News On Tap For Monday, February 16, 2026

On Being Presidential

Today’s “News On Tap” tastes presidential - we didn’t include Trump in that mix today. We do have news updates on Presidents’ Day, and on Trump’s continuing immigration wars, including the DHS shutdown, the battle in the courts, & the war against the ICE monsters. We’ve also got updates on Trump’s war on democracy, & Trump’s failing economy. There’s some Foreign Affairs news from the weekend, and Trump/Epstein files news too. Plus we’ve got recaps of the NBA All-Star game, and Olympics news too. And Brooklyn Dad Defiant will be here tonight too. But first, read up, and get informed - and then join us at the bar tonight.

First Round - Presidents' Day (With Exceptions)

• Fmr. Pres. George W. Bush Subtly Trashes Donald Trump In Presidents Day Message

• George W. Bush: For A Leader, Humility Is The Ultimate Strength

• Fmr. Pres. Obama Derides Trump’s Social Media ‘Clown Show’ In First Comments Since Trump’s Racist Video Post

• Should-Have-Been President Hillary Clinton Blasts Donald Trump For ‘Betraying The West’ At Munich Security Conference

• In Historians’ Most Recent Presidents Day Survey, Biden Vs. Trump Was Not A Close Cal – Biden was FAR Better

• Johnathan Alter: Donald Trump, The Worst President Ever

Second Round - Trump’s Immigration Wars

Shutdown Showdown

• No Clear Path To Ending The Partial Government Shutdown As Both Democrats & Republicans In Congress Dig In Over Changes To ICE

• Republicans Worry Shutdown Will Overshadow Trump’s State Of The Union, In 8 Days (It Will)

• Ryan Cooper: The Case For Keeping ICE And CBP Defunded Indefinitely

The Battle In The Courts

• Federal Judge Bars ‘Warrantless’ Immigration Enforcement Raids At Houses Of Worship To Protect ‘Religious Freedom’

• Hundreds Of Judges Have Rebuked Trump’s Mass Detention Of Immigrants More Than 4400 Times, Spurring More Than 20,000 Lawsuits

• Judge Orders U.S. To Facilitate Return Of College Student Who Was Deported In Error

War Against The ICE Monsters

• DHS Now Trying To Demand Social Media Sites Reveal Names Behind Anti-Ice Posts [Gift Link]

• Chris Geidner: The Trump Admin Argument That Masks “Are For Officer Safety Reasons” Is Actually An Admission Ice Agents Know They’re Committing Crimes

• Trump Regime Deports Nine Migrants In Secret, Ignoring Court Orders Protecting Them From Removal [Gift Link]

• Trump Regime Sends Pregnant Unaccompanied Minors To Texas Shelter Flagged As Medically Inadequate

• A Russian Immigrant Family’s Nightmare In ICE Detention: ‘Even In Russia, They Don’t Treat Children Like This’

• 16-Year-Old Girl Who Pushed For Her Father’s Release From ICE Custody Dies Of Cancer In Chicago

Third Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Trump’s War On Democracy

• Trump Threatens Voter ID Requirements For The 2026 Elections, ‘Whether Approved By Congress Or Not’

• Steve Vladek: Not Only Is It Unconstitutional For Trump Or Any U.S. President To Change Voting Rules. There’s No Mechanism For Them To Do So.

• Sec. Noem Boasts Of Trump Admin. Ensuring “We Have The Right People Voting” Ahead Of Midterms

• Trump Tells Soldiers To Vote For Republicans In Overtly Political Campaign-Style Rally At Fort Bragg

• Trump Staff Supplied Applause During ‘Overtly Political’ Speech To Silent Service Members At Ft. Bragg

• New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions Of Americans From Voting - Unless You Have A Passport

• Nonprofit Libraries Ordered By Trump State Dept. To Stop Processing Passport Applications

Trumponomics Is Failing

• New Research From New York Fed Confirms Americans Are Paying 90% Of Trump’s Tariffs, Despite Trump’s Claims

• Companies Set To Unleash Sweeping Price Hikes Thanks To Trump’s Tariffs

• With Trump EPA’s Environmental Rollback, U.S. Cars Will Now Be Less Efficient - & Less Competitive Globally

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trump/Epstein Files

• Trump DOJ May Have Only Released 2% Of Epstein Files — Despite Bondi’s Claim ‘All’ Files Released

• Trump Regime Accused Of ‘Purposefully Muddying Waters’ With List Of Hundreds Of Names In Epstein Files

• At Least Half A Dozen Top Trump Administration Officials Appear In The Jeffrey Epstein Files

• Newly Released Emails Show MAGA Architect Steve Bannon Plotted With Epstein Against Pope Francis

Foreign Affairs

• Sec. Of State Rubio, In Speech To European Allies At Munich Security Conf., Says U.S. Wants Renewed Alliance – But Only On Trump’s Terms

• UK & Four European Intelligence Agencies Now Say They Have Confirmation Russia Killed Alexei Navalny With Frog Toxin

• New U.S. Boat Strike Kills 3 In The Caribbean

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Family Matters

• Robert Duvall, Star Of ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘Lonesome Dove,’ & More Dies At 95

• Law Enforcement Leaning Away From Considering Nancy Guthrie’s Relatives As Suspects As Search Continues

Entertainment & More

• Powered By Women, ‘Wuthering Heights’ Digs Up $34.8 Million At The Box Office For A No. 1 Debut

• Radically Revamped NBA All-Star Game Brings Return Of Defense & Competition

• Driver Tyler Reddick Wins The Daytona 500 In Wreck-Filled Finish, For Team Co-Owned By Michael Jordan

Olympic Recap

• Winter Olympics 2026 Weekend Recap: U.S. Curling Mounts Wild Comeback To Beat China As Mikaela Shiffrin, Erin Jackson Stumble

• Inside The Widening Olympic Curling Controversy And Allegations Of Cheating

• USA Women’s Hockey Will Play For Olympic Gold After Monday Win Over Sweden

• Italy’s 35-Year-Old Federica Brignone Wins Giant Slalom For Her 2nd Gold Medal Of The Olympics

• Here’s How Much Athletes At The 2026 Winter Olympics Get For Winning Medals

Your Bar Regular Today

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid M. Padellan, blogger, author, activist, and host/co-host of TWO online shows – ‘The Defiant Weekly’ on Wednesdays, and ‘The JoJo & BDD Show’ with Jo Carducci on Thursdays, with both available on his YouTube channel. BDD is back tonight for another evening of “Monday’s with Majid” - and there’s plenty to talk about. Of course, it’s Presidents’ Day, and there’s more from the News On Tap. But we’ll also talk about some fun topics, like the NBA All-Star Game, & The Olympics. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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