5 Big News Stories Overnight - Saturday February 14, 2026

Germany: Rubio Seeks to "Revitalise"

France 24 reports:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure a nervous Europe on Saturday, saying that Washington wanted to "revitalise" the transatlantic alliance so that a strong Europe could help the US on its mission of global "renewal."

Speaking at a security conference in Munich after months of turmoil in US-European relations sparked by US President Donald Trump's vows to seize Greenland and his often derisive remarks about Washington's allies, Washington's top diplomat struck a markedly soothing tone.

"We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history," Rubio said. "What we want is a reinvigorated alliance."

U.S.: Wassrerman Puts Talent Agency Up for Sale

WSJ reports:

Casey Wasserman is putting his eponymous talent and marketing agency up for sale, he said in a memo to staff Friday night. The move follows the release of suggestive emails he exchanged years ago with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and the departure of high-profile talent from his firm. 

Wasserman told staff he felt that he had “become a distraction” to the firm’s work and had begun the process of selling the company. 

He is chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The committee organizing the games earlier this week voted unanimously to keep Wasserman as chairman, according to people familiar with the situation. 

On Tuesday, GoLocal reported about Wasserman's firm's ties to Rhode Island-based Providence Equity.

U.S.: Guthrie DNA

People reports:

DNA evidence not belonging to Nancy Guthrie or her "close contacts" was found at her home, police say.

"DNA other than Nancy Guthrie’s and those in close contact to her has been collected from the property," the Pima County Sheriff's Department (PSCD) said in a statement to PEOPLE on Friday, Feb. 13. "Investigators are working to identify who it belongs to. We are not disclosing where that DNA was located."

Police also said that "several gloves" have been found during their investigation, with the closest gloves being found approximately two miles from the home.

"Reports that a glove was found inside the residence or on the property are inaccurate. All collected evidence has been submitted for laboratory analysis," the PCSD added, before noting that "investigators are not ruling out any individuals or possibilities."

U.S.: Homeland Security

Guardian reports:

The Department of Homeland Security has begun a partial shutdown, after funding for the much-criticized agency expired, with a range of services, including domestic flights and the US Coastguard, now vulnerable to disruption.

The shutdown was all but confirmed on Thursday, after the Senate failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the DHS appropriations bill and lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving the impasse.

Democrats say they won’t help approve more funding until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis last month.

Democrats demanded radical reforms of how agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – which both fall under DHS’s remit – operate.

PHOTO: Secretary Kristi Noem, Flickr HLS, Tia Dufour

Russia - Iran: Why Moscow and Tehran View the Trump Corridor as Security Threat

Pravda reports (analysis):

If Russia and Iran Coordinate Their Response

If Russia and Iran agree to block American initiatives, then the "flag” that Vance planted in Azerbaijan and Armenia will end up on an isolated island.

US Corridor and Security Risks for Russia and Iran

The Vice President of the United States visited Armenia and Azerbaijan on February 9-11 as the President's trusted representative to emphasize the importance of the TRIPP project – the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. Vance brought concrete "gifts”: agreements on supplies of supercomputers with NVIDIA chips and AI systems, cooperation in nuclear energy, and deliveries of drones and "air defense systems” for Armenia. Azerbaijan received patrol boats and investments totaling 175 million dollars in TRIPP.

From a geopolitical perspective, Vance's trip represents a "flag demonstration,” signaling that the region now falls within the zone of direct US interests. Through direct control of TRIPP, the United States gains an opportunity to contain Russia, including its base in Gyumri, as well as Iran.

The Kremlin projects calm. Press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan remain sovereign states with the right to pursue their own foreign policy. He stressed that Russia intends to continue developing "deep ties with both countries in all spheres.” Russia stands ready, but do Yerevan and Baku share that readiness? Behind Peskov's composed tone lie lost positions in the South Caucasus and rising threats to Russian security.