Researchers report a biological reason why women often experience longer-lasting pain than men after similar injuries. A study published Friday in Science Immunology followed 245 people after traumatic events — mostly car accidents — and found that men’s pain tended to resolve faster over a roughly three-month period. Blood tests and laboratory experiments pointed to … Read more
Lead: Phil Spencer, the longtime head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, is retiring after a more than 38-year career at Microsoft, the company announced in an internal memo. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed Spencer’s decision and said it followed months of succession planning; Spencer will remain in an advisory capacity through the summer to smooth the … Read more
President Donald Trump is set to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24, after a period of reduced public visibility following the Jan. 24 death of 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti during an immigration‑related protest in Minneapolis. The White House says the president has been preparing his speech; critics point to health questions … Read more
Lead Square Enix’s development team has shifted the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy to treat PC as the “lead platform,” director Naoki Hamaguchi told Automaton. The team now builds 3D assets at a high-end PC baseline and reduces them for less powerful platforms. Hamaguchi said players have already noticed improved visuals in the PC release … Read more
Lead On Feb. 20, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it will roll back tightened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants, reverting to standards that took effect in 2012. The decision was unveiled at the Mill Creek Generating Station in Louisville, Ky., during a visit by senior E.P.A. officials and … Read more
Lead On February 20, 2026, a wide-ranging slate of nine new albums arrived on streaming platforms, from emerging hip-hop voices to veteran electronic and punk figures. Standouts include Baby Keem’s second studio set Ca$ino, Hen Ogledd’s genre-bending Discombobulated, a collaborative post-punk/jazz record from the Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, and a pop return from Hilary … Read more
Lead: At the Milan Cortina Games on Feb. 20, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, top-ranked Canada and the United States were eliminated in the women’s Olympic curling semifinals. Sweden, led by Anna Hasselborg, defeated Canada 6-3 to reach Sunday’s gold-medal match. Switzerland, skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni, beat the U.S. 7-4 and will contest gold against Sweden. … Read more
Lead On Feb. 20, 2026, British police said they had begun contacting royal protection officers who may hold information linked to the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince. The announcement from the Metropolitan Police in London came a day after Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was detained amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to financier Jeffrey Epstein. … Read more
Lead: Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit on Thursday, 20 February 2026, accusing Roblox of exposing children to sexual content, grooming and exploitation by failing to moderate user-generated material and by operating inadequate age-verification systems. The county says the platform markets itself as safe for kids but, it alleges, its design and controls leave young … Read more
Lead: House Speaker Mike Johnson has declined a family request for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., 84, to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, according to people familiar with the decision. The civil rights leader died this week and was widely praised across party lines for decades of activism and political work. … Read more
President Trump said on Friday he is “considering” a limited military strike on Iran as the Pentagon executes the largest U.S. force buildup in the Middle East in two decades. The administration’s deliberations follow a 12-day campaign last June in which U.S. forces joined Israeli strikes, a cease-fire was reached within days and there were … Read more
Lead: In February 2026 the South Orange & Maplewood School District removed Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao from an Advanced Placement English Literature class at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., after a wave of student mental-health emergencies. Superintendent Jason Bing said administrators requested the removal as part of an immediate … Read more
Published: Feb 20, 2026 at 10:58 AM Gennaro Filice’s first 2026 mock draft imagines a first round shaped by positional value and medical uncertainty, sending running back Jeremiyah Love into the top five and landing wideout Jordyn Tyson with the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9. The mock leans into the reality that teams often … Read more
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
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
