Summary6 min read

The Headlines – Feb 16, 2026 | D.H.S. Pushes Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts, and U.S. Troops Land in Nigeria

Podcast: The Headlines
Host: Tracy Mumford (The New York Times)
Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

Today’s episode delivers a brisk yet detailed roundup of key U.S. news. Major stories include a behind-the-scenes look at the Department of Homeland Security’s legal pressure on social media companies to unmask ICE critics, new developments in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, the arrival of U.S. troops in Nigeria under controversial circumstances, and evolving concerns around tech surveillance—both from the government and private sector. Commentary from journalists and affected individuals brings firsthand insight and urgency.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. D.H.S. Seeks to Expose Critics of ICE Online

Summary:
The Department of Homeland Security has significantly increased its use of administrative subpoenas to demand that major social media companies—Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta—reveal the identities behind accounts criticizing ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or discussing agent locations.
Details:
- “DHS has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta… for the names, emails, phone numbers and other identifying data behind social media accounts that criticize the agency or post about the location of agents.” (Tracy Mumford, 00:40)
- Historically, these subpoenas targeted serious crimes, such as child trafficking.
- Now, the Trump administration has repurposed them to clamp down on opposition: “The Trump administration’s been aggressively trying to tamp down criticism of ICE, partly by identifying Americans who’ve spoken out.” (01:25)
- Company Responses:
  - Meta, Reddit, and Google have complied in some cases, sometimes notifying users and allowing 10–14 days to contest.
  - Google’s statement: “Our review process is designed to protect user privacy while meeting our legal obligations.” (Tracy Mumford quoting Google spokeswoman, 02:25)
Impact:
There’s alarm among both tech workers and civil liberties advocates regarding precedent and potential for misuse.
Memorable Moment:
“ICE told protesters in Minneapolis and Chicago that they were being recorded and identified with facial recognition technology.” (Tracy Mumford, 01:39)
Legal Fallout:
The pushback in court is mounting, as advocates argue these efforts are more about chilling dissent than safety.

2. Immigration Crackdown: Agents Under Scrutiny for Shooting

Summary:
Two ICE agents have been suspended after making false statements regarding a shooting in Minneapolis, where an immigration agent shot a man in the leg.
Details:
- “The administration officials immediately rushed to justify the use of force, claiming three people had attacked the officer with a broom and a snow shovel... That narrative collapsed in court.” (Tracy Mumford, 02:51)
Aftermath:
- The accused were cleared; agents may now face termination or criminal prosecution.
- “It’s the latest example of the Department of Homeland Security providing an account of a shooting that later proved questionable or outright wrong.” (03:20)

3. Student Protests Against Deportations, GOP Response

Summary:
Nationwide, students are walking out to protest the administration’s immigration policies—despite explicit threats from state officials, particularly Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Details:
- Ruth Maclean captures the protest energy:
  - “No justice, no peace. No more ICE. Clear our streets.” (Ruth Maclean, 03:32)
- Abbott has threatened to strip education funding and have “disorderly” students arrested; staff enabling protests could be treated as “co-conspirators.” (Tracy Mumford, 03:49)
- Students remain defiant: “A sixteen year old [Dallas] told the Times the protests are personal for her. Her cousin was deported this year...” (Tracy Mumford, 04:07)
Quote Highlight:
- “Despite the threats, the walkouts have continued.” (Tracy Mumford, 03:48)

4. U.S. Troops Land in Nigeria Under Contentious Pretext

Summary:
President Trump has deployed U.S. troops to Nigeria, ostensibly to protect the country’s Christians—a narrative criticized as simplistic and misleading.
Expert Insight: Ruth Maclean (NYT West Africa bureau chief)
- “President Trump has picked up on the idea… that there’s what he calls an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria… On Christmas Day he bombed the north of the country saying he was trying to protect Nigerian Christians.” (Ruth Maclean, 04:50)
- “The thing to understand… is that it really oversimplifies what is actually a very complex situation… You have jihadists, you have what people loosely term bandits… The people being killed come from many different sorts of groups… Muslims and Christians…” (Ruth Maclean, 05:20)
- “A lot of Nigerians are worried that the Americans are getting the narrative wrong. And that can be a dangerous thing when the most powerful nation in the world is involved…” (Ruth Maclean, 06:14)
Public Opinion:
While some Nigerians are wary of U.S. involvement, “plenty… are so fed up with their own government and see American intervention as potentially positive…” (Ruth Maclean, 06:30)

5. Hollywood Fallout: The Wasserman Group and the Epstein Files

Summary:
Casey Wasserman, head of the storied talent agency, will sell the company after backlash over emails with Ghislaine Maxwell in the Epstein Files.
Key Details:
- “Said he’s starting the process of selling the Wasserman Group…” (Tracy Mumford, 06:46)
- High-profile clients (Chapel Roan, Abby Wambach) have left in protest over 2003 emails: “I think of you all the time.” (06:55)
- Wasserman will remain as head of the 2028 LA Olympic committee.
- Quote:
  - “He still intends to stay on in another high profile role. He’s the chair of the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics in LA.” (Tracy Mumford, 07:40)

6. Tech Surveillance Debate: Pushback Against Ring’s Neighborhood Network

Summary:
Amazon-owned Ring faced blowback after a Super Bowl ad highlighted how its cameras could find lost pets by linking neighborhood feeds.
Key Details:
- “Critics found the tech invasive, showing how a whole neighborhood’s worth of cameras linked up to look for the dog...” (Tracy Mumford, 08:29)
- Critics worried about law enforcement tapping into Ring’s network.
  - “People asked if authorities would be able to use it, potentially tapping into thousands of cameras…” (08:35)
- Ring has now ended its partnership with a firm that provided police with surveillance technology.
- Senator Ed Markey hailed the move as a step “in guarding against the ever expanding network of surveillance technologies in this country.” (Tracy Mumford quoting, 09:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On DHS Subpoenas (01:25):
“The Trump administration’s been aggressively trying to tamp down criticism of ICE, partly by identifying Americans who’ve spoken out against the agency.” — Tracy Mumford
On Narrative Oversimplification in Nigeria (05:20):
“The thing to understand about this narrative that President Trump is pushing is that it really oversimplifies what is actually a very complex situation in Africa’s most populous country.” — Ruth Maclean
On Tech Surveillance (08:29):
“Critics found the tech invasive, showing how a whole neighborhood’s worth of cameras linked up to look for the dog on social media.” — Tracy Mumford
On Organizational Backlash (07:40):
“He still intends to stay on in another high profile role. He’s the chair of the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics in LA.” — Tracy Mumford

Timestamps for Key Segments

DHS Subpoena Pressure & Tech Response: 00:31–03:20
ICE Shooting Scandal: 02:26–03:32
Student Walkouts & Abbott's Threats: 03:32–04:20
U.S. Troops in Nigeria / Maclean Interview: 04:20–06:45
Wasserman & Epstein Fallout: 06:45–08:05
Ring Surveillance Pushback: 08:05–09:30

The episode presents a clear, urgent picture of governmental and corporate attempts to surveil and control under the banner of security, as well as the persistent pushback from both civil society and elements within the tech industry. It also offers a nuanced glimpse into foreign policy complications and the rapidly changing landscape of accountability in both politics and business.

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Transcript13 lines

[00:00]
American Petroleum Institute Announcer
This podcast is supported by the American Petroleum Institute. Energy is all around Today. America's natural gas and oil keeps the country moving, growing and building, and makes every day a little easier. But energy demand is growing, and the infrastructure built today will help secure a more affordable, reliable future with enough energy to go around. When America builds, the America Wins.
[00:31]
Tracy Mumford
From the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, February 16th. Here's what we're covering. The Times has learned that in recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has been pushing social media sites to reveal the identities of people who criticize ICE online, according to government officials and tech employees who are not authorized to speak publicly. DHS has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. It's asked for the names, emails, phone numbers and other identifying data behind social media accounts that criticize the agency or post about the location of agents, according to government officials. Meta, Reddit and Google have all complied with some of the requests. Some of the companies say they notified the account owners first and gave them 10 to 14 days to fight the subpoena in court. In the past, these kind of subpoenas were issued only sparingly. Tech employees told the Times they were primarily used to uncover people behind accounts engaged in serious crimes like child trafficking. But the Trump administration's been aggressively trying to tamp down criticism of ice, partly by identifying Americans who've spoken out against the agency. ICE told protesters in Minneapolis and Chicago that they were being recorded and identified with facial recognition technology. And last month, the White House border czar said on Fox News that he was pushing to create a database of people who were arrested for, quote, interference, impeding and assaults. In court, DHS lawyers have argued that they're seeking this information to keep ICE agents safe in the field. In response to questions from the Times, Meta, Reddit and Discord declined to comment. A Google spokeswoman said, quote, our review process is designed to protect user privacy while meeting our legal obligations. Now, two other quick updates on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The acting head of ICE says that two agents have been suspended and are being investigated for making false statements regarding related to a shooting in Minneapolis. In the incident last month, an immigration agent shot a man in the leg and administration officials immediately rushed to justify the use of force, claiming three people had attacked the officer with a broom and a snow shovel and that he feared for his life. That narrative collapsed in court, however, when the U.S. attorney said that version of events was not true. The charges against the men accused of attacking the agent have now been dropped. The actual agents could be fired or face criminal prosecution. It's the latest example of the Department of Homeland Security providing an account of a shooting that later proved questionable or outright wrong. And nobody is illegal on stolen land across the country.
[03:33]
Ruth Maclean
No justice, no peace. No more ice. Clear our streets.
[03:36]
Tracy Mumford
Students in more than three dozen states have walked out of class in recent weeks to protest the administration's deportation tactics. But in some places, Republican officials are trying to shut down those demonstrations. In Texas in particular, Governor Greg Abbott has suggested that state funding could be stripped from school districts where there are protests and that students who are disorderly should be arrested. Abbott recently warned on social media that schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co conspirators. Despite the threats, the walkouts have continued. 116 year old in Dallas told the Times the protests are personal for her. Her cousin was deported this year, leaving his wife and 5 year old son to move in with her family. Late last year, President Trump caught some off guard when he threatened to send the US Military into Nigeria, quote, guns a blazing to protect Christians in the country. Now the first wave of US Troops have arrived on the ground there, part of a non combat deployment that's expected to include about 200 personnel.
[04:51]
Ruth Maclean
President Trump has picked up on the idea that has been pushed by a bunch of Republican lawmakers and others for months now, that there's what he calls an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria. And it's got to the point where, you know, on Christmas Day he bombed the north of the country saying that he was trying to protect Nigerian Christians.
[05:17]
Tracy Mumford
Ruth Maclean is the Times West Africa bureau chief.
[05:20]
Ruth Maclean
The thing to understand about this narrative that President Trump is pushing is that it really oversimplifies what is actually a very complex situation in Africa's most populous country. So a very complex nation. You have jihadists, you have what people loosely term bandits, groups of people who often carry out mass kidnappings and killings. You have separatists, all sorts of different armed actors carrying out this violence on the ground. And the people being killed come from many different sorts of groups and that comprises both Muslims and Christians and people practicing traditional religions in Nigeria. I think a lot of Nigerians are confused by this narrative and the fact that it's even led to things like airstrikes. I think a lot of people are worried that the Americans are getting the narrative wrong. And that can be a dangerous thing when the most powerful nation in the world is involved and is sending bombs to your country. But I do think that there are plenty of Nigerians as well who are so fed up with their own government and see American intervention as a potentially positive thing if it can force their own government to act and stop the violence that's playing out across the whole country and is affecting practically everybody.
[06:46]
Tracy Mumford
In Los Angeles, the head of a powerhouse talent agency is bowing to backlash over his name appearing repeatedly in the Epstein Files. Casey Wasserman, who comes from a legendary Hollywood family, said he's starting the process of selling the Wasserman Group, which represents thousands of artists and athletes from Coldplay to Brittney Griner. Over the last week or so, artist.
[07:09]
American Petroleum Institute Announcer
Chapel Roan announcing she's leaving the Wasserman Talent Agency.
[07:13]
Tracy Mumford
Dozens of those clients, including Chapel Rohn and the soccer star Abby Wambach, announced they were leaving the agency, saying they were outraged over flirtatious emails Wasserman had sent to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime companion and co conspirator. The emails were from 2003, several years before Epstein was first arrested. In them, Wasserman wrote to Maxwell, quote, I think of you all the time. In a memo apologizing to his staff, Wasserman said he only had, quote, limited interactions with Maxwell and Epstein. And he has said that even as he steps back from the talent agency, he still intends to stay on in another high profile role. He's the chair of the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics in LA. And finally, Petzer family. But every year, 10 million go missing. Last week, the home security company Ring put out what was supposed to be a heartwarming super bowl ad showing how its cameras could help find a lost pet. One post of a dog's photo in the Ring app starts outdoor camera looking for a match. But the reaction was not all.
[08:28]
Ruth Maclean
Aww.
[08:29]
Tracy Mumford
Critics found the tech invasive, showing how a whole neighborhood's worth of cameras linked up to look for the dog on social media. People asked if authorities would be able to use it, potentially tapping into thousands of cameras to track people's everyday movements. Now Ring has announced that it's ending a partnership with another surveillance technology firm, one that provides tech like license plate readers to police departments across the country. The partnership would have linked Ring's tech with theirs and helped homeowners share footage with law enforcement during investigations. Ring, which is owned by Amazon, did not say that the breakup of the deal was because of the super bowl reaction, saying only that the partnership would have needed significantly more time and resources than anticipated. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts who has long been critical of Ring's data privacy practices, called it an important step in, quote, guarding against the ever expanding network of surveillance technologies in this country. Those are the headlines today on the Daily Big Data center projects are now being planned all over the country, but not everyone is buying into the promise of good jobs and an economic windfall. A look at one county in Indiana that's pushing back. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
[10:01]
American Petroleum Institute Announcer
This podcast is supported by the American Petroleum Institute. Energy is all around today. America's natural gas and oil keeps the country moving, growing and building and makes every day a little easier. But energy demand is growing and the infrastructure built today will help secure a more affordable, reliable future with enough energy to go around. When America builds, America wins.