The Supreme Court Takes Trump's Favorite Toy

Oooooooo-we. The Supreme Court handed President Trump a big fat "too bad, so sad" this week when it ruled he, in fact, does not have the authority to tariff the entire world. And in the same week, we learned the US may be on the verge of bombing Iran (again).

These stories are not directly connected. But they are both about the same thing: what Trump does with power — and what happens when someone tries to take it away.

To understand Trump is to understand his childlike psyche. He's like a toddler who thinks their parent is an asshole for reminding them not to hit people. Trump, like toddlers, throws temper tantrums and acts out. When his humiliation is public, though — and this week, it is — the toxic masculinity takes over. He has an urge to find somewhere he can still look powerful.

Iran might be that somewhere.

#1 Trump Targets Iran (NEW)

Trump has not decided whether to strike Iran, but sources tell The Intercept that the chances are “high.” An attack could be imminent — or weeks away. Either way, the urgency and potential global impact push this story to the top. Let's start from the beginning-ish:

• Background: It might feel like you're having déjà vu. Weren't we just talking about this? Yup. Last June (which actually may feel like a lifetime ago in Trump years), Israel and the US attacked Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump claimed they were "obliterated." At the time of the strikes, Washington and Tehran were engaged in negotiations over Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Uranium enrichment can be used for civilian nuclear energy — or, at higher levels and with additional weaponization steps, for a nuclear weapon.
  • The U.S. and Israel say they are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. It appears that Iran has since repaired and rebuilt much of its nuclear infrastructure. Iran insists it does not seek one, but has enriched uranium well beyond the levels needed for civilian energy. Tehran has signaled it would consider limits under a deal that includes sanctions relief.
  • Those sanctions began in 2010 and were significantly expanded in 2018 when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement. They have severely strained Iran’s economy. Economic hardship, corruption, and political repression fueled nationwide protests in December 2025; human rights groups estimate thousands were killed in the crackdown, though exact numbers are disputed.
• Fast forward. US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (who does not have a formal government role) met with Iranian representatives in Geneva on Tuesday. Worth noting: Both men are businessmen, not diplomats, and have significant business ties in the region and the Trump family enterprise. After the talks, both sides said “some progress” had been made. No details were released.
• Why Talks Could Fail. On the same day, the duo also met with officials to hammer out a possible deal between Ukraine and Russia. Reuters writes that according to experts, this "has raised questions not only about whether [Witkoff and Kushner] are overstretched and outmatched, but about their serious prospects for resolving either of the twin crises."
  • More fundamentally, there is deep mistrust. As The New York Times 🎁 notes: "Not only did Mr. Trump rip up the 2015 nuclear deal in his first term, but he joined Israel in bombing Iran in June, even as U.S.-Iran negotiations were continuing. Tehran fears the same duplicity now…"
• The Buildup. The administration has publicly threatened Iran while increasing its military presence in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, has been dispatched and is expected to arrive by the end of the month. The USS Abraham Lincoln has already been operating in the region for weeks.
• What's Next. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) — who worked together to release the Epstein files — say they're working to force a vote on a war powers resolution – which would require Trump to notify Congress before engaging in hostilities.

• On Defense. Iran says it will defend itself against what it calls “aggression.” It has conducted military exercises near the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes — and has threatened to disrupt traffic if attacked. In a letter to the U.N. this week, Iran said it does not want war but would respond to any strike “decisively.”
• Israel's Involvement. For decades, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran is nearing nuclear weapons capability and poses an existential threat to Israel. So, why should we trust him now? Israel can't conduct a sustained campaign against Iran without U.S. backing.
  • Trump and Netanyahu met earlier this month to discuss Iran. Since then, diplomatic and military activity in the region has intensified. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Israel next week.
  • Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it has never officially acknowledged them. No one else in the Middle East has nuclear weapons.

#2 SCOTUS Checks Trump's Powers (NEW)

Remember last April when Trump declared it was "Liberation Day" and announced he was going to impose tariffs on the entire world — including an island inhabited only by penguins? Welp, in a 6-3 ruling on Friday, the Court decided that the president does not have the authority to impose tariffs.

• The Vote. Chief Justice John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberal judges in the majority. Alito, Thomas and Kavanaugh dissented.
• Invalid Argument. Trump had claimed authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to regulate trade during a national emergency. Trump claimed the growing national debt was the emergency. It's not, and our debt has actually increased since April, despite the $133 billion collected in what are now unconstitutional tariffs. Companies may try to get their money back.
• Trump's Temper Tantrum: "I don't have to," was Trump's response when asked why he won't just work with lawmakers on tariffs, you know, like real presidents do. He then lashed out at Gorsuch and Barrett — his own appointees — calling them "fools," "lapdogs," "disloyal" and "unpatriotic." He then announced 10% tariffs, changed his mind, and made it 15% the next day. Per economist Paul Krugman, Trump is invoking Section 122 which lets him keep tariffs in place for up to 150 days while he finds another legal route.

#3 The Epstein Files (⬇️ after two weeks at #2)

The fallout from the DOJ's January 30th release of over 3 million pages of Epstein documents continued to ripple outward this week with several major developments.

• Fallen Prince. In a bombshell development, British police arrested former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — brother of King Charles III — on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Officials believe the newly released files show he shared confidential information with Epstein in violation of his role as a trade envoy. He was released after 11 hours. Last year, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles for his relationship with Epstein. Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre has said she was forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor, which he has denied. Mountbatten-Windsor is the first senior royal arrested in 400 years. He is the eighth in line to the throne, for now.
• The Trump Files. The FBI interviewed a woman, who accused Trump of sexual abuse when she was a teenager, at least four times, according to journalist Roger Sollenberger. The DOJ acknowledged providing all four interviews to Ghislaine Maxwell's defense team before her trial, but only one appeared in the publicly searchable files. Only after Sollenberger's reporting were the other documents available again. You can see a reference to the allegations on page 18 here.
• The Deposition. Billionaire retail mogul Les Wexner, whose name appears more than 1,000 times in the files, gave a six-hour deposition to House Democrats in which he maintained he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes and insisted the two "weren't friends." Democrats went all the way to Ohio to depose the 88-year-old but Republicans were a no-show.
• Dunzo. Despite only releasing half of the six million Epstein files, the DOJ announced it has released all the records it's required to under the Epstein Transparency Act. But lawmakers say the DOJ is holding back.
• Global Condemnation. A panel of UN human rights experts weighed in this week as well, concluding that the Epstein files describe a "global criminal enterprise" whose alleged crimes — including femicide — could meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity under international law.

#4 ELECTION INTERFERENCE (⬇️ after two weeks at #1)

Primary season has kicked off for this year's midterms. Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Illinois and Arkansas all have upcoming primaries. Some have already begun early voting. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is pushing ahead with their efforts to make it harder to vote.

• Desperate Measures. DHS is asking its lawyers to review all open and closed voter fraud cases because they haven't been able to find enough voter fraud cases to prosecute and parade online to advance false election manipulation theories. The Washington Post reports that specifically, the agents will hone in on finding people who registered or voted before they became naturalized citizens.
• Poll Police. The DHS and DOJ are in talks to send federal agents to polling places, a plan that's the brainchild of White House advisor Stephen Miller, reports MS NOW. "Miller is a key proponent of stripping foreign-born citizens of their citizenship as part of a broader deportation strategy, pushing the Justice Department to step up investigations into whether new citizens engaged in any crime or fraud."
• Say what now? Trump told rally goers in Georgia that Republicans won't lose a race for 50 years if the SAVE Act passes.

ESCALATING

• AI Battles. The DOD used AI – including Anthropic's Claude – in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, The Wall Street Journal 🎁 reports. The company now wants to know how the Pentagon used it as they are adamant their technology not be used to facilitate violence or conduct domestic surveillance. The DOD hasn't confirmed how it was used, but seemed offended that Anthropic might want to regulate them. The Defense Department has said it wants to use "all available AI systems for any purpose allowed by law." Hegseth is considering cutting all ties with Anthropic and blacklisting it from federal usage.
• Measles Update. There have been 982 confirmed cases of the measles this year — up from 733 last week and four times the number we had this time last year, according to the CDC. Measles was declared eradicated in 2000 but at this rate, it's possible it could soon lose that status. Most of the cases are in South Caorlina.
• Double Trouble. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's husband was banned from her office after two female staffers accused him of touching them inappropriately. He denies the allegations. After reviewing video footage of one of the alleged assaults, federal prosecutors say they won't bring charges because "there is no indication of a crime." Meanwhile, the inspector general is separately investigating Chavez-DeRemer herself for an alleged relationship with a member of her security detail and taking personal trips at taxpayer expense. Her lawyer has denied the allegations.

WATCHING

• Whistleblower Watchdogs. The GAO is investigating how the DHS during both Trump terms handled whistleblower complaints. The independent government agency created by Congress as a watchdog is asking whistleblowers to come speak to them about their experiences.
• Fine Lines. There are bipartisan calls for Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) to resign after he tweeted "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." Fine has made worse comments — he's suggested Gaza should be nuked, celebrated the death of Muslims, and told starving Palestinians to "eat rockets" — and faced no consequences. The House censured Rep. Rashida Tlaib for using the phrase "From the river to the sea."
• West Bank Violence. Israeli settlers killed Raed Abu Ali, a 19-year-old Palestinian-American, in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. He's the second American citizen to be killed by Israeli settlers in the last year. No one has been held accountable for the deaths.
• Colbert vs. CBS. Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert is standing behind his claim that his bosses at CBS wouldn't let him air an interview with Democratic Senate candidate for Texas James Talarico. The network — now run by Trump allies — claimed it would violate "equal time" rules, which have never applied to late night TV. CBS denies they forced Colbert's hand and said they just offered "legal guidance." The FCC is also investigating ABC's The View for interviewing Talarico.
• Speaking of the FCC. Chairman Brendan Carr is calling on broadcasters to air only patriotic content this coming July 4 — the country's 250th anniversary. In a statement, Carr said he's "calling on broadcasters to pledge to provide programming that promotes civic education, national pride, and our shared history." The FCC's sole Democrat on the commission countered: "If broadcasters choose to participate in this FCC campaign, they can do so by defending their First Amendment rights and refusing government interference."
• A Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Turns out Matthew Moroun — the owner of a bridge connecting the US and Canada — donated $1 million to a PAC related to Trump in the weeks before he met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. After that meeting, Lutnick spoke to Trump who then threatened to block a new bridge — that would compete with Moroun's — from opening.

Rev. Jesse Jackson — civil rights pioneer and former presidential candidate — died on Tuesday. He was 84.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

• Sorry State of the Union. Trump gives the State of the Union on Tuesday. Some Democrats are planning to boycott the address. Virginia's new Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger will give the Democratic response.
• Epstein Depositions. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to be deposed on February 26; Bill Clinton on February 27. Both depositions are closed to the press.
• Ballot Battle. February 27: Hearing in Fulton County officials' lawsuit against the federal government demanding they return seized ballots from the 2020 election.
• High Stakes Meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Netanyahu in Israel on February 28.