David McAfee

David joined Raw Story in 2023 after nearly a decade of writing about the legal industry for Bloomberg Law. He is also a co-founder and a commissioning editor at Hypatia Press, a publisher that specializes in philosophical works that challenge religion or spirituality.

Trump snubs 'only Black governor' amid racism scandal — and faces bipartisan blockade

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said on Sunday that he was "snubbed" by Donald Trump, and confirmed that a bipartisan group of governors was behind him.

Moore over the weekend took to social media to explain how he had been left out of an event, even after going to the White House for a successful meeting.

"This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner — a decades-long annual tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together to build bonds and celebrate a shared service to our citizens with the President of the United States. My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership," the governor wrote. "As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not."

He continued:

"What makes it especially confounding is that just weeks ago I was at the White House with a bipartisan group of governors, working with the administration on reforms to lower energy costs and strengthen grid reliability. We proved in that moment what’s possible when we stay focused on outcomes over politics. As Governor of Maryland and Vice Chair of the NGA, my approach will never change: I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results. Yet, I promised the people of my state I will work with anybody but will bow down to nobody. And I guess the President doesn’t like that."

Moore also went on cable news earlier in the day, where he confirmed the NGA had decided that it would not be a NGA-sponsored event if any of its members are left out.

Epstein survivors drop Super Bowl Sunday ad calling out Pam Bondi: 'We deserve Truth'

Survivors of the late child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein released a video ad on Super Bowl Sunday, naming Pam Bondi specifically and saying simply, "We deserve the truth."

Ex-CNN journalist Jim Acosta is among those who broke the news on social media, writing, "BREAKING: The Epstein survivors are releasing this ad on this Super Bowl Sunday to send the message that they will not 'move on' from the largest sex trafficking scandal in the world."

Aaron Parnas also wrote, "Epstein survivors release this powerful PSA in advance of the Super Bowl demanding answers from the Justice Department. This is the Super Bowl ad every American should see. Spread it everywhere."

BREAKING: The Epstein survivors are releasing this ad on this Super Bowl Sunday to send the message that they will not “move on” from the largest sex trafficking scandal in the world. #standwithsurvivors pic.twitter.com/JehYZa1hGw
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 8, 2026

Trump targets 'real loser' American Olympic skier in angry screed: 'Hard to root for'

Donald Trump Sunday set his sights on an American Olympic skier currently on the U.S. team in the winter Olympics, calling the athlete a "real loser" who is "hard to root for."

Trump targeted Hunter Hess, who recently expressed misgivings about ICE killing American citizens, saying, "I think, for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S."

Trump took it personally.

Taking to social media over the weekend, the president wrote, "U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics."

"If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it," Trump then added. "Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

See the full post here.

Super Bowl exposes 'big MAGA weakness' as Trump sees pushback in unlikely space: columnist

The Super Bowl is exposing a major MAGA weakness, a columnist argued.

Greg Sargent wrote an article Sunday called, "Trump Rages at Bad Bunny—and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness," in which he argues, "MAGA’s hatred of the Super Bowl halftime performer reflects a hubris about what parts of the culture are 'theirs.' But those assumptions are proving more wrong every day."

Sargent referenced Trump calling Bad Bunny a "terrible choice," noting, "But something deeper is going on here than Trump’s usual lashing out at a critic. This clash hints at a genuine fear on Trump’s part that he’s on the defensive big time in the war over ICE—not just in the political war, not just in the war that’s shedding American blood in the streets, but also in the culture war. Because the battle over ICE has become a culture war all unto itself. And Trump is losing it."

He continued:

"The president has long regarded pro and college football—the players and fans, at least—as 'his' part of the culture. During his first term, it was commonplace for him or other MAGA personalities to share video of football stadiums in red America cheering him wildly. His propagandists hailed these spectacles as barometers of what 'Real America' believes. Just as Trump thinks that biker gangs, cops and coal miners naturally love him, he believes deep in his brainstem that all these tough guy players with forearm tattoos and their cheering, violence-relishing fans just have to be his people... In other words, this should be Trump’s cultural territory. Football has been an arena in which some of the biggest cultural battles of the Trump era have been fought—and Trump and MAGA seem to think it’s turf they should own exclusively. But it isn’t."

ICE going off the rails showed Trump he was wrong, according to Sargent.

"Now, however, ICE enforcement operations there have quietly been canceled. In the interim, of course, ICE murdered two Americans in Minneapolis and protests against ICE raids have exploded across the country. As The New Republic’s Alex Shephard points out, these events have supplanted the Trump-MAGA cultural moment of 2024. It’s absolutely plausible that a significant ICE operational presence would now face hostility at the Super Bowl—hardly a spectacle Trump and Noem relish," the article states. "Lurking behind all this Trump-NFL weirdness is a broader form of hubris. Trump and MAGA have long assumed that MAGA-adjacent parts of the culture will rally to ICE violence."

He added, "Yet large swaths of the culture—including typically MAGA-friendly ones—have now turned against all of this at a deep level."

Read the full post here.

MAGA senator's pro-Trump 'challenge' backfires as he's hit with proof he's wrong

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), known for being a fierce ally to President Donald Trump, was hit with an avalanche of evidence that he is wrong after "challenging anyone" to explain a Dem's statement about Trump hurting hospitals.

Lee took to social media over the weekend to share a video of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, at a rally saying, "Trump was supposed to fight for the working class; instead, he's literally closing rural clinics and hospitals to cut taxes for George Soros and Elon Musk."

Lee responded to that with a direct challenge.

"I challenge anyone making this absurd accusation to name one rural hospital or clinic Trump has closed—either 'to cut taxes for George Soros and Elon Musk' or otherwise," Lee wrote on X. "No one can This is not a thing."

Except it is a thing, according to many political observers.

New York Times bestselling author Maddox replied, "Here you go, clown," and linked to a Fortune article called, ‘Is this kind of the first domino to fall?’ Trump’s Medicaid cuts shut down the only hospital for miles around in an elderly New England mountain town.

Photojournalist Steve Rhodes said, "Glenn Medical Center 'which for more than seven decades has treated residents of its small farm town about 75 miles north of Sacramento' closed in October because of a decision by the Trump administration."

Political influencer Maine chimed in with, "Sure. Here are three: • Glenn Medical Center (Willows, CA) • Stilwell Memorial (Stilwell, OK) • Northern Light Inland (Waterville, ME)."

Dem strategist Matt McDermott also weighed in.

"Despite Republican lies, the fact is that Trump cut taxes for the rich while gutting healthcare for working class Americans," he added Sunday while linking to numerous articles.

Conservative police group takes fight to Fox reporter while accusing Trump of breaking law

The National Police Association supported Trump's Stop ANTIFA Act of 2025 and endorsed his pick of Kash Patel to head the FBI, but now the group is calling out the Trump administration for breaking the law.

FOX Biz senior correspondent Charles Gasparino, who reports on Trump often and earned the ire of MAGA when he reported that conservatives were wrong to suggest Trump outsmarted the world with tariffs, took to social media to declare that the Epstein files released by the DOJ are "a huge zero."

"I think the entire Epstein Files turned out to be a huge zero," he said, adding that "they have some redeeming value in that they really expose just how conniving and vapid the largely progressive, elite class of this country really is."

That's when the National Police Association stepped in and asked the conservative, "Why do you ignore the DOJ’s redactions in violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, shielding perpetrators from accountability, as well as the withholding of more than three million documents, omissions that render any claim of 'non-usefulness' useless?"

The reporter responded by asking, "Why does he ignore the potential legal liability the government now faces when the Privacy Act lawsuits start?"

The NPA is followed on social media by GOP figures like Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and consistently supports the Trump administration's priorities, according to a review of its statements.

Conservative ex-prosecutor calls out GOP for not investigating 'sordid' Trump scandal

A conservative analyst wrote in a right-wing publication to chastise Republican lawmakers who have refused to investigate the president of the United States for alleged self-dealing schemes he says make the Biden family's alleged crimes look like a drop in the bucket.

Former prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and now works as a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a National Review contributing editor, wrote a piece over the weekend called The Sordid Story of Trump, the Trump–Witkoff Family Business, and the UAE.

In the piece, McCarthy covers the genesis of the scandal that would ultimately emerge last week when it was reported that there was a "secret" and "unprecedented" deal between Donald Trump and a "spy Sheikh."

"It’s a long story, but let’s cut to the chase. In autumn 2024, when it had become clear that he’d likely win back the White House in about six weeks, Donald Trump and his friend Steve Witkoff founded a crypto business called World Liberty Financial (WLF).WLF was (and remains) an ideal vehicle for leveraging political power in search of financial gain," he wrote. "Crypto is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The public generally doesn’t understand it. The Federal Reserve says just 2 percent of Americans used crypto to pay for something in 2024. The 'value' that investors promote and customers purchase is vague. Hence, a crypto business — whether in tokens, currency, or other iterations — is an ideal way to disguise political payoffs as financial transactions. And, because they have sons who do not hold government positions and could ostensibly run the crypto business, President Trump and his Middle East envoy, Witkoff, would be poised to claim that WLF is a private enterprise, walled off from Trump’s political influence — even though that influence was the magnet for foreign investment and consumer purchases."

Before discussing the "gory details" of the Trump scandal, the conservative wrote, "it’s worth observing that, at National Review, we extensively covered the Biden family business of corruptly profiteering off Joe Biden’s political power and influence. So did congressional Republicans. Indeed, three investigative committees, led by Representative James Comer (R., Ky.), who is still the Oversight chairman, spent hundreds of hours gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and threatening to hold President Biden’s son, Hunter, in contempt. House Republicans even opened an impeachment inquiry, which generated a scathing report on the 'conspiracy to monetize Joe Biden’s office of public trust to enrich the Biden family.' The sum generated over several years of Biden self-dealing — 'over $27 million' — flashed in neon throughout the report’s 291 pages. Republicans were especially incensed because the Bidens practiced their harlotry on foreigners — in particular, agents of China. Family avarice, rather than the national interest, drove United States government policy."

He then continued:

"You know what the difference is between the Biden family business and the Trump family business? You’d have to add two digits to the sum of Biden abuses of power, foreign entanglements, and corruption alleged in the report to get near what Trump has raked in just from the UAE. Of course, Trump can’t be faulted for obstructing congressional investigations. There haven’t been any. Comer is busy tangling with the Clintons, the better to take the Epstein heat off a president whose poll numbers have declined as this year’s midterm elections beckon. Now that self-dealing has achieved heights so astronomical that $27 million would barely be a rounding error, Republicans have lost interest."

Read the article here (subscription required).

Chief economist gives grim prediction about new Trump threat: 'Crisis will get worse'

Donald Trump's latest economic threat will backfire, according to an economist who said that, if the president follows through, a major crisis will be heightened.

Peter Schiff, a financial commentator and radio personality who has been raising alarms about America’s affordability crisis, weighed in over the weekend. Previously, Trump himself went nuclear when Schiff did an appearance on Fox News.

“Why would Fox and Friends Weekend (of all things?) put on a ‘Stockbroker’ named Peter Schiff, a Trump hating loser who has already proven to be wrong. Either the show made a mistake, or it is heading in a different direction,” he wrote in December.

But as it relates to foreign tariffs, Schiff says Trump is about to make a big mistake.

"Trump threatened to hit Americans with 25% tariffs on imports from countries that directly or indirectly do business with Iran," Schiff said, noting the follow-up effects of that move.

"Since China does business with Iran and nearly every country does business with China, if Trump follows through the affordability crisis will get worse," the chief economist and global strategist for Europac then added Sunday.

A user on X responded to Schiff by Asking Elon Musk's AI chatbot if the take was a correct one. Grok replied, "Trump did post on Truth Social in January 2026 that countries 'doing business' with Iran would face 25% tariffs on their US trade. He signed an executive order on Feb 6 formalizing this... China trades with Iran, so it could be targeted, which might increase US import costs if implemented."

James Carville 'rattled' by one 'tied' race: 'Should scare the hell out of every Democrat'

Famed political strategist James Carville sounded the alarm on Saturday, admitting he's "rattled" by one key political contest.

Carville, known for his work on Bill Clinton's team, said over the weekend, "I’ve worked on more campaigns than I can count, and let me tell you: I don’t rattle easily." He went on to note that, "But this race in New Hampshire? It’s TIED. In a dead heat. And that should scare the hell out of every Democrat in the country."

The fear surrounds a "wide open" seat, according to the legendary politico.

"Here’s the deal: Jeanne Shaheen is retiring. That means this seat is wide open. And now John Sununu — yes, one of those Sununus, the long-time New Hampshire political dynasty — is running to flip it red," he added Saturday. "He’s got the name, he’s got the money, and he’s got the full weight of the Republican donor class behind him — from Wall Street to the far-right Super PACs. They see New Hampshire as their ticket to locking down the Senate for another decade."

He went on to characterize the race as "neck-and-neck."

"And right now? This race is neck-and-neck. It could go either way," the strategist claimed. "Chris Pappas is our guy. He’s won the toughest district in New Hampshire four times. He knows how to reach voters across the aisle and build a coalition that wins. But he cannot — CANNOT — do this alone."

He also explained the high stakes of this race.

"The GOP knows if they take New Hampshire, Democrats don’t have a shot at retaking the Senate. And they’re ready to bury us in negative ads and dark money," he further noted. "We’ve got to fight smarter, faster, and harder. We’ve got to help Chris Pappas build the campaign we need to win. Let’s show these Republican bigshots that they can’t buy another Senate seat. Not on our watch."

Carville concluded with, "Let’s win this damn thing and flip control of the Senate."

Veteran makes explosive claim about Trump 'blackmail' plot using secret Epstein recordings

Donald Trump is forcing people to remain loyal to him by "blackmailing" them with "secret Epstein recordings," according to an Air Force vet.

Jake Broe, a United States Air Force veteran who served as a Nuclear and Missile Operations Officer, on Saturday used a video from a right-wing activist to make his point against Trump and the DOJ. Conservative political observer James O'Keefe in 2025 utilized an undercover operation to expose Pam Bondi, who admitted to a "nanny" that the DOJ was sifting through tens of thousands of inappropriate pictures of little kids.

The post uses the video from O'Keefe to hammer the DOJ's conduct.

Broe added, "Trump's Justice Department is in possession of thousands of videos of children being graped by wealthy and powerful men."

"Those men WERE being blackmailed by Epstein. But by not releasing their names, these men must now be loyal to Trump to protect their identities," he further stated. "Trump is now using Epstein's secret recordings to blackmail the most powerful people in the world so they remain loyal to him."

Controversial Trump official tied to president's racist Obama video as outrage mounts

After a member of Pastors for Trump said he personally demanded that President Donald Trump fire a staffer who the White House claimed was responsible for posting a racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama, an investigative reporter flagged a potential culprit.

Bipartisan fury burned ahead of the weekend after Trump published a video on his Truth Social account in which the last few seconds contained the offensive Obama images. Pastor Mark Burns made comments about a "staffer" that stood out.

"The President made it clear to me that this post was made by a staffer and not by him. My recommendation to the President was direct and firm. That staffer should be fired immediately, and the President should publicly condemn this action," Burns wrote. "This kind of insensitive and racist communication does not reflect the heart, values, or leadership of the President of the United States, nor does it represent the America we are striving to build."

According to an investigative reporter with experience in the area, it's entirely possible that the staffer is the controversial White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Seizing on Burns' comments, reporter Jason Leopold noted, "YEARS ago, I obtained documents via #FOIA from the Mueller investigation that revealed Stephen Miller sometimes wrote Trump's tweets."

The investigative reporter also included a screenshot from FOIA records that stated, "Miller would draft a variety of twitter messages for Trump, Trump would put a check by the ones he wanted, and [Dan] Scavino would send out the tweets."

MAGA ally vows vengeance against Republicans accusing Trump of racism: 'Compiling a list'

A MAGA influencer who has Donald Trump's ear is vowing retribution against any Republican lawmaker who has criticized the president over his racist Obama post.

Bipartisan outraged emerged after the president posted a video that showed Barack and Michelle Obama portrayed as a gorilla and another non-human primate. Some of Trump's most loyal allies, such as Sen. Tim Scott, expressed harsh words for Trump's conduct.

That wave of pushback was a bridge too far for MAGA activist Laura Loomer, known for her close ties to the president and influence over his hiring and firing decisions. She took to X to threaten all Republicans who broke with the president over the racist post on Truth Social.

"I am compiling a list of every single GOP Senator who attacked President Trump today, and I am printing it out and giving it to President Trump ahead of the [National Republican Senatorial Committee] Winter Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida this weekend," she wrote on X.

Loomer added, "If you see a GOP Rep attacking Trump today with false accusations of racism, please post below."

Journalist gives brutal review of Melania movie: 'Not a single person in the theater'

A Journalist gave a brutal review of the new Melania documentary, which has been criticized by those who say it won't make back the huge fees spent to make it, saying there was "not a single person in the theater."

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation had already warned that thousands of active-duty military personnel may have been coerced into attending screenings of the Melania documentary. Enter journalist Sharon Waxman, the founder, CEO, and editor in chief of TheWrap.

Waxman said Friday that she "wandered" into a Melania showing, and didn't like what she found there.

"Friends, I wandered into a ‘Melania’ screening in Culver tonight after seeing ‘The Secret Agent.’ Not single person in the theater. Watched 10 minutes. I found myself with tears streaming down my face," she wrote on X. But those weren't tears from a moving documentary, she noted.

"Watching Trump take the oath to defend the Constitution, as he tears it down. The dissonance of Melania saying her husband would be a 'unifier,' and all the pomp and circumstance for someone so venal," she wrote on X. "So beneath the great office - and wishing we could turn the clock back."

'He must resign': Trump official faces bipartisan rage after being caught in Epstein lie

A Trump cabinet member is in hot water on both side of the aisle after it was revealed that he may have lied about his ties to child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein.

It was reported on Saturday that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was exposed in the most recent Epstein files release as being in business with Epstein until 2014, contradicting previous claims that he had cut ties with him much earlier.

That led one GOP lawmaker, Kentucky's Thomas Massie, to speak out on Saturday.

"According to legal documents and emails, Epstein and Lutnick did business together and Lutnick vacationed on Epstein’s island, LONG AFTER Lutnick claims they parted ways and after LONG AFTER Epstein was a known sex offender," Massie wrote.

A Democratic congressman then seized on that, sharing Massie's comment and adding, "Secretary Lutnick must resign."

Ted Lieu then added, "He’s despicable for vacationing on Epstein Island with child rapist Jeffrey Epstein. He’s despicable for going on national TV and lying about his relationship with Epstein."

"What else is Lutnick hiding?" Lieu asked.

Savannah Guthrie communicates with mom's kidnappers in new vid: 'We received your message'

There has been a new development in the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, as Savannah released a new video promising to "pay" to have her mom returned to the family.

Days after TMZ dropped details about a purported ransom letter, a new video was released by the family in which they speak directly to the kidnappers.

Reporter Yashar Ali posted the video on social media, writing, "BREAKING: In a new video, Savannah Guthrie, joined by her sister and brother, speaks directly to the person or persons who abducted their mother, Nancy, and says she will pay the ransom to have her returned."

"We received your message and we understand," she said, "begging" her mother to be returned. "We will pay."