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Federal investigators reviewed Jeffrey Epstein’s contacts with a Customs and Border Protection officer at Cyril E. King Airport in St Thomas after newly released Department of Justice files showed repeated emails, texts and social interactions between Epstein and multiple CBP staff. The inquiry, opened as a preliminary FBI matter in October 2019, produced subpoenas for … Read more
Lead: On Jan. 8 in St. Paul, Minn., federal immigration agents arrested Alberto Castañeda Mondragón during an enforcement action that left him with a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain. A federal judge, Donovan W. Frank, ordered Mr. Castañeda Mondragón released in January after finding that agents had provided limited information about how the … Read more
Feb. 19, 2026 — A core contingent of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s largely female MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) supporters felt betrayed after President Trump signed an executive order to boost domestic production of glyphosate, a controversial herbicide linked to thousands of lawsuits. The move, announced this week in Washington, drew immediate anger … Read more
Lead AMC Theatres has declined to participate in a planned national pre-show run of an AI-generated short after social media backlash. The short, Igor Alferov’s Thanksgiving Day, was announced as the winner of the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival and was slated for a two-week national exposure via Screenvision Media’s pre-show. AMC told … Read more
Lead On 19 February 2026 Nature published a multi-institution study led by Axel Schmidt and Kerstin U. Ludwig that examines how human host factors shape long-term Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) persistence. The paper, received 16 July 2025 and accepted 12 February 2026 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10274-4), brings together genomic, single-cell and immunology expertise from centers in Japan, Germany, … Read more
Lead: Bank of America has announced a commitment of $25 billion to expand lending into private credit markets, a significant move into alternatives reported by the Financial Times. The allocation signals a strategic push to diversify lending beyond public markets and respond to investor demand for higher-yield products. While the bank framed the plan as … Read more
Lead A Tazewell County circuit judge temporarily blocked Virginia voters from deciding an amendment that would let the General Assembly redraw congressional districts if other states pursue mid‑decade maps. Judge Jack Hurley Jr., appointed by former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), issued the order after the Republican National Committee filed an emergency motion the previous day. … Read more
On the penultimate day of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, teams shifted focus from reliability to outright performance as they prepared for the season-opener in Australia. Testing on Thursday highlighted persistent strengths from last year’s top four — McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari — even as clear superiority remained unproven. Ferrari drew … Read more
Lead: In February 2026, NASA’s top official formally classified Boeing’s 2024 Starliner crewed flight as a “Type A” mishap and acknowledged agency mistakes in oversight and decision-making. The mission had docked successfully with the International Space Station in summer 2024, but severe thruster problems during approach left commander Butch Wilmore wrestling for control. After weeks … Read more
Lead: Robin Vos, the long-serving Republican leader in the Wisconsin Assembly, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the year, ending a 22-year legislative tenure and 14 years as speaker. The announcement came from the Assembly floor in Madison and caps a career defined by major policy wins for conservatives, hard-fought redistricting … Read more
Lead The National Governors Association (NGA) withdrew from an annual White House meeting this week after President Donald Trump declined to invite Democratic governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland, undercutting a rare bipartisan forum in Washington. The president is still expected to meet with governors at the White House on Friday, … Read more
Lead The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) praised Secretary Collins’ decision in 2026 to halt the implementation of a Department of Veterans Affairs rule that would have allowed medication-driven changes to affect evaluation ratings for service-connected disabilities. The pause safeguards veterans’ benefits while federal officials review the concerns raised by veterans and advocates. DAV said the … Read more
The Seattle Seahawks were formally placed on the market Wednesday, beginning a process that is expected to deliver a fourth owner in the franchise’s more than 50-year history within roughly the next year. The sale follows the Paul G. Allen estate’s decision to list the team after a clause tied to Referendum 48 — which … Read more
Trump warns Iran ‘bad things’ if no ‘meaningful’ nuclear deal, hints 10-day deadline 19 February 2026 — At the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington on Thursday, President Donald Trump warned Iran that “bad things” would follow unless Tehran agreed to a “meaningful” settlement on its nuclear program and appeared to set a roughly … Read more
Lead: On Feb. 19, 2026, Bank of America Corp. confirmed it will deploy $25 billion of its own cash into private-credit transactions, marking a significant expansion of the bank’s direct-lending activity. The investments will be originated through the capital-markets arm inside its investment-banking unit, according to people familiar with the plans. The move places Bank … Read more
