Spend five minutes watching conservative cable news, and some facial features stand out in the MAGA crowd. Overfilled lips, sharply contoured cheeks, frozen foreheads, bright veneers, and at times, spray tans that read orange under studio lights. In U.S. President Donald Trump’s orbit, this look has become almost uniform.

The look dominates Fox News panels and Trump’s events.

Many MAGA celebrities have undergone alleged surgeries to fit the Mar-a-Lago face standards

Image credits: Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Axios reported that as of January, plastic surgeons in Washington DC have seen a “surge in ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ requests from Trump insiders,” that one surgeon even compared to “Maleficent.”

Here are the faces that define the Mar-a-Lago era, and how politics is changing beauty trends across the country. 

Kristi Noem 

Kristi Noem’s transformation has become one of the most talked-about in Republican politics. Once known for a more understated Midwestern look, the South Dakota governor now appears fully aligned with the Mar-a-Lago aesthetic.

“Kristi Noem got a MAGA makeover. But between the extensions, veneers, lip injections and Botox, she just ended up looking like fellow dog-hater, Lara Trump,” said one user on X. 

Image credits: Brandon Bell/Getty Images, Bill Clark/Roll Call

Another also said Noem “has spent a ton of money on botox, lip filler, make up, hair extensions, camera filters, clothing, and everything it takes to make her look like a young 18 year old woman. You better believe she’s angling to be Trump’s VP pick.”

Karoline Leavitt

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made history as the youngest U.S. press secretary ever when she stepped into the role a year ago at the age of 27. 

Image credits: Cheryl Senter/Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A December 2025 Vanity Fair photoshoot revealed marks from recent lip injections, the List noted. “This photographer understood the assignment… Get them a Pulitzer Prize for making sure we see every last bloody lip injection entry point,” one user said on Instagram, while many others commented on Leavitt looking older than her age because of the injections. 

 

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While Leavitt hasn’t gone full Mar-a-Lago face yet, her lips have been the subject of a couple of comments from Trump. At a December rally, Trump praised Leavitt for her “beautiful face and those lips that don’t stop,” before comparing them to a “little machine gun.” 

Kimberly Guilfoyle

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and the Ambassador of the United States to Greece, made headlines after her old modeling pictures resurfaced, showing a comparison of how her appearance has changed over the years. Dr. Gary Motykie, a plastic surgeon, told the Daily Mail that Guilfoyle likely had fillers since her cheeks looked fuller than before.

Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/WireImage/Getty Images

“She’s lost a lot of weight, and when you lose the weight when you are older you tend to look more gaunt. But this isn’t the case with her,” Motykie said. 

Lara Trump

Eric Trump’s wife, Lara Trump, has undergone several changes. Plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Reagan told The List, based on images from 2015, 2020, and 2025, she seems to have “a softer, rounder facial appearance, suggesting that she may have had volume added.”  

Dr. Gary said Trump has spent at least $140,000 on a rhinoplasty and fillers, causing the top of her nose to look “more raised and defined” than in her past photos.  

Image credits: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Vanessa Trump

Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., has the perfect “Mar-a-Lago face” with ballooned lips, a smooth forehead, stretched out eyes, and cheeks.

Her transformation took place after being divorced from Trump. Gary Goldenberg told Lifestyle & Mag that she seems to have got Botox, Xeomin, or Dysport, causing her forehead to be flat and wrinkle-free. Goldenberg added that Trump could also have gotten a subtle lip augmentation with fillers. 

Image credits: Charles Eshelman/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Matt Gaetz

Men are not immune to the trend either. Former Rep. and a proud Trump supporter, Gaetz was almost unrecognizable in the span of a couple of years. The most serious change seems to be his eyebrows, which now pinch up toward his forehead, and his eyes, which have a much tauter look.

He also appears to have gotten a couple of spray tans, a distinguishable feature of Trump himself. 

Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mike Johnson

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, has changed his look from more boyish features to the classic MAGA elements, with a pillow-faced look, perhaps one with too much filler, that creates a puffy appearance. His rounder cheeks and fuller lips could suggest filters.

Image credits: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Nancy Mace

Rep. Nancy Mace has been unable to escape plastic surgery rumors, with there being stark differences between her older and recent images. Many people have suggested that she’s had rhinoplasty to change the shape of her nose, along with breast augmentation surgery.  

Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images, Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Jared Kushner

Jared Kushner, a former advisor to Trump and his son-in-law, has been engulfed in Trump’s dynasty for years now. Similar to Gaetz, Kushner’s eyebrows arch upward and hide a significant amount of his forehead. While in his older pictures, Kushner has a boyish charm and rocks a dimple, he now has hollow cheeks and rounder eyes.

After a 2019 HBO interview, one person compared his look to a “wet, haunted doll.”

Image credits: Nathan Howard – Pool/Getty Images, Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Laura Loomer

Political activist Laura Loomer achieved the “Mar-a-Lago” face, but it allegedly seemed to be too much for even Trump, and led to their falling out. According to a 2024 report from The Atlantic, Trump was “disgusted to learn about the apparent extent of Loomer’s facial alterations.” 

A viral tweet showed before and after images of Loomer, calling her evolution one from an “average looking human to Jigsaw.” Loomer seems to have undergone rhinoplasty, with her nose looking more refined, straighter, and slimmer. Changes in her facial features also suggest lip fillers, and a face lift or chin augmentation. 

Image credits: John Lamparski/Getty Images, Jacob M. Langston/Getty Images

It is not an easy or cheap feat to obtain the “Mar-a-Lago” face. According to the Miami New Times, one would need at least seven procedures that cost upwards of $150,000. Trump’s beauty standards go beyond MAGA celebrities to a common person, who can be seen having Florida tans, caked-on makeup, razor-sharp cheekbones, or puffed-up lips. 

The evidence includes the creation of a playable mass-shooting simulator inside a controversial online community, as well as a trail of other accounts that described gun use and mental health struggles, according to multiple outlets that reviewed archived material and platform takedowns.

The Tumbler Ridge school shooter created an online mass shooting simulator

Image credits: RCMP

Police say the violence in the remote community pof Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday began at a home, where the school shooting suspect is believed to have killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother before going to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Six people were killed at the school, and the suspect later died from what police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities initially reported the attack being carried out by “a female in a dress” before the suspect was identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, a transgender woman who had identified as female for around six years.

Tumbler Ridge students barricaded themselves in classrooms as Jesse Van Rootselaar opened fire

Witnesses describe the scene as a shooting rampage at a B.C. school killed a 39-year-old female teacher, and five students — three 12-year-old girls, and two boys, one aged 12 the… pic.twitter.com/IvmbkEx2mh

— National Post (@nationalpost) February 13, 2026

According to technology outlet 404 Media, Van Rootselaar built a simulation of a mass shooting in a mall-like setting inside controversial online game Roblox. The makers of the game told 404 Media that the user account “and any content associated with the suspect” had been taken down.

Roblox in an online multiplayer community game that allows users to interact and build playable areas and activities. It is rated 13+ by the Entertainment Software Rating Board because it can expose users to a wide range of user-generated content.

Image credits: Oberon Copeland/Unsplash

However, it is widely played by pre-teens, and the makers of the game have come in for heavy criticism over the ease with which children are exposed to inappropriate content, groomed by predators, and encouraged to self-harm.

Elsewhere online Van Rootselaar was found to have engaged in other activity revolving around violence, including maintaining a YouTube channel that hosted videos about hunting and firearms. Meanwhile, a Reddit account with a matching username posted messages describing mental health problems, drug use, and psychiatric support.

The Tumbler Ridge school shooter had written online about mental health struggles

Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old, has been identified as the suspect in the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge School in Canada, which left 9 people dead.

The countries deadliest shooting in decades.
pic.twitter.com/IEdc4URLDl

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) February 12, 2026

The online material has spread quickly since the shootings, with screenshots and archive links circulating across platforms and prompting questions about whether any warning signs were missed. Police have urged the public to avoid speculation while investigators work to establish a motive and a timeline and also cautioned against turning the case into a proxy fight over gender identity.

Gun Violence Archive data shows transgender perpetrators make up a tiny fraction of mass shootings in the U.S., while research from UCLA’s Williams Institute finds transgender people experience violent victimization at more than four times the rate of cisgender people.

‘We love you and miss you’: What we know about the 8 Tumbler Ridge massacre victims

The school victims were a 39-year-old female teacher, and five students — three 12-year-old girls, and two boys, one aged 12 the other 13https://t.co/a29L77E8x8 pic.twitter.com/ossLekeDCo

— National Post (@nationalpost) February 13, 2026

On Thursday, RCMP publicly confirmed the names of those killed sat the school two days earlier, including four children aged 12, one aged 13, and 39-year-old educator Shannda Aviugana-Durand.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney traveled to Tumbler Ridge on Friday alongside opposition leaders to attend a vigil, as residents in the small mountain town struggled to process one of the country’s worst mass shootings in modern times, and families asked for privacy as the investigation continues.

Police have said it is too early to draw conclusions from online material alone, and they have not said what role, if any, the Roblox simulator or social-media posts played in the attack. Investigators have asked anyone with relevant information to contact police rather than sharing graphic content online.

She has positioned herself in stark contrast to Vance, a potential heir to U.S. President Trump’s administration.  

While she regularly spars with Vance on social media, Ocasio-Cortez will be taking a more serious stance by appearing at the Munich Security Conference in Germany later this week. 

AOC gives a clear signal that she will run for the 2028 presidential election

Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This will likely be the 36-year-old congresswoman’s most important overseas trip, where she is anticipated to receive a euphoric reception. She is expected to discuss her foreign policy vision at the annual conference, which will be attended by more than 60 heads of state and government. 

Attendees include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom will also be there, and so will Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Ocasio-Cortez is expected to challenge.  

Image credits: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The potential 2028 presidential candidates are expected to challenge Europe’s ruling class, with Democratic and Republican representatives convincing American voters of their policies.

Last year, Vance spoke in Munich and accused Europeans of endangering Western civilization by censoring free speech, not controlling immigration, and having weak defense strategies. The Trump administration has since made several comments on its Western allies.

This year, the administration is set to send Rubio, who has generally been considered the “good cop” in the Trump administration. He came under scrutiny after the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and strikes on Venezuelan ships. 

Image credits: John McDonnell/Getty Images

Ocasio-Cortez had a challenging moment in 2018 as a congressional candidate when she was asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on PBS, and she said: “I am not the expert at geopolitics on this issue.” As of late, she has been getting advice on global affairs from Matt Duss, an expert who was Bernie Sanders’s foreign policy advisor for five years.

She has also been receiving briefings from a Washington-based think tank, the Center for International Policy, which promotes a non-interventionist U.S. foreign policy and human rights. 

The Washington Post also reported that Duss’ role in her debut could lead Ocasio-Cortez to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a pro-Palestinian perspective.

Image credits: Mario Tama/Getty Images

AOC, who holds the perspective that the influence and interests of wealthy people on government are a driver of right-wing populism, is also expected to condemn the influence of corporate interests on international policies hostile to the working class.

Ocasio-Cortez is closely aligned with Bernie Sanders and the democratic socialist wing of the party.  

“AOC has made no secret of her interest in running on a national ticket, whether it’s for president or vice president,” an anonymous Democratic insider told the Daily Mail.

AOC has positioned herself in stark contrast with Vance 

Image credits: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

“She has strong domestic policy credentials, and strong progressive credentials, but if you’re going to be on a national ticket and be president or vice president, you have to have some knowledge of foreign affairs.”

They added, “And I think she’ll also use it [Munich] to contrast her views with Vance, since he’s the most likely Republican nominee, to set up the contrast early, get people thinking about Vance versus AOC.”

A December poll by The Argument and Verasight showed Ocasio-Cortez defeating Vance in a hypothetical 2028 race by 51 percent to 49 percent. She quickly shared the poll on X and wrote, “Bloop!”

Image credits: PollTracker2024/X

Later, she downplayed a survey taken three years before an election, instead saying, “Let the record show… I would stomp him… I would stomp him!”

Ocasio-Cortez heavily criticized Vance after the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota. “That is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I,” she had said at the time. “I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.” 

“The most important thing she’ll do is contrast her views with Vance and Trump,” Professor Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, told the Daily Mail. “There’s so many obvious lines – I won’t be annexing Greenland, Canada isn’t going to be our 51st state… what I would be interested in is how much she dwells on the Middle East because that is a continuing source of divisive controversy in the Democratic Party.”

Image credits: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Sabato also predicted a crowded Democratic primary in 2028. “Everybody and his brother and sister will be running for this nomination,” he said. “A drove of Democrats will run.” Newsom is widely seen as one of the strongest potential candidates.

On the online prediction market Kalshi, Ocasio-Cortez currently ranks as the second favorite for the Democratic nomination, behind Newsom. 

However, Sabato warned that early frontrunners often struggle. “The worst thing you can be is the favorite for the presidential nomination three years in advance,” he said. “Almost all of them have not gotten the nomination because they have three years to survive attacks from everybody else. They’re the obvious target.”

Age could work in her favor. The Constitution requires presidential candidates to be at least 35 years old. Ocasio-Cortez would be 39 on Election Day in 2028. “The one thing you don’t want to be today is too old,” Sabato explained. “We’ve had Biden and Trump, and that’s going to be it for people in their late 70s and early 80s for a long, long time.”

Ocasio-Cortez entered Congress as the youngest woman ever elected. 

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat, spoke outside Capitol Hill on Wednesday night, saying the Royal Family’s reputation is “on the line” over how it handles the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

He said he hopes King Charles will “do the right thing” and allow authorities to hold his brother “accountable” for his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Democratic Rep said the Royal Family’s reputation is ‘on the line’

Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

“In terms of King Charles the family’s reputation is on the line so I hope they do the right thing by letting the authorities hold Andrew accountable for anything he did,” Subramanyam said. 

He added that justice “has many forms” and that reputations and titles are part of that. “Their reputation is on the line right now,” he said. Subramanyam also repeated his call for Andrew to testify before the House Oversight Committee. So far, Andrew has not responded to requests to appear.

Image credits: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

On January 30, the Department of Justice released three million pages of investigation files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Andrew has denied allegations of wrongdoing, but images and email receipts in the Epstein files paint him in a critical light. The former prince met Epstein in the 1990s through the disgraced financier’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving prison time for child sex-trafficking.

Image credits: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images

In 1999, Andrew visited Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, where many of his sex crimes are said to have taken place. The two, along with Maxwell at times, have been photographed multiple times over the years. 

In 2021, during Maxwell’s trials, the court had heard testimony that Andrew traveled on Epstein’s plane, in the early to mid-1990s, with a 14-year-old girl. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, had also accused Epstein of loaning her to Andrew three times when she was seventeen years old at Maxwell’s Belgravia home in 2001. 

An infamous photo shows Andrew with Giuffre, posing with his hand around her waist.

Andrew has been photographed multiple times with Epstein and Maxwell

The latest files include three undated pictures of the former Prince, which have since gone viral. In the images, Andrew can be seen on all fours over an unidentified woman who is sprawled on a striped carpet.

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. 

Representative Melanie Stansbury, another Democrat, said Epstein had been a “national security risk” to the UK. Stansbury called for an investigation into anyone who had shared information with Epstein. She alleged Epstein’s crimes went beyond sexual trafficking and into money laundering. 

“It’s not only a stain on the reputation of all world leaders, there were leaders in association with Epstein and his sexual crimes but it’s a national security risk,” she said.

She added: “What’s happened in the UK is Jeffrey Epstein was a national security risk to the UK and the individuals who may have intentionally or inadvertently shared information be held accountable.”

The comments came as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before Congress to answer questions about the Epstein case. Rep. Ted Lieu had asked Bondi, “Why have you not prosecuted former Prince Andrew?” Bondi had no response, but retorted, questioning Lieu as to why he did not ask this question of the former attorney general. 

Bondi was questioned on why she has not prosecuted Andrew yet 

Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace said King Charles III  felt “profound concern” over the allegations surrounding his brother. The Palace also said it would support any investigation by Thames Valley Police if approached. He also stripped Andrew of all his royal titles and privileges in late 2025.  

Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna told Sky News that this was not enough, and that the monarchy faces serious questions. “I think this is the most vulnerable the British monarchy has ever been. They ought to ask the King and Queen questions and maybe this will be the end of the monarchy,” he said.

Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Khanna continued, “If they don’t have answers, if they’re implicated in the Epstein class, it’s not a good look for the British monarchy. The King has to answer what he knew, what he knew about Andrew, and just stripping Andrew of a title is not enough.”

“Andrew needs to come before our committee and start answering questions. I don’t think the appropriate punishment is you no longer get to be a prince. There’s got to be more than that,” he added.

The outbursts came after Trump was apparently forced to walk back on excluding all Democratic governors from the National Governors Association (NGA) gathering, as the organization had reported to its members on Monday.

Quoting an email sent by NGA Chair and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, which stated the White House intended to limit the 20 February meeting to “Republican Governors only,” Trump branded the claim “false” and was typically effusive.

Donald Trump lashed out on social media over invitations to a bipartisan event

Image credits: The White House/Flickr

Trump clarified in his post that he was excluding Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who he claimed “fraudulently stated that he received Military medals”—in reference to a Bronze Star Medal that Moore listed as having received before actually being awarded it.

“That is false! The invitations were sent to ALL Governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there,” he wrote, having labeled Stitt a “RINO”—meaning “Republican in name only.”

Image credits: Donald J. Trump/Truth Social

In the case of Polis, Trump justified the exclusion on the basis that he “unfairly incarcerated in solitary confinement a 73-year-old cancer stricken woman… for attempting to fight Democrat Voter Fraud” in an apparent reference to Tina Peters.

Peters is a former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk who received a nine-year sentence for voting machine tampering tied to 2020 election conspiracy claims. The illness Trump refers to appears to be a prior case of lung cancer, for which Peters had part of her lung removed in 2016. Colorado corrections officials have denied that she is being kept in solitary confinement.

Image credits: Jeremy Harlan/X

The dispute is complicated by the fact that the NGA’s Washington gathering typically involves multiple White House touchpoints. One is the NGA business breakfast meeting at the White House on February 20, where governors meet with the president and senior officials.

Another is the black-tie governors’ dinner, also traditionally hosted by the president around the same time. Stitt’s initial message to governors focused on the business meeting, saying the White House intended to limit invitations to Republican governors only, while Trump’s Truth Social posts repeatedly referenced the “very exclusive” annual dinner and meeting — language that has left it unclear whether the White House was drawing different lines for different events, or the breakfast and dinner were being treated as a single package.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is the NGA chair and has previously been endorsed by Trump

Image credits: Governor Kevin Stitt/Flickr

Trump’s online outburst came after Stitt contacted governors again on Wednesday to inform them that, having spoken to the president on the phone, they had “addressed the misunderstanding in scheduling” and all governors would be invited, according to The Associated Press.

In a follow-up post published two hours later, Trump targeted Stitt directly, labelling him “RINO” again and claiming to be responsible for his re-election as governor. “Sorry, my cherished Oklahoma, to have done that to you!” the post said.

That came less than four years after Trump issued an endorsement statement that said, “Kevin Stitt has done a fantastic job as governor of Oklahoma,” and called him “a champion for our America First agenda,” according to local outlet KOCO 5 News.

Image credits: Donald J. Trump/ Truth Social

Trump then came back for another bite of the cherry in another Truth Social post on Thursday morning, again claiming credit for Stitt’s 2022 reelection, while criticizing him for misrepresenting his intentions when earlier stating that Trump would exclude Democratic governors.

“Stitt, a wiseguy, knew this, but tried to get some cheap publicity by stating otherwise,” the post said.

Image credits: Donald J. Trump/Truth Social

The National Governors Association had earlier canceled the White House session after Democrats said they had been shut out. In a statement updated February 11, the group said it was “pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the White House,” calling the meeting “a valued tradition” and “an important opportunity to build bridges.”

The episode leaves a muddled set of claims about who, exactly, was invited and when—and whether the fight is primarily about the formal dinner, the business breakfast, or both. Reuters reported the White House did not respond to a request seeking clarification of Trump’s remarks about excluding Moore and Polis.

With governors still set to arrive in Washington for the February 20 gathering, the dispute has turned a normally ceremonial show of bipartisan cooperation into an open quarrel, with Trump’s social media posts adding fresh uncertainty over who will be welcomed through the White House doors.

The suit was filed in federal court in San Jose against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in December.

It names state and prison officials as defendants and accuses them of failing to protect Joseph Mendoza while he was in custody at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad.

Joseph Mendoza was killed in April of last year, and footage of the attack went viral

Image credits: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Mendoza, 36, of Merced, was killed on April 8, 2025, inside a day room.

According to the lawsuit and prison records, two fellow inmates attacked him with makeshift knives, stabbing him repeatedly.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mendoza’s father, Ismael Mendoza, said he believed that the CDCR had failed his son, Bay City News Service reported.

“My son, he made many mistakes, but he took accountability … he was there to do his time,” he said. “But being stabbed 180 times and guards with lethal weapons not doing anything? That will rip your heart in pieces. I believe that the CDCR has failed him.”

The lawsuit alleges that correctional staff at Salinas Valley State Prison failed to intervene for more than three minutes while Mendoza was violently attacked, despite having the training, weapons, and authority to use force to stop it.

It claims officers were understaffed, did not call for immediate backup or medical help, and allowed the assault to continue unchecked, resulting in fatal injuries.

The suit further alleges that when staff finally responded, they failed to provide timely and adequate medical care.

This included basic lifesaving measures and rapid transport for emergency treatment, which the family argues showed deliberate indifference to Mendoza’s safety and led to his death.

The complaint also alleges that prison personnel failed to properly secure key evidence after the attack, including surveillance footage and official reports, hindering accountability.

It claims some staff later shared video of the assault and its aftermath through personal cell phones with unauthorized people and on social media, violating privacy protections and departmental policy.

The lawsuit further alleges that staff ignored Mendoza’s earlier requests to be placed in protective custody before the assault occurred and allowed the general prison population to learn of his requests.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Mendoza’s mother, Zina Kumetat, said the online video of her son’s death has compounded the family’s pain.

“They stripped him of his dignity by humiliating him and putting that video on all social media platforms,” she said. “I’m still stuck on the day he died because of that video … It’s already been 10 months, and for me, it’s still yesterday.”

The lawsuit describes the actions and omissions of staff as reckless and malicious, and asserts they were a direct cause of Mendoza’s death and related civil rights violations.

In a statement released in April, the CDCR said that staff observed inmates Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young attacking Mendoza in the dayroom.

“Staff immediately responded and issued several verbal commands to stop, which were ignored,” it said. “Staff then deployed multiple less-than-lethal use-of-force options, which ultimately quelled the incident. Frayre and Young were secured in handcuffs.”

In court records, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Deputy Attorney General Paul Kozina denied all of the allegations contained in the family’s lawsuit and requested a jury trial.

The first court date is expected within the next two months, according to family attorneys.

The measure passed by a narrow 219-211 margin, with six Republican lawmakers joining all but one Democrat in opposing the president’s trade policy.

The resolution, sponsored by Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, would terminate the national emergency Trump declared in 2025 to justify the tariffs on Canada.

Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canadian imports last year

Image credits: Al Drago/Getty Images

Supporters of the move said the tariffs have raised costs for American families and strained relations with one of America’s closest allies.

“Today’s vote is simple, very simple: will you vote to lower the cost of living for the American family, or will you keep prices high out of loyalty to one person — Donald J. Trump?” Meeks said on the House floor.

The tariffs were first imposed under a national emergency declaration Trump signed at the start of his second term and are currently sitting at 35%, although many of the goods are exempt under the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA).

The administration argued that the flow of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, across the Canadian border constituted an “unusual and extraordinary” threat, providing authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping duties on Canadian goods.

Image credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Six Republicans broke ranks with GOP leadership to back the resolution to end those tariffs.

They included Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, and Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to prevent the vote, arguing lawmakers should wait for a pending Supreme Court decision on the legality of the tariffs before acting.

That effort failed when enough Republicans joined Democrats to advance the resolution.

Bacon said Congress should not cede its authority over trade policy to the executive branch.

Image credits: J. David Ake/Getty Images

“Why doesn’t Congress stand on its own two feet and say that we’re an independent branch?” he said. “We should defend our authorities. I hope the Supreme Court does, but if we don’t do it, shame on us.”

Trump condemned the House vote and warned Republicans who supported it that they could face political consequences.

“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against tariffs will seriously suffer the consequences come election time, and that includes Primaries,” he wrote on Truth Social.

He added, “TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.”

Trump warned Republicans they would face consequences for disobeying him

Image credits: Donald Trump

For the resolution to take effect, it would need to pass the Senate and then be signed by the president or have a veto overridden.

A veto override would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers — a threshold supporters do not have.

Despite the unlikelihood of the bill becoming law, Meeks welcomed the support in forcing and winning a House vote.

“For months, Republicans blocked a vote on Trump’s illegal tariffs, choosing procedural games over their responsibility to the people they represent,” he said.

“Today, Democrats, joined by several Republicans, were able to force that vote and put Republicans on record.”

Image credits: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

“The question was simple: stand with working families and lower costs, or keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump? House Democrats will continue fighting to lower costs, even if most Republicans won’t.”

It comes after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging the use of emergency powers to impose tariffs in November last year.

Justices questioned whether the IEEPA truly authorizes broad trade duties, noting that the power to tax is typically reserved for Congress.

The Supreme Court’s opinion is still pending months after oral argument, and industry analysts expect a decision could have a wide impact on U.S. trade policy.

If Justices rule against Trump, it is expected that the administration could have to fork out over $100 billion in refunds.

“Clean beautiful coal. We love clean beautiful coal, don’t we?” Trump said during an event at the White House on Wednesday. The event celebrated Trump’s order directing the Pentagon to procure electricity from coal-fired power plants.

“I’m thrilled to welcome to the White House the men and women who light our cities, and you know, you do things that people don’t even understand, so much, you do so much,” the president said.

Donald Trump was awarded the ‘Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal’ award

Image credits: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images

He added, “You heat our homes, fuel our factories and turn natural resources into American riches and dreams. Our amazing coal miners.”

Trump then boasted about how his administration has raised production in the industry by 4 million tons a month after it had fallen for “literally decades.” 

“I ended the war on coal,” Trump announced. 

Step aside EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner). Trump is now the ONLY WINNER of BOTH the FIFA Peace Prize and the winner of the “Champion of Beautiful, Clean Coal” award. CHECKMATE LIBERALS. pic.twitter.com/8H5nYE97ZH

— David Pakman (@dpakman) February 12, 2026

President and CEO of Peabody Energy Jim Grech then went on to award Trump with a physical trophy. The design featured a bronze statue of a coal miner on the top. “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal,” the inscription read.

More than a dozen coal executives, miners in hard hats, and members of the Washington Coal Club stood in the audience as the award was presented to Trump. The club is a pro-coal advocacy group with financial ties to the coal mining industry, according to The New York Times. 

Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This is the third time in two months that Trump has received an award as an “inaugural recipient” from someone trying to get on his good books. In December, he accepted a newly created “FIFA Peace Prize” during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino handed him the prize at the ceremony, after months of Trump demanding he win the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. The football association had said the prize was designed to “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.” 

Trump announced that he ended the war on coal 

Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump’s outburst over not winning the Peace Prize also led to the actual winner of the award, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, offering him the prize “for the work I have done.” Trump called it “such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

However, the organizers of the Nobel Prize said that the award “cannot be revoked, shared or transferred,” adding that the decision was “final and stands for all time.”

The award left people on social media in disbelief. “I just can’t stop laughing at this. It has to be the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen,” said one user on Reddit. “He [Trump] has the brain of a toddler lmao,” said another. A third said on X, “This shit is so embarrassing and weird.” 

Step aside EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner). Trump is now the ONLY WINNER of BOTH the FIFA Peace Prize and the winner of the “Champion of Beautiful, Clean Coal” award. CHECKMATE LIBERALS. pic.twitter.com/8H5nYE97ZH

— David Pakman (@dpakman) February 12, 2026

“Step aside EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner). Trump is now the ONLY WINNER of BOTH the FIFA Peace Prize and the winner of the ‘Champion of Beautiful, Clean Coal’ award. CHECKMATE LIBERALS,” commentator David Pakman wrote sarcastically on X. 

A second user also commented, “I’ve heard of people who have won an Oscar and an Emmy. But to win the Champion of Clean Coal AND the FIFA Peace Prize? In the same year? Unprecedented!”

Newsom signed a bill in Sacramento to provide $90 million in one-time emergency funding for Planned Parenthood and other clinics that serve women’s reproductive health needs.

The funding is aimed at offsetting recent federal cuts under Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that have reduced Medicaid reimbursements for these services and forced clinic closures across the state.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom scolded reporters at a press conference

Image credits: Gavin Newsom

The press conference took place outside the state Capitol, and Newsom was joined by lawmakers and health advocates as he highlighted the funding and what it means for access to reproductive care in California.

He said the money was needed because the loss of federal support threatened services for women across the state.

After initial remarks, reporters began asking questions on a range of topics, including California’s high-speed rail project, the Los Angeles Olympics, and Newsom’s international travel plans.

That prompted a strong reaction from Siebel Newsom, who stepped to the microphone and challenged the focus of the questions, scolding reporters for not being focused on women’s health.

Wow—

Jenifer Siebel Newsom—CA’s First Partner and Gov’s wife— scolds California Capitol press corps for not asking on topic questions at a Planned Parenthood press conference.

“You don’t seem to care.”

Most of the journalists in the room —repping AP to NY Times —were women. pic.twitter.com/I59M0Kvl0j

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) February 11, 2026

“We just find it incredulous that we have Planned Parenthood here, and women are 51 percent of the population, and the majority of the questions, all of these questions, have really been about other issues,” Siebel Newsom said. “So it’s just fascinating.”

She continued her remarks by calling attention to what she described as a broader struggle over women’s rights.

“You have the incredible Women’s Caucus and all these allies, and you’re not asking about it,” she said. “This happens over and over and over and over again.

“You wonder why we have such a horrific war on women in this country and that these guys are getting away with it, and you don’t seem to care.”

Image credits: The White House

Siebel Newsom added, “So I just offer that with love. Ask about what we’re here for today, don’t you think?”

It is understood that most of the journalists present were women representing outlets including The Associated Press, Politico, The New York Times, and major television networks.

KCRA reporter and president of the Sacramento Press Club, Ashley Zavala, challenged Siebel Newsom in a follow-up question.

“A setting like this is one of the few opportunities where the California Capitol press corps get the opportunity to ask Governor Newsom questions. So often times in settings like this, they are off topic,” she said.

The new funding is aimed at offsetting federal cuts

Image credits: Gavin Newsom

Siebel Newsom, an award-winning filmmaker and gender equity advocate, has served as California’s First Partner since her husband first took office in 2019.

The bill was passed on Monday, and Governor Newsom has vowed to protect women’s healthcare across the state.

“As Trump and his Republican enablers punish women with jaw-dropping cuts to reproductive health care providers, California is holding the line,” he wrote on X after signing the bill.

Image credits: Gavin Newsom

“We will never back down from defending Californians’ freedom and access to reproductive health care.”

Newsom is widely seen as a Democratic candidate frontrunner in the 2028 presidential race, although he has not officially confirmed a run.

In October, he told CBS News that he is giving serious thought to running for president in 2028.

She engaged in shouting matches with Democrats during her testimony, even calling the panel’s top Democrat a “washed-up, loser lawyer.” 

Bondi appeared before the committee after the Department of Justice recently released millions of pages of documents tied to the federal investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Pam Bondi got into shouting matches with Democrats during the Judiciary Committee hearing

Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The DOJ was criticized not only for missing the initial deadline to release the files, but also for incorrect redactions. The names of people involved have been redacted, while personal details of some victims have been published. 

Bondi testified in front of a committee consisting of 44 members of Congress, including Republican Chairman Jim Jordan and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, a Democrat.

Epstein’s victims were among the attendees, as Raskin accused Bondi of failing to prioritize them.

Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images

“You’re not showing a lot of interest in the victims,” Raskin said. “Whether it’s Epstein’s human trafficking ring or the homicidal government violence against citizens in Minneapolis, as attorney general you’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims.”

Bondi fired back. “You don’t tell me anything,” she said, before calling Raskin a “washed-up, loser lawyer—not even a lawyer.”

Raskin also accused Bondi of avoiding direct answers and asked Jordan to restore time to Rep. Jerry Nadler during a tense exchange. “You can let her filibuster all day long, but not on our watch,” Raskin said. “Not on our time, no way. And I told you about that, Attorney General, before you started.” 

Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Bondi turned her criticism toward Nadler as well. She referenced past investigations into U.S. President Donald Trump and said Democrats owed him an apology.

“You said the president conspired, sought foreign interference in the 2016 election,” Bondi said. “Robert Mueller found no evidence, none, of foreign interference in 2016. Have you apologized to President Trump?” she added. 

“You all should be apologizing. You sit here and you attack the president, and I am not going to have it. I’m not going to put up with it.” 

Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The hearing focused heavily on the release of the Epstein files. Some lawmakers argued about the DOJ not redacting personal information belonging to victims. 

Rep. Thomas Massie said, “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.” Massie, along with Ro Khanna, co-authored the bill signed by Trump last November that forced the release of the Epstein files. 

Thomas Massie criticized Bondi for not redacting some victims’ personal information

Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images

“If any man’s name was redacted that should not have been, we will of course unredact it,” Bondi retorted. “If a victim’s name was unredacted, please bring it to us, and we will redact it.”

When Massie hit back and showed three documents “emblematic of the massive failure of the DOJ to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Bondi said Massie “has Trump Derangement Syndrome” and called him a “failed politician.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked victims in the room to stand if they had not been able to meet with the Justice Department.  

“Why didn’t she ask Merrick Garland this twice when he sat in my chair? I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics,” Bondi said about Jayapal, referring to the former Attorney General. 

Rep. Ted Lieu raised questions about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, bringing to the committee a now-infamous picture of him grinning while looming over an unidentified female who is sprawled on the floor.

Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images

“Why have you not prosecuted former Prince Andrew?” Lieu questioned Bondi. Bondi responded, asking Lieu why he did not ask the questions about prosecutions to Garland. Lieu said there were more than 1,000 victims in the case and condemned Bondi for not holding a single man accountable.

“Shame on you,” he said. 

Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Bondi was also questioned by Democratic Rep. Becca Balint, who brought up US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s ties to Epstein. While Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing, he did confirm that he had visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island in 2012. “These are senior officials in the Trump administration. This is not a game,” Balint said.

The hearing grew increasingly combative as members from both parties interrupted each other. Bondi accused some Democrats of focusing on Epstein only because Trump is president.

“None of them asked [former Attorney General] Merrick Garland, over the last four years, one word about Jeffrey Epstein. How ironic is that? You know why? Because Donald Trump,” Bondi said.  

Rep. Becca Balint stormed out of the chamber at one point 

Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images

At one point, Balint stormed out of the chamber after Bondi accused her of not putting similar questions in front of Bill Clinton or Merrick Garland. 

Balint called the rebuke “Weaksauce.” Bondi then brought up Balint’s 2024 vote against a resolution condemning a pro-Palestine slogan, saying, “With this antisemitic culture right now, she voted against a resolution condemning ‘from the river to the sea.’”

“Do you want to go there, are you serious?” Balint shouted as she walked out. “Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust, really?” 

According to a recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos, Americans disapprove about 3-to-1 of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.