⚖️ Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers
President Donald Trump labeled a Supreme Court ruling “a disgrace” after the justices, in a 6-3 decision on February 20, 2026, struck down his broad tariffs imposed via the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, finding that the 1977 law does not grant the president authority to levy such import taxes without congressional approval. The decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, represents a clear check on executive overreach in trade policy, invalidating tariffs applied to numerous trading partners that Trump had championed as key to his economic strategy since returning to office. Trump received news of the ruling during a White House meeting with governors, reacted sharply but briefly, and later indicated plans to pursue alternative avenues for tariffs, while some Republicans quietly welcomed the outcome as a win for constitutional limits and others decried it as judicial meddling.
💶 Trump Vows to Impose 10% Global Tariff Under Trade Act After Supreme Court Setback
President Donald Trump, undeterred by the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling on February 20, 2026, that invalidated his broad global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, promptly declared he would pursue the same trade goals through other statutory paths. He criticized the decision as disappointing and expressed frustration with certain justices while announcing plans to sign an order imposing a 10% tariff on imports worldwide via Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits temporary duties up to 15% for 150 days to address balance-of-payments issues though any extension would need congressional approval; administration officials have indicated they will leverage additional authorities like Sections 301 and 232 where possible to maintain or adapt elements of the tariff framework despite the court’s limits on emergency powers.
Sources: The Epoch Times, The Wall Street Journal
✖️ Congress Rejects Most Trump DOGE Spending Cuts in 2026 Budget
Congress has largely brushed aside the aggressive discretionary spending reductions pushed by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for fiscal year 2026. After proposals last year to eliminate or deeply slash funding for agencies and programs including the Education Department, National Institutes of Health, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, National Endowment for the Arts, foreign aid entities, and others—with ambitions once targeting up to $2 trillion in total savings—lawmakers approved budget bills that preserved most funding levels, often flat or with minor trims, and in some cases slight increases. Only a handful of targeted cuts stuck, such as the full elimination of one small office and steeper reductions to certain international programs, while big-ticket items like LIHEAP and cultural endowments stayed largely intact, leaving overall spending slightly higher than the prior year and marking a clear setback for the administration’s efficiency drive.
Sources: The Washington Times, Forbes
🏛️ Massie and Khanna Push to Force Vote on Congressional Approval for Potential Iran Strikes
Congress has largely brushed aside the aggressive discretionary spending reductions pushed by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for fiscal year 2026. After proposals last year to eliminate or deeply slash funding for agencies and programs including the Education Department, National Institutes of Health, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, National Endowment for the Arts, foreign aid entities, and others—with ambitions once targeting up to $2 trillion in total savings—lawmakers approved budget bills that preserved most funding levels, often flat or with minor trims, and in some cases slight increases. Only a handful of targeted cuts stuck, such as the full elimination of one small office and steeper reductions to certain international programs, while big-ticket items like LIHEAP and cultural endowments stayed largely intact, leaving overall spending slightly higher than the prior year and marking a clear setback for the administration’s efficiency drive. Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) announced plans to force a House vote next week on a War Powers Resolution that would require congressional authorization before any U.S. military strikes on Iran. This comes amid reports of a high likelihood of action, with Khanna citing Trump administration officials estimating a 90% chance of strikes and emphasizing the risks to tens of thousands of U.S. troops in the region. The resolution, originally introduced in June 2025 as H. Con. Res. 38 during prior Israel-Iran hostilities directs the president to terminate unauthorized hostilities against Iran unless approved by a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization. Massie stressed the constitutional requirement for Congress to vote on war, pledging to vote against further Middle East conflicts to prioritize America First, while Khanna plans a motion to discharge to bypass committee delays and compel debate.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, The Epoch Times
⚖️ Virginia Judge Halts Democrats’ Redistricting Referendum Push
A Tazewell County Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on February 19, 2026, blocking Virginia Democrats from moving forward with preparations for an April 21 voter referendum aimed at enabling mid-decade redrawing of the state’s congressional maps. The order, granted at the request of the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and GOP lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith, cites concerns over the ballot’s timing and phrasing violating state constitutional requirements. This marks the second setback from Judge Jack Hurley Jr. against the Democratic effort, following his January ruling that deemed a related resolution illegally passed; that earlier case remains under appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, which previously allowed the referendum to proceed pending review. Democrats have framed the push as a response to alleged partisan redistricting in other states, hoping to flip up to four U.S. House seats, while Republicans view it as an improper maneuver to tilt Virginia’s 11-district delegation heavily in their favor.
Sources: NewsMax, Courthouse News
🗳️ Texas Democrats Unveil $30 Million Coordinated Push for 2026 Midterms
Texas Democrats have rolled out a unified $30 million campaign called “Texas Together,” announced on February 17, 2026, pooling resources from the Texas Democratic Party, Texas Majority PAC, Beto O’Rourke’s Powered by People, and the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. This effort aims to centralize volunteer efforts, share data through a new research hub, cover overhead costs for candidates, and support roughly 1,000 Democratic contenders across federal, state legislative, statewide, and other races in the midterm elections. The initiative marks the earliest and most funded coordinated operation in recent Texas Democratic history, with plans for 75 staff and 30,000 volunteers by early March, building on recent gains like a special election win and candidate recruitment in every race for the first time in modern history. National Democratic groups have shown interest in Texas seats, including congressional targets, as the party eyes opportunities in the Lone Star State amid broader midterm ambitions.
Sources: The Texas Tribune, The Texan
⚠️ Virgin Islands Delegate Plaskett Made Multiple Visits to Epstein’s Fraud-Linked Office
U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D.) visited Jeffrey Epstein at his Southern Trust Company office on St. Thomas in August 2014, January 2019, and May 2019, according to emails and court filings. This office, located two miles from Epstein’s Little St. James island, served as the hub for a network of shell companies that prosecutors say defrauded the Virgin Islands government out of hundreds of millions in tax incentives through the Economic Development Authority program, from which Epstein’s entities received a 90% tax exemption starting in 2013 but failed to deliver promised activities. Plaskett, who worked as general counsel for the Economic Development Authority from 2007 to 2012 and was aware of concerns about Epstein’s criminal history and program exploitation, had her meetings arranged by Epstein’s attorney Erika Kellerhals, who introduced her to Epstein in 2014 as a potential donor. The purpose of the visits remains unclear, but they occurred amid ongoing disputes between Epstein, Kellerhals, and Virgin Islands officials over sex offender registration issues. Plaskett has denied approving tax rebates for Epstein and stated she never had a friendship with him, though a 2018 text referred to him as a friend.
Sources: The Washington Free Beacon, The New York Post
⚖️ California Judge Forces Rady Children’s Hospital to Resume Gender-Affirming Treatments for Minors
A San Diego Superior Court judge has ordered Rady Children’s Hospital to keep providing non-surgical gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormone treatments, to patients under 19, at least until a March 10 hearing. This follows the hospital’s January announcement that it would end such services starting February 6, citing escalating threats from the Trump administration to yank Medicare and Medicaid funding over what federal officials call non-standard care for minors. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued, claiming the shutdown violated binding merger conditions from Rady’s 2025 acquisition of other hospitals, which required maintaining existing specialty services, including gender-related care. The judge, noting the “thorny” spot Rady finds itself in between state and federal pressures, ruled that immediate harm to about 1,450 young patients outweighed the as-yet-unrealized risk of funding cuts, excluding major surgeries from the mandate.
Sources: The Post Millennial, The New York Post
📢 Virginia High School Suspends 303 Students Over Off-Campus Anti-ICE Walkout
More than 300 students at Woodbridge High School in Prince William County, Virginia, received three-day suspensions after walking off campus during a student-led protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 13, 2026. School officials cited violations of district conduct rules requiring students to remain on school grounds, even though the walkout was meant to express views on immigration policy; police were called to handle traffic and safety as students spilled onto nearby roads. The principal emphasized student safety and clear behavioral expectations in a letter to parents, while organizers responded by creating an Instagram account to promote a larger county-wide walkout on February 20, 2026, urging peaceful participation and claiming prior notification to administrators would prevent further trouble.
Sources: WTOP Radio Washington, DC, ABC7 Arlington
🐻 Chicago Bears Eye Relocation to Indiana Over Illinois’ Punishing Taxes and Chicago Crime Woes
The Chicago Bears organization has advanced serious discussions for a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, near Wolf Lake, drawn by Indiana’s pro-growth policies and lower tax environment after facing repeated roadblocks in Illinois over high property taxes, steep sales taxes, and demands for massive public funding that lawmakers have resisted. Frustrations with Illinois’ tax climate—highlighted by Chicago’s sky-high combined sales tax rates and burdensome commercial property taxes—have pushed the team toward Indiana’s more favorable framework, including a stadium authority bill passed unanimously in committee to finance and build a facility. While Bears leadership praised Indiana officials for progress and committed to $2 billion in their own investment, no final deal exists, and talks with Illinois continue amid a canceled hearing on tax incentives for an Arlington Heights site; the team’s Soldier Field lease extends to 2033, but the move reflects broader dissatisfaction with Chicago’s high-crime environment and fiscal policies driving businesses and residents away. Governor J.B. Pritzker voiced surprise and disappointment, insisting no commitment has been made.
Sources: The Washington Free Beacon, The Tax Foundation
🚨 U.S. Forces Prevent Potential Mass Escape of 6,000 ISIS Detainees in Syria
U.S. forces and agencies, working through CENTCOM helicopters, rapid diplomacy, and multi-agency coordination, transferred nearly 6,000 high-risk ISIS detainees from prisons in northern Syria to a facility near Baghdad in Iraq. This preemptive move came as instability and clashes threatened the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces guarding the facilities, raising fears that a collapse could free the prisoners—described by a senior intelligence official as “the worst of the worst”—and instantly reconstitute ISIS as a fighting force. The operation unfolded over weeks, starting from intelligence warnings in late 2025, with intensified efforts in early 2026, and involved logistical lifts and Iraqi acceptance to avert what officials called a near-catastrophic regional disaster.
🪖 Canada Launches Fast-Track Permanent Residency for Skilled Foreign Military Recruits
Canada has rolled out new priority categories under its Express Entry immigration system on February 18, 2026, including one specifically for highly skilled foreign military applicants recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced the change to attract talent in critical areas like research, transportation, and defense, with eligible recruits—such as military doctors, nurses, and pilots—receiving job offers from the CAF and fast-tracked invitations to apply for permanent residence, subject to standard security screenings and military requirements. This move supports the government’s recent defense industrial strategy aimed at bolstering the armed forces amid recruitment shortfalls and reducing reliance on foreign allies, though some observers raise eyebrows at the optics of outsourcing key defense roles while domestic enlistment lags.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Globe & Mail
💰 Argentine Unions Strike Nationwide as Milei’s Labor Reform Hits Key Lower House Vote
Unions in Argentina launched a 24-hour nationwide strike on Thursday, disrupting transport, banks, public services, and ports, to protest President Javier Milei’s labor reform bill under debate and scheduled for a vote in the Chamber of Deputies. The measure, already passed by the Senate last week, would limit strikes by requiring minimum operations in essential services, reduce severance pay by excluding certain bonuses, and promote flexibility to attract investment and formal jobs, though critics argue it erodes longstanding worker protections. The strike, called by the CGT and marking the fourth against Milei, coincided with the lower house proceedings, where changes could bounce the bill back to the Senate for final approval before it becomes law.
Sources: The Straits Times, Reuters
⚛️ North Korea Displays Nuclear-Capable Rocket Launchers Before Party Congress
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a ceremony unveiling 50 new 600mm-caliber multiple rocket launchers, which state media described as nuclear-capable with advanced AI-guided precision rivaling short-range ballistic missiles. The display, featuring Kim driving one of the vehicles, served as a show of military strength ahead of the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, where new defense goals and possibly leadership adjustments are expected. This follows recent missile tests and production pushes, underscoring Pyongyang’s ongoing emphasis on bolstering its arsenal despite sanctions.
Sources: Semafor, Deutsche Welle
🛜 US State Department Develops Freedom.gov Portal to Counter Foreign Content Restrictions
The U.S. State Department is working on an online portal called freedom.gov that would let users in Europe and other regions access material blocked by their own governments, such as content labeled as hate speech or terrorist propaganda, framing the effort as a pushback against censorship. Sources indicate the site may incorporate a VPN-like feature to route traffic as if originating from the United States while avoiding user tracking, though the project—led by Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers—was delayed from a planned reveal at the Munich Security Conference, with some internal concerns noted despite official denials. This comes amid broader Trump administration criticism of European regulations like the EU’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act, which Washington sees as overreach suppressing certain viewpoints, even as the move risks straining transatlantic relations by appearing to endorse skirting local laws.
Sources: Reuters, The New York Post