Defense attorneys from across the United States say they have observed a shift in how the U.S. Department of Justice brings criminal charges and have launched a public database to track cases they view as irregular. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) rolled out a Case Tracker that highlights federal prosecutions with aggressive … Read more
Lead: The Miami Dolphins face a consequential roster and payroll choice for 2026 involving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Contract language from 2024 leaves the team owing Tagovailoa $54.0 million that is fully guaranteed for the coming season, while releasing him without a post‑June 1 designation would create a $99.2 million dead‑money charge in 2026. The club … Read more
Lead Who: U.S. states and national lawmakers; When: ahead of the 2026 midterm elections; Where: across the United States; What: a wave of mid-decade map changes is reshaping House districts; Result: political control of the U.S. House of Representatives is at stake as partisan mapmaking accelerates in several states. The pace and timing of these … Read more
Lead U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva on Feb. 18, 2026 concluded after a two-hour session, signaling limited progress toward a broader settlement. Officials said some technical matters, including cease-fire monitoring mechanisms, saw headway, but political disputes — chiefly over control of Ukrainian-held territory in the east — remain unresolved. President Volodymyr … Read more
Lead Bunnie Xo, 46, says she and husband Jelly Roll, 41 (born Jason Bradley DeFord), have a surrogate and will begin IVF stimulation as they move to expand their family. The couple — married in 2016 and co-parenting Jelly Roll’s children Bailee Ann, 17, and Noah Buddy, 9 — first began their fertility journey on … Read more
Lead One year after subtly confirming her engagement to Tom Holland at the 2025 Golden Globes, Zendaya told Interview Magazine what relationship signals she pays attention to. In a conversation with her The Drama co-star Robert Pattinson, the actor named specific behaviors she finds revealing. Zendaya highlighted how a person treats crew members and animals … Read more
Goldman Sachs analysts warn that sweeping immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump’s second term have triggered a dramatic contraction in the flow of foreign-born workers, precipitating roughly an 80% decline from historical net-immigration levels. The bank’s U.S. economics team released the analysis on Feb. 16, highlighting a fall from an average of about 1 million … Read more
On Wednesday morning, Feb. 18, 2026, a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul bolted onto the women’s team cross‑country free sprint qualification course at Lago di Tesero during the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics. The dog ran along the homestretch before race officials quickly restrained him and returned him unharmed to a nearby bed‑and‑breakfast. Televised footage and social … Read more
In February 2026, topline results from a clinical trial of retatrutide — an investigational weight‑loss compound developed by Eli Lilly — prompted an unexpected worry: some participants lost so much weight that they withdrew from the study. The trial enrolled 445 people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis and reported an average 28.7 percent weight reduction … Read more
Lead Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet submitted its collective resignation on the morning of Feb. 18, 2026, triggering a formal leadership vote in the Diet later the same day. Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025, heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which after the Feb. 8 House of … Read more
Lead: A federal judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the prosecution of nine people accused in the July 4, 2025 ambush outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, after a defense lawyer wore a T‑shirt bearing civil‑rights figures during jury selection. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman said the garment — worn by … Read more
Lead A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Donald Trump’s approval on immigration at 38%, the lowest recorded since his return to the White House, as administration deportation operations proceed. The figure marks a drop from 39% in January and far below the roughly 50% approval he held in the weeks after taking office again. The decline … Read more
Lead Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify Wednesday in Los Angeles in a landmark trial brought by a plaintiff known as “Kaley,” whose lawyers say addictive design choices at Meta and YouTube harmed her mental health as a child. Dozens of grieving parents, some who heard Zuckerberg apologize in a 2024 Capitol Hill hearing, are … Read more
UK ministers are reportedly considering slowing the timetable to equalise the minimum wage for 18- to 20-year-olds with pay for those aged 21 and over, a move that could push back a key Labour manifesto promise. Government sources told media this week they are weighing a delay rather than an outright reversal, while officials including … Read more
Lead In January 2025, researchers from the Minderoo‑UWA Deep‑Sea Research Centre captured video of a large sleeper shark off the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula. The animal, estimated at 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) long, was recorded at roughly 490 meters (1,608 feet) where water temperature measured 1.27°C (34.29°F). Scientists say this is the … Read more
