California Avalanche, Late Night Dispute, & Sleepcation

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
February 19, 2026

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The latest US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine ended Wednesday in Geneva with no breakthrough, though both sides called the negotiations difficult and agreed to schedule another round. The talks came as the war's fourth anniversary approaches next week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said some progress was made on military issues, including how a future ceasefire might be monitored, with the US agreeing to participate. However, deep political differences remain over eastern Ukraine territories occupied by Russia that President Vladimir Putin wants to keep. Zelenskyy refuses to surrender land.
Fighting continues along the 1,250-kilometer front line, with Russian drones killing a woman and injuring a 6-year-old and 18-month-old in Zaporizhzhia yesterday. Russia also launched 126 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight.

Nine skiers remained missing as of this writing after an avalanche near Truckee, California, while six others were rescued and two were hospitalized. The group of 15, including clients and guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, was caught in the slide at Castle Peak, a popular backcountry ski destination northwest of Lake Tahoe.
Rescuers navigated treacherous conditions for several hours to reach the six survivors, who sheltered under a tarp in a treed area. Blizzard conditions with 30 inches of snow in 24 hours and 3 to 4 inches falling per hour hampered rescue efforts. Interstate 80 leading to the area is closed due to whiteout conditions and near-zero visibility.
A high avalanche danger warning was in effect before the incident, with forecasters predicting slides powerful enough to bury cars or houses. The avalanche occurred on a north-facing slope at 8,200 feet. The search continues pending weather conditions, but authorities are hesitant to send snowmobiles due to risk of triggering additional slides.

CBS blocked Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, citing FCC equal-time rules that would require giving comparable airtime to other primary candidates. The network posted the interview on YouTube instead.
Colbert criticized CBS for not standing up to FCC pressure, saying network lawyers gave him unprecedented mid-show notes. CBS responded that the show was given options to comply with equal-time requirements and chose YouTube. The dispute comes as Colbert's show ends in May and CBS parent Paramount seeks Trump administration approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency will strictly enforce equal-time rules and that talk shows may lose decades-old news exemptions if hosts are deemed "partisan political actors." ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show last year after similar FCC threats before reinstating it.

Environmental groups sued the EPA for scrapping vehicle emission standards, arguing the Trump administration violated the Clean Air Act by revoking rules protecting public health. (More)

NYC Mayor Mamdani gave Albany an ultimatum: tax millionaires to close a $5.4 billion budget gap, or the city will raise property taxes 9.5%. Gov. Hochul rejected both. (More)

Jay Bhattacharya will take over the CDC as acting director — its third leader in under a year — after RFK Jr. fired his predecessor for defying vaccine schedule changes. (More)

Hungary and Slovakia cut diesel exports to Ukraine over a broken Russian oil pipeline, with Hungary accusing Kyiv of political blackmail for refusing to repair it. (More)

The Vatican said it won't join Trump's Board of Peace, arguing the UN should manage global crises. (More)

Peru's Congress removed interim President José Jerí Tuesday over corruption allegations tied to secret meetings with Chinese executives. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +0.56%, Nasdaq +0.78%, Dow +0.26%). (More)

Oil prices jumped 4% after VP JD Vance said Iran failed to meet US red lines in nuclear talks. (More)

The FDA reversed course and agreed to review Moderna's flu vaccine, just one week after rejecting it, sending shares up 3% (More)

Mikaela Shiffrin ended a long Olympic medal drought, winning slalom gold at the 2026 Games by 1.5 seconds — her first podium finish since the 2018 Winter Olympics. (More)

Fresh off winning Super Bowl 60, the Seattle Seahawks announced they're for sale — valued at roughly $7 billion, which would shatter the NFL's all-time sales record. (More)

Major League Baseball's players union elected Bruce Meyer as interim director to replace the scandal-ousted Tony Clark. (More)

Scientists created the first global map of tectonic ridges on the moon's surface, finding they're surprisingly young and could cause moonquakes that affect future lunar landing sites. (More)

Apple is speeding up development of smart glasses, an AI pin, and AI-powered AirPods, with glasses targeting production by December ahead of a 2027 release. (More)

Researchers filmed a shark in Antarctic waters for the first time in January, shattering the belief that sharks don't survive the Southern Ocean's near-freezing depths. (More)

Take a look inside Canon’s photography gear room at the Olympics.

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