The Gov Hub Newsletter: February 10, 2026

According to a new AARP survey, older Americans are ‘un-retiring’ at an alarming rate to keep up with the rising cost of living. Specifically, the survey found that 7% of retirees have re-entered the labor force in the past six months. 

January 2026 has won itself the title of the worst January for layoffs in 17 years, made possible by new data put out by Challenger, Gray, & Christmas.

Since Trump’s tariffs started rolling out last April [2025], the U.S. has lost over 70,000 manufacturing jobs.

Under the Trump Admin’s approach to consumer protections, dolled out under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – which can really just be described as an approach that has abandoned the regulations and enforcement of anything that protects American consumers – a new report estimates that operations under the Trump Admin have cost Americans $19 billion. The acting director of the bureau btw, is White House budget director, and Heritage Foundation alum, Russell Vought. 

A new report commissioned by the LA County Board of Supervisors found that last summer’s ICE raids in the city cost more $1 billion in lost productivity, sales, and wages.

It’s Governors announcing their dream state budget szn, and in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont [D] has proposed including free school breakfast for all K-12 students. The proposal also includes a line-item that would make school lunch free for any student that currently qualifies for a reduced-price lunch.

Newly released emails show that RFK Jr. went ‘fossil hunting’ with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, specifically for dinosaur fossils in North Dakota.

So far, of the released Epstein files, Trump has been referenced a whopping 38,000 times. 

Starting yesterday, members of Congress were able to start viewing un-redacted versions of the DOJ’s Epstein files. Congressman Ro Khanna [D-CA] and Thomas Massie [R-KY], shared that in what they’ve viewed so far, they had spotted the names of at least six individuals likely incriminated by their inclusion in the files – they have not yet released who those people are. 

Epstein's right-hand woman and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell appeared virtually for a deposition in front of the House Oversight Committee yesterday. She pleaded the fifth, saying nothing at all. According to NBC News, her lawyer shared post, that if she were granted clemency by Trump she’d speak “honestly.” 

Newly seen footage shows the missing minute from the security camera footage from the night Epstein died. The plot twist: it shows someone in it. In the same vein of oddities, a memo from the SDNY U.S. Attorney’s Office on the death of Epstein, is dated Friday, August 9, 2019 – Epstein, however, died the next day, on August 10, 2019.

Mike Tyson appeared in a cringe-worthy MAHA ad during the Super Bowl. When asked about how he was able to get Tyson to appear, RFK Jr. shared that it’s because Tyson has been close friends with disgraced director Brett Rattner, the producer who did Melania’s movie and is in the Epstein files.

Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR] wrote a public letter to CIA Director John Ratcliffe expressing succinctly that he has “deep concerns about CIA activities.” Per Senator Wyden, who is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he cannot expand on what he shared in the letter because of the classification rules, but he wanted Americans to be aware of the fact that there is something to be concerned about.

NPR has reported that Trump’s State Department has told employees to archive and delete all Twitter posts from official government accounts prior to Trump’s second term. Going forward, anyone that wishes to see posts from before January 20, 2025 will have to file a FOIA request.

Big-time guy in the Epstein files, who was in what appears to be constant contact with Epstein, Thiel, and other dredges of the world, Steve Bannon, has said that Republicans should nationalize elections, and that Trump should deploy ICE and the military to polling sites in November. 

Following the Trump Admin’s move attempting to block Congressionally authorized funds for the long-awaited tunnel project that would make being on NJ Transit actually tolerable [connects NY-NJ], both states, New Jersey and New York sued, claiming the move was illegal. As of now, a federal judge – Judge Jeannette Vargas – has issued a temporary restraining order, allowing funding and construction to continue. However, ATM, the funds have not been released, leading to dozens of the 1,000+ construction workers on the job to protest in North Bergen, NJ. 

A new lawsuit has emerged via California AG Rob Bonta and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, who’ve teamed up to sue Foundation Inc [and three individuals involved there], along with CRTLPew LLC for illegally distributing a code for 3D printing ghost guns and gun-related products to people in the state that aren’t licensed to product/manufacture guns in California. The lawsuit, which claims the defendants have broken several state laws, was filed in the San Francisco County Superior Court.

In a precedent-setting case, a jury found Uber liable for the rape of a customer, Jaylynn Dean, ruling that the driver was acting an as a representative of the company during the time of the assault. Dean first sued Uber in 2023, and the verdict now sets a potential pathway for thousands of other passengers who have filed similar claims against the company. In this case, Uber has been ordered to pay Dean $8.5M.

The Trump Admin is continuing its warpath against DEI, this time by probing Nike over allegations that the company discriminated against white employees through its DEI initiatives and targets. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has subpoenaed info from Nike as far back as 2018, since the company has refused to voluntarily provide details on the company’s racial and ethnic composition, as well as the a list of employees selected for certain mentoring and development programs.

Senator Tim Sheehy [R-MT] has become the 12th Republican U.S. Senator to add their name to an amicus brief that supports the Trump Admin’s wack-ass desires to redefine birthright citizenship [the 14th amendment].

Reporting from NBC News shared the details of an emergency habeas corpus petition that was filed in federal court on behalf of a family whose toddler was hospitalized with respiratory failure while in ICE detention in Texas at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. The filing alleges that the 18-month-old was near death before being hospitalized for ten days under ICE supervision, and then returned to the ICE facility where the toddler was denied the medication the hospital had prescribed. The family was released Friday, with ICE refusing to hand over the child’s medication or birth certificate. For background, the family had been seeking asylum in the U.S. from Venezuela, and was detained at one of their required check-ins [translation: they were following the process]; the child was also healthy before ICE detention. 

As reported by the Irish Times, this Boston-area man, who has a valid work permit, is married to a U.S. citizen, has been in the U.S. for over 20 years, and has no criminal record, has been held in an ICE detention center in Texas since September. The man, Seamus Culleton, despite being granted bond in November, was then denied with no explanation.

ICE racially profiled a U.S. citizen in Salem, Oregon, where she was pulled from her vehicle after ICE smashed her car window, suffering a concussion, a torn rotator cuff, and bruised ribs at the hands of the officers. The officers only left after finding her passport in her purse. The woman was on her way to pay rent and buy a cake for her grandson’s birthday.

The Greenport School District on Long Island reported that 25% of its students stayed home from school following reports that ICE was in the area. To math it another way, that’s 1 in 4 students.

The Minnesota Star Tribune has reported that the ICE is illegally swapping, covering, and removing the license plates on their vehicles, often using license plates that are not for the vehicles they’re driving. Notably, putting/using license plates on a car that they don’t go to, is illegal in Minnesota.

Ron Thomas, Denver, Colorado’s Police Department Chief, told Denver Gazette reporter Nicole Brambila that his officers would intervene if they witnessed federal agents using excessive force.

In the aftermath of being detained, five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos’ father told Telemundo that since being released his son has not been the same, now suffering from frequent nightmares.

As entirely preventable measles outbreaks continue to rise, Trump Admin official, Dr. Oz decided to pivot from his bestie RFK Jr.’s anti-vax platform, asking people to “take the vaccine.” He even added “please” to the ask – how thoughtful. rolls eyes 

Speaking of Dr. Oz, the man, without even a hint of irony, at the launch of a mental health initiative, suggested that a method for reducing the national debt is for Americans to start work right out of high school or work at least another year later in life before retiring; the math for his idea is based on Americans being ‘healthy.’ Anyways, Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ that passed last summer added over $3.4 trillion to the national debt, so one could infer that that’s the real issue – not people delaying retirement for a year.

Measles made an appearance at… drum roll please…the annual anti-abortion March for Life in DC.

An estimated 16,000 Floridians are expected to lose access to their life-saving HIV medication as a result of state officials sharing that the federally funded Florida AIDS Drug Assistance Program that provides expensive antiretroviral drugs for free, is low on cash, leading them to lower the income threshold to receive benefits. The threshold has been that Floridians earning up to 400% of the federal poverty line or about $64K would qualify. Now, in March, only people earning up to 130% of the federal poverty line or about $21K will qualify.

A bill that was stalled in the Senate after Senator Bernie Sanders [I-VT] had tried to add an amendment to it, and years of lobbying pushback – the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids A Chance Act – was signed into law. The pediatric cancer-focused law allows the FDA to direct companies to study innovative drug combination therapies in pediatric trials. The law also reauthorizes the FDA’s Priority Review Voucher program.

Following in California’s footsteps, Illinois and NYC have joined the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, the coordinated global network that monitors and responds to disease outbreaks. The move made by the two states and a city came after Trump withdrew the US from the network.

A self-proclaimed witch – albeit not an Etsy witch – hexed attendees at the Clay County GOP caucus. The Republicans in attendance then tried to cancel the hex by praying.

Four constitutional amendments will be going in front of voters in Virginia after VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a handful of bills. First up in April, is an amendment that if passed would allow for mid-decade redistricting of the state’s congressional maps. Then in November, three more will get the yay or nay, including one that would protect repro rights, one that would overturn an essentially dormant ban on same-sex marriage [circa 2006], and another that would allow those with felony convictions who’ve complete their sentences to automatically get their voting rights restored.

In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont’s state of the state address threw heat at ICE saying, “ICE, everywhere you go uninvited, violence follows. Go home. We’re keeping Connecticut safe without you.” To that, MAGA state Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato stood up, and turned her back toward the governor to show a customized blazer emblazoned with “ICE IN.” The DIY fashion disaster resulted in rebuke from the Dem House Speaker, who shared that it violated the House’s rules of decorum.

Despite MAGA-world’s full-blown melt down turned alternative halftime show led by Kid Rock, it appears that Trump still put on the actual halftime show at Trump’s Super Bowl party, like the one with the legendary Bad Bunny. And yes, that’s Senator Lindsey Graham locked in on the performance.

NYC Councilmember Christopher Marte [D] has stepped into his role as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Landmarks with this Reel, sharing tidbits of history he’s going to work to preserve.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey used this trend to share who was loyal to the Patriots and who was a ‘traitor.’ And in a similar vibe, fellow Dem governor and major Buffalo Bills fan, Gov. Hochul wished Gov. Healey a happy birthday with this rivalry-infused IG feed post.

Senator Alex Padilla [D-CA] shared this handwritten and heartbreaking note from a child that’s being held at the Dilley Immigration Detention Center in Texas. 

Trump’s EPA has approved the use of toxic weed killer dicamba for GMO soybeans and cotton. The pesticide has long had a reputation of being problematic for its habit of drifting into other fields of crops, destroying them.

Trump put out a proclamation that reopens commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, an 5,000 square mile area off of Cape Cod that was made a protected area by former President Obama.

Glamour: The Women Holding Minneapolis Together

The Post and Courier: Forever Stained - How a SC riverkeeper’s detective work reveals a deeper tale about the carpet industry’s PFAS legacy

KFF Health News: NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Rewilding Law, first in the US, is a step toward state wetland protection