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DHS shuts down after a funding lapse. And, why athletes get the 'yips' at the Olympics

The Department of Homeland Security sign is seen outside its headquarters on Feb. 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Congress is out on recess as a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is underway. And, why some superstar athletes have been getting the "yips" at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

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One Olympic sport still excludes women. This week's viewing numbers could change that

Alexa Brabec of the U.S. (L), Norway

Nordic combined is the only Olympic sport that doesn't allow women to compete, despite athletes' efforts to change that. They say their odds for 2030 hinge on people watching men's events this week.

(Image credit: Barbara Gindl)

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How to register to vote in the 2026 primaries

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For the 2026 primary elections, NPR has collected deadlines and information on how to register to vote — online, in person or by mail — in every U.S. state and territory.

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Is that carb ultra-processed? Here's a test even a kid can do

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The latest nutrition guidelines urge Americans to avoid highly-processed food. But, when it comes to carbs, many people don't know which ones are ultra-processed. Here's an easy way to find out.

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'American Struggle' author assesses Trump's expansion of presidential power

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham talks about Trump's impact on democracy. Meacham's latest book is a collection of speeches, letters and other original texts from 1619 to the present.

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U.S. Olympic speed skaters adapt NASCAR 'bump drafting,' revolutionizing team event

Team U.S.A. with Heather Bergsma, right, Brittany Bowe, left, and Mia Manganello, center, competes during the quarterfinals of the women

U.S. Team Pursuit speed skaters will top speeds of 30 mph by pushing themselves around the track mere inches from each other.

(Image credit: John Locher)

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Israel will begin contentious West Bank land registration

Palestinians walk along the separation barrier between the West Bank and east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, Sunday Feb. 15, 2026.

Israel will begin a contentious land regulation process in a large part of the occupied West Bank, which could result in Israel gaining control over wide swaths of the area for future development.

(Image credit: Ohad Zwigenberg)

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An Islamist party becomes Bangladesh's main opposition for the first time

Shafiqur Rahman, the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, speaks during a Jamaat-led alliance rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8.

An Islamist party has become Bangladesh's main opposition for the first time in the country's history, challenging the old dynastic political system despite persistent concerns among critics about the party's policies on women.

(Image credit: Sajjad Hussain)

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Morning news brief

Lawmakers no closer to a deal as partial government shutdown continues, officials to meet for more talks as Ukraine war nears 4th anniversary, what is it about Olympics that gives athletes "the yips"?

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Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion, is now a Daytona 500 winner

23XI Racing owner Michael Jordan speaks with CEO and Chairman of NASCAR, Jim Frantz after Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Tyler Reddick won "The Great American Race" on Sunday with a last-lap pass at Daytona International Speedway that sent Jordan into a frantic celebration.

(Image credit: Nigel Cook)

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North Korea opens a housing district for families of its soldiers killed in Russia-Ukraine war

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second right, attends a completion ceremony of the new street, called Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang, North Korea Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.

North Korea said Monday it completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

(Image credit: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)

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Concerns over autocracy in the U.S. continue to grow

Protesters demonstrate against federal immigration actions at an "ICE Out of Everywhere" rally in front of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 31.

Is America still a democracy? Scholars tell NPR that after the last year under President Trump, the country has slid closer to autocracy or may already be there.

(Image credit: Apu Gomes)

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Europeans push back at US over claim they face 'civilizational erasure'

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

A top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces "civilizational erasure," pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.

(Image credit: Michael Probst)

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FBI: DNA from glove near Guthrie home appears to match glove worn by suspect

Law enforcement from the Pima County Sheriff

The FBI says a glove containing DNA was found about two miles from Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home and appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door the night she vanished.

(Image credit: Ty O'Neil)

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Trump's border czar says a 'small' security force will stay in Minnesota

White House border czar Tom Homan says the sweeping immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota is concluding.

Tom Homan says this federal force will stay "for a short period of time" to protect immigration agents who remain as the sweeping crackdown draws down.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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At least 6,000 killed over 3 days during RSF attack on Sudan's el-Fasher, UN says

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, center, greets the crowd during a military-backed tribes

More than 6,000 people were killed in over three days when a Sudanese paramilitary group unleashed "a wave of intense violence" in Sudan's Darfur region in late October, according to the UN.

(Image credit: Mahmoud Hjaj)

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Obama responds to Trump sharing racist AI video depicting him as an ape

Former President Barack Obama addresses the Obama Foundation

"There doesn't seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum," Obama said in an interview that was posted on YouTube Saturday.

(Image credit: Scott Olson)

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Why do humans kiss?

Matilda Brindle, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford, explains.

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Photos: The flying doctors of Lesotho won't let their wings be clipped

Residents of the isolated village of Mphooko wave as a team from the Lesotho Flying Doctor Service departs after a day treating patients. Mphooko is inaccessible by road and relies on the LFDS for basic medical care.

This band of airborne health workers bring essential medical care to isolated communities in the southern African nation. In addition to turbulence, they face a new obstacle: budget cuts.

(Image credit: Tommy Trenchard for NPR)

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Rockstar athletes like Ilia Malinin often get 'the yips' at the Olympics. It can make them stronger

Ilia Malinin of the United States falls during the men

Ilia Malinin's painful falls at the Milan Cortina Games follow in a long tradition of great U.S. athletes who get the "yips" or the "twisties" during the Olympics.

(Image credit: Francisco Seco)

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U.S. Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin finishes another Olympic race without a medal

United States

U.S. Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin looks unstoppable everywhere except the Olympics. She's running out of chances to medal at the Milan Cortina Games.

(Image credit: Marco Trovati)

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'Major travel impacts' expected as winter storm watch issued for northern California

In an aerial view, snow covers the banks of Lake Tahoe on March 21, 2023 in South Lake Tahoe, California.

As people travel for the holiday weekend, much of Northern California is under a winter storm watch, with communities bracing for several feet of snow.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

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Brazil's Pinheiro Braathen wins gold, and South America's first Winter Olympics medal

Brazil

Once a racer for Norway, Pinheiro Braathen switched to Brazil, his mother's home country. In winning the Olympic giant slalom on Saturday, he earned South America's first medal at a Winter Games.

(Image credit: Rebecca Blackwell)

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For U.S. pairs skater Danny O'Shea, these Olympics are 30 years in the making

Ellie Kam and Danny O

Danny O'Shea turned 35 at his first Olympics, after three decades of skating and two reversed retirements.

(Image credit: Elsa)

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Want a mortgage for under 3% in 2026? Meet the 'assumable mortgage'

A for sale sign is posted in front of a home in Sacramento, Calif., in 2022.

Low mortgage rates from the COVID era might still be attainable for homebuyers, if they find the right house and have the cash.

(Image credit: Rich Pedroncelli)

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Epstein files fallout takes down elite figures in Europe, while U.S. reckoning is muted

Peter Mandelson was fired last year from his position as Britain

Unlike in Europe, officials in the U.S. with ties to Epstein have largely held their positions of power.

(Image credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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A London beat framed by colonial history

NPR's Lauren Frayer arrived in London after years in India, and she's been covering Britain with the legacy of empire in view.

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Four people on NASA'S Crew-12 arrive at the International Space Station

In this image from video provided by NASA, a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France

The crew will spend the next eight months conducting experiments to prepare for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

(Image credit: NASA)

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American speedskater Jordan Stolz wins second Olympic gold with 500-meter race victory

Jordan Stolz of the U.S. celebrates after competing in the men

With the win, Stolz joins Eric Heiden as the only skaters to take gold in both the 500 and 1,000 at the same Olympics.

(Image credit: Ben Curtis)

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US military reports a series of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria

FILE - The al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria is seen on Oct. 22, 2018.

The U.S. military says the strikes were carried out in retaliation of the December ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.

(Image credit: Lolita Baldor)

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