5 Big News Stories Overnight - Thursday, February 19, 2026

Iran - U.S.: U.S. Military Moves Into Place for Possible Attack on Iran, Trump Has Not Made a Final Decision

New York Times reports: 

The rapid buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East has progressed to the point that President Trump has the option to take military action against Iran as soon as this weekend, administration and Pentagon officials said, leaving the White House with high-stakes choices about pursuing diplomacy or war.

Mr. Trump has given no indication that he has made a decision about how to proceed. But the drive to assemble a military force capable of striking Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles and accompanying launch sites has continued this week despite indirect talks between the two nations on Tuesday, with Iran seeking two weeks to come back with fleshed out proposals for a diplomatic resolution.

PHOTO: Michael Alfonso, Unsplash

U.S.: Mark Zuckerberg Faces Jury

Fox News reports:

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Wednesday in a landmark trial over claims his platforms harm children, a case that could cost the company billions and redefine social media accountability.

The unprecedented trial, unfolding in Los Angeles Superior Court, is widely seen as a bellwether for hundreds of similar lawsuits pending nationwide. Cameras were barred from the courtroom, and Judge Carolyn Kuhl warned that anyone using AI-enabled smart glasses during the tech titan’s testimony would be held in contempt.

The lawsuit, K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California woman identified by her initials. She alleges that Meta and other tech companies deliberately engineered their platforms to hook young users, contributing to her depression and suicidal thoughts, and seeks to hold them accountable.

Norway: Epstein ‘Survivor’ Scolds Crown Princess

Norway News reports:

One of the many young teenage girls who were sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has publicly scolded Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who carried on a three-year friendship with Epstein before he later died in prison. The crown princess responded in a written statement, but still refuses to answer questions directly as Norway’s latest royal scandal drags on.

Princess Mette-Marit, PHOTO: Frankie Fouganthin CC: 3.0 

U.S.: Top Lawyers’ Fees As High as $3,400 an Hour

Wall Street Journal reports:

When Christopher Clark, a litigator at a boutique law firm, raised his hourly rate to the once-unthinkable level of $3,000, he said he didn’t receive pushback from clients. But he did get one notable comment.

“Congratulations,” the client said. “That is the highest rate we’ve seen.” 

Just over a year ago, the going rate for a top lawyer was in the $2,500 an hour range. Now that looks downright quaint, as premium partners are raking in as much as Clark—and far more in some cases.

PHOTO: Shamblen Studios, Unsplash

Gaza: Death Toll Exceeds 75,000

Al Jazeera reports:

The true human cost of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has far exceeded previous official estimates, with independent research published in the world’s leading medical journals verifying more than 75,000 “violent deaths” by early 2025.

The findings, emerging from a landmark series of scientific papers, suggest that administrative records from the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) represent a conservative “floor” rather than an overcount, and provide a rigorous bedrock to the scale of Palestinian loss.

PHOTO: GoLocal, protest in Washington, D.C. in 2023