WATCH — @jamestalarico.bsky.social : “Every dollar we spend bombing people in the Middle East is one we’re not spending here at home. We’re always told we don’t have enough money for schools or healthcare or for veterans, but there’s always enough to bomb people on the other side of the world.”

Google pledges roughly three hours of its annual profit to fight climate change Google and others are committing $100 million to combat climate change.

The perfect headline doesn’t exi…

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

RESULT: Over & over, Democratic lawmaker Shelly Willingham helped the North Carolina GOP override the vetoes of Governor Stein & Cooper.

He lost just now to a progressive challenger, 56% to 44%.

(And he's likely one of several in this position. Stay tuned.)

> @covie93.bsky.social

t MeidasTouch, we have made our position clear. We do not both-side attacks on democracy. We do not sanitize threats to journalists. We do not pretend that efforts to dismantle the rule of law are just “controversial policy debates.” We call it what it is. And that is precisely why we are growing. We are expanding our newsroom. We are investing in investigative reporting. We are building a network that answers to the audience. If you believe that democracy must be defended plainly and forcefully and if you are prepared to report on Trump’s authoritarian agenda without euphemism or false equivalence — we want to talk if, and when, you are allowed to, and if you are ready. If you’re looking to preserve access, smooth edges, or soften language to make power more comfortable, we are not the place for you. This is not a normal moment in American history. It demands clarity. It demands backbone. It demands journalists who understand that neutrality between democracy and fascism is not objectivity. It is moral failure. History will remember which institutions stood firm — and which ones bent.

An Open Letter to the Reporters and Staff of CNN
Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network
...join them, CNN reporters!
open.substack.com/pub/meidasto...

Exclusive | Government Agencies Raise Alarm About Use of Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot Warnings about xAI’s safety and reliability preceded the Pentagon’s decision to approve Grok for use in classified settings.

Grok-4 “does not meet the safety and alignment expectations required” for general federal use within the General Services Administration and an experimental federal AI platform, said a summary of a GSA report.

www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby The creator of Nearby Glasses made the app after reading 404 Media's coverage of how people are using Meta's Ray-Bans smartglasses to film people without their knowledge or consent. “I consider it to ...

NEW: A hobbyist has created Nearby Glasses, an app that warns you if someone close by is wearing smart glasses. 404 Media spoke to the creator who said he was inspired by our coverage that uncovers how men are wearing Meta's Ray-Bans to covertly film massage parlor workers.

Miguel Alvelo Rivera for IL-40 on Instagram: "In our latest episode of Dark Money News: Jaime Andrade is being supported by the Meta-funded, pro-AI Super PAC, “Making Our Tomorrow,” which, per the New... 76 likes, 6 comments - miguelfor40 on February 23, 2026: "In our latest episode of Dark Money News: Jaime Andrade is being supported by the Meta-funded, pro-AI Super PAC, “Making Our Tomorrow,” which,...

Meta is trying to take down @runforsomething.net candidate @miguelfor40.bsky.social - they're spending big to buy his opponent for an IL state house seat. Expect to see more of this in the future - complete with the "made by a person" disclaimer at the end. www.instagram.com/reels/DVIRnS...

Hell yeah.

Juniata Reservoir to Be Drained for Dam Repairs; Public Fish Salvage Expands Fishing Access A routine inspection at Juniata Reservoir has led to the discovery of a leak that will trigger a multi-year modernization and repair project, city officials announced this week. The City of Grand Junction will fully drain the reservoir to repair a crack in the dam’s outlet structure pipe. The crack is allowing water to leak into the pipe that runs through the dam. While alternative repair options were evaluated, including the potential use of a dive team, the State of Colorado has requested a full drawdown to ensure the structural integrity of the dam can be properly addressed. The project will unfold over several years, with water inflow to the reservoir scheduled to shut off in November 2026. Juniata Reservoir is expected to be fully drained by September 2027. Repairs to the outlet structure are anticipated to be completed by December 2027, with refilling beginning in January 2028. ### Public Fish Salvage Begins Feb. 23 As part of the drawdown process, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is implementing a public fish salvage at Juniata Reservoir beginning Monday, Feb. 23. The salvage is intended to mitigate fish loss during the reservoir’s planned drainage and repair process. CPW is encouraging anglers to catch and keep fish during this period. To support the effort, bag and possession limits for all fish species at Juniata Reservoir will be removed for the duration of the salvage. Artificial fly and lure-only regulations will also be temporarily lifted. Anglers may use worms as bait, though no other live bait is permitted. All other existing manners-of-take regulations remain in place at the reservoir, and regulations on surrounding streams and lakes are unchanged. Anglers 16 years and older must possess a valid Colorado fishing license. Access to the reservoir remains available via the parking lot off Purdy Mesa Road. In addition to public salvage efforts, CPW will relocate fish that are not caught to Purdy Mesa Reservoir, which is connected to Juniata by an open ditch. ### Long-Term Outlook Juniata Reservoir is a popular fishing destination in the Grand Valley. Once repairs are complete and water levels return to normal, CPW plans to restock the reservoir. City officials describe the full drain and repair as the safest path forward to ensure the dam’s long-term stability and protect downstream communities. Residents and anglers can expect expanded fishing opportunities in the near term, followed by a temporary closure period during the reservoir’s drawdown and repair phase.

Juniata Reservoir will be fully drained for multi-year dam repairs after a leak was discovered during inspection. A public fish salvage begins Feb. 23, with bag limits lifted and expanded fishing access. Repairs are expected to wrap in late 2027, with refilling starting in 2028.

Grand Junction to Launch Single-Stream Recycling as Part of Major Regional Upgrade The City of Grand Junction is moving forward with a major modernization of its recycling system, announcing a transition from dual-stream to single-stream recycling beginning in March 2026. The change marks the first phase of a broader regional effort tied to the construction of a new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), scheduled to open in late 2026. ### Preparing for a Regional Recycling Hub To support expanded recycling capacity across the Western Slope, the City has purchased a 58,000-square-foot building on approximately 10 acres off 32 Road. The site will be developed into a state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility designed to improve sorting efficiency, increase recovery rates, and strengthen regional recycling partnerships. The project received a record $9.82 million grant from the Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Program. Funding will help purchase advanced sorting equipment and cover initial operating expenses. Once operational, the facility will process materials collected by City vehicles and provide capacity for recycling haulers throughout the region. City leaders say the facility will position Grand Junction as a key recycling hub for the Western Slope. ### What Changes for Residents Beginning in March 2026, approximately 3,800 dual-stream customers will transition to single-stream recycling. Instead of separating materials into different containers, residents will place all recyclables into one blue-lid bin. Additional changes include: * Weekly recycling pickup on the same day as regular trash collection * Continued use of the existing 64-gallon blue-lid bin * Option to request a larger 96-gallon bin at the time of conversion City officials say the simplified system will make recycling more convenient and help prepare residents for the launch of the new processing facility. ### Community Education and Open Houses Residents received mailed notifications earlier this month outlining what is changing, why the transition is happening now, and what steps—if any—they need to take. The City has also updated its website with detailed program information, accepted materials lists, visual guides, frequently asked questions, and a transition timeline. Community open houses have been held throughout February, with an additional session scheduled for Thursday, February 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Barn. Residents are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and learn more about the phased rollout. ### What’s Next Future phases of the recycling overhaul will include transitioning multi-stream customers by the end of 2027 and expanding recycling access to additional areas. Officials say the long-term goal is a more efficient, regionally integrated recycling system that supports a growing community while reducing landfill waste. For more information, residents can visit gjcity.org or call the recycling information line at 970-254-3813.

Grand Junction will transition 3,800 residents to single-stream recycling starting in March 2026, ahead of a new regional Materials Recovery Facility set to open in late 2026. The move simplifies recycling and supports expanded Western Slope processing capacity.

Bipartisan majorities in Western states oppose Trump rollback of public lands protections by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline February 19, 2026 Large, bipartisan majorities of voters across eight Western states remain concerned about the impacts of climate change and opposed to efforts by the Trump administration to weaken environmental rules and public lands protections. Eighty-four percent of Western voters say that “rollbacks of laws that protect our land, water and wildlife” are a serious problem, up from 68% eight years ago, according to a poll released Wednesday by Colorado College’s State of the Rockies project. The college’s annual Conservation in the West poll has measured Western voters’ views across a range of environmental and energy issues since 2011. The 2026 survey is based on interviews conducted in January with 3,419 voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. “After 16 years, it’s become a rare longitudinal data set that lets us track how public attitudes have shifted over time throughout the West,” Ian Johnson, Colorado College’s director of strategic initiatives and sustainability, said in a media briefing Wednesday on the 2026 results. “Communities are now grappling with pressure on land and water, wildfire risk, competing energy priorities and questions about stewardship that define both livelihoods and quality of life,” Johnson added. “This poll helps us move beyond any assumptions and provides clear bipartisan insight into what Westerners actually think, and what they want their leaders to prioritize.” More than half of voters across the West now describe climate change as an “extremely” or “very” serious problem, a share that has doubled since 2011. Three-quarters describe it as at least a “somewhat” serious problem, making up a majority in every state surveyed except in Wyoming, where slightly more than 50% of voters say it’s not a problem. The 2026 survey was conducted jointly by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, a national Democratic polling firm, and New Bridge Strategy, a Republican firm based in Colorado. By a 76% to 21% margin — the largest in the survey’s 16-year history — poll respondents said they want the federal government to manage public lands with an eye towards environmental protection and recreation, rather than prioritizing energy production. That’s a stance sharply at odds with the “energy dominance” agenda embraced by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who have moved to rescind Biden-era protections like the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule and reduce the royalty rates paid by oil and gas companies to drill on public lands. Nearly 9 in 10 Western voters, including 75% of self-identified “MAGA supporters,” told pollsters they’re concerned about “funding cuts to national parks, forests and other public lands. And a slew of specific policies enacted over the last year by the Trump administration — the exemption of smaller streams and wetlands from the Clean Water Act, the rescission of the U.S. Forest Service’s roadless rule, rollbacks of Endangered Species Act protections and more — are opposed by solid majorities of Western voters. “Now that things are happening, the level of concern is very different,” said New Bridge Strategy’s Lori Weigel. “It’s much more tangible, and there’s a real level of intensity behind what we’re seeing throughout the data.” Overwhelming majorities of voters also remain opposed to selling some public lands to private companies for the purposes of energy development or housing construction, the poll found. Last year, a proposal backed by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to facilitate the sale of millions of acres of federally owned land failed to make it through Congress. #### Colorado River negotiations The 2026 poll also measured public opinion on water issues among voters in the six surveyed states — Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — that are parties to the Colorado River Compact. Earlier this month, negotiators from those six states, along with California, again failed to reach an agreement on how to share the Colorado River Basin’s dwindling water supply starting next year. More than 4 in 5 voters from those six states say they’d support an agreement requiring “all states in the region to reduce their water usage” to preserve the Colorado River’s health. “Definitely people say that they’re willing to use less. We’ve seen over time that they say, ‘Yeah, we ought to be able to conserve our way out of some of these problems,'” Weigel said. “Whether that’s true or not, I think maybe left to be seen.” Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.

by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline
February 19, 2026

Large, bipartisan majorities of voters across eight Western states remain concerned about the impacts of climate change and opposed to efforts by the Trump administration to weaken environmental rules and public lands protections […]

Prince Andrew's Arrest Across the pond in Britain, justice and accountability is a serious matter

Never in a million years did I ever fathom when I resurrected the Epstein story in 2018 that it would lead to first arrest of a British Royal in four centuries. Not since King Charles I was arrested in 1647.
open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

“[James Talarico] was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said.

> @johncusack.bsky.social

Republican voters...

www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Data / quant note: What model or message testing predicted how public opinion would shift 32 points in one year in this Texas seat?

None. No quant data could solely determine the correct message for this, no linear model could based on ad tests or issue polls.

Breaking: Texas Democrats score landslide upset in race Trump badly wanted to win Taylor Rehmet just flipped a deep-red seat—and gave his party a shot in the arm

BREAKING: Texas Democrat Taylor Rehmet just won a *massive* landslide to flip a deep-red Senate district. He's up by 14 points in a Trump+17 seat—an overperformance of more than 30 points.

How did he do it? Here's our full writeup:

The director of Melania movie

There are 1400 mentions of DOGE founder Elon Musk in the Epstein files.

Trump pardons major drug traffickers despite his anti-drug rhetoric The president has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his two terms in office, a Post analysis shows.

Apropos of nothing today.

🎁 article 👇🏼

Diagram showing the likelihood of crashes in Waymo vs human driver

Interesting data (from Waymo) showing that robotaxis are significantly safer than the average human driver. This is likely because they respect traffic rules. An NYT op-ed by a neurosurgeon calls for a broader adoption as a public health measure. Thoughts? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...

The Army of God Comes Out of the Shadows Tens of millions of American Christians are embracing a charismatic movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, which seeks to destroy the secular state.

The NAR is closely aligned with the Council for National Policy and both share leaders and strategy with Turning Point, Heritage, Opus Dei and the Federalist society. Leonard Leo is a key leader and organizer of funding and donations from billionaire supporters.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Overall, this big @nytimes.com investigation identified $500m+ that was donated to Trump-backed groups AFTER the election from 346 donors.

It found that more than half of the donors have benefited in some way from actions by Trump or his administration. (gift link)

‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women

Epstein Files

[NYT Gift Article] How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women

"The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency."

Trump as he rambles on and on about snakes: “Look how quiet everybody is”

During a visit to Washington in recent days, David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN, a common target of President Trump’s ire, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has told people close to him that he wants new ownership of CNN as well as changes to CNN programming.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison “offered assurances” he would drastically transform CNN if he bought Warner Bros. Discovery www.wsj.com/business/med...

AP Trump MRI results Make a year-end gift Sign in AP Top 25 Stockton shooting Lane Kiffin Nick Fo POLITICS Trump says he'll release MRI results; he doesn't know what part of his body was scanned President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Sunday, Nov Read More Updated 5:33 PM CST, November 30, 2025

A+ headline work from the AP apnews.com/article/dona...