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Feb 23, 2026 - World

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Monday that he doubted Congress would pass any legislation to reinstate President Donald Trump's tariff policy following the Supreme Court decision last week that the president's levies were illegal. He described how it would be unlikely for lawmakers to reverse that decision, Politico reported. “It’s going to be, I think, a challenge to find consensus on any path forward on the tariffs, on the legislative side,” Johnson said. “And so that is why, I think, you see so much of the attention on the executive side, the executive branch, and what they’re doing and how they’re reacting to the ruling.”And although some Republicans have suggested a second path with a budget reconciliation process following the high court's ruling, Johnson still didn't think it would happen. “I’m not sure it has much to do with reconciliation,” Johnson said.Trump this weekend said he would raise tariffs to 15 percent globally, which are slated to expire in 150 days. After that, lawmakers would need to extend those levies. However, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the conversations, Republicans have said privately they do not expect to have the support to do so, and senior GOP leaders don't have plans to continue the Trump tariff agenda, Politico reported.It was also unclear how potential refunds would work following the Supreme Court decision, which Congress will not be handling, Johnson added. “The White House is going to sort that out, and we have to give them the time and space to do it,” Johnson said. “This is an unprecedented event, of course, so there’s no playbook to follow. I think they’ve got good arguments on their side, and we’ll see how it shakes out. That’s not something that really involves the House at this point.”

Feb 23, 2026 - World

A panel of three federal judges declined to strike down a Utah redistricting map that could help Democrats regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.In a ruling on Monday, the Tenth Circuit panel responded to a demand by Utah's Republican-led legislature that new court-drawn maps not be used for the upcoming midterm elections."The Tenth Circuit convened a three-judge district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2284to consider whether a state district court may impose a congressional redistricting map upon a state under the Elections Clause of the United States Constitution," Judges Timothy M. Tymkovich, Robert J. Shelby, and Holly L. Teeter wrote. "Plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction to prevent the Lieutenant Governor of Utah from using the state district court's selected map in the upcoming 2026 congressional election.""The Lieutenant Governor takes no position on the merits of Plaintiffs' claim; however, she represents to this court that she must know by February 23, 2026, which redistricting map to implement," the ruling continued. "Because we conclude Plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits, and because the Purcell principle counsels this court not to enjoin a state's election laws in the period close to an election, we DENY Plaintiffs' preliminary injunction motion."Last week, the Utah Supreme Court also ruled for the plaintiffs — the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and a handful of Salt Lake County voters — and refused to strike down the map because the federal appeals process had not been completed."Utah voters deserve fair representation and clarity heading into our elections," League of Women Voters of Utah President Katharine Biele said in a statement about the ruling. "We are encouraged that the court dismissed this improper appeal and allowed the process to move forward without disruption to voters or election administrators. The League of Women Voters of Utah will continue in our fight for fair maps for Utahns."If the map stands, it is expected to create one Democratic-leaning district and three Republican districts.

Feb 23, 2026 - World

Count current and former FBI officials among those who were appalled watching FBI Director Kash Patel chugging beer and partying with the Olympic hockey team in Italy, as if he had some part in their 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.According to MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian, Patel claimed he had important business in Italy, and it was just a coincidence that the Winter Olympics, awarded to Milan in 2019, happened to be running concurrently.Speaking with Ana Cabrera, Dilanian asserted no one is buying the embattled FBI director’s story.“He said he had official meetings and he did have official meetings,” the MS NOW reporter explained. “But when those videos began to emerge last night showing him celebrating in the locker room, that really underscored that whatever else he was doing, he definitely went there to watch the U.S. try to win and ultimately win the gold medal.”“And that really rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” he continued. “And there was another exchange. Patel himself screen-shotted a post by my colleague Carol Leonnig underscoring what happened, why he was at the hockey game and suggesting that it was inappropriate to even mention that because he also had official visits. None of this, none of this, is going over well with current and former FBI officials.”He pointed out, “Look, Kash Patel is a controversial figure. A lot of people don't like him anyway. I have never seen the kind of disgust from current and former FBI officials, as we are hearing about and seeing in response to his, what they are calling, his antics in the locker room. And this is from people who normally support Patel and Donald Trump,” he observed. He added, “People chug beer and celebrate all the time after championship wins, but not the FBI director. That's just not how any previous FBI director has ever behaved. Some are even pointing out that technically, FBI agents are not supposed to drink alcohol while on duty. So did he violate some kind of code there?” - YouTube youtu.be

Feb 23, 2026 - World

Late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reportedly had six secret lockers that have never been searched, according to reports Monday. A report from The Telegraph found that Epstein apparently paid private investigators to remove computers and photographs from his Florida home, including computers from his private island in the Caribbean, and hide the items in an attempt to obstruct investigators. Credit card payments for the storage units continued through 2019, the year he died while awaiting trial on federal charges related to his exploitation of underage girls. "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 [Peter] Mandelson," the outlet explained. Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson have been arrested and questioned by UK law enforcement. Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested last week on his 66th birthday, could have to undergo a judge-led inquiry. Mandelson was arrested Monday by UK authorities amid the ongoing Epstein probe. "However, while Epstein has long been suspected of collecting compromising material on his associates, relatively few such photographs or videos have emerged," The Telegraph reported. "That has fueled claims that the DoJ is seeking to shield powerful figures from scrutiny, although authorities have repeatedly denied this. The emails the DoJ released, along with the financial records The Telegraph has unearthed revealing the secret storage units, raise the possibility that they housed compromising material."The news could increase the pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been criticized over her handling of the Department of Justice's public release of the more than 3 million documents, The Daily Beast reported. Bondi's DOJ has been accused of redacting some names in an attempt to protect Epstein's conspirators instead of protecting the survivors of his abuse.

Feb 23, 2026 - World

Donald Trump's long-term plan for Iran may not be as achievable as the president wants it to be, according to a political analyst. Professor Anthony Glees believes the Trump administration is looking to topple the Iranian government and bring about a friendlier relationship between Iran and the US as a result. This would be a tall order for the president's team, though, as Glees notes that finding a suitable replacement for ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the military action would be hard. Speaking to Raw Story, Glees said, "It is not at all clear what would happen if Trump decided to take on the Islamist rulers of Iran. By toppling Maduro but replacing him with someone from his side of the political divide in Venezuela, Trump showed a canniness of some quality."However, he can't do this in Iran. There are no US-friendly ayatollahs. It is, however, perfectly possible that he will run out of road and be forced into military action. "This is because on the one hand the ayatollahs are fanatics but can count on fairly hefty support if they say 'no' to Trump's demands, but on the other no one can assemble the sort of armed might that Trump is now displaying with either proceeding into war, or standing them down and looking as if Iran has won."The US may have the military capacity to take down Khamenei's regime, though a lack of clarity over who would replace the current ayatollah would be a problem for Trump's team, he said.Glees added, "The US military build-up in the area (Trump has called it an 'armada') is now complete with the arrival of a second massive aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to join the USS Gerald R Ford. "This is a far larger strike force than was used by the US to arrest former president Maduro of Venezuela. It can sustain a prolonged attack on Iran, which could topple the regime of the ayatollahs within a few days."Of course, one always has to add: Trump is unpredictable. He'd love the ayatollahs to wake up and find US Marines in control of Tehran. But he knows that this is going to be impossible to achieve. They were able to put down a revolt and kill some 30,000 of their own people."