National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Armed man is shot and killed by Secret Service after entering Mar-a-Lago in middle of the night | 22 Feb 2026 | An armed man was shot and killed by the Secret Service in the early hours of the morning after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was holding a shotgun and a fuel can as he tried to enter Trump’s Palm Beach residence near the north side around 1.30am on Sunday, the Secret Service said. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in Washington, D.C., last night attending the Governors’ Dinner. Two Secret Service agents and one deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office ordered him to drop his weapons. The suspect, who investigators say is from North Carolina and traveled 700 miles by car to Florida, was reported missing by his family a few days ago.

‘Targeted attack’ vandalizes Trump-Kennedy Center outdoor ice rink, forces performance cancellation | 20 Feb 2026 | The Trump-Kennedy Center was the target of what officials described as a “calculated, malicious attack” early Friday after a “toxic chemical” was poured onto its outdoor ice rink, forcing a performance cancellation. Trump-Kennedy Center leadership said a dark substance was poured onto the ice surface, severely damaging the outdoor arena. Leadership said the incident was not a protest but an act of outright vandalism targeting the Trump-Kennedy Center. Trump-Kennedy Center officials said a brown-black substance was poured across the ice early Friday morning. Images from the scene show the material spread widely across the rink, with what appears to be a gallon-sized milk container visible on the ice. Leadership at the venue said the substance was “toxic.”

Driver armed with a flamethrower rams LADWP substation in possible ‘terrorism-related event’ | 20 Feb 2026 | A driver armed with a flamethrower has rammed a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power substation in a possible “terrorism-related event.” The rented silver Nissan Sentra crashed through a secured gate at the site in Boulder City, Nevada, before a gun went off on Thursday. A man, who was wearing “soft body armor” and had two shotguns and an assault rifle-style pistol, was found dead in the car suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said on Friday they were investigating the attack. A police statement said: “Officers discovered a deceased adult male in the driver’s seat suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Multiple firearms were observed inside the vehicle.”

U.S. drones take to the skies as Trump’s fleet descends on the Middle East | 18 Feb 2026 | As speculation that a major U.S. strike against Iran could be nearing, America’s most trusted spy drones have begun gathering intelligence high over the Persian Gulf. A remote-controlled MQ-4 Triton drone took off from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, spending several minutes over the Persian Gulf before heading towards Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Both countries are close neighbors of Iran, sitting on the opposite side of the Gulf, where two U.S. Navy carrier strike groups will soon be stationed. Wednesday’s flight was the latest instance of an MQ-4 taking off to do reconnaissance over the Middle East, as another Triton was spotted by the flight-tracking website Flight Aware 24 on February 14.

Muslim states condemn U.S. envoy over remarks on Israel’s ‘biblical rights’ | 22 Feb 2026 | Arab and Muslim-majority countries have condemned US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for arguing that Israel has a biblical right to much of the Middle East. In an interview with Tucker Carlson released on Friday, Huckabee, a Baptist minister and self-described Christian Zionist, said it “would be fine” if Israel took territory stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates. He later added that Israel is not seeking to expand its territory and has a right to maintain its security. The Arab League, a coalition of 22 member states, slammed the remarks as “highly extremist,” saying they are “inconsistent with the fundamental principles and norms of diplomacy.”

Israel’s Gaza ‘ceasefire’ death toll tops 600 –Airstrikes by IDF have continued despite U.S.-backed truce, in force since October 2025 | 17 Feb 2026 | Thousands of Palestinians have been killed and wounded in Gaza since October, when a U.S.-backed ceasefire was declared, as Israeli airstrikes have continued, local health officials say. The truce, brokered as part of a plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, was presented as a step toward reducing violence in Gaza and allowing reconstruction to begin. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday that 603 people had been killed and more than 1,600 injured since the ceasefire came into force on October 11. An unspecified number of bodies “remain under the rubble and in the streets,” as rescue teams cannot safely reach many areas, the officials added.

American tourists left stranded in beautiful Mexico hotspot as cartels torch cars and wreak havoc in ‘code red’ attack | 22 Feb 2026 | Tourist hotspot Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, has erupted into fiery chaos after federal forces conducted an operation to kill a prominent cartel leader, who have fought back on the embattled streets of the city. The US state department has issued a security alert for all Americans stranded in the area, warning them to shelter in place, avoid crowds, and minimize their movements. Catastrophic photos from across the city showed buses exploding in flames, homes torched and billowing black smoke traveling through the sky during the unrest.

CIA retracts, revises 19 past intelligence assessments deemed politically biased | 20 Feb 2026 | The CIA on Friday said that director John Ratcliffe had ordered the retraction or “substantive revision” of 19 intelligence assessments over the past decade that were deemed to be politically biased. In a release, the CIA included three redacted assessments from between 2015 and 2021 that related to White women’s extremist radicalization, attacks on LGBT activists in the Middle East and Africa, and the COVID-19 pandemic limiting access to birth control in developing countries. The CIA release said the assessments were identified by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which did an independent review on hundreds of reports from the last decade, adding that the assessments “did not meet CIA and IC analytic tradecraft standards and failed to be independent of political consideration.”

JPMorgan Admits to Closing Over 50 Trump Bank Accounts | 21 Feb 2026 | JPMorgan Chase admitted that it closed more than 50 of President Donald Trump’s bank accounts after his first term as president concluded. The bank admitted on Friday that “more than 50 Trump accounts” were cut off in February 2021, weeks after the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, according to the New York Times. The revelation by JPMorgan came after Trump “and the Trump Organization” filed a lawsuit in January against JPMorgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, for having debanked the president, according to the outlet.

Arrested Andrew is pictured being released from custody: Former Prince is driven back to Sandringham from police station after becoming the first royal to be arrested in modern times | 19 Feb 2026 | An ashen-faced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been pictured leaving police custody, following his unprecedented arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former prince looked shellshocked as he cowered in the back of a car leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on his return to Sandringham. Andrew, who turned 66 today, was detained by officers during an 8am raid on his new home at Wood Farm. In events that rocked the royal family, he became the first senior royal to be arrested in modern times. Thames Valley Police confirmed the disgraced former prince had been taken into custody just after 10am on Thursday, marking one of the worst days for the family in recent history.

Former Prince Andrew arrested and held for hours on suspicion of misconduct over ties to Epstein | 19 Feb 2026 | The former Prince Andrew was arrested and held for hours by British police Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein, an extraordinary move in a country where authorities once sought to shield the royal family from embarrassment. It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years. King Charles III took the unusual step of issuing a statement on the arrest of his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” the king said. “As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.”

Bill Gates pulls keynote after DOJ emails allege Jeffrey Epstein ties | 19 Feb 2026 | Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates pulled out of a keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi after weeks of scrutiny over his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Hours before Gates was scheduled to speak Thursday, Gates’s organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, released a statement informing the India AI Impact Summit that he would be pulling his address. The announcement came after the Department of Justice released over three million emails related to the Epstein investigation, including Epstein’s personal emails. Some of the emails alleged that Gates had affairs and tried to get medication to treat a s-xually transmitted infection. He also allegedly wanted to give the medication to his wife at the time, Melinda French Gates, without her knowing.

Trump raises global tariff to 15% | 21 Feb 2026 | U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an increase in his new global import tariff from 10% to 15%. The move came a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of the tariffs he had imposed earlier. On Friday, America’s highest court ruled that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not give Trump the authority to impose what he described as reciprocal tariffs on almost every country. The president responded by immediately introducing another global 10% tariff under separate legislation, using the Trade Act of 1974. On Saturday, Trump said he would increase the tariff to the “fully allowed and legally tested 15% level.” He denounced the court’s decision as “ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American.”

Trump’s sweeping new tariffs for all countries will take effect in just days as White House reveals exemptions for certain products | 20 Feb 2026 | Donald Trump has found a little-known trade law to reimplement his sweeping tariffs, set to take effect in just days, after he launched a bitter attack against the Supreme Court for ruling his trade policies unconstitutional. “It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday evening. Trump previously threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which grants the president the power to impose temporary tariffs. The tariffs can remain in effect for only 150 days without congressional approval. The White House shared that the temporary import duty will take effect on February 24 at 12.01am EST.

California Democrats panic as two Republicans lead governor polls in deep blue state | 21 Feb 2026 | California Democrats are reportedly panicking over the possibility that the state’s jungle primary system could send two Republicans to the November ballot, a scenario Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Fox News Digital is the result of “decades of complete Democrat failure.” The New York Post reported that Democratic lawmakers are privately warning a crowded and “uninspiring” field of candidates could split the vote in California’s top-two primary system, allowing Republicans to advance to the two-person runoff in a state long dominated by Democrats. Under California’s system, only the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. Polling cited by the Post shows former Fox News host Steve Hilton leading with 17% support, followed by Bianco at 14%.

National Guard activated in New York and Massachusetts and 70k-plus without power as blizzard slams Northeast| 22 Feb 2026 | Update: 22:02 EST: The governors of New York and Massachusetts have deployed their National Guard as a massive winter storm hits the East Coast. The Nor’easter, which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and coastal flooding across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast into Monday, has already left more than 70 thousand people without power. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy have even deployed their state’s National Guard to be ready to respond to storm damage as they urged residents to stay off the streets.

Lamont declares state of emergency, commercial vehicle ban ahead of Sunday storm | 22 Feb 2026 | Governor Lamont declared a state of emergency due to Sunday’s major winter storm. Lamont also signed an emergency order prohibiting all commercial vehicles from traveling on all limited access highways in Connecticut starting at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Officials say this will be in effect until further notice. Commercial vehicles include trucks, RVS, tractor trailers, tankers, and vehicles with trailers. The emergency order is going into effect in coordination with Connecticut’s neighboring states, which are also issuing their own similar emergency orders in response to the storm.

Mamdani imposes blizzard curfew as terrifying map reveals bomb cyclone’s path of destruction | 22 Feb 2026 | New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a citywide travel ban ahead of a catastrophic blizzard that is set to blanket the East Coast in two feet of snow. Nearly 54 million people along the East Coast are bracing for impact from a major winter storm expected to bring heavy snow, high winds, blizzard conditions and coastal flooding across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today into Monday. The Big Apple is preparing for its first blizzard since 2017, and Mamdani place a travel ban across all five boroughs in effect from 9pm ET on Sunday to 12pm ET on Monday. Forecasters have warned that the storm, which is walloping the region from Maryland to Massachusetts, could have historic impacts.

NYC mayor blasted for requiring multiple forms of ID to shovel snow… while his socialist group says you don’t need it to vote | 21 Feb 2026 | New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been criticized for urging residents to sign up as snow shovelers, a position that requires two forms of identification. Critics have pointed out that the request has come while Mamdani’s party, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has advocated against voter ID laws. New York is bracing for its second major snowstorm this year, and Mamdani has asked for volunteers to help clear snow from the city’s streets for 19.14 per hour… To register for an appointment, those interested must present two small photos of themselves, two original forms of ID, and a Social Security card. Meanwhile, New Yorkers do not need to present identification at their polling stations. New York is one of many states that don’t require voters to bring ID to the polls.

Liberal provocateur drove into oncoming traffic while stalking ICE vehicles in Minnesota, report claims | 22 Feb 2026 | A liberal provocateur drove into oncoming traffic while in pursuit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, an expose has revealed. Will Stancil, 40, was joined by The Verge’s Gaby Del Valle as he stalked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their cars around Minnesota. However, the lawyer and activist’s “erratic” driving almost caused a deadly crash after he took a wrong turn onto a one-way street, the reporter revealed. “…At one point, he took a left when he should’ve taken a right, and [photographer] Jack had to tell him Cleveland Avenue was actually the other way,” Del Valle wrote in the piece on Stancil. “A few minutes later, Stancil went the wrong way down a one-way street, accidentally maneuvering us into oncoming traffic. Stancil’s driving was, for the most part, erratic.”

ICE arrests illegal immigrants convicted of child rape, sexual assault, drug trafficking –DHS says nearly 70% of ICE arrests involve illegal immigrants convicted or charged with crimes | 20 Feb 2026 | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday announced new arrests carried out by federal enforcement officers targeting illegal immigrants convicted of violent and sexual crimes. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested multiple offenders Thursday who had prior convictions for crimes including child rape, sexual assault of minors, methamphetamine trafficking and aggravated assault, according to DHS. “Even while facing doxing, threats, harassment, and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them, ICE continues to go after criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, violent sex criminals, and drug traffickers,” outgoing DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.