Category Blogger C0nservative Tree House

Feb 13 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Heading to Munich Security Conference Notes


Posted originally on CTH on February 13, 2026 | Sundance 

U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, departs from Joint Base Andrews en route to Germany, where he will attend the Munich Security Conference.

Giving brief remarks to the traveling press pool, Secretary Rubio notes, “this conference is at a defining moment.” Further stating, “the world is changing very fast in front of us. The old world is gone, frankly; the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era in geopolitics. And it’s going to require all of us to reexamine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.”  WATCH:

Within the notes about the current geopolitical stakes of the world, Rubio alludes to his own reset and way of thinking or approaching U.S. national security issues and policies.

As new alliances form, new national viewpoints and sovereign discussions take shape, multinational globalism has ended, and a new world of strategic national alliances has risen.  The era of Bush and John McCain has ended, and with-it Marco Rubio accepts the sovereign state framework of President Trump.

Feb 13 2026

President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Announce Reversal of Green Energy Climate Mandates


Posted originally on CTH on February 12, 2026 | Sundance 

The Obama-Biden administration couldn’t get the votes needed in Congress to amend the Clean Air Act and regulate “greenhouse gases.” So, they both decided to ignore the law and create trillions in regulatory costs on the American people.

As noted by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, “The Trump Admin is proudly following the law, saving $1.3 TRILLION for the American people, lowering new car costs by over $2,400 per vehicle, and getting rid of the climate participation trophy for manufacturers to install Obama Switches that shut vehicles off at red lights and stop signs.” WATCH:

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Media questions begin at 19:31.

Feb 13 2026

Ellison Scalp? DOJ Antitrust Head Departs, Possibly Fired


Posted originally on CTH on February 12, 2026 | Sundance

Asst Attorney General Gail Slater was the head of the Antitrust Division of the Dept of Justice.  Today she announces she has “left her role.”  CNN is reporting that AAG Slater was fired.

Gail Slater was in charge of the antitrust division and a hawk on the mergers and acquisitions of Big Tech and Big Corporate media.  As head of the DOJ Antitrust Division, Slater’s view on competition was against the interests of the major Big Tech billionaires and corporate media conglomerates who intersect with them.

Slater was in a position to influence the Warner Brothers-Discovery’s deal to sell the Warner Bros. studio and HBO to Netflix, which Paramount (David Ellison) is trying to stop.

If you have followed the influence of Larry Ellison (Oracle, TikTok) and his son David Ellison (Paramount, CBS) in/around the Trump administration as it relates to Elon Musk (a beneficiary of Ellison), then the timing of Gail Slater’s removal doesn’t look good at all.

Gail Slater came into the administration as a part of the JD Vance network (Peter Thiel, Palantir, etc.), and it looks like that same Vance network stood aside and watched Larry Ellison leverage his position to see her removed.

Slater was a solid MAGA voice in a critical Antitrust position against the interests of Big Tech and Big Corp.  However, I said on Christmas Day 2024 – we were likely to be very disappointed by the influence of Big Tech/Big Corp in the White House {SEE HERE}.

[SOURCE]

Via CNN[…] Slater said in her Thursday post on X: “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today. It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role.”

The anti-trust division is expected to play a critical role in assessing Netflix’s Warner Brothers Discovery’s deal to sell the Warner Bros. studio and HBO to Netflix, which Paramount is trying to stop by appealing straight to shareholders with its own bid. (CNN is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery.)

In an NBC interview last week, Trump said, “I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.” But Paramount CEO David Ellison returned to the White House last week to meet privately with Trump, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. (read more)

There may be something else in the background that we do not understand.  However, when former lobbyists and political consultants become key administration officials (Wiles, Bondi) these types of outcomes are possible.

Feb 12 2026

Texas Judges Strategizing Ways to Block DHS From Enforcing Immigration Laws


Posted originally on CTH on February 11, 2026 | Sundance

This is one step further than simple Lawfare, this story is about lower court judges openly strategizing ways to stop the enforcement of laws they are supposed to uphold.

Last week the Fifth Circuit Cout of Appeals ruled that detaining illegal aliens during the deportation proceedings is entirely following current immigration law [SEE HERE]. Now, according to Politico, federal judges in Texas are openly strategizing ways to work around that higher court ruling and keep giving bond releases to illegal aliens under the guise of “liberty interest.”

POLITICO – […] two federal district court judges in Texas, who are bound by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit’s ruling, said the 2-1 decision left an opening for them to continue granting immigrants’ release on other grounds, primarily constitutional arguments against detaining people who have established roots in the U.S. without due process. Those roots amount, in legal parlance, to a “liberty interest” that the Constitution says cannot be taken away without at least a hearing before a neutral judge.

“This conclusion is not changed by the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision,” Judge Kathleen Cardone, an El Paso based appointee of George W. Bush, ruled late Monday in at least five cases, concluding that the circuit’s decision “has no bearing on this Court’s determination of whether [the petitioner] is being detained in violation of his constitutional right to procedural due process.”

Judge David Briones, an El Paso-based Clinton appointee, reached a similar conclusion.

“The Court reiterates its original holding that noncitizens who have ‘established connections’ in the United States by virtue of living in the country for a substantial period acquire a liberty interest in being free from government detention without due process of law,” Briones wrote.

The decisions from the Texas-based judges are notable in part because the administration has often rushed detainees there after their arrests in other states such as Minnesota.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Justice Department official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the rulings were in keeping with the view that there are rogue judges who continue to make results-oriented decisions to suit their personal policy preferences.

The 5th Circuit’s ruling has yet to percolate through federal courts across Texas and Louisiana, where detained immigrants have been filing so-called “habeas” petitions in extraordinary numbers to seek freedom from what they say is illegal detention without the opportunity for bond. The losing parties in Friday’s ruling may still appeal the decision to the full bench of the 5th Circuit or the Supreme Court. (more)

Lower courts trying to circumvent higher court rulings, even before any plaintiff brings them a case or argument.

This is judicial activism in the extremes.

Feb 12 2026

Economy Adds 130,000 Jobs in January, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.3 Percent


Posted originally on CTH on February 11, 2026 | Sundance

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics releases the employment figures for January today [BLS DATA HERE].  Overall, in the establishment survey, 130,000 jobs were added and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%.  This is much stronger than anticipated and there are indications of significant movement back to work as the exfiltration of illegal alien workers continues.

Via WSJ – “The U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January, surging past expectations and marking a strong start to the year following a weak year of job growth. The January numbers from the Labor Department were above the seasonally adjusted 48,000 jobs added in December, which were revised slightly lower. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal were expecting 55,000 jobs in January.

The unemployment rate, which is based on a separate survey from the jobs figures, fell to 4.3% from 4.4%.” (more)

What I find interesting in the Household ‘Employment’ Survey is the number of people going back into the workforce.  I am left to wonder if the ICE removals are starting to create employer driven incentives, increased wages etc. that seem to be pulling sidelined workers back to the labor market.

[SOURCE]

528,000 more people employed. The unemployed dropped by 141,000, and the number of people not in the labor force dropped by 221,000.

A very interesting result.

Feb 12 2026

Attorney General Pam Bondi Testifies to House Judiciary Committee – 10:00am ET Livestream


Posted originally on CTH on February 11, 2026 | Sundance

Today, at 10:00am ET, Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to deliver oversight testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.  Livestream links below:

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Feb 11 2026

Thirty Years Later Thomas Massie Discovers Victoria’s Secret Founder Les Wexner Was Business Associate of Jeffrey Epstein


Posted originally on CTH on February 11, 2026 | Sundance

I said Monday on Twitter: “Seriously. Correct me if I’m wrong. For more than a decade we have known that billionaire Les Wexner from Victoria’s Secret was the originating money man behind Jeffrey Epstein.

This should not be some kind of revelation, as it was widely discussed by those who researched Epstein over a decade ago. Wexner’s money was the originating capital for what would later become Epstein’s influence empire.

Additionally, and again, stop me if this old news is incorrect, well over a decade ago it became openly known that the “PINK” brand of Victoria’s Secret was specifically created due to the sexuality of young girls becoming part of the marketing influence of Epstein.

Wexner created the original VS girls, and the influence of Epstein (underage sexual perversions) then led to the adding of the VS “PINK” sub-brand.

Are we supposed to understand this is all new information? Honest question. No snark. I’m just confused by this sudden newness of it. We been knew.”

The above VH1 segment was from 2007; however, even ten years prior to that it was commonly known that Les Wexner from Victoria’s Secret was the source of most of Jeffrey Epstein’s start-up finances. The resulting social network was fraught with sexual weirdos, and the VS brand alignment just fit with the club.

Suddenly, Representative Thomas Massie, a Sea Island asset if ever there was one, is proclaiming the Epstein file information outlining the relationship with Wexner is new information, stunning in scope and worthy of extraordinary time to explore.  It’s all weird.

VIA NBC – […] The newly released version of the 2019 document shows eight people are listed as co-conspirators, including four whose names are not redacted: Wexner, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, Lesley Groff, Epstein’s longtime secretary, the late modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, and Ghislaine Maxwell, the only person who was charged in connection with Epstein. She was convicted of sex trafficking charges and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Four other names on the document are still redacted. It’s unclear who those people are but prosecutors have said that Epstein used women he preyed on as recruiters. A separate document dated August 2019 indicated that some of the others were victims as well, and had been cooperating with investigators.

A Wexner legal representative said in a statement to NBC News Tuesday that “The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect. Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again.”

Wexner had a long relationship with Epstein that dated back to the 1980s, and hired him to manage his personal finances. He’s said he cut ties to Epstein after he was accused of sexually abusing minors in Florida. It was after that Wexner said he “discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family.”

Wexner’s name was also mentioned in a July 2019 FBI email about possible co-conspirators that was made public as part of the DOJ release. Another August 2019 FBI email said there was “limited evidence regarding his involvement.”

He is scheduled to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee next week. (more)

The first time I heard the information about Wexner and Epstein was sometime in the mid 1990’s.  It was well known.

There is a lot of horrible, creepy and perverted stuff in the Epstein file releases that is factually new information.  However, the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Les Wexner is not new. Perverse, yes -as it was even then; but not new.  There were even documentaries about it, one of them I think was called “Angels and Demons“.

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Maybe it wasn’t as widely known as I thought?

Feb 11 2026

School Shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia Leaves 10 Killed, Including Shooter – The “Gender” of Shooter Creating Angst


A horrific school shooting in Canada has resulted in the death of 10 people. Seven people at the school, two people in a residence nearby and the shooter. The details are starting to come out, but for some reason there is a concerning aspect to the “gender” of the shooter.

The Associated Press describes the situation: VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A shooting at a school in British Columbia left eight dead including a woman whom police believe to be the shooter, while two more people were found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said Tuesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people are injured, including two who were airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries, after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.” (more)

BBC SUMMARIZES: Police say an attacker killed nine people before taking their own life on Tuesday. – Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary school, while a seventh person died on the way to hospital. The body of the attacker was also found at the school. – Two more people were found dead inside a residence nearby. – Police described the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair” in an active shooter alert sent to the community. – At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries following the attack, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. – Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, said he is “devastated” by the shooting and that his government “stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy.” – The PM cancelled his upcoming trip to the Munich Security Conference in response to the shooting. (link)

If this information is correct and the shooter was a trans, I can only imagine the level of political correctness that will follow from Canada about the shooting.

Canada is the global woke central. February 11, 2026 | Sundance

Feb 11 2026

Steve Bannon Text Messages About Trump Included in the Epstein File Release


Posted originally on CTH on February 10, 2026 | Sundance

Apparently, Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein had a considerable relationship together.  Bannon is cited frequently in the 3 million+ Epstein files that were released by the DOJ.

Unfortunately, part of the document production includes text messages between Steve Bannon and an unknown individual.  Within a segment of the text messages Bannon calls Jared Kusher “the idiot son-in-law,” and frames himself as more important that President Donald Trump who Bannon sees as “transitory.”

[DOJ Source File]

STEVE BANNON (SB) – “To do that shows that [Trump] is center of gravity of this movement and not me — will never do — they are transitory figures — the dc game is to succumb to that — it’s why I never did before joining campaign — I could have been the trump whisperer years ago — avoided on purpose”

This rather elevated sense of self-importance likely explains why Bannon was the source for Michael Wolf via leaks, and why President Trump seems to have kept distance from Mr. Bannon.  However, people who walk the deep weeds of U.S. politics will also remember when Steve Bannon was the editor of Breitbart and together with financial owner Robert Mercer in 2015/2016 was backing Ted Cruz in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Both Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway were original political consultants and financial beneficiaries connected to the failed Ted Cruz presidential effort, before they abandoned the Cruz Crew and jumped aboard the MAGA movement.

The Cruz Crew has essentially morphed into the Ron DeSantis coalition and this superiority attitude expressed by Bannon is one of the key characteristics of the group we affectionately call the “alligator emojis.”

Perhaps the best two words to describe the brilliant political strategies of Steve Bannon are ‘Roy – Moore’.

I digress.

Trust your instincts folks, and always remember…. It’s ALWAYS about the money!

Feb 11 2026

DOJ Releases FBI Affidavit Underpinning Seizure and Search Warrant of Fulton County Election Records


Posted originally on CTH on February 10, 2026 | Sundance

The Dept of Justice has unsealed the FBI affidavit that outlines the probable cause for the search and seizure of Fulton County, GA, 2020 election records [pfd Affidavit Here].

The affidavit, filed by FBI Special Agent Hugh Evans, outlines witness abnormalities in the records of the 2020 presidential election conducted in Fulton County, Georgia. Including a Georgia State Election Board member observed ballot images from 2020 that were modified in January 2024.

[SOURCE]

The FBI raid targeted the county’s election warehouse, resulting in the seizure of paper ballots, voter data, election records, and other materials from the 2020 general election.

“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome determinative for any particular election or race,” Evans wrote.

Agent Evans did not outline precisely when the FBI’s investigation began, nor did he describe any steps agents took in the probe before seeking to seize the Fulton ballots and other materials. He pointed to two federal statutes that were likely violated: one making it a felony to engage in voting fraud in connection with a federal election and another making it a misdemeanor to fail to preserve records related to a federal election for at least 22 months after Election Day.