The Weekly Readlines February 23 -

From the Editor’s Desk:

“And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall.” – Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death

And just like that, America has a king. Don’t take my word for it. Donald Trump coronated himself, to the delight of millions who can now admit openly that democracy is on life support and they’re yanking out the plug. The upside: we can stop pretending they’re not all fascists to the core, making the deaths of everyone who fought and died for this country meaningless.

And since you won’t read about it pretty much anywhere …an 11-year-old took her own life after classmates threatened to call ICE on her family. She deserves to be remembered long after Trump has returned to the bowels of hell.

BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES

Top Social Security Official Steps Down After Disagreement With DOGE Over Sensitive Data

Trump Delivers For Putin On Ukraine

Don’t Say Gay Comes To Kennedy Center With Multiple Cancelations

America Turns Its Back On Europe

LGBTQ

Cemetery Refused To Bury Gay Spouse In Family Plot, Husband Claims | The Independent

‘Our Mission Is Under Attack’: LGBTQ Centers Sue Trump Administration Over Executive Orders

SAGE Scored A Victory Against Trump — But LGBTQ+ Older Adults Are Still At Risk

Make Philly An LGBTQ Sanctuary City | Opinion – Philadelphia Inquirer

U.S. AND BEYOND

Dating Apps’ Lack Of Safeguards Put LGBTQ+ Africans At Risk – Context News