Trump plots to give himself war hero medal for bravery

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda

Top Stories for February 20:

Trump toys with awarding himself the Congressional Medal of Honor over Middle East visit
Perpetually obsessed with slapping his name on things, awarding himself prestigious honors, and personally suing struggling taxpayers for billions, Donald Trump has now set his sights on the Congressional Medal of Honor, which he believes he earned that one time he flew to Iraq on Air Force One to eat at the McDonald’s in the Green Zone. “I flew to Iraq. I was extremely brave. So brave I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor. I said, I said to my people, am I allowed to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor?… Some day I’m gonna try. I’m gonna test the law,” the draft dodger admitted during a speech last night in Georgia.

Dementia Don then pre-emptively started attacking the media for saying he wanted to give himself the Medal of Honor, which he literally just admitted to moments before: “The fake news will say ‘Donald Trump wants to give himself the Congressional Medal of Honor but he was rebuffed by the audience who stood up and booed the hell out of him.'” Safe to say there’s never been anyone in American history who deserves the honor LESS than Donald Trump; even Benedict Arnold actually served his country…for a little while, at least.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump issues wild alien announcement
Barack Obama’s casual admission during his sit down with Brian Tyler Cohen last week that he believes aliens are real has caused quite a stir, both inside and outside the beltway. Pundits, politicians, and keyboard warriors alike have poured over Obama’s words, prompting the former president to issue a follow-up clarification that, yes, extraterrestrial life almost certainly exists given the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, but that he personally saw no definitive proof as president.

Never one to miss an opportunity to distract from all things Epstein, Donald Trump pounced, issuing a provocative — and almost certainly meaningless — directive for the US government to “begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).” If it ain’t one thing, it’s definitely another in the game of “What in the World Could That Be?!” Unfortunately for Donnie, the ruse just isn’t going to work, with none other than GOP Rep. Thomas Massie tweeting, “They’ve deployed the ultimate weapon of mass distraction, but the Epstein files aren’t going away…even for aliens.”

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Proven winner Mallory McMorrow launches bid to protect VITAL battleground Senate seat
Mallory McMorrow for Senate: Progressive champion Mallory McMorrow gained national attention with her viral speech defending LGBTQ rights in the Michigan state Senate, and now she’s running to pick up the torch from retiring Senator Gary Peters. McMorrow has a proven history-making track record, having helped flip the Michigan Senate for the first time since the 80s and winning a blue trifecta. Now she’s ready to defeat MAGA extremist Mike Rogers and flip the US Senate blue. Will you chip in to jump-start her campaign?

Trump leading US into war to end a weapons program he claimed he already “obliterated”
With the United States military build up in the Middle East reaching levels not seen in decades, and with a second carrier strike group on the way, intrepid and casual observers alike might be wondering aloud: “Why are we on the brink of war with Iran over a nuclear program Trump swears he ‘completely and totally obliterated’ just eight months ago?”

America’s wannabe dictator issued an eerily familiar ultimatum yesterday, giving the Iranian regime approximately two weeks to “make a deal.” It’s definitely worth remembering: the last time the president laid down a two-week marker, he ordered the US military to hit three weapons sites just two days later. The MAGA cult leader has not explained why a second attack on Iran is necessary now if the country’s nuclear weapons program was, in fact, destroyed by his air strike last year, but, c’mon, people — those Epstein files aren’t going to distract themselves out of the headlines! Aliens, immigrants, and nukes, oh my!

Giant banner of Donald Trump hung at Justice Department headquarters
Nope. Definitely not textbook behavior from an authoritarian regime engaging in vainglorious, cult-of-personality hero worship. What famed institution or landmark will they defile next?

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Republican congressman to introduce the “Protecting Puppies From Sharia Act”
Not a joke, not The Onion. GOP Rep. and far-right extremist Randy Fine — a perennial candidate for Worst Member of Congress — introduced a solution in search of a problem in the form of a new bill called the “Protecting Puppies From Sharia Act.” The impetus for the ridiculous new piece of legislation appears to be the bipartisan backlash Fine received after the most recent disparaging comments he made about Muslims over the weekend.

Responding to a satirical tweet from a supporter of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Fine declared, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” Two days later, the congressman doubled down on his idiotic, Islamophobic remarks and spoke as if banning dogs in New York was actually on Mamdani’s agenda — which, to be crystal clear, most certainly is not. Fine wasn’t finished of course — the man’s appetite for hate is truly insatiable — telling Muslim Americans they can “pound sand” as he unveiled his absurd new bill that would ban federal funds to any state or local government that outlawed dogs. Settle down, Randy.

Federal judge accuses Trump administration of “terror” against immigrants in scathing ruling
A federal judge has accused the Trump administration of terrorizing immigrants and recklessly violating the law in its efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally. Citing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, the judge said that the White House had also “extended its violence on its own citizens.”

“The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation,” US District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California said in a scathing decision issued late Wednesday. Sykes said the administration had violated her December ruling that found it was illegally denying many detained immigrants a chance for release. She ordered the US Department of Homeland Security to provide them with notice that they may be eligible for bond and then give them access to a phone to call an attorney within an hour. Sykes, a Biden appointee, also threw out a September ruling by an immigration court that the administration had cited for continuing its mandatory detention policy.

Kristi Noem’s DHS forced into embarrassing walkback over “Worst of the Worst” migrant website
Kristi Noem’s “Worst of the Worst” immigrant website — her crown jewel of tough-on-crime optics — turned out to be riddled with hundreds of errors and mislabeled charges, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to quietly make changes after hastily rolling out the naming-and-shaming operation. Like every other facet of Trump’s insidious, anti-immigrant crusade, the cruelty IS the defining feature of Noem’s stupid “WOW” website. Wow, indeed.

Republican Mayor Wesley Dingus of Butler, Ohio charged with voyeurism after allegedly sneaking into teen relative’s room and sniffing her underwear
Huh, still not a drag queen. Weird!

New report exposes ICE and CBP’s $144 million surge to amass weapons, munitions, and tactical gear
If you’re wondering why ICE and CBP need hundreds of millions of dollars in war machinery, you definitely are not alone. Then again, “they” are sending the “worst of the worst” here, like 9-year-olds excited about seeing Disney World for the first time…

Immigration officials detained 9-year-old tourist on her way to Disney World and threw her in the gulag for four months
Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya was overjoyed to be traveling to the Magical Kingdom for a Halloween celebration and to spend time with her mom, who is married to a US citizen and applying for a green card. Maria HAD A TOURIST VISA and was only visiting for a few days. But when she landed, she was arrested by immigration agents at the Miami airport, thrown into a holding cell for 42 hours, then put on a plane to the notoriously squalid gulag in Dilley, Texas, where she’s been held now for four months.

A ProPublica reporter was able to speak to her and obtained a letter that the poor little girl had written. Maria wrote that “being here was my fault… I only wanted to be on vacation like a normal family. I don’t eat well, there is no good education and I miss my best friend julieta and my grandmother and my school I already want to get to my house.” It’s the kind of needlessly cruel story that leaves you numb and in heartbreaking anguish for this poor kid. We’re never coming back from this as a country.