Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace, President Donald Trump warned anew that “bad things will happen” if Iran refuses to make a deal on its nuclear program. President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package, while five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war-battered Palestinian territory. But $7 billion is only a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal looms over Trump's ambitions for his board to rival the United Nations in solving world conflicts. Instead, the president is turning his focus to domestic issues: he's in Georgia for a trip designed to help boost Republicans' political standing heading into the midterms. President Donald Trump on Thursday refused to say whether he's seen evidence that aliens had visited earth. The president was asked directly about “non-human visitors” while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One. “I don't know if they're real or not. I can tell you he gave classified information,” Trump said of Obama. Trump continued: “I don't have an opinion on it. I think it's so bad for the royal family.” Trump praised his brother, King Charles, and said he “would be coming to our country very soon.” Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address next week, just months after resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump's address to Congress next Tuesday, offering the party's most high-profile opportunity to deliver a countermessage. Spanberger, who served three terms in Congress, became Virginia's first female governor earlier this year. She won the race by a double-digit margin, campaigning on affordability and lowering costs for families. The second lady thanked people for “the outpouring of love and excitement” that followed the January announcement by her and her husband, Vice President JD Vance, that she is pregnant with their fourth child. “Your support means more to us than we can say,” she said Wednesday in a social media post. “We would be honored if you would consider making a donation to your local diaper bank to help families in need,” she said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned earlier this month that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States. FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. FIFA president Giovanni Infantino outlined a new plan by the world's governing body of football — “soccer” for those who live in the U.S. — to bring new sports opportunities to war-torn Gaza. Specifically, FIFA pledged to spend $50 million for a national football stadium in Gaza to hold between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators in addition to a FIFA academy at a cost of $15 million. The organization also vowed to build 50 “FIFA arena mini pitches” and five full-sized pitches at a total cost of $7.5 million. Many world leaders and diplomats have been worried that Trump's new initiative was an attempt to eclipse the U.N. Security Council. But Trump attempted to assuage those concerns, saying that the U.S. will “work again with the United Nations and, bring it back to health.” He added that his administration plans to “fix up even the building.” So we're going to do a job with the United Nations.” He said 100,000 homes for 500,000 people, about a quarter of Gaza's population, were initially planned, along with $5 billion of infrastructure. He said “over time,” 400,000 new homes for Gaza's entire population were planned, with $30 billion in infrastructure projects. He gave no timeline for when construction would begin. “This is not a problem of money or collateral,” he said. In an hourslong meeting, leaders from various countries, including Peru, Bahrain and Pakistan, spent most of their speaking time praising Trump and what they called his “unprecedented” ability to end conflicts around the world. Pakistan called him the “savior of South Asia,” while others said that years of U.S. foreign policy efforts by his predecessor failed to do what Trump has done in the last year. President Donald Trump holds up a signed resolution during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his pledge that Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms. Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear program fizzle out. Trump said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran, but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations. Iran's theocracy is more vulnerable than ever, following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed. But it is still capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war. Despite repeatedly underscoring the importance of preventing and ending conflict, Trump made several pointed remarks during his Board of Peace meeting directed at Iran as the U.S. has amassed a significant military in the region. The military moves have coincided with the series of threats Trump has made to Iran if it does not accede to his demands to denuclearize, give up ballistic missiles and halt funding extremist proxy groups. In addition, Egypt and Jordan, which border the Gaza strip, have agreed to train the police and security forces. “With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said. — This item has been corrected to show that Jeffers is a major general, not a general, and is not retired. Trump's demolition of the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment typical for even relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction. And the project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, now led by one of Trump's top aides. — CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that the vote was unanimous; one commissioner abstained. President Donald Trump speaks with Vice President JD Vance during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. “The reason that we're here today is yes to save lives and yes to promote peace, but this creates incredible prosperity for the American people,” Vance said. Trump's trade war has strained economic relations with several major U.S. allies. The Republican president repeated his concerns and criticism of the United Nations during his Board of Peace meeting, saying the UN should have been more involved in conflict-solving than it has been. “The Board of Peace is gonna almost be looking over the United Nations, and making sure it runs properly.” “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built, starting right here in this room,” Trump said. CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that the vote was unanimous; one commissioner abstained. World leaders listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Trump said. “But every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Trump in thanking the donors. President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Shouting out all of the various conflicts he says he solved, Trump mentioned that Iran is “a hotspot right now.” He said his envoys have had “very interesting” meetings with Iranian officials. Trump described Vance as “a fantastic man” and a “fantastic talent” before running through the highlights of the vice president's education and marriage and noting that Vance “gets a little bit tough on occasion.” Trump then praised Rubio's performance at the Munich Security Conference this week, joking that if he did his job any better he'd be fired for outshining him. The Constitution bars Trump from seeking a third term. Kevin Stitt struck a conciliatory tone toward the White House. “Politics is tough,” Stitt said Thursday at an event sponsored by Politico at the outset of the National Governors Association's annual meeting. “Politics has a way of just beating you down over time so I can't imagine being president of the United States. The group, made up of governors from both parties, is typically one of the few bipartisan organizations to convene in Washington each year. But this year's meeting has been defined by tensions as Trump has refused to invite two Democratic governors to a business meeting at the White House. Trump says Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the driving force behind renaming the U.S. Institute of Peace the “Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace,” in a move still being contested in courts. “Marco named it after me,” Trump said Thursday at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace at the former USIP building. The USIP was created as an independent entity by Congress in 1984, a status Trump sought to revoke last year when the building was seized from its leadership and nearly all of its employees fired. In one of many tangents, Trump used his speech at the Board of Peace meeting to reinforce his support for various foreign leaders who are facing or were recently facing a contested election in their country. You know, I've had a very good record of endorsing candidates within the United States, but now I endorse foreign leaders, including Viktor Orbán, who's here,” Trump said, mentioning also Milei and the prime minister of Japan. While Trump convenes his Board of Peace, the nation's governors also are gathering in Washington. Their annual gathering has traditionally been a show of bipartisanship. Trump disrupted norms by not inviting all governors to meetings at the White House. Spencer Cox, both Republicans, in opening this year's National Governors Association on a panel where they emphasized bipartisanship, regardless of Trump's actions. The break with tradition reflects Trump's broader approach in his second term. He has taken a confrontational stance toward some state leaders, withholding federal funds from states that draw his ire and deploying federal troops to cities over the objections of local officials. Argentina's President Javier Milei is seen during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks with World leaders as he arrives for a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, left and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speak during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. “Almost everybody's accepted, and the ones that haven't, will be. And some are playing a little cute — it doesn't work. You can't play cute with me,” Trump said. “But, this is the most prestigious board ever put together.” “Board of Peace is one of the most important and consequential things, I think, that I'll be involved in,” the second-term president said. President Donald Trump stands with other World leaders before a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump stood in front of leaders from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Qatar, among others, to take a group photo before discussing the various parts of the president's peace plan for Gaza. A number of world leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Hungary's Viktor Orbán and others carried red hats with the emblem “USA” and an American flag on the side, and put them on the tables next to their country signs. The new research tied to one of America's leading banks provides more evidence that Trump‘s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption. “That's a big change in their cost of doing business,” said Chi Mac, business research director of the JPMorganChase Institute, which published the analysis on Thursday. FILE - Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, left, leave the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after a visit to Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back: “This president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway because of the Board of Peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world.” “The United Nations has great potential,” he said. “They haven't lived up to the potential.” Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the National Capital Planning Commission's website ahead of a March 5, hearing, are photographed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. The commission, now led by Trump's appointees, is scheduled to further discuss the project at its monthly meeting on Thursday, held over Zoom. The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025 as Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. Trump's tariffs are a tax paid by U.S. importers and often passed along to their customers as higher prices. Trump argues that the tariffs will protect U.S. industries, bringing manufacturing back to America and raising money for the U.S. Treasury. Members of the United Nations Security Council are calling for Gaza ceasefire deal to become permanent, and blasting Israeli efforts to expand control in the West Bank as a threat to prospects of a two-state solution. The high-level U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Trump announced the board's meeting for the same day, complicating travel plans for diplomats. It is a sign of the potential for overlapping and conflicting agendas between the United Nations' most powerful body and Trump's broader ambitions to broker global conflicts, which have raised concerns in some countries that it may attempt to rival the U.N. Security Council.

Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the National Capital Planning Commission's website ahead of a March 5, hearing, are photographed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump's appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. The seven-member panel is one of two federal agencies that must approve Trump's plans for the ballroom. The National Capital Planning Commission, which has jurisdiction over construction and major renovation to government buildings in the region, is also reviewing the project. Members of the fine arts commission originally had been scheduled to discuss and vote on the design after a follow-up presentation by the architect, and had planned to vote on final approval at next month's meeting. But after the 6-0 vote on the design, the panel's chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., unexpectedly made another motion to vote on final approval. Six of the seven commissioners — all appointed by the Republican president in January — voted once more in favor. The ballroom will be built on the site of the former East Wing, which Trump had demolished in October with little public notice. That drew an outcry from lawmakers, historians and preservationists who argued that the president should not have taken that step until the two federal agencies and Congress had reviewed and approved the project, and the public had a chance to provide comment. Commissioners offered mostly complimentary comments before the votes. Cook echoed one of Trump's main arguments for adding a larger entertaining space to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures on the South Lawn that Trump describes as tents to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions. “Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Cook said. Members of the public were asked to submit written comment by a Wednesday afternoon deadline. Some comments cited concerns about Trump's decision to unilaterally tear down the East Wing, as well as the lack of transparency about who is paying for the ballroom or how contracts were awarded, Leubke said. Trump has defended the ballroom in a recent series of social media posts that included drawings of the building. He said in one January post that most of the material needed to build it had been ordered “and there is no practical or reasonable way to go back. Both described a series of images and sketches of the ballroom and the grounds as they would appear after the project is completed. Trump has said the ballroom would cost about $400 million and be paid for with private donations. To date, the White House has only released an incomplete list of donors. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction. A ruling in the case is pending. At the commission's January meeting, some commissioners had questioned Baranes, Trump's architect, about the “immense” design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed Trump's vision. The ballroom project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by a top White House aide. This panel heard an initial presentation about the project in January. This story has been corrected to reflect that the ballroom was approved by six of the seven commissioners and that one commission did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.

President Donald Trump opens Board of Peace meeting in Washington, calling it “one of the most important” things he's done. At the same time, he called out major US allies who have not yet joined the Board of Peace, saying “they're playing cute.” President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package, while five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war-battered Palestinian territory. But $7 billion is only a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal looms over Trump's ambitions for his board to rival the United Nations in solving world conflicts. Instead, the president is turning his focus to domestic issues: In an hour, he'll arrive in Georgia for a trip designed to help boost Republicans' political standing heading into the midterms. FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. FIFA president Giovanni Infantino outlined a new plan by the world's governing body of football — “soccer” for those who live in the U.S. — to bring new sports opportunities to war-torn Gaza. Specifically, FIFA pledged to spend $50 million for a national football stadium in Gaza to hold between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators in addition to a FIFA academy at a cost of $15 million. The organization also vowed to build 50 “FIFA arena mini pitches” and five full-sized pitches at a total cost of $7.5 million. Many world leaders and diplomats have been worried that Trump's new initiative was an attempt to eclipse the U.N. Security Council. But Trump attempted to assuage those concerns, saying that the U.S. will “work again with the United Nations and, bring it back to health.” He added that his administration plans to “fix up even the building.” So we're going to do a job with the United Nations.” He said “over time,” 400,000 new homes for Gaza's entire population were planned, with $30 billion in infrastructure projects. He gave no timeline for when construction would begin. “This is not a problem of money or collateral,” he said. In an hourslong meeting, leaders from various countries, including Peru, Bahrain and Pakistan, spent most of their speaking time praising Trump and what they called his “unprecedented” ability to end conflicts around the world. Pakistan called him the “savior of South Asia,” while others said that years of U.S. foreign policy efforts by his predecessor failed to do what Trump has done in the last year. President Donald Trump holds up a signed resolution during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his pledge that Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms. Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear program fizzle out. Trump said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran, but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations. Iran's theocracy is more vulnerable than ever, following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed. But it is still capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war. Despite repeatedly underscoring the importance of preventing and ending conflict, Trump made several pointed remarks during his Board of Peace meeting directed at Iran as the U.S. has amassed a significant military in the region. The military moves have coincided with the series of threats Trump has made to Iran if it does not accede to his demands to denuclearize, give up ballistic missiles and halt funding extremist proxy groups. In addition, Egypt and Jordan, which border the Gaza strip, have agreed to train the police and security forces. “With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said. — This item has been corrected to show that Jeffers is a major general, not a general, and is not retired. Trump's demolition of the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment typical for even relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction. And the project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, now led by one of Trump's top aides. — CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that the vote was unanimous; one commissioner abstained. President Donald Trump speaks with Vice President JD Vance during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. “The reason that we're here today is yes to save lives and yes to promote peace, but this creates incredible prosperity for the American people,” Vance said. Trump's trade war has strained economic relations with several major U.S. allies. The Republican president repeated his concerns and criticism of the United Nations during his Board of Peace meeting, saying the UN should have been more involved in conflict-solving than it has been. “The Board of Peace is gonna almost be looking over the United Nations, and making sure it runs properly.” “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built, starting right here in this room,” Trump said. CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported that the vote was unanimous; one commissioner abstained. World leaders listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Trump said. “But every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Trump in thanking the donors. Trump described Vance as “a fantastic man” and a “fantastic talent” before running through the highlights of the vice president's education and marriage and noting that Vance “gets a little bit tough on occasion.” Trump then praised Rubio's performance at the Munich Security Conference this week, joking that if he did his job any better he'd be fired for outshining him. The Constitution bars Trump from seeking a third term. Kevin Stitt struck a conciliatory tone toward the White House. “Politics is tough,” Stitt said Thursday at an event sponsored by Politico at the outset of the National Governors Association's annual meeting. “Politics has a way of just beating you down over time so I can't imagine being president of the United States. The group, made up of governors from both parties, is typically one of the few bipartisan organizations to convene in Washington each year. But this year's meeting has been defined by tensions as Trump has refused to invite two Democratic governors to a business meeting at the White House. Trump says Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the driving force behind renaming the U.S. Institute of Peace the “Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace,” in a move still being contested in courts. “Marco named it after me,” Trump said Thursday at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace at the former USIP building. The USIP was created as an independent entity by Congress in 1984, a status Trump sought to revoke last year when the building was seized from its leadership and nearly all of its employees fired. In one of many tangents, Trump used his speech at the Board of Peace meeting to reinforce his support for various foreign leaders who are facing or were recently facing a contested election in their country. You know, I've had a very good record of endorsing candidates within the United States, but now I endorse foreign leaders, including Viktor Orbán, who's here,” Trump said, mentioning also Milei and the prime minister of Japan. While Trump convenes his Board of Peace, the nation's governors also are gathering in Washington. Their annual gathering has traditionally been a show of bipartisanship. Trump disrupted norms by not inviting all governors to meetings at the White House. Spencer Cox, both Republicans, in opening this year's National Governors Association on a panel where they emphasized bipartisanship, regardless of Trump's actions. The break with tradition reflects Trump's broader approach in his second term. He has taken a confrontational stance toward some state leaders, withholding federal funds from states that draw his ire and deploying federal troops to cities over the objections of local officials. Argentina's President Javier Milei is seen during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks with World leaders as he arrives for a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, left and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speak during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. “Almost everybody's accepted, and the ones that haven't, will be. And some are playing a little cute — it doesn't work. You can't play cute with me,” Trump said. “But, this is the most prestigious board ever put together.” “Board of Peace is one of the most important and consequential things, I think, that I'll be involved in,” the second-term president said. President Donald Trump stands with other World leaders before a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump stood in front of leaders from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Qatar, among others, to take a group photo before discussing the various parts of the president's peace plan for Gaza. A number of world leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Hungary's Viktor Orbán and others carried red hats with the emblem “USA” and an American flag on the side, and put them on the tables next to their country signs. The new research tied to one of America's leading banks provides more evidence that Trump‘s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption. “That's a big change in their cost of doing business,” said Chi Mac, business research director of the JPMorganChase Institute, which published the analysis on Thursday. FILE - Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, left, leave the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after a visit to Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back: “This president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway because of the Board of Peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world.” “The United Nations has great potential,” he said. “They haven't lived up to the potential.” Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the National Capital Planning Commission's website ahead of a March 5, hearing, are photographed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. The commission, now led by Trump's appointees, is scheduled to further discuss the project at its monthly meeting on Thursday, held over Zoom. The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025 as Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. Trump's tariffs are a tax paid by U.S. importers and often passed along to their customers as higher prices. Trump argues that the tariffs will protect U.S. industries, bringing manufacturing back to America and raising money for the U.S. Treasury. Members of the United Nations Security Council are calling for Gaza ceasefire deal to become permanent, and blasting Israeli efforts to expand control in the West Bank as a threat to prospects of a two-state solution. The high-level U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Trump announced the board's meeting for the same day, complicating travel plans for diplomats. It is a sign of the potential for overlapping and conflicting agendas between the United Nations' most powerful body and Trump's broader ambitions to broker global conflicts, which have raised concerns in some countries that it may attempt to rival the U.N. Security Council.

He faces criminal penalties for allegedly leaking government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein. This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. On Tuesday, November 30, 2010, at 2:57 p.m., Prince Andrew—as he then was—received details of his upcoming trips as Britain's official trade envoy: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Vietnam, Singapore. At 3:02 p.m., he forwarded the entire email to Jeffrey Epstein. At dawn today, that stupid and unethical decision—and many others like it—finally caught up with him. Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the morning of his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and are now searching his homes. His brother, King Charles III, was not officially informed in advance, but had signaled that the royal family would cooperate with any police inquiry. Charles had already stripped Andrew of his title after the latest batch of Epstein files dropped, because the newly released emails proved beyond doubt that Andrew had lied about breaking off contact with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, in 2010. The disgraced former prince had also been evicted from his lavish residence in Windsor, just outside London, where he had lived effectively rent-free for many years. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” Charles wrote in his statement on the arrest, adding: “Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.” The financier was well known as a man who could easily find women—“no one over 25 and all very cute,” he told Elon Musk—to go on dates with his rich friends. (“Pro or civilian?” Steve Tisch, a co-owner of the New York Giants, asked about one such woman.) The police recently searched two addresses linked to Peter Mandelson, a former government minister and an ambassador to Washington who also lied about the extent of his friendship with Epstein. During his time in government in the late 2000s, the files show, Mandelson forwarded market-sensitive emails to Epstein, on subjects such as the eurozone bailout of Greece, mixed in with laddish banter and discussions about how Mandelson might make money after leaving office. Mandelson has already been stripped of his seat in the House of Lords and his affiliation with the Labour Party; for a few hours, many in the press corps thought the scandal might bring down Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had bafflingly appointed Mandelson as U.S. ambassador, despite his long record of other scandals. Attractive young women seem to have been present at many of these events. Foreign intelligence services must have regarded Andrew's appointment in 2001 as a gift from the heavens. In 2007, for example, he sold his white elephant of a mansion, Sunninghill, which his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had given him as a wedding present. A Kazakh oligarch paid millions over the asking price, and then never moved in. The problem for the royal family was that Andrew and his then-wife, Sarah—known in Britain as “Fergie,” after her unmarried name—had no discernible talents but extremely expensive tastes. The journalist Andrew Lownie's book on the couple, Entitled, recounts how Sarah used to run up room-service bills in hotels and then simply walk out. “She would just breeze out of the Four Seasons and The Palace in New York as if she was too important to pay,” one source told him. In 1995, Buckingham Palace refused to pay off any more of her debts, and issued a statement saying that “the Duchess's financial affairs are no longer Her Majesty's concern.” She wrote in 2010: “Is there any chance I could borrow 50 or 100,000 US dollars to help get through the small bills that are pushing me over. Had to ask.” The files also contain a particularly grim exchange after Fergie denounced Epstein following his conviction, only to email him in a panic afterward, assuring him she never used the “P word”—pedophile. The couple have been divorced for three decades but have never really moved on, possibly because they are mirror images of each other. Entitled also makes a compelling case that Andrew is—to put it delicately—boorish and dim. It's entirely possible that he never questioned why Epstein would work so assiduously to maintain their friendship. As trade envoy, Andrew became known for practical jokes and off-color remarks, which British diplomats had to tolerate because of his titles. Until 2022, he also benefited from the protection of his mother. Andrew was widely perceived to be the late Queen's favorite child: Charles was sensitive, unlike his parents, who had been raised as emotionally stunted aristocrats; Anne, a tougher, horse-mad child, was Prince Philip's pet; Edward, like many youngest children, benefited from his parents softening with middle age. But no one really knew what to do with Andrew, who was nicknamed “Baby Grumpling” because of his temper. Unlike Harry, though, he frequently reminded his peers of his royal status and was unable to make real friendships with people he considered below him. But even she could not save him after his disastrous decision to give an interview to the BBC in 2019 about his connection with Epstein. He presented a portrait of blithe privilege, denying a deep connection with the financier by saying he had hosted him only for a “straightforward shooting weekend.” He claimed to have spent three days with Epstein in New York in 2010 for the sole purpose of breaking off their friendship. “Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!! Charles has gone even further—supported by his son Prince William. None of the statements from Buckingham Palace has carried the slightest hint that they believe Andrew has been wronged by a witch hunt. The king's last statement before today included a telling line: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse.” Private companies are said to throw employees under the bus when the reputational damage gets too great. All this presents quite a contrast with the U.S., where the fallout from contact with Epstein has largely been restricted to second-tier names—some of whom are provably guilty only of being chummy with a sex offender, which is not itself a crime. Like Andrew, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also claimed to have broken off contact with Epstein—in his case, in 2005, after seeing Epstein's massage room in New York—but the files revealed that the association continued for many years afterward. However, Lutnick has the fortune to work for Donald Trump. The former Prince Andrew acted as he did because he lived in a world in which someone like him never faced consequences. In Britain, at least, that might actually be true.

Artist renderings and diagrams of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom, briefly posted on the National Capital Planning Commission's website ahead of a March 5, hearing, are photographed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump's appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. The meeting was supposed to be on the design, with a final vote expected at next month's session. But the chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., made a motion to also vote on final approval, and six of the seven commissioners who were all installed by the Republican president since the start of the year voted in favor twice. One commissioner, James McCrery, did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project. “Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Cook said before the voting. Cook echoed one of Trump's arguments for adding a ballroom to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures that Trump calls tents on the South Lawn to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions. Cook said no other president had taken steps to correct that “until President Trump.” Some changes suggested at that meeting were made and were welcomed by the commissioners on Thursday. Trump's decision in October to demolish the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical even for relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending. The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump's top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region. This story has been corrected to reflect that the ballroom was approved by six of the seven commissioners and that one commission did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project.

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. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over the Potomac sewage spill on Wednesday and requested federal assistance with the cleanup. President Donald Trump has already lashed out at Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for his handling of the spill, saying he is concerned the river winding around the nation's capital will still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer. Bowser wrote a letter to Trump on Wednesday formally requesting that he issue an emergency disaster declaration, freeing up federal resources to help deal with the spill. Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Leavitt if Trump is concerned the nation's capital will "smell like poop." District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called for a federal emergency disaster declaration on Wednesday. "Yeah, he is worried about that," Leavitt said. "Which is why the federal government wants to fix it. And we hope that the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so." Leavitt called on leaders in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to "step forward and to ask the federal government for help and to ask for the Stafford Act to be implemented here so that the federal government can go and take control of this local infrastructure that has been abandoned and neglected by Gov. Moore in Maryland for far too long." "It's no secret that Maryland's water and infrastructure have been in dire need of repair," Leavitt said. "Their infrastructure has received a nearly failing grade in the 2025 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This is the same grade they've received, five years earlier. There has been no improvement under the leadership of Gov. He's clearly shown he's incapable of fixing this problem, which is why President Trump and the federal government are standing by to step in." For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people's health at risk," a representative from Moore's office said on Monday. Leavitt continued Wednesday that environmentalists should "pray" that local jurisdictions call on Trump to step in and shore up infrastructure and carry out cleanup. President Donald Trump is worried the Potomac River will still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer following a sewage leak that dumped millions of gallons of raw filth into the river, according to the White House. "For all of the environmentalists in the room and across the District of Columbia, let's all hope and pray that this governor does the right thing and ask President Trump to get involved, because it will be an ecological and environmental disaster if the federal government does not step in to help," she said. "But of course, we need the state and local jurisdictions to make that formal request." Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. 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. Czechia Olympic men's hockey coach Radim Rulik condemned referees for their officiating of Wednesday's Olympic men's quarterfinals between his team and Canada. Rulik spoke out after his team's 4-3 overtime loss, saying the refs were "afraid to call" any penalties against Canada. "I feel like everyone is afraid to call anything against Canada," Rulik told reporters, according to a translation of his postgame interview. The men's quarterfinal match between Canada and Chechia at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 18, 2026 in Milan, Italy. What they're allowing against us is unacceptable," Rulik added. "After every game, we send them two or three clips where they confirm that the opponent should have been penalized. During the third period when Czechia's Martin Nečas was about to go on a breakaway, Canada's Devon Toews appeared to hook him in the neutral zone, but no penalty was called. "I watch two NHL games on replay every single day," Rulik continued. "They always admit afterward that we were right, but nothing ever changes. We should have had power plays against Canada. But they were afraid [David Pastrnak] or Necas would score another power-play goal. And if [Radko] Gudas was penalized, then Doughty should have been too for the hit on Pasta." Rulik previously criticized referees for their officiating of his team's win over Denmark earlier this week. "We were basically playing against six players," he said. "I don't want to make excuses, and no one has to agree with me, but the video backs me up. In this respect, it's not a fair tournament. It was happening to us even against Denmark. When Canada beat Sweden 8-6 on Feb. 13, Canadian third Marc Kennedy and Sweden's Oskar Eriksson got into it after Eriksson accused Kennedy of an illegal procedure called double-touching stones after releasing them at the hog line. Kennedy shouted, "I haven't done it once. Kennedy and a team executive later leveled allegations against the Swedes of improperly filming his delivery. "This was planned, right from the word go yesterday. From the words that were being said by their coaches and the way they were running to the officials, it was kind of evident that something was going on, and they were trying to catch us in an act," Kennedy said. Curling Canada CEO Nolan Thiessen told reporters he thinks video was shot outside of the strict rules for Olympic filming. Canada's Ben Hebert, Brad Jacobs and Brett Gallant compete in the curling men's round robin against Sweden during the Winter Olympics on Feb. 13, 2026. "I was surprised that there was a live video on the hog line outside of OBS rules," Thiessen said. Meanwhile on the women's side, Canadian curler Rachel Homan had her stone removed after an official ruled that she had touched it again after releasing the handle. Homan protested, but, according to World Curling's rules, there are no official replays, and the official's final call stands. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. 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

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters. At Vox, our mission is to help you make sense of the world — and that work has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? Every now and then, a judge hands down a decision that is so ill-advised that it is impossible to read without burying your face in your palm. Pearlman's opinion is so out of step with the current US Supreme Court's approach to racial gerrymandering cases — the Court's Republican majority opposes nearly all laws that are race-conscious in any way — that it is hard to imagine it surviving on appeal. But the case also gives the Supreme Court's Republican majority a vehicle that they could potentially use to accelerate one of their major policy initiatives — eliminating the federal Voting Rights Act's safeguards against gerrymandering, and permitting Southern red states to draw GOP-friendly maps that are currently still illegal. For four decades, the Supreme Court has read the Voting Rights Act to sometimes require states where racial minority groups have little representation in Congress or the state legislature to draw new legislative maps that will elect more candidates of color. The rules governing when states must redraw their maps, which were first laid out in the Supreme Court's decision in Thornburg v. Gingles (1986), are sufficiently complicated that they cannot be summarized concisely. But, as a general rule, Gingles kicks in when a state is residentially segregated by race, and when voters in that state are racially polarized — typically meaning that white voters strongly prefer candidates from one party, while nonwhite voters prefer candidates from the other party. In those circumstances, Gingles can require a state to draw additional districts where a racial minority group is in the majority, to ensure that group has adequate representation. The practical effect of Gingles is that red states with a white majority sometimes have to draw additional Black or Latino districts that elect Democrats. Unsurprisingly, Gingles is not beloved by the Supreme Court's Republican majority. Yet, because the Court typically does not release its most contentious decisions until late June, Callais will most likely not come down until well after the 2026 midterm election cycle has already begun. So red states that want to draw new, more Republican maps — but that have been prevented from doing so by Gingles — may not be able to draw those maps until the 2028 election cycle. However, the Williams case presents a very similar legal question to Callais. And, unlike Callais, Williams reached the Supreme Court on its “shadow docket,” a mix of emergency motions and other matters that the justices often decide on a very tight timeframe. By ordering a Republican congressional district redrawn, in other words, Pearlman gave the Supreme Court's Republican majority a case they can potentially use to get rid of Gingles several months ahead of schedule — potentially giving several red states the time they need to redraw their maps before the 2026 midterms get fully underway. Malliotakis's district includes Staten Island and some parts of southern Brooklyn. In Bartlett v. Strickland (2009), the Supreme Court held that Gingles does not require states to draw new “crossover districts,” where minority voters are able to combine their votes with similarly minded white voters to elect their candidate of choice. Nevertheless, Pearlman held that New York's constitution goes further than the Voting Rights Act, and that Malliotakis's district must be redrawn as a crossover district. But even if Pearlman is correct that New York law requires crossover districts, even when federal law does not, his decision has little chance of surviving contact with the Supreme Court. The Court's Republican majority is broadly skeptical of any legal theory that requires legislative districts to be redrawn in order to change their racial makeup — that's why they are expected to toss out Gingles in the Callais case. The premise of Pearlman's decision is that New York law requires state courts to redraw at least some legislative districts for racial reasons, even when federal law does not require that outcome. Malliotakis has also asked a state appeals court to intervene, and if that court blocks Pearlman's order, there will be no need for the federal justices to get involved. But if the state courts do not act quickly — Malliotakis asked the Supreme Court to weigh in by February 23 to prevent Pearlman's order from disrupting the upcoming primary and general elections — then it is very likely that this Supreme Court will reject Pearlman's approach. In the worst-case scenario for Democrats, that Supreme Court decision could also repudiate Gingles, which would free up many red states to draw gerrymandered maps for the 2026 election that are illegal under current law. Malliotakis's brief to the justices also proposes a different way to resolve Williams that would significantly expand the Republican Party's control over federal elections. The Supreme Court has rejected this theory, which is known as the “Independent State Legislature” theory, many times over more than a century. It most recently did so in Moore v. Harper (2023), after retired military leaders warned the justices not to embrace the Independent State Legislature theory because it “undermines election integrity and exacerbates both domestic and foreign threats to national security.” That line claims that “state courts may not so exceed the bounds of ordinary judicial review as to unconstitutionally intrude upon the role specifically reserved to state legislatures.” Malliotakis claims that Pearlman's decision misinterpreted New York's constitution so badly that the Supreme Court should invoke Moore and reject Pearlman's reading of New York law. If the Court did that, it would be a constitutional earthquake. Overruling a state court on such a question would eliminate that check on federal power and transform the justices into the final arbiter of virtually any dispute involving federal elections. The Supreme Court's Republican majority — the same Republicans who ruled that President Donald Trump enjoys broad immunity from criminal prosecution — could potentially override state election procedures or even second-guess the outcomes of federal elections decided under state law. Democrats should hope that New York's appellate courts make Williams disappear. The Colbert censorship story is messier than it looks. Today, Explained explores the fall of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and what it proves about Trump-style authoritarians.

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. Drew Brees joins Colin Cowherd to discuss being voted into the Hall of Fame first ballot, Caleb Williams' future as the Chicago Bears' QB, and how much credit Sam Darnold deserves for the Seahawks winning Super Bowl LX. Caleb Williams' signature look continues to stand out. The Chicago Bears quarterback has embraced bold nail polish in recent years. Williams, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, fired back at critics of his manicure choice. He also explained the origin of the nail polish and said it raises awareness for causes close to his heart. While Williams remembered first painting his fingernails during a visit to the nail salon with his now ex-girlfriend, he also pointed to his mother's career as a nail technician. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' nails were painted to raise awareness for suicide prevention. "One day I was with one of my exes and we were going to the nail salon," he said during a recent appearance on "The Rush Podcast," hosted by NFL defensive end Maxx Crosby. "I know who I am," he said, noting the manicure has a dual purpose, including trolling opponents. "And so I did it and it ended up becoming three nails, four nails, five, six... and at a certain point, I was actually doing it because you can't write stuff on your tape. You can't do all that stuff," he said. "So I was doing 'F--- Texas,' with the horns down symbol... Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 21, 2025 in Chicago. While the 24-year-old does not have a problem confronting critics, he prefers to respond in a "smart" way. "Somebody needs to check 'em, some of these guys. You know, all the analysts and stuff. Pushing aside the trolling aspect, Williams now picks designs that support meaningful causes. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams practices before the game at Soldier Field on Sept. 8, 2025. "I've done mental health number on them and suicide prevention number on it," he rattled off of the nail art he's chosen in the past. "It's just gel on my nails," he continued. The NFL imposes uniform restrictions on game day. Williams stays within the guidelines while continuing to wear nail polish in support of his causes. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Chantz Martin is a sports writer 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

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. The Horizon League suspended Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball head coach Doug Gottlieb on Wednesday for one game after his epic tirade against officiating following a loss. Gottlieb criticized officials over what he believed was inconsistency in calls during the team's 75-72 loss to the Milwaukee Panthers on Sunday. He will miss Friday's game against Oakland. Green Bay men's basketball head coach Doug Gottlieb leaves the court after a game against Wright State on Feb. 1, 2026, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. "Gottlieb's postgame comments do not reflect the League's values or sportsmanship expectations. The Horizon League considers this matter closed and will have no further comment," the league said in a statement. "I'd like to apologize to the Horizon League and the officials for my disparaging comments following Sunday's game," he said in a statement. "I understand and appreciate how difficult their job is, and respect what they do for the sport of basketball. Elam was fouled and made two free throws to extend the lead with one second left in the game. He hit two free throws to put the Panthers ahead. Gottlieb believed there should have been a foul call. "And yet, every time they drove, it was a foul. And every time we did, it was mixed." Green Bay men's basketball head coach Doug Gottlieb during the game against Wright State on Feb. 1, 2026, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. The Panthers were 30-of-37 on free throws and Green Bay was 14-of-18. All we ask is that there's a fair game. O'Hara goes and gets an offensive rebound, their player dives at his legs, C.J. That's what I need explained to me." Green Bay athletic director Josh Moon said their department talked to Gottlieb about his actions. Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb motions to his players during the game against Kansas, Nov. 3, 2025, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) "We appreciate his apology and respect the commissioner's decision, however, we do not believe his actions warrant a suspension. We feel a reprimand or public censure would have been appropriate," he said. 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

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters. At Vox, our mission is to help you make sense of the world — and that work has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? How did Costa Rica beat back deforestation and buck the global trend? For several decades now, the story of the world's rainforests has been the same tragic one: These iconic, animal-filled ecosystems are getting cut down to make way for farms and ranches, roads and mines. In 2024, the most recent year of global forest data, the tropics lost a record 16.6 million acres of primary fores , largely to fires and agriculture. More than half of that recent loss was in Brazil and Bolivia. But one country has a very different narrative: Costa Rica. The country was losing more than 100,000 acres a year. And by 1985, forests covered less than 25 percent of its area, down from closer to three-quarters just a few decades earlier. Now, natural forests blanket well over half of Costa Rica, making it one of the few places on Earth that has revived its lost ecosystems. One reason that gets a lot of attention is that Costa Rica put a price tag on nature — on the natural “services” that forests provide, from sucking up planet-warming carbon dioxide to sustaining the local water supply. Nearly three decades ago, the country began paying private landowners for those services, if they conserve or restore forests on their property. That created a concrete, financial incentive to keep forests standing. In the decades since, as Costa Rica's forests came back, other countries followed in its footsteps, like Mexico and Vietnam, developing programs of their own that subsidized forest conservation. Together they fueled the idea, still popular in the conservation community, that you can save nature by valuing it in economic terms — terms that everyone, including capitalists, can understand. But there's still an open question: Do these payment programs actually work? And a new study, published this month, looks more specifically at how the payment system affects biodiversity — the collecting of animals that live within them. These studies complicate the story of how Costa Rica became lush again. Part of what made Costa Rica's ecosystem payment program so groundbreaking is that it recognized — at the highest level of government — that living forests are not only a source of timber, but are economically valuable for lots of other reasons: they reduce greenhouse gases, produce clean water, draw tourists, and are home to plants and animals that scientists use for biology research and drug development. In simple terms, the government pays landowners who enroll in the program for every hectare (roughly 2.5 acres) of forest that they protect or replenish by planting new trees. If a property owner protects existing natural forest on their land, meanwhile, they earn between roughly $44 and $110 per hectare per year. Now it also raises funds to pay landowners from other sources, such as a fee on water usage. Forests help maintain rainfall by pumping water into the air through transpiration. They also help prevent pollution and sediment from entering the water supply. “If that payment wasn't there, you can imagine that a lot of people would continually clear the forest,” he told Vox. To date, the government has more than 20,000 contracts for payments with landowners, a spokesperson told Vox, and the program currently covers 540,000 hectares of forest — an area a little smaller than the state of Delaware. For years now scientists have debated about whether or not these sorts of payment schemes actually work. Yet despite more than two decades of research, the answer is still elusive. A more current analysis, led by the Inter-American Development Bank, detected a drop in deforestation on land that was part of the program. There also wasn't much deforestation to begin with. Then there's this new study — an analysis, led by Delgado of ETH Zurich, that looks beyond forests to the wildlife within them. As they discovered, land in the payment program — on which forests were naturally regenerating on old farmland — were far more similar to healthy, old forests than to pastures that were not enrolled in the program. You can actually listen to some of the recordings here. “It's a strong signal that [the payment program] is working for biodiversity,” said Laura Villalobos, a Costa Rican economist at Salisbury University, who was not involved in the study. “What's really challenging is the issue of causality,” said Hilary Brumberg, a doctoral researcher at Stanford University, who was not involved in the acoustics study. “There are just so many confounding factors,” said Brumberg, who studies Costa Rica's forests. There are many other reasons why forests in Costa Rica may have grown back. In 1996, for example, the government effectively banned deforestation in the country, making it illegal to convert natural forests to other kinds of land (though some logging is still permitted). That made clearing land for cattle less profitable and caused some landowners to abandon their pastures. Importantly, Costa Rica also has a more pervasive environmental ethic compared to other forested nations. In fact, research suggests that some people join the payment program not for the money but because they want to contribute to forest conservation as a public good. That's consistent with research beyond Costa Rica, which finds that compensating landowners for ecosystem services has a positive but small impact. Ultimately, these sorts of programs haven't been the solution to deforestation that environmental advocates were hoping for, said David Simpson, a now-retired environmental economist. “Trying to make nature valuable, it turns out, has had a disappointing track record,” Simpson wrote in 2018. In response to a request for comment, Karla Alfaro Rojas, director of the Department of Institutional Communications for the Costa Rican government, said, in an email: “Costa Rica doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. We are an international leader in financial mechanisms and forest cover restoration.” In a world with so many environmental problems, perhaps it seems unproductive to critique a program that is, if anything, helping conserve tropical forests. But there is an important lesson here: No one solution, no one model, will solve a problem as difficult as deforestation. Costa Rica was successful because it had all of the right pieces in place — strong policies, favorable economics, growing non-extractive industries, and, perhaps most importantly, political will. See inside Tolga Bat Hospital, a place for Australia's injured and orphaned flying foxes.

The Department of Homeland Security is broadening federal immigration authorities' ability to detain legal refugees who have not yet obtained green cards, citing national security concerns and the need to ensure refugees undergo additional screening, according to a DHS memo obtained by CNN. The memo, issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, rescinds previous government policy regarding refugees who have been in the country for one year. Failure to obtain a green card after one year was not grounds for detention or removal from the US under previous policy, and refugees who were arrested had to either be released within 48 hours or the DHS was required to initiate removal proceedings. Cancelled citizenship ceremonies and interviews are another part of Trump's immigration crackdown Previous department policy “created a population of conditional refugees who had not been fully re-screened, with associated public safety and national security risks,” the memo says, and the new “detain-and-inspect requirement ensures that refugees are re-vetted after one year.” Refugee resettlement groups promptly decried the new policy. “This memo was done in secret, with zero coordination with the organizations that serve refugees,” said Beth Oppenheim, CEO of refugee agency HIAS. “This policy is a transparent effort to detain and potentially deport thousands of people who are legally present in this country, people the US government itself welcomed after years of extreme vetting,” she added. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. “This memo is part of a broad and concerted effort to strip refugees of their legal status and render them deportable,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president of US Legal Programs at IRAP. “This government will clearly stop at nothing to terrorize refugee communities, and really all immigrants, while trampling over our constitutional rights.” CNN has reached out to DHS, USCIS and ICE for comment. President Donald Trump has largely halted refugee admissions during his second term – with the narrow exception of White South Africans – amid his administration's broader crackdown on illegal immigration. In November, the administration moved to reinterview some refugees admitted under President Joe Biden, and the killing of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, by an Afghan national that month prompted the administration to re-examine green cards issued to people from Afghanistan and 18 other countries “of concern.”

“Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches,” the Pima County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday. Separate DNA found at Guthrie's property that does not match her or anyone “in close contact with her” also has not produced a match in the national law enforcement DNA database known as CODIS, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Tuesday. Comparing DNA collected in criminal investigations to publicly accessible databases of millions of people who have contributed genetic profiles – and thereby finding often distant relatives to piece together a family tree that can point to a suspect – has been a component of a number of recent cases, including the conviction of Bryan Kohberger, who ultimately confessed to murdering four college students in Idaho and was sentenced in life in prison. While there have been seemingly miraculous results from sifting through millions of DNA records based on a single sample, the process is still hit-or-miss and may not bring the Guthrie family the answers they want right away. “It can go as quickly as 20 minutes … and I have some cases I've been working on for seven-and-a-half years,” Moore said. Successfully using the DNA of distant family members to profile and narrow down suspects had an extraordinarily high-profile debut in 2018, when it was used to solve the cold case of the Golden State Killer. After authorities spent five decades fruitlessly searching for a suspect in dozens of murders and rapes across California, an investigator decided to put crime scene DNA – believed to be the perpetrator's – into GEDmatch, a public database where people voluntarily upload their DNA data for genealogy research. “We collected his trash and found a piece of tissue that we tested for DNA that matched the killer from all these other locations,” lead prosecutor Thien Ho told CNN last year. DeAngelo – now 80 years old – was convicted in 2020 and is serving a sentence of life without parole. Since then, the technology has been used to identify more than just suspects in ongoing criminal cases. Genetic genealogy “pointed law enforcement toward” Kohberger as a suspect, prosecutors said, though investigators ultimately did not use that evidence to obtain the arrest warrant, saying they had enough other evidence including surveillance video and cell phone data to link him to the killings. Even in genetic genealogy's biggest success stories, scouring DNA records narrowed down the suspects, but did not directly solve the crime. In the Golden State Killer case, once police had their eyes on DeAngelo, the definitive link was established only by following the suspect to a Hobby Lobby store, where they swabbed his car door handle when he wasn't looking. Later, when rifling through his trash, a single piece of tissue proved DeAngelo's DNA and the long-sought killer's were one and the same. The method of using DNA records that were primarily intended for family research and genetic curiosity as part of a criminal investigation is barely a decade old, and privacy concerns about how that incredibly personal information can be used are the biggest hurdles to its use. Privacy concerns about using massive DNA databases in law enforcement investigations continue – especially for services that exist mostly to satisfy people's personal curiosity about their heritage. The three largest commercial providers of DNA products – 23andMe, AncestryDNA and MyHeritage – generally prohibit law enforcement access to their genetic data and would release it only if compelled by a warrant or court order. 23andMe adds it has only received 11 requests from law enforcement over a decade-long period and has so far never given up a person's DNA data to investigators without the person's consent. “We can sometimes get lucky and get a closer relative, but because we are limited to the two smallest genetic genealogy databases, we only are able to compare against less than 2 million profiles,” Moore said. Those databases – GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA – are open-source services where people are informed that the information could be used by law enforcement. Moore is CEO of a third database, DNA Justice, that exists specifically to make DNA information available to law enforcement investigations. Besides the reluctance of many people to share their own DNA profile for investigations, the success rate also depends on people's willingness to have their DNA catalogued at all. Those records exist more for Americans with western European ancestry than other backgrounds, according to Moore. “You're mostly seeing White people with deep roots in the United States,” she said. With the many complications involved in collecting DNA evidence – and time seeming to be a major enemy of finding Guthrie safe and sound – Moore said the Guthrie family could plead for more access to records from the top genealogy websites that have been very reluctant to take part. “I don't believe they will allow it unless they are served with a warrant, and then I think there's going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight,” she said. CNN's Josh Campbell, Faith Karimi, Chelsea Bailey, Nicole Chavez, Eric Levenson and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

Yet there's little public debate about what could be a weekslong assault with consequences that are impossible to predict. There's no full-court press from top national security officials. President Donald Trump is making hardly any effort to share the rationale for the potential or why military personnel might be asked to risk their lives. And the White House is giving no public sign that it knows what may unfold in Iran if its clerical regime is toppled, an eventuality that could cause enormous reverberations in the Middle East. The president has made no final decision either way, sources told CNN. But every day, and following the failure of his tepid diplomacy to make breakthroughs so far, Trump is being dragged inexorably closer to a fateful decision point. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked the pertinent question of why Trump might need to launch a strike on Iran's nuclear program, which he has insisted he already totally obliterated in a round-the-world bombing raid last year. “Well, there's many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran,” Leavitt said, offering no specifics. Trump's explanations extend only to repeated warnings that Iran will face the consequences if it doesn't make a “deal” with the United States. Last week, he said regime change in Tehran might be the “best thing” that could happen. Their assumption of the highest office comes with an obligation to explain why force might be necessary. Leavitt implied that Americans should just trust the president. It could also worsen Trump's already stark domestic unpopularity in a midterm election year. Trump wouldn't like any comparison with the Iraq war that began in 2003, given its disastrous aftermath. It also managed to win congressional authorization for the invasion — at least securing a domestic legal basis for its actions. If Trump persists in failing to level with citizens and Congress and then takes military action, he will be prolonging a trend of his second term. And he will be leaving himself politically exposed in the event that strikes go wrong. But it also appears that Trump is emboldened by his successful ouster of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in a spectacular operation last month that killed no US troops. His tolerance for risk may also be heightened because the US assassination of Iranian military and intelligence chief Qasem Soleimani in his first term failed to trigger the kind of regional conflagration and Iranian attacks on US allies that some experts predicted. In recent weeks, Trump's strategy on Iran has seemed to mirror his playbook in Venezuela, where he amassed a huge naval armada and demanded concessions. This is 21st-century diplomacy backed by aircraft carrier groups and cruise missiles. But he risks creating a box for himself that it will be difficult to exit with credibility intact if it turns out that his repeated claims that Iran wants a “deal” are wrong. The kind of deal that Trump can offer Iran may be unacceptable to its clerical regime, whose top priority is perpetuating itself. And a deal Tehran could offer Trump may be one he'd never accept, since it doesn't want to talk about its ballistic missiles or regional proxy network, which he sees as red lines. Iranian concessions on a nuclear program that is already severely disrupted in return for sanctions relief would be unacceptable to Trump. And lifting sanctions could help the regime survive. The New York Times quoted Iranian sources as saying that Iran has indicated willingness to suspend enrichment for three to five years in return for sanctions relief. But Dennis Ross, a former US Middle East peace envoy, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday that this was a symbolic concession. “It's pretty hard to see them enriching while Trump is still in office. But that doesn't mean there are not strategic rationales for doing so. Trump's obsession with naming buildings after himself and erecting new ones — such as the planned White House ballroom — suggest he's increasingly preoccupied with his legacy. Ending the often-hot cold war with Iran that has bedeviled every American president since Jimmy Carter would secure him a true place in history. And it could put a historic capstone on an estrangement with revolutionary Iran that began with the humiliation of Americans held hostage in 1979-81, which scarred US global confidence and prestige. Its regional proxies, like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — which were once an insurance policy against an outside attack — have been shredded by Israel. Iran's government is facing its worst-ever domestic crisis. It's clouded by doubt over the revolutionary succession after 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dies. Trump could make good on his pledge to protesters that the US was “locked and loaded” to defend them by toppling the clerical regime. While Iran may not pose an immediate deadly threat to the US, it has killed scores of Americans in terror attacks and through militias during the Iraq war. Its leaders have long threatened to wipe Israel off the map — a threat that would become even more grave with nuclear weapons. But there are many reasons why he might be smart to blink. It would raise the possibility of US combat deaths or the capture of US pilots, which could turn into a propaganda disaster. While some critics have pointed to Trump's vows to wage no new wars in the Middle East, an Iran conflict would likely not lead to the kind of massive land invasion that turned Iraq into a morass. It's also unlikely that any strike against Iran's clerical leaders would be as clean as the special forces mission that spirited Maduro out of Venezuela. Failing to anticipate the day after haunted US regime change efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya this century. “My question is, after all is said and done, if this lasts for weeks, what happens next?” Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center told Isa Soares on CNN International. But the loss of central authority might be devastating. And the lack of a coherent umbrella leadership for protesters or organized internal opposition raises further questions about a smooth transition. But sources told CNN this week that US intelligence community still believes that the most likely candidate to fill a leadership void would be the hardline guard corps. So ousting theocrats in Tehran might just lead to an equally radical anti-US replacement. And longer and more complex military action in Iran than in Venezuela with uncertain consequences would increase political pressure on Trump at home amid multiple polls showing majorities of Americans oppose a new Middle East war. It could also test Trump's bond with the MAGA movement, since he's spent the last 10 years telling his base there will be no more foreign quagmires. While officials said that forces would be positioned to strike Iran at the weekend, US action is not guaranteed. So could Trump's annual State of the Union address Tuesday. Trump prizes the unpredictable, so Iran will be on full alert.