Good morning, everyone. It has already been a very hectic morning, and it is shaping up to be an extremely busy day. The United States has seized an oil tanker sailing under a Russian flag. President Trump says he will personally control the proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil. The United States is also keeping all options on the table regarding Greenland, including possible military action, and that is just the start of today’s developments.
I also have a full slate of interviews. This morning, I will be speaking with Jess Michaels, an Epstein survivor, to ensure that story remains front and center. This afternoon, I will head to Capitol Hill for a sit-down interview with Senator Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. You will not want to miss it. Tonight, I will be speaking with James Talarico, who is running for Senate in Texas.
On a personal note, you may have seen that CBS News ran an exposé on Marco Rubio that praised him and drew approval from the White House. I woke up deeply disturbed. The media organization that once employed Walter Cronkite has caved. I want to build something better and something different. Please subscribe to support my work. Let’s get back to fact-based news.
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Here’s what you missed:
The U.S. has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a weeks-long pursuit, despite nearby Russian naval vessels, marking a rare move that could escalate tensions with Russia, according to Reuters. This ship is an oil tanker but does not have any actual oil on it. The United States has been chasing it for weeks in the Atlantic Ocean, even as Russian naval assets were sent to escort the vessel to a port in Northern Russia.
The action is part of the Trump administration’s broader pressure campaign against Venezuela, following the capture of Nicolas Maduro and intensified enforcement against sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments under Donald Trump’s policy.
Overnight, Donald Trump confirmed that Venezuela will “turn over” 30-50 million barrels of oil, and the oil will be sold by Trump who will control the money. This statement from Trump implicates significant legal concerns as the President cannot personally control the income derived from selling this oil:
The White House is now praising CBS publicly after it ran a puff piece on Secretary of State Marco Rubio:
If you want to watch the puff piece run by CBS, here it is. As you watch it, remember that this same network is currently refusing to air a 60 Minutes special highlighting how the United States of America sent migrants to CECOT in El Salvador where they faced torture:
The White House has confirmed that it intends on annexing Greenland and is leaving the possibility of military intervention on the table. The latest statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to CNN.
France and its European allies are weighing a coordinated response to escalating rhetoric from Donald Trump about potentially seizing Greenland, with French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirming talks with Germany and Poland, Denmark warning that any U.S. military move against Greenland would effectively end NATO, and tensions partly eased after Marco Rubio told French officials he had ruled out an invasion—despite the White House saying “all options” remain on the table—prompting emergency meetings in Copenhagen and sharp rebuttals from Danish leaders, including Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who accused Washington of exaggerating Chinese and Russian activity in the region.
A federal judge ordered Trump ally Lindsey Halligan to explain within seven days why she continues to identify herself as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia despite a prior ruling that her appointment was unconstitutional, with David Novak warning that her continued use of the title could be false or misleading and hinting at possible disciplinary action, after Judge Cameron McGowan Currie previously dismissed high-profile cases against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling that the Justice Department had violated the Constitution in appointing Halligan—a decision now under appeal but still binding on the district.
Béla Fleck, an 18-time Grammy winner, withdrew from three scheduled February concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, saying the venue has become “charged and political” after its board voted to add Donald Trump’s name to the institution; Fleck said performing would alienate left-leaning fans while withdrawing would anger right-leaning ones, prompting criticism from Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, and making him the latest high-profile artist—alongside figures like Stephen Schwartz—to step away from the venue amid growing cultural and political backlash.
Warner Bros. Discovery rejected an amended takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying the offer provided insufficient value and carried greater financial, regulatory, and execution risk compared with its already signed $82.7 billion merger agreement with Netflix; Chairman Samuel Di Piazza and CEO David Zaslav emphasized the Netflix deal’s clearer path to closing, stronger shareholder protections, and strategic fit, despite Paramount’s sweetened bid backed by Larry Ellison and led by David Ellison, as scrutiny from Donald Trump looms over whichever merger proceeds.
The Trump administration is suspending federal funding for programs supporting needy families in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, citing unspecified fraud concerns, with the US Department of Health and Human Services demanding additional documentation before releasing grants for child care, cash assistance, and social services.
U.S. authorities said the man accused in the Brown University shooting left behind video recordings, translated by the US Department of Justice, in which he said he had planned the attack for years, detailing six semesters of preparation and expressing no remorse. The former Brown student, a Portuguese national with no current ties to Brown University, killed two students on campus, later fatally shot a professor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology at his home, and was found days later dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire, according to investigators.
Good news:
France has enacted a sweeping ban on so-called “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, prohibiting their use in cosmetics, clothing, ski wax, and related consumer products due to links with cancer, birth defects, and widespread environmental contamination. The law was passed overwhelmingly by the National Assembly, signed into effect by Emmanuel Macron, and includes routine testing of public water supplies, though it exempts non-stick cookware and certain essential emergency equipment, positioning France among Europe’s leaders as the European Union considers broader PFAS restrictions following earlier limits set under the Stockholm Convention.
Germany’s households have surpassed €10 trillion in savings, reflecting a decade-long trend of Europe’s highest household savings rates, averaging 20–21% between 2014 and 2024, according to estimates by DZ Bank. The bank said savings and liquid assets rose another 6% (about €600 billion) in 2025, a rise driven more by disciplined saving than stock market gains, with economist Michael Stappel predicting the upward trend will continue into 2026.
Researchers discovered that 37 of 45 species of birds-of-paradise emit biofluorescence, with feathers that glow yellow-green under UV light, likely enhancing their elaborate courtship displays. The finding, made while examining specimens at the American Museum of Natural History, suggests the glow may play a role in mating and social signaling among these famously colorful birds.
