News Briefs

All passengers survive Toronto plane crash. All but two of the 21 people injured on the flight that crashed while landing at a Toronto airport on Feb. 17 have been released from hospitals, the airport CEO said on Feb. 18. The Delta Airlines Jet ended up upside down on the runway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Authorities said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Communications between the tower and pilot were normal on approach and it’s not clear what went wrong when the plane touched down. The crash was the fourth major aviation accident in North America in recent weeks.

Rising safety is the historical trend in aviation. But is that changing in the U.S.? 

White House says Musk doesn’t lead DOGE. The White House said on Feb. 18 that billionaire Elon Musk is not the administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency team that is sweeping through federal agencies. Instead, he’s actually a senior adviser to President Donald Trump. Mr. Musk’s exact role could be key in the legal fight over DOGE’s access to government data as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said DOGE can’t fire federal employees, and that the flurry of firings were up to the heads of individual agencies.

‘We are ... being demonized’: Federal workers grapple with a demoralizing assault

Hamas accelerates hostage releases. A senior Hamas leader said on Feb. 18 the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Feb. 22 and the bodies of four others on Feb. 20. The surprise acceleration in releases is apparently in return for Israel allowing long-requested mobile homes and construction equipment into the Gaza Strip. The six are the last living hostages set to be freed under the ceasefire’s first phase. The sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas says it will only release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

How Gaza hostage-release drama works for both Hamas and Netanyahu

Social Security head resigns as DOGE seeks sensitive data. The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner stepped down from her role at the agency on Feb. 17 over Department of Government Efficiency requests to access Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the official’s departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Acting Commissioner Michelle King departed from the agency over the weekend – and after more than 30 years of service. The White House has replaced her as acting commissioner with Leland Dudek, who currently works at the Social Security Administration, the people said.

The efficiency team assembled by Elon Musk is moving at breakneck speed to modernize the U.S. government and slash spending. National security experts warn that rapid changes invite risk.

Egypt floats a plan for Gaza reconstruction. Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip in a counter to President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the United States can take it over. Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the proposal calls for establishing “secure areas” within Gaza where Palestinians can live initially while Egyptian and international construction firms remove and rehabilitate the strip’s infrastructure. More than 90% of the roads and more than 80% of health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, with damage to infrastructure estimated at some $30 billion.

Why many Israelis embrace a Trump plan for Gaza once seen as taboo

How Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has united an outraged Arab world

Trump administration wants high court to allow firing of whistleblower agency head. The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers. That’s according to documents obtained Sunday that would mark the first appeal to the justices since President Donald Trump took office. The emergency appeal is the start of what probably will be a steady stream seeking to undo lower court rulings that have slowed his second term agenda. The Justice Department’s filing obtained by The Associated Press asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge’s order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.

Hostage, prisoner exchange preserves fragile ceasefire. Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners Feb. 15 with just over two weeks remaining in the initial phase of their fragile Gaza ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel to begin a Mideast tour. Israelis expressed relief Saturday as the three hostages appeared to be in better condition than the ones freed a week ago. The ceasefire faces major challenges with its first phase concluding in early March. There have not been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for ending the war. 

U.S. Treasury launches security audit. The Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General said on Feb. 14 it’s launching an audit of the security controls for the federal government’s payment system. The announcement came after Democratic senators raised red flags about the access provided to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The audit will also review the past two years of the system’s transactions as it relates to Mr. Musk’s assertion of “alleged fraudulent payments.” The audit marks part of the broader effort led by Democratic lawmakers and federal employee unions to provide transparency about DOGE’s activities.

Elon Musk and his DOGE: Fixing government or dismantling the Constitution?

‘We are ... being demonized’: Federal workers grapple with a demoralizing assault

Zelenskyy believes Trump is key to ending war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Mr. Zelenskyy made his remarks on Feb. 14 during a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference. Shortly before, Mr. Zelenskyy said he would only agree to meet in person with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after a common plan is negotiated with U.S. President Trump. Mr. Zelenskyy said he believes Mr. Trump is the key to ending the war and said the U.S. president gave him his telephone number.

Ukraine is exhausted. But it’s still determined to resist Russia.

New Roman ruins found in London. Work to give London yet another skyscraper has uncovered traces of the city’s origins almost 2,000 years ago. Archaeologists exploring the site of a planned 32-story office tower announced on Feb. 13 that they have unearthed the remains of a Roman basilica. What’s been uncovered are the foundations of a two-story building, almost as big as an Olympic swimming pool, constructed between 78 and 84 A.D., about three decades after Roman troops invaded Britain. It’s “one of the most significant discoveries” in years, says Sophie Jackson of the Museum of London Archaeology.

NYC prosecutor resigns after ordered to drop mayor case. Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned on Feb. 13 after Ms. Sassoon refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. It’s a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal culpability. Ms. Sassoon accused the department of acceding to a “quid pro quo” – namely, dropping the case to ensure Mr. Adams’ help with Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda. She also said she was “confident” the Democratic mayor committed the crimes in his indictment.

‘People are scared’: As ICE raids begin in Chicago, residents are wary

Decline in U.S. retail spending. U.S. retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors and dented sales at car dealers and most other stores. Retail sales dropped 0.9% in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. January’s average temperature was the lowest since 1988, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics, and was particularly disruptive in the South. Sales dropped sharply last month at auto dealers, falling 2.8%, as well as at furniture stores, home and garden centers, and even in the usually strong online retail sector, where sales dropped 1.9%.

RFK confirmed as health secretary. The Senate on Feb. 13 confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump’s health secretary. The prominent vaccine skeptic is now in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations, and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country. Nearly all Republicans fell in line behind Mr. Trump despite hesitancy over Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines, voting 52-48 to make Mr. Kennedy secretary of the Health and Human Services. Democrats unanimously opposed Mr. Kennedy. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only “no” vote among Republicans.

Why Republicans blasted Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. – and bear-hugged Kash Patel

Nomination of RFK Jr. reflects a broader shake-up in the politics of health

Trump’s reciprocal tariff plan. U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a roadmap on Feb. 13 for charging reciprocal tariffs on every country that puts duties on U.S. imports. The tariffs were not going into effect on Feb. 13 but could begin to be imposed within weeks as Mr. Trump’s trade and economic team study bilateral tariff and trade relationships, a White House official told reporters. The White House says the move will strengthen economic and national security. The Republican president’s latest round of market-rattling tariffs has ratcheted up fears of a widening global trade war and threatened to accelerate U.S. inflation.

Risk of a trade war rises as Trump boosts tariffs globally

NATO nations stress including Ukraine in talks. Several NATO allies are insisting that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace negotiations, after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that he would hold talks soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine,” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey told reporters at NATO headquarters, as the organization’s 32 defense ministers met for talks on Ukraine. The United States has rattled NATO by saying that Ukraine should never join and that European allies should take responsibility for Ukraine’s security.

NATO has united the West for 75 years. Here’s why it still matters.

Denver district sues over ICE in schools. Denver Public Schools became the first U.S. school district on Feb. 13 to sue the Trump administration challenging its policy allowing agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in schools. Colorado’s largest public school district argued in the federal lawsuit that the policy has forced schools to divert vital educational resources and caused attendance to plummet. Last month, President Donald Trump lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near sensitive locations, including schools. Denver Public Schools serve more than 90,000 students – about 4,000 of which are immigrants, according to the lawsuit, which cites 2023-2024 school year numbers.

Public opinion on immigration has shifted right, but nuances remain. Americans strongly support deporting criminals, and many favor targeting other categories of unauthorized immigrants, while also wanting paths to legal status for law-abiding people.

North Korea destroys symbol of cooperation with South. North Korea is demolishing a South Korea-built property that had been used to host reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South’s government said on Feb. 13. The North has been eliminating symbols of engagement between the war-divided rivals. Relations between the Koreas are at their worst in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continuing to flaunt his expanding nuclear weapons program and declaring to abandon long-standing goals of inter-Korean reconciliation. The 12-story building at the North’s scenic Diamond Mountain resort had been used for family reunions since 2009.

Japanese automakers drop talks on business integration. Japanese automakers Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are dropping their talks on a business integration. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said he could not accept a proposal for his company to become a subsidiary of Honda. Separately, Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe said Honda suggested a stock swap to speed up decision-making. Honda and Nissan announced in December on the talks. Mitsubishi Motors was considering joining that group. Analysts say the automakers’ model lineups and strengths overlap in an industry shaken by the arrival of powerful newcomers like Tesla and BYD.