Vladimir Alekseev, a senior GRU officer, has been shot outside his residence in Moscow, officials have said Read Full Article at RT.com

A strike on a suspected drug boat in the eastern Pacific has killed two people, the US Southern Command has said Read Full Article at RT.com

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the previous government of undermining national defense with Ukraine aid Read Full Article at RT.com

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the US blockade of Cuba, calling the situation on the island “extremely concerning” Read Full Article at RT.com

Norway is investigating former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland’s history with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein Read Full Article at RT.com

African sovereignty still seems to be perceived as a threat by Paris Read Full Article at RT.com

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says leading global economies are eager to partner with India Read Full Article at RT.com

Vladimir Alekseev, a senior GRU officer, has been shot outside his residence in Moscow, officials have said Read Full Article at RT.com

Democratic Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones spoke on the Statehouse floor Thursday, delivering what he called a "public service announcement for the Republican side of the aisle.”  Jones suggested that conservatives who are concerned about the much-anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance by Grammy-winning recording artist Bad Bunny should instead worry about Turning Point’s alternative halftime performer, Kid Rock. “I know some folks can be a little bit triggered by an artist named Bad Bunny, but I want to just make an announcement that, before you rage-tweet, Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico is a part of America,” Jones said. x View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) “Secondly, I know some of you are gonna be watching the bootleg, Temu version of the halftime show that Turning Point and MAGA’s doing with a man named Kid Rock,” Jones continued. “He has lyrics about liking underage girls, which is called ‘pedophilia.’ And I think we should be a little uncomfortable by that. I know that's very common right now in the White House, but I think that we should not support people who have lyrics about liking underage girls.” At least Jones and other young members of Tennessee’s conservative-controlled legislature give us hope for the future.

Marco Rubio is out of a job. Well, one of them at least. You may have forgotten that, along with being secretary of State, Rubio was also serving as the acting U.S. archivist, which is easy to overlook given that he has, at various times, held eleventy different jobs. But his time as an archivist has come to an end, because his days were literally numbered, as acting positions expire by law after 300 days. This might look like the administration is actually trying to comply with the requirements of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, in stark contrast to the shenanigans it is attempting with U.S. attorneys, but this is more malicious compliance than anything else. Related | Ben there, done that: Trump's latest unqualified hire is a familiar face You see, Trump doesn’t really want anyone heading the National Archives, so it’s no skin off his back to honor the 300-day limit. After taking office, he quickly and arbitrarily fired the actual archivist, Colleen Shogan. Shogun was inevitably going to be in Trump’s crosshairs because Trump remains furious that the National Archives and Records Administration tried to tell him he couldn’t just steal classified documents and stash them in his tacky Mar-a-Lago bathroom. This image, contained in the indictment against  Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Putting Rubio in the gig was just a way for Trump to thumb his nose at the whole enterprise. Trump hasn’t nominated anyone to be the archivist, nor is there a deputy archivist. If there were a deputy, that person would likely be a career employee and would automatically become acting archivist upon a vacancy, but we can’t have that. We might end up with some pencil-necked geek who thinks it’s actually important to follow the laws and preserve records.  So instead, Rubio “delegated” his authority to a senior adviser, James Byron, on his way out the door. It is in no way clear that this is legal under the FVRA, but it isn’t like the administration cares. Fun fact: Byron is on leave from the Richard Nixon Foundation, where he basically works to rehabilitate Nixon’s image, a thing that he is so passionate about that he has worked there since taking an internship in 2007, when he was 14. Since then, he’s worked his way up the ladder, becoming CEO in 2022 at 29 years old.  So yes, if you’re doing the math, NARA is now run by a Nixon freak who has only ever had one job. Moreover, his work is on the foundation side, not the library side, so he has literally no relevant experience in managing records. Well, guess he doesn’t really need it in an administration that is making no effort to preserve records.  Head of Office of Management and Budget and Acting Director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Russ Vought Besides no longer pretending to run NARA, Rubio is also no longer the acting head of the United States Agency for International Development, and not just because Trump is shuttering the agency. He was replaced with Russ Vought back in August so Vought could “oversee the closeout.” Vought also has some side hustles. Besides being the head of the Office of Management and Budget, he’s also the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which he is working tirelessly to shut down as well. Never fear, though. Rubio is still the national security adviser. Rubio and Vought aren’t the only administration officials doubling and tripling up on jobs. Scott Bessent is both the Treasury secretary and the acting IRS commissioner, because why not. Frank Bisignano, the head of the Social Security Administration, is also “chief executive officer” of the IRS, which was not a thing until Trump made it up. Oh, and remember when Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was running NASA for a bit? Good times. All of this doesn’t just show that Trump wants his cronies in jobs without putting them through a confirmation process. It also shows his deep disregard for the actual work of government, turning major positions into afterthoughts. This is no way to run a government. 

A cartoon by Pedro Molina. Related | Kennedy Center crumbles under Trump

A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. 23 years ago: Colin Powell lied to launch a bogus war To think it used to be truly inappropriate to base political actions on lies. Bezos guts the Washington Post—just like Trump wanted We’re witnessing the death of mainstream media institutions. Republicans love Trump's ICE agenda—unless it's in their state The GOP is the party of NIMBY. Cartoon: Peachy fraud Something sure smells in the state of Georgia. ‘I don’t know’: Trump plays dumb on abysmal approval rating When in doubt, make it up. Trump dedicates National Prayer Breakfast to his favorite god—himself When Trump goes off the teleprompter, you truly never know what he’ll say. Trump’s latest US attorney pick is another real winner She’s been practicing law for three years. What could go wrong? Click here to see more cartoons.

A new survey released on Thursday proves what many had long suspected: X, the social media network owned by far-right billionaire Elon Musk, is trapped in an ideological bubble far removed from the rest of the world. The poll from The Argument, which was fielded between Jan. 26-27, found that among an array of news platforms, it was only among X users that President Donald Trump has a net-positive approval rating. Fifty-four percent of X users either strongly or somewhat approve of Trump, with 45% disapproving. That stands in strong contrast to his level of support among all registered voters: 42% approve, 57% disapprove. Trump is also viewed negatively by the audiences on several other major online platforms. For instance, Trump has a 46% approval rating among Facebook users, 39% among Instagram users, 35% with TikTok users, and an anemic 29% among Reddit users.  x Datawrapper Content Perhaps even more damning than the level of Trump support on X is how positively Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seen by users of the service. The Argument’s data shows that ICE was backed by 45% of X users, while the agency was at 35% among voters at large. The data verifies the effect of drastic changes made at X following Musk’s 2022 purchase of the company, previously known as Twitter. Musk manipulated many of the rules governing hateful and bigoted content, and he restored previously suspended accounts for figures like Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The result was a significant increase in posts supporting racism, misogyny, religious discrimination, and misinformation—in other words, the perfect venue for Trump, who has supported those values during his time as a public figure. Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, shown last September. The Trump administration has been feeding this bigoted audience the hateful content it craves. In one widely reported episode, singer Sabrina Carpenter called out ICE for using her song “Juno” over footage of agents handcuffing and tackling immigrants in an X post. “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter wrote. Similarly, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have used official X accounts to promote language and terminology associated with the white supremacist movement. At the same time that X has been operating as a pro-Trump/bigot feedback loop, the site has also reportedly been used in concert with the Musk-owned chatbot Grok to create and disseminate nonconsensual sexual imagery, including images of underage children. Governments around the world have condemned the practice, and official action has been taken in France, leading to a recent police raid. But the Trump administration and their Republican allies in Congress have not said much about it. After all, why would they do anything to anger the man who created their echo chamber and funds so much of their campaigns?

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Have you been waiting with bated breath to find out who would perform at Turning Point USA’s halftime show? Lo, these long months where we were promised that this alternative halftime show would be epic, but the lineup was a mystery until Monday, when we learned about this absolutely killer lineup: Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.  Real A-listers here, right?  If you had to Google everyone on this list except Kid Rock, you’re not alone. Rock is no surprise, given his affection for performing at Trump events. Mr. Rock even showed up in a truly remarkable outfit to stand next to Trump while Trump wrote out one of his little executive orders that has no force of law, this one about ticket scalping. Sadly for Rock, none of this has translated into decent album sales or anything like that, but at least Rock was once a very famous musician. The other three? Not so much. Country music artist Brantley Gilbert  Brantley Gilbert was once reasonably famous, hitting Number One with several singles on the Billboard Country Airplay charts, though that hasn’t happened since 2019. His last two records didn’t even crack the top 20 of Billboard’s Country Album charts.  But Gilbert isn’t there because of his middling career as a country singer. He’s there because he has shifted his efforts to being a conservative culture warrior. Remember when conservatives were furious that Bud Light gave transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a personalized can of beer to promote the brand? Gilbert latched onto that, smashing a can of Bud Light on stage to show his MAGA bona fides.  Gilbert also performed at Turning Point USA’s 2021 America Fest, where he appeared on a bill that included such luminaries as former Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, Rep. Jim Jordan, Donald Trump Jr., and Kyle Rittenhouse. Brice hasn’t released an album since 2020, and even his hot-selling records have never broken 500,000 in sales. His singles have tanked of late as well, with the last four not charting at all on the Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard Country Songs.  As with Gilbert, though, Brice isn’t on this bill because of his innate talent or album sales or anything of the sort. He’s there because he’s the kind of guy who gets a soft-focus NRA profile about how much he loves guns. He’s there because he’s the kind of guy who goes on Will Cain’s Fox News show to talk about how people love country music for “real and honesty” and “God and country.” Singers Gabby Barrett, left, and Matthew West participates in the 103rd National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Ellipse, on Dec. 4, 2025. Barrett’s main claim to fame is placing third on “American Idol” eight years ago. Her most recent record did hit # 26 on the charts … the Billboard Christian Albums chart, that is. Like Rock, Barrett has also previously performed for Trump, singing “The First Noel” during the 2018 National Christmas Tree Lighting. Did Barrett see herself as singing to all Americans or honoring Jesus Christ or something similar? Lol, nope.  Barrett’s promo post on X said, “I will be performing ‘The First Noel’ for the President, in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.” To be fair, she did later say that performing for Trump “was an amazing opportunity to represent America and the Lord.” It’s honestly pretty surprising that Alexis Wilkins isn’t on the list. How dare TPUSA cut out Kash Patel’s country singer girlfriend from this superstar jamboree! She’s performed at TPUSA events a bunch of times, but apparently, that isn’t enough to get her in the door for the alternative halftime show.  Fox is desperately trying to spin this as “star-studded,” which it is not by any metric, but what else can conservatives do? They have to pretend that whatever motley collection of pro-Trump artists they dredge up are superstars, even if there is no evidence whatsoever of that.  Bad Bunny Meanwhile, after his Grammy win Sunday night, Bad Bunny’s album sales and streams have jumped even more. When he dropped “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” in January 2025, all 17 singles charted. He ranked Number One on Spotify’s 2025 Global Top Artist charts, notching 19.8 billion—that’s billion, with a “b”—worldwide. He also topped that chart in 2020, 2021, and 2022.  Most of the other artists performing at the actual Super Bowl will also make conservatives incandescent with rage. While they’re probably not all that mad about Charlie Puth, they’re going to be incredibly unhappy with everyone else.  Green Day is performing at the opening ceremony and has made no secret of their loathing of Trump. The band even changed the lyrics of “American Idiot,” from “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.”  Brandi Carlile is openly queer and recently spoke out about ICE’s murder of Renee Good and 32 people who have died in ICE custody. Her foundation also just donated $25,000 to The Advocates for Human Rights in Minnesota to support their efforts to provide free legal assistance to detainees.  As far as Coco Jones, it likely isn’t so much who she is, but what she is going to sing. Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. Your MAGA uncle is going to spend a lot of time complaining about DEI during this, bet.  It’s going to be a delight to see how pathetic the ratings for this thing will be. It’s going to make Bari Weiss’s cratering numbers over at CBS News look amazingly successful by comparison. Go anti-woke, go super-broke.

Former White House press secretary and current Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany went into full propaganda mode Monday, hyping first lady Melania Trump’s new documentary and adding to increasingly dubious stories about stellar ticket sales. “My mom went to it this weekend in Florida,” McEnany said on Fox News. “She said not only was the theater packed, it was, you know, standing room only—if you could, like, try to sneak in the back of the theater. People were cheering through it. They were excited. It was interactive, people interplaying with the film. She said it was just electric.”  xKayleigh: My mom went to see Melania. She said the theater was packed, it was standing room only. People were cheering through it, they were excited. It was interactive—people interplaying with the film. She said it was just electric. pic.twitter.com/dimgT5jGPF— Acyn (@Acyn) February 2, 2026 Name a single film you have attended, or even heard about, where there was “standing room only.” Did McEnany get the “Melania” documentary confused with “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which highlighted Taylor Swift’s 21-month-long, record-breaking tour? “Melania” did exceed some of the lowest expectations, pulling in a reported $7 million opening weekend. But once you factor in the cost—Amazon bought the rights to the film for $40 million and spent another $35 million to promote it—the opening weekend was anything but “electric.”

A cartoon by Clay Jones. Related | Shady new ad campaign paints ICE thugs as ‘friends and neighbors’