Epstein Built Ties to U.S. Customs Officers, Prompting Criminal Investigation

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:48:03 +0000)

Jeffrey Epstein cultivated friendly relationships with several customs officers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, offering food, advice and even musical gigs.

Leon Botstein, Bard College’s President, Had Epstein Ties. He Is Also Seen as a Campus Savior.

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:57:37 +0000)

The president of Bard College raised millions to save his school from closure. As he sought donations, he talked with Jeffrey Epstein about music, watches and young female musicians.

Bill Gates Cancels Speech in India Amid Epstein Controversy

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:08:44 +0000)

The philanthropist made the announcement on Thursday, after having earlier confirmed his participation in a prominent artificial intelligence summit in India.

In 2025, Trade Deficit in Goods Reached Record High

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:40:33 +0000)

Data released Thursday by the Census Bureau showed the overall trade deficit with the world narrowed, the result of an expanding trade surplus in services. The trade deficit in goods was the highest on record.

Trump Mulls a North American Trade Pact Without Canada

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:58:01 +0000)

U.S. officials are threatening major changes to a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada that could upend the way business is done and leave Canada on the outs.

One Year In, Trump’s Tariffs Have Not Helped U.S. Wine Businesses

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:26:15 +0000)

One year in, many producers say tariffs have not helped them, and some countries are rejecting U.S. wine altogether.

Two Sisters Died in Tahoe Area Avalanche During Trek With Friends

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:49:22 +0000)

The sisters regularly met up with their friends, many of them fellow parents with ties to Stanford University, to go on ski trips.

Another Storm Complicates Efforts to Recover Victims of Tahoe Avalanche

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:05:40 +0000)

The sheriff’s office in Nevada County, Calif., said a storm that moved through early Thursday has slowed their work.

Gaza’s Board of Peace: What to Know

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:01:25 +0000)

President Trump’s new organization was established to oversee a Gaza cease-fire but has expanded its mandate. Critics say it could undermine the United Nations.

Arts Panel Packed With Trump Allies Approves White House Ballroom Project

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:02:10 +0000)

President Trump has eliminated any pocket of resistance from within his administration to his plans for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

U.S. Tells International Energy Agency to Drop Its Focus on Climate Change

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:29:48 +0000)

The Trump administration is threatening to leave the influential agency unless it stops publishing its annual road map for cutting planet-warming emissions.

As Trump Weighs Possible Iran Strikes, U.S. Military Moves Into Place

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 01:36:43 +0000)

President Trump has given no indication that he has made a decision about how to proceed, as diplomatic talks continue.

Maps: Where the U.S. Is Building Up Military Force Near Iran

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:58:53 +0000)

President Trump has not authorized military action in Iran, but the United States has built up its presence in the region in recent weeks. Now it’s sending even more firepower.

Why Is Trump Dumping East Wing Rubble in a Public Park?

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:01:16 +0000)

The East Potomac Golf Links is a municipal course that has been a fixture in Washington for decades. President Trump is turning it into something else.

A Press Freedom Case in Peril, From a Lawyer Who Helped Write It

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:01:06 +0000)

Alan Dershowitz was present at the creation of New York Times v. Sullivan. Now he is asking the Supreme Court to revise or destroy it.

Their Transgender Child’s Health Care Had Ended. What Now?

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:57:50 +0000)

In many ways, the parents whose adolescents had been receiving treatment at NYU Langone Health had been expecting this call. Still, they were stunned.

Billy Idol Had It All, and Then He ‘Lit It With Butane’

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:51:13 +0000)

Last year, the British rocker with the iconic sneer played his biggest tour yet. At 70, he’s revealing how he survived the tough times in a new documentary.

University of British Columbia Professors Sue School Over Political Correctness

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:00:38 +0000)

A group of academics at the University of British Columbia say the school’s D.E.I. policies and practices, which include land acknowledgments, violate a law that requires universities to be “nonpolitical.”

Who Would Win Gold in the Coward Olympics?

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:55:40 +0000)

There are a lot of potential contestants.

An Ancient Power Is Reasserting Itself

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:33:37 +0000)

Why the next 30 years belong to India.

Ohio’s Covid Czar Hopes to Be the State’s Democratic Governor

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:02:35 +0000)

Amy Acton’s service to retiring Gov. Mike DeWine gives her bipartisan credibility in a Republican state, but that service, leading Ohio’s pandemic response, also stirs charged emotions.

A Child Misses 3 Weeks of School. Should Protective Services Step In?

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:11:02 +0000)

A growing number of states are debating whether to alter their policies on summoning child protection officials if a student has excessive absences.

A Rare Glimpse of a Sleeper Shark in Antarctic Waters

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:57:53 +0000)

Researchers filmed a 10-to-13-foot sleeper shark off the South Shetland Islands, in what may be the first recording of the species that far south.

Assault on Sudanese City Bore ‘Hallmarks of Genocide,’ U.N. Finds

(Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:58:33 +0000)

A paramilitary group in Sudan’s civil war “acted with genocidal intent” in a monthslong siege of El Fasher, according to human rights experts.