February 16, 2026 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it’s boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon said in a statement Sunday that U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea. Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years and relied on a shadow fleet of tankers. President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation. The Defense Department says U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III overnight. The Pentagon’s social media post doesn’t say whether the ship was formally seized.
February 16, 2026 5:05 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A strong storm system has brought tornado watches and damage in parts of the Southeast just as the Northeast starts to warm up. On Sunday, the National Weather Service reports some of the worst damage near Lake Charles, Louisiana. High winds overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float. They also damaged an airport jet bridge and knocked an awning into power lines. The weather service also reports snapped and toppled power poles near Jena, Cheneyville, and Donaldsonville. No deaths or serious injuries are being reported. Meanwhile, California braced for a powerful winter storm that was expected to bring thunderstorms, damaging winds and heavy snow to mountain areas.
February 15, 2026 6:02 am
A shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has gone into effect. That includes the Transportation Security Administration, whose officers are responsible for screening passengers and bags at airports. Experts say mass flight cancellations like those seen during the 2025 shutdown are less likely this time because air traffic controllers are still getting paid. But TSA officers are required to stay on the job without pay during the shutdown that started Saturday. Experts warn of long security lines if the shutdown drags on and more officers take unscheduled absences. Travel and airline industry groups warn the shutdown threatens to disrupt air travel as the busy spring break travel period approaches.
February 15, 2026 6:00 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked his international allies for their support but suggested there was still questions remaining over the future security guarantees for his country. Speaking to reporters at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, Zelenskyy repeatedly thanked Americans and Europeans for their support and said he he was surprised that Moscow had replaced the head of its negotiating team before another round of U.S.-brokered talks. He suggested the move was deliberately aimed at delaying negotiations. He also questioned how the concept of a free trade zone — proposed by the U.S. — would work in the Donbas region which Russia insists Kyiv must give up in order to get peace.
February 15, 2026 5:58 am
GENEVA (AP) — The Swiss Foreign Ministry says Iran and the United States will hold a second round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program this week. Oman — which welcomed a first round of indirect talks on Feb. 6 — will host the talks in Geneva. The ministry did not specify which days. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Iran against any failure to reach an agreement, and has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Tehran to agree to limit its nuclear program. Iran has insisted the program is for peaceful purposes. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a weapon.
February 15, 2026 6:03 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The International Space Station is back to full strength with the arrival of four new astronauts. SpaceX delivered the U.S., French and Russian astronauts to the orbiting lab on Saturday, a day after launching them. They are replacing a crew that bailed early last month because of health concerns. It was NASA’s first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight. The orbiting lab is now back to seven residents, allowing spacewalks to proceed and research to pick back up. They are expected to remain on board for eight to nine months.
February 15, 2026 5:47 am
MONONGAHELA, Pa. — (WPXI)-Emergency crews resumed searching for a missing man in Monongahela Saturday morning. Multiple departments are assisting with the search for Shelby Rhodes. According to his sister Jessica, Shelby was last seen walking in the Black Diamond area around 5 a.m. Feb. 7. Shelby’s friends indicated on Wednesday that they hadn’t heard from him in several days, Jessica said. An initial search near the Monongahela River revealed a single set of footprints and Shelby’s cellphone, after which emergency crews got involved. Shelby was last seen wearing a blue a yellow flat-brim cap, a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers, Jessica said. A K-9 being used in the area on Saturday.
February 14, 2026 11:17 am
MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a reassuring message to America’s allies. He struck a less aggressive but still firm tone on Saturday about the Trump administration’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its priorities after more than a year of President Donald Trump’s often hostile rhetoric toward traditional allies. Rubio addressed the Munich Security Conference a year after Vice President JD Vance stunned the same audience with a harsh critique of European values. A series of statements and moves from the Trump administration targeting allies followed.
February 14, 2026 11:15 am
Emergency responders were dispatched to a two car head on collision on Saturday at about 10:30 am. The accident occured at Third Street and Duncan Avenue in Washington. According to 9-1-1, emergency personnel arrived to find one person partially trapped in one of the cars. That person was freed from the vehicle. There were no injuries.
February 14, 2026 7:23 am
Washington City Police were called to 410 North Main Street just before 7:00 am Saturday, for a burglar alarm activation. That address is associated with the Academy for Adolescent Health, a teen outreach center. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, when police arrived they found a broken window and a suspicious individual inside. That individual fled. Police pursued the individual and now have them in custody. No further details are available.
