BY: Andrew Springer and Anthony Cifone, NOTICE News co-founders
Happy Monday! It’s February 23, 2026. In today’s newsletter:
Democrats are ‘counter-programming’ Trump’s SOTU
The Mar-a-Lago gunman Was MAGA... MAGA blames Dems anyway
Stories the algorithm is keeping out of your feed
⏱️ Estimated read time: 8 minutes, 10 seconds
⁉️ Questions? Comments? Just reply to this email!
TOP STORY
Growing Number of Dems SKIPPING Trump’s State of the Union Address
About 20 Democrats—and counting—are refusing to sit through Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, choosing instead to attend protest events and deliver their own counter-programming.
This comes as our esteemed president was just handed a brutal report card prior to the big speech.
The boycott includes both senators and House members who will gather at events hosted by MoveOn and MeidasTouch while Trump speaks to the chamber.
BUT House Minority “Leader” Hakeem Jeffries offered this gem for Democrats who want to stay: attend with “silent defiance.”
I’m sorry but WHAT is silent defiance?
“We’re not going to Donald Trump’s house,” he said. “He’s coming to our house.”
Cool metaphor, but Trump’s still getting to lie to a national audience either way.
➡️ Question of the Day
How should Democrats handle the State of the Union?
Will Your Retirement Income Last?
A successful retirement can depend on having a clear plan. Fisher Investments’ The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income can help you calculate your future costs and structure your portfolio to meet your needs. Get the insights you need to help build a durable income strategy for the long term.
The Mar-a-Lago Gunman Was MAGA—MAGA Blames Dems Anyway
The man shot dead outside Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and gas can wasn’t some “radical leftist”—he was a Trump-supporting Christian who believed the administration was covering up the Epstein files. But that didn’t stop them from blaming Democrats anyway, calling them “shameful and reckless” even as Austin Tucker Martin’s own cousin confirmed their family were “big Trump supporters, all of us.”
OF COURSE the MAGA propaganda machine needed a villain, so they invented one—because admitting one of their own turned on Trump over his Epstein connections would require acknowledging why someone might question dear leader’s “total exoneration.” Read the full story→
Trump: I Have The RIGHT to ‘Destroy the Country’
Hours after the Supreme Court struck down his illegal tariffs, Trump threw a tantrum claiming he has the “unquestioned right” to “destroy foreign countries” and impose embargoes. The 6-3 ruling found Trump’s tariff power grab unconstitutional, with Chief Justice Roberts noting Congress, not the president, controls tariffs during peacetime. Trump’s response? Call his own appointees “slimeballs,” rage that the court shows no “spirit toward our country,” and immediately announce NEW tariffs under a different law, daring the courts to stop him again. Read the full story→
Kash Patel Faces Backlash For Flying To Winter Olympics, Partying It Up With Team USA
FBI Director Kash Patel took a taxpayer-funded $75,000 FBI jet to the Milan Olympics, where he spent the final days watching hockey and celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win in the locker room with players. This is the same guy who previously slammed his predecessor for using government planes and defended taking an FBI jet to see his girlfriend. Read the full story→
MAGA Rep DEFENDS AOC Against Fellow Republican
MAGA Rep. Anna Paulina Luna defended Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after GOP Sen. John Kennedy mocked her for being a bartender, calling his attack “tone deaf” and noting that “plenty of people don’t come from political pedigree.” The rare cross-aisle defense highlights an awkward reality for Republicans pushing “no tax on tips” as populist policy: it’s a harder sell when your colleagues are openly sneering at people who work for tips. Read the full story→
🗳️ Yesterday’s poll results
On Friday, we asked: Should U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for Trump's 'Board of Peace'?
99% of you said NO:
“I only wish that "Board of Peace" was a joke. Unfortunately the people in our congress are not doing their job and the madness continues.”
- mfgarrett
“No! We have to fix everything when he is gone and tax the billionaires!”
- robertbordeaux919
“Really. I’m mean REALLY? He must be hoarding for retirement. At our expense, of course.”
- tsixcats
“So tired of his scams and schemes to prop himself up and try to make himself important.”
- a.smoot
“Taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for anything this sham of a president wants.”
- dfbunnies
“He needs Congress approval. What he is doing is totally illegal and stealing $$ from the American people . He is a con man and a thief!”
- jomapo51
“I'm tired of his scamming and stealing from anyone and everyone. At least we can be thankful that he is old and probably will go take a dirt nap soon. Maybe the next president will eliminate this Board of theft.”
- twoasps
“He has grafted enough taxpayer $ from us and if he sleeps through the meetings how important is it? For those that brag he donated his salary, put that in your pipe and smoke it.”
- callajr.jc
The one person who said YES could not be reached for comment.
👀 Kept Out of Your Feed
Here are some stories the algorithms may be keeping out of your feed.
Wait, did Trump really call C-SPAN using a fake name?
Trump’s trying to send a hospital boat to Greenland, but there’s one very stupid problem
Keystone Kash’s excuse for that Olympics locker room party is wild
A CNN panelist absolutely lost it on a MAGA Rep live on air
Even this top manosphere podcaster admits Trump is “not doing great”
Michael Imperioli knows exactly which Sopranos characters would be MAGA
Nicki Minaj is getting absolutely roasted for calling this Trump gift “meaningful”
Trump’s sinister war plans to his top goons just leaked
Trump’s playing a sick game with Vance and Rubio about 2028
Trump’s getting absolutely brutal grades before the State of the Union
Trump just deported a gay asylum seeker to a country where being gay is illegal
Progressive Nithya Raman is shaking up the LA mayor’s race
Dan Bongino went on an unhinged rant at a Trump voter who dared complain
IN DEPTH
Defying the Courts: How Trump’s Refusal to Honor the Tariff Ruling Signals Authoritarian Consolidation
The Supreme Court ruled Trump’s tariffs illegal on Friday. By Sunday morning, his trade chief was on TV explaining why they’re continuing anyway. If that doesn’t make your authoritarian alarm bells ring, check your pulse.
This story continues for NOTICE members.
150,000+ readers trust us for the news CNN won't cover and the angles corporate media buries. Members get the full investigation—plus exclusive briefings, early access, and the satisfaction of funding journalism that fights back.