News On Tap For Monday, February 23, 2026

An Iced Out Loser

Today’s “News On Tap” is icy cold (thanks Mother Nature) and tastes like Trump is losing on all fronts. From Trump’s losses in the tariff wars he started, to his steadily losing position in the immigration wars he also started, to tomorrow’s ‘State of the Union’ - and all the polls that show how big of a loser Donald Trump is. Plus, Trump’s govt. is a dumpster fire, & Election Land is clearly not in his favor. Also, we have Trumpstein files updates, & foreign affairs news, along with media, entertainment, & Olympics news too. Plus, Brooklyn Dad Defiant, through the magic of technology, is making his way to the bar tonight. You should too! But first, read up & get informed!

First Round - Trump's Tariff Wars

• After Emergency Tariffs Struck Down By SCOTUS, Trump Raises Global Tariff To 15%, After Raising It To 10%

• Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling Could Add $2.4 Trillion To The Debt

• Trump’s Doubling Down By Adding New 15% Tariff Is A Political Gift To Democrats

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Sends Bill For $8.68 Billion Tariff Refund To Trump After Supreme Court Ruling

• Trump Tariff Refunds: What To Expect As Fight For Billions Begins

• Greg Sargent: Trump’s Epic Loss On Tariffs Is Even Worse For Him Than You Think

Second Round - Trump's Immigration Wars

• Newly Released Records Show Texan Of Hispanic Origin Shot Dead By ICE Agent Months Before Killings In Minneapolis [Gift Link]

• Trump DOJ Cases Against Protesters Keep Collapsing As Officers’ Lies Are Exposed In Court

• Federal Judges Are Growing Angry Over Trump Regime Violating Their Orders On Immigration Issues [Gift Link]

• ICE’s Purchases For Big Concentration Camps Are Being Marked By Secrecy, Frustrating Local Officials

• New Jersey Democrats Send Coarse But Clear Message To ICE With New “F***ICE” Bill In State Legislature

• UK Tourist With A Valid Visa Detained By ICE For Six Weeks: ‘Don’t Go To The US – Not With Trump In Charge’

Third Round - Trump Can't Govern

The State Of Our Dissent

• New CNN/SSRS Poll Has Trump’s Approval At Record Lows Ahead Of The 2026 SOTU; Only 32% Say Trump Has The Correct Priorities

• New Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos Poll Finds Trump Now Has A 60% Disapproval Rating Ahead Of State Of The Union,[Gift Link]

• Trump Approval Rating Hits Rock Bottom In Four Polls Just Ahead Of SOTU

• WCCO Minnesota: Minneapolis And Chicago Mayors To Deliver Unofficial Rebuttals To Trump’s State Of The Union Address

• Details On The ‘State Of The Swamp’ Anti-Trump SOTU Event

• Michael Tomasky: The Real State Of The Union? Millions Of Americans Are Disgusted At What Trump & Republicans Have Done

War On Good Government

• FBI Director Kash Patel Shown In Raucous Locker Room Celebration During Olympics Trip, During What Was Supposed To Be A ‘Business Trip’

• Secret Service Confirms Armed Man Shot And Killed After Entering Secure Perimeter Of Mar-A-Lago, While Director Patel Was At The Olympics

• Judge Aileen Cannon Blocks Release Of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Report On Trump Classified Documents Case

• DHS Abruptly Reverses Suspension Of TSA PreCheck, After Trump Admin. Claimed They Were Shut Down Due To Ongoing Partial Govt. Shutdown

• Dallas Native, Black Woman Cancer Patient, To Receive Social Security Benefits After Local Report On Citizenship Concerns Catches Attention Of Public

• Measles Cases In The U.S. This Year Are Now Officially Near 1,000. But That’s 1000 That We Know Of.

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trumpstein Files

• Police In Britain Arrest Former UK Amb. Peter Mandelson, In Investigation Into ‘Misconduct In Public Office’ Charges Of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

• Mar-A-Lago Gunman Was Reportedly ‘Fixated’ On Epstein Files And Believed There Was A Trump Government ‘Cover-Up’

• New Details From Epstein Files Reveal Commerce Sec. Lutnick Had Years-Long Business Ties With Sex Offender Epstein

• The Trump/’Epstein Files Fallout: Tracking The Investigations, Resignations, Firings, & Other Accountability

Election Land

• Virginia Gov. Spanberger Signs Virginia Democrats’ Proposed Congressional Map Despite Ongoing Court Battle

• Elon Musk-Founded PAC Reprimanded By Georgia State Election Board For Illegally Sending Pre-Filled Absentee Ballot Applications In 2024

• Democratic Attorney’s General Are Already Working To Thwart Trump’s Election Interference

• House Democrats Announce First Group Of ‘Red To Blue’ Candidates For 2026

Foreign Affairs

• Danish Military Evacuates U.S. Submariner Who Needed Urgent Medical Care Off Greenland

• Greenland Says ‘No, Thanks’ To Trump’s ‘Offer’ To Send U.S. Hospital Boat Their Nation For Injured Submariner

• Mexican Army Kills Leader Of Powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel During Violent Operation To Capture Him, As U.S. State Dept. Warns Americans In Mexico To ‘Shelter In Place’

• The Mexican Govt. Killed Drug Lord ‘El Mencho’ In Mexico, But Few Believe This Is The End For The Powerful Cartel Group

• Four Years Into Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion Of Ukraine, A Look At The War By The Numbers

• Putin Tried To Freeze Ukraine. Instead, He Sparked An Energy Revolution.

• Iran Hit By Resurgent Protests As U.S. Builds Pressure Ahead Of New Nuclear Talks

• U.S. Pulling Non-Essential Staff From Embassy In Beirut Amid Tensions With Iran

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Trump Warns Netflix With ‘Consequences’ Unless They Remove Board Member Susan Rice, Former Biden & Obama Staffer, As Streaming Platform Pursues Takeover Of Warner Bros Discovery

• Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Responds To Trump’s Threat Over Susan Rice: “This Is A Business Deal. It’s Not A Political Deal.”

• C-SPAN Dismisses Speculation That Caller ‘John Barron’ Who Bashed Tariff Ruling Was Trump

Entertainment & More

• BAFTA Film Awards 2026 Winners: ‘One Battle After Another’ Dominates With 6 Including Best Film, As ‘Sinners’ Earns 3 Prizes

• 2026 BAFTA Awards Winners Announced: See The Full List

• ‘Survivor’ Contestant Eliza Orlins Torches CBS Ahead Of 50th Season Premiere, Noting How The Entire Channel Is Now Trying To Sanewash Right-Wing Extremism

Olympics Recap

• Golden Goal: American Jack Hughes Comes Up Clutch As U.S. Men Beat Canada For Gold At Winter Olympics

• Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Delivered Many Unforgettable Moments. Here Are 10 Of The Biggest.

• Dan Sinker: On Joy, Resistance, & What The Best Of The Olympics Give To All Of Us

• Countdown To The 2026 Winter Paralympics: When They Start & How To Watch The Events

• Paralympics Chief Stands Firm On Allowing Russia To Compete, Despite Ukraine’s Boycott Threat

Your Bar Regular Today

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid M. Padellan, is a 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. We’ve got BDD back tonight for another evening of “Monday’s with Majid” - and there’s plenty to talk about. There’s the SOTU tomorrow night, Trump’s tariff tantrum over the weekend, Trump’s incompetent govt, and Trump’s war on democracy, which BDD wrote about too. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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