‘An Embarrassment to Their Families’

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for February 20, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

The Latest

President Donald Trump is not thrilled with the Supreme Court after justices — dramatically! — ruled 6-3 against his unilateral tariff authority under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act.

• “I think it’s an embarrassment to their families,” Trump said at a presser of Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, whom he had nominated but who sided with the court’s liberals.
• “They’re very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution,” he said of the justices who ruled against him. “It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement.”

Now what? Trump is still asserting tariff power, just under a different statute. He said he’ll sign a new 10% global tariff today.

• “The good news is that there are methods, practices, statutes and authorities as recognized by the entire court in this terrible decision, and also recognized by Congress, which they referred to, that are even stronger than the IEEPA tariffs available to me, the president of the United States,” he said at the presser.
• But … more problems ahead: “This is going to move it from being a legal battle as such to a political battle,” Trump ally and former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told NOTUS’ Jade Lozada.
• And more, for good measure: The decision puts the U.S. in unchartered economic territory.

The Hill

Democrats have other plans Tuesday night instead of sitting in for the president’s State of the Union speech.

• “We’re not a captive audience, but we are a coequal branch, and you have to treat your equals with respect and be willing to work with them,” Rep. Chellie Pingree told NOTUS. “We’re not just a sycophant forum.”
• Pingree plans to join about 20 other Democrats at “The People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall.

The Administration

Trump acknowledged he’s weighing limited strikes on Iran to push the country’s leaders to come to a favorable nuclear deal.

• “I guess I can say I am considering that,” he told reporters when asked about it this morning.

U.S. economic growth slowed at the end of 2025.

• “Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, grew at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the final three months of the year, the Commerce Department said on Friday,” the New York Times reports. “That was down from a 4.4 percent rate in the third quarter, partly because of the prolonged shutdown.”

It’s Definitely Friday

Same, Punch.

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kim Breen, Kate Nocera and Christopher T. Fong. If you like it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.