Wednesday, February 18, 2026

February 18, 2026

Good morning,

Sorry for the late send today.

Leading the News . . .

Democrats plot protests for Trump's State of the Union address . . . House Democrats are gearing up to turn President Trump's State of the Union into a live act of resistance, seizing on a Homeland Security shutdown and the fallout from immigration agents fatally shooting two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. With DHS funding frozen, Democrats are digging in over ICE and Border Patrol reforms, daring the White House to defend its record as tensions over border enforcement and accountability explode onto the national stage. The Hill

SOTU Boycott Urged by Gen Z Activist Group

Politics

Thomas Massie warns razor-thin House majority could unravel for Trump . . . Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie is signaling trouble ahead for President Trump, predicting springtime defections as the GOP clings to a razor-thin House majority. The libertarian-leaning Republican told Politico that just one or two like-minded lawmakers could upend leadership plans on key votes. A frequent critic of omnibus spending, federal overreach, and unauthorized military action, Massie positions himself as a stubborn check on party discipline. Daily Signal

Mamdani unveils 9.5% property tax hike to close $5.4B NYC deficit . . . New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing a 9.5% property tax increase to plug a projected $5.4 billion budget gap, warning it would hit working- and middle-class households with median incomes of $122,000. His 2027 preliminary budget also taps $980 million from the Rainy Day Fund and $229 million from the Retiree Health Benefits Trust. Facing a balanced-budget mandate, City Hall is reaching deeper into taxpayers' pockets. Daily Wire

Fortunately, by magic, rents won't go up.

Lara Trump reveals Trump's reaction to leaving White House in 2021 . . . "It was very somber," she said of a dinner held after they reached West Palm Beach. "It was an incredibly tough time for all of us, and I think it was an incredibly tough time for him," said Lara Trump. "No one really had a lot to say," she continued."He told all of us that he wanted to have dinner that night. And none of us really knew how that would go. And the first thing he did, before he even sat down at the dinner table, is he looked around at all of us and he goes, 'Well, kids, I've got to do it again.'" New York Post

GOP lawmakers back Louisiana in abortion pill showdown with Admin . . . A coalition of 60 Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Bill Cassidy and Rep. Chris Smith, filed an amicus brief backing Louisiana's lawsuit to reinstate in-person dispensing rules for the abortion pill. The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to pause the case challenging a Biden-era policy allowing the drugs by mail. With a Feb. 24 hearing looming, the fight over FDA authority and abortion access is back in court. Daily Signal

Vance Mocks AOC's Taiwan Flub At Munich: 'Most Uncomfortable 20 Seconds Of Television'

"You know, I think that — uh — this is such a — you know, I think that this is a — this is, of course a — uh — a very long standing policy of the United States. And, I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point," Ocasio-Cortez replied when asked if the US should protect Taiwan. Apparently she had been preparing for months for her international debut but forgot about, like, all that China stuff.

Colbert clashes with CBS over Texas candidate James Talarico interview . . . Stephen Colbert escalated a rare on-air feud with CBS, accusing the network's lawyers of blocking his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico over equal-time concerns tied to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. After CBS denied muzzling him, Colbert theatrically trashed the network's statement and aired the segment on YouTube instead. Associated Press

Culture

Self-Described 'Woke B*tch' US Skater Bawling After Finishing 13th in Short Program . . . Amber Glenn, the outspoken Team USA skater who blasted the Trump administration and branded herself proudly woke, stumbled to a 13th-place finish at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Favored to medal, she landed a triple axel but missed the required triple loop, drawing a zero in technical scoring that doomed her routine. Visibly shaken, Glenn fought back tears before leaving the ice in emotional distress. Breitbart

Pro-life group says abortion-pill reversal saved 8,000 pregnancies . . . Pro-life group Heartbeat International says 8,000 women have halted chemical abortions through its Abortion Pill Rescue Network, countering claims that the process cannot be reversed. The figure marks a jump from 7,000 in June, with the organization touting rapid-response medical care for women who reconsider. As Democrats dismiss the practice, activists argue the growing tally is reshaping the fight over abortion pills. Washington Times

Harvard Launching New Green Major Led by Divestment Activist . . . As the Trump administration urges universities to rein in faculty activism, Harvard is moving to approve a new major in Energy, Climate, and Environment led by a professor tied to a fossil-fuel divestment campaign. The effort has drawn ridicule from USC economist Matthew Kahn, who blasted it as ideologically slanted. Critics see the program as advocacy under the banner of scholarship. Washington Free Beacon

DC Water's CEO Oversaw $520 Million In DEI Contracts — And The Biggest Sewage Spill In US History . . . As hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage built up in its system, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority now faces what could be the largest spill in U.S. history. Critics say leadership fixated on diversity and equity initiatives while infrastructure faltered. CEO David L. Gadis, who previously faced scrutiny over alleged contamination disclosures in Flint, Michigan, now confronts mounting questions over priorities and oversight. Daily Caller

And now the Potomac is filled with a bunch of woke sewage.

National Security

How the global effort to keep AI safe went off the rails . . . Despite billboard slogans touting responsibility, this year's AI summit in New Delhi is poised to omit the word safety from its final declaration, according to a draft. After earlier gatherings warned of catastrophic risks and job losses, India has steered talks toward practical applications and dealmaking. With a tech-friendly White House and intensifying geopolitical competition, the focus has shifted from guarding against AI's dangers to cashing in on its promise. Politico

Let's put Sam Altman in charge of nuclear proliferation too and just hope for the best.

Illegal Alien Flees ICE, Kills Teacher in Crash . . . A Georgia teacher was killed in Savannah after Oscar Vasquez Lopez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, allegedly ran a red light while fleeing ICE agents and slammed into her vehicle. Chatham County Police charged him with first-degree homicide by vehicle and multiple driving offenses. DHS says agents had attempted a traffic stop before the fatal crash, reigniting scrutiny over border enforcement and public safety consequences. Daily Signal

Eleven people killed as US Southern Command carries out three more strikes on suspected 'narco-terrorist' vessels

Megyn Kelly rips 'sweaty man' Randy Fine for going 'full bigot' in anti-Muslim post . . . Kelly told GOP Rep. Fine to "f*** off" in response to a social media post Fine made over the weekend that said, "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." Fine asked if Kelly had "figured it out yet" after she quoted the post with "wtf is this." "What I figured out, you pathetic sweaty man, is when an idiot Muslim says 'no dogs in NYC,' instead of attacking the person or the policy, you went full bigot," Kelly wrote in a post to X. Washington Examiner

International

Outrage as three million dogs to be 'massacred' by firing squad ahead of the World Cup . . . Graphic reports of dogs killed across Moroccan cities are fueling outrage as the nation prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Animal rights groups allege a sweeping stray cull aimed at polishing the country's image for tourists and global media. With international scrutiny mounting, critics say the drive to look "clean and safe" risks staining Morocco's reputation instead. Daily Mail

You should also know

Rescuers push through winter storm to 6 survivors of a California avalanche. 9 others are missing . . . Rescue crews fought through a punishing winter storm near Lake Tahoe to reach six backcountry skiers who survived an avalanche at Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, while nine others from their 15-person group remain missing. Two survivors were hospitalized, according to Nevada County Sheriff's spokesperson Ashley Quadros. Authorities corrected earlier reports of 16 skiers, underscoring the confusion as search teams press on in treacherous, snow-choked wilderness. Associated Press

Hero bystander recounts tackling twisted trans shooter Robert Dorgan at Rhode Island ice rink: 'Went for the gun'

Virginia Supreme Court lets Marine Joshua Mast keep Afghan war orphan . . . The Virginia Supreme Court has cleared Marine Maj. Joshua Mast and his wife to retain custody of their adopted daughter, known as Baby L., ending a bruising four-year legal fight. The child was rescued by Army Rangers from an Afghan battlefield in 2019. An Afghan Pashtun couple claiming kinship had sued in state and federal court, alleging fraud and other misconduct, but the ruling keeps the girl with the Masts—for now. Just the News

Guilty Pleasures

Nevada prostitutes ready to unionize . . . Sex workers at Sheri's Ranch in Pahrump, one of Nevada's oldest legal brothels, are seeking to become the nation's first unionized brothel workforce. A majority of the ranch's 74 workers petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to join the Communications Workers of America under the banner United Brothel Workers. "We want the same things that any other worker wants. We want a safe and respectful workplace," said a worker at Sheri's Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, who goes by the stage name Jupiter Jetson. Associated Press

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