Monday, February 16, 2026

February 16, 2026

Good morning,

Happy Washington's Birthday! Yes, I said it. First of all, it's still the official name of the holiday. It was unofficially changed to President's Day in an attempt to share the holiday with Lincoln and the celebrate the presidency. But that waters it down into meaninglessness. And there are plenty of presidents not to create a holiday for. Let's celebrate the man who led the Revolutionary War and kept the other Founding Founders on track toward creating our extraordinary nation.

Leading the News . . .

LGBTQ rating group loses its grip on corporate America . . . After years of pressuring companies to align with its LGBTQ agenda, the Human Rights Campaign has watched participation in its Corporate Equality Index crater from 377 Fortune 500 firms in 2025 to just 131 this year—a 65% collapse. Mounting criticism, amplified by President Donald Trump's second administration, has pushed major companies to rethink their alliances. This is one of Trump's greatest, yet more subtle achievements: Changing the what seems an inevitable march toward the dominion of radical leftist cultural ideologies over the United States. Changing, but not halting, though, because they will never give up. Daily Signal

Politics

Kamala Harris tops 2028 Dem field with 27.5% in Race to the White House poll . . . Former Vice President Kamala Harris leads the early 2028 Democratic primary pack, posting a 27.5% national polling average in Race to the White House data. California Gov. Gavin Newsom trails at 22.7%, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 9% and Pete Buttigieg at 8.7%. Farther back sit Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at 4.9% and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker at 3.4%, underscoring a fragmented field. Breitbart

The 2028 Democratic president primary is going to be a freak show, apparently led by the word salad freak.

Nancy Pelosi Aiming to Push Gavin Newsom for 2028

Trump Plans Executive Order On Voter ID if Congress Can't Make it Happen . . . "We cannot let the Democrats get away with NO VOTER I.D. any longer. These are horrible, disingenuous CHEATERS. They have all sorts of reasons why it shouldn't be passed, and then boldly laugh in the backrooms after their ridiculous presentations," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "If we can't get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order." Daily Caller

Schumer slams SAVE America Act on CNN as 83% back voter ID . . . Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed on CNN to fight the House-passed SAVE America Act tooth and nail, comparing the Trump-backed election bill to segregation and accusing Republicans of trying to suppress poor and minority voters. The legislation would require photo ID at the polls and proof of U.S. citizenship to register—measures an August 2025 Pew survey shows 83% of Americans, including 71% of Democrats, support. Daily Caller

No end in sight for partial shutdown as Democrats stick with demands for stricter DHS oversight

OH BABY! Couples Could Make Big Money on Trump Accounts . . . A child whose account receives the maximum annual contribution from birth would see it swell to more than $270,000 by the time they turn 18. It's also a lesson for kids - and parents - about disciplined saving, which will help them throughout their lives. Daily Signal

Culture

Minnesota middle school lesson paints ICE as violent . . . Eighth-graders at Hermantown Community School in Minnesota were taught that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents use tricky and violent tactics, according to materials obtained by Defending Education. The leftist takeover of education aims to breed the next generation of potentially violent activists. Because how else do you fight violence except with violence? Do their parents know that their kids are being fed dangerous messages that could one day get them killed? Daily Wire

Parents say school district circumvented them by inviting kids to LGBTQ discussion with teacher

National Security

Homan: Walz and Frey owe ICE a big "Thank you" . . . "What did the state of Minnesota bring? They're a sanctuary state. Their county jails weren't working with us across the state. So you know what? We fixed it," Homan said on Fox & Friends Weekend. "They ought to be saying 'thank you.' The state's safer because of that, and President Trump gets another win." Washington Examiner

And an apology.

School-Led Anti-ICE Protests Grow Increasingly Violent

Hillary Clinton: Unchecked Immigration 'destabilizing,' Has Gone Too Far . . . "There is a legitimate reason to have a debate about things like migration," Clinton said during a panel at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. "It went too far, it's been disruptive and destabilizing, and it needs to be fixed in a humane way with secure borders that don't torture and kill people and how we're going to have a strong family structure because it is at the base of civilization." Daily Caller

Wow! Look at what the wisdom of age can do to a person. Or perhaps an adjustment her medication, who knows?

Nancy Mace proposes bill to make aliens deportable, inadmissible for animal cruelty

A Defector Explains the Remote-Work Scam Helping North Korea Pay for Nukes . . . North Korean operatives have reportedly slipped into IT jobs at American firms and abroad, funneling hard currency back to Pyongyang's weapons program. America is effectively paying North Korea to develop its nuclear weapons program. Wall Street Journal

Danish PM says Trump still 'very serious' about acquiring Greenland

International

'Tehran' co-creator Dana Eden found dead in Athens . . . Israeli television producer Dana Eden, co-creator of the Emmy-winning espionage drama Tehran, was found dead in a hotel in Athens while in Greece filming the show's fourth season, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN. She was 52. A Greek police official said initial indications point to suicide, with no suspicion of foul play. That seems just a little unlikely. Associated Press

You should also know

Barack Obama Clarifies Aliens Are 'Real' Comment: 'Odds Are Good There's Life Out There' . . . Former President Barack Obama moved to clarify comments suggesting aliens are real after an interview with YouTuber Brian Cohen stirred headlines. "I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it's gotten attention let me clarify," Obama wrote. "Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there," he wrote. "But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we've been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!" Obama added. Breitbart

Clarification or clean up in aisle 7?

Sheriff Says Hunt for Nancy Guthrie Could Take 'Weeks or Months or Years' but 'We're Going to Find This Guy

NPR's David Greene sues Google over AI voice he says mimics him

Guilty Pleasures

Waymo robotaxis cruelly stranded by customers who forget to close doors . . . Waymo's driverless fleet still needs a human touch. In Atlanta, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi company is piloting a program that pays DoorDash gig workers to close car doors left open by departing passengers. Drivers receive alerts when a nearby Waymo is stuck with a door ajar, with one Reddit post showing an $11.25 payout for the task. CNBC

A whole new meaning for "Doordash."

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