Gross domestic produce rose at an annualized rate of just 1.4%, according to Commerce Department numbers adjusted for seasonality and inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 2.5% gain. At the same time, inflation held firm in December, according to the gauge most closely watched by Fed officials. The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which excludes food and energy, rose 3% in December, according to a separate release. That matched the consensus forecast but kept the pivotal inflation measure well above the Fed's 2% target.
Hundreds of wild bird deaths reported across seven counties, prompting park closures Officials suspect bird flu killed more than 1,100 wild birds, mostly Canada geese Hundreds of geese have reportedly died in New Jersey, and bird flu is suspected to be the culprit. More than 1,100 dead or sick wild birds " almost all of them Canada geese " were reported between Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 across seven counties, according to New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Read more
Last year, the U.S. was the only major destination to see a decline in international travelers. With increased scrutiny at the border, ICE violence and unpredictable policies, the new year isn't looking better.
President Donald Trump has told Congress he is pursuing a civil nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia that does not include non-proliferation safeguards the U.S. has long said would ensure the kingdom does not develop nuclear weapons, according to a copy of the document sent to Congress and reviewed by Reuters.
The husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from the department's headquarters after at least two female staff members told officials that he had sexually assaulted them, according to people familiar with the decision and a police report obtained by The New York Times. The women said Ms. Chavez-DeRemer's husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, had touched them inappropriately at the Labor Department's building on Constitution Avenue. One of the incidents, during working hours on the morning of Dec. 18, was recorded on office security cameras, the people said. In January, the women's concerns about Dr. DeRemer, 57, were raised as part of an internal investigation by the department's inspector general into alleged misconduct by Ms. Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff, one of the people said. Read more
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) arrested a woman at Harry Reid International Airport after she allegedly tied her dog to a baggage sizer at a JetBlue ticket counter and then abandoned him.
Sadists of a Feather
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a rule that would limit public housing mostly to US citizens, which could lead to tens of thousands of people being evicted.
Federal Register
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he intends to name his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a special peace envoy, unveiling the decision at his "Board of Peace" event, attended by more than a dozen world leaders.
FBI Director Kash Patel has taken an agency jet to Italy, where he has plans to hold official meetings and watch Olympic hockey games, CBS News first reported. Patel reportedly took off Thursday morning and landed in Italy hours later. He's expected to attend meetings with law enforcement officials and watch the men's USA Olympic hockey team compete in Milan, sources told CBS News. FBI directors must use government planes for both personal and official travel to ensure they maintain access to secure communications and can move quickly in an emergency, according to CBS News. They're also required to reimburse the government for personal flights. Ben Williamson, the FBI's assistant director for public affairs, responded to the CBS News report in a post on X: "No, it's not a personal trip. Director Patel is on a trip that was planned months ago."
The conservative machine behind Project 2025 hired an adult film star to work on education policy The Heritage Foundation announced Thursday that Corey DeAngelis, a prominent school choice advocate who opposes LGBTQ inclusion in education, is joining the think tank as a fellow at its Center for Education Policy. It is a standard conservative policy hire, with the exception of DeAngelis's history as a gay porn performer. The group proudly celebrated the appointment in a post on X, linking to an announcement article highlighting his work on education reform. Acting center director Jonathan Butcher praised DeAngelis' "high-quality research" on education reform and said the team was "very pleased to add him." Read more
Dr. Shawn DeRemer, the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been barred from the department's headquarters after at least two female staff members told officials that he had sexually assaulted them.
Previous Coriolanus OP on US Labor Secretary
Chairman of the Board of Peace POTUS Donald J. Trump:
Stolen Valor
Feb 18, 2026
In this conversation, Andy Boreham and Dr. Warwick Powell discuss the recent advancements in humanoid robotics showcased during China's Spring Festival Gala.
They explore the impressive capabilities of these robots, the changing perceptions in Western media regarding China's technological achievements, and the implications of these advancements on global competition.
Dr. Powell emphasizes the importance of governance in technology and speculates on the future applications of humanoid robots in society.
Kathryn Ruemmler, who resigned last week as the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein about a prostitution scandal that engulfed the US Secret Service during her tenure as White House counsel under former President Barack Obama. In a dozen or so exchanges that were sent months after Ruemmler left her White House position in 2014, she complained to Epstein about "this secret service crap" and forwarded to him a draft email that contained detailed, nonpublic information about the behind-the-scenes role the White House Counsel's office played in investigating the 2012 prostitution scandal. Read more
In December 2024, then-South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol made a botched attempt at imposing military rule to reassert his leadership. That was overturned six hours later, after lawmakers defied armed police and military to gather inside parliament and vote down the decree. Yoon was subsequently impeached by parliament, arrested and charged with multiple offences. Thursday's verdict - on the charge of leading an insurrection - was in relation to the most serious of those charges. He still faces further trials from aiding an enemy state to violating campaign law. Other officials were also found guilty of offences; our earlier post has the full list, which includes his defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, as well as an ex-police chief.
The FBI spoke at least four times with a woman who credibly accused Trump of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor, Trump-Epstein files show. That document is no longer accessible on the DOJ website.
