• “Today, on Presidents Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of presidential power.” So stated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra yesterday during the unveiling of a lawsuit from 16 states that seeks to annul the president’s national-emergency declaration. The judicial system, as expected, is now tasked with ruling for or against the declaration. And though the initial outlook is gloomy, expect the Supreme Court to eventually chime in — with the caveat that it needs to happen before the 2020 presidential election.

• According to Bloomberg, “Elizabeth Warren proposed a universal child care plan that would limit American families’ expenses to 7 percent of income regardless of how many children they have in care — paid for by a tax on the ultra-wealthy.” The scheme “would make child care free for families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level, or less than $51,500 for a family of four.” The price tag is reportedly $70 billion annually and is estimated to double child-care attendance. But as with anything taxpayer-funded, this cost is likely woefully underestimated.

• According to Gallup, “Thirty-five percent of Americans name the government, poor leadership or politicians as the greatest problem facing the U.S. This is the highest percentage Gallup has recorded for this concern, edging out the previous high of 33% during the 2013 federal government shutdown.” Furthermore, “The current percentage of Americans naming government as the most important problem is nearly twice as high as the 18% recorded in November. That increase likely reflects public frustration with the government shutdown that occurred from late December through most of January.” Not surprisingly, therefore, immigration is No. 2 on the list, with 19% calling it a top problem.

• Smaller tax refunds put GOP on defensive, headlines The Hill, which then goes on to report the truth — smaller refunds mean people paid less all year. If only Americans didn’t have to wade through Dezinformatsiya headlines to learn that.

• Rep. Matt Gaetz recently revealed that “Democrats in the Judiciary Committee … voted against notifying ICE when an illegal alien fails a background check to buy a gun.” He further observed, “They hate ICE so much that they’d keep ICE in the dark when illegals try to get guns!” As Townhall reports, “Last year a record number of illegal aliens, millions of them, tried to purchase firearms in the United States. Not only is it illegal to enter the United States without permission, it’s also illegal to purchase or possess a gun.” Ironically, Democrats’ demands for gun control is demonstrably confined to lawful citizens.

• “A 45-year-old Mexican national detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection died Monday at a medical facility in McAllen, Tex., after twice seeking medical attention,” The Washington Post reports, adding, “Another death is likely to raise fresh questions for the border control organization … especially as the president crusades for a wall at the southern border.” The underreported issue is that “the unnamed adult was apprehended on Feb. 2 for ‘illegal reentry,’ which means the individual had tried to enter the country at least once before.” Moreover, the individual, who had cirrhosis of the liver and congestive heart failure, was administered health care twice upon request.

• If at first you don’t succeed… “Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is giving it another go, launching a second campaign for the White House four years after surprising Democrats with a strong bid for the party’s 2016 nomination. … But this 2020 bid will undoubtedly be a very different presidential campaign than his quest for the Democratic nomination as an underdog in 2016. Sanders enters the race as a top contender who, along with former Vice President Joe Biden, tops most early polls, far outpacing other Democratic candidates in support and name identification.” (NPR)

• Good riddance: “Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave the Justice Department in mid-March. Rosenstein’s departure was largely expected, with last week’s Senate confirmation of President Trump attorney general nominee William Barr. New attorney generals usually have at least some say in selection of deputy attorney general, whose office largely runs the Justice Department on a daily basis.” (Washington Examiner)

• “‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett, upset after a racist letter sent to the show’s studio didn’t get a ‘bigger reaction,’ is suspected of paying two men to attack him a week later, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation,” CBS Chicago reports. “‘When the letter didn’t get enough attention, he concocted the staged attack,’ a source told CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards. Other sources corroborated that information.” There are also reports that Smollett scouted the location and rehearsed the attack. Yet Facebook is censoring content exposing the scheme.

• WBKO reports, “A Tennessee man is in jail after being accused of pulling a gun on a Sam’s Club customer Saturday.” But why? “According to the alleged victim … a man pulled a gun on him because he was wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat. … The police report confirms that the suspect, identified as James Phillips, admitted to flipping off Pierce and Pierce’s wife because of their hats.” The mainstream media response? Crickets.

• Humor: Nation’s liberals devastated after learning hate crime didn’t actually happen (The Babylon Bee)

• Policy: “Democrats intend to save ‘democracy’ by putting themselves in charge of elections,” says The Daily Signal’s Jarrett Stepman. “As absurd as that sounds, it really is a part of the inappropriately named ‘For the People Act of 2019,’ or H.R. 1, moving through the House of Representatives.” Read more on why this is a recipe for one-party rule.

• Policy: “Don’t look now, but China’s advances in intellectual property (IP) are beginning to catch up to the country’s rapid technological progress.” Michael Rosen explains the meaning of this at the American Enterprise Institute.

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.