Boasberg Rubber-Stamps DOJ Request To Keep FBI-Twitter Payments Secret

When the Twitter files hit in December of 2022, they revealed that the Biden administration had paid Twitter at least $3.4 million between October 2019 and February 2021 to reimburse the pre-Musk, left-leaning social media giant for a flood of requests. 

During this period, the Biden DOJ was going after vaccine skeptics, lab-leak proponents, 2020 election 'deniers,' Catholic parents, Hunter Biden laptop / Burisma content, and conservative news outlets. We also learned that the FBI's Elvis Chan and crew were holding weekly meeting with Twitter on "misinformation," and flagged thousands of accounts for the above. 

Days after the Twitter files were released, watchdog group Judicial Watch sued the Biden DOJ, which oversees the FBI, over a FOIA request demanding to know how much the FBI paid Twitter from 2016 onward. The FBI initially refused, but eventually released 44-pages of documents with the key payment details redacted - claiming the data was protected under FOIA's "Exemption 7(E)," which lets agencies hide info about law enforcement methods if releasing it could help criminals or enemies dodge detection.

Judicial Watch then narrowed their claims to just those redacted payment amounts (JW dropped other issues such as vendor names), however in December of 2025, the Trump DOJ asked Judge James Boasberg for a Motion for Summary Judgement to deny Judicial Watch's request - effectively concealing the extent to which the FBI, under Trump and Biden, was going after Americans. 

In its request for summary judgement, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office (say it ain't so!) argued that revealing payments that are tied to real investigations could reveal super secret investigative methods - such as how much the FBI is "engaging" with Twitter vs. other platforms, which could lead to 'bad guys' (criminals, hackers, foreign spies) to switch to platforms with less FBI activity, and that it might reveal shifts in FBI priorities over time.

Revealing the quarterly totals could also betray "mosaic theory," where seemingly harmless info (like one quarter's payment) can be pieced together with public data (e.g., Twitter's transparency reports) to form a big picture of FBI strategies.

Earlier this month, Boasberg agreed - ruling that revealing the payments could expose FBI "techniques and procedures" (how they monitor online threats) and help bad actors figure out what the FBI is focused on, allowing them to adapt and change strategies. 

Boasberg wrote in his opinion that the 7(E) exemption is valid because it could "risk circumvention of the law." 

So @JudicialWatch sued to find out how much the Deep State/Biden FBI was paying Twitter (now @X) to censor and spy on Americans. Kash Patel's FBI and Pam Bondi's Justice Department told a federal court we shouldn't get even summary quarterly totals of the payments because it… https://t.co/6P6oqQDxDj

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) February 18, 2026

What the actual...

.@FBIDirectorKash this was probably handled by lower-levels — a personal intervention on this one, which impacts 100 million voters & is critically important for Americans to restore trust in the bureau, at zero cost to FBI time or resources, would be greatly appreciated https://t.co/aHwXCi9h55

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 19, 2026

Maybe Elon can just give Tom Fitton the deets? 

The filings for your reading pleasure...

DOJ request to deny Judicial Watch:

Judicial Watch Inc v Us Department of Justice Dcdce-23-03004 0024.0 by Zerohedge Janitor

Boasberg's opinion granting the DOJ request:

Judicial Watch Inc v Us Department of Justice Dcdce-23-03004 0027.0 by Zerohedge Janitor

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 18:50

Hawaii Bills Would Allow Gov't To Quarantine People, Enter Property, Seize Firearms, & Suspend Laws

Authored by Jon Fleetwood,

The Hawaii Legislature is advancing companion legislation that would formally codify sweeping emergency powers for the governor and county officials—including authority to quarantine individuals, enter private property without consent, suspend laws, and seize control of infrastructure—under the justification of preparing for future disasters and disease outbreaks.

House Bill 2236 and Senate Bill 2151, both titled “Relating to Emergency Management,” were introduced in January and February 2026 and are now moving forward through both chambers.

Legislative records show the bills are formally linked, with each designated as “Same As/Similar To” the other, confirming that Hawaii’s full legislature—not just one chamber—is advancing the emergency powers framework.

The legislation explicitly cites COVID-19 as justification for strengthening emergency authority, stating:

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of clear legal frameworks for state and county emergency management to ensure that the State and counties are ready for any type of emergency.”

You can see which state legislators are backing these bills further down in this article.

Governor Authorized to Quarantine Residents & Enter Private Property Without Permission

One of the most consequential provisions would formally authorize forced quarantine and government entry onto private property.

The bill states that Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) may:

“Require the quarantine or segregation of persons who are affected with or believed to have been exposed to any infectious, communicable, or other disease…”

It further grants authority to:

“Authorize without the permission of the owners or occupants, entry on private premises for any of these purposes.”

This authority applies not only to confirmed infections but also to individuals merely “believed to have been exposed.”

The legislation also allows the government to order the destruction of property deemed hazardous:

“Authorize that public nuisances be summarily abated and, if need be, that the property be destroyed by any police officer or authorized person.”

Governor Can Suspend Laws, Licensing Requirements, & Regulatory Protections

The bills explicitly empower the governor to suspend existing laws during an emergency, including medical, licensing, and regulatory protections.

The legislation states the governor may:

“[Suspend] the laws, in whole or in part… including licensing laws, quarantine laws, and laws relating to labels, grades, and standards.”

It also authorizes suspension of any law deemed to impede emergency operations:

“Suspend any law that impedes or tends to impede… emergency functions.”

Crucially, the legislation allows such suspensions to continue beyond the official emergency period:

“Any suspension of law… may continue beyond the emergency period…”

Government Authorized to Take Control of Private Infrastructure & Utilities

The legislation further empowers the governor to assume control of critical infrastructure, including privately owned facilities.

The bill states the governor may:

“Assure the continuity of service by critical infrastructure facilities, both publicly and privately owned… by taking over and operating the same.”

Additional provisions allow the government to:

• Shut off utilities

• Control distribution of goods

• Regulate or prohibit commerce

• Impose rationing

Specifically, the governor may:

“Regulate or prohibit… the storage, transportation, use, possession, maintenance, furnishing, sale, or distribution thereof, and any business or any transaction related thereto.”

Authority to Regulate Firearms & Seize Property

The legislation also grants authority to regulate firearms and confiscate property during emergencies.

It authorizes the governor to prohibit firearm possession during emergencies, meaning firearms that are normally legal could become unlawful to possess under emergency orders and subject to seizure.

The bill states the governor may

“Regulate or prohibit the storage, transportation, use, possession… of firearms, and ammunition… and authorize the seizure and forfeiture.”

Governor Retains Sole Authority to Declare Emergencies

Under the proposed framework, Governor Green retains broad discretion to declare emergencies, including based on perceived threats.

The bill states:

“The governor… shall be the sole judge of the existence of the danger, threat, or circumstances giving rise to a declaration.”

Emergencies may be declared based on “Imminent danger or threat of an emergency or a disaster.”

This allows activation of emergency powers before an actual disaster occurs.

Legislature Adds New Definition of Disaster Including Disease Outbreaks & Bioterrorism

The Senate version expands the legal definition of “disaster” to explicitly include:

“Disease or contagion outbreaks, bioterrorism, terrorism, or incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.”

This codifies infectious disease emergencies as triggers for the expanded powers.

The move comes as President Donald Trump and Congress have already committed $5.5 billion toward preparing for a future influenza pandemic, while the World Health Organization vows such a pandemic is inevitable, U.S. scientists continue gain-of-function influenza experiments, and the administration launches its $500 million Operation Gold Standard influenza vaccine initiative.

Legislature Advances Bills Through Both Chambers

Legislative tracking records show both bills are progressing simultaneously:

• HB2236 was introduced January 28, 2026, and has already passed committee review in the House.

• SB2151 was introduced January 21, 2026, and is scheduled for further committee action February 24, 2026.

The bills are formally cross-linked, confirming coordinated legislative advancement.

Legislature Frames Bills as Clarification of Emergency Authority

Lawmakers describe the purpose of the legislation as clarifying and strengthening emergency management authority.

The bill states its purpose is to:

“Clarify state and county emergency management authority, ensure effective and adaptable emergency responses…”

The measures also allow the legislature to terminate emergency declarations by a two-thirds vote.

Which Legislators Are Backing the Bills

You can see which Representatives are backing HB2236 here.

You can see which Senators are backing SB2151 here.

Bottom Line

HB2236 and SB2151 would lock into permanent Hawaii law the authority to quarantine residents based on suspected exposure, enter private property without permission, suspend existing laws, prohibit firearm possession under emergency orders, and take control of private infrastructure and economic activity—all under an emergency declaration the governor has broad discretion to issue, including based on a perceived “threat.”

The legislation is advancing as the federal government pours billions into influenza pandemic programs, conducts gain-of-function experiments designed to alter influenza viruses, and builds out large-scale vaccine deployment initiatives intended for rapid rollout once a pandemic is declared.

At the same time, Congress, the White House, the Department of Energy, the FBI, the CIA, and Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) have confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic was likely the result of lab-engineered pathogen manipulation.

That overlap creates a profound conflict-of-interest question: the same government and scientific establishment involved in creating and manipulating pandemic-capable pathogens is also expanding the legal authority to impose quarantines, override constitutional protections, restrict property rights, and control economic life if one of those pathogens triggers the next declared emergency.

If passed, Hawaii’s bills would ensure those powers are not improvised in the moment, but already written into law—allowing sweeping restrictions on residents to be activated immediately, the moment the next pandemic or declared threat emerges.

Support John by subscribing at Substack and following at Instagram / X / Facebook.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 18:25

Done With Winter? Not So Fast As Weekend Snowstorm Risk Rises For US East

Meteorologists on X are posting new weather models showing a setup for a potentially serious winter storm threat that could blanket parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast with wintry precipitation from Sunday into Monday. The elevated risk of a major snow threat is notable because the peak of Northern Hemisphere winter in the Lower 48 has already passed and temperatures have been trending higher.

A major storm threat from Sunday into Monday could bring significant winter precipitation from Washington, DC, to Philadelphia, to New York City, and to Boston.

Meteorologist Ben Noll wrote on X, "Just a few hundred miles could make the difference between heavy snow in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday and Monday — or none at all."

"As the forecast comes into focus, the latest probabilities show a medium chance for 3+ inches in a stretch from D.C. to Boston," Noll said.

An excerpt from meteorologist Ryan Maue's weather note outlined the increasing chances that a nor'easter/coastal storm will develop and impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by late weekend.

Maue wrote:

East Coast Storm System — Mid-Atlantic + Nor'easter Watch

Updated ECMWF 06z shows the low-pressure center waiting to rapidly intensify or "bomb out" until late Sunday into Monday, missing the opportunity for the backside of the circulation to dump snowfall on the coast. The northeast track keeps the low-pressure center away from New England as well.

Ensembles: The ECMWF EPS at 06z (median) still NOT interested in the coastal storm having major impacts to the Mid-Atlantic or the Northeast.

Ensemble Probability of 3 inches of snow: about a coin flip from Washington, D.C., to Philly and New York City

The question is whether cold air will be in place as the storm arrives in the Mid-Atlantic region by late weekend. If so, plan accordingly for any travel disruptions. 

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 18:00

Small Businesses Compete... Why Can't Credit Card Companies?

Authored by Adam Temple via RealClearPolitics,

Families aren’t the only ones who’ve been struggling with affordability for years. So have the small businesses that power the American economy and create the majority of new jobs. There’s no shortage of commonsense ideas to give job creators relief, but President Trump just highlighted one of the most important: Stop credit-card companies from ripping off Main Street.

This month, the president announced his support for the Credit Card Competition Act. At its core, this bipartisan bill would give small businesses the right to choose between multiple credit card processing networks. That’s a huge difference from the status quo, because right now, Main Street is stuck with networks that charge huge swipe fees. This leaves small businesses with a real dilemma: Stop accepting credit cards or pass the costs on to consumers. That’s an impossible choice in today’s economy. 

This crisis can be laid at the feet of Visa, Mastercard, and the big banks that create the unfair and uncompetitive payment systems. The two powerful credit card companies and their banking partners decide what swipe fees every small business in America pays. They charge 2%-4% on each transaction, which adds up quickly. In 2024, the swipe fees totaled a record $187.2 billion, and they were most merchants’ highest operating cost after labor. And as credit card companies have raised their swipe fees in recent years, many small business margins have come to the breaking point.

Visa and Mastercard fees disproportionately impact small businesses more than larger competitors. But there’s no good reason for small merchants to pay higher rates. The transaction process and equipment costs are the same for everyone. Visa and Mastercard’s higher prices for smaller merchants seem designed to maximize their own Wall Street profits while punishing Main Street. 

Every American suffers from this broken system. When small businesses lose money, they can’t hire more employees or invest in higher wages and better benefits. They also struggle to keep prices low, which matters at a time when consumers are cutting back and looking for deals. In the direst cases, swipe fees threaten the ability of small businesses to remain open at all. 

As long as this anti-competitive, rate-setting regime remains in place, small businesses and their communities will suffer. That’s why Main Street is counting on Congress to pass the Credit Card Competition Act.

Authored by Sens. Marshall and Durbin and Reps. Gooden and Lofgren, the bill would end the current broken system by requiring banks to let small businesses choose more than one credit card network. Instead of being forced to go with only Visa and Mastercard, small businesses could simultaneously use well-established, secure, and independent networks like Star, NYCE, Pulse, and Shazam.

Under this bill, there would be no more take-it-or-leave-it, no more one-size-fits-all fee structure. Instead, there would be real competition among credit card networks. And as every small business can attest, competition lowers costs. Credit card networks would cut their fees to keep their customers, and small businesses would pass the savings on to families. Small businesses already have to compete every day. Why shouldn’t credit card companies?

Main Street is desperate to see reform. Ninety-two percent of NFIB’s small and independent business owner members?¯believe they should be able to pick the credit card networks that process their transactions. Now it’s time for our leaders in Washington, D.C., to pass the Credit Card Competition Act. President Trump is on board. So are lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. They need to give small business relief fast – for the sake of Main Street and all the families who depend on it.

Adam Temple is senior vice president for advocacy at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). 

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 17:40

Trump's War Room Assesses The Midterms: It's The Economy, Stupid

The 2026 midterms are (as always) shaping up to be the most consequential off-year election in a generation, and the people closest to Donald Trump know it. 

If Republicans lose the House or Senate, Trump’s second-term agenda will be stopped dead in its tracks. That reality brought Trump administration officials, pollsters, and House Republicans together Tuesday night on Capitol Hill for a closed-door strategy session with one goal: don't blow it. Journalist Mark Halperin posted the details on X, and what emerged from the briefing was a picture of a party that knows exactly what's at stake.

Whether they understand how to win is another question entirely.

Political czar James Blair opened with historical data, making the case that midterm losses for the president's party aren't just common, they're nearly inevitable. Decades of precedent suggest the party in power will lose seats. The lone exemption over the past 25 years was the 2002 midterms, when Republicans gained seats in the House and Senate, while George W. Bush was still president. But that was no ordinary election; it was the first midterm election after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Blair walked through the numbers on how rare it is for a sitting president's party to avoid significant seat losses, framing the whole operation as a race against historical precedent.

Pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio followed with roughly 25 slides of voter data, including demographics, issue rankings, and which messages cut through the noise. His bottom line was blunt: "The economy will be THE issue in the election." But even that comes with some caveats. 

"Trying to argue about wages being up will not help,” Blair warned. “Voters have to feel it." 

One only needs to look at Joe Biden for proof of this. He infamously tried to sell the idea that “Bidenomics” had delivered an economic recovery even as inflation reached historic highs. The messaging backfired big time. 

Fabrizio found that the messages that actually resonate with persuadable voters include banning stock trading for members of Congress, transparency on health insurance pricing and claims reimbursement, lowering prescription drug costs, and Trump’s tax cuts. Housing affordability is also a huge issue, particularly for younger voters. Meanwhile, taking credit for closing the border, one of Trump’s strongest issues, “does not resonate much.”

According to Sophia Cai of Politico, Fabrizio told the audience “that the biggest takeaway is to focus on Trump’s efforts to lower prescription drug pricing.”

Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio is telling the audience that the biggest takeaway is to focus on Trump’s efforts to lower prescription drug pricing, per person in the room.

— Sophia Cai (@SophiaCai99) February 17, 2026

Democrats, in contrast, are running on "We hate Trump" and little else. That might energize a base, but it's historically weak as a closing argument for voters who are deciding whether their lives are better.

Men, moderates, true independents, and Hispanic voters are the true persuadable voters, according to Fabrizio.

Then came the most candid moment of the briefing. Blair acknowledged outright that regardless of what came out of the meeting, "Donald Trump will do what he wants to do, say what he wants to say, not be data driven.”

He added, “Everyone else has to stay on message and be driven by the data. In effect, two separate but related campaigns."

In short, Republicans must run a disciplined, data-driven operation as the president runs his own show. The goal is to make those two tracks complement each other rather than collide.

Perhaps the good news for the GOP is that most voters don't begin paying serious attention until after Labor Day, which will give plenty of time for Trump’s economic policies to show results that voters feel.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 17:20

Medical Groups Sue FTC Over Probe Into Gender Dysphoria Treatments

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Two medical groups on Feb. 17 sued the federal government over its probe into the organizations’ recommendations for children with gender dysphoria, or the belief that they are a different gender.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington on Aug. 6, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society said in separate lawsuits filed in federal court in the District of Columbia that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is unconstitutionally targeting the groups over their speech.

“Using the threat of investigation or prosecution against an organization in order to silence speech the government does not like is retaliation, prohibited by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” the American Academy of Pediatrics, which says it represents 67,000 pediatricians, said in its lawsuit. “Moreover, issuing an overbroad subpoena as a tool to compel disclosures in such a retaliatory action violates the Fourth Amendment.”

The academy said in a 2018 statement, reaffirmed in 2023, that pediatricians could give drugs such as puberty blockers to children who identify as a gender different from their birth sex.

FTC officials in a civil demand in January requested details on how the academy came up with the position, as well as each type of pediatric gender dysphoria treatment the academy had advertised or promoted, and whether there were any financial relationships between the organization and companies or doctors that treat gender dysphoria.

Officials demanded similar information from the Endocrine Society, a nonprofit that promotes hormone science research and says it has 18,000 members.

The society in 2017 said that people who have gender dysphoria or gender incongruence need “a safe and effective hormone regimen that will (1) suppress endogenous sex hormone secretion determined by the person’s genetic/gonadal sex and (2) maintain sex hormone levels within the normal range for the person’s affirmed gender.”

FTC officials said in the demand letters that they are investigating whether false or unsubstantiated representations were made concerning the marketing and advertising of treatments for pediatric gender dysphoria. Federal law prohibits people from engaging in deceptive practices affecting commerce and disseminating false advertisements.

The probe targets the Endocrine Society over speech that “reflects pure scientific opinion,” the society said in its legal challenge. If allowed to proceed, the investigation would “endanger the ability of organizations to share information and opinion on any issue, be that vaccine safety and efficacy, environmental health risks, emerging infectious diseases, or gender dysphoria,” it added later.

The groups want judges to declare that the civil demands violated the First Amendment. Judges should immediately and permanently bar FTC officials from taking action against the groups over their treatment guidelines and any other statements concerning “gender affirming care,” the groups also said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the FTC for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 17:00

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Kills Plan To Allow Robotaxi Operations Outside NYC

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has withdrawn a proposal that would allow commercial robotaxi pilot operations outside New York City limits without a human safety operator in the vehicle. The decision was first reported by Bloomberg News earlier Thursday and is a major setback for Waymo as it attempts a rapid US expansion this year.

Bloomberg reported:

The proposal, which Hochul had included in a policy preview she presented last month, would have allowed autonomous-vehicle companies such as Waymo to apply for permission to pilot their services without human operators in the vehicle. The decision to withdraw the plan was confirmed Thursday by the governor's office to Bloomberg News.

"While we are disappointed by the Governor's decision, we're committed to bringing our service to New York and will work with the state legislature to advance this issue," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement provided to Bloomberg.

Last week, Waymo co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana told Bloomberg TV that the Hochul administration showed interest in launching robotaxis.

Even if it were outside the NYC metro area, "that gives us an opportunity to grow more fans," Mawakana said, adding that some customers of the service have been requesting robotaxis within city boundaries.

To note, Waymo is currently testing in NYC, but it is not yet operating a driverless commercial robotaxi service. As of early 2026, its activity includes a small fleet with safety drivers in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

"We hear from thousands of New Yorkers who have experienced Waymo in other cities and want access to it at home," the Waymo spokesperson added. "They want the safety, privacy and comfort that riders in other major cities already enjoy."

Last month, Goldman analyst Eric Sheridan provided clients with an update on the North American autonomous-vehicle (AV) rideshare market, which is quickly gaining momentum. Read the report here.

"The rise in commercial autonomous vehicle deployments remains a key debate among investors and has continued to gain momentum throughout 2025. In the medium term, we believe that AV rideshare could represent a mid-single-digit percentage of total rideshare industry bookings," Sheridan said.

Current robotaxi operations

The lingering question: who persuaded Hochul to kill the robotaxi expansion proposal?

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 16:40

Why Exactly Did They Destroy The Border?

Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

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.”

A few left-wing globalists even boasted of a new borderless world, in which anyone could live anywhere he wished.

Not too long ago, Texas State Representative Gene Wu (D-Houston), chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, jumped the shark to say out loud what is usually left unsaid about the Democrat agenda:

The day the Latino, African American, Asian, and other communities realize that they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning, because we are the majority in this country now. We have the ability to take over this country and to do what is needed for everyone.

The same unapologetic left-wing weaponization of illegal immigration is occurring in Europe.

Sheer numbers there have already radically changed the demography—and political constituencies—of the continent.

Recently, the former Spanish “Minister of Equality,” an energized Irene Montero, offered an unambiguous rant:

“I hope for ‘replacement theory.’ I hope we can sweep this country of fascists and racists with immigrants. Whatever their skin color, whether ‘Chinese, Black, or Brown.’”

The culmination of the new hubris in the U.S. was the Biden administration’s destruction of the southern border and enforcement of federal immigration law.

On some days, the Biden influx exceeded anyone’s wildest imagination, at a rate of 10,000 illegal entrants per day.

The Homeland “Security” Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in Baghdad Bob style, occasionally pontificated that the border was “secure”—as thousands in the background illegally swarmed the border, without health or even rudimentary background checks.

The Left’s political agenda for illegal immigration was to be realized either immediately through compromised ballot integrity or soon enough by warping the census-based reapportionment of congressional districts.

No wonder there is now near-hysterical Democratic opposition to even basic national requirements of a photo ID to vote. Yet, traditionally liberal polls like Gallup and Pew show that 83 to 84 percent of Americans support mandatory presentation of a voter photo ID.

Usually, the Left fawns over European protocols. But it now grows quiet when reminded that 46 of 47 European nations, even those governed by the Left, require IDs to vote.

Apparently, Democrats assumed that once 10 million more of the world’s poorest had illegally crossed the southern border, without audit or English proficiency, they would filter throughout American society and become impossible to repatriate.

Soon, open borders would flip more states blue, as well as increase their congressional seats. Illegals were to be redefined as mere “residents” and often recipients of mail-in ballots.

The reality that millions of new poor through their needs would grow the welfare state, expand government at all levels, require far more taxes, and fuel the DEI binary of oppressed/oppressors were added benefits.

The nexus between the nine-billion-dollar Somali welfare fraud and Minnesota Democratic officials offers a sharp reminder of how the immigration/welfare/DEI exemption industry was created and protected by authorities.

Biden’s new 10 million unlawful entrants may have increased the existing pool of illegal aliens (20 million?) to 30 million.

That total, in turn, radically grew the existing group of 20 million legal foreign-born citizens and legal residents of various categories.

So when Trump took office in January 2025, the U.S. had admitted a record high of foreign-born residents. They now made up some 16 percent of the population and perhaps 53 million in actual numbers.

The influxes came at a time when too often the melting-pot tradition of integration, assimilation, and acculturation was reviled and superseded by salad-bowl ethnic chauvinism and separatism.

Yet the triumphant Left never imagined a Trump reelection.

Nor could it grasp fully Trump’s counterrevolutionary effort to secure the border and undo the Biden nihilism.

Even more surreal to Democrats were his efforts to reinstate the integrity and supremacy of federal immigration law.

No one really believed Trump would seek to find and deport millions who had filtered through fifty states.

Most were enjoying de facto immunity via hundreds of left-wing lower district court judges and blue-state officials of the Tim Walz/Gavin Newsom sort.

There is only one way that the left would ever oppose a return to legal, measured, and diverse immigration. Namely, if any of its immigrant constituencies in the future—such as the 55 percent of Hispanic males who voted for Trump in 2024—dared to vote on criteria other than federal entitlements, ethnic solidarity, and Democratic coercion.

Do that, and the Left would close the border quickly.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 16:20

Just When You Thought Obama's Tower Of Doom Couldn't Get Any More Ugly...

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Barack Obama’s infamous Presidential Center in Chicago, already slammed as a dystopian “prison-like” monstrosity, has just received a bizarre new update that’s ignited widespread mockery online.

The addition of disjointed words from one of Obama’s speeches has been dubbed “headache-inducing,” amplifying the backlash against this $830 million behemoth that’s overrun budgets, displaced locals, and turned a public park into a narcissistic shrine.

As construction drags on toward a June 2026 opening, the former president’s ego-driven tweaks have only fueled the fire, with X users unleashing savage roasts and memes comparing the structure to everything from a Soviet-era bunker to a “concrete porta potty.”

The latest fiasco stems from Obama’s decision to etch excerpts from his 2015 Selma speech onto the building’s facade. But instead of inspiring awe, the disjointed lettering has sparked hilarity and disgust.

They somehow managed to make the Obama presidential library even uglier.

My gosh. ? pic.twitter.com/lmZnyJ4FSs

— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) February 17, 2026

One X user highlighted how the words appear chopped and unreadable, calling it a “headache-inducing” mess that perfectly encapsulates the project’s overall failure.

I's indistinguishable from L's and T's. E's indistinguishable from F's. Multiple words get disjointed–not just on one plane but two.
Truly, one of the most headache-inducing reading experiences I've ever had. pic.twitter.com/hohr6Whusy

— Jacob Shell (@JacobAShell) February 17, 2026

what don’t you understand about

YOU ARE AMERICA
ED BY HABILAND
UNENCUMBERED
ADY TO SEIZE WE https://t.co/kmHawlABHO

— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) February 16, 2026

Fixed it for Obama. pic.twitter.com/BJU5eA6vIx

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 18, 2026

This is what the text should read… pic.twitter.com/YaZ2iSJQuY

— The OverboostedOne (@OverboostedOne) February 18, 2026

pic.twitter.com/N60Kwjw9Q5

— FoundAgainAfter (@CheatCodeTruth) February 18, 2026

As we previously reported, the Obama Presidential Center has ballooned to nearly $1 billion in costs, resembling a “Tower of Doom” that’s sucking the life out of Chicago’s South Side. Locals have decried it as a “totalitarian command center dropped straight out of 1984,” with property values skyrocketing and forcing out longtime residents.

Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor warned that such developments “displace the very people they say they want to improve it for,” as rents for two-bedroom apartments jumped from $800 to over $1,800 per month. The project’s DEI-focused hiring of diverse contractors has backfired spectacularly, leading to lawsuits over “racial discrimination” and claims of poor performance, proving once again that woke policies lead to broke outcomes.

President Trump didn’t hold back when mocking the stalled eyesore. “He needs help,” Trump quipped, noting how the library-museum hybrid is “not too pretty” and has “run out of money” despite Obama’s insistence on DEI builders.

Trump contrasted this with his own push for classical architecture, like the grand Arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge, symbolizing a return to American greatness.

The center’s foundation is now scrambling with only $116 million in reserves against $230 million in remaining costs, not including staff salaries. Scheduled tours have started, but critics question who’d visit this overpriced ode to Obama’s ego amid Chicago’s economic woes.

Obama’s defenders claim it’ll be an “economic catalyst” for the black community, but the reality is displacement and fiscal chaos. This project exemplifies the hypocrisy of elite liberals: preaching equity while building vast ego towers that burden the working class.

In the end, as Trump restores beauty and dignity to American landmarks, Obama’s legacy crumbles under the weight of its own pretension— a fitting monument to an era of division and decline.

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Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 15:40

Canada Announces Plan To Recruit Foreign Soldiers For Fast Track Immigration

It's a common theme throughout history - When governments go authoritarian, they often hire foreign soldiers in order to better control their respective populations or wage war on their neighbors.  The strategy is being implemented across Europe currently; with many nations taking in millions of third world migrants from Muslim nations and using targeted marketing to recruit them as police and military. 

Not all mass immigration is about rigging elections in favor of socialists.  It's sometimes about subjugation using people who have no loyalty to the native population.  

Canada appears to be the latest progressive regime to introduce the integration of foreign military professionals into their ranks.  The decision is part of the the country's new "Express Entry" program for migrants with skills that the government has deemed essential to the economy and to Canada's security. 

Globalist Prime Minister Mark Carney asserts that Canada will "tighten" the open immigration policies of the Trudeau Administration but it will also increase opportunities for foreign professionals to easily obtain entry and citizenship.  Canada's housing market has been crushed by inflation and a supply drought caused by a flood of 3 million immigrants (legal and illegal) over the past five years alone. 

In country with a population similar to the state of California and with less housing, the migrant influx has been a disaster.  Around 23% of Canada is foreign born.  Around 15% are migrants from third world countries.  The majority of these new citizens are low-skill and act as a drain on the nation's social welfare apparatus.    

The announcement of tighter controls on immigration will probably come as a welcome surprise to most of the Canadian citizenry (if it actually happens), but the introduction of foreign assets into the Canadian military is a worrying sign. 

Under Canada's new 2026 Express Entry category-based selection, announced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab on February 18, 2026, a dedicated category exists for skilled military recruits (also referred to as highly skilled foreign military applicants or Foreign Skilled Military Applicants). This targets highly skilled foreign military personnel specifically recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for key roles (Start video at 13:30).

The purported focus of this recruitment is doctors, nurses and pilots.  However, the categories for qualified personnel are rather broad, including leadership roles and:

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (NOC 40042)

Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (NOC 42102)

Operations members (NOC 43204)

The parameters do not explicitly call for combat troops, but there is a loophole.  There is no dedicated NOC for Canadian special operations forces (e.g., JTF2 or CSOR), which are typically drawn from combat arms backgrounds and involve advanced training rather than a distinct occupational code.   Special operators often perform overlapping duties, such as operating weapons for defense, configuring surveillance systems, or using engineering for various tasks - elements already listed in 43204's main duties.

In other words, foreign personnel could be brought into Canada through the Express program under the guise of being "support specialists" while acting as combat troops.  This is only if the government decides it wants to hide the importation of combat soldiers into the country.  Carney could also simply change the open policy whenever he likes without public input.

Most nations seek to avoid recruitment of foreign troops to prevent intelligence breaches and loss of unit cohesion.  The US launched a similar foreign military recruitment program under Barack Obama in 2009, but this was shut down by the Trump Administration in 2017.

Canadian officials cite growing tensions with the US as one of the reasons for the decision.  Canada is being forced to finally meet its NATO requirements, while the EU and Canada have expressed hostility towards US efforts to save the west from the mass immigration schemes of leftist politicians. 

Carney, seeking to reduce reliance on the United States, announced a new defense strategy that aims to lift government investment in defense-related research and development by 85%, boost defense industry revenues by more than 240%, increase defense exports by 50% and create up to 125,000 new jobs (which will likely go to foreigners). Like other NATO members, Canada has pledged to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is experiencing a severe, long-term recruitment crisis, operating roughly 14,000 personnel short of its goals in 2025–2026.  Critics suggest that Canada, like the EU, may be preparing for a war with Russia that could easily be avoided by staying out of Ukraine.  Another problem to consider is the rise of draconian speech laws and gun confiscation programs. 

Canada may be preparing to oppress the native conservative citizenry (around 40% of the population) as they expand progressive controls.  This would require considerable outside resources (foreign troops) to reinforce their small contingent of 65,000 active duty members, many of whom would likely be opposed to martial law.     

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 15:05

Ethereum Foundation Lists 'Quantum Readiness' As 2026 Priority

Authored by Ciaran Lyons via CoinTelegraph.com,

The Ethereum Foundation has announced it is targeting faster transactions, smarter wallets, better cross-chain interoperability, and quantum-resistant security as its “protocol priorities” in 2026.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the Ethereum Foundation outlined several goals, including continuing to scale the gas limit — the maximum amount of computational work a block can handle — “toward and beyond” 100 million, a major topic of discussion among the Ethereum community in 2025. 

Source: Ethereum Foundation

Some members of the Ethereum community anticipate that the gas limit will increase significantly this year. In November, Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano said that the goal of significantly increasing Ethereum’s gas limit to 180 million in 2026 is a baseline, not a best-case scenario. 

“Post-quantum readiness” is a focus for Ethereum

The foundation highlighted the Glamsterdam network upgrade, scheduled for the first half of 2026, as a major priority. It also emphasized long-term post-quantum readiness as part of its broader security initiative.

On Jan. 24, Ethereum researcher Justin Drake said in an X post that the foundation had “formed a new Post-Quantum (PQ) team.” 

“Today marks an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term quantum strategy,” Drake said.

The Ethereum Foundation said it will also focus on improving user experience in 2026, with an emphasis on enhancing smart wallets through native account abstraction and enabling smoother interactions between blockchains via interoperability.

“The goal remains seamless, trust-minimized cross-L2 interactions, and we’re getting closer day by day. Continued progress on faster L1 confirmations and shorter L2 settlement times directly supports this.”

The foundation said that 2025 was one of the “most productive years,” citing two major network upgrades, Pectra and Fusaka, and the community raising the gas limit from 30 million to 60 million between the upgrades, for the first time since 2021.

Buterin’s big plans for Ethereum and AI

Ethereum Foundation’s Mario Havel said in an X post on Wednesday: “It took us a while to push out the announcement because we were preparing the biggest curriculum so far.” 

It comes just days after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his latest vision for Ethereum’s intersection with artificial intelligence on Feb. 10. Buterin explained that he sees the two working together to improve markets, financial safety and human agency.  

Buterin said his broader vision for the future of AI is to empower humans rather than replace them, though he said the short term involves much more “ordinary” ideas.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 14:20

Trump Has A UFO Speech Ready To Deliver

Documentary filmmaker Dan Farah appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in November to promote his new documentary, The Age of Disclosure, and predicted that his film might force Trump to become the first world leader to confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life publicly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it happens soon after the film comes out — the sitting president has to step to the microphone and say: humanity is not alone in the universe,” Farah told Rogan. “We have recovered technology of non-human origin. So have other nations. There is a high-stakes, secret cold war race to reverse engineer this technology. We need to win this race.” 

“I think Trump might be the only guy that’s willing to do something that crazy,” Rogan replied.

Well, now Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, let it slip during an appearance on the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast that Trump has a speech prepared confirming extraterrestrial life exists.

“Do you think that he's about to make an announcement about UFOs?" host Miranda Devine asked.

“Because President Obama was just on a podcast talking about how he believes in UFOs and hinting that he saw something when he was president.”

“Well, I said this in my podcast, too,” Lara Trump began.

“What's funny is we've kind of asked my father-in-law about this, 'cause we're like, ‘Well, what do you know?’ ‘Cause, Miranda, we all wanna know about the UFOs, or we all wanna know what's going on and he played a little coy with us. And so that, of course, led us to believe, Eric and I, were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, if he won't even, like, fully tell us, maybe there's more to it.’ And then I have just heard kind of around that... I think he's actually said it, I think my father-in-law has actually said it, that there is some speech that he has that, I guess, at, at the right time, and I don't know when the right time is, he's gonna break out and, and talk about, and it has to do with maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life, so to speak.”

Lara Trump suggests that President Trump is ready to make an announcement to the world about the existence of aliens, with his script already prepared for the “right time.”

“He’s going to talk about maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life.”

“I don’t know when the right time… pic.twitter.com/D3Cp4zTjFV

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) February 18, 2026

The White House offered exactly the kind of answer you'd expect. 

“I’ll have to check in with our speech writing team,” White House Press Secretary Karoline said.

”That would be of great interest to me personally, and I’m sure all of you in this room and apparently former President Obama, too.”

A clip from Obama's recent appearance on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast went viral over the weekend after he was asked point-blank whether aliens exist.

"They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in … Area 51 … There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States," Obama said. 

Barack Obama on aliens: “They’re real”

“But I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept at Area 51. There’s no underground facility — unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/c6t0DYxewU

— UAP James (@UAPJames) February 14, 2026

By Sunday, Obama was on Instagram trying to walk it back.

"Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances aliens have visited us is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!" Obama wrote.

        View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama)

Washington's relationship with UFOs — or, in the preferred bureaucratic phrasing, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) — has shifted considerably in recent years. A House hearing in July 2023 featured testimony from former military intelligence officer David Grusch, who told lawmakers under oath that he "was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program to which I was denied access." Grusch further alleged the government had retrieved what he called "non-human biologics" from recovered craft, citing accounts from dozens of witnesses he interviewed over four years.

The Pentagon, of course, pushed back. A March 2024 report rejected the core claims — no reverse-engineered alien spacecraft, no hidden extraterrestrial biological material, no off-world technology stashed in some classified warehouse. The agency stood by its denials even as lawmakers held classified briefings.

Lara Trump’s comment adds new intrigue to the discussion. Whether Trump eventually delivers that address — or whether this is one more piece of carefully managed intrigue from a president who has never met a story he didn't know how to control — is a question that, for now, has no answer. But Trump sure does seem like the president who would do so.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 14:00

California Planning To Sue Trump Admin Over Revised Child Vaccine Guidelines

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Feb. 17 that the state plans to take legal action against the Trump administration over the recent modifications to the childhood vaccine schedule.

A man holds his 14-month-old son while he gets the MMR vaccine at a clinic in Lubbock, Texas, on March 1, 2025. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Jan. 5, with backing from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., narrowed the number of vaccines routinely recommended by the childhood schedule.

Bonta told Reuters in an interview that he has mobilized his team to identify the necessary details for a possible complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including jurisdictional and legal grounds for pursuing the lawsuit.

“I like the facts. I like science. I don’t want to give any airtime to his—I mean, just conspiracy [expletive],” Bonta told the news agency, referring to Kennedy’s stance on vaccines.

Bonta did not specify when the state might file or whether it would be a multistate filing. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who also spoke to Reuters, indicated that his state may join California in the filing.

The Epoch Times reached out to HHS for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

The CDC in January issued a revised childhood vaccine schedule that ended broad recommendations for vaccines against rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.

The agency said in a Jan. 5 memo that decisions for those vaccinations should instead be made through “shared clinical decision-making,” which involves discussion between parents and health care providers.

The changes were made after President Donald Trump directed the HHS and CDC to review U.S. vaccine schedules and compare them with those of peer countries. The president named three countries—Denmark, Japan, and Germany—that recommend fewer vaccines and fewer vaccine doses.

At the time, the White House said in a fact sheet that if the HHS and CDC determine that those practices from developed countries are better than U.S. recommendations, they are directed to update the U.S. core childhood vaccine schedule to align with such scientific evidence and best practices, while preserving access to existing vaccines for Americans.

“Practices like the hepatitis B vaccination at birth are standard in the United States, but uncommon in most developed countries, where it is typically only recommended for newborns of mothers who test positive for the infection,” the White House stated in December.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups filed a lawsuit on Jan. 19 seeking to challenge the revised childhood vaccine schedule.

They argued that officials failed to adequately review relevant data or provide satisfactory explanations for the changes. A federal judge heard arguments on Feb. 13 and is considering whether to block the schedule update.

In January, HHS responded after executives of top vaccine companies took aim at the Trump administration in the wake of a series of actions on vaccines.

“Vaccine recommendations are based on the best available gold-standard scientific evidence and public health considerations, not corporate interests,” an HHS spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email on Jan. 28.

“Under this administration, HHS is not beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. Decisions are made through transparent processes with the sole aim of protecting the health of the American people. Protecting public health and restoring trust will continue to drive HHS’ vaccine policy.”

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 13:40

Whole Foods Ditching Its "Dystopian" Pay-By-Palm Biometric Payment Option

Whole Foods Market is shutting down its palm-scan payment system nationwide, removing the devices from more than 500 stores by June 3 after shoppers largely ignored them. The chain, owned by Amazon, had pitched the feature as a frictionless way to pay. Instead, it became an experiment few customers embraced, according to The Daily Mail.

The program, called Amazon One, allowed shoppers to link their Amazon accounts to a scan of their palm and check out with a wave of the hand. Amazon says it processes more than a million biometric authentications each month across locations where the service operates, but a spokesperson said weak adoption at Whole Foods drove the decision to discontinue it there.

In interviews at a Union Square store in Manhattan, none of the dozen customers surveyed had used the scanners. Several said they had never seen anyone else try. “I haven’t [used palm payment], and I haven't seen anyone use it before,” said Priscilla Flete. After learning how the system worked, she added, “It’s a bit invasive.”

The Daily Mail writes that privacy worries were a common refrain. “I don't want to give my biometric data to nobody,” said Santiago Tieguec, who questioned the need for the service given that “Nowadays we have our cards in our phones.” Nusrat Abdullah, who hadn’t heard of the feature before, said, “It might be convenient, but I think your information is sensitive... I don't think paying with your hands is very safe.”

Others expressed outright distrust. Gavin McGinn said, “I wouldn't trust them to have that kind of information about people, because who would they sell it to?” Brayden Stephenson, who once tested the scanner out of curiosity, was skeptical that data would truly disappear: “A lot of the time, ‘delete’ is just archive and sell off to somebody else.”

Amazon disputes those fears, saying biometric data is encrypted, stored securely in the cloud and not shared with third parties. The company added that once the rollout ends, all associated customer information—including palm data—will be permanently deleted.

Retail analysts say the technology’s retreat underscores a basic reality: contactless cards and mobile wallets are already fast and easy. Without a clear benefit, many shoppers saw little reason to trade more personal data for the same checkout experience. As Stephenson put it, “I already have a card. I'm not getting anything out of that.”

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 13:05

The Atlantic Busted Fabricating Dead Kid Measles Story

Last Thursday, The Atlantic published a heart-wrenching story about an 11-month-old child who died of measles. Written in the second person from the perspective of a mother whose two unvaccinated children fell ill with the disease, the story is rich with personal detail;

"You plant her on the couch with a blanket and put Bluey on the TV while she drifts in and out of sleep..." 

"While the kids are napping, you tap a list of your daughter’s symptoms into Google and find a slew of diseases that more or less match up..."

"Her cough wracks her whole body, rounding her delicate bird shoulders. She does not sleep well. And as you lift up her pajama top to check her rash one morning, you see that her breathing is labored, shadows pooling between her ribs when she sucks in air." 

Image via NiemanLab

Turns out, NONE OF THAT HAPPENED. The Atlantic's Elizabeth Bruenig simply made it up, leading to mass confusion.

Elizabeth Bruenig, who fabricated measles scare piece without a disclaimer.

As Laura Hazard Owen of NiemanLab - who initially busted Bruenig - writes:

When I initially read Bruenig’s story, I was stunned: An Atlantic staff writer’s unvaccinated child had died of measles in the 2020s, and now she was writing about it? At the end of Bruenig’s piece, though, there’s an editor’s note: “This story is based on extensive reporting and interviews with physicians, including those who have cared directly for patients with measles.” That was the point when I sent a gift link to my mom group: “as far as I can tell this piece is fiction. What do we think about this choice? I am very conflicted!!!” My conflict stemmed from my concern that, though the piece was heavily researched, it was not a true story. I wondered if the key people whose minds might be changed by it — people who don’t vaccinate their kids — would brush it off as fiction, or fake.

Following the publication, two journalists reached out to Owen to let her know that they were similarly confused, as there "was not an editor's note/disclaimer on the piece at all." 

What's more, The Atlantic's own spokesperson told one of the journalists: "This is based on a mother's real account," - after which the outlet added a disclaimer. 

To +1 @laurahazardowen

I've also seen PDF of Atlantic piece on measles as first posted.

a/ Originally it had no editor's note

b/ PR rep initially told reporter (in note I've seen) "this is based on a mother's real account."

If Atlantic was confused, why wouldn't readers be? https://t.co/oWFlaktBWe

— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) February 19, 2026

The comments section at The Atlantic is full of similarly confused readers: 

To clarify - The Atlantic published a story about a child dying of measles.

Without notifying its readers the story was largely a work of fiction.

The only added an editor's note after other journalists started asking them about it. https://t.co/cgWdlt0KjS

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 19, 2026

Of course, some Harvard douche who doesn't disclose that his own work was mentioned in The Atlantic 'immediately recognized the article as hypothetical.' Great job Stuart! 

I don't understand how anyone would have not immediately recognized the article as hypothetical -- it's in the second person! Obviously none of this has happened to me as the reader, so obviously it's a way of storytelling.

— Stuart Buck (@stuartbuck1) February 19, 2026

 

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 12:30

Teachers Are Fomenting Anti-ICE Hysteria

Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness,

Employees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been busy lately, working to fulfill their mandate to remove undocumented immigrants.

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of ICE’s activities is its alleged presence in public schools across the nation.

But is ICE actually going into schools?

Absolutely not.

While there are a few reports of parents being detained at bus stops near schools and images of ICE agents tackling people on school grounds, they are not actually entering the schools.

Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs, explains that agents’ actions in and around schools are intended to protect children.

“ICE is not going to schools to arrest children—we are protecting children. Criminals are no longer able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

McLaughlin adds, “An arrest might be made at school if a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school or a child sex offender is working as an employee. But this has not happened.”

Nonetheless, teachers are organizing their students to battle ICE.

As reported by Erika Sanzi, director of communications at Defending Education, teachers in Minnesota have been coordinating student protests on social media.

“There is nothing organic about these events, and despite claims to the contrary, they are almost never spontaneous expressions of student speech. They are basically field trips without the parent permission slip,” Sanzi said.

In Oregon, a video shows kindergarten students participating in a protest, and numerous schools nationwide have preemptively canceled classes so students could protest.

The teachers’ unions have also seized on ICE’s alleged misdeeds to indoctrinate students.

According to materials obtained by Defending Education, the United Teachers Los Angeles gave a presentation last year titled “Preparing for ICE at Your School” that urged its members to engage in political activism and suggested using school resources to thwart ICE operations.

The UTLA documents guide educators on how to resist the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and urge parents and teachers to collaborate on resistance efforts. It is part of the union’s broader efforts to “build a comprehensive response to immigration enforcement.”

One slide shared with educators reads, “The fight is far from over. We need to keep fighting together!” Another slide titled “What can you do?” instructs educators on how to respond to ICE operations.

Ron Gochez, a teacher at Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School in Los Angeles, a winner of the California Teachers Association “Human Rights Award,” and a spokesman for Unión del Barrio, a Chicano Marxist revolutionary political organization, is at the forefront of the anti-ICE movement in L.A.

During a recent ICE protest in Los Angeles, Gochez told his compadres, “Don’t forget where you’re standing. This is South Central Los Angeles. They (ICE) are not the only ones with guns in this city. Don’t forget that. And I don’t say that because I’m calling for violence; I’m saying that because the people have every right to defend themselves against masked, unidentified gunmen. The people have every right to defend themselves.”

Revolutionary activities are hardly new to Gochez. In August 2024, a UTLA meeting focused on “How to be a teacher & an organizer… and NOT get fired,” during which Gochez outlined stealth methods for indoctrinating his students. He described transporting busloads of students to an anti-Israel rally during the school day without arousing suspicion.

“A lot of us that have been to those (protest) actions have brought our students. Now, I don’t take the students in my personal car,” Gochez said. Then, referring to the Los Angeles Unified School District, he explained, “I have members of our organization who are not LAUSD employees. They take those students, and I just happen to be at the same place and the same time with them.”

Not surprisingly, the National Education Association aligns with various revolutionary groups, including the Sunrise Movement, which is funded by several left-wing billionaires, including George Soros. The group began with a focus on environmental issues but is now dedicated to virtually every radical proposition imaginable, with a particular emphasis on brainwashing students and organizing within schools.

In January, the NEA, under the guise of protecting children, blasted out an anti-ICE message across various social media platforms, saying, “As thousands of ICE agents carry out aggressive enforcement in Minnesota, hundreds of teachers, counselors, parents, school staff, activists, and union leaders are organizing and showing up in powerful ways—from delivering groceries and schoolwork to organizing solidarity actions and mass protests calling for ICE to leave schools and neighborhoods.”

Pushback against the blatant propaganda is mounting, however.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that protests should be considered unlawful. The state education agency has warned that it could impose sanctions and investigate schools that facilitate “inappropriate political activism.”

“Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior,” Abbott told reporters.

In Florida, the state’s Education Commissioner, Anastasios Kamoutsas, said schools have a responsibility to ensure that protests do not disrupt school operations and suggested that discipline would be warranted for staff who facilitate or encourage protests during classroom hours.

“We will not tolerate educators encouraging school protests and pushing their political views onto students, especially ones that disparage law enforcement,” Kamoutsas said on social media.

Some Indiana school leaders are also calling for discipline after hundreds of students walked out of class to protest, a move that Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith criticized as unacceptable.

Many parents are unhappy with the protests. One outraged Washington mother, seen in a video, has informed school officials that she is withdrawing her daughter from the district after teachers encouraged students to walk out to protest ICE activities.

When children go off to school each day, teachers act in loco parentis. Unfortunately, these days, “loco” has a whole different meaning.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 12:15

WTI Extends Geopolitical Risk Gains After Across-The-Board Inventory Draws

Oil prices pushed higher Thursday on worries that nuclear talks between US and Iran might not avert a new conflict that could threaten supplies.

"Oil is extending its gains, with Brent crude back above $70 a barrel... as fears of a military confrontation between the US and Iran rattled energy markets," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

"Nuclear talks between the two sides appear to be going nowhere fast, and the geopolitical premium is clearly back in play," he added.

On top of that, API reported an across the board draw in energy inventories.

“The failure to resolve core areas of contention continues to tip the scales in favor of another military confrontation,” RBC Capital Markets analysts including Helima Croft said in a note.

“The massive buildup of US military assets in the region as well as the recent Iranian naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz seem to suggest that the launch sequence for a second military conflict has commenced.”

Will the official data confirm API's draws and build (pun intended) on the geopolitical risk premia in crude prices...

API

• Crude -609k

• Cushing -1.4mm

• Gasoline -312k

• Distillates -1.6mm

DOE

• Crude -9.014mm - biggest draw since Sept 2025

• Cushing -1.095mm - biggest draw since Jun 2025

• Gasoline -3.21mm - biggest draw since Oct 2025

• Distillates -4.566mm

The official data confirmed API with inventory draws across the board. Crude saw its biggest destocking since September and Gasoline stocks fell for the first time since Nov7th...

Source: Bloomberg

US crude production extended its rebound from the storm slowdown...

Source: Bloomberg

WTI is trading near $67 after the official inventory data, extending gains...

Source: Bloomberg

"Geopolitical issues, above all Iran, are the key bullish factor in the oil market at the moment," University of Texas-Austin energy analyst Ben Cahill tells Axios via email.

"Otherwise there's not a whole lot of price support toward $70 [per barrel]. The slack in this market could embolden the White House," he said.

Iran exports about 1.5 million barrels per day, mostly to China. But the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea passage next to Iran, is a choke point that handles a whopping one-fourth or so of the world's maritime oil trade.

"For oil markets, the concern is clearly what action would mean not only for Iranian oil supply, but also broader Persian Gulf oil flows, given the risk of disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz," ING analysts said in a note on Wednesday.

Daan Struyven, Goldman Sachs co-head of global commodities research, told CNBC that he thinks the market sees tensions escalating further between the US and Iran, a likely catalyst for price hikes and longer-term volatility.

"Both prediction markets and oil markets are pricing some near-term moderate escalation as the base case," he said.

Specifically, if tensions in the Strait were to curtail flows by 1 million barrels per day for an entire year, Struyven predicted that would justify an $8 per barrel price increase, a roughly 11% jump from Thursday's price for Brent crude around $71.50. However, he also noted that fear among traders could push prices even higher, adding to the volatility in the market.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 12:05



 

 

At The Money: The Mega Backdoor Roth with Dan Larosa (February 19, 2026)

401(k)s top out at $24,500, but you can boost your tax-deferred investments to as much as $80,000 by switching to an IRS-approved Mega Backdoor Roth account.

Full transcript below.

~~~

About this week’s guest:

Dan LaRosa is Director of Corporate Retirement Plans at Ritholtz Wealth Management, overseeing more than $400 million in various plans. He is a Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and partner at the firm.

For more info, see:

Professional Bio

LinkedIn

~~~

 

Find all of the previous At the Money episodes here, and in the MiB feed on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Bloomberg. And find the entire musical playlist of all the songs I have used on At the Money on Spotify

 

 

 

At the Money with Barry Ritholtz

Guest: Dan LaRosa — The Mega Backdoor Roth

 

 

 

Transcript:

 

Barry Ritholtz: Tax-deferred portfolios, also known as qualified accounts, have become one of the most popular ways to invest. There are about a hundred million households, nearly 75% of every household in America with some sort of a formal tax advantaged retirement savings, total defined contributions are nearly $14 trillion.

The latest edition in your tax-deferred portfolio choices is the Mega Backdoor Roth.

To help us unpack all of this and what it means for your retirement savings, let’s bring in Dan LaRosa. He’s an expert in qualified retirement accounts and works with clients all over the country. And full disclosure, Dan leads the corporate retirement plans at my firm Ritholtz Wealth Management and is one of my partners.

So let’s start with the basics. Most of our listeners are certainly familiar with 401Ks, and they’re probably familiar with variations such as a Roth 401k, or a Roth IRA.

What is a Mega Backdoor Roth?

Dan LaRosa: So a regular 401k allows you to contribute up to $24,500 into it. The Mega Backdoor Roth feature allows you to contribute above the $24,500 limit, up to $72,000.

It uses the same type of strategy that you have in your regular backdoor Roth IRA. That’s just the way for high earners to get money into a Roth account. They’re gonna make a non-deductible contribution to a traditional IRA and then convert that to a Roth IRA. It works, it’s great, but the dollar amount is pretty small, it’s $7,500.

The Mega Backdoor Roth uses this same strategy, but inside of your 401k plan, where the contribution limits are significantly higher.

Barry Ritholtz: So Mega-Backdoor-401k-Roth sounds kind of complicated, but it really seems like that’s a huge increase in your after-tax contributions that theoretically grow tax-free and are withdrawn tax-free. Is that right?

Dan LaRosa: That’s right. When it works and your plan allows it, it’s a cheat code. There’s nothing else out there that’s going to allow you to get that much Roth dollars into a qualified retirement account.

Barry Ritholtz: So cheat codes and back doors sound a little shady. Is this legit with the IRS? Have they blessed this?

Dan LaRosa: It’s just the backdoor part that sounds kind of sketchy. It is not a gray area. It is not a loophole. It’s completely legit. The rules are actually very clear. The real challenge is just whether or not your plan allows you to use it.

Barry Ritholtz: So let’s go through that. If the IRS says it’s kosher, I would imagine your employer or the benefits provider, maybe even the custodian — who has to sign off on it? Is it any of the above or all of the above? Whose approval is required?

Dan LaRosa: There’s really nothing to do with the custodian with this. It’s more of a plan-level decision that’s going to be made by the employer. They’re the ones that are going to control the plan design and would ultimately make the decision to offer the after-tax contributions and in-plan Roth conversion features that make up this Mega-Backdoor-Roth. The 401k provider is obviously involved and they need to be able to administer this, but that’s generally not a problem.

Barry Ritholtz: Typically $24,500 is a regular 401k. I’m assuming catch-ups and things like that are separate. If you could go to $72,000 in this and it’s after tax, why would the employer object? This sounds like a great deal for anyone who wants to throw more money into their 401k.

Dan LaRosa: And this feature has gotten a lot more popular in recent years, but the reality is the most likely answer as to why more plans don’t do it — it just doesn’t work for every plan. After-tax contributions and the in-plan Roth conversions do add some complexity to the plan design, and most importantly, they trigger additional compliance testing. And that extra compliance testing, if failed, can prevent the whole strategy from working altogether.

Barry Ritholtz: I know our plan in our shop offers this in-house, and I’ve been taking advantage of it personally. I’m thinking about other service companies — lawyers, accountants, advisors, architects, anybody that’s a white-collar office with reasonable salaries. It would seem that this should be something that all those people should take advantage of.

Why don’t all of these firms take advantage of it? It sounds like $72,000, it’s triple what you’re normally allowed. Why wouldn’t everybody jump on this?

Dan LaRosa: $72,000 is actually the total — that’s your all-in that each individual can get into each plan. But why don’t more plans or companies use this feature? Again, it just doesn’t always work.

Without getting too deep into the weeds on the compliance testing side, if the only individuals that are interested in using this feature and contributing — making these after-tax contributions — are the owners and highest wage earners, it’s not going to work. It’s as simple as that. So the company either has to be big enough or have enough wage earners where it’s just not the top 20% or so using it in order for it to work.

Barry Ritholtz: What does it typically look like in a firm that does this? What sort of buy-in do you need from management, as well as the rest of the staff or partnership?

Dan LaRosa: As far as buy-in from the staff, if you have a lot of employees that are contributing and maxing out. If you have a lot of people that are maxing their contributions and would do more if they could, that’s one good sign. It’s worth looking into in that situation. But you’ll also have to have enough highly compensated individuals. If you have 30 people and eight of them are the big wage earners, it’s just not gonna work. It’s gonna be top heavy. So if you have enough highly compensated individuals that are interested in using this feature, there’s a good shot it’ll work.

Barry Ritholtz: I immediately thought of professional services companies — financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, bankers, doctors, et cetera. But what sort of industries do you see use this? What sort of businesses is this really well-suited for?

Dan LaRosa: All the professionals that you just listed. Tech companies — I’d say just about all of the big tech companies have this feature available. And I think any industry or any company where a large percentage of the population would be considered high wage earners, meaning say over $150,000–$160,000 a year, and that are interested in making these significant contributions, it could work.

Barry Ritholtz: Let’s assume you have a traditional 401k and everybody is maxing out their $24,500 plus whatever catch-up over 50 years old, and they want to be able to save more money. What is the process like converting that to a Mega Backdoor Roth? Walk us through that process.

Dan LaRosa: Ultimately, it’s going to have to come from the employer. So whoever at the company is in charge of running and administering the 401k will need to be involved in that decision. If you’re an influential employee, of course you can try and influence and push on that decision, but ultimately the plan sponsor or the employer will work with the 401k provider to update the plan documents and add a couple of features.

For the Mega Backdoor Roth to work, a plan has to allow two things: The first is the ability to make after-tax contributions, and the second is a way to move those after-tax dollars into a Roth account. Moving the after-tax dollars into Roth can happen one of two ways. First, you have an in-plan Roth conversion where the after-tax dollars are converted to Roth and stay in the 401k plan. And the second is an in-service distribution where the after-tax dollars are rolled into an outside Roth IRA. In-plan Roth conversion is probably more common; it’s just simpler to execute and it keeps all the money inside the plan.

Barry Ritholtz: This is really attractive. I’m assuming someone reaches out to HR or one of the managing directors / partners (whatever the title is) and says, hey, this is a great opportunity, why don’t we do this? Is there an extra cost? Why would there be any reluctance to do this, assuming it’s the right sort of mix of high-wage employees?

Dan LaRosa: There is no additional cost. You could say there’s a little bit of an additional headache – you’re adding more complexity, another layer of compliance testing. Whoever is in charge of administering the 401k at the company; maybe it amounts to a little more work.

But when it works, it works really well. And the significant benefits far outweigh the minor additional administrative burden.

Barry Ritholtz: We’re talking about companies with partners and HR, etc. What about either a solo practitioner or a 1099 contractor? Can you do this sort of Mega Backdoor Roth if you’re self-employed?

Dan LaRosa: Yes, absolutely. Mega Backdoor Roth works perfectly for solo or owner-only 401k plans. There are no compliance tests and headaches or administrative burdens when the plan only covers owners.

Yes, we are huge fans of the Mega Backdoor Roth in solo 401Ks.

Barry Ritholtz: Let’s talk about timing. How does this work? How much are people converting? What does this look like in terms of best practices — either daily or each pay period or quarterly? How often does this occur?

Dan LaRosa: It really depends on the plan or on the plan provider. Some plans only allow a certain number of conversions or distributions each year, which is obviously not ideal. And it really shifts the burden onto the participant to figure out when and how to do that. Others have daily automatic Roth conversions, which is just awesome. I’ve done it both ways. I’ve had the once-a-year manual paper form after-tax conversions, and we now have the daily automatic Roth conversions with Fidelity, and it’s a game-changer. It’s great.

As an employee, you don’t have too much control over that. It really depends on the provider. But whatever the case, I certainly recommend reaching out to your 401k provider the first time you do this, the first time you convert, and making sure you get it right, do it the right way.

Barry Ritholtz: So you and I have talked about this in the past and you discussed automatic Roth sweeps. Is that something that gets set up by the provider or the employer or the employee? How do you make sure that each payroll period — or in the event of any distribution, profit share, or dividend — how do you make sure that it stays on the Roth side?

Dan LaRosa: That’s a great point. So that daily automatic Roth sweep or automatic Roth conversion is awesome, but only some record keepers, only some providers offer it. The answer, as it usually is with these types of plans, is “It depends.” Every plan is different, every provider is different.

If your plan offers it, or if you’re not sure, reach out to the 401(k) provider. If your plan does offer it, the employee generally has to activate this daily automatic Roth conversion feature.

Barry Ritholtz: All right, so I know my 401(k) is at Fidelity—all of these daily sweeps and other things — from my perspective, it was set and forget. I don’t have to pay much attention to it. What about some of the other big 401(k) providers — Schwab, Vanguard? Is it possible to do it with those, and do they allow for these daily sweeps? What’s the landscape look like out there?

Dan LaRosa: As this feature has become increasingly popular in recent years, which it certainly has, more providers are getting better at it. Five years ago, I don’t know if anyone outside of Fidelity did it. Now, certainly, if your plan is big enough, they’ll pretty much do whatever you want. I think Fidelity just happened to be the first to really excel at administering it, but other providers are catching up quickly.

Barry Ritholtz: Last question. People hear this described as “tax-free growth forever,” and obviously that gets people excited, but what are the risks? What scenarios does this not make any sense? Where are you just better off investing in a taxable account?

Dan LaRosa: I think the excitement is warranted. I’m a huge fan of the Mega Backdoor Roth feature. If your plan offers it and you can afford the extra contributions, my answer is usually do it.

Just keep in mind a couple of things. First, if you use that in-plan Roth conversion, the money stays in the plan and then follows the Roth 401k rules. So that means you generally can’t access that money until age 59 and a half or a distributable event. The biggest thing, to answer your question — when does a taxable account make more sense? If present-day liquidity is important.

Barry Ritholtz: What about Mega Backdoor Roths — is there the same required minimum withdrawal requirements?

Dan LaRosa: Actually, effective last year, the SECURE 2.0 Act removed the RMD requirement from Roth 401Ks. So there are no RMD requirements for a Roth 401k.

Barry Ritholtz: Really interesting.

If you are working in a firm or if you’re a solo practitioner and you’re making a decent amount of money, but you want to save more for retirement, the Mega Backdoor Roth allows you to use after-tax dollars up to $72,000 to put into this account that will not only grow tax free, but you can withdraw it tax free whenever you want after age 59 and a half, with no minimum requirements when you turn 73.

It sounds like a great opportunity and a lot of people just are unaware of it and are not taking advantage of it. You should look into this if you are in those circumstances and you have an employer who will work with you to create a better corporate retirement plan.

I’m Barry Ritholtz. You are listening to At the Money.

 

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The post At the Money: The Mega Backdoor Roth appeared first on The Big Picture.

US Coast Guard Seizes $133.5 Million In Illicit Drugs

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Crew of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Seneca seized more than $133.5 million worth of cocaine and offloaded the drugs at Port Everglades, Florida, the agency said in a Feb. 13 statement.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC 913) and a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter flight crew conduct training evolutions in the Caribbean Sea, on July 15, 2025. Seaman Corrie Gill/U.S. Coast Guard

“80 percent of interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs occur at sea. This underscores the importance of maritime interdiction in combatting the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting American communities from this deadly threat,” USCG said.

In total, 17,700 pounds of cocaine were seized through the interdiction of four drug-transporting vessels in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

One of the drug vessels was boarded by Seneca’s crew on Jan. 25, seizing 4,410 pounds of cocaine. On Jan. 31, crew members boarded three vessels, taking custody of 13,340 pounds of cocaine, the statement said.

The detection and monitoring of illegal drug transit by air and sea are conducted by the U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West. Once it is determined that the vessel must be interdicted, the USCG takes control of the operation, boards the vessel, and apprehends it.

“I am extremely proud of the crew’s incredible performance and adaptability during this deployment,” said Capt. Lee Jones, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Seneca.

“This deployment demonstrates our enhanced posture and continued success in the fight against narco-terrorism and transnational criminal organizations.

“The Coast Guard, in conjunction with our inter-agency and international partners, continues to patrol areas commonly associated with drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, denying smugglers access to maritime routes by which they move illicit drugs to our U.S. land and sea borders.”

According to the agency, the Coast Guard is accelerating its crackdown on drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Operation Pacific Viper, aiming to protect the United States from the flow of illicit narcotics from South America.

Operation Pacific Viper, launched in early August last year, directs U.S. forces to the Eastern Pacific region to counter cartel and criminal groups, seeking to cut off drug and human smuggling before they hit U.S. shores.

In early December 2025, USCG said in a statement that it had seized more than 150,000 pounds of cocaine from the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which it said was enough to create more than “57 million potentially lethal doses.”

In a Feb. 14 statement, USCG announced the seizure of two vessels containing $5.6 million in illicit narcotics off Port Everglades. Authorities seized roughly 745 pounds of cocaine by interdicting two suspected drug trafficking vessels.

“The Coast Guard is in the business of saving lives, and every kilogram of these drugs kept off our streets represents lives saved,” said Lt. Justin Dadlani, commanding officer of Station Fort Lauderdale.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the professionalism of the crew and our continued partnerships with our partners with Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.”

On Feb. 15, the agency announced that its Cutter Forrest Rednour had interdicted 14 suspected illegal immigrants aboard a vessel 18 miles from San Diego, with all of them claiming to be Mexican nationals.

Earlier on Jan. 27, the Coast Guard said they had interdicted three suspected illegal immigrants from Mexico in two vessels, seven miles off Imperial Beach, California.

On Jan. 21, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the Coast Guard notified the agency of a suspicious vessel traveling toward Puerto Rico. Upon investigation, CBP agents found 12 migrants from Russia and Uzbekistan aboard. The interception took place on Jan. 13.

“This successful outcome highlights the strong partnerships between the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and all federal and local law enforcement partners in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Capt. Robert E. Stiles, Sector San Juan deputy.

“Our daily unified coordination, shared capabilities, and synchronized response efforts are instrumental to safeguarding our nation’s Caribbean maritime borders against illicit smuggling activities.”

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 11:25

Epstein Funded UCSD Study Of 'Telepathic Autistic Savant' Through Deepak Chopra Connection

Jeffrey Epstein was connected with several notable scientists - funding leading research centers, including Harvard, where he donated $9 million, and MIT's Media Lab, which he gave at least $7.5 million (and funneled another $1.2 million to investments under the control of the lab's former director, Joi Ito). He was connected to Stephen Hawking, Marvin Minsky, Steven Pinker and a host of other names. 

Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran and Jeffrey Epstein

Now we learn that Epstein provided funding to a lab at UC San Diego after lifestyle guru Deepak Chopra introduced the financier to lab director Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran - a neuroscientist who was studying an "autistic savant who displays telepathy," according to the latest DOJ Epstein file dump. 

Chopra, a former UCSD family medicine and public health clinical professor, said in late October that he was just helping Epstein with insomnia by teaching him to meditate. "At my suggestion, he also visited Dr. V.S. Ramachandran's lab at [the University of California San Diego] to learn about ongoing brain research," he told CBS News in December. 

EFTA01013830.pdf

Ramachandran was conducting a study on an "autistic savant who displays telepathy," according to UCSD's The Guardian, citing a Sept. 25, 2017 email with the subject "Cost to study the autistic savant who displays telepathy," in which he tells Chopra, "i don't have a problem with my lab being funded by epstein ... so long as theres no UC connection." 

Ramanchandran further wrote that if Chopra’s “pal [Epstein] is serious about setting in motion a lab for the study of extraordinary brain potential … something like 500,000 to 3 million would get the administrators excited.”

A subsequent email from Epstein to his accountant, Richard Kahn, instructed Kahn to send $25,000 from Epstein’s private foundation, Gratitude America Ltd., to the University of California Board of Regents to fund Ramachandran’s research on savant syndrome. He asked it to be mailed to former psychology department director and current chief administrative officer, Peter Hinkley. 

Chopra later emailed Epstein on October 5, 2017 to provide an update on spending the day with Ramachandran to discuss the "pilot study of autistic savants."

Ceepak Chopra

The 2017 emails weren't the first Epstein-Ramachandran mention. On April 17, 2009, Epstein emailed someone whose name was redacted, replying to a list of "smart" and "out of the box" people to have over to his Florida home sometime in the future. Epstein included Ramachandran in this list, along with others who he described as "good friends of mine for years." 

While there's nothing we could find on the telepathic kid (maybe they sensed danger), Ramachandran did write an article in December 2006 where he says telepathy is "legitimately ignored, except by crackpots" because it's difficult to replicate. He's also mentioned a few times in this piece on life after death, ESP, and other phenomenon.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 11:05