The Weekly List

I want to note the stories that were occupying the public’s attention before Trump launched a war of choice on Iran. There was a heavy focus on the Epstein files, after both Clintons testified, more coverage of missing files related to Trump, and more regime members becoming ensnared; reports on efforts to declare a “national emergency,” granting Trump power of midterms; stories of abject cruelty by federal immigration agents, judges’ outrage over their orders being ignored, and an abduction of a Columbia University student on false pretenses; the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs being implemented, despite Trump questioning whether he could appeal their ruling; utter ineptitude, cover ups, and corruption at federal agencies; the regime’s desire to bully Anthropic and use its artificial intelligence tools for mass surveillance on U.S. citizens; the regime also inserting itself into an acquisition battle in which Trump’s perceived foe CNN was part of the sale.
And more. You can see why Trump might well have welcomed an opportunity to change the subject and focus. Trump ordered his seventh military bombing campaign — to say nothing of the countless alleged drug vessels he has unilaterally destroyed — mere days after convening his so-called Board of Peace, and after basing all three of his presidential campaigns on being a non-interventionist and criticizing endless wars. As we close out the week, there is still no clarity on what prompted the attack, but what is clear is that there was no imminent threat, and hence Congress should have been consulted. We also have yet to learn the objectives of what now has become a war that is spreading. The Trump regime has given different accounts daily on both basic questions.
I encourage you to read through the list in its entirety. While the ongoing war will occupy attention in the coming days, and possibly weeks, there are important broken norms that deserve and need the public’s attention.

Host Amy Siskind discusses the last week of events leading up the February 24, 2026 State of the Union

I wanted to start this week by noting the cruelty we have normalized. During Trump’s first regime, after widespread protests and condemnation over his “zero-tolerance” policy of separating families, he rolled it back. During the second regime, the repugnant acts of cruelty and lawlessness far outdo those of Trump’s first regime, yet the public outcry is sporadic and hushed. Almost as if the country is too exhausted to keep up the fight on so many fronts, and is instead choosing to wait out the clock until Trump’s departure. In fact, it seems that on immigration, the only thing holding Trump back from his worst impulses is his sinking polling on what was once his strongest issue. This week, the regime claimed they were leaving their wildly unpopular and lawless occupation of Minneapolis.
As Trump’s popularity continues to deteriorate, and has now fallen even lower than during his first regime (which was already a record low), Trump and his Republican lawmakers have amplified a new strategy of trying to suppress the vote, while at the same time sowing doubt over the outcome of the midterm elections. All of this is happening in the light of day, which makes it all the more alarming.
This week we see a continuation of trends that have been unfolding, including the shifting world order; Trump’s branding and renaming, and using the power of the government to enrich himself; the slow degradation of our country’s advancement towards equality; incompetence at Health and Human Services threatening our country’s well being; and the DOJ and FBI acting more as an appendage of Trump’s Oval Office than independent agencies.
In summary, the country is just about done with Trump, except his really hardcore supporters. As one media pundit put it, there does not seem to be a floor anymore for his approval. Yet Trump, surrounded by loyalists and yes men, seems unbothered — instead sharpening the tools used by dictators to strangle democracy.

In a week of chaos, so much happened it was easy to lose sight of the fact that Trump posted an image of former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes on Truth Social. He then deflected that it was posted by a staffer, took down the post, and refused to apologize. In any sort of normal time, that act, in and of itself, would be career ending. In the era of Trump, it’s Thursday.
Trump did not back off of his racism, which seems to be more a feature than a bug, castigating Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny over his Super Bowl halftime performance. Trump’s brutal and racist immigration push also continued unabated, even as polling increasingly showed the American people turning against him. Those who dare to speak out were targeted — from protestors in Minneapolis getting arrested, to Trump lambasting a U.S. Olympian.
Amid all this, information from the latest Epstein files release led to resignations around the world, but little in the U.S., although the files increasingly are gaining public and media attention. Commerce Department Sec. Howard Lutnick became the first regime member to admit visiting Epstein’s island. Calls grew louder for the release of the remaining three million files.
All the while, the regime continues to deconstruct the government from within. It is important to read the stories of what is happening at our federal agencies. Trump also continued his campaign of branding his name wherever he can, and unprecedented corruption. Republicans have largely refrained from speaking out against him or his agenda, except on the fringes. Questions continue to arise about Trump’s plans to interfere with a free and fair midterm election, and polling increasingly suggests even control of the Senate will be in play.

This week the Justice Department released three million more of the Epstein files, with three million still withheld. The timing of the highly redacted release, which included limited damning material on Trump, seemed like a shiny coin to distract from the rest. Yes, it was that bad!
Trump continued to discredit past elections, this week escalating by using the FBI to seize Fulton County ballots. The seizure presaged Trump calling for nationalizing U.S. elections, a shocking and extraordinary statement that his White House then tried to walk back, before Trump doubled down on his demand, despite its going against the Constitution.
The reality is, Trump now understands his loss in public standing. Polling show a continued deterioration in support, even among Republicans. Immigration, once the top issue for Trump, now haunts him. The economy is souring, with his tariffs producing the exact opposite of the golden era he promised: a loss in U.S. manufacturing, a growing trade deficit, and a slowing job market. No better example of his loss in standing than an earthquake of a special election in a Texas red district that Trump had won by 17 points in 2024, which flipped blue by 14 points this week.
Beyond these major themes, this week’s list is packed with stories that in normal times would dominate the news cycle for days or weeks: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard burying a whistleblower complaint by a U.S. intelligence officer; the Trump and Witkoff families striking a huge deal with UAE royals that enriched them by hundreds of millions; Trump shuttering the Kennedy Center for two years; Attorney General Pam Bondi arresting journalists; and so on, and so on. Please read this list in its entirety to appreciate all that is happening, all that is being normalized, and all that is being lost.