NEWS - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026 - NEWS
The investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie entered its third week authorities await key DNA evidence and daughter Savannah Guthrie urges her mother's abductors to "do the right thing." LA Times
VOA VIEW: It doesn't seem that there is no compassion.
The support for Ukrainian athletes at the Milan-Cortina Games suggests there may be challenges with reinstating Russia and Belarus for the LA28 Olympics. LA Times
VOA VIEW: The situation is still up in the air.
Voter trust in U.S. elections has declined across party lines ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. LA Times
PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH US -- OUR ADVERTISERS.
Long Island Rep. Laura Gillen is facing a stiff Democratic primary challenge amid fury from her left flank over her vote last month to support continued funding for homeland security and immigration enforcement. New York Post
VOA VIEW: You would think the voters would be smarter.
President Trump vowed Monday not to allow the federal government to pay for any cost overruns from the ambitious Gateway Tunnel project to expand the Northeast Corridor rail line between Newark and New York City. New York Post
VOA VIEW: As they should not.
Venezuela sits just above the equator, but that didn't stop the Democratic socialist -- who majored in international relations at Boston University -- from making the embarrassing gaffe while speaking at a Technical University of Berlin panel Sunday. New York Post
VOA VIEW: AOC is a stupid fool.
Canine lovers are forking over millions for new high-end luxury jewelry for their pooches, causing demand on the East Coast to spike and has one business owner considering an expansion to The Golden State. New York Post
Aging means “becoming a target” of the industry, one expert said. After decades of debate, politicians of all stripes are proposing bans. New York Times
The U.S. secretary of state said in Budapest that the president was “deeply committed” to the success of Viktor Orban, who has boasted of creating an “illiberal state.” New York Times
THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR WEB PORTAL. PLEASE TELL A FRIEND.
The greatest impact is expected across Northern California, where a pair of powerful storms began on Sunday night and were forecast to last into the week. New York Times
The United States is sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Donald Trump comments that regime change might be “the best thing” amid rising tensions with Iran. OANN
VOA VIEW: Trump is gearing up for the worse.
A supervisory special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in the Dominican Republic has been arrested in connection with an investigation into the misuse of a U.S. visa program intended for confidential informants. OANN
VOA VIEW: He should be severely punished.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reassured European allies at a national security conference in Munich, Germany, that the U.S. cares “deeply” about the transatlantic alliance, emphasizing shared Western values. OANN
VOA VIEW: Good position and speech.
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
Robert Duvall, widely referred to as a “titan” of American cinema, whose career spanned over six decades, died on Sunday. He was 95 years old. OANN
A Ukrainian drone strike ignited fires at one of Russia's Black Sea ports, officials said Sunday, ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Washington Times
A Dallas-area federal jury indicted five people this week accused of defrauding customers of their cattle company of $220 million. Washington Times
WE ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK ALL OUR SOURCES FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN MAKING US AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE NEWS INFORMATION PORTAL.
The Navy removed the commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason on Friday, citing a loss of confidence in his ability to command during a critical phase of the ship's pre-deployment preparation. Washington Times
More than a decade before he became the country's first president, George Washington was leading a critical campaign in the early days of the American Revolution. The Siege of Boston was his first campaign as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and, in many ways, set the stage for his military and political successes - celebrated on Presidents Day. Washington Times
Most retail and food establishments will remain open, but services like mail delivery will be suspended for the federal holiday. CBS
The FBI investigated more than 170 cases of passengers assaulting other passengers on flights in 2024. CBS
VOA VIEW: They should pay heavely.
USA Hockey says girls' participation nationwide has surged 65% over the past 15 seasons, making it one of the fastest growing youth sports in the country. CBS
ATTENTION TALK SHOW HOSTS: We are honored that many radio talk show hosts use our Web Portal for their "show prep." We would appreciate your occasional mention of our site to your audience. Thanks!
Sunday marked the second day of a partial government shutdown impacting more than 260,000 government workers under the Department of Homeland Security across multiple agencies, including TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard. Democrats are calling for a ban on face coverings for immigration agents and for officers to display identification and wear body cameras. CBS
Data centers powering artificial intelligence have strained the electrical grid and driven utility costs higher for consumers. CNBC
VOA VIEW: Someone must pay.
The postponement comes as the island nation's communist-run government endures its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union. CNBC
ADVERTISEMENT: If you want to advertise your business or Web Site, send us an email by clicking on "Contact" above. It could be the best business decision you make.
TikTok's U.S. joint venture seems to have survived a turbulent rollout relatively unscathed, as concerns of a mass user exodus now appear overstated. CNBC
VOA VIEW: Time will tell.
A report from a blockchain analytics company has found that cryptocurrency is playing a growing role in suspected human trafficking activity. CNBC
Free breakfast is a staple of the hospitality industry, but from Hyatt to Holiday Inn and Marriott, the economics and hotel business models are changing. CNBC
After 57 years of searching, shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn discovered the luxury steamer Lac La Belle that sank in Lake Michigan in 1872 during a gale. FOX News
A New Mexico woman faces felony charges after she allegedly gave birth in a portable toilet before drowning the newborn in the holding tank. FOX News
ICE plans a $38.3 billion detention expansion to 92,600 beds for deportations, according to an internal memo revealing eight mega-centers by 2026. FOX News
A Ukraine anti-corruption law enforcement initiative has detained former Energy Minister German Galushchenko as he was attempting to leave the country, authorities said. UPI
President Donald Trump said member states of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion toward rebuilding Gaza and thousands of personnel to maintain security in the Palestinian enclave. UPI
The International Space Station is once again fully staffed with the arrival of astronauts from NASA, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos on Saturday afternoon. UPI
The U.S. military intercepted and boarded an oil tanker overnight that was linked to Venezuela after tracking it from the Caribbean into the Indian Ocean. UPI
VOA VIEW: As it should be.
The U.S. military struck dozens of ISIS targets in Syria while conducting retaliatory strikes for the deaths of two soldiers and their interpreter. UPI
Many demonstrations were held around the globe to protest the actions of Iran's current regime, which is accused of killing thousands of Iranians. UPI
VOA VIEW: Iran must have a regime change.
VOA VIEW -- Is the opinion of "Voice of Americans", which is a private entity not affiliated in any way with the United States government or any of its agencies. The opinions expressed here, in whatever medium or format, are not necessarily the opinions of the ownership or advertisers of this web site - 0415.
P.O. Box 10307
New Orleans, LA 70181
(504) 888-8255
COMMENTARY OF THE DAY
By
Robert Namer
Voice Of America
©2018 All rights reserved
Verizon is quickly working to make amends with people who were affected by the wireless data and voice service outage across the U.S.. The company announced that it will give eligible customers a $20 credit for the inconvenience. How do you get the money?
“Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence our customers expect and that we expect of ourselves. To help provide some relief to those affected, we will give them a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging into the my Verizon app to accept,” Verizon said in a statement “On average, this covers multiple days of service.” Customers will receive a text message when their credit is available in the app. Business customers can expect to be contacted directly
“This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can,” the statement added. “But it’s a way of acknowledging our customers’ time and showing that this matters to us.” A Verizon spokesperson told multiple news outlets, including USA Today, the New York Post, and NPR that the outage was caused by a “software issue,” and that the company was investigating the matter further. Verizon confirmed the outage at around 1:07 p.m. EST on social media, and then said at around 10:20 p.m. that the outage had been fixed. At its peak, outage reporting website Downdetector got 319,134 reports from people indicating that Verizon was having issues. In total, Downdetector received over 2.3 million reports about the Verizon outage.
Sources in law enforcement told ABC News that they believe the incident was not caused by a cyberattack but rather by a server failure in New Jersey. In addition, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr told Reuters that the agency would also look into the incident and “take appropriate action.”
