“The ‘ultra-left’ in France was behind the deadly beating of a French youth aligned with the far right whose death has inflamed political tensions in the country, the justice minister said on Sunday, February 15. Gérald Darmanin also accused hard-left politicians, including from the La France Insoumise (LFI) party, the largest left-wing faction in parliament, of fueling violence with their language. The victim, identified only as Quentin, aged 23, had been hospitalized and placed into a coma on Thursday after being attacked in Lyon. Supporters said he was providing security at a protest against an appearance by Rima Hassan, an LFI member of the European Parliament, at Sciences Po Lyon university when he was assaulted by a gang of rival activists. The office of the Lyon prosecutor on Saturday told AFP he had died of his wounds.” (02/15/26)
“White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that more than 1,000 [federal gang members] have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its [occupation]. A ‘small’ security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining [gang members] and will respond ‘when our agents are out and they get surrounded by [angry citizens] and things got out of control,’ Homan told CBS’[s] ‘Face the Nation.’ He did not define ‘small.'” (02/16/26)
“Garbage has begun to pile up on street corners in the Cuban capital of Havana, attracting hordes of flies and reeking of rotten food, in one of the most visible impacts of the U.S. bid to prevent oil from reaching the Caribbean’s largest island. State-run news outlet Cubadebate reported this month that Havana only 44 of 106 of its rubbish trucks were able to keep operating due to fuel shortages, slowing garbage collection.” (02/16/26)
“Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his government would change the law to protect ministers from suspension while they are under criminal investigation, prompting the opposition to accuse him of trying to protect himself and harming judicial independence. A court suspended Rama’s deputy, Belinda Balluku, in November following her indictment by Albania’s anti-graft prosecutors, known as SPAK, over alleged meddling in a tender for infrastructure projects, which she denies. The case has sparked a dispute between SPAK, which has asked parliament to lift Balluku’s immunity to allow her arrest, and Rama, who has complained about judicial overreach, especially with pre-trial detentions.” (02/16/26)
“Robby Soave gives his radar on a recent revelation that four men named by Rep. Ro Khanna as being associated with Jeffrey Epstein now appear to have no actual ties to him.” (02/16/26)
“The United States and Hungary signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement on Monday, as the Trump administration deepened bilateral ties with a controversial ally at a politically sensitive moment for Budapest. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Budapest for meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and senior members of his government, during which Rubio and Orbán signed the pact. The deal comes two months before Hungary’s next parliamentary elections, which may determine whether Orbán can maintain his two-decade grip on power.” (02/16/26)
“It is Carnival season in New Orleans. That means gazillions of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads. Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beaded necklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful. Spectators sometimes pile dozens around their necks, but many are trashed or left on the ground. A few years ago after heavy flooding, the city found more than 46 tons of them clogging its storm drains. The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable. That is why it was a radical step when the Krewe of Freret made the decision last year to ban plastic beads from their parade.” (02/16/26)
“The European Parliament has disabled AI features on the work devices of lawmakers and their staff over cybersecurity and data protection concerns, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO. The chamber emailed its members on Monday to say it had disabled ‘built-in artificial intelligence features’ on corporate tablets after its IT department assessed it couldn’t guarantee the security of the tools’ data. … The latest move to switch off AI tools concerns built-in features like writing and summarizing assistants, enhanced virtual assistants and webpage summaries in both tablets and phones, an EU official said, granted anonymity to disclose details of the security policy. Apps, email, calendar, documents, and other day-to-day tools are not affected, the email to lawmakers said.” (02/16/26)
“Nigerian troops have repelled simultaneous assaults by Islamist militants on two military bases in Borno state, leaving an unspecified number of soldiers dead, the army said on Monday, in some of the fiercest clashes reported in the northeast this year. Borno, the epicentre of Nigeria’s 17-year Islamist insurgency, has seen Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters intensify attacks on both troops and civilians. The weekend’s coordinated assaults targeted Pulka, near the Cameroon border, and Mandaragirau in southern Borno, both long-contested fronts in the fight against Islamist militants. The military said the failed attacks highlight mounting pressure on the insurgents.” (02/16/26)
“Intermittent fasting may not help people who are overweight or obese lose weight, a large review suggests. The researchers say the popular practice of fasting on some days of the week and eating normally on others ‘may make little to no difference to weight loss and quality of life’. But they say intermittent fasting could still improve overall health through helpful changes to some body functions, though more evidence is needed. Examples of intermittent fasting include the 5:2 diet and restricting eating to a short window – often about eight hours – every day. The research team looked at the results of 22 previous studies involving nearly 2,000 adults to find out if short-term intermittent fasting (over a period up to 12 months) was better at helping adults lose weight than standard dietary advice, or no advice at all.” (02/16/26)
