Posts on Thursday, February 19, 2026

Venezuela's National Assembly, on Thursday, unanimously approved a proposed amnesty that could free hundreds of political prisoners jailed for being critical of the government. The bill marks a landmark development for the South American nation that has spent decades denying holding political prisoners. The change in policy comes after former President Nicolas Maduro was removed from power and kidnapped by the US military in a raid in the country's capital, Caracas, on January 3. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who proposed the amnesty last month, signed the bill.

State and federal authorities are investigating after a suspect allegedly stole an ambulance, loaded up staged gas cans and plowed the emergency vehicle into a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office in Idaho — in what investigators believe was an attempted arson attack. Just after 11 p.m. Wednesday, an ambulance was stolen from a bay at St. Luke's West hospital. The suspect, who has not yet been identified, drove the ambulance through the parking lot and retrieved gas cans that were staged in nearby vegetation, according to Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea. The suspect then drove the ambulance directly into the North Portico building, which houses DHS offices

Virginia judge granted the Republican National Committee a temporary restraining order that halts Virginia Democrats’ gerrymandering efforts to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the upcoming midterms. The Republican National Committee brought a lawsuit Wednesday to stop what the organization describes as an unconstitutional last-minute power grab by Virginia Democrats. Filing a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, the RNC asked the court to block the implementation of the proposed constitutional amendment. According to local media, Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. granted the RNC motion on Thursday.

Democrat Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker will push for state laws that mandate Illinois communities allow building of unlimited “Section 8” and other taxpayer-subsidized apartment units on any residential lot. Pritzker unveiled his suburban Section 8 plan during his annual State of the State address, which he gave Wednesday. Taking aim at single family homeowners in the Chicago suburbs, Pritkzer said their “shameful” opposition to taxpayer-subsidized Section 8 apartments are responsible for driving up the cost of Illinois housing. Community zoning laws “have made it too difficult and costly to build new (Section 8) housing,” Pritzker said, chiding suburban Illinoisans who oppose high-density, subsidized apartments as old-fashioned and behind the “times.”

The United States Commission of Fine Arts voted Thursday to approve the final designs of the White House East Wing Modernization project as the Trump administration aims to kick off aboveground construction in April. A final vote was not expected until the Commission of Fine Arts’s (CFA) next meeting in March, but Trump-appointed CFA Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr. made the motion to accelerate the federal design review panel’s approval process. "Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Cook commented before calling for a vote. “The United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents.”

As ICE sweeps in Minneapolis have drawn wide attention, a little-noticed immigration case playing out in a New York federal court has significant implications for America's relationship with Britain and the ongoing debate over global censorship. In late December, the State Department announced its intention to revoke the visas of five individuals who have allegedly censored Americans. The most consequential (snip) is Imran Ahmed (snip) CEO of (snip) the Center for Countering Digital Hate. (snip) Secretary Marco Rubio wrote that Ahmed had led efforts to censor Americans and harm U.S. media outlets, including Zero Hedge and The Federalist.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) revealed at a townhall meeting on Wednesday that Democrats don’t just want to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but they are actually planning how to dismantle the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entirely. “What I will say is that there is an easier conversation happening today than six, seven years ago when I got to Congress, about what we need to do with ICE, which is to abolish it,” Omar told her audience during the townhall meeting. The Democrat congresswoman further revealed, “There is a lot of conversation about what the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security should look like.”

The latest business to pick up and leave the high-tax, high-regulation, high-crime nightmare of Illinois may be its iconic professional football franchise. The governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, announced Thursday morning that a "framework" had been reached for a final deal that would move the Chicago Bears about 20 miles south from Soldier Field to Hammond, Ind. "Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears," Braun said. "The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we've demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature

I made fun of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) yesterday on Rising after listening to her get tripped up when discussing U.S. Taiwan policy at the Munich Security Conference, but her remarks on that topic were brilliant and statesmanlike compared to what she had to say about South America! Can AOC even find the continent on a map? After listening to her say this, I’m doubtful. Quick fact-check there: The country of Venezuela is entirely north of the equator. You can consult a map if you don’t believe me. Perhaps AOC should put as much effort into learning geography as she does perfecting her Latin-American accent.

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing a limited initial military strike against Iran in an effort to compel Tehran to accept his demands for a new nuclear agreement, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday. The report said the potential move is intended to increase pressure on Tehran to reach a deal without triggering a large-scale assault that could prompt a significant Iranian response. Citing people familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that if approved, the strike could take place within days and would target military or government sites. If Iran continues to reject Trump’s conditions for halting uranium enrichment, the United States could respond

The UK is refusing to grant permission to the US to use British bases to strike Iran, according to The Times. US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of support for the UK plans to give up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean — which includes the key Diego Garcia airfield — stems from the British refusal, reports the UK paper. According to the report, US plans included the use of Diego Garcia and the RAF Fairford base in England, both of which can only be used to strike if the UK government agrees. British PM Keir Starmer is concerned the Iran strike might violate international law.

The New York Times covers looming U.S. strikes on Iran: The rapid buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East has progressed to the point that President Trump has the option to take military action against Iran as soon as this weekend, administration and Pentagon officials said, leaving the White House with high-stakes choices about pursuing diplomacy or war. President Trump has been trying to negotiate with the mullahs over Iran’s nuclear program, in search, as always, of a deal. Mr. Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran give up its nuclear program, including agreeing not to enrich any more uranium. That isn’t going to happen with the current Iranian government in charge.

With his voluminous expressions of concern about the treatment of Christians in Israel, one might have expected Tucker Carlson to venture beyond the confines of Ben Gurion Airport to check them out, if not to commisserate with them. However, that was not to be the case. He has yet to meet with Christians in Israel. Most recently, he flew in and out by private jet for an interview with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee at the airport itself. Huckabee, by the way, invited him to remain in Israel for several days. Carlson has done his best to turn his airport sojourn into an international incident to Israel’s detriment.

Gavin Newsom hasn’t really been doing much governing in California; rather, he been trashing the United States while overseas, constantly trying to be that annoying gnat in President Donald Trump's ear, weighing in on the matters of other states, and ignoring his own as it continues its slide into decay and corruption. He is, however, widely rumored to be ramping up a presidential run, and he’s showing every sign that he’s hellbent on mounting a campaign. There's just has one little problem: his record. (X) Click on the tweet for even more; there's that much rotten meat on the bone. It’s a remarkable record of failure, yet somehow

Just over a month into Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s term, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors is moving its headquarters out of her state. Boeing announced Wednesday that it will relocate its Defense, Space & Security headquarters to St. Louis, where the division was based from 1997 to 2017. The company previously moved the unit to Chicago and then to Arlington in 2022 during the administration of former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The move represents a significant shift for Boeing, which employs roughly 18,000 people in the St. Louis region. Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth joined Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and Sen. Eric Schmitt at

The Democrat party ignored Christians but highlighted Muslim and Chinese traditions in recent social media posts. Breitbart News reviewed the party’s Facebook, Instagram, and X profiles but did not find any references to Ash Wednesday, which was February 18. Instead, the leftist political party highlighted Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar in which Muslims participate in fasting, according to Britannica. “We wish a reflective and peaceful Ramadan to all who observe. Ramadan Mubarak!” the Democrat Party wrote on X. In regard to the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by the Chinese, the party said,

Forlesia Cook, a grandmother who lost her grandson to violence, delivered a brief and powerful testimonial supporting President Trump. Many naysayers, beyond just the DHS security issues, would be well-served to listen to her advice. Mrs Cook spoke during a Black History Month reception at the White House, pushing back on claims that President Trump is racist. As noted by this passionate grandma, President Trump gave her a voice when others ignored her. Cook’s 22-year-old grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., was brutally murdered in cold blood in 2017 after meeting someone online. He left home to meet a woman he connected with on the Plenty of Fish dating app.

Sen. Jim Banks has called for a federal investigation into anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activist groups he says are being organized and funded by foreign entities including agents of the Chinese Communist Party. In a Wednesday letter (snip) Banks urged the Department of Justice (snip) "to investigate foreign influence behind anti-ICE activism. Progressive groups across the country are organizing protests, economic boycotts, and school walkouts to oppose immigration enforcement" (snip) Pointing to examples of protesters assaulting federal officers, blocking and ramming vehicles, and storming churches, Banks argued that the government "must identify who is behind this chaos before it tears the country apart."

A brainless traveler was arrested for allegedly ditching her 2-year-old pup at the ticket counter inside Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport after she was told she couldn’t bring it on board her flight without legitimate service dog documentation. The woman rushed into the Nevada airport around midnight Feb. 2 with her excitable goldendoodle and attempted to check her bags, but was told she couldn’t bring the dog on the plane without service dog documentation, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. [snip] The heartless pet owner stomped away from the ticket counter without so much as glancing at her dog, who watched in innocent confusion,

More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students, and had other safety issues the Department announced Wednesday. (snip) unlike its actions last fall to decertify up to 7,500 schools that included many defunct operations, this latest step is focused on active schools (snip) Duffy said 448 schools failed to meet basic safety standards. (snip) Another 109 schools removed themselves from the registry of schools when they learned inspections were coming.

Every few months, another viral outrage story explodes across social media, and the script is almost always the same.A shocking claim, a “racist” angle, followed by a flood of headlines, a GoFundMe that fills up overnight, and before anyone has time to sort out what actually happened, the accused is already branded for life. The facts usually catch up later, and we discover the whole thing was a hoax. But the damage to the victim is already done.

South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol has been jailed for life for masterminding an insurrection by trying to impose military rule. Yoon attempted to subvert the constitution by deploying military troops to seal off the National Assembly and ordering the arrest of politicians on 3 December 2024, a Seoul court ruled. His actions fundamentally damaged South Korea's democracy and deserves a harsh punishment, presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon told the court. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty. Though it was short-lived, Yoon's martial law order left the nation more polarised than ever, and those deep divisions were on full display as the sentencing took place.

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang’s former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, was sentenced last week to four years in prison after being convicted of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, producing pro-Communist Chinese media, as well as executing orders from the Chinese government. Wang has taken to denying her connection to Sun since his legal troubles emerged, but she has publicly referred to him as her fiancé in the past. Sun is not currently being investigated for any wrongdoing in connection with the case. She did not immediately respond to National Review‘s request for comment.

The Epstein files have rocked the LA 2028 Olympics (LA28). Fresh documents from the Department of Justice's massive release of Jeffrey Epstein files have thrust the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee into the center of a growing scandal prompting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to publicly call for his resignation. (snip) No allegations of wrongdoing have been leveled against Wasserman in connection with Epstein or Maxwell's crimes. (snip) Wasserman has been central to the LA Olympics effort since the successful 2015 bid.

Why would any president destroy the U.S. southern border? The Left typically “pounces” on anyone daring to suggest that the Biden administration had green-lighted illegal immigration to gain new constituents for agendas that otherwise were without broad public support. The Left smears critics of open borders as racist conspiracists spreading the “Great Replacement Theory.” Yet for years, Democrats and leftists themselves had written triumphalist books with titles like “The Emerging Democratic Majority.” And often they crowed that “Demography is Destiny.”

On Sunday in a busy stretch of restaurants and boutiques in the West Village, hundreds of New Yorkers queued up outside a pop-up shop offering free groceries. "New Yorkers are in pain," Nick from Queens, New York, one of several people Fox News Digital interviewed outside the pop-up, said as he waited to grab pasta sauce, bath soap and a bag of Tide Pods. The scene was underscored by the city's cost of living woes and anxiety over who would get a yellow ticket granting entry to the small shop before they "sold out" of goods.

The Minneapolis City Council debated the renewal of two liquor licenses on Tuesday, focusing on two hotels allegedly housing federal agents during Operation Metro Surge. In January, protesters descended on both the Depot and the Canopy hotels, believing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were staying inside. Some protesters faced off with Minnesota state troopers after an unlawful assembly was declared. Hospitality union members spoke to the council about the license renewals, explaining that some employees from the hotels have expressed fear over ICE agents staying there. "We believe that a liquor license is a privilege and that privilege should be

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance, a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a constant need for admiration, and lack of empathy for others. Poster boy Rep. Eric Swalwell and California gubernatorial candidate fits this description to the letter. Remember when he ran for President in 2020 proving that he's the king of cringe? But Swalwell has more pressing matters than just an obnoxious personality. Filmmaker Joel Gilbert filed a lawsuit in January claiming (snip) he doesn't live in his home state.

"Late Night” host Stephen Colbert must have thought he had a three-fer with his “canceled” James Talarico interview. He could blame Donald Trump for censoring an opposing voice, get his name in the headlines before his show is (mercifully) canceled, and boost the prospects of his favorite Texas Senate candidate. But almost immediately, his ruse fell apart. Colbert told his audience that he’d planned to interview James Talarico – one of three Democrats competing in the primaries to run for senator in Texas – but CBS forced him to pull the interview. “We were told in no uncertain terms

Disgraced ex-Prince Andrew was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly forwarding confidential trade documents to pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein. At least six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers swooped on the king’s brother’s Sandringham Estate in eastern England early Thursday — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday. If convicted on the misconduct charge, the former prince faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.One officer was seen carrying a police-issued laptop after arriving at Sandringham at around 8 a.m., with the cars leaving around 30 minutes later. Police also searched a separate property in Berkshire, the force said, without directly identifying the king’s brother, citing strict UK laws.

King Charles III's younger brother, the former Prince Andrew, was reportedly arrested by British authorities on Thursday in an investigation into official misconduct related to his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Numerous British and American news outlets reported Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday at his new home of Charles' Sandringham estate in the county of Norfolk.