February 13, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The U.S. is reported to be sending a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with its accompanying combat ships, to the Middle East amidst stalled efforts to resume U.S-Iran talks on Iran's nuclear program. [more]
• Indonesia has begun training an estimated 8,000 troops for eventual participation in the International Security Force in Gaza as post-war reconstruction and stabilization efforts move forward. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Two people were killed, and one other was wounded, last night in a residential complex shooting incident at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. A campus lockdown was lifted early this morning, and the shooting remains under investigation. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to Labor Department data released this morning, overall U.S. inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, fell to 2.4% in January compared to the year-ago period – down from 2.7% in December. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2% from December to January. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that core inflation, which excludes the volatile food and energy categories, rose 2.5% in January from last year, and that, independently, energy prices fell by 0.1% and food prices rose 2.9% in the last 12 months. [full report] [more]

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | Barring a last-minute funding deal, the Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to shut down at midnight tonight as lawmakers continue to battle over Democratic demands for changes in federal immigration enforcement actions and policies. [more]

MINNESOTA | Trump administration border czar Tom Human announced Thursday that the "Operation Metro Surge" immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota is ending but that an unspecified number of federal immigration agents will remain in the state. The drawdown follows months-long operations that led to thousands of arrests, mass demonstrations in Minnesota and elsewhere, and the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents. Governor Tim Walz urged residents to remain vigilant as ICE agents prepare to depart. [detailed AP timeline of Operation Metro Surge] [more]

MORE MINNESOTA | Saying, "It appears that in planning for Operation Metro Surge, the government failed to plan for the constitutional rights of its civil detainees," U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel issued an emergency restraining order yesterday ordering the Department of Homeland Security to give immigrants detained in Minnesota access to attorneys immediately after they are taken into custody and before they are transferred out of state. [more]

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION | The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule yesterday rescinding a key government endangerment determination in 2009 that found carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare and which is the legal underpinning of many climate regulations for vehicles, power plants, and other pollution sources under the Clean Air Act. Reports note that the repeal, which President Donald Trump called the "single largest deregulatory action in American history," effectively eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and could lead to the elimination of some pollution-related regulations for power plants and oil and gas facilities. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | A federal judge yesterday blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from taking punitive actions against U.S. Senator and Navy veteran Mark Kelly over Kelly's participation with other lawmakers in a video that urged military service members to not comply with illegal orders. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said in his ruling that Hegseth's plans to reduce Kelly's retirement grade and pay was a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech that also "threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees." Hegseth has indicated he will appeal the ruling. [more]

U.S. HEALTH FUNDING | Responding to a lawsuit filed this week by California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, a federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked a Trump administration plan to withhold some $600 million in public health grants to programs that track disease outbreaks and study health outcomes of LGBTQ+ people and communities of color in major cities. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION| Citing due process violations, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration yesterday to facilitate the return to the U.S. of some of the Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center prison last year to give them an opportunity to challenge their removals and their designation as members of the Tren de Aragua gang. [more]

U.S. PARDONS | President Donald Trump issued pardons yesterday to five former National Football League players who were convicted of various crimes ranging from drug trafficking to perjury and counterfeiting. In announcing the pardons of Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon, White House pardon coordinator Alice Johnson said, “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again." [more]

U.S. AND TAIWAN | Under a trade deal announced yesterday, Taiwan will remove or reduce 99% of its tariff barriers on imported U.S. goods, while U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods will be set at 15% – the same rate levied on Japan and South Korea. [more]

U.S. AND EUROPE | The high-profile Munich Security Conference opens today amidst ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Europe over security issues. Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said earlier this week that "trans-Atlantic relations are currently in a significant crisis of confidence and credibility," and that he was pleased to see what he characterized as "great interest" from the U.S. in this year's conference. [more]

U.N. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PANEL | Overriding strong U.S. objections, the U.N. General Assembly voted yesterday to approve the formation of a 40-member global scientific panel on the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the move a "foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI" that "enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing." In objecting to the panel's formation, U.S. officials said it was a "significant overreach of the U.N.’s mandate and competence” and that “AI governance is not a matter for the U.N. to dictate.” [more]

U.K. | In a ruling that the government has indicated it will appeal, Britain's High Court ruled today that the outlawing of membership in or support of the protest group Palestinian Action, which was designated a terrorist organization by the government last year, was unlawful. [more]

BANGLADESH | In the country's first elections since its 2024 popular uprising, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has reportedly won enough seats in the Bangladeshi parliament to govern on its own. Voters also approved a proposal for constitutional reforms that includes term limits for prime ministers and stronger check on executive power. [more]

SPACE | A group of four new International Space Station crew members – two U.S., one Russian, and one French – are traveling to the orbiting lab today following an early morning launch aboard a SpaceX rocket. [more]

OLYMPICS | As of publication time, Norway and host country Italy lead the overall medal count at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games with 18 each, followed by the United States, Austria, France, and Japan. [medal tracker] [competition schedule] [more]

BASKETBALL | In a 124-104 Los Angeles Lakers win over the Dallas Mavericks last night, LeBron James became the oldest player in NBA history to have a triple-double with 28 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the game. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Following the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen of England on this date in 1689, after which they ruled jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II until her death in 1694. [more history]