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STONEZONE (Marc Caputo for Axios) - Exclusive: Rubio’s secret squeeze on Raul Castro’s Cuba Wed Feb 18 13:28:20 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been holding secret talks with the grandson and caretaker of Cuba’s aging de facto dictator, Raul Castro, as the U.S. puts unprecedented pressure on Havana’s regime, three sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The talks between Rubio and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are bypassing official Cuban government channels. They show that the Trump […] The post Exclusive: Rubio’s secret squeeze on Raul Castro’s Cuba appeared first on StoneZone .

Secretary of State Marco Rubio  has been holding secret talks with the grandson and caretaker of Cuba’s aging de facto dictator, Raul Castro , as the U.S. puts unprecedented pressure on Havana’s regime, three sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The talks between Rubio and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are bypassing official Cuban government channels. They show that the Trump administration sees the 94-year-old revolutionary as the communist island’s true decision-maker. - “I wouldn’t call these ‘negotiations’ as much as ‘discussions’ about the future,” a senior Trump administration official said. Zoom in: Rubio and his team see the 41-year-old grandson and his circle as representing younger, business-minded…Open

NEWSNATIONNOW (Tom Dempsey) - Congress at an impasse over DHS funding as shutdown hits Day 5 Wed Feb 18 13:22:31 2026

Slow negotiations have sparked doubts that a deal can be reached before President Trump’s State of the Union address next week.

YOUTUBE (Newsmax) - There are more questions than answers, Hillary | The Right Squad Wed Feb 18 13:17:14 2026

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On Tuesday's "The Right Squad," the panel talked about Hillary Clinton's latest BBC interview where she talked about Jeffery Epstein.

REDSTATE (Ben Smith) - Markets Shrug As Iran Shuts Hormuz, but Energy Risk Is Still Real Wed Feb 18 13:14:25 2026

NEWSNATIONNOW (Brooke Williams) - Photos: Skiers rescued from frozen waterfall in Colorado mountains Wed Feb 18 13:02:19 2026

Two skiers were rescued last month after they found themselves stranded on a frozen waterfall in the dark.

THEFEDERALIST (M.D. Kittle) - Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Concerned About Noncitizens Voting Wed Feb 18 13:02:13 2026

The poll showing 55% of likely voters believe there are noncitizens on their voter rolls arrives as the SAVE America Act hits the Senate.

THEFEDERALIST (Pamela Garfield-Jaeger) - NYT Finally Admits What We Therapists Have Known For Years: Weed Makes People Insane Wed Feb 18 13:02:11 2026

Marijuana is not benign. It is dangerous. And it is long past time for The New York Times to finally admit that.

THEFEDERALIST (Carrie Gress) - Affluent White Female Liberals Are Living In A Made-Up World Wed Feb 18 13:02:09 2026

The Land of Make Believe will eventually come to an end, and sobriety and rationality will be restored. Let’s pray the correction doesn’t come in the form of a hot war or a natural disaster.

THEFEDERALIST (Matt Miller) - Fear Porn About AI Dominance Follows The Covid Tyrants’ Playbook Wed Feb 18 13:02:07 2026

I don't know what the future of AI holds. But neither do any of the people using panic rhetoric to induce population-wide fear and dread.

THEFEDERALIST (Dudley Newright) - The Violence From Trans iPad Kids Is About To Get A Lot Worse Wed Feb 18 13:02:05 2026

Maybe you’ve got strict screen guardrails at home, but do you want your kid in the same room, or even the same building, as the iPad kid every day for 12 years?