“Several board members of Texas’ electric grid operator are resigning, according to a regulatory filing, a week after millions of state residents endured days of bitter cold without power when the grid failed. Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) are resigning effective Wednesday, according to the filing” – Reuters.

Business Insider: “Former president Donald Trump appealed directly to Facebook’s Oversight Board to rejoin the platform, Channel 4 News reported. The Facebook Oversight Board, a team of 20 experts from around the world, is reviewing the tech company’s decision to permanently suspend Trump’s account. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former prime minister of Denmark and a member of the Oversight Board, told Channel 4 News of Trump’s appeal, according to the outlet’s communication director Hayley Barlow. Thorning-Schmidt added the Oversight Board has received thousands of public comments on the issue. ‘We can confirm that a user statement has been received in the case before the Oversight Board concerning President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts,’ an Oversight Board spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.”

“‘We will have no further comment concerning that statement until the Board has issued its decision.’ Facebook suspended Trump’s account following the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol building. Trump had posted a video to Facebook during the insurrection that appeared sympathetic to rioters and disseminated false claims of election fraud. The Facebook Oversight board, which launched last year and has ruled on five cases so far, announced on January 21 that it will review the company’s decision to suspend Trump. The board has 90 days total to decide whether Trump can remain on the platform. Decisions made by the Board cannot be overturned.”

“Maricopa County’s election equipment and software passed all tests performed by two independent firms hired to conduct the forensic audit, according to reports by two federally certified Voting System Testing Laboratories. ‘Our form of government is built on the promise that every vote counts. Following the 2020 General Election, some of our residents expressed concerns their ballots were not counted as intended,’ said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, District 1. ‘As a result, the Board of Supervisors asked two firms to independently look at the security and reliability of our election equipment and processes and to let us know if they found any evidence of equipment malfunction or foul play that might have changed the outcome of any race. The firms we hired are the only two in the United States certified to do this work. We asked them to go beyond what we had already done to ensure the integrity of our elections and beyond even the stringent requirements of state law. We are releasing the results of those audits today so that the public can see what we see and know what we know: no hacking or vote switching occurred in the 2020 election'” – Maricopa County, Arizona Press Release.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “A Wisconsin elections commissioner said Tuesday he would not participate in deciding complaints he brought against the head of his agency and Gov. Tony Evers. The decision not to participate in the cases will leave them to be decided by three Democrats and two Republicans. That raises the likelihood that the Wisconsin Elections Commission will rule in the favor of the Democratic governor and the commission’s nonpartisan director, Meagan Wolfe.”

“Dean Knudson, a Republican on the commission, filed complaints in December against Evers and Wolfe over how the state finalized results confirming Joe Biden had beaten Donald Trump in the state’s presidential election. He contended the commission should have had a chance to weigh in on how to handle the election results before the Democratic chairwoman, Ann Jacobs, finalized them. Knudson is not seeking to overturn the state’s results or sanction Evers or Wolfe. Rather, he wants the commission to issue a ruling that says results won’t be handled the same way in future elections. Attorneys for Evers and Wolfe say the two handled certifying the results properly.”

“The authorities in Arizona accused a man of going to extreme lengths to get out of work this month, saying he faked his own kidnapping, bound his own wrists, gagged himself and invented a story of treasure hidden in the desert. The man, Brandon Soules, was arrested last week on a charge of false reporting to law enforcement, the police in Coolidge, AZ, said in a statement that outlined a scheme they believe was intended to get Soules excused from his job at a tire store.”

“In the statement, the police said that Soules, 19, admitted during an interview with detectives that he had made up the kidnapping story, which led to his arrest. He was booked at the Coolidge Police Department and released with a court date. Soules did not immediately respond to a message on Tuesday, and it was not clear whether he had a lawyer” – New York Times.

AP: “The foundation widely seen as a steward of the Black Lives Matter movement says it took in just over $90 million last year, according to a financial snapshot shared exclusively with The Associated Press. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is now building infrastructure to catch up to the speed of its funding and plans to use its endowment to become known for more than protests after Black Americans die at the hands of police or vigilantes. ‘We want to uplift Black joy and liberation, not just Black death. We want to see Black communities thriving, not just surviving,’ reads an impact report the foundation shared with the AP before releasing it.”

“This marks the first time in the movement’s nearly eight-year history that BLM leaders have revealed a detailed look at their finances. The foundation’s coffers and influence grew immensely following the May 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man whose last breaths under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked protests across the U.S. and around the world. That growth also caused longstanding tensions to boil over between some of the movement’s grassroots organizers and national leaders – the former went public last fall with grievances about financial transparency, decision-making and accountability. The foundation said it committed $21.7 million in grant funding to official and unofficial BLM chapters, as well as 30 Black-led local organizations. It ended 2020 with a balance of more than $60 million, after spending nearly a quarter of its assets on the grant funds and other charitable giving. In its report, the BLM foundation said individual donations via its main fundraising platform averaged $30.76. More than 10% of the donations were recurring. The report does not state who gave the money in 2020, and leaders declined to name prominent donors.”

“A Republican Queens district leader was arrested for taking part in the Capitol riots last month, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Phillip Grillo, 46, was arrested by the FBI on Monday and was charged for storming the halls of congress during the Trump-incited siege on Jan. 6 that left a police officer and several rioters dead. Grillo, a Queens district leader in the 24th District, is a vocal Trump supporter. He wore a Trump pin in photos and called the district he led ‘Trump’s Hometown District’ on his Facebook. His shocked mother heard about the news of her son’s arrest on a phone call with the Daily News Tuesday. ‘I’m his mother. I don’t know anything about this,’ Eileen Grillo told The News. ‘I couldn’t get in contact with him I knew something was wrong.'”

“Grillo said she knew that her son was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan.6, but she was not aware that he took part in the riots or entered the building. ‘He loves all that Republican stuff, but that’s not his whole character,’ she said, noting he has a son. Grillo was identified by a Knights of Columbus jacket he was wearing inside the building, federal prosecutors said. He was identified by two people who saw him on CNN coverage of the riots, both of whom said that they’d known him for decades in Glen Oaks, Queens. Grillo was caught on camera climbing through a broken window to gain access to the U.S. Capitol building around 2:20 p.m.. He then moved all over the Capitol building wearing the Knights of Columbus jacket that said ‘Glen Oaks’ on it. He took videos of himself and carried a megaphone with him, prosecutors said” – NY Daily News.

“On February 23, 2021, at approximately 7:12 AM, LASD responded to a single vehicle roll-over traffic collision on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard, at Blackhorse Road, when it crashed. The vehicle sustained major damage. The driver and sole occupant was identified as PGA golfer, Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods. Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck with the ‘jaws of life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries. The traffic investigation is being conducted by investigators from LASD Lomita Station” – Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department press release.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Two metro Atlanta counties are seeking attorney’s fees from former President Donald Trump and Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer in a lawsuit that sought to overturn the presidential election in Georgia. Trump and Shafer filed the lawsuit in December in Fulton County Superior Court. It was part of a wave of election litigation that continues long after Joe Biden was sworn in as president. Among other things, the lawsuit said tens of thousands of illegal voters cast ballots in the November election – claims that election experts said where ‘highly inaccurate’ and ‘worthless.’ Trump later withdrew the lawsuit on the even of a court hearing. Now Cobb and DeKalb counties say the president and Shafer should pay their legal bills.”

“In a brief filed Monday, Cobb says it spent $10,875 on the ‘meritless and legally deficient petition.’ DeKalb says it spent $6,105. ‘Given the number of failed lawsuits filed by the former president and his campaign, petitioners apparently believed that they could file their baseless and legally deficient actions with impunity, with no regard for the costs extracted from the taxpayers’ coffers or the consequences to the democratic foundations of our country,’ Cobb County’s brief said.”

“In the days after Jessica Watkins stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 with her fellow Oath Keepers, prosecutors say, the Army veteran’s allegiance to the far-right paramilitary group only ‘calcified.’ The 38-year-old, who is accused of preparing and training for at least two months to ‘fight hand to hand’ to take over the Capitol, was worried about the optics of the Oath Keepers after the insurrection – and talked about suing anyone ‘class-action style’ who spoke out against the group. ‘If he has anything negative to say about us OATHKEEPERS, I’ll let you know so we can sue harder. Class action style. Oathkeepers are the shit,’ Watkins texted after a media report ‘portrayed her conduct and that of her fellow Oath Keepers…in a negative light,’ according to a memo prosecutors filed Tuesday in support of her detention.”

“‘They rescued cops, WE saved lives and did all the right things. At the end of the day, this guy better not try us. A lawsuit could even put cash in OK coffers. He doesn’t know who he is playing with. I won’t tolerate a defamation of character, mine or the Patriots we served with in DC. Hooah?!’ she added. Prosecutors believe Watkin’s continued loyalty to the Oath Keepers and the ‘federal crime of terrorism’ she’s been accused of justifies their request to keep her detained pending trial. During her Tuesday detention hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta remained skeptical about the government’s allegations that Watkins was a flight risk who committed a ‘crime of violence.’ He asked prosecutors for more information on whether the destruction of government property charge qualifies as a crime of violence. The request delayed his decision on her detention to another date. ‘These are issues that are not going to affect only Ms. Watkins but potentially dozens and dozens of others that are coming down the pipeline,’ Mehta said” – Daily Beast.

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: “Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday issued a statement calling on Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to resign, adding pressure on the state’s highest ranking prosecutor to depart office. Noem also said the state will release additional materials related to the investigation into Ravnsborg’s fatal Sept. 12 crash that killed a Highmore man.”

This past week Texas saw some of the coldest temperatures and many, if not most, went without critical supplies. Angela and I also sat in our dark home with no power for most of 72 hours. We grilled food outside and sat by the fire for warmth as so many Texans did. (1/3) #Texas

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) February 23, 2021

Full thread: “I had previously planned meetings in Utah to meet with the Utah Attorney General on imminent legal issues that required my physical presence to complete. Furthermore, I attended an important law enforcement demonstration that, if implemented in Texas, will assist law enforcement in the proper use of forces, de-escalation, and treatment of suspects with mental illnesses. While the media does its job to drum up controversies by writing stories to generate clicks and revenue, I will continue to do my job to enforce the law and ensure that law enforcement has all the tools to keep Texans safe. #TexasBlackout”

“Warsaw police have closed the case against Polish journalist investigated for an article stating that ‘Polish participation in the Holocaust is a historical fact.’ Katarzyna Markusz was questioned by police in Warsaw at the beginning of February, suspected of ‘slandering the good name of the Polish nation.’ The explanation given for closing the investigation, as reported in the Polish media, was that no crime had been committed. ‘This whole investigation was meant to scare me and other journalists and historians from writing the truth about Polish involvement in the Holocaust,’ Markusz told Haaretz. ‘But those who wanted to scare me simply failed. I’m not going to change anything and I’m not going to stop writing about it'” – Haaretz.

Former Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin plans on launching a new investment fund with money raised from Persian Gulf backers, the Washington Post reports.

The fund, which has started to hire staff for its Washington, DC-based operation, will concentrate on investments in the technology and entertainment sectors.  Mnuchin is apparently seeking money from sovereign funds controlled by United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia oligarchs.

Mnuchin worked as an investment banker and Hollywood producer prior to joining the Trump Administration which regularly demeaned “the Hollywood elites.”

“Al Jazeera is launching Rightly, a new digital platform aiming to serve conservative audiences – reaching center-right folks who feel left out of mainstream media. Longtime Fox News veteran Scott Norvell is the editor-in-chief. Rightly’s first show will be ‘Right Now with Stephen Kent,’ an opinion-led interview program that will drop its first episode Thursday, with more programming to follow in the coming months” – Politico.

“Sidney Powell is one of the few left who hasn’t betrayed us. Our options are few. I would love to see secession and a total division from the Babylon this culture has become.”

– The current top comment on the Gateway Pundit article “Sidney Powell Responds to Supreme Court Decision to Ignore Election Fraud“, posted Tuesday.

Perhaps booking his next vacation to the Mexican Riviera, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Quintana Roo) was clicking away on his phone during the opening statement of former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund during Tuesday’s opening day of hearing on the January 6th dometic terrorist attack on the Capitol.

https://youtu.be/4rjPFlxSp6s

“Rudy Giuliani spent a week dodging service of a $1.3 billion lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems after publicly declaring he was ready for the legal fight. Dominion hired the process servers to hand Giuliani its mammoth 107-page lawsuit after the former mayor ignored requests to simply accept it via email, the source said. The voting machine company claims Giuliani destroyed its reputation by knowingly spreading lies that it helped steal the election for President Biden.”

“‘After not responding to requests to waive service, Mr. Giuliani evaded in-person service of process for nearly a week. It took numerous attempts, at both his home and office, before we were able to successfully serve Mr. Giuliani on February 10. Mr. Giuliani’s repeated false claims about Dominion have been immeasurably damaging; this service of process is one more step forward in our pursuit of justice,’ said Tom Clare, an attorney for Dominion. Giuliani said he welcomed the court fight after Dominion sued last month” – NY Daily News.

Business Insider: “MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he expects to lose $65 million in pillow revenue this year because of retailer boycotts over his claims that the 2020 US election was rigged. That projection, Lindell told Insider in an interview Monday after being served with a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems seeking $1.3 billion in damages, is evidence he isn’t pushing election-fraud claims for the money. ‘I lost 20 retailers, and it’s cost me $65 million this year that I won’t get back, OK?’ Lindell told Insider. ‘There’s your story. Print it right. Don’t try and twist this.’ The 121-page lawsuit alleges the pillow mogul used conspiracy theories about the election to turbocharge sales for his company, using conspiratorial phrases as discount codes and placing expensive advertisements with like-minded media outlets.”