It’s Thursday, February 5. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Trump said he was disbanding the Department of Education—so why is it still there? David Mamet on terrible writing. The real story behind ICE’s Minneapolis withdrawal. And much more.
But first: Will Rahn’s exclusive exit interview with New York’s Cardinal Dolan.
For the last 17 years, Timothy Cardinal Dolan has been the face and de facto leader of the Catholic Church in America. All that changes tomorrow when Ronald Hicks of Chicago becomes the new Archbishop of New York. So a few days ago, in his final week on the job, I sat down with Cardinal Dolan in his stripped-down Manhattan office for an exclusive exit interview.
There’s a bluntness to Cardinal Dolan that’s often refreshing, regardless of your religion or political affiliation. And that bluntness has been a powerful tool of late. Perhaps as much as any time in living memory, our political debates are religious ones. Dolan has been a powerful voice in these debates, particularly in the fight against antisemitism, which is on the rise among far-right influencers who profess the faith.
Last year, Dolan formally submitted his resignation to Pope Francis upon hitting the retirement age of 75. But Dolan was reputed to have worked skillfully behind the scenes to install Pope Leo as the first American Pope, so many church observers were surprised when Leo accepted the resignation in December instead of letting Dolan stay on.
What does Dolan say about that? Well, you can watch the video to find out.
Dolan is one of the last old-school, backslapping politicians—quick with a joke, and even quicker to remember your name and how he knows you. He’s been on the scene long enough to see the whole parade of history, and here takes a step back to reflect on it.
—Will Rahn
Yesterday, the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, with many progressive activists claiming victory over ICE. But the real winner is more complicated, writes Mene Ukueberuwa. As Trump scrambles to turn down the temperature in Minneapolis, Minnesota officials are letting jails and police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement—quietly handing the Trump administration what it called for in the first place.
What is toxic empathy? According to Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey, who coined the term, it’s a form of emotional manipulation that wields the plight of the oppressed as a political cudgel. In The Atlantic, Hillary Clinton said that complaining about “toxic empathy” was just “moral blindness” in the wake of Alex Pretti’s killing. Today, Stuckey responds.
The AMC 12 math competition is the gateway to the very top levels of high school math. For years, no more than a couple dozen competitors each year earned a perfect score. This year, that jumped to more than 300. Deepa Javeri reports on how stolen exams and quick access to AI answers are shaking the foundations of competitive math.
Shutting the Education Department has been a wish of President Trump’s since his first term. Last year, he announced he was going to do it. So why hasn’t he? And why is it spending more than ever? Tanner Nau reports on why the cabinet agency won’t disappear any time soon.
On Old School: David Mamet Against Snobbery
Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright David Mamet joins Shilo Brooks for a wide-ranging conversation on why he distrusts teachers, arts institutions, and anyone who tries to tell the public what’s good for them, and how he decides what’s worth reading—or throwing across the room.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
Tech stocks and Bitcoin sank this week amid lackluster earnings reports and shifting investor preferences toward more stable assets. Bitcoin fell to its lowest price alongside other cryptocurrencies, erasing nearly $500 billion in market value over several days.
Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh received a life sentence yesterday for his plot to kill the president at one of his Florida golf courses in 2024. A jury of 12 people found Routh guilty last September after an unconventional trial in which Routh insisted on representing himself.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—the former Prince Andrew—moved out of his royal home in Windsor this week, following the release of documents revealing more details of his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, including an email thanking Epstein for an introduction to a young Russian woman.
At least 167 Nigerians were killed on Tuesday in attacks likely perpetrated by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. The attack is one of the worst in the country in recent years. Nigeria’s government has attracted scrutiny for failing to protect Christians from religious violence, though it is unclear whether Christians were targeted in Tuesday’s attack.
Layoffs hit The Washington Post yesterday, as the publication cut one-third of its staff, shuttered its sports section, and shut much of its metro desk and multiple foreign bureaus. In an email to staff, executive editor Matt Murray said the cuts at the money-losing outlet were necessitated by declining search traffic and a business model “too rooted in a different era, when we were a dominant, local print product.”
The Supreme Court will allow California to use its redrawn congressional map, which favors Democrats, during this year’s midterms. Democratic advantages from the Golden State’s redistricting effort are expected to neutralize Republican gains from Texas’s new Trump-endorsed district boundaries.
I would consider being attacked by Hillary Clinton to be a badge of honor.
I bet that U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service officer Sean Smith, and the two CIA contractors, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty are rolling in their graves and wondering about Hillary's empathy.
And still you are missing the biggest story in Britain -- re Epstein -- the Mandelson scandal and will it take Starmer down after his admissions of yesterday?
Andrew Mountbatton-Winsor's midnight flit is vaguely interesting, but with Mandelson, we are talking great betrayal and sleaze at the heart of the Labour Party. The question is not if Starmer will go but when and which Labour MP will replace him. Labour has too big of a majority and Starmer will not go for the nuclear option of calling a General election. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/05/politics-latest-news-starmer-speech-mandelson-files-epstein/