National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Disturbing redacted emails in the Epstein Files as fury grows over why the names are hidden | 10 Feb 2026 | The Epstein Files contain numerous instances in which the identities of people who sent concerning emails to the late pedophile have been redacted. Included in the emails are repeated disturbing references to girls and young women, but the names of the senders are blacked out. The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) passed by Congress in November compelled the Justice Department to release all of the records in its possession… Members of Congress were given access to unredacted versions of the files on Monday under strict conditions, and what they saw is likely to spur further outrage. Republican congressman Thomas Massie said he discovered the names of six men whose identities were redacted, and who “are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files.” One of the earliest such redactions, chronologically, came on April 24, 2009 when Epstein sent an email to an associate saying: “where are you? are you ok I loved the torture video.”

Iowa Dem Accepts $250K from Epstein-Linked Billionaire Who Stayed at Townhouse, Flew to Island | 3 Feb 2026 | A 250,000 campaign contribution to Iowa State Auditor and gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand (D-IA) was made by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, whose visits to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, New York townhouse, and New Mexico ranch are documented in emails released by the Department of Justice. The Iowa GOP flagged the donation in a February press release, pointing to Hoffman’s well-documented history with Epstein. Hoffman, a longtime Democratic financier and founder of LinkedIn, is featured in Justice Department documents detailing plans to visit Epstein’s private island, his New Mexico ranch, and his Manhattan townhouse. Iowa Republicans are calling on Sand to address the Hoffman contribution directly. “Will he return the m-ney, or is this who he really answers to? Iowans deserve to know,” said Iowa GOP spokesperson Jade Cichy.

Zelensky hints at staying in power | 1 Feb 2026 | Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has suggested he may seek another term as president, while his government has moved to extend martial law and general mobilization for another three months, again preventing national elections. In a wide-ranging interview with Czech public broadcaster Cesky rozhlas, published on Friday, Zelensky was asked whether he would seek another term. “I don’t know. It depends on how this war ends.” Pressed on whether he had thought about running again, he added, “Sometimes I do.” The comments came as Ukraine’s parliament approved Zelensky’s bills in January to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, running from early February until May and again barring elections. Critics say the repeated extensions have kept Zelensky in power beyond his term, which expired in May 2024. Moscow has called him “illegitimate,” while U.S. President Donald Trump last year branded him “a dictator without elections.”

FIFA president added to Ukraine’s state-linked ‘kill list’ –Gianni Infantino added after criticizing a ban on Russian football players | 3 Feb 2026 | FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been added to the “kill list” maintained by Ukraine’s state-backed Mirotvorets website, which publishes the personal data of individuals it labels as enemies of the state. The website accuses Infantino of “humanitarian aggression against Ukraine” and “systemic support and cooperation” with Russia, as well as helping to spread Russian “propaganda.” It also notes that in 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Infantino the Order of Friendship. Ukrainian officials have attacked Infantino for expressing hope in a recent interview that Russian football players could again be allowed to participate in international competitions. He said such bans and boycotts create “more frustration and hatred.”

Kiev-backed suicide bomb plot thwarted in Russia – FSB | 2 Feb 2026 | A Ukrainian terrorist plot involving an unwitting suicide bomber has been thwarted in the Russian port city of Sevastopol, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. The agency said a Ukrainian intelligence handler persuaded a local resident to carry a portable speaker to the FSB’s regional headquarters, telling him it would be used for surveillance as part of an internal investigation. Officials said the device actually concealed an improvised explosive meant to detonate at the site. Security guards intercepted the device and found the explosives before they could be triggered. Russian investigators claim they have identified the Ukrainian agent who orchestrated the plot.

Iran floats nuclear enrichment compromise | 9 Feb 2026 | Iran could dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for ending all sanctions imposed on the country, its atomic energy chief, Mohammad Eslami, has suggested. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) signaled Tehran was ready to show some flexibility on US demands to end its nuclear program and adopt a “zero enrichment” policy. Washington has long accused Tehran of trying to create nuclear weapons, while Iran has maintained that its program is strictly civilian. Tehran could consider diluting its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, which is close to weapons-grade, if “all sanctions would be lifted in return,” Eslami stated.

Verizon must face FCC probe for turning over GOP lawmaker phone records – Hagerty | 9 Feb 2026 | Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) is demanding that the Federal Communications Commission probe Verizon for allegedly breaking federal law by sharing his and other Republicans’ call logs with former special counsel Jack Smith. Hagerty filed a consumer complaint against the carrier on Monday and urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Eduard Bartholme to “hold Verizon accountable.” Verizon reps have previously pointed to a court order compelling the disclosures. The FBI began compiling the phone records during its Arctic Frost investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Last year, whistleblower disclosures to Congress revealed that around a dozen lawmakers had their phone metadata seized following secret subpoenas from Smith’s office in 2023 after the special prosecutor took over the Arctic Frost probe.

Daughter of GOP Minnesota governor candidate found stabbed to death in her apartment – his focus was on fraud in state | 9 Feb 2026 | A Minnesota gubernatorial candidate has dropped out of the race after his daughter was found stabbed to death inside her home. Hallie Marie Tobler, 22, the daughter of Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, was dead from multiple stab wounds inside her apartment at around 8.20pm on Saturday, police in St. Cloud said. Her husband, Dylan Tobler, 23, also sustained life-threatening injuries — but officers believe his “injuries are self-inflicted and that he is the person responsible for Hallie’s injuries and death,” noting that they were found inside a locked apartment. In the meantime, the Republican Party of Minnesota announced that Johnson has suspended his campaign. Johnson, a former St. Cloud City Council member, was campaigning to succeed embattled Governor Tim Walz on a platform focused on fraud, crime and economic trouble, the St. Cloud Times reports.

Former FBI assistant director questions whether Nancy Guthrie case is ‘kidnapping’ | 8 Feb 2026 | Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker questioned whether Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is truly a kidnapping during an appearance on The Big Weekend Show reacting to a recent video released by Savannah Guthrie. “I’m very skeptical of this,” Swecker said. “Is this really a kidnapping? Does somebody really have her, and is she really alive?” Swecker pointed to the lack of verified proof of life, saying, “If this was a kidnapping, it would be a very simple matter to authenticate and provide proof of life,” adding that such proof has not been “credibly authenticated at this point.” Swecker emphasized investigators must allow for other possibilities, saying, “You have to allow for the possibility that this was something more or something other than a kidnapping,” while acknowledging the family’s understandable hope as the investigation continues.

FBI, Las Vegas police search home in investigation involving potential biological materials | 1 Feb 2026 | Federal and local law enforcement launched a significant early morning operation Saturday in northeast Las Vegas as part of an ongoing investigation into suspicious biological activity at a residential property. Shortly before 6 a.m., teams from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s SWAT unit served a search warrant at a house on Sugar Springs Drive near North Hollywood Boulevard and East Washington Avenue, authorities confirmed. The action drew a large response from multiple agencies and is expected to continue for some time. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters the investigation centers on evidence uncovered at the home that could point to a possible biological laboratory.

Two new mutant viruses with ‘pandemic potential’ have been detected by experts: ‘Major threat to public health’ | 5 Feb 2026 | Leading scientists have issued an urgent warning that two little-known animal viruses could “easily” spark the next pandemic if they jump to humans. In a new review, scientists warned that influenza D — a virus that mainly infects cattle — and canine coronavirus, a highly contagious virus found in dogs, have the potential to mutate and spread among humans. The warning was published in January in a CDC-backed paper and echoes growing concerns about animal-borne viruses with pandemic potential, including Nipah virus, an incurable pathogen currently spreading in parts of India. [Do not comply.]

Thousands exposed to measles at Disney parks and major airport | 3 Feb 2026 | Thousands of travelers and park goers are being warned that they may have been exposed to the measles, after a person confirmed to have the virus visited a popular theme park and airport. The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) said in a statement Saturday that an international traveler with a confirmed case of measles came through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California. While infectious, the person visited Goofy’s Kitchen in Disneyland Hotel from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, January 28, and Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park from 12:30 pm to closing at 9 pm on the same day.

SBA freezes over 100,000 California borrowers in sweeping $9B pandemic fraud crackdown | 6 Feb 2026 | The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced Friday it had suspended more than 100,000 California borrowers amid suspected fraud, with the alleged abuse totaling nearly 9 billion. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the agency suspended 111,620 California borrowers linked to suspected fraudulent activity across SBA pandemic-era loan programs. Those borrowers received 118,489 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans totaling more than 8.6 billion. “Once again, the Trump SBA is taking decisive action to deliver accountability in a state whose unaccountable welfare policies have created a culture of fraud and abuse at the expense of law-abiding taxpayers and small business owners,” Loeffler said in a statement.

LA Mayor Karen Bass secretly altered Palisades fire analysis to downplay LA’s failures – report | 4 Feb 2026 | Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass secretly altered the official Palisades Fire response report to downplay the failures made by the city and fire department when the deadly blaze erupted, a new report said. Bass, after seeing an early draft of the after-action report, wanted key findings of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s shortcomings scrubbed or watered down — and even warned then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva the unedited conclusions could expose the city to legal liability, sources close to the Democrat’s staff told the Los Angeles Times. Bass was cautioned that the self-serving tweaks in with the report was a “bad idea” that could torpedo her political career, but still withheld the working draft until after changes were made, insiders told the Times.

Drivers fume over Dem-led push that could see them taxed for every mile | 31 Jan 2026 | California drivers and Republican legislators are furious over a Democratic-led proposal that could see motorists taxed for each mile they drive. With the state staring down a budget deficit in the billions and more Californians switching to electric vehicles, Democratic lawmakers are searching for new ways to shore up declining gas tax revenue. Californians pay the second-highest gas price in the nation behind only Hawaii. In January, the average price was 4.23 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. On Thursday, state legislators advanced Democrat Lori Wilson’s bill, AB 1421, which would direct the California Transportation Commission and the state Transportation Agency to continue studying options for a mileage-based tax, rather than implementing one.

Arctic blast exposes alleged $8B electric bus boondoggle as Vermont buses sit useless | 5 Feb 2026 | The Arctic blast that snowed in much of the East exposed not only the need for road salt but the possibility that untold taxpayer d-llars were wasted on risky electric bus subsidy programs under the Biden administration, according to critics of those initiatives. That’s the claim from Power the Future, a top energy advocacy and watchdog group that also compared the disbursement of more than 8 billion over at least two related federal subsidy programs to oversight failures by the Minnesota government involving its Medicaid and childcare entitlement crises recently exposed. E-buses have been purchased by transit agencies in part through a “Low-No” emissions grant program mainly through the Federal Transit Administration that received a 1.6 billion infusion during the Biden years. …PTF highlighted a 2024 EPA Inspector General audit that found the agency failed to meaningfully track the deployment of electric school buses under a 2022 rebate program through which 836 million was handed out by federal officials.

DHS confirms semi-truck driver in Indiana crash is Kyrgyzstani national who entered under Biden | 5 Feb 2026 | The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday confirmed that the driver of a semi-truck involved in a fatal Indiana crash is a Kyrgyzstani national who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. Bekzhan Beishekeev allegedly failed to stop for another truck and instead entered oncoming traffic, colliding with a van, Fox News’s Bill Melugin reported. Beishekeev is currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DHS confirmed that Beishekeev used the now-defunct CBP One app to enter the U.S. in 2023 through Arizona. The Indiana crash led to 4 fatalities and marked the latest in a string of incidents involving foreigners operating commercial vehicles involved in fatal crashes.

Federal judge blocks California law forcing ICE agents to remove masks during operations | 9 Feb 2026 | A Los Angeles‑based federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing its law that would require ICE agents to remove masks during immigration enforcement operations. Judge Christina Snyder, appointed during the Clinton administration, granted a preliminary injunction against the “No Secret Police Act,” arguing that it discriminated against the federal government by violating the Supremacy Clause. Under the constitutional clause, federal law takes precedence over any conflicting state or local law, rendering the lower-level law unenforceable. Snyder said the “No Secret Police” ruling hinged on California exempting its own state officers while penalizing federal agents.

Illegal immigrant released under Biden ‘catch and release’ allegedly kills driver in police chase | 4 Feb 2026 | An illegal immigrant from Colombia killed a motorist in Southern California last month during a police chase, authorities said. Darwin Felipe Bahamon Martinez, 21, was caught entering the United States near San Diego in 2023 and released by the Biden administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said. “Bahamon Martinez illegally entered the U.S. near Chula Vista, California, in August 2023,” a statement from ICE Los Angeles field office leadership said. “He was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s so-called ‘catch-and-release’ policies, but if that hadn’t happened, the innocent 59-year-old driver he allegedly killed may still be alive today.”

Weekend ICE sweep lands convicted child molesters, murderers, and elderly abuser – DHS | 2 Feb 2026 | People convicted of murder, “deadly conduct,” sexual abuse of minors and the elderly were among the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this weekend all across the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday. “Over the weekend, ICE law enforcement arrested pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers from American communities,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. Numerous pedophiles were arrested over the weekend, including one man convicted of “continuous sexual abuse” of a child and another convicted of aggravated sexual assault on an elderly/disabled person. Martin Martinez-Gaspar, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted in Los Angeles for the repeated abuse of a child, while Jose Ivan Trevino, also a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of an elderly/disabled person in Hidalgo County, TX.

Super Bowl fans ‘sickened’ after translating Bad Bunny’s X-rated Spanish lyrics: ‘This is pure degeneracy’ | 9 Feb 2026 | Super Bowl viewers were left ‘sickened’ after social media users began circulating English translations of Spanish lyrics from Bad Bunny’s music following his headline-making halftime performance. Following the show, critics branded the content “pure degeneracy” and questioned why the NFL put the global superstar on its biggest stage. The backlash erupted hours after the show, when conservative commentator Megan Basham posted screenshots of translated lyrics, which she described as “the most obscene lyrics ever to be performed at a Super Bowl halftime.” In his track, Safaera, Bad Bunny boast about explicit sexual acts, drug use and casual hookups, with repeated references to arousal and sex performed while intoxicated.