Trump makes glaring omission in wretched SOTU speech

Top Stories for February 25:

Trump avoids any mention of Epstein scandal in nauseating “State of the Union” speech
Hats off to anyone who managed to sit through all 108 minutes of Grandad’s great airing of many grievances last night. Weirdly, Donald touched on every topic under the sun EXCEPT the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which just ain’t going away no matter how many sabers the MAGA cult leader rattles or fantastical stories he tells.

With his poll numbers squarely in the gutter, America’s wannabe dictator did his best to seize the moment, holding the joint session of Congress — and those watching at home — hostage for a two-hour shitshow packed to the brim with signature xenophobia, unfocused rage, and pure MAGA fan fiction. Parsing the imbecile-in-chief’s words or trying to separate the half-truths from the bald-faced lies at this point is futile, but suffice it to say, the 79-year-old buffoon has quite clearly lost his edge. May his grip on Washington — and GOP’s congressional majority — follow in short order.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump implicated in shocking new Epstein development
Welcome to the real state of the union, America, where the Justice Department is actively breaking the law in order to shield the president from serious accusations of child sexual abuse found in the files of his best friend, one of the most depraved pedophiles and sex traffickers the world has ever seen.

NPR reports that “the Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump…Some files have not been made public, despite a law mandating their release. These include what appears to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from conversations with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor.” You know, you probably wouldn’t fight this hard to bury documents if they fully exonerated you. Just sayin’…

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RED ALERT: House Republicans just passed Trump’s election-takeover bill
Stand Up America: Republicans call it the SAVE Act — because it’s their last-ditch effort to save Trump from the wrath of a furious American public by dismantling our democracy and rigging our elections for Republicans. The SAVE bill would force all states to hand over their voter rolls to Kristi Noem’s ICE goons and pass harsh restrictions on voter ID, requiring millions of voters to produce documents they don’t have. It is a full-throated assault on our democracy, and shady Republicans are trying to dodge the filibuster and sneak it through the Senate. Add your name to tell the Senate to protect our voting rights and vote NO on the SAVE Act!

Democrats score three more special election victories during Trump’s meandering SOTU speech
While America’s malignant narcissist-in-chief was vomiting one lie after another and trying to score cheap political points at last night’s exhausting State of the Union speech, Democrats elsewhere were running up the actual scoreboard, picking up three more special election victories in a year marked by ominous headwinds for the MAGA cult leader.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats preserved a critical, two-seat House majority with massive wins by Ana Tiburcio and Jen Mazzocco. Mazzocco won her race in Allegheny County by 64 points, doubling the 33-point victory by Democrat Dan Miller in 2024. Tiburcio won her race with 67% of the vote against Republican Robert Smith. In Maine, Democrat Scott Harriman held on to a key seat in the State House defeating Republican Janet Beaudoin. Eyes on the prize, folks. To the midterms and beyond!

Take Action: Release the names of all of Epstein’s clients now!

Epstein victim slams Kash Patel for “partying like a college kid” instead of investigating sex-trafficking co-conspirators
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex trafficking ring are understandably furious that instead of hunting down alleged co-conspirators, releasing key files, or lifting a finger to deliver anything resembling accountability or justice, FBI Director Kash Patel opted to jet over to Milan — on American taxpayers’ dime — to pound beers “like a college kid” with Team USA’s men’s hockey team. Dani Bensky, who was trafficked and sexually abused as a child by Epstein and his high-flyin’ associates, ripped Patel and the Trump administration to shreds, accusing them of gaslighting and manipulating victims while shielding co-conspirators from prosecution.

“There are two cases happening here, two cases of abuse. In the first case, is one we endured while we were ensnared in the largest sex trafficking ring this country has known to date, and the second is the abuse of our government,” Benksy said. “They are covering everything up and protecting power, not the young and vulnerable. As we prepare to attend the State of the Union, survivors and this country have so many questions that need to be answered. The first one is where are the rest of the files? The truth must come out.”

CBS’s Tony Dokoupil calls Trump’s speech “extraordinary” and “vintage Trump”
How to get ahead and stay ahead at Bari Weiss’ revamped CBS News in the age of Trump: Step 1: Unhinge jaw. Step 2: Insert one of Donald’s heel-lifted Oxfords into mouth cavity. Step 3: Tell everyone it tastes like prime filet.

RFK Jr. says we need more herbicide production, stunning his followers
Bobby Jr.’s MAHA superfans were left gobsmacked after the Heath and Human Services secretary flip-flopped on the production of a chemical herbicide he has long lambasted as a carcinogen. Kennedy still thinks the stuff is poison, but he explained he’s backing a directive from Donald Trump to boost domestic manufacturing of dangerous agricultural chemicals in order to reduce America’s dependence on them from “adversarial nations.”

Kennedy’s abrupt 180 sparked an existential dilemma for some MAHA devotees who now are wondering if he has abandoned his principles in service of Dear Leader. A person close to the White House told POLITICO that Kennedy was not aware the executive order was coming and that its political ramifications had not been fully considered. “They made Bobby walk the plank on it,” said the person, granted anonymity to discuss the imbroglio. When you make deals with devils, you tend to get burned.

Trump won’t stop trying to punish Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The unconscionably cruel case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia has dragged on for nearly a year, with Trump’s deportation goons hellbent on inflicting maximum pain and suffering on the 30-year-old father of three. Despite conceding that Abrego had originally been expelled to the notorious CECOT gulag in El Salvador early last year in “error,” the Trump regime has patently refused to take its figurative jackboot off Kilmar’s neck, subjecting the innocent man to one egregious indignity after another.

Abrego’s latest hearing is set for Thursday morning at a federal courthouse in Nashville, where US District Judge Waverly Crenshaw — an Obama appointee — will ultimately determine whether the government’s criminal case against him moves forward. If Crenshaw concludes that Abrego was indeed the target of a revenge campaign, he could dismiss the case altogether. May justice finally prevail.