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Lead SpaceX is set to mark its 600th Falcon 9 launch with the Starlink 17-13 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday evening. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled for 5:59:59 p.m. PST (8:59:59 p.m. EST / 01:59:59 UTC) at the close of the window. The flight will deliver 24 Starlink … Read more

Lead Cardiologists are highlighting six practical lifestyle habits that research and clinical experience link to better cardiovascular outcomes in the United States. In a campaign this February tied to women’s heart awareness, physicians emphasized that most heart disease is preventable and that modest, sustained changes can reduce risk even with a family history. Experts from … Read more

Lead: The seven Western states that rely on the Colorado River missed a Saturday deadline for the second time to finalize a shared plan to confront record drought and looming water shortages across the basin. Lower Basin governors from Arizona, California and Nevada urged greater concessions from the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, … Read more

Apple Martin, 21, told viewers in a Vogue “Beauty Secrets” clip that she had lip filler once at age 18 and now regrets the result. The model—daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin—shared the disclosure while walking through her “everyday stressed out college student skincare” routine in a video referenced in an InStyle … Read more

Lead: The U.S. federal debt trajectory is approaching a potentially dangerous turning point as borrowing costs begin to outpace nominal GDP growth. The Congressional Budget Office says publicly held debt sits near $31 trillion, about 100% of GDP today, and is projected to climb past the postwar 106% mark by fiscal 2030 and to roughly … Read more

On Feb. 14, 2026, Amazon-owned Ring announced it was ending a recent partnership with Flock Safety after a Super Bowl commercial about a lost dog drew widespread criticism for appearing to normalize neighborhood surveillance. The 30-second ad illustrated a feature Ring described as “Search Party,” which would use footage from neighboring doorbell cameras to trace … Read more

Lead Former President Barack Obama on Saturday sharply criticized the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed to Minnesota, calling the actions “rogue” and likening them to tactics seen in authoritarian regimes. His remarks came during an interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen and followed months of a large federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis–St. … Read more

The Artemis II team is racing to resolve a fuel-safety question uncovered during ground testing as the next launch window opens. In late-February briefings, John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis II mission management team, said SLS test data showed hydrogen in a particular cavity did not ignite at 16 percent concentration, prompting NASA to relax … Read more

Lead The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) issued a two-part communiqué on the evening of its opening days, defending the festival jury and its president, Wim Wenders, after intense media scrutiny. The statement responded to responses to remarks at the opening press conference about whether filmmakers should speak on the Israel–Gaza conflict, and to the … Read more

Sen. Mark Kelly’s attorney on Friday asked DOJ officials to abandon any effort to return to a grand jury and pursue criminal charges over a November video in which several Democrats advised service members to refuse “illegal orders.” The letter from Paul Fishman was directed to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Attorney General Pam Bondi … Read more

Lead: In 2018, researchers Hazel Barton of the University of Alabama and Lars Behrendt of Uppsala University discovered a bright green cyanobacterial coating deep in an alcove of Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. The microbes appear to photosynthesize using near-infrared light via rare pigments, despite the absence of visible light. Measurements showed near-infrared concentrations up to … Read more

Lead Last October, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overran the city of el‑Fasher in Darfur, and a UN investigation drawing on survivor and witness testimony reports roughly 6,000 people were killed in an initial three‑day period. The UN Human Rights Office collected testimony from more than 140 victims and witnesses in Sudan’s Northern state … Read more

Feb 14, 2026 — At the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, NBA All-Star Saturday produced a string of headline moments: Miami forward Keshad Johnson captured the Slam Dunk Contest, Damian Lillard claimed his third 3-point crown, and Team Knicks won the revived Shooting Stars event. Johnson, who has appeared in just 37 NBA games across the … Read more

Lead At the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, 2026, European leaders signaled a role reversal: after years of US warnings about Russia, Europeans are now warning about the risks tied to the United States itself. Delegates described a new push to “de-risk” Western reliance on Washington following a string of political and policy shocks. … Read more

Lead Public health authorities confirmed they are investigating a second measles case in Dane County after an out-of-state traveler stayed at a Madison hotel on Feb. 6. The person was at the Holiday Inn Express, 5150 High Crossing Blvd., from 12:01 a.m. to noon that day, and officials have identified an exposure window that may … Read more