My end-of-week morning train WFH reads:

• Netflix Calls Paramount’s Bluff: Netflix gave Warner Bros. a seven-day waiver to hear Paramount’s “best and final” offer, essentially daring David Ellison to put real money on the table or walk away. A masterclass in deal-making psychology — and a Godfather reference just waiting to happen. One week for both sides to show the actual cards here… (Spyglass)

• The 401(k) Takeover: Private Equity Muscles In on Retirement: Private equity firms are flooding into America’s $14 trillion retirement savings market, mirroring crypto’s 2024 election strategy to loosen regulations and gain access to ordinary workers’ nest eggs. Wall Street power players are squeezing into the US retirement industry. Its gatekeepers are succumbing. (Bloomberg) see also As Private-Market Momentum Continues to Grow, Market Infrastructure Improvements Rise Too: Private markets are exploding toward retirement plans, but the lack of unified infrastructure and transparency poses serious risks as retail investors get their first real taste of alternatives. Additional retail and retirement-plan demand are expected to broaden distribution of private markets, but they will also bring scrutiny and comparisons to public markets. (Chief Investment Officer)

• Billionaires’ Low Taxes Are Becoming a Problem for the Economy: Tax avoidance by the superwealthy is an economic issue as well as a political one. The top 1% now holds 32% of U.S. wealth while paying historically low tax rates, creating concentration risk that could crater the entire economy in the next market correction. (Wall Street Journal)

• The Quiet Architect of Trump’s Global Trade War: Jamieson Greer, a low-key lawyer from a working-class background, is rewriting the rules of the global economy at the president’s behest. (New York Times)

• This Viral AI Project Went From Side Hustle to Coveted Prize in Three Months: After a fierce competition between the biggest AI labs, OpenAI hired the creator of the viral OpenClaw personal AI assistant platform. A small AI project caught fire online and quickly drew acquisition interest. How the speed of AI development has compressed the startup lifecycle from years to weeks. (Wall Street Journal) but see The End of the Office?: Andrew Yang warns that AI will “disembowel” white-collar jobs within 12-18 months, potentially cutting the 70 million office workers by 20-50% and collapsing the entire ecosystem of downtown businesses that depend on them. “If you are one of the professionals who is likely to be affected, I’m sorry.” (Andrew Yang)

• How Paris’ working-class dining experience is reshaping restaurant economics in France:  Historic Parisian bouillon restaurants are back, proving that simple menus, volume purchasing, and fast table turnover can create sustainable, affordable dining—and inspiring a global rethink of restaurant economics. It was here that he dished up comforting yet simple, hot meals that wouldn’t burn a hole in even the most cash-strapped wallets of the likes of the workers at the local Les Halles wholesale market, formerly known as the “belly of Paris”, named after the title of the Emile Zola novel. (The Conversation)

• What just one alcoholic drink a day really does to your body: Even small amounts of alcohol can seriously affect your health if you drink daily. The “moderate drinking is fine” consensus keeps eroding. New research on what even a single daily drink does to your liver, brain, and cancer risk. (The Times)

• The US coup: one year on: The event that triggered my nervous system was Elon Musk’s DOGE illegally entering the US treasury and gaining access to the entire nation’s personal and financial data: a system-level hack on the entire US population. This was a power grab that could not be undone. Data is like a genie. It cannot be put back in the bottle. That one act – that was then replicated across the federal government – was the beginning of what I believed, still believe, is a technoauthoritarian state. (Carole Cadwalladr)

• How Olympic skier Hunter Hess gets his superhuman balance: Want to have better balance? You can learn a thing or two from one of the best freeskiers in the world. Olympic halfpipe skier Hunter Hess pulls off gravity-defying tricks because his proprioception is finely tuned—and experts explain how regular people can train the same balance skills with simple exercises. (Washington Post)

• U2 Propaganda Days of Ash: U2 surprise-released a politically charged six-track EP ahead of their 2026 album, with tracks about defiance, war, and lost lives that Bono said were “impatient to be out in the world.” ‘Six postcards from the present… wish we weren’t here’ In advance of a new album in late 2026, the new EP is a self-contained collection of five new songs and a poem – ‘American Obituary’, ‘The Tears Of Things’, ‘Song Of The Future’, ‘Wildpeace’, ‘One Life At A Time’ and ‘Yours Eternally’ (ft. Ed Sheeran & Taras Topolia) – an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom (U2.com)

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend with Hilary Allen, Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law. She specializes in financial regulation, banking law, securities regulation, and technology law, with a particular focus on how new financial technologies like fintech, crypto, and AI intersect with financial stability and public policy.

 

Detroit Automakers Take $50 Billion Hit as EV Bubble Bursts

Source: Wall Street Journal

 

Sign up for our reads-only mailing list here.

 

 

The post 10 Friday AM Reads appeared first on The Big Picture.

Spot The Odd One Out: US Defense Spending By President

Since 1997, U.S. defense spending has moved through multiple cycles, but the long-term trajectory is upward.

This chart, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, tracks National Defense (Function 050) budget authority in constant 2025 dollars and shows how totals changed under each president and party, culminating in a proposed record $1.5 trillion budget for 2027P.

Data is sourced from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Historical Tables, Table 5.1 (National Defense budget authority), supplemented by Reuters reporting for the 2027 proposal. It also leverages analysis from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Steady Growth Through the 2000s and 2010s

In the late 1990s, under President Clinton, U.S. defense spending sat around the mid-$500 billion level in real terms.

Spending rose significantly in the 2000s during the Bush years amid the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, reaching levels above $900 billion before 2010.

Continued high budgets carried throughout the Obama administration, driven by ongoing post-9/11 commitments and modernization efforts.

Fiscal Year Real Budget (2025$) President 1997 $542B Clinton 1998 $535B Clinton 1999 $564B Clinton 2000 $569B Clinton 2001 $609B Bush 2002 $648B Bush 2003 $798B Bush 2004 $837B Bush 2005 $834B Bush 2006 $888B Bush 2007 $971B Bush 2008 $1.04T Bush 2009 $1.05T Obama 2010 $1.06T Obama 2011 $1.03T Obama 2012 $955B Obama 2013 $843B Obama 2014 $846B Obama 2015 $813B Obama 2016 $837B Obama 2017 $862B Trump 2018 $931B Trump 2019 $938B Trump 2020 $963B Trump 2021 $902B Biden 2022 $922B Biden 2023 $908B Biden 2024 $905B Biden 2025 $962B Trump 2026 $962B Trump 2027 (proposed) $1.5T Trump Recent Trends and Record Levels

In the early 2020s, spending remained high under Presidents Trump and Biden, with budgets around $900 billion to over $1 trillion in real terms. The 2026 defense budget approved by Congress reached $901 billion, while proposals for 2027 have pushed that figure even higher.

Recently, President Donald Trump announced a proposal for a $1.5 trillion military budget in 2027, representing roughly a 50% increase over current levels, aimed at expanding capabilities and accelerating modernization.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out America’s $38 Trillion Mountain of Debt on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 05:45

Just When You Thought The BBC Couldn't Get Any More Repugnant...

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The BBC is under fire for a headline that branded 23-year-old conservative student Quentin Deranque as a “far-right student” after he was fatally beaten by a mob of far-left militants in Lyon, France. Critics are calling it blatant bias, turning the victim into the villain while downplaying the attackers’ extremism.

This isn’t just sloppy journalism—it’s narrative warfare, shielding violent leftists and ignoring the real threat of Antifa-style thugs running rampant in Europe.

Authorities charged nine far-left militants with the fatal beating during a protest. The suspects are linked to the militant group La Jeune Garde (Young Guard), including a parliamentary assistant from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party.

The attack stemmed from Deranque providing security for the anti-mass migration feminist group Collectif Némésis, who were protesting a conference featuring MEP Rima Hassan. Tensions escalated when far-left groups confronted the demonstrators, leading to chaotic clashes.

Videos shared online captured the violence, including attempts to seize banners and at least one woman being knocked to the ground. Deranque was isolated, viciously set upon by masked attackers, and left for dead after repeated blows to the head.

According to Collectif Némésis leader Alice Cordier, “A member of our security…was lynched by the Jeune Garde Antifa.” The group added, “His attackers were masked, armed with reinforced gloves and tear gas, leaving little doubt about the premeditated nature of their attack.”

Deranque, a pious Catholic mathematics student, suffered severe brain injuries consistent with a cerebral hemorrhage. He was rushed to Édouard-Herriot Hospital but was later declared brain-dead.

The BBC’s disgusting headline, “Nine arrested in France over death of far-right student,” ignited backlash from conservatives. It framed Deranque as “far-right” and didn’t even mention that he was brutally murdered, just that he died, nor that the mob that set upon him and ended his life were far left militants.

His death came about because he was brutally MURDERED by FAR-LEFT thugs. Perhaps that should also be mentioned @BBCWorld? https://t.co/DWq2dfffj6

— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) February 18, 2026

The article is as bad as the headline pic.twitter.com/avovwMPEnu

— blank (@MarconiBalls) February 17, 2026

FAR LEFT murder a young man!

Fixed it for you.

Defund the BBC!

— Tommy Robinson ?? (@TRobinsonNewEra) February 17, 2026

The far left kill a student and you still
1.Refuse to call them what they are, and
2.Take one last swipe at their dead victim.

This isn’t reporting. It’s narrative management.

Defund the BBC.

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) February 17, 2026

In ten words @BBCNews manages five examples of disinformation.

Let me give it a go:

Nine far-left thugs beat student to death for protecting women.

— Josh Howie (@joshxhowie) February 18, 2026

???After a mob of Antifa thugs beat 23-year-old Quentin Deranque to death in Lyon, there have been marches and memorials for the young man, who was a nationalist, Catholic, and mathematics student.

French politician Eric Zemmour says murder is not just an isolated incident, but… pic.twitter.com/XFI9Tf11FJ

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 16, 2026

In Paris, far-left activists tore down posters tributing Deranque, while President Emmanuel Macron condemned the killing but urged calm.

 

Anthropologist Florence Bergaud-Blackler warned, “The circumstances of Quentin’s death as he came to protect the women of Collectif Némésis are a foreshadowing of the civil war that is looming. The petty servile foot soldiers of anti-fascism are the cannon fodder of Islamism which seeks to overthrow our liberal and egalitarian social order and lock women away. Young Quentin is a hero.”

 

The media’s spin, like the BBC’s “Student death puts French far-left under pressure,” minimizes the murder as “just a death,” ignoring the blatant political lynching.

 

The British state funded broadcaster is already under intense scrutiny owing to President Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit concerning deceptive editing of his January 6, 2021, speech. The suit accuses the BBC of splicing footage to falsely imply Trump incited violence at the Capitol, omitting his calls for peaceful protest.

 

District Judge Roy Altman rejected the BBC’s bid to delay discovery, paving the way for a two-week trial in Miami. Trump’s team blasts the edit as “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory,” while a BBC spokesman said, “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

 

This follows internal turmoil at the BBC, with top executives resigning amid the fallout, and an FCC probe into potential “news distortion.” Leaked memos condemned the edit as “completely misleading.”

 

As Europe grapples with unchecked far-left extremism, shielded by biased media and complicit politicians, incidents like this expose the real dangers to freedom and safety.

 

Quentin Deranque stood for protecting women against threats—his sacrifice demands accountability, not smears. Meanwhile, the BBC’s globalist propaganda faces its own reckoning in court.

 

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

 

">">">">">">">">"> Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 03:30

Danish Navy Intercepts, Detains Iran-Flagged Cargo Ship

Denmark detained a container vessel previously blacklisted by Washington under last year's sweeping Iran sanctions on Thursday, amid suspicions it was operating under a false flag.

The Nora was seized after authorities determined it was allegedly sailing under the flag of Comoros without authorization. The ship is now anchored in Danish waters pending further investigation, according to reports. It actually appears to be a box ship transporting containers at the time it was intercepted. It raised the Iranian flag under deeply suspicious circumstances, as a patrol boat eyed the vessel, Danish officials say.

AFP via Getty Images

The Danish Maritime Authority believes it to be part of Iran's so-called shadow fleet of tankers. "The Danish Maritime Authority reports that the vessel has been detained due to incorrect registration," the agency said.

Several months ago the vessel went through a name change, which Washington officials believe was in order to keep shipping sanctioned Iranian and Russian exports, and to evade European suspicions while traversing regional waters.

The vessel is said to currently anchored east of Albaek in the northernmost part of Jutland.

It's possible the vessel will eventually be released, as the Danish government explained the ship will be detained until Iran confirms to the agency that the container ship is legitimately registered and certified.

According to more details via a maritime monitoring publication:

Denmark’s TV 2 reports the vessel had gone dark while it was in St. Petersburg, Russia, in mid-January and then sailed west into the Baltic and reached Skagen, where it stopped on January 22. The following day, it anchored less than 20 miles east of Aalbaek, Denmark, where it has remained for the past 28 days.

A Danish patrol ship was spotted near the vessel along with a Danish Armed Forces sea drone. The Danish Maritime Authority reports it questioned the vessel’s registry in Comoros and was informed by the authorities that the ship was “not correctly registered.” Apparently, when they questioned the vessel further, it suddenly raised an Iranian flag, prompting the detention.

Danish outlet TV 2 further reports that the Cerus/Nora had transited Danish waters at least 10 times over the past year during repeated voyages to Saint Petersburg - and each time the vessel allegedly went dark, ceasing transmission of its position data as it neared Russian waters.

BREAKING: Danish authorities have detained the 226-meter container ship Nora, now flying the Iranian flag, east of Aalbæk, after it was found not properly registered with its claimed flag state. Previously sailing under the Comorian flag, the vessel suddenly changed its… pic.twitter.com/vjh2qaOJOm

— GeoInsider (@InsiderGeo) February 19, 2026

The Trump administration is meanwhile contemplating whether to escalate its military pressure on Iran by beginning to directly seize Iranian oil exports. This would be seen by Tehran as an immediate act of war.

Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 02:45

Escobar: Munich (In)Security Conference Targets Re-Colonization Of The Global South

Authored by Pepe Escobar,

The path towards 5th Generation War will accelerate. We are entering the next stage of an “omnipresent battlefield.”

No one ever lost money betting on major farce taking over every Munich (In)Security Conference. But the 62nd edition this past weekend did send the Stupidity-O-Meter off the charts.

First of all, the context:

The “rules-based international order” was always a sham and it has now collapsed, as announced in Davos.

Eurasia vs. NATOstan has metastasized into Empire of Chaos, Plunder and Permanent Strikes (with NATO as minor sidekick) vs. the Primakov Quartet, RIIC (Russia-India-Iran-China) and the Global South.

The complex context of course opened the gates for a parade of out of context vociferating nullities, including; the Bratwurst Goldman Sachs Chancellor; the Toxic Medusa in Brussels; that ghastly Estonian with the IQ of a dismembered worm; an array of British twats; and of course the sweaty sweatshirt terrorist actor in Kiev.

But pride of place should belong to little gusano Marco Rubio, who blatantly called for Western supremacy, Europe included, to steal Global South wealth – again. As in Europe helping the US on a re-colonization drive, disguised as “restoration”.

Predictably, the assembled EUrochihuahuas applauded with torrents of yappin’ the spokesman for His Master’s Voice, expressing their sense of “solace” and “reassurance”; after all the neo-Caligula envoy did not threat to invade, annex or sanction anyone – at least for the moment. He even got a standing ovation.

So this is how the indebted-to-oblivion Empire of Chaos and its minions plan to reverse “the West’s managed decline”; to revive “the West’s age of dominance”; and to “renew the greatest civilization in human history”. The Global South has been warned.

China’s Wang Yi was there – but his words of common sense were drowned. No Russians – of course; the recurrent theme of every MSC is to blast Russia like Kingdom Come. And no Iranians – of course, with the exception of the Clown Shah.

Needless to add, there was absolutely no link whatsoever established between the horrors of the Epstein dossier and that death cult in West Asia.

Omnipresent battlefield ahead

Munich has nothing to do with “dialogue”, much less “security”. It is essentially a schmooze fest for the industrial-military complex; heavily tax-subsidized warmongering think tanks; all sorts of harcore militarists; and gutter – mainstream – press.

It will be quite enlightening to hold Munich in contrast to the back-to-back kabuki unrolling this week on Iran and Ukraine – conducted on the imperial camp by those real estate Bismarcks, Witkoff and Kushner. There are no illusions whatsoever – in Tehran or in Moscow.

Neo-Caligula is in fact absolutely terrified because the death cult in West Asia put him between a heavy rock and a very hard place.

He can’t find an acceptable “deal” that allows him to declare victory on Iran over a nuclear agreement that he, himself, destroyed in the first place during Trump 1.0. Iran won’t accept capitulation on any front, especialy because the three fronts – no nuclear enrichment, minimalist ballistic missile program, and no support for the Axis of Resistance – were framed by the death cult in West Asia.

So the only way out is war, as war criminal Netanyahu impressed on neo-Caligula face to face in the White House. There’s no way the US can get away with a “win” scenario – and they were all gamed. Iran has all it takes to make neo-Caligula’s massive armada look like the doomed Spanish Armada.

On Ukraine, proverbial Russian patience is demonstrating signs of strain. Lavrov has been on the record stating that the level of reconciliation and where that process currently stands between Trump 2.0 and Russia has gone nowhere.

At the same time, the SMO – 4 years in effect next week – seems to be no closer to a serious conclusion. There are only two stark options:

1.Even if there is some sort of peace brokered by US-Russia negotiators, there’s no guarantee whatsoever that the Kiev-NATO axis will stop attacking Russian targets, terror-bombing cities and villages, and of course impose “European troops” in a dodgy DMZ.

2.That leaves the really realistic option: to go all the way. That may take years.

Russia must be prepared for extra pain.

Neo-Caligula – surrounded by rabid neo-cons and fierce industrial-military complex interests – will be forced to tighten the oil trade blockade on Russia.

The US for all practical purposes continues to run the proxy war against Russia. US forces in Europe are split between 80% in the office and 20% in the field. US satellite systems get the coordinates for strikes against Russian targets across the Russian Federation; these are processed in Germany by those “in the office” and then transmitted to US advisors on the ground in Ukraine. These are the guys who insert the coordinates in HIMARS. None of that will change in the foreseeable future.

The path towards 5th Generation War will accelerate. We are entering the next stage of an “omnipresent battlefield” – as defined way back in 1999 by PLA colonels Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui.

EUrochihuahuas, meanwhile, will make a play for the Black Sea. The Romanians want to set up a European Maritime Security Hub for the Black Sea based on the port of Constanta. That will become a key military infrastructure, part of the EU Black Sea Strategy adopted in May last year.

Predictably, there’s a direct link to connectivity corridors.

EU military will be in theory “protecting” the Middle Corridor – or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

That’s one of the key logistics corridors of the New Silk Roads between China and Europe, bypassing – what else – Russian routes.

The writing is on the wall for Russia. All the way to Odessa – or bust.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 02:00

Brits Spied On Paul Thacker, Matt Taibbi According To 'CONFIDENTIAL' Memo

Authored by Paul D. Thacker via The DisInformation Chronicle,

The British media has been consumed the last week over a scandal involving political operatives working for the British Labour Party who hired a PR firm to investigate seven reporters—one of whom is me. One close advisor to Prime Minister Starmer has resigned, and the British government has launched an investigation to uncover these attacks against the media.

A British Labour Party official denied during a phone call that I was a focus of their attention when I called for an explanation a couple days ago. I’m releasing one of the documents leaked to me from a London reporter that shows I was one of the British Labour Party’s targets.

The document is marked “STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.”

I became a Labour Party “significant person of interest” after I began reporting on the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), in 2023. The CCDH was created by a British think tank called Labour Together, which was run by Josh Simons in 2023. Simons hired the PR firm APCO to spy on myself and other reporters.

Simons is now a Member of Parliament and posted on X “APCO were asked to look into a suspected illegal hack.” However, the Simon’s memo discusses nothing about a hack.

Simons did not return repeated requests for comment that I sent to both his government and private email.

According to emails leaked to me, APCO’s work for Labour Together was overseen by Tom Harper, a former reporter for the British Sunday Times. Tom Harper did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

I became interested in CCDH because American legacy media such as The New York Times and Washington Post were quoting CCDH as purported experts on everything from vaccines, to online hate, misinformation and disinformation, both antisemitism and Islamaphobia, climate denial …. pretty much everything and anything.

But despite living for a decade in DC, I had never heard of CCDH nor their CEO Imran Ahmed.

So what was going on?

In a 2023 investigation for Tablet, I traced CCDH back to London, where they started sometime around 2018. Imran Ahmed, I had learned, was a UK political operative who had worked for the British Labour Party. And Ahmed’s best buddy was another British Labour Party operative named Morgan McSweeney who ran a think tank called Labour Together. McSweeney is widely credited as the architect of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s rise to power, and he served as Starmer’s chief of staff until earlier this month, when he resigned because of a separate scandal connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

Both Ahmed and McSweeney hid that they were behind CCDH for several years, although it later came out that CCDH was based inside McSweeney’s Labour Together think tank. When CCDH landed in America in 2021, they immediately got the attention of the Biden White House and multiple Democratic Party members of Congress. I found this bizarre.

DC is crowded with nonprofits and think thanks fighting for public attention. Yet this tiny nonprofit, run by a guy from London with no DC experience, was getting quoted by White House officials. Here’s how I explained this in Tablet:

For a tiny, unknown, nonprofit to gain so much attention in D.C.’s crowded, competitive policy space is akin to a pudgy, amateur athlete catching the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, while setting a new world record in the marathon, all in one week.

Digging through CCDH’s tax records, I found a possible explanation for CCDH’s magical success. CCDH’s chairman is Simon Clark, who once worked at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank founded by former Bill Clinton chief of staff John Podesta that supported the Biden administration.

Clark, I figured, must have introduced Ahmed to the Biden White House and Democratic Party officials in DC.

I also tracked some of CCDH’s money back to Hollywood. You can read all the details I reported for Tablet, here: The New Push for Censorship Under the Guise of Combating Hate.

I published some further investigative details about CCDH, here at The DisInformation Chronicle, about a week after my Tablet investigation. In this piece, I reported that CCDH’s reports were rather flimsy and that CCDH’s “head of research” was some British dude named Callum Hood who had no employment history except working at CCDH. I later reported that Callum Hood was also a former Labour Party operative.

Both my investigation in Tablet and my report here at The DisInformation Chronicle stirred up APCO. Here’s a screenshot of what APCO wrote about me in their report to Labour Party offficials.

A whistleblower inside CCDH read my reporting and contacted me in 2024. We spoke dozens of times on the phone, and the whistleblower sent me tons of internal CCDH documents and several of Imran Ahmed’s emails. Based on these documents, I wrote a piece titled, “Election Exclusive: British Advisors to Kamala Harris Hope to “Kill Musk’s Twitter,” that rocketed around the globe.

Citing these documents I released, the State Department began deportation proceedings against Imran Ahmed a few days before Christmas.

The BBC interviewed me about Imran Ahmed’s deportation and I told them it was time for Ahmed to go back to England, because Americans were not going to tolerate his agenda to censor U.S. citizens.

In an interview on The DisInformation Chronicle Podcast with State Department Undersecretary Sarah Rogers, I noted that, by deporting Ahmed when he was so closely tied to Keir Starmer’s government, the State Department was “knocking on the door of the Prime Minister’s office.”

“We have a very special relationship with the British government,” Undersecretary Rogers told me, declining to detail her discussions with Starmer officials. “The issue has been communicated.”

To download the Labour Party’s document on investigating reporters, click the link below.

MEMO PREPARED FOR LABOUR TOGETHER

LABOUR TOGETHER’S DOCUMENT CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

The DisInformation Chronicle is a community-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 23:25

IMF Urges Beijing To Curb Industrial Subsidies As Flood Of Chinese Goods Crushes Global Industrial Bases

China's factory overcapacity is the result of Beijing's long-running industrial policies. Years of state support have built more factory capacity than domestic demand can absorb in the world's second-largest economy, flooding global markets with low-priced goods, from EVs to TVs. The end result is a growing risk of hollowing out industrial bases worldwide, and our latest example this week has washed up on Europe's shores in the form of EVs.

China has absolutely killed the European auto market pic.twitter.com/J2AD2zyRea

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 19, 2026

January registrations of Chinese EVs across Europe were certainly eye-opening, signaling the decline of Europe's industrial base (read the note here). As Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey recently warned, "China would love to wipe out the American automotive industry, partly for economic reasons, because it also means we will never be able to fight a war against them..."

It appears the rest of the world is finally getting the memo after more than a decade of Chinese overcapacity flooding global markets and pressuring industrial bases worldwide into collapse.

The International Monetary Fund warned this week that Beijing should significantly scale back state support for industry, citing spillover risks that could undermine manufacturing bases abroad.

China's industrial policies "are giving rise to international spillovers and pressures" and, compounded with soft domestic demand, are making the world's second-largest economy "more reliant on manufacturing exports as a source of growth," the IMF said.

"Industrial policy has enabled tech innovation in some sectors, but overall the impact on the economy has been negative," said Sonali Jain-Chandra, mission chief at the IMF for China and Asia Pacific, who was quoted by the Financial Times. She pointed to "resource misallocation" and "overspending."

IMF data show that China spends roughly 4% of GDP subsidizing companies in critical industries that, in turn, export goods worldwide. It stated that the figure should be reduced to about 2%.

At this point, China should be retooling its economy to boost domestic demand, yet Beijing is leaning heavily on supply-side measures to sustain its industrial dominance.

France's Emmanuel Macron has bemoaned "unbearable imbalances" in trade, while other European leaders and industrial insiders warned last week that carbon costs are squeezing EU industrial competitiveness and need to be fixed urgently.

Meanwhile, the IMF has urged Beijing to move toward a "consumption-led growth" model for its economy, which would involve demand-side reforms to support household consumption.

If countries such as those in Europe fail to respond effectively to the flood of cheap Chinese goods, their industrial bases could suffer lasting damage, potentially proving disastrous in wartime. Under President Trump, the US began to reverse course and repair its industrial base as unipolarity gives way to a dangerous bipolar world.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 23:00

Ex-CIA Analyst Peels Back The US Information Operation In Iran

Authored by former CIA officer Larry Johnson

As part of the US campaign to engineer a regime change in Iran, the US military and intelligence community are using Operational Preparation of the Environment aka OPE. OPE is defined in joint publications (e.g., JP 3-05 Special Operations) as non-intelligence activities conducted prior to or in preparation for potential military operations to set conditions for success. It encompasses shaping the operational environment through intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, information operations, civil affairs, psychological operations, and other preparatory actions—often in denied or politically sensitive areas.

I believe that one of the major OPE efforts is to convince the US public that the overwhelming majority of Iranians despise the Islamic Republic and want it overthrown. In my opinion, a major player in this OPE is a polling outfit known as GAMAAN. GAMAAN (Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran) collaborates with Psiphon VPN, which is widely used across Iran. GAMAAN findings have been consistent in painting a picture of massive opposition to the Iranian regime.

According to GAMAAN polls taken prior to 2025, a significant majority of Iranians — around 70% — oppose the continuation of the Islamic Republic. The highest level of opposition, 81%, occurred during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising in late 2022. Support for “the principles of the Islamic revolution and the Supreme Leader” has decreased from 18% in 2022 to 11% in 2024. Opposition to the Islamic Republic is higher among the youth, urban residents, and the highly educated. An overwhelming majority of Iranians (89%) support democracy. Gamaan

Only about 20% of Iranians support the continuation of the Islamic Republic. When asked about preferred alternatives, about 26% favor a secular republic and around 21% support a monarchy. For 11%, the specific form of the alternative system doesn’t matter. About 22% report lacking sufficient information to choose an alternative system.

But what are the funding sources for GAMAAN and Psiphon VPN? Let’s start with GAMAAN. GAMAAN describes itself as an independent, non-profit research foundation registered in the Netherlands. It emphasizes its academic credentials (e.g., founded by scholars at Dutch universities like Tilburg and Utrecht) and innovative online methods (e.g., anonymity sampling via VPNs like Psiphon) to overcome self-censorship in authoritarian contexts.

GAMAAN operates under the supervision of a board including Dr. Ammar Maleki (founder and director), assistant professor of comparative politics at Tilburg University, and Dr. Pooyan Tamimi Arab, associate professor of secular and religious studies at Utrecht University. Maleki is an assistant professor of Comparative Politics and a self-described activist for democracy in his native Iran. Tilburg University Critically, he does not hide his political stance — his Tilburg University profile explicitly states that he is “a pro-democracy activist and political analyst of Iranian politics” and that he tries “to have an impact on political debates around democratization of Iran.”

This is where the picture becomes more contested. GAMAAN has relied on US government-funded VPN provider Psiphon to disseminate its surveys; collaborated with the USAID-funded Tony Blair Institute; and collaborated with and received funding from historian Ladan Boroumand, co-founder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, which is in turn supported by the US government-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Psiphon is owned and operated by Psiphon Inc., a Canadian corporation based in Ontario. Psiphon was originally developed by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, with version 1.0 launching on December 1, 2006, as open-source software. In early 2007, Psiphon, Inc. was established as a Canadian corporation independent of the Citizen Lab and the University of Toronto.

It has a notable funding history. In 2008, Psiphon, Inc. was awarded sub-grants from the US State Department Internet Freedom program, administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. In 2010, Psiphon began providing services to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (US), the US Department of State, and the BBC. More recently, in April 2024, the Open Technology Fund (OTF) announced increased long-term funding for Psiphon, with subsequent OTF awards totaling US$18.54 million for 2024 and US$5.87 million for 2025.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is administered by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent federal agency of the US government. USAGM provides OTF with its primary funding through annual grants, which originate from Congressional appropriations under the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs budget. OTF operates as an independent nonprofit corporation (since 2019) but remains a grantee under USAGM’s oversight and governance, as authorized by Congress (e.g., via the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act).

So while Psiphon Inc. is technically an independent Canadian company, it has historically been substantially funded by the US government and other Western institutions — a fact worth noting given its role as the methodology partner for the GAMAAN polling inside Iran. In other words, it is a cut out that, in my opinion and based on my experience, is supporting a CIA information operation to portray Iran as a country on the precipice of overthrowing the Islamic Republic.

There is an alternative polling database that paints a radically different picture of the mood in Iran with respect to the Islamic Republic… The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland has conducted a separate series of surveys using phone-based methods, which show more moderate results. Their findings from 2023 and 2024 found that about 75% of respondents expect Iran’s constitution and political system to be about the same in ten years, and only 17% agreed with protesters’ calls for the Islamic Republic to be replaced. However, three in five now think the government should not be strict in enforcing Islamic laws, distinctly up from 2018, and support for demands that the government fight corruption has been consistently near-unanimous since 2018.

On the protests themselves, asked in 2024 to think about waves of demonstrations over the past ten years, two thirds say their main objective was to demand that officials pay greater attention to people’s problems, while only one in five think their main objective was to demand greater freedoms or bring about change in Iran’s system of government.

President Pezeshkian, based on the polls from 2024, was viewed favorably by 66% of those polled at the start of his term… and 70% expressed confidence that he would be an honest and trustworthy president, though only a quarter were very confident. Majorities expressed some confidence that he can improve relations with neighboring countries and protect citizens’ freedoms, notably women’s rights, but majorities are not confident that he can lower inflation or improve relations with the West.

There have been no new polls in the wake of Israel’s surprise attack on June 13, 2025. Based on my conversations with both Nima and Professor Marandi, the reaction in Iran has been similar to what happened in the United States in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks… National unity increased.

The failed color revolution launched on December 28, 2025 by the United States and Israel has reinforced support for the Islamic Republic. President Pezeshkian has openly admitted his government’s failures on the economic front and he has taken some steps to institute reforms. A more important development was the signing of the Trilateral Security Agreement with Russia and China at the end of January. Those two countries are now providing more resources and support to stabilize the Iranian government and improve the economic lives of the Iranian people.

Donald Trump's threats to attack Iran are backfiring among the majority of the population in Iran. Yes, there are some Iranians who still want to bring an end to the Islamic Republic, but they are dramatically outnumbered. Remember the boost in popularity that George W Bush enjoyed in the aftermath of 9-11? He even picked up support from Democrats who had previously despised him. That same phenomena has happened in Iran. Prior to the June 13, 2025 attack, Iranians under the age of 50 had no vivid memory of Iran/Iraq war — where Iran was attacked with the encouragement and support of the United States. The June 2025 attack, coupled with the foreign instigated late December 2025 protests and violence, have awakened a new sense of nationalism among the Iranian public that has strengthened support for the Islamic Republic.

The belief in the West that Iran is more vulnerable now than at anytime in the last 46 years is the creation of a US funded propaganda campaign that relied on an ideologically biased pollster to produce results that have been used to convince most Americans that Iran is yearning to breath free… All we have to do is kill off the leadership in Iran.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 22:35

California Ranks Worst State For Air Quality, Wyoming Cleanest

Wyoming’s air contains less than half the particle pollution found in California.

Across the country, fine particle pollution levels range from just over 4 µg/m³ to nearly 12 µg/m³, a gap shaped by wildfire exposure, population density, and industrial activity.

This map, via Visual Capitalist's DorothY Neufeld, ranks all 50 states by average particle pollution, based on EPA data from the America’s Health Rankings 2025 report.

A Breakdown of States Ranked by Air Quality

For the analysis, states were analyzed using 2022 to 2024 average fine particle pollution (µg/m³).

The U.S. average stood at 8.8 µg/m³, exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guideline of 5 µg/m³. That means the average American is breathing air that falls short of global health standards.

Below, we rank states from best to worst by air pollution levels. Where does your state rank?

Rank State Fine particle pollution (µg/m³) 1 Wyoming 4.1 2 Hawaii 4.7 3 New Hampshire 5.0 4 South Dakota 5.7 5 Alaska 5.9 6 Maine 5.9 7 New Mexico 5.9 8 Colorado 6.0 9 Vermont 6.0 10 Montana 6.5 11 Nebraska 6.6 12 Rhode Island 6.7 13 Virginia 7.2 14 Maryland 7.4 15 Utah 7.5 16 Florida 7.6 17 Idaho 7.6 18 Missouri 7.6 19 Alabama 7.7 20 Massachusetts 7.7 21 Washington 7.7 22 West Virginia 7.7 23 New York 7.8 24 Tennessee 7.8 25 North Carolina 7.9 26 New Jersey 7.9 27 Connecticut 8.1 28 Kentucky 8.1 29 Oregon 8.2 30 Mississippi 8.3 31 North Dakota 8.3 32 Iowa 8.4 33 Louisiana 8.4 34 Minnesota 8.4 35 Nevada 8.4 36 South Carolina 8.4 37 Arkansas 8.5 38 Oklahoma 8.5 39 Wisconsin 8.6 40 Arizona 8.7 41 Kansas 8.7 42 Georgia 9.2 43 Texas 9.4 44 Indiana 9.5 45 Delaware 9.7 46 Ohio 9.8 47 Illinois 10.3 48 Michigan 10.4 49 Pennsylvania 11.0 50 California 11.7 -- U.S. Average 8.8

Wyoming has the best air quality in the U.S., known for its vast stretches of land and the nation’s smallest population.

Adding to this, Wyoming’s city of Casper has the lowest year-round particle pollution across U.S. metros. Cheyenne, meanwhile, ranked eighth overall.

Hawaii ranks second by particle pollution, at 4.7 µg/m³. The state’s low population density, along with strong winds and rainfall, plays a key role in its air quality. While rain helps to clear away pollutants, trade winds bring in fresh air and mitigate the accumulation of air pollutants.

Overall, just three states—Wyoming, Hawaii, and New Hampshire—have air quality that falls within WHO’s guidelines.

In contrast, California has average particle pollution of 11.7 µg/m³, the worst nationwide. Moreover, 88% of Californians live in areas with unhealthy air quality. Several factors drive up pollution in the state including tailpipe emissions, high population density, and its hot climate.

States at the bottom of the rankings tend to combine large populations, dense transportation networks, and significant industrial activity. Trailing California at the bottom of the rankings are Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois.

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most air-polluted cities.

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 22:10

How Bhattacharya's NIH Is Rethinking China, DEI, And High‑Risk Labs

Authored by Jeff Louderback, Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

For decades, scientists have looked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an agency that publishes papers, according to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2026. Irene Luo/The Epoch Times

Under President Donald Trump’s second term, the emphasis for NIH funding has shifted to “provable, testable hypotheses, not ideological narratives,” he said, which is resulting in widespread reforms to the agency.

Bhattacharya, who obtained both a doctorate in economics and a medical degree from Stanford University within three years of each other, outlined changes that the NIH has implemented in his first year as the agency’s director and talked about his vision for the next three years in an interview with Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek.

The NIH has been instrumental in medical advances for decades, Bhattacharya said, but in the 21st century, it became “much more of a staid institution, not willing to take intellectual risks.”

During the same time, the agency “was willing to take risks on dangerous gain-of-function and other social agendas, like DEI, that it had no business really engaging in.”

“I think the NIH now, under my leadership, under President Trump’s leadership, and under what Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy is looking over … is focused on actually addressing the chronic health problems of this country, reversing the flatlining of life expectancy, and making good on its mission ... research that improves the health and longevity of the American people, and the whole world,” he said.

One of the 13 agencies managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the largest supporter of biomedical research globally, providing 85 percent of all biomedical research funding worldwide, according to Bhattacharya.

It funds about $50 billion in scientific research via grants to hundreds of thousands of researchers at academic institutions and hospitals, he said.

The NIH is not an agency that makes decisions or policies about public health directly, Bhattacharya said, noting that he intends to “remove the politicization of science that has existed for decades.”

The National Institutes of Health Gateway Center in Bethesda, Md., on June 8, 2025. During President Donald Trump’s second term, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said the agency “is focused on actually addressing the chronic health problems of this country.” Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters/File Photo Political Agendas

Over the past 15 to 20 years, the NIH has incorporated political rather than scientific agendas, Bhattacharya told The Epoch Times.

“Probably the most prominent example of this is DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said.

“If you were a researcher outside the NIH, the ticket to getting sort of extra, relatively easy funds was to promise to do DEI research. Looking into it, much of that research had no real scientific basis at all. I don’t even characterize this as science.”

As an example, Bhattacharya used a project that studied the question: “Is structural racism the root reason why African Americans have worse hypertension results than other races?”

“The problem with that hypothesis is that there’s no way to test it,” he said. “If structural racism is the cause, then what control group can you have to test the idea that that is true? ... None of that actually translated over to better health for anybody, much less for African Americans.

“Scientists of the country understand that if they want NIH support, they need to propose projects that have the chance of improving the health of people rather than achieving some ideology that should not belong at the NIH.”

The NIH has redirected its funding since Trump took office for his second term.

That includes allocating funds for “early career scientists,” Bhattacharya said.

President Donald Trump (C) speaks as National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (2nd L) looks on during a press conference at the White House on May 12, 2025. The NIH redirected its funding priorities after Trump began his second term. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Funding Changes

There should be “fundamental changes” with the way the NIH funds educational institutions, Bhattacharya said, and he intends to work with Congress “to make [this] happen.”

On Jan. 5, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration cannot reduce the amount of money the NIH pays grant recipients for indirect costs, including administration and facility maintenance.

The ruling applies to three lawsuits filed by the attorneys general of Massachusetts and 21 other states, as well as hospitals, schools, and the associations that represent them.

The NIH published a guidance document in February 2025 to limit how much grant funding could flow to research institutions to cover their indirect costs. These are costs that cannot be directly attributed to an individual research project and include expenses related to funding equipment, facilities, and research staff.

The guidance document states that these indirect costs could not exceed 15 percent of funding for direct research costs, regardless of the costs incurred at universities. The NIH stated that Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Harvard charged in excess of 60 percent for indirect costs, even though they had billions of dollars in endowments.

Attorneys for those who filed suit said small universities don’t have such large endowments and that if the guidance took effect, there would be many layoffs, stalled clinical trials, and laboratory closures.

“If you don’t have amazing scientists who can win the grants, you’re not going to get the facility support. But in order to attract excellent scientists to your institution, you have to have excellent facilities. It’s the kind of Catch-22 that guarantees that our funding from the NIH is going to be concentrated in relatively few institutions,” Bhattacharya said.

Scientists at schools such as the University of Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Kansas deserve access to funding like Stanford and Harvard, he said.

A researcher studies skin wound healing in a lab at the University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago on March 5, 2025. On Jan. 5, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration could not limit the percentage amount the National Institutes of Health pays grant recipients for indirect costs, including administrative expenses and facility maintenance. Scott Olson/Getty Images Dealing With China

The NIH must be “very careful about how we fund research relationships with China, especially post-pandemic,” Bhattacharya said.

“The U.S. invested in the Chinese biomedical research enterprise. Almost every single top Chinese biomedical research scientist of note was funded in some part by the NIH. Many were trained in the United States, so we invested heavily in that,” he said.

“Post-pandemic, and especially given the geopolitical circumstances we are in now, it looks, in retrospect, like it wasn’t all that wise an investment.”

The NIH must implement more secure measures with foreign research, he said, referencing the collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“In the case of Wuhan, what happened was that the NIH funded … Eco Health Alliance, which had a sub-award relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Bhattacharya said.

“When the pandemic happened, and the NIH had an interest in getting the lab notebooks of what exactly was studied in Wuhan, the Eco Health Alliance essentially delayed reporting at all about what it knew had happened,” Bhattacharya said.

“They ultimately said, ‘Oh, well, we don’t control Wuhan Institute of Virology. We can’t get the lab notebooks.’”

He noted that the NIH “funded research in collaboration with China that was actually quite dangerous and may indeed have led to the pandemic.”

Under Bhattacharya, the NIH now has more stringent auditing processes with domestic and foreign institutions.

“If it is NIH-funded, then [the domestic and the foreign institutions] have to have direct auditing relationships united with the NIH,“ he said. ”Then the NIH can shut off money to the foreign institution, if it’s not cooperating. ... It’s called a sub-project system. It’s one of the first things that I did.”

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 21:45

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.

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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.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

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