Perhaps it was because the week ends on Friday the 13th, but whatever the real reason was, Donald Trump didn't have a great week this week. Which, of course, is good news for everyone else! There was actually a lot of good news in the political world this week -- so much that we're not even going to bother with the other news that wasn't so good.

Donald Trump has been in retreat this week on several fronts. He began the week being shamed into removing a social media post last Friday that contained images of Michelle and Barack Obama as apes. Trump didn't apologize for this blatant racism, of course, but he did take the post down (which is more than he usually does in similar situations).

Then came the news that Trump had very quietly withdrawn the National Guard from all the blue cities where he had deployed them, uninvited. All federalized National Guard troops are now gone from U.S. cities, which is good news indeed. Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon all can breathe a bit easier.

This was the prelude to Tom Homan announcing that the huge swarm of federal agents (ICE and others) would be pulling out of Minneapolis, as "Operation Metro Surge" will come to an end. No timeline was given for when they'll all be gone, so we'll have to see if they truly do disappear from Minneapolis streets next week, but it was a notable retreat from the Trump administration. The city's mayor issued a statement in celebration:

"They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation," [Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey] wrote on X. "These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it's not just about resistance -- standing with our neighbors is deeply American."

Frey said the ICE surge, which resulted in the deaths of two protesters, had been "catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses" and said that Minneapolis was poised for a "great comeback."

"We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents and endurance in this reopening, and I'm hopeful the whole country will stand with us as we move forward," he wrote.

The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, offered to help them "pack their damn bags" in order to hasten their departure.

This is all a big victory for the people in Minneapolis who resisted ICE and their brutality, because it shows that even Donald Trump has to react when public opinion swings so hard against what he's doing.

On the legal front, Trump had two embarrassing losses this week, both stemming from the video six Democratic Congress members recorded last year reminding serving troops that it was their duty to refuse illegal orders. Trump wanted to see all six executed for treason for daring to point out to our troops what military law says, and so he sicced Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth on the six, in retaliation. This week, a federal grand jury refused to indict them on any charges. Grand juries refusing to indict used to be an incredibly rare thing, but since Trump returned to office it has been happening with regularity, as ordinary citizens push back against the blatant political weaponization of the justice system by Trump.

This was such a big deal that even the Washington Post editorial board -- which has, since Trump took office again, become nothing short of a cheerleading squad for his excesses -- had to take him to task for his overreach this time, writing:

The Trump administration has tried to use the criminal justice system to attack or intimidate political adversaries in all kinds of ways. It brought flimsy cases against former FBI director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), both of which have been thrown out. It took up a bogus criminal referral for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, which seems to have backfired politically.

But the news this week that prosecutors sought grand-jury indictments against six Democratic lawmakers over a political video stands out as the most flagrant abuse yet of the administration's criminal-legal powers. This is the weaponization of the Justice Department against sitting members of the opposition party in Congress and an attempt to criminalize political speech plainly protected by the First Amendment.

Separately, a federal judge ruled against Hegseth's attempts to punish Senator Mark Kelly -- both by entering a letter of censure in his military record and by starting proceedings to reduce him in rank. Kelly is retired, not an active-duty officer. And the judge's ruling was pretty scathing:

"This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator [Mark] Kelly's First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees," [U.S. District Judge Richard J.] Leon wrote in a 29-page opinion.

. . .

Although active-duty members of the military can be punished for comments seen as insubordinate, those restrictions on speech have never been applied by the federal courts to retired service members such as Kelly, Leon said.

The judge, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush, said the case had ramifications far beyond one senator -- millions of retired service members' free-speech rights could be chilled, he said.

"Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired servicemembers, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired servicemembers have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years," the judge wrote. "If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!"

The judge also quoted Bob Dylan's lyric "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," which we thought was a nice touch.

In Congress, Trump was served up a big defeat from the usually-compliant Republican House of Representatives. For all of last year, Speaker Mike Johnson has used parliamentary trickery to avoid having to hold any votes on Trump's tariffs. He tried to renew this ban with a vote this week, and three Republicans refused to go along with it. This set up a vote on a measure to end the tariff Trump slapped on Canada, which got six Republican votes and passed. The vote count was reportedly going to be a lot higher than that -- some were estimating 30 to 40 GOP aisle-crossers -- but Trump applied pressure to them, complete with threats of primary opponents, and most of them meekly caved. Even so, the bill passed and will now head to the Senate, where it has a good chance of passing as well. Trump will veto it in the end, but it is a remarkable rebuke for the bill to have even passed the Republican House. And the closer we get to the midterm elections (especially after primary season is over), more and more Republicans might just decide to distance themselves from Trump's trade wars (which are incredibly unpopular with farmers, a big Republican constituency). The bill on Canada's tariffs was only the first -- there will be more coming soon, so we'll have to wait and see.

Over in the Senate, one Republican decided that a Trump nominee for a State Department post was just too racist and antisemitic for him to vote for. Because he sits on the committee that has to approve the nomination, this could tank the nominee's chances, which is another blow to Trump's iron hold on his party.

One GOP senator has gone fully rogue, at this point. Thom Tillis announced he wouldn't be running for re-election, which means Trump's threats are toothless against him. And he seems to be enjoying his freedom, posting the following on social media this week:

A sycophant is more than just a "yes-man."

It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. They aren't just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that's a promotion, social status or favor.

Some characteristics: The motive is self-interest. They aren't praising you because they like you; they're doing it because you have something they want. The behavior is over the top fawning, or constant agreement (including when you're wrong).

Common Synonyms: toady, flunky, bootlicker.

Some parallels for movie buffs:

Grima Wormtongue (the Stephen Miller of Lord of the Rings) is an advisor to King Theoden. He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King's decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman. He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader's standing for his own benefit.

Dolores Umbridge (the Kristi Noem of Harry Potter) is an example of a bureaucratic sycophant. She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those "beneath" her.

Trump called Tillis a "loser" for saying bad things about Noem, and when asked his response, he "shrugged off the insult, saying it was the stuff of 'junior high school,' and likened it to 'arm farts.'" Tillis also weighed in on the grand jury failure as well, saying: "Political lawfare waged by either side undermines America's criminal justice system, which is the gold standard of the world. Thankfully in this instance, a jury saw the attempted indictments for what they really were. Political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop."

The heads of the Justice Department, ICE, and the Border Patrol all appeared before congressional committees this week, and even a few Republicans had some harsh questions for them -- another sign that the Trump administration is losing support.

As time goes on, the American public is learning more and more that the Trump administration pretty much lies all the time, about everything. In fact, it's a safe bet that anything they say or claim will later turn out to be nothing more than a big, fat lie. This week, the airspace around El Paso, Texas was mysteriously closed without warning, and it turned out the Pentagon was testing an anti-drone laser weapon of some sort near the airport. Initially, they claimed there was a sudden incursion of drones across the Mexican border from drug cartels, and that "the threat has been neutralized." This was later proven to be a lie, and it turns out they actually shot down a party balloon. By doing so, they put civilian airspace at risk, without any warning.

It was also revealed this week that the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for the Fulton County (Georgia) ballots from the 2020 presidential election was filled with previously-debunked conspiracy theories. More lies....

ICE and the Border Patrol are perhaps the worst offenders in the Trump administration when it comes to lying to the public, especially when there is a shooting involved. A teacher in Chicago was shot five times by Border Patrol agents, and afterwards they initially tried to bring charges against the woman for using her vehicle to ram theirs, which is what they claimed justified the shooting (they also claimed she was a "domestic terrorist," for good measure). This week, a judge released bodycam footage of the event, and it clearly shows that the Border Patrol driver was the one to ram her vehicle, after which he leapt out of his vehicle and immediately opened fire on her. Later the agents and their bosses celebrated the shooting via text message. Even though she was shot five times, the woman survived. D.H.S. eventually had to drop the case against her (because it was built on blatant lies), but she is now suing them (as she has every right to do). The bodycam, unlike everyone at D.H.S., did not lie -- you can see how completely unjustified this shooting was with your own eyes.

Things have gotten so bad that now ICE is actually admitting that their officers lied about a shooting in Minneapolis. Remember the Venezuelan immigrant who "assaulted" the feds with a shovel? Kristi Noem said they had fended off an "attempted murder." Charges were brought against the guy the ICE goons shot, but lo and behold now ICE is singing a different tune. Here's what the acting director of ICE was forced to admit this week:

A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements. Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation... The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these false statements.

It's a start, at the very least.

[Update: the officers have now been placed on administrative leave and "may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution."]

Trump's approval rating has taken a downturn during all of this, not too surprisingly. Democrats in Congress are pushing back hard, and another (partial) government shutdown will begin at midnight tonight. The budget for D.H.S. is the only thing affected, although ICE still has plenty of money that Republicans gave them last year. So far, the White House has been slowly agreeing to the Democrats' demands, but several sticking points remain. Congress will be off on vacation all next week, so the negotiations may take a while. Democrats need to stand firm until Trump completely caves and agrees to rein in ICE in a big way. The New York Times ran an editorial on the subject this week that did not pull any punches whatsoever, calling ICE's behavior "lawless":

In enacting Mr. [Donald] Trump's immigration crackdown, officers from the department [D.H.S.] have repeatedly defied the Constitution. They have violated the First Amendment by trampling on citizens' rights to speech and assembly. They have subverted the Second Amendment guarantee of the freedom to bear arms. They have violated the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches.

The department's officers have pushed other federal laws to the breaking point and beyond, often ignoring judicial orders in the process. They have moved detainees to skirt a judge's jurisdiction. They have deported detainees in violation of judges' rulings. "ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence," Judge Patrick Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote.

. . .

After 250 years of republican rule, it can be hard for many Americans to imagine what happens to a country when its government goes rogue. The residents of Minnesota and other cities subject to the Trump immigration crackdown have recently experienced a version of it. People have been harassed, humiliated, assaulted and even killed by federal law enforcement. And people do not know where to turn for help, because government officials who are supposed to protect them are the ones doling out the abuse. When societies start down this road, they often continue.

. . .

A special feature of our republic is the Bill of Rights, created to protect Americans against overreach by the federal government. The purpose of the Constitution, as a result, is not just to grant powers to the federal government but to define the limits of those powers. Congressional Republicans took an oath to uphold the Constitution. They took an oath to uphold those limits -- to prevent the government from engaging in these kinds of abuses -- and they must do so. The current crisis isn't just a test of the balance of powers. It's a test of the Bill of Rights.

But back to all the lying. The most bizarre lie of the week came from (of course) Trump himself. For some reason, he is trying to stop the opening of a new bridge from Windsor, Canada into Detroit, Michigan. As usual, he is demanding all sorts of fealty from Canada, and he issued a dark warning about a trade deal the Canadians are in the process of negotiating with China:

Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China -- which will eat Canada alive. We'll just get the leftovers! I don't think so. The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.

Say what? Seriously, dude? Wow... that's some major delusional thinking, right there.

Speaking of winter sports, American athletes competing in the Olympics have had a few choice things to say about the embarrassment of representing their country with such a lunatic in charge of it. Which, of course, made Trump go ballistic.

But the biggest Trump-trigger of the week from the sporting world came during halftime of the Super Bowl. Bad Bunny's performance was delightful to watch, and celebrated life in Puerto Rico (the bad and the good) with an extended dance party. All of the Republicans who predicted that Western civilization would crumble if an artist performed at the Super Bowl in Spanish were proven sadly wrong -- the sky did not actually fall.

You wouldn't have known it from their over-the-top reactions, though. It wasn't just Trump saying nasty things, plenty of other Republicans chimed in as well, trying to outdo each other in their apocalyptic language. Representative Andy Ogles called it "gay pornography" featuring "explicit displays of gay sexual acts" and "pure smut" and claimed the lyrics "openly glorified sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities" (spoiler alert: it didn't). This led to much mockery online, including people wondering whether he was just looking at the wrong tab on his browser during halftime (heh).

A rumor went around that the Spanish lyrics contained expletives and indecency, but that wasn't true either. Representative Randy Fine "accused Bad Bunny of encouraging children to use cocaine" which was complete moosepoop.

One or two conservatives resisted all the pearl-clutching, to their credit. Meghan McCain wrote: "I'm sorry, but I just genuinely question your taste level if you didn't enjoy the Bad Bunny halftime show. And everything in life doesn't have to be ruined by politics."

From the Super Bowl to the Olympics to Congress to the courtroom to the American public rejecting the lies and brutality of ICE, it was a pretty terrible week for Donald Trump. Which is, as we said, good news for everyone else in America. Happy Friday the 13th, Donny!

 

This one's pretty easy, this week. In a special election for a House seat from New Jersey, a surprise candidate won the Democratic primary. This was due (at least in part) to a bunch of money spent against the frontrunner by a PAC linked to AIPAC, which is strongly supportive of Israel and demands unconditional support from every politician they back.

We wrote about this earlier in the week at more length, but the upshot was that Tom Malinowski was defeated, but that the candidate that AIPAC was trying to help was also defeated, by a progressive who has called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide." Malinowski has been a pretty staunch supporter of Israel in the past (he served in Congress previously), but that wasn't enough for AIPAC.

But their meddling in the primary backfired on them:

Progressive activist Analilia Mejia won the Democratic primary in a special election to represent the New Jersey suburbs in Congress, a significant win for the left in the ongoing battles over the party's ideological direction and a massive own goal by pro-Israel groups who attacked the front-runner in the race.

Her victory became official when former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who had been trailing Mejia by less than a thousand votes since election night last Thursday, conceded on Tuesday morning.

Mejia campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and had the backing of a host of other left-wing groups and figures. A former political director for Sanders' presidential campaign and leader of the progressive Center for Popular Democracy, Mejia began the race with significantly less name identification than her opponents, but benefited from both high-profile endorsements and from Democrats' increased opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

For her come-from-behind victory and for a progressive winning a New Jersey House district, we have to hand Representative Analilia Mejia this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award, along with our congratulations.

[Representative-Elect Mejia apparently hasn't been sworn in yet, so her name does not appear on the House members-list page, so you'll have to wait until she does appear (she represents the 11th district of New Jersey) to let her know you appreciate her efforts.]

 

This week, a test vote was held in the Senate on the D.H.S. budget bill. The Republicans put a bill on the floor that had none of the Democratic demands to rein in ICE and other immigration agents, and it failed. All Democrats voted against it.

Except for one.

Which is why this week we have to hand the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award to Senator John Fetterman.

In fact, no other explanation is even necessary.

[Contact Senator John Fetterman on his Senate contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]

 

Volume 828 (2/13/26)

These are kind of all over the place this week. But hey, it's been that kind of week all around.

 

   How do you know they are lying?

An oldie but a goody.

"After watching Pam Bondi lie her face off to Congress this week, after the Pentagon identified a party balloon as a drug cartel drone and shot it down and then lied about it, after the multitude of lies ICE and the D.H.S. has told in court under oath, calling American citizens 'domestic terrorists' and lying about why federal agents were summarily executing people on the streets, after hearing Trump lying about pretty much any subject under the sun, a question emerges. How do you know when any member of the Trump administration is lying? Their lips are moving."

 

   Hold firm

Some are suggesting that Trump backed off on the siege of Minneapolis in order to defuse the issue and remove the leverage from Democrats demanding changes at ICE and the Border Patrol. Somehow the issue is all supposed to just fade away, next week. We consider this wishful thinking on the part of the Republicans.

"Democrats are standing firm for the United States Constitution and the rule of law. Federal agents must adhere to the First Amendment and allow peaceful protests without shooting the protesters or pepper-spraying them at point-blank range or any of the other Gestapo tactics they have been using. Democrats are insisting that the Fourth Amendment be faithfully followed as well, to force ICE to get warrants signed by a judge before entering someone's house -- just as America's founders intended. Anyone detained by ICE or any other federal agency needs to have access to a lawyer and get their day in court. And cruel and unusual punishment must never be used on anyone. These are the basic building blocks of our democracy that are supposed to be guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and Democrats will not fund any of these lawless agencies that are ignoring these basic rights until there are written rules that force them to stop all the brutality and unconstitutional behavior. We will not back down until all such rights are written into these agencies' budgets, period."

 

   Freedom of speech is not a crime

This covers a lot of things, this week.

"I have one thing to say to Donald Trump and his thugs at the Justice Department: freedom of speech is not a crime. It just isn't. In fact, it is a right guaranteed to all by our own Constitution. This means that politicians are free to criticize the president, or free to educate people on what the nation's laws mean. They should not be charged with criminal behavior for doing so -- period. It also means that people can peacefully protest when they disapprove of the government's actions, and the government cannot criminalize such behavior or speech. This means that athletes can honestly answer a reporter's questions at the Olympics without fear of retribution from the country's leaders -- no matter what opinions they may have. It means that a performer can put on a Super Bowl halftime show in another language. Because here in America, freedom of speech is not a crime."

 

   Trump backs down

Finally....

"It took over a year, but finally Donald Trump is being forced to back down on at least some of his lawless behavior. Nobody believes his lies anymore, not when everyone can see for themselves video proof of what is going on out there on the streets of American cities. In the face of plummeting poll numbers and the disgust and rage of American citizens at all the repulsive and brutal behavior, Donald Trump is finally realizing that the public can be pushed too far. It's about time, and I certainly hope this trend continues."

 

   Is it time yet?

No time like the present!

"Donald Trump appears to be losing what little is left of his mind. The things he says just keep getting crazier and crazier. He is now mad because Canada built a bridge to Detroit, Michigan, and he is trying to strongarm them into giving half of it (and half the revenues) to the United States, for no particular reason. And he's trying to scare Canadians by saying that if their country enters into a trade agreement with China, the first thing they will do is to somehow 'terminate ALL ice hockey being played in Canada and permanently eliminate the Stanley Cup.' I mean, do his doctors know how off-the-rails Trump is getting? Because what he is saying is completely insane. Is it time to start talking about invoking the 25th Amendment yet? Sure seems like it...."

 

   It matters... in other countries

This is pretty disgustingly obvious.

"You know, the release of the Epstein files has been a political earthquake, causing resignations and people ostracized in disgrace... in other countries, that is. Here at home we have the secretary of Commerce lying about when he palled around with Jeffrey Epstein and getting caught in his lie and absolutely nothing happens. Trump certainly doesn't care, since his own name is on thousands of pages of these files. Trump has no shame whatsoever. He doesn't care that he's got people in his administration who stayed friends with Epstein even after his conviction and who lied about it to the public. At least in the rest of the world, people still have the capacity of feeling shame, but not in the administration of Donald Trump."

 

   Stop acting like one

The acting head of ICE appeared before Congress this week, and in his opening statement he whined about people calling ICE agents "the Gestapo" and "the secret police." Democratic Representative Dan Goldman first asked him some pointed questions about whether Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union regularly stopped people on the street and asked for their papers. Goldman then offered some sage advice:

I have a simple suggestion: If you don't want to be called a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one. You and your untrained, unqualified, unfettered, unidentified agents are intentionally terrorizing our cities and communities all over this country to avoid accountability for their excessive force and their lawless actions.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant