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A journalist was floored Monday as Democrats signaled they were hatching a plan to overturn one of President Donald Trump's tariffs.Democrats were expected to vote to force a vote Wednesday to overturn Trump's Canada tariffs — a legislative push to try and restore economic relations and ease tensions with the North American ally. Laura Weiss, Congress reporter for Punchbowl News, described what to expect in the coming days. The legislation was expected to be introduced by Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), who has led previous efforts to push back on Trump's tariffs, including a discharge petition last spring to end Trump's Canada tariffs, citing concerns over a multitude of businesses."News: House Dems are likely to force a vote WEDNESDAY on overturning President Trump's Canada tariffs, per sources familiar w/ the effort," Weiss wrote in a post on X. "Dems’ plans aren’t yet final. But the Canada resolution is expected to be the first Dems call up now that Speaker Johnson’s blockade on tariff votes is over. The resolution is from HFAC top Dem Meeks - and he’s got more that can be called up in the coming weeks too.""BIG NEWS here," Jake Sherman, founder of Punchbowl News, added on X. "The House Republican leadership had a mechanism that blocked tariff overturn votes. That mechanism has expired."Trump's tariff threats against Canada have created tensions between the two countries, with Canadian officials warning that such tariffs would harm both economies and trigger retaliatory measures, while Trump has used the tariff threat as a negotiating tactic on issues ranging from trade deficits to border security and defense spending.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) melted down and threatened Olympians after several athletes representing the United States openly criticized President Donald Trump's administration and the current state of America. Scott delivered a curt response to the Olympic athletes currently competing at the Milan Cortina Winter Games voicing their concerns about their home country in a video message on X posted Sunday night, The Daily Beast reported. It's unclear which athlete or comment prompted his reaction. "Representing the United States—a beacon for freedom and democracy—at the Olympics is an honor. Anyone who feels otherwise should be stripped of their USA Olympic uniform," Scott said.Several members of Team USA have spoken out against the administration as the country reels from recent violence from ICE agents, including the two public killings of citizens in Minneapolis.Freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who recently expressed misgivings about ICE killing American citizens, said, "I think, for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S."The statement apparently set off Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform to criticize the athlete. "U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics," Trump wrote. "If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it," Trump added. "Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"Other athletes have denounced the harsh Trump administration policies as the international audience booed Vice President JD Vance during the opening ceremony for the winter games. "I feel heartbroken about what's happened in the United States when, you know, I'm pretty sure you're referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that," freestyle skater Chris Lillis told reporters last week. "I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights and making sure that we're treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect."Representing the United States—a beacon for freedom and democracy—at the Olympics is an honor. Anyone who feels otherwise should be stripped of their USA Olympic uniform. pic.twitter.com/fciWOd8THX— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) February 9, 2026

Ghislaine Maxwell, co-conspirator to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, decided to invoke her 5th Amendment rights and refused to answer any questions Monday as the Department of Justice released a new video revealing her life behind bars. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said that Maxwell declined to answer lawmakers' questions when she came before the committee Monday, and has asked for clemency from President Donald Trump. Her attorney said in his opening statement that neither Trump nor former President Bill Clinton were blameless in Epstein's crimes. Her attorney also told lawmakers that she has a habeas corpus petition pending. Comer told reporters he did not think Maxwell should be granted any clemency, pointing to comments from Epstein survivors who had called her a "very bad person." In the new prison video released by the DOJ on Monday and filmed on July 5 2020, Maxwell was seen in an orange jumpsuit exercising in her cell, and eating lunch on her bed with her legs crossed, according to the BBC. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BBC News (@bbcnews)

Only two survivors rescued after boat overturned off Libyan coast, UN migration agency saysFifty-three people are dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast, the UN migration agency said on Monday. Only two survivors were rescued.The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday, in the latest disaster involving people attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing in the hope of reaching Europe. Continue reading...

An expert Thursday warned that President Donald Trump's health has started to rapidly deteriorate as questions increase over his mental capacity and ability to lead, according to reports. Dr. John Gartner, psychologist, psychiatrist, and a former assistant professor at John Hopkins Medical School, told British publication The i Paper that there have been increased concerns over the president's health and suggested signs of cognitive decline. “The main way to diagnose dementia is that we see a deterioration from someone’s own baseline in these four areas: language, memory, behavior, and psychomotor performance,” Gartner said. “He’s deteriorated since his last administration noticeably but now we’re seeing deterioration almost week over week. The rate of decline is accelerating,” Gartner said.Trump has made several statements, including his mix-up over Iceland and Greenland, among other comments that have led to further unease around his health. “The high-pressure job can also accelerate cognitive dysfunction,” Gartner added. The White House has said that the 79-year-old president has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency — this can cause swollen ankles — and also stated that the president's frequent hand shaking has caused hand bruising.And while medical professionals have cautioned against diagnosing Trump based on his family history or jumping to any conclusions around his health, the increased signs have drawn health experts to consider "the wider state of his health" as Trump pushes to threaten military takeovers and his "military adventurism" with Venezuela. "While this form does not produce the same level of memory decay as Alzheimer’s, it does produce tremendous disinhibition of behavior because it’s the frontal lobes that are the brakes of the brain. So that’s what inhibits us from acting out,'" Gartner told The i Paper.“Part of his brain [appears to be] deteriorating disproportionately so he’s losing the brakes and this is someone who was always impulsive and always acted out aggressively… Whilst he’s becoming confused about what’s happening, he’s also becoming aggressively disinhibited to act in impulsive and erratic ways," Gartner said.

A new investigation from The Guardian published Thursday has revealed that a friend and donor of President Donald Trump has been using his private jet for deportations. Gil Dezer, a Florida property tycoon and longtime friend of the Trump family, has now twice flown Palestinian men from Arizona to Tel Aviv, according to the report. Dezer has been a Trump donor and member of the Miami branch of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.Just Monday, the luxury jet was used to transport "another group of Palestinian deportees. They landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport and also appear to have been taken to the West Bank." In January 24-year-old Maher Awad was taken from Arizona to the West Bank. Awad has lived in the United States for for nearly a decade. Dezer's plane has apparently been contracted by U.S. agencies to charter flights. "His sleek Gulfstream jet – which he has called 'my little rocket ship' – was used to transport the men from an airport near a notorious removal centre in Arizona to Tel Aviv," The Guardian reported. "The jet made three refuelling stops en route: in New Jersey, Ireland and Bulgaria."The plane was seen landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport and reportedly has the logo for Dezer Development, a real estate firm created by Israeli-American developer Michael Dezer and now run by his son, Gil Dezer. Since the early 2000s, the Dezer family has worked with the Trump to build six Miami residential towers. Filings show that the father and son have donated more than $1.3 million to the Trump campaigns. "A Guardian investigation has established the flight was part of a secretive and politically sensitive US government operation to deport Palestinians arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Israeli-occupied West Bank," according to the outlet. It's unclear if several countries where the plane landed were aware of the deportations underway as the plane made fuel stops. "Aircraft tracking data shows that both the 21 January and 1 February flights to Israel made refuelling stops at Shannon airport in Ireland and at Sofia airport in Bulgaria," The Guardian reported. "Those stops may raise questions for the authorities in those countries about the legal status of the passengers transited through their territory.""The eight Palestinians had their ankles shackled on the 21 January flight, according to Awad and another man onboard, Sameer Isam Aziz Zeidan, a 47-year-old grocery worker. Awad said he was forced to wear a body restraint, with his wrists handcuffed to his stomach. Both men said the restraints made it difficult to eat, requiring them to bend their heads forward to put food in their mouths."

President Donald Trump walked back his criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's agreement to transfer ownership of a strategically located island to Mauritius.The 79-year-old president has complained that the United Kingdom plans to decolonize the Chagos Islands, including the site of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, but he said Starmer had reassured him on the transfer of sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago."I have had very productive discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia," Trump posted on Truth Social. "It is the site of a major U.S. Military Base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the National Security of the United States.""I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make," he added. "However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia."Trump vowed to keep the base at Diego Garcia no matter what Mauritius might decide in the future."Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense," he posted. "Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

A former US State Department employee has outlined what a "worst-case scenario" would look like following the expiry of the New START deal. The treaty was a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Russia, which expired today (February 5). Donald Trump claimed that, should the deal expire, the administration would move to put another one into effect, though details of this have not yet been confirmed. Russia, who suspended its participation in the New START deal in 2023, confirmed they would still abide by the numerical limits imposed by the deal. Rose Gottemoeller, the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the US State Department, has sounded the alarm on what could be the worst-case scenario for the deal's expiration.She told CNN that no longer imposing a numerical limit on Russia's weapons of mass destruction "leaves us in the dust while we're still trying to get organized and the Chinese are building up steadily again."Gottemoeller added a year-long extension could be of benefit to the US, though there is much work to be done when it comes to "plan and prepare" a new deal. She added, "They have active warhead production lines as well as active production lines for other related components for their missile systems that they would be able to upload rapidly. We know they have that industrial capacity available, and we do not have it."Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, disagreed and suggested the treaty is not as powerful a deterrent as the US nuclear arsenal itself. He said, "In theory, it is nice to have limitations, but the main goal of US nuclear weapons is to deter nuclear war, not to have treaties."Trump was flippant when asked about the treaty last month, saying, "If it expires, it expires. We'll do a better agreement."