“Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, his philanthropic organisation said hours before the Microsoft co-founder was due to speak. The Gates Foundation said the decision was made after ‘careful consideration’ and ‘to ensure the focus remains on the [summit’s] key priorities’, but did not elaborate. Gates’s withdrawal comes amid a controversy over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was named in new files released by the US Department of Justice in January. Gates’s spokesperson has called the claims in the files ‘absolutely absurd and completely false’, and the billionaire has said he regretted spending time with Epstein. Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims and the appearance of his name in the files does not imply criminal activity of any kind.” (02/19/26)
“The attempted censorship [sic] of Stephen Colbert’s late-night interview with Texas’s U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico backfired so completely, with millions watching the interview on YouTube, that it may have made Talarico more likely to win his Democratic primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Yet regardless of how you feel about the electoral outcome, the episode is another example of David Ellison and the new ownership at Paramount, parent company of CBS, signaling its intention to use one of the nation’s major broadcast networks as a tool for the Trump regime, with only sanctioned content going out over the airwaves. That’s always been the fear associated with Paramount’s numerous attempts to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), parent company of CNN. If that ever went through, the majority of the nation’s main cable news networks would be in the hands of conservative partisans.” (02/19/26)
“The South American nation of Peru is approaching a record that few countries would want: When it completes this year’s elections (scheduled for April, with an expected June runoff), it will have had 10 presidents in 10 years. This week, its Congress named No. 9, José Balcázar, as interim president, after his predecessor (in office for only four months) was ousted for holding clandestine meetings with a Chinese businessman. The country’s constant carousel of leaders underscores complex factors at play across much of Latin America today: increasing crime and corruption; uneven economic progress; declining trust in governing institutions; and geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. Despite these pressures, according to regional analyst Sara Benítez-Mongelós, 78% of Latin American countries score high on fair election processes. Even with a long history of multiple coups and repressive military rule in the 20th century, the region’s armed forces have not directly stepped back into politics.” (02/19/26)
“President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package, while five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war-battered Palestinian territory. But $7 billion is only a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal looms over Trump’s ambitions for his board to rival the United Nations in solving world conflicts. Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace but didn’t specify what the money will be used for. Instead, the president is turning his focus to domestic issues: In an hour, he’ll arrive in Georgia for a trip designed to help boost Republicans’ political standing heading into the midterms.” (02/19/26)
“Two weeks ago, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a pit stop at the Tennessee State Capitol to kick off his ‘Take Back Your Health’ tour. On Tuesday, the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Institute continued the momentum and sponsored a Day on the Hill at the Tennessee General Assembly. Yesterday, Tennessee lawmakers made a few more MAHA moves by forwarding two bills related to health and nutrition. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved a bill supported by Governor Bill Lee that would require physicians to complete sufficient continuing education hours in nutrition each year. A bill that would set up a timeline to remove petroleum-based artificial food dyes from meals provided by schools passed despite pushback from food providers. MAHA and MAGA are largely simpatico when it comes to advocating for clean food ingredients and better nutrition, especially for children.” (02/19/26)
“As someone who loves comedy, what ass-clowns like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have done to the concept is like what Harvey Weinstein did to movie production or what Democrats have done to journalism, if journalism were their cellmate in Super-Max. Colbert is the Jeffrey Epstein of truth and Kimmel is the Luigi Mangione of honesty. That’s why it was not shocking to anyone with an IQ larger than their shoe size that Colbert would go on his show and lie, doing his best to help a white guy, James Talarico, beat a black woman, Jasmine Crockett, in the Democratic primary in the Texas Senate race. First, I have to tell you about the concept of equal time.” (02/19/26)
“Former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief John Chell blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for walking back the planned hiring of 5,000 more police officers amid a city budget shortfall of billions of dollars, calling it a ‘recipe for disaster.’ Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, proposed at the end of his term that the city hire 5,000 more NYPD officers. Upon entering office, Mamdani moved to cancel all orders signed by Adams after his Sept. 26, 2024, indictment, including the proposed NYPD personnel increase. Under Adams'[s] plan, the NYPD would gradually hire more officers over the coming years, ultimately allowing the NYPD to deploy around 40,000 officers to the streets, while Mamdani’s plan caps the number closer to its current level of around 35,000.” (02/19/26)
“A large banner featuring Donald Trump’s face was hung on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters on Thursday in a physical display of the Republican president’s efforts to exert power over the law enforcement agency that once investigated him. While Trump banners have been hung outside other agencies across Washington, the decision to place one on the storied Justice Department building amounted to a striking symbol of the erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from White House control. The banner, hung between two columns on one corner of the building, says, ‘Make America Safe Again,’ a slogan used by the administration to tout its efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration and violent crime. Attorney General Pam Bondi has postured herself as the president’s chief supporter and protector, eschewing the approach of predecessors who sought to maintain an arms-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.” (02/19/26)
“Distinguished Members of the Security Council, The President of the United States is issuing grave threats of force against the Islamic Republic of Iran if it does not accede to US demands. His actions risk a major regional war that would be devastating. Asked if he wanted regime change, he responded that it ‘seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.’ When asked why a second US aircraft carrier has been sent to the region, President Trump answered ’in case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it … if we need it, we’ll have it ready.’ These threats are in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which declares that ’All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.'” (02/19/26)
“In a well-known folktale, young Goldilocks tests out three bears’ porridge (too hot, too cold, just right), as well as their chairs and beds. The story delights most children of preschool age. But when these children enter school, according to education experts in the United States, a ‘Goldilocks approach’ to developing foundational skills does not serve them well. Teaching and grading that aligns content and standards to a ‘just right’ fit, rather than challenging students to grow, is a disservice, in the view of University of Illinois Chicago literacy professor Timothy Shanahan. ‘This popular approach to teaching has been holding kids back rather than helping them succeed,’ he wrote in The Conversation last fall. ‘Students learn more when taught with more difficult texts.'” (02/17/26)
