Google announced on February 26, 2026 that its latest image-generation model, Nano Banana 2 (technically Gemini 3.1 Flash Image), is now available and will be the default image model across the Gemini app and other Google products. The company says the model produces more realistic images than its predecessors while delivering faster generation times and … Read more
Lead: Columbia University said federal Department of Homeland Security agents entered a Columbia-owned residence early on Feb. 26, 2026, and detained a senior student. University officials said they are investigating how the officers gained access after being told officers misrepresented their identity. The student, identified by friends as Ellie Aghayeva, an international senior in neuroscience … Read more
Lead On Feb. 26, 2026, U.S. and Iranian delegations held a third round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva mediated by Oman, aiming to stave off a wider conflict as the U.S. repositioned a large fleet to the Middle East. Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said the sessions ended for the day but “will resume … Read more
Lead: On February 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would, if finalized, cut MBaer Merchant Bank AG off from the U.S. financial system. The proposal invokes section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act to designate MBaer a primary money laundering concern … Read more
Lead: Researchers led by Xin’an Zhou unveiled a set of Wi‑Fi attacks called “AirSnitch” at the 2026 Network and Distributed System Security Symposium that can defeat client isolation in home, office, and enterprise networks. The techniques exploit desynchronization between the physical (Layer‑1) and link (Layer‑2) layers to mount a bidirectional man‑in‑the‑middle (MitM) capable of viewing … Read more
Sidney Crosby watched Wednesday’s Little Penguins Learn to Play session at UPMC Lemieux Complex but will be sidelined from games for about a month after a right-leg injury suffered Feb. 18 during the Olympic quarterfinal in Milan. The Pittsburgh Penguins placed their captain on injured reserve earlier the same day, and Crosby said he expects … Read more
U.S. Treasury yields eased on Thursday as investors paused ahead of a key wholesale inflation report and parsed fresh labor-market figures. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.023%, the 30-year yield fell to 4.675% and the 2-year note declined to 3.452%. The Labor Department said initial unemployment claims for the week ended Feb. 21 … Read more
Lead Prediction‑market operator Kalshi announced on Feb. 25, 2026 that one of its users — later identified by the company as Artem Kaptur, an editor on the MrBeast YouTube channel — violated the platform’s insider‑trading rules. Kalshi said it suspended the employee from trading for two years, imposed a $20,000 fine and reported the matter … Read more
Lead Democratic legislators in at least four states have introduced measures in recent weeks to restrict people who take jobs with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from later working in state civil service roles. The proposals, driven by a surge in ICE hiring after Congress allocated nearly $30 billion to immigration enforcement, would make … Read more
Lead: In February 2026, residents of Southaven, Mississippi, said a fleet of temporary methane gas turbines brought in to supply power for Elon Musk’s xAI data center began running day and night, producing a continuous jet‑engine roar that neighbors say has caused sleep disruption and raised air‑quality fears. xAI purchased a long‑dormant Southaven plant last … Read more
The Feb. 26 edition of Asked and Answered gathers reader queries about free agency, roster construction and franchise history and delivers concise responses and context. Topics in this installment range from why Malik Willis is drawing considerable offseason attention to the practicality of a Steelers franchise tag, the debate over Aaron Rodgers’ possible return, and … Read more
Stellantis said on Feb. 26, 2026 that U.S. hourly employees covered by the United Auto Workers will not receive a profit-sharing check for 2025 after the company’s North America results fell short of the thresholds in the 2023 UAW contract. The decision follows a sharp decline in recent payouts — from $14,760 in 2022 and … Read more
Lead: As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie approaches four weeks after she vanished from the Catalina Foothills neighborhood on February 1, Tucson families whose loved ones disappeared years or decades ago say renewed attention highlights long-standing gaps in answers. Nancy Guthrie’s case has drawn national visibility, a sizable reward and public statements by officials, … Read more
Lead: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is pressing Republican voters to replace two state senators in upcoming GOP primaries to clear the way for a proposed $825 million, 3,000‑bed prison. The project — pitched as necessary to house inmates under the governor’s tougher sentencing and parole policies — has split rural communities in Franklin, Carroll … Read more
Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk agreed to a minor-league contract with the New York Yankees on February 25, 2026, and will enter Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, sources report. The deal, first reported by Jack Curry of The YES Network and summarized by MLB Trade Rumors, gives the 34-year-old an opportunity to compete for a … Read more
