3rd Round of US–Iran Talks End Without Breakthrough
Despite not reaching a deal on Feb. 26, mediator and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi signaled some progress and indicated that the parties are prepared to continue talks.
This Week in the World Affairs Brief
TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH
This week I’ll cover Trump’s State of the Union Speech only generally, applauding several of his good initiatives and criticizing his exaggerations and errors, which were numerous. Frankly, it’s too painful to comment on Trump’s speech in detail not only because of its excessive length but because of his egotistical style of speaking with endless bragging, flattery, repetition, gross exaggerations and pandering to people. This is one time when I wish the president would make more use of a professional speech writer. He likely had help building the outline and refining a few paragraphs, but this speech was all Trump. There is no professional speech writer of any principles who could maintain his self-respect and write like Trump talks. It’s embarrassing. At almost 2 hours long, the speech contained all the excesses that characterize everything that Trump does. He even expanded the number of people and groups he chose to honor from the normal 2 or 3 to over 10. Presidents increasingly use people in their SOTU speeches as props for effect, by highlighting those who have either suffered or achieved things and showcase them to the nation. Trump did this so much it lost its effectiveness. Trump’s ego keeps expanding to the point that he now acts and thinks like he’s the King of the world, or the peace-loving savior of the world, despite his ongoing warring moves. Trump’s brash bravado and ego combined with his childish way of speaking is grating on what’s left of the educated, refined people in the world. It simultaneously tarnishes the conservative movement badly and gives the enemies of liberty, like the Democrats, ample fodder for derision. To receive a free, one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.
Also:
- DOJ Still Making Epstein Files Disappear
- Battle Against Dangerous Vaccines Continues
- Mexico in Flames
Daily News
Breaking: Children’s Health Defense Seeks to Intervene in High-Stakes Vaccine Lawsuit
In an emergency motion filed Wednesday, Children’s Health Defense and a group of parents and doctors asked a Massachusetts federal court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit challenging recent changes to the CDC childhood vaccine schedule. “Nobody in the room is speaking for the children who were injured or killed under the schedule,” said attorney Rick Jaffe.
CDC Refuses To Update Cancer Data Since 2022, But VAERS Reveals Turbo Cancer Epidemic
The collective world-wide evidence from 2020–2025 underscores a biologically plausible connection between COVID-19 vaccination and cancer. The recurring clinical findings documented across many reports of de-novo cancer onset, rapid tumor progression, viral reactivation, and reawakening of dormant disease, highlight critical gaps in knowledge and understanding of how large-scale immune changes produced by the vaccine interacts with cancer biology. Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination engage overlapping biological pathways that could, in principle, influence cancer risk
Israel FOIA data shows over a 500X increase in rate of heart attacks in teens on the day of their COVID shot. So they deleted the records. No one in government calls for an investigation.
Clalit Health Services says the adverse event records no longer exists. No official is calling for an investigation of the deletion of medical records or heart attack rates on the day of the vaccine.
ResearchGate Deletes MMR Vaccine Death Study
The vaccine cartel does NOT want you to know that CDC data shows MMR/MMRV shots are linked to 2,657% more U.S. deaths than measles since 1995.
Cartel Problem Is ‘Spilling Over to the United States’: Texas Senator
Mexican drug cartels pose a ’significant threat' to national security and public safety, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Amb. Huckabee Claims Israel Has 'Biblical Right' To Conquer Whole Middle East
Asked whether a passage from the Book of Genesis could be read as granting Israel the right to claim all the land between Egypt's Nile River and Syria's Euphrates, Huckabee didn't hedge. He bluntly and without apology said it would be "fine" if Israel and its military took over the whole Middle East.
World Economic Forum head Børge Brende steps down following pressure over Epstein links
Brende said Thursday that he is stepping down after facing pressure over his contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Top 7 Supreme Court Cases to Watch
Justices will tackle birthright citizenship, mail-in ballots, asylum policy, and weed killer, among other topics.
Periodic 5-Day Fasting Eases Crohn’s Symptoms in 70 Percent of Patients, Stanford Study Finds
Fasting-mimicking diet ’resets’ eased symptoms of patients with Crohn’s disease and brought some into remission.
Secret Service Agents Fatally Shoot Man Trying to Unlawfully Enter Mar-a-Lago
According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, law enforcement observed a man at the north gate carrying ”what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can” and confronted him. Shots were fired during the encounter, and the man died at the scene.... Trump was in Washington during the incident.`
US Military Amasses Strike Capabilities Near Iran—What to Know
Potentially dozens of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft have been spotted this month at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. A satellite image published by MizarVision on Feb. 19 showed 13 KC-135s and seven KC-46s at Prince Sultan Air Base.
Beijing Uses Fake Western News Sites to Attack Falun Gong, Report Finds
Links to two of the anti-Falun Gong articles were repeatedly posted on social media by dozens of accounts seemingly associated with the CCP’s “Spamouflage” influence campaign, the report said.
Education Department Issues Warning to Colleges Over Student Loan Nonpayment Rates
The Education Department issued guidance on Feb. 18 urging colleges to implement practices to reduce student loan delinquency and default rates or risk losing access to federal student aid.
US Intel Aided Mexican Special Forces In "El Mencho" Kill As Spillover Risks Rise
CNN reported that the US provided intelligence support to Mexican Army Special Forces, aided by aircraft and the National Guard's Immediate Reaction Force, during the operation to capture Oseguera. The operation, however, devolved into a fierce firefight with CJNG operatives and El Mencho that ultimately resulted in his death. Almost immediately after El Mencho's death, Guadalajara, Mexico's third-largest city and the capital of Jalisco State, plunged into instant chaos as CJNG foot soldiers sparked narco-terrorism operations.
AI Surveillance Should Scare Both Democrats and Republicans
To quote New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom, “ICE is watching you.” It is true: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement saw its 2025 budget triple to nearly $30 billion, which would rank the agency as the 14th highest-funded military in the world. Much of the money is funding surveillance technology, including tools to crack phones, monitor social media, and track the movements of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. The Department of Homeland Security and affiliated agencies are currently piloting and deploying more than 100 AI systems, including some used in law enforcement activities.
"Devastating" Discovery: New Docs Confirm JPMorgan De-Banked Trump Shortly After Jan 6th Capitol Chaos
JPMorgan, the nation’s largest bank, said for the first time late Friday that it cut off more than 50 Trump accounts in February 2021, shortly after Mr. Trump’s first term ended. The accounts included those for Trump hotels, housing developments and retail shops in Illinois, Florida and New York, as well as Mr. Trump’s personal private banking relationship that handled his inheritance from his father, according to letters filed to the court.
Trump Admin Mandates English-Only Tests For Truckers Seeking Commercial Driver's Licenses
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.
With Shaky Reasoning, Trump Weighs Limited Initial Strike On Iran To Force A Deal
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
Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Global Tariffs
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.
Trump Responds to Supreme Court by Invoking New Tariff Authority—And Cranking It to The Max
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.
White House Ready To Offer Iran "Token" Nuclear Enrichment Instead Of All-Out War
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.
penAI Knew About Transgender Mass Shooter, Didn’t Report It Ahead of Time
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.
Syria asks Germany not to deport its citizens back home, warning it would make country ‘unsafe’
Damascus warns mass returns could make the country unsafe, while German conservatives insist protection claims ended with the fall of Assad
US Intelligence: 15,000+ Were Let Free From ISIS Detention Camp After Collapse
"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.
As Pentagon Races to Deploy AI, Operational Challenges Highlight Risks
Defense experts say AI is essential in warfare, but it comes with mixed success and unpredictable pitfalls.
Mamdani Requires Snow-Shovel Volunteers Show Two Forms Of ID, Social Security Card
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!!
JPMorgan Admits to Closing Over 50 Trump Bank Accounts
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:”
Dozens of Texas Schools Now Under Investigation for Alleged Role in Anti-ICE Walkouts
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.
Deep in China’s Mountains, a Nuclear Revival Takes Shape
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.