The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Friday, February 20th 2026
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By PAN PYLAS LONDON (AP) — Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . Following one of the most tumultuous days in the modern ...
Source: orlandosentinel.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
U.S. President Donald Trump has given Iran "10 to 15" days to make a meaningful deal over its nuclear program — or "really bad things" will happen. Oil prices held at six-month highs on Friday morning as energy market participants continue to closely monitor heightened geopolitical tensions. Strategists at Barclays said "if conflict is imminent it is likely to be short lived, in our view." In this article US ...
Source: cnbc.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
SODA SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Crews hope to resume efforts Friday to recover the bodies of eight people killed and one still missing in an avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada after days of dangerous weather that has hampered safe access to the area. Six of the people who died were part of a close-knit group of friends who were experienced backcountry skiers and knew how to navigate the alpine wilderness, ...
Source: apnews.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest." Trump made the announcement in a social media post hours after he accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing "classified information" when Obama recently suggested in a podcast interview ...
Source: military.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
Good news for taxpayers ages 65 or older: The 2025 tax season means a new deduction for certain older adults, giving them even more tax breaks. Last year's passage of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, gives seniors a $6,000 deduction, or $12,000 for married couples where both spouses qualify. And the deduction is available to filers who take the standard deduction or itemize. The new senior deduction is ...
Source: chicago.suntimes.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
MILAN — It was only fitting that Hilary Knight was in the middle of it all. As the United States women's hockey team prepared to receive their gold medals Thursday after a 2-1 win over Canada in overtime, the players lined up in numerical order. There was No. 21 in the center, with 12 teammates on one side and 10 on the other. Knight was in the middle of it an hour earlier, too, when a shot from Laila Edwards ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
– Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday remained defiant in his first reaction to a for rebellion handed down by a Seoul court the previous day. In a statement released by his lawyers, Yoon maintained that his abrupt and short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024 was done "solely for the sake of the nation and our people," and dismissed the Seoul Central District Court as biased ...
Source: news4jax.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
Nasa has sharply criticised Boeing's Starliner programme following an investigation into the spacecraft's troubled 2024 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), that led to astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore being stuck in space for months. The agency blamed both technical flaws and management shortcomings for the incident. The US space agency designated the test flight a "Type A mishap" — ...
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
You can now listen to Fox News articles! Ex-Victoria's Secret mogul Les Wexner's lawyer was caught on a hot mic jokingly threatening to "kill" him if he continued giving long answers to questions during his deposition on Jeffrey Epstein by the House Oversight Committee. The moment was caught after the committee released its full, nearly five-hour deposition of 88-year-old Wexner as part of its ongoing probe into ...
Source: foxnews.com
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
News , via Wikimedia Commons West Virginia attorney general sues Apple over encryption, child porn West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey filed suit against Apple on Thursday, arguing that the company turned a blind eye to iCloud encryption methods that facilitate mass transmission of child pornography. The suit focuses on Apple iCloud and its use of end-to-end encryption, which makes digital files ...
Source: jurist.org
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
The U.S. federal agency that enforces workplace civil rights is suing a regional Coca-Cola bottler for sex discrimination, alleging the company discriminated against male employees by only inviting women to a company-sponsored networking event. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit on behalf of a male employee of Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast who complained about a two-day networking ...
Source: wbur.org
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 -
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA took another crack at fueling its giant moon rocket Thursday after leaks halted the initial dress rehearsal and delayed the first lunar trip by astronauts in more than half a century. For the second time this month, launch teams pumped more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of supercold fuel into the rocket atop its launch pad. They counted all the way down to the ...
Source: military.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time. Some of the biggest players from Meta to TikTok are facing federal ...
Source: news4jax.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Vermont senator and former labor secretary rip top earners' 'greed,' 'addiction' as they push for wealth taxes Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich are escalating their attacks on America's wealthiest individuals, accusing the "billionaire class" of having an "addiction" to greed as they push aggressive new tax hikes in solidly Democratic states like California and New York. "Governors Hochul ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
The UK is blocking President Trump from using its military air bases for a possible attack on Iran — because the lefty government believes such strikes could violate international law and doesn't want Britain implicated, according to a new report. Trump has already hit back by slamming the UK prime minister's plan to resolve a long-running dispute over a strategically crucial chain of islands in the Indian ...
Source: nypost.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
A new DHS memo details plan to allow federal immigration officers to detain legal refugees in the US indefinitely The Trump administration is moving to arrest thousands of people already legally admitted to the US as refugees and detain them indefinitely for aggressive "rescreening", a report published on Thursday said. Under the new policy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that federal immigration ...
Source: theguardian.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Dozens of world leaders and ministers are expected to deliver on Friday a shared view of how to handle artificial intelligence, wrapping up a five-day summit focused on the technology. It comes a day after OpenAI chief Sam Altman told the meeting in New Delhi that the fast-evolving sector needs regulation "urgently". Frenzied demand for generative AI has turbocharged profits for companies, while also fuelling fears ...
Source: digitaljournal.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
At the end of October last year, the RSF took over al‑Fashir, which had been the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Darfur region in the west of the country. paramilitary group captured the Sudanese city of al‑Fashir bear hallmarks that point to genocide, an independent UN probe said in a new report on Thursday. At the end of October last year, the RSF took over the city, ...
Source: jpost.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.01%, Freddie Mac says Mortgage rates dropped this week to the lowest level since September 2022, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.01% from last week's reading of 6.09%. The average rate on a ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Grey's Anatomy and star Eric Dane has died at the age of 53, about a year after announcing he was suffering from ALS. "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," his family said in a statement . "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the ...
Source: upi.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump's appointees , on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. The seven-member panel is one of two federal agencies that must approve Trump's plans for the ballroom. The National Capital Planning Commission, which has jurisdiction over ...
Source: apnews.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
A new investigation found proposals for data centers across southwest Ohio are coupled with apprehension from local communities. The facilities are resource-hungry and subsidized by tax breaks. (TNS) — When Angie Markham first heard that a data center was planned about half a mile from her home in Trenton, her first words to her husband were, "We're going to have to move." The plans, reviewed by this news ...
Source: govtech.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which found that six greenhouse gases (GHGs) were a danger to public health and welfare due to their effect on climate change and formed the basis of GHG emissions regulation in the United States. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on February 18, 2026, and becomes effective ...
Source: natlawreview.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC's "The View" over possible violations of the requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates when they appear on-air, according to the head of the agency that oversees U.S. broadcast airwaves. "The FCC has an enforcement action underway on that," Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters after an agency meeting Wednesday, in response ...
Source: apnews.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Scientists showed in a new study published Thursday that they could use blood draws to build a "clock" for Alzheimer's disease that could roughly predict when symptoms will develop, findings that could eventually transform how the illness is diagnosed and treated. A simple blood test can help diagnose Alzheimer's, but the study in the journal Nature Medicine shows how these kinds of tests could one day play a ...
Source: bostonglobe.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 -
At the January 2026 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the voting body chose to leave interest rates unchanged . The Federal Reserve's dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment have been at crossroads the past few months; inflation has trickled up, but the labor market shows signs of softness. At the January meeting, concerns about inflation won, as documented in the now-published ...
Source: rismedia.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
US goods imports continued to outpace its exports last year, sending the country's trade deficit to a new high despite sweeping tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump. The gap between the value of goods imported into the US and American products sold to other countries widened by 2.1% compared to 2024, hitting roughly $1.2 trillion (£890bn), official figures show. The rise emerged despite a sharp ...
Source: bbc.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Alysa Liu won a gold medal in women's individual figure skating on Thursday, making her the first U.S. woman to take the Olympic podium in the event since 2006. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto took silver and Ami Nakai, also of Japan, took the bronze. The last American woman to earn a medal in individual figure skating was Sasha Cohen, who took home silver in 2006. Sarah Hughes was the last American woman to take home a ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The Chicago Bears stepped forward with plans for an Indiana-based new stadium, with the amended Indiana Senate Bill 27 passing 24-0 out of committee. Lawmakers from the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana Senate Bill 27, which will create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. That body would have the power to issue bonds, acquire land and finance ...
Source: upi.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
weighs whether to strike down the policy at the center of his economic platform. The justices could rule as early as Friday on Trump's authority to impose the kind of broad global tariffs he implemented last year. Losing the case would deal a major economic and political blow to a signature initiative of his second term. "Thanks to the fact that we got elected on Nov. 5, and thanks to what I call the Trump tariffs, ...
Source: news.yahoo.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Google LLC today introduced Gemini 3.1 Pro, a new reasoning model that outperforms Claude 4.6 Opus and GPT-5.2 across several benchmarks. The algorithm is available via more than a half-dozen of the search giant's products. Gemini 3.1 Pro is a Transformer model with a mixture of experts architecture, which means that it activates only some of its parameters when generating a prompt response. Users can enter prompts ...
Source: siliconangle.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article The luxury jet can hold 18 people and sleep 14, according to the report ICE is looking to purchase a luxurious $70 million jet equipped with a bedroom, showers and even a bar — claiming it's needed for cabinet officials' travel itinerary and deporting migrants, according to ...
Source: independent.co.uk
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 -
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Two Britons detained in Iran while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip have been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a revolutionary court for "spying," their family said Thursday. Husband and wife Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who were convicted and sentenced in a trial at which they were not permitted to present a defense, have been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since they were arrested in ...
Source: upi.com
Thursday, Feb 19th, 2026 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article The Trump administration is appealing the decision restoring the exhibit about history of slavery Parks workers have restored a series of exhibition panels about the history of slavery at a Philadelphia historical site that the Trump administration had removed last month, after a ...
Source: independent.co.uk
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
By Moderna's mRNA-1010 flu vaccine for older adults could be made available by the end of 2026, the pharmaceutical company announced Wednesday. Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have agreed to undertake a review of Moderna's seasonal influenza vaccine. Moderna and FDA officials recently met to discuss the vaccine's review with the goal date of Aug. 5. "Pending FDA approval, we look forward to making our ...
Source: miamiherald.com
Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2026 -
After crew on flight 543 reported smoke in the cockpit, passengers and crew exited Airbus A320 via slides Traffic was temporarily disrupted at Newark Liberty international airport in New Jersey on Wednesday after a Florida-bound JetBlue flight suffered an engine failure on takeoff and returned to the airport, officials said. Crew on flight 543 reported smoke in the cockpit, and after an emergency landing, ...
Source: theguardian.com