Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America, has died at age 84. His son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told CNN that his father's greatest contribution was giving light to people “who found themselves in dark places.” • President Donald Trump praised him as “a force of nature like few others before him,” while former President Joe Biden hailed Jackson as “Determined and tenacious. Al Sharpton described Jackson as his mentor and “a movement unto himself,” while Bernice King posted a photo of Jackson alongside her father, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, with the words, “Both now ancestors.” Barack Obama has just released a statement on Jesse Jackson's death, writing that he is “deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant.” From organizing boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect,” he said. Obamas said that he and his wife Michelle were directly inspired by Jackson, writing: “Michelle got her first glimpse of political organizing at the Jacksons' kitchen table when she was a teenager.” Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, who grew up with Rev. Jesse Jackson, shared a heartfelt statement reminiscing on their childhoods, calling him “one of the most quintessential civil rights leaders.” “These rivalries forged a friendship that remain constant and mutually beneficial.” Jackson's “passion to bring together all creeds is a testament to his vision of unity, oneness, and a nation under one accord,” he wrote. Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. described his father today as a “unique in American history.” “He had spirit-energy, and even today, when the President of the United States referred to him as a force of energy and nature, make no mistake about it, Jesse Jackson was unique in American history. And I hope that his legacy lives on a new generation of Americans,” Jackson Jr. said in an emotional interview with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown on CNN's “Situation Room.” Following the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Jackson “did the best he could to keep that flame alive,” his son added. Jackson was troubled by rising polarization, his son emphasized. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity honored Jackson, a 1960 spring initiate of the Pi Psi Chapter, through a video tribute posted to Facebook and X. Jesse Jackson, remembering him as someone who “championed human dignity and helped create opportunities for countless people to live better lives.” The former president and secretary of state said they were friends with Jackson for almost 50 years after meeting him in 1977 on the 20th anniversary of Little Rock Central High's integration of nine black students into the then-all-white school. “Reverend Jackson never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows,” the Clintons wrote in a statement, adding that “he championed the concerns of Black, Latino, Asian, and lower income white Americans.” Jesse Jackson are messages from several world leaders, who remembered the civil rights leader as a global moral authority. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on social media that Jackson's campaigning against apartheid “was a towering contribution to the global anti-apartheid cause,” adding: “we are deeply indebted to the energy, principled clarity and personal risk with which he supported our struggle and campaigned for freedom and equality in other parts of the world.” Ramaphosa added that his country is “sad to bid farewell to a global moral authority who gave voice to struggles within the United States as well as struggles for fundamental human rights and democracy around the world, including our own.” “Across decades of public life, he challenged the global community to expand opportunity and confront inequality, with courage and moral clarity,” Ruto said, adding that Jackson's “legacy will endure in the causes he advanced and the lives he changed.” French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, called Jackson's death an “immense loss,” writing on social media that he was “a tireless promoter of civil rights” who “never stopped defending peace, justice and brotherhood.” Other notable international figures also paid tribute to Jackson, including British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who called him a “pillar of the civil rights movement.” Nigerian civil rights activist Shehu Sani wrote that Jackson's death marked the “end of an era,” calling him “a trailblazer for civil rights and social justice.” Jackson's “unwavering dedication to racial equality, justice, freedom and compassion has made a lasting impact on the world,” he said. In 1984, Jesse Jackson spoke at Democratic National Convention, arguing that the party should expand it's coalition to represent the “many patches” of American society. In 1984, Jesse Jackson spoke at Democratic National Convention, arguing that the party should expand it's coalition to represent the "many patches" of American society. Jesse Jackson's passing, heartfelt messages of condolences and friendship from prominent US political and civil right figures have been pouring in. Catch up on what they had to say about the towering civil rights leader here: Jesse Jackson, the pioneering civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died at 84, his family said, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped US politics and expanded the modern movement for racial justice. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson staged campaigns against some of America's biggest companies and Wall Street to increase racial diversity and economic opportunities. In 1971, Jackson founded Operation PUSH, an advocacy organization to advance economic development and political action for Black people. Operation PUSH organized high-profile boycotts during the following decades, including campaigns against Anheuser Busch, Coca-Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Nike. The group secured detailed agreements from many companies to increase Black economic participation. “The world of private capital and wealth is very much off limits for us,” Jackson said in a 1997 interview. In 2014, Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition targeted the tech industry's lack of diversity. Describing Jackson as a “mighty lion,” Barber told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the late civil rights activist understood that politics is “about people.” And he will be remembered as one who was determined,” Barber said. Barber was arrested alongside Jackson in 2021 during a Capitol Hill protest over voting rights. The pair also participated in other protests, Barber said. “A few years ago, we walked in Texas for three days. Jesse Jackson, saying the civil rights leader helped people such as himself believe “you could be somebody.” Jackson was the person who told ex-felons, such as myself, 40 years ago that when you come home it's going to be difficult but just tell yourself you are somebody.“The wife, the student who goes through difficulties, Rev. “That's what brought me out here this morning,” he added, when interviewed by CNN outside the headquarters of the civil rights organization founded by Jackson. And if the children in schools, people that are getting shot up, believe in recovery, resilience, just take his simple words, that I am somebody.” Former President Joe Biden reflected on his decadeslong friendship and collaboration with Rev. Biden recalled witnessing Jackson's efforts through “tumult and triumph,” with “relentless insistence on what is right and just.” He said Jackson's activism leaves a legacy of fearless influence spanning Americans to presidents. While Jackson's service was guided by his belief in “the promise of America: that we are all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally,” Biden noted that the challenge remains to attain that ideal. “While we've never fully lived up to that promise, he dedicated his life to ensuring we never fully walked away from it either,” Biden said. He empowered millions to declare, ‘I am somebody,' and expanded the path for leaders of color in politics and public life,” Crump said in a post on X. He went on to praise Jackson as a figure who shaped him personally while recalling Jackson's march alongside Dr. King as just one of his numerous achievements in pushing for equality. “Reverend Jackson conceived of a more just and inclusive America, believed in it with unwavering faith, and dedicated his entire life to achieving it –– all while teaching the next generation how to carry the torch forward,” he said in the post. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed Jesse Jackson as a “fearless warrior,” describing him as one of the most prominent figures for change in the world. America is a more equal and just place thanks to his work,” the Democratic leader said in a statement on X. Schumer offered prayers and recalled lessons of service honoring Jackson's lifelong work. He called upon the public to follow Jackson's footsteps. Reverend Jackson was more than a civil rights advocate — he was a living bridge between generations, carrying forward the unfinished work and sacred promise of the Civil Rights Movement,” the pair said in a statement. The Kings added that Jackson had faith in the power of action and said that their hearts are with his loved ones, as well as the “countless people whose lives were touched by his ministry and movement.” May his memory be a wellspring of strength and courage for all who continue the sacred work to which he gave his life,” they said. Jesse Jackson was “a lifelong soldier for justice” and “a transformative leader whose life's work is deeply woven into the history, mission, and enduring impact of our Association and the nation,” the NAACP said in a statement honoring his life. “As a young organizer in the 1960s, he labored alongside NAACP leaders, spoke at several national conventions, marched with our members, and helped expand the national movement for racial equality into a broad, people-powered coalition demanding systemic change,” the association said. He challenged this nation to live up to its highest ideals, and he reminded our movement that hope is both a strategy and a responsibility. His historic run for president inspired millions and brought race to the forefront of American politics.” “We honor his legacy by continuing the work he championed: protecting the right to vote, expanding economic opportunity, and fighting for the freedom and dignity of Black people everywhere,” said NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell, Vice Chair Karen Boykin Towns, and President Derrick Johnson. The NAACP, founded in 1909, advocates and litigates for the civil rights of Black Americans and works to end race-based discrimination. Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote a tribute to Jesse Jackson in a social media post this morning, saying Jackson “let us know our voices mattered. “Reverend Jackson gave a voice to people who were removed from power and politics,” Harris wrote, adding that Jackson “widened the path for generations to follow in his footsteps and lead.” The former vice president shared an anecdote about receiving many a “thumbs up or honk of support” while driving around with a “Jesse Jackson for President” bumper sticker during her time in law school. “I was proud to partner with and learn from him on this work throughout my career, and I am so grateful for the time we spent together this January. “Today and every day, we will carry forward his call to “Keep hope alive,”” her post concluded. Andrew Young, a civil rights leader and former US ambassador to the United Nations, remembered his friend Rev. Jesse Jackson as “always trying to look out for other people.” Speaking with CNN, Young recounted meeting Jackson for the first time in Selma, Alabama, during a protest. People were backed up in a church because the police had pushed them there, according to Young who said, “to keep people from being hurt, I was standing there and I'd been there all day.” You really need to go get some sleep.,'” Young said. After the encounter that night, Young said he talked to Martin Luther King Jr. about Jackson. “‘I met a young man last night, he's from Chicago. Jackson and Young became “good friends” according to the ambassador. President Donald Trump acknowledged the passing of civil rights leader Rev. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.' He was very gregarious - Someone who truly loved people!” Trump posted on Truth Social. Back in 1999, Jackson praised Trump, then a real estate developer, at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Wall St. Project Conference, saying Trump gave them space for the Wall St. project. However, during Trump's campaign for president in 2016, when he was promoting the idea that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, Jackson criticized Trump, telling Bloomberg Television, Trump “saw a lie as a victory.” Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, GOP Senator Tim Scott and GOP Senator Lindsey Graham posted statements paying tribute to Jesse Jackson's life following his passing. McMaster announced that he will lower the flags over the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina, to honor Jackson's memory and legacy. He described Jackson as an “icon” in the civil rights movement. “A native son of South Carolina, and an icon of the civil rights movement, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was a prominent voice in our nation's political and cultural dialogue. Peggy and I are saddened to learn of his passing,” McMaster said. He was a larger-than-life figure who passionately pushed for his causes, always striving to make America live up to its potential. And Sen. Scott expressed his respect for the late civil rights leader, saying “I don't have to agree with someone politically to deeply respect the role Jesse Jackson, a South Carolina native, played in uplifting Black voices and inspiring young folks to believe their voices mattered.” “Those that empower people to stand taller always leave a lasting mark.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last weekend that tanking is the worst it's been "in recent memory," Mark Cuban believes he and the league office should "embrace" it. The NBA recently fined the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers, who own a combined record of 33-78, $500,000 and $100,000, respectively, for sitting healthy players, and Silver said last weekend he is considering "every possible remedy" to combat it. But Cuban, who has admitted to tanking in the past, posted on X "Why the NBA should embrace" teams not putting their best foot forward for future gain. "The NBA has…been misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It's never been that way," Cuban began in a lengthy X post. They are in the business of creating experiences for fans. They can't remember the dunks or shots. "Fans know their team can't win every game. They know only one team can win a ring. What fan (sic) that care about their team's record want is hope. Hope they will get better and have a chance to compete for the playoffs and then maybe a ring. Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban during a press conference after Luka Doncic signed a contract extension (REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic) Only a few times over 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. And it got us to where we could improve, trade up to get Luka [Doncic] and improve our team. "The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. It should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking. You know who cares the least about tanking, a parent who cant afford to bring their 3 kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their fave player Tanking isn't the issue. Affordability and quality of game presentation are." With a stacked NBA Draft class, it appears that more teams are vying for better chances at the No. And while the lottery had good intentions to not guarantee the worst team the best pick, the luck of the draw has led to more and more teams who know they cannot compete for a championship to compete for what they hope will be their next chance at one. "If teams are manipulating their performance in order to get higher draft picks even in a lottery, then the question becomes ... are they really the worst-performing teams?" "It's not clear to me, for example, that the 30th-performing team is that much measurably worse than the 22nd-performing team, particularly if you have incentive to perform poorly to get a better draft pick… NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during press conference at the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

• Iran talks: While “progress was made” during today's discussions in Geneva, the US expects to receive detailed proposals from the Iranian government in the next two weeks to address gaps between their positions, US officials said. Iran's foreign minister said the two sides agreed on “guiding principles” for talks, but more work is needed. They are happening as Ukraine accuses Russia of launching a large combined attack on its energy infrastructure overnight into today. Talks between Russia and Ukraine have ended between the two sides' political negotiators, a source within Ukraine's delegation told CNN on Tuesday. The source added that both groups will reconvene tomorrow morning, with statements expected from the negotiating parties once talks conclude. Shortly afterwards, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that talks had ended after four and a half hours. “Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss. President Donald Trump has warned Iran of a “very traumatic” outcome if they don't agree to a deal in the coming weeks. The Iranians have indicated through intermediaries leading up to the talks that they could move some of their uranium stockpiles to Russia and that they would be open to economic deals with the US as part of a new nuclear agreement, but it's unclear if those specific issues came up at the talks on Tuesday, sources said. The Iranians have also signaled that they would be open to halting enrichment for a period, but have said that a permanent ban on enrichment is unacceptable, sources said. While his negotiators hash out foreign policy in Geneva, President Donald Trump has three events on his public schedule for this afternoon, none of which are open to press. As talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine proceed in a Geneva hotel, Kyiv's mayor says that over 1,000 residential buildings there still lack heat due to Russian attacks on a power plant. According to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, 1,100 residential buildings in Ukraine's capital lack heat due to “critical damage” sustained at a nearby power plant. Klitchko said that 2,600 buildings have had heat restored after an attack on February 12. It is currently around 16 degrees Fahrenheit in Kyiv. Russia has frequently attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent months, forcing Ukrainian energy workers to improvise new safety procedures to make sure the power stays on. In January, an energy worker showed CNN the sandbag-lined steel capsule he's used to take shelter during dozens of attacks on the power plant where he works. “It's scary, of course,” Oleksandr Adamenko told CNN. “But we overcome our fears and tell ourselves that we have to stay because of the equipment, first and foremost, to keep people warm. Otherwise, who will do it, if not us?” After Iran's foreign minister said Tehran and Washington had agreed on “guiding principles” for their negotiations, a leading analyst of Iranian affairs has said this would represent progress, if confirmed by the US side. “If at least they can agree on what it is that's on the table that they're going to negotiate about, that is a positive development,” Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, told CNN's Becky Anderson. “Iran's nuclear program is now in ruins, so things that were not possible in 2015 – for instance, Iran agreeing to completely suspend its uranium enrichment – are now facts on the ground. Iran has not spun a single centrifuge in the past seven, eight months. It has not enriched a single gram of uranium in that period. Supporters of Ukraine gathered outside the InterContinental hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday — where peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US are currently underway. Some people outside the venue wore Ukrainian flags and held placards with messages in support of Ukraine. Democrats last night sent a counteroffer to the White House on Department of Homeland Security reforms they want to see, a spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. It comes as negotiations to restore funding to DHS have been moving very slowly, and lawmakers are on a weeklong recess. Ahead of the counteroffer, Trump said yesterday evening aboard Air Force One that he's willing to meet with Democrats to negotiate lapsed DHS funding. Trump told reporters, “I will, but you know, we have to protect our law enforcement, they've done a great job.” Iran and the United States agreed in Geneva on “guiding principles” for talks, but more work needs to be done, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday. Tehran's top diplomat said that the indirect talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were more “serious” than a previous round held earlier in Oman this month, describing them as “positive” but warning that an agreement will not be reached “quickly.” Araghchi said the two sides had agreed to prepare draft texts of an agreement and exchange them before the next round of talks. Today's talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia in Geneva, Switzerland are being led by US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the US side. Meanwhile, Ukraine's delegation is being led by Kyiv's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov. These photos have been released by Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council, showing the peace talks now taking place at the InterContinental hotel in Geneva, Switzerland. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff spent the morning locked in talks with Iranian officials at the Omani consulate, and are now at the InterContinental hotel for negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. Holding two sets of high-stakes negotiations back-to-back is an unusual diplomatic arrangement, according to a former diplomat. “It is not unusual for secretaries of state, or other senior officials with a span of responsibilities, to deal with many different issues in a single trip,” Daniel Fried, the former US ambassador to Poland, told CNN. “It is unusual for special envoys or negotiators to be dual-hatted like this.” Fried, who also served as the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs under former President George W. Bush, warned that problems can mount if overstretched envoys are not backed up by teams of experts. “The combination of dual-hatted people who may not be adequately staffed, and who don't have – it's not their fault – but cannot be expected to have a mastery of the details, could lead to problems,” he said. Rather than this being an instance of the Trump administration making the most efficient use of its diplomatic resources, Fried said it is clear that the president trusts his son-in-law and special envoy to achieve results more than others in his administration. Iran's delegation attending talks with the US in Geneva today will head back to Tehran tonight, an Iranian official told CNN. Iran will close parts of the Strait of Hormuz today for what it said were safety reasons as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducts naval exercises, according to Iranian media. Iran's semi-official news agency Fars said the closure would be “for a few hours” in order to “observe safety and navigation protocols” in the strait. The naval drills come as the US and Iran resume indirect talks in Geneva, Switzerland aimed at resolving their long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear program. Russia launched another series of attacks on Ukraine this morning, local officials said, hours before today's three-way talks aimed at resolving Russia's war in Ukraine began. Six civilians were injured in a Russian attack on the country's northern Sumy region, with buildings and cars also damaged, according to Oleh Hryhorov, head of the region's military administration. Meanwhile, at least three people were injured in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson due to the Russian attacks, local authorities said. Ukraine said Tuesday it had hit Russia's Ilsky oil refinery – among the largest in the country's south – in an overnight strike. Today's talks are the third such round of negotiations seeking to reach a peace deal to end almost four years of war. Iranian officials said the Oman meeting had been a “good start.” • Iran's demands: Iran has restated that it wants to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, but the US and its allies warn that the regime could use the purified fuel to make a bomb. In exchange for sanctions relief, Iran has offered to place checks on its program to ensure its uranium does not reach weapons-grade purity. • US demands: Not content merely to secure curbs on Iran's nuclear program, the US is also seeking to include Iran's ballistic missiles and its regional proxies – including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza – in any future agreement. Iran has previously rejected these attempts, and it is not yet clear what progress was made on Tuesday. • Russia-Ukraine talks: This afternoon, Witkoff and Kushner have pivoted to another thorny dispute, taking part in trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine aimed at ending the nearly four-year war. Those talks are also taking place in Geneva. Today's talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Geneva have begun, according to Russian state media RIA. “We are working constructively, with focus and without exaggerated expectations. Our task is to advance as much as possible those decisions that can bring about lasting peace,” Umerov said in a statement. Russia's delegation has arrived at the Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva, where this afternoon's trilateral talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine are expected to take place, Russian state news agency TASS said. The delegation – which will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky – touched down in Geneva early Tuesday morning, Russian state media said earlier. The trilateral Russia-Ukraine-US talks are due to last two days. The second round of indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, has ended, Iran's semi-official Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported, adding that delegations from both sides have left the venue. At least 6,490 protesters have been killed in Iran since mass demonstrations erupted in late December, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported as of last Wednesday. After strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last year, decades of crippling economic sanctions and the deterioration of its regional proxies, Iran has weakened - giving Trump an opportunity to extract commitments from Tehran that it will indefinitely suspend enrichment or face further military action. “Iran could make the case that its suspension was born of necessity, given the June (2025) strikes and the unsafe state of its nuclear program and claim that it needs time before being able to resume enrichment.” … Both sides could describe it as a victory of sorts: Iran, by pointing to the fact that it has not relinquished the right to enrich and the US by boasting that President Trump had achieved what neither Obama nor Biden could, which is a halt to Iranian enrichment.” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat who served as the spokesman for Iran during its nuclear negotiations with the European Union from 2003 to 2005, told CNN that conditions now are “very different” from the past but are “more favorable” for a deal where the Islamic Republic would provide firm guarantees that it will permanently remain as a non-nuclear weapon state. In this regard, Iran will under no circumstances bargain away its defensive deterrence capabilities,” Mousavian said. Malley added, “Of course, whether President Trump is open to a nuclear-only deal, or will insist that it covers ballistic missiles, Iran's regional partners, or even its domestic policies, is a whole other matter.”

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Late-night host Stephen Colbert said his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was pulled from Monday night's broadcast over network fears it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration on giving equal time to political candidates. “He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network's lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said on his program, ”The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Talarico is in a spirited contest for the Democratic nomination as media institutions are navigating around changing broadcast guidance, issued under the Trump administration, governing how they interview political candidates. His main opponent is U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and both have built national profiles through viral social media clips. On the Republican side, four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn is facing the political fight of his career against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt. Talarico posted a nearly minute-long clip of his interview with Colbert on X, calling it “the interview Donald Trump didn't want you to see.” He planned to have a Tuesday evening rally in Austin. “I think Donald Trump is worried we're about to flip Texas,” Talarico said in a statement. In January, the Federal Communications Commission issued new guidance warning late-night and daytime hosts that they need to give political candidates equal time, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr questioning the talk show exemption and positing that hosts were “motivated by partisan purposes.” In his comments, Colbert noted that the equal time provision applies to broadcast but not streaming platforms. Neither CBS nor the FCC immediately responded to messages seeking comment Tuesday. Carr, appointed by Trump to lead the agency last year, has often criticized network talk shows, suggesting last year that probing ABC's “The View” — whose hosts have frequently been critical of Trump — over the exemption might be “worthwhile.” Colbert's days in his host chair are limited, following CBS' announcement last year that it was canceling his show this May for financial reasons, shuttering a decades-old TV institution in a changing media landscape. But the timing of that announcement — three days after Colbert criticized the settlement between Trump and Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, over a “60 Minutes” story — led two U.S. senators to publicly question the motives behind the move, which served to remove from air one of Trump's most prominent and persistent late-night critics. Meanwhile, Talarico and Crockett are hoping to avoid a May 26 runoff by capturing at least 50% of the Democratic vote in the March 3 primary. Paxton, too, is trying to avoid a runoff, and until Friday, the only ad his relatively low-key campaign ran had attacked Hunt. Hunt released a new ad Tuesday, with photos of him with Trump, hitting Cornyn over his long political year and declaring, “This is our moment to end the status quo.” But Paxton's campaign has been airing its own ad featuring video clips of him with Trump since Friday. The president had not endorsed any candidate as of Monday. Paxton on Monday night portrayed Cornyn as a creature of the Washington establishment, adding, “Well, I'm not their person and I'm never going to be their person.” Early voting began with Paxton looking like the GOP's front-runner, even though Cornyn's campaign and allied super PACs had spent more than $54 million on television advertising since last year, according to the ad-tracing service AdImpact. Republican Senate leaders in Washington say Paxton as the GOP nominee would require hundreds of millions of dollars more to defend in a general election than Cornyn would — and that the party shouldn't have to spend in a state Trump carried by over 13 percentage points. “We'll pay the price of having an albatross like our corrupt attorney general around their neck,” he said.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Team USA men's speedskating took home a silver medal on Tuesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, finishing just behind Italy in the team pursuit competition. The team comprised of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman finished with a time of 3:43.71 and was good enough for second place in the event. Italy's team, featuring Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti, clinched the gold medal with a time of 3:39.20. Team USA members Ethan Cepuran (white armband), Casey Dawson (red armband) and Emery Lehman (yellow armband) celebrate winning the silver medal in the men's team pursuit speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 17, 2026. It's the second team pursuit medal for Cepuran, Dawson and Lehman. The trio set a world record in team pursuit in November with a time of 3:32.49. Casey Dawson of United States, Emery Lehman of United States and Ethan Cepuran of United States celebrate winning silver in the men's team pursuit on Feb. 17, 2026. Cepuran, Dawson and Lehman had hoped that their team effort would have been able to be enough to capture the gold. Dawson withdrew from the Olympic 10,000 meters last week to focus on team pursuit. Ethan Cepuran of United States, Casey Dawson of United States and Emery Lehman of United States in action during Final A on Feb. 17, 2026. Liu Hanbin, Wu Yu and Li Wenhao helped lead the team to a third-place finish. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

• Family not suspects: Nancy Guthrie's adult children and their spouses are not suspects in her February 1 disappearance from her Arizona home, the sheriff said yesterday, calling any suggestion otherwise “cruel.” • Examining evidence: Investigators are combing through thousands of tips and poring over evidence, including DNA on a glove found two miles from Guthrie's home; unidentified DNA on her property; and a backpack seen in a video of the suspect. The sheriff hopes DNA test results will come back today, he said. • No leading theory: Authorities have said they believe the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie was removed from the home against her will. Nancy Guthrie's family members are not suspects in her disappearance, the sheriff said, as authorities continue to comb through thousands of tips and analyze DNA in an attempt to identify the suspect and find the missing 84-year-old. Investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests on the glove found about two miles from Nancy Guthrie's property, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he is hopeful the results could come back today. Authorities will also compare the glove DNA to DNA recovered at Guthrie's home, which they said does not match her or anyone in her immediate circle. Law enforcement experts say authorities are more likely to prioritize tracking down the suspect. CNN's Kate Bolduan speaks with David Kennedy, who helped create technology used to track bluetooth signals from pacemakers, about how it can be used in the search for Nancy Guthrie. Monday's statement from the Pima County sheriff that said Nancy Guthrie's family members are not suspects in her disappearance is a direct response to so-called “armchair detectives” who have wildly — and sometimes irresponsibly — speculated about the case. No matter how well-intentioned the online guessing games have been, the chatter has been distracting, at best, and actively harming the investigation, at worst. Law enforcement officials previously tried to make this point in private conversations with members of the media, but the family member finger-pointing has been happening mostly in a parallel universe of true-crime influencers and amateur sleuths. Now that the point has been made publicly, that the family members are not suspects, “let's hope this puts an end to the reckless and malicious nonsense,” a longtime friend of Savannah Guthrie's remarked to CNN. There has been a yawning gap between what traditional news outlets have been saying about the Nancy Guthrie investigation and what new-media influencers have been saying. The influencer content has been more raw, more participatory, and more speculative, with commentary often crossing lines that journalists are taught to avoid, partly to avoid libeling innocent people. The influencer content is also appealing to some viewers and readers for the same reasons it is controversial. And, as a person involved in the Guthrie investigation told CNN last week, there is a recognition that the online energy can be helpful as well as hurtful: “The breakthrough tip could come from anyone, from anywhere.” As days have turned into weeks, speculation about certain Guthrie family members intensified in online communities, particularly in circles where there is deep ingrained distrust of major media outlets. Nanos said on Monday that the suggestions about a family member being responsible for Nancy's disappearance have been “cruel.” Some amateur sleuths who have drawn online crowds with their commentary about the case reacted on Monday by saying, in effect, they were just trying to help. CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller explains how investigators would have examined the family before ruling them out. CNN's Brian Stelter takes a look at the true crime influencers and online sleuths who have faced backlash over their Nancy Guthrie coverage.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Turning 34 in April, it's becoming more and more likely that Aaron Judge may join Don Mattingly as the only New York Yankees captains without a World Series ring in the modern era. Judge is coming off his third MVP season in the last four years but remains without what really matters in Yankees universe: a title. Well, after Judge's Yankees were bounced in the American League Division Series last season, they're running it back with an almost identical team. Aaron Judge reacts after striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 8, 2025, in New York City. At one point, the Yankees offseason looked bleak — or as Judge put it, "brutal." "I'm seeing other teams around the league get better. They're making trades, they're signing big prospects or big players and we kind of were sitting there for a while, kind of making smaller moves," Judge said. "Early on, it was pretty tough to watch. I'm like, 'Man, we're the New York Yankees, let's go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.'" But after the Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt, Judge was content. "I think once we solidified getting Bellinger back, we got Trent being our center fielder, being our leadoff guy for another year. You add a guy like Goldy, some of the back-end bullpen pieces that we've been doing, I think we'll be in a good spot…" Judge said. "We've got a special group of players here. Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 2025, in New York. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. A Savannah, Georgia elementary school teacher was killed Monday morning in a traffic collision after authorities say a man fleeing federal immigration officers crashed into her vehicle. The crash happened about 7:45 a.m. on Monday at a busy intersection, according to the Chatham County Police Department. Officers responding to the scene found two vehicles involved. Both drivers were transported to a hospital, where the female driver was pronounced dead. The male driver, identified as 38-year-old Oscar Vasquez Lopez, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools announced that the victim was Dr. Linda Davis, a teacher at Hesse K-8 School. In a statement, the school district said counselors will be available at the school this week to support students and staff. "Dr. Linda Davis was a beloved member of our school family and her loss has affected us deeply," Hesse K-8 School said in a statement. Guatemalan national faces homicide charges after allegedly killing Savannah, Georgia teacher while fleeing ICE. Police said there were no passengers in either vehicle. A second bystander vehicle was also involved in the incident, but no injuries were reported and no one from that vehicle required medical treatment. Vasquez Lopez was taken into custody and is expected to be booked into the Chatham County Detention Center. He faces charges of first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and failure to obey a traffic control device. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the crash "an absolute tragedy" and said fleeing from federal law enforcement is both a crime and dangerous. "This vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest—a felony," McLaughlin said. "These dangerous tactics are putting people's lives at risk. Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life." Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin (Fox News) Officers on routine patrol were near the scene and responded almost immediately, authorities said. Story tips can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X @s_rumpfwhitten This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his current job serving as chief of Army public affairs and chief advisor to Driscoll, who currently is in Geneva serving on the negotiating team to end the Ukraine war, Fox News has learned. Butler served as the head of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs when Gen. Mark Milley was chairman, and was slated to receive his first star. His name appeared for two years in a row on an Army list of 34 officers selected for promotion. That list has been held up by Hegseth for nearly four months because he reportedly has concerns about four to five officers selected by the Army board, but by law he cannot remove them from the list. Butler volunteered to take his name off the promotion list if it would help unlock the other promotions, according to an Army official. Hegseth pressured the Army to fire Col. Dave Butler, pictured here with CNN anchor Pamela Brown, Fox has learned. Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance – he attended Yale Law School with the vice president – had resisted Hegseth's pressure to fire Butler for months because of his ongoing contributions to the transformation of the Army. "We greatly appreciate COL Dave Butler's lifetime of service in America's Army and to our nation," Driscoll said in a statement. "Dave has been an integral part of the Army's transformation efforts and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service." The demand by Hegseth came Thursday, Fox News has learned. Fox News has learned that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his current job serving as chief of Army public affairs and chief advisor to Driscoll. Hegseth entered the Pentagon in 2025 and immediately began firing top officers or forcing them into early retirement without giving a reason or for cause: Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who was serving as chief of naval operations; Gen. CQ Brown, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. James Mingus, who was serving as vice chief of the Army; Gen. Douglas A. Sims, director of the Joint Staff; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; Gen. James Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and Gen. Timothy Haugh, director of the National Security Agency, among others. The unexplained firings have led to fear, uncertainty and an unwillingness to speak up among senior military leaders. Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance, had resisted Hegseth's pressure to fire Butler for months because of his contributions to the transformation of the Army. He served as the public affairs officer to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 2015 to 2018. He worked as the public affairs officer for Gen. Scott Miller when he was Joint Special Operations Command commander from 2016 to 2018, and then, at Miller's request, served in Afghanistan when Miller deployed there from 2018 to 2019. Butler served as the chief spokesman and director of communications for all U.S. and NATO forces during that time that Miller served as the top four-star general in Afghanistan. A former four-star commander who once commanded U.S. Special Operations said Butler was "the consummate professional, the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with and a gifted practitioner of strategic communications." Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) and is based out of the Washington D.C. bureau. She joined the network in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes.

By EMMA BURROWS, EVGENIY MALOLETKA and KWIYEON HA Most of his classmates were dark-haired Inuit; he was different. When he was bullied at school for his fair hair — an inheritance from the mainland Danish father he never knew — the dogs came to him. They nurtured the beginning of a life-long love affair and Kristensen's career as a five-time Greenlandic dog sled champion. But many years later, I started thinking about why I love dogs so much,” Kristensen, 62, told The Associated Press. “The dogs were a great support,” he said. “They lifted me up when I was sad.” As the climate has warmed, the glacier has retreated and carved off chunks of ice faster than ever before — significantly contributing to sea levels that are rising from Europe to the Pacific Islands, according to NASA. The melting ice could reveal untapped deposits of critical minerals. Many Greenlanders believe that's why U.S. President Donald Trump turned their island into a geopolitical hotspot with his demands to own it and previous suggestions that the U.S. could take it by force. But nowadays, he said, there are many days when the temperature is above freezing — sometimes it can be as warm as 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit.) Kristensen said he now has to collect snow for the dogs to drink during a journey because there isn't any along the route. Although Greenlanders have always adapted — and could make dog sleds with wheels in future — the loss of the ice is affecting them deeply, said Kristensen, who now runs his own company showing tourists his Arctic homeland. That scares me,” he told AP, pressing his lips together and becoming tearful. In winter, hunters should be able to take their dogs far out on the sea ice, Kristensen told AP. “When the sea ice used to come, we felt completely open along the entire coast and we could decide where to go,” Kristensen said. This January, there was no ice at all. Driving a dog sled on ice is like being “completely without boundaries — like on the world's longest and widest highway,” he said. Not having that is “a very great loss.” Several years ago, Greenland's government had to provide financial support to many families in the far north of the island after the sea ice did not freeze hard enough for hunting, said Sara Olsvig, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, which represents Inuit people from across Arctic nations. The warming weather also makes life more dangerous for fishermen who have swapped their dog sleds for boats, because there is more rain instead of snow, said Morgan Angaju Josefsen Røjkjær, Kristensen's business partner. When snow falls and is compressed, air is trapped between the flakes, giving the ice its brilliant white color. But when rain freezes, the ice that forms contains little air and looks more like glass. Looking out of the window at hills which would normally be covered with snow, Sandgreen described mountain rock revealed by melting ice and a previously ice-covered valley inside the fjord where “there's nothing now.” It's unclear, he said, if the town can hold its ice music festival in February — because there might not be any ice or snow. Pollution is also speeding up the ice melt, Sandgreen said, describing how Sermeq Kujalleq is melting from the top down, unlike glaciers in Antarctica which largely melt from the bottom up as sea temperatures rise. Black carbon has increased in recent decades with more ship traffic in the Arctic, and nearby Iceland has periodic volcanic eruptions. “His agenda is to get the minerals,” Sandgreen said. Since Trump returned to office, fewer climate scientists from the U.S. have visited Ilulissat, Sandgreen said. International summits, such as the United Nations climate talks in November in the Amazon gateway city of Belem, play a role, but it's just as important to “teach children all over the world” about the importance of ice and oceans, alongside subjects like math, Kristensen said.

Hudson Williams arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) MILAN (AP) — Olympic hockey knows all about big hits. That now includes “Heated Rivalry,” a gay hockey romance TV series in which two players from opposing teams carry out a secret, long-term relationship. “Everyone is saying how great it is, I just haven't seen it yet,” Werenski told The Associated Press after a 5-1 victory over Latvia. “It's definitely good for the sport of hockey. Whenever you can add more eyes to the game and have people talk about the game and talk about inclusivity, I think it's just great for the sport.” Jake Sanderson, another U.S. defenseman who plays for the Ottawa Senators, said he has heard about the show, but doesn't know much about it. When asked how far off the NHL is from having an openly gay player, Sanderson cited Luke Prokop. In 2021, Prokop was a Nashville Predators prospect who became the first player signed to an NHL contract to come out, though he has not yet played in the league. “You never know if that show (will) instill some confidence in some people,” said Sanderson, adding that any openly gay player would be fully accepted in the locker room. “I don't think we would treat them any differently. Rachel Reid's novel “Heated Rivalry” was published in 2019 as part of a series. The TV adaptation, originally developed for Canadian streaming service Crave, was the top-rated series on HBO Max in its first season. It has been renewed for a second season. “It's obviously a show about hockey that's sparked a lot of interest in people even outside of our game,” Canada's Travis Sanheim said Tuesday. “Just heard a lot of people talking about. It's obviously good to have our game being talked about.” As part of the Olympic experience, athletes were gifted a potted plant. Many of the Canadians named theirs Shane or Ilya, according to the delegation's lead press liaison, Tara MacBournie. Canadian Alpine skier Kiki Alexander took the love a bit further, sharing on TikTok that the village's Canadian moose has been named Shane. Adam van Koeverden, a 2004 Olympic champion in canoeing who is now Canada's secretary of state for sport, is a fan of the show. “Hockey is for everyone and ‘Heated Rivalry' makes it clear.” “The show has me very intrigued,” Sweet, 50, said before entering the arena to watch Canada play Czechia last week. “How a very male-dominated sport has two guys having to work through the privacy of it all, and whether you ever want to come out.” “It's great having more eyes on the sport,” added Sweet, who described herself as “a huge hockey fan.” Angie Campos, a California resident, was also in attendance and wearing a sweatshirt featuring the jerseys of the show's main characters. Weekly NHL ticket sales saw a more than 20% rise after the show debuted in late November, according to data from ticketing platform SeatGeek. It saw no similar surge the same period a year earlier. “The series didn't just light up social media feeds, it may have sent fans straight to hockey games themselves,” SeatGeek said in its analysis Jan. 16. Campos likened her newfound fandom and that of fellow “Heated Rivalry” viewers to the surge of female NFL fans after Taylor Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce and attending games. Hockey is a rough-and-tumble sport with occasional fighting and hard hits, even in crucial games where a penalty can prove costly. “Heated Rivalry” has been wildly popular among women, but men are starting to find the appeal. “Anything to grow the sport, for sure,” he added. His father Kevin York, 60, said he hasn't seen the show, but can't stop hearing about it back home in Alberta and believes it must be truly inspirational if it spurred a Canadian hockey player to come out as gay: Jesse Kortuem of Vancouver, who stepped away from the game at 17 for fear he wouldn't be accepted, shared his coming-out statement on Instagram on Jan. 13. “Something has sparked in me (ok — yes credit to #HeatedRivalry),” he wrote. “I thought I would share because I want to speak to the athletes out there who are still in the closet or struggling to find their way.

Sand sprays in all directions as Kyle Goetsch sprints at full pelt across the Namib desert, his stride broken only momentarily as he screams at the stunned group behind him to start running. This is not the climax of a blockbuster natural horror film, even if cameras are everywhere. “This is one of the photos that gets most called out for being AI,” Goetsch told CNN. “I think that's a compliment because it just shows how unique the image is … It's just so rare and unique to get all these elements to align.” This photographer spent 10 years chasing the perfect shot of a rare species. Cape Town-based Goetsch, who runs workshops across southern Africa for budding photographers, had led clients into the world's oldest desert in order to shoot the full moon rising over an old tree atop a dune. Realizing it would pass directly in front of the low-hanging moon, Goetsch scooped up his camera and tripod to race into position before it was too late. “You have a very short window to try and capture what, in my mind, was going to be an incredible image and it ended up being that,” he recalled. The fact that image qualifies as one of Goetsch's personal favorites, followed closely by those taken when another giraffe arrived to nuzzle the first, is high praise, given the sheer breadth of his eight-year camera roll. Photography was a stark career change for someone with a PhD in biochemistry, but after so much time spent squinting through microscopes, the University of Cape Town graduate never looked back after seeing the beauty of his hometown through the lens on a trip with a friend in 2018. Somewhat ironically, Goetsch quickly morphed from an expert on the tiniest molecules to a guru of the skies and stars above, as astrophotography quickly became a passion. “It's always exciting when you see it's someone's first time — the Milky Way comes up on the back of their screen and you see their faces,” he says. “I've got people that have been coming with me for seven or eight years now, and I've seen them grow. That's extremely rewarding for me as a photographer.” Goetsch's tutoring role is eased by the clarity with which the stars can often be seen from Cape Town and wider South Africa. In 2023, the country's tourism board published a 10-year national strategy outlining plans to become a world leader in astro-tourism, spurred by its relative scarcity of light pollution, favorable position in relation to various constellations (such as the Southern Cross and Mensa) and abundance of meteorite impact craters. In September 2025, Lapalala Wilderness Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province was designated as South Africa's first International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky, a nonprofit fighting against light pollution to preserve the quality of the night sky. “It's absolutely incredible to see these dark skies with the people sitting inside there taking pictures of the sky and, at the same time, you taking pictures of them,” Goetsch said. If there's a new moon in the sky, you can almost guarantee Goetsch will be somewhere pointing his lens toward it. Every star-spattered image he captures is another step toward his goal of showcasing southern Africa as a night photography paradise. “We see a lot of the Northern hemisphere photos of the Milky Way,” he explained, “So I really try and incorporate well-known locations or something that's very unique to southern Africa.” Compared to the Northern hemisphere with a lot of light pollution, we're really lucky here … I'm so incredibly blessed to live in such a beautiful place.”

Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals board a van heading to the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year, at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals walk toward a van bound for the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals walk toward a van bound for the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals sit in a van heading to the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year, at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. Family members of suspected Islamic State militants who are Australian nationals board a van heading to the airport in Damascus during the first repatriation operation of the year, at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Thirty-four Australian citizens from 11 families departed the camp. MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government will not repatriate from Syria a group of 34 women and children with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday. The women and children from 11 families were supposed to fly from Syria to Australia, but Syrian authorities on Monday turned them back to Roj detention camp because of procedural problems, officials said. Only two groups of Australians have been repatriated with government help from Syrian camps since the fall of the Islamic State group in 2019. Other Australians have also returned without government assistance. Albanese would not comment on a report that the latest women and children had Australian passports. In his remarks, Albanese was referring to the IS militants' capture of wide swaths of land more than a decade ago that stretched across a third of Syria and Iraq, territory where the extremists established their so-called caliphate. Over the years, they had families and raised children there. Opposition leader Angus Taylor demanded Albanese explain whether his government had considered banning the Australians from returning. “These are individuals who chose to associate with a terrorist caliphate. This is not aligned with the values we as Australians believe in — democracy, the rule of law, our basic freedoms including freedom of religion,” Taylor told reporters. “The door must be shut to people who do not believe in those things,” Taylor added. Asked about using temporary exclusion orders in this case, Albanese did not directly answer. “What we will do on national security issues is we deal with it appropriately upon advice” of security agencies, Albanese told reporters. Albanese noted that the child welfare-focused international charity Save the Children had failed to establish in Australia's courts that the Australian government had a responsibility to repatriate citizens from Syrian camps. Albanese said if the latest group made their way to Australia without government help, they could be charged. And if anyone does manage to find their way back to Australia, then they'll face the full force of the law, if any laws have been broken,” Albanese added. They were four mothers, former partners of Islamic State supporters, and 13 children. Eight children of two slain Australian IS fighters were repatriated from Syria in 2019 by the conservative government that preceded Albanese's center-left Labor Party administration. The issue of IS supporters resurfaced in Australia after the killings of 15 people at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14 — attackers allegedly inspired by IS. Last year, families repatriated from Roj camp included German, British and French nationals. Separately, thousands of accused IS militants who were held in detention centers in northeastern Syria have been transferred to Iraq by the U.S. military to stand trial there. Associated Press journalist Hogir Al Abdo in Qamishli, Syria, contributed to this report.

News anchor Anderson Cooper is ending his tenure on the CBS investigative series 60 Minutes. After appearing on the program for nearly two decades, Cooper said in a statement announcing his resignation that ultimately he found it impossible to juggle his role at CBS with his job at CNN and his family life. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” Cooper wrote in a statement about his departure. “For nearly twenty years, I've been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.” Cooper is among the few high-profile journalists in broadcast television to hold lasting positions at two major networks at the same time. He joined 60 Minutes in 2007, while still maintaining his role as host of Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN. Despite leaving CBS, Cooper will remain a host on CNN. Under Weiss's leadership, the company has conducted several rounds of layoffs and buy-outs as it attempts to restructure and pivot toward the political center. Weiss received internal pushback after choosing to hold a 60 Minutes program about conditions in El Salvador's megaprison, CECOT, demanding that reporters get comments from a White House official for the show. The segment, which detailed inmates' accounts of “torture, sexual and physical abuse inside CECOT, one of El Salvador's harshest prisons,” eventually aired weeks later with few changes to its content.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Dolphins released star receiver Tyreek Hill on Monday, ending the All-Pro's four-year tenure in Miami. Hill, who turns 32 on March 1, is recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 29 that required surgery to repair significant damage to his left knee, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It is one of several major roster cuts the Dolphins made on Monday. Miami also cut offensive lineman James Daniels and receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and will release two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb. His contract, which runs through 2026, would have represented around $51 million against Miami's cap. “These past few years have been some of the most meaningful of my life and career,” Hill said in an Instagram post Monday afternoon. Hill had consecutive 1,700-yard receiving seasons in his first two years with Miami, including a league-leading 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. The five-time All-Pro entered the 2025 season aiming to regain that elite form after a relatively down year in 2024, when he had 81 catches for 959 yards — his lowest totals in both categories since 2019. He had 21 receptions for 265 yards before he was hurt while making a catch in Miami's Week 4 win against the Jets. Hill was running toward the sideline and planted his left foot, and his knee twisted as he was getting pulled down. Hill's Dolphins tenure was characterized by tremendous production on the field coupled with numerous rocky moments off the field, including an altercation with police outside of Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the 2024 season opener, and pulling himself from that season's finale and later indicating he wanted to play elsewhere. “So to everyone wondering what's next...just wait on it. He suffered a gruesome knee injury late in the 2023 season that required surgery to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament, meniscus and patellar tendon in his right knee and sidelined him all of 2024. New general manager Jon Eric Sullivan, who was hired by the Dolphins last month along with head coach Jeff Hafley, was expected to begin making moves to overhaul Miami's roster. “We will move with responsible aggression here,” Sullivan said when the Dolphins introduced him on Jan 22. “We will utilize every avenue of player acquisition to bolster this roster.” Sullivan still faces the question on whether to move on from 2020 first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched by former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel toward the end of last season because of poor play. Tagovailoa finished 2025 with 15 interceptions, second most in the NFL and a career high. He is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him. Cutting him would result in a $99 million dead cap charge. If the move is designated as a post-June 1 release, those charges are split over two years, with $67.4 million allocated to the 2026 cap and $31.8 million in 2027. Sullivan said last week at a fan event that he doesn't know “what the future holds right now.” What I can tell you is that we're going to infuse competition into that room — whether Tua is part of the room, whether he's not part of the room.”