admin

Lead On Feb. 18, 2026, U.S. military assets began arriving in the Middle East in numbers that, officials say, give President Trump the option to order strikes against Iranian nuclear and missile sites as early as this weekend. The buildup, which includes the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, comes even as indirect diplomatic talks … Read more

Lead: On a recent appearance on Today with Jenna and Sheinelle, 46-year-old Bunnie Xo (Alisa DeFord) described an immediate kinship with her husband Jelly Roll’s 17-year-old daughter, Bailee Ann. She told hosts that, when they first met, she felt she was seeing a younger version of herself and that that recognition helped reshape her path … Read more

NASA released a striking image of the SpaceX Crew-12 Falcon 9 launch that produced a nebula-like exhaust cloud over Cape Canaveral on Feb. 13, 2026. The photograph, taken by John Kraus, shows the rocket’s nine Merlin engines creating a rapidly expanding plume that resembled a blooming flower or a supernova remnant. The Crew-12 mission lifted … Read more

Lead Apple is said to be advancing development on three AI-powered wearables, including an AirTag-sized camera pendant, upgraded AirPods and high-end smart glasses. Reports surfaced in February 2026, with The Information first describing the pendant and Bloomberg later adding production timing and device details. Bloomberg says Apple is aiming to start production as early as … Read more

Lead Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigned in Los Angeles Wednesday to support a proposed one-time 5% tax on billionaire assets meant to replace recent federal health-service cuts, setting up a public confrontation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The proposal, driven by a major health-care union, would tax stocks, businesses, art, collectibles and intellectual property and is … Read more

Lead: On Day 1 of the second 2026 pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, Formula 1’s 11 teams returned for the first of three remaining test days before the season opener in Melbourne. Teams combined reliability work with selective performance runs; some squads encountered technical interruptions while others logged long, trouble-free stints. Notable developments … Read more

Lead FRISCO, Texas — On Wednesday, 34-year-old Christian Parker was formally introduced as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator and presented a multi-faceted plan for the defense beginning in 2026. Speaking at the team facility, Parker emphasized a switch to a 3-4 base while keeping flexibility for 4-3 looks and 4-2-5 nickel packages. He identified two … Read more

In the first year of President Trump’s second term, more than 5,000 Justice Department employees resigned, retired or were dismissed, producing a rapid exodus that has reshaped the post‑government job market. Many former federal prosecutors and career lawyers left in 2025 and early 2026 and have been recruited by private law firms, nonprofit litigation groups … Read more

18 February 2026 — Former US president Donald Trump publicly criticised the United Kingdom’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back Diego Garcia, warning the move could weaken Western defences in the Indian Ocean. His comments followed the US Department of State’s formal approval of the arrangement and came … Read more

Lead Students at Highland High School in Salt Lake City were potentially exposed to measles for more than a week after a student attended school while infectious on Feb. 6 and then each day from Feb. 9–13. The Salt Lake County Health Department says measles is “actively spreading” in the county as Utah records 300 … Read more

Lead: The Estate of Paul G. Allen announced Wednesday it has begun a formal process to sell the Seattle Seahawks, consistent with Allen’s directive that his sports holdings eventually be liquidated and proceeds directed to philanthropy. The estate has retained investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the effort, … Read more

Feb. 18, 2026 — Republican-controlled legislatures in multiple states moved this week to curtail rights for transgender people, advancing measures that would affect driver’s licenses, restroom access, non-discrimination protections and medical treatment. Lawmakers in Kansas voted Wednesday to invalidate transgender residents’ changed gender markers on state driver’s licenses under a policy that began permitting such … Read more

Lead: On Feb. 18, 2026, environmental and public-health organizations filed the first major legal challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency after the agency rescinded its 2009 “endangerment finding” that linked greenhouse gases to harms to human health. The suit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, targets the agency’s move to … Read more

Lead The Food and Drug Administration announced a policy shift that makes one rigorous clinical trial the agency’s default standard for approving new drugs and novel health products, a change disclosed in a New England Journal of Medicine commentary by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and deputy Dr. Vinay Prasad published Wednesday. The move is … Read more

The Oscar-winning indie studio Neon is in preliminary discussions to sell a meaningful equity stake to Department M, a production company founded in 2024 by Mike Larocca and Michael Schaefer. The talks, reported in 2026, are said to be backed by a consortium of private investors that originally financed Department M at its launch. If … Read more