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12:30 PM ET, February 23, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
E.U. hits the brakes on U.S. trade deal after Trump threatens 15% global tariffs  —  The pause is the latest fallout from the Supreme Court's ruling that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed emergency tariffs.  —  The European Parliament on Monday halted …
RELATED:
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump won't blink on tariffs — because he can't  —  No, President Donald Trump isn't looking for a new “most beautiful word” in the dictionary to replace his beloved tariffs.  —  True to his philosophy of never accepting a defeat, he's already battling back after the Supreme Court declared …
NBC News:
Trump warns countries about potential future tariffs
Politico:
Judge Cannon permanently blocks release of Jack Smith report … The Trump-appointed judge said releasing the report now would “contravene basic notions of fairness and justice” and amount to a “manifest injustice” because the case never reached a jury.  It could also risk revealing information protected …
Discussion: CNN
RELATED:
Jacob Rosen / CBS News:
Judge permanently blocks release of Jack Smith's report on Trump classified documents case  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Washington — A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked the Justice Department from releasing the portion of former special counsel Jack Smith's report that details …
Andrew Goudsward / Reuters:
US judge permanently blocks release of report on Trump documents case
Discussion: The Hill and Daily Mail
Aaron Parnas / The Parnas Perspective:
Major Update: Bombshell Epstein Developments as Trump Support Falls Ahead of State of the Union and FBI Director Faces Calls to Resign  —  Good morning everyone.  We are kicking off an absolutely packed and consequential week.  Major new developments in the Epstein case have emerged …
Discussion: Politico and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Juliegrace Brufke / 24sight News:
Texts From Late Staffer's Phone Show Rep. Gonzales Made Explicit Sexual Requests  —  Support independent journalism, $5/month, $50/year.  —  Embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) made explicit sexual requests to his late congressional staffer who repeatedly resisted, according …
Ryan Goodman / Just Security:
FBI's “Stand Down” Directive to NYPD on Jeffrey Epstein Investigations, and More  —  Just five days after Jeffrey Epstein's arrest in the summer of 2019, federal authorities “directed” the New York Police Department to “stand down” its investigations related to Epstein, new documents released by the Department of Justice show.
Associated Press:
25 Mexican National Guard troops left dead during an operation that killed cartel leader ‘El Mencho’  —  Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Monday 25 members of the National Guard were left dead in Jalisco in six separate attacks after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Mayhem Rocks Mexico After Most-Wanted Cartel Boss Is Killed
Liz Dye / Law and Chaos:
You Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Gotta Hand It To Chief Justice Roberts  —  No cheers for Chief Justice Roberts!  —  After Friday's tariff ruling, the usual suspects chimed in to glaze the three conservatives who ruled that Trump can't impose a constantly shifting tariff regime based …
RELATED:
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
The tariffs ruling is the right result from a terrible process
Discussion: SCOTUSblog and Reason
Associated Press:
BBC and host apologize after racial slur shouted during BAFTA awards by guest with Tourette's  —  Britain's film academy and the BBC apologized to viewers after an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur during the British Academy Film Awards.
Ewan Palmer / The Daily Beast:
Vaccine Skeptic RFK Jr.'s Allies Pitch Cringe Comedy on COVID Response  —  RASH RESPONSE  —  The estimated production budget for “The Rash” is close to $6 million.  —  Allies of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are desperately trying to raise funding so a comedy movie about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be made.
CNN:
Trump's approval rating with independents hits a new low ahead of the State of the Union  —  When President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address Tuesday, he will face a public that increasingly questions his priorities and expresses broad doubts about whether his proposed policies …
Daniel Richman / New York Times:
The Epstein Files Should Never Have Been Released  —  Every day seems to bring new reports of financiers, academics, politicians and royalty (among others) who cozied up to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose predation took a horrendous toll on innocent lives.
TMZ.com:
Armed Man Shot Dead at Mar-a-Lago Was Fixated on Epstein Files, Text Shows  —  The armed man shot and killed by Secret Service agents outside President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property Sunday had grown increasingly obsessed with the Epstein files and was also a vocal supporter of Trump ... TMZ has learned.
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
February 22, 2026  —  On February 6, four direct descendants of President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to United States senators to ask them to vote against a measure that opens up the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Minnesota to the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta Plc and its subsidiary Twin Metals Minnesota.
Matt Honeycombe-Foster / Politico:
Peter Mandelson arrested amid Epstein fallout  —  LONDON —Former U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.  —  In a statement a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Jason Beeferman / Politico:
Nicki Minaj's social media propped up by thousands of bots, analysis finds … Nicki Minaj spent the past year transforming herself from a polarizing rap superstar into a high-profile conservative provocateur, lobbing viral attacks at Democratic leaders, boosting MAGA talking points …
Katherine Alejandra Cross / Liberal Currents:
What Trump Sells Is Impunity  —  Trump stands out in the GOP not for his racism, but his vision of emancipatory irresponsibility.  —  On January 10, 2025, a 23-year-old woman was shot to death by her father after a heated argument about Donald Trump.  Lucy Harrison, a UK citizen and fashion buyer …
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court takes up oil companies' plea to end climate change lawsuits  —  The court will hear an appeal brought by Suncor and Exxon Mobil asking it to throw out a lawsuit in Colorado seeking damages for harm caused by the use of fossil fuels.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed …
New York Times:
Judges Grow Angry Over Trump Administration Violating Their Orders  —  At least 35 times since August, federal judges have ordered the administration to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases.  —  The judge was angry.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Days after $5M donation, Trump administration backs Crypto.com in lawsuit  —  In a document quietly filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday night, MAGA Inc., the primary Super PAC supporting President Trump, revealed that it received a $5 million donation from Crypto.com on January 23, 2026.
Hana Kiros / The Atlantic:
The Trump Administration Is Ending Aid That It Says Saves Lives  —  The State Department will let lifesaving projects expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests,” according to an internal email.  —  A year after the Trump administration began …
The Hill:
Patel sparks outrage partying with Team USA as MAGA cheers him on  —  FBI Director Kash Patel is at the center of an online firestorm after videos captured inside Team USA's men's hockey locker room on Sunday showed him chugging beers, singing a Toby Keith song and partying with the Olympic gold medal-winning team.
Wall Street Journal:
Why Tariffs Aren't Shrinking the U.S. Trade Deficit  —  Trump is doubling down on the levies, which have prompted many trade partners to boost support for their own exporters  —  STUTTGART, Germany—President Trump is doubling down on his tariffs, even though they have so far failed to achieve …
Discussion: Semafor and Drezner's World
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Republican Party Has a Nazi Problem  —  The Republican Party has become a haven for Nazi sympathizers.  —  over the past few months, during his agency's chaotic crackdowns in Chicago and Minneapolis, the U.S. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino has worn an unusual uniform …
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin's replacement is even worse  —  Kristi Noem isn't shaking up DHS, she's doubling down on violence and propaganda  —  Even in an administration of shameless liars, Tricia McLaughlin is a standout.  The Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman …
Asher Notheis / Washington Examiner:
Newsom's office rebuffs ‘MAGA-manufactured outrage’ on his SAT score statement  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) press office pushed back on online criticism over comments he made Sunday night during his book tour.  —  Newsom is promoting his new book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery …
The Guardian:
I am a 15-year-old girl.  Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day  —  Anonymous  —  Objectification, hate, rape threats: the politicians debating online abuse mean well, but to truly understand, they need to see what I see
Bloomberg:
Trump Reverts to First-Term Tumult as Republican Fears Mount  —  President Donald Trump's first year back in office won praise from supporters for its efficiency in passing legislation, enacting a trade agenda and rapidly deporting immigrants.  —  His second year, however …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Joshua Claybourn / Wall Street Journal:
A Government Tariff Refund Bait and Switch
Discussion: CNBC and Washington Times
Pamela Herd / Can We Still Govern?:
The SAVE Act is Christian Nationalism in Action
Gideon Rachman / Financial Times:
Trump's new interest in war will end badly
Discussion: MS NOW
 Earlier Items: 
Carla Samon Ros / Bloomberg:
Peru's New President Taps Prominent Economist as Prime Minister
Daniel Desrochers / Politico:
‘Just a couple of guys’: How a little-known company could score big from a Trump trade deal
Tad Friend / New Yorker:
James Talarico Puts His Faith in Texas Voters
Discussion: Political Wire
Politico:
The biggest decision Trump will make
Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors
Yasmeen Abutaleb / Washington Post:
Biden, aides project optimism in cancer fight, but some close friends worry
Discussion: The Independent
Erin Cox / Washington Post:
Gov. Wes Moore's redistricting plan is poised to die. He's still fighting.
Discussion: Election Law Blog
Amanda Chu / Politico:
New education loan limits favor RFK Jr.'s enemies
Discussion: Raw Story