The Hound | Feb. 10

Hi there,

It’s Tuesday. San Francisco’s teachers just went on strike, highlighting a pay crisis in one of the wealthiest cities in the world. ICE is targeting legal observers in Minneapolis, with three being arrested in a single 30-minute stretch and Border Czar Tom Homan calling on locals to, “end the resistance.” Meanwhile, a new bombshell report out of Minnesota shows Trump’s Department of Justice blocked state prosecutors from investigating Renee Good’s killing.

In addition, Ghislaine Maxwell, co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein testified before the House yesterday and plead the fifth. But Maxwell’s sudden cooperation and testimony should not be treated as a dramatic legal turn or a quest for truth. It is transparently a strategic move aimed at securing a presidential pardon. Framing it otherwise misleads the public and obscures the reality of how power, impunity, and influence operate in high-profile criminal cases. This kind of coverage launders self-serving narratives and distracts from the systemic failures that allowed Epstein’s network to operate for years without meaningful accountability.

🖊️ Add your name to call the media to responsibility to cover Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony with clarity and skepticism—explicitly naming it as a calculated bid for clemency, scrutinizing who benefits from her cooperation, and refusing to romanticize or legitimize a maneuver rooted in self-preservation. The public deserves journalism that explains power honestly, not coverage that confuses legal strategy with justice.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

Ghislaine Maxwell makes a play for a presidential pardon (The New Statesman)

Bombshell Report Reveals Minnesota Officials Were Right About FBI (The New Republic)

Officials deny seeking quick end to asylum claims for the Minneapolis family of 5-year-old (AP News)

Nancy Guthrie search enters its second week as a purported deadline looms (NPR)

“Uptick in Abductions”: ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers (The Intercept)

RFK Jr misled Senate during confirmation, Congress members and Hawaii governor say (The Guardian)

UK police force examines claims ex-Prince Andrew sent sensitive trade reports to Epstein (PBS News)

San Francisco teachers are on strike, highlighting a pay crisis in a city of tech bros (The 19th News)

How Congress Refused to Save the NCAA From Itself (The American Prospect)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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