apologize for what your Department of Justice members

Chair Jim Jordan: Members get to ask the questions, the witness gets to answer in the way they want to answer,

Pam Bondi: Mr Chairman she doesn't like my -- Why didn't she ask Merrick Garland this.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: I'm reclaiming my time and when I will claim --

Pam Bondi: I'm not oing to get in the gutter for her theatrics.

Chair Jim Jordan: The time belongs to the gentle lady. The gentle lady has 17 seconds.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: Thank you. You're not going to answer this question, so let me just

[cross talk]

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: The witness is interrupting.

Pam Bondi: The gutter with this woman.

Chair Jim Jordan: The gentle lady from Washington controls the time. The gentle lady has 17 seconds. You can proceed with your final 17 seconds.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: What a massive cover up this has been and continues to be . Donald Trump made the release of the Epstein files the center of his political campaign because he thought it would benefit him. Then you got into office, Attorney General, claimed to have a client list, only to then say that there was no list. Your deputy, Todd Blanche, met alone with Ghislaine Maxwell --

Chair Jim Jordan: The gentle lady has expired.

US House Rep Pramila Jayapal: -- and transferred her to a minimum security prison and now you continue the cover up. And I wish that you would turn around to the survivors who are standing right behind and on a human level apologize for that for what have you done?

It was shocking to see Pam Bondi scream and screech and throw down. You never had the notion that she was defending the country but you always saw her rush to lie for Donald Chump. Holly Baxter (INDEPENDENT) notes Pam's horrific performance:

At one point, those survivors of sexual abuse stood up and identified themselves. It was a particularly painful back-and-forth: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) asked the Epstein victims to stand if they were comfortable. They did. She then asked them to raise their hands if they’d been unable to meet with Bondi’s DOJ, and every one of them did so.

Asked whether she’d like to apologize for such an oversight, Bondi then started talking over Jayapal, repeatedly saying that she should ask Biden’s AG, Merrick Garland, instead. She never once glanced back at the victims and eventually ended up at: “I’m not gonna get in the gutter for [Jayapal’s] theatrics.” The Epstein victims remained in their seats, unacknowledged.

Even for Bondi, this was an eye-opening performance.

“The Dow is over $50,000!” she yelled at one point, before adding, after the shocked laughter of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), “I don’t know why you’re laughing! You’re a great stock trader, as I hear, Raskin… That’s what we should be talking about!”

Indeed, indeed, that is what we should be talking about. Sure, we could ask about emails that describe children — possibly as young as 9 years old — being sexually abused on a secret pedophile island visited frequently by international elites. Emails that say things like “loved the torture video”. Emails that should have been released long ago, that the president promised to release as soon as he came into power about, and that for some reason he just…didn’t, until they started appearing anyway, still heavily redacted. But why not instead discuss EMAILS ABOUT HOW MY SHARES IN BOEING ARE UP, AMIRITE, PAM?!

At one point during the hearing, exasperated by the fact that Bondi wouldn’t even directly answer a question about whether it’s important to protect the identities of sexual assault victims, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said, “You do a kind of Jekyll and Hyde routine over here.” Bondi immediately tried to drag him into a back-and-forth about what Jekyll and Hyde “means” (I’m going to charitably assume here that she is aware of the book) and we never really got to the bottom of anything else. For what it’s worth, Johnson had been asking whether Bondi believed that the identities of sexual assault victims should be fully protected.

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted:

There are vital questions that the American public needs transparency, needs substantive answers on. Instead, what do we get? Accusations of Trump Derangement Syndrome, name calling, you’re a loser lawyer, this and that. I mean, coming from the AG of the United States . . . did we get any meaningful clarity on the Epstein investigations on Epstein files? To your point, do the victims feel, to what you were saying earlier, like they’ve been given any transparency, any clarity on any of this? Have we learned anything new about what DOJ is doing to investigate in Minnesota? Have we learned anything new about the search warrant in Fulton County? Have we learned anything new about the fact that dozens of judges across this country have found that this DOJ lacks credibility? No, it’s been name calling. It’s been amateurish. It’s an embarrassment to the Justice Department what we’re seeing from Pam Bondi.

MORNING JOE today has already noted Bondi's appalling performance.

"We're laughing because she's making a fool ofherself."

The Jayapal exchange revealed something else. Remember Pam's binder? Dan Manan (NBC NEWS) reports:

Attorney General Pam Bondi at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday seemed to have a printout of Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s history of searches of the Department of Justice’s database of documents related to the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Photos of a black binder that Bondi had at the hearing showed the words “Jayapal Pramila Search History” and a list of documents whose numbers coincide with the number of Epstein files.

Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, and other members of Congress have visited the DOJ in recent days to view documents related to Epstein that are not available to the public.

Jayapal blasted Bondi in a post on X on Wednesday evening.

“It is totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files,” Jayapal wrote.

“Bondi showed up today with a burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched,” the congresswoman said.

“That is outrageous and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., when asked by MS Now if Bondi’s alleged action was appropriate, at first said, “I’m not going to comment on an allegation that is unsubstantiated. I don’t know anything about it.”

“I haven’t seen or heard anything about that, but that would be inappropriate if it happened,” Johnson said.

Washington, D.C. (February 11, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement after photographs revealed that Attorney General Pam Bondi has tracked the search history of Members of Congress who have reviewed the unredacted Epstein files at a satellite office of the Department of Justice:

"The Department of Justice has required Members of Congress who wish to review the slightly-less-redacted Epstein files to travel to a DOJ annex, sit at one of four DOJ-owned computers, use a clunky and convoluted software system provided by DOJ, and search for and read documents while DOJ staffers look over our shoulders. It is the perfect set up for DOJ to spy on Members’ review, monitoring, recording, and logging every document we choose to pull up.

“Today, photographs of Attorney General Bondi’s ‘burn book’ confirmed my suspicions. These photos show Bondi came to our hearing with a document entitled ‘Jayapal Pramila Search History’ and then listed the documents my colleague, Rep. Jayapal, reviewed while at DOJ, apparently to prepare the Attorney General for any questions Rep. Jayapal might ask.

“Not only has the Department of Justice illegally withheld documents from Congress and the American people. Not only has Attorney General Bondi failed to bring a single indictment against a single co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. But now Bondi and her team are spying on Members of Congress conducting oversight in yet another blatant attempt to intrude into Congress’s oversight processes.

“It is an outrage that DOJ is tracking Members’ investigative steps undertaken to ensure that DOJ is complying with the Epstein File Transparency Act and using this information for the Attorney General’s embarrassing polemical purposes. DOJ must immediately cease tracking any Members’ searches, open up the Epstein review to senior congressional staff, and publicly release all files—with all the survivors’ information, and only the survivors’ information, properly redacted—as required by federal law. I will also be asking the DOJ Inspector General to open an inquiry into this outrageous abuse of power. Let us use this humiliating disclosure about the Attorney General's work ethics to do a complete reset on the Epstein coverup.”

###

The hearing was a disaster for Pam Bondi. Sean James (MEDIAITE) notes:

Conservative radio host Erick Erickson said Attorney General Pam Bondi should quit or be canned after she said lawmakers and American citizens should be celebrating the stock market “smashing records,” rather than being fixated on the files tied to Jeffrey Epstein.

Erickson shared his disgust with Bondi’s answer in a post on X on Wednesday.

“When the Attorney General of the United States is asked why she has prosecuted no one related to Jeffrey Epstein and this is her answer, she should be fired or resign,” he posted. “But neither will happen, which is another reason the Democrats are going to have a good election year.”

Let's note another moment from the hearing.

US House Rep Jasmine Crockett: And to be clear, I'm not going to ask any questions of this witness because this witness has revealed she has no intentions of answering questions. But instead I'm going to ask some very basic questions really quickly of my colleague Becca Balint if she will answer. Right or wrong, raping children?

US House Rep Becca Balint: Wrong.

US House Rep Jasmine Crockett: Right or wrong, killing random citizens?

US House Rep Becca Balint: Definitely wrong.

US House Rep Jasmine Crockett Right or wrong, enriching yourself as the sitting president of the United States?

US House Rep Becca Balint: Definitely wrong.

US House Rep Jasmine Crockett: Okay, thank you because I probably never would have got that with our witness. Our witness who somehow is a lawyer but doesn't understand how it works with witnesses. I'm not really sure what law school she went to and what all kind of cases she tried but typically when you come into a space and somebody's a witness then they sit there and they answer questions instead of asking questions. And then we also have this objection that we use as lawyers called non-responsive when a witness fails to actually answer the question. But nevertheless, let me address the survivors because that's exactly who they are. They are not victims. They are survivors. Let me say thank you for having more courage and more moral clarity in your pinky fingers than the entire Department of Justice. We are currently the laughing stock of the world partially because of the failed leadership within the DOJ as we see kings and queens fallen everywhere around the world but we don't know the basics of right and wrong in this country because it's not about partisanship. And that's why I applaud [US House Rep] Thomas Massie because he's the only person on the Republican side that has a backbone and knows how to stand up to corruption. But nevertheless let me keep going. My Democratic colleagues have been attacked this entire Committee hearing. They have been lied on. And frankly the American people weren't looking for that. They were looking for answers about the corruption that they see coming from this administration. In the written testimony of this witness -- of this particular witness -- she stated that when she took office, she had main goals. The first was to end the weaponization of justice and, second, to return the department to its core mission. Not only have you lied about both, you've intentionally done the exact opposite. You're spending more taxpayer resources arresting journalists than you are prosecuting pedophiles and creeps. In fact, your boss, the president of the United States, stated that this administration "took the freedom of speech away" and at your direction DOJ has arrested Don Lemon and Georgia Fort and I might add that ya'll actually had a judge that rejected ya'll for trying to arrest Don Lemon before just like the grand jury rejected ya'll as it relates to Senator Kelly -- just like a grand jury rejected ya'll as it relates to Senator [Elissa] Slotkin -- just like the case against Tish James was dismissed and the case against Mr. [James] Comey was dismissed. I completely don't get how it is that you're sitting at the top of DOJ because you don't seem to be good at your job. You're spending more tax payer resources arresting these journalists. In fact, we know after Georgia Fort and Don Lemon were arrested, we know that there were homes of journalists that were raided. We know that threatened prosecution against students protesting your actions and forced tech companies to remove apps used to track ICE's activities. But let's circle back to you protecting pedophiles and creeps. because I want to talk about the president and his possible involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Now I don't know what the president might have done with Jeffrey Epstein but unlike this administration, I believe the facts matter so let's talk about the facts. Fact number one, Donald Trump is one of the most named people in the Epstein files. At least 5,000 files contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, his wife or Mar-a-Lago. Fact number two, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell made young girls available to Trump on multiple occasions. For example, according to this file, Ghislaine Maxwell presented a young girl to President Trump who spent more than 20 minutes apparently flirting with her. Here's another example: this shows notes from FBI investigators that describe Jeffrey Epstein transporting a victim to Mar-a-Largo to meet with President Trump where he bragged to Trump that, "This is a good one." Now I'm not saying that the president is a pedophile but there is a lot of evidence in these files that suggest he's very close friends with a lot of men who are pedophiles. What's crazy about all of this is just that this is a big cover up and this administration is engaged in it. In fact, this administration is complicit. But there are numerous others like how the DOJ is attempting to obstruct justice in the investigation of the rogue agents who have murdered American citizens. Or how the DOJ seized voter data from Fulton County in an attempt to steal the 2026 mid-term elections or how federal agent have Tom Homan on tape accepting a bribe and your agency killed the investigation. Or how your agency is willing to give the president a $230 million payday which is unconstitutional. The Constitution is clear: "The president shall not receive any payment except his salary while in office." The fact of the matter is that you will be remembered as one of the worst attorney generals in history -- an attorney general who has prioritized obstruction over justice, corruption over the law, fealty to the president over loyalty to the Constitution. And, Mr. Chairman, I will yield.

After the hearing concluded, the Democrats on the House Committee issued the following:

Washington, D.C. (February 11, 202)—Today, during her oversight hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer basic questions, aggressively filibustering and resorting to ad hominem attacks that revealed the depth of her incompetence and incredibility.

Here are the questions the Attorney General refused to answer before Congress, amid nationwide calls for truth and transparency:

Bondi refused to answer how many of Epstein’s co-conspirators her DOJ has indicted (zero).
Bondi refused to answer whether she would create a joint task force to give state attorneys general and district attorneys around the country access to DOJ’s trove of evidence regarding Epstein and his co-conspirators, so they can go build the cases and bring the indictments DOJ refuses to pursue.
Bondi refused to answer whether the email from the Epstein files involving Steve Tisch is worthy of further investigation.
Bondi refused to answer whether it’s important for prosecutors to protect sexual assault victims’ identities.
Bondi refused to answer why 500 of her attorneys somehow didn’t redact dozens of survivors’ names, identities, and sensitive photographs.
Bondi refused to answer why she refused to investigate Prince Andrew who is shown in disturbing photos in the Epstein files.
Bondi refused to answer whether she has knowledge if President Trump was at parties with underage girls.
Bondi refused to answer whether she has prepared a list of so-called domestic terrorism groups. And she refused to commit to providing the committee with that list.
Bondi refused to answer when DOJ decided not to investigate Lex Wexner as a co-conspirator and why.
Bondi refused to answer whether DOJ owes anything to Epstein’s victims, even as Donald Trump sues for $10 billion in personal damages from the federal government.
Bondi refused to answer how many employees work at the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (which she eliminated).
Bondi refused to answer whether DOJ has questioned Secretary Lutnick and other Administration officials about their ties to Epstein.
Bondi refused to answer who at DOJ signed off on Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer.
Bondi refused to answer whether her Department would consider recommending a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell.
Bondi refused to answer whether the President has lied when he spread a crazy right-wing conspiracy theory about the murder of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.

Moving over to the topic of ICE . . .

At ABOVE THE LAW, Jonathan Wolf writes:

I know a little place where the ingredients are always fresh. You can get a mega-burrito and a Dos Equis to wash it down for not much more than 10 bucks.

If you’re in a bad mood when you arrive, you won’t be for long, because the workers smile, they laugh, they seem like they’re having so much fun making your food just the way you like it that you can’t help but start to feel like you’re having a little fun yourself. When I’m in there with my parents, the staff are careful to treat them (and any other older people) with respect. Someone always comes around from behind the counter to carry my mom’s food to her table for her.

Last week my favorite burrito shop was dark. The door was locked. A note posted outside indicated that they would be closed for the foreseeable future for kitchen renovations.

No mention had been made of upcoming renovations at any of my prior visits though. With ICE known to be skulking about, it didn’t exactly take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what had really happened.

Immigration agents reportedly kidnapped several of the employees and are in the process of deporting them. I confirmed this as best I could, which basically meant asking people in the area what they had heard, because the Department of Homeland Security generally won’t tell taxpayers (their bosses) who they are taking or what they are doing with them.

I say “kidnapped” because this most definitely was not an “arrest” and there is no better word for what actually took place. When a police officer takes another person into custody, he or she is acting under the color of legal authority. This police officer must respect the constitutional rights of the accused, and must have probable cause indicating that the person being arrested has committed a crime. When police officers make arrests, their badges and the badge numbers on them are visible, their last names are stitched into their uniforms, and their faces are uncovered, so that if your rights are indeed violated while you are in custody, you know who to complain about later on. When a police officer goes beyond the legal authority with which he or she is entrusted, that police officer is subject to disciplinary action, civil liability, or even criminal prosecution.

The color of someone’s skin or the fact that they speak English with an accent does not amount to probable cause. Simply being an undocumented immigrant is not even, on its own, a crime.

The president — who has himself been convicted of far more serious crimes than almost all of the people his administration is deporting — calling some thug a police officer does not make him one. Masked, unaccountable, unidentifiable ICE agents who trample the constitutional rights of every person they encounter are not law enforcement. One cannot enforce the law by breaking the law, and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. These are kidnappings, plain and simple.

Plain and simple. And let's call it what it is. The American people are exhausted by Chump's lies on immigration. Natasha Korecki (NBC NEWS) notes:

Support for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is in free fall in early 2026 after federal immigration agents shot and killed two Americans last month, according to the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.

The administration’s aggressive tactics and deportation goals have dragged down Americans’ views of Trump on the very issue that helped sweep him into office, the survey shows.

Immigration and border security had long stood out as a strength for Trump in polls, both as he ran for a second term in 2024 and in the first year of his new administration. Now, Trump’s ratings on the issue have sunk to the same level as his overall job approval rating.

In a double-digit shift, 49% of adults strongly disapprove of how Trump has handled border security and immigration, up from 38% strong disapproval last summer and 34% in April. Self-identified independents drove the erosion, with the share of strong disapprovers in that group having risen 11 points since August.

Fully 60% of those surveyed in the week after the death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota somewhat or strongly disapproved of Trump’s actions on border security and immigration. Another 40% approved of Trump on the issue, including 27% who strongly approved and 13% who somewhat approved.

Meanwhile, his overall approval rating declined slightly to 39%, about even with his rating on immigration and border security.

Ryan J. Foley (AP) reports on some serious issues with ICE:

Investigators said one immigration enforcement official got away with physically assaulting his girlfriend for years. Another admitted he repeatedly sexually abused a woman in his custody. A third is charged with taking bribes to remove detention orders on people targeted for deportation.

At least two dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020, and their documented wrongdoing includes patterns of physical and sexual abuse, corruption and other abuses of authority, a review by The Associated Press found.

While most of the cases happened before Congress voted last year to give ICE $75 billion to hire more agents and detain more people, experts say these kinds of crimes could accelerate given the sheer volume of new employees and their empowerment to use aggressive tactics to arrest and deport people.

The Trump administration has emboldened agents by arguing they have “absolute immunity” for their actions on duty and by weakening oversight. One judge recently suggested that ICE was developing a troubling culture of lawlessness, while experts have questioned whether job applicants are getting enough vetting and training.

“Once a person is hired, brought on, goes through the training and they are not the right person, it is difficult to get rid of them and there will be a price to be paid later down the road by everyone,” said Gil Kerlikowske, who served as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017.

Foley notes specific cases from last year and this year:

Arrests of ICE personnel over the last year have been a headache for the agency, which has labeled many of the people they deport as the “worst of the worst” because of their rap sheets.

The AP found at least nine such arrests across the country. They include the assistant ICE field office supervisor in Cincinnati, who has been jailed since December after a judge found he was a danger to the public who had violently assaulted his girlfriend for years.

Two ICE employees in Minnesota faced federal sexual misconduct charges related to underage girls last year, including an employment eligibility auditor arrested in a sting operation in November. The auditor has pleaded not guilty. An ICE investigator in the state pleaded guilty to sending images and videos of himself having sex with a 17-year-old girl, whose background he searched in a law enforcement database.

Two ICE agents face charges for incidents that occurred outside Chicago while they were off-duty but which involved their agency work. One was charged last month with assaulting a protester who was filming him at a gas station. Another was cited for driving drunk shortly after leaving work at a detention center with his government firearm in the vehicle.

The AP’s review found a pattern of charges involving ICE employees and contractors who mistreated vulnerable people in their care.

A former top official at an ICE contract facility in Texas was sentenced to probation on Feb. 4 after acknowledging he grabbed a handcuffed detainee by the neck and slammed him into a wall last year. Prosecutors had downgraded the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.

In December, an ICE contractor pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a detainee at a detention facility in Louisiana. Prosecutors said the man had sexual encounters with a Nicaraguan national over a five-month period in 2025 as he instructed other detainees to act as lookouts.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Adam Schiff's office:

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in leading a letter to U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio pushing the Trump administration to immediately end deportation flights to Iran.

Last month, it was reported that the administration resumed the deportation of dozens of Iranians, many of whom could be persecuted, tortured, or even executed if they are forced to return to Iran. That reporting came amid massive demonstrations in Iran, the Iranian government’s violent crackdown on protesters, and threats from President Donald Trump to use U.S. military force against the current Iranian regime.

“Given Iran’s horrific human rights record, we are deeply concerned that the Trump administration is returning people to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured, in violation of U.S. and international law,” the Senators wrote. “As you know, the United States has long been a safe haven for Iranians fleeing oppression and persecution by the Iranian regime because of their political ideology, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. In the eyes of the regime, some of these ‘crimes’ are punishable by death, and deportees have stated they’ll likely face such sentences if sent back to Iran.”

The Senators continued, “…despite your acknowledgement of the Iranian government’s wanton disregard for basic human rights, the Trump administration has chosen to return Iranian citizens to the very place that they fled for their lives.”

“Throughout your career in the Senate, you were an advocate for Cubans escaping oppression and persecution by the Castro regime and for the protection of political dissidents and religious minorities around the world. We were glad to work with you on these issues,” the Senators concluded. “Now we ask you and the Trump administration to ensure that the United States does not violate U.S. and international law by returning people who have a well-founded fear of persecution and torture by the brutal Iranian regime.”

In addition to Schiff, Padilla, Kaine, and Welch, the letter was cosigned by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Rubio,

In late September, the media and Iranian American human rights advocates began reporting that the Trump administration had reached a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran to deport Iranian citizens back to Iran. According to these reports, the administration sent 45 people to Tehran via Qatar in late September or early October. Some of these individuals stated that they “begged not to be sent to Iran because they feared for their lives.” Once they landed in Tehran, they said that they were “made to fill out forms explaining why they had left Iran and sought asylum in America,” and were “called in for interrogation by the intelligence wing of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.” On December 7, 2025, the administration deported another approximately 50 Iranian citizens to Iran, this time through Kuwait. On January 25, yet another flight deported approximately 14 Iranians; the number would have been much higher if not for a major measles outbreak at the detention site and widespread bipartisan pushback.

Given Iran’s horrific human rights record, we are deeply concerned that the Trump administration is returning people to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured, in violation of U.S. and international law. As you know, the United States has long been a safe haven for Iranians fleeing oppression and persecution by the Iranian regime because of their political ideology, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. In the eyes of the regime, some of these ‘crimes’ are punishable by death, and deportees have stated they’ll likely face such sentences if sent back to Iran.

Iran’s violations of human rights are extensive, well-documented, and horrifying. Basic rights, like those of the freedom of expression, religion, and assembly are not only infringed upon – they are violently suppressed through torture, imprisonment, forced disappearances, and executions. You and others in the Trump administration spoke extensively about the horrors of the Iranian regime when attempting to justify the June 22, 2025, U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. More recently, you personally have spoken against the regime’s violent suppression of protesters that experts believe have left more than 6,800 people dead – a figure that continues to climb. Yet despite your acknowledgement of the Iranian government’s wanton disregard for basic human rights, the Trump administration has chosen to return Iranian citizens to the very place that they fled for their lives.

Throughout your career in the Senate, you were an advocate for Cubans escaping oppression and persecution by the Castro regime and for the protection of political dissidents and religious minorities around the world. We were glad to work with you on these issues. Now we ask you and the Trump administration to ensure that the United States does not violate U.S. and international law by returning people who have a well-founded fear of persecution and torture by the brutal Iranian regime.

###

The following sites updated:

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Chump's never going to be JFK

Donald Chump will never amount to anything. He'll always be a convicted felon and a lousy human being who managed to grab the presidency twice and destroyed the country both times. His envy of JFK is matched only by his envy of Barack Obama.

Ewan Palmer (DAILY BEAST) reports on The Kennedy Center:

Several board members of the MAGA-fied Kennedy Center were against the push to rename it after Donald Trump but did not want to speak out, according to a report.

The idea to rename the D.C. institution the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts came from Sergio Gor, a top Trump ally and a member of the center’s board of trustees who also serves as the U.S. ambassador to India.

Gor proposed renaming the arts center after Trump during a meeting at the home of fellow board member Andrea Wynn, the wife of casino mogul Steve Wynn, according to The Wall Street Journal.

No other board member spoke out against the idea at the meeting, but several reportedly “expressed frustration privately” afterward, a source told the Journal.

The board, which now includes Trump loyalists like Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the MAGA takeover, ultimately unanimously agreed to the name change in December 2025.

The detail about Gor’s push for the name change appeared in a wider Journal report about how overhauling the Kennedy Center has become a “fixation” for Trump.

The report also makes clear how disastrous the president’s takeover has been for the venue, amid dwindling ticket sales and artist boycotts that threaten its entire existence.

Some comments on the article:

susan nierenberg

3 hours ago

Does he not understand that the word Memorial refers to a dead person?? I guess he is so scared of dying and being forgotten he slaps his name on everything that his eyes light on- he will be remembered, but as the worst most dangerous president in history- if the country even survives him

Jay Arthur

1 hour ago

The Kennedy Center had a major renovation in 2003. I don't think it needs another renovation so soon.

Steve Nelson

1 hour ago

I'm guessing that this renovation will include Trump's name embossed on everything, from the seats to the glass windows. When his name is rightfully removed in a couple of years, we'll have to pay to have it re-renovated. So sad.

Cathy Venter

1 hour ago

It's what frauds and con men do...take other people's accomplishments; whether it's fame and honor, or things of value.

Closing with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Ghislaine Maxwell needs to return to the prison appropriate for the crimes she was found guilty of, Howard Lutnick wants to quibble, Chump tries to have six members of Congress brought up on charges, Homeland Security plays inept and dumb in a hearing, and much more.

Let's start with William Vaillancourt (DAILY BEAST) reporting on convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell's life in Bryan, Texas:

The facility, nicknamed “Club Fed,” offers a “puppy program” with gym and yoga classes. There are no cell blocks or guard towers. Prisoners can use an outdoor running track, access music programs, intramural competitions, social and cultural events, and even play table tennis, according to prison consultant Michael Santos.

In November, it was revealed that Maxwell is allowed an unlimited supply of toilet paper, in direct contrast to the privileges extended to other inmates. CNN also revealed that Maxwell has her meals delivered to her and had lived in a four-person cell by herself.

“The institution is run in an orderly fashion which makes for a safer more comfortable environment for all people concerned, inmates and guards alike,” Maxwell wrote upon her August arrival.

“The kitchen looks clean too — no possums falling from the celling [sic] to fry unfortunately on ovens, and become mingled with the food being served,” she wrote.

Maxwell wrote to a relative in another letter: “I am much happier here and more importantly safe.“

And she showed up Monday, via the internet, to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee and refused to answer any and all questions. To every question, she cited the Fifth Amednment and refused to respond.

So why is she at Club Fed in Bryan, Texas? She never should have been moved there and it's time to move her back. Bryan, Texas' prison is for lower level offenders, not sex traffickers. She has made clear that she will not respond to questions from Congress so it's past time for her to go back to the higher level facilities that she belongs in.

Max Rego (THE HILL) notes:

After Ghislaine Maxwell’s closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said she should be transferred back to the maximum security prison in Florida she was moved out of last summer.

Khanna, a member of the committee, wrote on social platform X that Maxwell refused “to answer a single question about the men who raped underage girls, saying she would only do so” if she received clemency from President Trump.

“She must immediately be sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs,” the California Democrat added.

He's right. She needs to be sent back to the maximum security prison she belongs in. She's a convicted sex trafficker. She never should have been moved to Bryan, Texas. It's time for her to return to a prison she belongs in.

She is "evil," after all.

That's what Donald Chump said. Julie K. Brown (MIAMI HERALD) reports:

President Donald Trump has repeatedly maintained that he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes.

But in July 2006, just as Jeffrey Epstein's criminal sex charge became public, Trump called then-Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter to tell him that Epstein's activities with teenaged girls were well known in both New York and Palm Beach.

"Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this," Trump told Reiter, according to a 2019 FBI interview with Reiter contained in the Justice Department's Epstein case files.

The interview, conducted in October 2019 and not previously reported, has shed new light on Trump's involvement in the early stages of the 2006 Jeffrey Epstein investigation in Palm Beach, Florida. It also raises questions about how much Trump knew about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes.

Reiter told FBI agents that Trump revealed that Epstein's associate, Maxwell, was Epstein's "operative," and that Trump said "she is evil and to focus on her," according to the report.

Trump told Reiter that "he was around Epstein once when teenagers were present and Trump ‘got the hell out of there,'" the report said. Trump also told Reiter that he threw Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club.

That stands in sharp contrast to what Trump told reporters in July 2019 when he was asked if he had any knowledge that Epstein had molested girls.

"No, I had no idea. I had no idea," Trump said at the time.

He lied.

Cover up? Sarah K. Burris (RAW STORY) notes US House Rep Dave Min's statements to CNN:

This "tells me Donald Trump was caught lying because he said that he did not know about Epstein until like 2019," said Min. "He said he'd quit affiliations with Epstein at some point. So the fact that, as early as 2005 or 2006, Donald Trump clearly and apparently knew something about what was going on with Epstein and that he was continuing to send girls from Mar-a-Lago to Epstein's employment. That tells us a lot about what Donald Trump knew and when. And I think that's a smoking gun."

Min said that Trump is desperately trying to distract from the Epstein files. He said that it appears the Justice Department made a lot of " unnecessary redaction of names, including, it looks like, Donald Trump's name quite a lot." Trump, the administration and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell all maintain that Trump did nothing wrong throughout his relationship with the convicted trafficker.

The other problem Min sees is that 15 percent of the Epstein files still remain hidden by the Justice Department.

"We don't have any good reason for that. I'll take Rep. [Tom] Massie (R-Ky.) on his word that he saw some documents, and that fits in with the larger narrative that they're covering this up," Min said.

He recalled this time last year, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were saying publicly that they would do whatever it took to release all of the files and get to the bottom of the trafficking ring.

"And yet, sometime in May, reportedly, Pam Bondi told President Trump he was in the Epstein files. That launched this whole cover-up. We saw them then deny that the Epstein files existed. Ghislaine Maxwell had a weird visit, a private visit from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who used to be Donald Trump's personal attorney," Min recalled.

It wasn't long after that that Maxwell was sent to a minimum security prison camp that typically doesn't allow sex offenders. Maxwell told the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday that she would reveal everything if she were granted a pardon.

"So this all reeks of a cover-up right now. And we need to release the entire Epstein files. The DOJ needs to explain why they seem to be redacting certain names of people who were implicated in the Epstein files," Min added.

Andrew Solender (AXISO) reports:

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios in an interview Tuesday that, when he searched President Trump's name in the unredacted Epstein files the previous day, it came up "more than a million times."

Why it matters: At least one of the files Raskin found appears to contradict what Trump has publicly claimed about his association with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the House Judiciary Committee ranking member.

That document is a 2009 email exchange between Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, in which Epstein recounted his lawyers' account of a phone call with Trump, as Raskin previously told reporters.

"Trump is paraphrased and quoted as saying, 'No, Jeffrey Epstein was not a member of Mar-a-Lago, but he was a guest at Mar-a-Lago, and no, we never asked him to leave,'" Raskin said in an interview at the Capitol.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the Epstein matter, and maintained that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for poaching spa workers.

Nolan D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan (REUTERS) report:

Congressional Democrats introduced legislation on Tuesday that they said would eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded sex traffickers such as the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the proposal alongside Epstein victims and Virginia Giuffre's family. The proposal — Virginia's Law — is named after Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, who died by suicide last year.

The bill's fate in the Senate and House of Representatives, which are both controlled by Republicans, is unclear.

However, a bipartisan effort was successful last year to compel the Department of Justice to release all unclassified files in its Epstein investigation.

"Virginia's dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows. She wanted to bring light," said Sky Roberts, Giuffre's brother.

At WHO WHAT WHY, Russ Baker notes Chump's relationship with billionaire investor Leon Black:

But certain things about Black are also true. The most salient point, to me, is that Trump — so well known for being transactional — seemingly rewarded Black, for something, by unexpectedly appointing his son Benjamin to a significant administration post.

In the early days of Trump’s second term, the high-flying investment firm Black co-founded, Apollo Global Management, showed interest in taking on a big chunk of the huge debt Elon Musk had incurred in buying Twitter. This occurred while Musk and DOGE were front and center in the Trump administration, centerpieces in Trump’s “showing results” to his base. Musk had also, of course, just pulled out all the stops to get Trump elected; his heavy independent spending in swing states is believed to have contributed to Trump’s victory.

Shortly after a news report on the Apollo interest in Musk’s debt, Trump appointed Black’s son CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). It’s interesting to note that Benjamin Black had not been one of the names bandied about for the position.

Right after this appointment, Apollo purchased an unspecified but clearly substantial amount of Musk’s debt.

Normally, one might simply assume that Black was doing Trump a favor because Trump was president; getting on his good side would make sense. And Trump is no stranger to quid pro quo.

However, one needs to consider that Black, who had to leave his roles as CEO and chairman of Apollo over the mess back in 2021 (when Black’s relationship with Epstein was being scrutinized) faces potential continuing legal, financial and reputational peril.

And that’s where the following seems so important:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, not known for taking major actions without Trump’s assent, has refused to release documents relating to Black and Epstein — in particular, SARS (Suspicious Activity Reports) on huge sums Black sent to Epstein. (SARS are documents filed by financial institutions to inform government agencies of potentially illegal activities.)

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is currently investigating Black for allegedly paying Epstein between $158 and $170 million — ostensibly for tax and estate-planning services. Wyden questions whether those enormous, outsized sums were truly for legitimate professional services or played some other role. To determine that, he very much needs those SARS.

In a clumsy, fumbling attempt to distract from his withholding those crucial documents, last August, Bessent very blatantly tried to shift suspicion to Wyden, seemingly out of thin air.

Instead of producing the Black-Epstein information, he pivoted to asserting that Wyden is “very rich” and may be guilty of insider trading — and claimed, seemingly with zero basis, that there may be SARS on Wyden. Wyden slammed him back:

Epstein seems to have been closer with Black than almost anyone else, except possibly Trump — whom Epstein once referred to as his “best friend.” Black first met Epstein in 1996 and found him to be a “fascinating guy.” They lived two blocks apart on New York’s Upper East Side and on numerous occasions had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together at Epstein’s town house.

Black also visited Epstein’s island in the Caribbean, and he once flew with two of his children on Epstein’s jet to Boston to visit Harvard and MIT. In 2011, the two men invested in a firm (Environmental Solutions Worldwide), and two of Black’s sons served on the company’s board. It was all very chummy until 2018 when Black cut relations with him over a fee dispute.

A lawsuit alleges Black raped a 16-year-old girl (“Jane Doe”) in Epstein’s townhouse in 2002. His lawyer claimed the charges were “totally made up, entirely uncorroborated and, as pleaded, squarely violate the statute of limitations.” The alleged victim’s law firm withdrew from the case in 2025. Another alleged victim accused Black of rape in 2002, also in Epstein’s town house, and she, too, withdrew her case.

With Epstein dead, Black is one of the few people who might know more than anyone else alive about things Trump would not want made public. Which could potentially explain what Trump wants in return for his many favors to Black: specifically, Black’s continued silence.

At a time when Republicans hope to shift the Epstein focus to the Clintons, it’s worth contemplating that yet another friend of Epstein was Howard Lutnick, whom Trump appointed commerce secretary. Lutnick claims he’d had “limited interactions” with Epstein. But documents show they were actually business partners as recently as 2014, well after Epstein was convicted and served time on Florida sex-trafficking charges.

Later this morning, Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee. Hollie Silverman (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking 15 questions ahead of her scheduled testimony before the House Judiciary Committee this week.

[. . .]

The first question posed is: “Who approved the release of the documents that exposed survivors’ names and identifying information?”

Members of Congress gained access Monday to unredacted Epstein files at a DOJ reading room, where they could make handwritten notes but were barred from bringing devices or staff, according to the department and multiple lawmakers.

House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said he saw “tons of completely unnecessary redactions,” alleging the DOJ was “in a cover-up mode” while allowing victims’ names to be exposed, after viewing unredacted records Monday, CBS News reported. The department has said its review prioritized victim protection and that any document flagged for insufficient redaction is removed for further review.

House Democrats said they plan to question Bondi on redactions and file management during this week’s hearing.

Yesterday, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing. Appearing before the Committee were three witnesses:

Mr. Todd Lyons
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DHS

The Honorable Rodney Scott
Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DHS

The Honorable Joseph Edlow
Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS

We'll note one exchange:

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Commissioner Scott, did the ICU nurse Alex Pretti deserve to die?

Commissioner Rodney Scott: I cannot comment on an on going investigation, sir.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Do you believe that he deserved to die? Should he be killed by your agents?

Commissioner Rodney Scott: I'm not going to comment on an on going investigation, sir, before it's concluded and all the facts are available.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Do you agree with CBP Commander Bovino's statement that Alex Pretti was planning to massacre law enforcement agents?

Commissioner Rodney Scott: I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation, sir.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Director Lyons, did Renee Goode deserve to die?

Director Todd Lyons: Sir, I can't comment on ongoing investigations.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Director Lyons, do you agree with Secretary Noem and Vice President Vance's characterization of Renee Good as a domestic terrorist?

Director Todd Lyons: Sir, I can't speak to their comments as that they are their own. But I as an ongoing investigation, I can't speak to that.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Director Lyons, what did your agent mean when he said 'You raise your voice, I erase your voice in the video'? Just that we have seen. All of us have seen.

Director Todd Lyons: Sir, I'm not aware of that video that you have. Sir, I can't comment on what that officer said.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Does that statement -- if that statement -- if I show you the video of that -- does that statement reflect the value of your agency and does ICE respect and adhere to The First Amendment?

Director Todd Lyons: Yes, sir, ICE does respect and refer to The First Amendment, but doesn't respect that. Well, your statement, you said, doesn't represent the values of the men and women of ICE.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Commissioner Scott, does CBP respect and adhere to The First Amendment and Second Amendment?

Commissioner Rodney Scott: Yes, we do.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Don't you agree that Alex Pretti had every right to exercise his First and Second Amendment freedoms before being shot in the streets by one of your agents?

Director Todd Lyons: I believe every person in the United States has a right to their constitutional rights.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Look, I have heard and seen enough. I'm just sick and tired of your agents running around in our cities, in our streets, causing illegal activities. ICE and CBP thugs are roaming our streets, attacking our communities, using our children as bait, referring to people as bodies and numbers, targeting people for their accents and the color of their skin and killing American citizens all while showing zero remorse for their actions. Director Lyons and Commissioner Scott, do you think President Trump will pardon you and your boss, Kristi Noem, before he leaves office, just like he has for insurrectionist and his political allies? Do you believe that President Trump will pardon you? Because -- go ahead.

Director Todd Lyons: I'm not going to speak on behalf of President Trump but I'll tell you I signed up for this job to protect America and I'm very proud of the service that I provide and I don't need a pardon from anybody.

US House Rep Shri Thanedar: Well you better hope so. You better hope you get being pardoned because you will be held accountable for the absolute disregard of the law your agencies have shown over the past year. Your agencies have lost the trust of the American people with millions taking to the streets to protect the illegal actions of your agencies. And that's why I introduced a bill in the United States Congress to abolish ICE. ICE must be abolished. I also co-sponsored a bill to impeach Secretary Kristi Noem and I believe Christina must be impeached and this Congress must do everything in its power to carry out oversight actions against these rogue departments.

If you Google "You raise your voice, I erase your voice," you immediately get this at the top of the page:

Context and Meaning

The Incident: The incident took place during tense, ongoing protests against federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, following the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
The Threat: The agent, seen in a video sitting in an unmarked vehicle, told a citizen, "I will tell you this... You raise your voice, I erase your voice". When the observer questioned if the agent was threatening to silence them, the agent confirmed, saying "Exactly, yeah".
Significance: The statement was widely condemned by civil liberties advocates and social media users as a direct threat against First Amendment rights (freedom of speech and protesting). It was interpreted as a sign of intimidation by law enforcement, rather than a disciplinary action.

Public and Legal Reaction

Intimidation Fears: The phrase became a symbol of public fear, with many arguing it showed federal agents treating lawful observation as a threat.
"Un-American": The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) described the incident as "about as un-American as it gets," noting that the government cannot legally punish protected criticism.
Ongoing Issues: The clip fueled further outrage against federal agents who have been accused of aggressive tactics, including stalking, pepper-spraying, and arresting individuals who record them.

The incident has raised critical questions regarding the accountability of federal agents and the protection of constitutional rights during public unrest.

Director Todd Lyons is not aware of this video? This well reported video? That he should have learned about from the news and should have immediately followed up on? Roland Martin notes US House Rep LaMonica McIver's exchange at the hearing.

In other news, Alan Feuer, Glenn Thrush and Michael S. Schmidt (NEW YORK TIMES) report:

Federal prosecutors in Washington sought and failed on Tuesday to secure an indictment against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video this fall that enraged President Trump by reminding active-duty members of the military and intelligence community that they were obligated to refuse illegal orders, four people familiar with the matter said.

It was remarkable that the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington — led by Jeanine Pirro, a longtime ally of Mr. Trump’s — authorized prosecutors to go into a grand jury and ask for an indictment of the six members of Congress, all of whom had served in the military or the nation’s spy agencies.

But it was even more remarkable that a group of ordinary citizens sitting on the grand jury in Federal District Court in Washington forcefully rejected Mr. Trump’s bid to label their expression of dissent as a criminal act warranting prosecution.

The move to charge the lawmakers — among them, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan — was, by any measure, an extraordinary attempt by Trump appointees to politicize the criminal justice system even for a Justice Department that has repeatedly shattered norms of independence from the White House and followed Mr. Trump’s directives to prosecute his adversaries.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Adam Schiff's office:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) released the following statement following the release of files revealing that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, in addition to being in communication with him over many years, after repeatedly denying his ties to the convicted sex offender.

“Howard Lutnick lied to the American people about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. For months he’s claimed to have spent ‘zero time’ with him. Now, in the Epstein Files, we learn that the two were in business together years after Epstein was first convicted, with Lutnick even planning to visit Epstein’s private island.

“Lutnick’s lies about his business dealings with a convicted child sex offender, raise serious concerns about his judgement and ethics. Lutnick has no business being our Commerce Secretary, and he should resign immediately.

“We must not forget that this information only came to light months after the Trump Administration was required by law to release the Epstein Files. Damning revelations like these demonstrate exactly why Donald Trump and the Department of Justice have slow walked and obscured the release of this information from the beginning. The truth must come out, and I will continue to demand a full and independent investigation into how Trump’s attorneys at DOJ have handled these files, to ensure full accountability and that nothing is withheld. The victims of Epstein and his conspirators deserve nothing less.”

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The following sites updated: