February 19, 2026
Testimony and Tension
Good morning, everyone!
Today, we will look at U.S. political developments, tensions in the Middle East, and other news spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-Billionaire retail mogul Les Wexner testified before the House Oversight Committee yesterday as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Wexner, 88, was a longtime financial backer of Epstein, and reportedly granted him power of attorney at one point.
In a prepared statement, Wexner said he was “naive, foolish, and gullible” to trust Epstein, and that he had no knowledge of the now-deceased financier’s sex crimes. He added that he cut ties with him in 2007.
On a break from the six-hour deposition, congressional Democrats addressed reporters, with Congressman Robert Garcia saying “there is no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner.”
View their full remarks here:
-Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico announced his campaign had raised $2.5 million since his interview with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert was pulled by CBS.
Colbert said the network told him not to air the interview, saying that executives were fearful that the appearance could draw ire from the Federal Communications Commission.
Talarico’s primary opponent, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, cast doubt on the explanation, saying it served as a “boost” for Talarico’s campaign.
With early voting underway, Crockett has led Talarico in polls in the run-up to the March 3 vote.
Yesterday, Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks endorsed Crockett’s candidacy, making her the first U.S. senator to back her. Last week, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich endorsed Talarico.
In the Republican primary, four-term Senator John Cornyn is facing off against two primary challengers—state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt.
Speaking in Fort Worth yesterday, Cornyn said a potential Paxton victory in the race could lead to “an Election Day massacre” for Republicans.
Paxton, who has led Cornyn in the race, has run to Cornyn’s right while dealing with personal controversies.
Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race.
-At a Black History Month reception at the White House yesterday, Trump spoke of the death of Jesse Jackson, saying, “Jesse was a piece of work but he was a good man, he was a real hero, and I just want to pay my highest respects.”
View his remarks here:
-In his State of the State address yesterday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker pledged to maintain his state as a “firewall” against Trump.
View his full remarks here:
Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel corporation fortune, is a prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
-Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, another prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, announced the release date of a new book.
-Congressional Democrats plan to counter Trump’s State of the Union address next week with a rally in Washington.
-California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its termination of $1.2 billion in funding for a hydrogen project.
-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would reinstate homeless encampment sweeps.
-On this day in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese Americans, saying the move was to protect against espionage and sabotage amid the war against the Axis powers.
The order would result in the forced relocation and internment of over 120,000 citizens.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation formally apologizing for the action, which described it as a “fundamental injustice.”
Other Links:
Morgan Stanley opened accounts for Epstein trusts as late as 2019 - Reuters
DOJ accused of flouting law in Epstein name dump - The Hill
FBI, St. Paul police probing ICE arrest that resulted in skull fractures - AP
Amid debate in Congress, Florida’s Republican Legislature pushes election law changes - Politico
8 backcountry skiers found dead and 1 still missing after California avalanche - AP
Zuckerberg grilled about Meta’s strategy to target ‘teens’ and ‘tweens’ - NPR
Africa
-Somalia’s government said its recent expansion of ground operations, aided by U.S. airstrikes, has gained momentum in the country’s decades-long battle against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.
The development comes as an African Union peacekeeping force winds down in the country.
-Authorities in Gabon announced they would suspend access to social media across the country as critics accused the government of a crackdown on dissent.
-At least 77 people have been killed by drone strikes in Sudan’s Kordofan region, mostly launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a tracking group.
-A new polio vaccination campaign kicked off yesterday in Malawi.
-On this day in 2008, President George W. Bush made a brief stop in Rwanda as part of a five-country African tour.
While in the East African country, Bush and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed a bilateral investment treaty.
Additionally, Bush visited a memorial to the victims of the 1994 genocide.
Kagame, who came to power in 2000 and continues to lead the country, led the rebel forces that ended the genocide that left some 800,000 people dead over the span of about 100 days.
Other Links:
Guinea-Bissau stops vaccine study funded by Trump administration - Reuters
Kenya, US to resume trade talks next week, minister says - Reuters
Kenya’s main airport resumes operations after 2-day strike - AP
Any IMF deal must be in Senegal’s best interests, presidential adviser says - Reuters
Russia expands its soft power influence across Africa - Semafor
Americas and the Caribbean
-Senior Russian officials hosted Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in Moscow yesterday as the island nation grapples with a U.S.-imposed oil embargo.
While in Moscow, Rodríguez met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Following the talks, Lavrov called on Washington to halt its blockade, which has brought the island nation to a halt.
On the same day, the White House said it was in Cuba’s “best interest” to make significant changes to its governance while stopping short of calling for regime change.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in contact with the grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Although he stepped down in 2021, the 94-year-old Castro continues to hold significant influence over the Communist government.
-Lawmakers in Peru will vote to elect a new president just after ousting former leader José Jerí.
The new president will be the eighth to lead the Andean nation since 2016.
Jerí was ousted on Tuesday amid controversy over undisclosed meetings he held with Chinese business executives. He had assumed office in October. His removal comes just ahead of a presidential election in April and as the public expresses outrage over rising crime in the Andean nation.
-Argentine President Javier Milei will be in Washington, D.C., today to participate in the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-backed Board of Peace.
The trip to the United States by the populist leader is his 14th since assuming office in 2023.
-Argentina is expected to start 2026 with a trade surplus.
-Canada announced it would step up its effort to support Ukraine’s energy sector as Russian strikes have left tens of thousands in the country without power and heat.
-On this day in 2008, Cuban leader Fidel Castro resigned after 49 years in power.
He was succeeded by his brother, Raúl Castro.
Other Links:
US Southern Command chief meets Venezuela’s president weeks after Maduro’s capture - AP
Canada’s Carney edges closer to majority government as legislator defects to Liberals - Reuters
Mexico declines Trump’s invitation to join Board of Peace - Mexico Daily News
Attorney-General’s alleged role in illegal adoptions rocks Guatemala - BBC
Colombian Candidates Retreat as Violence Shakes 2026 Election - Bloomberg
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announced yesterday that she would run for president in 2028 while blasting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte—who is currently on trial in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity—has battled with Marcos since they assumed office in 2022.
Marcos is the son of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Southeast Asian country from 1965 until his ouster in 1986.
Sara Duterte is widely viewed as the frontrunner in the 2028 presidential election.
-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Tuesday that Thai forces are occupying Cambodian territory despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal that ended fighting along their shared border.
-The United States and Uzbekistan inked a critical minerals agreement yesterday.
-A Cambodian national died in the custody of U.S. immigration authorities in Indiana.
-On this day in 1997, Deng Xioping, China’s longtime paramount leader who ushered in the country’s sweeping economic opening, died at the age of 92.
In 2002, President George W. Bush addressed the Japanese parliament, calling the relationship between Washington and Tokyo “one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times.”
In 2005, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush visited Thailand to survey damage caused by a devastating tsunami that rocked the region.
The visit was part of a four-day tour that included stops in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
Other Links:
Takaichi, reelected as Japan’s leader, wants to cooperate with US in rare earths development - AP
Japan tourist arrivals mark first fall in four years as Chinese visitors stay away - NBC
A fireworks shop explosion in China kills 12 people in the second such blast in days - AP
China on track to complete world’s ‘most difficult’ railway project before 2030 - South China Morning Post
Asia stocks rise despite lingering AI worries, oil down after U.S.-Iran talks - CNBC
Europe
-A second day of peace talks in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia concluded yesterday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing frustrations while the U.S. reported “meaningful progress.”
Before departing, officials from both Kyiv and Moscow said they had agreed to meet again as President Trump pushes them to agree to halt the nearly four-year-long war.
-Trump called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to retract on a plan that would cede the sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius.
The two countries signed an agreement last year that would transfer sovereignty of the region to Mauritius while extending a 99-year lease that would allow London and Washington to continue having access to a strategic military base there.
Mauritius says it was forced to sell the territory in exchange for its independence in 1965.
-German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for limitations on social media for children.
-The Vatican announced on Tuesday it would not participate in Trump’s Board of Peace.
-On this day in 1999, President Bill Clinton hosted French President Jacques Chirac in the Oval Office to discuss the situation in Kosovo.
Fighting between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian separatists had escalated in the province, prompting peace talks in France as NATO leaders weighed military action if diplomacy failed.
Shortly thereafter, NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign against Serbian military targets, concluding when Serbia agreed to withdraw from Kosovo.
Chirac, who led France from 1995 to 2007, was a dominant figure in French politics for decades and served as a strong voice for an independent Europe on the global stage.
Exactly nine years later, in 2008, Washington formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state just one day after it declared its independence from Serbia.
Speaking in Tanzania, President George W. Bush declared, “History will prove this to be a correct move, to bring peace to the Balkans,” while praising the country’s commitment to democracy.
Other Links:
In Paris and London, police open up new probes into Epstein files - NBC
US senators visit key Ukrainian port city as they push for fresh sanctions on Russia - AP
UK Seeks EU Allies to Counter France’s ‘Made in Europe’ Push - Bloomberg
Greece working with another 4 European countries to set up migrant deportation hubs outside EU - AP
Christine Lagarde to leave ECB before the end of her 8-year term - Financial Times
Russia’s Exile From World Sports Will End Next Month at Paralympics - The New York Times
Middle East
-The United States is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend as President Trump threatens military action if Tehran does not agree to a deal to limit its nuclear program, according to CNN.
Earlier this week, officials from the two countries met in Geneva, Switzerland, for a second round of talks.
In recent weeks, Trump has deployed two aircraft carriers to the region, saying Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “should be very worried” amid the escalating tensions.
-China, Russia, and Iran deployed warships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz for joint exercises amid Tehran’s standoff with Washington.
-The first meeting of the U.S.-backed Board of Peace will be held today in Washington, D.C., with more than 20 countries expected to participate.
The international body, which was backed by the United Nations Security Council in November of last year, was initially established to oversee post-war Gaza.
However, several countries, including France and Canada, have opted not to join the organization, saying they fear it seeks to supplant the United Nations. Although it was initially established for purposes of overseeing Gaza, its charter document does not include any specific mention of the coastal enclave, instead stating it seeks to “secure enduring peace” in any area threatened by conflict.
-The United States is withdrawing its roughly 1,000 troops stationed in Syria, according to The Wall Street Journal, capping a decade-long U.S. campaign against Islamic State militants in the region.
-Leila Shahid, the first female Palestinian diplomat, died in France at the age of 76.
On this day in 2007, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem for a trilateral summit.
The meeting came as Washington sought to restart negotiations to reach a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The summit ended with no solid commitments except to meet again in the future.
Other Links:
UN Security Council members blast Israel’s West Bank plans on eve of Trump’s Board of Peace meeting - AP
Israel, US envoy reject Tucker Carlson’s claim he was detained and interrogated at airport - The Times of Israel
Iranians Mourn Slain Protesters With ‘Revolutionary Rage’ - The New York Times
Epstein tried to build web of powerful ties across Middle East, documents show - Reuters
Protesters block Beirut roads after Cabinet approves new taxes that raise fuel prices - AP
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Behind again, thank goodness for you!