NEW: The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for its 2026 grant cycle. But this time, it has unusually specific criteria: It “particularly welcomes” projects that align with President Donald Trump’s vision for America.

Airline bookings to the U.S. in advance of the World Cup are soft, calling into question whether the high-profile tournament will deliver the boon U.S. tourism officials are expecting.

Epstein survivor Anouska De Georgiou: The fact that the very people who are meant to lead this country have completely retraumatized us… it’s—I mean—it’s like being raped by the Department of Justice.

www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202... Anne Applebaum

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The Globalization of Canadian Rage www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o... Stephen Marche

Luttig: It doesn’t matter what the Supreme Court does from this point forward. For two years, the Supreme Court has authorized the absolute lawlessness and unconstitutional activity of this president.

An Elegy for My Washington Post www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o... Carlos Lozada

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level www.nytimes.com/interactive/... NY Times Editorial Board

Donald Trump Already Knows the 2026 Election Is “Rigged” www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/... Alexandra Petri

Wait! The public face of nationwide immigration enforcement, Gregory Bovino, said in a newly discovered email that his boss wasn’t the head of CBP. He reported to Corey Lewandowski instead. He’s a political operative with zero law-enforcement background calling the shots on immigration enforcement.

For today's bonus issue of "One First," I wrote about Monday's @nytimes.com scoop regarding Chief Justice Roberts having clerks and other employees sign non-disclosure agreements, and why #SCOTUS's transparency problems run far deeper and wider than just NDAs: www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-207-...

BREAKING: Ed Martin was found, per CNN below, by DOJ to have violated GJ secrecy and also apparently lied about it. If the reporting is accurate, both are federal crimes. Will Martin be charged, given how quick a trigger this DOJ has re Letitia James & James Comey? edition.cnn.com/2026/02/04/p...

We just published database: @aclu.org plaintiffs' sworn declarations of ICE enforcement actions in Minnesota Devastating Racial profiling-arrests-headlock-handcuffs-shackles Mostly US citizens A big lesson here for Justice Kavanaugh. I believe he'll get it www.justsecurity.org/130745/minne... 🧵

Common Ground Is for Suckers www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o... Jamelle Bouie

www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026... Sally Jenkins

Nancy Pelosi warns press freedom is under attack after the arrest of an independent journalist, and on the same day the Washington Post, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, conducted mass layoffs of its reporters and editors worldwide. “America is in a crisis of conscience.” @pelosi.house.gov

Great read. An ICE attorney working for DOJ temporarily explains that ICE has no clue how all of this "federal court" stuff works and makes clear that both ICE and DOJ were totally unprepared for the flood of habeases that were the inevitable result of the Minneapolis raids.

Whoa!

Press: Trump’s demeaned numerous female reporters. He’s mentioned multiple times in the Epstein files (in what has been released, not purged). Yesterday he demeaned @kaitlancollins when she asked about the victims of Epstein’s circle. None of you supported her. 1/

Johnson should lose his law license

"I have never fully believed in the concept of inherent evil...But the depraved contents of the Epstein files—combined with the murderous actions of ICE agents and the years and years of degradations and violations of Donald Trump—have finally changed my thinking." open.substack.com/pub/america/...

Trump says he worries about "nuclear" as the world's biggest problem, but he's letting the last major arms treaty - one even the Russians want - lapse. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

In Trump’s Fraud Crackdown, Political Foes Face Harshest Scrutiny www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/u... Tony Romm

DOJ is apparently taking all this time & violating the Transparency Act deadline in order to protect criminals, not the victims.

Breaking NYT: Behind closed doors, Tulsi Gabbard met with some of the FBI field agents responsible for the Georgia election office raid. During the meeting, she called Trump. Trump addressed the agents on speakerphone, asking them questions as well as praising them for their work on the inquiry.

Just now watching “Becoming.” Didn’t think it was possible for me to love @MichelleObama more. I highly recommend watching this. She’s the very best of our country.

Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

We Were Top Homeland Security Lawyers. You Can’t Wish Away the Fourth Amendment. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/o...

If Congress doesn’t act, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia will expire. It would pointlessly wipe out decades of diplomacy, and could spark another arms race that makes the world less safe. This piece is worth the read.

WSJ Exclusive: A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202... Robert Kagan

"Among the hires at CBS News announced by Weiss is a doctor who claims he reduced his biological age by 20 years with cold plunges; that cod liver oil treats autism; and that Alzheimer’s and dementia can be reversed with supplements he sells on his online store." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Trump Can Be Bad All on His Own www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/o... Frank Bruni

Black History Month is a time to recognize the lived, shared experience of all Black folks who have fundamentally shaped, challenged, and ultimately strengthened America. It’s about taking an unvarnished look at the past so that we can create a better future.

How Trump Appears in the Epstein Files www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

Ellison: "The real problem with the case is not that the judge didn't understand the gravity or facts. The problem is there is no legal precedent for this. We've never seen a moment in American history where through force of arms, an administration was trying to bully a state into submission."

Keith Ellison: "The president is openly promoting authoritarianism and tyranny. That is what's happening in America. Most of us thought we would never see it, but here it is right in front of our eyes."

www.wsj.com/politics/pol... Rebecca Ballhaus et al.

What Worries Me About Trump’s New Fed Pick www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/o... Catherine Rampell