“Parents using Instagram’s child supervision tools will soon receive alerts if their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm related terms on the platform. It is the first time parent company Meta will proactively alert parents to searches by their child on Instagram for harmful material, rather than just block searches and direct users to external help. Parents and teens enrolled in Instagram’s Teen Accounts experience in the UK, US, Australia and Canada will be notified about the alerts from next week, with the rest of the world to follow later. But suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation has strongly criticised the measures, warning they ‘could do more harm than good’. ‘This clumsy announcement is fraught with risk and we are concerned that forced disclosures could do more harm than good,’ said its chief executive Andy Burrows.” (02/26/26)
“As U.S. forces mass in the Middle East, Iran faces the threat of major strikes by the world’s most powerful military, potentially targeting its leaders, military, nuclear sites and critical infrastructure. Iran has nowhere near the same capabilities, and is even more vulnerable after last year’s war launched by Israel and recent anti-government protests. But it could still inflict pain on American forces and allies, and may feel it has to if the Islamic Republic’s survival is at stake. While Iran suffered major losses last June, it still has hundreds of missiles capable of hitting Israel, according to Israel’s estimates. Iran boasts a much larger arsenal of shorter-range missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases in Gulf countries and offshore American forces, soon to be joined by a second aircraft carrier.” (02/26/26)
“A Hong Kong court sentenced the father of a U.S.-based activist to eight months in prison Thursday for attempting to withdraw some funds from his daughter’s insurance policy, in the first case against a family member of a pro-democracy advocate wanted by the city’s authorities brought under a national security [sic] law. Kwok Yin-sang, 69, was found guilty earlier this month of attempting to deal with financial assets belonging to an ‘absconder’ under the 2024 security [sic] law, locally known as Article 23 legislation. His daughter Anna Kwok, who is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, slammed his conviction as ‘transnational repression.'” (02/26/26)
“Two sets of peace negotiations are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva – direct talks between the United States and Ukraine, and indirect talks (mediated by Oman) between the U.S. and Iran. The parallel assemblies are likely to place strong demands on the multitasking skills of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – and to underscore the potential pros and cons of practicing diplomacy through special envoys chosen from outside the ranks of traditional career diplomats. ‘The ability to seize a historical moment’ in international events is a critical skill, according to Stuart Eizenstat, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union. At the same time, he cautioned in an interview with Tufts University’s Fletcher School, ‘Be wary of going for home runs. Don’t try to get too much. … Instead, go for singles and doubles.’ Patience, persistence, creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to listen are some of the qualities that undergird successful diplomacy.” (02/25/26)
“During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, he claimed to be working to improve affordability for U.S. families. But Trump didn’t talk about the root cause of these affordability problems: the long-running rise in inequality. And he didn’t call for the single most-effective way to reverse this inequality: raising taxes significantly on the ultra-rich families and corporations. In a new Economic Policy Institute report, I highlight how we got here and offer meaningful solutions to tackle growing inequality through wealth taxation. The link between inequality and affordability is clear: Affordability improves when incomes (mostly wages and public benefits for typical families) grow faster than prices. Rising inequality means that the economy’s average growth rate is buoyed by stratospheric growth at the top and hence no longer maps onto what is available to typical families to help them afford a secure and decent life.” (02/25/26)
“If you tuned in last night hoping for a softer, more conciliatory Donald Trump, a president shaped by polls, eager to reach across the aisle, you were watching the wrong show. The 2026 State of the Union wasn’t a pivot. It was a power move. A flex. A signal that the old rules: measured rhetoric, polite bipartisanship — are dead. Trump continues to write new rules in real time, as audaciously as he’s writing everything else. From the opening line, ‘a speech to set the record straight,’ Trump made it clear: he wasn’t there to negotiate facts. He was there to define them. He understands something that confounds his opponents: in contemporary American politics, a good story doesn’t just compete with statistics, it obliterates them. While critics were fact-checking, Trump was storytelling. And in today’s politics, a story like his can outweigh nuance or evidence.” (02/25/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“No bro this US war in the middle east will be completely different, bro. See, this time the regime we’re trying to get rid of is REALLY BAD! No no, this is nothing like all those other times. This time military interventionism to topple an oil-rich government in west Asia will lead to peace and democracy. Our soldiers will be greeted as liberators! You don’t understand, bro. This time the government and the media are telling us the truth! … If it turns out our leaders were wrong and this war was a bad idea, I’m sure they’ll admit their mistakes and course-correct immediately to set things right, and then implement major, sweeping policy changes to make sure they never repeat the same mistakes again. What could possibly go wrong?” (02/25/26)
Source: Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
by Drew Favakeh
“Late last month, the US Department of Justice published 3.5 million pages about convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. On top of the grotesque and horrifying photos and emails that appear to offer more evidence of systemic and widespread child abuse, the Epstein files revealed further allegations of his ties to Israel and its intelligence agency Mossad. … It is important to note that the Epstein emails contain allegations and intimations, and don’t prove that Epstein was an Israeli agent, formally or informally. However, they do add to the existing evidence that Epstein used his considerable connections and wealth to assist the Israeli state.” (02/25/26)
“The Winter Olympics had its thrills and spills — and a deep philosophical divide represented by two American, or American-born, athletes. Jack Hughes, the gold medal-winning American hockey player for the US team, gave voice to a patriotic reflex in his unhesitating, heartfelt expressions of love of his country. Eileen Gu, the gold medal-winning American-born freestyle skier competing for China, exemplified a cosmopolitan ideal that purports to float above mere nationhood. This difference — between the bloody-mouthed hockey player draped in his own country’s flag and the exceptionally talented part-time model resistant to any questions about national loyalty — drives many of the divisions in American society. Is loyalty to country a matter of choice, or an unalterable commitment? Is the appropriate attitude toward America one of fundamental gratitude or critical distance?” (02/24/26)
“Candidates and political groups are pouring money into Texas’ hotly contested U.S. Senate race at a record pace, partly fueled by Democrat James Talarico’s fundraising and allies of Republican Sen. John Cornyn trying to save his long career. Heading into Tuesday’s primary elections, the cost of advertising and reserved advertising time had topped $110 million, the most ever for a Senate primary, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The heavy spending in Texas is a preview of the money that is expected to flood this year’s midterm elections across the U.S. with control of Congress at stake.” (02/25/26)
