Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed a bill into law on Monday banning abortion in the state after a “fetal heartbeat” has been detected, ABC News reports.
Former Missouri Speaker Headed to Prison
Former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl (R), who resigned from office a decade ago after he admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to a House intern, is now headed to federal prison for using pandemic loan money for personal expenses, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Why Escalation Favors Iran
Robert Pape: “Iran’s strikes cannot be dismissed as acts of scattered retaliation, the flailing lashing out of a dying regime. Rather, they represent a strategy of horizontal escalation, a bid to transform the stakes of a conflict by widening its scope and extending its duration.”
“Such a strategy allows a weaker combatant to alter the calculus of a more powerful foe. And it has worked in the past, to the detriment of the United States.”
“In Vietnam and Serbia, U.S. adversaries responded to overwhelming displays of American airpower with horizontal escalation, eventually leading to American defeat, in the former case, and, in the latter, frustrating U.S. war aims and spurring the worst episode of ethnic cleansing in Europe since World War II. Decapitation strikes, in particular, create powerful incentives for horizontal escalation: when a regime survives the loss of its leader, it must demonstrate resilience quickly by widening the conflict.”
“Although the United States has hugely battered Iran, it must reckon with the implications of Iran’s response. Otherwise, it will find itself losing control of the war it started.”
Judge Again Rejects U.S. Attorneys in New Jersey
“A federal judge has ejected the leaders of the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey, concluding that Attorney General Pam Bondi illegally appointed an unusual ‘triumvirate,’ at President Donald Trump’s whim, to oversee the powerful federal prosecuting office,” Politico reports.
Insider Trading Is Going to Get People Killed
Saahil Desai: “Polymarket traders swap crypto, not cash, and conceal their identities through the blockchain. Even so, investigations into insider trading are already under way: Last month, Israel charged a military reservist for allegedly using classified information to make unspecified bets on Polymarket…”
“How did a Polymarket user know that Lady Gaga, Cardi B, and Ricky Martin would make surprise appearances during the Super Bowl halftime show, but that Drake and Travis Scott wouldn’t? Shady bets on war are even stranger and more disturbing. They risk unleashing an entirely new kind of national-security threat. The U.S. caught a break: The Venezuela and Iran strikes were not thwarted by insider traders whose bets could have prompted swift retaliation. The next time, we may not be so lucky.”
Majority Oppose Military Action in Iran
A new Quinnipiac poll finds 53% of voters oppose the U.S. military action against Iran, while 40% support it.
Sixty-two percent of voters think the Trump administration has not provided a clear explanation of the reasons behind the United States’ military action against Iran, while 35 percent think the Trump administration has provided a clear explanation.
Dr. Oz Says Obamacare Enrollment Is Too High
“Although Obamacare sign-ups have fallen significantly this year over skyrocketing monthly premiums, Dr. Mehmet Oz believes enrollment is still too high,” NBC News reports.
“Oz said some people enrolled in ACA plans should not be there and expects enrollment to fall further — to around 19 million.”
Said Oz: “In fact, the fact that we have 23 million makes me think we have too many participants in the ACA. It’s too high of a number.”
TSA Security Lines Are Dragging On for Hours
“Airports are warning travelers to prepare to spend hours in security checkpoint lines, with the partial government shutdown stretching federal security workers,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Gullible, Cynical America
Adam Serwer: “This rejection of empiricism makes selling falsehoods easier and contradicting them harder, which creates a fertile environment for anyone with something to sell, whether shady businesses or authoritarian governments.”
“The spread of anti-vax conspiracy theories is just another example of the gullicism that defines our age. The cynicism is highly selective: Gullicists see everyone’s hidden motives—except when they don’t. They are able to reject any claim rooted in actual evidence—whether in science, politics, or history—while embracing the most breathtakingly absurd assertions on the same topics. Indeed, documentation is often taken as further evidence of conspiracy, while assertion (that this or that will ‘detoxify’ your blood or that COVID deaths were exaggerated) is taken as gospel.”
Trump Says Iran War Is ‘Very Complete’
President Trump said that the war against Iran could be over soon, CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much”
Trump is Obsessed with These $145 Shoes
Wall Street Journal: “The hottest and most exclusive MAGA status symbol is a pair of leather oxfords… Trump has been gifting footwear to agency heads, lawmakers, White House advisers and VIPs.”
“Trump has fallen in love with Florsheim, the American brand that’s been pairing comfort and style for more than a century… The president has taken to guessing people’s shoe size in front of them. He asks an aide to put in an order and, a week later, a brown Florsheim box arrives at the White House. Trump sometimes signs the box or attaches a note of gratitude.”
Epstein Ordered Girl to Undress While Talking to Trump
“Jeffrey Epstein ordered a 16-year-old girl to give him a massage while he was on the phone with Donald Trump — moments before sexually assaulting her, an FBI memo newly released by the Justice Department claims,” the Daily Mail reports.
“In an interview with investigators, the teenage alleged victim said Epstein urged her to hurry, saying: ‘Let’s go, let’s go’, before climbing onto a massage table as she got undressed.”
Trump Still Hasn’t Endorsed in Texas
“Republicans are still waiting on President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the Texas Senate race. And every week without him settling it means more costly spending in the GOP runoff battle between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton,” Semafor reports.
“When Trump said he would weigh in ‘soon,’ Republicans hoped it meant he’d have backed Cornyn by now. That hasn’t happened, and attacks continue to fly, potentially weakening the eventual GOP nominee.”
Trump’s ‘Roaring Economy’ Meets Rough Start
“President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future,” the AP reports.
Said Trump, just two weeks ago: “The roaring economy is roaring like never before.”
“There is a gap between the boom that Trump has predicted and the volatile results he has produced — one that could set the tone in this year’s midterm elections as he tries to defend his party’s majorities in the House and Senate. With Trump’s tariffs drama ongoing, the war in Iran has suddenly created inflationary concerns regarding oil and natural gas. To the White House, it is still early in the year and stronger growth is coming.”
Ukraine to Help U.S. with Interceptor Drones
New York Times: “The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran risks redirecting world attention away from the war in Ukraine. But it has also given Kyiv an opportunity to use its hard-won expertise and advanced technology on a new front.”
“Kyiv is hoping to score points with the United States in American-brokered peace talks.”
Trump Says ‘I Have a Plan for Everything’
President Trump told the New York Post that he has “a plan” to tackle surging oil prices caused by the war with Iran after the cost per barrel briefly neared $120.
Said Trump: “I have a plan for everything, okay?”
He added: “I have a plan for everything. You’ll be very happy.”
Stagflation Trades Sweep Markets
Bloomberg: “As oil prices soared past $100 a barrel and the Trump administration’s end-game for Iran looked increasingly elusive, last week’s wait-and-see stance in financial markets is giving way to something more ominous: Fears that a deeper and longer-lasting supply shock will rekindle inflation and slam the brakes on the global economy.”
Kevin Kiley Quits the Republican Party
“Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) announced Monday that his decision to leave the Republican Party and register as an Independent will take effect immediately,” Axios reports.
Kiley said he will still caucus with Republicans for “administrative purposes” but noted that he’s been a less-than-reliable vote for Speaker Mike Johnson even as a Republican.
