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US military shot down party balloon near El Paso after suspecting drone, official says
This affects the entire country.

A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military earlier this week shot down what was later determined to be a party balloon near El Paso, Texas, after initially assessing it as a possible foreign drone.
The misidentification eventually led to a total shutdown of airspace around the El Paso airport. 
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government has no information indicating drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border following a temporary airspace restriction in Texas that U.S. officials linked to counter-drone measures.
AMERICA'S SKIES ARE WIDE OPEN TO NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS, DRONE EXPERT WARNS: 'WE HAVE NO AWARENESS'
"We have no information indicating drone activity along the border. If the FAA or any U.S. government agency has relevant information, they can ask directly the Government of Mexico," she said in a news conference Wednesday.
She said Mexican airspace had not been closed.
"We will look into the specific reasons behind the temporary closure." 
"There’s no place for speculation. We will wait for the information and continue to uphold what we have consistently maintained: permanent, open communication."
A separate U.S. administration official had told Fox News that Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace near El Paso, Texas, and that counter-drone measures were taken to disable them.
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for what it described as "special security reasons" Wednesday morning. The restriction initially was valid for 10 days, through Feb. 20, an unusually lengthy timeframe for airspace limitations affecting a major commercial airport.
PENTAGON EXPLORING COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OVER NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES
Temporary flight restrictions are typically used for presidential travel, emergency response operations or specific, time-limited national security events. It is uncommon for such restrictions to be issued near a busy border airport absent a significant security concern.
Shortly after the restriction was put in place, however, the FAA and the Department of War reopened the airspace and determined "there is no threat to commercial travel," according to the administration official.
U.S. officials have warned in recent months that drug cartels are increasingly deploying unmanned aerial systems for surveillance, smuggling coordination and reconnaissance along the southern border.
The episode comes amid heightened cross-border security tensions as the Trump administration presses regional governments to …

Bondi confirms DOJ has received criminal referral alleging Brennan perjury over Steele dossier
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she received a criminal referral from the House Judiciary Committee alleging former CIA Director John Brennan lied to Congress, confirming the receipt during a hearing before the panel on Wednesday.
Bondi's was responding to committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who directly asked the attorney general if Brennan would be indicted. The DOJ has for months been investigating Brennan and several others over the origins of the 2016 Trump-Russia probe.
"What I can confirm is that we have received a referral from you, Chairman Jordan, to investigate John Brennan," Bondi said.
BRENNAN, STRZOK PAGE SUBPOENAED AS PART OF FEDERAL RUSSIAGATE PROBE
"His attorneys have made some public statements, but the department is still bound, of course, by our longstanding policy of not discussing matters," Bondi said. "What I will say today I can't confirm nor deny whether there's a pending investigation, but what I will say [is] that no one is above the law. Weaponization has ended.
Jordan's referral to the DOJ, sent in October, centered on Brennan’s testimony about the Steele dossier, a salacious document containing unverified, negative claims about Trump, and its role in an Obama-era Intelligence Community Assessment on Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
The referral followed CIA Director John Ratcliffe also asking the DOJ to prosecute Brennan over broader conspiracy allegations.
A grand jury subpoenaed Brennan and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, among others, as part of the DOJ's investigation, Fox News Digital reported in November. The subpoenas originated from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, leading Brennan's lawyers to accuse the DOJ of forum shopping for Republican-friendly judges.
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., chimed in after Bondi answered, alluding to comments Trump has made about targeting his pollical enemies.
"If we want to know whether Mr. Brennan will be indicted, you should just ask the president," Goldman said.
Fox News Digital asked Trump last summer about Brennan after reports first surfaced that the FBI was investigating him and several others involved in what Republicans have widely viewed as a politically motivated effort to undermine Trump's 2016 election campaign and victory. Trump said at the time that "whatever happens, happens."
"I think they're very dishonest people. I think they're crooked as hell. And, maybe they have to pay a price for that," Trump said at the time.

US military shot down party balloon near El Paso after drone suspicion, official says
This affects the entire country.

A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military earlier this week shot down what was later determined to be a party balloon near El Paso, Texas, after initially assessing it as a possible foreign drone.
The misidentification eventually led to a total shutdown of airspace around the El Paso, Texas, airport. 
A separate U.S. administration official had told Fox News that Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace near El Paso, Texas, and that counter-drone measures were taken to disable them.
The Pentagon has been testing out new counter-drone technology, including a high-energy laser, near the Army base at Fort Bliss, Texas. That laser was used to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones — and was later identified as a balloon — prompting the airspace closure by the FAA, an official told Fox. It's unclear whether the cartel drones were related. 
AMERICA'S SKIES ARE WIDE OPEN TO NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS, DRONE EXPERT WARNS: 'WE HAVE NO AWARENESS'
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government has no information indicating drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border following a temporary airspace restriction in Texas that U.S. officials linked to counter-drone measures.
"We have no information indicating drone activity along the border. If the FAA or any U.S. government agency has relevant information, they can ask directly the Government of Mexico," she said in a news conference Wednesday.
She said Mexican airspace had not been closed.
"We will look into the specific reasons behind the temporary closure." 
"There’s no place for speculation. We will wait for the information and continue to uphold what we have consistently maintained: permanent, open communication."
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for what it described as "special security reasons" Wednesday morning. The restriction initially was valid for 10 days, through Feb. 20, an unusually lengthy timeframe for airspace limitations affecting a major commercial airport.
PENTAGON EXPLORING COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OVER NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES
Temporary flight restrictions are typically used for presidential travel, emergency response operations or specific, time-limited national security events. It is uncommon for such restrictions to be issued near a busy border airport absent a significant security concern.
Shortly after the restriction was put in place, however, the FAA and the Department of War reopened the airspace and determined "there is no threat to commercial …

Israel joins Board of Peace ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meeting
What's the administration thinking here?

Israel formally joined the Board of Peace on Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Netanyahu signed the document in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly before his scheduled talk with Trump, marking a diplomatic step as the two leaders prepare to discuss regional security and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The prime minister said on X that while the talks would cover several issues, including Gaza, they would "first and foremost" center on negotiations with Iran.
Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial Gaza Board of Peace charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia.
TRUMP SEEKS DAVOS SIGNING CEREMONY FOR GAZA BOARD OF PEACE
Netanyahu was not present at the ceremony, where world leaders signed the founding charter alongside Trump, who was seated at the center of the stage.
His office, however, said he would accept Trump’s invitation to join the Peace Board, following earlier concerns he had raised about the makeup of the Gaza executive board, particularly the roles of Qatar and Turkey.
ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM APARTMENT ROBBED AHEAD OF WINTER OLYMPICS, COMPETITOR SAYS
A handful of other countries were also invited by the White House to join, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China, among others. Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington comes as the U.S. expands its military presence in the Middle East while talks with Iran remain ongoing.
Trump has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and the USS Michael Murphy, a guided-missile destroyer, as his envoys meet with Iranian officials in Oman.
Other U.S. naval assets, including the USS Bulkeley, USS Roosevelt, USS Delbert D. Black, USS McFaul, USS Mitscher, USS Spruance and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., are positioned across key waterways surrounding Iran, from the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea.

Former lingerie mogul faces lawmaker questioning after FBI internal memo calls him Epstein co-conspirator
Ask who never gets charged.

Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee will question billionaire businessman Les Wexner Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a source familiar with the committee’s work confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Wexner will answer questions from Ohio, where he owns a residence.
Lawmakers from across both parties have demanded increased scrutiny on Wexner, the former CEO of L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, for his association with Epstein unearthed among the three million files recently released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
LONDON POLICE LAUNCH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER UK AMBASSADOR TO US WITH ALLEGED EPSTEIN TIES
Although Wexner’s business connections with Epstein are well-documented, new files reveal authorities had internally considered Wexner an accessory to Epstein’s crimes. Wexner was one of Epstein's largest and earliest clients, having brought on Epstein's consulting and financial advising services for his companies, according to Wexner and financial statements. In addition to Victoria's Secret, L Brands also included companies like Abercrombie & Fitch and Bath & Body Works. 
In one FBI memo dated Aug. 15, 2019 — five days after Epstein killed himself in prison — the bureau listed Wexner as a "co-conspirator" alongside Ghislaine Maxwell and five others. At the time of his death, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking minors.
According to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the DOJ had redacted some mentions of his name until pressed about why they hadn’t been made public.
"The DOJ has been redacting alleged Epstein billionaire co-conspirator Les Wexner’s identity," Garcia said in a post to X.
"That’s why Oversight Democrats forced a subpoena for him to testify. He will answer our questions under oath next week."
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
Despite month-long probes into Epstein, his sex-trafficking crimes and his associates, lawmakers remain frustrated that the DOJ has yet to press charges against any figures listed in the Epstein files.
Until that happens, members like Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have said lawmakers’ calls for transparency into Epstein’s crimes remain unfulfilled.
Massie noted that mention in the files doesn’t, on its own, implicate wrongdoing, but added the context for Wexner should raise special concern.
DEMOCRATS SAY CLINTONS' AGREEMENT TO TESTIFY UNDERCUTS SUBPOENA PUSH, WON'T BRING NEW EPSTEIN ANSWERS
"Appearing in the Epstein files does not prove guilt, but Leslie Wexner was designated …

One Year After RFK Jr’s Confirmation, MAHA Looks to the Future of the Health Movement
What's the administration thinking here?

Public health and public policy experts convened at The Heritage Foundation on Monday to celebrate “One Year of MAHA.”

The leaders discussed how President Donald Trump has enacted policies to improve the health and wellbeing of Americans and what the administration could do over the next three years.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined The Heritage Foundation event to share the accomplishments of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement about a year into his tenure.

Introducing the secretary, Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts praised the administration because “they’ve begun the process of reversing childhood chronic disease, releasing new dietary guidelines that are going to get Americans eating real food again.”

The event explained how Kennedy and Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins collaborated with the top nutritionists in the nation and initiated research to uncover the root causes of America’s health epidemic.

Kennedy is proud that the administration’s findings are “written in plain English, and you can summarize it with three words: ‘eat real food.’”

“The primary culprits is ultra processed foods, refined carbohydrates,” Kennedy said of their findings. “Seventy percent of the foods that our kids eat are ultra processed foods, and it’s killing them, and it’s a spiritual warfare.”

Children’s Health Defense General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg also spoke at the Monday event. Though America is wealthy,  Mack Rosenberg  claimed “we have the sickest kids with the poorest health outcomes in well developed countries.”

The MAHA movement is not only focused on physical health but mental health. Artificial ingredients and processed foods have a negative impact on our well-being “because we’re mass poisoning [ourselves] and we now have the worst health outcomes.” The result is not only physical illness but mental illness, Kennedy argued.

President of MAHA Action, Tony Lyons, said that children are “going to school and eating donuts, eating sugary cereals, eating sodas or drinking sodas,” which is why mental illnesses have disproportionately affected America’s youth.

“We should have the healthiest babies, the healthiest children, and we need to put aside the broken system, figure out what’s wrong and fix it,” Mack Rosenberg added.

The post One Year After RFK Jr’s Confirmation, MAHA Looks to the Future of the Health Movement appeared first on The Daily Signal.

MAGA vs moderate fight over SAVE Act divides Utah senators
This is performative politics again.

A growing divide between MAGA and traditional Republicans is playing out in Utah, a state known for its comity and Mormon genteelism, as its two GOP senators stake out opposing sides of a fight over the filibuster.

Sen. Mike Lee wants the Senate to revert to a “talking filibuster” to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. His Utah colleague, Sen. John Curtis, falls in a camp of Republicans who view the strategy, which sidesteps the 60 votes needed for most legislation, as a slippery slope.

Democrats could still hold up the legislation for days, or even weeks, with a marathon of floor speeches, but Republicans would eventually be able to pass the bill with a simple majority vote, a move Curtis says defies the spirit of the filibuster as it functions today.

He listened to a presentation Lee delivered at a Tuesday policy lunch on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act and is a cosponsor, like almost every other Senate Republican, of the legislation, but told the Washington Examiner that he is unwilling to weaken the filibuster to pass it.

“To me, that’s no different than ending the filibuster,” Curtis said. “So, it’s a nonstarter for me.”

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sen. Lee, and certainly listen to all points, but I just have a strong philosophical support of the filibuster,” he said.

The disagreement is the latest between Lee and Curtis, who, despite representing the same state, have taken different approaches to everything from President Donald Trump’s saber-rattling over Greenland to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Most recently, Curtis voted to fund most of the government even as Lee voted “no” over its earmarks.

The disagreement is also a microcosm of the debate playing out between Trump’s MAGA allies, who want to pass his agenda at all costs, and more institutionalist members focused on preserving the chamber’s rules and traditions.

A majority of Senate Republicans still support the filibuster and believe it benefits them disproportionately when they are in the minority. But House rebels, egged on by Trump, have joined forces with Lee to paint the filibuster as an obstacle to secure elections, mounting a pressure campaign that has the backing of House GOP leadership.

Senate Republicans will use a half-day retreat to again discuss the talking filibuster Wednesday, the same day the House will vote on a revised version of the SAVE Act that also incorporates a …

Bondi and Noem sued for ‘strong-arming’ tech companies to target ICE monitoring
This sets a dangerous precedent.

A civil rights organization is suing the Trump administration for pressuring major technology companies to remove information tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing Washington violated free speech rights.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech absolutist group, is representing two plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit against the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice in an Illinois district court on Wednesday, alleging the Trump administration engaged in illegal censorship to control information.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi undermined constitutional protections when they “strong-armed” Apple and Facebook into removing ICE activity monitoring from company platforms, according to the group’s lawsuit. After pressure from the Trump administration, Apple removed Eyes Up and similar apps that allowed users to report sightings of ICE officials in real-time last fall, while Facebook removed a comparable account with over 84,000 members.

“As we’ve seen across the country, especially in Minneapolis, citizen videos have informed discussion and debate about ICE’s operations and tactics,” FIRE attorney Colin McDonell said in a statement. “The right to share information about our government is essential to a free society. If someone goes out and commits a crime, they can and should be punished for their actions. But in a free society, we don’t punish protected speech.”

The Trump administration argues that ICE trackers exist to endanger law enforcement and has framed them as a direct threat to federal agents, suggesting that, as such, they pose a violation of the law.

FIRE believes that the apps are protected under the First Amendment.

“The First Amendment protects the right to discuss, record, and criticize what law enforcement does in public,” the organization said.

The controversy with Apple has largely centered on ICEBlock, which allowed users to report the locations of immigration enforcement officers. In early October 2025, Apple removed the app from its App Store after Bondi said she reached out to Apple “demanding” that the company do so. At the time, Bondi claimed that the app did not fall under protected speech. Noem said the app “sure looks like” an obstruction of justice and that those guilty of obstruction of justice would “be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” And Noem began working with the attorney general to see if the administration could prosecute …

Western Hemisphere defense chiefs convene after border drone scare prompts airspace closure
Every delay has consequences.

Top U.S. military leaders are hosting more than 30 nations in Washington as the Trump administration moves to deepen security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere, prioritizing border control, drug trafficking and regional threats from global adversaries. 
"To put America First, we must put the Americas First," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said, according to remarks shared by Joseph Humire, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Homeland Defense and the Americas. 
NORAD AIRCRAFT TO ARRIVE IN GREENLAND FOR ROUTINE EXERCISES
"We must work together to prevent any adversary or criminal actor from exploiting your territory or using your infrastructure to threaten what a great former American president, Teddy Roosevelt, once called ‘permanent peace in this hemisphere.’"
The meeting, convened by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, comes amid a broader national security strategy that places heightened emphasis on threats closer to home: from fentanyl pipelines and transnational criminal networks to Arctic competition and instability in Venezuela.
The conference also coincides with U.S. action against Mexican cartel drones that breached American airspace near El Paso, Texas.
An administration official told Fox News that "Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel."
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for what it described as "special security reasons." Federal officials have not released operational details, but the administration official said the action was directly tied to counter-drone measures along the southern border.
The incident underscores the growing use of unmanned systems by cartel networks and the increasing overlap between traditional criminal activity and homeland defense concerns — a theme expected to surface in discussions among defense leaders gathered in Washington.
Top military leaders from Denmark, Britain and France, nations that have territory in the western hemisphere, have also been invited, according to The New York Times.
FAA WARNS ABOUT FLYING IN CENTRAL, SOUTH AMERICA AND EASTERN PACIFIC, CITING POSSIBLE ‘MILITARY ACTIVITIES’
Gen. Francis Donovan, the new chief of Southern Command, which oversees Latin American and Caribbean operations, is expected to press regional counterparts to intensify cooperation against drug-trafficking organizations and transnational criminal groups that operate across borders and increasingly …

Vance amplifies US Olympians are not at games to ‘pop off’ on political takes
What's the administration thinking here?

Vice President JD Vance said United States Olympians can expect “some pushback” when they share their thoughts on current events in their home country.

President Donald Trump slammed Olympic skier Hunter Hess as “a real loser” when the athlete said representing the U.S. “brings up mixed emotions,” and “wearing the U.S. flag “doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on” in the country. Hess later said on social media that he loves his country and “there are always things that could be better.”

Vance called the U.S. Olympic athletes “unbelievable,” saying the “entire country” is rooting for them in the 2026 games in Milan, Italy. He added that some athletes are likely to “pop off” on their political takes, saying it happens “every Olympics.”

“My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” Vance said. “You’re there to play a sport and you’re there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics, so when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback.”

.@VP: "You're there to play a sport and you're there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You're not there to pop off about politics — so when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 11, 2026

Vance added that most of Team USA is “doing a great job” regardless of their political affiliation. He also said these athletes recognize they bring the country together by playing their sport well instead of visiting a foreign country to “attack” the U.S. president.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Milan on Thursday to lead the U.S. delegation for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. It comes as some Republican pundits have floated the possibility of the two heading the party’s 2028 presidential ticket.

VANCE TAKES A STRONG AND JUSTIFIED STANCE AGAINST FAR-RIGHT INTERNET STAR NICK FUENTES

Washington Examiner senior writer Joe Concha said while Hess has the right to free speech, “maybe hand in your Olympic uniform” if he doesn’t appreciate the “privilege” of representing the U.S. He also called Generation Z, which Hess is a member of, “the most privileged, entitled generation that we could ever imagine” when discussing this generation’s lack of pride in living in the U.S.

U.S. Olympic …