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Important Saturday Night News Update

Aaron Parnas Feb 21

Good evening, everyone. It may have been a slower news day on the surface, but beneath it there are several stories to cover. A large-scale boycott of Trump’s State of the Union is gaining traction. New tariff escalations are raising economic stakes. And in a twist, segments of the MAGA movement are openly rebuking Trump over his FDA decisions.

But before we go any further, I want to say this clearly: If you believe in independent journalism that refuses to flinch, refuses to bend, and refuses to look away, this is the moment to stand behind it.

When the spotlight fades, when outrage cycles move on, and when accountability becomes politically inconvenient, that is when real reporting gets harder. It is also when it matters most. Chasing the truth is not cheap. It takes time, resources, persistence, and the willingness to dig long after others have stopped paying attention.

Subscriptions are not just support. They are fuel. They are what allow us to keep investigating, keep questioning, and keep pressing forward long after the headlines shift. Your support directly powers the reporting we will be doing for the rest of this year and beyond.

Here’s the news:

• After the Supreme Court struck down most of his sweeping tariffs in a 6–3 ruling, President Trump reinstated a 10% global import tax and then quickly raised it to 15% under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act—allowing temporary tariffs of up to 150 days—while signaling additional trade investigations, a move that still lowers duties for many major trading partners compared to his earlier, broader tariff regime, yet remains likely illegal.

• French President Emmanuel Macron praised the Supreme Court’s decision striking down President Trump’s tariffs as a sign that constitutional checks and balances remain strong, underscoring that even U.S. allies view the ruling as the rule of law reining in executive overreach on the global stage.

• On his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan said the nonstop news cycle is overwhelming him — that he sometimes can’t wind down at night because “there’s too much news, too much f*cking madness,” and expressed anxiety about the possibility of the U.S. going to war with Iran amid current global tensions.

• Internal ICE records obtained through a FOIA lawsuit revealed that a Homeland Security Investigations agent fatally shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez during a March 2025 traffic incident in Texas, contradicting earlier public reporting and sparking mounting calls from lawmakers and watchdog groups for a full, independent investigation into what critics describe as a months-long cover-up amid broader scrutiny of ICE’s use of deadly force.

• At least a dozen Democratic senators and representatives plan to boycott President Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address and instead attend a simultaneous “People’s State of the Union” rally on the National Mall, underscoring deep partisan divisions as some Democrats protest what they call his anti-democratic actions while party leadership urges others to avoid disruptions inside the chamber.

• The Trump administration’s FDA loosened its approach to artificial food dyes by permitting “no artificial colors” labels for products that exclude petroleum-based dyes but may still contain additives like titanium dioxide or caramel color with 4-MEI—substances linked to cancer and other health risks—prompting critics to call it a misleading rollback of earlier reform pledges, while HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and industry groups framed the move as progress toward shifting companies to “naturally derived” alternatives instead of imposing an outright ban.

• The U.S. has massed an estimated 40–50% of its deployable global air power—comparable to force levels used in the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars—and continues to build up assets, an unprecedented concentration against a potential adversary without yet initiating strikes.

• According to CNN, U.S. intelligence agencies assess that China conducted a covert explosive test in June 2020 at its Lop Nur site as part of a broader effort to rapidly modernize and expand its nuclear arsenal—potentially developing next-generation and tactical weapons that could rival or surpass U.S. and Russian capabilities—fueling debate over a possible shift in Beijing’s nuclear strategy and raising tensions amid U.S. efforts to bring China into new arms control talks.

• NBC News is reporting that CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered the retraction or substantive revision of 19 intelligence reports from the past decade—identified by a Trump-appointed advisory board as failing “tradecraft standards” or showing political bias, including reports issued under the Obama and Biden administrations—prompting Democratic criticism that the move politicizes intelligence, while Republicans defended it as restoring analytic impartiality.

• U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said it would be “fine” if Israel took over large parts of the Middle East during an interview discussing biblical land claims, remarks that mark a sharp break from longstanding U.S. policy, appear to contradict President Trump’s stated opposition to West Bank annexation, would represent violations of international law, and drew condemnation from Palestinian officials.

• Arab and Muslim nations — including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League — condemned Huckabee’s remarks suggesting Israel could claim Middle Eastern territory based on biblical interpretation, calling the statements unacceptable and contrary to international law.

• The Trump Justice Department moved to join a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District, backing claims that its decades-old program providing extra resources to predominantly nonwhite schools amounts to unconstitutional discrimination against white students, while district officials and education advocates argue the policy is a lawful effort to address segregation and longstanding inequities.

• According to NOTUS, Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi purchased up to $15,000 in Palantir stock in 2023 and has continued holding it as the company’s shares surged more than 2,000%, potentially valuing his stake at up to about $91,600, while voting to fund the Department of Homeland Security—an agency that has awarded Palantir tens of millions in immigration enforcement contracts—prompting conflict-of-interest concerns amid his prior ethics disclosure violations and broader Democratic scrutiny over ties to the company.

• Federal prosecutors charged five people in New Jersey with running a fake immigration law firm that staged sham court proceedings, impersonated judges and officials, and defrauded dozens of immigrants out of more than $100,000—money partly laundered to co-conspirators in Colombia—causing victims to miss real court dates and, in at least one case, be ordered deported in absentia.

See you soon.

— Aaron