Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine advised President Donald Trump and top officials during the past hour that a military campaign against Iran risks becoming a prolonged conflict, according to Yashar Ali citing a full story link at approximately 6:20 p.m. UTC on February 23, 2026, within the 59-minute reporting window from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. UTC. Two anonymous whistleblowers provided documents to Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office showing U.S. Department of Homeland Security lowered training and testing standards for new ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers to meet hiring targets, as reported by Tyler McBrien on X at about 6:10 p.m. UTC. The documents from July 2021 compared to October 2025 indicate elimination of over a dozen exams, including Judgement Pistol Shooting, Determine Removability, Encounters to Detention, Detention to Removal, and Criminal Encounters. A former ICE instructor is set to testify before Congress that the agency's training for recruits is broken, placing them on streets without adequate preparation for lawful immigration enforcement, according to Camila Rios citing CBS News with M.K. Planta at around 6:30 p.m. UTC. Separately, Rep. Lauren Boebert called for Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign, quoting texts indicating Gonzales sought explicit photos from a former staffer, posted at approximately 6:15 p.m. UTC. Sen. Marco Rubio is seeking a hospital ship, as noted by TheRealThelmaJ1 on X during the window. These ICE training concerns build on a new internal poll from the Texas 23rd GOP primary reported earlier today, showing challenger Brandon Herrera leading incumbent Gonzales 45% to 21% among likely voters surveyed February 18-20, per IAPolls2022 citing the Texas Tribune.
