Conservatively Speaking

Friday, February 13, 2026

DP World chief quits after sexually explicit Jeffrey Epstein emails surface

Powerful Dubai businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is stepping down as chairman and CEO of logistics giant DP World after his crude, sexually explicit emails with late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein surfaced.

DP World, a $13.5 billion conglomerate that operates dozens of ports and terminals worldwide, confirmed the change in leadership — naming Essa Kazim as chair of the board and elevating longtime executive Yuvraj Narayan to chief executive, the Financial Times reported.

A statement from Dubai authorities announcing the appointments did not reference bin Sulayem directly.

But the massive trove of Epstein files recently released by the US Department of Justice shed light on his relationship with Epstein, including email exchanges that referenced sexual encounters and other personal matters.

In September 2015, Sulayem bragged to Epstein in an email about bedding a foreign exchange student who was living in Dubai, writing: “She got engaged but now she back with me … The best sex I ever had amazing body.”

The correspondence, which continued years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor, also included crude sexual references and nude images.

While Sulayem has not been accused of a crime, major international partners signaled they would halt new business with DP World pending action from the company.

La Caisse, Canada’s second-largest pension fund — which has committed more than $5 billion alongside DP World over the past decade — announced it would suspend additional capital allocations.

In a statement, the fund stressed the need to separate the c o mpany from Sulayem and said it expected DP World to clarify the situation and respond appropriately.

British International Investment, which partners with DP World on port projects in Africa, issued a similar message, stating it would refrain from new investments until the company had taken what it described as necessary corrective steps.

DP World said Friday the leadership changes “support its strategy for sustainable growth and reinforce its role in strengthening global supply chains and supporting Dubai’s position as a leading hub for trade and logistics.”

Nasdaq Dubai, where DP World maintains listed bonds, said Sulayem’s resignation was “effective immediately.”

The latest batch of Epstein documents have proven embarrassing for top business and political figures who maintained ties with the creep even after his 2008 guilty plea.

Kathryn Ruemmler said Thursday she would step down as chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs after newly disclosed emails showed she maintained a close personal relationship with Epstein, referring to him as “Uncle Jeffrey” and likening him to an “older brother.”

Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers exited a number of high-profile gigs after Epstein files showed him exchanging personal messages, including requests for romantic advice and comments widely criticized as sexist, with the late financier.

Summers said he was “deeply ashamed” of the relationship.

https://nypost.com/2026/02/13/business/dp-world-chief-quits-after-sexually-explicit-jeffrey-epstein-emails-surface/

Missing Migrant Minors Found in Minnesota

Tom Homan says ICE has recovered thousands of Joe Biden’s missing unaccompanied minors, which his PR team should be bellowing ad nauseam.

Operation Metro Surge has been in place in Minnesota for two months now. Those months have been marked by outrageous temper tantrums by radical activists on the far left. These theatrics, egged on by the Leftmedia and their Democrat politician overlords like Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, prompted two agitators to put themselves in situations where death resulted.

President Donald Trump sent Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to calm the waters there. Walz attempted to twist reality by making it seem like Homan’s presence meant the leftists had won. On the contrary, Homan continued to oversee the job that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was sent there to do. And as we tentatively near the end (Homan just announced a drawdown of ICE personnel), the border czar has the long-overdue luxury of having procured cooperation from state and county law enforcement to detain criminal illegal aliens.

The biggest victory that Homan was able to report is that some 3,364 of Joe Biden’s missing unaccompanied minors have been found and rescued.

As one may recall, under the Biden administration, a tsunami of unaccompanied minors (300,000 is the estimate) was allowed through the southern border and given to anyone claiming to be a sponsor. Many of these children were funneled straight into human trafficking. As Homan pointed out, “The last administration lost and weren’t even looking for” these kids.

In light of the recent awful revelations from the Epstein files dump, leftists seem to think that calling Republicans the “Party of Pedophiles” is an accurate description. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar felt brave enough to say of Donald Trump, “The leader of the Pedophile Protection Party is trying to deflect attention from his name being all over the Epstein files. At least in Somalia they execute pedophiles not elect them.”

Conversely, it seems to me that the Democrat Party — and by extension Omar’s Somalia — is the number one protector of pedophiles, as Democrats are intent on stopping ICE from rescuing trafficked children that they let into the country to live a life of slavery and misery. Plus, the content in the Epstein files, comprising photographs and discussions of sexual perversion, seems to incriminate mostly left-leaning individuals.

When one considers that more than 3,000 of these missing minors were in Omar’s state alone, perhaps she should examine her own domain and Minnesota’s ruling Democrat Party before spouting off again.

The plight of these children should be shouted from the rooftops, and the protesters should be shamed to the ground for trying to stop ICE from doing its job, particularly this invariably noble part of the job.

ICE also arrested some 4,000 criminal illegals, with a fair number of child rapists among the bunch.

Homan announced that, with this mission’s success, he hopes to end Metro Surge as soon as next week. Yesterday, he explained, “With the success that has been made in arresting public safety threats and other priorities since this surge operation began, as well as the unprecedented levels of coordination we have obtained from state officials and local law enforcement, I have proposed — and President Trump has concurred — that this surge operation conclude. A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue into the next week.”

However, that all depends on the anti-ICE agitators. If they are going to continue making Minnesota unsafe, then ICE cannot pull out completely. “Since I have been here,” Homan added, “I’ve repeatedly emphasized that the unlawful and violent agitator activity is unacceptable and must wind down as a condition for further drawdown of law enforcement personnel. I cannot remove law enforcement personnel while violence poses a serious risk to our officers; I will not leave my officers in that position.”

Meanwhile, Governor Walz seems to have a vested interest in keeping the strife going (or at least federal money flowing). “The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here,” he demanded. “There [is] going to be accountability on the things that happened, but one of the things is, the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state. The federal government needs to be responsible: You don’t get to break things, and then just leave without doing something about it.”

This is absolutely comical and delusional. Why would the federal government send money to a state that is currently under investigation for defrauding taxpayers across the country of billions? I think Minnesota has received enough unwarranted federal monies for the time being.

As for Tom Homan and the rest of the Trump administration’s PR team, they need to continue talking about the children who are being rescued from human trafficking. Ensure that these agitators and the public at large understand clearly that these unaccompanied migrant minors’ lives and well-being are at stake. As many bad guys as ICE is catching, immigration enforcement agents are rescuing almost as many kids, too.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/125076-missing-migrant-minors-found-in-minnesota-2026-02-13

The SAFE-T Act Set Violent Illegal Immigrant Loose. Thankfully ICE Has Arrested Him.

Illinois' Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act went into effect on January 1, 2023. Since then, it's been a disaster that has turned violent repeat offenders loose in Illinois communities, including Chicago, where one such criminal set a woman on fire on the CTA Blue Line subway. On January 30, 53-year-old Doray Kitchen, Jr. was arrested and released under the SAFE-T Act after being arrested for raping a child under the age of 13.

Now, a migrant charged with attempted murder after a violent attack of another CTA passenger has been released under the SAFE-T Act. He was given an ankle monitor and set loose under the Act's "essential movement" requirements.

Thankfully, an ICE convoy spotted and arrested him.

Here's more:

A Venezuelan migrant charged with attempted murder for allegedly participating in a violent robbery aboard a CTA train found himself in an ironic predicament: he lost his freedom while exercising the very freedom granted to him under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.
Wilker Gutierrez-Sierra, who was on electronic monitoring awaiting trial, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during one of his “essential movement” days, a provision of the SAFE-T Act that allows monitored defendants to move freely outside their homes two days per week.
The SAFE-T Act, a massive criminal justice overhaul that took effect in Illinois, permits anyone on electronic monitoring to leave their residence for up to two days weekly with little to no documentation required of their actual activities. While most defendants who go AWOL while wearing ankle monitors simply disappear, authorities know exactly where Gutierrez-Sierra ended up.

Democrats will tell us that ICE makes our communities less safe but it was ICE — not Democrats — who just removed this violent illegal immigrant from the streets.

That's keeping communities safe.

But he's not here, and that's what matters.

We doubt Stratton would want the public to know this. The campaign ads for Republicans, on the other hand, write themselves.

It's absolutely insane.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/02/13/chicago-migrant-safe-t-act-ankle-monitor-n2671271

WATCH As Keith Ellison Suddenly Realizes He Just Told the TRUTH About Dems and Illegals and Can't Spin It

Keith Ellison really comes across as a bad man, unless of course you're a communist, Antifa member, or an illegal alien. And ironically, these are the only people who consistently vote for Democrats, which is probably why he wants to protect them.

This exchange is brilliant on so many levels, and not because of Ellison.

Watch him realize he's said the wrong things about Canada and Mexico ... this is great:

Ellison knows that someone seeking asylum is supposed to stop and seek asylum in the first safe country they come to. So why do they continue on through Canada and Mexico to America if they're simply seeking asylum? And heck, Ellison himself says both countries safe ...

Then he realizes what he said, but it's too late at that point.

Far too late.

Bingo.

They'd be better off just admitting that's what they want - we all know it. The lies about how hard it is to prove you're a legal citizen, the fear-mongering about people of color and women being without a vote because they're too stupid to figure it out ... and of course, the whopper that these millions of illegals that Biden let into the country are simply seeking asylum.

And the reason Ellison got caught up like this is that it's hard to keep track of all of their lies, even for an experienced liar like him.

https://twitchy.com/samj/2026/02/13/watch-as-keith-ellison-realizes-he-just-gave-everything-away-about-mn-and-he-cant-spin-his-way-out-n2424991

The Real Reason Murkowski Is Undermining Election Integrity

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) just reminded everyone why Alaska Republicans keep trying to replace her. As we previously reported, the RINO senator declared her opposition this week to the SAVE Act, claiming it would "federalize" elections in ways she simply cannot support.

“When Democrats attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed,” she claimed in a post on X. “Now, I’m seeing proposals such as the SAVE Act and MEGA that would effectively do just that.”

That is not the case, as I previously explained here.

“Once again, I do not support these efforts,” Murkowski continued. “Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska.”

And she kept piling on excuses. “Election Day is fast approaching,” she noted. “Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies likely without the necessary resources. Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this.”

But here's the part she hopes you'll forget: she was the only Republican senator who voted to advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act back in 2021. Had that bill passed, it would have forced states to get federal permission before changing their own voting laws. If that's not federalizing elections, nothing is.

Murkowski said at the time that she supported the legislation because it provided "a framework through which legitimate voting rights issues can be tackled" and because it included the Native American Voting Rights Act. I’m sorry, but you can't champion a bill that demands federal sign-off on state election laws and then turn around and call the SAVE Act federal overreach.

For Our VIPs: I Want the MEGA Act, but I’ll Take the SAVE Act

It was one of three bills Democrats had introduced to not only federalize elections, along with the Freedom to Vote Act and the For the People Act. These laws, had Democrats succeeded in getting them passed, would have mandated universal mail-in voting, allowed ballots to be accepted long after Election Day, implemented automatic voter registration, allowed felons to vote, and abolished the Electoral College.

Yet Murkowski dared to invoke the Constitution to explain her opposition to the SAVE Act? Which only required proof of citizenship to register to vote, and a photo ID to vote. The Constitution does empower the states to regulate the "times, places, and manner" of holding federal elections, but it also says, “Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations,” which certainly means there’s nothing unprecedented about requiring citizenship and a photo ID.

Here’s what’s actually happening here. Murkowski doesn't oppose federalizing elections. She opposes election integrity. When Democrats wanted to federalize elections and weaken safeguards, she was on board. Now that Republicans want to verify citizenship and require ID, suddenly she's a states' rights warrior? Give me a break.

https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/02/13/the-real-reason-murkowski-is-undermining-election-integrity-n4949458

The Standing Filibuster: A Relic, a Reform, and a Political Weapon in 2026

The "standing filibuster"—more commonly called the "talking filibuster"—is the Senate's original, raw form of obstruction.

It requires a senator (or a tag team of them) to physically hold the floor, stand for hours or days, and speak without significant breaks, yielding only for questions from allies.

No sitting, no eating a full meal, no wandering off.

It's the Jimmy Stewart-in-Mr. Smith Goes to Washington version:

endurance theater designed to grind the chamber to a halt until the majority caves, compromises, or the minority drops from exhaustion.

This contrasts sharply with the modern "silent" or "zombie" filibuster that dominates today.

Since the 1970s, a senator doesn't need to utter a word.

They just signal intent—often via a quiet "hold" or party leadership phone call—and the bill dies unless 60 votes invoke cloture to end debate.

The silent version flipped the burden:

the majority must round up supermajorities or abandon the agenda, while the minority chills in their offices.

It's efficient, low-drama, and has turned the Senate into a 60-vote veto machine for routine legislation.

Historical Roots and the Shift

The standing filibuster traces to the Senate's founding.

Unlimited debate was baked in from 1789—no rules to cut it off until 1917, when cloture was added at a two-thirds threshold to curb chaos (prompted by filibusters against Wilson's armed ships bill).

It dropped to 60 votes in 1975 amid post-Watergate reforms.

But the real killer was the "two-track" system in the early 1970s:

the Senate could debate one bill while processing others, making actual talking filibusters optional and rare.

By the 1980s, silent obstruction exploded.

Filibusters went from a handful per Congress to dozens annually.

It's why everything from judges to budgets now needs 60 votes in practice.Iconic standing examples prove its power—and absurdity.

Strom Thurmond's 1957 marathon (24 hours, 18 minutes) against the Civil Rights Act involved reading phone books and recipes; he pre-hydrated with malted milk and skipped the bathroom.

Huey Long in the 1930s ranted about "potlikker" and recipes to block bills favoring the rich.

Wayne Morse stood 18 hours in 1953.

Even in 2025, Cory Booker shattered records with over 25 hours against Trump policies.

These weren't just stunts; they forced national attention, sometimes swaying opinion when the cause resonated (or backfired spectacularly on segregationists).

The Case for Standing

Forcing Skin in the Game

Reviving the standing filibuster isn't radical—it's enforcing existing rules.

Senate Rule XXII still allows unlimited debate; cloture is optional.

Proponents like Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in early 2026 argue it flips the script:

make the minority sweat.

For the SAVE Act (the House-passed voter ID and citizenship-proof bill, backed by Trump and 80%+ of Americans per polls), Democrats vow to block it.

A talking filibuster would force them to explain on live C-SPAN why they oppose basic election safeguards—like showing ID, which even blue states require for many things.

Rotate speakers?

Sure, but 41 Democrats would need to camp out, exhausting their caucus and exposing divisions.

The majority could keep the floor tied up, daring the public to watch the spectacle.

This version promotes accountability.

Silent filibusters are coward's tools—anonymous, consequence-free, and overused (over 200 cloture motions in recent Congresses).

Standing ones demand real commitment, historically rare because they're grueling.

They encourage compromise:

no one wants to look like a windbag on national TV. In a polarized era, it could restore some deliberation the Founders envisioned, where the Senate was the "cooling saucer" for hot passions from the House.

The Downsides and Why It Stalls

Critics, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) in February 2026 statements, call it a non-starter.

It "ties up the floor indefinitely" with massive opportunity costs—can't pass budgets, confirmations, or must-do bills.

In a 53-47 GOP Senate (post-2024), Democrats could tag-team for days, filibustering one bill while the calendar burns.

Thune's "not even close" to votes for changes underscores the institutional inertia:

most senators (on both sides) prefer the silent status quo because it protects their minority power when roles flip.

Physically, it's brutal on older members (average age ~64).

Logistically, quorum calls and rules tweaks (e.g., limiting them during filibusters) would be needed to prevent abuse.

Historically, standing filibusters didn't always work—Thurmond lost, civil rights passed eventually under public pressure.

In 2026's 24/7 media/X ecosystem, it might amplify misinformation or turn into performative exhaustion rather than substantive debate.2026 Context:

A Test Case for Reform

Right now, amid the SAVE Act fight, the standing filibuster is the conservative workaround du jour. House hardliners and Trump allies push it to avoid the "nuclear option" (simple-majority rule change, which Thune and McConnell types oppose).

It's not abolition—it's enforcement.

If GOP leadership forces Democrats to talk, it tests whether visibility sways voters:

"Why are they dying on this hill against proving citizenship?"

Polls show voter integrity is a winner; a prolonged filibuster could frame Democrats as the obstructionists.

Broader implications are profound.

The filibuster embodies Senate exceptionalism—minority protections against mob rule—but the silent version has weaponized it into paralysis.

A return to standing could recalibrate:

majorities govern more, but only after proving the minority's resistance is serious.

It wouldn't end gridlock (polarization is cultural, not procedural), but it might reduce frivolous blocks and force better legislating.

In truth, the standing filibuster is neither savior nor villain.

It's a blunt instrument from a slower era, ill-suited to hyper-partisanship yet potentially more honest than the current charade.

As Trump and Lee press in 2026, the Senate's choice—clinging to silent vetoes or dusting off the talking kind—will reveal if it wants to be a deliberative body or just a veto factory.

Either way, expect more gridlock until one side blinks.

Woman Caught on Tape Setting Fire to Warehouse Rumored as Potential ICE Detention Center

A woman is caught on tape trying to burn down a building in Kansas City that was rumored to be a future ICE detention center.

A deranged leftist was caught on tape committing an act of possible domestic terrorism earlier this week in Kansas City, Missouri, as attacks against ICE continue to spread.

On Thursday, KMBC released a video showing the moment a woman set the building on fire. The footage starts with her throwing what appears to be a Molotov cocktail into the warehouse before lighting a match.

Flames start to emerge as she retreats. She comes back with an accelerant to pour on the fire, causing it to spread.

She pours more accelerant around the building before fleeing the scene.

WATCH:

The woman has not been identified at this point. It’s also not clear when firefighters arrived to put out the blaze.

KMBC reported that the building, owned by Platform Ventures, an investment firm based in Kansas City, was eyed as an ICE detention center. Reports about this warehouse being used to imprison illegals began to circulate in January.

The outlet revealed that on the same day the woman was caught committing the arson, Platform Venture announced it would not be moving forward with a sale to the U.S. Government.

Here is more background from KMBC:

Port KC meeting documents at the end of January seemed to verify the reports, noting it had learned Platform Ventures planned to sell the property to the federal government. Port KC later voted to cut ties with the company, though Port KC made it clear it was not involved in the sale and could not stop it.
But Platform Ventures set the record straight, issuing a statement Feb. 12 after “baseless speculation, inaccurate narratives and serious threats toward leadership” led the company to address the property and sale.
“Platform Ventures is not actively engaged with the U.S. Government or any other prospective purchaser involving a sale of its property at the I-49 Industrial Center,” Platform Ventures said.

Far-left Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a staunch opponent of ICE, issued a statement that KMBC obtained. Notice how he does not condemn any criminal activities against ICE, including the recent arson in his city.

I am aware of a recent release from a Kansas City firm regarding a distribution facility in south Kansas City that has been rumored as a target for a mass ICE detention encampment of up to 10,000 persons.
While Kansas City welcomes any news suggesting the halting of a planned conversion of a warehouse for goods and products into a human encampment, I will continue with our legislative, legal efforts and community engagement to ensure no warehouse or similar facility in Kansas City or nearby is converted to a mass encampment warehouse of persons that is offensive to the dignity and human rights of those who would be detained within it.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/02/woman-caught-tape-setting-fire-warehouse-rumored-as/