Monday, February 23, 2026

Cartel chaos in Mexico

Violence is coursing through Mexico in the wake of a cartel leader's death. Americans are being told to shelter in place. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Mon Feb 23 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hello, Monday! I'm Phaedra Trethan, digging out from under a mountain of snow. ❄️ ☃️ 😩

In Monday's news:

Violence is convulsing through Mexico in the wake of a military killing of a cartel leader.
The Northeast is dealing with blizzard conditions that have buried states under several inches of snow. ❄️
Taverns were Revolutionary-era America's equivalent of social media. Was Paul Revere's ride a pub crawl?

But first: I may be stuck in a snowstorm in Jersey, but in Florida and Arizona, baseball is already underway and that means spring is on its way! ⚾️ 🌻 ☀️

Cartel chaos in Mexico

Americans in several Mexican states are being told to shelter in place as the death of a powerful cartel leader set off a wave of retaliatory violence. Gunmen have blocked highways and torched cars after Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was killed Sunday during a military operation. Since then, there have been at least 27 "cowardly attacks against authorities in Jalisco," as one Mexican security official said, as well as 30 cartel operatives and one bystander killed. The latest from Mexico.

More about the warnings to Americans in Mexico.
Who was "El Mencho"? The man behind one of Mexico's most ruthless cartels.
USA TODAY's Will Carless was in Mexico on vacation. Here's what he saw.
Photos: Unrest in Mexico.
Travel: Tourists stranded in Puerto Vallarta.

Mexico Violence Drone

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states, following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.

@morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube, @morelifediares via REUTERS

Here we snow again ❄️ 😩

A blizzard buried parts of the Northeast, just as the snow and ice from a late January snow storm finally melted after a stubborn stretch of cold weather. Blizzard conditions, several inches of snow, high winds and beach erosion brought states from Maryland to Maine to a standstill. The latest totals, power outages and updated conditions.

Photos: Snow blankets the Northeast ❄️
Watch: The blizzard of '26 pummels the Northeast 🌨️
Yes, there were travel disruptions. Here's what to know. ✈️

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A person walks through Copley Square during blizzard conditions in Boston, Massachusetts on Feb. 23, 2026.

JOSEPH PREZIOSO, AFP via Getty Images

Real quick

Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty on charges that he murdered his parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.
Wellness guru Peter Attia and U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson are the latest men to face ramifications for their association with Jeffrey Epstein.
The Supreme Court is will soon issue another decision about one of President Donald Trump's signature policies. He's already criticizing them for it. ⚖️
A mom went missing in 2001. She's just been found, alive and well. Why she and her family may never reunite.

Paul Revere's ... pub crawl? 🏇 🍺

A traveler who stopped into an 18th century tavern could find a hot meal, a pint of beer or hard cider, a place to sleep — and, in many cases, the news of the day, militia leaders scouting for recruits and talk of rebellion and revolution. Taverns played a vital role in early American society, but few realize how important they were to the move toward independence. "The Revolution would not have taken place without taverns," one historian explained. "They were places that tied people together," the rooms where the change from colonist to citizen happened.

A statue of a Minuteman outside the Indian King Tavern

A statue of a Minuteman is outside the Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The tavern is one of many in places like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts that played a role in the American Revolution,

Phaedra Trethan

Arrivederci, Olympics!

The 2026 Winter Olympics wrapped up in thrilling fashion Sunday with the USA men's hockey team getting the gold by beating Canada in overtime — days after the USA women's hockey team also beat the Canadians in an electrifying come-from-behind victory to win gold. The final medal count. 🏅

Why the women's team will not be going to Trump's State of the Union. 👎🏽
Why was FBI Director Kash Patel in the men's hockey locker room?
As awful as skier Lindsey Vonn's injuries were, they apparently could have been even worse. 😲
Alysa Liu's dad learned the hard lesson every parent must: When to let go. 🥹

A break from the news

Put down the phone and pick up some crochet needles and yarn. 🧶
It's National Tortilla Chips Day. Where you can get some free chips and queso. 😋
Jet Blue, a 2-year-old mini goldendoodle, was abandoned at a Las Vegas airport. Now the pup has a new forever home. ❤️ 🐕 🏠

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and any suggestions to keep from scrolling on the phone. Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.

Judge Aileen Cannon said releasing special counsel Jack Smith's report would detail alleged criminal wrongdoing in a case that never went to trial.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing held at the White House Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled against Trump's use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs, a central portion of the administration's core economic policy.
 

Democrats say they'll ensure Trump's new 15% tariffs are temporary

President Donald Trump is trying to use a different law to impose new 15% global tariffs. But Democrats say they'll ensure the taxes are temporary.

James Van Der Beek attends the "Dancing with the Stars" Top 6 finalist event in Los Angeles on Nov. 4, 2019.
 

James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane and the health anxiety conversation we need to have

Within days, fans said goodbye to James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane. What's more, both stars died before the age of 55 after battling long illnesses.

Artemis II begins its journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, FL to the launch pad January 17, 2026. The rocket is tentatively scheduled to launch in early February. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
 

NASA moves to delay Artemis 2 launch date again. Why, what we know

Following a successful fueling test of its Artemis 2 moon rocket, NASA encountered another issue that will again delay the launch. Here's the latest.

A combined sewer over flow discharge point along the Kinnickinnic River in Milwaukee. Milwaukee's combined sewage system carries both stormwater and wastewater through the same pipes. During heavy rains, if water reclamation facilities and tunnels reach capacity, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District must discharge untreated water into the rivers and Lake Michigan to prevent backups into homes and businesses.
 

USA has a looming sewage nightmare

While the average lifespan of a wastewater system is 40 to 50 years, many of the plants and pipes across the nation could be twice that old or more.

An abandoned shopping cart sits on the eastbound Crosstown Freeway offramp at Lincoln Street in Stockton, California on Apr. 3, 2024.
 

Shopping cart crackdown: New laws take aim at stray carts

Cities have long struggled with how to handle loose shopping carts on streets and sidewalks. A wave of new laws aims to fix the problem.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 19: President of FIFA Gianni Infantino attends the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the Institute of Peace on February 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. Assembled to raise money for the rebuilding and stabilization of Gaza, Trump's Board of Peace was formally established on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in January of 2026.
 

Board of Peace has new partner in FIFA ahead of World Cup in the US

FIFA has announced a partnership with the US-led and Trump-organized Board of Peace. The group aims at ending the war in Gaza and reconstruction.

Mar-a-Lago is President Donald Trump's residence in Florida on November 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.
 

What to know about previous threats against Trump after Mar-a-Lago breach

An armed man was killed by U.S. Secret Service on Feb. 22 after he breached Trump's Mar-a-Lago property, the latest threat against the president.

A person looks at a framed picture of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of Britain's King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, hung by activists from anti-billionaire campaign group Everyone Hates Elon in the Louvre museum, in Paris, France, February 22, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Nicolas Coupe TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
 

Activists hang former Prince Andrew's post-arrest photo in Louvre

The anti-billionaire group Everyone Hates Elon hung a framed photo of former Prince Andrew after his arrest in the Louvre.

What to know about SimonMed's longevity scan offerings.
 

Full-body MRIs are everywhere. Here's what to know.

Full-body MRIs are all the rage. We take a look at three major companies offering such testing.

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