US Olympic Freeskier Hess Embraces ‘Loser’ Tag After Trump Blast

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US freeskier Hunter Hess said on Friday that President Donald Trump’s labeling of him as a “real loser” has only sharpened his resolve at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Hess had earlier said he felt mixed about representing the United States amid current political tensions, a comment that drew a public rebuke from Trump. Rather than … Read more

Personal Income and Outlays, December 2025 – Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) (.gov)

personal-income-outlays-dec-2025

On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that personal income rose by 86.2 billion dollars, a 0.3 percent monthly increase for December 2025, with disposable personal income up 75.7 billion dollars (0.3 percent) and personal consumption expenditures rising 91.0 billion dollars (0.4 percent). The release, originally scheduled for January 29, 2026, … Read more

Trump administration to apply Homan’s Minneapolis immigration playbook nationwide

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Federal officials say the Trump administration will shift its interior-immigration strategy, exporting the focused enforcement methods used by Tom Homan in Minneapolis to other cities across the country. The decision follows intense public backlash and chaotic scenes in Minneapolis late last month — including the shooting deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex … Read more

Canada rules Crosby out for Olympic hockey semifinal vs. Finland

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Lead Sidney Crosby will not play for Canada in the Olympic men’s hockey semifinal against Finland on Friday in Milan after suffering a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime quarterfinal win over Czechia. Crosby, 38, exited that game in the second period and underwent an MRI that team sources said was not the worst-case result. … Read more

Life remains harsh and dangerous in Russian-held parts of Ukraine, activists and former residents say

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Even years after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, people who lived under occupation in eastern Ukraine describe daily fear, collapsing services and a steady erosion of civil life. Former residents such as Inna Vnukova recount hiding in basements, Russian patrols and a hazardous escape in March 2022; many others fled or were displaced. In … Read more

Bath & Body Works starts selling on Amazon as more brands embrace its logistics network – CNBC

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Bath & Body Works has launched a branded storefront on Amazon in the U.S., making a selection of its top fragrances, body washes, hand soaps and candles available with Prime-eligible shipping. The move was announced in February 2026 and is intended to reach customers on a platform that accounts for a large share of online … Read more

UK blocks US request to use Diego Garcia and Fairford for strikes on Iran, reports say

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2026-02-20 Lead: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused a US request to permit use of RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia base for any US preemptive strikes on Iran, multiple UK outlets reported on 20 February 2026. The decision, according to those reports citing government sources, rests on concerns that facilitating such operations could … Read more

Steveson Survives Wheel Kick, Scores Fast First-Round TKO at MFL 3

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Lead Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson remained unbeaten with a first-round stoppage over veteran Hugo Lezama on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Showcenter Complex in Monterrey, Mexico. Steveson, 25, absorbed a heavy wheel kick mid-exchange but quickly regained control and finished Lezama with ground strikes in the main event of MFL 3. The win … Read more

Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill

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In January 2026 a decades-old sewer line collapsed on the Maryland bank of the Potomac River northwest of Washington, D.C., releasing raw wastewater into the river. Utility operators reported more than 200 million gallons escaped in the initial days, with some accounts citing about 243 million gallons in total; crews have since installed pumps and … Read more

Baby chicks associate ‘bouba’ and ‘kiki’ with round and spiky shapes, like humans

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Researchers at the University of Padova report in Science (covered by NPR on Feb. 19, 2026) that newly hatched domestic chicks link the nonsense sounds “bouba” and “kiki” with rounded and spiky shapes, respectively. In controlled trials, three-day-old chicks trained to seek a combined blob-and-spike panel then preferentially approached the rounded figure when they heard … Read more

What worked and what didn’t with a cellphone ban at a Kentucky school

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Lead On Feb. 20, 2026, reporters visited the Academy @ Shawnee, a magnet middle and high school in Louisville, Kentucky, to assess Jefferson County’s new bell-to-bell cellphone ban. The district’s approach—students keep phones locked in Yondr pouches or otherwise stowed during the school day—aimed to boost engagement and reduce distractions. Early results show clearer classroom … Read more

William Foege obituary: architect of smallpox eradication

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Lead William Foege, the American epidemiologist widely credited with developing the surveillance-and-containment strategy that helped end smallpox, has died, an obituary in The Times reports. His work in field epidemiology and later leadership at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shaped modern infectious-disease response. The campaign he helped design contributed directly to the last naturally … Read more

Who’s laughing now? China’s humanoid robots go from viral stumbles to kung fu flips in one year

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Lead On Feb. 16, 2026, humanoid robots from multiple Chinese startups performed martial-arts routines, choreographed dances and gymnastic moves at the Spring Festival Gala in Beijing, an event watched worldwide. Videos from the gala circulated widely online and showed markedly smoother, more dexterous machines than the wobblier demos seen a year earlier. The display prompted … Read more

Gable Steveson dominates Hugo Lezama for yet another early finish at Mexico Fight League 3 – Yahoo Sports

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Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson extended his unbeaten professional run Thursday with a first-round TKO over Hugo Lezama in the main event of Mexico Fight League 3 in Monterrey, Mexico. Steveson, 25, ended the fight at 3:50 of Round 1 after repeatedly taking the 37-year-old Lezama to the mat and finishing with heavy ground strikes. … Read more