Month: February 2026

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew and the younger brother of King Charles III, has been released by British police after his arrest on Thursday for suspicion of misconduct in public office. Mountbatten-Windsor was released “under investigation,” meaning he faces no charges at this time.

Photos from Mountbatten-Windsor’s Norfolk residence showed police activity on Thursday, which is also his 66th birthday. No senior royals have been arrested in recent history, and the palace confirmed it was not notified prior to the arrest. Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

Thames Valley Police, which covers parts of southern England including areas where Mountbatten-Windsor has lived, said in a statement, “On Thursday … we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrested man has now been released under investigation.” Police added that searches in Norfolk have concluded, while those in Berkshire continue. Thames Valley Police said, “We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance,” and confirmed there would be no further media statements while the investigation continues.

The arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor’s past association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of documents relating to Epstein. Reports indicate Mountbatten-Windsor allegedly shared confidential trade reports with Epstein in 2010, during his tenure as Britain’s special envoy for international trade.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal title and asked to leave Windsor Castle in 2022 due to his Epstein connections, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, including allegations from Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. In February 2022, he reached a confidential settlement with Giuffre, agreeing to make “a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” while expressing regret for his association with Epstein. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.

King Charles III said in a statement: “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

Maria Farmer, another Epstein survivor, said Thursday: “Today is just the beginning of accountability and justice brought forth by Virginia Roberts Giuffre — a young mother who adored her daughter so deeply, she fought the most powerful on earth to protect her. She did this for everyone’s daughters. Let’s now demand all the dominos of power and corruption begin to fall.”

President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, called the arrest “a shame,” adding, “I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing.” Trump also referenced his past friendship with Epstein, claiming he was “totally exonerated” regarding related allegations.

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A backcountry ski trip in California’s Sierra Nevada turned tragic Tuesday when an avalanche near Lake Tahoe killed eight people and left a ninth missing and presumed dead. Several of the victims were parents connected to Sugar Bowl Academy, a competitive ski school near Donner Summit. The group of skiers involved included parents, mostly mothers, of students at a local school and the ski academy, according to sources involved in the search-and-rescue effort and a statement from the school.

The Sugar Bowl Academy said in a statement, “Multiple members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died in an avalanche on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.” The academy emphasized it would not release the names of the victims out of respect for their families.

An avalanche watch had been issued Sunday by the Sierra Avalanche Center, escalating to a warning Tuesday that stated “HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry” and that “large” avalanches were likely. Officials are reviewing the decision to leave the huts during the storm.

The group—11 skiers and four guides—was returning from a three-day trip near the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts in the Castle Peak area when a massive slab of snow broke loose around 11:30 a.m. The avalanche, about the length of a football field, struck during a powerful winter storm that brought heavy snowfall and winds up to 60 mph. Capt. Russel Greene said, “Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘avalanche!’ and it overtook them rather quickly.”

Six people survived—four men and two women, ages 30 to 55—after sheltering in trees and communicating with rescuers via satellite device. Two were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Sheriff Shannan Moon said authorities had to inform families that “our mission went from a rescue to a recovery,” calling it “a difficult conversation to have with loved ones.”

Three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, who were leading the group back from a three-day backcountry skiing expedition, were among those killed. Founder Zeb Blais described them as “highly experienced members of our guide team,” noting they were certified through the American Mountain Guides Association and worked with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, which he called “the industry standard for avalanche education.” He added, “There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway,” and urged the public: “We asked that people following this tragedy refrain from speculating.”

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a news conference that the bodies of seven women and a man killed in the avalanche were recovered, but ongoing inclement weather has prevented search crews from transporting the victims from the backcountry to a morgue in the nearby town of Truckee, with continued avalanche risk and severe weather further delaying recovery efforts. “The risk is still as high with the mission moving to a recovery,” Moon said, stressing responder safety. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo vowed to remain committed “until the end.” The search will continue for a second man who was with the group and is presumed dead, Moon said.

The tragedy is the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in 1981. California Gov. Gavin Newsom offered condolences and praised rescue crews working in dangerous conditions: “Our hearts are with the victims and their families of this horrific tragedy. Local and state officials quickly mobilized a robust search-and-rescue mission, with nearly 100 first responders working in daunting conditions throughout the night, to search for these missing backcountry skiers. We mourn this profound loss.”

Editorial credit: Chris Allan / Shutterstock.com

Billionaire retail executive Les Wexner appeared for a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio on Wednesday, answering questions about his decades-long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The session, led by the House Oversight Committee, follows the Justice Department’s release of millions of additional records tied to Epstein. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Wexner after his name was discovered in the files on the investigation of Epstein.

Lawmakers from both parties have sought Wexner’s testimony amid renewed focus on financial ties that helped fuel Epstein’s wealth and influence. Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel’s top Democrat, said ahead of the deposition that investigators have “a lot of questions” about how Epstein amassed his fortune and what Wexner may have known. Garcia has argued that no individual played a larger role in providing Epstein access to money.

The committee’s inquiry intensified after Rep. Thomas Massie raised concerns about a once-redacted FBI document that referred to Wexner as a “co-conspirator.” Attorney General Pam Bondi later said the Justice Department restored Wexner’s name shortly after the issue was flagged and noted that he appears thousands of times throughout the files. A 2019 FBI memo described him as a “secondary” co-conspirator but added, “There is limited evidence regarding his involvement.”

Epstein began advising Wexner in the late 1980s and was for years his only publicly known client. Wexner, 88, granted him sweeping authority over financial decisions, including power of attorney, to manage investments and transactions. Wexner has said he provided similar authority to other advisers and did not anticipate abuse of that trust.

Wexner has not been charged with any crime. The billionaire said he ended the relationship with Epstein nearly two decades ago, revoking Epstein’s power of attorney in 2007 and cutting ties after learning of financial misconduct and later criminal charges. Although records show the two exchanged emails in 2008 after Epstein’s plea deal in Florida, Wexner’s representatives say the professional relationship had already been terminated and that Epstein repaid at least $100 million he had taken.

Through attorneys and public statements, Wexner has maintained that he was misled by Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal conduct. In remarks submitted before the deposition, Wexner said, “I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” calling him a “master manipulator” who “lived a double life.” He added that any wrongdoing was “most carefully and fully hid from me” and insisted, “Again, to be clear, I never saw or heard about Epstein being in the company of a minor girl.”

Wexner’s foundation expressed sympathy for those harmed, stating it holds “in our hearts the survivors of Epstein’s horrific crimes.” Meanwhile, fallout from the revelations has reached beyond Congress. Some Ohio State University alumni are seeking to remove Wexner’s name from a campus facility, citing his past association with Epstein. Wexner previously served on the university’s board during the years when former team doctor Richard Strauss committed abuse, though Wexner has not been accused of wrongdoing in that matter.

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to testify in a closely watched case that could reshape how courts view social media companies’ responsibility for young users’ well-being.

The trial, unfolding in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is the first of more than 1,500 related lawsuits nationwide to reach a jury. The lead plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified in court as K.G.M. — also referred to as “Kaley” in filings — claims she began using platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as a child and became addicted. She alleges features such as recommendation algorithms and endless scrolling fueled compulsive use that contributed to anxiety, depression and body image struggles. Her attorney, Mark Lanier, told jurors the case was “as easy as ABC,” meaning “addicting the brains of children.” He argues the companies intentionally built products to maximize engagement among minors for profit.

Zuckerberg was questioned about Instagram’s users under 13 and the company’s strategies to increase engagement, as a trial weighs allegations that Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – knowingly provided a product that was addictive and potentially harmful to children and teenagers. The plaintiff’s attorney noted that KGM began using Instagram at the age of 9. While Zuckerberg acknowledged that users under 13 are not permitted on the platform, he pointed out the challenge in enforcing this rule, stating that there are “a meaningful number of people who lie about their age to use our services.” Lanier further questioned Zuckerberg about whether one of Meta’s objectives is to increase the amount of time users spend on Instagram. Zuckerberg explained that the company tracks time spent on the app mainly as a benchmark to assess performance against competitors such as TikTok. “It’s different than us trying to just increase time,” he said. “Just us trying to see how we’re stacking up in the industry.”

Zuckerberg also addressed the issue of Instagram’s beauty filters, which Meta briefly removed after concerns arose that they altered users’ appearances in ways that could encourage plastic surgery. He stated that the platform reinstated the filters to support freedom of expression but emphasized, “we shouldn’t create them ourselves or recommend them.”

Meta strongly disputes all claims in the lawsuit. In a statement at the start of proceedings, a company spokesperson said, “We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” The company says it has introduced “meaningful changes,” including teen-specific accounts and parental controls. It also contends the plaintiff had preexisting mental health challenges. Google similarly denied wrongdoing, calling the accusations “simply not true.”

Zuckerberg’s testimony follows last week’s appearance by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. Mosseri rejected the idea that Instagram is clinically addictive, drawing a distinction between addiction and “problematic use.” He also described the tension between “safety and speech,” noting users often resist when features are limited. When questioned about profits, he said Instagram earns less from teens than any other age group because they are less likely to click on ads.

Aside from Meta, the defendants in the case include YouTube, owned by Google. TikTok and Snap were originally named in the lawsuit, but settled with the plaintiff before trial. They remain involved in other pending cases.

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