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Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1861, former U.S. Sen. Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as provisional president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama. You can see a newspaper illustration here.

As historic flooding swamped freeways and stranded self-driving cars across Southern California, one local decided to make the best of it: grabbing a wakeboard and hitching a ride down a flooded street behind a pickup truck. Details are below.

Today's sponsor, Decentralized Masters, reveals how institutions are positioning outside traditional financial systems—and how you can learn the same "native market" strategies from former Wall Street CFA Tan Gera to potentially protect and grow your wealth beyond government-controlled channels.

Ten Skiers Missing in California Avalanche

An avalanche swept through the Castle Peak area near Truckee, California, on Tuesday, leaving 10 backcountry skiers missing and six others stranded at the site awaiting rescue.

The group of 16, including four guides and 12 clients, was hit around 11:30 a.m. during a powerful winter storm that dumped 30 inches of snow in 24 hours and brought gale-force winds to the Sierra Nevada.

Some 46 emergency responders from multiple agencies are battling blizzard conditions to reach survivors, as the dangerous weather impedes rescue efforts.

The Sierra Avalanche Center had warned against any backcountry travel before the slide, citing unstable snowpack and the likelihood of large natural avalanches. A snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche in the same area just last month.

Storms Batter Southern California

A powerful winter storm slammed Southern California on Monday, flooding freeways, swamping businesses, and shattering daily rain records.

Water rose to the mid-door panels of cars in Westwood, and a pair of self-driving Waymos got stranded in the flood. One driver in Commerce had to be pulled out of her car through the window as waters surged around her vehicle.

Business owners in Los Angeles' Fairfax District blamed the city for a sluggish emergency response, saying a water-pumping truck sat idle because no one was there to operate it.

One local found a silver lining, wakeboarding down a flooded street behind a pickup truck. Two more storms are expected this week, with up to 8 feet of snow possible in the mountains.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Dies at 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and twice ran for president, died Tuesday morning surrounded by his family in Chicago. He was 84.

Jackson had been hospitalized in recent months for progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder. He also publicly revealed he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017.

A protégé of King's, Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and became one of the most prominent and controversial voices in the American civil rights movement for over five decades.

President Trump called him "a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and 'street smarts.'"

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ A good Samaritan stepped in to end the deadly shooting at a Rhode Island high school hockey game. (Hear Details)

➤ Jerusalem opened an ancient Pilgrims' Road, which will let visitors walk a 2,000-year-old route. (Podcast Available)

➤ 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper has left CBS after nearly two decades. (Listen Now)

➤ Senate Democrats sent a new counterproposal to the White House on Monday night to fund the Department of Homeland Security as the partial shutdown entered day four with no deal in sight. (More)

➤ The U.S. military struck three alleged drug-running boats late Monday, killing 11 people. Two of the targets were in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and one was in the Caribbean. (More)

➤ Iran partially shut down the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday for live-fire drills, the first time it has closed the critical waterway during current tensions, as negotiators held a second round of talks with the U.S. in Geneva. About 20% of the world's oil passes through the strait. (More)

➤ Late-night CBS host Stephen Colbert blasted CBS on air for refusing to let him air an interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, a Senate candidate. Colbert posted the interview to YouTube instead. (More)

➤ The Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee reached a settlement allowing 73,000 North Carolina voters who lacked the required ID info to remain on the rolls and vote in the 2026 elections. (More)

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While CBDCs Aim to Control Your Money, This is Where Institutions Are Moving Theirs

The World Economic Forum says "you'll own nothing and be happy."

CBDCs are rolling out. Bank accounts can be frozen.

Blackrock and institutions are accumulating in markets the government can't touch.

One asset traded at $0.95 in the "Native Markets" in 2020. When it listed 13 months later at $44.45, early investors made 4,574% while retail was locked out.

Former Wall Street CFA Tan Gera teaches this strategy through Decentralized Masters.

Learn exactly how to position outside the system →

➤ The 2026 NBA All-Star Game averaged 8.8 million viewers—an 87% increase from last year's game and the biggest audience since 2011. (More)

➤ California surfing icon Kurt Van Dyke was found dead in Costa Rica following a home invasion and robbery. He was 66. (More)

➤ Tony Clark, executive director of the baseball players' union, resigned from his position yesterday as lockout talks loom. He's under federal investigation regarding financial improprieties at the union. (More)

➤ Iowa State's Nate Heise hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to beat No. 2 Houston in basketball just hours after his sister, Taylor, scored a goal for Team USA Olympic hockey. (More)

➤ Yesterday's Results: NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

2026 Winter Olympics is brought to you by:

Canadian women's hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin scored her 19th and 20th Olympic goals in the semifinal match against Switzerland—a new Olympic women's record. (More)

Italy upset Team USA to win gold in the men's team pursuit final, beating the silver-medal Americans. (More)

A Ukrainian businessman gave skeleton racer Vladislav Heraskevych $200,000—equivalent to what Ukrainian gold medalists receive—to continue funding his athletic career after he was disqualified for wearing a politically-charged helmet. (More)

Yesterday's Results: Daily Events | Global Medal Tracker

U.S. Medal Count (as of yesterday): 🥇6 | 🥈10 | 🥉5

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Daily Market Report 02/17/2026

▲	NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	22,578.38	0.14%
▲	SPX S&P 500	6,843.22	0.10%
▲	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	49,533.19	0.07%
▼	BTC Bitcoin	$67,535.55	-1.90%
▼	GOLD Per Ounce	$4,896.10	-2.51%
▼	SILVER Per Ounce	$73.53	-5.55%
▼	OIL West Texas Intermediate Crude	$62.22	-1.07%
▲	MASI Masimo Corp.	$174.69	+34.22%

Bitcoin, gold, silver, and oil are traded 24 hours a day.

➤ Big Stock Move: Masimo stock jumped 34% on Tuesday after Danaher agreed to acquire the health technology company in a $9.9 billion deal. (More)

➤ Dollar Tree, the discount retailer, is opening new stores in increasingly affluent areas as it seeks to attract higher-income customers, according to a new report. (See Details)

➤ Americans are receiving nearly 11% more in their tax refunds on average in the 2026 filing season than last year, though taxpayers are filing at a slower pace in the first few weeks than they were a year ago. (See Details)

➤ Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday rejected Paramount Skydance's latest $30-a-share hostile bid, but gave the Hollywood studio seven days to come up with a "best and final" offer for the company. (More)

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➤ A new $690 million U.S. Export-Import Bank letter of intent is the latest tailwind propelling EnergyX forward. With backing from General Motors, POSCO, Eni, and 40,000+ retail investors, they're preparing to unlock up to 9.8M tons of lithium in Chile. Claim your piece before EnergyX's share price increases on 2/26. (More)

EnergyX: Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. ("EnergyX") has engaged The Flyover to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX's ongoing Regulation A offering. The Flyover has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. The Flyover and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX. This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX's offering materials. EnergyX's Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/.

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How BlackRock Manages $13.5 Trillion in Any Market (You Can Copy This)

BlackRock manages $13.5 trillion using a little-known 3-phase system. Former Wall Street CFA Tan Gera adapted this framework for digital assets. Phase A protects your base with diversified holdings. Phase B generates 10-30% yields by making you the bank. Phase N accesses the "Native Markets" where institutions buy at pennies before exchanges list at 10-100x and dump on retail. Tan turned $57,000 into $1.87 million using this system. Phase N has an independently audited 87.6% win rate. Over 4,000 investors now use this exact system to generate institutional-level returns regardless of market direction.

Watch the free training to learn the complete 3-phase system →

This content is for educational purposes only. The opinions expressed are from DM Intelligence LLC, doing business as Decentralized Masters, which are not licensed financial advisors or registered investment advisors. The reader acknowledges that DM Intelligence LLC is not responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, resulting from the use of this information, including errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.

➤ NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman sent consumer smartphones to the International Space Station aboard last week's Crew-12 mission to test whether off-the-shelf devices can replace the bulky, outdated equipment astronauts currently rely on. (More)

➤ More than 28,000 earthquakes rattled Santorini and the surrounding Aegean Sea in early 2025, and scientists now know why: a surge of roughly 300 million cubic meters of magma pushed up through the crust beneath the famous Greek island. (More)

➤ China rang in the Lunar New Year with humanoid robots dancing, doing backflips, and performing martial arts on national television, a high-profile showcase of Beijing's push to lead the global robotics race. (Watch Robots)

➤ A psychologist who studies couples says people in the happiest relationships never underestimate five simple daily habits. (See Habits)

➤ Jane Seymour turned 75 this week and revealed the eating approach that's kept her a size 4 since her teens. (See Approach)

➤ A new survey of 2,000 women found that girls' nights in now beat girls' nights out by a wide margin, with many calling them essential for their mental health. (More)

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➤ Competitors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will hurl handmade wooden "snakes" down a snowy chute on Feb. 28, with $500 going to the farthest throw. (More)

➤ Jake Paul's fiancée, Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam, is in line for a million-dollar Nike deal after flashing the brand's sports bra during her Olympic gold celebration. (More)

➤ Olympic organizers had to rush extra condoms to the athlete villages after "higher-than-anticipated demand" wiped out supplies before Valentine's Day. (More)

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