THERE’S A LOT OF THAT: ‘Violence Interruptor’ Programs Are Blue State Wishful Thinking, Not Crime Reduction.

After Pritzker touted his meetings with “community violence interventionists” and state-funded “peacekeepers,” praising these “trusted messengers” whose “genuine relationships with the community are crucial to mitigating violence,” some uncomfortable information emerged. As first described by CWB Chicago, one of the “peacekeepers” Pritzker was photographed one-on-one with was apparently wanted on outstanding criminal warrants in four states; worse still, six days after the photo-op, the man was allegedly involved in a high-value commercial burglary culminating in a car crash that killed an innocent motorist.

The awkward photo showing Pritzker grinning alongside the “peacekeeper” has now been removed from the governor’s website. Seeking transparency on how (or even whether) the participants in taxpayer-funded violence intervention programs are vetted, the activist group Judicial Watch initiated a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information from the governor’s office on vetting, background or other checks, and selection criteria both generally and specifically with respect to the “peacekeeper” in the photo-op, including knowledge of his criminal history and warrants. Judicial Watch claims the governor’s office has all but ignored the request, leading to a lawsuit being brought this month seeking to compel disclosure.

There’s clearly no shortage of poor judgment when it comes to these questionable violence interruption programs, even at the nation’s capital.

Read the whole thing.

PROFESSIONAL TODDLERS, WORKING ON THE PUBLIC DIME: The Diaper-Filling Continues: Some Dems to Skip SOTU for Yet Another Rally.

JOANNE JACOBS: Parents say: Bring back pencil and paper.

A small but growing number of parents are opting their children out of using school-issued Chromebooks and IPads, writes Tyler Kingkade for NBC News. They cite “concerns about distractions and access to inappropriate content.”

Parents “point to research showing that students who used computers at school performed worse academically and that information is better retained when read on paper,” he writes. They don’t believe using today’s devices will prepare students to use future technology.

“I want them to be taught through humans,” said Julie Frumin, who lives in a Los Angeles suburb. “I want the teachers to teach my kids — I think they know best.”

After some resistance, the school agreed. Her children get print-outs of assignments, writes Kingkade. ” Instead of playing games on their laptops during free time, they read books.”

“Computers are now ubiquitous in K-12 education,” he writes. Nearly 9 in 10 public schools provide a device for each middle and high school student, as do more than 4 in 5 elementary schools.

Students spend too much time on screens, says David Stein, a math teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland. It’s time to think what’s essential and what isn’t.

Indeed.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT PLANTS LIKE PLANT FOOD?

What a counterintuitive twist in the climate story.

The Sahara Desert of all places has shrunk by about 8% since the 1980s thanks to rising CO₂ levels fueling a remarkable global green renaissance.

Data from NASA’s AVHRR and MODIS instruments show that 25% to 50% of Earth's… pic.twitter.com/0q4FOL2oqA

— Peter Clack (@PeterDClack) February 19, 2026

CHANGE:

Sec. Hegseth says Boeing Defense is relocating its headquarters from DC to St. Louis.

Defense jobs are shifting out of Washington and back to the heartland—where the work actually gets done. pic.twitter.com/2Du4XZrWSx

— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) February 18, 2026

From the replies: “Less lobbying, more building.”

WAY BETTER THAN SKYNET: $200 Million Movie in a Day? Welcome to the End of Hollywood.

HERE IT COMES: Mamdani poised to ‘freeze the rent’ after stacking NYC board with likeminded lefty appointees.

Most of Mamdani’s picks appeared to fall right in his ideological wheelhouse.

Three were “public members:” Self described “disruptive” labor union leader and staunch anti-Israel activist Brandon Mancilla; nonprofit advocacy economist Lauren Melodia, who has authored studies arguing against interest rate increases; and new board chair Chantella Mitchell, a former city housing official with a history of work in affordable housing nonprofits.

Mamdani also appointed one of two landlord representatives, Maksim Wynn, also city Department of Homeless Services official who went on to manage affordable housing for a private developer.

Current tenant representative Adán Soltren, a housing attorney and lecturer, was re-appointed to his position after a history of being vocally anti-rent increase.

Made up of mayoral appointees — five public members, two tenant advocates and two landlord advocates — the board is meant to analyze data regarding both landlords and tenants in a non-partisan way.

All data indicate we must stick it to The Man, comrades!

DECLINE IS A CHOICE:

The European chemical industry – once a pillar of Europe’s competitive strength – has entered an existential phase of decline. INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe delivered the headline figure: since the previous Antwerp Summit in 2024, Europe has lost 101 industrial sites and…

— Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) February 18, 2026

SARAH ANDERSON: A Surprise High-Level U.S. Visitor Lands in Venezuela. “It’s hard to put into words just how historic this is, but it’s yet another win for the Trump administration. I just Googled it to see if the MSM is reporting on it — so far, it looks like just a few outlets, like the Jerusalem Post and Reuters, are the only others mentioning it. That could change tomorrow, but the media does not like to celebrate these wins. I will.”

I TAKE THIS TO MEAN THAT HARVARD STUDENTS AREN’T NEARLY AS LEFT-WING AS THE HARVARD FACULTY OR STAFF — NOT EVEN AFTER FOUR YEARS AT HARVARD:

The ease with which the few dominate the many, the helplessness of the many to protect their rights against the few — this is what happens when an astroturfed pseudo-consensus is enfranchised and the people are disenfranchised. What happens in microcosm even within Harvard has… https://t.co/scRqOFmsew

— Wesley Yang (@wesyang) February 19, 2026

PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Hassett says authors of New York Fed tariff study should be disciplined: ‘Worst paper I’ve ever seen.’

White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said Wednesday that the authors of a recent New York Federal Reserve paper that found U.S. companies and consumers are shouldering most of the tariff burden should be “disciplined.”

In a CNBC interview, the National Economic Council director ripped the report, saying that central bank researchers ignored key aspects of how the duties worked and instead simply focused on prices. Hassett said the research also should have included the upward impact on wages and benefits that U.S. companies see by bringing more production onshore.

“I mean, the paper is an embarrassment,” Hassett said during the “Squawk Box” interview. “It’s, I think, the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined, because what they’ve done is they’ve put out a conclusion which has created a lot of news that’s highly partisan based on analysis that wouldn’t be accepted in a first-semester econ class.”

As long as wage increases continue to outpace price increases — which they generally did in 2025, and one helluva quick turnaround from the Bidenflation years — Trump’s policies are working as intended, no matter what the Fed says.

PROOF THE PETER PRINCIPLE IS POSITIVELY PANGLOSSIAN:

I hadn't realized that the same guy who screwed up in Flint (and if you dig deep on that it was because he didn't understand water chemistry) is now in DC.

Totally makes sense to me but I've been watching this shit for longer than most. https://t.co/fjpLpC3pjE

— John Ringo SF Author (@Jringo1508) February 19, 2026

THIS IS WHO DEMS TRY TO PROTECT: ICE nabs Iranian national with rape, sodomy convictions after Virginia Democrats move to curb cooperation.

The Washington, D.C., office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of an illegal immigrant and Iranian national who had a criminal history that included multiple charges relating to sodomy.

The arrest comes weeks after Gov. Abigail Spanberger reversed by executive order her predecessor Glenn Youngkin’s 287(g) agreement with DHS that allowed the commonwealth’s law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities to share resources and information to help apprehend illegal immigrants and criminals.

Virginia State Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, also crafted a bill to bar Virginia law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE in most instances. The Democratic-controlled chamber passed the measure 21-19.

Gooder and harder, Virginia.

IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC, EVERYONE’S A BILLIONAIRE!

1 USD = 1,637,000 Iranian Rials

Khomeini's face fittingly represents the most worthless currency on planet Earth.

All of Africa has stronger currencies than Iran.

Absolute insanity. This regime has screwed us so badly. pic.twitter.com/J7TKytBvjb

— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) February 19, 2026

Next week, trillionaires.

HMM: U.S. stocks are falling behind. It could be the beginning of an epic shift toward global markets.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Karoline Leavitt’s Continued Manhandling of the Press Is Pure Poetry. “Right off the bat, I would like to say how grateful I am to be on the side where we can say that a woman is ‘manhandling’ someone and not have to deal with a gaggle of male feminist professors getting their gender neutral undergarments in a wad. Yeah, they’re still out there, but conservatives aren’t obligated to participate in the leftist manufactured outrage delusion.”

HOW ARE THOSE NUCLEAR TALKS GOING? Trump has discussed timeline for Iran strikes — including as soon as this weekend — but no decision yet.

Top national security officials have told President Trump the military is ready for potential strikes on Iran as soon as Saturday, but the timeline for any action is likely to extend beyond this weekend, sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News.

Mr. Trump has not yet made a final decision about whether to strike, said the officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national matters.

The conversations have been described as fluid and ongoing, as the White House weighs the risks of escalation and the political and military consequences of restraint.

Over the next three days, the Pentagon is moving some personnel temporarily out of the Middle East region — primarily to Europe or back to the United States — ahead of potential action or counterattacks by Iran if the U.S. were to move ahead with its operation, according to multiple officials.

Stay tuned.

IT’S MY THURSDAY ESSAY FOR VIP SUBSCRIBERS: Make Gunboat Diplomacy Great Again.

THANKS, FELLAS: India seizes three Iran-linked US-sanctioned tankers, source says.

India has seized three US-sanctioned oil tankers linked to Iran this month and stepped up surveillance in its maritime zone to curb illicit trade, a source tells Reuters, confirming a post on X by Indian authorities earlier in February that had been deleted.

India aims to prevent its waters from being used for ship-to-ship transfers that obscure the origin of oil cargoes, the source with direct knowledge of the matter tells Reuters.

The seizures and heightened surveillance follow an improvement in US-India relations. Washington earlier this month announced it will cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, after New Delhi agreed to stop Russian oil imports.

The three sanctioned vessels – Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia – frequently changed their identities to evade law enforcement by coastal states, the source said, adding that their owners were based overseas.

Iranian state media cited the National Iranian Oil Company as saying that the three tankers seized by India had no connection to the company. It said that neither the cargoes nor the vessels were linked to the company.

Well, that’s what you’d expect Iranian state media to say.

GOOD LORD:

The proximate source of NYC’s budget woes is we have the most expensive public schools in the country

$42k+ per student, as enrollment has dropped post pandemic, while spending keeps growing https://t.co/aXYw4PrO8Q

— Arpit Gupta (@arpitrage) February 18, 2026

NYC has about 8.4 million people, and Florida has more than 23 million.

And, of course, the state government in Albany spends on NYC residents, too.

So whatever problems NYC has, they certainly don’t stem from a lack of money.

Exit question: How much of that $42,000 per student actually reaches the classroom, and how much goes to administrators?

IT NEVER IS: Gavin Newsom Wants You to Know It’s Not His Fault That He Doesn’t Know What He’s Doing.

ISN’T THIS HOW “THE THING” STARTED? Pink rocks found in Antarctica lead to the discovery of an enormous structure under the ice.

ICYMI: Fingers Crossed! NASA Is About to Try Fueling the World’s Leakiest Rocket (Again).

AYFKM? Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case.

Judge Nina Froes determined on Feb. 13 that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not provide sufficient admissible evidence to establish that Mohsen Mahdawi was removable, Reuters reported.

Froes said DHS relied in part on a memorandum purportedly signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio but failed to authenticate the document.

As a result, the government was unable to “meet its burden of proving removability,” according to Reuters.

Froes was appointed during the final year of the Biden cabal.

COWARDS: Gutfeld Defends ‘Silence of the Lambs’ While Actors Stay Silent.

Earlier this month, actor Ted Levine apologized for playing serial killer Buffalo Bill in the film.

Levine argued the role was insensitively portrayed, suggesting it caricatured the trans movement. Never mind that the character wasn’t trans, or that the actor took more than 30 years to utter his apology.

He wasn’t alone.

“Lambs” producer Edward Saxon also apologized for Buffalo Bill, the film’s human skin-wearing ghoul.

“From my point of view, we weren’t sensitive enough to the legacy of a lot of stereotypes and their ability to harm.”

Naturally, late-night comedians didn’t defend the film classic. They were too busy pushing Democratic party talking points and misleading viewers about candidate interviews.

Not Greg Gutfeld.

Much more at the link.