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February 20, 2026
Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs, rebuking president's signature economic policy
(CNBC) The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a huge chunk of President Donald Trump’s far-reaching tariff agenda, in a major rebuke of the president’s key economic policy. The law that undergirds those import duties “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs,” the majority ruled six to three in a decision Trump had been awaiting.
Go to discussionFourth-quarter U.S. GDP up just 1.4%, badly missing estimate
(CNBC) Economic growth cooled near the end of 2025 while inflation held firm, according to data released Friday that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s interest rate path. Gross domestic produce rose at an annualized rate of just 1.4%, according to Commerce Department numbers adjusted for seasonality and inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 2.5% gain. At the same time, inflation held firm in December, according to the gauge most closely watched by Fed officials.
Go to discussionFBI Director Kash Patel takes agency jet to Italy, plans to attend Olympic hockey games
(CBS News) FBI Director Kash Patel, whose use of a government jet has frequently come under scrutiny, flew on a Justice Department plane Thursday to Italy with plans to attend the Olympic hockey medal rounds, according to public data and sources familiar with the matter. Public flight data reviewed by CBS News showed the FBI director took off on a government plane Thursday morning for an Air Force base in Italy, after a brief flight from Manassas, Virginia, to Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland Wednesday. Sources also confirmed to CBS News that Patel was en route to Milan, where he is planning to watch the Men's USA Olympic hockey team compete in the medal rounds.
Go to discussionKristi Noem Wants A Swanky $70 Million Jet For Deportations -- And She Might Get It
(Huff Post) Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is apparently too bougie for budget economy. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking approval from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to purchase a luxury jet for $70 million, two Department of Homeland Security officials told NBC News in a report published Thursday. According to the report, DHS recently leased the Boeing 737 Max 8 and now wants to buy the aircraft that comes with a bedroom with a queen-size bed, showers, a kitchen, four flat-screen TVs and a bar.
Go to discussionDemocrats say citizenship question could derail census test and deter immigrants from participating
(The Independent) U.S. Census Bureau plans to use a questionnaire with a citizenship question as part of its practice test for the 2030 census could jeopardize the once-a-decade head count and scare away immigrants from participating, congressional Democrats warned Thursday. Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urged the Census Bureau to drop plans to use the American Community Survey form, which includes the citizenship question, and instead use a traditional census questionnaire that omits it.
Go to discussionNavarro: Democratic president may use 'selective' FCC enforcement against talk radio
(The Hill) TV host Ana Navarro warned there could be repercussions for Republican radio programs after controversy surrounding a CBS interview with a Democratic candidate from Texas. During a Wednesday evening panel of CNN’s “NewsNight,” Navarro, the co-host of “The View,” called the FCC’s rule “outdated” and accused the administration of “selective” application. “Well, you know what? There may be a president in the next term who decides that he wants to, or she wants to, apply it to talk radio, and let’s see how Republicans like that,” Navarro said.
Go to discussionUS pays about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations
Updated 3:36 PM EST, February 19, 2026 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has paid about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations, the U.N. said Thursday, and President Donald Trump promised more money to the financially strapped world organization. The Trump administration’s payment last week is earmarked for the U.N.’s regular operating budget, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told The Associated Press. The U.N. has said the United States owes $2.196 billion to ...
Go to discussionNew York Democrats urge Supreme Court to stay out of redistricting case
Posted February 19, 2026 at 5:05pm Democratic New York officials and voters urged the Supreme Court in court filings Thursday not to intervene in a state court order requiring a new district for the Staten Island-based seat currently held by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. The filings came in response to emergency appeals from Malliotakis and state officials last week, seeking to put the redistricting effort on hold. Malliotakis and other Republicans argued that the court ruling came too ...
Go to discussionEpstein revelations spur calls to scrape Lutnick's name from college library
12h Haverford College students and alumni are calling on the school to remove Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's name from its library after revelations about Lutnick's ties to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Why it matters: It follows reports that Lutnick — a 1983 Haverford graduate and the suburban Philadelphia school's largest single donor — communicated with Epstein years after Epstein had been convicted of procuring a child for prostitution. Lutnick said in a 2025 podcast inter ...
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