Source: Reuters
“Three Ukrainian brothers, including an eight-year-old, were killed near the eastern front line and a Russian drone attack killed one person and injured six others at one of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports near Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on Friday. … The ports are Ukraine’s key maritime export arteries, crucial for its foreign trade and the survival of its wartime economy. Moscow has stepped up its attacks on both them and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and Kyiv has targeted Russian oil facilities, as U.S.-led efforts to end the war stall. … The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority did not name the port, saying only that it was one of the three around Odesa and continued to operate despite damage to infrastructure.” (02/13/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/one-killed-six-hurt-russian-air-attack-port-ukraines-odesa-region-deputy-pm-says-2026-02-13/
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
by Will Bunch
“Let’s not pretend to be so naive to act like official deceit began on the June 2015 day that Donald Trump descended on that Trump Tower escalator. It was the late 1960s — the era of Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam ‘credibility gap’ — when the investigative journalist I.F. Stone famously wrote, ‘All governments lie.’ I became an opinion journalist because of my disgust over George W. Bush’s lies that drove the Iraq War. That said, the outrageous, Soviet-caliber falsehoods of the Trump regime feel much worse. These are not ‘plausible denial’ fairy tales to push an unpopular policy or cover up some dirty deeds, like Watergate, but a vast empire of Big Lies — easily disprovable, about everything from election results to economic statistics — with a much more ambitious goal of undermining the very notion of objective reality.” (02/12/26)
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/government-lying-ice-shootings-lutnick-20260212.html
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers radar on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) demanding answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and others about Epstein files.” (02/12/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5729365-rising-february-12-2026/
Source: AOL
“The Department of Homeland Security is all but certain to run out of funding at the end of the day Friday as lawmakers left Capitol Hill Thursday with no deal in sight. Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block a DHS spending bill that was negotiated before the [murder] of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, saying it did not address their demands for reform at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An effort by Republican Sen. Katie Britt to extend funding for DHS for two weeks to allow time for further negotiations also failed. The Senate has no further votes scheduled for this week and many senators were boarding planes to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. House members also left town. … ICE, however, will largely continue operating because of the $75 billion already approved by Congress in President Donald Trump’s so-called “one big beautiful bill” that was passed last summer.” [editor’s note: Unfortunately, most of DHS will “continue operating” for all practical purposes – TLK] (02/12/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/dhs-shutdown-certain-lawmakers-leave-000113002.html?guccounter=1
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Jim Bovard
“A few presidencies ago, Washington politicians used boundless political and intellectual chicanery to drag America into a ruinous war. Thousands of Americans died and scores of thousands of Iraqis perished due to the official myth of Saddam Hussein as the twentieth hijacker. Last November, Axios published new damning information on the role of Saudi government officials in bankrolling the 9/11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. Private lawsuits against the Saudi regime ‘unearthed evidence showing one Saudi official — who acknowledges aiding two men who became hijackers — made a drawing of a plane and a mathematical formula that allegedly could have been used to fly into the World Trade Center.’ That was only the latest stunning revelation in a coverup that will celebrate its twenty-fifth birthday this year.” (02/12/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-biggest-bait-and-switch-war-of-the-century
Source: Politico
“A federal judge has sided with Sen. Mark Kelly to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from punishing the former Navy captain for advising troops not to follow illegal orders. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in a Thursday ruling, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Pentagon’s effort to demote the Arizona Democrat’s rank and reduce his retirement pay. ‘This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,’ Leon wrote. ‘To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!’ The decision is the second legal setback this week for the Trump administration’s campaign to punish Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers, who released a video last fall telling military personnel they [must not obey] illegal orders.” (02/12/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/12/court-hegseth-kelly-senator-00778449
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“The idea of credibility probably looms even larger in foreign policy than in economics. Everyone knows that you can’t trust other countries’ promises of good intentions, right? The reason, supposedly, is that national leaders are tirelessly scheming to advance their national interests — and will happily lie, cheat, and betray rival countries to do so. This, in turn, sustains the international deadlocks that dominate headlines decade after decade.” (02/12/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/deadlocks-and-credibility
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“The death toll from a crackdown over Iran’s nationwide protests last month has reached at least 7,002 people killed with many more still feared dead, activists said Thursday. The rise in the number of dead from the demonstrations adds to the overall tensions facing Iran both inside the country and abroad as it tries to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear program. A second round of talks remains up in the air as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed his case directly with U.S. President Donald Trump to intensify his demands on Tehran in the negotiations.” (02/12/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/12/iran-crackdown-death-toll/
Source: EconLog
by Maurizio Bovi
“In recent years, the Arctic has returned to the center of public attention: the renewed interest in Greenland, the progressive opening of maritime routes due to ice melt, and the claims over areas like the Svalbard archipelago are clear signals that Arctic policy will remain in the public eye. … These profound developments in the Arctic, evident in the renewed scramble for resources and strategic positioning, are naturally subject to a plurality of interpretations. Analysts might foreground military superpower competition, climate security, international legal disputes, or economic opportunity. I propose applying a theoretical lens often overlooked in public debate: Harold Demsetz’s theory of property rights.” (02/12/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/boviarctic
Source: Axios
“The Justice Department is coming under intense scrutiny from members of Congress in both parties for allegedly cataloguing the search history of lawmakers who have gone to review the unredacted Epstein files. … Bondi was photographed at a testy House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday with notes that showed a ‘search history’ for Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) referencing specific Epstein files. Jayapal was one of several Judiciary Committee members who went this week to go through the unredacted files, which have been made available to lawmakers on terminals at the DOJ’s headquarters. … Democrats told Axios on Thursday that they are eyeing a wide array of responses. ‘I think we are within our right to pursue legal action,’ Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told Axios. An official for one outside advocacy group confirmed they are ‘definitely exploring’ legal recourse in coordination with members.” (02/12/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/12/pam-bondi-trump-spying-congress-doj-epstein
