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Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Trump to preside over first meeting of Board of Peace with many Gaza questions unresolved

Vaclav Urich February 18, 2026

By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Samia Nakhoul

The U.S. Institute of Peace building prepares to host U.S. President Donald Trump's first Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 18, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The U.S. Institute of Peace building prepares to host Trump's first Board of Peace meeting in Washington

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will preside over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday with unresolved questions on the future of Gaza hanging over an event expected ‌to include representatives from more than 45 nations.

The disarmament of Hamas militants, the size of the reconstruction fund and the flow ‌of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead.

Trump is to address the group at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace - a building in Washington the president recently renamed for himself - and announce that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund.

The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is expected to be $1.2 billion each from two of Washington's Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a U.S. ‌official told Reuters.

Trump's Board of Peace has been controversial. ⁠It includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump's suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the U.N.'s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict ⁠resolution.

Senior U.S. officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza.

Disarming Hamas militants in order for the peacekeepers to begin their mission remains a major sticking point, and the force is not expected to deploy for weeks or months.

The Palestinian group Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part ‌of Trump's 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.

"We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back," a senior administration official said.

MOST SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT ATTENDING

Delegations from 47 countries plus the European Union are expected to attend the event, U.S. officials said. The list includes Israel and a wide array of countries from Albania to Vietnam.

It does not, however, include permanent United Nations Security Council members like France, Britain, Russia and China.

Speakers at the event are ‌expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role in the board, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees.

A member of the peace board, who declined to ‌be named, said the Gaza plan faces formidable obstacles. Establishing security in the enclave is a precondition for progress in other areas, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained, said the official.

The official added that a key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas. The peace board's representatives could do so with countries that have influence over Hamas - notably Qatar and Turkey - but Israel is ‌deeply skeptical of both.

Another major issue is the flow of aid, which the official described as "disastrous" and in urgent need of scaling up. Even if aid surges in, it remains unclear who will distribute it, the official said.

(Reporting By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Samia Nakhoul; Editing by Don Durfee and Lincoln Feast)

Governors arrive in Washington eager to push past Trump's partisan grip

Vaclav Urich February 18, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — In another era, the scene would have been unremarkable. But in PresidentDonald Trump'sWashington, it's become increasingly rare.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), from left, Economic Club of Washington Chairman David Rubenstein, and Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., vice chair of the NGA participate in a panel discussion during a conference at the Economic Club of Washington Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) speaks during a conference at the Economic Club of Washington Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., vice chair of the National Governors Association, responds to a question by Economic Club of Washington Chairman David Rubenstein during a conference at the Economic Club of Washington Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Governors Economic Club

Sitting side by side on stage were Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat. They traded jokes and compliments instead of insults and accusations, a brief interlude of cordiality in a cacophony of conflict.

Stitt and Moore are the leaders of the National Governors Association, one of a vanishing few bipartisan institutions left in American politics. But it may be hard for the organization, which is holding its annual conference this week, to maintain its reputation as a refuge from polarization.

Trump has broken with custom by declining to invite all governors to the traditional White House meeting and dinner. He has called Stitt, the NGA's chair, a "RINO," short for Republican in name only, and continued to feud with Moore, the group's vice chair, by blaming him for asewage spillinvolving afederally regulated pipeline.

The break with tradition reflects Trump's broader approach to his second term. He has taken a confrontational stance toward some states, withholding federal funds or deploying troops over the objections of local officials.

With theRepublican-controlled Congressunwilling to limit Trump's ambitions, several governors have increasingly cast themselves as a counterweight to the White House.

"Presidents aren't supposed to do this stuff," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said about the expansion of executive power in recent administrations. "Congress needs to get their act together. And stop performing for TikTok and actually start doing stuff. That's the flaw we're dealing with right now."

Cox, a Republican, said "it is up to the states to hold the line."

Moore echoed that sentiment inan interview with The Associated Press.

"People are paying attention to how governors are moving, because I think governors have a unique way to move in this moment that other people just don't," he said.

Still, governors struck an optimistic tone in panels and interviews Wednesday. Stitt said the conference is "bigger than one dinner at the White House." Moore predicted "this is going to be a very productive three days for the governors."

"Here's a Republican and Democrat governor from different states that literally agree on probably 80% of the things. And the things we disagree on we can have honest conversations on," Stitt said while sitting beside Moore.

Tensions over the guest list for White House events underscored the uncertainty surrounding the week. During the back-and-forth,Trump feuded with Stittand said Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis were not invited because they "are not worthy of being there."

Whether the bipartisan tone struck Wednesday evening can endure through the week — and beyond — remains an open question.

"We can have disagreements. In business, I always want people around me arguing with me and pushing me because that's where the best ideas come from," said Stitt. "We need to all have these exchange of ideas."

California avalanche was deadliest in US in 45 years

Vaclav Urich February 18, 2026

Theavalanche that killed at least eight peopleon Feb. 17 in California marked the deadliest natural disaster of its kind in the United States in nearly a half century.

A group of 15 skiers were caught in the avalanche in the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Six members of the group survived and were rescued. One skier was still missing as of Feb. 18 and is presumed dead, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

It was the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in almost 45 years, according to theColorado Avalanche Information Center(CIAC), which tracks avalanches across the nation. Eleven people were killed in an avalanche on June 21, 1981, while attempting to climb Mount Rainier in Washington state.

A rescue team departs to the site of an avalanche in a backcountry slope of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, where a group of skiers were stranded, in Nevada County, California, Feb. 17, 2026, in this still image from a video.

More recently,six climbers died in an avalancheon Mount Rainier on May 28, 2014. On April 20, 2013,five snowboarders were killedin an avalanche near Colorado's Loveland Pass.

In the U.S., avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives annually over the last 10 years, according to the CAIC.

What was the deadliest avalanche in US history?

The deadliest recorded avalanche in U.S. history occurred March 1, 1910, in Wellington, Washington, when a wall of snow swept two trains into a gorge near Stevens Pass in the Cascade Range, killing 96 people,according to the Seattle Times.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What was the deadliest avalanche in US history?

Former MMA fighter Tiki Ghosn and Deen the Great get in altercation

Vaclav Urich February 18, 2026

Retired MMA fighter Tiki Ghosn was seen on video getting into an altercation with Nurideen Shabazz, an influencer-turned-boxer known as Deen the Great. The video has gone viral.

Ghosn was seen landing a strike to the face of Shabazz, punching him out at a party following a confrontation that appeared to be started by the influencer. Shabazz could be heard questioning why Ghosn would deny knowing who he was.

"You do know who I am," Shabazz was heard saying during the exchange.

"I don't know you," Ghosn told Shabazz. "Nice to meet you, though."

Things would escalate further after Shabazz continued his questioning of Ghosn. The men were quickly separated.

Shabazz was also seen being slapped by powerlifter Larry Wheels in a separate video from earlier in the week. That incident was referenced by Ghosn in the viral video during the exchange with Shabazz.

Both incidents can be found onShabazz's KICK stream. Former MMA fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was seen in both videos. Ghosn is Jackson's manager.

Former mixed martial artist Tiki Ghosn arrives at the third annual Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards 2010 at the Palms Casino Resort on Dec. 1, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Who is Tiki Ghosn?

Ghosn produced a 10-7-0 record as a fighter, winning his last fight in March 2008 while snapping a streak of five consecutive losses.

The Southern California native was previouslymanaged by current UFC president Dana White. Ghosn has worked as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter and worked with several notable names in the MMA world, including Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock and Michael Bisping.

Who is Deen the Great?

Shabazz won his first seven boxing fights; his second win was the only non-exhibition fight he's competed in.

He suffered his first loss to Amado Vargas in an exhibition fight in December 2025.

Shabszz has also served as a YouTube streamer since 2013 and has more than 528K subscribers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tiki Ghosn, Deen the Great get in altercation in viral video

Napheesa Collier on WNBA CBA talks: ‘Someone’s gonna have to fold’

Vaclav Urich February 18, 2026

Asthe WNBA and its players' union continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement,the2026 WNBA seasonhangs in the balance.

WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collieris confident the season will happen, but it won't come without compromise.

"Well, someone's gonna have to fold, aren't they?" Collier told USA TODAY Sports regarding the ongoing CBA talks while promoting a partnership with Unrivaled and Icy Hot.

A five-time WNBA All-Star with the Minnesota Lynx, Collier says the union continues to meet with the hope of getting a deal done. But, she reiterated the players' plan to stand firm amidst the revenue sharing road block and housing concessions by the WNBA.

On Tuesday, the players' union submitted a counterproposal in response to the WNBA'sFeb. 7 submission. In the proposal, the WNBPA requested 25% of gross revenue in the first year, increasing over the life of the agreement to an average of roughly 27.5%. The union also proposed a salary cap of less than $9.5 million.

The latest requested revenue share percentage is less than theproposal in December, where players asked for 30% of gross revenue. The WNBA is currently offering more than 70% of league and team net revenue. The league is also proposing a salary cap of $5.65 million per year, rising with league revenues.

In Tuesday's counterproposal, the WNBPA advocated for housing to continue in the early years of a player's career. The union proposed housing could be shed in later years of a contract and would be adjusted and phased out for players who make a certain amount of money on a multi-year, fully guaranteed contract.

Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces' Jewell Loyd (24) and A'ja Wilson (22) celebrate after scoring against the Phoenix Mercury.

Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson (22) shoots the ball against the Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas.

Game 2: The Phoenix Mercury's Kahleah Copper (2) drives the ball past Las Vegas Aces guards Jackie Young (0) and Dana Evans (11).

Game 2: Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) drives the ball against Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally.

Game 2: Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) shoots a layup against Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22).

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) celebrates with teammates after the Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 89-86, at Michelob Ultra Arena.