‼️ North Carolina Man Fatally Shot After Armed Breach at Mar-a-Lago
A 21-year-old man from North Carolina named Austin Tucker Martin was shot and killed early Sunday morning by U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy after he unlawfully entered the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Martin drove through the north gate as another vehicle exited, carrying a shotgun and a fuel canister. He ignored commands to disarm, dropped the canister, but raised the shotgun toward officers, prompting them to open fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Martin had been reported missing by his family days earlier, and investigators recovered shotgun packaging from his vehicle, suggesting he acquired the weapon en route south. No motive has been established, with authorities building a psychological profile, and President Trump was not present, staying at the White House instead.
Sources: The Tampa Free Press, The New York Post
💶 Trump Maxes Out Presidential Tariff Authority at 15% Under Trade Act Provision
President Donald Trump swiftly exercised his statutory powers under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary global import surcharge, initially set at 10% and promptly raised to the full 15% ceiling permitted by the law, effective immediately as a means to tackle persistent trade imbalances and balance-of-payments issues that he argues have disadvantaged American workers for years. This rarely invoked provision allows the president to apply non-discriminatory duties up to 15% for a maximum of 150 days without needing congressional approval upfront, though any extension beyond that window requires legislative action; Trump described the hike as fully utilizing the available legal tools to protect U.S. interests against countries he claims have long exploited trade relationships, while maintaining exemptions for certain goods and partners under existing agreements like USMCA.
⚖️ DOJ Targets Former North Miami Mayor for Citizenship Revocation Over Immigration Fraud Claims
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Philippe Bien-Aime, the former mayor of North Miami who served from 2019 to 2022, alleging he obtained U.S. citizenship through a series of deceptions starting with his illegal entry into the country. Prosecutors claim Bien-Aime, a native of Haiti also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, entered the U.S. in 1997 using a fraudulent “photo-switched” passport under the Janvier name, leading to a 2000-2001 removal order that he evaded. He allegedly remained in the country, used a new identity with a different date of birth, entered into a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen while still married to someone in Haiti, and made multiple false statements during adjustment of status and naturalization processes, culminating in citizenship in 2006. The case, filed around February 17-18, 2026, in federal court in Miami, stems from fingerprint comparisons linking the two identities as part of a joint USCIS-DOJ initiative, and emphasizes that citizenship requires honesty—especially ironic for someone who held elected office.
Sources: US Justice Dept, The Epoch Times
🚨 ICE Lodges Detainer on Two Mexican Nationals Charged in Savage North Carolina Home Invasion
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged arrest detainers against two Mexican nationals illegally in the country, Zaid Mayen-Esteban and Jonathan David Garcia-Larios, following their February 11 arrest for a brutal home invasion in Pitt County, North Carolina. The suspects allegedly broke into a victim’s home armed with a sharp weapon, restrained the individual, beat him severely, committed sodomy, and ripped off his fingernails; the victim survived after treatment at Eastern Carolina University Medical Center. Local law enforcement and U.S. Marshals apprehended the pair on February 13, charging them with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, burglary, kidnapping, and sodomy. Garcia-Larios had been previously removed from the U.S. in 2024 and re-entered illegally, a felony. DHS officials highlighted the case as an example of proactive enforcement against criminal illegal aliens, noting the suspects had no prior U.S. criminal records, and pointed victims toward support resources.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, US Dept of Homeland Security
💰 Illinois Secretary of State Pocketed Over $300K from Trucking Donors Amid Illegal CDL Issuance Scandal
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias collected more than $300,000 in campaign donations from trucking, logistics, and related industry players between 2021 and 2025, even as his office came under fire for issuing potentially thousands of improper commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to non-domiciled applicants who lacked verified lawful presence in the U.S. or met other federal requirements. A U.S. Department of Transportation audit revealed that nearly one in five such licenses were handed out illegally, prompting Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to give the state 30 days to revoke them or face a $128 million cut in federal highway funding; the issue ties into broader concerns over unqualified big-rig drivers contributing to fatal crashes nationwide, though Giannoulias has defended his agency’s practices and suspended some non-domiciled issuances last fall.
Sources: Just The News, US Dept of Transportation
🪪 NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Snow Shoveler Sign-Up Requires Multiple IDs Amid Blizzard Prep
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for residents to register as emergency snow shovelers ahead of a major nor’easter expected to bring heavy snowfall, marking the city’s first blizzard warning in nearly a decade. During a Saturday press conference, he urged volunteers to show up at local sanitation garages with specific paperwork, including two small passport-style photos, two original forms of identification along with copies, and a Social Security card. This requirement for what is essentially temporary paid manual labor has drawn criticism and mockery online, particularly for contrasting with New York City’s policy, where most registered voters do not need to show identification at the polls. The push comes as the city mobilizes resources under a state of emergency declared by Governor Kathy Hochul, with shovelers potentially earning hourly pay for clearing public areas like bus stops and crosswalks.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Daily Mail
💀 Far-Left Activists Plan Keffiyeh Protest at Buchenwald Holocaust Memorial
Pro-Palestinian activists from Germany’s radical left, including the student wing of Die Linke, Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, and the German Communist Party, are organizing a demonstration dubbed “Keffiyehs in Buchenwald” at the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial site in Weimar, Germany, on April 11, 2026. This date marks the anniversary of the camp’s liberation in 1945, where over 56,000 prisoners, including many Jews, perished under Nazi rule. The protest targets the memorial’s policy—upheld by a 2025 German court ruling—of barring entry to visitors wearing the keffiyeh, a scarf associated with Palestinian nationalism, which officials view as potentially disrupting the site’s solemn purpose amid accusations of insufficient opposition to Israel. Critics, including Israeli journalist Hen Mazzig, condemn the plan as inappropriate and disrespectful to the victims’ memory at a place of Holocaust commemoration rather than political activism.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, The Times of Israel
🕋 Cincinnati Pro Soccer Match Pauses at Sundown for Ramadan Observance
In a Major League Soccer match between FC Cincinnati and Atlanta United FC, play was briefly halted around the 70th minute when sundown arrived so that any players observing Ramadan could break their daily fast. This followed MLS policy, in place since 2023, which permits a “drinks break” during games if players, coaches, or on-field officials are fasting from sunrise to sunset as part of the Islamic holy month; clubs notify the league in advance, and the pause—treated like a routine stoppage—allows for quick intake of food or fluids.
Sources: The Post Millennial, MLSSoccer.com
🔥LA Fire Department Crafted Plan to Shield Mayor Bass from Backlash Over Palisades Fire Report
A confidential Los Angeles Fire Department memo, uncovered through public records requests and detailed in recent reporting, outlined a deliberate strategy to safeguard Mayor Karen Bass, the city, and the LAFD from reputational damage tied to the release of an after-action review on the devastating January 2025 Palisades Fire. The 13-page document, prepared ahead of the report’s public rollout last fall, emphasized coordinating communications, managing media inquiries, preparing for potential tough questions at public meetings, and involving outside PR consultants to shape the narrative and minimize fallout from criticisms of the fire response, which included debates over resource deployment and leadership decisions.
Sources: The Post Millennial, FOX News Los Angeles
📃 NYC Council Bill Would Divert Young Offenders to Community Services Instead of Arrests
A New York City Council bill, reintroduced by Councilwoman Crystal Hudson in late January 2026, would require police to divert “young individuals” who commit certain crimes to community-based organizations or trade union apprenticeship programs for services rather than making arrests or pursuing criminal enforcement. The legislation, making its third attempt since 2022, remains vague on the exact definition of “young people,” the specific crimes eligible for diversion, and any clear exceptions, drawing criticism for potentially allowing violent offenders to avoid accountability amid reports of elevated teen involvement in gun violence in recent years. The bill has a handful of co-sponsors but faces an uphill path to passage in the Council, with prior versions stalling without a vote.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, The New York Post
💣 Iran Edges Closer to Nuclear Threshold as White House Envoy Warns of One-Week Breakout Window
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff warned on Fox News that Iran stands roughly one week away from possessing sufficient enriched uranium for at least one nuclear bomb, citing Tehran’s stockpile enriched to 60% purity—a level far exceeding civilian needs and representing about 90% of the effort required for weapons-grade 90% material. This assessment comes amid ongoing indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva, where the Trump administration insists on zero enrichment on Iranian soil as a non-negotiable red line, while Iranian officials maintain their right to enrich and signal potential concessions only if sanctions lift substantially. U.S. airstrikes in June 2025 damaged facilities and set the program back by one to two years, according to experts, yet Iran’s surviving highly enriched uranium stockpile keeps the threat alive, prompting frustration from Witkoff over Tehran’s refusal to negotiate away its capabilities despite a heavy U.S. military presence in the region.
Sources: The Washington Times, The Middle East Monitor
🚄 Chinese Authorities Detain Citizens for Sharing Videos of Overcrowded Budget Trains
Chinese police have detained at least five citizens for posting videos online showing severely crowded, slow “green” trains during the recent travel rush, while high-speed rail options remain underused and expensive. State media acknowledged the detentions around February 17, framing them as necessary to curb content that highlights economic hardship and migrant workers’ reliance on cheaper, uncomfortable transport amid ongoing sluggish growth and financial pressures on ordinary people. This move reflects tighter controls on narratives portraying the economy in a negative light, even as viral clips of empty fast trains versus packed budget ones continue to circulate and fuel public discussion about affordability and recovery doubts.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Voice of America
💥Pakistan’s Airstrikes Target TTP in Afghanistan, Claim 28 Militants Killed Amid Border Tensions
Pakistan’s military conducted intelligence-based airstrikes early Sunday morning on seven suspected camps and hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated groups across eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, including areas in Paktika, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktia provinces along the disputed Durand Line. Pakistani sources report that the operation, involving F-16 and JF-17 aircraft striking eight targets, eliminated at least 28 TTP fighters in retaliation for recent suicide bombings and attacks inside Pakistan, such as the Shia mosque blast in Islamabad and incidents in Bajaur and Bannu, which Islamabad attributes to Afghan-based militants. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities condemned the strikes as a sovereignty violation, asserting they hit civilian areas, including homes and a religious school, causing dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children, and vowed an appropriate response, further straining already fragile relations between the neighbors.
Sources: Republic World, The Guardian
📢 Thousands of French Patriots Rally in Lyon Demanding Justice After Alleged Antifa Killing of Young Conservative
Thousands of demonstrators, estimated at around 3,200 by local authorities, gathered in Lyon on February 21, 2026, for a peaceful march honoring 23-year-old conservative Catholic student Quentin Deranque, who died from severe brain injuries sustained in a beating on February 12 during clashes on the sidelines of a protest by the identitarian-feminist group Collectif Némésis against far-left MEP Rima Hassan at Sciences Po Lyon. Protesters carried signs reading “Justice for Quentin” and “The extreme left kills,” while chanting slogans such as “Antifa assassins,” “LFI complicit,” and calls to imprison the Young Guard Antifa group and its associated figures; the event unfolded under heavy police presence amid counter-protests from Antifa supporters displaying banners like “Lyon is Antifa,” but ended without major violence despite national tensions and President Macron’s calls for calm following arrests of suspects linked to hard-left networks.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, France24
📂 Silicon Valley Engineers Charged with Stealing Google Trade Secrets for Transfer to Iran
Three Iranian-connected engineers in San Jose—Samaneh Ghandali (a U.S. citizen), her sister Soroor Ghandali (on a student visa), and Samaneh’s husband Mohammadjavad Khosravi (a legal permanent resident)—face federal charges including conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, actual and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. The trio allegedly exploited jobs at Google and other tech firms focused on mobile processors to exfiltrate hundreds of confidential files related to processor security, cryptography, and Snapdragon SoC hardware architecture. They reportedly used sneaky methods like Telegram transfers, personal devices, and photographing screens to move the data to unauthorized spots, including Iran, with some access occurring after trips there in late 2023. Google spotted suspicious downloads as early as 2022, revoked access in 2023 upon detection, and tipped off authorities, leading to arrests and court appearances on February 20, 2026.
Sources: US Justice Dept, FOX Business