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New Mexico approves comprehensive probe of Epstein's Zorro Ranch

(Reuters) New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women. A bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, the state capital. Legislators are also urging local residents to testify.

BumRushDaShow

Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate, dies at 84

(NBC News) The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the longtime civil rights activist, Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 84. "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

demmiblue

Colbert Says CBS Refused To Air His Interview With Democrat Candidate Fearing FCC Blowback

(Forbes) Late Show host Stephen Colbert on Monday said CBS refused to air his interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas, due to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent decision to enforce its “equal time” mandate on talk shows. During a segment of his show on Monday night, Colbert told the audience Talarico was “supposed to be here” as a guest on the show, but CBS’s lawyers told the Late Show team “in no uncertain terms…that we could not have him on the broadcast.” Colbert said the network’s lawyers also told him he was not allowed to mention this issue on air, before adding: “because my network clearly doesn't want us to talk about this, let's talk about this.”

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

FBI won't share evidence related to Alex Pretti shooting, state says

(USA Today) The FBI notified Minnesota state investigators that it will not share information or evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a Feb. 16 statement. The news comes after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials expressed hope that federal authorities would cooperate with the state in an investigation into the killing of Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse whose death triggered nationwide protests and bipartisan calls for an independent investigation.

KS Toronado

Tuesday's Condensed News Cartoons

BumRushDaShow

A measure giving Congress the power to block Trump pardons draws Republican backing

(Axios) A proposed Constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to block presidential pardons gained its first House Republican co-sponsor on Monday. It's a rare display of GOP defiance against President Trump, whose pardons have been the subject of bipartisan backlash in several cases. Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), who is leading the amendment, announced Monday that Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) has signed on as the first Republican co-sponsor of the Pardon Integrity Act.

BumRushDaShow

ICE contracts fuel revenue surge for owners of for-profit immigration detention centers

(Scripps) The first year of President Trump's push to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants was a financial boon for two companies that own and operate private detention centers. CoreCivic and The GEO Group both reported their year-end earnings for 2025. Each company reported seeing a boost in revenue of more than 13 percent, both making more than $2 billion. GEO Group's executive chairman George Zoley called 2025 the "most successful year for new business wins in our company's history."

RandySF

The Tennessee House and Senate races potentially in play

(Tennessee Lookout) Tennessee could see 16 competitive state House and Senate races this fall, based on past state elections in similar political environments, according to an analysis by the Lookout of the nonpartisan Dave’s Redistricting election data. Nationally, the Democratic Party is expected to have a strong 2026 midterm election, but the question remains how strong and whether that translates to Tennessee, a state Republicans have dominated for almost two decades.

Dulcinea

Why so many congressional Republicans are retiring

(The Hill) You’d quit, too. More than a decade after President Trump came down the escalator the options for congressional Republicans are painfully clear. Option One: They can quit. Option Two: They can keep silent on alarming polls showing low public approval for Trump and his Republican Party as the midterms approach. Option Three: Accept that there is a price to be paid for Trump-worship.

demmiblue

Spain to Investigate Social Media Giants, Escalating Trans-Atlantic Tech Dispute

(NY Times) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain said on Tuesday that his government will ask prosecutors to investigate social media giants X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence, the latest salvo in a Europe-wide effort to regulate big tech companies. “These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children,” Mr. Sánchez wrote on social media. “The state cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end.”

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Pregnant Minnesotans postpone abortion appointments to avoid ICE

32 min ago - Published February 17, 2026 6:00AM (EST) Pregnant immigrants in Minnesota have been postponing their abortions, skipping aftercare, and delaying birth control visits and urgent cancer screening follow-ups to avoid coming in contact with federal immig ... (Salon)

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Woman killed in latest Putin strikes after 'tense' US-backed talks in Geneva

43 min ago - Moscow pressures Kyiv further with more than 400 drones and missiles Sam Kiley in Zaporizhzhia, Arpan Rai, James C. Reynolds & Jane Dalton Tuesday 17 February 2026 21:59 GMT A drone strike killed a woman and injured six other people in Ukraine ... (independent.co.uk)

Bacteria Frozen Inside 5,000-Year-Old Ice Cave Is Crazy Resistant to Antibiotics

51 min ago - A study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology describes Psychrobacter SC65A.3, a bacterial strain discovered frozen inside 5,000-year-old layers of cave ice in Romania. Testing revealed that SC65A.3 is resistant to 10 modern anti ... (Gizmodo)

CBS Denies Forcing Stephen Colbert to Not Air Interview With Democratic Candidate, Says It Provided 'Legal Guidance'

1 hr ago - Feb 17, 2026 11:51am PT CBS said it did not force “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” to pull an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico from its TV broadcast Monday, contrary to the way the late-night host had framed it. Rather, a ... (Variety)

US Supreme Court adopts new technology to help identify conflicts of interest

1 hr ago - February 17, 2026 1:09 PM EST Updated 3 hours ago WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it has adopted new software to assist in identifying whether a case poses a potential conflict of interest for the justi ... (Reuters)

Writers Guild West's Own Staff Calls a Strike Against the Union

1 hr ago - Workers will be picketing in front of the union’s headquarters until further notice in protest of alleged unfair labor practices. By Katie Kilkenny February 17, 2026 12:15pm The staff of the Writers Guild of America West called a strike on Tuesd ... (Hollywood Reporter)

Peru'ss president ousted in 'express impeachment' after just four months

1 hr ago - Peru's interim president has been forced out of office in an "express impeachment" after a political scandal over his secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen. Lawmakers voted by 75 votes to 24 to proceed with the removal of JosÃƒ&Acir ... (The Guardian)

Noem's use of Coast Guard resources strains her relationship with the military branch, sources say

2 hrs ago - Feb. 17, 2026, 5:00 AM EST WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s relationship with U.S. Coast Guard officials has become strained throughout her first year leading the department, according to two U.S. officials, a Coast Gu ... (NBC News)

'Mutual' fight erupts during Grand Island ICE protest. Adult, juvenile arrested.

2 hrs ago - JEFF BAHR Grand Island Independent 4 hrs ago During Monday's walkout by Grand Island Senior High School students, a 54-year-old man and some Grand Island Senior High students exchanged blows near a nearby elementary school. Accounts vary as to what l ... (Lincoln Journal Star)

Fulton County accuses Justice Department of misleading the judge who approved elections office search warrant

2 hrs ago - PUBLISHED Feb 17, 2026, 1:21 PM ET Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, accused the Justice Department of making "serious" omissions in the application the FBI filed to obtain a search warrant for 2020 election ballots last month. The local officials ... (CNN Politics)

Armed man wearing tactical vest arrested outside the U.S. Capitol, police say

2 hrs ago - An 18-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after he began rushing towards the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun, police said. Officers challenged the man, who was wearing a tactical vest and gloves, and ordered him to drop his weapon, which he compl ... (NBC)

Trump picks his White House assistant for panel reviewing ballroom

3 hrs ago - When Congress created the Commission of Fine Arts more than a century ago, its members were intended to be “well-qualified judges of the fine arts” who would review and advise on major design projects in the nation’s capital, lawmakers ... (WaPo)

US groups sue to block Trump effort to rid parks of history, science information

3 hrs ago - Updated 1 hour ago BOSTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Groups representing park conservationists, historians and scientists filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to prevent President Donald Trump's administration from scrubbing information from parks and monumen ... (Reuters)

Apple is reportedly planning to launch AI-powered glasses, a pendant, and AirPods

3 hrs ago - Apple is reportedly aiming to start production of its smart glasses in December, ahead of a 2027 launch. The new device will compete directly with Meta’s lineup of smart glasses and is rumored to feature speakers, microphones, and a high-resolut ... (The Verge)

Senate Democrats send counteroffer to White House amid DHS shutdown

3 hrs ago - Senate Democrats late on Monday night sent a counterproposal to the White House to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the impasse reached Day 4 with no deal in sight. A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) con ... (The Hill)

Hillary Clinton accuses Trump's justice department of Epstein files 'cover-up'

3 hrs ago - Tue 17 Feb 2026 12.18 EST Last modified on Tue 17 Feb 2026 12.34 EST Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump administration of a “cover-up” over the Epstein files, while claiming that she and her husband are being forced to testify before Con ... (The Guardian)

Flashmob protesters block New York's 5th Avenue in front of Trump Tower on Presidents Day

4 hrs ago - Tuesday 17 February 2026 02:31 EST Hundreds of New Yorkers marked Presidents Day by gathering outside Trump Tower on Monday to raise their middle fingers against Donald Trump. According to videos and local media reports, demonstrators filled 5th Aven ... (The Independent)

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to leave Trump administration

4 hrs ago - 02/17/2026 11:01 AM EST One of the Trump administration’s most vocal defenders of its aggressive immigration crackdown is leaving as public opinion sours against the hardline approach, according to two DHS officials familiar with the move. Trici ... (Politico)

Federal judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can't be re-detained by immigration authorities

5 hrs ago - Updated 12:54 PM EST, February 17, 2026 GREENBELT, MD (AP) -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because a 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporting him, a federal j ... (AP)

European Parliament blocks AI on lawmakers' devices, citing security risks

5 hrs ago - The European Parliament has reportedly blocked lawmakers from using the baked-in AI tools on their work devices, citing cybersecurity and privacy risks with uploading confidential correspondence to the cloud. Per an email seen by Politico, the parlia ... (TechCrunch)