Tuesday, February 24, 2026
MinnReformer: ‘Fewer than 500’ ICE agents left in Minnesota, per federal officials That’s still three times higher than pre-surge numbers By: Madison McVan - February 20, 2026 5:02 pm
That is the online item's headlining, used to headline here.
The remaining ICE - the worst of the worst - and why say that?
Because they remain here. Others go elsewhere, and are more okay.
And that's the very thinking that allowed ICE to ravage Minnesota, while less present in other backyards. NIMBY - big time.
Bottom line: ICE anywhere is ICE misbehaving, that's the established history, and one cannot debate immigration law apart from truth on the ground.
It's all fucked up, and needs unfucking, which clearly should be expected to be addressed in any cogently arranged State of the Union address.
Don't bet on it for todays' SOTU. It's Trump after all. Deranged, tedious. Hiding failures.
Bovino, good riddance. Homan, get better. Trump, ( ... you name it )
Monday, February 23, 2026
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb 24, Trump gives his State of the Union Address
 |
| UPDATE |
Pioneer Press, carrying an AP feed:
"As the lawmakers sit in the House chamber listening to Trump’s agenda for the year ahead, the moment is an existential one for the Congress, which has essentially become sidelined by his expansive reach, the Republican president bypassing his slim GOP majority to amass enormous power for himself.
First term, Trump 45, Pelosi tore up the paper she held. Speaker Johnson likely will be more a lackey in sitting w/o display. Will it be raucous? Will MTG shout out?
Will it be dreary and tediously longer than needed? And meandering?
_______________FURTHER UPDATE_______________
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/24/trump-state-of-the-union-boycott
Conservative Dems, when jumping on Trump, do okay. When forecasting who should be Dem candidates, less so.
FURTHER: State of the Union, per online reporting before the SOTU speech.
EmptyWheel posts on the Don Lemon - Georgia Fort latest - the prosecution, after rushing to an indictment, wants more time - defendants want their speedy trial rights enforced via asserting the case is not complex litigation.
With links to court filings on the prosecution's motion for delay, and the response:
Of related interest, earlier EW post, same prosecution -
https://emptywheel.net/demonic-godless-un-american-harmeet-dhillons-own-misconduct-will-be-an-issue-in-don-lemon-case/ (re defense motion for grand jury material)
https://bsky.app/profile/emptywheel.bsky.social/post/3merjxvm5uc2a (ditto)
There are unusual dimensions to the case, web search will show that, and there are a number of other defendants. An online docket for the case:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72212459/united-states-v-levy-armstrong/
Iran - man who defines himself as "Peace President" is rattling a hell of a big fleet in Iran's vacinity - may we guess, Art of the Deal?
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/world/iran-us-military-strike-prep-latam-intl-vis
https://time.com/7345555/iran-protests-deaths-us-trump-israel/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news
When the buildup was in the Caribbean, Hegseth's military snatched Moduro.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5666331/trump-politics-venezuela-republicans-democrats
Readers obviously can independently search and find more - but if there is a betting market, let's hope administration people, and families, restrain from unseemly stuff.
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Some SCOTUS and Trump presser corrections. And thoughts.
The PBS link to Trump's presser is -
An online transcript -
https://globalnews.ca/news/11676133/donald-trump-tariffs-supreme-court-reaction-transcript/
Possibly the transcript was AI generated. It is linked above without having read it. It is there for readers. AI transcription tools are fairly good, if not perfect.
My initial reaction is/was grounded in my dislike of the man, his actions, and his style of speaking. With that clear, he was, in a personal view, as cogent as ever, which is not very cogent, as a personal opinion. Online opinion of dementia may be overstated or a hope more than a reality.
Having never thought much of the Trump delivery, but admitting it got him votes from somewhere, some part of the electorate, I found his reaction an abomination, but not different in style and delivery that he's used in his political career. He simply said SCOTUS be damned, he liked the Kavanaugh part about other stuff he could pull as an argued basis to keep doing as he's been doing. Tariff war still on as it's been.
It was not ambiguous. It was a clear statement, much of it delivered from prepared text. With interjections related to what he'd just said, saying it, in effect, again, but that's been Trumpspeak since he came down the escalator.
So the day after the SCOTUS presentation, the following Trump presentation leaves ambiguity, but an impression he's not going to alter any conduct. And it's not been steady policy, it's been peicemeal disjointed and tuned to daily things that riled the man to make up numbers in response, with no rhyme or reason.
Leave it there for now. It was a DC Friday, (which is not a compliment).
UPDATE: The SCOTUS/POTUS sequence is a reminder, another NO KINGS rally is due, or even arguably overdue.
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