Just before midnight last night, without explanation, the Trump administration's FAA closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas for 10 days. Local officials are baffled as are airlines and passengers. They have threatened planes entering restricted airspace could be shot down.
My immediate concern is if this is a precursor to what the Trump administration could do around election time given what they've already done in Fulton county.
The problem with this administration is they've given us no reason to believe that any sort of "security" justification is genuine, leading people to suspect that actions like this are either capricious or malicious. Even if there is a good reason for closing El Paso's airspace, no one will believe it.
Exactly. The real reason seems to be relatively innocuous/bureaucratic - weapons tests at Fort Bliss/White Sands nearby that DOD didn’t do a good job communicating about with FAA - but because of how the GOP comports itself these days nobody is willing to give the benefit of the doubt
This is the problem with filling your administration with yes-men. In any other government, include Trump 1, people would have said "Are you crazy? You can't shut down an airport that serves a million people for ten days!" These days they just do it unquestioningly.
Regarding Virginia’s redistricting, which I applaud as necessary: Do we yet have an explanation of why District 2 (I think it was) was not made more Blue by making a few more adjustments to the very-Blue District 3? Neglecting to do this strikes me as absolutely stunning – a lapse in an otherwise good strategy. Any insights into what went on behind closed doors?
Basically since VA was forced to redraw their seats in 2016 the mapmakers didn’t want to screw with the 3rd too much, the VRA protected seat at the center of that dispute.
According to VPAP, the current VA-03 is 44% black. If the new VA-03 also has to be 44% black to comply with the VRA, then I can see why they left the district unchanged for the most part. However, if the new VA-03 can have a black percentage in the low 40s and still comply with the VRA, then they definitely could've made more changes to make the new VA-02 bluer than they made it.
So, we actually do know why AIPAC had issues with Malinowski btw. He said he wanted to condition aid to Israel - which is probably pretty benign to people like us? - but that upset AIPAC and caused them to spend against him. I’m not sure why they didn’t boost a different candidate though. They were stupid. I’m glad Mejia won.
Yes but the result is someone with more “extreme” position from their perspective win over who “crossed them.” I don’t see how this if better for them than Malinowski winning. This is why they should’ve made a different strategic decision, in my opinion.
Disagree. They look like total idiots. Tanking someone who agrees with you 95% of the time to get someone who supports you 0% of this time doesn't intimidate anyone.
As it turns out, considerably short-sighted. I think there was so little of an accurate picture of this race they were expecting Gill or Way to break through.
I'm willing to bet part of AIPAC's calculus was that they're unsettled by how they're becoming a bogeyman in Democratic politics and are more determined to throw their weight around than usual. They're so used to getting their way and wielding political power that they now feel like they have to exercise that power to prove they still have it, even in situations where it doesn't make tactical sense to do so. They wanted to make a statement by taking down the undisputed frontrunner and in doing so overplayed their hand.
If I had my druthers, AIPAC would have announced that they would be refusing to support anyone who refused to certify the 2020 Election – and stuck with that.
Not good tactical sense in terms of this race. But in a wider lens strategic sense, yes.
Remember when Trump would go after normie GOP Reps who didn't completely bend the knee and they'd lose a winnable seat and Dems would laugh?
It isn't about so much about winning the individual race, but trying to control the entire herd. Bend them to your will. If you have to lose a race here & there to do it, so be it.
Yes and no. It would've been a strategic victory if it resulted in people being cowed into submission, but this seems to have enraged people instead. You make a good comparison because it's the same tactic, but AIPAC has way less control over the Democratic Party than Trump does over Republicans, so where Trump can get away with it, AIPAC risks alienating instead of disciplining. Even early on, it would've been nearly unthinkable for a Republican Trump went after to run ads pushing back, but Democrats can successfully do that with AIPAC. NJ's results only make that more likely, now that a broader part of the Democratic Party has a bone to pick with them.
I think AIPAC and its spokesperson reiterated multiple times that they had a beef with Malinokowski for voicing support for conditioning aid to Israel and he was going to regain his senior position on the Foreign Affairs committee due to some House rules. I don't want to discuss the politics of I/P but I think there should be a correction.
The Trump administration tried and failed Tuesday to indict Democratic lawmakers over a video urging members of the military and intelligence communities not to comply with unlawful orders, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Libertarian Candidates Pat Dixon and Anthony Cristo are certainly making a dent in the gubernatorial and Lt. Governor races if we're talking about support taken away from Abbott and Patrick that would otherwise go to them.
I think the Lieutenant Governor race is winnable if the Senate matchup is our ideal Paxton v. Talarico. Patrick is a complete piece of shit. I kind of favor Marcos Velez over Goodwin in the primary.
"Fmr Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) when asked if he’ll be involved in the midterms:
“I’m sure I will be, I’m sure going to help my friend, Susan Collins, if she needs it. In a heartbeat. She knows I will. I told her that. I think if you lose Susan Collins in the Senate, it’s a serious problem. “
They have a lot in common. We don't like him and Mainers don't like her. After meeting him last fall, my perception is that he's better off in retirement and not speaking on these issues anymore.
Missouri redistricting: a judge heard arguments on whether the new gerrymander is in effect, despite the 300,000 signatures turned in to force a veto referendum vote. Previous laws have been suspended when signatures were submitted, like the 2017 right to work law that was overturned in 2018.
What do people know about Myla Rahman? I'm generally in favor of a challenge to Maxine Waters on the grounds of generational change, but I also know she's been a strong progressive. Would Rahman be less progressive than Waters has been?
I agree, but I also wouldn't want her replaced with someone less progressive. People may disagree with me here, but I consider a young moderate to be a downgrade from an old progressive
I wish after the 2006 real estate crisis, as committee chairperson, Waters would have held banks feet to the fire and demanded accountability. From what I've seen recently of waters on LA public affairs programs, she is showing her age, and should go on to enjoy retirement.
I would take someone who is "less" progressive, but not someone who is an outright moderate. The details depend on the seat/state and the incumbent, but I'll take a modest, but not significant, downgrade to get someone who is actually very likely to survive another decade.
I've become radicalized hard against letting members of Congress leave feet first and in a coffin. Also why would someone who's been in the House for 40+ years want to stay there in this day and age?
Waters hasn't been in for quite that long: 2026 marks 36 years in Congress and 50 in elected office (starting with her 1976 election to the CA Assembly.)
I'm agnostic on this: she's been a prominent and effective legislator for decades, and is still probably performing solidly. But she can't stay forever, and older officeholders lately have often had an "only I can do this" attitude towards their pet causes. Which is not to say that people should vote her out just due to age.
"AI PAC: A political action committee backed by some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence is investing heavily in two Illinois Democratic primaries, throwing support behind Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean, according to a scoop by Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser.
The super PAC plans to spend seven figures in the open-seat Democratic primary in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District to back Jackson and in the 8th Congressional District to support Bean, Fox reported.
The group is backed by prominent figures in AI and venture capital. Early contributors include Joe Lonsdale, an entrepreneur and investor who co-founded Palantir Technologies, Addepar and OpenGov, and Ron Conway, co-founder of SV Angel.
According to Fox, Leading the Future is also financially supported in a personal capacity by OpenAI President and Co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, as well as Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, a major OpenAI investor.”
You can't make this up, a Blue Dog who voted to cut taxes for the rich and big corporations, and deregulate banking runs to go back to Congress and immediately seeks the support of Al PAC and AIPAC's super PAC.
If you'll pardon my saying, the AI (artificial intelligence) Super PAC needs to come up with a better name if it wants to be taken seriously. Unless they legitimately want people to confuse them with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Because, let's face it, the Israel-related Super PAC came first.
She did the same thing before the senate judiciary committee last year. Change of control won’t change that. But it can, and should, result in a move to impeach her. Not for her rudeness but for her failure to uphold the rule of law.
If Democrats regain a trifecta in 2029, she ought to be the first of Trump's minions to face criminal charges and a thorough investigation. Her, Noem, Crazy Eyes Patel, Miller, Kegsbreath...
There is nobody who I’m more excited about losing the trappings of their current federal office than Stephen Miller, who has his finger so pulse on that of the American public that he lives on an Air Force base to hide from them
She needs to be held in contempt of Congress and actually arrested. Even if she is later released, it still sends a message. If it’s not technically allowed, do it anyway. It’s not as if she has shown any adherence to the law.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/11/us/faa-el-paso-flights-airport?unlocked_article_code=1.LVA.Exd_.T4f_RWzA96Ce&smid=url-share
Just before midnight last night, without explanation, the Trump administration's FAA closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas for 10 days. Local officials are baffled as are airlines and passengers. They have threatened planes entering restricted airspace could be shot down.
My immediate concern is if this is a precursor to what the Trump administration could do around election time given what they've already done in Fulton county.
He’s probably planning on attacking Mexico.
The problem with this administration is they've given us no reason to believe that any sort of "security" justification is genuine, leading people to suspect that actions like this are either capricious or malicious. Even if there is a good reason for closing El Paso's airspace, no one will believe it.
Exactly. The real reason seems to be relatively innocuous/bureaucratic - weapons tests at Fort Bliss/White Sands nearby that DOD didn’t do a good job communicating about with FAA - but because of how the GOP comports itself these days nobody is willing to give the benefit of the doubt
So... rather than flying those weapons tests under the radar, so to speak, the DOD unwittingly/dumwittedly assured that these got maximum attention.
I didn’t say the innocuous/bureaucratic explanation was smart!
They just lifted the order. My guess is that TACO and his regime got an earful from angry airline CEOs.
And probably from stranded Republican business travelers who thought they were stranded in a rather remote city.
This is the problem with filling your administration with yes-men. In any other government, include Trump 1, people would have said "Are you crazy? You can't shut down an airport that serves a million people for ten days!" These days they just do it unquestioningly.
If these dipshits couldn't even make Minnesotans cower, there's nothing to suggest that they'd actually be capable of large scale intimidation.
Not everyone in the government is keen on doing Donald's personal bidding
Seems like a test. See what they can get away with and for how long.
Regarding Virginia’s redistricting, which I applaud as necessary: Do we yet have an explanation of why District 2 (I think it was) was not made more Blue by making a few more adjustments to the very-Blue District 3? Neglecting to do this strikes me as absolutely stunning – a lapse in an otherwise good strategy. Any insights into what went on behind closed doors?
I think Bobby Scott was just a little stingy, and that the state party doesn't really like Luria.
Why would they not like Luria?
There’s a theory that mapmakers wanted to rely on the extant understanding of VRA based on the state’s experience with redistricting in the 2010s
Interesting. Could you clarify what that means in this case, what it entails and why?
Basically since VA was forced to redraw their seats in 2016 the mapmakers didn’t want to screw with the 3rd too much, the VRA protected seat at the center of that dispute.
Note that this is a theory
Thank you. Makes sense.
According to VPAP, the current VA-03 is 44% black. If the new VA-03 also has to be 44% black to comply with the VRA, then I can see why they left the district unchanged for the most part. However, if the new VA-03 can have a black percentage in the low 40s and still comply with the VRA, then they definitely could've made more changes to make the new VA-02 bluer than they made it.
So, we actually do know why AIPAC had issues with Malinowski btw. He said he wanted to condition aid to Israel - which is probably pretty benign to people like us? - but that upset AIPAC and caused them to spend against him. I’m not sure why they didn’t boost a different candidate though. They were stupid. I’m glad Mejia won.
I think they wanted Way.
And the point isn't so much to have your candidate win, it is to ensure the person who crossed you loses.
That way you can intimidate other pols without spending $$.
Yes but the result is someone with more “extreme” position from their perspective win over who “crossed them.” I don’t see how this if better for them than Malinowski winning. This is why they should’ve made a different strategic decision, in my opinion.
Again, there is no real danger here.
Mejia isn't even there for a full term. They can go after her in the primary and again in Nov.
Plus, it isn't as if the Dem establishment is any real danger of doing something anti-Israel, so she does not matter.
What matters is that Dem Congresscritters, even pro-Israel ones, know that if they don't cave to every AIPAC demand, they are vulnerable.
Idk why you want to argue lol. Have a good day.
Disagree. They look like total idiots. Tanking someone who agrees with you 95% of the time to get someone who supports you 0% of this time doesn't intimidate anyone.
As it turns out, considerably short-sighted. I think there was so little of an accurate picture of this race they were expecting Gill or Way to break through.
I'm willing to bet part of AIPAC's calculus was that they're unsettled by how they're becoming a bogeyman in Democratic politics and are more determined to throw their weight around than usual. They're so used to getting their way and wielding political power that they now feel like they have to exercise that power to prove they still have it, even in situations where it doesn't make tactical sense to do so. They wanted to make a statement by taking down the undisputed frontrunner and in doing so overplayed their hand.
If I had my druthers, AIPAC would have announced that they would be refusing to support anyone who refused to certify the 2020 Election – and stuck with that.
If I had my druthers, AIPAC would just go away lol.
Not good tactical sense in terms of this race. But in a wider lens strategic sense, yes.
Remember when Trump would go after normie GOP Reps who didn't completely bend the knee and they'd lose a winnable seat and Dems would laugh?
It isn't about so much about winning the individual race, but trying to control the entire herd. Bend them to your will. If you have to lose a race here & there to do it, so be it.
Yes and no. It would've been a strategic victory if it resulted in people being cowed into submission, but this seems to have enraged people instead. You make a good comparison because it's the same tactic, but AIPAC has way less control over the Democratic Party than Trump does over Republicans, so where Trump can get away with it, AIPAC risks alienating instead of disciplining. Even early on, it would've been nearly unthinkable for a Republican Trump went after to run ads pushing back, but Democrats can successfully do that with AIPAC. NJ's results only make that more likely, now that a broader part of the Democratic Party has a bone to pick with them.
I think AIPAC and its spokesperson reiterated multiple times that they had a beef with Malinokowski for voicing support for conditioning aid to Israel and he was going to regain his senior position on the Foreign Affairs committee due to some House rules. I don't want to discuss the politics of I/P but I think there should be a correction.
Mejia was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, not Alexandra.
Patrick Morrisey made a similar mistake spelling out "West Virgina" yesterday at a local mall.
Thanks! I fixed.
The Trump administration tried and failed Tuesday to indict Democratic lawmakers over a video urging members of the military and intelligence communities not to comply with unlawful orders, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/doj-fails-secure-indictment-democrats-involved-illegal-orders-video-rcna258385
TEXAS POLL - Governor
🟥 Greg Abbott (inc): 49%
🟦 Gina Hinojosa: 42%
🟨 Pat Dixon: 3%
——
LT GOV
🟥 Dan Patrick (inc): 46%
🟦 Vikki Goodwin: 41%
🟨 A. Cristo: 4%
UN/TSU | 1/20-31 | 550 LV | ±4.18%
https://x.com/IAPolls2022/status/2021575574464974950
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26948419-state/
I hate how Abbott is almost at 50% already.
TX voters, please, please, PLEASE show this man the door this year. That would make my day more than the TX Senate seat flipping.
Hinojosa is at 42 percent already with little name recognition! I really hope that the Soros family invests the 100 million they promised.
This year has so much potential to sweep out incumbent Republicans statewide, especially in TX. I pray voters don't muck it up.
I missed this. Where did you hear this?
Mid-2025. Lone Star Project director.
A 7-point deficit is not that bad.
Libertarian Candidates Pat Dixon and Anthony Cristo are certainly making a dent in the gubernatorial and Lt. Governor races if we're talking about support taken away from Abbott and Patrick that would otherwise go to them.
I think the Lieutenant Governor race is winnable if the Senate matchup is our ideal Paxton v. Talarico. Patrick is a complete piece of shit. I kind of favor Marcos Velez over Goodwin in the primary.
"Fmr Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) when asked if he’ll be involved in the midterms:
“I’m sure I will be, I’m sure going to help my friend, Susan Collins, if she needs it. In a heartbeat. She knows I will. I told her that. I think if you lose Susan Collins in the Senate, it’s a serious problem. “
Source: Semafor"
https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2021573708612022283
They have a lot in common. We don't like him and Mainers don't like her. After meeting him last fall, my perception is that he's better off in retirement and not speaking on these issues anymore.
MINNESOTA POLL By Emerson (A)
SEN
🟦 Peggy Flanagan: 47%
🟥 Michele Tafoya: 41%
—
🟦 Angie Craig: 47%
🟥 Michele Tafoya: 40%
——
GOV
🟦 Amy Klobuchar: 53%
🟥 Mike Lindell: 31%
—
🟦 Amy Klobuchar: 51%
🟥 Lisa Demuth: 38%
——
MN Generic Ballot
🟦 Democrats: 49%
🟥 Republicans: 42%
——
Job Approval
Gov. Walz: 41-47 (-6)
Pres. Trump: 39-56 (-17)
——
MN Top issues
Threats to democracy: 28%
Immigration: 17%
Economy: 16%
——
Emerson | 2/6-8 | 1,000 LV | ±3%
https://x.com/IAPolls2022/status/2021562042881126707
The Georgia state rep running in GA-11 is spelled Jordan Ridley rather than Jordan Riley.
Thank you for the catch, I've fixed!
Missouri redistricting: a judge heard arguments on whether the new gerrymander is in effect, despite the 300,000 signatures turned in to force a veto referendum vote. Previous laws have been suspended when signatures were submitted, like the 2017 right to work law that was overturned in 2018.
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/02/10/judge-to-decide-whether-missouris-gerrymandered-congressional-map-is-in-effect/
Missouri courts have the chance to do the most hilarious thing
Which would be..
What do people know about Myla Rahman? I'm generally in favor of a challenge to Maxine Waters on the grounds of generational change, but I also know she's been a strong progressive. Would Rahman be less progressive than Waters has been?
Waters is great! The only issue is that she's 87. She should retire; she has nothing more to prove.
I agree, but I also wouldn't want her replaced with someone less progressive. People may disagree with me here, but I consider a young moderate to be a downgrade from an old progressive
I agree.
I wish after the 2006 real estate crisis, as committee chairperson, Waters would have held banks feet to the fire and demanded accountability. From what I've seen recently of waters on LA public affairs programs, she is showing her age, and should go on to enjoy retirement.
I'm a split the baby down the middle type.
I would take someone who is "less" progressive, but not someone who is an outright moderate. The details depend on the seat/state and the incumbent, but I'll take a modest, but not significant, downgrade to get someone who is actually very likely to survive another decade.
I've become radicalized hard against letting members of Congress leave feet first and in a coffin. Also why would someone who's been in the House for 40+ years want to stay there in this day and age?
Waters hasn't been in for quite that long: 2026 marks 36 years in Congress and 50 in elected office (starting with her 1976 election to the CA Assembly.)
I'm agnostic on this: she's been a prominent and effective legislator for decades, and is still probably performing solidly. But she can't stay forever, and older officeholders lately have often had an "only I can do this" attitude towards their pet causes. Which is not to say that people should vote her out just due to age.
The latest on the El Passo airspace closing and re-opening:
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/11/el-paso-air-space-closed-faa/?utm_source=thetexastribune.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=breaking-news-faa-closed-el-paso-airspace-over-impasse-with-the-defense-dept-s-use-of-drones&_bhlid=e0e86622793f2a2b4b9752f7f937822e3fb3844c
There appear to be conflicting narratives.
FL Politics again saying a resignation before the midterms is still coming from Dunn, calling it a health issue after all.
https://x.com/PeterSchorschFL/status/2021584238689005908
Speaker Johnson will hate this.
Good.
"AI PAC: A political action committee backed by some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence is investing heavily in two Illinois Democratic primaries, throwing support behind Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean, according to a scoop by Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser.
The super PAC plans to spend seven figures in the open-seat Democratic primary in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District to back Jackson and in the 8th Congressional District to support Bean, Fox reported.
The group is backed by prominent figures in AI and venture capital. Early contributors include Joe Lonsdale, an entrepreneur and investor who co-founded Palantir Technologies, Addepar and OpenGov, and Ron Conway, co-founder of SV Angel.
According to Fox, Leading the Future is also financially supported in a personal capacity by OpenAI President and Co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, as well as Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, a major OpenAI investor.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/02/11/ai-dollars-flow-to-jackson-bean-00775556
You can't make this up, a Blue Dog who voted to cut taxes for the rich and big corporations, and deregulate banking runs to go back to Congress and immediately seeks the support of Al PAC and AIPAC's super PAC.
Another AIPAC??
https://tenor.com/view/this-is-getting-out-of-hand-now-there-are-two-star-wars-viceroy-jedi-gif-11488909
If you'll pardon my saying, the AI (artificial intelligence) Super PAC needs to come up with a better name if it wants to be taken seriously. Unless they legitimately want people to confuse them with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Because, let's face it, the Israel-related Super PAC came first.
I'm not great at branding for PAC names but Silicon Valley PAC sounds better than AI PAC.
Just when it seemed IL-2 couldn't get any worse...
I hope Dems flip both chambers this year and haul Blondi back in for questioning in January. She was so fucking rude and flustered during her hearing.
She did the same thing before the senate judiciary committee last year. Change of control won’t change that. But it can, and should, result in a move to impeach her. Not for her rudeness but for her failure to uphold the rule of law.
If Democrats regain a trifecta in 2029, she ought to be the first of Trump's minions to face criminal charges and a thorough investigation. Her, Noem, Crazy Eyes Patel, Miller, Kegsbreath...
There is nobody who I’m more excited about losing the trappings of their current federal office than Stephen Miller, who has his finger so pulse on that of the American public that he lives on an Air Force base to hide from them
I'd much prefer to see her in front of a military tribunal. She's acting like there will never be any consequences for her shitty behavior.
I’d like to see the US join the ICC and drag her and Miller and all the others there.
She's not a military woman, is she? If not, she needs to be tried in civilian court.
She needs to be held in contempt of Congress and actually arrested. Even if she is later released, it still sends a message. If it’s not technically allowed, do it anyway. It’s not as if she has shown any adherence to the law.