January 30, 2026 at 5:28 PM EST
Trump official traveled to Epstein's island years after claiming he cut ties: NYT

One member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet apparently sought to travel to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein's private island, according to a newly released document. The New York Times reported Friday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sent an email to Epstein in 2012, telling him that he and his family were going to be in the Caribbean and asking if they could meet for lunch. Epstein responded through an assistant, who gave Lutnick information about Epstein's "Little Saint James Island" in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

January 30, 2026 at 5:15 PM EST
Melania Trump exchanged affectionate emails with chief Epstein accomplice

The New York Daily News is reporting on new "gushing" emails from the latest trove of documents from the Epstein files, showing First Lady Melania Trump with an apparently strong relationship with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell (who was convicted for procuring victims for Jeffrey Epstein) two years before Melania married now-President Donald Trump. "Dear G! How are you?" Melania asked in one email to Maxwell, dated October 2002. "Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great in the picture."

January 30, 2026 at 4:41 PM EST
'As weak as it gets': Attorneys laugh at Trump DOJ's indictment of Don Lemon

The indictment of journalist Don Lemon was recently unsealed, and many legal experts are largely in agreement that the charging document is flimsy at best. On Friday, CNN host Jake Tapper posted the unsealed 12-page indictment of his former colleague to his official X account. Lemon has been charged with one count of conspiracy against right of religious freedom at place of worship and one count of impeding access to the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship. The charges stem from Lemon documenting a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota where one of the pastors is reportedly in a leadership position within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

January 30, 2026 at 4:21 PM EST
Trump admin fired Atlanta FBI chief for 'refusal to carry out' election raid: report

MS NOW Justice and Intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian is now reporting that President Donald Trump administration's seizure of Fulton County, Georgia election records may be either more flimsy or more political than proclaimed. "Two people familiar with [the] matter tell MS NOW News that the special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta Field office, Paul Brown, was forced out of that job earlier this month over his qualms about, and refusal to carry out, the searches and seizures of the Fulton County ballots," Dilanian announced on X.

January 30, 2026 at 3:57 PM EST
FBI inundated with 'salacious allegations' of Trump assaulting women in Epstein files: CNN

President Donald Trump's administration has apparently been aware of allegations he assaulted a woman, according to one reporter reviewing the latest batch of Epstein files. CNN correspondent MJ Lee reported Friday on the contents of some of the "302 documents" that are included in the most recent tranche of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released. 302 forms are official FBI files for documenting witness interviews and summarizing victim statements.

January 30, 2026 at 12:06 PM EST
Deputy AG's bizarre reason for Gabbard at FBI raid: 'She happened to be in Atlanta'

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appeared Wednesday in a large coat and hat as the FBI raided a Fulton County elections office in Georgia. It piqued the interest of reporters at a Justice Department press conference on Friday as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke.

January 30, 2026 at 11:47 AM EST
Trump staffer backed into corner after claiming reporters 'intentionally mislead' public

White House deputy chief of staff James Blair on Friday called out media outlets for not posting in their headlines that reporter Don Lemon was arrested as a result of a grand jury indictment. That information, however, remains under seal. "Any 'news' outlet failing to make clear in their headline that Don Lemon was indicted by a federal grand jury is intentionally misleading the public. Thank you for your attention to this matter," said Blair on X.

January 30, 2026 at 11:07 AM EST
Federal prosecutors in two different states refused to indict journalists: report

MS NOW reporter Carol Leonnig is reporting that federal prosecutors in two different states refused to handle the attempts to indict journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. "What we've been hearing for really a week and a half has been concern among prosecutors in Minnesota about the way this office has basically been by the deputy attorney general and the attorney general's office," said Leonnig.

January 30, 2026 at 10:55 AM EST
George Will calls for Supreme Court to halt Trump's overreach

On Monday, December 8, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter -- which finds President Donald Trump and his administration arguing that he had a right to fire former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and Slaughter countering that he had no business firing her from an independent agency established by Congress. At issue in the case is a far-right legal doctrine called the Unitary Executive Theory, which claims that U.S. presidents enjoy total control of the federal government's executive branch.

January 30, 2026 at 10:53 AM EST
Trump showing increasing weakness with his 'most reliable voting bloc'

Although the United States' 2024 presidential election results were far from the "landslide" President Donald Trump claims they were -- Trump won the national popular vote by roughly 1.5 percent -- the demographics outcome was a major source of frustration for Democratic strategists. Trump was the clear favorite among working- class whites, especially working-class white males. Moreover, Trump won 48 percent of the Latino vote compared to 51 percent for Democratic nominee and then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Although Harris outperformed Trump among Latinos by 3 percent, the fact that Trump performed as well as he did among Latinos was a bitter disappointment for Democrats.

January 29, 2026 at 10:19 PM EST
Deep red state discovers new $200 million annual bill -- courtesy of Trump

Alabama Media Group reports state legislators are discovering a nasty new bill courtesy of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" this week as the Alabama legislative session is underway. "It's a matter of what can we do or should we do - or is there anything that can be (done) to prevent running into that $200 million wall?" said state Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, chairman of the Senate's general fund committee. "And right now I think that train's got the light on headed straight for us."

January 29, 2026 at 10:10 PM EST
Kennedy Center fires high-ranking staffer who worked there for a decade

Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- which is chaired by President Donald Trump and led by a board he personally selected - recently fired one of its most experienced staffers despite her 10-year history with the institution. The Daily Beast reported Thursday that Sarah Kramer, who was the Kennedy Center's senior director of artistic operations, has been fired as of Wednesday night. The auto-reply to messages sent to her professional email address reads: "Sarah Kramer is no longer an employee of the Kennedy Center."