They Shot Down Birthday Balloons and Called it Counterterrorism
CBP defeats the cartel's most festive weapon. Plus: Kristi Noem's blanket incident. What the DHS shutdown means for you. More Epstein fallout. And researchers discover a cancer reverse switch.
For daily news updates and analysis, be sure to follow us on Instagram. If you are able to support independent journalism, please make a tax-deductible donation to News Not Noise here.
The nation is still talking about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s performance before the House Judiciary committee this week, and Trump foes aren’t the only ones still processing. Fox News’ Lisa Kennedy delivered the right wing diagnosis: Bondi sounded “like a shrieking Karen.”
Here’s the thing about going on offense: it only works if you maintain some connection to reality. As the kids say, she totally lost her shizz. (Or did they only say that when we were kids?)
I’m not surprised by Bondi’s performance for two reasons.
One: As a career prosecutor in Florida, Pam Bondi positioned herself as a champion for victims. She helped to create the Florida Statewide Human Trafficking Council and backed a rule requiring sex traffickers register as sex offenders. In this ad for Florida AG she vowed to put “human trafficking monsters” behind bars. Now she’s abetting the abusers and spearheading a cover-up. That kind of whiplash might make anyone unhinged. It’s easier to scream about the Dow than reckon with the person staring back in the mirror.
Two: She just lied a lot. And then she lashed out, presumably to add some variety to the lying. She is a creature of an administration that has proven it lies constantly. About big things, small things, medium things — it’s really quite egalitarian in its dishonesty. It’s so pervasive I think it raises questions about responsible reporting. When is it appropriate to quote official statements when they are so often full of it? I’d love your thoughts on that.
Please note how many news items today center on false narratives, cover-ups, and obvious lies from Trump administration officials. It’s almost like there’s a pattern.
In this newsletter: Brace for a DHS shutdown, which means airport security now comes with extra resentment. CBP shot lasers at party balloons and called it counterterrorism. Epstein’s contacts are losing jobs worldwide, except those in the Trump administration. ICE agents lied under oath, prosecutors admitted it. The Tulsi intercept has a Kushner-shaped plot twist. Find out why Meta picked this exact moment to launch facial recognition glasses. And some news that doesn’t suck about cancer.
Here Are Your Headlines
Here We Go Again (and Again, and Again…): DHS is shutting down at midnight. The Senate failed to pass a funding deal proposed by the White House; Democrats panned it as insufficient and voted against it. Only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) broke ranks. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said “the offers we’ve gotten” from the White House “are just not serious.” Democrats blocked another short-term funding bill that would have kicked the can down the road two more weeks. Both sides refuse to negotiate in public, and each accuses the other of failing to compromise. The House and Senate aren’t scheduled to return until Feb 23, meaning this partial shutdown will continue for at least 10 days — unless a deal is reached. In that case leadership will call lawmakers back for a vote. Don’t hold your breath.
Immediate Impact: The partial shutdown will only affect DHS; all other government agencies have their funding secured. ICE and CBP can draw from the $75 billion slush fund passed by Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so officials in both agencies (including agents running deportation operations) are expected to continue working with pay. That won’t be the case for several other agencies. TSA officials will have to work without pay, which tends to drive low morale and absences that could cause significant delays. In the last major government shutdown, about 1,100 workers quit the agency altogether. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, which helps state and local officials defend against threats, will largely suspend operations. (What could possibly go wrong?) The Coast Guard will halt all missions unrelated to “national security or the protection of life and property,” according to a Vice Admiral, meaning 56,000 personnel will go without pay. A senior official in FEMA warned the partial shutdown will “hinder communication, planning, and joint operations, affecting disaster relief outcomes and complicating recovery efforts.”
Sticking Points: Conservative hardliners are holding the line, resisting some of the Democrats’ central demands. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats want “bold, meaningful, and transformational” changes to how ICE operates. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says they just “want to impose more pain on the American people.” Key reforms include mandating judicial warrants for immigration arrests, instead of administrative warrants signed by ICE officials and not a judge; in other words, a guarantee they’ll abide by the Constitution. Senior White House officials say that’s unacceptable and told reporters the Trump administration won’t “accept concessions that meaningfully affect its ability to carry out its immigration enforcement agenda.” Neither side is ready to back down so this could go on for a while. You can find more of the reforms Democrats are demanding here.
Total Incompetence: Remember that anti-drone laser reportedly fired by the military this week, which forced the FAA to close the airspace above El Paso? Turns out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January gave the weapon to Customs and Border Patrol. CBP reportedly fired the laser at objects it believed to be drones, but were later revealed to be party balloons. Oh, and it did this without first coordinating with the FAA. The Trump administration told the public the laser had “neutralized” a sudden incursion of Mexican cartel drones. To recap: They shot lasers at birthday decorations and called it national security. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has questions. He and other lawmakers are seeking a classified briefing from the FAA about the incident. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) said the incident “was the result of incompetence at the highest levels of the administration.”
Case Gone ICE-Cold: A judge on Friday dismissed a case against two Venezuelan men charged with assaulting ICE agents — after federal prosecutors admitted officials gave false information about the incident. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Friday admitted that “video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.” Translation: the agents lied. The government opened a criminal probe into the officers, who have been placed on administrative leave. Here’s the story: in January, an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg; officers claimed it was self defense, after the victim and two other Venezuelan men violently attacked the agent with a broom and shovel before the agent fired. The government’s account of the incident changed over time, but federal prosecutors pushed ahead with the case anyway. The administration even detained a third Venezuelan man (reportedly without a warrant) and sent him to a detention facility in Texas, despite no charges being filed against him nor any evidence existing of his involvement. This man’s lawyer argued he was detained because he is “a key witness that undermines the federal government’s narrative of what occurred.” Now it’s revealed that the story was false from the start. Which begs the question: Is lying standard procedure for agents involved in mass deportation? What else are they lying about right now?
Total Nonsense: Independent journalist Don Lemon on Friday pleaded not guilty to civil rights charges brought against him by the Trump administration in relation to his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church. A prosecutor revealed that authorities seized Lemon’s phone. Lemon is charged with physically obstructing and intimidating worshippers under a 1994 law — but a congressional staffer who was instrumental in writing that very law told the Washington Post there’s no evidence Lemon engaged in physical obstruction nor threatening to use force.
Speaking of Incompetence: A new Wall Street Journal report details “constant chaos inside DHS,” caused in no small part by Secretary Kristi Noem and her, erm, aide, Corey Lewandowski. They report that Noem was at one point forced to transfer planes after a maintenance issue, and she reportedly fired the Coast Guard pilot because her blanket wasn’t brought to the new plane. After directing the pilot to fly home on a commercial flight, she rehired him after realizing there was no one else available to fly the plane. Meanwhile Noem and Lewandowski have reportedly demoted or fired 80% of career ICE leadership, in part because they refused to comply when Lewandowski decided he wanted a federal badge and gun, which are usually only given to trained law enforcement officials. The Trump administration is reportedly investigating Lewandowski for allegedly abusing his position as a special government employee — which allows him to continue working in the private sector — to direct government contracts to certain private firms. Oh, and the White House is reportedly uncomfortable with Noem and Lewandowski’s close relationship. Many officials say they’re carrying out an affair; one called it the “worst-kept secret in DC.”
Totally Unconstitutional: A federal judge on Friday ordered DHS to allow immigrant detainees in Minnesota access to a phone call and the numbers of free legal services providers within an hour of being detained. The issue: DHS has been shipping people out of state shortly after their detention – making it impossible for them to contact a lawyer or anyone who could help them challenge their detention while still in state. A lawsuit accused the agency of denying detainees this basic right before being moved. “The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights,” the judge wrote. In other words, you can’t just skip the right to counsel because it’s inconvenient.
At Long Last: The Trump administration on Thursday announced it is ending the massive immigration operation in Minnesota. Immigration czar Tom Homan claims he has secured “unprecedented” cooperation from local officials, including from jails “throughout the state.” (We’ll see.) Gov. Tim Walz said the administration “knew they needed to get out of here, but in very Trumpian fashion, they needed to save face.” We list some statistics from ICE’s time in the North Star State, which you can use, at the bottom of this newsletter.
SAVE Us, Please: The House this week passed the SAVE America Act. One Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) joined Republicans to vote for the Act, which will add difficult and expensive voting hurdles for tens of millions of Americans. We explain the consequences of the Act here. It’s looking unlikely to pass the Senate, with GOP leadership refusing to change filibuster rules to make passage easier. But this is a priority for the White House so we will watch it closely.
Consequences Continue: The Epstein files have revealed a deep web of transnational politics and dealmaking; we’re making sense of the network and will share more in time. In the short-term, the files continue to have consequences for powerful figures around the world — except those in the Trump administration, apparently.
Just Gross: The CEO of a massive Dubai-based logistics firm, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, is out of his job amid new revelations about his association with Epstein. According to the files, Epstein in 2013 referred to Sulayem as “one of my most trusted friends.” Sulayem’s reply referenced “a fresh 100% female Russian at my yacht.” In an email a few years earlier, Epstein wrote to Sulayem that he “loved the torture video.” Sulayem’s name in this email was initially redacted; Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) revealed his identity and demanded the DOJ explain why it was obscured. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said it was because Sulayem’s name was in the file as an email address. So the DOJ is very serious about protecting the online integrity of Epstein associates, but not so much the names and addresses of victims?
Top Lawyer Gets the Sach: Goldman Sach’s chief legal officer, Kathy Ruemmler, on Thursday announced her resignation after the depth of her relationship with Epstein was revealed. Ruemmler insisted she and Epstein had a purely professional relationship. But the pair exchanged frequent, friendly messages for years after Epstein’s child prostitution conviction and while Ruemmler was serving as Obama’s White House counsel. In one email, Ruemmler said her relationship with Epstein was “like having another older brother.” In another, she thanks “Uncle Jeffrey.” And one of the first people Epstein called after his arrest in 2019 was… Ruemmler.
Nightmare Guest List: CMS Head Dr Mehmet Oz reportedly invited Epstein to a Valentine’s party in 2016.
So Gross: Thorbjørn Jagland, former prime minister of Norway, head of the Nobel Committee, and secretary general of the Council of Europe, has been charged with gross corruption over his ties with Epstein. This became possible after the Council of Europe lifted his diplomatic immunity.
Keep reading to find out… What a federal judge said about the government’s plan to cut billons in public health funds for blue states. Who’s at the center of the bombshell DNI whistleblower complaint. Why Meta thinks now is the right time to put AI-powered facial recognition in people’s glasses. The statistics from ICE’s unprecedented “invasion” of Minnesota.
And News That Doesn’t Suck on a research team that claims to have discovered a molecular switch that can reverse cancer.
All that and more is available to paid subscribers. Your support makes our work possible. Thank you!
 | A guest post by
|