Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Thursday, February 19, 2026

Donald Trump's tariffs are sharply escalating costs for midsize US companies, sparking fresh concern about the president's flagship policies as he embarks on a campaign to revive Americans' dim view of his economy. A new report from the JPMorgan Chase Institute showed tariff payments by mid-market US businesses tripled over the past year, the latest sign of domestic fallout from Trump's bid to reshape the global trading order. The study showed midsized companies " which lack the heft of their larger counterparts to dictate terms and shift supply chains " continued to buy foreign goods in 2025 even as duty payments surged to as much as 316 per cent of their pre-election level.


South Korea's former President Yoon Suk-yeol has been found guilty of masterminding an insurrection and sentenced to life in prison over his imposition of short-lived martial law in 2024. "The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse for that," Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon told the court on Thursday. "As to defendant Yoon Suk-yeol, the crime of insurrection leadership is established," the judge said. "We sentence Yoon to life imprisonment." The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon was the leader of the December 3, 2024 insurrection in a case where prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the disgraced ex-president, who was impeached and removed from office over his declaration of martial law.


On Monday, the Washington State House Democrats voted to raid $4 billion from the law enforcement and firefighter pension plan to cover their deficit caused by out-of-control spending. Democrats in the Washington State House of Representatives have approved House Bill 2034, authorizing the transfer of approximately $2.5 billion, with projections of up to $4 billion over time, from the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' (LEOFF) Plan 1 retirement system. The legislation passed on a 55"39 vote, with every Republican voting against it.


Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. * A breaking story * Read more


Eric Trump, the son of the Chairman of the Board of Peace Donald Trump, is investing in a $1.5bn merger between Israeli drone maker Xtend and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings.

Press Release


Within months of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis handpicking him as Florida's new attorney general last winter, James Uthmeier landed a lucrative side gig: a $100,000-a-year teaching assignment at University of Florida's law school for just two hours of instruction per week.

Link


Three federal immigration agents accidentally shot themselves in the leg during routine training exercises within two days last year, according to internal documents reviewed by Newsweek. A fourth incident involved an accidental taser discharge inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. All three firearm discharges occurred during quarterly training sessions while agents were holstering their weapons, a routine but potentially high-risk moment in firearms handling.


Police are investigating a suspected arson on Tuesday night at the memorial for Renee Good in south Minneapolis. Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. Since then, a community-curated memorial for her has stood at the site of her death on the 3300 block of Portland Avenue. The Minneapolis Police Department said it received a report of a suspicious fire at the memorial around 8:46 p.m. Investigators say someone set fire to a pile of wood, damaging some of the items at the site. The fire had been put out by the time officers arrived.


The Department of Justice's (DOJ) latest disclosure under the Epstein Files Transparency Act -- a long list of names as disparate as Janis Joplin, Julian Assange and former Vice President Dick Cheney -- has sparked an outcry on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are accusing the DOJ of failing to comply with its final obligation under the law.


The Trump administration plans to loosen restrictions on coal-burning power plants this week, allowing them to emit more hazardous pollutants including mercury, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Senior U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are expected to announce the move during a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, the paper said.
In loosening the limits on mercury, a powerful neurotoxin that can impair babies' brain development, the EPA is arguing it would reduce "unwarranted costs" for utilities that own and operate coal plants across the country, the Times reported, citing internal agency documents.


For months, President Donald Trump has railed against Latin American narcoterrorists flooding the United States with "lethal poison." He has used the scourge of drug trafficking as a rationale for dozens of military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, which have left more than 140 people dead.
But when it comes to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernndez, who was tried and convicted in the U.S. in 2024 and sentenced to 45 years in prison for taking bribes and allowing traffickers to export more than 400 tons of cocaine to the U.S., Trump has taken a decidedly softer tone. Hernndez, he said, has been "treated very harshly and unfairly" " so unfairly that on Dec. 1, Trump pardoned the former president after he served less than four of those 45 years. Read more


In the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, social media uncovered an old clip of Vice President JD Vance promising to protect opposing views.


Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Christine Lagarde, the head of Europe's most important financial institution, plans to leave her job before her eight-year term ends in October 2027, the Financial Times reported.


Speculation is growing over whether Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito could retire, fueled by career milestones and an upcoming book.

A retirement by Alito, the court's second-oldest justice, would give President Donald Trump a chance to nominate a fourth member of Supreme Court, potentially shaping the court's conservative majority for decades.


U.S. public approval of Donald Trump's immigration policies fell to the lowest level since his return to the White House, amid signs he is losing support among American men on the issue, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.


Long-time Trump adviser Steve Bannon and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office during his first term, according to newly released Epstein files.

In a text message exchange that began on New Year's Eve in 2018, shortly after Democrats retook the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the two men discussed Trump's political position, with Bannon lamenting that the "WH," a likely reference to the White House, has "zero plan to punch back."


Drudge Retort
 

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy