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February 23, 2026
Epstein hid secret files in storage units across US
(The Telegraph) Jeffrey Epstein hid computers and photographs from United States authorities in secret storage lockers across the country, The Telegraph can reveal. Documents uncovered by this newspaper show the paedophile paid private detectives to remove equipment from his Florida home in an apparent attempt to prevent investigators from finding it. Search warrants reviewed by The Telegraph suggest US authorities never raided the lockers, raising the possibility that they may contain unseen evidence relating to Epstein and his associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson.
Go to discussionMar-a-Lago Gunman 'Fixated' on Epstein Files, Believed There Was a Trump Government 'Cover-up'
(Mediaite) TMZ reported on Sunday that the man who was shot and killed by Secret Service agents after he breached the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun was “fixated” on the files tied to Jeffrey Epstein and believed there was a “government cover-up” protecting his accomplices. The report is based on text messages from February 15 and from “sources who worked” with the man — identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin — at a North Carolina golf course. TMZ also reported that Martin “regularly expressed support” for President Donald Trump; he apparently wasn’t as much of a MAGA fan anymore, considering he was prepared to attack the president’s estate.
Go to discussionUS tourists stranded after Mexico drug lord's killing sparks wave of violence
(CNN) The US State Department urged American nationals in parts of Mexico to “seek shelter and remain in residences or hotels.” Other tourists were stranded after several US carriers suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta.The killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes triggered unrest in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states, with suspected gang members torching buses and businesses, blocking roads and clashing with security forces. Mexico’s Security Cabinet said 252 blockades were reported in states right across the country, and included what it called “localized incidents and isolated blockades.”
Go to discussionKash Patel Faces Backlash For Flying To Winter Olympics, Partying It Up With Team USA
(Huff Post) FBI Director Kash Patel is facing backlash for reportedly using an FBI jet to head to Italy where he spent the final days of the Winter Olympics watching hockey and, later, celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win over Canada on Sunday. Patel, a hockey fan since his childhood, was spotted at the U.S. men’s semifinal game against Slovakia, and later at the final, where he was seen celebrating with Team USA center Dylan Larkin in the locker room after America’s overtime win.
Go to discussionKash Patel once slammed FBI predecessor for taxpayer-funded travel
(Ron Filipowski) Kash Patel in 2023: “I’m just saying Chris Wray doesn’t need a government funded G5 jet to go to vacations. Maybe we ground that plane. $15,000 every time it takes off. Just a thought.”
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EU says it will accept no increase in US tariffs after Supreme Court ruling: 'a deal is a deal'
(Reuters) The European Commission demanded on Sunday that the United States stick to the terms of an EU-U.S. trade deal reached last year, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's global tariffs and he responded with new levies across the board. The Commission, which negotiates trade policy on behalf of the 27 EU member states, said Washington must provide "full clarity" on the steps it intends to take following the court ruling. After the court struck down Trump's global tariffs on Friday, the U.S. president announced temporary, across-the-board tariffs of 10%, which he then hiked to 15% a day later.
Go to discussion60 Minutes' Anderson Cooper Debunks Trump's Claim of 'Genocide' of White Farmers in South Africa
(Mediaite) Anderson Cooper traveled to South Africa to get to the bottom of President Donald Trump’s claim of a “genocide” of white, predominantly Afrikaner farmers in the latest episode of 60 Minutes on Sunday evening. Last year, Trump signed an executive order expediting the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees to the United States. Cooper said he visited the farm of a man named Darrel Brown “because of what President Trump said last May about the murders of South African farmers.”
Go to discussionConservatives Are Cowards About American History
(The Rude Pundit) Over in Munich a week ago, Secretary of State and man who looks like what an old sweat sock smells like, Marco Rubio, gave a speech where he related a fantasy version of the history of immigrants in the United States. He lied about Columbus, he lied about the first European settlements, he lied about how German immigrants were treated, he lied and lied and lied some more. He turned a complex, often dark tale that hinges on slavery and genocide into a happy little story of white people doing everything right and good and noble.
Go to discussionRepublicans seethe about Trump at half-empty conservative summit: 'Threat to everything'
(Raw Story) Current and former Republicans seethed about President Donald Trump during a half-empty conservative summit over the weekend, according to reports. Conservatives organized the sixth annual Principles First summit just outside Washington, D.C., on Saturday and Sunday, an event estimated to draw around 750 attendees, the Associated Press reported. No currently elected Republican official attended the two-day event, which the AP said was about "half empty."
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