WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a plan on Friday to expand American shipbuilding, ease regulations on commercial carriers, and boost domestic maritime jobs. The plan represents what the White House called “the first holistic approach” to strengthening the maritime industry in the United States and streamlining government procurement, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told reporters on Friday morning. The White House said the initiative would involve “hundreds of billions of dollars” in new investments, fulfilling Trump’s promise “to build ships in America.” Kelly argued that America’s “strategic position and shipbuilding industrial capacity” has been weakened over the decades due to unnecessary regulatory burdens and a lack of sustained policy focus. Kelly also accused foreign competitors of using unfair trade practices to expand their shipbuilding industries. The White House described Trump as the first president in decades to elevate “American maritime dominance” as a priority, pointing to the newly released plan. Workers construct a grand block of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel Five (NSMV V), a training platform for state maritime academies, in the grand block shop at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images. “He has done more than anyone to revitalize this vital sector for our national security,” Kelly said, citing his April 2025 executive order directing his team to craft a maritime action plan. The plan calls for strengthening maritime supply chains, developing a strategy to secure Arctic waterways, expanding the fleet of American-built and American-flagged commercial vessels, and recapitalizing government-owned sealift ships. Kelly said the plan would improve coordination among federal agencies involved in ship procurement. She added that it would expand government programs, encourage private investment in domestic shipbuilding, and pursue deregulation. A copy of the plan indicates that the proposal is structured around four key pillars: expanding domestic shipbuilding capacity, reforming maritime workforce education and training, protecting the industrial base from foreign competition, and strengthening national security. The document concludes by projecting that the plan will “reestablish America’s position as a global maritime power,” thereby strengthening national security and economic prosperity.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio used his first appearance at the Munich Security Conference to deliver a call for a renewed “Western century” grounded in sovereignty, industrial power, borders, and civilizational confidence. “The euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion,” Rubio said, describing the post-Cold War belief that history had ended and that liberal democracy would inevitably spread. “That every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order would replace the national interest.” “This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature and the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history,” he added. “And it has cost us dearly.” Rubio contrasted that worldview with what he described as the lived consequences of Western policy choices: deindustrialization, weakened defense capacity, and economic dependence on adversaries who never shared the West’s assumptions. “In this delusion, we embraced a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade,” Rubio said, “even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies to systematically undercut ours—shuttering our plants, deindustrializing large parts of our societies, shipping millions of working- and middle-class jobs overseas, and handing control of our critical supply chains to both adversaries and rivals.” Rubio argued that energy policy in particular had become an exercise in self-harm “to appease a climate cult.” He added, “We have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people, even as our competitors exploit oil and coal and natural gas—not just to power their economies, but to use as leverage against our own.” Rubio also rejected the framing common in recent Munich conferences that mass migration is primarily a humanitarian challenge rather than a civilizational one. “In a pursuit of a world without borders,” he warned, “we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.” “Controlling who and how many people enter our countries,” Rubio continued, “is not an expression of xenophobia. It is not hate. It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.” On national security, Rubio explicitly rejected modern abstractionist framing. “The fundamental question we must answer at the outset is what exactly are we defending?” he said. “Because armies do not fight for abstractions. Armies fight for a people. Armies fight for a nation. Armies fight for a way of life.” That way of life, Rubio argued, is not interchangeable with other systems, nor should it be treated as morally neutral among equals. “We are part of one civilization—Western civilization,” he said. “Bound by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and sacrifice.” It is time to unshackle our ingenuity and build a new Western century. pic.twitter.com/KJjGQ24bCd — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 14, 2026 Rubio’s speech also departed sharply from Biden-era deference to multinational institutions. While stopping short of calling for their abandonment, he argued that they have repeatedly failed on the most pressing security challenges of the age. “The United Nations could not solve the war in Gaza. It did not solve the war in Ukraine. It was powerless to constrain the nuclear program of radical Shia clerics in Tehran,” Rubio said, crediting American military and diplomatic leadership with producing results. “In a perfect world, these problems would be solved by diplomats and strongly-worded resolutions,” he added. “But we do not live in a perfect world.” Rubio said plainly that the United States under President Trump intends to pursue renewal, and invites Europe to do the same. The future, Rubio concluded, depends on whether Western nations choose pride over guilt, sovereignty over submission, and renewal over retreat. “We have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline,” Rubio said. “What we want is a reinvigorated alliance—one that is not paralyzed by fear, but bold enough to race into the future.”

Colorado Democrats have introduced a bill that would make the Centennial State the first to fully legalize prostitution. Senate Bill 97, sponsored by Democrat Senate Majority Whip Nick Hinrichsen, would repeal penalties for prostitution, currently a petty offense under Colorado law. It would also allow for “soliciting for prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, and prostitute making display.” Michael Allen, district attorney for Colorado’s 4th Judicial District and unopposed candidate for state attorney general, called the bill “disgraceful.” “Coloradans are leaving this state in record numbers because crime is rising and the cost of living is out of control — yet radical Democrats in the legislature are focused on legalizing prostitution,” Allen said in a statement. Colorado ranked 13th in the nation with 88 human trafficking cases in 2024. Preliminary data show the state had 110 cases in 2025, surpassing its previous record of 107 in 2023, according to Center Square. “Human trafficking is inseparable from violent crime, drug activity, and organized criminal networks,” Allen said. “Legalizing prostitution will only fuel these dangers and further victimize the most vulnerable among us.” Prostitution is legal in certain Nevada counties, while Maine legalized prostitution, but criminalized paying for sex. The legislation also legalizes advertising prostitution and escort services and removes language classifying buildings used for prostitution as public nuisances. If passed, it would not allow for any local laws prohibiting prostitution. “Criminalizing prostitution endangers adults who engage in consensual sexual activity,” the bill reads. “Sex workers deserve clarity and certainty that they can safely conduct business within the state, regardless of the local governing authority.” The bill does not allow paying for sex with children or pimping. Co-sponsors of the bill include Democrat Senate Assistant Majority Leader Lisa Cutter and Democrat representatives Lorena García and Rebekah Stewart. The ACLU of Colorado supports the bill, but a few towns, including Fountain, Monument, and Woodland Park, are opposing it, according to Westword. The bill has been assigned to the Judiciary Committee, which includes Hinrichsen, but a hearing date has not been set. Democrats have a 5-2 majority on the committee. If passed, the bill would take effect immediately. “The Democrats running for attorney general must join me in condemning this legislation and the most extreme elements of their party — immediately,” Allen said. “Colorado deserves better.”

Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi on Saturday said U.S. military intervention in Iran could save lives and urged President Donald Trump’s administration not to spend too long negotiating with Tehran’s clerical rulers on a nuclear deal. The exiled son of Iran’s toppled shah told Reuters in an interview that there were signs that the Iranian government was on the brink of collapse and that an attack could weaken it or accelerate its fall. Pahlavi was speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, where officials from the Iranian government are banned. “It’s a matter of time. We are hoping that this attack will expedite the process and the people can be finally back in the streets and take it all the way to the ultimate regime’s downfall,” said Pahlavi, who is based in the United States and has lived outside Iran since before his father was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A campaign of mass arrests and intimidation has led to the arrests of thousands as Iranian authorities seek to deter further protests after last month’s crackdown on the bloodiest unrest since 1979. The protests began on December 28 as a modest demonstration in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship and quickly spread nationwide. Iran’s opposition is fragmented among rival groups and ideological factions – including the monarchists who back Pahlavi – and appears to have little organized presence inside the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Reuters last month, Trump sounded skeptical about the level of Pahlavi’s support inside Iran. The Trump administration has engaged with Iran to see if a nuclear deal can be struck as Washington amassed military forces in the region. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week and further talks in the coming week are expected. “People are hoping that at some point the decision will be made that there’s no use, there’s no point, we’re not going to get anywhere with negotiations. Therefore, that’s time for the United States to intervene and do what President Trump promised he will do, to have the people’s back,” Pahlavi said. “Intervention is a way to save lives,” he added. On Friday, in a speech to U.S. troops in North Carolina, Trump said Iran has been difficult in nuclear negotiations and suggested that instilling fear in Tehran may be necessary to resolve the standoff peacefully. Two U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Friday that the U.S. military was preparing for the possibility of a sustained, weeks-long operation against Iran if Trump ordered an attack. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Barbara Lewis)

Valentine’s Day is here, and so I thought, as the resident Catholic at Daily Wire (take that, Michael Knowles!), it would be appropriate and, who knows, maybe even helpful, to talk about it. Now, the first thing I should tell you is that I am not American. I’m Australian. When I moved to America back in 2005, I was genuinely shocked at how many holidays you guys have. Hallmark and unbridled capitalism. That’s who I’m blaming! But the truth is that I have a knee-jerk reaction to being told that I must celebrate something. When that happens, I take the reverse position and refuse to celebrate it. This is how I feel about Valentine’s Day. As my dear wife can attest, not once in our 20 years of marriage have I bought her flowers on Valentine’s day. It’s my petty way of fighting back against the commercialization of Catholic feast days. That’ll show ‘em! But enough about me, who is this St. Valentine fella, anyway? How might we as Catholics celebrate a day named for him despite — or even in answer to — the marketing blitz that accompanies it? St. Valentine Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about St. Valentine is how extraordinarily little we know about him. Almost nothing. Maybe nothing at all. One thing we can say with certainty is that “Valentine” is English for the Latin Valentinus, a fairly common name in the early Church. Valentinus comes from the root-word valens, meaning strong or worthy. But here’s where things get fuzzy: Early Christian records point to at least three martyrs named Valentinus, all honored on February 14. So, briefly, one of these martyrs was a Roman priest who lived during the third-century persecutions and was executed for refusing to renounce Christ. Another was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred around the same time. Both were said to be buried along the Via Flaminia. By the Middle Ages, pilgrims were honoring “Saint Valentine” without being quite sure which one he was. Some historians even suspect they were the same man, remembered differently by different communities. And then there’s a third Valentine, a North African martyr and his companions. This Valentine is only mentioned in passing, without a story, like so many early Christian witnesses. Watch Matt Fradd’s Pints With Aquinas On DailyWire+. You can see why there would be some confusion about St. Valentine. When several men share the same name, live in the same period, die in similar ways, and are remembered by different Christian communities, their stories naturally begin to overlap. What survives in the historical record is not one clear biography, but several distinct witnesses remembered under the same name. What this means is that once we move beyond the bare historical facts, we’re no longer dealing with a single, settled biography. All that survives are traditions. Some early, some later, some more detailed than others. But there is value to be found in these traditions. Let’s look at two stories that may or may not have happened. Each, in its own way, nourishes our faith, and our understanding of what it means to live as a Christian. First Story In one particularly popular account, Valentine was a third-century Italian bishop from Terni, a city north of Rome. He ran into trouble for the usual reasons Christians ran into trouble back then: He kept being Christian. This did not sit well with Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was placed under house arrest in the home of a Roman judge named Asterius, presumably so he could think about what he’d done and change his ways. Instead, he spent his time doing what Christians are famously bad at not doing. He talked about Jesus. A lot. Eventually, Asterius, who was unconvinced and likely a bit worn down, decided to turn the situation into a test. If Valentine’s God were real, surely he could prove it by curing the judge’s blind daughter. Valentine agreed, placed his hands on the girl’s eyes, and she received her sight. This, understandably, made an impression. Asterius, now trembling with wonder, asked Valentine what he should do in response to such a miracle. Valentine told him to destroy the false gods in his house and be baptized. Which Asterius did. Asterius, along with his entire household, was baptized, standing, we’re told, among the broken fragments of their former idols. A strong visual. Word of all this eventually reached the emperor. Valentine was summoned before Claudius himself, who, according to the story, found him quite charming. Sadly, charm only gets you so far when you refuse to renounce your faith. Claudius ordered Valentine executed. And, so, Valentine was beaten with clubs and beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. But not before writing a note of comfort to the girl whose sight he had restored, signing it, “From your Valentine.” It’s a lovely story. Whether it’s true or not, we don’t know. Second Story Another story has Valentine as a Roman priest quietly helping Christians during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius decided that unmarried men made better soldiers than married ones. Wives, apparently, were bad for morale. Some things never change…which is also why I don’t buy my wife flowers. That’s a joke, a bad one, but a joke nonetheless. Anyway, the point is that the emperor outlawed marriage for young men altogether. Valentine, undeterred by the imperial decree, carried on marrying couples anyway, but discreetly. The side benefit was that married men could then avoid being drafted into the emperor’s pagan army. Obviously, Claudius took a dim view of this situation once he noticed. Valentine was eventually hauled before the emperor. Claudius rather liked him, found him charming, and very nearly let him off. Unfortunately, Valentine would not stop being Christian, and this proved a deal-breaker. He was sentenced to death. From there, the stories begin to multiply, and rather enthusiastically. In one telling, Valentine refuses to worship the Roman gods, is thrown into prison, and heals the blind daughter of his jailer. In another, he leaves her a note before his execution, signed, “From your Valentine,” which is either deeply moving or suspiciously tidy, depending on your temperament. So, what can we take away from these varying traditions? Well, we could reflect on the certainty of death and what remains after us in this world. There may be stories told about us after we are gone — for a while — until the people telling those stories themselves are gone. A deeper reflection leads us to the truth that ultimately only one person will remember us; only one person knows the inner truth of our lives. And that person is God. This being true, we Christians should place our stories in the hands of the only One who’s remembrance matters. As the ancient saying goes, “Preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten.” Yes, forgotten to the world, but remembered by God. St. Valentine may exist for us in the hazy record of varying traditions. But God knows the truth. In God, Valentinus or the several men for whom he stands, is known and loved for eternity. A Prayer to Saint Valentine Let’s end where the Church has always ended: in prayer. Saint Valentine, faithful martyr of Christ, you who bore witness to love stronger than fear and hope stronger than death, pray for us. Pray for those who are married, that their love may be patient, enduring, and rooted in truth. Pray for those who long for love, that they may seek not merely affection, but holiness. Pray for those who are wounded by love, that they may find healing in the Heart of Christ. Teach us that real love is not fragile or fleeting, but willing to suffer, to remain, and to give itself fully. Saint Valentine, martyr of faithful love, pray for us. Amen. And now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to pick up some flowers for my wife!