Mike Lee deleted this tweet lmao

Hey remind me: what is John Yoo famous for doing as a Justice Department official, again?

Donald Trump’s aides believe his State of the Union address will reignite the president’s momentum—but Republicans are worried, @jonlemire.bsky.social reports:

The horseshoe politics of this guy, and the way that the Epstein files are boomeranging on Trump… www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Very disturbing and heartbreaking story

NEW: Three Minnesota faith groups/leaders — local ELCA and UCC bodies, and a Jesuit priest — are suing DHS over its refusal to grant them access to immigrant detainees at a federal building. It's one of 2 related suits filed against the government in recent months. religionnews.com/2026/02/23/f...

After text messages revealed that Rep. Tony Gonzales pressured a married staffer to send him explicit photos and engage in an affair that led to her suicide, Boebert joins Luna & Mace calling for him to resign and defends it from Republicans concerned about their majority.

With the decline of scientists working for the public good (and funded on the public dime), we'll lose out on discoveries that may lead to new drugs, new cures, and new breakthroughs. The future will arrive; it just won’t be Americans building it anymore—or profiting from it. trib.al/BGyyY4Y

A president can pick up several points on his approval rating with a short speech. Trump won't do this.

Here we go...

Reuters: FEDEX SUES UNITED STATES TO GET FULL REFUND OF EMERGENCY TARIFFS AFTER SUPREME COURT FOUND PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAD NO AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE THEM, LAWSUIT SAYS

NEW: Trump faces obstacles in court if he wants to oppose refunds after the US Supreme Court struck down his global tariffs -- and that's in part because of statements DOJ made over the past year as it urged judges to let the administration keep collecting levies amid the legal fight buff.ly/JUilCGd

Breaking NBC: Jeanine Pirro's office has decided to stop pursuing the case against six Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military and intelligence communities in a social media video not to comply with unlawful orders, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Jeanine Pirro's office shelves pursuit of Democrats over "illegal orders" social video, sources say www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

“.. even in the final days of training, the cadets cannot demonstrate a solid grasp of the tactics or the law required to perform their jobs.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/u...

Trump: "Everything that has been written about a potential War with Iran has been written incorrectly... if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them."

Nobody in Washington can seem to make head or tail of Donald Trump’s latest attempt to win over Greenland: a “great hospital boat” to Greenland, though exactly who would be responsible for the project—and why Greenland, which has nationalized health care, would need it—is not clear. trib.al/q4VbuBZ

Workers restored a slavery exhibit at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia on Thursday. The National Park Service had removed the panels in January after an executive order from President Donald Trump. Read more: https://wapo.st/4sd3Wy5

Breaking news: A former ICE instructor accused the agency of dramatically slashing training standards for new officers and lying to Congress about it as the Trump administration seeks to rapidly expand its mass deportation operation.

"The tariffs decision did more than reject an aggressive claim of presidential power. It exposed deep divisions within the Court over one of the most consequential doctrines in modern administrative law."

Maybe in 2 weeks.

A new national survey finds 70% of Americans think the Trump administration is too focused on deportations. Immigration enforcement ranks as a top driver of defection among Trump's own 2024 voters. austinkocher.substack.com/p/new-pollin...

Rep. Tony Gonzales sent sexual text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair before her death by suicide last year, messages obtained by NBC News show.

3rd Republican to call for Rep. Gonzales to resign. All women.

The agency eliminated 240 hours of “vital classes” from a mandatory 580-hour training program, including instruction about the legal boundaries for the use of force, how to safely handle firearms, and the proper way to detain and arrest immigrants. wapo.st/4aS06mU

"As Trump prepares to address the nation Tuesday evening, his approval rating stands at 39% positive and 60% negative, including 47% who say they strongly disapprove. The last time Trump’s disapproval touched 60% was shortly after the Jan. 6th attack..." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

A new CNN poll has Trump's approval rating dropping to 36%, nearing the record low of 34% recorded right after January 6. CNN finds approval to be 26% among independents, 25% among voters under 35, & 23% among respondents of color. www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/p...

"As Trump prepares his State of the Union address, he's facing a 19-point drop in approval among Latinos and an 18-point drop among Americans younger than 45. Among independents, his approval rating has dropped 15 points over the past year to 26%, the lowest it’s been in either of his terms..."

triple yikes

A US intelligence chief was fired when he said the evidence did not support Trump's claims that the previous US bombing of Iran's weapons facilities was a big success. Now the Trump admin is acknowledging as much (or just telling a different lie for a different reason). www.bbc.com/news/article...

Breaking MS NOW: An ICE whistleblower is expected to testify at a congressional forum today that the agency is "lying to Congress and the American people" about its training of new recruits. Ryan Schwank was an ICE academy instructor for new recruits before he resigned earlier this month.

Breaking news: The Pentagon’s top general has cautioned President Trump from an attack on Iran, saying that shortfalls in critical munitions and a lack of support from allies will add significant risk to the operation and to U.S. personnel.

"silly" and no, it's not a war over territory

Trump is actually doing even worse on immigration (-18 points) than he is on the economy (-16 points) in the new WaPo poll. Tariffs are -30. These are both supposed to be GOP strengths. Trumpism is a massive debacle, with the public widely rejecting the main pillars of MAGA right wing nationalism:

NEW: Judge Aileen Cannon permanently forbids the Department of Justice from releasing Volume II of Jack Smith's report on his prosecution of Trump. Also bars DOJ from sharing "any information or conclusions" from the volume. A sweeping, perpetual gag order. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

BREAKING: Judge Aileen Cannon purports to bar DOJ from ever releasing of Volume II of Jack Smith’s report or “any information or conclusions in Volume Il.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

seen on Fox Business

Federal judges have ordered the Trump administration at least 35 times since August to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases, according to a New York Times review of federal dockets.

Coffee-growing countries becoming too hot to cultivate beans, analysis finds. Five countries responsible for 75% of world’s coffee supply record average of 57 extra days of coffee-harming heat a year www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Trump pulls endorsement of Colorado Republican, cites 'lack of support' on tariff policy www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

Lindsey Graham frets that Trump's advisers oppose Iran strike Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios on Saturday that several people around President Trump are advising him not to bomb Iran. Graham urged the president to ignore them. www.axios.com/2026/02/22/g...

Though his films mix compassion and scorn, Frederick Wiseman never seemed to become jaded enough to lose his essential curiosity, writes Vikram Murthi:

The Supreme Court ruling has helped the family of one man in particular: the architect of Trump’s tariffs himself. A firm headed by Lutnick’s sons was allowing traders to buy the rights to hundreds of millions of dollars of refunds in case tariffs were struck down. trib.al/be2l16x

Breaking news: Mexico’s most powerful drug kingpin, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed by the Mexican military on Sunday, Mexican officials said.

Last week: The "One Big Beautiful Bill" did not include the provision that spared the La Lomita chapel, the Santa Ana refuge, or any other sensitive location, and a map posted by CBP indicates that Trump’s barrier will tear through them.

The Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday that TSA PreCheck, a program that allows travelers to move through airport security more quickly, would remain available, hours after announcing that it would be suspended after funding lapsed because of the partial government shutdown.

New WaPo-ABC poll: Trump's approval stands at 39% positive and 60% negative among adults — including 47% who say they strongly disapprove. The last time Trump's disapproval touched 60% was shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Trump’s Epic Loss on Tariffs Is Even Worse for Him Than You Think newrepublic.com/article/2068... via @newrepublic.com

As President Trump prepares to address the nation Tuesday, Americans remain generally sour about his performance, with majorities disapproving of his handling of priority initiatives, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot and killed a man who entered the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago with “what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the Secret Service said Sunday.