February 17, 2026 — Morning Report (Mardi Gras)

The President's House in Philadelphia served as the executive mansion before Washington D.C. was built. George Washington and John Adams lived there. A public-private coalition funded the restoration of the site, explicitly including signage about the nine enslaved people Washington brought there as part of the site's mission. Trump's March 2025 executive order directed the Secretary of Interior to ensure federal sites did not "disparage Americans past or living," and Interior removed all slavery-related signage from the exhibit — including from what had been nominated as a National Underground Railroad Freedom Site. A federal court issued a preliminary injunction ordering the signs restored, finding that the President's job at this jointly funded site was maintenance, not narrative control. The funding came with specific purpose conditions he had no authority to override. Bryan expressed genuine surprise that the administration complied immediately rather than appealing and delaying.

Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain and astronaut, released public statements criticizing military leadership and telling members of the military that they are not required to follow unconstitutional orders. Hegseth responded by issuing a formal letter threatening criminal sanctions and announcing he would reduce Kelly's military rank and pension. The grand jury refused to indict (covered in 0212 AM). Kelly then sued in civil court. The judge granted a preliminary injunction on two grounds. First, Hegseth cited the Parker case for the proposition that First Amendment protections don't apply in the military — but Parker applies to active-duty personnel, and Kelly is retired. There is no case law extending military speech restrictions to retirees, and no logical reason to do so: the chain-of-command rationale doesn't apply once someone has left the chain. Second, on Hegseth's argument that Congress has authorized military tribunals over retirees and therefore the military can regulate their speech: the Constitution is "a limitation on the power of Congress, not the other way around." Congress cannot authorize what the Constitution prohibits. Kelly's statements were protected First Amendment and Speech and Debate speech; Hegseth retaliated against him for them; he was harmed. Preliminary injunction entered.