Trump trashes so many norms that it’s easy to overlook how outlandish some of his actions are. Take his habit of formally endorsing candidates in other countries’ elections. Seldom, if ever, have presidents interjected themselves as brazenly as Trump has done in foreign politics. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Trump all but endorsed Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in a bizarre social media post implying that Poilievre would help to make Canada the 51st state. An appalled Poilievre told Trump to “stay out of our election,” but the damage was done: Liberal Mark Carney won the election. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Trump all but endorsed Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in a bizarre social media post implying that Poilievre would help to make Canada the 51st state. An appalled Poilievre told Trump to “stay out of our election,” but the damage was done: Liberal Mark Carney won the election. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

A great example of what the “mighty middle powers” can do if they work together. As I wrote recently: wapo.st/3LXtW0R

My take: Orban is not just an authoritarian leader; he is also close to both Russia & China. The Western alliance would benefit from his defeat. The problem is that Trump is pursuing his personal political agenda, not the agenda of the US as understood by presidents of both parties. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

The State Department is making plans to fund right-wing think tanks and political groups in Europe under the rubric of promoting “free speech.” This, of course, comes after the Trump Justice Department tried to indict six members of Congress for exercising their free speech rights. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

🎁 link: wapo.st/46aspLO

One of my all time favorites. Gene Hackman was another. Sad to see them leaving us. But they are the immortals. We will always have their magnificent movies.

My take: Orban is not just an authoritarian leader; he is also close to both Russia & China. The Western alliance would benefit from his defeat. The problem is that Trump is pursuing his personal political agenda, not the agenda of the US as understood by presidents of both parties. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Rubio on Orban: “President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

It is unlikely to do the European far right much good to be associated with a U.S. president who is so widely reviled. A Politico poll in December found that in France and Germany, only a third of the people who support right-wing parties have a favorable view of Trump. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Naturally, the leaders Trump likes best are those who flatter him and imitate him the most: He has referred to Bolsonaro as the “Tropical Trump” and Boris Johnson as the “Britain Trump.” But just because Trump likes certain leaders doesn’t mean that their rule is in the US interest. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Trump endorsed both Sanae Takaichi (“a strong, powerful, and wise Leader”) and Viktor Orban, also “a truly strong and powerful Leader” (but perhaps not wise?). Seldom, if ever, have presidents interjected themselves as brazenly as Trump has done in foreign politics. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

It is unlikely to do the European far right much good to be associated with a U.S. president who is so widely reviled. A Politico poll in December found that in France and Germany, only a third of the people who support right-wing parties have a favorable view of Trump. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

The State Department is making plans to fund right-wing think tanks and political groups in Europe under the rubric of promoting “free speech.” This, of course, comes after the Trump Justice Department tried to indict six members of Congress for exercising their free speech rights. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

A president who zealously guards America’s sovereignty should show more respect for the sovereignty of other countries. Trump should stop treating foreign elections as if they were Republican Party primaries, where he can dictate the outcome. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Orban is not just an authoritarian leader; he is also close to both Russia and China. The Western alliance would benefit from his defeat. The problem is that Trump is pursuing his personal political agenda, not the agenda of the US as understood by presidents of both parties. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Trump trashes so many norms that it’s easy to overlook how outlandish some of his actions are. Take his habit of formally endorsing candidates in other countries’ elections. Seldom, if ever, have presidents interjected themselves as brazenly as Trump has done in foreign politics. wapo.st/4aEwTvC

Still waiting for Trump to condemn Putin for Navalny’s murder. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Once again, a reminder that the "free speech" crusaders were always cynics operating in bad faith

"Who better represents America?" Bad Bunny: 42% Donald Trump: 39% YouGov / Feb 12, 2026

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., criticized the practice in a rare break with the Trump administration.

In his confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators that he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation's official vaccine recommendations. He did both. n.pr/46QDn9p

"Previous estimates showed the US economy generated 584,000 jobs in 2025, the first year of Trump’s second term, which was deeply discouraging. Now, the picture is far worse: The newly revised, final data shows that the U.S. economy actually added only 181,000 jobs..." www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

@sbg1.bsky.social: Not even during the Civil War or the Red Scare crackdown of WWI or the worst excesses of McCarthyism did any President attempt what Trump has this week. He failed with one indictment and one grand jury, but he has three more years to go. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Lost amid the noise is the fact that the president just tried to throw six members of Congress in prison because he didn't like what they said. Per @sbg1.bsky.social you have to go back to 1798 to find a congressman prosecuted for exercising his right to free speech www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

“Research published on Thursday by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Columbia University suggests that, through November 2025, 90 percent of the economic burden of the president’s tariffs fell on U.S. companies and consumers.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/b...

Good move. Better than bombing.

A narrative has taken hold that the Washington Post is in the tank for Trump. That doesn’t comport with what I’m seeing in the newspaper. Never mind all of the tough news coverage. Check out these editorials, all of which have run in the past couple of days, criticizing various Trump actions.

WaPo editorial: Overzealous government agencies arbitrarily suppressing innovation is lamentable. When that innovation could save countless lives, it becomes a tragedy. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Trump is apparently worried the ICC could someday prosecute him or his aides. That’s unlikely. But that this could even be a concern highlights a dispiriting turn of events: The U.S. has gone from siding with the law-abiding nations of the world to standing with the rogue regimes. wapo.st/3MsWi3c

During her 11 months as the de facto leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake has wasted millions of dollars and done profound damage to America’s foreign broadcasters, and to America’s ability to communicate with the world www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The administration’s incompetence is its saving grace.

Shot, and one-hell-of-a-chaser.

Trump posts a picture showing Canada and Greenland as part of the US. As I note today, his rhetoric violates the U.N. Charter: It requires members to “refrain … from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” wapo.st/3MsWi3c

Another ICE horror story. This is what happens when Stephen Miller demands arrest quotas. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

The Trump administration this week delivers a 1-2 punch to science. This is the triumph of irrationality and conspiracy mongering.

Comes in the wake of this bad news: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Another shocking administration assault on science. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

Donald Trump’s DOJ just tried—and failed—to indict me in front of a grand jury. We will continue to fight back against their rising tyranny. Don’t Give Up the Ship.

A win for opponents of the (unlawful and destructive) Trump tariffs. 3 House Republicans refuse to toe the party line. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

One of the administration’s more brazen and alarming assaults on democracy: trying to criminalize speech by legislators from the opposition party. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

One of the administration’s more brazen and alarming assaults on democracy: trying to criminalize speech by legislators from the opposition party.

the statute that Jeanine Pirro reportedly tried to indict congressional Dems under, 18 USC 2387, was originally passed as part of the 1947 Smith Act, a notorious law used to clamp down on free speech during the Red Scare

So the feds ARE NOT considering an mRNA vaccine for the flu, which could save countless lives, but ARE backing research into whether horse dewormer can cure cancer, because the right views vaccines as elite and ivermectin as populist. Cool. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Would love to know what law these legislators could possibly have violated by reminding service members of their obligation to refuse illegal orders.

Federal prosecutors sought and failed to secure an indictment against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video that enraged Trump by reminding active-duty members of the military and intelligence community that they were obligated to refuse illegal orders. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...

The F.B.I. and Justice Department had previously investigated many of the affidavit’s claims, and interviewed many of the same witnesses, and had concluded they were not supported by the evidence. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...

The Moroun family had previously called on Mr. Trump to halt the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge — which, once opened, would compete with the Ambassador Bridge for the more than $300 million in daily cross-border trade. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...