February 16, 2026 – Short News

Shutdown Hits Airports – Security Screenings Continue, Pay Does Not!

Since midnight, the Department of Homeland Security has been without a budget, and with it the employees of the Transportation Security Administration - the US agency responsible for passenger and baggage screening at airports - are working for the time being without pay. Around 95 percent of the TSA workforce is considered “essential” and must report for duty even if no salary is issued. Unlike in previous budget crises, air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration remain paid because the rest of the federal budget is funded through the end of September. That reduces the risk of widespread flight cancellations but does not rule out delays. Experience from the 43 day shutdown last year shows that problems are not visible on the first day, but emerge gradually. At that time, screening checkpoints were temporarily closed and airlines were instructed to reduce flight schedules. Even a few sick calls can affect smaller airports in particular if only one security lane exists. The industry is therefore warning of longer wait times, especially with spring break approaching.

Travelers should allow extra time and check current wait times in advance. Careful packing is also important, as prohibited items can trigger additional screenings. Politically, the White House and Democrats in Congress remain deadlocked, including over new restrictions on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. As long as no agreement is reached, conditions at airports remain stable - but tense.

First No, Then Observer – Italy’s Course Correction on the “Board of Peace”

On February 8, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated unequivocally that Italy would not join Trump’s “Board of Peace.” It was a clear rejection, without a back door. A few days later, a different line followed. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signaled that Italy would participate as an observer - no voting rights, no full membership, but presence. Officially, constitutional reasons are cited, but politically the break between the two statements remains. While Donald Trump announces five billion dollars for the reconstruction of Gaza and speaks of thousands of personnel for an international stabilization mission, it remains unclear which states will actually provide funding or troops. Indonesia has signaled up to 8,000 soldiers.

Why does Rome sit at a table with regimes such as Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko or Hungary under Viktor Orbán while most European states deliberately keep their distance? This “Board of Peace” is not a neutral forum but a politically staged parallel body by Donald Trump - and that is precisely why many democracies want nothing to do with it. Italy’s decision raises the question of why an EU member state is willing to align itself with a body backed by authoritarian governments and clearly shaped politically by Trump. Italy, however, has carried out a noticeable course correction within just a few days. First distancing, then rapprochement. For an EU member state that claims foreign policy stability, this is not a trivial step. Foreign policy depends on predictability and a clear line. Whoever publicly adopts a position and then relativizes it shortly afterward sends contradictory signals to Brussels. The reconstruction of Gaza is estimated by international institutions at around 70 billion dollars. Five billion is a first step, but not a viable concept. The decisive issue is not the observer role, but why Rome changed its position within days and what strategic considerations lie behind it. There is still no clear answer to that.

The Latest Madness from the Oval Office: The President as Monument – Trump’s Cult of Personality Knows No Limits

What is currently coming out of Washington is more than self promotion. Donald Trump is practicing a form of continuous glorification that in this intensity is new in the history of the United States. Fifteen foot statues such as “Don Colossus,” his name on cultural institutions, funding programs, possibly soon on coins or airports - the president is turning himself into the brand of the state.

A gilded, 4.5 meter statue of Donald Trump named “Don Colossus” is to be installed at a golf course owned by the US president in Florida. A group of crypto investors provided 300,000 dollars for the project, which is intended to promote the meme coin $PATRIOT. The bronze monument is nearly two stories high and coated with a “thick layer” of gold - at Trump’s own request. The president wants to attend the ceremonial unveiling of his likeness, but a date has not yet been set. The madness continues.

Oversized banners with his portrait hang in the White House. Allies are pushing campaigns for a Nobel Peace Prize. In Congress, proposals are circulating to place his face on Mount Rushmore. While previous presidents were honored after leaving office, this is happening during the term itself - with active support from the apparatus.

Trump portrays himself as tireless, infallible, unique. He speaks of being able to solve problems alone. Critics point out that such self elevation has less to do with vanity than with consolidating power. Whoever is omnipresent dominates the political direction. Whoever presents himself as a superhuman figure frames dissent as an attack on the nation.

Historically, personality cults were associated more with authoritarian systems. In democracies, restraint was considered strength. George Washington rejected royal forms of address. Today, however, the office of the state is increasingly equated with the person who holds it. The political consequence is clear: loyalty is directed no longer first to institutions or programs, but to a single figure. Whoever deviates is considered a traitor. The boundary between government and following becomes blurred.

Whether this development is merely an eccentric style or has structural consequences for American democracy remains to be seen. What is certain: the president is not only at the center of politics - he is attempting to make it revolve entirely around himself.

Greenland Remains in the Room – Trump’s Threat Lingers

At the Security Conference in Munich, much behind closed doors revolved around a topic that officially should already have been settled: Greenland. US lawmakers emphasized after three days of talks that the irritations over Donald Trump’s musings about purchasing or even controlling the Danish island had been “resolved.” Yet at the same time they acknowledged that trust has been damaged. Representatives from both parties reported that European interlocutors repeatedly pressed the issue. Can Washington still be relied upon? Does the security guarantee remain? Even if Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck reassuring tones in his speech, uncertainty was palpable. Denmark and the government in Greenland itself continue to assume that the matter is not definitively off the table.

Some Republicans called the issue an unnecessary distraction from urgent matters such as the war in Ukraine or China’s influence. Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez used the conference to outline a different foreign policy: less pressure on allies, more cooperation, a focus on economic inequality as a driver of authoritarian developments.

Richard Blumenthal also spoke of European unease over Trump’s course changes on central issues. Richard Blumenthal is a Democratic senator from Connecticut and serves on the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees of the US Senate. He has for years been among the louder critics of Donald Trump, especially on foreign and security policy. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen openly admitted that trust does not return overnight.

“Orange Plague” in Munich – Direct Criticism of Donald Trump

In the middle of Munich stands a figure that leaves no room for interpretation. “Orange Plague” is what Danish artist Jens Galschiøt calls his sculpture - an open reference to Donald Trump. Exaggerated, garish, deliberately uncomfortable. Nothing is hidden here. Galschiøt is known for directly confronting political developments. With this work, he targets Trump’s style of politics, authoritarian tendencies, and the coarsening of political debate. The sculpture stands deliberately in public space. It is meant to be seen, discussed, criticized.

The reactions are predictably divided. For some, it is legitimate political art; for others, a provocation. That is precisely the purpose. The figure is meant to disturb. It is meant to remind people that political power has real consequences - not only in the United States, but worldwide. “Orange Plague” is not a decorative object. It is a clear, unambiguous critique of Donald Trump and of what his policies trigger.

Double Contact Sparks Ice War – Curling Dispute Spreads to Great Britain and Says Much About the World

At the Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the curling debate has expanded. After initially only Canadian teams were targeted over so called double contact of a stone after release, Great Britain was now affected as well. Scottish player Bobby Lammie was accused in the ninth end of the match against Germany of such contact, and the stone in question was removed from scoring. Great Britain nevertheless won 9 to 4. Earlier, Canada’s men against Sweden and the women against Switzerland had already faced accusations. Videos on social media showed possible contacts, both teams denied wrongdoing. The world federation responded with additional monitoring by two referees who rotated between matches. In the evening, however, a step back followed: officials remain available but will no longer intervene automatically.

Many athletes emphasize that this rule has rarely been applied so strictly in the past and that double contact is difficult to detect in real time. There are currently no video reviews in curling. While some teams want to maintain the traditional trust in the sport, others demand clear evidence through replay. The dispute has thus raised a fundamental question: how much control can a sport tolerate that has always considered itself fair and self regulating?

It seems that today everything has to be monitored down to the smallest detail, and you start to wonder what that does to people. Haven’t we long since crossed the line with this urge to control absolutely everything? Can this already be described as a kind of society-wide paranoia? Or is it simply a distraction — a justification for pushing humanity further and further into a mindset of constant surveillance? Is that why so many truly important issues slip through the cracks? That same level of consistency and support in the field of human rights would help all of us who work on these issues and stand alongside those affected. In 2026, you often find yourself effectively fighting alone, almost having to draw lots over who can be helped first because resources are so limited. It’s remarkable what even a curling match can reveal about the state of our world.

Investigations show: Deportation flights in Germany are operating in continuous mode.

Germany’s deportation apparatus operates with remarkable frequency. At short intervals, charter flights depart from airports such as Munich, Frankfurt am Main, or Düsseldorf to various destination states. That these are not abstract administrative acts is shown by specific dates: on February 10, 2025, at 2:35 a.m., a flight departed from Cologne Bonn Airport to Guinea. On February 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., a charter left Berlin Brandenburg, landed at 4:01 p.m. in Chisinau, and continued at 6:40 p.m. to Tbilisi, where the aircraft arrived at 10:56 p.m. The coming days are also tightly scheduled. For February 18, 2026, a collective deportation to Nigeria and Ghana has been announced, the exact departure time not yet set. On February 19, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., a flight is scheduled to depart from Munich to Baku, arriving at 7:45 p.m. On February 24, 2026, a charter from Stuttgart to Baghdad is planned.

Typical departure times are in the early morning hours or late at night. The procedures appear well rehearsed: collective transfers from accommodations, police escort to the tarmac, charter aircraft with fixed time slots. In some cases, several federal states are combined into one flight. The frequency is striking. Hardly has one flight been carried out before the next date is set. For the authorities it is administrative routine; for those affected it is a final break.

The debate rarely revolves around individual flights but around numbers. Yet behind every departure time stands an individual story. When removals are organized in close succession, pressure increases on courts, lawyers, and supporters to react within hours. The pace has increased dramatically. Transparency has not to the same extent. The more frequently the aircraft depart, the more urgent the question becomes whether every decision is reviewed with the necessary care. Routine must not replace responsibility.