February 23

Senate votes to revoke Boundary Waters mining protections via CRA

The Senate voted 50-49 to revoke a 20-year mineral withdrawal protecting 225,378 acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed from copper mining, using the Congressional Review Act in its first-ever application to overturn a public land order. Two Republican senators, Thom Tillis and Susan Collins, broke with their party citing irreparable environmental harm. The vote primarily benefited Chilean copper mining company Antofagasta, which had sought access to the Minnesota watershed since 2016.

World Liberty Financial says USD1 briefly loses dollar peg during coordinated attack

On Feb. 23, 2026, World Liberty Financial said its USD1 stablecoin was targeted by a coordinated attack involving hacked cofounder accounts, paid influencers and short positions. Reporting said USD1 briefly fell below its $1 peg before recovering; World Liberty said the stablecoin remained backed and user funds were not compromised.

Stephen Miller consolidates unprecedented White House policy portfolio

Stephen Miller, serving simultaneously as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, expanded direct oversight over immigration enforcement, civil service operations, federal personnel decisions, law enforcement coordination, foreign policy, and higher education policy. Reports described Miller conducting daily 10 a.m. interagency conference calls to pressure agency heads on enforcement targets. No single White House aide in modern history had held comparable cross-agency operational authority.

Judge Cannon permanently seals Jack Smith classified documents report

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a permanent order blocking public release of special counsel Jack Smith's Volume II report on Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, ruling that disclosure would constitute a "manifest injustice." The ruling came one day before the report was scheduled for release following expiration of a prior temporary injunction. Both the Trump administration and the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi supported sealing the report, with Bondi reversing the prior DOJ position of supporting transparency.

ICE whistleblower Schwank testifies agency trained cadets to enter homes without warrants

Former ICE academy instructor Ryan Schwank testified before a congressional Democratic oversight forum that his supervisor gave him a secret memo instructing him to teach cadets they could enter homes without a judicial warrant, contradicting the agency's official training materials. Schwank also testified that ICE had cut its training program from 584 hours to 240 hours, eliminating coursework on lawful arrests, use of force limits, and officers' constitutional authority. American Oversight later obtained ICE records corroborating Schwank's testimony.

CBS News contributor Peter Attia resigns after Epstein email correspondence surfaces

Longevity medicine physician and CBS News contributor Peter Attia resigned from CBS News on February 23, 2026, after the Department of Justice released Epstein files that included emails between Attia and Jeffrey Epstein discussing research funding. Attia had been named as one of 19 new contributors by CBS News President Bari Weiss in January 2026; CBS had already pulled a 60 Minutes segment featuring Attia before his resignation. Attia acknowledged the emails were "embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible" but stated he had not been accused of wrongdoing.

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