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The Short List

Tue Feb 17 2026

Phaedra Trethan | National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, thinking about how much a pair of Springsteen tickets will set me back and whether my family really needs to eat three meals every day. 🎵 💸 🎶

In Tuesday's news:

•	Jesse Jackson, an icon of the Civil Rights movement and a longtime advocate for the poor and marginalized, has died at 84.
•	Is America a Christian nation? Should it be? What a new poll found.
•	What is "aura farming" and are your kids doing it? 🤔

But first: Gisèle Pelicot's memoir could not have a better title. ✊🏼 💜

Goodbye to a civil rights icon

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr., advocated for the poor and marginalized, ran for president twice, negotiated for the release of hostages across the globe and called on big businesses to improve diversity, died peacefully at home after a long illness. He was 84.

•	Politicians from across the political spectrum, including Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, remembered Jackson as a "force of nature" and an inspiration.
•	Photos: Jesse Jackson's life in activism and politics.
•	Watch: Reactions and tributes to Jesse Jackson.
•	Five key moments in Jesse Jackson's public life.
•	Jackson, a preacher, had a way with words. Read some of his most memorable quotes.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the commencement speaker, challenges the 80 undergraduate and graduate students receiving their degrees during Fisk University graduation ceremony on campus on May 14, 1990.

Nina Alexandrenko / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A Christian nation?

A survey by a nonpartisan, nonprofit institute conducted more than 20,000 interviews with people across the United States and found that 3 in 10 Americans either support or are sympathetic to Christian nationalism — the belief that America is or should be a Christian nation. The report by the Public Religion Research Institute was spurred by the prevalence of religious symbols at the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and a sense that Christian nationalism had "really become the heart and soul of the MAGA movement," its founder said.

•	A Pew Research Center survey found that Americans are more likely to cite freedom as a point of pride than people in other nations.

Real quick

•	DNA found on gloves near Nancy Guthrie's home yielded no match. The latest in the 84-year-old's disappearance.
•	A federal judge ruled the Trump administration cannot detain Kilmer Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who was deported to a notorious prison and then returned to the U.S.
•	Two people were killed and three others injured in a shooting at a Rhode Island hockey game. What we know.
•	A lawyer who spread false claims about the 2020 election has been tapped by Trump to be a "director of election security and integrity."

These kids today... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well, I'm just as vexed as you are: First it was "6-7," now it's "aura farming," the new slang capturing the Gen Alpha (and some younger Gen Z) cultural zeitgeist. So what is it? Are they into the occult? Growing crystals in their kid caves? And what do Timothée Chalamet, Frank Ocean, Rihanna, James Dean and Greta Garbo have to do with it? Here's an explainer, OK Boomer?

Actor: Timothee Chalamet, "Marty Supreme"

A24

Unapologetically Alysa Liu ⛸️

Alysa Liu isn't your typical figure skater: She's got dyed rings in her hair and piercings. She stepped away from the sport at what seemed like her peak. But now she's back. Read about the Olympian who admits, "I don't know what's up with me. They're gonna actually have to dissect my brain when I'm dead and figure me out."

•	The U.S. men's hockey team plays tomorrow. How they're preparing for an opponent they don't know yet. 🏒
•	Why visibility matters to LGBTQ+ Olympians. 🏳️‍🌈 🏅

Alysa Liu of the United States competes in women's singles short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

James Lang, Imagn Images

A break from the news

•	A monkey abandoned by its mom found a stuffed monkey to cuddle with. The video is even more adorable than it sounds. 🐒 🥹
•	Is travel getting too costly? Why some Americans say it's not worth the hassle and expense. ✈️ 💸
•	For all of his accomplishments — and they were many — this GenXer will also remember Jesse Jackson's hilarious appearances on "Saturday Night Live." 📺 🥹

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 your favorite "SNL" moments. Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.