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What Happened Today – February 6, 2026

“I’ve called President and Mrs. Obama to apologize. I thought it was funny, and I was wrong.”

Leaders know those two sentences take almost all the anger out of Trump posting images of the Obamas as primates. He didn’t apologize. He petulantly said he did nothing wrong. It was reminiscent of him telling Anderson Cooper in 2015 that he was a Christian who didn’t ask God for forgiveness. “Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness if I am not making mistakes,” he said on camera.

Trump’s racially motivated activities are well documented, including the birtherism conspiracy theory he and his wife spread in the mid 2010s. He is often cruel to people he doesn’t like. That’s why we learned today that 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his family were targeted for accelerated deportation. Their crime? They became a symbol after federal agents detained a little boy in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack.

He’s going to keep hurting people. He’ll retaliate against anyone who he believes wronged him. Even his own party sees it. So far 30 of 218 House Republicans have announced they won’t run for reelection. Their replacements won’t even pretend to push back.

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🚨 GovBrief Intensity Score 208
Extreme. History will remember.
Volume: Extreme (28)
Severity: Moderate (1.86)
Defining Moments: 1
âš¡ Trump shares racist videos of the Obamas
Previous 5 Days
🟠128|🚨168|🟠112|🚨273|🚨176
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
No, I didn’t make a mistake.
Donald Trump, on February 6, 2026, refusing to apologize for posting a picture of the Obamas as primates.
Yesterday's Most Read

National Park Service pulled brochures from Medgar Evers' home that called his killer a racist, then returned them hours after Mississippi Today reported the removal.

Today’s GovBrief News


Health 1 of 28

Harvard psychiatrist says Kennedy was "not accurate" in claiming his keto studies "cured" schizophrenia, cautioning that evidence remains preliminary and patients should not stop medications.

APA: "lacks robust evidence"

Source: The Seattle Times

February 6, 2026

Environment 2 of 28

Energy Secretary Wright credits emergency orders keeping aging coal plants open for preventing blackouts, while critics say the policy costs consumers $3 billion per year.

Texas renewables now 25%

Source: The Associated Press

February 6, 2026

Environment 3 of 28

EPA reapproves controversial herbicide dicamba for use on cotton and soybeans despite known drift risks, cutting allowed volume in half but drawing criticism from both environmentalists and MAHA activists.

2 year approval, halved storage limits

Source: The Hill

February 6, 2026

Environment 4 of 28

Trump for the third time rolls back Obama-era protections on a nearly 5,000 square mile Atlantic marine monument, reopening it to commercial fishing.

Judge blocked similar Pacific rollback last August

Source: The Associated Press

February 6, 2026

Voting Rights 5 of 28

FBI invited state election officials to a February call about 2026 midterm preparations, prompting Colorado's secretary of state to say she is "deeply skeptical" after Trump's push to nationalize elections.

DOJ suing 12+ states over voter rolls

Source: Axios

February 6, 2026

Economy 6 of 28

Trump signs executive order quadrupling Argentine beef imports to 100,000 tons while U.S. cattle ranchers call the move a "misguided effort" that undercuts American producers.

Beef hit $6.69/lb, highest in 42 years

Source: CBS News

February 6, 2026

Military 7 of 28

Navy Secretary John Phelan, a major Trump donor, was listed on a 2006 Epstein flight manifest alongside a French modeling agent later charged with rape of a minor.

6 of 13 passenger names redacted

Source: The Navy Times

February 6, 2026

Military 8 of 28

Pentagon cuts all military training and fellowships at Harvard, with Hegseth calling officers' Ivy League education "globalist and radical ideologies" and promising reviews of other schools.

Trump demanded $1B from Harvard

Source: CBS News

February 6, 2026

Courts 9 of 28

Arizona judge permanently blocks genetic abnormality abortion ban, telemedicine restrictions, and mandatory waiting periods, ruling they violate the abortion rights amendment voters passed in 2024.

GOP leaders plan appeal

Source: The Arizona Mirror

February 6, 2026

Courts 10 of 28

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from freezing $10 billion in child care and safety net funding to Colorado, California, New York, Minnesota, and Illinois after officials couldn't provide evidence of fraud.

$300 million in Colorado alone

Source: The Colorado Sun

February 6, 2026

Courts 11 of 28

Federal judge orders Trump administration to unfreeze $16 billion for the Hudson River tunnel project, ruling that continued delay would cause irreparable harm to New York and New Jersey.

1,000 workers faced layoffs

Source: CNN

February 6, 2026

Courts 12 of 28

Federal judge rules Trump administration illegally deported three families previously separated at the border, finding agents used "lies, deception, and coercion," and orders their return at government expense.

ICE threatened foster care & separation

Source: CBS News

February 6, 2026

Courts 13 of 28

Sen. Blackburn demands Chief Justice Roberts investigate Justice Jackson's impartiality for attending the Grammys, where artists wore "ICE out" pins and criticized immigration enforcement.

Jackson nominated for Grammy

Source: The Hill

February 6, 2026

Criminal Justice 14 of 28

Federal authorities arrest and extradite Libyan national charged in the 2012 Benghazi consulate attack that killed four Americans, the first arrest tied to the attack in nearly nine years.

8 count indictment, sealed since November

Source: The Hill

February 6, 2026

Social Security 15 of 28

Social Security is reassigning benefits processors to answer phones after shedding 7,400 employees, with workers receiving three hours of training and fearing backlogs will grow.

6 million pending cases

Source: Government Executive

February 6, 2026

Immigration 16 of 28

55 Cuban deportees held for weeks at Guantánamo in former Al Qaeda prison were transferred back to the U.S. after Cuba refused to accept them.

780 migrants held during crackdown

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

February 6, 2026

Immigration 17 of 28

Trump administration filed for expedited deportation of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his family, but a judge granted a continuance allowing them to stay for now.

DHS says "standard procedure"

Source: KSTP St. Paul

February 6, 2026

Immigration 18 of 28

Whistleblower from Baltimore ICE detention facility describes detainees lying in feces, 50 people in cells meant for far fewer, and women given diapers instead of sanitary products.

Documents predate storm ICE cite

Source: WUSA Washington

February 6, 2026

Oversight 19 of 28

DHS allowed one congresswoman into Minneapolis detention facility after she produced a court order but denied entry to two other lawmakers, as the doctor-turned-representative found no measles protocols in place.

3rd attempt to inspect

Source: KMSP Minneapolis

February 6, 2026

Oversight 20 of 28

IRS is reassigning up to 1,400 back-office employees to frontline filing season work with little training after losing 27% of its workforce, as CEO Bisignano runs both IRS and Social Security simultaneously.

7,300 retirement applications backlogged end of 2025

Source: Federal News Network

February 6, 2026

Oversight 21 of 28

White House excludes Democratic governors from its annual meeting during the National Governors Association weekend, breaking a bipartisan tradition of more than 60 years.

NGA pulled all resources from WH event

Source: Politico

February 6, 2026

Congress 22 of 28

House Oversight chair Comer is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar's husband after his two companies surged from $51,000 to $30 million in one year.

Investor sued over unpaid $300K

Source: The Minnesota Post

February 6, 2026

Congress 23 of 28

Justice Department will let lawmakers view unredacted Epstein files starting Monday, but is withholding 2.5 million pages and banning electronic devices from the reading room.

3 million pages released

Source: USA Today

February 6, 2026

Congress 24 of 28

Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei becomes the 30th House Republican to announce he won't seek reelection, widening the party's vulnerability ahead of 2026 midterms.

Only Nevada Republican in House

Source: The Nevada Current

February 6, 2026

Propaganda 25 of 28

Trump claims Schumer suggested renaming Penn Station after him, which Schumer calls an "absolute lie," as Trump continues pushing to add his name to airports, stadiums, and federal buildings.

$16 billion frozen funding

Source: The Hill

February 6, 2026

Propaganda 26 of 28

Trump shared a video depicting the Obamas as apes on Truth Social, then claimed he didn't watch it to the end and refused to apologize.

Sen. Scott called it racist

Source: ABC News

February 6, 2026

Media 27 of 28

Fox News and Fox Business went the entire day without mentioning Trump's racist Obama video until after 6 p.m., then covered it for just over two minutes.

Fox digital buried story under 12+ items

Source: Mediaite

February 6, 2026

Fighting Back 28 of 28

Federal judge declares Texas anti-ESG law unconstitutional, ruling that its definition of "boycotting" fossil fuel companies was too broad and violated First Amendment protections.

State divested billions from 300+ companies

Source: The Texas Tribune

February 6, 2026

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