The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Friday, February 20th 2026
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article Stephen Colbert claims CBS told him not to broadcast an interview with Senate candidate James Talarico Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has clapped back at Stephen Colbert after he claims CBS told him not to air an interview with a Democratic ...
Source: independent.co.uk
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — After days of increasingly brutal conditions in California's Sierra Nevada, a group of 15 backcountry skiers set out for home. But as they left remote huts at thousands of feet of elevation and trekked back toward the trailhead, they were slammed by a treacherous avalanche that left eight dead and one missing. With avalanche warnings in effect through early Thursday, officials were ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
How CIOs can drive business value between hype and overcaution. "Such an embarrassment of a flag carrier. I will never fly AC unless I absolutely have to." "This is absolutely outrageous." These were some of the nicer social media reactions on carrier Air Canada following November 2022, when a well-intended chatbot on the airline's website confidently invented a refund policy , triggering lawsuits and a ...
Source: cio.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
President Donald Trump was able to push through many of the tax breaks he touted on the campaign trail, but experts said they may be more hype than savings for some taxpayers. Four main tax breaks were created with the passage of Trump's sweeping budget bill in July 2025: no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, a deduction on qualifying new auto loans and a $6,000 senior deduction, which passed instead of no federal ...
Source: chicago.suntimes.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the United Kingdom former royal, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. A statement from Thames Valley police was released Thursday that said, "As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk." "The man ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
President Donald Trump expressed optimism over the initiative ahead of Thursday's summit, which is expected to focus on the next steps in the fragile Gaza ceasefire. President Donald Trump 's "Board of Peace" will convene for its long-awaited first meeting on Thursday, with the next stage of the fragile ceasefire in Gaza in focus. Key U.S. allies will be absent from the meeting, however, amid concern Trump may hope ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Behind the scenes, real journalism faces real resistance. We keep reporting anyway. Member support protects our independence and keeps tough stories in the light. Join today to help defend a free press. Already a member? AUSTIN, Texas – Seven months and $60 million later, Senate Republicans' efforts to rescue one of their caucus' leading members have proven totally ineffective, driving worries the party could ...
Source: huffpost.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Trump told the U.K. not to "give away" the Chagos Islands, which is where a joint U.S.-U.K. military base is located. The president suggested the Chagos deal was prompted by "Wokeism" after the U.K. has come under pressure to hand the islands back to Mauritius. The U.S. is due to hold talks with Mauritius on the issue next week. U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hold a press ...
Source: cnbc.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
, meaning folks looking for a great midrange smartphone option have something new to sink their teeth into. We've been looking forward to the 10a back in October 2025, as the Pixel-a series has been an ideal option for those on a budget. While Google is offering the Pixel 10a at a price that's surprising, given that 2026 is shaping up to be , there may be a reason that the price is low. It's not that hard to notice ...
Source: bgr.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Yoon was found guilty of abuse of authority and masterminding an insurrection, stemming from his mobilisation of military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly in December 2024 A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison after he imposed martial law in the country in 2024. Yoon was found guilty of abuse of authority and ...
Source: news.sky.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Bad Bunny to make lead acting debut in film inspired by Puerto Rican revolutionary Singer Bad Bunny is to take on his first lead acting role, starring in a film alongside Javier Bardem and Edward Norton. Porto Rico, described as a love letter to the 31-year-old's home of Puerto Rico, will be directed by rapper René Pérez, known as Residente. The film, which has been in development since 2023, is ...
Source: bbc.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Users can simply describe a song or upload a photo to generate music that matches a specific mood. Google announced on Wednesday that it is adding a music-generation feature to the Gemini app. The feature is powered by DeepMind's Lyria 3 music-generation model and is currently in beta. Users describe the song they want to create via a text prompt, and the app generates a 30-second track with lyrics and cover art. ...
Source: techbriefly.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Deal agreed to acquire British secondhand fashion resale app from Etsy as eBay attempts to fend off Amazon The online retailer eBay has agreed to buy the British secondhand fashion resale app Depop from Etsy for about $1.2bn (£890m) in cash, as eBay targets younger fashion-loving consumers. The deal comes at a time when secondhand marketplaces continue to soar in popularity , especially among gen Z shoppers ...
Source: theguardian.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
In a fiery speech in Los Angeles, the Vermont senator criticizes 'grotesque' levels of economic inequality Billionaires are "treading on very, very thin ice," Bernie Sanders warned on Wednesday during a fiery speech in Los Angeles, imploring California voters to fight "grotesque" levels of economic inequality by approving a proposed tax on the state's richest residents. The Vermont senator railed against the ...
Source: theguardian.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
The UN's independent fact-finding mission on Sudan said Thursday the paramilitary siege and capture of El-Fasher bore "the hallmarks of genocide". Its investigation concluded that the Rapid Support Forces's seizure of the Darfur city in last October had inflicted "three days of absolute horror", and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. "The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the ...
Source: digitaljournal.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Air pollution can cause far more damage than previously believed. According to a recent study published in PLOS Medicine , the tiny particles in polluted air are way more harmful. The long-term exposure to PM2.5, which is extremely small pollution particles, is linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Scientists now believe these particles may not only affect the lungs but also reach and impact ...
Source: greenmatters.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified Wednesday in a landmark social media and safety trial. Zuckerberg said increasing engagement on Instagram was not a company goal. The judge threatened to hold anyone recording with AI glasses in contempt. The Los Angeles trial is one of several major court cases this year that experts have described as the social media industry's "Big Tobacco" moment. In this article Meta CEO Mark ...
Source: cnbc.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Trump admin's vaccine chief overruled FDA scientists to initially reject the shot. The Food and Drug Administration has reversed its shocking refusal to consider Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine for approval. The refusal was revealed last week in a sharply worded press release from Moderna. Subsequent reporting found that the decision was made by political appointee Vinay Prasad, the Trump administration's top vaccine ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio billionaire Les Wexner testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday, calling disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein a "world-class con man" and firmly denying any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein's criminal activity. Wexner, 88, the Columbus-area founder of L Brands and one of Ohio's wealthiest residents, was subpoenaed by the committee to ...
Source: cleveland.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
PCWorld examines Microsoft's Project Silica breakthrough, which now uses common borosilicate glass like Pyrex for ultra-long-term data storage lasting over 10,000 years. While research is complete with improved writing methods including phase voxels, Microsoft hasn't announced production timelines for commercial deployment. Microsoft just announced a breakthrough in its push to commercialize Project Silica, its ...
Source: pcworld.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
The restaurant can keep menu term despite claim product is 'essentially chicken nuggets', Illinois ruling says A customer who sued the US restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings after finding out their "boneless wings" were not in fact made of wings has been told by a US judge that his claim has "has no meat on its bones". Buffalo Wild Wings can continue using the term "boneless wings" on its menu even though the ...
Source: theguardian.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Mikaela Shiffrin , the U.S. skiing star who's also her sport's most decorated athlete of all time, broke her medals drought at the 2026 Olympics on Wednesday, taking home the gold in the women's slalom. The 30-year-old appeared stunned and visibly emotional over her triumph after completing a smooth second run in the slalom, which is her best event. She finished with a combined time of 1:39.10, beating ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. military has killed 11 people in recent strikes on three boats allegedly transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. The boats were attacked late Monday, U.S. Southern Command said in a statement , which alleged that the three boats were operated by designated terrorist organizations. No proof was provided. A 39-second video published online by Southern Command ...
Source: upi.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Elon Musk's company took 'corrective action' following DMV finding that marketing terms violated state law Tesla will avoid a 30-day suspension of its dealer and manufacturer licenses in California after complying with a state order to stop using the term "autopilot" when marketing its vehicles, state regulators said Tuesday. The decision comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) found in ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Divided Fed officials at their January meeting indicated that further interest rate cuts should be paused for now and could resume later in the year only if inflation cooperates, minutes released Wednesday showed. Some officials even entertained the notion that rate hikes could be on the table and wanted the post-meeting statement to more closely reflect "a two-sided description of the Committee's future interest ...
Source: cnbc.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
The Paris prosecutor's office said it was opening two new lines of inquiry, one into alleged human trafficking and the other into possible financial wrongdoing related to Epstein. LONDON — The global fallout from the Epstein files widened Wednesday, with French authorities urging survivors to come forward and British police assessing private flights to and from London connected to the late financier and ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
The Trump administration is going to bat for a hands-off approach to the explosion of gambling in America. Reading time 3 minutes Over the past year, several states have launched legal actions against some of the largest players in the booming prediction market industry, such as Kalshi and Polymarket. These cases mostly have to do with state-level gambling regulations, as there is disagreement over whether these ...
Source: gizmodo.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Users reported seeing a blank black screen with only the sidebar visible, or a "Something went wrong" message accompanied by pixel art. YouTube experienced an outage affecting thousands of users in the United States and other countries on February 17, 2026. The issue began around 8 PM Eastern Time and was reported by users in Canada, India, the Philippines, Australia, and Russia. Downdetector recorded 338,000 ...
Source: techbriefly.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
The days of tech giants buying up discrete chips are over. AI companies now need GPUs, CPUs, and everything in between. Ask anyone what Nvidia makes , and they're likely to first say "GPUs." For decades, the chipmaker has been defined by advanced parallel computing, and the emergence of generative AI and the resulting surge in demand for GPUs has been a boon for the company . But Nvidia's recent moves signal that ...
Source: wired.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Explore our Olympics coverage | See More Now It seems like intermittent fasting would be a great weight loss strategy. You can't eat during certain times of the day, and that might ultimately reduce your calorie intake, right? But despite all the hype surrounding intermittent fasting, new research suggests you could end up with the same results, whether you follow the eating strategy or do nothing at all. The ...
Source: self.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Christy Carlson Romano is getting candid about her personal health in the wake of a cancer screening test that came back positive. On Tuesday, February 17, the Even Stevens alum took to Instagram to share the news and reassure her fans that she will "keep fighting" as she awaits further test results. "Right now the news is that something is going on," she wrote in her caption . "I'm nervous and a bit scared (heck ...
Source: instyle.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Ukraine said Wednesday that its officials will not attend the Winter Paralympics next month over organizers' decision to allow a handful of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flags. Ukrainian athletes will still take part in the Milan Cortina Games, scheduled for March 6-15, but no officials from Ukraine will be at the opening ceremony or any events, Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said. In a ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
Newark Liberty International Airport has reopened after an aircraft emergency caused a ground stop Wednesday evening, according to The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A plane had to be evacuated, prompting a temporary closure of the airport. Port Authority said a JetBlue flight took off from Newark around 5:45 p.m. The flight then immediately turned around after experiencing engine failure. The Federal ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 17th, 2026 -
Washington — An 18-year-old man allegedly carrying a shotgun and running toward the Capitol was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday, the head of the police force said. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said the man parked a white Mercedes SUV near the Capitol just after noon and exited the vehicle with the shotgun. He then began running toward the West Front of the Capitol, the side that is ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 17th, 2026 -
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court ...
Source: orlandosentinel.com
Tuesday, Feb 17th, 2026 -
The Pride flag's removal from New York's Stonewall National Monument by the Trump administration without first notifying the public or considering the ramifications for the historic property violated federal law, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan on Tuesday. The federal government removed the flag on Feb. 9, saying it was necessary to comply with Department of Interior and National Park Service ...
Source: news.bloomberglaw.com