Wednesday Night #2292

If events leading up to the first days of Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse 2026 are any indication, it will not be any more tranquil than the Year of the Snake which has slithered away.
Stephen Colbert: The Fire Horse Arrives | Optimism Hits A New Low
China’s dancing robots: how worried should we be?
Eye-catching martial arts performance at China gala had viewers and experts wondering what else humanoids can do
Byron Haskins invites us to Celebrate the year of the Fire Horse with me – start off the new year with [my] music
Please join me, the creator of the ignorant savants, in celebrating the release of “suite lunar years” Suite of lunar years is the 15th album of the ignorant savants.

This week, the world has lost two ‘stars’ in their respective fields.
Jesse Jackson, Charismatic Champion of Civil Rights, Dies at 84
An impassioned orator, he was a moral and political force, forming a “rainbow coalition” of poor and working-class people and seeking the presidency. His mission, he said, was “to transform the mind of America.”
Mr. Jackson picked up the mantle of Dr. King after his assassination in 1968 and ran for president twice, long before Mr. Obama’s election in 2008. But he never achieved either the commanding moral stature of Dr. King or the ultimate political triumph attained by Mr. Obama.
Instead, through the power of his language and his preternatural energy and ambition, he became a moral and political force in a racially ambiguous era, when Jim Crow was still a vivid memory and Black political power more an aspiration than a reality.
Robert Duvall, All-Purpose Actor With Few Peers, Dies at 95
Robert Duvall, the steely-eyed actor whose performances in the first two Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, Lonesome Dove and The Apostle made him one of the finest actors of any generation, has died. He was 95.
Duvall, who received an Academy Award — one of his seven Oscar nominations — for his performance as an alcoholic country singer in Tender Mercies (1983), died Sunday at home on his Virginia ranch “surrounded by love and comfort,” his wife, Luciana, announced.
Robert Duvall reflects on ‘The Godfather’ in final USA TODAY interview

The Munich Security Conference
Prior to the Conference, Chair Wolfgang Ischinger told a press conference in Berlin a “wrecking-ball is currently smashing what would normally be part of a stable international order.”
The Munich Security Report 2026 released before the Conference is titled Sweeping destruction.
The Hill details 5 Takeaways from the Security Conference, but these are  far kinder to Secretary Rubio than are more skeptical observers, and no mention of the report issued on the sidelines of the Conference by France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom that analyses of samples from Alexei Navalny’s body detected epibatidine, a highly toxic substance derived from the poison of South American dart frogs.
Politico Eu notes Secretary Rubio’s “tone was more conciliatory than U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s speech last year… [which] earned him a standing ovation. That adulation started to look a little awkward less than 24 hours later when European leaders digested the actual words — Rubio having repeated several MAGA criticisms of globalization and migration during his speech.”

Carney cancels trip to Munich, sending ministers to security conference in his place
He chose to remain in Canada in order to be present at the vigil for the victims of the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge B.C.
We will always be with you’: Carney and party leaders attend vigil in Tumbler Ridge
A powerful address from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who travelled alongside federal party leaders to Tumbler Ridge Friday, three days after the mass shooting that left nine people dead.

Thanks to Peter Frise for sending the link to The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge featuring a forthright discussion with Gerry Butts on the world’s new security order, including a critique of Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference; he and former Stephen Harper cabinet minister James Moore discuss how Canada can fit into the new Europe versus the US.
In the last 10 minutes, the topic is How do you handle an MP who goes rogue from his own party? – Jamal Jivani’s trip to Washington and how he has made a fool of himself spouting MAGA doctrine when he returned to Canada. A perfect segue from last WN discussion of Jivani’s appearance at McGill (thanks, Chris Roper). Butts and Moore were much harsher than the WN discussants with Moore essentially saying that Jivani looks like a slick and admittedly articulate clone of JD Vance and a messenger for MAGA. He is obviously an egotist only out for quick cheap political points and clueless about how to built a political profile.
UPDATE: Poilievre disagrees with Conservative MP’s ‘anti-American hissy fit’ comments
Conservative leader says he spoke to Jivani following MP’s trip to Washington
Pierre Poilievre was asked by reporters on Tuesday (17 February) for his thoughts on Conservative MP Jamil Jivani’s trade trip to Washington, D.C. Poilievre said Jivani’s riding has been ‘disproportionally impacted’ by tariffs and that it’s ‘necessary for all MPs to use all the connections and work that they can’ to protect Canadian jobs, but also said that Jivani ‘speaks for himself, and I speak for the party.’

Europe and the EU
In the wake of the Munich Conference, and likely encouraged by the Carney Davos speech, analysts are emphasizing the evolution of Europe as a global power; e.g.
Europe Has Received the Message
Without America to rely on, the EU is gearing up to be a global power in its own right.
“Europe is not yet a fully autonomous power, and it won’t become one tomorrow. But thanks to Trump, a transformation is under way. With each new first, others become thinkable. The decisive question is whether Europe can stay this course. A super-election year looms in 2027, when France, Italy, Spain, and Poland will all hold votes. Victories by the far right—especially in France and Poland—could derail the current trajectory.
Or not: EU approval is at 74 percent, a record high. Young far-right politicians may well understand that returning to the nation-state means choosing powerlessness.”

Donald Trump Wars & “Board of Peace”
Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” meets for the first time on Thursday (19 February) with no evidence of resolution of the two major outstanding conflicts: Putin’s War with Ukraine, or Israel-Gaza-Hamas currently in a rocky ceasefire more honoured in the breach, plus  increasingly violent assaults on the West Bank Palestinians
Trump Said He’d End the War in a Day, but It’s Worsened for Ukrainians
Russian attacks and Ukrainian civilian deaths rose as President Trump’s peace talks dragged on during his first year back in the White House.
Israel kills two in Gaza, blocks thousands from medical exit through Rafah
The latest deaths come as just 260 people, out of 18,500 in urgent need, have been allowed to seek medical care via the crossing to Egypt
Thomas L. Friedman: Netanyahu Plays Trump and American Jews for Fools — Again
While keeping Trump focused on the Iranian missile and nuclear threat — which, though reduced, is still very real and will have to be dealt with diplomatically or militarily — Bibi is fundamentally threatening broader U.S. interests in the Middle East, not to mention the security of Jews all over the world.
Axios reports that Trump moves closer to a major war with Iran
A U.S. military operation in Iran would likely be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like full-fledged war than last month’s pinpoint operation in Venezuela, sources say.
And what of Cuba? Russia is hosting the Cuban foreign minister and urges US not to blockade Cuba.
Required reading, Joseph Ingram‘s searing critique Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: The Difference Between Peacebuilding and Carpetbagging (See Long reads)

Quebec political, business leaders backing Montreal’s bid to host NATO defence bank
MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews has joined leaders from Montréal’s public and private sectors in signing an open letter issued by Montréal International in support of the city’s bid.
There was a time when there would have been no question that Montreal was THE Canadian city to host a new international organization -in this case, The Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (shorthand/The NATO Defence Bank)- given that the city is already an aerospace and artificial intelligence hub, along with being host to 70 international organizations. Sadly this is no longer the case. Along with international competition, there will be strong bids from Vancouver, Toronto and likely Ottawa. After first countering international competition, Mr. Carney will have a tough time adjudicating. Does Quebec have sufficient leverage? Mr. Legault is calling on Francois-Philippe Champagne, Mélanie Joly and others to rally to Montreal’s cause… Stay tuned.
Perhaps this will help?
Carney outlines new defence strategy
Prime minister announces plan at Montreal’s CAE flight-simulator plant and pilot-training centre
Montreal, with its large aerospace sector, hundreds of research facilities and location in a province rich in critical minerals crucial to defence technology, could stand to benefit from the federal government’s intentions. The government will be starting by concentrating on areas that have experience in defence technology.
The obvious example, we’re in the middle of it,” Carney said, gesturing to the CAE staffers. “Quebec and Canada have proven strength in aircraft, aircraft engines, parts, simulation. With CAE, we are the world leaders in simulators and training.”
One can only hope that the report of Commissioner Denis Gallant on the SAAQclic fiasco will be erased from most memories, as it certainly does not enhance Quebec’s image.

Letters from an American February 16, 2026
Heather Cox Richardson marks Presidents’ Day by describing some of Donald Trump’s shocking corruption.
On February 13 and 14, President Donald J. Trump’s representatives filed three applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark his name for future use on an airport. …
The Trump grab for an airport named after him is just the latest grift in a presidential term that experts so far estimate has enriched the Trump family by at least $4 billion. That windfall includes merch, political contributions, and multiple cryptocurrency deals that have led, for example, to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who manages the United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund, buying a 49% stake in the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto company for $500 million days before Trump took office. This deal put $187 million immediately into Trump family entities and at least $31 million into entities owned by the family of Steve Witkoff, whom Trump had just named his Middle East envoy.

Media matters
Warner Bros. Discovery Restarts Deal Talks With Paramount
Paramount’s takeover bid was rejected in favor of Netflix, which wanted only the streaming and studio businesses. Paramount said it would pay more if negotiations were reopened.
Colbert Says CBS Pulled Senate Candidate Interview
Stephen Colbert said he had to drop an interview with James Talarico from his Monday broadcast because of new F.C.C. guidance that targeted political interviews on late-night shows
David Brooks has left the NYT.
One Last Chat With David Brooks
The good news is that he will continue with PBS NewsHour, plus “I’m going to write for The Atlantic, rejoin the Yale community, and host a podcast that will be a partnership between those two venerable institutions.”
Robert Reich won’t miss him much: Goodbye and Good luck, David Brooks – His musings about personal morality have been thoughtful; his views about public morality and our political economy, far less so.
Anderson Cooper to leave 60 Minutes amid turmoil at CBS News
Cooper is leaving the fabled news show after nearly 20 years amid a shake-up under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss
Raw America announces Melania’s $75 Million Flop
…Melania Trump’s documentary suffered a devastating 62% drop in attendance in its third weekend, heading toward a pathetic $15.4 million total gross. Jeff Bezos’s Amazon spent $40 million to acquire this vanity project and another $35 million promoting it.

2026 Olympics
Very good dog invades course but falls short of medal glory at Winter Olympics
Nazgul makes unexpected entry in team sprint
A local dog has missed out on a historic cross-country medal at the Winter Olympics despite a lung-bursting surge in the homestretch.
Even if he had completed the entire race, Nazgul’s time would not have counted as he is male. And a dog.

Varia
NASA hopes fuel leaks are fixed as it launches another countdown test for the Artemis II moonshot
The earliest the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket could blast off is March 6.
The Law of Unintended Consequences:
Trump unwittingly does a great job in boosting its tourism trade
Donald Trump’s relentless drive to acquire Greenland hasn’t been all bad news for the island. Tourism is booming.
Greenland’s government has been trying for years to boost tourism as a way of weaning the economy off its overreliance on fishing. Mr. Trump has proven to be an unwitting ally.
Talarico raises $2.5M after Colbert interview pulled

The CIA World Factbook is dead. Here’s how I came to love it
The CIA World Factbook started out as a classified Cold War document, but it later emerged as an internet stalwart. In classrooms and public and private research spaces, people relied on it for presenting essential facts about countries and governments.
Librarians at CNN and NPR were the first people…treating it as the gold standard for making important distinctions such as whether a country is majority Shiite or Sunni, and what kind of government it has.

The F-35 Debate Is Really about How We Killed the Avro Arrow
The deliberate destruction of Canada’s homegrown fighter jet haunts our standoff with Washington
Every time Ottawa finds itself boxed in on defence procurement, every time the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tries to remind Canada who it thinks really owns North American air power, the Arrow reappears. It doesn’t show up as an engineering debate or a budget line. It shows up as a question of sovereignty

Long reads
Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: The Difference Between Peacebuilding and Carpetbagging
…the absence of any specific mention of Gaza from the document establishing the Board of Peace has been cited as evidence that the body is intended as a substitute for the United Nations Security Council — a New World Order competitor to render redundant the decision-making bodies of the multilateral status quo.

Trump Bets on Diplomacy Without Diplomats
President Trump’s most trusted envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are at the center of the Iran and Ukraine negotiations.

What next for Greenland and Ukraine? Questions after the Munich security conference
Gathering of world leaders in Germany has disbanded for another year, but many of the issues remain unresolved

Censorship Comes for Stephen Colbert
The latest dustup between the talk-show host and CBS should be concerning for people of any political leaning.