Caltech Astrophysicist Fatally Shot on Porch of His Rural SoCal Home
February 20th, 2026Via: Los Angeles Times:
An accomplished Caltech astrophysicist with more than four decades of research contributions in galactic astronomy and the study of distant planets was fatally shot in a rural area of Antelope Valley on Monday morning. A suspect in the shooting has been charged with murder.
Deputies responded to a 911 call for assault with a deadly weapon in the unincorporated community of Llano at 6:10 a.m. and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound on the front porch of a home, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The victim was later identified as Carl Grillmair, 67, according to the L.A. County medical examiner. His death was ruled a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the torso.
“He was very famous in astronomy and a very renowned scientist,” said astronomer Sergio Fajardo-Acosta, who worked alongside Grillmair at Caltech for 26 years. “His legacy will live on forever.”
While investigating the shooting, deputies arrested a suspect in a carjacking that took place nearby, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
That suspect was later identified as Freddy Snyder, 29. He was charged Wednesday with the murder of Grillmair and carjacking. He was also charged with first-degree burglary related to a Dec. 28 incident, according to court records.
He is being held in lieu of $2 million. It is unclear what relation, if any, Snyder had with Grillmair.
Similar: Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center Murdered in His Home
Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs
February 20th, 2026Update: Trump Says He Will Raise U.S. Global Tariff Rate from 10% to 15%
—
Update: Live: Trump Press Conference
—
The U.S. might have to refund $175 billion.
Via: ZeroHedge:
The Supreme Court on Friday struck down Trump’s tariffs. In a 6-3 decision (170-pages), the court ruled that Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – which constitute about half of the tariffs we’ve seen under Trump – was not lawful. Kavanaugh, Thomas and Alito dissented.
“IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs,” wrote the court.
…
Friday’s decision rests on the notion that tariffs are not merely a tool for regulating trade, but also a a form of taxation that the Constitution reserves to Congress. Citing Article I, Section 8, the majority stressed that the power to impose tariffs is “very clear[ly] … a branch of the taxing power,” and that the Framers gave Congress “alone … access to the pockets of the people.” The administration had argued that IEEPA’s grant of authority to “regulate … importation” permitted the President to impose tariffs in response to declared national emergencies. The Court rejected that interpretation, noting that while “taxes may accomplish regulatory ends, it does not follow that the power to regulate includes the power to tax as a means of regulation.”
The majority also pointed to the statute’s text, emphasizing that IEEPA authorizes the President to “investigate, block … regulate, direct and compel, nullify, void, prevent or prohibit” certain transactions – yet makes no mention of tariffs or duties.
“Had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs,” the opinion states, “it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes.”
The Court further highlighted a lack of historical precedent – noting that that in the nearly 50 years since IEEPA’s enactment, “no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs,” and that combined with the sweeping economic impact of the measures at issue – it was a “telling indication” that the asserted authority falls outside the President’s legitimate reach.
…
That said, even if that happens, the Trump administration has several other legal avenues they can pursue. As Deutsche Bank noted last month;
For instance, the sectoral tariffs (e.g. on steel and aluminum) aren’t covered by the court ruling, whilst another option would be to use Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which permits temporary 15% tariffs for 150 days.
And Goldman:
This won’t be the end of tariffs… the administration will almost certainly roll out alternative legal frameworks. Net result is probably slightly fewer tariffs, materially more trade uncertainty, and some incremental deficit concerns. Net-net, that’s mildly supportive for equities and mildly negative for bonds… but largely priced for both.
Les Wexner’s Lawyer During Jeffrey Epstein Deposition: “I Will Fucking Kill You If You Answer Another Question With More Than Five Words”
February 19th, 2026Queued to 4:25:04.
Via: GOP Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:
And Now… Trump Orders Release of Government UFO Files
February 19th, 2026Mmm hmm.
Flashback: “Is the Epstein thing causing them to run The Mighty Wurlitzer on afterburner with the aliens?”
Is President Warp Speed “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax” Trump going to time his CIA managed limited hangout UFO disclosure to correspond with… Disclosure Day?
Or perhaps with Joseph Kosinski’s upcoming film:
As for the UFO project, Kosinski is adamant that it isn’t “science fiction,” but rather “science fact.” When asked whether the still-untitled film falls under the sci-fi genre, Kosinski pushed back on the label, suggesting the story is less about speculative fantasy and more about realities we’re only now beginning to confront.
We’re working with two people who are at the very center of the topic. So, you know, the conversations with them are just fascinating […] It’s a very exciting project, and trying to get that ready as soon as possible.
The project has been described in pitches as a “UFO disclosure-themed take on All the President’s Men,” and follows the true story of two men working in national security who uncover a secret program devoted to recovering and reverse-engineering crashed UAPs.
Kosinski reportedly emphasized “authenticity” in his pitch to studios. Former United States Air Force officer — and UFO whistleblower — David Grusch is serving as a consultant on the film. In 2023, Grusch testified before Congress that the government has been studying alien spacecraft and bodies while actively suppressing that information from the public.
Via: Daily Mail:
Donald Trump claims that Barack Obama acted improperly by allegedly sharing classified information with Americans when he said that aliens exist.
Podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen asked the former president if extraterrestrials were real in an episode that aired January 14.
‘They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,’ Obama replied. He joked that they are not being kept at Area 51, as far as he knows.
The clip went so viral and sparked so much speculation that the former president had to post a clarification the following day, where he explicitly stated: ‘I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!’
Rather, he was sharing his personal belief that ‘the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.’
But Trump said on Thursday, on his way to Georgia, that Obama was ‘not supposed’ to be sharing this ‘classified information.’
‘I don’t know if they’re real or not,’ Trump told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy aboard Air Force One.
‘I can tell you he gave classified information. He made a big mistake,’ he added.
Related: Interview with Epstein Victim Juliette Bryant: Six People Wearing Hazmat Suits
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office
February 19th, 2026Via: BBC:
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
…
We don’t know the specifics of the allegations being investigated. However, the arrest of the former prince came after Thames Valley Police said it was assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by Mountbatten-Windsor with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Officers arrested the King’s brother on his 66th birthday.
Donut Lab Claims They Will Release Proof Their Solid State Battery Is Real
February 18th, 2026Donut Lab posted a link to idonutbelieve.com on their LinkedIn page.
“The Journey Begins. 20th of Feb 2026, 8:00AM CET”
— cryptogon (@cryptogon) February 19, 2026
Final Pieces Moving Into Place For Potential Attack On Iran
February 18th, 2026Epstein files? What Epstein files?
Via: The War Zone:
A large wave of American airpower is heading toward the Middle East to bolster forces already there as U.S. President Donald Trump considers an attack against Iran. Online flight trackers are showing F-22 Raptors, F-16 Fighting Falcons, E-3 Sentry radar planes and a U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane either in transit across the Atlantic or newly arrived in Europe. In addition, a seventh Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, the USS Pinckney, has recently deployed to the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility (AOR) as well, a U.S. Navy official told us.
While we don’t know whether Trump will decide to attack Iran, these are exactly the movements we’ve been expecting, but so far not seeing, in advance of a sustained operation, both defensive and offensive. The U.S. aircraft heading east represents the most intense phase of a force plus-up that began after Trump started threatening Iran over its harsh treatment of anti-regime protesters. Taken together, the force now assembling in the Middle East, combined with the Israel Air Force’s capabilities, including hundreds of fighter aircraft, as well as USAF ‘global airpower’ bomber flights, would be enough for a major operation that could last weeks not days. We will likely see additional assets deploy in the coming days.
New Mexico Launches Probe Into What Happened At Epstein’s ‘Zorro Ranch’
February 18th, 2026And in other Nothing Will Be Done About It News: Billionaire Les Wexner’s Congressional Deposition Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties
Via: ZeroHedge:
Until now, the public’s visualizations of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal have largely centered on his Caribbean Island and his seven-story New York townhouse, but a new setting is poised to take greater prominence, as the New Mexico legislature just launched a wide-ranging investigation into what took place at Epstein’s “Zorro Ranch” about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. One line of inquiry focuses on a redacted email in the DOJ files alleging that two “foreign girls” were buried on the property.
Vote Fraud in California
February 17th, 2026Via: Nick Shirley:
As Refineries Close, California Needs to Get Gasoline Transhipped Through the Bahamas
February 16th, 2026This is so painfully retarded that I struggled to read all of it.
Via: Bloomberg:
US supplies of gasoline are being shipped out of the country to travel thousands of miles via the Bahamas before finally ending up in California, a state battling shrinking fuelmaking capacity and high pump prices.
Shipments on the circuitous route are increasing. California imported more gasoline in November than ever before, with more than 40% coming from the Bahamas.
…
After Phillips 66 shuttered its Los Angeles refinery in October, gasoline imports climbed in 2025 to the highest level since at least 2016, Vortexa data show. With Valero Energy Corp. set to close a Northern California refinery this spring, and no fuel pipelines connecting the US Gulf’s oil-producing powerhouse to the West Coast, the nation’s most populous state will likely depend on imports to bridge the gap.
