Thursday, February 12, 2026

February 12, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

House Defies Leftists to Guard the Ballot Box . . . By a narrow 218-213 margin, the House Wednesday moved to ensure only Americans decide American elections. The SAVE America Act mandates documentary proof of citizenship for registration and photo ID at the polls—concepts that 83% of the public supports. While Democrats scream "disenfranchisement," common sense says checking a passport isn't a burden; it's a barrier to fraud. Even Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar saw the light, leaving his party to stand alone in their quest for loose rolls. Read More: Daily Signal

Politics

FBI strategy memo on election violence raises questions about double standard between J6, BLM riots . . . While the FBI's Boston office recommended aggressive prosecutions and undercover stings for all 2020 election agitators, the actual follow-through reveals a glaring partisan divide. The bureau's tabletop exercises theoretically targeted both left-wing anarchists and right-wing extremists, yet the hammer only seemed to fall one way when the dust settled. Meantime, those involved in the January 6 breach faced the full weight of a mobilized federal machine. Read More: Just the News

Six Republicans join Democrats to gut Trump's Canada tariffs . . . In a sharp rebuke to the White House, six House Republicans broke ranks to help Democrats pass a 219-211 resolution terminating President Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. The vote strips the emergency powers used to impose the February 2025 levies after GOP leaders failed to block a challenge. With Rep. Gregory Meeks forcing the showdown, tariff tensions are now spilling into open Republican division. Daily Caller

Candidates who served in the Biden administration keeping their distance from him

That's because Biden will join Milliard Fillmore and Chester Arthur on the list of forgotten presidents, and Benjamin Harrison on the list of the worst.

Ohio Man Indicted for Threatening to Kill JD Vance

Mamdani Health Czar Ran Left-Wing Nonprofit That Registered Patients in Mental Hospitals To Vote . . . New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has named Alister Martin, founder of the activist nonprofit Vot-ER, to run the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Martin's group pushed voter registration inside hospitals, including a Pennsylvania psychiatric institute treating patients with schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, and severe addiction—some involuntarily committed. Washington Free Beacon

Newsom gives $90 million to California Planned Parenthood clinics

Democrats dodge indictment, turn 'illegal orders' video into fundraising push . . . Six Democrats who urged servicemembers in a video not to follow illegal orders scored a legal reprieve after federal prosecutors declined to indict them. Now they're pivoting from courtroom peril to campaign trail momentum. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan vows the fight isn't over, Rep. Jason Crow promises accountability, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin is already fundraising off the failed prosecution, framing the episode as a political badge of honor. Politico

House Democrats hammer Pam Bondi over Epstein prosecutions . . . Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a bruising Capitol Hill hearing as House Democrats zeroed in on the Jeffrey Epstein case, blasting her over redactions and the lack of new prosecutions tied to the convicted sex offender's files. In one of the most combative showdowns of President Trump's second term, lawmakers pressed Bondi on transparency and accountability, turning the hearing into a political brawl over lingering Epstein fallout. Washington Examiner

Culture

Police Confirm Man Who Killed 6 at School Identified as Woman . . . The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have identified the 18-year-old man who shot and killed six people at a school in British Columbia, critically injuring two, and wounding about 25 others. He identified as a woman, authorities have confirmed. Jesse Van Rootselaar first killed his mother, 39, and his 11-year-old stepbrother at their family home in the remote community of Tumbler Ridge. McDonald said Van Rootselaar was born male but began to identify as female six years ago. Daily Signal

As I predicted Wednesday. Women don't do this kind of thing, or at least very rarely. There is a growing roster of trans mass shootings. It doesn't necessarily mean transgenders are inherently violent, but it does suggest there may be a tendency toward it. At the very least, it indicates what political correctness forbids polite society to acknowledge: That this is mainly a mental illness that is treated with irrevocable surgery and "sex-change" chemicals, often given to teenagers, rather than psychiatric therapy.

Canadian Police Refer to Biologically Male School Shooter as 'They'

Missouri Republican suggests Bad Bunny performance merits FCC action . . . Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.) is suggesting the Federal Communications Commission investigate pop star Bad Bunny over his halftime performance during Super Bowl 60 on Sunday. "On the Bad Bunny bad performance at the Super Bowl … we're still investigating this. There's a lot of information that has come out about the lyrics," Alford said during an appearance on Newsmax on Tuesday. "I saw the halftime show. … We were switching back and forth with the TPUSA halftime show. The lyrics from what we've seen from Bad Bunny are very disturbing." The Hill

Because he was a bad, bad bunny.

Member of White House Religious Liberty Commission booted after antisemitism hearing . . . Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has removed Carrie Prejean Boller from the White House Religious Liberty Commission, accusing her of hijacking a hearing on antisemitism for personal politics. Boller, wearing an American and Palestinian flag pin, steered discussion toward defining antisemitism and its link to Israel, sparking backlash. The Hill

National Security

Space Force deploys satellite jammers to counter China and Russia . . . The U.S. Space Force is fast-tracking electronic satellite jammers under a Trump administration directive to secure dominance in orbit against China and Russia's expanding anti-satellite arsenals. With three counterspace systems rolling out, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman says the mission is clear: deter conflict and win decisively if needed. Washington Times

Obama-appointed Judge frees criminal migrants in Louisiana . . . A federal judge in Louisiana has ordered the release of four illegal immigrants with convictions for murder and child sex crimes, handing a flashpoint to critics of the immigration system. Judge John deGravelles, an Obama appointee, granted their release from ICE custody, igniting outrage from Homeland Security officials who warn of public safety risks. Fox News

Pentagon readies second carrier as Trump weighs strike on Iran . . . The Pentagon has directed a second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East as President Trump considers military action if talks with Iran collapse. The USS George H.W. Bush, training off Virginia, could soon join the USS Abraham Lincoln already in the region. No final order has been given. Wall Street Journal

International

Merz tells 46 million Germans to work harder as economy stalls . . . Chancellor Friedrich Merz is picking a high-stakes fight with Germany's 46 million workers, warning they log too few hours and take too many sick days while growth sputters. As he pushes market-driven reforms to tackle labor shortages and revive a stagnant economy, Merz risks alienating voters ahead of crucial state elections. P0litico

Meantime, as Trump has highlighted, we bust our asses to pay for their defense.

Trump And Bibi's Closed-Door White House Meeting Stretches Three Hours

Ukrainian skeleton racer barred over helmet tribute . . . Olympic officials sidelined Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych just hours before his event after he refused to remove a helmet honoring countrymen killed in Russia's invasion. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation ruled the tribute violated Olympic Charter rules on athlete expression, striking his name from the start list. The decision fuels fresh controversy as the Games grapple with politics spilling onto the ice. Washington Post

You should also know

Media Mute as Murder Drops Amid Trump's Deportation Drive . . . With murders down 19% and robberies falling 20% in major cities, the establishment press is struggling to solve the mystery of why America is suddenly safer. Axios even deleted a post claiming experts were "unsure" about the cause after being reminded that deporting 675,000 migrants and purging criminal elements has consequences. Read More: Breitbart

Guilty Pleasures

Boxer loses hairpiece in the ring and blames mother's shampoo . . . Heavyweight Jarrell Miller edged out Kingsley Ibeh by split decision at Madison Square Garden, but the real knockout came courtesy of his own toupee. After absorbing a barrage of punches, Miller's hairpiece peeled loose mid-fight. Grinning, the 37-year-old ripped it off and tossed it into the crowd before finishing the bout and securing victory. Later, he bizarrely claimed bleach shampoo forced the emergency wig in the first place. Sky News