Category: News
A titan of civil rights: Remembering Rev. Jesse L. Jackson
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson died on Tuesday. He was 84.
Here’s what to know about the Chicago-based Baptist minister, political figure and two-time presidential candidate whose soaring oratory made him a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement and national politics for more than six decades.
‘A political force of nature’
After the fire department’s fire prevention parade, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, center, led a group of people down State Street demanding jobs for the poor on Oct. 7, 1974, in Chicago. The group had a brief confrontation with the police. (William Kelly/Chicago Tribune)
Raised in South Carolina under Jim Crow segregation laws, Jackson became a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. until the Black leader’s 1968 assassination, and he participated with King in the famed 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.
In Chicago, Jackson led King’s civil rights group and later established activist and social justice organizations that eventually evolved into the Kenwood-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. The organization became a driving force for social justice and civil rights, especially during the 1980s, as Jackson built a reputation both as a peripatetic champion of the economically and politically downtrodden and as an expert power player who organized boycotts against major companies he felt weren’t hiring minorities or investing in minority communities.
Known for his rhetorical flourishes and his short, catchy and sometimes-rhythmic and rhyming phrases — ideal as sound bites — Jackson sought to instill self-confidence in Black people with his trademark call-and-response celebration of the self that started with “I am somebody.” Another signature line was his anti-drug refrain, “Down with dope, up with hope.” Read more here.
One of the ‘last great leaders’
Carolyn Dunbar, of University Park, is hugged by Ziff Sistrunk as she lays flowers in memory of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., outside Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago on Feb. 17, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Solving problems great and small is how the Rev. Jesse Jackson will be remembered in Chicago and to the world, his friends and neighbors said.
Tributes from across the city and country poured in Tuesday, from across all walks of life. He was remembered for his commitment to civil rights and “generous” personality. His family, meanwhile, called Jackson in a news release a “servant leader” who championed the oppressed, voiceless and overlooked around the world. Read more here.
Minister, civil rights advocate, politician and social justice proponent
Rev. Jesse Jackson embraces one of the jail inmates as he greets them after holiday festivities on Dec. 25, 1989, at 26th and California streets in Chicago. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
“His legacy is a profound leadership that aided in moving America forward and aided in addressing the question of racism and discrimination,” said U.S. Rep Maxine Waters about Jackson’s legacy.
“It was Jesse Jackson’s leadership, along with other greats that really created change, and the movement toward opening up America to all.”
As the world mourns his passing, here’s a look at Jackson’s remarkable life. Read more here.
Editorial: The Rev. Jesse Jackson was a formidable Chicago activist and achiever
‘A giant of the civil rights movement’
Rev. Jesse Jackson is recognized with family members and Rev. Al Sharpton on Aug. 19, 2024, during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson ordered public buildings across the city and state to fly flags at half-staff in honor of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died at 84 after rising from an upstart Chicago organizer to a national leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
Their announcements joined messages from political leaders across Illinois who were mourning Jackson’s death and nodding to the decades-long movement he championed after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his mentor.
Johnson, an ally of the Jacksons, wrote a fulsome tribute that nodded to Jackson’s ascent in Chicago, from building up the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization to founding the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Read more here.
President Trump praises late Rev. Jesse Jackson as ‘good man’ as he claims he disliked Barack Obama
A titan of civil rights remembered.
An advanced look at tomorrow’s front page, featuring the Rev. Jesse Jackson. pic.twitter.com/xVjnTCOqxM
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) February 18, 2026
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/rev-jesse-jackson-what-to-know/
FOMC Minutes Confirm Divided Fed: “Several” Suggest Rate-Hikes Possible, Fear Private Credit “Vulnerabilities”
FOMC Minutes Confirm Divided Fed: “Several” Suggest Rate-Hikes Possible, Fear Private Credit “Vulnerabilities”
Since the last FOMC meeting (where they held rates with two dovish dissents) on Jan 28th, Bitcoin has been the biggest underperformer (along with gold) while bonds and the dollar have rallied with stocks lagging…
Source: Bloomberg
March is ‘off the table’ for a rate-cut now (following last week’s payrolls beat) but overall 2026 rate-cut expectations are dovishly higher since the last FOMC meeting…
Source: Bloomberg
With macro data confirming Powell’s positive narrative (for now)
Source: Bloomberg
With Growth surprising to the upside and inflation drifting lower…
Source: Bloomberg
Today’s Minutes could be more interesting than recent months since The Fed displayed a hawkish tone with Powell talking up a “clear improvement” in the US outlook during the press conference, and said the job market shows signs of steadying.
So here’s what The Fed wanted you to know about the last FOMC Meeting:
A very divided Fed sees more rate-cuts (or hikes) possible and embraces lower inflation (and fears higher inflation)…
Almost all supported maintaining 3.50-3.75%, while a couple preferred a 25bps cut, citing restrictive policy and labor market risks; “some” judged rates should be held steady for some time.
(h/t Newsquawk)
Policy outlook & rate guidance
Almost all supported maintaining 3.50-3.75%, while a couple preferred a 25 basis point cut, citing restrictive policy and labor market risks.
Several said further rate cuts would likely be appropriate if inflation declines as expected.
Some judged rates should be held steady for some time pending clearer disinflation evidence.
Some said it would likely be appropriate to hold the policy rate steady for some time while assessing incoming data.
A number judged further easing may not be warranted until clear evidence shows disinflation is firmly back on track.
Several favored two-sided guidance, noting upward adjustments could be appropriate if inflation remains above target.
Vast majority saw downside employment risks as moderated, while inflation persistence risks remained; some judged risks more balanced.
Several warned further easing amid elevated inflation could signal reduced commitment to 2% goal.
A few cautioned overly restrictive policy could significantly weaken labor conditions.
Neutral rate & financial conditions
Those favoring no change said, after 75 basis points of cuts last year, policy was within estimates of neutral.
Most expected growth support from favorable financial conditions, fiscal policy, or regulatory changes.
Inflation views
Inflation had eased markedly from 2022 highs but remained somewhat elevated relative to 2%.
Elevated readings largely reflected core goods boosted by tariffs; some noted continued disinflation in core services, especially housing.
Most cautioned progress toward 2% may be slower and uneven; risk of persistent above-target inflation seen as meaningful.
Some cited business contacts planning price increases this year due to cost pressures, including tariffs.
Several said sustained demand pressures could keep inflation elevated.
Several expected ongoing housing services moderation to exert downward pressure on inflation.
Several anticipated higher productivity growth would help restrain inflation.
A few reported firms automating to offset costs, reducing need to raise prices or cut margins.
Most longer-term inflation expectations remained consistent with 2%; several noted near-term expectations had declined from spring peaks.
Labor market & growth
Most said unemployment, layoffs and vacancies suggested stabilization after gradual cooling.
Almost all observed layoffs remained low but hiring was also subdued.
Several said contacts remained cautious on hiring amid outlook and AI uncertainty.
Some cited lower net immigration as contributing to weak job gains.
Vast majority judged stabilization signs and diminished downside labor risks.
Most nonetheless said downside labor risks remained, including sharp unemployment increases in a low-hiring environment.
Some pointed to soft survey measures and part-time for economic reasons as signs of lingering weakness.
Activity seen expanding at solid pace; consumer spending resilient, supported by household wealth.
Several cited disparity between strong higher-income and soft lower-income consumer spending.
Several noted robust business investment, particularly in technology; several judged productivity gains would support growth.
FOMC Minutes explicitly state high valuations, Mag 7 concentration, off-balance sheet funding, K-shaped economy and hedge funds piling into basis trades:
In their discussion of financial stability, several participants commented on high asset valuations and historically low credit spreads.
Some participants discussed potential vulnerabilities associated with recent developments in the AI sector, including elevated equity market valuations, high concentration of market values and activities in a small number of firms, and increased debt financing.
A few participants commented that the financing of the AI-related infrastructure buildout in opaque private markets warranted monitoring.
Several participants highlighted vulnerabilities associated with the private credit sector and its provision of credit to riskier borrowers, including risks related to interconnections with other types of nonbank financial institutions, such as insurance companies, and banks’ exposure to this sector.
Several participants commented on risks associated with hedge funds, including their growing footprint in Treasury and equity markets, rising leverage, and continued expansion of relative value trades that could make the Treasury market more vulnerable to shocks.
A couple of participants commented that although consumer credit quality remained solid in the aggregate, there were signs of weakness in the financial positions of low- and medium-income households.
A few participants noted the need to monitor potential spillovers from volatility in global bond markets and foreign exchange.
Finally, The Fed commented on the yen “rate check” on behalf of the BOJ
“In the days leading up to the meeting, the dollar had depreciated markedly after reports that the Desk had made requests for indicative quotes, known as “rate checks,” on the dollar–yen exchange rate.
The manager noted that the Desk had requested those quotes solely on behalf of the U.S. Treasury in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s role as the fiscal agent for the U.S.“
Read the full FOMC Minutes below:
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 14:10
Obispo polaco va a juicio por presuntas demoras en denunciar abusos infantiles de sacerdotes
Por CLAUDIA CIOBANU
VARSOVIA, Polonia (AP) — Un obispo polaco fue a juicio el miércoles, acusado de no informar de inmediato a las autoridades sobre el presunto abuso sexual de niños por parte de dos sacerdotes de su diócesis.
Es la primera vez que un obispo polaco es juzgado por abusos sexuales presuntamente cometidos por sacerdotes bajo su autoridad.
Durante mucho tiempo, la Iglesia católica fue la máxima autoridad moral en Polonia tras haber desempeñado un papel inspirador durante la ocupación y el dominio extranjero y haber respaldado al movimiento anticomunista Solidaridad en la década de 1980.
Sin embargo, años de ajustes de cuentas por los abusos del clero y décadas de encubrimiento por parte de superiores religiosos han dañado la credibilidad de la jerarquía, que dio a Polonia a su católico más famoso, san Juan Pablo II.
Se acusa a jerarcas de la Iglesia de ignorar los delitos o, en algunos casos, de proteger a sacerdotes trasladándolos a nuevos destinos una vez que los escándalos se hicieron públicos. En un informe divulgado en 2019 por la Conferencia Episcopal Polaca, el órgano eclesiástico central, se indica que, entre 1990 y 2018, se presentaron ante la Iglesia 382 denuncias de abuso sexual contra sacerdotes.
Según el derecho interno de la Iglesia católica, los obispos no están obligados a informar a la policía sobre sospechas de abuso por parte de sus sacerdotes, y durante décadas, mantuvieron los casos dentro de la institución, prefiriendo proteger la reputación de la Iglesia a costa de las víctimas.
Incluso en países que han afrontado los abusos, es muy inusual que un obispo se enfrente a un proceso penal por no denunciar abusos ante las fuerzas del orden. En Francia, en medio de revelaciones sobre el devastador legado de abusos de la Iglesia, un tribunal condenó en 2019 al cardenal de Lyon, Philippe Barbarin, por encubrir los delitos sexuales de un sacerdote abusador, pero la condena fue revocada en apelación dos años después.
Según la Agencia de Prensa Polaca, los fiscales sostuvieron el miércoles ante el tribunal que el obispo Andrzej Jeż debió informar de inmediato a las autoridades al recibir información creíble sobre el presunto abuso infantil cometido por sacerdotes en su diócesis.
En el caso de los dos sacerdotes bajo la supervisión de Jeż, la Iglesia católica sí realizó investigaciones internas y denunció a los sacerdotes ante las autoridades. Pero los fiscales argumentaron que la ley exige informar sin demora.
Jeż enfrenta hasta tres años de prisión si es declarado culpable. El clérigo afirma ser inocente y asegura que informó a las autoridades tan pronto como la Iglesia aclaró los hechos y una vez que tuvo conocimiento de la obligación legal de hacerlo.
Ha ejercido como obispo en la diócesis de Tarnow, en el sur de Polonia, desde 2012.
“Expreso mi pesar y mis disculpas a todos los que resultaron perjudicados y a otras personas que sufrieron por esto, lo cual incluye a menudo a las familias”, manifestó Jeż el miércoles.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
For US snowboarder Jake Canter, an Olympic bronze medal is the prize after a near-death journey
LIVIGNO, Italy — Nobody could blame the doctors for telling 13-year-old Jake Canter he should never step on a snowboard again.
Nobody could blame 22-year-old Jake Canter for ignoring them.
Nine years after enduring a traumatic brain injury, the result of getting kicked in the head in a freak accident on a trampoline at an action-sports camp, the U.S. rider won the Olympic bronze medal in his sport’s trick-filled trip down the hill — slopestyle.
2026 Winter Olympics: Meet the medalists from the United States
The third-place finish Wednesday stamped an exclamation point on one of those only-at-the-Olympics kind of stories. It also exposed the flaw in all those dire diagnoses back then: The doctors were looking at Canter’s brain when they should have checked his heart.
“I really just hope I made 13-year-old me lying in that hospital bed proud,” Canter said. “This is for him and everyone who supported me.”
The accident fractured Canter’s skull in four places. He ended up in a coma for four days. He lost hearing in his right ear. Six months later, after therapy, some of it on a snowboard, was beginning to help him regain his bearings, Canter felt an earache come on. That was the first symptom of meningitis.
Another coma followed, again for four days. In the end, he needed surgery in which doctors put bone cement in his skull and his right ear, gutting his equilibrium and forcing him to relearn how to walk, how to talk.
But how to snowboard?
“There were only so many people who believed I could go do the stuff I was doing prior to everything,” Canter said. “I wanted to prove every doctor wrong that told me I couldn’t do this. That’s a big part of this.”
Canter’s bronze medal did not come on the prettiest day for snowboarding — or for slopestyle.
USA’s Jake Canter waits for his score during the men’s snowboarding slopestyle finals at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Livigno, Italy. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
Twelve riders took three runs each down the course that has been lightly panned all week for a too-big-rails section and a trio of jumps that are tightly bunched together, making it harder for athletes to gather speed and throw their biggest tricks.
So when Canter, facing an all-or-nothing gamble for the podium on his third and final run, threw the day’s only 1,980-degree spin off the last jump, it made for compelling theater. When he landed it, things got better.
He thrust his arms to the heavens and snapped his goggles off. He screamed “Let’s Go!” then went to snowboarding’s version of the “Kiss and Cry” area.
US skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin becomes 3-time Olympic champion with dominant slalom win
Judges took a full three minutes evaluating that run to see if it belonged on the podium. The score came up, and they agreed it did. Su Yiming of China won gold while Taiga Hasegawa of Japan took silver.
About an hour later, Canter told the story of the traumatic brain injury and listed some other injuries — compound fractures to his right arm and a broken left hand that he rode with at the Olympics.
Not all of them has involved bones and fractures.
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He told of a snowboarding friend who died from suicide in 2021. Canter, who grew up in the mountains of Colorado, has that friend’s birthday tattooed on his left wrist.
“I didn’t have a car at the time, he’d drive 45 minutes out of his way, take me to the resort,” Canter said. “We spent a lot of time traveling together when we were younger. So, this is a special win for him.”
Canter conceded that so much trauma over such a short life has taken its emotional toll. Mental health, a topic that has gained traction in Olympic circles in recent years, is something he’s fine talking about. Sometimes, to get away from it all, therapy involved simply getting on a board and riding.
“It’s the freedom it gives you, because you’re in control,” Canter said. “I can express myself a lot through my snowboarding. I feel more myself when I’m on my snowboard as well.”
On a magical day in Italy, snowboarding gave him yet another gift — and maybe brought a few new fans along for the ride too.
“I’m so lucky to be standing up here and I’m showcasing my skills to the world,” he said. “And this is the biggest stage to do it.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/jake-canter-slopestyle-bronze-olympics/
Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale by Paul Allen’s estate
SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul Allen.
Allen’s estate announced Wednesday it has begun the process of selling the team, which is coming off the second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
Investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins will lead the sales process, which is estimated to continue through the offseason. NFL owners must then ratify a final purchase agreement.
The estate said the sale is consistent with Allen’s directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy.
The Seahawks have been in the Allen family since 1997, when Paul Allen bought the Seahawks for $194 million from then-owner Ken Behring.
Since Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 65, the Seahawks and NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers have been owned by his sister, Jody. The estate agreed in September to sell the Trail Blazers to an investment group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/seattle-seahawks-sale-paul-allen/
Trump DOJ Blocks Largest Copper, Gold, And Silver Extraction Site In The US Over Salmon, Sending Stock Tumbling
Trump DOJ Blocks Largest Copper, Gold, And Silver Extraction Site In The US Over Salmon, Sending Stock Tumbling
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the mining industry, the Trump administration has blocked what would have been the largest copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum extraction site in the United States, after the DOJ filed a 143-page brief late Tuesday defending the Biden Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2023 veto of the controversial Pebble Mine project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region.
If built, the Pebble mine would produce 6.4 billion lb. of copper, 7.4 million oz of gold, and 300 lb. of molybdenum – along with 37 million ounces of silver and 200,000 kg of rhenium over 20 years, according to a 2023 economic study cited by mining.com.
The DOJ argues that the EPA correctly found that discharges from the mining operation would cause unacceptable adverse affects on salmon fisheries.
“This precedent will be used by future Democratic administrations to reverse all of the progress this administration has made with its pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-development agenda,” said Northern Dynasty president and CEO Ron Thiessen, calling the move “surprising.”
As a result, the stock (NAK) is down as much as 45% in Wednesday trade.
History:
2001: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. acquires mining claims for the Pebble deposit, a large low-grade copper-gold-molybdenum ore body in the Bristol Bay watershed. PLP (Pebble Limited Partnership), a subsidiary, begins data collection for large-scale mining.
2010: The Obama EPA announces that it would be conducting a scientific assessment under the Clean Water Act to evaluate large-scale mining impacts on Bristol Bay’s water quality and salmon resources.
2014: BLOCKED! The EPA issues a Proposed Determination under Section 404(c) to restrict discharges in Pebble area waters due to risks to salmon habitat.
2017: during the first Trump administration, the EPA reversed course – proposing a withdrawal of the 2014 determination, which was finalized in 2019 (the withdrawal).
2022: The Biden EPA hits back, reversing the reversal – essentially putting the project on ice again.
January 2023: The Biden EPA issues a final veto determination to kill the project.
July 2023: Alaska files a motion with the US Supreme Court to challenge the Biden EPA.
March 2024: Northern Dynasty files a separate complaint challenging the EPA.
June 2024: Iliamna Natives Ltd. et al. (Alaska Native Corporations) file a complaint challenging the EPA.
November 12, 2024: US District Court for Alaska consolidates the three cases
February 17, 2026: Trump DOJ files opposition brief defending the Biden EPA’s final determination.
The longer version:
The story starts in 2001, when Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. acquired mining claims for the Pebble deposit, a massive low-grade ore body estimated to hold billions of pounds of critical metals essential for green energy transitions and national security. Early exploration revealed its potential to become North America’s largest mine, but its location in the headwaters of Bristol Bay – home to diverse salmon populations and vital aquatic habitats – quickly raised red flags.
Satellite Map of Proposed Pebble Mine and Bristol Bay project (Flickr)
By 2010, the EPA launched a scientific assessment under Clean Water Act (CWA) Sections 104(a)-(b) to evaluate the risks of large-scale mining on the region’s water quality and fisheries, setting the stage for over a decade of scrutiny.
The environmental concerns crystallized in January 2014 with the release of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment (BBA), a comprehensive study highlighting potential negative impacts from mining discharges, including habitat loss for salmon. This led to a July 2014 Proposed Determination under CWA Section 404(c) to restrict waste disposal in the area. However, pushback was swift: In November 2014, a U.S. District Court in Alaska issued a preliminary injunction halting the process amid lawsuits from Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP).
In 2017, Trump’s first term ushered in what investors in NAK thought was going to be a slam dunk. By July 2017, the EPA proposed withdrawing its 2014 determination – which was finalized in August 2019, clearing a path forward.
Progress accelerated in 2020. PLP revised its “2020 Mine Plan” in June, outlining a 20-year operation to extract 1.3 billion tons of ore, but acknowledging significant environmental costs: the loss of 8.5 miles of salmon-bearing streams, 91 miles of supporting streams, and over 2,000 acres of wetlands.
The Corps’ Final EIS in July detailed these impacts, yet the permit was denied in November 2020 for failing to comply with 404(b)(1) Guidelines and public interest standards. PLP appealed in January 2021.
Ping Pong Intensifies
The tide turned again in October 2021, when a court vacated the Trump EPA’s 2019 withdrawal, reviving the veto process. By January 2022, the Biden EPA announced a new 404(c) review, leading to a January 2023 Final Determination: a prohibition on discharges at the mine site in the South Fork Koktuli (SFK) and North Fork Koktuli (NFK) watersheds, and restrictions elsewhere in SFK, NFK, and Upper Talarik Creek (UTC) to protect salmon fishery areas.
Litigation intensified post-veto. Alaska sought Supreme Court intervention in July 2023 (denied January 2024), while Northern Dynasty filed its challenge in March 2024 (Case No. 3:24-cv-00059). The State of Alaska followed in April 2024 (No. 3:24-cv-00084), and Iliamna Natives Ltd. et al. in June 2024 (No. 3:24-cv-00132). The Corps denied PLP’s permit without prejudice on April 15, 2024, citing the EPA’s action. The EPA lodged its administrative record in August 2024, and the cases were consolidated on November 12, 2024.
Plaintiffs submitted summary judgment briefs on October 3, 2025, leading to the DOJ’s recent filing backing the Biden EPA and sticking a fork in the eye of NAK longs.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 13:35
Yields Jump After Extremely Ugly, Tailing 20Y Auction Sees Lowest Foreign Demand Since 2021
Yields Jump After Extremely Ugly, Tailing 20Y Auction Sees Lowest Foreign Demand Since 2021
The week’s lone coupon auction, was also one of the ugliest 20Y auctions since its inception in May 2020.
Moments ago, the Treasury sold $16 billion in 20Y paper in an especially disappointing auction: here are the details.
The auction stopped at a high yield of 4.664%, down from 4.846% in January and the lowest since October. It tailed the When Issued 4.644% by a whopping 2bps, the biggest tail since November 2024.
Going down the list, the Cid to Cover tumbled to 2.36 from 2.86 (one of the highest on record), the lowest btc since (also) November 2024.
The internals were also dismal, as foreign buyers fled. Indirects took down just 55.167%, down from 64.715% in January and the second lowest on record (only Feb 2021 was worse).
And with Directs awarded 27.2%, down from 29.1% in January but above the recent average of 26.9%, Dealers were left with 17.6%, the highest since December 2024.
Overall, this was an extremely ugly auction, and one which dragged both 10Y and 30Y yields to session highs after the break.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 13:27
American-Born Pope Snubs Trump Invitation To Gaza Board Of Peace
American-Born Pope Snubs Trump Invitation To Gaza Board Of Peace
The Vatican will not be joining US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” after Washington specifically invited Pope Leo XIV to join the massive post-war Gaza reconstruction project overseen by the United States and Israel.
The Vatican’s top diplomat argued Tuesday that the United Nations should be left to handle crisis situations, and not a ‘private’ board with a one billion dollar buy-in.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See Secretary of State, told a press briefing that the Vatican is left “perplexed” by some points of the plan – meaning that “critical issues” must be resolved for the Vatican to seriously consider it.
Leo’s invitation was first extended by the US administration last month. The plan is for Trump himself chair the board on an indefinite basis – and Washington’s deep investment involvement has raised eyebrows across the Arab world. Many Arab officials and especially the Palestinians see it as a ‘neo-colonial project’ aimed at further solidifying Israel’s hold over the Strip, and toward finally pushing the native inhabitants out forever.
A chief concern of the Roman Catholic Church “is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”
The Vatican will not “participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States” – the statement indicated, while Italy and the European Union will participate as mere observers.
Some other key European states agree with the Pope’s perspective:
Britain, France and Norway are not signing up. Diplomats, officials and world leaders have expressed concerns over the expanded remit of the board, Trump’s indefinite chairmanship and the potential damage it could cause to the UN’s work.
Vatican critics will accuse the Pope of not signing off to the only ‘path of peace’; however, the Roman Pontiff – going back to Leo’s predecessor Francis – has remained intensely critical of the Israeli military, given the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians (a number Israeli media has admitted too) throughout the over two-year long Gaza war and crisis.
Francis and now Leo have taken up the cause of Palestinian Christians especially. For example, Francis while Pope had reportedly held a private phone call with Gaza’s main Roman Catholic church on a nightly basis during the heavy Israeli bombardment.
🚨🇻🇦 BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV declines Trump’s Gaza Peace Board; Vatican official says the Holy See “will not participate.” Comes after Cardinal Pizzaballa denounced the plan as a “colonialist operation” deciding for Palestinians.
Source: Vatican News; OSV News
Follow: @RTSG_News pic.twitter.com/PAiiEJg0U5
— RTSG News (@RTSG_News) February 18, 2026
Israeli bombs had killed Gaza’s Palestinian Orthodox and Catholic Christians just as airstrikes had killed Muslims. Orthodox and Catholic parishes had been hit by airstrikes, and tank mortars, throughout the conflict, killing and maiming dozens of native Christians.
Palestinian Christians descend from the original first-century church community which heard the preaching of Jesus and the Apostles, and so have held special concern for church leaders worldwide. However, American Evangelicals have tended to neglect or dismiss the cries of native Holy Land Christians altogether, defending Israel’s military operations.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 13:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/american-born-pope-snubs-trump-invitation-gaza-board-peace
U.S. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries visits Chicago suburbs to talk about cost of living
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who serves as House Minority Leader in Congress, visited Winnetka on Tuesday to highlight what he called a growing national affordability crisis.
Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, joined U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, also a Democrat, who represents many north Cook County and Lake County suburbs in Congress, for a roundtable discussion with local business owners, housing advocates and social service providers in Schneider’s 10th District.
The event brought together representatives from organizations serving residents in Cook, Lake and McHenry counties, including a Northbrook mental health clinic, to discuss rising costs for housing, food, health care and child care.
“The state of the real economy in America is a mess. There is an affordability crisis that is not a hoax. It is very real,” Jeffries said at a press conference following the roundtable. “That point was brought home clearly during this discussion.”
“People are struggling with housing costs. People are struggling with health care costs. People are struggling with the cost of groceries. People are struggling with childcare costs. People are struggling with the cost of running a small business, particularly as a result of the Trump tariffs.”
Seeking to position themselves ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, Jeffries said Democrats are holding similar conversations around the country as they work to address cost-of-living pressures.
“We need to act decisively and get this situation turned around so we can bring the American Dream to life for everyone,” he said.
Schneider said the discussion focused on how inflation and higher living expenses are affecting working families in the region.
“Over the past year, life has gotten not just more expensive for the American people, it has gotten to the point that the American Dream seems out of reach for many people — an impossible dream,” Schneider said.
He described affordability as more than covering basic expenses.
“Affordability means not just getting by, it means being able to get ahead and to build a better future for yourself, for your community and your family — to pay your bills, save for the future and maybe take a vacation,” he said.
Also participating was New Trier Township Supervisor Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg, who outlined local indicators of financial strain among residents.
She said some community members are working, raising families and contributing locally but still struggling to make ends meet. While the Cook County minimum wage is $15 per hour, she said the estimated living wage for a family of four with two working parents exceeds $29 per hour, and $42.65 per hour if only one parent is working.
Schnitzer Eisenberg added that the township has seen a 110% increase in food pantry usage since 2015, along with a rise in requests for emergency financial assistance for housing and special needs.
“These are not people who lack work ethic,” she said. “The numbers simply cannot not add up.”
Rob Anthony of Community Partners for Affordable Housing said rent and home prices are increasing at two to four times the rate of income.
“There’s a widening gap and it’s not that people are not working hard or doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” he added, “but there’s a structural problem where income is not keeping up with home prices and it’s creating a widening gap for people.
“In the Chicago area, someone would have to earn $33.87 per hour just to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Compare that to the minimum wage of $15 per hour. So someone would have to work more than two full time jobs to afford a two bedroom apartment.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/winnetka-hakeem-jeffries-brad-schneider/
Hungría suspende envíos de diésel a Ucrania por interrupción del suministro de petróleo ruso
Por JUSTIN SPIKE
BUDAPEST, Hungría (AP) — Hungría ha suspendido sus envíos de diésel a la vecina Ucrania hasta que se resuelvan las interrupciones del suministro de petróleo ruso a través de un oleoducto que cruza territorio ucraniano, manifestó el miércoles el ministro de Exteriores húngaro.
Los envíos de petróleo ruso a Hungría y Eslovaquia se han visto interrumpidos desde el 27 de enero, después de lo que, según autoridades ucranianas, fueron ataques rusos que dañaron el oleoducto Druzhba, que transporta crudo ruso hacia Europa Central.
Hungría y Eslovaquia, que han recibido una exención temporal de una política de la Unión Europea que prohíbe las importaciones de petróleo ruso, han acusado a Ucrania —sin aportar pruebas— de retrasar deliberadamente los suministros.
En un video publicado el miércoles en redes sociales, el ministro de Exteriores húngaro, Péter Szijjártó, afirmó que la interrupción de las entregas de petróleo fue “una decisión política tomada por el propio presidente ucraniano”.
Ucrania ha negado esas acusaciones.
Szijjártó añadió que Hungría cuenta con reservas de petróleo suficientes para más de tres meses y que su seguridad energética estaba garantizada.
Mientras casi todos los países de Europa han reducido de forma significativa o han cesado por completo las importaciones de energéticos rusos, Hungría —miembro de la Unión Europea y de la OTAN— ha mantenido e incluso incrementado su suministro de petróleo y gas rusos desde que Moscú inició su guerra en Ucrania en febrero de 2022.
El primer ministro nacionalista húngaro, Viktor Orbán, ha sostenido durante mucho tiempo que los combustibles fósiles rusos son indispensables para su economía y que adoptar energéticos procedentes de otros lugares provocaría un colapso económico inmediato, un argumento que algunos expertos cuestionan.
Considerado ampliamente como el mayor defensor del Kremlin en la Unión Europea, Orbán se ha opuesto con firmeza a los esfuerzos del bloque por sancionar a Moscú por su invasión y ha arremetido contra los intentos de afectar los ingresos energéticos de Rusia que ayudan a financiar la guerra.
Ante lo que promete ser la elección más difícil de sus últimos 16 años en el poder, Orbán ha lanzado una agresiva campaña antiucraniana y anti-Unión Europea, con la que busca convencer a los votantes de que el país vecino supone un riesgo existencial para Hungría y de que él es el único garante de su seguridad.
Tras la interrupción de los suministros de petróleo del Druzhba a finales de enero, el gobierno de Hungría pidió a la vecina Croacia que permitiera que el petróleo ruso entregado por mar se bombeara a refinerías de Hungría y Eslovaquia a través del oleoducto Adria.
El ministro de Economía de Croacia, Ante Šušnjar, ha dicho que su país no permitiría que se pusieran en riesgo los suministros energéticos en Europa Central, pero rechazó la solicitud de Hungría.
En un mensaje publicado el lunes en X, Šušnjar señaló que ya “no quedan excusas técnicas para seguir atados al crudo ruso para ningún país de la Unión Europea”.
“Un barril comprado a Rusia puede parecer más barato para algunos países, pero ayuda a financiar la guerra y los ataques contra el pueblo ucraniano”, escribió.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
