The Illinois governor’s office said it was blindsided after the Chicago Bears and Indiana officials released statements this morning suggesting progress toward a stadium deal in Hammond, Indiana. Illinois spokesman Matt Hill said the Bears had told state officials as recently as yesterday that negotiations were headed toward a bill in the Illinois General Assembly … Read more
Lead New York — In 2025 Amazon reported $717 billion in sales, surpassing Walmart’s $713 billion and ending Walmart’s 13-year streak as the world’s largest company by revenue, company statements showed Thursday. The shift reflects Amazon’s faster growth outside traditional retail — notably in cloud computing, advertising and subscriptions — which helped offset lower retail … Read more
Feb. 19, 2026 — New federal trade data show that the United States ran its largest-ever deficit in physical goods in 2025 even as the overall trade gap with the world narrowed thanks to stronger services exports. The U.S. imported a wider range of products, including chips for new AI data centers and overseas weight-loss … Read more
Lead Rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Wheeler, died on Feb. 18, 2026, at age 25, the Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed. The office reported the time of death at about 11:20 a.m. local time and said the cause is under investigation. Wheeler, who signed with Collective Music Group in 2022, had released a new single, … Read more
Lead The Chicago Bears and Indiana officials said on Thursday that they have taken a meaningful procedural step toward a potential new stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. Indiana’s proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 would establish a state-owned framework the team could play in, and both the Bears and Governor Mike Braun described … Read more
Lead The release of a new batch of Epstein-related documents on Jan. 30, 2026 has produced a wave of personnel changes, criminal inquiries and public scrutiny across several countries. Since the disclosure, people named in the files have lost titles, stepped down from posts or become subjects of active probes. The actions range from administrative … Read more
Lead According to a Financial Times report, Amazon has overtaken Walmart as the largest retailer by sales even though Walmart posted record revenues in its most recent reporting period. The shift marks a notable milestone in the global retail hierarchy and highlights accelerating changes in online and omnichannel commerce. Executives, analysts and suppliers are reassessing … Read more
Lead: Reports on Feb. 18–19, 2026 indicate Christine Lagarde is weighing an early departure from the European Central Bank, a term set to run through October 2027. Financial outlets say the move could let European leaders name a successor before France’s 2027 presidential vote, creating a rare window for national politics to influence a top … Read more
After a three-year health ordeal that began after a 2023 trip to Morocco, reality star Brandi Glanville says a sonogram has identified ruptured breast implants leaking silicone into her lymph nodes, a discovery she describes as life-threatening and that prompted emergency removal in early 2026. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum had suspected a … Read more
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested in UK Over Epstein-Linked Documents Lead: On Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, British police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—formerly Prince Andrew—at the Sandringham Estate on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. The arrest, confirmed by King Charles III, follows disclosures in U.S. Department of Justice files and a … Read more
Lead On February 18, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla in Moscow that Russia rejects the United States’ fuel blockade on Cuba as unacceptable. The remark came amid a deepening Cuban fuel shortage that U.N. officials have warned could produce a humanitarian emergency. Moscow described Havana’s energy situation as … Read more
Lead: Officials briefed the White House this week that President Donald Trump may order a strike on Iran as soon as this Saturday, a possibility discussed in senior meetings at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Reports say Trump has weighed military and diplomatic options and has not settled on a course. Senior military leaders convened in the … Read more
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told parliament this week that more than 1,000 Kenyan citizens have been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the Russia–Ukraine war. The report, submitted to MPs in Nairobi, said 89 Kenyans were on the front lines as of February and named one confirmed death: 29-year-old Clinton Mogesa. It alleges … Read more
Lead U.S. equities slipped on Feb. 18, 2026 in New York as traders digested Walmart’s quarterly report and monitored rising tensions between the United States and Iran. The Dow fell 187 points (0.4%), the S&P 500 slid 0.3% and the Nasdaq retreated after a recent rally. Walmart’s fourth‑quarter sales and EPS beat Street estimates, but … Read more
Lead: U.S. stock futures slipped in premarket trading after the S&P 500 encountered technical resistance, tempering a recent rally. The Dow Jones futures fell ahead of the opening as investors parsed mixed earnings and company-specific headlines. Walmart and Carvana were singled out as notable movers, with Walmart reacting to fresh results and Carvana shares sliding … Read more
