US politics

US politics

The odds are very high that on Friday, February 13, the ongoing dispute over immigration enforcement will lead to an indefinite shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security - but only the parts that have nothing to do with immigration. Yes, that is counterintuitive. But ICE, the Border Control, and the other masked agents of DHS were given a separate, and very large, source of funding in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

However, he and several other prosecutors in the office recently quit after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told them to drop their investigation into the legality of an ICE agent's killing of Renee Good, a queer mother of three. Instead, the DOJ tasked the office with investigating Good's widow for any possible links to other anti-ICE protest groups (which the administration has referred to as a "sinister left-wing movement").

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting set to begin at 11am that he was weighing sending a second US armada to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal. But Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on Iran's ballistic missile program.

After five hours of printing T-shirts, Henry Reyes' arms got tired. All day, a steady stream of locals filed into Fleetwood Fine Goods, the small shop in the Inner Richmond where Reyes works. They came with T-shirts, crop tops and bandanas in their hands. One by one, Reyes laid the garments out on the store's screen printing press, squeezed paint onto a screen and, applying force with his arms, dragged a rubber squeegee across it. When he was done, the words "F-K ICE" were printed in bold capital letters.

For over 35 years, FCW and now Nextgov/FCW has recognized those people in the federal government, industry and academia who have made an outstanding impact on the technology landscape in the last year. Rising from the ranks of a record number of nominations, this year's 100 winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication and ingenuity in achieving the mission of public service through technology.

Best known as the longtime co-editor of the Co-op News, the weekly newspaper of the Berkeley Co-op, Michael Fullerton lived in Berkeley for more than 60 years and was active in the community and in electoral politics, as well as the cooperative movement. Michael died on Jan. 5, at age 85, from complications of cancer. He told his wife, Sandy, to be sure that his obituary included his work on Ron Dellums's first Congressional campaign in 1970, when Dellums ran on an anti-Vietnam war platform.

The big picture: The report fromthe Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) shows declines across every major violent-crime category in 2025 compared to 2024. It features data from 67 of the nation's biggest police departments, and confirms other studies on last year's declines. Cities report that homicides overall fell 19%. Robberies dropped about 20%. Aggravated assaults were down nearly 10%. Zoom in: Multiple Southern and Sun Belt cities were among the biggest homicide decliners, an Axios analysis of the MCCA data found.

Nevada Representative Dina Titus has introduced new federal bill in a bid to strengthen oversight of sports-related prediction markets. The proposal reflects growing concern that certain platforms may be operating in regulatory gray areas. In a recent post on X, Rep. Titus expressed concern that some prediction market operators are exploiting loopholes in federal and state law. She argues that these platforms, while structured as financial trading exchanges, can function in ways that closely resemble traditional sportsbooks.

The disastrous second year of Tr*mp's disastrous second term began with an unholy tide of ICE agents terrorizing the streets of Minneapolis, thanks to aggressive recruitment campaigns that promised loan forgiveness, huge bonuses, and steady paychecks. But surprise! According to more than a few disgruntled New Reich employees, that ain't happening. What a shock! Last week, NowThis Impact reported that a wave of ICE agents are realizing their mistake in record time.

Initially, everybody I asked in the city was certain that this was satire, perhaps the workings of Sacha Baron Cohen or a stunt by union activists; after all, the website also lauds the value created by James Dyson, Roger Federer, and the CEO of Chobani (for having "popularized Greek yogurt"). I was reminded of how several years ago, the faux-conspiracists of the Birds Aren't Real movement rallied outside Twitter's headquarters to critique dangerous social-media rabbit holes.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

Driving the news: Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday that he'd block the bridge unless the U.S. is "fully compensated" for everything America does for Canada. He said negotiations would begin immediately and demanded U.S. ownership of "at least one half" of the project. Reality check: The bridge is jointly owned by Michigan and Canada, and the Canadian government completely financed the project, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.

For the government of Miguel Diaz-Canel, the political heir of Fidel and Raul Castro, the situation is the result of an economic war, marked by the trade and financial embargo imposed by Washington since 1962 and exacerbated by decades of disagreements. For his detractors, however, it is the direct consequence of the iron grip of the state, which exerts control over up to 90% of the means of production, stifling the country's economic development.