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Feb 20, 2026 - World

New head will face decisions crucial to movement’s future, such as how far to cooperate with Trump’s Gaza planHamas has reportedly begun holding leadership elections among its members at a time when the militant Palestinian movement faces imminent decisions which will be critical to its own continued existence and the potential for peace in Gaza.According to the BBC and press reports in the Gulf, Hamas members in Gaza have already voted. Those in the West Bank, in Israeli prisons and the diaspora are also expected to cast ballots for delegates to the movement’s 50-member general Shura council, which ultimately chooses its politburo and a new interim leader. The process could last weeks. Continue reading...

Feb 20, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump could face even more legal challenges after the Supreme Court struck down his tariffs, according to an analyst.Ken Dilanian, justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW, pointed to how Trump has plenty of success with the high court and previous rulings in his favor — yet not this time. "He won a lot of rulings. But now we're getting to some really big ticket items. This was one of them," Dilanian said. "But then there's some other ones upcoming where a lot of legal scholars believe the Supreme Court is not going to rule in his favor. One example is the birthright citizenship case, where Donald Trump is trying to redefine the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, and who can be a citizen in this country. That was argued in April. Remember, initially they looked at the question of whether there could be a nationwide injunction in that case, and they ruled that there could not be, but they didn't rule on the merits. That's coming up. And a lot of people believe that that is not going to go Donald Trump's way." The next legal battles could also be losses for the president. "Another big case involves the firing of Fed Board member Lisa Cook, and whether Donald Trump can remove her for cause related to something that she didn't do while in office," Dilanian said. "That's a really big case about presidential power, and it's a very good chance he's going to lose that case. And then there are a number of cases involving immigration and DHS. And the use of emergency powers essentially limits on the president's powers that are going to come before this court. And it's really possible that this court is going to constrain Donald Trump in ways that he hasn't seen before. And it will be really interesting to see how he reacts. We know that he tends to attack judges when things don't go his way, as do members of his administration."In a 6-3 vote, the high court ruled that Trump's tariffs were illegal. Among the six justices in the majority decision were Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Amy Coney Barrett — both Gorsuch and Barrett were appointed by the president. This decision and push back against Trump sent a message to the president, Dilanian said."Well, I think it's been very clear for a long time. And this tariffs case underscores that, that none of those three justices are lackeys for Donald Trump," Dilanian said. "They don't necessarily share his administration's view of executive power. They're certainly very conservative. This is the most conservative court in modern history. But they are independent. And the question of whether they're going to remake, for example, hundreds of years of law on citizenship, it just doesn't seem like their style, particularly Roberts is an institutionalist. And so, again, Donald Trump may be in for a rude awakening here with some of these big cases down the line on."

Feb 20, 2026 - World

Giant tortoises have returned to Floreana Island in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago as conservationists release 158 juvenile hybrids to restore the ecosystem

Feb 20, 2026 - World

Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this monthA highly contagious virus is believed to have caused the deaths of 72 captive tigers in northern Thailand this month, with officials racing to contain the outbreak.Teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and preparing to vaccinate surviving animals. Continue reading...

Feb 20, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump was reportedly infuriated Friday after the Supreme Court ruled that his tariffs were illegal. Trump was hosting the National Governor's Association breakfast with a room full of the nation's governors at the White House when he found out about the high court's decision to strike down Trump's tariffs in a 6-3 vote."Apparently the gov breakfast had been going well, they were working together, and then President Trump became enraged. He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts at one point saying, these 'f------ courts,'" said CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes. "This tariff policy — this could not be a bigger decision for President Trump — this could not be a bigger loss for President Trump," Holmes added. "Not only is so much of his economic agenda based on these tariffs, so much of his foreign policy is based on these tariffs. He has used these tariffs as leverage in almost every meeting that he has had around the world. He has touted them as the most important part of the economic agenda. So clearly, a huge loss, and he recognizes that today." Trump and his administration have not yet made an official announcement in response. His team was reportedly meeting to determine next moves, Holmes said.