Top stories

Lead: Since federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on January 2026, multiple left-leaning and progressive firearms organizations report a rapid rise in demand for training and membership. Groups that once drew small, niche audiences say weekend classes and permit-to-carry courses are filling far beyond typical levels, and organizers link the spike to the … Read more

Lead In autumn 2024 a metal detectorist uncovered a small silver seal in Gosfield, Essex, that is now dated to roughly 800 years old. Detailed analysis by the U.K.’s Portable Antiquities Scheme shows the oval seal incorporates a much older carnelian gemstone carved in the Roman period — about 2,000 years ago. The bezel bears … Read more

Lead On February 1, 2026, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott co-hosted a large, themed party for their children—Stormi, who turned 8, and Aire, who turned 4—inside a converted event space. Videos and photos posted publicly show a desert-inspired set with faux mountains, oversized rocks and palm trees, plus indoor carnival attractions and a roller rink. … Read more

Lead: NASA began the formal countdown the evening of Feb. 1 for the Artemis 2 Space Launch System (SLS) wet dress rehearsal, the critical fueling test ahead of a targeted Feb. 8 launch window. The countdown formally started at 8:13 p.m. EST (2313 GMT), marking L‑48 hours and 40 minutes to a simulated T‑0 of … Read more

Israel has moved to bar Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from operating in Gaza after the medical charity declined to provide a roster of Palestinian and international staff, citing safety concerns. The decision follows a 30 December order that 37 NGOs submit details of their local and international workers; Israel says the step is to prevent … Read more

Officials said on 1 February 2026 that preparatory work has started to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but it remained unclear whether any Palestinians would pass through before the end of the day. COGAT, the Israeli military unit responsible for humanitarian coordination, said the crossing would operate in both directions for … Read more

Lead With Sam Raimi’s rambunctious desert-island comedy Send Help arriving this weekend (2026), we revisit the director’s full filmography and place each feature in rank order. The list spans Raimi’s beginnings with The Evil Dead (1981), through his mainstream breakthroughs with Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), to his recent MCU entry Doctor Strange in … Read more

Lead: As NASA prepares to launch Artemis II as early as February 6, human missions to the Moon are once again center stage, and that renewed focus is spurring interest in how film portrays space. We asked 11 former astronauts which space movies most resonated with them — choices that range from hard‑science survival dramas … Read more

Lead: On Jan. 31, 2026, U.S. and foreign antitrust reviewers approved ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network and several league digital properties, sealing a deal that gives the NFL a 10% stake in ESPN and transfers distribution rights for the RedZone channel to ESPN for cable and satellite. The transaction closes immediately, with NFL Media staff … Read more

Over the past month in Minneapolis, intensive immigration-enforcement actions and street unrest have placed the local press under a national spotlight. The Star Tribune has produced investigative scoops — including naming the immigration officer who shot Renee Good — and high-impact visual reporting such as Richard Tsong-Taatarii’s photograph of a protester doused with a chemical … Read more

Lead: On the show’s 1,000th regular episode, Pete Davidson reappeared in Saturday Night Live’s cold open to satirize Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid ongoing tensions in Minneapolis. Davidson portrayed a White House border official dispatched to “tighten up” ICE operations, using comedic beats to highlight confusion among agents. The surprise cameo was Davidson’s second appearance … Read more

Lead: Debates over an imminent AI-driven mass unemployment — the so-called “jobpocalypse” — have intensified since the public rise of generative models in late 2022. Policymakers, employers and workers worldwide are weighing the speed and scale of automation against the potential for new roles and productivity gains. Early evidence and historical precedent indicate disruption will … Read more

Lead Across Ukraine this winter, sustained Russian strikes on power infrastructure have pushed cities into prolonged blackouts, leaving hundreds of thousands without heat or light amid severe cold. The campaign — intensified in January 2026 — has produced rolling outages that disrupted daily life, forced mass temporary departures from Kyiv and prompted Ukrainian officials to … Read more

Lead In late 2025 and into early 2026, short-drama streaming apps with business ties to China have rapidly expanded their footprint across Latin America, shifting where viewers spend time on mobile video. Market data from Sensor Tower shows short-drama downloads surged globally in Q4 2025 and outpaced some traditional streaming services, a change that has … Read more

Kentucky pulled out an 85-77 victory at No. 15 Arkansas on Saturday night at Bud Walton Arena, earning its 15th win of the season. The Wildcats led for much of the game but a string of contentious officiating calls — seven technical fouls in all — dominated the second-half narrative. Three technicals were assessed within … Read more