Trump’s State Of The Union Was WORSE Than You Know & The Anthropic Pete Hegseth Situation is CRAZY
PDS Published 02/25/2026
-
Last night, Trump delivered a nearly two-hour long state of the union address to glaze the U.S. hockey team, diss the Supreme Court, and peddle his usual talking points about the country and economy.
“We are winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please Mr. President, we are winning too much, we can’t take it anymore! We are not used to winning in our country.’” (32:36-32:49)
Though, some of the crazier moments of the speech came from tensions between Trump and the Democrats who made their oppositions to Trump incredibly clear throughout the night.
Right, when Trump asked the room to pledge that their priorities were protecting American people, not “illegal aliens,” we heard Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar call him a murderer.
“[crosstalk] you have killed Americans! You have killed Americans! You have killed Americans!...in many cases druglords all over our country…you are a murderer!...they are blocking the removal of these people out of our country and you should be ashamed…you should be ashamed!” (2:24-2:44)
And that was one of the real standouts, with Omar clearly referring to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by ICE agents earlier this year.
With Omar later saying on Twitter:
“Donald Trump killed two of my constituents. He is a liar and should be ashamed of himself.”[]
And her choice to call Trump out in this way was divisive, right, on one hand you had Democrats in the Homeland Security Committee backing her by saying:
“ ICE is killing U.S. citizens, and the coward in the White House has nothing to say.”[]
But then you had Speaker Mike Johnson saying Omar and her colleague, Rashida Tlaib, were almost ejected over their heckling.
And that was just one part of the tensions we saw between Republicans and Democrats last night.
You also had the Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green standing in the center aisle with a sign that read “Black people aren’t apes,” calling back to President Trump’s post about the Obamas. []
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise swiped the sign as he walked in with Trump, and other Republicans tried to block Green’s sign from cameras as well. (BROLL 0:00-0:05, ) []
And while Green was subsequently escorted out relatively early on, he definitely left his mark on the night. (BROLL 24:00-24:05)
“When you allow that level of racism to continue, when you tolerate it, you perpetuate it. I refuse to be a part of the perpetuation of this level of racism, and this is why I wanted to confront him up close. And judging by the look on his face, he got the message.” (0:58-1:13)
Some other Democrats were so fed up, they didn’tbother to show up.
And that clearly rubbed some Republican leaders the wrong way.
“Democrats, meanwhile, are going to host – count them – five separate counter events, rallies of some sort, in lieu of tonight’s address. It’s shameful that they would boycott an address. We don’t do that.” (0:18-0:28, 1:03-1:05)
Reports say that “On the National Mall, hundreds of people, including about 30 Democratic members of Congress, gathered for the ‘People’s State of the Union’, a counter-rally.” []
Just outside the Capitol, you could hear this counter-rally brewing with calls against ICE and signs to “release the files.”
The People’s State of the Union rally included people like Joy Ann Reid, Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut.
Of course, this was all happening while Trump continued to bash the Democrats that were present inside.
“These people are crazy. I’m telling you. We’re lucky we have a country with people like this. Democrats are destroying our country, but we stopped it just in the knick of time. Didn’t we? ” (1:22:31-1:22:34,1:22:49-1:22:58)
The name calling and literal finger pointing speaks to this age-old story between the Trump administration and Democrats.
And with that, another major talking point he turned to was Charlie Kirk:
“My great friend, Charlie Kirk. Last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin, and martyred for his beliefs.” (1:25:23-1:25:261:25:37-1:25:46)
He used the moment to acknowledge Erika Kirk, who was in attendance. (BROLL 0:33-:37)
And then he used Kirk’s assassination as a case for a larger point.
“In Charlie’s memory, we must all come together to reaffirm that America is one nation under God, and we must totally reject political violence of any kind.” (1:26:15-1:26:27)
Which is an interesting take for a guy who just a few months ago posted that lawmakers who told military officers to refuse illegal orders were being seditious, a crime he suggested was punishable by death. []
Though, for Trump, some of the stars of the night were the US men’s hockey team, who won gold on Sunday and received a controversial call from the president inviting them to last night’s address.
And while there was some backlash to the team’s choice to attend, it is worth noting that five players did not go, though their absences were reportedly not necessarily tied to the president.
The women’s team also notably turned down their invite too.
But the big highlight for the team came when Trump said he would be giving the goalie the Medal of Freedom.
And before the night was over, he also handed out two Purple Hearts, two Medals of Honor, and a Legion of Merit. [Medal of Honor] [Medal of Honor][Purple Heart] [Purple Heart] [Legion of Merit.]
But from there, we of course have to get to the contents of his speech, which means fact checking.
Now, given it was a painfully long address, we don’t have time to unpack and correct everything, but a few standouts were him hitting some of his classics:
“So in my first year of my second term, should be my third term but strange things happen.” (59:11-59:22)
Which, no, it should not be, he lost the 2020 election, and no matter how many times he brings up the idea of a third term, presidents do not get them.
He also hit up a bunch of his usual falsehoods about the economy, saying this about tariffs:
“I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern day system of income tax.” (53:06-53:15)
Right, and there, as everyone except Trump has figured out, foreign countries do not pay tariffs, American importers, and eventually American consumers, do.[]
On top of that, it is incredibly unlikely that they could ever replace our modern income tax system.[]
Then, he said he has secured $18 billion in investments, and he has suggested this multiple times before despite never providing evidence of this.[]
He also didn't have the evidence to prove he turned the country’s economy around:
“Incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before.” (24:21-24:28)
“A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest.” (29:40-29:47)
Right, and while inflation did reach a four-decade high under Biden in 2022, it was declining by the time Trump took office. []
And when it comes to rising incomes, well, according to the AP, when you look at after-tax earnings, incomes rose just under 1% last year, which is actually a slower growth than what we saw from Biden’s last year in office. []
But this comes as affordability is one of the biggest issues Americans are facing, and Trump’s main strategy seems to be insisting that we are in an economic boom even though many Americans just do not feel that in their day-to-day lives.
But that will be a focus of the upcoming midterms, which Trump did try to sow doubt in, making this claim about our elections:
“I’m asking you to approve the Save America Act to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections. The cheating is rampant in our elections. It’s rampant” (1:16:58-1:17:24)
But again, he has never provided evidence of “rampant” cheating in our elections.
And even the Heritage Foundation’s voter fraud database includes only 85 allegations of noncitizen voting over a period of two decades. []
But with all that, where does this long speech actually leave us?
Well, Democrats issued a response of their own via Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who said:
“Tonight, as we watched our nation’s lawmakers gather for a join session of congress, we did not hear the truth from our president.” (1:09-1:18)
“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family? Is the president working to keep Americans safe at home and abroad? Is the president working for you” (1:27-1:42)
She really focused on economic issues under Trump, like tariffs and the costs of everyday life.
And she also called out Republicans for not standing up to Trump.
“They remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him. They’re making your life harder. They’re making your life more expensive. They’re even making it more difficult to see a doctor.” (2:45-2:58)
So that seems to be how Democrats want to approach this era of Trump politics, focusing on how little he has done to actually help Americans.
With the AP Further explaining that:
“Her message, that families are still struggling under Trump’s policies, is one Democrats plan to carry nationwide ahead of the midterm elections. Party leaders point to Spanberger’s double-digit victory in Virginia last November as validation of a disciplined, cost-focused campaign they now hope to replicate across the country.”[]
Though, on the Republicans side, you had plenty applauding Trump, right, his MAGA base is not going anywhere.
But you have some reports suggesting that when it comes to everyday Americans, the address may not have gained him a ton of ground.
Trump entered the room with a 39% approval rating, which is lower than any past president delivering their first State of the Union address. []
And some headlines have called this speech “inconsequential,” adding that the party is now staring “down epic voter enthusiasm gap.”
And recent surveys find he has an issue with independents, too.
So with these tensions rising amongst Republicans and independents slowly distancing themselves, it seems like the November midterms are falling further and further away from the Republican party.
Polls are already showing that Republicans only have a “slippery grasp on power in Washington as they struggle to motivate their core supporters to show up for them in a year when President Donald Trump will not be on the ballot.” []
So we will have to see where this messaging takes us come November, if Democrats can actually gain momentum, if voters actually respond to any of this.
Go to Factor and use code defranco50off to get 50% off and free breakfast for a year!
-
The Trump administration is about to begin the next phase in its mass deportation campaign.
With it this time shifting its focus off of the streets and into the courtrooms, where there’s a backlog of 3.6 million immigration cases. [B roll, 00:43, then B roll, 07:11]
Now since Trump took office, that backlog has shrunk by some 350,000 cases, which is significant. [Quote, find “341”]
But that’s not entirely because existing cases have been processed faster; right, it’s also because the number of new cases have dropped off alongside border crossings.
So the White House is looking to squeeze the other end of the equation, and they’re doing it in a counterintuitive way: firing judges.
Right, I’ll explain the logic there in a moment, but first, the numbers.
According to NPR, the administration has fired nearly 100 immigration judges so far, with dozens more retiring early or resigning. [Quote, find “dozens”]
So that in total, over 200 judges have left, and even if you account for new hires, about a quarter of the total number are now gone, going from 726 to 553. [Quote same link, find “202” and “726” and “520”]
Which, you’ve gotta understand, is shocking, not only because firing immigration judges was very rare before this, but also because these ones were done so suddenly.
Right, for example, the first judge fired by Trump was dismissed while in the middle of a hearing and escorted out of the building right then and there. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:18 - 01:28] Caption: “I asked multiple supervisors, I asked the chief judge of the United States and my supervisor why I was getting fired, and they told me that they did not know why.”
With her adding, “Being walked off a bench like you're a criminal is just very shocking. That shock sent waves all across the United States.” [Quote]
Now today, 12 immigration courts have lost over half their judges, and two courts have no judges at all. [Quote, find “no judges at all”]
Moreover, the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the whole system, lost over 400 legal assistants, attorney advisers and legal administrative specialists. [Quote, find “400”]
That’s about 75% of all the attorney advisers, plus over half of all the court supervisors. [Quote same link, find “75%”]
So you can imagine, with each judge already handling hundreds if not thousands of cases before the firings, the remaining judges’ workload since then has exploded, as one former judge explained to PBS:
[Clip, 01:08 - 01:11, 01:39 - 01:49] Caption: “They fired me without any warning nor any explanation. … As each judge gets fired, those cases are redistributed, the backlog gets longer, people have to wait longer for their hearings, and after their hearings they have to wait longer for their decisions.”
Okay, so you’re probably wondering, how is this meant to help Trump’s mass deportation campaign? Isn’t it slowing things down?
Well, there are two answers to that question, the first being that these firings send a certain signal to everybody who’s left standing.
Or as one of those fired judges put it, “You are telling every other judge that is left that they better not be following the law or their conscience; that they need to apply the law as you are interpreting it.” [Quote]
But the second answer is that the White House is replacing those fired judges with people who are willing to do whatever it wants.
So to that end, the DOJ and DHS have launched a recruitment campaign with ads featuring shots from the dystopian film Judge Dredd and reading things like: [Post]
“Deliver justice to criminal illegal aliens. Become a deportation judge. Save your country.” [Post]
And that label, “deportation judge?” It’s telling, because it indicates what kind of people they’re trying to attract with this.
Right, immigration judges are supposed to carefully, fairly, and impartially consider each person’s case, which could mean deporting them but could also mean granting them asylum or some other legal status.
So calling them “deportation judges” is kind of like calling police officers “deadly force officers” or calling trial juries “conviction juries.”
With a Syracuse University immigration analyst arguing that the label declares, “at the outset, that the position requires not adjudication but preordination, and in doing so, entirely negates the term ‘judge’ as a person who attempts to address heavy case-specific questions of facts and law in the form of an authentic decision.” [Quote]
With him going on to say, “Only a lawyer who despises the law and resents the intellectual responsibilities that the legal profession appropriately imposes on them would be moved to apply now for such a shamelessly subordinate position.” [Same quote]
Then adding that the effect is to turn courts into “deportation factories” and judges into “mindless functionaries.” [Quote same link]
Speaking of which, we’ve gotta mention this guy, Daren Margolin [Pronounce 00:36]. [B roll, 01:36]
Because he’s the bootlicker Trump appointed to head the Executive Office of Immigration Review in October, and it’s easy to see why. [Same B roll]
With him telling Axios that he retired from his job as an immigration judge in early 2024 because of his disgust with the Biden administration's handling of the surge at the southern border, saying, “Personally, I felt like a co-conspirator in treason.” [Quote]
Also, he believes there are 25 to 30 million undocumented immigrants in the country, which is at least double the best estimates from the Pew Research Center. [Quote same link, find “30”]
So that’s the guy who’s gonna be hiring new recruits for the courts, and so far he’s reportedly gotten around 1,700 applications. [Quote same link, find “1,700”]
Though he declined to say how many of those have actually been hired, but regardless, he did say the first cohort will start by the end of this month. [Quote same link, find “pool”]
Also, he’s pushing to limit the appeals process on deportation orders, which would make it easier to immediately boot people out of the country. [Quote same link, find “appeal”]
So yeah, now if you’re an immigrant, not only do you have to wonder whether ICE agents are gonna ambush you outside the courthouse after your routine check-in, but now you can’t even trust the judge overseeing your case to follow the law either. [B roll, 00:47]
Meanwhile, there are literal posters on the wall of the building’s lobby encouraging you to plead guilty and self-deport. [Image]
But in its defense, a DOJ spokesperson told NPR:
“After four years of the Biden Administration forcing Immigration Courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens, this Department of Justice is restoring integrity to our immigration system by following the law, timely completing cases, and hiring the most talented legal professionals to join in our mission to protect national security and public safety.” [Quote]
Use code “PHIL10” for 10% OFF your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code “DEFRANCO” for $10 off AND your chance at weekly $500 prizes! SeatGeek
-
Pete Hegseth just made this threat to one of the biggest AI companies in the world: loosen your safety standards and abandon your ethical rules, or the military will use your technology without your consent.
That is what multiple outlets are reporting following what has been widely described as a heated meeting yesterday between the Defense Secretary and the CEO of Anthropic.
Right, for a little background here, Anthropic — which is best known for its AI model Claude — is one of many AI companies that have started working with the military, entering into a $200 million pilot contract last summer.
But in January, Hegseth issued a memo directing AI companies to remove restrictions on their technology and give the military the ability to use AI tools however the fuck it wants.
Arguing that the military should be able to use these systems to whatever extent they like within the bounds of the law, regardless of what guardrails the companies have implemented or ethical lines in the sand they have drawn.
So, as a result, the various AI companies that work with the Pentagon have had to renegotiate their contracts.
And according to sources at the department, Elon Musk’s xAI has had no problem giving the military a blank check to use its technology however it sees fit.
And other companies, including Google, are reportedly getting close to reaching similar deals.
But Anthropic has been more cautious, agreeing to loosen restrictions but demanding that certain guardrails be put in place first.
Right, for months, Anthropic’s CEO has insisted both publicly and in meetings that he will not allow the company’s technology to be used for domestic mass surveillance or for autonomous weapons that operate or make decisions without humans.
He argues that those are ethical lines the company will not cross, calling those uses “illegitimate” and “prone to abuse.”[]
And, according to sources, he reiterated those sticking points in his meeting with Pentagon officials yesterday.
But, during that meeting, Hegseth reportedly gave Anthropic an ultimatum: agree to the DoD’s demands by this Friday, or face the consequences.
Now, as far as what the exact consequences are here, there has been some mixed reporting.
Right, some outlets have reported that Hegseth threatened to both designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk and invoke the Defense Production Act against them, which allows the government to take control over firms and their products.[]
But you also had some other outlets reporting that it’s more of an either/or situation between those two options — and that makes a bit more sense.[]
Right, when the government designates a company as a supply chain risk, it essentially blacklists it from future government contracts and usually requires the government to cut ties with the company and stop using its products.[]
But invoking the Defense Production Act would basically do the exact opposite — right, it would force Anthropic to let the military use its products regardless of what the company wants.
And, beyond that, we’ve also seen reports that Hegseth threatened to cancel Anthropics $200 million contract if they don’t agree to his demands, and it’s unclear how that option would fit into the various other scenarios.
Now, with all this, you had Pentagon officials telling reporters that the ultimatum has nothing to do with Anthropic’s guardrails against domestic surveillance and AI weapons.
But many experts say that this is clearly an attempt to punish Anthropic for setting basic ethical standards and refusing to just blindly come to heel and allow the military to use their technology for whatever the hell it pleases.
So for now, we’re going to have to wait and see how this whole situation plays out at the end of the week, but it’s really interesting to see a battle playing out where the Trump administration's pro-AI agenda is too much for literal AI companies.
-
15 states just sued HHS over its changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, as the Senate is poised to confirm yet another vaccine-sceptic Trump appointee to one of the highest-ranking health positions in America.
Yesterday, a group of Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit asking a judge to rollback the Trump administration’s decision to dramatically reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines.
Right, as we talked about before, the CDC made the incredibly controversial decision last month to change its guidance so it will no longer recommend that every child receive six key immunizations: hepatitis A & B, flu, meningitis, RSV, and rotavirus.
Effectively shrinking the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11.
So now, instead of encouraging Americans to give their children life-saving vaccines, the CDC guidelines say those shots should only be administered to smaller groups of high-risk kids or when a doctor recommends them.
And specifically, the new suit alleges that RFK JR. bypassed a key advisory committee and skirted the long-standing legal framework used ot make recommendations.
Claiming that the Trump administration’s vaccine changes weren’t based on any kind of scientific evidence, relying solely on irrelevant comparisons to countries that are totally different from the U.S.
Right, administration officials have repeatedly argued that Denmark uses a similar schedule, but experts note that Denmark has nationalized healthcare and a population smaller than New York City.
Additionally, the suit also alleges that RFK Jr. acted illegally when he fired all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with vaccine skeptics.
And, very notably here, this isn’t the only lawsuit that’s been filed against RFK Jr. and HHS — a coalition of public health organizations has also sued to reverse the vaccine guidance.
But the timing of this new suit is significant, because, as I was recording today’s show, the Senate was holding a confirmation hearing for yet another vaccine-sceptic that Trump has appointed for a top health position in his administration.
Right, the appointee in question is Casey Means, who Trump has tapped to be his Surgeon General — aka, the nation's top doctor.
But Means is controversial for a number of reasons.
First of all, while she is at least a medical doctor — which is more than can be said about RFK Jr. — she dropped out of her medical residency, and she doesn’t have an active license to treat patients.
She has also risen to prominence as a wellness influencer and entrepreneur by casting doubt on the medical system and embracing a number of questionable views, including supporting raw milk and disparaging birth control.
But she has arguably gotten the most flak for expressing skepticism about certain vaccines and spreading false claims that they are linked to autism.
And that was something she was repeatedly grilled about during the hearing today.
With Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is the chair of the Senate Health Committee and a physician himself, warning Means that, as the nation’s top doctor, she would have a responsibility to fight vaccine skepticism.
And while Means repeatedly claimed that she is not anti-vax or a vaccine skeptic, there were also multiple interactions with Senators that seemed to indicate otherwise.
For example, Means repeatedly refused to explicitly say that vaccines don’t cause autism when pressed by numerous different Senators, including in this interaction with Cassidy:
She also refused to directly answer questions from Cassidy about whether she would encourage parents to vaccinate their children against measles, even as the Senator noted that children have been dying of the vaccine-preventable disease amid large outbreaks that have occurred since Trump took office:
(20:03 - 21:06)
And, similarly, Means did not directly say that she would encourage Americans to take flu vaccines — which prevent millions of illnesses and save thousands of lives each year: But, despite those very alarming answers, it seems all but assured that Means will get confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, unless a few Republicans who have pushed back at the administration’s vaccine skepticism and outright lies suddenly grow spines… which seems highly unlikely.
![[]](https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2026/02/142110.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4332x2888+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F17%2F964c7340472aa1b0eb901e150e71%2Fgettyimages-2262910633.jpg){kind=link}
![[Medal of Honor]](https://gray-wowt-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/EY2HOTQDAJBEJHDW2MHLYY7ZPY.jpg?auth=e1137e860a598bd121ae34c6be4490cfbc5e2d95638c1d41a4327c53890d8867&width=1300&height=866&smart=true){kind=link}
![[Medal of Honor]](https://gray-wowt-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/ITMNFI3IGFCMLOWPXLKIY4SS4U.jpg?auth=468d7893d8c40352a48f53d976ce602993e4c8b1124d82461e34a7afec4c1f05&width=1300&height=864&smart=true){kind=link}
![[Purple Heart]](https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/18647111_022426-cc-ap-wolfe-purple-heart-sotu-img.jpg){kind=link}
