International News Briefs for Wednesday, February 18, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
U.S. Military Says It Carried Out Strikes on Three Boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, Killing at Least 11 People
Feb 18, 2026
Image Credit: SouthCom/X
The U.S. military says it carried out strikes on three boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing at least 11 people and again providing no evidence the boats were allegedly carrying drugs. Since September, the U.S. military has carried out 42 known strikes on small vessels in waters near Latin America, killing at least 145 people total. The recent strikes come weeks after the U.S. attacked Venezuela and abducted its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, who are to face trial in New York on drugs, weapons and narcoterrorism charges. The Washington Office on Latin America, an advocacy organization, said, “Those being killed by US military strikes at sea are denied any due process whatsoever.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister: U.S. and Iranian Negotiators Have Agreed on “Guiding Principles” on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Feb 18, 2026
As U.S. and Iranian officials held negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva Tuesday, Iran temporarily closed parts of the Strait of Hormuz, a key international waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned, “The strongest army in the world might sometimes receive such a slap that it cannot get back on its feet.” Tehran’s foreign minister cautioned that more work still needs to be done on reaching a nuclear deal, but expressed some optimism about the negotiations.
Abbas Araghchi: “I can say that in this round there were quite serious discussions and a more constructive atmosphere than in the previous round. Various ideas were raised, and these ideas were seriously discussed. And finally, we were able to reach a general agreement on a series of guiding principles. From now on, we will move based on those principles and enter into the text of a possible agreement.”
Mehdi Mahmoudian, Oscar-Nominated Co-Writer of “It Was Just an Accident,” Released from Iranian Prison
Feb 18, 2026
Image Credit: Reuters
Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Oscar-nominated co-writer of the film “It Was Just an Accident,” has been released from an Iranian prison. Earlier this month, Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran after he signed a statement condemning Khamenei and the regime’s violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. Click here to see our interview with the filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
Peru’s Congress Impeaches Interim Peruvian President José Jerí
Feb 18, 2026
Peru’s Congress has impeached interim Peruvian President José Jerí for failing to disclose meetings with Chinese businessmen who were under investigation. His ouster came just about four months after taking office. Jerí is the former head of Peru’s Congress who also oversaw the removal of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte. Jerí is the sixth Peruvian president in the past decade to leave office before the end of a term. Residents of the capital Lima took to the streets to celebrate Jerí’s impeachment.
Lima resident: “Very good. Long live Peru! We’re always standing, never kneeling. Now I tell my suffering people, which have been subjected to thousands of forms of slavery, ‘Never again. Not one more vote to these far-right parties.’ We will not trust them at all, because they’ve proven their immorality and incapacity.”
Peru is scheduled to hold a general election on April 12.
Federal Judge Blocks Efforts by Trump Administration to Rearrest Kilmar Ábrego García
Feb 18, 2026
A federal judge has blocked efforts by the Trump administration to rearrest Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland father who was wrongfully sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison last March. Since his return to the United States in June, Ábrego García has been fighting repeated deportation threats, as DHS has intended to send him to several African countries he has no ties to. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said in her ruling Tuesday the Trump administration “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success. … There is no ‘good reason to believe’ removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
Ábrego García’s legal team has said he had agreed to the possibility of being removed to Costa Rica, but Judge Xinis blasted the Trump administration for “purposely — and for no reason — ignored the one country that has consistently offered to accept Abrego Garcia as a refugee, and to which he agrees to go.”
Click here to see all our coverage of Kilmar Ábrego García’s case.
Immigration Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Deporting Mohsen Mahdawi
Feb 18, 2026
Image Credit: AP/Amanda Swinhart
An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a graduate of Columbia University who was detained last April over his outspoken support for Palestinian rights. Mahdawi is a green card holder from the occupied West Bank and was arrested by ICE in Vermont when he appeared for what he was told would be a U.S. citizenship interview. He spent more than two weeks in ICE custody. After news his deportation proceedings had been terminated, Mahdawi said in a statement, “In a climate where dissent is increasingly met with intimidation and detention, today’s ruling renews hope that due process still applies and that no agency stands above the Constitution. This is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a deeper commitment to peace, dignity, and justice.”
Click here to see our interviews with Mohsen Mahdawi.
DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin Announces Her Resignation
Feb 18, 2026
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, one of the most vocal supporters of President Trump’s immigration crackdown and deportation campaign, is resigning. The move comes amid intensifying scrutiny over DHS’s use of deadly force and public backlash against President Trump’s deployment of federal agents to Chicago, Minneapolis and other cities nationwide.
Earlier this year, Public Citizen reported that McLaughlin’s husband’s company, The Strategy Group, was granted part of a $220 million contract to run an anti-immigration advertising campaign for DHS. ProPublica also reported last year that McLaughlin’s husband, Ben Yoho, worked on one of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s ads filmed at Mount Rushmore.
This comes as calls grow for Noem’s impeachment and resignation. Following news of McLaughlin’s departure, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on social media, “Another MAGA extremist forced out of DHS. Noem next. Keep the pressure on.”
Two-Month-Old Baby Detained at ICE Jail in Dilley, Texas, Deported Along with His Family
Feb 18, 2026
A 2-month-old baby, Juan Nicolás, who became gravely ill while detained at ICE’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, has been deported to Mexico along with his parents and 16-month-old sibling. That’s according to Texas Congressmember Joaquin Castro, who had demanded the baby’s release after news he had been rushed to the hospital on Monday. Baby Juan had reportedly been detained at Dilley for about a month. Univision reporter Lidia Terrazas had spoken to Juan’s mom, who told her the baby had suffered a health episode, choking on his own vomit. When he was taken to Dilley’s medical area, guards were told there was no doctor available inside the facility at that time.
Tarique Rahman Sworn In As Bangladesh’s New Prime Minister
Feb 18, 2026
In Bangladesh, the country’s new prime minister, Tarique Rahman, was sworn in Tuesday after his party’s landslide win in parliamentary elections. Rahman returned to Bangladesh last year after 17 years of self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. Voters also approved a raft of changes to Bangladesh’s constitution aimed at preventing authoritarianism. This comes after Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death for ordering a deadly crackdown on student protesters who successfully toppled her government in 2024. The U.N. reports 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured in the crackdown.
Independent Journalist Georgia Fort and Activist Trahern Crews Plead Not Guilty in Federal Court in Minnesota
Feb 18, 2026
Image Credit: Georgia Fort
In Minnesota, independent journalist Georgia Fort and activist Trahern Crews pleaded not guilty in federal court in St. Paul yesterday. They were indicted on federal charges in connection with a protest last month at a St. Paul church where the pastor is also an ICE official. On Friday, journalist Don Lemon also pleaded not guilty, along with four others, including protest leader and civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. This is Georgia Fort, speaking to supporters gathered outside the federal courthouse in St. Paul Tuesday. She called attention to the attacks on journalists in the U.S. and around the world.
Georgia Fort: “This is a global crisis. According to Al Jazeera, more than 250 journalists and members of the media have been killed in Gaza. And most people don’t even know about it. We live in a time when AI images and AI videos are shaping our world’s reality, with a portion of our society living in delusion. So, if you stand for truth, I need you to stand up today!”
“Late Show” Host Colbert Blasts Trump Admin After CBS Pulls Interview with Texas Democrat Talarico
Feb 18, 2026
Image Credit: CBS
“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert is accusing the Trump administration and CBS of censorship after the network informed the “Late Show” that Colbert couldn’t air an interview with James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for Senate. CBS said in a statement, “The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Representative Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.” The FCC had previously issued an exemption for the equal time rule for news interviews, but earlier this year FCC Chair Brendan Carr mentioned that he was considering dropping the exemption specifically for talk shows. Earlier this month, the FCC opened an investigation into the ABC show “The View,” which also interviewed Talarico. Colbert’s interview with Talarico was ultimately posted on YouTube, outside the jurisdiction of the FCC. It garnered 5 million views. Here’s Colbert last night, insisting that CBS barred him from conducting his interview with Talarico live on the “Late Show” broadcast.
Stephen Colbert: “Between the monologue I did last night and before I did the second act talking about this issue, I had to go backstage. I got called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers, something that had never, ever happened before. And they told us the language they wanted me to use to describe that equal time exception, and I used that language. So I don’t know what this is about.”
CBS is currently owned by Paramount Skydance, run by Trump ally David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who has repeatedly visited the White House during President Trump’s second term. Paramount has restarted talks with Warner Bros. Discovery to acquire the company, after Warner Bros. previously rejected Paramount’s hostile takeover bid last year. The takeover would require the approval of Trump’s FCC.