A true musical genius. The post The artist Mike McCready called one of his favourite songwriters of all time first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson

from And We Know: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Alastair Crooke, The Unz Review: The Witkoff negotiation enterprise is distancing Russia from its security imperatives. It is not a glitch (that nothing gets resolved). It’s a feature. For it opens rather, a path for ‘Business’ to be done – for ‘stakeholder’ deals to be cut, and for billions to be shared out in […]

by William Upton, The National Pulse: WHAT HAPPENED: Even the globalists at The Atlantic are publicly admitting medical and scientific research does not support claims made by pro-transgender advocacy groups in support of surgical and hormonal gender transition procedures for minors.

The Department of Justice has sentenced a man to 48 months in federal prison for “acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).” Notably, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, is the alleged former fiancé of a Southern California mayor. Sun worked as a campaign advisor and treasurer for Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang while she was running for a city council seat. “Federal law enforcement will not allow hostile foreign nations to infiltrate the governance of our nation’s political bodies,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The relentlessness of PRC intelligence operations in our country must be met by equal relentlessness on our part to secure, protect, and defend the United States,” he added. Wang has not been accused of any wrongdoing. More below: NEW: Eileen Wang, the Democrat Mayor of Arcadia, CA, is under fire after her alleged former fiancé and campaign advisor was CONVICTED for being a Chinese spy. Yaoning Sun, the Chinese spy who helped Wang get elected, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for being an illegal agent… pic.twitter.com/ND8wXiXOgA — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 18, 2026 CBS News explained further: Sun pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government from at least 2022 to January 2024, when he “knowingly acted within the United States as an agent” of China, without notifying the attorney general, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. Sun, 55, worked with a person referred to as “Individual 1” from 2020 through 2023 to “operate a purported news website for the local Chinese American community,” while receiving and executing directives from the PRC government to “post pro-PRC content,” the release said. He also worked as a campaign advisor for Individual 1, who was running for a city council seat in an undisclosed city. The person was elected to the city council in November 2022. Wang commented on her relationship with Sun during a council meeting in December 2022. “To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me,” Wang said. After Sun was charged, Wang tried to distance herself from him. “No. 1, he’s not my fiancé,” Wang said in September 2025. “Whoever wants to say he’s my former fiancé, please prove it.” “When Americans vote for elected officials, they expect them to represent the interests of their constituents – not those of a foreign adversary like the Chinese government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “By exploiting his position as a campaign advisor, Yaoning Sun attempted to undermine our political processes and democratic institutions for the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party. Today’s sentencing underscores the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our partners to defending the homeland and holding accountable anyone who tries to subvert the will of American voters at the behest of our adversaries,” he continued. More from the New York Post: Court records also show that during the April 2023 visit of then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to Southern California, Sun closely monitored her movements and reported directly to PRC consular officials. Sun and Wang — who went on to get engaged — were also closely linked through business ventures. They are registered together on filings for the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, an association meant to promote communication among Chinese Americans in the Southwest, and Sun ran a media site with Wang called US News Center. Wang has not been charged, and sources said there is no evidence she knew about Sun’s espionage activities. But the affair and business connections highlight how Sun leveraged intimate access to advance Beijing’s influence in local politics.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya will temporarily lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) until President Trump names a permanent director. The CDC has not had a permanent leader since August 2025, when Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Susan Monarez. Deputy Health Secretary Jim O’Neill has been acting CDC director since then. BREAKING: NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya named acting CDC director pic.twitter.com/StarXVW3dw — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) February 18, 2026 CBS News shared further: Bhattacharya gained his reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic as a vocal critic of the CDC’s response. Deeply opposed to lockdowns and highly skeptical of the effectiveness of masking, Bhattacharya, then a Stanford Medical School professor, took to writing and speaking out on social media. The CDC last month scaled back the recommended number of childhood vaccines, sparking alarm from pediatricians and public health experts who worry diseases that have been tamed by scientific advances may roar back with a vengeance. Bhattacharya told Congress earlier this month that people should get vaccinated against measles, amid the largest outbreak in the U.S. in decades, and said he hasn’t seen evidence that vaccines cause autism, even as the president and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have added fuel to that theory. “I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism,” Bhattacharya told a Senate panel. Bhattacharya gained notoriety for co-writing the Great Barrington Declaration, a petition signed by a group of scientists who advocated for younger individuals to live their normal lives and build natural immunity. “POTUS will nominate Jim O’Neill, who left HHS on Friday, to run National Science Foundation,” The New York Times journalist Sheryl Gay Stolberg said. SCOOP: Jay Bhattacharya, NIH director, will also serve as acting CDC director, per two admin officials, until Trump names a permanent director. POTUS will nominate Jim O'Neill, who left HHS on Friday, to run National Science Foundation.https://t.co/Yr06ZsQFFI — Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) February 18, 2026 ABC News has more: Published in October 2020 and named after the Massachusetts town in which it was drafted, it called for COVID-19 lockdowns to be avoided and for a new plan for handling the pandemic by protecting the most vulnerable individuals but allowing most to resume normal activities, achieving herd immunity naturally. The plan was criticized as “unethical” by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. Many others in public health voiced opposition to the idea, saying it would unnecessarily put people’s lives at risk. Bhattacharya continued to advocate against lockdowns, mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccine passports throughout the pandemic before being tapped by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the NIH.

Things got heated at a public meeting in an Oklahoma town over a proposed data center. At the meeting, residents voiced their concerns about water use and infrastructure of the proposal. “Claremore police arrested Darren Blanchard for trespassing during the meeting after officers said he refused to follow the rules after going over his allotted time to speak,” News On 6 stated. “People are being arrested for speaking out against AI data centers. Keep standing up for your community,” one social media user wrote. Footage of the arrest below: People are being arrested for speaking out against AI data centers. Keep standing up for your community. Location: Claremore, Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/uE3KS1dq0I — Lane Brown (@lanebrown_3) February 18, 2026 News On 6 has more: Blanchard begins speaking at the 1 hour and 54 minute mark. In the video, Blanchard can be seen going over his allotted three minutes and saying that he was “reclaiming his time” because other attendees had applauded during his speech, which he paused for. Blanchard continued to speak for about 30 seconds, but as officers approached, he put the mic down and walked to the front with the officers close behind. Blanchard pauses in front of the council members’ table and appears to try to hand a piece of paper to them. Officers stood next to him, exchanging some words, and after about 20 seconds, the officers placed cuffs on him. He is then escorted out of the room by officers. “Red states arresting their own people for speaking up against the Agenda 2030 land grab for chatbot retardation,” The Blaze Senior Editor Daniel Horowitz commented. Red states arresting their own people for speaking up against the Agenda 2030 land grab for chatbot retardation. https://t.co/UueWO244S4 — Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) February 18, 2026 “When people are getting arrested for opposing a surveillance‑hungry data center in their town, that’s not civic engagement. That’s the state enforcing silence,” The Free Thought Project co-founder Jason Bassler said. When people are getting arrested for opposing a surveillance‑hungry data center in their town, that’s not civic engagement. That’s the state enforcing silence.https://t.co/hr2uQwVn4d — Jason Bassler (@JasonBassler1) February 18, 2026 KTUL shared further: “It all goes back to this idea of land, water and power,” said Darren Blanchard in an interview a few hours before he was put in handcuffs. He was one of several speakers at RSU in Claremore, raising concerns about the data center proposal Project Mustang. “I think there’s a lot of concern here whether our public officials are doing things in accordance with law,” he said. And speaking of the law, Blanchard would find himself on the wrong side of it. Payton Pepin describes what unfolded. “One or two guys spoke in favor of it, they let one of those guys go over several seconds, probably 20, 30 seconds, really said nothing about him going over but when Darren Blanchard did it, they brought the police in and said get him out of here and he said ok, he willingly put down the mic, went up front and said I’m done and they arrested him.” The crowd moaned in disbelief with one woman shouting, “He’s speaking the truth!” Blanchard has been immersed in the topic of data centers and has spoken to various communities, including Coweta, about his concerns. Watch additional coverage: Full meeting below:

If you’re a Chick-fil-A fan like us, pay attention. All locations are handing out free breakfast items through the end of the month. All you have to do is download the app to cash in. As a way of celebrating its 80th birthday, the company is giving away Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuits—no strings attached through February 28th. The deal is available on its app under “My Rewards” for everyone who downloads the app or who already has it. Literally everyone who wants a free Chicken Biscuit can grab one during breakfast hours. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Snackolator (@snackolator) “We love finding ways to surprise and delight our guests, especially during this year’s ‘Newstalgia’ celebration in honor of 80 years,” Chick-fil-A Vice President of Brand Strategy, Advertising & Media, Khalilah Cooper, said in a statement per Southern Living. “What better way to celebrate than by giving a breakfast classic to our Chick-fil-A One Members? It’s our small way of thanking guests for being part of our story, then and now.” Chick-fil-A is Celebrating 80 Years Throughout 2026 The free breakfast sandwich is only a small part of the birthday celebrations, too. Chick-fil-A began introducing new deals and treats in January and will continue throughout the year. The chain has also been reintroducing some of its most nostalgic classics, like its cow calendar, its 1940s and 50s packaging, and its frosted floats and sodas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Snackolator (@snackolator) This story’s featured image is by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images.