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I will be traveling on Saturday. In lieu of my regular Saturday livestream, I will host a livestream on Friday, February 13, 2026, at 9:00 am Pacific / Noon Eastern. Please post questions here: Reader questions for Friday livestream.
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The people of Minneapolis show us the way.
It is easy to surrender to despair when it seems that most of the guardrails of democracy have failed or buckled under Trump’s relentless onslaught of lawlessness. But with increasing regularity, Trump’s daily assault on democracy is running into an immovable object: The people, the source of all governmental power and legitimacy. When the people resist in sufficient numbers, even a rogue administration can be brought to heel.
Trump decided to punish the people of Minneapolis to satisfy his sick need to make his enemies suffer. Their offense? They helped to elect Tim Walz as the state’s governor, who went on to run with Kamala Harris in 2024. They refused to assist with the implementation of the federal mass deportation policy. They remained supportive of the city’s Somali community even as Trump slandered all Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, calling them “garbage . . . who come from hell.”
In retaliation, Trump sent irregular paramilitary troops into Minneapolis. They were equipped for war and masked to maximize terror. They wore jeans and carried grenade launchers. They used pepper balls and tear gas in thousands of peaceful interactions with protesters exercising their First Amendment Rights. See Chicago Sun Times, Pellets and peppers, grenades and gas: A look at the weapons ICE uses in Broadview and Chicago. They were poorly trained and unleashed to do their worst. And when they did, the administration referred to the paramilitary’s innocent victims as “domestic terrorists.”
Against this onslaught, the people of Minneapolis showed us the path forward: Show up, stand out, make your voice heard, do not surrender, and care for your neighbor.
In that simple, powerful, beautiful mixture of everyday actions, the people of Minneapolis did what Congress, the Supreme Court, the media, and elected officials could not do: They forced Trump to retreat.
On Thursday, “Border Czar” Tom Homan announced that the surge of ICE and Border Patrol Agents into Minneapolis was at an end. CBS, Border czar says Minnesota ICE surge is ending: “I don’t want to see any more bloodshed”.
ICE and CBP accomplished nothing positive but managed to inflict serious damage to the economy, mental health, children, schools, businesses, and culture of Minneapolis. It will take years to undo the damage to the residents of Minneapolis, but their bravery will be their enduring legacy recounted for generations.
Standing alone, their victory was monumental. But the lesson of Minneapolis is universal: This will all stop when enough of us say, “No.”
If anyone did not believe those words before Thursday, we now have indisputable evidence that the strategy of showing up and raising our voices works. We should embed the lesson of Minneapolis in the deepest recesses of our brains so that “showing up and speaking out” becomes part of the body’s involuntary functions—like hearts beating and the lungs breathing.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey attributed the victory to the people of Minneapolis, saying,
They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation. These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.
Additional details about the occupation of Minneapolis and the lessons for aspiring fascists are aptly covered by Lucian K Truscott IV in his essay on Substack, Minneapolis showed us why Trump and his fascists will lose. (“Trump has been defeated on the battlefield of Minneapolis by an army of peaceful civilians using their will, their cohesiveness, their cellphones, their whistles and their flexibility.”)
Some commentators are advising caution regarding the announcement, suggesting that the Trump administration is withdrawing from Minneapolis to affect the fight over DHS funding. See Truthout, Minnesotans Skeptical as Homan Announces Drawdown of DHS Operations in State. Even if that is part of the administration’s motivation, the pushback arises from the same place: Resistance by the people that fanned public opinion against ICE to such a degree that Democrats are now willing to withhold funding from DHS until we see real reforms in ICE’s unlawful conduct.
Based on congressional testimony today by ICE leadership, it is clear that ICE reserves the right to use “surge tactics” in other communities. So, the fight is not over, but the people of Minneapolis have shown us the way.
Federal judge stops Pete Hegseth’s effort to demote Senator Mark Kelly.
US District Judge Richard Leon wrote a scathing opinion enjoining Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from reducing the rank and pay of Senator Mark Kelly, who retired from the Navy as a Captain after 25 years of service. Hegseth is attempting to punish Senator Kelly for participating in a video that reminded service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. See The Guardian, US judge blocks Hegseth’s bid to punish Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video.
The order by Judge Leon is here: Memorandum Opinion. Judge Leon rejected Hegseth’s argument that the diminished protections for free speech that restrict active service members also apply to retired members of the military. And Judge Leon found that retired military members who serve as legislators must have “the widest latitude to express their views on issues of policy” to fulfill their constitutional duties of representation and oversight.
In granting the injunction sought by Senator Kelly, Judge Leon wrote,
This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees. [¶¶]
Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired servicemembers have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years. If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights! Hopefully this injunction will in some small way help bring about a course correction in the Defense Department’s approach to these issues.
In layman’s terms, Judge Leon’s opinion is known as a “smackdown.”
Pete Hegseth wasted no time in tweeting at Senator Kelly, snarkily saying, “The ruling ‘will be immediately appealed, ‘Captain.’”
Pete Hegseth is shaming the military at every turn—and is being assisted by Pentagon lawyers who lack the courage to resign rather than participate in a dark episode in the US military’s history.
Goldman Sach’s general counsel resigns over Epstein contacts
A top-tier lawyer who served as general counsel for Goldman Sachs announced her retirement after the Epstein email release showed that she remained in contact with Epstein long after his first conviction as a child sex offender. See WSJ, Goldman Sachs’s Top Lawyer to Step Down Following Latest Epstein Documents. (Accessible to all.)
Per the WSJ,
Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler will step down after the Jeffrey Epstein files showed she had remained a close ally of the convicted sex offender through his 2019 arrest.
The documents showed Epstein showered her with gifts including flowers, wine, an Hermès bag, $10,000 in Bergdorf Goodman gift cards, spa time, an Apple Watch and a wire payment of $53,750 to a private jet charter company in Ruemmler’s name. Ruemmler’s spokeswoman said she didn’t accept the private jet gift. Emails released by the House Oversight Committee in November had shown Ruemmler and Epstein engaging in friendly banter.
The resignation is the right outcome; indeed, it should have occurred years ago, but Goldman Sachs stubbornly refused to concede that the ongoing correspondence and business relationship with a notorious child sex offender and the Goldman Sachs general counsel was intolerable.
Ruemmler’s privileged, affluent connection to Epstein is emblematic of the many men who prioritized access to power and wealth over morals and justice. But the irony should not be lost: The first resignation of significance over the Epstein files in the US was by a woman. Dozens of men continue in their positions of power, acting as if nothing happened. The multiple layers of “double standard” that protected Epstein continue to operate even today.
Whistleblower complaint held by Tulsi Gabbard related to Jared Kushner
Recall that Jared Kushner was denied a security clearance during the first Trump administration until Trump overrode the normal processes and directed that his son-in-law be given a clearance despite not meeting the requirements. See NBC (1/24/19), Officials rejected Jared Kushner for top secret security clearance, but were overruled.
Roll forward to November of 2025, when reports emerged that a whistleblower filed a complaint arising from an intercepted conversation between two foreign nationals. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard failed to transmit that complaint to Congress, as required. Instead, she hand-delivered a printed copy of the report to Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and then delayed informing Congress for months. See The Hill, Tulsi Gabbard under scrutiny over whistleblower report, election probes.
Reports on Thursday revealed that the subject of the intercepted conversation was Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who did not qualify for a security clearance in 2017. See WSJ, Gabbard Whistleblower Complaint Based on Intercepted Conversation About Jared Kushner. (Accessible to all.)
Kushner was and is at the center of the administration’s most sensitive foreign negotiations. The opportunities for corruption are everywhere. Tulsi Gabbard is still protecting the whistleblower complaint from disclosure, arguing that members of Congress on the intelligence oversight committees are prohibited from speaking with the whistleblower—an extraordinary position that once again seeks to write Congress out of the Constitution. See The Hill, Tulsi Gabbard office warns attorney not to share classified complaint with Congress.
Administration ends EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases
On Thursday, the EPA rolled back a foundational scientific finding that permitted the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. See NYTimes, Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change.
Per the Times,
The Environmental Protection Agency rejected the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well-being. It means the agency can no longer regulate them.
It is difficult to overstate the significance of the rule’s rollback, but the Times’ synopsis, above, gets it right.
What can we do to fight back? First, do not give up. Republicans never flagged in their efforts to repeal the greenhouse gas rule; we should follow their lead and never give up in our quest to reestablish the rule when we can. In the meantime, we can call and write our congressional representatives, business leaders, and trade organizations to let them know we want to reestablish the regulatory paradigm for greenhouse gases.
An effective and easy way to take daily action to support a sustainable climate is by using the Climate Action Now app. The app is here (for Apple): Climate Action Now App.
Per the app’s description,
Did you know that just 100 companies, and the politicians, investors, and regulators who enable them, are responsible for over 70% of the world’s emissions? Climate Action Now makes it easy for you to influence them with emails, petitions, and phone calls.
Public opinion is the only effective counterweight to the immense power of the fossil fuel industry. The industry knows this, which is why it spends so much time and money trying to shape it.
Your opinion really does matter. It is your superpower. But it doesn’t count for much if you don’t express it. The Climate Action Now app can help you with that. It is your opinion amplifier. It is your megaphone.
This app does the work so that you don’t have to. It provides an endless stream of well-researched, well-written, personalized messages that you can send to political and business leaders advocating for climate action in just seconds with just a few touches! And you’ll learn a lot about the issues and earn real trees as you go.
Check out the app. Remember, action is the antidote to anxiety!
Concluding Thoughts
We received more confirmation on Thursday that Trump’s cruel stance on mass deportation has turned the American public against him. It is a truism of modern American politics that no presidential candidate can win without significant support from Independents. That truism translates onto congressional races, as well.
A new poll (by AP-NORC) released on Thursday confirms trends over the last several months showing Trump bleeding support in Republican-leaning districts. And the leading cause of that loss of support is deterioration among Independents. See The Hill, Trump approval on immigration slips among independents: Poll
Per The Hill,
Polling found that 23 percent approved of Trump’s handling on immigration, down 14 points since March 2025. About 6 in 10 independents said the president’s deportations of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. has “gone too far,” with 7 in 10 independents also saying Trump has “gone too far” with sending federal immigration enforcement officers to U.S. cities.
Public opinion is a fickle thing, influenced by many factors. But chief among those influences is the opinion of other members of the public. That is why the courage of the people of Minneapolis and the protesters in the streets and on overpasses across America is literally saving democracy. They are leading in the most effective, impactful way possible: By example.
We must all be part of the change we desire. And the people of Minneapolis have shown us the way.
Talk to you tomorrow! Join me for my livestream at 9:00 am Pacific / Noon Eastern if you can!
Pro-democracy protest photos
Lawrence, MA, Support for the immigrant population, weekly standout since August 2025
Visibility Brigade, Missoula, Montana.
Pasadena, CA, 210 FWY overpass.
West LA Freeway Brigade, Los Angeles 2/12/26
St. Paul Visibility Brigade over I-35E
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