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Sharia law victim who fled Somalia issues endorsement in critical Senate race

‘I’ve seen firsthand what radical Islam does to women, to families, and to nations who ignore the warning signs,’ Ali said

By Peter Pinedo
Fox News

Published February 16, 2026 3:01pm EST

EXCLUSIVE: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a high-profile women’s rights activist who fled Sharia law, has endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for re-election in a critical Senate race that could determine whether the GOP retains its majority.

In a video announcing her endorsement, Ali, a speaker and author who fled Somalia after suffering female genital mutilation, said that “only John Cornyn has a proven record of stopping radical Islamic extremism.”

“I’ve seen firsthand what radical Islam does to women, to families, and to nations who ignore the warning signs. America is not immune, and neither is Texas,” she went on, adding, “That’s why experience matters.”

This comes amid an already contentious Senate primary race in Texas between Cornyn, who has held the seat since 2002, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. President Donald Trump has not weighed in on the race, though he recently hinted he may do so, saying, “My problem is I’m friendly with all of them.”

TEXAS GOVERNOR EXPOSES ‘HYPOCRISY’ OF DEM PUSH FOR STATES’ RIGHTS IN MINNESOTA AFTER BIDEN YEARS

Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Center: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Right: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas.(Official website of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Texas leaders have recently sounded the alarm about the growth of Sharia law in the Lone Star State. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently issued a proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “transnational criminal organizations” under Texas law.

Ali emphasized the importance of Cornyn’s experience in pushing back against Sharia law, taking subtle jabs at Paxton and Hunt, who would be first-term senators.

She said that Cornyn “has taken the threat seriously when others choose denial or political games.”

“If you want a Texas that protects its people and defends its values, you need a leader who understands the danger and knows how to stop it,” she said.

“To keep Texas strong and safe from radical Islam, vote John Cornyn.”

GOP GOVERNOR LAYS OUT PLAN TO ‘PURGE’ TERRORISTS AND TERROR SUPPORTERS FROM STATE

Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali attends a book presentation of ‘Reformiert Euch! Warum der Islam such aendern muss – Refurbished you! Why Islam must change’ on April 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.((Photo by Christian Marquardt/Getty Images))

In response, Cornyn told Fox News Digital, “I am honored to be endorsed by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has spoken fearlessly about the dangers of radical Islam from her own experience.”

Cornyn’s office pointed to several actions he has taken as senator to push back on Sharia Law in the U.S., including recently Introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, which the office said aims to clarify that discriminating based on Sharia Law is a violation of the Civil Rights Act, co-sponsoring the No Sharia Act, which it said prohibits U.S. courts from enforcing foreign laws or judgments that violate the Constitution and calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate “EPIC Ranches City” in Texas, a master-planned development that allegedly marketed itself as a Muslims-only community.

In 2025, Cornyn also introduced legislation to strip the tax-exempt status from organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist groups, specifically targeting CAIR. He also co-sponsored the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which directs the Secretary of State to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“For many years now, I have worked to confront this radical ideology, from working to ban Sharia Law, to identifying, arresting and prosecuting terrorist organizations, and calling on the DOJ to investigate the EPIC City development,” Cornyn said. “I will continue to protect Texans from the threat of radical Islamic ideology anywhere in our country.”

TEXAS REPUBLICANS LAUNCH ‘SHARIA FREE AMERICA CAUCUS’ AIMED AT DEFENDING ‘WESTERN CIVILIZATION’

People arrive at a mosque to attend Friday prayers, in Plano, Texas, on April 11, 2025.(RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

Ali’s endorsement comes just over two weeks until the GOP’s primary election day in Texas.

Cornyn, a high-ranking Senate Republican, has also been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the National Border Patrol Council.

Meanwhile, Paxton, who has served as the top attorney for Texas since 2015, was recently endorsed by Turning Point Action, the political arm of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. Hunt, a U.S. Army veteran, has been endorsed by Veterans for America First.

Both Paxton and Hunt have also spoken out against Sharia Law in Texas. Paxton sued CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to shut them down and bar their operations in Texas. He also sued the developers behind EPIC as well, arguing they violated Texas securities law by selling investment interests without proper registration and by failing to verify accredited investor status as required.

Hunt has said Sharia law is “completely incompatible with the founding principles of the United States of America” and argued it should have no place in U.S. legal or civic systems.

TEXAS DEMOCRAT FEUD GROWS AS COLIN ALLRED CLAIMS JAMES TALARICO MADE OFFENSIVE REMARK ABOUT FAMILY, CAMPAIGNS

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) questions former Special Counsel Jack Smith as he testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, US, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.(Al Drago/Getty Images; Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

All three Republican candidates have touted their support for Trump and their records of supporting his agenda in their respective offices.

Trump recently told reporters that he may weigh in on the primary race soon, saying, “I’m giving it a very serious look.”

“You know, my problem is I’m friendly with all of them. I like all of them, all three,” Trump said.

“But you’ll be seeing soon,” he went on. “They say whoever I endorse wins. That’s probably right.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Whichever Republican emerges victorious from the primary election will face off against either leading Democratic voice Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, or progressive rising star state Rep. James Talarico.

According to Paxton’s office, Ali will appear at a campaign roundtable with religious leaders in North Texas later this week.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

https://youtu.be/R1ExuAS6Hx0?si=R0rsA4fGEAy0pukj

Citing Orwell’s ‘1984,’ judge orders Trump administration to return slavery exhibits removed from Philadelphia museum

30 min ago
PUBLISHED Feb 16, 2026, 6:28 PM ET

By

[Piper Hudspeth Blackburn]

A federal judge, evoking the dystopian world of George Orwell’s novel “1984,” ordered the Trump administration on Monday to return a long-standing exhibit on slavery it removed from a popular historical museum in Philadelphia.

US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, included multiple references to Orwell in her ruling granting the City of Philadelphia’s request to restore the exhibit panels to Independence National Historical Park while litigation over their removal continues.

“As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims—to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not,” Rufe said, referring to the famous novel, which deals with themes of oppression and rigid governmental control.

Last month, work crews took down large display panels at the President’s House Site, where Presidents George Washington and John Adams once lived. Soon after, the city sued the administration in federal court, claiming the government was required to consult with the city before making any changes.

Siding with the city, Rufe noted that Congress passed legislation that “specifically limited” the authority of the Interior Department to “unilaterally alter or control” the park.

“The government can convey a different message without restraint elsewhere if it so pleases, but it cannot do so to the President’s House until it follows the law and consults with the City,” Rufe wrote.

CNN has reached out to the White House, Interior Department and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker for comment.

The dispute is playing out as the Trump administration has ramped up its effort to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with the president’s views ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in July.

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson celebrated the ruling, saying in a post on X, “Black history is American history, and we won’t let Trump erase our story.”

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro previously criticized the removal of the slavery exhibit, saying the White House was “whitewashing” history.

In an executive order signed last March, President Donald Trump accused the Biden administration of advancing “corrosive ideology,” specifically citing Independence Park, and called upon the Interior secretary to remove contents that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

Since then, the White House has also launched a review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to get rid of what it considers anti-American propaganda.

“The American people will have no patience for any museum that is diffident about America’s founding or otherwise uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history, one which is justifiably proud of our country’s accomplishments and record,” White House officials wrote to the Smithsonian in December.

Last year, the American Battle Monuments Commission, a small, little-known federal agency, also took down a cemetery display in the Netherlands that commemorated the contributions of African American WWII soldiers and highlighted the discrimination they faced.

US increases military pressure on Iran ahead of high-stakes talks

Published Feb 16, 2026, 3:46 PM ET / Updated Feb 16, 2026, 4:48 PM ET / CNN

By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Avery Schmitz, Mohammed Tawfeeq

The US military is continuing a significant buildup of air and naval assets in the Middle East ahead of planned talks with Iran in Geneva on Tuesday. The pieces are being moved into place both to intimidate Tehran and to have options to strike inside the country should negotiations over its nuclear program fail, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

US Air Force assets based in the United Kingdom, including refueling tankers and fighter jets, are being repositioned closer to the Middle East, according to sources familiar with the movements.

The US is also continuing to flow air defense systems to the region, according to a US official, and several US military units deployed in the region that were expected to rotate out in the coming weeks have had their orders extended, said one source familiar with the matter. Dozens of US military cargo planes have transported equipment from the US to Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, according to flight-tracking data.

On Friday evening, multiple fighter aircraft were also given diplomatic clearance to enter Jordanian airspace, according to open-source air traffic communications. Satellite images show 12 US F-15 attack planes have been positioned at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base since January 25.

More broadly, open-source flight data reveals there have been over 250 US cargo flights into the region.

President Donald Trump has been threatening military action against Iran for weeks, beginning last month when he warned Iranian leaders that he was prepared to order an attack if the government did not stop killing protesters. And on Friday, he said he believes regime change “would be the best thing that could happen” in Iran.

The buildup of military assets and emphasis by Trump and senior members of the administration that regime change is preferable has the region on edge and increases the stakes for Tuesday’s talks. The Switzerland talks are expected to be led by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the US side, with Iran represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

‘No one knows’ who would take over

But the administration still does not appear to have a clear understanding of what would come next if it removed the Iranian regime, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this during a congressional hearing late last month, telling lawmakers that “no one knows” who would take over if the regime fell.

The likely alternatives could be even more problematic for the US and its allies, sources said. In the short term, the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would likely fill any leadership void, the US intelligence community believes, according to sources.

The IRGC “is definitely prominent and functions above the standard military bureaucracy, but it is hard to predict exactly what would happen in a regime collapse scenario,” said one source familiar with recent US intelligence reporting on the matter.

The US also lacks clear insight into the IRGC’s hierarchy following the US assassination of Iran’s most powerful military commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, during Trump’s first term.

Whereas US intelligence officials had a very good understanding of the power dynamics in Venezuela before the US captured then-President Nicolás Maduro last month, they lack the same insight into who, if anyone, would constitute a viable replacement for Iran’s supreme leader, sources said.

Multiple sources said there were legitimate reasons to consider kinetic action several weeks ago at the height of the Iranian protests. At that point, there was a small window of time when US strikes could have potentially tipped the balance in favor of the opposition, providing momentum for Iranians to overthrow their government organically.

Those sources now wonder whether Trump “missed the moment” and question whether military strikes weeks later would accomplish what they could have last month.

At the time, however, US military assets were concentrated in the Caribbean rather than the Middle East, limiting the administration’s options and worrying the Israelis, who were concerned they would be left exposed if Iran were to retaliate by attacking them with ballistic missiles.

Since then, Trump has shifted his rationale for a potential attack, framing it around Iran’s reluctance to stop enriching uranium for its nuclear program.

“I think they’ll be successful,” Trump said Friday of the upcoming talks. “If they’re not, it’s going to be a very bad day for Iran.”

Unlike last month, the US now has the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the region, the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group on the way, and fighter jet squadrons and tankers being rapidly repositioned.

“In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it,” Trump said Friday, when asked why the Ford was headed to the region.

The buildup gives the US military extensive strike options should Trump order an attack. Guided-missile destroyers steaming with the carriers, for example, can carry dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 miles and wielding 1,000-pound conventional warheads. US Navy carrier strike groups usually operate with an attack submarine that can also launch Tomahawks. F-35 and F-15E fighter jets can carry an array of guided bombs and air-to-surface missiles.

Among the potential targets for strikes are the headquarters of the IRGC and other military installations beyond Iranian nuclear sites, according to multiple sources. There is also some discussion about the US and Israel conducting joint operations, the sources said. Those could resemble Operation Midnight Hammer last summer, when the US struck Iranian nuclear sites toward the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran war, they added.

‘It’s hard to do a deal with Iran’

Trump said over the weekend that the US “doesn’t want any enrichment,” indicating that he will not settle for a deal that allows even low-level uranium enrichment by Iran. Given Iran’s position that enrichment is its right, sources said there may not be space for negotiation.

But the sources also noted that hard-line positions going into negotiations can always change.

There are also other ways the Iranian government could try to ward off a US attack, including with economic incentives. During multiple rounds of US-Iran talks last year, there were discussions about possible business deals that could be struck in conjunction with a nuclear agreement, including granting the US privileged access to developing Iran’s oil, gas and rare earths resources, one source said. That topic is expected to be raised again, this person added.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, met with Araghchi in Geneva on Monday for what both described as “in-depth technical discussions,” as preparations intensify for the crucial nuclear negotiations Tuesday.

In public remarks, Rubio has maintained that Trump prefers a diplomatic resolution. But he has also repeatedly stressed that such a deal will be difficult.

“Iran ultimately is governed and its decisions are governed by Shia clerics — radical Shia clerics, okay? These people make policy decisions on the basis of pure theology. That’s how they make their decisions. So, it’s hard to do a deal with Iran,” Rubio said at a press conference in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday.

Asked Sunday whether the administration would inform Congress if it decides to attack Iran or attempt to remove Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Rubio would not commit.

“We’ll follow whatever the law is on it, and it depends on the circumstance it would lead to. But right now, we’re talking about negotiations,” he said at a press conference in Slovakia.

“If that changes, it’ll be obvious to everyone. And obviously, whatever the law requires us to do, we’ll do,” he added.

Regional allies including the Arab states in the Persian Gulf are deeply concerned that US military action could destabilize the region. They have lobbied for holding off on military action to give diplomacy more time, according to sources familiar with the talks.

“Everybody is pushing against a strike,” said a diplomat from the region. This person added that Israel is the only regional player that has been urging the US to attack.

Iran, meanwhile, held further military exercises less than 24 hours ahead of the Geneva talks. On Monday, Iran’s official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that the IRGC had launched a “valiant defense” of three Iranian islands by land, air and sea that are the subject of a longtime border dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

According to the report, IRGC drones are positioned at Iran’s southernmost point, ready to confront any aggressors.

Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, warned Sunday that “Trump should know that he would be entering a confrontation that gives harsh lessons, the outcome of which would ensure that he no longer bellows threats around the world,” according to state-run Press TV.

They didn’t just ignore audit warnings — California lawmakers quietly killed dozens of audit-backed bills

2026-02-16T15:01:00-0500 / CBS News

For decades, California lawmakers requested state audits, Californians have paid for those audits, and the State Auditor provided detailed recommendations on how to fix waste, fraud, and oversight failures across state government.

In most cases, CBS News California found lawmakers did not act on those recommendations.

CLICK TO EXPLORE:California Lawmaker Audit Accountability Tracker

When they did act, former majority party leaders quietly killed dozens of audit-backed bills in committee. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed at least a dozen more.

A CBS News California investigation found lawmakers failed to enact roughly three out of every four state audit recommendations directed at the Legislature, leaving more than 300 outstanding statutory fixes unresolved.

Now, lawmakers from both parties — and both state houses — say it’s time to address the backlog.

The new Legislative Audit Chair, Democrat Assemblymember John Harabedian, called the findings a “wake-up call” and said the Legislature has an opportunity to tackle long-standing issues with a new class of members this session and a new state leadership next year.

“I think that there is a great opportunity with a new class in the Legislature, a new governor, to really tackle these things head-on,” Harabedian said.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones agreed the numbers are concerning.

“Three out of four is ridiculous that that’s not being addressed,” Jones said.

Both lawmakers emphasized that the audit process itself is nonpartisan.

“It’s nonpartisan. It’s not even bipartisan — it’s nonpartisan,” Jones said. “When the auditor takes that issue up, they come at this with no bias.”

Agencies comply. Lawmakers don’t.

---

Under the Omnibus Audit Accountability Act of 2006, the State Auditor must issue annual reports identifying agency recommendations not implemented after one year. Agencies are required to publicly explain why they have not acted or when they intend to comply.

Agencies implement roughly three out of every four recommendations. By comparison, lawmakers fail to enact three out of every four recommendations directed to them.

For lawmakers, there is:

• No required annual summary of unfinished legislative recommendations
• No formal explanation requirement when lawmakers fail to act
• No centralized tracking once bills die or are vetoed

Why fixes stalled

---

A deeper dive into legislative records revealed multiple reasons proposed audit-backed reforms failed.

More than 60 bills were drafted or introduced based on audit findings, but later died. Some stalled due to internal political disagreements. Others faced resistance from state agencies.

Some were quietly held in committee or on the suspense file without a public vote, often an indication that Democratic supermajority leadership did not support the bill.

At least another dozen audit-related bills passed the legislature only to be vetoed by Gov. Newsom.

In several veto messages, the governor argued that additional oversight was unnecessary or that the proposed changes were too costly.

A shift in “tone”

---

For years, former State Auditor Elaine Howle voluntarily issued annual reports summarizing outstanding recommendations directed specifically to the legislature.

Those reports:

• Listed every unresolved legislative recommendation
• Identified which policy committee was responsible
• Documented whether related bills were introduced, stalled, passed, or vetoed

They functioned as a centralized accountability framework, essentially a legislative checklist of unfinished business.

That reporting ended in 2022 after Howle retired and Gov. Newsom appointed a new state auditor, Grant Parks.

CBS News California identified at least a dozen audit-recommended bills that Governor Newsom vetoed during his first term, while Howle was auditor. Based on publicly available records, it does not appear he has vetoed any audit-related bills since appointing Parks.

At his first Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing, where the lawmakers decide which audit requests to approve, Parks signaled a shift in tone.

Before introducing Parks, the newly appointed JLAC Chair David Alvarez acknowledged that, in the past, audits had sometimes created “an adversarial relationship between the Legislature and the Administration.”

In response, Parks emphasized the importance of maintaining a “balanced tone” and “working with the Administration,” adding, “We’re not looking out to get people or gain media attention,” Parks clarified.

A change in reporting

---

The auditor’s office told CBS News California the decision to discontinue producing the special legislative reports detailing outstanding recommendations and audit-related vetoes was made to “optimize the use of auditor resources.”

In a statement, spokesperson Dana Simas said redirecting efforts toward core audit work would improve timeliness for statutory and legislatively approved audits. She added that recommendations remain publicly accessible on the auditor’s website, “which we upgraded in January 2024 to offer a significantly improved user experience that now offers detailed search capabilities of recommendations by issue or policy area, agency, and the year the audit was published.”

However, the updated site does not provide a dedicated search for “Recommendations to the Legislature.”

Using public safety as an example, the site’s current search function returns just four public safety audit reports, with only two visible legislative recommendations, overlooking dozens of additional outstanding legislative recommendations in other public safety audits issued over the past five years.

To identify those recommendations, users must manually search the archive, reviewing hundreds of individual audit reports to identify the dozens of outstanding legislative recommendations issued since 2021 alone.

In practice, lawmakers relying solely on the current search tools would not see the full scope of unfinished legislative recommendations.

Lawmakers say that gap matters.

The legislature trusts the auditor’s findings so much that they passed a law requiring state agencies to either implement audit recommendations or publicly explain why they have not.

That public accountability has proven effective. Agencies implement more than 80% of audit recommendations. No comparable framework exists for the legislature.

So CBS News California built one.

Using public records, we scraped and consolidated legislative recommendations across audit reports to create the Audit Accountability Tracker — a database focused specifically on recommendations directed at elected lawmakers.

Rebuilding the accountability framework

---

The CBS News California | Legislative Audit Accountability Tracker is intended to serve both lawmakers and the public.

The database compiles a decade of legislative audit recommendations and tracks:

• Which bills were introduced
• Which stalled
• Which passed
• Which were vetoed
• Which remain unresolved

Nearly half of the California Legislature is new this session. Many outstanding recommendations were issued before current members took office.

“When these reports come back to the legislature, it’s our job to take that information and legislate intelligently,” said Jones, who acknowledged they need to educate new lawmakers on the importance of state audits.

Harabedian says he intends to work across committees and across party lines to address the backlog.

“I’m hoping by the end of this year we tackle some of it, by the next year we tackle more, and we just keep going,” he said. “We owe it to the people to do that.”

CLICK TO EXPLORE:California Lawmaker Audit Accountability Tracker

For years, the warnings were written and the solutions were identified. Now, lawmakers say they’re ready to move forward.

CBS News California will continue tracking whether those promises become law.

John Kelly contributed to this report.

In:

• Julie Watts Investigates
• Politics
• CBS California Investigates
• California
• California’s Unfinished Business

美国高中冰球比赛发生枪击三死三伤 | 联合早报

发布/2026年2月17日 07:20

美国一场高中冰球比赛中发生枪击事件，至少造成三人死亡、三人受伤。

综合法新社和新华社报道，事件发生在美国东北部罗得岛州波塔基特市当地时间星期一（2月16日）下午。

在网上流传的疑似比赛直播画面截取的视频中，可以听到至少12声枪响，随着密集的枪声，球员纷纷滑向冰场边缘或冲向出口，观众则被拍到低头趴伏、寻找掩护。

波塔基特警方称，初步调查显示，这起枪击疑为有针对性的袭击，原因可能是家庭矛盾。

枪手本人也在事件中死亡。

NAACP asks judge to limit how feds use Georgia voter data seized by FBI

Civil rights groups say FBI seizure of 700 boxes from Fulton County elections warehouse violated constitutional privacy protections

By Anders Hagstrom
Fox News

Published February 16, 2026 1:23pm EST

The NAACP formally asked a federal judge to protect voter information seized by the FBI from an election warehouse in Atlanta on Sunday.

The NAACP and other organizations say the documents contain “sensitive personal information,” and asked the judge to impose limits on how the FBI can use the data. Their motion argues the seizure from the Fulton County elections building “infringed constitutional protections of privacy, and interfered with the [right to vote].”

The motion asks the judge to “order reasonable limits on the government’s use of the seized data” and to prohibit the government from using the data for purposes other than the criminal investigation cited in the search warrant affidavit.

That request includes prohibiting any efforts to use it for voter roll maintenance, election administration or immigration enforcement.

TRUMP DOJ DEMANDS MINNESOTA VOTING RECORDS OVER SAME-DAY REGISTRATION ‘VOUCHING’ CONCERNS

FBI agents are seen at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Union City, Ga, near Atlanta.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

They also requested that the judge order the government to disclose an inventory of all documents and records seized, the identity of anyone who has accessed the records outside of those involved in the criminal investigation, any copying of the records and all efforts to secure the information.

The FBI arrived to the elections warehouse on Jan. 28 with a search warrant for documents relating to the 2020 election, including all ballots, tabulator tapes from the scanners that tally the votes, electronic ballot images created when the ballots were counted and then recounted, and all voter rolls.

https://a57.foxnews.com/cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/694940094001/cb8b5cb2-6b1f-433f-a97b-51c662eb5d3f/69fb2747-e8cd-404e-82c9-aefeb1a30d65/1280×720/match/720/405/image.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Sunday’s motion was filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on behalf of the NAACP, Georgia and Atlanta NAACP organizations, and the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda. It notes that the seizure happened as the Justice Department has been seeking unredacted state voter registration rolls.

Fulton County officials told reporters this month that FBI agents were seen carrying some 700 boxes of ballots from a warehouse near the election hub and loading them into a truck.

The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center, is seen Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Union City, Ga, near Atlanta, as FBI agents search at the main election facility.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

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Fulton County has also separately sued the FBI in an effort to have the elections documents returned.

Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on X: @Hagstrom_Anders.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he met with Democratic senators, thanked US for support

February 16, 2026 2:14pm EST / Fox News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he met with U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

“Thank you for seeing us,” Blumenthal can be heard saying in a video included in Zelenskyy’s post. “We look forward to hearing from you, ah, about how we can be more helpful.”

Zelenskyy indicated in the post that during the meeting he “thanked the United States for its strong bipartisan support and work for peace.”

UK, GERMAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS DEFEND MILITARY BUILDUP UNDER RUSSIAN THREATS

Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the 62nd Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, 2026, in Germany.(Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has been trying to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, but the two nations remain locked in conflict.

“Before our meeting, the senators met with children whom Ukraine managed to return from Russia. Thank you, this is truly important,” Zelenskyy noted in the post.

RUBIO MEETS WITH ZELENSKYY AHEAD OF CRUCIAL GENEVA TALKS, SAYS TRUMP WANTS SOLUTION THAT ‘ENDS BLOODSHED’

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, left, and Richard Blumenthal speak at a press conference following a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Feb. 16, 2026.(Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

“We see no better tools to influence Moscow than pressure. There is an important sanctioning act in the Senate right now, and we expect it to work. I also informed them about the constant Russian strikes on our people and, in particular, on American businesses as well. It is absolutely fair that Russian money should be used to defend against this terror, and we discussed the prospects of utilizing immobilized Russian assets to purchase missiles for the Patriot systems,” he added.

“I thank the President, Congress, and the people of the United States for their support,” Zelenskyy noted.

UKRAINE STRIKES MAJOR RUSSIAN AMMO DEPOT WITH ‘FLAMINGO’ MISSILE AS TRUMP URGES ZELENSKYY TO MOVE ON DEAL

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Fox News Digital reached out to the senators’ offices on Monday.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389378120112
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389319995112

ICE masks defended as DHS reports spike in assaults | Fox News

Senior Trump officials defended ICE agents’ use of masks, citing DHS data showing sharp increases in assaults and violent threats amid a broader immigration crackdown

By Breanne Deppisch
Fox News

Published February 16, 2026 11:16am EST

Senior Trump administration officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown.

White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security.

“I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Still, he said, “these men and women have to protect themselves.”

His remarks come as Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents’ actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement effort.

MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks at the border with Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Nogales, Ariz.(Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many “guardrails” needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown.

Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a “hard red line” for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence.

Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a 1,500% increase in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October.

The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer.

“I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,” the voicemail said. “How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.”

MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES

Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in response to the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray)

“From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.

DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the time frames it used to measure the 1,500% and 8,000% increases in assaults and threats, respectively.

The Justice Department has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals found to be targeting immigration officers or soliciting violent behavior.

Federal prosecutors in October announced the arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant living in Dallas, for allegedly posting TikTok videos soliciting individuals to “murder ICE agents,” according to a copy of the federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Aguilar also allegedly offered a reward of $10,000 “for each ICE agent,” according to information shared by the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.

GOP SEN. CASSIDY BREAKS WITH TRUMP OVER DEADLY SHOOTING BY BORDER PATROL AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump at the White House.(Getty Images)

Months earlier, Alan W. Filion, a California teenager, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for allegedly placing 375 “swatting,” hoaxing, or doxxing calls that involved ICE and other federal officers.

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Fillon’s “serial doxxing” campaign involved falsely reported bomb threats or imminent mass shootings at public schools and religious institutions across the country, according to the Justice Department — prompting an emergency response from myriad federal agencies and first responders, and diverting their ability to respond to real crises.

The Justice Department has cited Fillon’s case as a benchmark of sorts for how it will prosecute other individuals found to be weaponizing law enforcement response systems.

The remarks come as Democrats continued to assail ICE as the DHS funding shutdown drags on. Schumer blasted ICE on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday as “rogue” forces that appear almost “trained to be nasty and mean and cruel, and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.”

“They need to be reined in, and they need to stop the violence,” Schumer added.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

Is Lululemon coming apart at the seams? Here’s why the brand is losing its flex.

February 16, 2026 / 2:11 PM EST / CBS News

Lululemon has long been a dominant force in the world of athleisure. But a series of headwinds, including a recent blunder over see-through leggings, is threatening the company’s path forward.

The Vancouver-based business, founded in 1998, has thrived over the last decade because of its innovative designs, quality materials and comfort. But lately, it has struggled to find its footing in an increasingly saturated market, where competitors like Vuori and Alo are gaining traction with customers, according to Neil Saunders, a retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail.

The company hasn’t done enough to stay relevant and keep its customers coming back, Saunders told CBS News.

“If the competitive environment tightens and your organic growth is not quite as good, you should really be doubling down on things like innovation, keeping your customers loyal, looking for opportunities as to how to expand the share of wallet, even if that’s challenging,” he said. “But Lululemon actually did the opposite. It really took its foot off the gas.”

To be sure, Lululemon still boasts solid financials: The company reported $11.07 billion in revenue in the 12 months ended Nov. 2, 2025, up nearly 9% from the year prior.

Sales, however, have plateaued in recent quarters. International revenue is growing, but the company is struggling to woo buyers in North America, with its most recent quarterly report showing same-store sales in the U.S., Canada and Mexico fell 5%.

At the same time, some investors are souring on the company. Over the last year, Lululemon’s stock price has plunged nearly 53%, while the S&P 500 gained about 12% over the same period.

Lululemon did not respond to a request for comment on its recent performance or its plans to revitalize U.S. sales.

During the most recent earnings call in December 2025, former Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald touted a new performance fabric the company designed for weight training, and promised Lululemon would continue to innovate across its performance wear portfolio, which includes running, yoga, golf and tennis apparel.

McDonald stepped down as Lululemon CEO at the end of January. The company has yet to announce a permanent replacement.

See-through leggings

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Lululemon has faced complaints in recent weeks that one of the fabrics for one of its pairs of leggings — called “Get Low” — is see-through.

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, who parted ways with the company over a decade ago, called the situation a “total operational failure” on LinkedIn. He also blamed the company’s board for “destroying the brand and the stock price,” alleging that its board members are uninterested in product development.

After temporarily pulling the leggings from its website, Lululemon returned them. They now bear new guidance for customers: size up and pair the product with “skin-tone, seamless underwear,” according to Bloomberg. The publication last week reported a second snafu over a separate line of leggings in the company’s “heart scatter” pattern, which customers said were see-through when bending and squatting.

While the leggings blunder certainly hasn’t helped the company, it’s not the root cause of Lululemon’s problems, Saunders told CBS News.

“The woes set in a long time before this latest legging problem had reared its head,” he said. “But the leggings problem, it encapsulates some of the issues at Lulu.”

For a company charging somewhere in the range of $88 to $198 for a pair of leggings at full retail price, customers expect top-notch quality, Saunders said.

“What it suggests is that there’s kind of a lack of quality control, there’s a lack of care, there’s a lack of attention to detail,” he said.

Saunders said he believes the company’s products have become “junkified,” with Lululemon straying from its trademarks of technical innovation and high quality to heavily branded attire that holds less appeal for its customer base.

Another headwind is heightened competition from rivals such as Vuori, which some customers may feel offers slightly edgier and more interesting designs, according to Saunders. Other competitors include Athleta, owned by Gap, and Alo.

Lululemon is seeking to maintain its foothold in a more crowded athleisure market. In July 2025, the company sued Costco, accusing the retailer of selling “confusingly similar” replicas of its jackets, sweatshirts and pants.

With the former CEO stepping down at the end of January, there’s room for a new leader to take stock and rejuvenate the brand, but the company will have to pull multiple levers to level up, according to Saunders.

“They need to get the product mix right. They need to get the brand presentation right,” he said. “They need to come back to where they were before, being innovative, because they used to be the leader.”

Edited by Aimee Picchi

In:

• Sports
• Yoga
• Lululemon
• Athletics

Lululemon pulls “Get Low” leggings after customers say they’re sheer

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/lululemon-pulls-get-low-leggings-after-customers-say-theyre-sheer/

Lululemon pulls “Get Low” leggings after customers say they’re sheer

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Schumer pushes bill to give Pride flag same status as US, military flags

Schumer’s legislation comes after Trump administration removed Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument

By Alex Miller
Fox News

Published February 16, 2026 11:44am EST

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is making a push to have the Pride flag considered on the same level as the U.S. flag in the eyes of the federal government.

Schumer announced plans to introduce legislation that would make the flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ movement, a congressionally authorized flag. The distinction would enshrine the flag with similar protections as the U.S. flag, military flags, POW/MIA flags and others recognized by Congress.

His move comes after the Trump administration removed a Pride flag from a national monument outside the Stonewall Inn earlier this month. A clash between police and patrons at a gay bar in the 1960s is widely considered the birth of the gay rights movement.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to introduce legislation that would congressionally authorize Pride flags, giving the symbol of the LGBTQ community the same legal protection as the U.S. flag.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

“Stonewall is sacred ground and Congress must act now to permanently protect the Pride flag and what it stands for,” Schumer said. “Trump’s hateful crusade must end.”

The flag has since been reinstalled atop the pole outside the Stonewall Inn, and Schumer’s legislative push would prevent it from being taken down in the future.

President Donald Trump has not explicitly targeted the Pride flag but previously signed an executive order restricting what types of flags may be displayed on federal property to ensure only the U.S. flag is prominently flown.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants to congressionally authorize the Pride flag after it was taken down by the Trump administration at the Stonewall National Monument.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The Pride flag was taken down from the monument following an internal memo from the Department of the Interior ordering “non-agency” flags at national parks be removed.

The directive, signed by National Park Service Acting Director Jessica Bowron in late January, included certain exceptions to the rule, including historical flags, military flags and federally recognized flags from tribal nations.

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President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, Feb. 13, 2026.(Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Stonewall National Monument, first designated by former President Barack Obama in 2016, falls under the agency’s supervision. The Pride flag atop a large flagpole outside the famous gay bar did not fall under the list of protected flags and pennants.

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“The very core of American identity is liberty and justice for all — and that is what this legislation would protect: each national park’s ability to make its own decision about what flag can be flown,” Schumer said. “Attempts to hurt New York and the LGBTQ community simply won’t fly, but the Stonewall Pride flag always will.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.