“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)
“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)
“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)
“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)
“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)
“Gov. Tim Walz says he’s cautiously optimistic about the Trump administration announcing an end to the ICE [gang occupation of] Minnesota but is demanding the federal government take accountability for what happened during the surge, including ‘the incredible and immense costs.’ President Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, announced Thursday morning that the surge would end. [Gang members] have already started leaving the state, but the drawdown will continue through next week. Homan cited several factors in ending the drawdown but primarily continued cooperation with local authorities. … Walz says the first thing he is focused on is economic recovery from the [occupation]. The topic of Thursday’s press conference was originally a budget proposal to help businesses impacted by the ICE [rioting]. Along with that proposal, Gov. Walz is pushing federal leaders to pay for ‘what they broke.'” (02/12/26)
“A highly classified whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stems from an intercepted conversation between two foreign nationals that referenced President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and, in part, Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The intercept, collected by a foreign intelligence service and shared with the United States, became a flashpoint inside the intelligence community after questions arose over how widely the report was distributed. The whistleblower alleged that Gabbard limited access to the intelligence and delayed broader dissemination within spy agencies and to Congress. … News of the complaint and its apparent stagnant status due to national security concerns raised further concerns that Gabbard had been blocking a thorough investigation into whatever claims were in the document.” (02/12/26)
“Sales of existing homes greatly declined in January despite mortgage rates coming down, a report from the National Association of Realtors released Thursday says. Existing home sales, sales of homes that were previously owned and occupied, fell 8.4% in January on a seasonally adjusted annual rate. Sales were 4.4% lower than January 2025. The median sales price of existing homes was $396,800 for all housing types, nearly a 1% increase over a year ago.” (02/12/26)
“Edward H. ‘Ed’ Crane III, co-founder and president emeritus of the libertarian Cato Institute and a former chair of the Libertarian National Committee, died Tuesday, February 10, 2026. He was 81. The Cato Institute announced Crane’s passing this week. Born in Los Angeles, California, on August 15, 1944, Crane played a significant role in both the institutional development of the modern libertarian movement and the growth of Cato into one of the country’s most prominent libertarian public policy think tanks. … As a member of the Libertarian Party, Crane was active from its earliest years.” (02/12/26)
“U.S. colleges received more than 5 billion dollars in reportable foreign gifts and contracts in 2025, according to a new website from the U.S. Education Department. The release is part of a push by the Trump administration to make foreign influence in colleges and universities more transparent. Among the biggest recipients, the data show, are Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Qatar was the largest foreign source of funds to schools, making up more than 20% — or about 1.1 billion. Other sources include the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland and Japan.” (02/12/26)
