Desi Weekly News Digest 

Sigh.

What do good people do when confronted with corruption, illegality, and inhumanity in their government? Speak up, step up, and vote for candidates who will fight like he$%. 

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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

US and Israel Attack Iran, Killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Just months after attempting regime change in Venezuela, President “I have ended 8 wars” Trump launched a joint attack with Israel on Iran. (The strike was carried out without the approval of Congress. In fact, even Republican senators seemed to be unaware of the attack before it happened.) The attack was ostensibly to disable the country’s military operations and prevent it from making a nuclear weapon. (I guess the previous bunker busting didn’t work.) Several civilians, including school children, have been killed in the attack. Iran has retaliated with strikes aimed at U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. AP

Kansas Sends Letters To Trans People Demanding The Immediate Surrender Of Drivers Licenses: Transgender people across Kansas are reporting receiving letters from the Kansas Division of Vehicles stating that they must surrender their driver's licenses and that their current credentials will be considered invalid upon the law's publication in the Kansas Register. There is no legal or moral justification for this cruelty. Support groups in neighboring states began creating routes for trans people in Kansas to escape. ERIN IN THE MORNING

Justice Department Withheld and Removed Some Epstein Files Related to Trump: The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump. Some files have not been made public despite a law mandating their release. NPR

A Government Tariff Refund Bait and Switch: Hoping for a tariff refund? Don’t hold your breath. Winning at the Supreme Court was the easy part. WSJ (paywall)

In Less Than Year, Trump Erased 12 years of Solvency for Trust Fund That Pays for Medicare Part A: Recent policy changes and economic shifts have slashed 12 years off the projected life span of the trust fund that pays for Medicare Part A, according to a newly updated report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is now slated to be entirely exhausted by 2040, even though the balance generally increases through 2031, as spending will begin to outstrip income in the following year. FORTUNE

DOJ Cases Against Protesters Keep Collapsing as Officers’ Lies Are Exposed in Court: Justice Department prosecutors across the U.S. have suffered a string of embarrassing defeats in their aggressive pursuit of criminal cases against people accused of “assaulting” and “impeding” federal officers. But many of those cases have recently been dismissed or ended in not guilty verdicts. GUARDIAN

Partial Government Shutdown Continues: A partial government shutdown impacting the Department of Homeland Security has been ongoing for two weeks, with Democrats demanding overhauls to ICE and Border Patrol operations following the deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis. TSA worker paychecks have now been affected. CNN

DEMOCRACY IN DANGER

Trump Administration Will Collect Social Media Handles from Legal Immigrants and U.S. Citizens: In a blow to the First Amendment and privacy, the Trump administration last week approved a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plan to collect social media handles from people applying to change their immigration status. The new requirement, which was approved for one year, comes after the administration has openly declared its intent to use social media handles to screen people for speech it dislikes. BRENNAN CENTER

CORRUPTION ALERT  

Suspected Insiders Make Over $1.2 million on Polymarket by Betting on U.S.'s Iran Strike: Six insider accounts on Polymarket won around $1.2 million by predicting the U.S. would strike Iran on February 28. The strikes caused Bitcoin’s price to fall and oil futures on Hyperliquid to rise over the regional conflict’s consequences. COINDESK

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

Owners Want to Close This Colorado Coal Plant. Trump Administration Says No: Since returning to office, the Trump administration has issued emergency orders to keep eight coal units operating past their planned retirement dates. Now, the administration is also facing pushback from two Colorado utilities, which say the federal government's order is both unnecessary and unconstitutional. NPR