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Mexican Resort Towns Burn As Special Forces Kill Jalisco New Generation Cartel Boss “El Mencho”

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Mexican Resort Towns Burn As Special Forces Kill Jalisco New Generation Cartel Boss “El Mencho”

Update (1656):

Mexico’s Ministry of Defense announced on X that a military operation targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the Tapalpa area resulted in the death of cartel leader Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera.

According to the statement, troops came under attack and returned fire “in defense of their integrity,” leaving four CJNG members dead at the incident area and three others critically wounded. The ministry stated that those three later died during a medevac transfer to Mexico City, including Mencho.

During this operation, military personnel were attacked, so in defense of their integrity they repelled the aggression, resulting in four members of the “CJNG” criminal group dead at the scene and three seriously injured, who lost their lives during their transfer via air to Mexico City; among the latter is Ruben “N” (a) Mencho, however, the corresponding authorities will handle the expert activities for their identification.

The ministry also reported that CJNG members had armored vehicles and rocket launchers.

In addition to the above, two other members of this criminal organization were detained and various weaponry and armored vehicles were seized, including rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armored vehicles.

The statement noted that National Guard and Mexican Army units were being deployed into the Jalisco area, where CJNG operates, to “reinforce security” amid retaliatory unrest this afternoon.

Will there be spillover risks? 

*    *    * 

Update (1510):

“Due to developing security situations in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, airlines are canceling flights at those airports,” website tracker Flightrader24 wrote on X.

The situation in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and other areas controlled by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) remains fluid after Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera, the head of CJNG.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has told Americans to “shelter in place” across Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), parts of Michoacán State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo León State. 

*    *    * 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and assessed as one of Mexico’s most powerful cartel leaders; footage on social media shows utter chaos unfolding across Guadalajara and other CJNG strongholds after Mencho’s killing.

WSJ cited a senior Mexican official earlier Sunday who confirmed Oseguera was killed during a military operation against CJNG.

Additional color on CJNG from the outlet:

The cartel also controls vast fuel smuggling schemes and other underworld rackets across Mexico and the U.S., authorities said.

. . .

Oseguera was known for sophisticated paramilitary tactics and the deployment of hundreds of well-equipped and well-trained gunmen. He controlled vast swathes of territory, especially in his home state of Jalisco. He has been expanding his influence and was locked in a bloody struggle for control of Michoacán state in western Mexico.

Following the death of CJNG’s leader, local media and X users have posted footage of chaos unfolding across the Guadalajara area, including reports of chaos at Guadalajara Airport and narco blockades spanning Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlajomulco, Tapalpa, Puerto Vallarta, Ciudad Guzmán, and Autlán.

Let’s begin with the chaos at Guadalajara Airport:

CJNG blockades across CJNG territories:

Footage from Puerto Vallarta. 

Additional footage. 

Guadalajara is a World Cup Host City… 

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has told all U.S. citizens in Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), parts of Michoacán State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo León State to “shelter in place” amid “ongoing security operations in multiple states and related road blockages and criminal activity.”

*Developing…

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 16:56

Here’s All The Key Figures Who Have Resigned Over The Epstein Files…So Far

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Here’s All The Key Figures Who Have Resigned Over The Epstein Files…So Far

We are starting to finally see the beginning of a series of high-profile resignations following the Justice Department’s latest release of millions of pages tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents—emails, financial records, and photographs—name figures from politics, finance, diplomacy, academia, and the arts. Although inclusion in the files is not evidence of wrongdoing, the renewed scrutiny has prompted several prominent leaders to step down, as was documented by Time yesterday. 

As we’ve covered individually, those who have resigned include Thomas Pritzker, Kathy Ruemmler, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Brad Karp, Mona Juul, Peter Mandelson, Miroslav Lajcak, Jack Lang, and David A. Ross. In many instances, the records describe years of contact with Epstein, sometimes extending beyond his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor, intensifying public and political pressure.

Thomas Pritzker resigned as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after emails showed he remained in contact with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell beyond Epstein’s conviction.

Some messages referenced plans to meet, including for dinners. Pritzker said he exercised “terrible judgment” in maintaining the relationships and expressed deep regret, while authorities have not accused him of misconduct.

Kathy Ruemmler stepped down as chief legal officer of Goldman Sachs after emails suggested a friendly relationship with Epstein years after his plea deal, including correspondence referencing gifts.

Ruemmler, who previously served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, has said she never represented Epstein and was unaware of his crimes. She later described him as a “monster” and said she regretted ever knowing him.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resigned as chairman and CEO of DP World after correspondence indicated a lengthy friendship with Epstein that continued for years.

Some emails released by the Justice Department included personal exchanges that drew scrutiny. Authorities have not accused him of wrongdoing, and the company did not cite Epstein in announcing his departure.

Brad Karp left his post as chairman of Paul, Weiss after emails revealed an extended relationship with Epstein, including exchanges in which he praised a draft legal motion related to Epstein’s 2008 plea agreement.

Karp said the controversy had become a distraction to the firm, where he had served for decades, and denied any misconduct. The firm has said it never represented Epstein.

Several diplomats and cultural figures also stepped down. Mona Juul resigned from her role as a Norwegian ambassador after reports highlighted her past contact with Epstein and scrutiny over a will that allegedly left money to her children.

Norway’s foreign ministry said the situation raised concerns about judgment, though Juul has denied wrongdoing.

Peter Mandelson stepped down from the U.K. Labour Party after bank records and emails in the files showed financial transfers and correspondence with Epstein dating back to the early 2000s.

He had previously lost a diplomatic post after earlier disclosures about the relationship. Mandelson has said he did nothing criminal.

Miroslav Lajcak resigned as Slovakia’s national security adviser after text messages and emails showed exchanges with Epstein on a range of topics.

Lajcak said he stepped aside to spare the government political fallout and has denied any improper conduct.

In France, Jack Lang resigned as head of the Arab World Institute amid an investigation into alleged financial links between his family and entities associated with Epstein.

Lang, a former culture minister, has denied the allegations and said he was stepping down in the institution’s interest.

In New York, David A. Ross stepped down as a department chair at the School of Visual Arts after emails revealed continued communication with Epstein following his conviction, including exchanges about provocative artistic ideas.

Ross said he regretted being “taken in” by Epstein and expressed concern for the victims, while denying wrongdoing.

The latest release has reignited global attention on Epstein’s network, underscoring how associations—whether social, financial, or professional—continue to carry reputational and professional consequences years after his death in 2019.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 16:00

AI Surveillance Should Scare Both Democrats And Republicans

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AI Surveillance Should Scare Both Democrats And Republicans

Authored by Brendan Steinhauser via RealClearPolitics,

In a country desperate for unifying issues, there is growing consensus on one: surveillance of American citizens. From progressives who want to hold ICE accountable to conservatives who fear Big Government, an ever-expanding federal government has put many Americans on high alert, and artificial intelligence is only making matters worse.

To quote New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom, “ICE is watching you.” It is true: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement saw its 2025 budget triple to nearly $30 billion, which would rank the agency as the 14th highest-funded military in the world. Much of the money is funding surveillance technology, including tools to crack phones, monitor social media, and track the movements of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. The Department of Homeland Security and affiliated agencies are currently piloting and deploying more than 100 AI systems, including some used in law enforcement activities.

Wherever one may stand on illegal immigration and related policies, there is cause for concern whenever Big Government threatens individual rights. Advanced, aggressive AI transcends the issue. Last year, federal agencies publicly reported more than 1,700 AI use cases – from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We have heard the horror stories out of China, where AI is combined with social media monitoring, facial recognition, and new-age cameras to track the Chinese Communist Party’s critics (perceived or real), with the CCP following their statements and locations. But is that really unimaginable here?

Leaning on AI companies as core contractors, DHS has long scanned millions of social media posts, using new technologies to summarize findings. At the Environmental Protection Agency, AI spies on federal workers by monitoring communications. Citing “national security” at every turn, the federal government has given carte blanche to Palantir, whose sales and stock price have spiked in recent years. This means integrating Palantir data collection into operations at HHS and the Internal Revenue Service. Is that for national security, too?

What about “pattern of life” modeling that identifies when people deviate from normal routines? Or the rise of “predictive policing,” à la Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report”?

When pressed on Palantir’s surveillance agenda, Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s argument is that Americans essentially need more surveillance now to be more free later. You read that right: As Karp recently put it, “Freedom from unwarranted government surveillance … requires the construction of a technical system that is built to make possible oversight of its own use and limit, not expand, the material and information subject to access.”

Federal surveillance is only the beginning of the problem. State by state, police departments and other entities are leaning into AI tools to study citizens and share data from coast to coast. In Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, and other states, thousands of police departments are using Flock’s AI-powered license plate reader cameras to track drivers when they pass one of Flock’s cameras on the road. 

Take Massachusetts, where the state has spent millions of taxpayer dollars to monitor the locations of drivers and share that information with a network of over 7,000 agencies and organizations across America. Or consider Maine, where localities are using AI to scan license plates, create digital profiles, and experiment with facial recognition. This information can then be entered into a national database for federal access to information.

With each passing week, the mainstream media reports on “authoritarian AI surveillance” in China, but Americans do not need to look overseas for proof. From social media to our morning commute, we have countless case studies in government overreach right here at home. Our AI surveillance state is driven by a sweeping alliance of federal, state, and local governments with Silicon Valley’s most innovative monitoring systems.

It is not just Washington, D.C., or your state capitol or city hall or Palantir; it is all of the above. When it comes to civil liberties, no fight is more important than the people against the surveillance state. AI has pushed the limits of what is possible at our expense, making post-Patriot Act surveillance look like child’s play.

Democrat or Republican, liberal, conservative, or libertarian, now is the time for the people to check “the machine” and its machine learning. This is not political; it is about every American’s personal liberty.

Brendan Steinhauser is CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI, a nonprofit organization that educates policymakers and the public about the implications of advanced AI.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 15:25

Airlines Cancel Flights To Top Mexican Resort Town After Cartel Chaos Spreads After Drug Kingpin’s Death

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Airlines Cancel Flights To Top Mexican Resort Town After Cartel Chaos Spreads After Drug Kingpin’s Death

Update (1510):

“Due to developing security situations in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, airlines are canceling flights at those airports,” website tracker Flightrader24 wrote on X.

The situation in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and other areas controlled by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) remains fluid after Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera, the head of CJNG.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has told Americans to “shelter in place” across Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), parts of Michoacán State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo León State. 

*    *    * 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and assessed as one of Mexico’s most powerful cartel leaders; footage on social media shows utter chaos unfolding across Guadalajara and other CJNG strongholds after Mencho’s killing.

WSJ cited a senior Mexican official earlier Sunday who confirmed Oseguera was killed during a military operation against CJNG.

Additional color on CJNG from the outlet:

The cartel also controls vast fuel smuggling schemes and other underworld rackets across Mexico and the U.S., authorities said.

. . .

Oseguera was known for sophisticated paramilitary tactics and the deployment of hundreds of well-equipped and well-trained gunmen. He controlled vast swathes of territory, especially in his home state of Jalisco. He has been expanding his influence and was locked in a bloody struggle for control of Michoacán state in western Mexico.

Following the death of CJNG’s leader, local media and X users have posted footage of chaos unfolding across the Guadalajara area, including reports of chaos at Guadalajara Airport and narco blockades spanning Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlajomulco, Tapalpa, Puerto Vallarta, Ciudad Guzmán, and Autlán.

Let’s begin with the chaos at Guadalajara Airport:

CJNG blockades across CJNG territories:

Footage from Puerto Vallarta. 

Additional footage. 

Guadalajara is a World Cup Host City… 

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has told all U.S. citizens in Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), parts of Michoacán State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo León State to “shelter in place” amid “ongoing security operations in multiple states and related road blockages and criminal activity.”

*Developing…

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 15:10

DOJ Files To Revoke Citizenship Of Former Mayor Over Alleged Fraud

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DOJ Files To Revoke Citizenship Of Former Mayor Over Alleged Fraud

Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Trump administration said Feb. 20 it has filed court papers to strip a former elected official in Florida of U.S. citizenship for allegedly committing fraud during the naturalization process.

Immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Queens office in the Long Island City neighborhood of New York City on May 30, 2013. John Moore/Getty Images

The civil legal process against former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime was initiated months after the federal government made a policy announcement.

In June 2025, the government said it would begin prioritizing the denaturalization of foreign-born citizens who either “illegally procured” naturalization or procured naturalization by “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.”

Bien-Aime, a native of Haiti, used two identities to secure immigration benefits and eventually obtain U.S. citizenship after unlawfully entering the United States, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) said in a statement.

CIS said the fraud was confirmed by comparing the fingerprints he provided while using the two identities, as part of a joint project carried out by CIS and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

CIS alleged that before he became a U.S. citizen using the name Philippe Bien-Aime, the individual used a fraudulent passport with a switched photo to come to the United States under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. As Janvier, he was ordered deported. He later withdrew his appeal and represented that he had returned to Haiti.

In reality, according to CIS, he remained in the United States, used a new name and birthdate, and was married to a U.S. citizen to procure permanent resident status. The marriage was invalid because he was already married to a citizen of Haiti. He also made various false statements during the immigration and naturalization process and became a U.S. citizen in 2006 using the Bien-Aime identity, CIS alleged.

The DOJ said in a statement that a legal complaint was filed Feb. 18 with the U.S. District Court in Miami to launch the denaturalization proceeding against Bien-Aime. Miami-based U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said U.S. citizenship “is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country.”

“The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order,” Quiñones said in the DOJ statement.

“The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law,” he added.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brett Shumate said the Trump administration “will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship.”

“The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud,” he said in the statement.

The Epoch Times reached out for comment to Bien-Aime. No reply was received by publication time.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 14:15

TSA Suddenly Suspends PreCheck, Global Entry As DHS Shutdown Continues

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TSA Suddenly Suspends PreCheck, Global Entry As DHS Shutdown Continues

Update (1200ET): It appears the potential blowback from shutting PreCheck and Global Entry was just too much to bear as Jake Sherman reports the Trump admin has reverted back to normal on PreCheck but has adjusted its policy in response to the govt shutdown.

“At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public.

As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.

Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies.”

All of which left us wondering – Why do members of Congress get a courtesy escort?

*  *  *

American air travelers were set up for quite a rude Sunday shock, as the Department of Homeland Security suddenly decided to suspend two optional programs that promise fliers speedier passage through TSA security checkpoints in exchange for money. The move, first reported by the Washington Post on Saturday night and still unannounced by the TSA on its website or X account in the early Sunday morning hours, is supposedly necessitated by the ongoing shutdown of DHS.   

According to the Post, the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs will be temporarily suspended effective 6am ET on Sunday. The government’s failure to provide advance notice will put unknowing travelers at risk of missing flights, as many will have no idea that they should have adjusted their plans to allow additional time to wait in security lines.

As if a major blizzard weren’t enough, TSA sprang a PreCheck shutdown on travelers with no advance warning (file photo – Getty via Politico)

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, already enmeshed in controversy and questions about her leadership of the department, told the Post that the shutdown was forcing TSA to make “tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions,” with priority given to “general traveling populations.” Never mind that PreCheck enrollees typically pay $85 for five years of access to a speedier security process, or that Global Entry sets travelers back $120 for five years. The latter program includes PreCheck benefits and also provides expedited customs processes when returning from abroad.

About a third of US passengers use PreCheck — some of them at no cost, such as military service members, Department of Defense civilian employees, and people enrolled in some credit card reward programs. However, the closure of PreCheck will also affect those who aren’t in the program, since the regular lines are set to grow 50% larger on Sunday.  

Compounding the potential aggravation, Noem’s ambush on PreCheck and Global Entry travelers coincides with the pending arrival of a blizzard that’s set to hammer parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States on Sunday and overnight.  Some forecasts predict upwards of one or two feet of snow being dumped on major cities like Philadelphia, New York and Boston, paralyzing major airports. Airlines have already proactively cancelled thousands of flights.  

It’s hard to gauge the extent to which this move is truly required, but we’re compelled to note that there’s a history of presidential administrations deliberately imposing inconveniences on the American people and attributing them to their opponents’ failure to fund government agencies. In the most absurd example, the Obama administration said a lack of funding compelled it to spend money putting barricades and guards around statues and open-air sites that aren’t typically manned by federal employees. 

On Saturday, Noem blamed Democrats for the no-notice PreCheck and Global Entry suspensions: 

“This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress. Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it [sic] endangers national security.”

Democrats on the House Homeland Security committee countered with their own spin: 

The DHS shutdown started on Valentine’s Day, and came after Democrats refused to vote for the department’s funding unless the measure also imposes new requirements and limitations on offices enforcing immigration law. Demands have included a ban on agents wearing masks, requirements to have body cameras, refraining from immigration arrests without first obtaining judicial warrants, and ending roving patrols. 

At the moment, there’s little reason to think the DHS shutdown will end anytime soon. The ICE controversies have emerged as a major leftist rallying point heading into party primaries and the fall midterms, which means Democrats are under huge pressure from their partisans to “resist.” Republicans feel they’ve already ceded ground, agreeing to some provisions, but drawing a line against the warrant, unmasking and roving-patrol demands. “Their whole game here is political theater. This is about them wanting to keep it shut down through the State of the Union,” said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin last week. 

Democrats’ demands came after the ICE shooting deaths of aggressive anti-ICE activists in Minnesota, in two separate incidents. “Funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security should not move forward in the absence of dramatic changes that are bold, meaningful, and transformational,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this month.

In the first incident, Renee Good, who’d used her vehicle to impede ICE officers’ travel, ignored officers’ orders, and then drove her SUV in dangerous proximity to a dismounted ICE agent:

In the second Minnesota incident, Alex Pretti was being apprehended by ICE agents when one of them apparently had an unintended discharge of the pistol he drew from Pretti’s holster — causing panicked fellow officers to shoot Pretti to death. 

The PreCheck and Global Entry shutdown would seem to carry significant political risk for Republicans in general and Noem in particular. Noem is already on shaky ground, having been faulted for making rushed, fact-challenged statements following the ICE shooting incidents, and with the Wall Street Journal reporting that her DHS tenure has been marked by internal chaos and resentments over Noem’s alleged prioritization of her own self-promotion. The latter phenomenon has seen Noem flit from photo op to photo op, donning a variety of outfits and earning the nickname “ICE Barbie.”   

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 13:40

“Devastating” Discovery: New Docs Confirm JPMorgan De-Banked Trump Shortly After Jan 6th Capitol Chaos

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“Devastating” Discovery: New Docs Confirm JPMorgan De-Banked Trump Shortly After Jan 6th Capitol Chaos

New court documents released Friday show JPMorgan Chase told President Donald Trump a month after the January 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol that the bank was closing his accounts.

The disclosure was made amid a $5 billion lawsuit Trump filed against JPMorgan and its CEO Jamie Dimon.

JPMorgan, the nation’s largest bank, said for the first time late Friday that it cut off more than 50 Trump accounts in February 2021, shortly after Mr. Trump’s first term ended.

The accounts included those for Trump hotels, housing developments and retail shops in Illinois, Florida and New York, as well as Mr. Trump’s personal private banking relationship that handled his inheritance from his father, according to letters filed to the court.

JPMorgan did not specify in those letters a specific reason for the mass account closings.

In one unsigned note to Mr. Trump, dated Feb. 19, 2021, the bank wrote that he would need to “find a more suitable institution with which to conduct business.”

The letter closed with, “Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter” – a phrase that President Trump often uses.

As NYTimes reports, the President has maintained for years that his bank account closures were politically motivated, and a spokesperson for his legal team said the newest court documents are “a devastating concession that proves President Trump’s entire claim.”

“[JPMorgan] admitted to unlawfully and intentionally de-banking President Trump, his family, and ​his businesses, causing overwhelming financial harm,” the spokesperson said.

“President Trump is standing up for all those wrongly debanked by JPMorgan Chase and its cohorts, and will see this case to a just and proper conclusion.” the attorneys added. 

Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, which named Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, as a defendant, contended that the bank put Mr. Trump on a blacklist because it “needed to distance itself from President Trump and his conservative political views.”

That echoed earlier complaints from Mr. Trump that Capital One similarly closed his accounts and that Bank of America refused to accept billions of dollars in deposits after the Jan. 6 riots.

The bank told The Epoch Times over email it will seek to dismiss the claims.

“Plaintiffs’ threadbare allegations do not allege sufficient facts to plead a claim,” the institution said.

JPMorgan told The Epoch Times last month that the case “has no merit.”

“[JPMorgan Chase] does not close accounts for political or religious reasons,” JPMorgan previously said.

“We do close accounts because they create legal or regulatory risk for the company.”

“We regret having to do so, but often rules and regulatory expectations lead us to do so.”

These comments were made last month, days after Trump announced on social media his intention to sue the bank.

Since then, Trump’s lawyers have alleged in court documents that JPMorgan closed the president’s accounts because of its “‘woke’ beliefs that it needed to distance itself from President Trump and his conservative political views.”

“In essence, [JPMorgan Chase] debanked Plaintiffs’ Accounts because it believed that the political tide at the moment favored doing so,” the lawsuit states.

JPMorgan added it supports the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent the weaponization of the banking sector. 

There is still much legal wrangling to come. JPMorgan this past week asked that the case be moved from Florida state court, where Mr. Trump has had some success in litigation, to a federal court in New York.

 

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 12:30

CNN Slams Keir Starmer’s “Atrocious” Ratings, ‘Makes Trump Look Like Abraham Lincoln’

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CNN Slams Keir Starmer’s “Atrocious” Ratings, ‘Makes Trump Look Like Abraham Lincoln’

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have plunged to historic lows, with even CNN calling them “absolutely ATROCIOUS” and noting that President Trump appears “downright like Abraham Lincoln” by comparison. This brutal takedown highlights how Starmer’s globalist policies are alienating Brits across the board.

As the Labour leader clings to power, his war on free speech and commitment to protecting illegal immigration is fueling a backlash that could spell the end for his regime. With polls showing just 20% approval, Starmer’s grip on Number 10 looks increasingly tenuous.

The Overton News clip, which has gone viral on X, captures CNN’s scathing assessment of Starmer’s popularity nosedive.

In the segment, analyst Harry Enten declares, “These numbers are absolutely ATROCIOUS! I mean, you never see numbers like this in the United States of America.”

Focusing on the dire stats, Enten points out, “Britons who like Keir Starmer, look at this — overall it’s just 1 in 5! It’s just 1 in 5, 20%!”

Even within his own ranks, support is crumbling:

“His OWN party, Labour, he’s just at 52% there.”

The commentary escalates, revealing, “I’ve even seen numbers with satisfaction in the TEENS — and this is actually HIGHER than the lowest.”

The most striking line compares Starmer unfavorably to Trump:

“You know, we always talk about Donald Trump being unpopular in this country — but Donald Trump looks downright like Abraham Lincoln compared to Keir Starmer’s numbers at this point!”

The latest YouGov survey from February 2026 shows Starmer’s net favourability at -47, with only 22% viewing him positively against 69% unfavorably. That’s an improvement from January’s -57, but still abysmal for a sitting PM.

Other trackers paint an even grimmer picture. Ipsos reported satisfaction in the teens late last year, aligning with CNN’s observations. Opinium’s February poll pegs his net approval at -44, with over half the public calling for his resignation.

Starmer’s woes stem from policies that prioritize globalist agendas over British interests. Mass immigration continues unchecked, straining public services while borders remain porous. Economic missteps, like burdensome regulations on businesses, echo the failures of socialist experiments.

Recall our earlier coverage where a former aide to Starmer revealed how a “stakeholder state” – an unelected network of insiders, NGOs, and civil servants – effectively controls the UK government.

Paul Ovenden described this “political perma-class” as diverting power from voters to elite priorities, wasting resources on fringe issues while ignoring secure borders and sovereignty.

This shadowy influence explains Starmer’s disconnect from the public, leading to approval ratings that rival the worst in postwar history. Historical comparisons show that every UK PM with similar low ratings either lost big or resigned before the next election.

Adding fuel to the fire is Starmer’s aggressive stance against free expression. Threats to ban platforms like X over AI-generated content have drawn international condemnation.

As we reported previously, the US under Trump vowed to deploy its “full arsenal of tools” against such censorship, equating the UK to regimes like Iran. Under-Secretary Sarah B. Rogers warned that nothing is off the table to defend free speech, including facilitating uncensored access via Starlink.

This transatlantic tension underscores how Starmer’s surveillance-state ambitions, like cradle-to-grave digital IDs, threaten core freedoms. Brits are waking up to the hypocrisy: cracking down on online speech while turning a blind eye to real threats like grooming gangs.

Bloomberg notes Starmer’s ratings bounced slightly after a leadership scare but remain deeply negative compared to rivals like Kemi Badenoch (-23) and Nigel Farage (-37). Reform UK, with its America First-style populism, has surged ahead, capitalizing on Labour’s failures.

Even among Labour members, Starmer ranks near the bottom in internal favorability, with a net +5. A gender divide shows women more supportive, but overall, the party is fracturing.

Starmer’s trajectory mirrors the downfall of other left-wing leaders who embraced globalism over national sovereignty. As approval lingers in the doldrums, calls for his ouster grow louder.

The message is clear: Brits demand leaders who put their country first, not puppets of unelected elites. If Starmer doesn’t suddenly reverse course on open borders, economic strangulation, and speech suppression, his tenure could end much sooner than expected.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 11:55

Could The War In Ukraine Go Nuclear?

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Could The War In Ukraine Go Nuclear?

Authored by J.B. Shurk via American Thinker,

Too many influential voices are contemplating how to ‘win’ a nuclear war…

With all eyes on the U.S. military buildup around Iran right now, the Russia-Ukraine War has been temporarily upstaged.  It will not play second fiddle for long.  The recent trilateral talks in Geneva involving the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the United States have been unable to resolve a principal issue of disagreement: Ukraine’s martial-law-president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s refusal to cede any land and Russia’s insistence that the Donbas region — specifically the four eastern territories that have already held a referendum in support of becoming part of the Russian Federation — be acknowledged as sovereign Russian territory.

As the war heads into its fifth year, dangers mount for Europe.  While President Trump wants to end the bloodshed before the violent conflict transforms into something even more catastrophic, too many parties seem committed to ratcheting up the butcher’s bill a while longer.  Unfortunately, there are numerous reasons for prolonging the war that have nothing to do with protecting civilian lives or securing Ukrainian territory.

There is the political reality that a growing embezzlement scandal is taking down high-ranking Ukrainian officials with close relationships to Zelenskyy and the prospect that general peace would mean not only an end to the hold-over-president’s power but also an end to his legal immunity.  There is the dogged determination of the European Commission and certain European nations — particularly the United Kingdom and its Ukraine-obsessed MI6 — to drag the fighting out as long as possible as part of a larger effort to weaken President Vladimir Putin’s control over the Russian Federation.  There is the long-term European Union goal of absorbing Ukraine into the continental federation and eventually welcoming it into NATO — or at least to use the present war as an excuse for positioning European troops close enough to Ukraine’s current battle lines to trigger a U.S. military response once the lives of NATO-allied soldiers are threatened.  There is the dire financial need for the European Central Bank and discrete national Treasuries to use the war as a publicly digestible excuse for fabricating new war bonds, cutting welfare programs, further integrating Europe’s separate national economies, subsidizing Europe’s defense industries, and printing enormous sums of money.  There is the relentless goal of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (selected by the elite members of the European Council and elected not by the European people but rather the European Parliament) to use the War in Ukraine as a justification for expanded powers for her office and the formation of a European-wide military under her putative authority.

For many reasons that have nothing to do with saving lives or resisting invasion, Europe seems committed to prolonging war and forestalling peace.

At the same time, there is a growing sentiment among Russians that a larger war in Europe has become inevitable.  While European political leaders have spent more than a decade publicly framing (1) Russia’s annexation of Crimea, (2) its military assistance to Russian separatist groups in the Donbas region, and (3) its “special military operation” in Ukraine as completely unprovoked instances of “Russian aggression,” most Russian citizens view them as legitimate responses to (1) the U.S.- and E.U.-led coup d’état of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 (an event that the West euphemistically calls the “Maidan Revolution” or “Revolution of Dignity”), (2) the Ukrainian military’s attacks on ethnic Russians, and (3) NATO’s decades-long advance right up to the Russian Federation’s borders.

If European and American leaders intended to weaken President Putin’s domestic support so severely that he would be removed, betrayed, or killed, those efforts have failed.  Instead, a rally-around-the-flag patriotism for “Mother Russia” has swept across the world’s largest nation state.  As European sports leagues banned Russian athletes from competing under their own flag, anger in Russia grew.  As Russians living abroad found their bank accounts frozen for the actions of their government, anger in Russia grew.  As Western news corporations increasingly dismissed politically inconvenient stories as “Russian disinformation,” anger in Russia grew.  Whereas once the prospect of Russian integration with continental Europe seemed likely, Russia now looks East and toward a future with other Asian powers.

A prospect even more unsettling than the current War in Ukraine now takes shape: the quickening drumbeat toward nuclear confrontation.  What U.S. and former Soviet Union leaders spent half a century working to avoid is now discussed too openly for comfort.  American senators, such as Lindsey Graham, have occasionally suggested that effective nuclear deterrence requires U.S. willingness to use the nuclear weapons in its arsenal.  France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Fiedrich Merz have held not-so-secret talks on creating a European-managed “continental nuclear shield.”  Turkish President Recep Erdogan wants nuclear weapons of his own.  Polish President Karol Nawrocki says that his country needs nukes in order to defend against the “Russian threat.”  Meanwhile, one of the most influential intellectuals in the Russian Federation believes that President Putin must be willing to utilize “limited but decisive nuclear strikes using operational-strategic weapons” should European Union powers refuse to retreat.

Russian political scientist Sergey Karaganov says that the E.U. is playing with nuclear fire and must be taught a lesson.  Karaganov is no ordinary academic.  He holds a reputation in Russia similar to Henry Kissinger’s in the United States.  Karaganov is a founding member of Moscow’s prestigious Valdai Discussion Club, the honorary chairman of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a supervisor at the School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, and a personal confidant of both Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Putin.  When Professor Karaganov suggests that the time is approaching when his country must contemplate using nuclear weapons against strategically important areas of Europe, people should listen.

In a lengthy and polemical essay for the foreign-policy journal Russia in Global Affairs, Karaganov argues that Europe’s political “elites” are pushing the continent toward a nuclear confrontation.  He says the War in Ukraine has “dragged on longer than necessary” because of a “lack of determination to employ active nuclear deterrence.”  He argues that nuclear weapons represent the “only mechanism capable of resolving” the “European problem,” a problem that he describes as, “an existential threat to our country.”  Furthermore, “Targets should include places where elites gather, including in nuclear states.  Governments must feel personal risk.”

Professor Karaganov then takes the Russian people through a sympathetic history lesson.  He claims to have had a conversation with a group of European leaders back in 2013 during which he warned that “dragging Ukraine into the E.U. and NATO would lead to war and mass casualties.”  He says they “looked down at their shoes” and mumbled about “democracy,” “human rights,” and “containing Russia.”  Karaganov argues that years of Russian “appeasement” has come at the “terrible cost” of tens of thousands of “brave soldiers” who “lost their lives” in Ukraine.  Describing Russia’s fallen warriors as heroes whose sacrifice cannot be forgotten, he insists that Russia not make the same mistakes of the last two decades.

Striking Ukrainian targets, Karaganov argues, is not a “strategic solution” because “E.U. elites” represent the real threat.  “The conflict will continue until its true source is addressed: Western Europe’s degenerated ruling classes, intellectually, morally, and materially exhausted, who cling to power by fueling war.”  He insists that Russia must “break” Europe’s “will” to keep fighting.  He argues that effective nuclear deterrence is the only way to prevent a larger U.S.-Russia war.  Furthermore, he believes that France and the United Kingdom must be deprived of nuclear weapons because “they have forfeited the moral right to possess them.  Any Western European move toward nuclear proliferation must be treated as grounds for preemptive action.”

Too many influential voices are contemplating how to “win” a nuclear war.  Say a prayer for peace.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 10:45

Shotgun-Wielding Man Killed By Law Enforcement After Breaching Mar-a-Lago’s Security Perimeter

survivalnomics
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Shotgun-Wielding Man Killed By Law Enforcement After Breaching Mar-a-Lago’s Security Perimeter

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi reported on X that a young male was shot and killed after breaching the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, the private resort owned by President Donald Trump.

Guglielmi said the incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. ET, when the man, in his early 20s, was shot by Secret Service agents following an unauthorized entry into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago.

“The individual was observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the spokesman said.

Guglielmi continued:

U.S. Secret Service agents and a PBSO deputy confronted the individual, and shots were fired by law enforcement during the encounter. No U.S. Secret Service or PBSO personnel were injured. No Secret Service protectees were present at the location at the time of the incident.

He said the individual, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier, Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw told reporters at a press conference that the young man was “ordered to drop the two pieces of equipment he had with him. At that time, he put down the gas can and raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”

Bradshaw said two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

He noted that the suspect was from North Carolina and had been reported missing by his family a few days earlier. A preliminary investigation shows he may have acquired a shotgun during his travels, as officers found the box for the gun in his vehicle.

Bradshaw said investigators are compiling a psychological profile of the deceased individual and investigating the motive. When asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw replied, “Not right now.”

The incident was a few miles from his West Palm Beach golf club, where unhinged leftist Ryan Routh attempted to assassinate Trump during the 2024 election. Routh was recently sentenced to life behind bars.

*Developing… 

Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/22/2026 – 10:15

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