đ° Democrat Fundraisers Pursued Epsteinâs Cash Long After His Sex Offender Status
Fundraisers tied to prominent Democrats, including those working for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, repeatedly invited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to exclusive political events and private meetings from 2012 through 2017, seeking his financial support for campaigns despite his 2008 guilty plea to soliciting a minor for prostitution and registration as a high-risk offender. Emails from the firm Dynamic SRG, revealed in the Justice Departmentâs recent Epstein files release, show invitations to fundraisers featuring President Obama, opportunities to âget to knowâ Jeffries better, and events for figures like then-Rep. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. While no evidence shows Epstein donated during this post-conviction period to these specific efforts, earlier records confirm he gave around $20,000 to Schumer-linked committees in the 1990s. Some contacts persisted until shortly before Epsteinâs 2019 federal sex trafficking arrest, highlighting how his wealth kept him in play for Democratic fundraising circles even as allegations of abusing underage girls mounted in lawsuits.
Sources: The Washington Times, The New York Post
đ˘ Democrats Opt Out of Trumpâs State of the Union for National Mall Counter-Rally
A group of at least a dozen Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate will skip President Donald Trumpâs upcoming State of the Union address on February 24 to attend a âPeopleâs State of the Unionâ rally on the National Mall instead. The event, organized by progressive groups MoveOn and MeidasTouch and featuring hosts like Joy Reid and Katie Phang, is positioned as counterprogramming to highlight opposition to Trumpâs policies and feature everyday Americans affected by his agenda. Participants include Sens. Chris Murphy, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Tina Smith, and Chris Van Hollen, along with several House members, with Sen. Murphy calling the speech a mockery turned into a divisive campaign rally that Democrats need not dignify with their presence. This move comes amid partisan friction, including a partial government shutdown tied to immigration debates.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, Reuters
âď¸ FISA Court Appoints Former Biden Disinformation Board Architect as Advisor
The secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has appointed Jennifer Daskal, who served in the Biden administration and drafted the charter for the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board while helping select its director Nina Jankowicz, to the role of amicus curiae advisor. This position allows her to provide legal guidance to judges on matters involving foreign surveillance warrants under FISA, prompting criticism from Republican senators concerned about her prior involvement in what critics called a government effort to monitor and address domestic speech on topics like elections and public health. The appointment, made quietly on February 1 by presiding judges, grants Daskal access to sensitive intelligence-related proceedings in a court already under scrutiny for oversight issues.
Sources: The Washington Free Beacon, The Gateway Pundit
âď¸ Conservatives Criticize New Federal Judgesâ Ethics Guidance as One-Sided
Conservatives and legal experts are blasting new ethics guidance from the U.S. Judicial Conference, issued this month under Chief Justice John Robertsâ leadership, which permits federal judges to offer a measured public defense of the judiciary against illegitimate attacks like violence, intimidation, disinformation, and threats to defy court orders. Critics argue the timing conveniently responds to conservative pushback against judges blocking Trump administration policies in his second term, while similar guidance was absent during prior threats and harassment aimed at conservative judges. Figures like Mike Davis of the Article III Project call it a gift to âjudicial saboteursâ that undermines presidential authority, and professor Josh Blackman highlights the apparent hypocrisy in protecting one sideâs sensitivities over the otherâs.
đ US Factory Output Posts Solid Gain, Business Equipment Orders Show Strength
US manufacturing output climbed 0.6 percent in January 2026, marking the largest monthly increase since February 2025, while broader industrial production rose 0.7 percent after a modest December gain; this rebound came alongside stronger-than-expected December orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, up 0.6 percent, and shipments jumping 0.9 percent, hinting at sustained business investment likely boosted by AI-related demand despite ongoing tariff pressures on the sector.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Epoch Times
đ Florida Rep. Randy Fine Stands Firm on Dogs-Over-Muslims Comment After Democratic Outcry
Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine ignited controversy by posting on X that he would choose dogs over Muslims if forced to pick sides, reacting to a New York activistâs original serious statement that dogs are unclean under certain cultural or religious views and that limits should be placed on allowing them indoors in response to changing demographics in NYC; the activist later backpedaled by describing the remark as satirical or a joke after backlash, but Fine doubled down in follow-up posts and a Newsmax appearance, using images of dogs with American flags to emphasize his point about protecting traditional pet ownership and American values while brushing off Democratic calls for apology or resignation as hypersensitivity or support for cultural erosion.
đ¨ New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Proposes NYPD Budget Trim and Scraps Plan for 5,000 New Officers
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has put forward a preliminary FY 2027 budget that includes a modest $22 million reduction to the NYPDâs roughly $6.4 billion allocation. This move cancels the previous administrationâs ambitious plan to hire 5,000 additional officers over several years, which would have phased in increases starting with 300 in July 2026 and reaching full scale by 2028 to push street deployment toward 40,000 officers; instead, staffing would hold near the current level of around 35,000. The proposal arrives amid a still-significant budget shortfall, now narrowed but requiring tough choices unless Albany agrees to tax higher earners and corporations more heavily. Mamdani frames the NYPD adjustment as part of avoiding worse steps like property tax hikes or reserve raids, while emphasizing fiscal restraint in a crisis inherited from prior leadership.
Sources: The New York Post, ABC7 New York
đłď¸ NYC Board of Elections Worker Admits Non-Citizen Registrations Accepted Without Reporting
A conservative investigative outfit called Muckraker sent an operative undercover to a New York City Board of Elections office, posing as a Canadian green card holder to test the system. The worker on camera acknowledged that non-citizens sometimes attempt to register, stated the office accepts whatever comes over the counter, said processing such forms is routine, and insisted itâs not his job to report anyone or flag illegal attemptsâhe just collects and submits applications. The footage shows no demand for citizenship proof beyond a self-attested affidavit, raising fresh questions about how watertight these safeguards really are when even a casual walk-in gets that kind of response.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, FOX News
đ Family Blasts Canadaâs MAID Program After Sonâs Euthanasia for Mental Health Struggles
A grieving Ontario family is calling out Canadaâs Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) system as dangerously loose after their 26-year-old son, Kiano Vafaeianâwho dealt with Type 1 diabetes, partial blindness, and mental health issues including seasonal depressionâwas approved for euthanasia in British Columbia last December despite prior rejections in Ontario and family opposition; the mother, Margaret Marsilla, claims a doctor essentially coached him to qualify under the programâs expanded rules for non-terminal conditions, turning what should have been a path to care into a one-way ticket out, highlighting how the regime keeps finding ways to green-light death for the vulnerable when safeguards seem more like suggestions.
Sources: The New York Post, The Gateway Pundit
đ Illinois Faces $128M Funding Cut After Feds Find Trucker Licenses Illegally Issued
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has given Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and state officials 30 days to address serious violations in the stateâs non-domiciled commercial driverâs license program after a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit revealed that nearly one in five such licenses issued to noncitizens were granted illegally. The review identified cases in which licenses remained valid long after driversâ lawful presence in the U.S. expired, or in which proper verification of legal status was not conducted, including cases involving drivers from countries such as El Salvador, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Moldova, and Singapore. Duffy demanded an immediate pause on issuing these non-domiciled CDLs, identification and revocation of noncompliant ones, an internal state audit, and corrective actions, threatening to withhold $128 million in federal highway funding for fiscal year 2027 if Illinois fails to comply, along with potential decertification of its CDL program; Illinois officials called the move a threat and said they would review the matter while asserting substantial compliance.
Sources: US Transportation Dept, FreightWave.com
â ď¸ Russia, China, and Iran Launch Joint Naval Exercises in Strait of Hormuz
Russia, China, and Iran have sent warships to participate in the âMaritime Security Belt 2026â naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz. Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev announced the deployment and described the exercises as highly relevant. The trilateral drills, initiated by Iranâs navy and now in their eighth iteration since 2019, focus on boosting maritime security, countering piracy and terrorism at sea, and practicing coordinated rescue operations. The maneuvers occur in a critical global oil chokepoint amid ongoing regional tensions, including separate Iranian IRGC exercises in the area and broader geopolitical frictions.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Middle East Monitor
đĽ Iran Fires Live Missiles in Strait of Hormuz Amid Nuclear Talks with U.S.
Iranâs Revolutionary Guard conducted live-fire naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz on February 17, 2026, launching missiles that struck targets in the waterway while temporarily closing parts of it for several hours under the guise of safety and navigation concerns. This occurred as indirect nuclear negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials resumed in Geneva, with Iranian state media and semi-official outlets reporting the missile tests from inland and coastal positions during the âSmart Control of the Strait of Hormuzâ exercise. IRGC commanders issued defiant statements, including readiness to close the strait if ordered and dismissals of U.S. naval power, while the move underscored Tehranâs muscle-flexing in a chokepoint carrying about 20% of global oil amid heightened regional tensions.
đ Hezbollah Rejects Lebanese Government Disarmament Timeline
Hezbollah has firmly turned down a Lebanese government decision granting the army at least four months to push forward with the second phase of a nationwide plan to disarm non-state armed groups, mainly targeting the Iran-backed organizationâs weapons in southern Lebanon. The group dismissed the move as serving Israeli interests amid ongoing tensions after the 2024 war and a fragile ceasefire, with a Hezbollah lawmaker insisting there can be no leniency on the issue. This rejection follows the cabinetâs August 2025 tasking of the army to control all weapons, a September welcome of the armyâs plan without a firm deadline due to military constraints and Israeli actions, and recent accusations of Hezbollah ceasefire violations including rebuilding capabilities.
Sources: Israel National News, The Times of Israel
đ¨ The French National Assembly Bars Leftist Aide Over Alleged Ties to Fatal Antifa-Linked Beating
A parliamentary assistant to far-left La France Insoumise deputy RaphaĂŤl Arnault has been banned from accessing the National Assembly as a precautionary step after accusations linked him to the mob beating death of 23-year-old conservative activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon. The incident unfolded during a Thursday protest at Sciences Po university against an appearance by LFI MEP Rima Hassan, where Deranque, reportedly providing security for the anti-mass migration feminist group Collectif NĂŠmĂŠsis, was assaulted by masked individuals associated with the banned Antifa-linked Jeune Garde group; he suffered fatal injuries and died days later, prompting a murder probe, arrests including Favrot himself in follow-up reports, and sharp criticism from government officials and right-wing figures who pointed to far-left responsibility in the violence.
đž Japan Backs Major U.S. Energy Projects in Trump Trade Deal
Japan has agreed to finance $36 billion in three significant U.S.-based projects as the initial phase of a broader $550 billion investment commitment under a trade agreement with President Donald Trump. This deal, struck last year to secure lower tariffs on Japanese imports (set at 15%), features a $33 billion natural gas-fired power plant in Ohio touted as the worldâs largest of its kind with 9.2 gigawatts capacity, a deepwater crude oil export terminal in Texas projected to enable $20-30 billion in annual exports, and a synthetic industrial diamond manufacturing facility in Georgia to supply key materials for semiconductors and advanced tech, reducing reliance on foreign sources like China. Trump highlighted the role of tariffs in making these massive investments possible, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized mutual benefits with Japan supplying capital for U.S.-built infrastructure that boosts American energy dominance, industrial capacity, and job creation.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, Reuters