• Right-wing media figures are saying that whistles should be “considered a violent weapon” and their use constitutes an “assault” on immigration enforcement agents because some community members in Minnesota are using them in anti-ICE demonstrations. 
• Newsmax host Greg Kelly said the Super Bowl logo looks “a little bit LGBT queer-ish,” adding, “Why is that, kind of, in big ways, explicit ways, and subliminal ways, it always seems to be a thing?”
• Fox’s Greg Gutfeld said women can be turned into revolutionaries because they “can have their compassion and their emotions hijacked.”

Steve Bannon has been facing severe backlash from the media and MAGA supporters for his involvement in the newest drop of Jeffrey Epstein files. The files, released last Friday, included thousands of text messages between Bannon and Epstein that show a close and very friendly relationship between the two men. Among the files is a two-hour interview Bannon conducted with Epstein as part of his work on a public image rehabilitation documentary in 2019 (there are reportedly hours more of unreleased content). 

Similarly to his response to the release of the first batch of Epstein documents last year, Bannon is choosing to ignore his extensive inclusion in the files with no public comments to press or on his podcast War Room. Some right-wing media figures, however, are not staying silent. 

• The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro: “It’s kind of shocking to me that Bannon basically was doing PR rehab on Jeffrey Epstein and continues to go out there and be one of the main progenitors of the story of Epstein scandal.” 
• Fox host Mark Levin posted to Gettr: “Bloated Bannon and Epstein. Exactly what was the full extent of their relationship?” 
• A Newsmax guest said, “No one wants to admit the unpopular thing to say is, in terms of like the tiers of badness of associating with Epstein, you have Steve Bannon that was staying BFFs with Jeffrey Epstein up until the end.” 

Adding insult to injury, last weekend Bannon’s endorsed candidate and friend Leigh Wambsganss lost what he called a “vitally important” special election.

Meanwhile, Bannon has spent much of the week advocating for federal law enforcement to be deployed at polling stations during November’s election. Bannon said, “You’re damn right we’re gonna have ICE surround the polls come November.” He also claimed the Insurrection Act could be used for military presence at polling stations. Frank Gaffney told Bannon that ICE is needed “more than ever” because of “multiple divisions worth of Chinese soldiers” hidden in the United States.

• The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro said Trump's call to nationalize elections “is a sketchy constitutional proposal.” (Many legal experts say this move is patently unconstitutional). 
• Tim Dillon decried Trump’s “performative” ICE raids and said the administration is “unserious and cruel.” 
• Flagrant host Andrew Schultz called ICE raids “un-American” and said he has reached “a breaking point” with Trump over ICE shootings.
• Podcaster Shawn Ryan complained that Trump hasn’t lived up to his “no new wars” promise. 
• Newsmax host Carl Higbie complained that removing 700 ICE agents from Minnesota “looks like a loss.”

In an August 13 interview on Fox News, Trump’s border czar (and former Fox contributor) Tom Homan acknowledged that federal agents must obtain a warrant signed by a judge before conducting a search on private property. Recent reporting from The Associated Press reveals that Homan’s comments directly contradicted an internal memo signed in May by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, which purportedly authorized federal agents to enter homes without a judicial warrant. 

According to this memo, instead of getting a judge’s signature before conducting a search, deportation officers may rely on an administration warrant, which, in the words of Georgetown Law professor Steve Vladeck, is a “piece of paper signed by an ICE officer.” Six former general counsels or acting general counsels for the Department of Homeland Security voiced objections to the ICE memo on the grounds that it violated the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. 

As we explained last week, Homan is the new face of President Donald Trump's mass deportation operation in Minnesota, replacing Border Patrol commander at large Greg Bovino. Fox largely praised the personnel shift and attempted to spin what appears to be a superficial rebranding effort as a substantial policy shift. Fox and Homan have worked in lockstep for months to promote wildly inflated and misleading statistics about the supposed criminal histories of people in ICE custody, further undermining the network’s narrative that he’s a restrained, trustworthy professional. 

Given Homan's new role as head of Trump’s deportation machine, his acknowledgement of the Fourth Amendment could prove crucial. In August, he knew that for ICE agents to conduct a search of private property they needed a judge’s signature. Someone at Fox should ask him what he believes now.

• Fox News made at least 75 claims that contradicted video evidence or blamed Alex Pretti for his own death.

On January 28, the FBI carried out a search warrant related to the 2020 presidential election at the Fulton County’s election office. MAGA influencers praised the search and seizure of materials from the election center, calling it “a victory.” John Solomon, who pushed Dominion conspiracy theories in the wake of the 2020 election, suggested the FBI will do a similar ballot seizure in Arizona. 

During an interview after the Fulton County raid, Trump said he wants Republicans to “nationalize the voting.” Right-wing figures and Trump allies, including those who have spread claims of election fraud, have repeatedly urged Trump to declare a “national emergency” to enforce his preferred election policies.