New research shows midsize U.S. companies pay far more in Trump-era tariffs, and the costs land at home. The JPMorganChase Institute study says tariff payments for these companies tripled over the past year. The report says these businesses may have to raise prices, cut hiring, or accept lower profits. Researchers also see signs companies are shifting purchases away from China and toward other parts of Asia. The study adds to other work, including New York Fed research, that says U.S. firms and consumers bear most tariff costs. The White House has sharply criticized that claim.
A federal panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees has unanimously approved his plan to build a massive ballroom on the site of the former White House East Wing. Approval came Thursday by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump’s top White House aides. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.
The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025, a year in which President Donald Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the gap the between the goods and services the U.S. sells other countries and what it buys from them narrowed to just over $901 billion from $904 billion in 2024.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew(CNN) LONDON (AP) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince who was stripped of his royal titles because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his friendship with Epstein, concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to…
The former Prince Andrew is the first senior British royal in modern history to be arrested by police. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was detained Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in an investigation stemming from his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was born in 1960, the second child of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip. He spent 22 years in the Royal Navy, serving as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War. Andrew was named Britain’s special representative for international trade in 2001. He was forced to step down from that role in 2011 amid growing concern about his friendship with Epstein. Last year that friendship cost him his royal title and honors.
The Lenten period for penance started this week with Ash Wednesday and Catholic priests are happily bracing for long lines outside the confessional. The faithful across the United States are embracing anew the sacrament that’s shifted from embarrassing recitation of sin to cathartic quest for grace. For Catholics, the sacrament of penance and reconciliation is supposed to be a regular practice, where penitents tell a priest their sins, pledge not to commit them again, and receive forgiveness. But today, confession is turning more into a conversation focused on God’s mercy and love than in a recitation of sins followed by a prescription for 10 Hail Marys.
Alysa Liu carries U.S. gold hopes as women’s figure skating heads into its final night at the Milan Cortina Games. On Tuesday, Japan’s Ami Nakai took the short program lead, with Kaori Sakamoto just a point behind. Their Japanese teammate Mone Chiba stayed close too, while Liu sits among that trio. The 20-year-old world champion has returned strong after a two-year retirement, and now Liu is chasing the first Olympic women’s gold medal for the U.S. since 2002. Adeliia Petrosian is the wildcard. The neutral athlete from Russia has the ability to land a quad jump and could upend the standings on Thursday night.
Iran and the United States are both applying naval pressure to the talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. Tehran held drills Thursday with Russia. Meanwhile, the Americans brought another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast, the USS Gerald R. Ford. The movements of additional American warships and airplanes to the region don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran. But it does give President Donald Trump the ability to carry out one should he choose to do so. Meanwhile, Iran struggles with unrest at home following its deadly crackdown on protests. Mourners are holding ceremonies honoring their dead.
U.N.-backed investigators say Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have carried out a campaign in el-Fasher that shows hallmarks of genocide against non-Arab communities. The fact-finding mission says the group inflicted mass killings and starvation-like siege conditions that targeted the Zaghawa and Fur people. U.N. officials say thousands of civilians were killed and many others disappeared after the city fell to RSF fighters in late October. The team’s report describes executions, rape, torture, abductions and selective targeting of women and girls. It said the violence looks planned, not chaotic. It calls for accountability and stronger civilian protection as the war spreads.
A Frenchman who seemed like a beloved teacher in Morocco now faces accusations of decades of abuse. French prosecutors say Jacques Leveugle is under investigation for raping and sexually assaulting 89 boys across several countries. Prosecutors revealed the allegations last week and say many cases involve North Africa. Investigators tie the claims to a digital memoir found on a USB drive. In Morocco, residents in Khenifra describe shock and shame. Neighbors say he tutored kids, gave money, and organized outings. Advocates say his profile matches common patterns.
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and STEVEN SLOAN - Associated Press
Governors are arriving in Washington for an annual gathering that has traditionally been a show of bipartisanship. But President Donald Trump has disrupted norms by not inviting all governors to meetings at the White House. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, joined Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, both Republicans, in opening this year’s National Governors Association on a panel where they emphasized bipartisanship regardless of Trump’s actions. The break with tradition reflects Trump’s broader approach in his second term. He has taken a confrontational stance toward some state leaders, withholding federal funds from states that draw his ire and deploying federal troops to cities over the objections of local officials.
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and STEVEN SLOAN - Associated Press
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pushing back on President Donald Trump while trying to rally Democrats in his state around a mid-decade redistricting fight. On Wednesday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Annapolis as Moore pushed state lawmakers for a straight vote on new maps. Moore says Trump prompted the issue by urging states to redraw districts. Trump, meanwhile, has been stepping up attacks on Moore, blocking him from a White House dinner and blaming him for a Potomac River sewage spill. Moore notes the sewage pipe sits in Washington, D.C., on federal land.
By RYAN J. FOLEY and JIM MUSTIAN - Associated Press
The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives. Because of the turmoil, 12-time convicted felon Cory Allen McKay caught a break. He was scheduled to stand trial next month on methamphetamine trafficking charges that could have locked him up for 25 years. Instead, he walked free after the prosecutor on his case retired. The diminished U.S. Attorney’s Office has been forced to dismiss some cases, kill others before charges are filed and seek plea agreements and delays. Local officials worry the office will be unable to bring charges against some of the state’s most serious offenders.
President Donald Trump is weighing military action against Iran, leading an immigration crackdown, and teasing a federal takeover of state elections. But on Thursday, White House insists he will focus on the economy when he visits battleground Georgia. The trip aims to boost the Republican president’s political standing heading into the high-stakes midterm elections. The White House has long said the president would focus more on the economy, but recent months have been dominated by his immigration crackdown, global conflicts and his interest in nationalizing state elections, among other issues. Trump’s visit comes less than a month after federal agents seized voting records and ballots from Fulton County, home to the state’s largest concentration of Democrats.
By AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE - Associated Press
President Donald Trump is gathering with representatives from more than two dozen countries that have joined his Board of Peace —and several others that have opted not to. Thursday’s inaugural meeting will focus on reconstruction for a war-battered Gaza. But ahead of the gathering, the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile and Trump’s expanded vision for the board has triggered fears that he’s looking to create a rival to the United Nations. A senior Trump administration official said more than 40 countries and the European Union have confirmed they will send officials. Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but are expected to attend.
Authorities trying to solve the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie say they might tap DNA genealogy databases. It’s the same step that police took to unravel a series of murders in California and the fatal stabbings of four college students in Idaho. The strategy could pay off: If unknown DNA evidence can be connected to someone in a genealogical database, it could lead investigators to a suspect in Guthrie’s apparent kidnapping in Arizona. A law enforcement database didn’t turn up any matches to DNA found in gloves a few miles from Guthrie’s home.
Experts say a weekslong “snow drought” in Norther California’s Sierra Nevada helped set the stage for Tuesday’s deadly avalanche, after several feet of new snow fell on an earlier layer that had hardened. The new snow didn’t bond to the earlier layer before the avalanche near Lake Tahoe killed at least eight backcountry skiers, said San Jose State University meteorology professor Craig Clements. Six skiers survived and rescuers were searching for another who was still missing. The group was on a three-day backcountry trek when they were trapped by the avalanche as a winter storm pummeled the West Coast.
Bernie Sanders has traveled to Los Angeles to kick off a campaign for a proposed “billionaires tax” that has set off an uproar in the Silicon Valley and led to divisions among Democrats. Sanders said at a rally that passage of the tax would show “the billionaire class cannot have it all.” The proposal has not qualified for the ballot so far. It calls for a one-time 5% tax on the assets of billionaires to backfill federal health funding cuts for lower-income people. The proposal has created a rift between Gov. Gavin Newsom and prominent members of his party’s progressive wing ahead of this year’s elections.
DULUTH, Minn. — Following the storm that hit the Northland, numerous trees and branches have brought down power lines, causing significant outages. People across the Northland spent their snow day shoveling out cars or walking around outside after a major blizzard hit the region. “I keep telling myself how much I love winter and I hope for it, but then…
By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and ELENA BECATOROS - Associated Press
Afghanistan is facing a surging child malnutrition crisis as aid cuts leave most families without food or treatment. The World Food Program says it has to turn away three out of four acutely malnourished children and that 4 million children are at risk, with more than 500 child deaths logged in recent months. It can now reach only 2 million of the 17.4 million people facing acute hunger. The WFP also reported desperate suicide calls from women.
The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is lashing out at The Hershey Co., accusing the candy company of hurting the Reese’s brand by shifting to cheaper ingredients in many products. Hershey acknowledges some recipe changes but said on Wednesday that it’s trying to meet consumer demand for innovation. In a Feb. 14 letter posted on his LinkedIn profile, Brad Reese said Hershey replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème in multiple Reese’s products. , The 70-year-old is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928. High cocoa prices led some candy manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years.
By WAFAA SHURAFA and MARIAM FAM - Associated Press
Ramadan has begun in Gaza under a fragile ceasefire deal, but many say the joyous spirit of the month has disappeared. They grapple with the hardships of their daily lives and the grief and losses of the Israel-Hamas war. One displaced family is breaking its fast with meals from a charity kitchen and some soup. The father is sad that he cannot provide for his large family. He says the war has deprived his family of many things and prays for safety and security. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, there has been almost daily Israeli fire in Gaza.
DULUTH, Minn. — After a recent blizzard blew through the Northland, some businesses closed due to the heavy snowfall. But one business that never shuts down is a hospital. At Essentia Health, nurses and doctors are ready for whatever emergency comes their way during winter storms. For some patients, though, it can be too difficult to travel in the bad…
DULUTH, Minn.– A beloved member of the UMD bulldog community, Dale “Hoagie” Haagenson, passed away Feb. 17. Athletes, UMD coaches and staff said Hoagie touched the hearts of so many, and his legacy will undoubtedly live on. “He was so uplifting and caring. I know he cared so deeply about all of us. And we’re all just heartbroken right now,…
CORNICOPIA, Wis. — The Apostle Islands ice caves were open for the first time in over a decade to the public and people came from across the region to get the experience first hand. “We woke up early at 6 a.m., got our snacks, got our snow pants, got our coffee,” Jackie Hanson, visitor from St. Paul said. Located along…
Pope Leo XIV has opened the church’s penitential Lenten season by presiding over Ash Wednesday. He is lamenting the “ashes of international law and justice” that have been left by today’s wars and conflicts.Leo revived the traditional prayer and procession that Pope Francis largely had to delegate to others in his final years. The American pope led dozens of monks, priests, bishops and cardinals from one Roman church to another and then sprinkled ashes on the heads of cardinals. Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and reflection. It starts a season of self-denial and repentance from sin known as Lent. It leads up to observances of Jesus’ death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.
New look for new Air Force One aircraft (CNN) – Air Force One will soon look a little different. An Air Force official says the new planes that will serve as Air Force One will be sporting President Trump’s preferred colors. They will be painted red, white, gold and dark blue. The planes which serve as Air Force One have…
American Obituary Music Video Screen Grab MINNESOTA – The Irish rock band, U2, which often writes songs about political and social issues, have released a new song in honor of Renee Good. The song is called “American Obituary”. It was part of a new EP called Days of Ash released on February 18, 2026. In announcing the EP release lead singer…
DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police released new information Wednesday involving two fatal shootings that occurred Feb. 10. Investigators with the Duluth Police Department said they have additional evidence to connect the two incidents. Screen grab of dashcam video from Feb 10, 2026 Deputy Involved Shooting. After the PIT maneuver as deputies approach vehicle According to the department’s public information officer,…
Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb received a one-game suspension from the Horizon League for comments he made criticizing the officiating after a 75-72 loss to Milwaukee last Sunday. Gottlieb had slammed his hands on the table at one point in his postgame news conference while complaining about what he perceived as inconsistency in the officiating. Video of his news conference garnered attention on social media. The suspension will take effect for Friday when Green Bay visits Oakland. Gottlieb issued a statement Wednesday apologizing for his comments.
Anthony Ndubuisi Onovo SUPERIOR, Wis. – A Superior man is accused of raping a person he met on the Facebook dating app. Charging documents say Anthony Ndubuisi Onovo, 30, was chatting with the victim on the app for a few weeks. The alleged victim agreed to visit Onovo at his home to learn more about each other. The victim said they…
FILE – Freight trucks travel northbound on Interstate 5 Highway, Sept. 3, 2025, in Tracy, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File) More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and had other safety issues, the federal Transportation Department planned…
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was an athlete from a young age, and throughout his life he immersed himself in the world of sports. He accepted a football scholarship at Illinois, then transferred to historically Black North Carolina A&T after a year. Jackson was a quarterback for the Aggies in the early 1960s and was inducted into A&T’s athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. His sports experiences fueled a deep passion for ensuring athletes were given equal opportunities and treatment, regardless of race, gender, sport or native country. Jackson was a champion of the NFL’s Rooney Rule that attempted to address the lack of minority head coaches. He was a fixture at sporting events, especially the NBA.
(credit: Nevada County Sheriff’s Office) TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Eight backcountry skiers have been found dead and 1 remains missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California, officials said, making it the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in more than four decades. Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon announced the deaths at a news conference Wednesday. Search and rescue crews…
Saint Paul Police Department Badge MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota and federal authorities are investigating the alleged beating of a Mexican citizen by immigration officers last month, seeking to identify what caused the eight skull fractures that landed the man in the intensive care unit of a Minneapolis hospital. Investigators from the St. Paul Police Department and FBI last week canvassed…
The Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul Allen. Allen’s estate announced Wednesday that it has begun the process of selling the team, which is just coming off its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s two presidential runs and his life of activism inspired leaders across generations. Politicians and activists shared tributes after Jackson’s death Tuesday and said his message still guides their work. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock says Jackson showed him what was possible and pushed him to fight for justice. Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns led Democrats to open up their primary system. That shift helped former President Barack Obama win two decades later. Jackson also mentored young leaders through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Scores of activists, political operatives and members of Congress credited their careers to Jackson.
A surprise participant in Wednesday’s action at the Milan Cortina Olympics had four legs and zero concern for race times. As elite cross-country skiers pushed to the finish in the women’s team sprint heats, a dog wandered onto the course and ran with athletes down the straightaway. Racers stayed focused as spectators cheered on the canine intruder before it crossed the finish line and was restrained by venue officials. The dog had slipped away from a local owner while out on a nearby walk, officials later said.
Entertainment Lineup 50th Grandmas Marathon DULUTH, Minn. – Soul Asylum and Hippo Campus will headline concerts for Grandma’s Marathon weekend. Ten Minnesota-based bands will take the stage at Bayfront Festival Park in June 2026 to help celebrate 50 years of Grandma’s Marathon. “We were searching for acts that felt authentic to who we are and reflective of where we come…
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is set to meet for the first time on Thursday in Washington. It’s an early test of whether one of his marquee foreign policy initiatives can gain broad support or advance the shaky ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Trump’s ballooning ambitions for the board extend from governing and rebuilding Gaza as a futuristic metropolis to challenging the United Nations Security Council’s role in solving conflicts. But they could be tempered by the realities in Gaza, where there has so far been limited progress in achieving the narrower aims of the ceasefire.
Thailand has begun using a birth control vaccine on elephants in the wild to try curb a growing problem where human and animal populations encroach on each other. They say the problem has increased as farms spread into forests and elephants, squeezed in their natural habitat, come into contact and clash with humans while searching for food. Official figures say wild elephants killed 30 people last year and injured 29. Thai veterinarians tested the vaccine on seven domesticated elephants over two years before giving shots to three wild elephants in Trat province in late January. The vaccine blocks pregnancy for about seven years.
Kenneth Smith COHASSET, Minn. – The Aitkin-Itasca-Mille Lacs Violent Crimes Enforcement Team says they made a drug bust in Cohasset. The Grand Rapids Police Department worked with the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office to arrest Kenneth Dean Smith, 62, of Shakopee. Law Enforcement says they were tipped off that Smith was in the area and had numerous active warrants for his…
Dale “Hoagie” Haagenson (Credit UMD) DULUTH, Minn.– Dale “Hoagie” Haagenson, the longest serving volunteer in UMD athletic history, passed away Tuesday, February 17th. He was 65 years old. Haagenson got his start with UMD men’s hockey in 1981 as a volunteer. The head coach of the Bulldogs, Gus Hendrickson, encouraged Haagenson to join the staff. This decision alone would pioneer…
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is discussing potential arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and that has raised concerns. The island democracy relies on U.S. backing in the face of China’s territorial claims. Trump’s comment over the weekend prompted some experts to say it might violate decades-old foreign policy principles defining the U.S. relationship with self-ruled Taiwan. Experts say Trump’s comments may be creating a “dangerous precedent” allowing for Beijing to make demands regarding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Trump says he plans to visit China in April.
Some Republican legislators are pushing to limit state environmental regulations. Alabama lawmakers approved legislation Tuesday limiting state agencies from adopting pollution rules stricter than federal standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. It follows efforts by the Trump administration to roll back rules at the agency. The Alabama measure would allow new state pollution limits only if there is a direct link between exposure and bodily harm. Supporters say the bill reduces regulatory burdens and aligns with President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda. Environmental groups and Democrats say the bill prioritizes industry over public health. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.
By CODY JACKSON and DAVID FISCHER - Associated Press
Animal behaviorists partnering with the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in Florida traveled to Africa in August to help an endangered white rhino with a life-threatening, parasitic eye infection. Zoo CEO and President Margo McKnight was visiting the area last year when Imvelo Safari Lodges managing director Mark Butcher told her a health scare with a male rhino named Thuza could jeopardize the future of the program. Thad and Angi Lacinak, founders of Precision Behavior, traveled to Zimbabwe to work up a plan to administer eyedrops to the rhino. They developed a plan based on lessons learned at Palm Beach Zoo, where animals are taught to voluntarily participate in their own care.
Democratic candidates have notched a series of wins in recent special elections — but a new AP-NORC poll finds views of the Democratic Party among rank-and-file Democrats have not bounced back since President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024. Democrats’ favorability among the party’s rank-and-file plummeted after the 2024 election. The latest measure of how Democrats view their party hasn’t improved since then. The midterm elections are still many months away, and lackluster favorability doesn’t spell electoral doom. Other factors could benefit Democrats this year, including broadly negative views of Trump and other Republicans. But the lack of enthusiasm could be a longer-term problem for the party.
A coalition of health and environmental groups is suing the Environmental Protection Agency, challenging its determination last week that revoked a scientific finding that has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. A rule finalized by the EPA on Thursday rescinds a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet. The lawsuit calls the EPA’s action unlawful and says the 2009 finding supported common sense safeguards to cut climate pollution.
Mikaela Shiffrin’s eight-year Olympic medal drought is over. The American skiing standout has put in two dominant runs to win the women’s slalom by 1.50 seconds. The race isn’t officially over yet with dozens of lower-tier racers still to take the course. But Shiffrin is the leader after the fastest 30 skiers from the first run. World champion Camille Rast was in silver medal position and Anna Swenn Larsson in third.
Late-night host Stephen Colbert isn’t backing down from his public dispute with CBS bosses over what he can air on his show. He said Tuesday night that he was surprised by a network statement that denied Colbert had been told he couldn’t air an interview with a Texas Senate candidate for fear of triggering a little-known “equal time” rule by the FCC. CBS said its lawyers had only advised him that he couldn’t broadcast the interview, which aired on YouTube instead. Colbert said that he was surprised that CBS parent company Paramount “would not stand up to these bullies” in the Trump administration.