February 9, 2026
Post and Calendar
Good morning, everyone!
Welcome to our new readers. It is an honor to have you here.
Each day, we will traverse history, both its past and present. By providing you with the single most comprehensive snapshot of the world as humanly possible, I aim to equip you with everything you need to know for the day to be informed.
Today, we will look at a series of U.S. political developments, election results in Japan and Thailand, and the week of news ahead.
Let’s get to it.
The Week Ahead
-The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Republican-backed SAVE Act this week, requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
-Local elections will be held across Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington state on Tuesday.
View a full list of the races here.
-The Caribbean island of Barbados will hold general elections on Wednesday.
-Defense ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will meet in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to skip the gathering.
-Bangladesh will hold parliamentary elections.
-Absent congressional action, funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will expire at midnight on Friday.
-Leaders from the African Union will meet for the 54-member bloc’s annual summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday.
Major Developments
-The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 last night, becoming Super Bowl champions for the first time since 2014.
For the halftime show, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny performed in a much-anticipated event.
View highlights from the performance here:
Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump posted to his social media, saying the show was a “slap in the face” to the country.
Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organization, hosted its own halftime show as counterprogramming, featuring Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Bradley Gilbert, and Gabby Barrett.
The event reportedly attracted around 5.7 million viewers, while viewership of Bad Bunny’s performance is expected to have been north of 100 million.
-The White House removed a video posted to Trump’s social media account that depicts former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
After initially defending the post, the administration said it had been posted by a “staffer.” On Friday night aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to apologize for the post. When asked if he condemned it, he said, “Of course I do.”
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the lone Black Republican senator, called the post “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
-In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union yesterday, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said he would be willing to name those listed in Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged client list.
View the full interview here:
Members of Congress will be able to view unredacted versions of the files in the investigation of the now-deceased sex offender this week.
Victims of Epstein appeared in a Super Bowl commercial last night.
View it here:
-Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a bill calling for a referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The proposal, which could add up to four Democratic seats to the state’s congressional delegation, will face voter approval on April 21.
Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore urged the State Senate to approve a newly drawn map that would eliminate the state’s lone Republican-held congressional district, saying they had an “obligation” to do so.
The state House of Delegates approved the map on February 2, but has been met with pushback from Senate President Bill Ferguson, who told The Baltimore Sun the chamber is not “prioritizing” the legislation.
-California Senator Adam Schiff said Trump intends to “subvert” the 2026 midterm elections in an appearance on ABC’s This Week.
The prediction comes as Trump has stepped up calls to “nationalize” elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has pushed back on that call, saying he believes it is a “constitutional issue.”
View the full interview here:
-Five Democratic lawmakers who urged military and intelligence officials to disobey “illegal orders” have refused to sit for interviews with the Department of Justice as part of its investigation into the matter.
In a post on her X account, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin said she would not “legitimize” the investigation.
-Trump will not invite Democratic governors to the annual meeting of governors at the White House this month, breaking with a long-held tradition.
-The U.S. carried out a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Friday.
-A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze more than $16 billion in funds for a New York tunnel project.
-Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei announced he would not seek reelection this year, becoming the 30th Republican member of the House to opt for retirement in the 2026 election cycle.
-Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to endorse Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, in a crowded Democratic primary field to succeed New York Congressman Jerry Nadler.
-The Teamsters union endorsed Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s bid for reelection.
-The Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 50,000 points for the first time ever on Friday.
-Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured landslide election victory in Sunday’s snap parliamentary vote.
Takaichi, the country’s first female leader, called the vote on January 27, seeking a mandate for the LDP and its governing partner just months after assuming office.
-Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s ruling Bhumjaithai Party secured victory in Sunday’s parliamentary vote, providing him with a mandate after a prolonged period of political instability.
Charnvirakul called for the vote in December amid a border conflict with neighboring Cambodia, a crisis that ended his predecessor’s tenure.
-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Trump wants a peace agreement ending his country’s nearly four-year-long war with Russia by June.
-Canada and France announced they would open diplomatic consulates in Greenland amid tensions with the United States over the status of the semi-autonomous territory.
-On this day in 1909, Dean Rusk, who would go on to serve as Secretary of State under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, was born in Georgia.
In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a radio address to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, saying the organization fostered “good citizenship.”
In 1984, Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov died just 15 months after assuming office. He was replaced by Konstantin Chernenko, who himself died short of a year after taking office.
Chernenko was succeeded by Mikhail Gorbachev, who would fundamentally transform the Soviet bloc and oversee its dissolution in December 1991.
In 1994, singer Tony Bennett performed at a State Dinner at the White House for visiting German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Other Links:
Top ICE Lawyer in Minnesota Departs as Immigration Lawsuits Overwhelm Courts - The New York Times
Appeals court affirms Trump policy of jailing immigrants without bond - ABC
Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say ICE has gone too far in immigration crackdown - PBS
Mamdani signs executive order to protect New Yorkers from “abusive immigration enforcement” - CBS
Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez wins Louisiana state House special seat in district Trump won - CBS
Investigation continues a week after Savannah Guthrie mother was reported missing - AP
HUD headquarters move draws legal, funding scrutiny - Politico
Ethiopia calls on Eritrea to pull its troops back to the border - BBC
Morocco still battling disastrous floods, rescue efforts underway - Africa News
Kenyan court lifts ban on lesbian love story - Semafor
White House frustrations with Venezuela’s Machado grow after elections comments - Politico
Venezuela frees high-profile opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa - BBC
Distrust, desertions, and dwindling bonuses undermine Socialist Party’s grip on Venezuela - Reuters
Haiti’s presidential council dissolves after rocky tenure as unelected US-backed ruler remains - AP
Measles outbreak in Mexico prompts health alert in World Cup host Jalisco - ABC
China Reverses Death Sentence for Canadian in a Small Win for Carney - The New York Times
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai faces sentencing in landmark national security case - AP
Australia’s opposition coalition reunites after split over hate laws - Reuters
Pro-Palestine protest planned in Sydney against Israeli President Herzog’s visit - Reuters
Ukraine war must become ‘untenable’ for Russia, Zelenskyy says after latest strikes - ABC
Zelensky says Russia is proposing huge economic deals with U.S. - The Washington Post
Epstein revelations have toppled top figures in Europe while US fallout is more muted - AP
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Sets Date to Meet in Washington, Officials Say - The New York Times
Iran insists on right to enrichment, ready for confidence-building - Reuters
Israel to expand its control in West Bank, make settlers’ land seizures easier, media say - Reuters
U.S. moving 7,000 ISIS suspects from Syria to Iraq amid concerns over security and due legal process - CBS
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Notes:
https://scowcroft.substack.com/p/tsg-weekly-calendar-february-9-15
What did you expect from him? America Great? Hahaha / LOL - I'm sorry to say that is not the case any more. There are great people in America, decent people, people who care but the people in charge ugh!
They are in charge because too many didn’t vote at all. Elections have consequences they have said repeatedly but people didn’t listen. I pray they will now. Meanwhile, everyone get out there and help get people involved and paying attention.
Thank you Jacob for doing your part. Btw I love your historical notes you’ve been adding recently!