{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftodays-news.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Ftodays-news-february-14-16-2026-Wf8TzYJ9","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"TODAY'S NEWS, February 14-16, 2026","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/01f7d4b2-716c-43f9-8a03-c96056c76782/bec50db5-7137-4a4b-9139-072c3e1db4fa/wwop-todays-20news-20cover.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"Attorney General Pam Bondi released the full, unredacted 3.5-million-page Epstein file dump, triggering additional resignations across finance and academia, while a Virginia redistricting plan was paused pending appeal, the administration imposed strict federal spending receipt verification, advanced voter ID via executive order, backed merit-based FAA hiring, expanded ICE detention capacity, and faced fallout from prior FBI surveillance disclosures and potential legal penalties for Fani Willis. Federal agencies launched civil rights and housing investigations, Colorado introduced a prostitution bill, and deportation enforcement continued at scale. Cultural and legal battles intensified around gender and LGBTQ issues, with Disney losing a major event sponsor and new detransitioner cases heading to trial. Economically, concerns surfaced over FedEx ownership changes, debate grew over the collapsing carbon credit market, and embassies began fundraising for America’s 250th anniversary. Internationally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a major speech in Munich, while entertainment headlines included escalating AI copyright disputes between Disney and ByteDance, celebrity incidents at the Olympics, and the death of a former NFL player. Medical updates highlighted research linking high caffeine intake to lower dementia risk, a self-experiment tied to Havana Syndrome claims, and a Texas public defibrillator program dramatically reducing heart attack fatalities."}