Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Heartbreak in the Sierra Nevada

At least eight skiers were killed in an avalanche northwest of Lake Tahoe. One skier is still missing. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Wed Feb 18 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, wishing all who celebrate a happy and prosperous Year of the Horse. 🐎 🧧 🎆

In Wednesday's news:

Eight missing skiers caught in a California avalanche were killed. One remains missing. 💔
Stephen Colbert and CBS are at odds over an interview with a Texas congressional candidate. 📺
Endometriosis can be debilitating for some women. So why don't schools and employers recognize the condition?

But first: NBC put comedian Colin Jost in a bobsled. It went about as well as you might imagine. 😱

Heartbreak in the Sierra Nevada

At least eight skiers were killed when they were caught in an avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, a sheriff confirmed Wednesday. One more skier remains missing. Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said crews have been battling punishing weather conditions to find the ninth skier. The skiers, part of a group of 15 people, went missing Tuesday after an avalanche swept through the area northwest of Lake Tahoe at about 11:30 a.m. Nine women and six men were among those who were on their way back from remote huts just north of the Donner Pass.

20260217_VPC_SKIERS MISSING IN CALIFORNIA AVALANCHE_THUMB.00_00_00_00.Still004.jpg

Dozens of emergency responders are searching for skiers who have gone missing after an avalanche.

Nevada County Sheriff's Office / Facebook

Colbert, CBS at odds over interview 📺

Stephen Colbert's time as host of "The Late Show" is almost over , but he's still throwing haymakers at the network that's cutting him loose. The comedian slammed CBS, first saying that the network tried to prevent him from interviewing James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state senator who's running for U.S. Congress. Then, on Tuesday, he hammered the network again for its statement denying that they'd tried to quash the interview.

Watch: What Colbert said about CBS and its statements on the Talarico interview.
The center of the storm: Who is James Talarico?

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert interviews Rep. James Talarico on Feb. 16, 2026. The conversation was released on the "Late Show" YouTube channel.

Scott Kowalchyk, CBS

Real quick

Air Force One will soon have a new look. ✈️
Air pollution may have a direct link to increased risk for Alzheimer's, a study found.
President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement continues to lose support, according to a new poll.
Multiple wildfires are raging across Oklahoma, while severe weather in Colorado caused a deadly 30-car pileup.

'Hell on earth,' every month

Christian "Cece" Worley is among the 1 in 10 women suffering from endometriosis , a chronic condition that causes sometimes debilitating pain for women during their menstrual cycle. The pain would leave her doubled over, forcing her to miss classes in college and call out of work. But school administrators and later her employers dismissed it as "cramps" and refused any accommodations. How Worley fought back — and what that means for other women.

How do you brew your coffee? Some methods might be bad for your health. ☕️

Lindsey Vonn's 'incredibly hard' week 🌈 🐕

Lindsey Vonn is back in the U.S. and undergoing surgery on her shattered leg, but the Olympic skier shared that she suffered another loss last week: Her dog Leo died on Feb. 9, the day after her devastating crash. "This has been an incredibly hard few days," Vonn wrote. "Probably the hardest of my life... The day I crashed, so did Leo."

Watch: Lindsey Vonn returns to the U.S. ❤️‍🩹
Fellow skier Mikaela Shiffrin is facing her first Olympics without her dad. How she honored his memory. 🥹
Figure skaters have to be entertainers, dancers and athletes. How do they do it? ⛸️

Olympics Alpine Skiing Womens Slalom

Mikaela Shiffrin skis during the women's slalom at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 18, 2026.

Michael Madrid, Imagn Images

A break from the news

Looking for a good read? These celebrity memoirs all look like page-turners. 📚
Watch: Black Masking Indians bring color, culture and tradition to Mardi Gras. 🎊 🪅
This little girl got a most unusual pet — and she was overjoyed. 🕷️

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 an unusual pet you wish you could have (I'd love to befriend a corvid if I could. 🐦‍⬛ ) Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

A gas pump on Dec. 23, 2025.

President Donald Trump's administration is being sued over his plan to slash federal emissions regulations and fuel economy standards.

President Donald Trump waits to resume his speech after Rep. Al Green, D-Texas interrupted his address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
 

'People's State of the Union.' What Democrats plan for Trump's speech

Some Democrats are planning a counterprotest at the same time as President Trump's State of the Union address.

The Washington Monument was illuminated with a projection of US President Donald Trump's "Freedom 250" initiative during the New Year's Eve show at the National Mall in Washington, DC on December 31, 2025.
 

Will DC smell like poop for America's 250th? Trump is 'worried.'

President Trump is concerned a raw sewage spill in the Potomac River could muck up plans for the country's 250th birthday this summer.

Addilyn Smith, 11, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, 34, were found dead on Feb. 15, 2026 inside a Nevada hotel room during a welfare check, the Las Vegas Police Department reported. Their official cause of death was being investigated by the Clark County Coroner's Office.
 

11-year-old cheerleader, mom found dead in suspected murder-suicide

Coroner identified the victims as Addilyn Smith, 11, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, 34, of West Jordan, Utah. A note was found in their hotel room.

Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in an elevator as she headed to her final vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 17, 2025.
 

MTG slams GOP over 'rich donor class' and Epstein files

Along with criticizing policy decisions on healthcare, Epstein and foreign policy, Greene told the GOP to "stop the bullying."

Rep. Randy Fine speaks at a watch party as Florida holds a special election for a U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, in Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S. April 1, 2025.
 

Republican congressman faces calls to resign over anti-Muslim 'dogs' post

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., is drawing swift condemnation over anti-Muslim comments. It's not the first time.

Anne Burrell appears at a book signing during the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival on Oct. 15, 2022.
 

Anne Burrell left 'suicidal note' before death, police reveal

Anne Burrell, who died in June by suicide, allegedly left a "suicidal note" in her home prior to her death, according to a new police report.

Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark in 2022.
 

MLB players union scrambles to find new leader after scandal

Tony Clark's surprise resignation leaves the MLBPA without a leader ahead of CBA negotiations.

Feb 18, 2026; Milan, Italy; Sidney Crosby of Canada walks out to the ice before a men's ice hockey quarterfinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
 

How Sidney Crosby helped Canada rally at Olympics despite injury

Canada's Sidney Crosby suffered what looked like a right leg injury then watched his team rally to win in OT to earn spot in the Olympic semifinals.

A screenshot from a video Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy posted to his X account, showing him drinking milk with Kid Rock.
 

Kid Rock, RFK Jr. video shows them in a sauna, drinking whole milk

Kid Rock is further cementing his alignment with the Trump administration. The singer appeared in a new video with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the HHS.

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