The biggest app in the whole wide world

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Lead Last August, independent developer Bria Sullivan watched a tiny habit app she built with creator Hank Green surge from obscurity to the top of app-store charts. Focus Friend climbed into the iOS top 10, reached #4, and on August 19 became the most downloaded free app across both Apple and Google stores in the … Read more

No. 8 Illinois 101-65 rout of USC in Los Angeles

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In Los Angeles on Saturday, No. 8 Illinois delivered a dominant performance at the Galen Center, beating USC 101-65 in a Big Ten nonconference matchup that turned into a rout. Illinois built a double-digit lead within six minutes and led by 20-plus for the final 21 minutes, finishing 13 of 29 from three and converting … Read more

Iran fortifies sites as nuclear talks stall and US tensions rise – ایران اینترنشنال

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Satellite imagery released on Feb. 19, 2026 shows Iran repairing and reinforcing military and nuclear‑linked facilities at the Parchin complex after visible strike damage first recorded in October 2024. The images, collected from October 2024 through February 2026 and circulated by international imagery providers, document strike impact, subsequent reconstruction work and sections of the site … Read more

February 18, 2026 — Pritzker’s State of the State and the Limits of Federal Power

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Lead On February 18, 2026, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker used his annual State of the State address in Springfield to frame budget choices within a broader argument about democracy, federal overreach and community resilience. He invoked 19th‑century reformer John Peter Altgeld to link past progressive reforms to present policy goals, criticized actions by the Trump … Read more

Mac Forehand’s Historic Jump Nets Silver as Fans Cry Foul

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Lead: On Feb. 18, 2026, at the Olympic freeski big air final, U.S. skier Mac Forehand, 24, landed a never-before-seen nose-butter triple cork 2160 but finished with the silver medal. Norway’s Tormod Frostad took gold after judges tabulated scores across three runs. Forehand posted a final total of 193.5 to Frostad’s 199.50, prompting immediate social-media … Read more

Jordan Stolz pursues 1500m gold, sprint sweep as speed skating continues in Milan – NBC Olympics

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On Thursday, Feb. 19 in Milan, 21-year-old American Jordan Stolz will race the men’s 1500m seeking a third gold after winning the 500m and 1,000m in Olympic-record time. If Stolz wins, he would become the second U.S. athlete after Eric Heiden to claim three or more gold medals at a single Winter Games. The event … Read more

Clinical-grade autonomous cytopathology through whole-slide edge tomography

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Lead Researchers report a real‑time, autonomous cytology pipeline that combines high‑resolution three‑dimensional whole‑slide imaging with on‑device (edge) computing and AI to classify cervical cells with clinical‑grade performance. Published in Nature on 18 February 2026, the system digitizes thick liquid‑based cytology preparations (ThinPrep and SurePath) at 40 Z layers per slide and processes each slide in … Read more

JPMorgan in talks to be banker for Trump’s Board of Peace – Financial Times

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This article summarises reporting by the Financial Times that JPMorgan Chase has held talks to provide banking services to a new entity called the “Board of Peace,” associated with former US president Donald J. Trump. The discussions, reported this week, concern whether the bank will act as a depositary and payments provider for the organisation. … Read more

Saka vows to restore winning run against Spurs

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Bukayo Saka said Arsenal were punished for a drop in intensity after the break in their draw with Wolves and insisted the club still controls its own destiny this season. He opened the scoring inside five minutes with a close-range header, and Piero Hincapié added his first goal for the club in the second half … Read more

For Alysa Liu, competition is just ‘pure enjoyment’ – NBC Olympics

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Lead At the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Olympic short program, reigning world champion Alysa Liu prioritized the pleasure of skating over scoreboard anxiety, offering comfort to a distressed teammate while sitting third after the short. Amber Glenn, the three-time U.S. champion, dropped to 13th after a costly error on a preferred jump and … Read more

José María Balcázar becomes Peru’s eighth president in a decade – Associated Press News

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Peru’s Congress late Wednesday elected legislator José María Balcázar as the nation’s eighth president in ten years, installing the 83‑year‑old former judge after lawmakers removed an interim leader the day before amid corruption allegations. The vote in Lima placed Balcázar, a retired magistrate aligned with the leftist Perú Libre party, into a caretaker role that … Read more

FCC Requests Transcripts of Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Performance

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FCC Requests Transcripts of Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Performance Lead: The Federal Communications Commission sought Spanish‑language transcripts of Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime set after complaints from Republican lawmakers that the broadcast may have breached federal indecency rules. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said she reviewed the transcripts supplied by Comcast/NBC and found no … Read more

US to withdraw troops from Syria amid Iran tensions

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The White House has told the BBC the United States will largely withdraw its remaining forces from Syria over the coming months, after Damascus agreed to take the lead on counter‑terror operations inside its borders. A senior White House official described the move as a conditions‑based transition for roughly 1,000 U.S. personnel, while stressing Washington … Read more

Boeing defense headquarters to return to St. Louis after leaving the area in 2017 – STLPR

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On February 18, 2026, Boeing announced it will relocate the headquarters of its Defense, Space & Security unit back to the St. Louis region after nearly a decade away. The company had moved the headquarters from St. Louis in 2017 and later based senior leadership in Chicago and Arlington, Virginia, in 2022. Boeing said the … Read more