Hi all, Ben here. Today is one of the days of the week I get to teach my law students at the University of Southern California, but let me take a quick break to fill you in on today’s news.
This has been an absolutely horrible day for Donald Trump and his administration, and I want to walk you through what happened.
Let me start with what unfolded (and continues to unfold) before the House Judiciary Committee. Attorney General Pam Bondi testified today, and the hearing instantly went completely off the rails. I’ve watched a lot of hearings over the years. What we saw today was something else (though entirely expected).
Bondi was asked a simple question by Congressman Nadler: how many of Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators have you indicted? How many perpetrators are you even investigating?
Instead of answering directly, Bondi began shouting and attacking members of Congress. That has been Bondi’s M.O. just about the entire hearing. Our DC reporter, Pablo Manríquez, even noticed that Bondi brought with her a “burn book” with sections dedicated to the various Democratic members of congress containing pre-written insults to hurl at them during their questioning.
In one powerful and revealing moment, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal asked the survivors in the room to stand if they had not been able to meet with the Department of Justice. Every single survivor raised their hand. Every single one.
Jayapal then asked Bondi to turn around and apologize to the survivors for what her Department of Justice had put them through with the chaotic and irresponsible handling of the Epstein files. Bondi refused. She would not even turn around to acknowledge them.
Instead, she pivoted to attacking Democrats over impeachment proceedings from years ago. She told members they should apologize to Donald Trump. That was her response when asked about accountability for a child sex trafficking case and for the Department’s conduct toward survivors.
At one point, she called Jamie Raskin a “washed up lawyer.” She randomly started screaming about the Dow Jones. “The Dow is over 50,000. That’s what we should be talking about! They just asked what does the Dow have to do with anything. ARE YOU KIDDING?!” Bondi deflected when asked about the Epstein Files. It was unhinged.
This is not how the Department of Justice is supposed to operate. It was defensive, combative, and devoid of basic human decency toward victims who were physically standing behind her.
And Bondi wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she views it as her job not to represent the United States, but Donald Trump. “You sit here and you attack the president, and I am not going to have it. He is the most transparent president in the nation's history,” she shouted at one point.
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Now let me turn to something that is almost as shocking as today’s congressional hearing, because it speaks to how disorganized and reckless this administration has become.
Earlier today, the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas. Flights were grounded. The initial announcement said the airspace would be closed for ten days.
Ten days.
This is a major American city. You do not just close the airspace over a major city for ten days. That is unprecedented in modern American history outside of national catastrophe.
And then, almost as quickly as it was imposed, the restriction was reversed.
Here’s what we are now learning from multiple sources briefed on the situation.
The Pentagon had planned to deploy a high-energy counter-drone laser system near Fort Bliss. This technology has been tested before, but typically in more remote areas. The Department of Defense had not properly coordinated with the FAA about the potential risks to civilian flights.
FAA and Pentagon officials were already scheduled to meet on February 20 to review potential impacts and mitigation measures before any broader test around El Paso. But for reasons that remain unclear, the Pentagon sought to deploy the system sooner.
One possibility being discussed is that there was a suspected drone incursion. These reportedly happen multiple times per day. Earlier this week, the laser technology was used to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones. It later turned out the “drone” was a party balloon. One balloon was shot down.
When the FAA learned that the Pentagon was moving forward without proper coordination, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford decided to impose a temporary flight restriction. The original restriction would have lasted until February 21, one day after the scheduled FAA-DoD meeting.
Here is where it gets even more troubling.
The FAA did not alert the White House before closing the airspace. It did not alert the Pentagon. It did not alert Homeland Security officials.
We are talking about the closure of airspace over a major American city, and the White House was not informed in advance.
Sources say the shutdown stemmed from disagreements between the FAA and the Pentagon over the safety of conducting high-energy laser tests in proximity to civilian air traffic. The FAA was concerned about potential risk to commercial flights. The Pentagon believed the closure was unnecessary.
What a mess!
Now let’s talk about the economy.
The administration has been touting January’s jobs numbers. They say jobs were created. They want headlines that look positive.
But the bigger story is what happened with the revisions to 2025.
The new data shows that nearly one million fewer jobs were created in 2025 than originally reported. Four months that were previously described as gains have now been revised into job losses. Overall, 2025 was essentially flat.
When you subtract the downward revisions, the job creation story for 2025 collapses. This is a massive correction.
So when I hear the administration celebrate preliminary 2026 numbers, I have to look at the pattern. We have seen overly optimistic initial reports followed by significant downward revisions. People out there know what they are feeling in their communities. They know whether jobs are plentiful or disappearing.
Polling reflects that broader dissatisfaction. A new NBC News poll shows Donald Trump’s overall approval at 39 percent, with 61 percent disapproving. On immigration and border security, 49 percent of adults now strongly disapprove of his handling of the issue, up sharply from last year.
Finally, I want to say this. Our hearts go out to the people of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, after the horrific high school shooting there. Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement expressing devastation and extending condolences to the families. Ten victims were killed, more than 25 injured. It is an unspeakable tragedy.
Today has exposed even more serious dysfunction inside our own government, and it has reminded us how fragile and precious life is.
We are going to keep covering all of it. We are going to keep asking the questions that need to be asked. And we are not going to let chaos, deflection, or shouting drown out accountability.
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