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Lead Lawmakers and the White House showed no sign of compromise Sunday in talks that collapsed into a partial Department of Homeland Security funding lapse, leaving vital agencies operating under a pause in appropriations. The partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump’s team failed to agree on a DHS funding … Read more
Lead Canada will announce a new defence-industry strategy the week of Feb. 15, 2026 that redirects billions of dollars in military procurement away from U.S. defense contractors and toward Canadian suppliers. The policy, presented by Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa, comes amid escalating tensions with the Trump administration, including recent tariffs and political rhetoric. … Read more
California faces a sequence of storms this week that are expected to produce widespread rain, heavy mountain snow, strong winds and hazardous surf. The first system arrives Sunday for Northern California and the Central Coast, with steady Sierra snowfall beginning Sunday night; a second, colder wave follows Tuesday into Wednesday and could bring the coldest … Read more
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s Wuthering Heights led Valentine’s Day audiences in North America, posting a strong Saturday and projecting a global launch of roughly $82 million—about $40 million domestically and $42 million from more than 75 overseas markets—while Sony Animation’s surprise hit GOAT threatened to erode its U.S. momentum over the four-day Presidents Day … Read more
Lead: The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards took place Sunday afternoon, February 16, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium, honoring the year’s standout independent films and television. The ceremony, hosted by Saturday Night Live alum Ego Nwodim, streamed live on YouTube through IMDb and Film Independent beginning at 2 p.m. PT. Early winners included A24’s Sorry, … Read more
Lead: On February 15, 2026, the Israeli government moved to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as state land, a first since the 1967 occupation. The change creates a formal mechanism to record vast tracts in Area C under state ownership. Palestinians and international critics called the step a “de facto annexation,” while … Read more
Lead: In early 2026 U.S. diplomatic posts across Asia actively solicited corporate donations to underwrite a series of celebratory events tied to America’s 250th Independence Day. The activity follows President Trump’s December announcement of a campaign to stage large-scale Fourth of July celebrations. Reports show outreach in Hong Kong, major corporate commitments in Japan and … Read more
In Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday, Team GB claimed two Winter Olympic golds in one day as Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker won the mixed team skeleton event. The victory followed Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale’s earlier snowboard cross mixed-team gold, making it a landmark day for British winter sport. Stoecker posted a 1:00.77 run that … Read more
Lead On the February 13 episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, the host, 70, criticized President Donald Trump, 79, after the administration moved on February 12 to rescind a 2009 Environmental Protection Agency finding that classified carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a danger to public health. Maher condemned the decision on-air and … Read more
Lead Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old from Chicago who had been treated for an aggressive form of cancer since late 2024, died on Friday, her family said. While she underwent care for stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by federal immigration authorities in October 2025, triggering a public legal fight for … Read more
Lead Former UFC heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez was released on parole from a California state prison on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, his longtime agent confirmed to ESPN. Velasquez, 43, had been serving a five-year sentence imposed in March 2025 after pleading no contest in a shooting related to an incident from February 2022. At sentencing … Read more
Lead Law enforcement officials investigating the Feb. 1 disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie said on Feb. 13–14 that gloves recovered roughly two miles from her home have been sent to a lab for DNA testing, and that a gray Range Rover photographed and later towed by agents is also under forensic review. Ms. Guthrie, the … Read more
The New York Mets claimed catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb. 15, 2026, with right-hander Dedniel Nunez transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. The move follows Rortvedt’s designation for assignment in Los Angeles earlier this week to make room for Evan Phillips. Rortvedt … Read more
Lead: Sir Vince Cable has urged a formal investigation into Prince Andrew’s decade as a UK trade envoy (2001–2011) after documents recently released by the US Department of Justice appear to show he forwarded UK government and commercial material to Jeffrey Epstein. The material reportedly includes an email exchange in 2010 about Aston Martin and … Read more
Lead At the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure trans-Atlantic partners while framing the relationship in terms of a shared Western civilization. He emphasized common history, Christian faith and cultural ties as foundations for U.S.-Europe cooperation. Yet the Europe Rubio described contrasts with the continent’s … Read more
