🗳️ Democrats Eye Key House Seats in Iowa, Arizona, and Pennsylvania for 2026 Flips
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has rolled out its initial “Red to Blue” lineup, putting resources behind a dozen candidates challenging Republican incumbents in districts that largely backed Trump in 2024, with specific focus on races in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Districts (against Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn), Arizona’s 2nd and 6th (against Reps. Eli Crane and Juan Ciscomani), and Pennsylvania’s 8th and 10th (against Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry). These picks include folks like former state reps, veterans, mayors, and even a Navajo Nation ex-president, all getting DCCC training and cash to push themes like lowering costs and protecting healthcare in toss-up or GOP-leaning seats where narrow margins or local factors could open doors—though Republicans are quick to mock the slate as a bunch of recycled radicals unlikely to sway voters in red-leaning territory.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, FOX News
⚖️ DOJ Sues New Jersey Over Sanctuary Expansion Limiting ICE Access
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against New Jersey and Governor Mikie Sherrill, challenging her Executive Order No. 12, signed February 11, which bars federal immigration officials from conducting civil arrests or using nonpublic areas of state property—including prisons, courthouses, and other facilities—as staging or processing sites for immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The complaint, lodged in federal court on February 23 or 24, 2026, argues that the order violates the Supremacy Clause by obstructing federal authority, discriminating against immigration agents, and effectively expanding sanctuary policies that lead to the release of criminal illegal aliens who would otherwise face removal for offenses like aggravated assault, burglary, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that such state interference hinders efforts to arrest dangerous criminals and enforce immigration laws.
Sources: US Justice Dept, FOX News
🏛️ Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch Calls Out Inconsistent Rulings on Trump and Biden Policies
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, in a separate concurring opinion following the Court’s February 20, 2026, 6-3 decision striking down most of President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, criticized his colleagues for what he saw as selective application of the major questions doctrine. The doctrine requires clear congressional authorization for executive actions of vast economic or political significance, and it had previously been used by the conservative majority to block Biden-era measures like student loan forgiveness and environmental regulations. Gorsuch joined Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett in part of the majority opinion limiting Trump’s tariff authority, but his 46-page concurrence highlighted perceived hypocrisy, noting that past critics of the doctrine (liberal justices) supported its use against Trump while some prior supporters (certain conservatives) dissented in this case. Liberal Justice Kagan responded critically in her own opinion, defending the doctrine’s application here while rejecting Gorsuch’s characterization of inconsistency.
Sources: NewsMax, The Wall Street Journal
🚨 Georgia Lawmaker Demands ICE Surge After Teacher’s Death in Crash Involving Illegal Immigrant
A Georgia Republican congressman is pushing for a major increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel across the state following the tragic death of a special education teacher in Savannah, where authorities say an illegal immigrant from Guatemala fled a federal traffic stop, ran a red light, and crashed into her vehicle. Rep. Buddy Carter described the incident as preventable and blamed lax enforcement policies, noting the suspect had a final removal order from 2024 yet remained in the country; he called for more ICE agents statewide to remove criminal illegal immigrants and prevent similar tragedies, while highlighting an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia.
Sources: The New York Post, AP News
⚖️ Three Mexican Nationals Indicted in Forced Labor Scheme Exploiting H-2A Visas
A federal grand jury has returned a 35-count indictment against three Mexican citizens—Martha Zeferino Jose, her son Jeremy Zeferino Jose, and Jose Rodriguez Munoz—for allegedly running a human trafficking operation that lured Mexican agricultural workers to the United States on temporary H-2A visas with false promises of fair employment, only to force them into labor under inhumane conditions on farms in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. The defendants, tied to a North Carolina-based farm labor contracting company, reportedly confiscated workers’ identity documents like passports and visas to prevent escape, harbored them after visa expirations for financial gain, submitted fraudulent visa applications to government agencies, and committed related offenses, including visa fraud, obstruction, and document servitude. Authorities unsealed the indictment on February 20, 2026, with the Department of Justice highlighting the exploitation of vulnerable workers through this visa program abuse.
Sources: US Dept of Justice, ABC News12 North Carolina
🎓 NYU Professor Claims Whole Milk Promotion Carries Racist Undertones
Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at New York University, sparked controversy by suggesting in a recent blog post that the federal government’s push to restore whole milk in school lunches via the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act—signed into law by President Trump on January 14—may be tainted by racism. He argued that “drinking whole white milk has played a big role in racist and far-right thinking,” pointing to its historical associations with Nazis, fascists, and modern alt-right and white nationalist messaging through memes, tweets, videos, and phrases like “If you can’t drink milk, you have to go back.” Caplan expressed suspicion about the sudden emphasis on whole milk, warning that racism, eugenics, and white nationalism could influence the campaign, even as he acknowledged other possible factors. Critics, including another bioethicist and a USDA spokesperson, dismissed the claims as baseless, insisting the policy focuses purely on nutrition for kids without any racial intent.
Sources: The Post Millennial, The New York Post
🥷🏼 First Antifa Terrorism Trial Restarts After Mistrial Over Defense Attorney’s Shirt
A federal judge in Fort Worth declared a mistrial last week in the high-profile case billed as the first-ever federal domestic terrorism prosecution tied to Antifa, after a defense attorney wore a T-shirt featuring civil rights protest imagery during jury selection, which the Trump-appointed judge deemed politically charged and likely to bias the pool. The trial involves nine defendants accused of participating in a July 4, 2025, ambush at the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas, where militants allegedly used fireworks to lure officers before opening fire, wounding a local police officer in the neck; prosecutors claim the group formed a North Texas Antifa cell that provided weapons, training, and support for the attack, while defense arguments portray it as a nonviolent protest against ICE practices. Jury selection for the restarted proceedings began on February 23, 2026, under new courtroom rules imposed by Judge Mark Pittman.
Sources: FOX4 News Dallas/Ft. Worth, The Washington Examiner
💻 Gen Z Becomes First Generation to Score Lower on Tests Than Parents Amid Tech Push
A neuroscientist testified that Gen Z is the first in modern history to underperform their predecessors on standardized tests measuring literacy, numeracy, attention, memory, and other cognitive skills. This reversal follows massive U.S. investment exceeding $30 billion to equip schools with laptops and tablets instead of traditional textbooks, a shift that began decades ago and accelerated nationwide. Citing international data like PISA results from 15-year-olds across numerous countries, the expert highlighted a clear link between increased school screen time and declining scores, arguing that constant digital access has weakened rather than strengthened learning, rather than delivering promised gains.
Sources: The Post Millennial, Fortune
💸 Tim Walz of Stonewalling Welfare Fraud Probe Tied to Somali Nonprofit Scandal
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faces fresh accusations from the Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee of stonewalling a congressional investigation into fraud vulnerabilities in federal nutrition programs. The committee, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg, claims Walz’s administration provided incomplete responses to a September 2024 subpoena, omitting requested text messages between the governor and staff while the probe examines oversight lapses at the Minnesota Department of Education amid a massive scandal involving the Somali-led nonprofit Feeding Our Future. That group allegedly bilked taxpayers out of $300 million in COVID-19 relief funds meant for child meals through fake invoices and rosters, with nearly 80 defendants charged and over 50 convictions obtained, including a 28-year sentence for its leader. Walz has previously acknowledged criminals are drawn to his state’s welfare system but insisted his team is cooperating fully and doing everything possible to address the fraud, while criticizing efforts to link it broadly to Minnesota’s Somali community.
Sources: The Daily Caller, The Red Lion
⚧️ Boise LGBTQ+ Activist Charged in Attempted Arson on DHS Office Using Stolen Ambulance
A 43-year-old Boise resident named Sarah Elizabeth George, identified by investigators as an LGBTQ+ activist, faces federal charges after authorities say she stole a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from outside St. Luke’s Meridian hospital on February 18, 2026, drove it into the entrance of the nearby Portico North building that houses Department of Homeland Security offices, poured gasoline inside the lobby and around the vehicle in what police describe as an attempt to set the structure ablaze, then fled on foot before first responders arrived and thwarted the plan; no injuries occurred, and she was arrested five days later following investigative work that included security footage review, canvassing, and tracing evidence like gas purchases, with charges including malicious destruction of government property by fire and damaging property in interstate commerce.
Sources: The Post Millennial, KTVB News7 Boise
🧧 Chinese Defense Labs Tapped Nearly $1 Billion in U.S. Taxpayer Research Funds, Report Finds
A recent analysis from the Center for Research Security and Integrity reveals that U.S. federal agencies poured about $943.5 million into research projects involving collaborations with 45 Chinese government-designated defense laboratories between 2019 and mid-2025. The study examined nearly 1,800 academic papers co-authored by U.S. and Chinese researchers, with at least 313 acknowledging federal funding from sources like the National Science Foundation (making up roughly 72 percent), Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and National Institutes of Health. These partnerships often centered on dual-use technologies in fields such as materials science for aerospace, directed energy systems, radar, AI, and energetic materials—areas that can directly support military advancements, including hypersonic weapons. The report highlights critical national security risks from these ties, noting that existing U.S. research security measures have fallen short in preventing American taxpayer dollars from benefiting the Chinese military-industrial complex.
Sources: ResearchSecurity.org, The Epoch Times
📢 Iranian Student Protests Flare Up with Reports of Gunfire and Tear Gas at Universities
Anti-government demonstrations reignited at several universities in Tehran and Mashhad as students marked 40-day memorials for victims of January’s nationwide crackdown, which saw heavy casualties. Security forces responded with tear gas to disperse crowds, while reports from opposition sources and eyewitness accounts described gunfire, including shots fired by Revolutionary Guard units at protesters in Tehran streets like Vali Asr. Students chanted slogans condemning the regime, trampled images of Supreme Leader Khamenei, and clashed with pro-regime groups on campuses such as University of Tehran, Khajeh Nasir, Ferdowsi, and Sajjad. These events unfolded amid broader tensions, including a potential U.S. military strike and ongoing nuclear negotiations, adding pressure to an already restive atmosphere where resistance groups displayed flags and opposition voices highlighted forceful suppression. The unrest represents one of the clearest signs of lingering discontent since the earlier deadly crackdown.
💀 Trump Administration Targets Muslim Brotherhood Branches with Terrorist Designations
The Trump administration has designated specific branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as terrorist entities. On January 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, working with the Department of State, labeled the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224 for providing material support to Hamas. The State Department separately designated the Lebanese branch (known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah) as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, while also targeting its Secretary General, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh. Officials described these steps as the initial phase in curbing the group’s influence, citing its support for terrorism and destabilizing activities in the region, following President Trump’s November 2025 executive order initiating the process. The measures impose sanctions, block assets, and prohibit material support to these branches.
Sources: US State Dept, US Treasury
🚨 Kim Jong Un’s Teenage Daughter Reportedly Named Missile Chief as He Secures Party Leadership
North Korea’s Workers’ Party congress in Pyongyang unanimously reelected Kim Jong Un as general secretary on February 22, 2026, cementing his grip on the regime amid praise for his ideological and military advancements. While the reelection drew little surprise in a system built around the Kim dynasty, fresh South Korean intelligence assessments point to a more intriguing development: Kim’s teenage daughter—widely identified as Kim Ju Ae and sometimes referenced as Kim Ju Hye—has been placed in a senior military position overseeing the country’s missile programs. Reports describe her as the “missile general director” or holding leadership within the Missile Administration, the body responsible for North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear missile forces. This appointment, combined with her increasing public exposure since 2022 and apparent involvement in policy discussions, strongly suggests the regime is grooming her as a future successor in a break from the long-standing male preference within the family line. The congress proceedings continue without her visible participation so far, but the missile role underscores Pyongyang’s focus on accelerating weapons development under the next generation.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, Reuters
❌ EU Parliament Turns Down Minute of Silence for Slain French Conservative Activist
The European Parliament, during an extraordinary session focused on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, declined a request from the Patriots for Europe group to observe a minute of silence in memory of Quentin Deranque, a young French conservative activist murdered in Lyon last September by individuals linked to Antifa groups, with seven suspects—including a parliamentary assistant to a La France Insoumise MP—facing murder charges. President Roberta Metsola rejected the proposal because it fell outside the session’s specific agenda on Ukraine, where MEPs were set to vote on a non-binding resolution supporting the country; the article suggests this reflects a pattern of selective sympathy from leftist-leaning “globalists” in the EU, who overlook victims on the right while large crowds gathered in Paris to honor Deranque, and notes a possible future mention at the next regular plenary in March but without the same significance.
Sources: EuroNews, The Gateway Pundit