Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Apple's upcoming low-cost MacBook will come in 'fun colors,' launch next month

 Report: Apple's upcoming low-cost MacBook will come in 'fun colors,' launch next month - 9to5Mac

Low-cost MacBook in 'fun colors' leads flurry of upcoming Mac releases | Macworld



Good News, Millennials: The Side Part Has Returned

 Good News, Millennials: The Side Part Has Returned - The New York Times

After Gen Z’s embrace of the center part, hair appears to be migrating sideways once again.



Measles Outbreak Hits Ave Maria University in Florida

 Measles Outbreak Hits Ave Maria University in Florida - The New York Times

More than 40 people have fallen ill at Ave Maria University, raising fears that college campuses may soon experience more measles outbreaks.



Second round of Iran-US nuclear talks in Geneva ends after just four hours

 U.S. and Iran Resume Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions - The New York Times

President Trump has called on Iran to reach an immediate accord or else face the threat of a possible U.S. attack.

Second round of Iran-US nuclear talks in Geneva ends after just four hours | Iran | The Guardian

Discussions held amid US naval buildup and Iranian announcement of live-fire exercises in straits of Hormuz

Related: Trump ally to ToI: Ayatollah staying in power would be 'strategic victory for Iran' | The Times of Israel




Sheriff says Nancy Guthrie family cleared as suspects; Investigators hope for DNA breakthrough

 Sheriff says Nancy Guthrie family cleared as suspects, with search in its third week

Investigators Hope DNA Testing Can Provide Breakthrough in Guthrie Case - The New York Times

An expert said lab analysis of gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s home could produce results within days.



2 Killed in Shooting at High School Hockey Game in Rhode Island

 2 Killed in Shooting at High School Hockey Game in Rhode Island - The New York Times

The shooter was also dead, apparently by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the authorities said. The shooting, which the police described as a “targeted event,” happened at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.

Michael Jordan is a champion again, with nothing but magnanimity for NASCAR

Michael Jordan is a champion again, with nothing but magnanimity for NASCAR - The Athletic



Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Displays About Slavery at Washington’s House

 Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Displays About Slavery at Washington’s House - The New York Times

The judge said the government did not have the power to erase or alter historical truths after the administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia.



Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader Who Sought the Presidency, Dies at 84

 Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader Who Sought the Presidency, Dies at 84 - The New York Times

An impassioned orator, he was a moral and political force who formed a “rainbow coalition” of poor and working-class people. His mission, he said, was “to transform the mind of America.”

Jesse Jackson: A Life in Pictures - The New York Times

Seven Pivotal Moments in Jesse Jackson’s Life - The New York Times

The Rev. Jesse Jackson entered the national spotlight during the civil rights movement and ran for president twice. He also courted controversy while in the public eye.


Mr. Jackson, second from left, with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. outside Dr. King’s room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the day before Dr. King was assassinated at the motel. With them were Hosea Williams, left, and the Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy.


Robert Duvall Seared Himself Into Our Memories Even When He Wasn’t the Star

 Robert Duvall Seared Himself Into Our Memories Even When He Wasn’t the Star - The New York Times

In roles as unalike as a neighborhood shut-in, a Corleone consigliere and a hardhearted military man, the actor brought an intensity that never wavered.





Inside America's ultraprocessed food (maybe you cannot get inside it)

America's food vs. Everyone else's food

Advice for Healthy Eating




Thursday, February 12, 2026

Trump says he’ll block Gordie Howe Bridge from Michigan to Canada

 Trump says he’ll block Gordie Howe Bridge from Michigan to Canada | CNN Politics (Thanks to Finn for this one)

Related:

President Trump Says U.S. Should Own Half Of Gordie Howe International Bridge

Morouns ramped up bridge lobbying before Trump’s Gordie Howe threats

Why the Gordie Howe Bridge was built and what happens next



The White House is shrugging at Lutnick’s Epstein ties. His foes are too.

 The White House is shrugging at Lutnick’s Epstein ties. His foes are too. - POLITICO (Thanks to Graydon for this one)

It’s the latest example of how little weight association with Epstein carries for high-profile figures in the Trump administration.



Suspect in Canada school shooting is identified as 18-year-old

 Suspect in Canada school shooting is identified as 18-year-old | AP News (Thanks to Sonia for this one)

Related: Who is Jesse Van Rootselaar, teen who killed 8 in Canada



Epstein Files Reveal Scope of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Role in Clinton Circle

 Epstein Files Reveal Scope of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Role in Clinton Circle - The New York Times (Thanks to Haadi for this one)

Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime companion helped advise on the kickoff of the Clinton Global Initiative and arranged for $1 million in funding for it, emails show.

Columbia Punishes 2 Who Helped Epstein’s Girlfriend Enter Dental College - The New York Times

The release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein has sent ripples through the worlds of business, politics and academia, including at Columbia, where he helped his girlfriend gain entry.

Related: Jeffrey Epstein’s Trust Reveals Beneficiaries of His Fortune - The New York Times

A photograph released by the Justice Department showing former President Bill Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell. Newly released emails show Ms. Maxwell’s behind-the-scenes role in helping to start the Clinton Global Initiative, one of Mr. Clinton’s signature post-White House endeavors. DOJ.


Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Kalshi and Polymarket Create New Competition for and beat Wall Street Ph.D.s

 Kalshi and Polymarket Create New Competition for Professional Economists - The New York Times

Economists have noticed that betting markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are pretty good at predicting not just political events but economic data, too.



Trump Wants to Revive Shipping. Investors Are Slow to Back Him

 Trump Wants to Revive Shipping. Investors Are Slow to Back Him. - The New York Times

A French logistics behemoth promised $20 billion for the United States, but a year into President Trump’s second term, only a fraction of the money has arrived.

“He’s going to be investing $20 billion into the United States because of the election,” President Trump said last year when Rodolphe Saadé, the chief executive of the shipping company CMA CGM, visited the White House.


Trump Decries a ‘Nation of Renters’ but His New Policy Promotes One

 Trump Decries a ‘Nation of Renters’ but His New Policy Promotes One - The New York Times

President Trump’s recently announced executive order that would bar big investors from acquiring single-family homes includes an exemption that allows them to build homes for rent.



Prosecutors Fail to Bring Charges Against Democrats Involved in Illegal Orders Video

 Prosecutors Fail to Bring Charges Against Democrats Involved in Illegal Orders Video - The New York Times

The rejection was a remarkable rebuke, suggesting that ordinary citizens did not believe that the lawmakers had committed any crimes.

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and the other five Democratic lawmakers had posted a video that enraged President Trump by reminding active-duty members of the military and intelligence community of their obligation to refuse illegal orders. Photo by Eric Lee for NYT.


FAA Halts All Flights at El Paso Airport for 10 Days

 (2) FAA Halts All Flights at El Paso Airport for 10 Days: Live Updates - The New York Times

No flights are allowed to or from the airport until Feb. 20 under a flight restriction order that cited unspecified “special security reasons.”

Update: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport - The New York Times

The secretary of transportation said the military had neutralized a drug cartel drone. Two officials said testing of counter-drone technology prompted the closure. The F.A.A. initially said it would last 10 days.



DHS Shutdown Looms as Senate Democrats Reject White House ICE Deal; Pockets of Republican Pushback to ICE Facilities Point to MAGA Fissures

DHS Shutdown Looms as Senate Democrats Reject White House ICE Deal - The New York Times

DHS Contracts Visualizer

Trump’s Migrant Detention Pipeline Extends From Minnesota to El Paso - The New York Times

Pockets of Republican Pushback to ICE Facilities Point to MAGA Fissures - The New York Times



Top Immigration Officials Testify; ICE/CPB Shooting Cases go to the courts

 Top Immigration Officials Refuse to Discuss Minnesota Shootings at Hearing - The New York Times

Trump Administration Claims About Shootings by Federal Agents Unravel in Court - The New York Times

Top Border Official Praised Agent Who Shot Chicago Woman, Evidence Shows - The New York Times




Investigators in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Detain a Person for Questioning

 Live Updates: Investigators in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Detain a Person for Questioning

Nancy Guthrie Live Updates: Man Detained for Questioning Is Released - The New York Times



The Woman Behind Japan’s Rightward Shift

The Woman Behind Japan’s Rightward Shift | The New Yorker 



Tuesday, February 10, 2026

10 Dead in School Shooting in British Columbia

 Tumbler Ridge Live Updates: 10 Dead in School Shooting in British Columbia - The New York Times

The shooting occurred at a high school and residence in eastern British Columbia, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which said the suspected shooter was among the dead.



What Is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either

 What Is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either | The New Yorker

Researchers at the company are trying to understand their A.I. system’s mind—examining its neurons, running it through psychology experiments, and putting it on the therapy couch.



Why Kids Are Starting to Sound Like Their Grandparents

 Why Kids Are Starting to Sound Like Their Grandparents
The strange resurgence of words like “yap” and “skedaddle.”


 

Haruki Murakami Isn’t Afraid of the Dark

 Haruki Murakami Isn’t Afraid of the Dark
The author, who brought Japanese literature into the global mainstream, grapples with aging and his place in the world of letters.

Murakami describes his writing process as an act of going “into another world.” Photo by Dana Scruggs for NYT.

 

The Mass Market Paperback goes Extinct after 90+ years.

Farewell Pocket Books

The Mass Market Paperback goes Extinct after 90+ years.  

“It was one of the most brilliant technologies in the history of the world,” Paula Rabinowitz, author of American Pulp, said, “precisely because you could shove it in your purse or your pocket.”

 

Monday, February 9, 2026

Green Day Condemns ICE as Part of Super Bowl Festivities

 Green Day Condemns ICE as Part of Super Bowl Festivities (Thanks to Sam for this one)

The band’s frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to quit their jobs, warning that the Trump administration would inevitably abandon them.


 

School cellphone ban passes Pennsylvania Senate: "We want our students focused on learning"

 School cellphone ban passes Pennsylvania Senate: "We want our students focused on learning" - CBS Philadelphia

Bill to Ban Cellphone Use During School Day Passes PA Senate | Levittown, PA Patch

Senators urge House to adopt bell-to-bell cell phone ban in Pa. schools • Pennsylvania Capital-Star



Japan’s Takaichi secures historic supermajority in landslide election victory

Japan’s Takaichi secures historic supermajority in landslide election victory | CNN

How Japan’s Leader, Sanae Takaichi, Rescued Her Party from the Abyss - The New York Times

How Japan’s prime minister will use her massive new mandate

Japan election: Japanese stocks surge to record high as PM Sanae Takaichi wins landslide election victory - BBC News

Related:

Thailand’s Conservative Party Claims Surprise Election Victory - The New York Times

It was the first time in years that a conservative party preaching nationalism, patriotism and respect for the monarchy came out on top.



Hong Kong Court Sentences Jimmy Lai, Democracy Advocate and Publisher of Apple Daily, to 20 Years; Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to 7 more years in prison

 Hong Kong Court Sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 Years - The New York Times

The media tycoon, a Chinese-born British citizen, had been a persistent critic of Beijing. The sentence is the harshest penalty so far under a national security law.

To China, Jimmy Lai Was an Arch Villain. To His Supporters, He Was Their Hope. - The New York Times

Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong publisher and democracy campaigner, was convicted of national security charges in a city where even minor dissent is now whispered.

Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to 7 more years in prison | CNN




Seahawks Win Super Bowl LX

Seahawks bully Drake Maye, Patriots on way to dominant Super Bowl 60 win - The Athletic

Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker III earns Super Bowl MVP after dad attends first NFL game - The Athletic

Klint Kubiak confirms he will be Raiders’ next head coach after Seahawks win Super Bowl - The Athletic

Reviewing Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show: Grading the performance - The Athletic

Green Day delivers tame Super Bowl performance after condemning ICE in earlier events | CNN

Running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards and helped the Seahawks control much of Super Bowl 60 against the Patriots.



NYC colder than Antarctica after brutal chill blows in — here's when it will finally warm up

 NYC colder than Antarctica after brutal chill blows in — here's when it will finally warm up (Thanks to Bernadette for this one)



Trump’s Greenland Threats Rattle the Faroe Islands

 Trump’s Greenland Threats Rattle the Faroe Islands - The New York Times

Many people in the Faroe Islands, a tiny archipelago in the North Atlantic, want to be their own state. The crisis over Greenland, Denmark’s other territory, has complicated that, for now.