Three to Get Ready for February 9, 2026

Bad News First

The news can be disheartening, but it can also inspire or focus our engagement. Let’s gird our loins and take a quick peek.

1. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (covering Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) has ruled that immigrants can be detained without bond, conflicting with thousands of lower court rulings across the country.
2. Due to staffing shortages, the IRS is reassigning HR and IT professionals to serve in front-facing customer service and tax examiner roles.
3. Breaking with bipartisan tradition, the White House has disinvited all Democrats from an upcoming meeting with state governors.

But Here’s the Good News

Bad news drives clicks, so encouraging developments don’t always show up in the headlines. But good things are happening every day, like these:

1. Rejecting the White House budget proposal, a bipartisan group of congressional negotiators has restored $33 billion in funding to the Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Federal district courts across the country continue to resist the government’s efforts to broaden the scope of ICE enforcement, using ever stronger language and creating a judicial record of abuses.
3. Middle and high school students from coast to coast are staging walkouts to oppose ICE enforcement in their communities and beyond.

And Here’s What You Can Do

Even small efforts have the potential to ripple out in ways we don’t expect. Plus, doing good is good for you. Some quickies to try:

1. Read these two articles on boycotts and think about which companies you might cut ties with.
2. When you reached out to your congressional reps re: guardrails for ICE (good job!), did you ask for legislation protecting schools, hospitals, and places of worship from enforcement activity? You still can!
3. Mark your calendar for the Stand Up for Science Day of Action on March 7 and the next No Kings national protest day on March 28.