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Saudi-UAE feud undercuts US moves to neutralize Iran permanently: ‘Knock it off’
The headline tells the story.

The United States’s efforts to permanently neutralize the Iranian threat are getting tangled by disagreements between allies who, theoretically, should be cheering on the regime’s collapse.

President Donald Trump has ordered a second aircraft carrier to join military patrols in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. envoys are meeting with increasingly desperate Iranian counterparts with the goal of negotiating an end to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Yet in ally Saudi Arabia, more ink is being spilled over the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), widely considered the Senate’s supreme warhawk toward the Islamic Republic, had a hard time controlling his anger at the Munich Security Conference on Friday as he lambasted the Middle East leaders he believes are holding back an anti-Iran coalition with petty feuds.

“As to [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] and [UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan] — knock it off. … I’m tired of this crap,” he shouted from the stage, warning that “any leader in the region that doesn’t understand you’re on the verge of history — history will judge you poorly.”

In this Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, photo released by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, shakes hands with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Rashed Al Mansoori/Ministry of Presidential Affairs via AP)

The Saudis and Emiratis have escalated their rhetoric against one another in recent weeks, focusing more public statements on each other’s perceived duplicity than on the Shia dictatorship that is under threat of collapse.

The sour relations emerged in December 2025, ostensibly over conflicting visions for leadership in Yemen and Sudan. That complicated dispute has quickly mutated into tit-for-tat insults using Israel as a wedge.

Saudi media outlets and sermons delivered by state-sanctioned clerics have renewed campaigns characterizing Israel as “Zionist aggressors” and decrying the Jewish state’s treatment of muslims’ “downtrodden brothers in Palestine.” The Saudis have used this narrative as a cudgel to hammer the UAE, which maintains a close relationship with Israel, as a “Zionist Trojan Horse” and “proxy” being used to “divide Arab states.”

The UAE has been accused of lobbying American advocacy groups to brand Saudi Arabia as “antisemitic” in response.

Graham, exasperated in Munich on Friday, urged Salman to …

Europe braces for Rubio remarks in Munich after Vance’s fiery address
Who benefits from this decision?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio may be the highest-ranking administration official representing President Donald Trump at this year’s Munich Security Conference, but European counterparts are not sighing with relief, at least not yet.

Vice President JD Vance roiled Europe last year with his remarks to the conference when he told the continent it was its own greatest threat, not Russia or China, and that there was “a new sheriff in town” — Trump. 

Vance’s remarks may have been complemented with diplomatic meetings, but they previewed the Trump administration’s more antagonistic approach to Europe. That posture triggered a military response earlier this year in reaction to the president’s desire to “own” Greenland, with European allies deploying resources to the Danish territory. 

MUNICH SUMMIT BECOMES EARLY STAGE FOR 2028 DEMOCRATS

Tensions over Greenland have eased since NATO Secretary Mark Rutte facilitated discussions among the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland regarding the U.S. being granted sovereignty over some of the Danish kingdom’s land to build more military bases and a share in its critical minerals. But those tensions hang over this year’s conference, even with Rubio leading the delegation.

Rubio may have a reputation for being a Republican the world is more accustomed to, but one European ambassador told the Washington Examiner she was withholding judgment about the Trump administration’s decision to send Rubio to the conference instead of Vance until after the secretary’s own remarks on Saturday. 

“This may mean that the administration has come to realize how damaging the Greenland moment was to its interests and is now trying to send reassuring signals,” a second European official told the Washington Examiner. “But whatever happens, there has been a major shift in Europe that cannot easily be reversed.”

The White House and Vance’s office have discouraged speculation regarding why Vance did not go to Munich. Multiple aides, for example, contended it was never the administration’s intention for the vice president to become a fixture at the conference.

“The vice president never considered attending the Munich Security Conference this year,” a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner.  

But for the likes of historian David Greenberg, Rubio sends “a different kind of message” to the conference than Vance.

“What strikes me is that both of them can co-exist in the same administration, given their radically different views …

South and Latin American countries bend to Trump in moves to curb support for Cuba
Every delay has consequences.

Several Latin American countries have taken steps to curb their international support for Cuba, yielding to the policy priorities of President Donald Trump as his administration increases its pressure on the island’s communist regime.

Following the Trump administration’s January ouster of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela, Cuba’s largest oil supplier, cut off shipments to the Caribbean island. The halt of Venezuelan oil set in motion an oil blockade to Cuba, with Mexico ultimately following suit, as the Trump administration seeks to isolate the regime.

In addition to the oil blockade, several nations made additional moves this week that hit Cuba hard. Nicaragua and Guatemala, each Cuban allies, took non-oil-related measures that have amped up pressure on the Cuban regime.

On Tuesday, Nicaragua cut off a popular route for Cuban migrants to reach the United States by barring them from entering the country without a visa. The move stands out as Nicaragua’s leftist, authoritarian government has long been an ally of the Cuban regime, and has maintained a bad relationship with the U.S. The State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio has also issued several visa restrictions against Nicaraguan officials and Nicaraguans who they said were “knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the United States.”

Also on Tuesday, Guatemala announced it would be gradually terminating its employment of Cuban doctors through Cuba’s overseas medical brigades. The country said it made the decision as part of a “technical analysis” and to bolster its own health system, according to the New York Times. Rubio has been critical of Cuba’s overseas medical missions and has also put visa restrictions in place related to the system.

“Cuba continues to profit from the forced labor of its workers and the regime’s abusive and coercive labor practices are well documented. Cuba’s labor export programs, which include the medical missions, enrich the Cuban regime, and in the case of Cuba’s overseas medical missions, deprive ordinary Cubans of the medical care they desperately need in their home country,” Rubio said in early 2025.

The actions of Nicaragua and Guatemala come as the oil blockade is mounting pressure against the Cuban regime. The energy crisis in the country has made other Latin American leaders concerned about the humanitarian implications for the island.

Mexico fell in line with the U.S. oil blockade soon after Venezuela, as Mexican President Claudia …

Second round of February Social Security payments goes out in four days
Same show, different day.

The second round of February Social Security payments for retirees, now capped at $5,108, will be issued in four days.

When will payments arrive?

Retirees born between the 11th and 20th of a month will receive this payment on Feb. 18. 

The first round went out to recipients born on or before the 10th of a month, and the third round will be paid on Feb. 25 to those born on or after the 21st of a month.

When am I eligible?

Citizens are eligible for Social Security payments beginning at 62 years old.

How can I maximize my check?

Social Security payment amounts are determined by several factors, including age of retirement, the amount paid into Social Security, and the number of years paid into Social Security.

Payments largely depend on a recipient’s retirement age. A beneficiary retiring at the youngest age, 62, could receive up to $2,831 per month, while a 70-year-old retiree could receive up to $5,108 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.

Beneficiaries can see a personalized estimate of how much they could expect each month using the SSA’s calculator.

How is it financed?

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Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid for by employers and employees.

Social Security payment amounts are set to shrink unless Congress takes action to prevent it. Analysts estimate the SSA will no longer be able to issue full payments as early as 2034, due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking workforce.

March Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in 13 days
What's the administration thinking here?

The March 2026 Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $994, will be issued to recipients in 13 days.

SSI payments are typically issued on the first day of each month, but March’s payment will go out on Feb. 27, since March 1 falls on a Sunday this year. When the first of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, SSI payments are issued on the last business day of the previous month.

Beneficiaries are people with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have a qualifying disability.

The amount beneficiaries receive varies based on several factors, including the number of people filing. For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498. 

In addition to the previous prerequisites for receiving SSI payments, recipients must also be U.S. citizens or noncitizens in one of the alien classifications granted by the Department of Homeland Security.

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Additionally, recipients must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and must not be absent from the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.

A full calendar for the Social Security Administration payments can be viewed on the agency’s website.

Conservative firebrand launches ‘TruckSafe Tipline’ to report illegal drivers amid spike in highway deaths
Who's accountable for the results?

Amid heightened concern over highway deaths involving illegal immigrant drivers, conservative firebrand Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is launching a "TruckSafe Tipline" to enable truckers to share concerns about illegals on U.S. roads.
"Indiana is the Crossroads of America and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel," Banks said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
Through the online portal, which is already live, concerned citizens are able to share information about carriers they believe are employing or contracting with drivers who are not legally in the United States, not authorized to drive a truck, or who cannot meet required English-language safety standards.
A spokesperson for Banks’ office told Fox News Digital that reports submitted to the TruckSafe Tipline will be reviewed by the senator’s staff and shared with the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Office of Inspector General.
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"If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law," said Banks. "The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk."
In an X post, Banks addressed truckers directly, writing, "If you’re a trucker or work in the industry and see something unsafe or know of shady carriers hiring illegals, I want to hear from you."
This comes shortly after a driver of a semi-truck at the center of a multi-vehicle crash that left four dead in Indiana was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Indiana State Police said the fatal crash happened Tuesday around 4 p.m. in the area of State Road 67 and County Road 550 East in Jay County, where the truck collided with a van.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News that the driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, is a Kyrgyzstani national who entered the U.S. via the Biden-era CBP One cell phone app on Dec. 19, 2024, at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry, and he was released into the U.S. via parole by the Biden administration.
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Beishekeev, 30, was reportedly driving on SR 67 in Indiana when he didn’t stop for another slowed semi-truck, swerving instead into oncoming traffic and crashing head-on into a van, killing four people, several of whom were reportedly Amish.
Banks’ office remarked …

'It's absurd': DHS shutdown bears down on US as lawmakers jet off to Europe
What's the endgame here?

The government entered a partial shutdown at midnight Friday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal — and some lawmakers’ decision to attend an international gathering in Europe this weekend is drawing criticism from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
"It’s absurd, I hope the American people are paying attention," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital.
The deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the end of the week came with a built-in complication: members of both chambers were scheduled to attend the annual Munich Security Conference, with many set to depart by day’s end Thursday.
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Without a deal in place, Congress left Washington, D.C., on Thursday after the Senate failed to pass both a full-year funding bill for DHS and a temporary, two-week funding extension.
At midnight Friday — with several lawmakers already in Germany — DHS shut down.
Both Republican leaders warned members to be prepared to return if a deal was reached. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., gave senators 24 hours’ notice to return, while House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., allowed a 48-hour window.
Despite the conference being scheduled months in advance, some lawmakers said leaving Washington — or even the country — during an active funding standoff sent the wrong message.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing that Democrats blocked Republican-led efforts to prevent a partial DHS shutdown.
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"Schumer’s what’s deciding this," Scott told Fox News Digital. "I mean, he’s deciding that he’s more interested in people going to Munich than he is in funding DHS."
Several lawmakers from both chambers are attending the conference, participating in side discussions and panels during the annual forum, where heads of state and top decision-makers gather to debate international security policy.
Members of the House expressed frustration that senators would leave amid stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and the White House.
"The Senate started out a week ago saying, ‘I don’t think anybody should leave town,’" Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., told Fox News Digital. "Now they’re doing the Munich thing. At least [the House] sent a bill over…not a great pride moment for the federal government, is it?"
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., led a bipartisan delegation of 11 senators to the conference.
When …

Cal State prof warns scrapping SAT in name of ‘inclusivity’ is leaving students unprepared
We're watching the same failure loop.

A California economics professor is sounding the alarm on the "deficits in learning" she is seeing in the classroom, arguing that the decision to scrap standardized testing in the name of "inclusivity" is actually a disservice to the students it claims to help.
Cal State Long Beach professor Andrea Mays told Fox News Digital that the current cohort of college students, many of whom spent their formative middle school years in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, are arriving on campus unprepared for basic coursework.
Mays spoke to Fox News Digital about the state’s university system’s decision to scrap the SAT as a requirement for college admission as playing a large role in that and that it has led to students coming to college unprepared and dropping out at higher rates. 
Mays says the drop rate is up "phenomenally" and that chairs of other departments tell her it's widespread, with 25% of students dropping classes, with math being a key area where students are coming in underprepared. 
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"I teach a class that is offered for non-economics majors," Mays explained. "I could put on an index card exactly what math is required for my class, it's not calculus, and they are struggling with it, they're embarrassed, they're demoralized, they come into my classroom, and they say, or into my office hours, and they say, I never learned this stuff, I don't know how to calculate a percentage change."
"I can show them, but those are the students who are actually coming to me and asking me for help. There are lots of other students who are just too embarrassed even to do that, and who just end up dropping the class."
Mays, who recently penned an opinion piece in the Orange Country Register with the headline "Bring back the SAT at CSU — or admit we are failing our own students," says that the explanation she has gotten for the CSU system dropping the SAT is that "we want to be inclusive."
"I am definitely for inclusivity on our campus," Mays said. "We have a very diverse campus here. But I think it's fraud to tell people that what we're doing is so that we can be inclusive when really what we're doing is we're allowing people to enter that we know are really going to have a difficult time of it. They have no idea."
'NATION'S REPORT CARD' SHOWS ALARMING DECLINE IN SCIENCE, MATH AND READING SCORES
In recent years, several activist groups have railed against the SAT and standardized testing in general, including the nation’s largest teachers union, and Fox News Digital asked Mays if that narrative is behind the CSU …