5 Big News Stories Overnight - Wednesday, February 18, 2026

U.S.: 10 Skiers Missing

NBC reports:

An avalanche was reported in the Castle Peak area near Truckee at about 11:30 a.m., which affected a group of four mountain guides and 12 other skiers, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The sheriff’s office said at least six skiers survived the avalanche and remained at the site as of about 3:45 p.m., where they were still awaiting rescuers. The other 10 people were unaccounted for, the sheriff's office said.

U.S.: Philly Push fto Stay Open Until 4 AM for FIFA World Cup

Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

A new push to let Philadelphia bars stay open past 2 a.m. is being mounted by local trade groups and bars as the largest global sporting event arrives in the city in June.

The Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, which represents restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses, wants state lawmakers to create a temporary permit that allows Philadelphia bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will come to Philadelphia and 15 other cities in North America from June 11 to July 19.

“When we’re trying to attract tourists from all over the world to a destination in the United States to enjoy the World Cup, we want to make sure that Philadelphia is offering at least the same amenities as the other host cities,” said Ben Fileccia, senior vice president for strategy for the restaurant and lodging association.

Many of the most popular U.S. host cities allow bars to serve alcohol past 2 a.m., including New York, Miami, and Kansas City. Other popular international destinations, such as Mexico City and Toronto, also allow it.

Iran: Khamenei Maintains Tough Talk With U.S.

Al Jazeera reports:

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has shot back at United States President Donald Trump and cast a pessimistic tone on negotiations with his administration even as Iran’s foreign minister says an understanding on “the guiding principles” of a deal has been reached.

The 86-year-old Khamenei said on Tuesday that Trump admitted that the US has tried to bring down the theocratic establishment in Iran since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution but has failed.

“This is a good confession. You will not be able to do this either,” Khamenei said in an apparent reference to the US president telling reporters this week that a change in government would be “the best thing that could happen” in Iran.

Middle East: Vance: Nuclear Talks Showed Some Progress, but Iran Won’t Acknowledge Trump’s Red Lines

Times of Israel reports:

US Vice President JD Vance said some progress was made in the second round of nuclear talks with Tehran in Geneva on Tuesday, even as Hebrew media said Israeli officials think the indirect talks are likely doomed and that US President Donald Trump and his close advisers seek to strike Iran.

“In some ways it went well. They agreed to meet afterward,” Vance told Fox News of the Geneva round. “But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”

Among those red lines is that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, said Vance, arguing that a nuclear Islamic Republic would lead to an arms race across the world that would be dangerous for America. While Iran claims it is not seeking nuclear arms, “there a number of things that make it clear that they are interested in acquiring a nuclear weapons,” said Vance.

U.S.: Mamdani Proposes Nearly 10% Property Tax, If Tax on Wealthy Does Not Pass

New York Times reports:

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday proposed to raise property tax rates in New York City by nearly 10 percent, a measure he is preparing as a “last resort” to be deployed if he cannot persuade Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise income taxes on the wealthy.

The suggested 9.5 percent increase would affect more than 3 million single-family homes, co-ops and condos and over 100,000 commercial buildings, Mr. Mamdani said as he delivered his preliminary spending plan.

The mayor acknowledged that his proposal would not merely force the wealthy to pay more taxes, but would also be a “tax on working- and middle-class New Yorkers,” and stressed that this was not his first choice.

PHOTO: White House