Yesterday, President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Within the hour, missiles were already flying again.

That tells you almost everything you need to know about where we stand.

Let’s back up and give you the full picture — because this war moved fast, the stakes are enormous, and most of what you’ve seen in your feed has been noise.

How we got here

On February 28, 2026, U.S. and Israeli forces launched nearly 900 strikes in 12 hours targeting Iranian missiles, air defenses, military infrastructure, and leadership.  The opening salvo was historic in its brutality. The attacks killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other Iranian officials. 

Here’s the part that will be debated for years: just before the strikes began, Omani foreign minister Badr Al-Busaidi said a “breakthrough” had been reached and Iran had agreed both to never stockpile enriched uranium and to full verification by the IAEA — adding that peace was “within reach.”  Talks were scheduled to resume on March 2nd. They never happened.

Trump administration officials have offered multiple explanations for launching the war anyway — to pre-empt Iranian retaliation against US assets, to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to prevent a nuclear weapon, to secure Iran’s oil resources, and to achieve regime change.  The explanations kept shifting. The bombs did not.

What Iran did next

Tehran hit back hard. Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at targets in Israel and at US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. A drone struck Britain’s Akrotiri military base on Cyprus, and missiles were shot down over Turkey. 

The war spread quickly across the entire region. The conflict disrupted global travel and trade, halted flights in and out of the Middle East, and led to shipping reroutes to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.  Oil markets shook. Fuel shortages rippled across Asia. The world’s most critical energy chokepoint — through which roughly 20% of global oil flows — was effectively shut down.

The Strait of Hormuz: the real center of gravity

You’ve heard the name. Here’s why it matters so much.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage between Iran and Oman — just 21 miles wide at its tightest point. Every day in normal times, roughly 17 to 21 million barrels of oil pass through it. Saudi oil. Emirati oil. Kuwaiti oil. Qatari LNG. If it closes, Asia runs short within weeks. Europe scrambles. Prices spike globally.

Iran used the strait as its most powerful non-military weapon. By threatening — and partially restricting — shipping through the Hormuz, Tehran forced the entire world to pay attention to the war in a way that no missile barrage could. Trump issued a deadline threatening the “complete demolition” of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.  Iran called the threats “delusional.”

Then, at the last hour, a phone call from Pakistan changed everything.

The ceasefire — and what it actually says

Iran says it has accepted a two-week ceasefire, with talks set to begin on Friday in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, after President Trump agreed to suspend attacks on the condition that Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz. 

The truce was brokered by Pakistan, following fierce exchanges of airstrikes, missile attacks and threats that saw unprecedented strikes on Gulf nations, disrupted global shipping routes and heightened fears of a prolonged confrontation. 

The terms, as we know them: Iran’s military will coordinate passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire. Iran and Oman plan to charge transit fees on passing ships, with Tehran planning to use the revenue for post-war reconstruction. 

Iran came with its own framework. Tehran’s 10-point peace proposal includes lifting sanctions, creating a war-loss fund, a potential US troop withdrawal from the Gulf, and recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium in exchange for a pledge not to build nuclear weapons.  It is unclear whether the US has agreed to any of it.

But the guns didn’t stop

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about this ceasefire: it started with explosions.

Missile attacks were reported across the Gulf region and Israel shortly after Trump announced the two-week ceasefire. Kuwait and the UAE said they were working to intercept incoming drone and missile threats. Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said it had successfully intercepted a missile attack. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said sirens were sounding. 

And Israel made its position crystal clear within hours: Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed support for the US decision to suspend strikes on Iran, but stressed the ceasefire does not extend to Lebanon.  Israel then bombed locations across Lebanon including the capital Beirut in devastating attacks that killed at least 89 people and wounded over 700. 

A ceasefire with an asterisk the size of a country.

So who’s winning?

The honest answer: nobody cleanly, and the next two weeks will determine a great deal.

Iran took devastating losses — its supreme leader killed, military infrastructure hammered, universities and cultural sites destroyed. But it survived 40 days as a functioning state, kept its weapons, and forced the world’s superpower to the table. Iran expert Trita Parsi said the potential talks in Islamabad could fail, “but the terrain has shifted.”  Iranian leaders are declaring the conflict is ending “on Iran’s terms.”  That’s partly propaganda — but only partly.

The US entered with overwhelming force and achieved the killing of Khamenei. But it did not achieve regime change, did not eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, and did not keep the Hormuz open. Analyst Trita Parsi described the ceasefire as a strategic retreat by Trump, arguing the conflict had “become an absolute disaster” and forced the White House to seek a way out. “Trump needed an exit, and he took it.” 

The Gulf states — Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait — absorbed Iranian missiles on their own soil while hosting American forces. They want the strait open, Iran neutered, and to never be in this position again. They are not satisfied.

The world economy got a 40-day warning about what a closed Strait of Hormuz actually looks like. It will not forget.

What to watch next

Talks begin Friday in Islamabad. The questions that will define everything:

Will the US accept Iran’s right to enrich uranium — the point that blew up negotiations in February, before the war even started? Will Iran accept any verification regime that actually has teeth? And will Netanyahu — who is “widely suspected of having derailed the last round of talks” brokered by Oman  — allow a diplomatic solution to hold?

Two weeks is a very short runway.

The bottom line

Forty days of war. Thousands dead. The global oil supply held hostage. A ceasefire announced while missiles were still in the air.

This is not resolved. This is a pause — fragile, contested, already fraying at the edges in Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz is open for now, and oil prices dropped on the news. But the fundamental questions that started this war — Iran’s nuclear program, American power in the Gulf, Israel’s security — remain completely unanswered.

What happens in Islamabad on Friday matters more than almost anything else happening on the planet right now.

We’ll be watching. And we’ll write you again the moment it breaks.

That’s what this letter is for.

— US Daily Letter | April 9, 2026

MARKET INSIGHT | March 28, 2026

Four weeks in, the economic damage is real, spreading, and far from over.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. What followed was not just a military campaign — it was the ignition of what the International Energy Agency has called the greatest global energy security challenge in history. Today, March 28, markets are still absorbing the full weight of that shock.

The Strait Tells the Story

Everything comes back to one narrow corridor of water. The Strait of Hormuz, a maritime chokepoint between Iran and Oman, normally handles roughly 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products per day — about a fifth of global consumption — plus roughly one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade.  Since the first strikes, that corridor has been effectively paralyzed.

Following the closure of the Strait on March 4, oil and LNG exports were stranded, causing Brent Crude to surge past $120 per barrel and forcing QatarEnergy to declare force majeure on all exports.  On March 18, the situation worsened: Iran struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City LNG complex, causing a 17% reduction in Qatar’s LNG production capacity — damage that analysts estimate will take three to five years to repair. LNG spot prices in Asia consequently surged by over 140%. 

Markets With Nowhere to Hide

The war and the spike in energy prices have rattled not just stocks, but also traditional safe havens like bonds, gold, and currencies, leaving investors with fewer places to shelter. 

The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are each on track for their worst month in a year. Gold futures have dropped 4%, Treasury yields are climbing as investors sell bonds, and the Nasdaq has entered correction territory, down more than 10% from its peak in late October. 

Traders are currently pricing in zero rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year.  The Fed, already navigating inflation above its 2% target before the conflict started, now faces an oil-driven inflationary impulse with little room to maneuver. The word economists are quietly starting to use: stagflation.

Asia Absorbs the Hardest Hit

Japan relies on the Middle East for roughly 90% of its crude oil imports, most of which transits through Hormuz. South Korea gets about 70% of its crude from the region and routes more than 95% of that through the strait. South Korea has already activated a 100 trillion won market-stabilization program, roughly $68 billion, in response to war-related volatility. 

As of mid-March, Australia’s stock exchange had fallen more than 6%. Russian stocks, meanwhile, have trended upward, Russia being a major non-Gulf hydrocarbon supplier now positioned to benefit from the disruption. 

Europe: Exposed but Not Defenseless

Europe imports only about 5% of its crude oil through the Strait, but as a major energy importer it remains highly exposed to rising global prices. The European Central Bank postponed planned rate reductions, raising its 2026 inflation forecast and cutting GDP growth projections.  The euro-zone economy is expected to contract in Q2 and flatline through the second half of the year. 

Europe entered 2026 with significantly lower gas storage levels than in recent years — 46 billion cubic metres at end of February, compared to 60 bcm in 2025 and 77 bcm in 2024.  That buffer is thin heading into a prolonged disruption.

Food, Fertilizer, and the Downstream Spiral

The damage isn’t limited to fuel pumps and trading floors. From the start of the conflict through March 20, fertilizer prices increased by up to 40%, sending food prices rising across the globe.  Aviation has also been significantly disrupted by airspace closures on key corridors between Africa, Asia, and Europe, with airlines rerouting around the Middle East adding time, fuel costs, and economic friction to global supply chains. 

The Bottom Line

What begins as a battlefield shock hardens into a geoeconomic one.  The United States, as a net energy exporter, is better insulated than most, but not immune. The conflict is likely to reinforce a broader pattern already underway: the relative economic strength of the United States compared to its allies and trading partners. 

The critical variable remains duration. If hostilities wind down in the coming weeks, markets will recover. If the Strait of Hormuz stays commercially compromised through spring and summer, the damage to growth, inflation trajectories, and central bank credibility becomes structural, not cyclical.

For now, the world is watching a chokepoint the size of a county road decide the fate of the global economy.

US Daily Letter — Markets & Geopolitics Desk | March 28, 2026

INSIGHT — Tuesday, March 24, 2026

By the US Daily Letter Editorial Desk

You showed up two hours early. You still almost missed your flight.

That’s the reality at dozens of American airports right now — and it’s about to get a political explanation that depends entirely on which party you’re listening to.

Here are the facts.

The shutdown nobody’s talking about

Since February 14, the Department of Homeland Security has been operating under a partial government shutdown — the result of a Democratic refusal to fund DHS after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.  Democrats demanded reforms at ICE and Customs and Border Protection before releasing funds. Republicans refused to separate those agencies from the rest of DHS. Nobody blinked. The shutdown has now run more than five weeks.

TSA’s more than 50,000 frontline officers have been working without regular paychecks the entire time.  They are deemed essential workers. They have to show up. They just don’t get paid.

The numbers are bad

The TSA callout rate is now five times higher than normal. More than 400 agents have quit.  Of those who quit, nearly half had over three years of experience and a third had over five years  — meaning the workers walking out the door are not rookies. They are the people who know what they’re doing, and they can’t afford to keep showing up for free.

At Houston Hobby International Airport, the single-day callout rate hit 55% on March 14.  At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson — the busiest airport in the world — wait times stretched beyond two and a half hours over the weekend. At JFK, one traveler arrived before 5 AM for a 7 AM flight and barely made it to his gate. 

Economists estimate the shutdown has produced over $2.5 billion in economic losses so far.  Spring break is not over.

Enter ICE

On Sunday, Trump announced the fix: hundreds of ICE agents would be deployed to airports Monday to help ease the lines.  Border czar Tom Homan framed it simply — ICE would guard exit doors and help move lines in areas that don’t require TSA’s specialized screening expertise.  By Monday morning, ICE agents were patrolling at more than a dozen airports across the country. 

The union representing TSA workers did not see it that way. The American Federation of Government Employees called the move a political maneuver that misses the point entirely: their members don’t need supervision, they need paychecks.

What both sides won’t say plainly

Republicans are correct that TSA workers are being hurt by this impasse and that Americans deserve functioning airports. But they have blocked every Democratic effort to fund TSA separately while negotiations over ICE continue — a clean, targeted fix that would have put money in workers’ pockets without conceding anything on immigration policy. That Democratic bill failed 41-49 in the Senate, along party lines. 

Democrats are correct that ICE agents at checkpoints don’t solve the underlying crisis, and that deploying immigration enforcement officers into airports carries a symbolism that goes beyond logistics. But blocking DHS funding entirely — including TSA — as leverage for immigration reforms is a tactic with real victims. Those victims are the agents taking second jobs to pay their bills, calling out of work to do those jobs, and feeding a staffing spiral that makes every American’s airport experience worse. 

Meanwhile, a top TSA official warned last week that some smaller airports may have to “quite literally shut down” if Congress doesn’t act. 

The bottom line

This is not an airport story. It’s a Washington story — one where a political standoff over immigration enforcement has produced a very tangible, very visible consequence for millions of ordinary Americans trying to get home for spring break.

At 20 airports where private contractors handle screening — including San Francisco and Kansas City — lines are moving normally.  At every other airport in America, they’re not. That contrast alone tells you everything about how far this has drifted from common sense.

ICE agents at the exit doors are a Band-Aid on a wound that Congress opened and only Congress can close.

US Daily Letter — Correspondence from where it matters most. usdailyletter.com

Letter from Hollywood

US Daily Letter | Hollywood Bureau | March 16, 2026

Dear Reader,

Hollywood had its night last evening, and what a night it was. The 98th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre under the reliably warm and self-deprecating stewardship of Conan O’Brien, delivered the kind of ceremony the industry needed: a little catharsis, a lot of excellence, and a few moments that will live well beyond the red carpet.

One Battle After Another took home Best Picture , and if you’ve followed this awards season at all, that result felt both inevitable and earned. Paul Thomas Anderson swept Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay — his first Oscar wins — making this the crowning chapter of a remarkable career.  The film, which dominated the conversation from Toronto to voting season, ended the night with six Oscars total , the most of the evening.

But the story of the night was not a coronation. It was a competition.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners fought back with four wins of its own, and in doing so, made history that no one in that room will soon forget. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman — and the first woman of color — ever to win Best Cinematography , a milestone 98 years in the making. She asked every woman in the audience to stand. By all accounts, the room erupted. Ludwig Göransson took home his third career Oscar for Best Score , delivering a deeply moving tribute to his father. And Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay , claiming his first individual Oscar after years of critically acclaimed work.

Then there was Michael B. Jordan.

Jordan won Best Actor for his dual role as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners , and the Dolby came to its feet. In his speech, he invoked the names who came before him — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith — calling it an honor to stand among those giants.  He then turned to the aspiring artists watching at home and offered something simple and generous: “Be honest and truthful, and dream big. I’m really big into pouring into the universe, and the universe will pour it back into you.” 

On the actress side, Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet — winning her first Oscar on her second nomination , after a season in which she swept virtually every precursor award. It was a win that felt both overdue and perfectly timed. The supporting prizes went to Amy Madigan for Weapons and — in a record-setting moment — to Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, his third Academy Award , though he was notably absent from the ceremony.

One of the most quietly significant moments of the evening came with the debut of an entirely new category. For the first time in 24 years, the Academy introduced a new award: Best Casting, won by Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another . Casting directors, long the invisible architects of the films we love, finally have a seat at the table.

The evening was not without its emotional weight. Billy Crystal led the In Memoriam segment with a tribute to his “best friend” Rob Reiner, killed alongside his wife last year . Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Robert Redford and sang a passage from the theme of their film together. The room went quiet. Hollywood knows how to grieve, and last night it did so with grace.

Outside the ceremony, the world pressed in. Several presenters and winning documentarians used the stage to share pointed political statements  — quiet acts of conscience in a year when the world feels anything but quiet. No one stormed the microphone. But no one pretended the room existed in a vacuum either.

Conan O’Brien closed the evening as only he could — with a gag that spoofed the final scene of Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, ending with a new name tag on the office door: Mr. Beast, named eternal Oscars host for life. The audience laughed. The show ended on time.

Hollywood’s biggest night is over. The industry moves on. But some of what happened last evening — Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography Oscar, Michael B. Jordan’s speech, the first casting award in Academy history — those aren’t just moments. They’re milestones.

Until next year,

Your Hollywood Correspondent

US Daily Letter

All coverage reflects live results from the 98th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 15, 2026.

By US Daily Letter Editorial Desk | March 15, 2026

Sixteen days ago, the United States and Israel launched what the Pentagon called “Operation Epic Fury” — a coordinated air campaign against Iran that has since become the most consequential military conflict in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The strikes, initiated on February 28, 2026, aimed to induce regime change and neutralize Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  What followed has drawn the entire region into a spiral of military escalation, humanitarian catastrophe, and a global economic shock that is being felt from gas pumps in Ohio to shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.

Here is what every American should understand about where we are — and where this may be heading.

How Did We Get Here?

The road to this conflict was years in the making. As recently as late February, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi described nuclear negotiations as reaching a “breakthrough,” with Iran reportedly agreeing both to never stockpile enriched uranium and to full IAEA verification. He called peace “within reach.”  Yet Washington and Tel Aviv remained skeptical, with Israel lobbying aggressively against diplomacy and threatening unilateral action if talks continued.  The strikes began just days before negotiations were set to resume.

The Trump administration has offered shifting rationales for the assault. Officials have cited the need to ward off an imminent Iranian threat, to preempt Iranian retaliation after an expected Israeli strike, to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to prevent a nuclear weapon, to secure Iran’s natural resources, and to achieve regime change by bringing the Iranian opposition to power  — a menu of justifications that critics have called strategically incoherent.

The Human and Military Toll

The toll on Iran’s population has been severe. Iran’s Health Ministry reports that at least 1,444 people have been killed and over 18,500 injured since February 28, with victims ranging in age from eight months to 88 years old.  Tehran’s governor has reported that at least 10,000 residential homes were damaged or completely destroyed  by US-Israeli strikes. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the conflict erupted. 

Iran’s leadership has also been targeted directly. On the opening hours of the conflict, Israeli decapitation strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several high officials at his residential compound.  His son, Mojtaba, has since been appointed as successor, though US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the new supreme leader was wounded. 

On the military side, Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at targets in Israel and at US military bases across Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE.  US Defense Secretary Hegseth claimed that at least 15,000 enemy targets have been struck — more than 1,000 per day  — numbers that critics say blur the line between military infrastructure and civilian areas.

The Diplomatic Dead End

Perhaps most alarming is the near-total collapse of diplomacy. The Trump administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to begin ceasefire negotiations, with a senior US official indicating that military pressure should continue and that “there may be a time for diplomacy later, but that moment has not arrived.” 

Iran’s position is equally hardened. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS’s Face the Nation that Tehran has “never asked for a ceasefire” and sees “no reason” to negotiate, pointing to the fact that talks were ongoing when the strikes began: “We were talking, so why they decided to attack us?” 

Mediators including Oman and Egypt have tried and failed to open channels. Iran’s IRGC has reportedly told political leaders not to engage in any ceasefire discussions, believing that losing control of the Strait of Hormuz would mean losing the war.  With both sides dug in, analysts believe the conflict could extend well beyond its initial phase. 

The Global Economic Shockwave

Americans will feel this war at the register and the pump. The conflict has disrupted global travel and trade, halted flights across the Middle East, and forced shipping to reroute away from both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.  The International Energy Agency has agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of crude oil in an attempt to offset the disruption. 

Economic forecasters have warned of inflationary pressures and slowed global growth if the conflict persists, with the UN World Food Programme flagging significant long-term increases in global food prices.  Some Trump advisers are already warning that soaring gasoline prices could extract a steep political cost from the Republican Party ahead of the midterms. 

What the World Is Watching

International opinion is fractured. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alongside French and German leaders, condemned Iran’s counter-strikes but made clear that Britain does “not believe in regime change from the skies.”  More than 250 US organizations have signed a letter calling on Congress to halt funding for the war, arguing that the $11.3 billion spent in the first six days diverts critical resources from domestic needs including food benefits. 

Meanwhile, UNESCO has urged protection for Iran’s heritage sites after strikes damaged the Golestan Palace, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the Shah Mosque, and other World Heritage Sites. 

The Bottom Line

This is not a short war. With no ceasefire in sight, two entrenched military powers refusing diplomacy, and a region-wide spillover already underway in Lebanon, the Gulf states, and global energy markets, the conflict risks settling into a prolonged, costly confrontation. The stated goals — denuclearization, regime change, regional stabilization — may prove far harder to achieve through air power than through the negotiations that were, by all accounts, still progressing just days before the first bombs fell.

For American readers, the questions worth asking are simple: Were all diplomatic options truly exhausted? Who bears the cost if they weren’t? And what does a sustainable end to this conflict actually look like?

Those answers deserve far more clarity than Washington has provided so far.

This analysis reflects reporting from Reuters, Al Jazeera, the UK House of Commons Library, Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and other public sources current as of March 15, 2026. US Daily Letter presents multiple perspectives and does not editorially endorse any military action.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Iranian state media confirmed what Western intelligence agencies had feared since the first bombs fell on Tehran: the Islamic Republic’s Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei — the 56-year-old son of the Ayatollah killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes — as the next Supreme Leader of Iran.

The vote was swift. Within 72 hours of his father’s death, the 88-member clerical body convened in emergency session and chose the younger Khamenei by what Iranian sources described only as a “decisive” margin. No tally was released. No dissenting voices have spoken publicly. By dawn, IRGC units across Iran were holding televised loyalty ceremonies.

Who is he?

To most of the world, Mojtaba Khamenei has been a ghost — deliberately so. He operated for decades in the background of Iranian power: present everywhere, visible almost nowhere. Western intelligence agencies regard him as one of the most powerful unelected figures Iran has ever produced. He is believed to have held effective command over the IRGC’s intelligence division for more than ten years. The EU sanctioned him in 2019 for his role in ordering crackdowns on protesters. He opposed Iran’s nuclear diplomacy at every turn. He is harder-line than his father.

His first address as Supreme Leader lasted eleven minutes. His tone was controlled. His message was not.

“The blood of our martyrs does not cool the fire of our will,” he said from the podium. “It pours fuel upon it.”

What it means for the war

It almost certainly ends any near-term prospect of a ceasefire. Back-channel communications through Omani intermediaries — in which the elder Khamenei had reportedly signaled some openness to talks — died with him. Mojtaba built his career on rejecting exactly that kind of diplomacy.

The White House responded within two hours. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration’s objectives in Iran remain “unchanged.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more direct: Mojtaba’s appointment, he said, “changes nothing.”

Six American service members have been killed. The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea. Iran’s threats to close the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world’s oil passes — are now being backed by a man with fewer restraints and more to prove than his father ever had.

The bottom line

The son of the man killed by American bombs is now the most powerful figure in Iran. He is largely unknown to the world, deeply hostile to the West, and in possession of a state that is wounded, furious, and still very much at war.

The next few days will tell us who Mojtaba Khamenei truly is.

History is not patient.

US Daily Letter — Correspondence from where it matters most. usdailyletter.com

By US Daily Letter

March 1, 2026

The joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader have exposed fractures in the international order more profound than any crisis since the 2003 Iraq invasion. Forty-eight hours after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, the global response reveals not just diplomatic positioning—but a fundamental realignment of …

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By US Daily Letter

February 28-March 1, 2026

In the pre-dawn darkness over Tehran, the world’s most powerful militaries launched what may become the defining military operation of the decade. By nightfall, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—the man who ruled the Islamic Republic for 37 years—was dead. The Middle East had crossed a threshold from which there may be no return.

“Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Roaring Lion”—the American and Israeli code names for Saturday’s joint assault—represent the largest coordinated military action against Iran in modern history and the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

As of early Sunday morning, the toll is staggering, the conflict spreading, and the endgame entirely unclear.

THE STRIKE: “Target of Opportunity”

The operation began at approximately 7:00 AM Tehran time (10:30 PM EST Friday) with massive explosions rocking the Iranian capital and multiple cities across the country.

President Donald Trump announced the assault in an unconventional 2:00 AM EST video posted to Truth Social—no Oval Office address, no prime-time announcement, just an eight-minute pre-recorded message declaring war on the Iranian regime.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said, ending with a direct appeal to Iranians: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.”

The primary target: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989 and the most powerful figure in the Islamic Republic.

How they found him: Multiple U.S. defense officials told Fox News that intelligence indicated Khamenei was meeting with 5-10 senior Iranian leaders at his compound in central Tehran Saturday morning. The strike was accelerated based on this “target of opportunity.”

“There was a deliberate decision to accelerate the timeline,” a senior defense official said.

Israeli officials later confirmed that Khamenei was in his office within his residential compound—not a bunker or hiding place—when precision-guided munitions struck. Iranian state media Fars News Agency confirmed he was “carrying out his duties” at the time.

The strike that killed Khamenei reportedly cost tens of millions of dollars, involving sophisticated MQ-series or Global Hawk drones coordinated with manned aircraft in what experts described as an extraordinarily complex operation planned for months but executed with days of notice.

Satellite imagery from Airbus showed black smoke rising from Khamenei’s compound, with several buildings severely damaged or destroyed.

THE CASUALTIES: A Devastating Toll

Iranian Leadership Decimated:

Beyond Khamenei, the strikes killed Iran’s entire top security and military leadership, according to Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin:

∙ Mohammad Pakpour - IRGC Commander

∙ Aziz Nasirzadeh - Iranian Defense Minister

∙ Ali Shamkhani - Adviser to Supreme Leader/Defense Council Secretary

∙ Mohammad Bagheri - Chief of Staff, Iranian Armed Forces

∙ Mohammad Shirazi - Khamenei’s military bureau chief

∙ Salah Asadi - Senior intelligence official

∙ Hussein Jabel Amalean - Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research chairman

∙ Reza Mozafari-Nia - Former SPND chairman

Four senior intelligence commanders were also killed, including Javad Pourhossein (head of foreign intelligence) and Mohammad-Reza Bajestani (head of security).

Khamenei’s family: Iranian state media confirmed that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandchild were also killed in the strikes.

Civilian casualties: The numbers remain fluid and contested, but the human cost is already horrific:

∙ Iranian Red Crescent Society: More than 200 killed across 24 provinces, 747 injured (as of Saturday evening)

∙ Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA): At least 133 civilians killed, 200 injured; 8 military personnel killed (calling this a “minimum and conservative figure”)

∙ Minab Elementary School: Iranian state media reports 100+ girls killed when strikes hit a primary school in southern Iran. By Sunday, the death toll at the Minab school had risen to 148, making it one of the deadliest single incidents​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What to Know About the State of the Union and Democrats’ Response

February 25, 2026

President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in American history last night—1 hour and 48 minutes of economic triumphalism, partisan attacks, and vague threats of war with Iran. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger countered with a message Democr…

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I. THE FIRE IS REAL

History will not forgive silence dressed up as neutrality.

In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, in Plateau State, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, communities are being erased. Villages burned before dawn. Farmers slaughtered on their own land. Women taken. Children orphaned or conscripted. Churches reduced to ash and memory.

This is not a political abstraction. This is not a distant conflict too complex to name. This is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in real time, in Africa’s most populous nation, while the world adjusts its tie and looks the other way.

The victims are not only Christians. They are also moderate Muslims, animists, indigenous communities, and farmers of every faith who simply want to plant and harvest in peace. But let us be honest, and geopolitical honesty demands we say this clearly, Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and South have been disproportionately and systematically targeted. The Global Terrorism Index has ranked Nigeria among the world’s most affected countries by terrorism for years. The Open Doors World Watch List consistently places Nigeria among the top five countries where Christians face extreme persecution.

These are not opinions. These are documented facts. And facts demand a response.

II. WHY THE UNITED STATES MUST ACT

Some will ask: why America? Why should Washington intervene in a sovereign African nation’s internal affairs?

The answer is neither simple nor sentimental. It is strategic, legal, and moral — and all three arguments point in the same direction.

Strategically, Nigeria is the engine of West Africa. With over 220 million people, the largest economy on the continent, and oil reserves that remain significant to global supply chains, Nigeria’s destabilization does not stay within Nigerian borders. What begins in the Middle Belt spreads, into Niger, into Chad, into Cameroon, into Burkina Faso, into Côte d’Ivoire. The Sahel is already on fire. We in West Africa feel the heat every single day. A failed or fractured Nigeria would be a catastrophe without precedent for the entire region. The United States, which has spent trillions countering instability in the Middle East, cannot afford to ignore a comparable implosion on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

Legally, the United States has both the framework and the precedent. The International Religious Freedom Act, the Responsibility to Protect doctrine endorsed by the UN, and America’s own foreign policy commitments to human rights all provide legitimate pathways for engagement, not military occupation, but targeted pressure, diplomatic muscle, sanctioned support for civilian protection, and accountability mechanisms for perpetrators. The U.S. designated Boko Haram and ISWAP as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The infrastructure of response already exists. What is missing is the political will to use it.

Morally, the United States was built on a founding promise: that all people are endowed with inalienable rights. That promise was imperfect in its origins and remains imperfect today. But it is the standard by which America judges itself and by which the world judges America. A nation that spent billions protecting communities in Kosovo, in Kuwait, in South Korea, cannot justify indifference to mass atrocities in Nigeria on the grounds of sovereignty. Sovereignty is not a license for governments to permit the annihilation of their own people. Nigeria’s federal government has repeatedly failed to protect its most vulnerable citizens. That failure creates both a moral vacuum and an international obligation.

The ask is not boots on the ground. The ask is engagement, real, sustained, consequential engagement. Sanctions against identified militia leaders. Intelligence sharing with Nigerian security forces who are actually doing the work. Diplomatic pressure on Abuja to treat these attacks as the national emergency they are. Humanitarian corridors. Accountability before the International Criminal Court. These are not radical demands. They are the minimum that civilization requires.

III. THE LESSON FOR CÔTE D’IVOIRE

I say all of this not only as an analyst. I say it as an Ivorian. As a pastor. As a man who has watched what creeping instability does to a country — because Côte d’Ivoire lived through it. We know what it costs when communities are played against each other. We know what it costs when the state fails to protect the vulnerable. We know what it costs when the church stays quiet and lets politics be handled by those who do not share our values.

We paid for that silence in blood and years of crisis.

Nigeria is not Côte d’Ivoire. But the patterns rhyme — and those who know the melody should not wait for the full song to play out before they speak.

The Christian communities of West Africa are not victims waiting to be saved. We are citizens, voters, professionals, builders, thinkers, and believers with a right and a duty to participate fully in the political life of our nations. For too long, we have ceded that space — to those who use faith as an instrument of division, and to secularists who would prefer that believers leave their convictions at the church door before entering public life.

That era is over.

IV. THE CALL — TO MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

I am announcing today what many of you already know is necessary: the formation of a structured Christian political movement in Côte d’Ivoire — not a party built on exclusion, not a movement of hatred toward any faith or community, but a movement rooted in the values of human dignity, justice, servant leadership, and the common good.

We believe that the Word of God has something to say about governance. We believe that the teachings of Christ — on the poor, on justice, on truth, on accountability — are not private convictions to be hidden but public commitments to be lived. We believe that a nation built on those values will be more just, more stable, and more prosperous for every citizen, regardless of their faith.

Our movement will speak for the farmer in the north who fears tomorrow. It will speak for the young woman in Abidjan who cannot find work. It will speak for the entrepreneur strangled by corruption. It will speak for every Ivorian who believes this country can be better than it has been — and is willing to do something about it.

We will be organized. We will be peaceful. We will be disciplined. And we will be heard.

To the pastors across this country who have felt the call to do more than preach on Sunday — the moment is now. To the Christian professionals, the lawyers, the doctors, the teachers, the entrepreneurs who have wondered whether faith has a place in the public square — the answer is yes, and the door is open. To the young Ivorians who are hungry for a politics that means something beyond tribe and personal enrichment — we are building something for you.

Nigeria is burning. The Sahel is fracturing. The world is being reorganized by those with the boldness to act. West Africa needs a voice that speaks with moral clarity, strategic intelligence, and deep roots in the communities that make up the heart of this region.

That voice will rise from Côte d’Ivoire.

That voice starts now.

Dr. Agnini Jean Baptiste Zekre is a geopolitical analyst, CEO of Kabowd Investments Group International, and pastor based in Jacqueville, Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a doctorate from the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan-Cocody.

“Je puis tout par celui qui me fortifie.” — Philippiens 4:13

February 21, 2026 | USDailyLetter.com

In what may be the most consequential economic ruling since the pandemic era, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda — and within minutes, traders on Wall Street started buying.

The case, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, had been years in the making but came to a head with stunning speed. By a vote of 6-3, the justices ruled that Trump’s tariffs exceeded the powers given to the president by Congress under a 1977 law providing him the authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies created by foreign threats.  The law in question — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA — had never been used to impose tariffs until Trump came along.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion in plain terms: “IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties. Moreover, until now no President has read IEEPA to confer such power.”  The six-justice majority included three conservatives — Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett — alongside the court’s three liberal justices. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

What Was Actually Struck Down?

Not everything. The ruling invalidates many, but not all, of Trump’s tariffs. The decision does not affect tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed using different laws.  But the big ones — the so-called “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs that Trump unveiled on April 2, 2025, targeting nearly every country on Earth — are gone. The IEEPA tariffs, including the “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs, raised the applied U.S. tariff rate by 7 percentage points and the effective tariff rate by nearly 5 percentage points. 

The financial scale is enormous. As of December 14, 2025, the government had collected $133.5 billion in IEEPA tariff payments from U.S. importers, estimated through February 20 to be at least $160 billion.  Whether any of that gets refunded is now a mess of its own — the court was silent on that question, and the matter has been remanded to lower courts.

How Markets Reacted

The ruling dropped at 10 a.m. on Friday morning, and markets moved immediately — though not as explosively as some had predicted.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.69% and closed at 6,909.51, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.9% and settled at 22,886.07. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 230 points, or 0.47%, and ended at 49,625.97.  All three major indexes posted weekly gains.

The real winners were retail and consumer stocks. Victoria’s Secret surged as much as 5.6%, Dollar Tree jumped 4%, and Abercrombie & Fitch increased 5.5%. Shares of Lululemon and Dick’s Sporting Goods also rose.  These are companies that had been hammered by tariff-related cost pressures for nearly a year.

Treasury yields and the dollar also moved — Treasuries and a Bloomberg gauge of the dollar fell, while stocks rallied.  The dollar initially jumped against major currencies before reversing course by end of day, a sign that investors were still working through the implications.

Market sentiment was cautious but optimistic. “I think this decision is a green light for the equity bulls,” said Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial. “Markets vaulting over this hurdle is one less macro headwind bulls need to persist higher.” 

Trump Fires Back — With a New Tariff

The president did not take the ruling quietly. Trump called the decision “deeply disappointing” and said he was “ashamed” of some of the justices, saying they were “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution” — including two he personally nominated, Gorsuch and Barrett. 

And in classic Trump fashion, he didn’t wait long to find a workaround. By Friday evening, Trump announced he had signed an executive order imposing a new 10% “global tariff” under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — a different legal authority the court did not strike down.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this approach, combined with other existing authorities, “will result in virtually unchanged tariff revenue in 2026.” 

So the tariff war isn’t over. It’s just moved to different legal terrain.

The Bottom Line

This is a historic win for the rule of law — and a meaningful one for American businesses and consumers who have borne the brunt of tariff-driven price increases. But with Trump already pivoting to alternative legal mechanisms, and the question of refunds unresolved, the story is far from finished.

As one analyst put it: the uncertainty has been lifted on one chapter. The next chapter starts Monday.

— USDailyLetter.com Staff | February 21, 2026

The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. died peacefully on the morning of February 17, 2026, surrounded by his family, hymns filling the room as one of America’s most consequential voices breathed his last. He was 84.

For many Americans, Jesse Jackson was a fixture — a near-permanent presence on the front lines of history. He was at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma just weeks before his death, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, still showing up where justice demanded a witness.  That was Jesse Jackson. He never stopped showing up.

A Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate, Jackson’s booming oratory and populist message propelled the Civil Rights Movement in the decades after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.  He was with King in Memphis the night before he was killed in 1968. He carried that weight — and that fire — for the rest of his life.

He founded what became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, an organization focused on civil rights, voter registration, and economic empowerment. Over decades of activism, he received dozens of honorary degrees and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. 

Barack Obama wrote that he was “deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant,” noting that Jackson “laid the foundation” for his own campaign for the presidency — and that Michelle Obama got her first glimpse of political organizing at the Jacksons’ kitchen table as a teenager. 

In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, Jackson lost his ability to speak — communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.  The man whose voice once shook convention halls and courtrooms and the halls of foreign governments, reduced to a gentle grip. There is something both devastating and deeply human about that.

His family said it best: “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.” 

He is survived by his wife Jacqueline, five children, and grandchildren — and by every person who ever heard him say you are somebody and believed it, maybe for the first time.

Rest well, Reverend. The fight continues.

— USDailyLetter.com Staff

Weekend Briefing from Washington

February 13-16, 2026

As Congress flees town for a 10-day recess, the Department of Homeland Security slides into its third shutdown in five months. Behind the parliamentary maneuvering and partisan finger-pointing lies a fundamental question: Can federal law enforcement operate without Congressional oversight? Here’s what’s happening in the capital this weekend.

DHS SHUTDOWN: The Third Time in Five Months

The Department of Homeland Security shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Senate Democrats blocked two Republican attempts to keep it funded—first a full-year bill, then a two-week stopgap extension.

How we got here:

On January 26, federal immigration agents shot and killed two American citizens—Alex Pretti and Renee Good—during enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Both were bystanders with no immigration violations. The shootings sparked nationwide outrage and put Democratic leadership in a position they haven’t occupied in years: genuine leverage.

Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy, refused to fund DHS without restrictions on immigration enforcement. House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, backed them. The resulting standoff left DHS as the only federal department without full-year funding when Congress passed a spending package on February 3.

That package included a two-week continuing resolution for DHS, funded through February 13, explicitly to allow time for negotiations on immigration enforcement reforms.

Those negotiations collapsed Thursday. Congress left town. The shutdown began.

What Democrats demanded:

In a February 5 letter to Republican leadership, Schumer and Jeffries outlined ten “guardrails” for DHS operations:

1. End “roving patrols” and “indiscriminate arrests”

2. Require judicial warrants (not just administrative warrants) for arrests and property searches

3. Ban DHS officers from entering private property without judicial authorization

4. Prohibit enforcement at “sensitive locations” (schools, churches, hospitals)

5. Mandate body-worn cameras for all enforcement officers

6. Ban agents from wearing masks during operations

7. Require agents to identify themselves and their agency

8. Adopt a standardized, universal use-of-force policy

9. Expand training requirements for all DHS law enforcement

10. Remove DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position

Democrats also demanded Trump “fully ramp down the surge in Minnesota” as a show of good faith.

What the White House offered:

Not much. The administration has agreed to deploy body cameras (already underway) and sent Border Czar Tom Homan to replace the Minneapolis Border Patrol commander.

On the core issues—judicial warrants, restricting roving patrols, prohibiting masked enforcement—the White House has refused to budge. A senior administration official called judicial warrant requirements “a particularly challenging aspect” that would fundamentally hamstring enforcement operations.

Trump told reporters Thursday that some Democratic demands would be “very, very hard to approve.”

The standoff:

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) characterized negotiations as “not close” but insisted “a deal space is there.” Senate Democrats countered that they “had plenty of time to get a deal in the last two weeks.”

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, blocked the two-week stopgap after the full-year bill failed, saying: “We want to fund the Department of Homeland Security, but only a department that is obeying the law.”

Congress is now on recess until February 23—meaning the shutdown will last at least 10 days.

WHAT THE SHUTDOWN ACTUALLY MEANS

The paradox: This is a shutdown that barely shuts anything down—but could have devastating long-term consequences.

Immigration enforcement (ICE/CBP): Fully operational, fully funded

Thanks to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement received $75 billion and Customs and Border Protection got $64 billion in dedicated funding outside the normal appropriations process.

ICE and CBP officers will continue working, continue getting paid, and continue conducting enforcement operations exactly as they have been. The shutdown does not affect immigration operations at all.

As House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) put it bluntly: “The things they want to shut down aren’t going to shut down.”

The agencies that DO get hit:

Transportation Security Administration (TSA):

∙ 60,000+ screeners deemed “essential” and required to work without pay

∙ Won’t miss first paycheck until early March, but unscheduled absences historically spike during shutdowns

∙ TSA Administrator Ha McNeill testified that the 43-day shutdown last fall caused “late fees from missed bill payments, eviction notices, loss of child care” for agents

∙ Twelve weeks later, “some are just recovering from the financial impact”

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):

∙ Has sufficient disaster relief funds for immediate emergencies

∙ But Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips warned response would become “seriously strained in the event of a catastrophic disaster”

∙ Recovery-related work and long-term planning will be “crippled”

∙ Still working through delayed payments to states from the 43-day shutdown last fall

U.S. Coast Guard:

∙ 56,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel working without pay

∙ All missions unrelated to “national security or the protection of life and property” suspended

∙ Training for pilots, air crews, boat crews curtailed

∙ Aircraft and boats degrading as scheduled maintenance deferred

∙ Vice Commandant Adm. Thomas Allan: “These jobs require dedication, focus and attention to detail. Any distraction puts the member mission, crew and unit at risk.”

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):

∙ Two-thirds of workforce furloughed (unusual—most DHS employees stay on the job)

∙ Diminished capability in cyber response, security assessments, stakeholder engagement

∙ Training exercises and special event planning halted

Secret Service:

∙ Essential operations continue but without pay initially

∙ May tap into funding from last summer’s bill (as they did during the 43-day shutdown)

By the numbers:

∙ 272,000 total DHS employees

∙ 90%+ will continue working during the shutdown

∙ Only ~44,500 will be paid through alternative appropriations

∙ 22,862 non-ICE/CBP workers could be furloughed

THE POLITICS: Who’s Playing What Game

Democrats’ calculation:

This is the strongest leverage Democrats have had against the Trump administration on any issue. They’re using it.

The Minneapolis shootings gave them a politically defensible position: “We’re not obstructing border security, we’re demanding accountability for law enforcement that killed American citizens.”

But there’s a trap: If the shutdown drags on and TSA lines get longer, or if a major disaster hits and FEMA response is hampered, Republicans will blame Democrats for “defunding border security” and “putting Coast Guard families in financial distress.”

Democrats are betting public outrage over the Minneapolis killings outweighs shutdown backlash. It’s not clear they’re right.

Republicans’ calculation:

Republicans have the easier message: “Democrats are shutting down the government to handcuff ICE.”

But some GOP senators—Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC)—are amenable to reforms, particularly on body cameras and use-of-force standards. That creates potential for a bipartisan deal.

The problem: Trump and hardliners like Ted Cruz (R-TX) won’t accept restrictions they view as undermining enforcement. As long as ICE and CBP stay funded and operational, they have no incentive to compromise.

The White House calculation:

The administration’s position is clear: We’ll negotiate on cosmetics (body cameras, training), but nothing that restricts operational authority.

DHS Secretary Noem has “wide-ranging power to move money around” under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The administration has $165 billion in DHS funding from that legislation to draw on.

From Trump’s perspective, this shutdown is nearly consequence-free for his priorities while Democrats take political heat for furloughing Coast Guard members and TSA agents.

OTHER CAPITAL DEVELOPMENTS THIS WEEK

Budget deficit balloons $1.4 trillion over decade:

The Congressional Budget Office released projections Wednesday showing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and other policy changes are driving cumulative deficits from 2026-2035 to $23.1 trillion—up 6% ($1.4 trillion) from January 2025 projections.

The nonpartisan CBO analysis undercuts Republican claims that tax cuts and spending would be deficit-neutral.

Clinton contempt resolutions advance:

The House Rules Committee met Monday to advance contempt of Congress resolutions against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House Oversight Committee.

The resolutions are expected to reach the House floor next week, though their practical effect is unclear—Congress has no enforcement mechanism beyond referring contempt to the Justice Department, which under Trump appointees might or might not pursue charges.

TrumpRx drug platform launches:

The White House officially launched TrumpRx on Thursday—the administration’s direct-to-consumer prescription drug platform connecting patients with drugmakers selling products at discounted cash prices outside insurance.

Blockbuster obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy are available through the platform. Trump called it “one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time.”

Critics note the platform primarily benefits people who can afford to pay cash upfront and may undermine insurance-based coverage.

SAVE America Act push:

Trump called on congressional Republicans Thursday to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and add voter ID requirements.

It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. The bill passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.

Grand jury declines to indict Democratic lawmakers:

A federal grand jury declined Tuesday to indict six Democratic lawmakers—all veterans or former intelligence officials—who released a video in November urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders from the Trump administration.

The Justice Department had investigated whether the video constituted incitement. After the grand jury declined charges, Rep. Jason Crow’s (D-CO) attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter warning of potential legal action for civil rights violations if prosecutors continue pursuing the case.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Next 10 Days

Congress returns February 23. Until then, the capital is quiet—but the pressure is building.

Key questions:

1. Will Republicans crack first?

Some GOP senators want a deal. If TSA wait times spike, Coast Guard families face eviction, or—worst case—a major disaster tests FEMA’s degraded capacity, pressure on Republicans to compromise will mount.

2. Will Democrats overplay their hand?

If the shutdown drags into March and public opinion turns against Democrats for affecting non-immigration agencies, their leverage evaporates.

3. Will something break through?

The White House and Democratic leadership continued trading offers through Thursday night. Talks haven’t collapsed—they’ve stalled. Both sides are consulting their caucuses. A deal could materialize over the recess if either side decides the political cost of continued shutdown exceeds the cost of compromise.

4. What’s the Trump calculation?

Does he see this shutdown as politically beneficial—“Democrats defunding security”—or does he want a deal to move on to other priorities? His public statements suggest he’s in no rush, but backroom dynamics could differ.

The Munich factor:

Many lawmakers, including key appropriators, are in Munich this weekend for the Security Conference. Informal conversations there could lay groundwork for a deal when Congress reconvenes.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This is the third government shutdown in five months. The 43-day shutdown last fall set records. Now we’re back.

Behind the immediate dispute over immigration enforcement lies a deeper constitutional question: What happens when an administration claims essentially unlimited law enforcement authority and Congress tries to impose restrictions through its spending power?

Democrats argue they’re defending Fourth Amendment protections and basic oversight. Republicans argue Democrats are politicizing law enforcement funding.

The truth is both are wielding the only weapons they have: Democrats their appropriations votes, Republicans their Senate majority and White House control.

What’s novel is how little the shutdown affects the policy dispute at its center. ICE and CBP keep operating regardless. The people who pay the price—TSA screeners, Coast Guard members, FEMA workers, cybersecurity analysts—have nothing to do with the Minneapolis shootings or immigration enforcement.

They’re collateral damage in a fight about whether Congress can still impose meaningful constraints on executive power.

For now, the capital is empty. The shutdown clock is running. And nobody’s quite sure who blinks first.

Congress returns February 23. Until then, the standoff continues.

— US Daily Letter

Letter from US Daily Letter HQ

February 13, 2026

From Munich’s corridors of power to the tense diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program, this weekend marks a critical inflection point in global security. Here’s what you need to understand as the world’s leaders gather, negotiate, and prepare for what comes next.

MUNICH: The World’s Security Elite Convene as Order Crumbles

The 62nd Munich Security Conference opens today under perhaps the most ominous theme in its 63-year history: “Under Destruction.”

Over 1,000 participants from 115+ countries—including 60 heads of state, 50+ foreign ministers, the NATO Secretary General, and leaders from across the geopolitical spectrum—are descending on the Hotel Bayerischer Hof through Sunday for what has become the single most important annual forum for international security discussions.

The stakes: This year’s conference arrives at what organizers call “a fundamental inflection point”—longstanding alliances questioned, the rules-based order eroding, conflicts escalating from Ukraine to Gaza to the Pacific.

The Munich Security Report 2026, released ahead of the conference, warns of the rise of “wrecking-ball politics”—political forces focused on destruction rather than reform. European security officials are openly discussing “detachment issues” as uncertainty swirls around U.S. commitment to NATO under President Trump’s second term.

Key figures attending:

∙ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

∙ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

∙ NATO Secretary General

∙ European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher

∙ German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (the host)

∙ Plus 270 side events hosted by think tanks and policy organizations

Topics on the table:

∙ The future of transatlantic relations under Trump 2.0

∙ European defense independence

∙ Russia’s war in Ukraine entering its fourth year

∙ China’s challenge to the Western-led order

∙ Iran nuclear diplomacy and Middle East stability

∙ Security implications of emerging technologies (AI, space, cyber)

Why Munich matters: Unlike the UN or formal summit diplomacy, Munich operates as an informal crossroads where adversaries can talk, allies can argue openly, and new ideas get floated before they become official policy. It’s where Putin delivered his famous 2007 speech challenging U.S. hegemony, where Zelenskyy warned of impending Russian invasion weeks before it happened in 2022.

This weekend, watch for signals about:

∙ Whether European NATO members are seriously preparing for reduced U.S. security guarantees

∙ How Middle Eastern allies are hedging between Washington, Beijing, and Moscow

∙ Whether there’s any path forward on Ukraine that both Kyiv and its backers can accept

The conference runs through Sunday, with livestreams available for major sessions.

IRAN-U.S.: Fragile Diplomacy on a Knife’s Edge

After last week’s indirect talks in Oman—the first since the U.S. and Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities last June—the diplomatic path forward remains treacherous.

Where things stand:

Both sides called the February 6 talks in Muscat “a good start” and agreed to continue negotiations after consultations with capitals. But the fundamental gaps remain vast, and the threat of war looms large.

Iran’s red lines (articulated this week by security chief Ali Larijani):

∙ Talks limited exclusively to nuclear program

∙ Ballistic missile program off the table (“domestic matter…not subject to negotiation”)

∙ Regional proxy support non-negotiable

∙ Zero uranium enrichment “irrelevant” - Iran insists on maintaining enrichment capabilities

∙ Won’t move uranium stockpile offshore

U.S. position:

∙ Seeking “zero nuclear capability”

∙ Wants comprehensive talks covering missiles and regional proxies

∙ Demanding elimination of Iran’s 400kg stockpile of 60% enriched uranium (enough for 9+ nuclear weapons if further enriched)

∙ Trump threatening “very steep consequences” and “something very tough” if no deal

The military backdrop:

∙ USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group positioned off Iran’s coast in the Arabian Sea

∙ Admiral Brad Cooper (CENTCOM commander) attended Oman talks in full dress uniform

∙ Trump suggested second carrier group might deploy: “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going”

∙ Iran shooting down U.S. drones, attempting to stop U.S.-flagged ships in Strait of Hormuz

∙ Iran threatening “unprecedented retaliation” including strikes “at the heart of Tel Aviv” if attacked

The Israel factor:

Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Trump on Wednesday, urging that any deal must address Iran’s missile program. Israel views Iran’s ballistic arsenal as an existential threat and has warned it’s prepared to launch unilateral strikes if Iran crosses unnamed “red lines.”

Iran’s Larijani accused Israel of “fabricating pretexts” to derail negotiations and provoke war.

Expert assessment:

Analysts remain deeply skeptical a breakthrough is possible. As one told the Times of Israel: “It’s very difficult to see them conceding enough in talks for the US credibly to be able to claim that it’s made a breakthrough. And this is where I think military conflict is more likely than not.”

The Soufan Center’s analysis: Trump hoped Iran’s weakness after recent uprisings would force concessions, but Tehran is showing no willingness to compromise on core issues it rejected in 2025 talks.

Timeline: A second round of talks is confirmed but not yet scheduled. Gulf Arab states, fearing they’d be dragged into any U.S.-Iran war, are watching nervously.

OLYMPICS: Milan-Cortina Games Enter Second Week

The 2026 Winter Olympics, which opened last Friday with twin cauldrons lit in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, continue through February 22.

Weekend highlights:

∙ Men’s skeleton finals (Britain’s Matt Weston led at halfway mark)

∙ Women’s skeleton begins Saturday finals

∙ Figure skating men’s free program

∙ Snowboard cross knockout rounds

∙ Ice hockey continues (Finland-Canada women’s match postponed to Feb 12 after norovirus outbreak)

∙ Cross-country skiing, biathlon, curling round-robin play

Political undertones: Israel’s delegation was met with scattered boos during the opening ceremony, reflecting ongoing tensions over the Gaza conflict. Italy is using the games to showcase its capacity for major international events with significant Alpine infrastructure investments.

ALSO THIS WEEKEND:

LUNAR NEW YEAR APPROACHES: The Year of the Snake begins February 17 with celebrations across Asia and diaspora communities worldwide. Preparations underway for what’s known as Spring Festival in China, Tết in Vietnam, and Seollal in South Korea.

VALENTINE’S DAY TOMORROW: Beyond romance, many are using February 14 as an occasion to celebrate friendships and family connections.

GAZA/UKRAINE: Violence continues despite ceasefire frameworks. At least 23 Palestinians killed in airstrikes Friday. Russian cluster munitions struck a Druzhkivka market, killing 7 civilians.

WORLD RADIO DAY (TODAY): UNESCO marks February 13 as a celebration of radio’s enduring power to inform and connect communities globally.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT WEEK:

The combination of Munich discussions, Iran diplomacy, and ongoing conflicts creates a volatile mix. Key questions:

1. Will Munich produce any consensus on European defense independence? Or will it showcase deepening transatlantic divisions?

2. Can U.S.-Iran talks advance, or are we watching diplomatic theater before military action? The presence of CENTCOM’s commander at negotiations and Trump’s carrier threats suggest time is short.

3. How will Israel’s pressure campaign affect the Iran talks? Netanyahu’s Washington visit and threats of unilateral action could either force U.S. toughness or derail talks entirely.

4. What signals emerge from European capitals about accommodating or resisting Trump’s foreign policy? Munich provides the venue for Europeans to coordinate—or reveal their divisions.

The weekend marks a pause before decisions that could reshape global security for years. Diplomacy continues, but so do the military buildups, the threats, and the fundamental disagreements about how the world should be ordered.

For now, watch Munich. The conversations happening in those conference rooms and hotel corridors this weekend may determine whether 2026 is remembered for diplomatic breakthroughs or catastrophic escalations.

Stay informed. The world doesn’t pause on weekends—neither do we.

— US Daily Letter

By US Daily Letter World Desk

February 7, 2026

From coordinated insurgent attacks in Pakistan to high-stakes nuclear diplomacy and the opening of the Winter Olympics, here’s what’s happening around the globe today.

PAKISTAN: Deadly Week in Balochistan Ends with 250+ Dead

Pakistan concluded one of its bloodiest counterterrorism operations in recent history this week, with authorities claiming to have killed 216 insurgents following coordinated attacks across Balochistan province that left nearly 60 civilians and security personnel dead.

The crisis began early Saturday morning, January 31, when the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)—a separatist group designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and Pakistan—launched “Operation Herof 2.0,” simultaneous attacks across at least nine districts targeting banks, schools, markets, and security installations.

By the time Pakistani forces regained control Thursday, the death toll had reached over 250, including 22 security personnel, 36 civilians, and 216 militants according to Pakistan’s military. The BLA claimed responsibility for what analysts describe as one of the largest and most coordinated insurgent operations in Balochistan’s history.

The desert town of Nushki remained under insurgent control for three days before Pakistani forces deployed helicopters and drones to retake it. Seven police officers were killed in that operation alone.

Why It Matters: Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area but also its poorest and most restive. The region sits atop massive mineral deposits—coal, gold, copper, and gas—and hosts critical infrastructure for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, including the strategic Gwadar deep-water port. The BLA accuses Pakistan’s government of exploiting the province’s resources while marginalizing local Baloch populations, fueling a separatist insurgency that dates back decades.

The violence couldn’t come at a worse time for Pakistan economically. Foreign direct investment plummeted 43% in the first half of fiscal year 2026 compared to the previous year, falling to just $808 million. Pakistan had been pitching both the US and China on investment opportunities in Balochistan’s mineral wealth—Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir even brought samples to show President Trump in September. These attacks underscore the security risks that keep investors away.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister blamed India for backing the militants—an allegation India categorically denied, calling it “baseless.” The US condemned the attacks, with its charge d’affaires calling them “acts of terrorist violence.”

The UN Security Council also condemned what it called “heinous and cowardly” attacks, though the broader question of how Pakistan addresses underlying grievances in Balochistan—economic marginalization, lack of political representation, and perceptions of resource exploitation—remains unanswered.

US-IRAN: Cautious Diplomacy in Oman Amid War Fears

In a sign that diplomacy hasn’t completely collapsed despite weeks of threats, the United States and Iran concluded indirect talks in Muscat, Oman on Friday—the first negotiations since the US and Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities last June.

Both sides described the talks as “a good start” and agreed to reconvene after consultations with their capitals, likely early next week. But the path forward remains deeply uncertain.

The talks were mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who shuttled between the US delegation—led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner—and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Notably, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper attended in full dress uniform, a reminder that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other American warships are currently positioned off Iran’s coast in the Arabian Sea.

President Trump called the talks “very good” but maintained pressure, warning that if Iran doesn’t make a deal on its nuclear program, “the consequences are very steep.” He has repeatedly threatened military action if Iran uses lethal force against protesters or refuses to denuclearize.

Iran’s position: Tehran insists talks must focus exclusively on its nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. Iranian officials flatly refuse to discuss their ballistic missile program, support for regional proxy groups, or the government’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands of Iranians in recent months.

The US position: The White House says Trump is seeking “zero nuclear capability” from Iran and wants comprehensive negotiations covering missiles and Tehran’s support for groups across the Middle East. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reminded Iran that Trump has “many options at his disposal, aside from diplomacy, as the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military in the history of the world.”

The stakes: Before the June 2025 war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity—a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. Gulf Arab nations fear a US military strike could spark a regional war that drags them in, especially since Iran has warned that countries hosting US military bases could be targeted in retaliation.

Analysts are skeptical. As one expert told the Times of Israel: “It’s very difficult to see them conceding enough in talks for the US credibly to be able to claim that it’s made a breakthrough. And this is where I think military conflict is more likely than not.”

Still, the fact that both sides are talking—and agreed to talk again—suggests neither wants an immediate military confrontation, even if the gap between their positions remains vast.

WINTER OLYMPICS 2026: Milan and Cortina Welcome the World

The 2026 Winter Olympics officially opened Friday night with a glitzy ceremony in Milan, Italy, marking the first time since 1956 that Italy has hosted the Winter Games. The event is being co-hosted by Milan and the mountain resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Pop star Mariah Carey kicked off the ceremony, followed by performances celebrating Italian history, art, and fashion. In an Olympic first, twin cauldrons were lit simultaneously in both host cities.

The games feature athletes from around the world competing in skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, figure skating, and other winter sports. Israel’s small delegation marched to a smattering of boos during the opening ceremony, reflecting ongoing tensions over the Gaza conflict.

One notable disruption: The match between Finland and Canada in women’s ice hockey has been postponed to February 12 after a norovirus outbreak affected 13 members of the Finnish team.

The games come as Italy showcases not just athletic prowess but also its capacity to host major international events, with significant infrastructure investments in the Alps and northern cities.

ALSO HAPPENING TODAY:

GAZA: At least 23 Palestinians, including seven women and five children, were killed by Israeli military airstrikes and drone strikes in Gaza on Friday after a Palestinian militant attack injured an Israeli soldier. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Northern Gaza Brigade commander Ali al-Razayneh was killed in an airstrike. The violence continues despite a ceasefire deal that took effect in October 2025, which has been repeatedly violated.

UKRAINE-RUSSIA: Russian forces struck a market in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, with cluster munitions, killing at least seven civilians and injuring 15 others. Ukraine continues to face brutal winter conditions with ongoing power grid attacks. Meanwhile, in Moscow, the deputy head of Russian military intelligence, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, was shot and critically injured in what appears to be an assassination attempt.

COSTA RICA: Laura Fernández Delgado was elected as Costa Rica’s new president, making her the country’s first female leader.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: More than 400 people were killed in a mine collapse, one of the deadliest mining disasters in recent African history.

SPORTS WORLD:

TENNIS: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the Australian Open men’s singles final, winning his first Australian Open title and becoming the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

HANDBALL: Denmark defeated Germany 34-27 to become European Champions, adding to their World and Olympic titles in what’s being called handball’s “triple crown.”

CRICKET: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 kicked off today with opening matches in India and Sri Lanka, bringing fast-paced cricket action to millions of fans across the subcontinent.

LOOKING AHEAD

The world faces a particularly volatile moment: nuclear diplomacy that could either prevent or precipitate conflict with Iran, ongoing insurgencies threatening stability in South Asia, persistent violence in Gaza and Ukraine despite ceasefire agreements, and economic uncertainty as nations grapple with security costs and investment risks.

For now, diplomacy continues—but so do the threats, the violence, and the uncertainty about what comes next.

By US Daily Letter Political Desk

Late Thursday night, February 5, 2026, President Donald Trump posted a video on Truth Social that would spark one of the most significant controversies of his second term. The clip depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of apes—a racist trope with centuries of use to dehumanize Black Americans. The timing made it worse: the first week of Black History Month, targeting America’s first Black president and first lady.

Here’s what happened, how both parties reacted, and what it means.

What Was in the Video

The roughly one-minute video primarily promoted debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and voting machines. But in the final seconds, the Obamas suddenly appeared—their faces placed on primate bodies, mouths wide open, bouncing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from The Lion King.

The video was part of a longer internet meme portraying Trump as a lion (“King of the Jungle”) and various Democrats as other animals. Hillary Clinton appeared as a warthog, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as an elephant. But only the Obamas were depicted as apes—and Trump’s repost included only that imagery, not the broader “Lion King” context the White House would later cite.

The post went live at 11:44 PM Thursday night. It stayed up for approximately 12 hours before being deleted Friday afternoon.

The White House’s Shifting Story

The White House’s response evolved throughout Friday as pressure mounted:

Friday Morning: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the controversy as “fake outrage,” claiming it was “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.” She told reporters to “stop this fake outrage and talk about something that really matters to the American public.”

Friday Afternoon: After bipartisan condemnation, the post was deleted. A White House official said “a staffer erroneously made the post” and blamed the removal on a staff error rather than acknowledging the content.

Friday Evening: Speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to Mar-a-Lago, Trump claimed he only watched the beginning of the video, which focused on election fraud claims, and then “gave it to the people” (his staff) to post. “I guess somebody didn’t [watch the whole thing], and they posted,” Trump said. “We took it down as soon as we found out about it.”

When asked if he would apologize, Trump was blunt: “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”

When asked if he condemned the racist imagery, Trump said, “Of course I do.”

Republican Reactions: Rare Public Criticism

What made this controversy unusual was the swift condemnation from Republicans who rarely criticize Trump publicly:

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the Senate’s only Black Republican and head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, delivered the sharpest rebuke: “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Scott called for Trump to remove the post.

Trump later told reporters he spoke with Scott on Friday, though he didn’t specify what was said.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) called the post “totally unacceptable” and said “the president should take it down and apologize.”

Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) said the imagery was inappropriate and should be removed.

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) expressed concern about the post’s content.

Mark Burns, a South Carolina preacher and longtime Trump spiritual adviser, said he spoke to the president Friday and recommended: “That staffer should be fired immediately, and the President should publicly condemn this action.”

According to Axios, the post “roiled” the White House, with staffers receiving calls from fellow Republicans “begging” them to take it down.

Democratic Reactions: Outrage and Condemnation

Democrats were unified and fierce in their condemnation:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Trump “vile, unhinged and malignant” and urged Republicans to “immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry.” Notably, Jeffries himself has been targeted by Trump’s racist AI-generated content, including a video depicting him wearing a sombrero and fake mustache.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the video “disgusting” and noted that posting it during Black History Month “says everything about where some in the Republican Party are willing to go.” He urged GOP leaders to “show some basic decency and condemn it.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement: “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders highlighted the historical context, noting that depictions of Black people as apes or monkeys were used to justify slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow laws.

Multiple House Democrats called it “a textbook example of dehumanization” and said it “leans on the oldest, ugliest tropes in American politics.”

The Obamas’ Response

As of publication, neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has publicly commented on the video. Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.

The silence is notable given the severity of the attack, but also consistent with the Obamas’ general approach of not engaging directly with Trump’s provocations.

Historical Context: Trump vs. Obama

This incident is part of a long pattern:

∙ The “Birther” Movement: Trump was the driving force behind false claims that Obama was born in Kenya and had a forged birth certificate, therefore disqualifying him from the presidency.

∙ Policy Attacks: As president, Trump systematically dismantled Obama’s legacy—exiting the Iran nuclear deal, attempting to repeal Obamacare, and repeatedly blaming Obama for various policy failures.

∙ Previous AI Attacks: In 2025, Trump posted an AI-generated video showing Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and appearing behind bars in an orange jumpsuit.

∙ Pattern of Racist Content: Trump has also shared AI-manipulated videos of other Black political figures, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a cartoon sombrero and mustache with mariachi music playing.

The Broader Pattern

This is not an isolated incident but part of Trump’s established pattern of sharing inflammatory, often racist AI-generated content on social media:

∙ Immigrants described as “poisoning the blood” of America (echoing white supremacist rhetoric)

∙ Claims that Vice President Kamala Harris “became” Black

∙ Somali immigrants described as “garbage”

∙ Repeated attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs

Since returning to the White House, Trump has issued executive orders eliminating DEI programs across the federal government and ramped up deportations and restrictive immigration policies.

Public Opinion and Accountability

According to sources, public polls show Americans are deeply divided on Trump’s rhetoric, but this particular incident drew unusually broad condemnation, including from Trump allies.

The fact that Trump refused to apologize—and even claimed “I didn’t make a mistake”—reflects his longstanding approach: never admit error, never back down, deflect blame to staff when necessary.

Before Trump entered politics in 2015, it was common for elected officials to face consequences for racist or bigoted comments. Trump has fundamentally changed that dynamic, normalizing language and imagery that would have ended political careers a decade ago.

US Daily Letter Analysis: What This Reveals

This incident is significant for several reasons:

1. The Guardrails Are Gone

The fact that this video stayed up for 12 hours—posted by the President of the United States during Black History Month—shows how thoroughly Trump has normalized content that would have been unthinkable from any previous president. Even Trump’s own staff initially defended it before Republican pressure forced them to backtrack.

2. Republican Complicity vs. Rare Pushback

While some Republicans condemned the post, the vast majority stayed silent. The few who spoke up—Scott, Wicker, Lawler—are notable precisely because they’re exceptions. The Republican Party has largely accepted Trump’s racially inflammatory rhetoric as the price of his political dominance.

3. The “Staffer Did It” Defense

Trump’s explanation—that he only saw part of the video and a staffer posted it—strains credibility. Trump is notoriously hands-on with his social media, often posting late at night himself. The idea that he “gave it to the people” to post without watching the full video suggests either incompetence or plausible deniability.

4. Targeting America’s Symbols

The Obamas aren’t just political opponents—they’re historic figures who represented a milestone in American progress. Attacking them with centuries-old racist imagery during Black History Month isn’t just political combat; it’s a deliberate assault on the idea that America has moved beyond its racist past.

5. The Normalization Continues

Perhaps most troubling: within 24 hours, this story will likely fade from headlines. Trump will post something new. The outrage cycle will move on. And the baseline for acceptable behavior from a sitting president will have shifted once again.

What Happens Next

As of now:

∙ The video has been deleted

∙ No staffer has been publicly identified or fired (despite Burns’s recommendation)

∙ Trump has not apologized and says he won’t

∙ The Obamas have not commented

∙ Congressional Republicans remain largely silent

∙ Democrats have condemned the post but have limited recourse

This is unlikely to result in meaningful consequences for Trump. His approval ratings may dip temporarily, but his base has shown remarkable tolerance for controversial statements and actions.

The real question isn’t whether Trump will face accountability—history suggests he won’t. The real question is what precedent this sets. If a sitting president can post overtly racist imagery targeting a former president during Black History Month, claim ignorance, refuse to apologize, and face no real consequences, what exactly are the limits?

We’re still finding out.

Note to Readers: US Daily Letter aims to provide factual reporting and measured analysis. We recognize this is an emotionally charged topic. We’ve presented the facts as they occurred, the reactions from both parties, and our analysis of what it means for American political discourse. We welcome your thoughts and perspectives.

Letter from Wall Street

February 7, 2026

Good morning from lower Manhattan,

If this week taught us anything, it’s that even Wall Street’s darlings aren’t immune to gravity—and that investors have surprisingly short memories when it comes to selloffs.

The Whiplash Week

After one of the most brutal three-day tech routs in recent memory, markets staged a specta…

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What to Know About the Epstein Files Released in 2025-2026

In the past few months, millions of pages of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been made public, representing one of the largest document releases in recent U.S. history. Here’s what you need to know about these files, what they contain, and the controversies surrou…

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From Chicago’s West Side

I’ve lived on Chicago’s West Side my whole life. I’ve watched elected officials come and go, each one promising change, each one leaving us with the same broken promises. So when I first heard about P. Rae Easley—a young woman, first-time candidate, running as a Republican in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District—I’ll admit I was skeptical.

But here’s what changed my mind: she’s actually talking about the things that matter to us.

For years, I’ve listened to Patricia—or P. Rae, as most know her—on WVON 1690am’s “Black Excellence Hour.” She’s not some political insider parachuting into our community with focus-grouped talking points. She’s been working in Chicago politics since she was twelve years old. She’s one of us, and she’s fed up with the same systems that have failed us for decades.

The 7th District has been a Democratic stronghold for as long as anyone can remember. And what do we have to show for it? Rising crime that goes unsolved. Nearly 18,000 public housing units demolished with promises of replacement—promises that ring hollow while the Chicago Housing Authority sits on nearly $1.8 billion in reserves and tens of thousands of families still wait. Safety-net hospitals struggling to keep their doors open because they serve Medicaid patients, contributing to a shocking life expectancy gap right here in our own district.

P. Rae isn’t running on theory. She’s running on reality.

Her platform tackles the issues we talk about every day in barbershops, at church, in our living rooms. She wants every demolished unit of public housing rebuilt—not eventually, not when it’s politically convenient, but now, with real accountability and enforcement of the Right of Return. She’s fighting for fair credit access for community hospitals so they can upgrade and stay open. She’s pushing for community-based safety partnerships that actually improve police response times instead of leaving our neighborhoods vulnerable.

And yes, she’s taking controversial stances. Her opposition to sanctuary policies protecting undocumented immigrants won’t win her points in every room. But she’s making an argument rooted in what she sees happening on our streets: “International narco-terrorism has become the norm in our district,” she says, due to policies that prioritize ideology over the safety of the people who actually live here.

You might not agree with everything P. Rae stands for. I don’t agree with everything she stands for. But here’s what I do know: she’s not afraid to tell the truth as she sees it. She’s not beholden to the same political machine that’s taken our votes for granted. And she’s young enough to understand that we can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

The West Side deserves someone who will fight for us, not just pay us lip service during election season. We deserve someone who understands that our graduates are losing career opportunities while companies prioritize visa pipelines over local talent. We deserve someone who will push for targeted Justice Department intervention when carjackings and mass shootings devastate our neighborhoods and most cases go unsolved.

P. Rae Easley may be a first-time candidate, but she’s not a political novice. She’s a policy expert who’s been studying these systems long enough to know exactly where they’re broken. And she’s brave enough—or maybe stubborn enough—to run as a Republican in a district that hasn’t elected one in generations.

Maybe that’s exactly what we need. Not someone who promises to work within a system that’s already failed us, but someone willing to challenge it entirely.

I’m supporting P. Rae Easley because the West Side can’t afford another generation of the same old politics. We need integrity. We need accountability. We need someone who loves this community enough to tell us hard truths.

Visit praeforcongress.com to learn more. Whether you end up supporting her or not, at least listen to what she has to say. Our community deserves that much.

By A Chicago West Side Resident

The State Department and the National Football League signed a partnership agreement this week to use American football as a tool of diplomacy. It sounds absurd until you realize it’s deadly serious—and reveals more about how America projects power in 2026 than any diplomatic cable ever could.

What’s Actually Happening

On the surface, this is straightforw…

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