Lead: On Tuesday, a large avalanche north of Lake Tahoe struck a backcountry ski party near Castle Peak, killing nine people and injuring or entrapping others. Families have identified six of the deceased as members of a close-knit group of women who traveled from Northern California and Idaho for a multi-day trip; three of the … Read more
Since President Trump took office more than a year ago, his administration’s overtures to Moscow and the Kremlin’s pitch of large-scale projects have begun to register with U.S. investors. On Feb. 19, 2026 reporting shows a Texas entrepreneur with ties to the Trump family signed an agreement last fall with a major Russian energy firm … Read more
Lead The Dallas Cowboys will deploy a 3-4 base defense this season, new defensive coordinator Christian Parker announced Wednesday, marking the franchise’s primary return to that alignment since 2012. Parker said the plan will be multiple in practice, incorporating 4-3 spacing and nickel fronts when appropriate, but built around a 3-4 core. The move follows … Read more
Lead After a city council meeting was interrupted by protesters this week, Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith introduced a draft ordinance to allow councilors to openly carry firearms while conducting city business. The move follows a disruption in which roughly 40 protesters affiliated with the group Revoke the ICE Permit PDX interrupted testimony and one … Read more
Lead According to a Financial Times report, Nvidia and OpenAI have abandoned a previously discussed $100 billion arrangement and instead agreed to a $30 billion investment partnership. The change was announced recently and reflects a shift in how the two companies will cooperate on AI hardware and software development. The move alters expected capital flows … Read more
Lead: On Feb. 19, 2026, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — recently filled with President Trump appointees — voted to give final approval to a proposed 90,000-square-foot, $400 million ballroom at the White House site where the East Wing was demolished last month. The panel advanced the plan in an expedited vote that bypassed … Read more
On April 19, 2024, workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, assembly complex approved the plant’s first union contract with the United Auto Workers, winning immediate bonuses, a scheduled wage climb and new job-protection language. After earlier referendum defeats in 2014 and 2019, the plant voted to unionize in 2024 and approved the contract by an overwhelming … Read more
Feb. 19, 2026 — A core contingent of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s largely female MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) supporters felt betrayed after President Trump signed an executive order to boost domestic production of glyphosate, a controversial herbicide linked to thousands of lawsuits. The move, announced this week in Washington, drew immediate anger … Read more
Lead: On Jan. 8 in St. Paul, Minn., federal immigration agents arrested Alberto Castañeda Mondragón during an enforcement action that left him with a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain. A federal judge, Donovan W. Frank, ordered Mr. Castañeda Mondragón released in January after finding that agents had provided limited information about how the … Read more
Federal investigators reviewed Jeffrey Epstein’s contacts with a Customs and Border Protection officer at Cyril E. King Airport in St Thomas after newly released Department of Justice files showed repeated emails, texts and social interactions between Epstein and multiple CBP staff. The inquiry, opened as a preliminary FBI matter in October 2019, produced subpoenas for … Read more
Lead Juliana Stratton, Illinois’s lieutenant governor, launched a new television ad this week that stitches together a series of voices saying a bleeped expletive directed at former President Donald Trump, followed by the tag “vote Juliana.” The spot begins airing with detectable bleeps on broadcast TV as early voting is already underway ahead of the … Read more
Lead On Feb. 19–20, 2026, Asian equities slid while crude oil climbed to its highest level since August as rising tensions tied to Iran pressured investor sentiment across the region. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.6%, marking its first drop in three days, while markets in Hong Kong opened lower after Lunar New Year … Read more
On the penultimate day of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, teams shifted focus from reliability to outright performance as they prepared for the season-opener in Australia. Testing on Thursday highlighted persistent strengths from last year’s top four — McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari — even as clear superiority remained unproven. Ferrari drew … Read more
Lead A Tazewell County circuit judge temporarily blocked Virginia voters from deciding an amendment that would let the General Assembly redraw congressional districts if other states pursue mid‑decade maps. Judge Jack Hurley Jr., appointed by former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), issued the order after the Republican National Committee filed an emergency motion the previous day. … Read more
Lead: Bank of America has announced a commitment of $25 billion to expand lending into private credit markets, a significant move into alternatives reported by the Financial Times. The allocation signals a strategic push to diversify lending beyond public markets and respond to investor demand for higher-yield products. While the bank framed the plan as … Read more
