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Lead On Feb. 18, 2026, forecasters said the U.S. economy produced abundant output in 2025 while job creation stagnated, with projections pointing to 2.7% GDP growth for the year. The discrepancy — strong aggregate income but weak payroll gains — has prompted comparisons to the early-2000s “jobless recovery.” The contrast raises fresh questions for policymakers, … Read more

Lead: In mid-February 2026, House Republicans accelerated a push for new federal voting restrictions as they prepare for competitive midterm contests and respond to President Trump’s repeated, but false, claims of widespread voter fraud. A strict voter-identification measure cleared the House on a near-party-line vote, and Representative Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) has unveiled a broader package … Read more

Lead: Federal and local investigators have expanded their probe into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC host Savannah Guthrie, using genetic genealogy tools after DNA from gloves recovered near her Tucson home returned an unknown male profile. Guthrie was last seen the evening of Jan. 31, and evidence collected at the scene … Read more

Lead: In comments reported by the Financial Times, CDU leader Friedrich Merz said a current fighter-jet development effort does not satisfy Germany’s defence requirements. His remarks, made publicly in recent reporting, raise questions about procurement strategy, industrial partnerships and the government’s ability to meet operational needs. The statement has reverberated across Berlin and in partner … Read more

Lead — U.S. equity benchmarks advanced on Wednesday as traders awaited the Federal Reserve’s January meeting minutes while technology names led gains. The S&P 500 rose about 0.8%, the Nasdaq Composite added roughly 1.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 307 points, or 0.6%. Nvidia shares gained after Meta said it will deploy millions … Read more

Lead U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva on Feb. 18, 2026 concluded after a two-hour session, signaling limited progress toward a broader settlement. Officials said some technical matters, including cease-fire monitoring mechanisms, saw headway, but political disputes — chiefly over control of Ukrainian-held territory in the east — remain unresolved. President Volodymyr … Read more

Lead Who: U.S. states and national lawmakers; When: ahead of the 2026 midterm elections; Where: across the United States; What: a wave of mid-decade map changes is reshaping House districts; Result: political control of the U.S. House of Representatives is at stake as partisan mapmaking accelerates in several states. The pace and timing of these … Read more

Lead: The Miami Dolphins face a consequential roster and payroll choice for 2026 involving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Contract language from 2024 leaves the team owing Tagovailoa $54.0 million that is fully guaranteed for the coming season, while releasing him without a post‑June 1 designation would create a $99.2 million dead‑money charge in 2026. The club … Read more

Defense attorneys from across the United States say they have observed a shift in how the U.S. Department of Justice brings criminal charges and have launched a public database to track cases they view as irregular. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) rolled out a Case Tracker that highlights federal prosecutions with aggressive … Read more

In February 2026, topline results from a clinical trial of retatrutide — an investigational weight‑loss compound developed by Eli Lilly — prompted an unexpected worry: some participants lost so much weight that they withdrew from the study. The trial enrolled 445 people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis and reported an average 28.7 percent weight reduction … Read more

On Wednesday morning, Feb. 18, 2026, a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul bolted onto the women’s team cross‑country free sprint qualification course at Lago di Tesero during the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics. The dog ran along the homestretch before race officials quickly restrained him and returned him unharmed to a nearby bed‑and‑breakfast. Televised footage and social … Read more

Goldman Sachs analysts warn that sweeping immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump’s second term have triggered a dramatic contraction in the flow of foreign-born workers, precipitating roughly an 80% decline from historical net-immigration levels. The bank’s U.S. economics team released the analysis on Feb. 16, highlighting a fall from an average of about 1 million … Read more

Lead One year after subtly confirming her engagement to Tom Holland at the 2025 Golden Globes, Zendaya told Interview Magazine what relationship signals she pays attention to. In a conversation with her The Drama co-star Robert Pattinson, the actor named specific behaviors she finds revealing. Zendaya highlighted how a person treats crew members and animals … Read more

Lead Bunnie Xo, 46, says she and husband Jelly Roll, 41 (born Jason Bradley DeFord), have a surrogate and will begin IVF stimulation as they move to expand their family. The couple — married in 2016 and co-parenting Jelly Roll’s children Bailee Ann, 17, and Noah Buddy, 9 — first began their fertility journey on … Read more

Lead: A federal judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the prosecution of nine people accused in the July 4, 2025 ambush outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, after a defense lawyer wore a T‑shirt bearing civil‑rights figures during jury selection. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman said the garment — worn by … Read more