Individual Economists

10 Sunday Morning Reads

The Big Picture -

Avert your eyes! My Sunday morning look at incompetency, corruption and policy failures:

• Carl Sagan’s 9 timeless lessons for detecting baloney: Carl Sagan’s baloney detection kit taught us how to separate good science from the work of charlatans. In 2026, that matters more than ever. (Big Think)

• One Generation Runs the Country. The Next Cashed In on Crypto. The Trump sons have made billions in cryptocurrency while their father reshapes the regulatory landscape, but their investors didn’t always fare so well.  Nothing to see here… (Wall Street Journal) see also Binance—Whose Founder Was Pardoned—Now Holds 87% Of Trump’s Stablecoin: Binance holds about 87% of USD1, the stablecoin issued by a Trump family crypto venture—a greater concentration than any other major stablecoin has at a single exchange—underscoring the depth of the financial relationship between Binance, whose founder Trump pardoned in October, and World Liberty Financial, which already has added an estimated $1 billion to President Donald Trump’s net worth. (Forbes)

• Divorce, Hedge-Fund Style: Inside the Breakup at Two Sigma: A rancorous divorce, a feud between billionaires and the future of a trading powerhouse. (Bloomberg)

• Intelligence Dispute Centers on Kushner Reference in Intercepted Communication: A whistle-blower has accused Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, of blocking distribution of a report that Jared Kushner’s name came up in an intercepted communication about Iran. (New York Times)

• Immigration Raids in South Texas Are Starting to Hit the Economy: The economic consequences of mass deportation raids are becoming visible in border communities. Businesses are struggling to find workers, farms are going unplanted, and the economic toll of mass deportation is becoming impossible to ignore. Trade groups are raising alarms about aggressive immigration enforcement hurting businesses in the region  (Wall Street Journal) see also A Raid in a Small Town Brings Trump’s Deportations to Deep-Red Idaho: Deportation operations are no longer limited to blue-state cities; deep-red communities are feeling the impact. Even ruby-red communities are feeling the shock of aggressive immigration enforcement when it arrives on their doorstep. Wilder, Idaho, prided itself on comity. Then federal agents stormed a racetrack outside of town in October, and the reverberations are still shaking the community (New York Times)

• The Misleading Chartcrime That Killed the ACA Subsidies: One bad chart made the rounds in Congress and helped justify gutting health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans. GOP leaders cited data from a Trump-aligned think tank to argue the ACA is “unaffordable”. Health economists say the numbers were spun and the full story tells the opposite. (Healthcare Uncovered / Substack)

• Uncle Sam Wants You! … to Eat “Chlorine Chicken”: The great chlorine-poultry panic of 2026 is upon us, and it’s Donald Trump’s fault. (Slate) see also How America Got So Sick: The health of a nation reflects the health of a democracy. Both are in trouble. (The Atlantic) see also Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak: Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak. Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines. US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show. (The Guardian)

• He Cyberstalked Teen Girls for Years—Then They Fought Back: How a hacker shamed and humiliated high school girls in a small New Hampshire town, and how they helped take him down. (Wired)

• Deadlier Than Gettysburg: How the cruelty of the Confederacy’s prison camps gave rise to the rules of war. (The Atlantic)

• US federal contractor hired white supremacist leader for wildfire relief: Ian Michael Elliott of neofascist Patriot Front worked ‘crisis relief missions’ funded by Department of Agriculture. US federal contractor hired white supremacist leader for wildfire relief: A federal contractor brought on the leader of the Patriot Front white supremacist group for wildfire recovery work. (The Guardian)

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business this week with Heather & Doug Bonaparthe, a married couple who work together and wrote a book on the financial challenges couples face: “Money Together: How to find fairness in your relationship and become an unstoppable financial team.” Our discussion sits somewhere in between financial planning and couples therapy, built around real stories that try to help couples find a healthier approach to money.

 

Home price growth slowed to its weakest pace in more than a decade
Percent of Mortgages in Negative Equity are very high in Parts of Florida and Texas

Source: Calculated Risk

 

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The post 10 Sunday Morning Reads appeared first on The Big Picture.

Trump Promises Voter ID "Whether Congress Approves Or Not"

Zero Hedge -

Trump Promises Voter ID "Whether Congress Approves Or Not"

The SAVE America Act squeaked through the House this week by five votes.

The final tally was 218-213, with Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas standing as the lone Democrat to cross party lines. 

On Friday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) gave Republicans their 50th vote late Friday afternoon, telling Maine Wire the revised bill strikes an appropriate balance between election security and voter access. 

“The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results,” she told Maine Wire.

“Requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on Election Day — as opposed to just a state-issued ID — would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters. That provision is no longer in the bill, and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support.”

With Will Collins on board, Republicans have enough support to pass the bill even without additional backing, with Vice President JD Vance ready to break any tie.

Unfortunately, 50 votes only get the GOP so far. The legislation still lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made clear the bill is "dead on arrival.” 

And Collins herself opposes scrapping the filibuster to ram the measure through.

“I oppose eliminating the legislative filibuster,” Collins said.

“The filibuster is an important protection for the rights of the minority party, that requires Senators to work together in the best interest of the country. Removing that protection would, for example, allow a future Congress controlled by Democrats to pass provisions on anything they want — DC Statehood, open borders, or packing the Supreme Court — with just a simple majority of Senators.”

President Trump, however, is promising that requiring a photo ID to vote will get done with or without Congress.

In a post on Truth Social, he accused Democrats of opposing Voter ID and citizenship verification because “they want to continue to cheat in Elections.”

He said this “was not what our Founders desired” and promised to present an “irrefutable” legal argument on the issue soon. \

Trump vowed that “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not,” and stated that Americans demand “Citizenship, and No Mail-In Ballots, with exceptions for Military, Disability, Illness, or Travel.”

Trump also slammed Democrats as “horrible, disingenuous CHEATERS” for opposing Voter I.D., claiming they “boldly laugh in the backrooms” while opposing it.

He called the lack of Voter I.D. “even crazier, and more ridiculous, than Men playing in Women’s Sports, Open Borders, or Transgender for Everyone.”

Trump urged Republicans to make it “a CAN’T MISS FOR RE-ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS, AND BEYOND,” noting that “Even Democrat Voters agree, 85%, that there should be Voter I.D.”

He called Democratic leaders “Crooked Losers like Schumer and Jeffries,” who label it “racist,” and promised to present legal arguments for action via an Executive Order.

Trump warned that if Democrats regain power, they will “PACK THE COURT with a total of 21 Supreme Court Justices” and warned the country “will never be the same if they allow these demented and evil people to knowingly, and happily, destroy it.”

Trump previously signed an executive order attempting to impose proof-of-citizenship requirements on federal voter registration forms.

That effort crashed into multiple legal challenges and has been systematically dismantled by the courts.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 19:15

Indian Scrapyards Welcome Growing Number Of Dark Fleet Tankers

Zero Hedge -

Indian Scrapyards Welcome Growing Number Of Dark Fleet Tankers

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com

At least three vessels sanctioned by the United States have arrived in recent weeks at the demolition hub of Alang on India’s west coast, following a record 15 dark fleet tankers sent to these scrapyards last year, as the business rebounds despite concerns about dealing with sanctioned ships.  

The Woodchip, built in 1993 and sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 under one of its previous names, is the third tanker to have arrived at Alang in less than a month, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing vessel-tracking data, agent reports, and sources with knowledge of the deals.  

The Woodchip Suezmax ship. Source: MarineTraffic

The arrivals reflect changes to the shape of the fleet that ferries sanctioned or sensitive crude around the world, as more aged vessels begin to edge toward retirement at a time of plentiful supply, and US officials embrace Venezuelan crude - ultimately reducing the number needed to serve a trade previously off-limits. According to shipbroker Braemar Plc, some 128 dark tankers once served Caracas exports.

The total number of the U.S.-sanctioned tankers that have arrived at India’s Alang so far this year already accounts for 20% of the 15 vessels of the dark fleet welcomed in 2025, according to Bloomberg’s analysis.  

The Woodchip was seen sailing slowly in mid January from the Gulf of Oman eastwards, before arriving at India’s Alang late last week.Source: Bloomberg

Dark fleet tankers are much older than legit vessels and could pose environmental threats if left to service sanctioned oil deliveries for too long. 

The increase in tracked arrivals at India’s scrapyards signals that some of the oldest ships of the global shadow fleet are now finally being retired. 

Moreover, the U.S. intervention in Venezuela and the now legit Venezuelan oil sales under U.S. control have reduced the number of vessels needed to haul sanctioned oil. 

The U.S. took control of Venezuela’s oil sales in early January and authorized two of the world’s biggest independent traders, Vitol and Trafigura, to market the crude to buyers in the U.S., Europe, India, and China.  

Before the U.S. ousting of Nicolas Maduro, about 128 tankers of the dark fleet served the oil exports of Venezuela, per data from shipbroker Braemar Plc cited by Bloomberg.  

Previously, most Venezuelan exports were going to China, as they were under U.S. sanctions, and used sanctioned vessels to deliver crude mostly to the independent refiners, the so-called teapots, in the province of Shandong. 

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 18:40

"Billion Dollar Movie In One Prompt": AI Disruption Crosshairs Hone In On Hollywood Studios

Zero Hedge -

"Billion Dollar Movie In One Prompt": AI Disruption Crosshairs Hone In On Hollywood Studios

AI-driven equity disruption was everywhere this past week, spreading like wildfire beyond software into insurance, commercial real estate, financials, shipping, wealth management, and likely many more industries in the coming trading sessions.

One industry in the crosshairs of AI disruption is Hollywood. Some of the publicly traded studios include The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, Sony Group Corporation, Netflix, Lionsgate, and others.

On Friday, Axios reported that the Walt Disney Company sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging that the Chinese tech firm has been infringing on its films to develop Seedance 2.0 without compensation.

Disney's outside attorney, David Singer, wrote a letter to ByteDance global general counsel John Rogovin, accusing the AI company of "pre-packaging its Seedance service with a pirated library of Disney's copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other Disney franchises, as if Disney's coveted intellectual property were free public domain clip art."

"Over Disney's well-publicized objections, ByteDance is hijacking Disney's characters by reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters. ByteDance's virtual smash-and-grab of Disney's IP is willful, pervasive, and totally unacceptable," Singer said.

He added, "We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is shocking considering Seedance has only been available for a few days."

It’s not just ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 that has spooked Hollywood studios.

A growing wave of video-generation models suggests that Hollywood’s moat is crumbling, and its control of the media game is nearing its end.

"Authorities should use every legal tool at their disposal to stop this wholesale theft," the Human Artistry Campaign - a coalition that includes dozens of creative groups such as SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America - said in a statement on Friday.

Seedance 2.0 model ...

Hollywood is living on borrowed time. The next big AI disruption trade could be studios.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 18:05

Judge Weighs Whether To Block Vaccines Changes From CDC, RFK Jr.

Zero Hedge -

Judge Weighs Whether To Block Vaccines Changes From CDC, RFK Jr.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

A federal judge weighing whether to block changes to U.S. vaccine guidance and an advisory panel did not immediately rule Feb. 13 after hearing from attorneys representing medical groups and the government.

Lawyers for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and other groups told U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Boston that recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine schedule and the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel violate federal law and will reduce vaccination rates.

“This is a clear and present danger to public health,” said James Oh, a lawyer for the groups.

Oh said the schedule update, which removed the broad recommendation for six childhood vaccines for diseases including rotavirus, influenza and hepatitis A, “set off alarms” in the medical community and occurred without any rational explanation from the agency.

The CDC on Jan. 5, with backing from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., narrowed the number of vaccines routinely recommended by the childhood schedule.

Government officials said in filings that the the reasoning behind the change was in part due to an assessment carried out by senior health officials that analyzed the U.S. childhood schedule against schedules from other countries.

“The U.S. is a global outlier among peer nations in the number of target diseases included in its childhood vaccination schedule and in the total number of recommended vaccine doses,” the officials, Drs. Tracy Beth Hoeg and Martin Kulldorff, concluded.

The plaintiffs, which also include several women who say changes under Kennedy have prevented them from receiving vaccines, are challenging a series of actions. They focused on arguments for and against imposing an injunction blocking that update and the health secretary’s remaking of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.

Oh said that the committee is not fairly balanced because it is dominated by people who oppose vaccines, in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and urged Murphy to block the committee’s upcoming Feb. 26–27 meeting.

Government lawyers said in a recent brief that the advisory committee members have a variety of employment histories and that the accusation they are anti-vaccine “does not accurately represent the members’ complex and nuanced perspectives and their committee voting records.”

Murphy asked during the hearing whether he could consider the “broader public health impacts” of the changes in vaccine recommendations while weighing the case.

Department of Justice lawyer Isaac Belfer told him health officials were not pursuing an anti-vaccine agenda and welcomed “spirited debate about vaccine policy.”

But he said the Department of Health and Human Services had broad authority to change policy to address a decline in public trust in vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The court cannot substitute its judgment in place of the agency,” Belfer said.

Murphy did not immediately rule.

With the meeting upcoming, he said he “must make a decision in this case on an uncomfortably tight timeline.”

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 17:30

FAA Mandates Airlines To Affirm Merit Hiring For Pilots

Zero Hedge -

FAA Mandates Airlines To Affirm Merit Hiring For Pilots

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing a new mandatory rule that requires all commercial airlines in the country to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots, according to a Feb. 13 statement from the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Under the new mandate, all U.S. carriers must certify that the practice of airlines hiring based on race and sex has ended or face a federal investigation.

“When families board their aircraft, they should fly with confidence knowing the pilot behind the controls is the best of the best,” DOT Secretary Sean P. Duffy said.

“The American people don’t care what their pilot looks like or their gender—they just care that they are [the] most qualified man or woman for the job.”

DOT said that even though the FAA has raised performance standards while eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) based positions within the agency and terminating related contracts, “allegations of airlines hiring based on race and sex remain.”

The action follows President Donald Trump’s executive order on Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, and his presidential memorandum Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation, both issued on Jan. 21, 2025.

In the order, Trump wrote that critical institutions in the country, including large commercial airlines, have adopted “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” under DEI policies that can violate the country’s civil rights laws.

The memorandum ordered Duffy and the FAA to end all DEI initiatives at the agency.

Just over a week after the executive order, Trump blamed DEI hiring practices at the FAA, followed by the previous administration, for a midair crash that occurred on Jan. 29, 2025, killing 67 people. This was the deadliest plane crash in the United States since November 2001.

In its statement, the DOT said the FAA is authorized to prescribe minimum safety standards for airline operations. The operational safety of air carriers is “fundamentally dependent” on the proficiency and knowledge of their crew members.

The DOT said that federal regulations establish stringent training and qualification standards for flight crew members. The effectiveness of these training programs, it said, improves when pilot applicants have the required cognitive skills, qualifications, and technical knowledge.

“It is a bare minimum expectation for airlines to hire the most qualified individual when making someone responsible for hundreds of lives at a time,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

“Someone’s race, sex, or creed, has nothing to do with their ability to fly and land aircraft safely.”

In December 2024, a month before the new Trump administration took office, America First Legal (AFL) said that Southwest Airlines and American Airlines had committed to dropping their DEI policies after the nonprofit filed complaints against the companies.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 16:20

Vast Majority Of Americans Want Voter ID And Democrats Don't Care

Zero Hedge -

Vast Majority Of Americans Want Voter ID And Democrats Don't Care

Are voter ID requirements considered a controversial idea in the eyes of US citizens?  If you watch the establishment media or follow leaders in the Democratic Party then you might think bills like the SAVE Act are the end of freedom as we know it.  However, outside the echo chambers of DNC propaganda, the vast majority of Americans have no problem whatsoever with people proving their US citizenship before they vote in local and federal elections. 

The widespread support for voter ID is undeniable.  Surveys from the past year including those from Pew and Gallup show that, regardless of party or ethnicity, Americans citizens want elections to be protected from manipulation through mass illegal immigration.  

A Pew Research Center survey from August 2025 found that 83% of Americans favor requiring all voters to show government-issued photo ID to vote. This includes:

95% of Republicans

71% of Democrats

Only 16% of people oppose it.

A Gallup poll from 2024 shows 84% support for requiring photo ID to vote, with 98% of Republicans, 84% of independents and 67% of Democrats in approval.

A recent CNN segment featuring number cruncher Harry Enten confirms that the backing for the SAVE Act is also dominant regardless of ethnicity:  85% of white voter, 82% of Latino voters and 76% of black voters all want voter ID.  It's difficult to find many issues which the American public universally supports at this level. 

Democrat leaders, however, don't care that the majority of their own base wants voter ID laws.  Party officials and the left-wing media have engaged in a shameless propaganda campaign designed to frighten the public into opposing the SAVE Act, despite their previous platforms defending majority rule.  They consistently compare the new laws to "Jim Crow" era restrictions, claiming that minorities (and rural Americans) are too dumb to figure out how to get access to state IDs and birth certificates.  

In truth, every state that already has some form of election ID laws has seen a spike in voter participation, not a decline.  Only 8 states have laws demanding proof of citizenship before voting (half of the states are in legal battles to implement them); the other 42 only require that you check a box that says you are a citizen.

When Democrats are asked why they are ignoring their majority of their constituents when it comes to the SAVE Act, they launch into tirades about racism and fascism, but never seem to be able to answer the question.

It's difficult to reconcile the rhetoric of Democrats from 2024 when they wailed and screamed about conservatives being a "threat to democracy" compared to their rhetoric today.  At bottom, the political left only supports majority public decisions when those decisions work in the favor of leftist elites.  

The majority of Americans continue to support the Trump Administration's deportations of all illegal migrants (not just migrants with violent criminal records), but Dem leaders and their NGO partners continue trying to thwart the will of the people.  By extension, voter ID makes it far more difficult for non-citizens to vote and makes it easier for voting records to be checked for discrepancies. 

It's clear that ID requirements and tighter controls on mail-in ballots will work heavily against Democrats and, if passed, they are likely to see a sharp decline in votes across the board.  They are fighting against the SAVE Act because they want oligarchy, not "democracy."  They want minority elitist control over government policy.   

Voter ID is perhaps the most important legal question of our era; it will determine the course of elections for many years to come.  Most western countries have laws in place to prevent illegal migrant voting and foreign manipulation of elections.  The US is the only country in which this type of law is treated as "racist".  

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 15:45

Rubio Says US & Europe "Belong Together", Urges Alignment With Trump's Vision For Western Revival

Zero Hedge -

Rubio Says US & Europe "Belong Together", Urges Alignment With Trump's Vision For Western Revival

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European leaders on Feb. 14 that Washington is not walking away from the transatlantic alliance—but called for a renewed partnership that aligns with President Donald Trump’s push for national revival, tougher border control, and a return to industrial and military strength.

Addressing the annual Munich Security Conference, Rubio sought to reassure governments unsettled by a year of tensions over trade, defense spending, and at times critical U.S. rhetoric toward NATO.

At the same time, he made clear that Washington’s commitment would be tied to what he called a broader civilizational renewal—one that calls on Europe to strengthen its own defenses and reassess policies on migration, climate, and economic globalization.

“Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization’s past,” Rubio said.

“And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference, and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe, for the United States and Europe—we belong together.”

Serving as both a warning and an invitation, Rubio’s remarks acknowledged “mistakes” made by both the United States and Europe in the decades following the Cold War, while highlighting a shared responsibility to correct course.

A Critique of the Post-Cold War Order

Rubio’s address included sharp criticism of the post–Cold War consensus, while also praising it for enabling the United States and its allies to resist the onslaught of Soviet communism and to emerge victorious and prosperous together.

“Even as World War II still burned fresh in the memory of Americans and Europeans alike, we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a new global catastrophe—one with the potential for a new kind of destruction more apocalyptic and final than anything before in the history of mankind,” he said.

With thousands of years of Western civilizational heritage hanging in the balance in the face of a threat from a nuclear-armed, expansionist “evil empire,” Rubio said that a unified resistance within the transatlantic alliance ultimately prevailed.

But what followed the “euphoria of this triumph,” Rubio said, was a descent into a “dangerous delusion” that history had ended, that every country would become a liberal democracy, that economic and trade ties would replace nationhood, that national interest would be replaced by the rules-based global order, which would usher in a world without borders.

“This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature, and it ignored the lessons of over 5000 years of recorded human history, and it has cost us dearly in this delusion,” he said.

“We embraced a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade, even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies to systematically undercut ours, shuttering our plants, resulting in large parts of our societies being de-industrialized, shipping millions of working and middle-class jobs overseas, and handing control of our critical supply chains to both adversaries and rivals.”

Rubio criticized what he called an excessive expansion of welfare states at the expense of national defense, noting that America’s rivals had increased military spending and did not hesitate to use hard power to pursue their national interests.

The West, he said, by contrast, adopted energy policies that impoverished its citizens in order “to appease a climate cult,” while competitors continued to exploit fossil fuels, gaining leverage over Western economies.

He also sharply criticized mass migration policies, rejecting the idea that tighter borders are expressions of intolerance.

“Gaining control of national borders is not an expression of xenophobia or hate,” Rubio said.

“It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty. And the failure to do so is not just an abdication of one of our most basic duties owed to our people—it is an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and the survival of our civilization itself.”

Throughout his speech, Rubio said Europe and the United States are bound together in shared responsibility for a series of strategic missteps that it is now time to correct.

A Call for Restoration

Rubio repeatedly said that renewal should be a shared effort, not something the United States pursues alone. While saying Washington is ready to act independently if needed, he presented Trump’s agenda as an invitation for Europe to join in rebuilding Western strength.

“For the United States and Europe, we belong together,” Rubio said, describing the United States as “a child of Europe,” shaped by centuries of shared history, faith, culture, law, and political traditions.

He said that the fundamental question facing the alliance was not simply how much to spend on defense or how to deploy forces, but rather how to share a common understanding of what the United States and its allies are defending.

“Armies do not fight for abstractions,” Rubio said.

“Armies fight for a people. Armies fight for a nation. Armies fight for a way of life, and that is what we are defending—a great civilization that has every reason to be proud of its history, confident of its future, and aims to always be a master of its own economic and political destiny.”

Rubio called for re-industrialization on both sides of the Atlantic, saying that Europe and the United States should work together to rebuild manufacturing capacity, secure supply chains, and reduce reliance on strategic rivals for critical goods and minerals.

“What we want is a reinvigorated alliance,” Rubio said, “one that does not allow its power to be outsourced, constrained, or subordinated to systems beyond its control.”

The Munich Security Conference, which has long served as a barometer of transatlantic unity, runs through Feb. 15. It comes at a moment its organizers describe as an “inflection point” marked by the erosion of the international rules-based order and mounting instability across the globe.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 15:10

The State Of Love In America: It's Not Looking Good

Zero Hedge -

The State Of Love In America: It's Not Looking Good

Dating and relationships in the US have changed dramatically in the past decade.   Once heralded as a vast clearing house for unlimited hook ups and endless partner options, online dating apps have all but imploded compared the their peak from 2016-2021.  High traffic apps like Bumble have lost 90% of their market value.  Tinder has lost 40% of its users since 2022.  Match Group apps have lost around 50% of their engagement since 2019.  

The word on the street is, the apps are cancer and no one serious about dating actually uses them.  Why?  Female hypergamy is the clear culprit; the fantasy that the grass is always greener on another man's lawn.  Data from match apps indicates that the average woman will only "swipe right" on 6% of all men in any given dating pool.  Meanwhile, the average man will swipe right on around 60% of women.    

This means that the majority of American women suffer from delusions of grandeur and refuse to settle for men that are equal to them in terms of looks and career.  The end result is an increasingly desperate mob of mid-level women all fighting each other for access to the top 5% of men - Men who might sleep with such women, but also men who have no reason to settle down with them.  

Too many options for women result in no options at all.    

In response to the online drought and the explosion in female competition for a tiny portion of rich, successful, 6ft and fit men, Gen Z women are turning back to real world strategies to meet their potential partners.  In other words, they're trying to meet people in person like their parents did in the 1990s. 

TikTok is saturated with women following the "Home Depot" strategy - Looking for marriageable men with skills by dressing up and lurking the aisles of their nearest hardware stores.  The idea has met with mostly failed results.    

The apps are only part of the problem. In 2025, approximately 63% of men aged 18–29 in the U.S. were single, and 34% of women the same age range were single.  Women hit their "loneliness epidemic" later in life, with their chances of finding a partner quickly diminishing after age 30.  Projections indicate that 45% of women 25-44 will be single and never married by the year 2030. 

The media spins this trend as a "positive" consequence of women finding more satisfaction in pursuing career over marriage and family, but this is a fallacy.  Women's happiness and reported mental health has been in steady decline since the rise of Second Wave feminism in the 1970s.  Women consistently exhibit worse mental health than men despite reporting "greater satisfaction" with their economic prospects .  The trend tracks almost exactly with the increase in women choosing work over husbands and children. 

Married mothers and fathers report having the highest rate of happiness in their daily lives.   

As the establishment media gleefully reminds the public on a weekly basis, men are increasingly checking out of the dating market.  They're calling it the "men's loneliness epidemic" and, in most cases, they blame men for the problem.  Two narratives are regularly repeated:  Men are either too intimidated to approach women and ask them out, or, men are too conservative, poor, unattractive, not in tune with their emotions, etc.  In other words, men are not good enough and women have surpassed them in value. 

Reality is quite the opposite.  Men have, in fact, stopped looking at most modern women as viable partners and instead see them as a parasitic presence that feeds on their money and their peace.

To put it bluntly, relationships are in decline in the west because of women, not men.  To be more specific, liberal feminist women have poisoned the dating pool and driven men to voluntarily walk away from the traditional dating scene.

Evidence of this can be seen in the lack of male participation in dating events across the country.  Singles mixers in every major city are reporting a flood of female participants and a lack of male attendees.  Event organizers are giving up.  Men in the US are not lonely so much as they are deliberately avoiding exposure to western women. 

Men who have the means are going overseas to countries with more traditional cultures in the hopes of meeting women who are not infected with feminism; women who actually have the capacity to put family above their own immediate desires.  This movement of men is often referred to as "Passport Bros" and it is driving liberal women insane. 

Social media is rife with complaints from feminists demanding that Passport Bros stop going overseas to "exploit" poor women in third world countries.  They argue that these men are traveling because they aren't good enough to get a "high level" women in the west.  In fact, they are traveling to foreign countries because the women in the west are considered low level and not worth dating. 

For example, there is no movement of foreign men traveling to the US looking for American women.  Young women in the US are viewed as the worst possible prospects for a happy future - Prone to avoid having children until much later in life (if ever).  Prone to high rates of divorce.  Prone to be combative and unstable.  Prone to put themselves and their short term happiness over the happiness of their families. 

As another Valentines Day passes us by, the state of relationships and dating in the US is growing bleak.  Men are giving up and women continue to suffer from an over-inflated sense of value.  The ultimate solution to the decline is obvious:  Put an end to feminism and recognize that a certain level of "patriarchy" is necessary for the survival of the species.        

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 14:35

Elon Demands Investigation Into Reid Hoffman’s "Ice Cream For The Girls" Epstein Ties

Zero Hedge -

Elon Demands Investigation Into Reid Hoffman’s "Ice Cream For The Girls" Epstein Ties

Authored by Steve Watson via modernity.news,

Elon Musk has ramped up his assault on LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, demanding a full investigation into the Democrat mega-donor’s disturbing Epstein connections—including buying “ice cream… for the girls” and offering PR help as the child trafficking scandal erupted.

This latest clash exposes Hoffman’s role in Epstein’s elite circle, where he exchanged over 1,700 emails, called the sex offender a “very close friend,” and stayed at all three notorious properties, while funneling millions into anti-Trump dirty tricks that undermine American democracy.

The feud intensified when Musk responded to a detailed thread by investigative poster @KanekoaTheGreat, who highlighted Hoffman’s Epstein entanglements. “Hoffman should be investigated,” Musk stated bluntly, echoing his earlier calls for scrutiny.

In the thread, emails reveal Hoffman offering “ice cream… for the girls” and a “metal sculpture for the island” during his visits to Epstein’s Little St. James, New Mexico ranch, and Manhattan townhouse. One chilling message shows Hoffman regretting a missed opportunity to deliver a gift, responding “likewise” to Epstein’s disappointment and promising it “will wait for the next opportunity.”

Even more damning, in January 2015—as global headlines blasted allegations of Epstein trafficking Virginia Roberts to Prince Andrew—Hoffman offered to assist with Epstein’s negative press coverage. Why would a top Silicon Valley figure and Democrat powerhouse step in to shield a convicted predator during his downfall?

Musk didn’t hold back in his direct confrontations with Hoffman on X. When Hoffman claimed the FBI had “cleared” him and pointed fingers at Musk, the Tesla CEO shot back: “Liar, you are guilty of dark deeds and haven’t been cleared of anything. You stayed at Epstein’s island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico and Epstein’s house in New York. You offered to help him with PR. You gave him gifts … Maybe if it was only one stay over, you could claim it was a mistake. Maybe. But there is NO possible explanation for the second time, let alone the third time. As the record shows, you were an eager repeat customer.”

Musk has stated that he consistently rejected Epstein’s advances, noting how the pedophile used Hoffman’s involvement to try luring him: “Epstein hounded me relentlessly to go to his pedo island and I always declined. Not you though. You actually went.” He questioned the “gifts” Hoffman provided, tying into revelations of private jet discussions and mutual expressions of missing each other.

Hoffman, who has donated over $100 million to Democratic causes, has weaponized his wealth against political foes. He funded fake Russian bots on Twitter, bankrolled the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit against President Trump, and supported Clear Choice PAC’s lawfare to boot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West from battleground state ballots—stripping voters of choices while claiming to defend democracy. He also backed Fusion GPS, the firm behind the Steele dossier that smeared Trump as a Russian asset.

Despite admitting to MIT fundraising ties with Epstein and expressing regret, Hoffman downplayed the extent of their “bromance.” Files show ongoing Skype calls, sushi meetings, and interactions into 2016 in Palo Alto and Cambridge—years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.

This builds on prior exposures, like venture capitalist David Sacks slamming The New York Times for downplaying Hoffman’s 2,600 mentions in the files while hounding right-leaning tech leaders like Musk and Peter Thiel. Sacks pointed to Hoffman’s “multiyear relationship” and accused media of protecting left-wing insiders.

The Justice Department’s document dump continues to reveal Epstein boasting of “wild dinners” with Hoffman, Mark Zuckerberg, and others, illustrating how these ties rehabilitated Epstein in Silicon Valley post-conviction.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 14:00

Iran Regime Change Would Be 'Best Thing', Trump Signals

Zero Hedge -

Iran Regime Change Would Be 'Best Thing', Trump Signals

President Donald Trump continues to signal that he wants to see government overthrow in Iran, having told reporters Friday that regime change in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen" - at a moment he's also confirmed a second carrier group has been dispatched to the region.

Speaking to reporters after visiting troops at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, Trump doubled down just hours after confirming he is sending the second carrier strike group from where it was operating in the Caribbean.

"It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen," Trump said when asked about pushing for the removal of the Ayatollah and the Islamic Republic. "For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking."

All of this also comes days after Trump hinted that another round of nuclear talks with Iran could be imminent. Those discussions have so far failed to materialize, and there are reports saying more Oman-based talks are slated for next week.

"In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it," Trump said of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier deployment. "It’ll be leaving very soon."

At the moment, inside Iran, forty-day mourning ceremonies are underway for thousands killed during last month’s sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests; however, police and security services are still firmly in control of the streets and the country.

The Ford will reinforce the USS Abraham Lincoln and its guided-missile destroyers, which have been operating in the region for more than two weeks.

US Navy officials expected that it will take the Ford a least a week to arrive in Mediterranean waters, but from there it's unclear whether it would then go through the Suez Canal to get closer to southern Iran.

Trump had also earlier made clear to Tehran that failure to cut a deal would be "very traumatic" even as US diplomacy clings to the possibility of a quick agreement.

Early this past week, he told Axios: "Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," he told Axios to kick off the week. The Iranians will no doubt have this ringing in their ears headed into a planned second round of talks.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 13:25

'Miss America' Org Dethrones Winner For Daring To Say 'A Woman Is A Woman'

Zero Hedge -

'Miss America' Org Dethrones Winner For Daring To Say 'A Woman Is A Woman'

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Kayleigh Bush, the 2024 Miss North Florida champion, has been stripped of her title and barred from competing in the Miss America nationals—all because she wouldn’t sign a revised contract that essentially erases the biological definition of womanhood to include men who’ve undergone surgeries.

The Miss America organization demanded Bush affirm transgender participation, turning a century-old celebration of women into another battleground for gender ideology. 

Bush, standing her ground on basic truth, called it out as a betrayal of the pageant’s legacy.

Bush revealed the ordeal in a recent interview, explaining how she was pressured months after her win to accept new language in the contract. The rules now define eligible “women” as including those who’ve completed “Sex Reassignment Surgery via Vaginoplasty (from male to female).” Bush refused, stating flatly that she couldn’t agree to the idea that “a little boy could mutilate his body and become a woman.”

“It was heartbreaking. It was confusing. It was disappointing,” Bush said. “Because Miss America has been honoring women for over 100 years, and now they can’t even define what a woman is.”

She added that the organization had changed the contract four weeks after her victory, forcing her into a corner. “I didn’t lose my crown because I broke a rule. I lost the crown because I was unwilling to rewrite the truth,” Bush told TMZ.

Her mother joined the fight, leading to weeks of appeals, emails, and even involvement from Liberty Counsel, a legal group defending religious freedoms. But Miss America doubled down, refusing to budge.

A spokesperson for the pageant defended the decision, claiming it’s about “fairness to all contestants and adherence to nondiscrimination principles.” 

They further insisted the contract doesn’t force personal belief changes but ensures no “discriminatory conduct.” In other words, contestants must play along with the fiction or get booted—hardly the empowerment women were promised.

This is far from an isolated incident; it’s part of a broader pattern where transgender individuals are infiltrating and dominating women’s spaces, even pageants.

Back in 2023, the Miss Universe pageant made headlines when its new owner, a transgender businesswoman, celebrated the event as being “run by women”—prompting widespread mockery for the obvious irony.

Miss Universe’s shift under transgender ownership turned it into what many called an “international drag queen show.”

Examples abound. In 2018, Angela Ponce became the first transgender contestant in Miss Universe, representing Spain. 

By 2022, an individual known as Kataluna Enriquez won Miss Nevada USA, and in 2023, Rikkie Kollé took the Miss Netherlands crown.

Amid the push for transgender inclusion, not all pageants are folding to the pressure. In a refreshing contrast, the Miss Italy pageant doubled down on biology back in 2023, explicitly banning transgender contestants and requiring all entrants to be “a woman from birth.”

Patrizia Mirigliani, the competition’s patron, described the policy as longstanding, predicting even then that gender ideologies might try to warp beauty standards.

 

Mirigliani slammed other contests for chasing media buzz by including trans participants, calling it “a little absurd” and refusing to “jump on the glittery bandwagon of trans activism.” She emphasized avoiding “excesses” that distort aesthetics, framing it as part of a broader defense of traditional views on womanhood.

Critics argue this trend isn’t about inclusion—it’s about conquest. Women’s sports have seen similar invasions, with transgender athletes like Lia Thomas dominating swimming events and sparking lawsuits from displaced female competitors. 

Beauty pageants, once a platform for empowering young women, now risk becoming performative spectacles where biology takes a backseat to ideology.

Bush remains hopeful, urging Miss America to “return to truth.” Her stance echoes a growing resistance among Americans tired of forced compliance with radical gender theories. Groups like Liberty Counsel are stepping up, framing these battles as defenses of free speech and religious liberty against corporate wokeness.

If even pageants can’t uphold the simple reality that women are women, what’s left for actual women to celebrate?

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 Sat, 02/14/2026 - 12:50

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans For Teens

Zero Hedge -

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans For Teens

After Australia's first-of-its-kind social media ban for adolescents under the age of 16 came into effect in December, more countries in Europe and elsewhere are taking steps to implement their own restrictions.

As Katharina Buchholz reports, according to Statista research, France and the United Kingdom have gotten furthest, with laws passing in one chamber each of the countries' bicameral legislatures as of early February. While the latter country is also aiming to ban social media for kids under the age of 16, France's proposed law targets only those under the age of 15.

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans for Teens | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

Six more nations have seen country leaders announce initiatives aiming to ban social media access for adolescents.

While Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Spain all have more restrictive regulations in mind, excluding those under the age of 16, Greece is aiming to exclude those under the age of 15 and Austria those under the age of 14 from social media.

Social media, including personalized algorithms and the possibility to scroll endlessly, is receiving scrutiny for its effect on mental health, especially in younger people.

Social media addiction can affect any age group, but it is seen as especially harmful in adolescents which are still developing social behaviors, body image and time management skills.

Two more planned bans announced in Europe, by Portuguese and Danish leadership, are reportedly willing to leave a back door open for parental consent, putting them in a different category that already exists in several nations like France, Italy and, since recently, Brazil, where children of the applicable ages can access social media sites if their parents are in agreement.

While outright bans like the Australian one often plan implementation via a strict official age-verification mechanism, parental consent regulation can work by linking parents accounts, for example. Instagram has meanwhile already rolled out this feature in Europe, the U.S., Australia and Canada, with teenagers between the ages of 13 to 15 only in the position to disable a special restricted account mode with the consent of their parent's account. Like other platforms, Instagram accepts users from the age of 13, but this restriction is so far not tied to verification. In the EU, social media sites are since 2018 under further restrictions concerning the use of personalized ads for minors.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 12:15

Venezuela Oil Revenue Projected To Hit $5 Billion Under U.S. Control

Zero Hedge -

Venezuela Oil Revenue Projected To Hit $5 Billion Under U.S. Control

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com,

Venezuela’s oil sales, under the control of the United States for five weeks now, are set to bring $5 billion over the next few months, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News in an interview.   

“Sales today are over a billion dollars, and in fact, we have sort of short-term agreements over the next few months that will bring in another $5 billion,” Secretary Wright said in the interview during a historic visit to Venezuela to meet with the interim President Delcy Rodríguez.  

The United States has already transferred $500 million in proceeds from sales of Venezuelan crude oil to Caracas, following the deal agreed by the two governments in January.  

All the money from the oil sales, handled by top commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura, goes back to Venezuela from a U.S. Treasury-controlled account, Secretary Chris told NBC News.  

There is a lot of work to be done and massive investments need to flow for Venezuela to restore its oil industry, “But it's on the road to becoming investable,” Secretary Wright told NBC News.  

At last month’s White House meeting of U.S. President Trump with oil executives, ExxonMobil’s CEO Darren Woods said that “If we look at the legal and commercial constructs—frameworks—in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable.”  

During the visit to Venezuela, Secretary Chris said earlier this week that Venezuela’s crude oil production could surge as soon as this year.

“This year, we can drive a dramatic increase in Venezuelan oil production, in Venezuelan natural gas production and Venezuelan electricity production,” the U.S. official said. 

Commenting on a recent change in Venezuela’s oil law, Wright said that it was “a meaningful step in the right direction”, as quoted by AP, but “probably not far and clear enough to encourage the kind of large capital flows.”

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 11:40

Demented: Councillor Pushes Kids To Send Valentine's Cards To Illegal Male Migrants

Zero Hedge -

Demented: Councillor Pushes Kids To Send Valentine's Cards To Illegal Male Migrants

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A Green Party councillor in the UK has sparked outrage by announcing plans to take her young grandchildren to deliver handmade Valentine’s Day cards to adult male asylum seekers at a migrant camp.

This comes amid widespread local opposition to the government’s decision to house hundreds of illegal migrants in a former military base, and fresh revelations about horrific crimes committed by similar arrivals.

Anne Cross, an East Sussex County councillor, made the announcement at a heated public meeting, claiming it would help “dispel fear” by encouraging people to “hear the stories” of the migrants. “There is nothing like getting to know people and hearing their stories in order to dispel fear,” she said. “My grandchildren and I painted some Valentine’s Cards at the weekend which we are going to be presenting to the men at Crowborough as a welcome.”

The camp in Crowborough, a former army cadet training site, has been repurposed by the Home Office to accommodate up to 540 male migrants who arrived via small boats. Local residents have protested the move, with demonstrations highlighting concerns over safety and community impact. The additional policing costs alone are projected at £5.62 million, according to Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

Cross urged community representatives to “stand with all those who share the love,” but her plan has been met with fierce backlash. Sussex Weald Conservative MP Nus Ghani called it “disturbing” and “highly irresponsible,” pointing to “widespread concern locally” and a lack of “regard for safeguarding” when involving children with “single adult men.”

Unfazed, Cross insisted the cards would be anonymous and that “there has been much misinformation about the men who will be housed in the camp and this has created a climate of fear.” She added, “But there is no evidence children or women are at a higher risk from people seeking asylum than other sections of our society.”

This naive stance ignores a pattern of sexual crimes linked to asylum seekers across the UK. Just days ago, details emerged of a chilling case where Ahmed Müller, a 23-year-old Afghan national who arrived illegally by small boat four months prior, was convicted of abducting, raping, and filming a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.

The victim described the ordeal: “He was trying to strip my clothes off. He said nothing. He was laughing. I was saying, ‘Get off me.’ But he didn’t say anything. He just carried on. He was saying that he was going to kill my family. I was scared. He took photos. It felt weird. Why was he taking pictures of that?”

Müller showed no remorse, even blaming the child by claiming she demanded he film the attack. Immediately after, he used a government-issued debit card to buy a drink, which helped identify him. Warwickshire Police initially withheld his identity as an illegal migrant, citing “community cohesion,” and threatened a local councillor with contempt of court for trying to reveal it.

As reported on GB News, Crowborough resident Sammy White slammed Cross’s idea as “downright dangerous,” noting, “These men have very little respect for women and children.” She expressed being “appalled” at the councillor’s plan to deliver cards to asylum seekers in Crowborough.

Cross, elected in August 2023 and proudly captioning a family photo “AnnMa’s crew” with a kiss emoji, defends the gesture as a common practice among refugee charities. Yet, with Afghan nationals committing sex crimes at a rate 20 times higher than the British population since 2021, and over 37,000 imported in that time, such actions expose the reckless hypocrisy of open-borders advocates.

The government’s dispersal of migrants into houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) means families could unknowingly live near potential threats.

This episode underscores the failures of unchecked mass migration, where virtue signaling trumps child safety and community concerns. Until borders are secured and deportations ramped up, these dangers will persist, eroding the fabric of British society.

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 Sat, 02/14/2026 - 10:30

MiB: Douglas and Heather Boneparth, Money Together

The Big Picture -



 

 

Valentine’s Day Special!

This week, I speak with Douglas and Heather Boneparth. Doug is the president of Bone Fide Wealth and Heather is the firm’s Director of Business and Legal Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. They also discuss their new book “Money Together.” They discuss the challenges couples can face discussing their finances, why marriages with joint checking accounts tend to last well, and how to navigate money as a couple.

They discuss why in relationships, money issues are sometimes not about money, but something else.

A list of their current reading/favorite books is here; A transcript of our conversation is available here Tuesday.

You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Hilary Allen, Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law. She specializes in financial regulation, banking law, securities regulation, and technology law, with a particular focus on how new financial technologies like fintech, crypto, and AI intersect with financial stability and public policy.

 

 

 

Published Book

 

Current Reading/Favorite Books

 

Books Barry Mentioned

 

The post MiB: Douglas and Heather Boneparth, Money Together appeared first on The Big Picture.

In Latest Blow To Free Speech, German Courts Could Issue "Speaking Ban" Against Top AfD Politician

Zero Hedge -

In Latest Blow To Free Speech, German Courts Could Issue "Speaking Ban" Against Top AfD Politician

Via Remix News,

German courts are currently deliberating whether leading Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Björn Höcke could be hit with a “speaking ban” during a campaign event in the city of Lindenberg im Allgäu.

The move could signal a worsening of free speech in Germany, with Höcke using the legal proceedings to make the case that his fundamental rights are being violated.

“Democrats of all countries, look to Germany! Right now, German courts are seriously deliberating whether I should be issued a speaking ban for political events! I am entitled to the fundamental right to exercise freedom of speech. I am a member of a constitutional body. I am the opposition leader of a German parliament,” wrote Höcke.

“And then there is also the party privilege: So in the future, a supposedly neutral administration should be allowed to decide with whom a party may conduct election campaigning and with whom not? That is absurd! What we are witnessing here is yet another attack on parliamentary democracy in Germany,” he added.

The move to ban Höcke from speaking comes after the city of Lindenberg im Allgäu lost its initial effort to ban the campaign event entirely. Now, the city is shifting its strategy to specifically bar Björn Höcke from the stage.

The city originally attempted to cancel the AfD’s rental of the town hall entirely. However, the Augsburg Administrative Court blocked this move during urgent proceedings, declaring the total revocation of the hall inadmissible. Crucially, the judges noted that “as a milder priority measure, a ban on speaking for Mr. Höcke” was a legally viable alternative.

According to a city spokesperson, Lindenberg is now pursuing this option, according to the BR news outlet.

In response, the Westallgäu-Lindau AfD district association has signaled its intent to challenge this speech ban in court. In a court hearing expected to take place in Augsburg today, a final ruling is expected to be issued.

The dispute centers on a rally scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, in the municipal Löwensaal, where the AfD intends to introduce its candidates for the upcoming local elections on March 8. The city moved to reclaim the hall once it became clear that Höcke, the Thuringian AfD leader, was on the guest list.

City officials justified the move by stating they expected “criminal statements as well as statements approving of the Nazi dictatorship and anti-Semitic statements” from Höcke, specifically citing his two previous convictions for using a prohibited Nazi slogan.

While the Administrative Court found the city’s concerns to be “understandable,” they ruled that canceling the rental outright violated the principle of equal treatment for political parties. The court maintained that the administration’s arguments were “not sufficient for such a step.”

As the legal battle continues, local tensions are high. Opponents of the AfD have organized rallies and a demonstration, with at least 2,000 participants expected to gather in Lindenberg.

Lindenberg is not the only municipality fighting a “Höcke appearance” this week. A similar battle is unfolding in Seybothenreuth, Upper Franconia, where Höcke is slated to speak on Saturday. The local municipality is also attempting to block his speech, and a decision from the Bayreuth Administrative Court is expected this Thursday.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 09:55

Newsom Tells Europe "Trump Is Temporary," Doubles Down On Failing Green Agenda

Zero Hedge -

Newsom Tells Europe "Trump Is Temporary," Doubles Down On Failing Green Agenda

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at the Munich Security Conference earlier on Friday, telling European elites that President Trump is "temporary" and will be gone within three years.

Newsom, noticeably angered by Trump's push for deregulation and the rollback of climate policy, lashed out at the president, calling him "more destructive" than the current occupant of the White House.

The issue for Newsom is that he still operates within the climate crisis framework promoted by globalists, even as the West is moving on from two decades of nation-killing green policy regime that hollowed out parts of the industrial base and fueled inflation.

On Thursday, President Trump rescinded the 2009 Obama-era "Endangerment Finding," a determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, which he said has been used by the radical left to justify $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs that have hurt American households and sent consumer prices soaring, especially for automobiles.

"The single largest deregulatory action in American history. That's a big statement in American history, and I think we can add the words by far," Trump told reporters.

Also this week, there was considerable discussion among industry leaders in Europe about Brussels watering down carbon-pricing markets, which have made electricity outrageously expensive and crushed the industrial base (Goldman explained more here).

And it is not just Trump and European industry leaders pushing to unwind green policies that have financially crushed working-class families and hollowed out the industrial base; major companies are also dialing back EV production plans and softening green targets as the net-zero dream collides with reality.

Here's what Newsom said earlier at the MSC (courtesy of Real Clear Politics):

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: Donald Trump is doubling down on stupid.

California has been a leader in climate policy going back to Ronald Reagan. In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan established the first tailpipe emissions standards in the United States of America and created the California Air Resources Board. Three years later, a president by the name of Richard Nixon — another Republican — codified California's leadership under the Clean Air Act.

Never in the history of the United States of America has there been a more destructive president than the current occupant in the White House in Washington, D.C. He's trying to recreate the 19th century. He's a wholly owned subsidiary of big oil, gas, and coal. He's quite literally reopening coal plants in the United States of America.

He's received close to half a billion dollars in campaign contributions. He asked for $1 billion — look it up — in return for basically eliminating all regulations in the United States of America. De facto, he just did that yesterday with federal regulations and the endangerment finding.

It is code red in terms of American leadership in this space — low-carbon, green growth — and I know a thing or two about this. I represent the fourth-largest economy, from a GDP perspective, in the world, and we ran the fourth-largest economy last year nine out of ten days on 100% clean energy — two-thirds renewable energy.

We've seen our GDP grow by 81% since 2000, and we've reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 21%. Seven times more clean energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs.

We're proving at scale that we can implement, we can compete, and we can dominate. But Donald Trump is trying to turn back the clock. And so we're showing up, but we're also showing what can be accomplished — the power of emulation.

We are in the great implementation in my state.

Final word. I hope, if there's nothing else I can communicate today: Donald Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in three years. California is a stable and reliable partner in this space, and it's important for folks to understand the temporary nature of this current administration in relationship to the issue of climate change and climate policy.

MODERATOR]: Governor, many have called Joe Biden the climate president, but that didn't help with his re-election. So how important do you think climate issues will be for the 2028 presidential election?

GAVIN NEWSOM: Well, you may not believe in science, but you've got to believe your own eyes. I mean, people are burning up, choking up, heating up. We have simultaneous droughts and floods. Historic wildfires. You may know little about California, but you've seen those images of these wildfires.

Talk about being as dumb as we want to be — places, lifestyles, traditions being wiped off the map. Greenville. Paradise, California.

And so this issue has been brought home in a very personal way, not a political way. Senator Whitehouse is here — he's also someone who deeply understands that climate risk is financial risk. It's becoming uninsurable.

This is an economic issue, not just a moral issue. It's not just a competitiveness issue. And so it's incredibly important that we talk in those terms to address some of the political dynamics. But it's again something we're on the other side of in California.

It's a big blue state, but it also has more Republicans than most Republican states. And we have long moved beyond the partisanship on this issue, because there is no Republican thermometer, there's no Democratic thermometer — there's just reality.

And people in my state have been mugged by reality. Those that have been in denial understand that we're on the other side of the debate.

Watch Here:

The key question is why Newsom continues to prioritize a failed green agenda instead of pursuing deregulation and other relief measures for working-class families; for now, Trump is the one pressing ahead with what he describes as historic deregulation.

We think we know why. Newsom serves...

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 08:45

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Zero Hedge -

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The UK government has issued new guidance allowing primary school children, some as young as four, to ‘socially transition’ the gender by changing their pronouns at school.

According to reports in The Times, the guidelines state that parents should be involved in the “vast majority” of cases where a child questions their gender, and schools should not initiate steps towards social transitioning.

However, the move has sparked outrage, with critics arguing it undermines parental rights and exposes vulnerable children to harmful ideologies.

 

The guidance specifies that “social transitioning in primary schools should happen very rarely,” but “children will be allowed to change their gender and adopt different pronouns.”

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, lambasted the new guidance during an appearance on TalkTV, asserting that schools have been “indoctrinating children” with trans ideology for a decade, influenced by online content, influencers, and lobby groups like Stonewall and Mermaids that have been “mis-training teachers.”

She emphasized that “the government has started a de-radicalisation programme but we actually need to de-radicalise a whole generation of teachers,” adding that the guidance falls short because “only total clarity will stop it” at this point, as the issue has “gone so far.”

Joyce urged the public to respond to the 10-week consultation on keeping children safe in education, stressing that “no child can change sex.”

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, said: “It should be clear by now that allowing children and parents to think that a child who starts their education as a girl can graduate as a boy, or vice versa, is a dangerous fairytale.”

Forstater noted that while the guidance has generated backlash, there are elements of it that constitute a step forward.

This latest development comes amid ongoing controversies over gender ideology and children, with trans lobbyists continuing to push extreme agendas.

Radicals from Stonewall have demanded schools stop calling pupils ‘boys and girls’ and that they replace ‘he’ and ‘she’ with ‘they’ to “remove any unnecessarily gendered language” from classrooms.

The group also advocated for gender-neutral bathrooms and uniforms in schools, even offering rewards for compliance.

A publicly funded LGBT group in Scotland was exposed for urging teachers not to inform parents about children ‘transitioning,’ with guidance stating that “a transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity” and that inadvertent disclosure could cause stress or risk.

These lobbyists, including LGBT Youth Scotland receiving nearly £1 million in taxpayer funds annually, have signed up over half of Scotland’s secondary schools and 40 primary schools to their schemes.

The new English guidance appears to continue this trend, despite the landmark Cass Review in 2024, which concluded that evidence for puberty blockers and gender-affirming care for children is “remarkably weak” and built on “shaky foundations.” 

The review led to a ban on puberty blockers for under-18s outside clinical trials, highlighting risks like impacts on bone health and fertility.

Yet, controversy persists with a planned clinical trial in 2026 assessing puberty blockers’ risks and benefits for about 220 children under 16. 

Campaigners have launched legal efforts and petitions to suspend it, arguing it could harm vulnerable kids, with a government response acknowledging the “unacceptable safety risk” but proceeding to gather evidence.

The new guidance also comes despite the UK Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex at birth, not altered by a Gender Recognition Certificate.

The latest development is thus a massive step backward, allowing activist-driven policies to once again infiltrate education while sidelining science and parental authority.

With detransition lawsuits mounting and evidence mounting against hasty transitions, protecting children’s innocence from ideological overreach remains paramount.

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 Sat, 02/14/2026 - 08:10

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