Month: February 2026

NBA star Jaylen Brown had a public spat with the Beverly Hills Police Department Saturday night after police shut down a brand event he was hosting.

Brown, who signed a $285-million contract with the Celtics in 2023, was in Los Angeles for the National Basketball Assn.’s All-Star festivities.

He told ESPN that the event was hosted at Oakley founder Jim Jannard’s house. Brown is sponsored by Oakley.

The event took place in the Trousdale section of Beverly Hills and was shut down about 7 p.m. In a video posted on Brown’s Instagram account, the NBA star could be seen arguing with a BHPD officer who was shutting the party down.

“The owner didn’t say we needed a permit,” Brown told the officer in the video. Brown claimed the event was not a party, but rather a panel on culture.

“300k down the drain,” Brown wrote in a post on X after the incident, tagging the Beverly Hills Police Department.

“An event permit had been applied for and denied by the City due to previous violations associated with events at the address,” BHPD said in a statement.

“Despite the fact that the permit was denied, organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing that it was not allowed to occur,” the statement continued.

Brown plays for the Boston Celtics, a historic rival of the Los Angeles Lakers, but added that he was surprised at his treatment by the city of Beverly Hills.

“I feel like we’re being targeted right now,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.

Feb. 16 (UPI) — Thomas Pritzker, executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, announced that he would leave his role at the company, weeks after his association with sex predator Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

Pritzker, who is the cousin of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on Monday said in a letter to Hyatt’s board that he decided to leave in order to provide “good stewardship” to the company he has led for more than two decades, CBS News and CNBC reported.

In the letter, which was released by the Pritzker Organization, the 75-year-old said that he had “regret” over his connection to both Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who helped the pedophile in his schemes of abuse.

“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret,” Pritzker said. “I exercised terrible judgement in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

Hyatt’s board named Mark Hoplamazian, who already is the company’s president and chief executive officer, as chairman of its board effective immediately, the company said in a press release.

“Tom’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping Hyatt’s strategy and long-term growth, and we thank him for his service and dedication to Hyatt,” Richard Tuttle, chair of the company’s board’s nominating and corporate governance committee, said in the release.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and was arrested in 2019 on federal child sex trafficking charges but killed himself in jail before being brought to trial.

Pritzker, who had been a member of Hyatt’s board and its executive chairman since 2004, was named in Epstein court documents released on Jan. 3 by the Department of Justice, which also named Britain’s now-former Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton and current President Donald Trump, none of whom were accused of wrongdoing in the filings.

The documents showed that Pritzker continued to communicate with Epstein after his 2008 plea deal.

In addition to being named in the documents, Pritzker had previously been accused by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre as one of several men she was trafficked to for sex, although Pritzker has denied the allegations, according to CBS News.

Pritzker is the latest person to face consequences for a relationship with Epstein and Maxwell since the Jan. 3 release and the Jan. 30 release of more than 3 million more investigative and court documents related to the two sex offenders.

Among others, ex-Prince Andrew vacated the Royal Lodge, Britain’s former ambassador to the United States is being investigated for links to Epstein, lawyer Brad Karp has resigned and Davos CEO Borge Brende is also being investigated for his links.

The island is popular with Brits who can’t wait until summer to get some sunshine, with 22C weather and plenty of sunshine to enjoy in March, and lots of stunning unspoilt beaches

Those looking for a cheap, sunny escape for March might want to take a look at this island that offers plenty of sunshine and inexpensive pints. Best of all, it’s a short haul destination so you don’t have to spend hours on a flight.

Gran Canaria is often overlooked when it comes to the Canary Islands, with Tenerife welcoming the most visitors, but it’s growing in popularity as a destination especially for winter sun. In March, the island enjoys daily highs of 22C and seven to eight hours of daily sunshine; a tempting prospect seeing as the UK only gets three to four hours on average in early spring.

Flights from the UK average about four-and-a-half hours, and there’s a range of routes to choose from. EasyJet has flights from Bristol, London Luton, and Manchester year-round, as well as offering seasonal services from regional airports. Meanwhile Jet2 offers routes from airports including Belfast, Birmingham, and Glasgow, with a new London-Gatwick service beginning end of March.

TUI flies from Cardiff and Newcastle upon Tyne year-round, while Ryanair offer routes from Birmingham, Bournemouth, and London-Luton among many others. Flights from London-Stansted on Ryanair start from just £24.99 in March.

Most Brits head to the south of the island, the warmest part of Gran Canaria. Maspalomas is famous for its sand dunes which cover an area of about 1.5 miles. Dunas de Maspalomas is a protected nature area that has hiking trails that allow you to explore the desert landscape surrounded by palm trees and set around a natural lagoon.

Walk along the promenade and you’ll reach the lively Playa del Inglés neighbourhood. Known for its bars, restaurants, and lively nightlife including live music, it’s also home to several shopping centres. In Maspalomas, you’ll also find the Yumbo Centre, which is where many of the island’s LGBT+ friendly bars and clubs can be found. At night, the area is known for its colourful drag shows and it’s especially busy in May with the arrival of Pride.

Pint prices vary across the island, but are generally inexpensive as you’d expect in a Spanish destination. You can generally find pints from €2 to €3 (about £1.74 to £2.60), although some bars notoriously offer happy hour deals from €1 (about 85p).

Across the island, there’s plenty to do, from visiting volcanoes to days at water parks. Many people hike the Roque Nublo trail, which takes just over an hour and takes you to one of the island’s highest points. A relatively easy hike, it offers incredible views of the volcanic landscapes, and looks particularly lush and green in spring.

READ MORE: UK airline announces 4 major new routes – and ticket prices start from £84.99READ MORE: World’s longest flight where passengers are strapped in for 19 hours

Palmitos Park is a fun family day out set in the mountains and has nature walks, exotic reptiles, and even dolphin shows, while the Angry Birds Activity Park is a colourful playground that’s a must for kids who love the mobile game.

Puerto de Mogán is often called the ‘Venice of the Canary Islands’ and is well worth a visit for its sheltered beach and stylish marina. It even has canals, and you can take a boat ride through its narrow waterways with whitewashed traditional houses along the way. The capital of Las Palmas is also a popular day trip, especially the old town of Vegueta where you’ll find museums, historic sites, and art galleries.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Billy Steinberg, who wrote the lyrics to some of the biggest pop hits of the 1980s — including Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and Heart’s “Alone” — died Monday at his home in Brentwood. He was 75.

His death was confirmed by his lawyer, Laurie Soriano, who said the cause was cancer.

A master of the melodramatic power ballad, Steinberg wrote vividly about the experience of being overwhelmed by love. In “Like a Virgin,” the narrator sings of having been lost in the wilderness — “I was beat, incomplete / I’d been had, I was sad and blue” — only to meet someone who makes the singer feel “shiny and new.” In “Alone,” the narrator lies in a dark room late at night, listening to the clock tick as they ponder an unconfessed infatuation.

“Like a Virgin,” which Steinberg co-wrote with his frequent creative partner Tom Kelly, spent six weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 in late 1984 and early 1985. With Kelly, Steinberg went on to score four more No. 1s on the Hot 100: “True Colors,” “Alone,” Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional” and the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.”

Among the other hits he wrote were the Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself,” and “I Drove All Night,” which was recorded by both Lauper and Roy Orbison.

Born in Fresno in 1950, Steinberg moved as a child with his family to Palm Springs, where his father had a business growing table grapes in the Coachella Valley. He started writing songs while studying literature at Bard College in the late ’60s. Yet after his junior year he began having severe anxiety attacks and dropped out of school, as he wrote in a 2004 essay posted on his website. He moved home to Palm Springs and worked on his dad’s vineyards, writing lyrics as he drove around in a red Ford pickup truck.

In the late ’70s, Steinberg formed a new wave band called Billy Thermal — the name pointed to the Coachella Valley town where the vineyards were located — that eventually got signed to the producer Richard Perry’s Planet Records. Billy Thermal made an album that went unreleased, though Linda Ronstadt and Pat Benatar recorded several of the band’s songs; Ronstadt’s version of “How Do I Make You,” from her “Mad Love” LP, hit No. 10 on the Hot 100 in early 1980.

After Billy Thermal broke up, Steinberg formed a group called i-Ten with Kelly, whom he’d met at a party thrown by Fleetwood Mac’s onetime producer, Keith Olsen. The duo released an album in 1983 that featured an early version of “Alone.”

Steinberg won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his work on Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You,” which was named album of the year. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. His survivors include his wife, Trina, and his sons Ezra and Max.

CHICAGO — There were three Swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago — three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on Feb. 28, 1969.

One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.

For years, no one asked about those events. But now they are the focus of skirmishing in a presidential election with a group of Swift boat veterans and others contending that Kerry didn’t deserve the Silver Star for what he did on that day, or the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded for other actions.

Many of us wanted to put it all behind us — the rivers, the ambushes, the killing. Ever since that time, I have refused all requests for interviews about Kerry’s service — even those from reporters at the Chicago Tribune, where I work.

But Kerry’s critics, armed with stories I know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they’re not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It’s gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there.

Even though Kerry’s own crew members have backed him, the attacks have continued, and in recent days Kerry has called me and others who were with him in those days, asking that we go public with our accounts.

I can’t pretend those calls had no effect on me, but that is not why I am writing this. What matters most to me is that this is hurting crewmen who are not public figures and who deserved to be honored for what they did. My intent is to tell the story here and to never again talk publicly about it.

I was part of the operation that led to Kerry’s Silver Star. I have no firsthand knowledge of the events that resulted in his winning the Purple Hearts or the Bronze Star.

But on Feb. 28, 1969, I was officer in charge of PCF-23, one of three Swift boats — including Kerry’s PCF-94 and Lt. j.g. Donald Droz’s PCF-43 — that carried Vietnamese Regional and Popular Force troops and a Navy demolition team up the Dong Cung, a narrow tributary of the Bay Hap River, to conduct a sweep in the area.

The approach of the noisy 50-foot aluminum boats, each driven by two huge 12-cylinder diesels and loaded down with six crew members, troops and gear, was no secret.

Ambushes were a virtual certainty, and that day was no exception.

The difference was that Kerry, who had tactical command of that particular operation, had talked to Droz and me beforehand about not responding the way the boats usually did to an ambush.

We agreed that if we were not crippled by the initial volley and had a clear fix on the location of the ambush, we would turn directly into it, focusing the boats’ twin .50-caliber machine guns on the attackers and beaching the boats. We told our crews about the plan.

The Viet Cong in the area had come to expect that the heavily loaded boats would lumber on past an ambush, firing at the entrenched attackers, beaching upstream and putting troops ashore to sweep back down on the ambush site. Often, they were long gone by the time the troops got there.

The first time we took fire — the usual rockets and automatic weapons — Kerry ordered a “turn 90” and the three boats roared in on the ambush. It worked. We routed the ambush, killing three of the attackers. The troops, led by an Army advisor, jumped off the boats and began a sweep, which killed another half-dozen VC, wounded or captured others and found weapons, blast masks and other supplies used to stage ambushes.

Meanwhile, Kerry ordered our boat to head upstream with his, leaving Droz’s boat at the first site.

It happened again, another ambush. And again, Kerry ordered the turn maneuver, and again it worked. As we headed for the riverbank, I remember seeing a loaded B-40 launcher pointed at the boats. It wasn’t fired as two men jumped up from their spider holes.

We called Droz’s boat up to assist us, and Kerry, followed by one member of his crew, jumped ashore and chased a VC behind a hooch — a thatched hut — maybe 15 yards inland from the ambush site. Some who were there that day recall the man being wounded as he ran. Neither I nor Jerry Leeds, our boat’s leading petty officer with whom I’ve checked my recollection of all these events, recalls that, which is no surprise. Recollections of those who go through experiences like that frequently differ.

With our troops involved in the sweep of the first ambush site, Richard Lamberson, a member of my crew, and I also went ashore to search the area. I was checking out the inside of the hooch when I heard gunfire nearby.

Not long after that, Kerry returned, reporting that he had killed the man he chased behind the hooch. He also had picked up a loaded B-40 rocket launcher, which we took back to our base in An Thoi after the operation.

John O’Neill, author of a highly critical account of Kerry’s Vietnam service, describes the man Kerry chased as a “teenager in a loincloth.” I have no idea how old the gunner Kerry chased that day was, but both Leeds and I recall that he was a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore.

The man Kerry chased was not the “lone” attacker at that site, as O’Neill suggests. There were others who fled. There was also firing from the tree line well behind the spider holes and at one point, from the opposite riverbank as well. It was not the work of just one attacker.

Our initial reports of the day’s action caused an immediate response from our task force headquarters in Cam Ranh Bay.

Known over radio circuits by the call sign “Latch,” then-Capt. and now retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, the task force commander, fired off a message congratulating the three Swift boats, saying at one point that the tactic of charging the ambushes was a “shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy” and that it “may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers.”

Hoffmann has become a leading critic of Kerry’s and now says that what the boats did on that day demonstrated Kerry’s inclination to be impulsive to a fault.

Our decision to use that tactic under the right circumstances was not impulsive but was the result of discussions well beforehand and a mutual agreement of all three boat officers.

It was also well within the aggressive tradition that was embraced by the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, then commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam. Months before that day in February, a fellow boat officer, Michael Bernique, was summoned to Saigon to explain to top Navy commanders why he had made an unauthorized run up the Giang Thanh River, which runs along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Bernique, who speaks French fluently, had been told by a source in Ha Tien at the mouth of the river that a VC tax collector was operating upstream.

Ignoring the prohibition against it, Bernique and his crew went upstream and routed the VC, pursuing and killing several.

Instead of facing disciplinary action as he had expected, Bernique was given the Silver Star, and Zumwalt ordered other Swifts, which had largely patrolled coastal waters, into the rivers.

The decision sent a clear message, underscored repeatedly by Hoffmann’s congratulatory messages, that aggressive patrolling was expected and that well-timed, if unconventional, tactics like Bernique’s were encouraged.

What we did on Feb. 28, 1969, was well in line with the tone set by our top commanders.

Zumwalt made that clear when he flew down to our base at An Thoi off the southern tip of Vietnam to pin the Silver Star on Kerry and assorted Bronze Stars and commendation medals on the rest of us.

My Bronze Star citation, signed by Zumwalt, praised the charge tactic we used that day, saying the VC were “caught completely off guard.”

There’s at least one mistake in that citation. The name of the river where the main action occurred is wrong, a reminder that such documents were often done in haste, authored for their signers by staffers. It’s a cautionary note for those trying to piece it all together. There’s no final authority on something that happened so long ago — not the documents and not even the strained recollections of those of us who were there.

But I know that what some people are saying now is wrong. While they mean to hurt Kerry, what they’re saying impugns others who are not in the public eye.

Men like Larry Lee, who was on our bow with an M-60 machine gun as we charged the riverbank; Kenneth Martin, who was in the .50-caliber gun tub atop our boat; and Benjamin Cueva, our engineman, who was at our aft gun mount suppressing the fire from the opposite bank.

Wayne Langhoffer and the other crewmen on Droz’s boat went through even worse on April 12, 1969, when they saw Droz killed in a brutal ambush that left PCF-43 an abandoned pile of wreckage on the banks of the Duong Keo River. That was just a few months after the birth of his only child, Tracy.

The survivors of all these events are scattered across the country now.

Jerry Leeds lives in a tiny Kansas town where he built and sold a successful printing business. He owns a beautiful home with a lawn that sweeps to the edge of a small lake, which he also owns. Every year, flights of purple martins return to the stately birdhouses on the tall poles in his backyard.

Cueva, recently retired, has raised three daughters and is beloved by his neighbors for all the years he spent keeping their cars running. Lee is a senior computer programmer in Kentucky, and Lamberson finished a second military career in the Army.

With the debate over that long-ago day in February, they’re all living that war another time.

*

William Rood is night city editor at the Chicago Tribune; previously, he was a reporter and an editor at the Los Angeles Times. Both publications are owned by Tribune Co.

Pritzker steps down as Hyatt executive chairman, effective immediately, due to his relationship with the late sex offender.

Billionaire Thomas J Pritzker has announced that he is retiring as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his long association with sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which came to light in recently released US Justice Department files.

Pritzker, 75, who has served in the role of Hyatt Hotels’ executive chairman since 2004, also said on Monday that he will not seek re-election to the company’s board at its 2026 annual stockholder meeting.

In a letter to the Hyatt board and a related statement, Pritzker expressed deep regret over maintaining contact with Epstein, who took his own life in prison in 2019, and Maxwell, describing it as “terrible judgement”, with no excuse for not distancing himself sooner.

“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply ‌regret,” he said in the statement.

“I exercised terrible judgement in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

Newly released documents by the Justice Department show that Pritzker had ongoing and regular contact with Epstein for years after the financier’s conviction on sex crime charges in 2008, according to The New York Times.

Pritzker is the latest powerful figure facing repercussions after the release of millions of pages of documents showing the depth of Epstein’s network of business, political and cultural elites in the US and around the world.

Goldman Sachs chief legal counsel Kathryn Ruemmler resigned last week over her ties to Epstein. Norwegian police said they had conducted searches of properties owned by former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland as part of a corruption investigation into his connections with the late sex offender.

The head of DP Ports World, the world’s largest port operator, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, was also replaced over his close friendship with Epstein, while economist Larry Summers resigned from the OpenAI board late last year.

Former United Kingdom ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, has been asked to submit himself for an interview and answer questions as part of a US congressional investigation into Epstein.

In a letter sent to Mandelson by Democratic Representatives Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam, both members of the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee, the lawmakers said it was “clear” that the former ambassador “possessed extensive social and business ties” to Epstein and requested that he make himself available for a transcribed interview.

Mandelson took up the prestigious post as the UK’s ambassador to the US in February 2025. He was removed from the role in September 2025 after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government said new information had come to light showing the much deeper nature of his longstanding ties with Epstein.

The Mandelson controversy has led to calls for Starmer to stand down as prime minister, with critics questioning his judgement in appointing him to the ambassador’s role.

Starmer’s chief of staff and cabinet secretary have also stood down due to the scandal .

A pair of F-16s sitting alert at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, were scrambled early Sunday morning after unidentified flying objects were reported over Nevada and, later, California. One of the objects proved puzzling enough to controllers at Oakland Center, the FAA’s regional air traffic hub, that it reached out to aircraft flying over the northern California area for visual confirmation about what was being observed.

Eventually, it was determined that the objects were weather balloons, officials from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told The War Zone Sunday night. As we have frequently reported, UFOs, now known as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), are often confused with drones and balloons, although that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some odd, if not unexplainable, cases. Still, many in the UFO community roll their eyes at these claims as from Roswell on, balloons became a regular explanation for strange things in the sky.

We must note that information remains limited as to what exactly occurred, so details could change as we find out more.

The incident began at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday local time, according to flight tracking data and Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio. The F-16s, call signs SURF 31 and SURF 32, were scrambled after an object was tracked over the Reno, Nevada area. It was later seen over northern California and then a second object was observed.

Much of what happened during these encounters is unclear. At some point, however, Oakland Center was informed about an object flying near Sacramento, but did not know what it was. So an air traffic controller asked aircraft in the vicinity if they saw anything in its direction. A 747-8, UPS flight 32 (UPS32), responded, reporting a “glowing and dimming” object somewhere over the Sacramento area.  Additional aircraft saw it too, so the F-16s, refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker from March Air Reserve Base, callsign GASMAN, were vectored toward the area.

The following is a transcript of ATC recordings obtained by The War Zone from aviation enthusiast Josh Cox that offer snippets from the conversation between Oakland Center and the UPS flight, as well as between Oakland Center and SURF 31.

Oakland Center to UPS 32: UPS Three-Two, if you could do me a favor, One to two o’clock in about 60 miles, F level, 2-5-0, I guess we’re looking for something out there that we don’t have any information on. So if you just keep an eye on that direction, again, one to two o’clock, 60 miles currently, I’ll call it out as you get closer, and if you see anything. 

UPS 32: Something we’ve been kind of looking at in that direction, that sort of right, giving we kind of figured it was just something along the horizon near the dawn. Sometimes you get kind of weird stuff like that, but it’s not really moving. Is your object staying in one place?

Oakland Center: Yeah, we’re being told it’s in that area. And you said…it’s dimming and glowing a little bit. We’ll keep that in mind, but thanks. I appreciate it. If it changes at all, just let me know… I’m not showing anything on my radar, but we’re being told something’s out there that they’re looking for. And UPS Three-Two. Do you know about what altitude it looks like?

UPS 32: (Indecipherable).

Oakland Center: UPS Three-Two, appreciate all the help. We’ll share more information for you, but you can contact Oakland Center at 1.34.15. You have a good one, yeah, it’s about 60 miles…that’s about where we were showing it too. Like I said, thank you. 

The recording we obtained then segues to a conversation between AORTC and SURF31.

SURF 31: SURF Three-One, approved as requested…

Oakland Center: SURF Three-One, it would now be a two-six-zero heading. Just let me know if you want to proceed. 

SURF 31: SURF Three-One, flying two-six-zero.

Oakland Center: SURF Three-One affirmative…it would be about 20 miles from your current position…probably about your nine o’clock. If you could keep an eye out for anything that’s unusual…When we last saw it, it had some orange glowing and dimming lights. But if you see anything unusual out there, just let me know.

You can listen to the audio yourself in the video below:

Oakland Center Asks UPS Flight 32 To Spot Unidentified Object Over Sacremento

After about two hours, the F-16s were ordered to return to base, but then were again tasked toward northern California due to reports of a second unidentified target. The pilot of one of the F-16s was heard on air traffic control audio describing the object seen in the second intercept as a balloon.

“There were no solar panels that I could see, like a balloon with a line hanging down,” the pilot stated. It was unclear which of the two F-16s he was flying. “There was something about halfway down the line. There was another, like tiny object. I can’t tell what it was. Then the line hung down further than that. There were no solar panels. There was no payload. The only distinctive color was the balloon itself was semi reflective. The line itself looked a whitish gray, but it’s hard to tell no other determinately of objects that could be identified.”

While unconfirmed, there seems to have been an E-3 Sentry AWACS involved in this operation. We have seen them scramble to support fighter intercept operations during the Chinese balloon incident and following it when it came to scrambles on mysterious objects. It appears this was one of those cases. The E-3 could provide persistent high-fidelity radar tracking of the target and help support the fighters in their investigation.

While not identifying what type of aircraft was used to track down the balloons, NORAD confirmed the F-16 pilot’s observation.

“On February 15, 2026, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked two Unidentified Balloons (UIBs) over the north central coast of California,” NORAD told us. “The balloons were observed moving northeast, and NORAD assets, including fighter aircraft, were deployed to assess the objects.”

“NORAD’s assessment determined that both objects exhibited characteristics consistent with typical weather balloons,” the command added. “The balloons do not pose a military threat, present no risk to civil aviation, and have no means of maneuver. Based on this evaluation, NORAD has assessed that the UIBs pose no threat to North America.”

While NORAD said that both objects were balloons, we have no independent confirmation, such as radio traffic, regarding the first one.

Balloons are the objects most frequently identified as UAPs by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The office was established in 2022 as a centralized organization for managing U.S. military-wide policies and procedures for tracking, reporting, and analyzing UAP incidents, as well as a repository for relevant intelligence assessments and other data.

According to the most recent AARO data from a 30-year period up to January 15, 2026, balloons were named as the source of 52.1% of all UAP reports where an identification could ultimately be made. Satellites were the next most commonly identified objects. Sightings of SpaceX Starlink constellations in particular have often been reported as UAP. This is especially true for pilots seeing ‘flares’ from the Starlink satellites, which can look like aircraft making circles on the horizon.

While NORAD explained that the balloons on Sunday posed no threat, not all have proven to be benign. It was almost exactly three years ago that an object identified as a Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S. before being shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina. That incident sparked concerns that sensitive installations were being surveilled by Beijing and questions about why it took so long to bring it down.

The next week, U.S. fighters shot down a trio of UAPs in the course of three days in separate incidents over Alaska, Canada’s Yukon Territory, and Lake Huron. 

Last month, the commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, operational commander for the Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region (CANR), confirmed to us that the object shot down over the Yukon was a balloon.

“I’m tracking one object that was shot down near White Horse using an F-22 under the NORAD agreement, obviously authorized by the Canadian government,” Royal Canadian Air Force Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna explained during an exclusive interview. “I don’t believe they have found the wreckage of that thing yet. It’s a white balloon in the middle of a white expanse of snow, so it is actually hard to find. We had Canadian military folks searching for it for weeks. As far as I know, we did not recover it. It was a balloon, either research or a state actor. It’s not known which. I can’t really give you that detail.”

The object over Lake Huron, brought down by an F-16, was determined to most likely have been a weather balloon launched from a U.S. National Weather Service radar station in Michigan. Audio we obtained of that event also more or less confirms that it was a balloon. 

Radio Audio From F-16 Shoot Down Of Object Over Lake Huron

While the F-16s weren’t scrambled Sunday specifically to intercept balloons, the shootdowns in 2023 showed serious gaps in how these objects are tracked. There have been major challenges digesting the massive amounts of sensor data that is available, as the Chinese spy balloon incident clearly showed. Data from sensors that might have picked up the Chinese spy balloon, in particular, was previously filtered out so as not to overwhelm radar controllers and their analysis process. That presented a dilemma, because balloons pose a variety of very real potential national security threats, something The War Zone regularly highlights.

Changing the sensor filters to allow more data to be collected has resulted in more targets being seen, which in turn has resulted in more scrambles. NORAD is clearly taking these objects more seriously, as we saw repeatedly in the aftermath of the Chinese spy balloon.

Once again, right now we still only have information based on radio chatter, flight tracking and what NORAD told us. As we noted earlier, this story could evolve if we find out more on exactly how this chain of events all started and how the first object was identified. It certainly isn’t the first time we have seen a strange occurrence in the air over this region.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

TRAVIS Kelce showered Taylor Swift with gifts from the heart at the weekend – but that’s just the start of something special, insiders have told The U.S. Sun.

Loving Travis wanted to commemorate their last Valentine’s Day together before their blockbuster wedding this summer with a string of surprises.

A source close to the A-list pair said the Cruel Summer star was treated to three stunning Louis Vuitton items, a beautiful Hermes caftan and two classy, stylish watches costing in excess of $100,000.

The insider says NFL legend Travis wanted to make their last Valentine’s Day as an engaged couple “unique and special” and ended up spending $141,000 in total.

But The U.S. Sun understands in the build up to the big day, which is slated for June, the romantic three-time Super Bowl winner, who has a strong track record of beautiful gift surprises, has something very loving in the works. 

“Starting 100 days before the big day — then again at 50 days, 30 days, and every day during the final month — he will have flower bouquets delivered to her,” claimed the well-placed insider.

“She’ll receive all her favorite flowers: roses in many colors, hydrangeas, and orchids. He wants her to feel overwhelmed in the best possible way — surrounded by one of the things she loves most in life: flowers and their sweet scent.”

The U.S. Sun revealed last year that Taylor wants to turn the proposed wedding venue – her sumptuous $32 million pad in Rhode Island – into a floral wonderland. 

There are plans to reportedly spend a whopping $1.2 million on the landscaping, including hiring specialist gardeners to ensure their dreams are transformed into a stunning reality.

But as our insider revealed, Taylor will have fallen further in love after Travis’ super thoughtful Valentine’s day surprises.

The couple love keeping up with the latest trends – it’s claimed they regularly text each other with pieces they are interested in.

So Travis, knowing Taylor had mentioned the Louis Vuitton pieces recently, snapped up a $3,900 knit jacket, a $2,330 skirt and a signature patch varsity jacket. 

“Travis had them very high on his list of gifts for his fiancée,” said the source.

According to the official description, the Denim-Effect Knit Jacket looks like classic denim but feels far more luxurious. 

It’s tailored and polished, and effortlessly cool – perfect to throw on for a casual day out or dress up for a night in the city. 

Ever the fashionista, Travis paired it with the matching Denim-Effect Knit Skirt, while the Varsity Jacket is described as a “statement piece.”

THOUGHTFUL GIFTS

The Hermès caftan was spotted in a magazine recently and Travis reportedly “immediately thought” of his superstar singer partner. 

The source said Travis felt it was the kind of piece she would love wearing on upcoming trips — especially with trips to warmer destinations in the coming weeks and for their honeymoon.

“They fit her style perfectly,” added the insider. 

It’s a wonderful haul – but Travis wasn’t finished there. 

He also bought her an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch costing a cool $91,600.

The couple noticed the shiny, extremely luxurious piece on someone’s wrist a couple of weeks ago. 

Travis, says the source, loves watches and wants his wife-to-be to build a strong collection too.

On top of that, there was also a classy, $33,600 Rolex 1908 — a more masculine model, which fits her taste. 

“She likes incorporating slightly masculine pieces into her style, whether it’s jackets, vests, or watches, to add edge to her outfits. He enjoys spoiling her with beautiful, high-end items like that.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in an interview Monday that she does not want embattled mogul Casey Wasserman running the 2028 Summer Games.

Bass told CNN’s Dana Bass that it was “unfortunate” that the organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics are supporting Wasserman amid revelations that he exchanged flirty emails with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell two decades ago.

Bass initially declined to take a position on the drama surrounding Wasserman, saying two weeks ago that it was up to the board of the LA28 Olympics — the nonprofit behind the Games — to decide whether to keep him.

But Monday, Bass offered a new take on Wasserman’s fate.

“My opinion is that he should step down,” Bass said. “That’s not the opinion of the board.”

She said that “we need to look at the leadership” of LA28 and that her job is to make sure that the city is “completely prepared” for the Games.

Wasserman has previously apologized for his correspondence with Maxwell and expressed regret for having any association with both her and Jeffrey Epstein. The exchanges took place before Maxwell’s crimes became known and before she was sentenced to prison for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by financier Epstein.

Wasserman announced last week that he would sell his sports and entertainment company because of backlash over the email exchanges.

The executive committee of the LA28 board announced Wednesday that it reviewed the mogul’s past conduct and determined that based on the facts and his “strong leadership” of the Games, he should continue to serve as chair of LA28.

The LA28 executive committee — a subset of its broader, 35-member board — said it took “allegations of misconduct seriously.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, carrying the Olympic flag, LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman, front right, and Team USA Olympians skateboarder Tate Carew, second from left, diver Delaney Schnell, rear right, and volleyball player Micah Ma’a, top right, arrive in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, 2024.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

It met Wednesday after hiring outside counsel O’Melveny & Myers LLP to assist reviewing Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Maxwell. Wasserman, it said, fully cooperated with the review.

L.A.’s Olympic leaders have yet to reveal who is on the committee. Bass’ office last week said her appointees on the executive committee include entertainment attorney Matt Johnson, real estate developer Jaime Lee and union leader Yvonne Wheeler.

At least 10 L.A.-area politicians, including a third of the 15-member Los Angeles City Council, have called on Wasserman to resign from leading the Olympics, with many arguing the exchanges are a distraction.

City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is challenging Bass in the upcoming mayor’s race is among those calling for Wasserman to step away. Raman previously worked at a women’s rights organization formed in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement before becoming a council member.

Even before revelations about the emails, there were tensions between Wasserman and some Los Angeles politicians concerned that financial shortfalls in staging the $7-billion Summer Games will need to be covered by local taxpayers.

The relationship between the city and LA28 was further strained when the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, published allegations in 2024 that Wasserman was a “serial cheater” who’d carried on affairs with young female staff members. Wasserman, who separated from his wife, Laura, in 2021, has denied the allegations.

Former Mayor Eric Garcetti picked Wasserman, a close friend, more than a decade ago to run the Olympics.

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1. Yoshiki Ideguchi, who traveled from Tokyo, watches at Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 2. Children lean against a fence and wait to greet players during Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 3. A fan holds a World Series bobblehead while waiting to greet players at Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

Feb. 16 (UPI) — Ryan Routh, who was convicted of attempting to kill then-former President Donald Trump, has filed an appeal of his life sentence and his conviction.

Routh, 60, was convicted of hiding in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024. He pointed a military-grade SKS rifle toward Trump, who was then a candidate running for his second term, and a Secret Service agent.

He defended himself in the trial that ended in September. When the verdict was read, he stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.

Routh was given an attorney for the sentencing portion of his trial. That attorney, Martin L. Roth, filed a notice Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals stating that Routh will fight the conviction and his sentence, ordered Feb. 4. Routh was sentenced to life plus seven years.

He was convicted in October of all five charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Secret Service agent Robert Fercano testified that Routh hid behind a shrub-covered fence near the sixth hole of the course, aiming an AK-style weapon at Trump. Routh was found with a handwritten note that stated his intention to kill Trump.

Routh argued that he had a right to peacefully protest at the golf course.

“This is as far [from] peaceful assembly as you can imagine,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley responded. “Peaceful protest is one thing. An assassination attempt is another.”

Prosecutors said in a court filing that Routh deserved a life sentence.

“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”

Routh’s attorney argued that his conviction was faulty.

“Defendant recognizes that he was found guilty by the jury but asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits, or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” Roth wrote.

A group of children gather on a Saturday morning in front of a three-block classroom at the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) displacement camp in Wurro-Jabbe, a community in Yola, Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria. They run across the dusty fields, playing and chatting, but when a chessboard is laid in front of the closed classroom, the children fall silent and move closer to the scene. Their sudden silence and concentration do not come as a surprise because on the chessboard before them, new possibilities begin to unfold.

Seventeen-year-old Partsi David, one of the oldest players in the group, sets up the chessboard and gives instructions before the teachers arrive. She randomly selects the first team to play and urges the next group to be patient as each player is eager to demonstrate their moves first. 

It has been a decade since EYN established the camp to accommodate displaced persons from Mubi, Michika, Madagali, and other communities attacked by Boko Haram. While most residents from Mubi have returned home following the restoration of peace in their communities, those from Madagali and other parts of Michika remain in the camp. Apart from relying on donations from EYN and other humanitarian organisations over the past decade, the displaced persons have also taken up farming and menial work to survive. 

Survival became a priority over the years, pushing education down the list, and many children relied on the camp’s only primary school, run by older displaced persons who taught the younger ones basic English and numeracy. With barely enough chairs and tables inside the three-block classroom, the pupils bring mats from home to sit on. 

According to the United Nations International Organisation for Migration, Boko Haram has displaced over 200,000 people in Adamawa State so far, with residents of Michika and Madagali being among the most affected populations. As of 2025, 69 per cent of children living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe were said to lack access to education services. 

However, through the Chess in IDP Camp Initiative, displaced children at the EYN camp are now being relocated to formal schools in Yola, where they have been receiving structured education over the past few years. The change came after a young woman, Vivian Ibrahim, introduced chess to the displaced children in 2023. 

After establishing the initiative in the EYN camp, Vivian replicated it in Malkohi, another Yola community where a displacement camp is situated. It was in this environment that chess began to take root.

The game of chess 

The displaced persons in Malkhohi are from Askira Uba, Gwoza, Damboa, and other parts of Borno State. Having developed a passion for chess during her junior secondary school years, Vivian’s experience enabled her to teach the game to the children.

She recounted that barely a few minutes after she introduced the game to them, the children began to catch up. “The kind of moves and the thinking ahead that I saw some of them doing left me amazed, and I was like, these kids are very intelligent,” Vivian said. 

On social media, she showcased how the children had embraced chess and how well they played. 

People began reaching out with tokens of support for the initiative, and soon, more chessboards were acquired. As monetary donations kept flowing, Vivian conceived the idea to direct every penny donated to the campaign toward the educational development of children from the various camps. The initiative’s goal is to use chess as a tool to help displaced children access opportunities in life. 

That same year, the initiative secured secondary school admission for five children at the Malkhohi IDP camp, and after she shared the success story on Facebook, the President of the Gift of Chess, an international chess club, reached out to her. 

“He donated $500, so I used it to get more of them back to school. And we got books, school uniforms, sandals, school bags, and all of those things,” she said. 

From the Malkhohi camp, Vivian began expanding her work to displacement camps in Yola alongside her younger brother, who was also skilled at the game and her only volunteer at the time. They held weekly chess lessons for the children after establishing chess clubs at Malkhohi and EYN camps. “We recently enrolled three-year-olds,” Vivian said with a smile. 

As the years rolled by, the children’s skills steadily improved. She noticed a shift in their mindset, particularly in their career aspirations. She explained that many of them believed their future was limited to manual labour since they were displaced children, but after several chess lessons, many of them felt they were really good at something. Vivian believed that participating in tournaments outside the camp would help the children realise not only that they were capable, but also that they were deserving and worthy of every opportunity. 

New opportunities 

As the children’s confidence grew, the initiative organised a tournament between the two camps and later expanded it across the state, so the young players could showcase their skills. They competed in the state chess tournaments and emerged as champions. The children said their confidence was boosted, and their learning efforts doubled.

For twelve-year-old Timothy Hassan, it was an opportunity to shine. 

“I love to calculate. I love mathematics,” he stated. 

However, he never thought his dreams could come true, since he didn’t have access to secondary education; education at the EYN camp stops at the primary level. So when the game was introduced to his camp in 2024, Timothy was among the first group to show interest. 

“I’ve participated in local tournaments within Adamawa and even travelled to Lagos and Delta states to compete,” he told HumAngle with a bright smile. 

Timothy says the feeling he gets anytime he’s set to travel for a competition is indescribable because he never thought it would be possible for him to leave the camp or even travel outside the state. Now, he gets to compete with other chess players, and the initiative has enrolled him in a secondary school where he is continuing his education. 

“The game has made me a more focused person. It has reduced the rate at which I play around the camp unnecessarily as I spend my free time practising with the chessboard,” Timothy said.  “I want to be an engineer,” he added. 

When preparations were underway for the National Sports Festival in 2025, the Chess in IDP Camp initiative seized the opportunity, as there was no group to represent Adamawa State in the chess section. 

“I made contact with the Adamawa State Sports Council, and I presented the kids to them. They played a match. The people at the sports council were impressed,” Vivian told HumAngle. 

The children were then selected to represent the state during the chess tournaments in Delta State. They competed against teams from other states in Nigeria and finished fourth.

Partsi, one of the chess players who represented the state at the National Sports Festival, says she’s getting better at the game with each passing day. She also participated in a secondary school tournament in Adamawa, where she emerged as the female winner. 

While she wants to become a doctor, Partsi aspires to be a famous chess player. 

“I want to be seen on TV, and I also want to be the winner in every competition. I want to win for Nigeria,”  she said. 

In 2024, Vivian noted that the Commander of the 105 Composite Group, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), who is a patron of the NAF Chess Club in Maiduguri, Borno State, reached out to the Chess in IDP Camp Initiative in Yola, requesting that the programme be introduced to some displaced camps in Borno. Led by Vivian and Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, the initiative reached Maiduguri, with Tunde directly engaging players at the Muna and Shuwari IDP camps. 

Tunde’s visit was said to have brought further media and public attention to the role that chess can play in healing, learning, and reimagining futures for children affected by conflict.

“This game makes me calm whenever I’m playing because chess doesn’t want your attention to be divided. It wants your full attention,” Partsi said. 

After Tunde became affiliated with the initiative, Vivian explained that several chess players in the state, mostly young people, volunteered to teach the children. This increase in human resources helped the initiative to reach more children in the camps.

Vivian highlighted that the initiative teaches chess to over 200 IDP children from both camps, ranging from ages four to 18. The chess clubs operate on Saturdays for two hours during the school term, but during the holidays, volunteers visit two to three times a week to tutor the children. 

Fifteen-year-old Emmanuel Paul, one of the players who joined the club in 2024, said he needed no persuasion to join. 

“The game itself impresses me. The game requires a lot of calculation,” he told HumAngle. 

The boy explained that the game makes him feel confident, and anytime there is a forthcoming tournament, he feels ready to play. Emmanuel said the hardest part of the game is the endgame when a tournament is drawing to a close. 

“If you don’t strategise well during the endgame, your opponent will win,” he said. 

Like many other chess players in the camp, Emmanuel has been enrolled in a secondary school by the Chess in IDP Camp Initiative. 

Mary Zira, a renowned chess player from the EYN IDP camp, secured a scholarship for secondary education at a private school in Yola. This came shortly after she returned from an international competition in Georgia in 2025. There, she competed in the Chess Community Games, won a silver medal, and earned a chance to speak at the United Nations. 

Impressed by her performance, an individual reached out to the initiative and offered to sponsor her secondary education. While Mary is currently in a private boarding school, her mother, Hannatu Victor, spoke to HumAngle about the achievement. 

“I am a very proud mother,” Mary’s mother stated. 

She explained that she had never imagined her daughter’s life would change overnight because of a game. “This game is helping us, especially our kids, in furthering their education. It also exposes them because they go out to meet other children when they play in different places,” she said. 

From chessboards to classrooms 

Following several tournament victories by the displaced children, the Chess in IDP Camp Initiative has gained widespread recognition. Although the initiative has not yet partnered with any local or international humanitarian organisation, Vivian remains grateful to individuals who have given the children the opportunity for a better life. 

According to Vivian, about 70 young chess players from both the Malkhohi and EYN IDP camps have been enrolled in various private and public secondary schools in Yola, with the initiative covering their fees. The oldest student has recently completed secondary school and is now ready to pursue a university education. Scholarships have also been secured for some of the children.

Apart from chess, a group of young volunteers from the Modibbo Adama University, Yola, who recently joined the initiative, are incorporating AI and tech sessions into several chess classes. Their goal is to equip the children for a rapidly changing world. 

Elisha Samson, one of the volunteers at the camp, told HumAngle that the children have shown noticeable improvement in STEM subjects integrated into their sessions. The volunteers have been teaching the children how to use Arduino, an open-source platform used for building electronics projects. 

“I feel that, going further in the future, maybe we could have a lot of them build very cool tech on their own without us guiding them to do it,” Elisha said. 

Elisha noted that the major challenges they face as volunteers are the lack of electricity in the camp, as some of the tech and AI concepts they are introducing to the children require electricity. 

“Sometimes we have to come with a backup power supply from home, and then we use it for them. We also need more Arduino kits to be able to handle more students or show more students what we’re talking about and have lots of practicals because our practicals are limited, as the kits we have are very limited,” he added.

Jerry Sunday, another volunteer with the initiative, explained that sessions are more interaction-based. 

“When we notice that a student is trying to lose interest or is not doing well, we break the concepts down into basic everyday examples, and they quickly understand and relate to it,” he said, adding that students who don’t do very well are often paired with better-performing colleagues who serve as their tutors. 

Despite these efforts, sessions are sometimes disrupted.  

“There is no consistency in attendance, especially during the rainy season, because most of them go to help their parents on the farm,” the volunteer said. 

A 2024 fact sheet on Nigeria’s education, developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows that rural and poor children across all levels have lower school completion rates than urban and wealthier children, whose completion rates are above average. The report further states that while 90 per cent of children from the wealthiest quintile complete senior secondary education, less than 16 per cent of children from the poorest quintile do so.

Against all odds, the children continue to excel. 

Rebecca David, a displaced woman from Madagali whose daughters participate in the chess programme, noted that their confidence has improved since they enrolled. 

“They are now smarter and more critical in doing regular things at home,” she said. 

With a focus on long-term sustainability, the initiative aims to partner with local and international organisations to enrol more children in school, expand opportunities for the children, and ensure that displaced children have the chance to dream beyond the confines of their camps. 

Frederick Wiseman, a preeminent documentary filmmaker, has died. He was 96.

The filmmaker’s death was announced by his family Monday in a statement released by Zipporah Films, Wiseman’s distribution company.

In a career that lasted nearly 60 years, Wiseman produced and directed 45 films beginning in 1967 with “Titicut Follies,” a documentary on the the patient-inmates of Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Massachusetts, through 2023’s “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros,” a documentary on the Troisgros family’s Michelin three-starred restaurant in Ouches, France. His final film earned universal critical acclaim, and was recognized as the best nonfiction film of 2023 by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. Awards and the National Society of Film Critics.

“Wiseman, whose observational approach has often been mischaracterized as objective or omniscient, here drops any pretense to neutrality, so potent and overpowering is his sense of kinship with a fellow artist,” wrote Justin Chang in his 2023 review. “The marriage of sensibilities in front of and behind the camera is the stealthiest meeting in ‘Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros,’ and the most unexpectedly satisfying.”

A scene from Frederick Wiseman’s “Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros.”

(PBS)

The filmmaker considered both Cambridge, Mass., and Paris his homes. His films, to an extent, reflected that transatlantic residency in their freshness of perspective. They display an innate curiosity and astonishing degrees of empathy, intelligence and perceptiveness, with subjects ranging from public and social institutions to cultural and specialized spaces and the minutiae of human interactions.

Wiseman’s other films included “High School” (1968), “Welfare” (1975), “Juvenile Court” (1973), “Public Housing” (1997), “La Danse” (2009), “National Gallery” (2014), “Ex Libris — The New York Public Library” (2017) and “City Hall” (2020). The varied body of work earned three Emmy Awards and an honorary Academy Award. Wiseman was also awarded Guggenheim and MacArthur Prize fellowships.

Beyond documentaries, the director also made three fiction films, “Seraphita’s Diary” (1982), “The Last Letter” (2002) and “A Couple” (2022). In reviewing the last, Chang wrote, “I suspect [Wiseman] is no more likely to impose himself on one of his fictions than he would on one of his documentaries, which ‘A Couple’ may resemble more than it appears. Wiseman has spent a career probing the complex inner workings and painfully human errors of America’s establishments, but in marriage itself, he may have found the most fraught, mysterious and unreformable institution of all.”

Nathalie Boutefeu in the movie “A Couple.”

(Film Forum)

Frederick Wiseman was born Jan. 1, 1930, in Boston. He graduated from Willams College and Yale Law School before embarking on a filmmaking career in the mid-1960s. He remained staunchly independent, establishing Zipporah Films, named for his wife, in 1971, in order to maintain control over distribution of his work.

In addition to his filmmaking career, Wiseman worked as a theater director and actor, including a recent appearance in Rebecca Zlotowski’s 2025 film “A Private Life,” starring Jodie Foster.

Wiseman’s wife of 65 years, Zipporah Batshaw Wiseman, died 2021. He is survived by his two sons, David (Jennifer) and Eric (Kristen Stowell), and three grandchildren, Benjamin, Charlie and Tess, as well as his friend and collaborator Karen Konicek, with whom he worked for 45 years.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — It’s all downhill after 40.

Downhill at screaming speeds, that is, fast enough to capture Olympic gold, which is precisely what 41-year-old Elana Meyers Taylor did Monday night in the women’s monobob.

America’s most successful female bobsledder finally got her gold medal. She was four one-hundredths of a second faster than Germany’s Laura Nolte — compiled over four heats — netting her sixth Olympic medal.

Those prizes — a gold, three silvers and two bronzes — tied Meyers Taylor with speedskater Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. woman in Winter Olympic history.

“I still can’t even put into words what this means having the gold medal,” Meyers Taylor said. “It’s still surreal.”

She became the oldest American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Games, having covered the winding course four times in two days in a total of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds.

American gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor and bronze medalist Kaillie Humphries pose for a photo during the medal ceremony for monbob bobsled in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Julian Finney / Getty Images)

Monobob is a women’s event that made its debut at the Beijing Olympics four years ago. Only one person competes, pushing the sled at the start and piloting down the course at speeds of 70 to 80 mph. There were 20 competitors in the inaugural event, and American Kaillie Humphries — who claimed the bronze Monday — won the first gold medal in the event.

The triumph came after Meyers Taylor went a whole World Cup season without standing on a podium, finishing 10th in the standings.

“The season was miserable,” she said, noting she has suffered back problems for months.

Her husband and two young children were waiting for her at the finish line, and Meyers Taylor is about as down-to-earth as an elite athlete can get. Both of their children have special needs and are deaf.

American Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates after winning the monobob bobsled competition in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Al Bello / Getty Images)

She taught them some new words in sign language in the days leading up to the race.

“We went over what ‘champion’ is,” she said, adding she also taught them to sign “bobsled race” and “gold.”

Asked about her pre-race assessment that a gold medal would mean everything and nothing to her, she smiled and said: “It still is everything, and it still is nothing. Because at the end of the day, in six days I’ve got school pickups and dropoffs in the middle of Texas.”

Humphries — who has three golds and two bronzes in her career — was tied with Meyers Taylor heading into the fourth and final heat. They are both mothers who split time between intense training and all the challenges of parenthood.

“I hope it inspires other people to go out and chase it, whatever it may be,” said Humphries, 40.

“I grew up in a sport where if you have kids once you get to 40, it’s all downhill and alumni … I get to be proof that that’s not true.”

American gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor and bronze medalist Kaillie Humphries celebrate with Humphries’ son after the monobob competition at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Julian Finney / Getty Images)

Meyers Taylor, who was born Oct. 10, 1984, is eight days older than American ski racing legend Lindsey Vonn, who is recovering from a violent crash in the women’s downhill and has undergone multiple operations in the last week.

“I was at the Alpine race when she went down, and that was heartbreaking,” Meyers Taylor said.

“To do that at 41, she’s incredible.”

Humphries said staying atop the sport will be quite a challenge for the monobob medalists.

“These girls are young,” she said. “They’re putting up a good fight. I won’t lie, the starts are challenging, so we’ve got some work to do.”

Feb. 16 (UPI) — Several civil rights groups are suing the Trump administration to prohibit it from misusing voter information that it seized from Fulton County, Ga., last month.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, the NAACP and Atlanta and Georgia State Conference branches of the NAACP filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Sunday.

They seek to block the Trump administration from using the voting records to purge voters from the rolls, improperly disclose information, dox or intimidate voters.

“We have very serious concerns about what the Trump administration could do with the voting records of thousands of people from Fulton County,” Robert Weiner, director of the voting rights project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement.

“When people registered to vote, they did not sign up for the release of their private information and social security numbers, especially not to politicians and their loyalists bent on advancing debunked conspiracy theories.”

The FBI raided the Fulton County elections office in Union City, Ga., on Jan. 28, and commandeered sensitive voter information from the 2020 general election. The lawsuit alleges that this included personal data and documents that could identify who voted for a particular candidate.

About 700 boxes of ballots were taken from the elections office as well as other materials related to the election.

FBI agents executed a warrant at the direction of the White House, a warrant affidavit revealed.

President Donald Trump has maintained that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” and he was the true winner, despite numerous court decisions striking down his claims.

Trump’s claims have continued since his return to the White House, as well as broader claims of election fraud. He has called for elections to be “nationalized” in recent weeks, saying Republicans should “take over” elections in “at least maybe 15 places.”

Drone-fired missiles have hit a market in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens of others, a rights group says.

Emergency Lawyers, a group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement on Monday that drones bombed the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in North Kordofan state.

The bombing on Sunday occurred when the market was packed with people, “exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy”, it said, adding that the number of casualties is likely to rise.

“The attack occurred when the market was bustling with civilians, including women, children and the elderly,” the group said.

“The repeated use of drones to target populated areas shows a grave disregard for civilian lives and signals an escalation that threatens what remains of daily life in the province. Therefore, we demand an immediate halt to drone attacks by both sides of the conflict,” the statement said.

The area is currently the fiercest front line in the three-year-old war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sodari, a remote town where desert trade routes cross, is 230km (132 miles) northwest of el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, which the RSF has been trying to encircle for months.

The Kordofan region has seen a surge in deadly drone attacks as both sides fight over the country’s vital east-west axis, which links the western RSF-held Darfur region, through el-Obeid, to the army-controlled capital, Khartoum, and the rest of Sudan.

After consolidating its hold on Darfur last year, the RSF has pushed east through the oil- and gold-rich Kordofan in an attempt to seize Sudan’s central corridor.

Emergency Lawyers said on X that the drones targeting the market on Sunday belonged to the army.

Two military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, told The Associated Press news agency that the army does not target civilian infrastructure and denied the attack.

A week ago, a drone close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan hit a vehicle carrying displaced families, killing at least 24 people, including eight children. A day before the attack, a World Food Programme aid convoy was also hit by drones.

Violence ‘shocking in scale and brutality’

Fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese military erupted into a full-blown war across the country in April 2023. So far, at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced, according to the World Health Organization.

Aid groups say the true death toll could be many times higher, as the fighting in vast and remote areas impedes access.

The United Nations human rights chief recently said that the Kordofan region remains “volatile and a focus of hostilities” as the warring parties vie for control of strategic areas.

Both sides have been accused of atrocities.

The UN Human Rights Office issued a report on Friday saying that more than 6,000 people were killed over three days when the RSF unleashed “a wave of intense violence… shocking in its scale and brutality” in Darfur in late October.

The RSF’s offensive to capture the city of el-Fasher, which used to be a military stronghold, in late October included widespread atrocities that amounted to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, according to the UN.

The war has created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis. It has also effectively split the country in two, with the army holding the centre, north and east, while the RSF controls the west and, with its allies, parts of the south.

MOLLY-MAE Hague has just shown her followers that the amazing dressing room renovation under way in her luxury mansion is almost finished.

The reality star and her boxer beau Tommy Fury purchased the £5million pad together in 2022.

And it appears everything is really taking shape, bar some missing flooring here and there.

An excited Molly took to her Instagram story to share a snap of the dressing room which she already feels incredibly eager to use.

Penned over a photo of the mostly finished space, she said: “Home from the office to a nearly finished dressing room.

“I’m actually itching to get in here.

BED SWAP

Pregnant Molly-Mae reveals she’s ‘banished’ to spare room despite Tommy reunion

MOLLY MODELS

Molly-Mae shows off her baby bump after ‘accidentally’ revealing baby’s gender

“Couldn’t resist and already started putting bits and bobs on the shelves.

“Carpet to go down, little wall lights to add, then the final touches.”

Taking a selfie in the room’s giant mirror, Molly-Mae opted to wear a white top that allows her pregnant belly to peek through.

She paired the piece with comfortable black trousers and Ugg slippers.

Behind her an assortment of Louis Vuitton bags and other designer goods are sitting on the white dressing room furniture.

White with tasteful gold accents are the theme of the dressing room, bringing a stylish minimalist air to the area.

The renovation update comes shortly after Molly-Mae and Tommy announced they were expecting their second child together.

They made the announcement via Instagram by posting a sweet Instagram reel showing off her stomach.

Molly’s currently around six months pregnant, and already has a two-year-old daughter called Bambi.

Her and Tommy have opened up about how they know the gender of the second baby and how they have already picked a name.

But they’re keeping the information secret from their followers for now.

Though in a video posted online, Molly referred to her bump as “she” for a split second, leading fans to believe she’s having another baby girl.

As she showed off her bare baby bump and cradled it in her latest YouTube vlog, the social media personality declared: “Here she is!”

Re Rosenberg vs. Badham in 40th Congressional District:

Nathan Rosenberg can attack Rep. Robert E. Badham. The voters will decide whom to believe and vote accordingly.

Rosenberg can attack Thomas A. Fuentes. The county GOP chairman is fully capable of defending himself.

But Rosenberg goes too far when he impugns the integrity of the late Ronald W. Caspers. Supervisor Caspers loved south coast Orange County and served the area with distinction. He and two of his sons died in a tragic boating accident just after he was reelected in 1974. Ron was a self-made millionaire and had no need, much less desire, to gain personally from his public service.

Young Rosenberg’s lack of respect for his elders, particularly those unable to defend themselves, does not speak well of his own integrity. Nathan, you owe Ron Caspers and his surviving family members an apology.

RANDY SMITH

Irvine

Mike Trout says he would prefer to return to center field for the Angels, and the star slugger says he will skip the World Baseball Classic because of insurance issues.

The 11-time All-Star who been plagued by injuries since 2021 says his familiar position isn’t as physically demanding as the corner outfield spots, contrary to traditional thinking.

Trout played his most games since 2019 last season, finishing at 130. The three-time American League MVP started 22 of his first 29 games in right field before a knee injury sidelined him for a month. The 34-year-old was exclusively a designated hitter when he returned in late May.

Trout had 26 home runs but hit just .232, by far the worst average of his career when he had at least 400 at-bats.

He spent time in left field early in his career but was a center fielder for 11 consecutive seasons before the switch to right. Injuries limited Trout to 111 games the previous two years.

Trout said conversations with first-year manager Kurt Suzuki have included the idea of a return to center.

“I feel like I’m at my best when I’m in center,” Trout told reporters at the club’s spring training facility Monday. “If I have to go to the corner, I’ll go to the corner.”

Trout said a return to center will be good for his health.

“When I was in center, it was less on my body than the corners,” Trout said. “To be honest, in right field I felt I was running a lot. Talking to some other outfielders and they’re saying that they feel the same way sometimes, center is less on your legs. I just feel … confident in center.”

Trout, who played in his only WBC three years ago, had said he was interested in playing again before insurance issues arose.

“It’s disappointing,” Trout said. “I wanted to run it back with all the guys.”

Promising young Boston outfielder Roman Anthony has been named as a Team USA injury replacement for Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, who has a broken bone in his right hand.