As a third aircraft carrier task force, led by the USS George HW Bush, makes its way to the Mediterranean, following the USS Gerald Ford, and USS Abraham Lincoln there’s little doubt in military observers’ minds that President Trump is going to war with Iran. Additional jet fighters, air refueling aircraft and logistics are landing at Diego Garcia and other Middle East bases in preparation for some kind of war. The administration’s talk about “progress” in talks with Iran are mostly false. Iran has consistently refused to agree to Trump’s demands that Iran totally eliminate their nuclear and missile research and production capability. This war which Trump is maneuvering military forces into position for, will amount to a serious repudiation of Trump’s peace claims about never starting a new war—although I suspect Trump and Bibi Netanyahu have planned in their recent meeting in Washington for Israel to initiate the attack in order to allow Trump to play as if he is merely coming to Israel’s aid. The fact remains that Israel alone isn’t capable of beating Iran, and Trump is all-too-willing to provide the military muscle to complete what Israel has repeatedly sought to start. I’m not defending Iran’s radical regime, but Iran is not an existential threat to America and Trump needs to stay out of it. This is a war that Israel has tried for decades to provoke, and Trump has apparently agreed to back Israel in pushing it to a conclusion that will be very costly to US war materiel and make the US far less prepared for the coming war with Russia and China. To receive a free, one-time sample of this Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a sample on the left.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed the latest policy with a goal of ensuring that truck drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida has already implemented English-only tests. The new order includes modernizing the commercial driver’s license (CDL) registration system, cracking down on fraud, and improving driver safety.
President Trump is now considering an initial, limited strike on Iran to force it to bow to the maximalist demands of Israel and the United States. The idea is based on two deeply questionable premises: that air strikes alone will compel Iran to give up its defensive ballistic missile capabilities, and halt all nuclear enrichment that Iran won't retaliate for an American "limited strike" in a way that sends the United States, Israel, Iran and perhaps even Russia and China racing up an escalation ladder
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a 6–3 majority that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking emergency powers to impose duties on virtually every country. The tariffs at issue were expected to raise about $1.5 trillion over the next decade—representing roughly 70 percent of Trump’s second-term levies, according to the Tax Foundation. Chief Justice John Roberts was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson in the majority. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
President Trump moved hours after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs to invoke a separate trade authority, imposing an import surcharge on most goods that takes effect February 24. He initially set the rate at ten percent, then raised it the next day to fifteen percent—the maximum allowed under the statute—saying in a social media post that the increase followed a “thorough, detailed, and complete review” of the court’s ruling.
When it comes to the potential of achieving a lasting US-Iran deal centered on the country's nuclear program, headlines have been changing rapidly, on a daily basis - as the specter of another US-led regime change war in the Middle East looms.
WSJ added: Internally, about a dozen staffers debated whether to take action on Van Rootselaar’s posts. Some employees interpreted Van Rootselaar’s writings as an indication of potential real-world violence, and urged leaders to alert Canadian law enforcement about her behavior, the people familiar with the matter said. OpenAI leaders ultimately decided not to contact authorities.
Damascus warns mass returns could make the country unsafe, while German conservatives insist protection claims ended with the fall of Assad
"U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that 15,000 to 20,000 people, including Islamic State affiliates are now at large in Syria, after an exodus from a camp that held jihadists’ families, U.S. officials familiar with the estimate said," The Wall Street Journal reports Friday.
Defense experts say AI is essential in warfare, but it comes with mixed success and unpredictable pitfalls.
The oppressive nature of Mamdani's hate crime against aspiring-yet-disenfranchised New York City snow shovelers did not go unnoticed. Oh, this is beautiful! If you want to volunteer to shovel snow in NYC, you have to 3 forms of ID!!
Per the outlet, accounts that JPMorgan reportedly “debanked” were accounts “for Trump hotels, housing developments and retail shops” in several states, along with “Trump’s personal private banking relationship that handled his inheritance:”
The investigation into anti-ICE student walkouts widened on Monday, with three additional Texas school districts added to a growing probe examining whether officials coordinated or encouraged students to join the January 30 protests.
One such valley is known as Zitong, in Sichuan Province, where engineers have been building new bunkers and ramparts. A new complex bristles with pipes, suggesting the facility handles highly hazardous materials. Another valley is home to a double-fenced facility known as Pingtong, where experts believe China is making plutonium-packed cores of nuclear warheads. The main structure, dominated by a 360-foot-high ventilation stack, has been refurbished in recent years with new vents and heat dispersers. More construction is underway next to it.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday evening, shortly after six House Republicans voted to repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada.
The FDA cited the company’s failure to perform an “adequate and well-controlled” clinical trial and its failure to use the “best-available standard of care” during the trial process.
Carriers must formally certify race- and sex-based hiring has ended or face potential federal investigation under new FAA mandate.
“We cannot let the Democrats get away with NO VOTER I.D. any longer,” Trump wrote. “Even Democrat Voters agree, 85 percent, that there should be Voter I.D.” “This is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought, NOW! If we can’t get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted,“ he wrote. ”I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order.”
President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 to expand domestic production of glyphosate, the controversial weedkiller at the center of more than 60,000 cancer lawsuits against Bayer. The move sparked outrage from MAHA activists and health advocates who said it puts corporate interests ahead of public health.
Jim O'Neill recently left the government, leaving the CDC position vacant.
Shirley, a 23-year-old Utah native, has had to hire round-the-clock security after he exposed extensive welfare fraud among the Somali community in Minnesota. ... Examples of suspected voter fraud included no voter ID and signature-only “verification” in order to vote, 125-year-old voters still active on voter rolls, dozens of voters registered at a single UPS Store/mail drop, and a voter who successfully registered her dog to vote in 2021 and 2022.
This unexpected statement of Trump's was serious enough for Zelensky to issue a response later the same day. The Ukrainian leader said in a just published interview with Axios that the Ukrainian public itself won't let him cede territory.
The White House this month has finally appeared to be ratcheting up the pressure directly on Zelensky to make some kind of serious land concession.
....He also dubiously stated that Iran could potentially retaliate on the UK and other "friendly countries" - making Diego Garcia highly strategic in a Western allied campaign against the Islamic Republic. "Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease," Trump wrote.
No full generals appeared at the Beijing gathering, highlighting ongoing purges and strain within the CCP’s military leadership.
The Pentagon stated that it airlifted a next-generation nuclear reactor from California to Utah on Feb. 15 to boost energy security and reduce the military’s reliance on the civilian power grid.
Testing of the river water revealed high levels of E. coli and other infectious bacteria.
Russian air defenses shot down more than 150 Ukrainian drones in the attack which included hundreds of UAVs sent in total, as officials from both sides are imminently expected meet in Switzerland for another round of peace talks. According to the ministry, 79 drones were intercepted over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, 38 over annexed Crimea, and 18 over the Krasnodar region.
Under the supervision of IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Mohammad Pakpour, a state media press release described the exercise further as "A rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response to maritime security threats form the core focus of the intelligence and operational components of the units deployed during the exercise."
And yet, despite historic federal layoffs, government spending went UP last year. The federal government spent $7 trillion in Fiscal Year 2025— roughly $300 billion more than the year before. Bear in mind, 2025 was the year that DOGE was supposed to take a chainsaw to the budget and cut spending. This is not a failure of DOGE. It’s a revelation about the actual problem.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating entities involved in a planned Muslim housing development in Texas because of concerns that the initiative may have engaged in discrimination based on religion and nationality, the department said in a Feb. 13 statement.