Day: February 23, 2026

#CIA  #News  #AI
CIA News Today – AI Report:
Objective, Balanced, Timely
7:25 AM 2/23/2026

AI Overview
As of February 21, 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has ordered the withdrawal or revision of 19 intelligence reports, citing political bias and a failure to meet, standards following a review by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. The reports spanned the past decade, including topics on COVID-19, LGBTQ issues, and white nationalism. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Recent Developments:

Report Revisions: The CIA is retracting 19 products deemed non-objective or influenced by political considerations.
Targeted Reports: Specific reports being revised include a 2020 paper on pandemic-related contraceptive shortages, a 2015 report on LGBT activists in the Middle East, and a 2021 report on women in extremist groups.
Internal Changes: These actions are part of a broader push for {“AI at scale”} and a new strategy to centralize Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) within the intelligence community.
Leadership Initiative: The moves follow a review led by Deputy Director Michael Ellis, aiming to ensure intelligence is free from partisan influence.
Recruitment Drive: Reports indicate the CIA is actively strengthening its intelligence capabilities, with recent focus on competitive intelligence against rivals. [3, 4, 6, 7, 8]

This news follows recent internal shifts aimed at altering the agency’s focus and reducing what some officials term “liberal bias” in previous intelligence products. [4, 6]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1]  washingtonpost.com/national-…
[2]  nbcnews.com/politics/nationa…
[3]  nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/po…
[4]  cia.gov/stories/story/dcia-r…
[5]  foxnews.com/politics/cia-ret…
[6]  federalnewsnetwork.com/tag/c…
[7]  youtube.com/watch?v=owwfQJP3…
[8]  youtube.com/watch?v=eIC6nOB4…
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AI Mode
cia news today
Today’s CIA news centers on a major policy shift regarding past intelligence and ongoing recruitment efforts.
Major Retraction of Intelligence Reports
On February 20, 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered the official retraction or substantive revision of 19 intelligence products published over the last decade.
📷CIA (.gov) +1
Reasoning: The reports were flagged by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) for failing to meet “analytic tradecraft standards” and for containing perceived political bias.
Specific Examples: Three of the retracted reports include analyses on:Radicalization and recruitment by women in white ethnically motivated violent extremism (2021).
The pressure faced by LGBT activists in the Middle East and North Africa (2015).
The economic impact of pandemic-related contraceptive shortfalls (2020).

Reaction: Senator Mark Warner and other critics have characterized the move as a politically motivated effort to align the agency with the current administration’s ideology.📷CIA (.gov) +4
Operational & Recruitment Updates
China Recruitment Drive: The CIA recently released a sophisticated Mandarin-language recruitment video specifically targeting Chinese military and government officials. The campaign aims to exploit internal dissatisfaction following recent high-level purges within the People’s Liberation Army.
Venezuela Operations: Reports continue to surface regarding the CIA’s increased operational role in Venezuela, including the use of stealth drones and covert teams to track and eventually capture Nicolás Maduro.
World Factbook Discontinued: The agency officially ended the publication of the World Factbook on February 4, 2026, a resource it had maintained for over six decades.📷Politico +6
Workforce & Leadership
Staffing Cuts: The administration is moving forward with plans to cut approximately 1,200 positions from the CIA as part of a broader effort to “streamline operations”. This includes voluntary buyout offers to the entire workforce.
New Acquisition Framework: The CIA launched a new framework to turbocharge collaboration with the private sector, aimed at speeding up the acquisition of science and technology breakthroughs.📷CIA (.gov) +4
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GEMINI
CIA News: Retractions, Recruitment, and Tech  gemini.google.com/share/c4ce…
It is a busy day at Langley. From institutional shake-ups to high-stakes recruitment drives in the East, here is the latest “CIA News” as of Monday, February 23, 2026.

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## **The Headlines: Strategic Retractions and Bias Reviews**

On February 20, 2026, **CIA Director John Ratcliffe** ordered the official retraction or substantive revision of **19 intelligence products** published over the last decade.

* **The Reason:** A review by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) concluded these reports failed to meet “analytic tradecraft standards” and were not independent of political consideration.
* **The Content:** While many remain classified, declassified examples include reports on women in white racially motivated extremism and the pressure on LGBT activists in the Middle East.
* **The Reaction:** The move has sparked a partisan divide on Capitol Hill. **Senator Tom Cotton** (R-AR) praised the move for removing “non-intelligence” from the agency’s archives, while **Senator Mark Warner** (D-VA) denounced it as a “deeply troubling pattern” of politicizing the intelligence community.

## **Global Operations: The Mandarin Recruitment Push**

The Agency has significantly ramped up its efforts to recruit sources within the Chinese government. Earlier this month, the CIA released a highly produced mandarin-language recruitment video specifically targeting **”disillusioned” Chinese military officers** and government officials.

* **Beijing’s Response:** The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the video a “blatant political provocation.” In response, Beijing has reportedly expanded its own anti-espionage laws and increased public surveillance to counter what they describe as “foreign infiltration.”
* **Context:** This campaign follows recent purges within the Chinese military leadership, which the CIA appears to be leveraging to find potential assets.

## **Institutional Changes: Private Sector Integration**

Director Ratcliffe recently announced a new **CIA Acquisition Framework** designed to “turbocharge” how the agency works with the American tech sector.

* **The Goal:** To reduce the time between defining a mission requirement and deploying new technology.
* **Focus Areas:** The framework prioritizes AI, rapid prototyping, and modernized IT infrastructure to keep pace with global rivals.

## **In the Archives: The End of an Era for Aldrich Ames**

In legal and historical news, notorious CIA-officer-turned-Soviet-mole **Aldrich Ames** passed away in early January 2026 at the age of 84 while serving his life sentence. His death closed one of the most damaging chapters in the Agency’s history, prompting a brief series of declassifications regarding the full extent of the damage he caused during the Cold War.

## **Cultural Note: “CIA” Premieres on CBS**

For those looking for a fictionalized take on Langley, the new scripted series **”CIA”** from creator Dick Wolf premieres **tonight, February 23, 2026, at 10/9c on CBS**. The show follows a joint CIA/FBI task force operating in New York and features Tom Ellis as a “roguish” case officer.

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**Would you like me to find more details on the specific 19 reports that were retracted, or perhaps look into the current status of CIA operations in Venezuela?**

Pic.:
google.com/search?q=cia+news…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Feb 23, 2026