NATIONAL

“If you have delegates, you can make demands.” – Politico

“Apple will fight a federal magistrate’s order to help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in last December’s deadly San Bernardino terror attack.” – Fox News

“South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday she may not endorse anyone ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary, but if she does, it won’t be Donald Trump.” – Red State

“The Munich Security Conference is an annual catalogue of horrors. But the most ominous discussion this past weekend wasn’t about Islamic State terrorism but a new generation of weapons — such as killer robots and malignly programmed ‘smart’ appliances that could be deployed in future conflicts.” – The Washington Post

“In the early years of the Obama administration, the United States developed an elaborate plan for a cyberattack on Iran in case the diplomatic effort to limit its nuclear program failed and led to a military conflict, according to a coming documentary film and interviews with military and intelligence officials involved in the effort.” – New York Times

“A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to give investigators access to encrypted data on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, assistance the computer giant “declined to provide voluntarily,” according to court papers.” – NBCNews.com

“Facing a barrage of attacks challenging his conservatism, Donald Trump on Tuesday sought to define his own brand of politics.” – CNN.com

“‘I would wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decisions,’ Grassley told reporters this morning. ‘In other words, take it a step at a time.’…” – Hot Air

“Democrats have been up in arms with Senate Republicans who’ve promised to block any Supreme Court nomination from President Barack Obama to replace conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead at a Texas resort Saturday.” – The Blaze

“One of Poland’s most popular weekly magazines has splashed a graphic depiction of the rape of Europe’s women by migrants on its front cover. The image may be one of the most politically incorrect illustrations of the migrant crisis to date.” –Breitbart

LOUISIANA

“A new poll gives Governor John Bel Edwards an approval rating of 42 percent. The survey was conducted by Southern Media and Opinion Research. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says he hasn’t seen an approval rating that low for a new governor, since Edwin Edwards last term which started in 1992.” – WWL.com

“Former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s budget shell game may haunt Louisiana for years to come. The Legislative Auditor released a report Monday (Feb. 15) showing that the state will have to pay an additional $71 million in interest on $210 million in bonds that were used to balance the budget rather than for construction. Those payments will go on for 20 years, and the state will have no new projects to show for all that spending.” – NOLA.com

“Louisiana’s current budget crisis could soon impact festivals and tourism across the state. State Treasurer John Kennedy is proposing moving nearly $2 billion in dedicated monies to the state’s general fund to help tackle the problem.” – WWLTV.com

“The thousands of attendees seeking reasons for optimism didn’t find them at the annual International Petroleum Week that ended Thursday in London.” –  BusinessReport.com

“The staff of the LIGO Livingston observatory, which detected spacetime gravitational waves given off from the merger of two black holes in a galaxy a billion light-years away, got a thank you and a pep talk from the director of the National Science Foundation on Tuesday (Feb. 16).” – NOLA.com

“As the Louisiana Legislature meets in a special three-week session to remedy the state’s budget deficit, state agencies are moving forward to make the inevitable cuts.” –KPLCTV.com

“There have been rumblings and out right claims of fact via social media that Nicholls State University would be closing its doors for 12 days to alleviate the strains of budget cuts to the institution. Those rumblings and social media claims are not true. That’s according to a man who should know. Dr. Bruce Murphy is  the president of Nicholls State and he says the stories about a tight budget are absolutely true but the idea the school would be closing is not.” – Gator995.com

“The first four Lafayette Police officers to respond to the Grand Theatre shooting in July were honored Tuesday by the Lafayette City-Parish Council.” – KATC.com

“Louisiana is dealing with the worst budget crisis in state history, and a Natchitoches man is trying to help.” – KATC.com

“LSU opens their 2016 campaign, Sept.3 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.” – Fox8Live.com