Noncitizen voting is rare. Why is Washington so focused on it?

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/17/save-act-election-security-noncitizen-voting-00782470

A flood of Republican-backed efforts to tighten voter ID laws is serving as a distraction from more serious threats to the American voting system, according to top election security experts.

“[Washington] is chasing false narratives and leaving open all the vulnerabilities that are only worse now,” said Michael McNulty, policy director at Issue One, a bipartisan organization that tracks election issues.

While Hill Republicans and members of the Trump administration have framed these bills as much-needed reform for pressing election security issues, data collected by state election offices suggests that the threat being targeted is largely overblown.

Noncitizen voting in the U.S. is extremely rare, and state election offices conduct regular assessments of their voter rolls to curb risks of voter fraud. A recent report from the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research found that many claims of noncitizen voting stem from “misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, or outright fabrications about complex voter data.”

The report highlighted a 2025 voter roll audit by Michigan’s Department of State, which found that of the 7.2 million active registered voters on the state’s rolls, there were only 16 instances of suspected noncitizens who cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election. Other states, including Louisiana and Utah, recently conducted audits of their voter rolls and found few incidents of noncitizen voting or voter registration.

Colbert fumes at CBS, says it barred him from interviewing Texas Dem amid FCC crackdown

 https://www.foxnews.com/media/colbert-fumes-cbs-says-barred-him-from-interviewing-texas-dem-amid-fcc-crackdown

Colbert said CBS lawyers told his show "in no uncertain terms" that he could not interview Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on the show and then "in some uncertain terms" that he couldn't mention to viewers that he couldn't interview Talarico.

"Let's just call this what it is — Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV, OK? He's like a toddler who has had too much screen time," Colbert continued.

Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked interview with Texas Democrat over FCC concerns

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/17/colbert-blocked-talarico-interview/

CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert rebuked his own network Monday night, claiming that lawyers for parent company Paramount Skydance prohibited him from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D), a U.S. Senate candidate, over concerns it would violate the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule.

Led by Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC in President Donald Trump’s second term has remade itself as a speech enforcer tackling perceived liberal bias in the media industry. Carr’s speech agenda has been marked by investigations of media companies and threats to take action against broadcasters that do not follow rarely enforced FCC rules. He has frequently invoked a little-used “news distortion” policy as justification, a practice condemned by a bipartisan group of former FCC chairs and commissioners in a November letter.

FCC commissioner condemns ‘censorship’ following Stephen Colbert comments on Talarico interview

 https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5741862-brendan-carr-fcc-censorship-colbert-talarico-interview/

A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) member is going after Paramount over the company’s apparent decision to bar CBS late night host Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

“Let’s just call this what it is: Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV,” the “Late Show” host said.

Colbert theorized that Paramount did not want to upset FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who recently floated doing away with an agency rule exempting talk shows from being required to provide equal time on air to candidates for political office.

The righteous say to the Lord, "What will You do

 Medrash Tehilim (83) The righteous say to the Lord, "What will You do?" They say to Him, "Arise," and He rises, as it says, "Arise, O Lord." They say to Him, "Do not sleep," and He awakens, as it says, "Rouse Yourself! Why do You sleep, O Lord?" And He awakens, as it says, "Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep." They say to Him, "Be like one who is silent," and He listens, as it says, "Who among you will listen to this? Will listen and heed in the time to come?"

Wicked - Importance for Tzadikim

 Zohar(Shemos 20b) As thorns are scattered among the lilies, so does G-d permit in His world the wicked to be found among the righteous, for, as without the thorns the lilies could not exist, so would the righteous go unrecognized in the world were it not for the wicked, as R. Judah said: “How are the righteous recognized? By contrast with the wicked I If it were not for the one, the other would not be known.

Tzadikim are different

 Zohar(Shemos 12a)  The souls of the righteous emanate from an upper region, as we have already stated. But there is also an esoteric lesson connected with it, namely, that the soul has a father and a mother, as the body has a father and a mother in this world. In fact, all things above and below proceed from Male and Female, as we have already derived from the words Let the earth bring forth a living soul. The earth” symbolizes the community of Israel; a living sou-the soul of the first, the supernal Man, as already explained. Then came R. Abba to him, kissed him, and said: Verily, thou hast spoken well! It is so indeed. Blessed is Moses, the faithful Shepherd, more faithful than all the other prophets of the world

Zohar(Shemos 14a)  R. Hiya opened his mouth and said: My eyes now see something they have not seen before. I have reached a height that I did not dream of. It is good to die in the fire kindled by the good gold, at the place where sparks fly on every side, each one ascending to three hundred and seventy-five rows of angels, and each of which spreads itself to thousands and myriads, until they reach the Ancient of Days, who sits upon the Throne. The Throne trembles, and the trembling thereof penetrates through a hundred and sixty worlds until it reaches a place which is called the delight of the righteous, and it is heard throughout all the firmaments. Then all they that are above and all that are below are greatly amazed, and cry as with one voice: This is R. Simeon ben Yohai, the world-shaker; who can stand before him? When he opens his lips to expound the Torah, all the thrones, all the firmaments, all the angelic hosts, all who praise their Lord, do listen to his voice. No mouth is opened: all are silent, and not a sound is heard until his words break through all the firmaments above and below. But when he ends, then the song and the rejoicing of them who praise their Lord is such as was never before heard; it echoes through all the firmaments of Heaven-and all this on account of R. Simeon and his wisdom! They bow before their Master, the perfume of the spices from Eden ascends in sweetness to the Throne of the Ancient of Days-and all this on account of R. Simeon and his wisdom!.

Zohar(Shemos 15a)  R. Simeon ben Yohai is indeed a lion and his son likewise. He is different from all others of his kind. Of him it is written: “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?. And if even the upper worlds do tremble before him, how much more then we? A man who has no need of fasting to proclaim his desires to the Almighty, and to have them fulfilled, since he decides and G-d confirms his decision; or the Holy One deciding, he revokes the decision and it is annulled! As it is said: There shall be one that ruleth over man, a righteous one ruling in the fear of the Lord. The Holy One rules over man, but who rules over the Holy One? Surely, the Righteous! For it may even be from time to time that the Holy One proposes and the righteous disposes!

Judge Leon Educates Pete Hegseth

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/judge-leon-educates-pete-hegseth-df8a66a5?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

President Trump’s lawfare campaign against his opponents isn’t working any better than it did for Joe Biden, Jack Smith and Letitia James against Mr. Trump. The latest example is the legal rebuke against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attempt to punish Sen. Mark Kelly.

Mr. Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, has been pointed in criticizing various Trump Administration policies, notably its bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. The former Navy captain joined several other Members of Congress in taping a video advising current officers they “can refuse illegal orders.”

Trump Denies He’s Behind Renaming Penn Station After Himself Amid Backlash

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-denies-hes-behind-renaming-penn-station-after-himself-amid-backlash-11531820

President Donald Trump denied in a Truth Social post on Monday that he sought to rename New York City’s Penn Station after himself, asserting that “certain politicians and construction union heads” raised the idea instead.

Multiple outlets reported the administration sought to rename New York’s Penn Station as well as Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump in exchange for releasing Gateway funds, a proposal Schumer’s office rejected and said was beyond the senator's authority.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that “it is something the President floated in his conversation with Chuck Schumer,” contradicting Trump’s earlier denial that he initiated the idea.

Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/16/trump-canada-europe-politics/

Naturally, the leaders Trump likes best are those who flatter him and imitate him the most: He has referred to Bolsonaro as the “Tropical Trump” and Johnson as the “Britain Trump.” But just because Trump likes certain leaders doesn’t mean that their rule is in the U.S. interest. Orban, for example, is not just an authoritarian leader; he is also close to both Russia and China and hostile to Ukraine. The Western alliance would benefit from his defeat in April. The problem is that Trump is pursuing his personal political agenda, not the agenda of the United States as traditionally understood by presidents of both parties.

By aligning the U.S. with individual leaders, Trump also risks making an enemy of the political opposition in their countries — and thereby inviting a backlash. This has already happened in Canada. Last year, Trump all but endorsed Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in a bizarre social media post implying that Poilievre (whom he did not mention by name) would help to make Canada the 51st state and thereby see a lifting of U.S. tariffs. An appalled Poilievre told Trump to “stay out of our election,” but the damage was done: Liberal Party leader Mark Carney won in a landslide.

A president who zealously guards America’s sovereignty should show more respect for the sovereignty of other countries. Trump should stop treating foreign elections as if they were Republican Party primaries, where he can dictate the outcome (often to the detriment of the party’s general election prospects). Instead, he would do well to heed Lord Palmerston’s timeless dictum: “We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”

Judge orders slavery exhibit to be restored after Trump administration removal

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/16/philadelphia-trump-judge-slavery-history/

A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Monday ordered the Trump administration to restore displays discussing slavery at a site in Philadelphia where George Washington lived as president.

“The government claims it alone has the power to erase, alter, remove and hide historical accounts on taxpayer and local government-funded monuments within its control. Its claims in this regard echo Big Brother’s domain in Orwell’s 1984,” Rufe wrote.

The removal was connected to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14253 — “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” — which calls for eliminating “divisive narratives” from national sites. Many museums and historic locations have responded by removing exhibits that discuss slavery and the challenges overcome by minorities and marginalized groups.

US ambassador demands that Belgium drop ‘ridiculous and antisemitic’ investigation of mohels

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-886864

In Belgium, the law requires all circumcisions to be performed by licensed medical professionals. The country has a track record of limiting religious exemptions in laws: In 2024, Europe’s top court upheld a ban in most of the country against kosher slaughter, which its critics contend is inhumane to animals.

Belgian media reported that the Antwerp raids stemmed from a complaint made by a member of the Jewish community. In 2024, Moshe Friedman, a local rabbi, filed a police complaint against six mohels who practice metzitzah b’peh, a custom in which the circumciser cleans the circumcision wound with oral suction.

The mohel raids in Antwerp follow the arrest in 2024 in Ireland of a British rabbi suspected of performing circumcisions illegally. There, the law requiring a medical license to perform circumcisions includes an exemption for circumcisions performed for religious reasons - but the rabbi was alleged to have circumcised babies who were not Jewish. The prosecution in that case is reportedly ongoing

Belgium summons US ambassador over antisemitism claims

 https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-summons-us-ambassador-bill-white-antisemitism-accusations/

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has summoned Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to the country, over his comments accusing Belgium of antisemitism and lashing out against its health minister.

“Any suggestion that Belgium is antisemitic is false, offensive, and unacceptable. Belgium condemns antisemitism with the greatest firmness,” Prévot wrote Monday evening in a long post on X, calling White’s statements “unacceptable.”

After Prévot expressed his disapproval on social media, White responded with another long post.

“In NO way, shape or form have we ever suggested that a political person in the Gov’t should interfere in a judicial case. That said, the case should be immediately dropped,” White wrote, adding that “it is ABSOLUTELY an issue of antisemitism.”

“You either have to make a change to the procedural accreditation or you have to call prosecution of these three beautiful religiously qualified and wonderful men anti-semeitc,” he continued, misspelling the last word

Khitan (circumcision)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khitan_(circumcision)

Khitan (Arabic: ختان) or Khatna (Arabic: ختنة) is the Arabic term for circumcision,[1][2] and the Islamic term for the practice of religious male circumcision in Islamic culture.[3] Male circumcision is widespread in the Muslim world,[3] and accepted as an established practice by all Islamic schools of jurisprudence.[2][4][5] It is considered a sign of belonging to the wider Muslim community (Ummah).[6]

The Quran itself does not mention circumcision explicitly in any verse.[1][4][2][7] In the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, both male and female circumcision were carried out by Pagan Arabian tribes,[1][2][7] and male circumcision was performed by the Jewish tribes of Arabia for religious reasons.[2][10][page needed] This has also been attested by the classical Muslim scholar al-Jāḥiẓ,[7][11] as well as by the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.[2][7][12]

Circumcisions are usually carried out in health facilities or hospitals, and performed by trained medical practitioners.[3] The circumciser can be either male or female,[3] and is not required to be a Muslim but must be medically trained.[6] There is no fixed age for circumcision in Islam,[2][3][4][7] and the age when boys get circumcised, and the procedures used, tends to change across countries, cultures, families, and time.[3] In some Muslim-majority countries, circumcision is performed on Muslim boys after they have learned to recite the whole Quran from start to finish.[6]