Two victims were killed and three others were critically injured from an apparently targeted shooting at an ice skating rink in Rhode Island on Monday, authorities said.
The gunshots rang out around 2:30 p.m. at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, about 5 miles outside of Providence, according to Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves.
The suspect, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, was identified as Robert Dorgan, 56. Officials said the suspect also used the name Roberta Esposito.
Parents and players congregate near the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Feb. 16, 2026.
Mark Stockwell/AP
Besides the two victims killed, three people who were shot and injured were taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. They remain in critical condition as of Monday night.
The shooting appears to be a targeted and “family-related,” the chief said, describing it as possibly a family dispute. Goncalves said that a family friend was also involved in the dispute.
The chief added that a Good Samaritan stepped in and intervened, trying to subdue the suspect, which “kept the incident from getting possibly worse.”
The FBI responded to the scene and will provide state and local law enforcement with any necessary resources, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
The FBI added that there’s “no imminent threat to public safety.”
Police stand at an entrance to Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I. after a shooting at the ice rink, Feb. 16, 2026.
Mark Stockwell/AP
The superintendent of one of the schools playing at the time of the shooting said in a message to parents that all students on the team are safe.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said on social media, “I am praying for Pawtucket and everyone involved.”
Early tax filers are enjoying bigger refunds compared to the same time last year, according to the latest figures from the Internal Revenue Service.
As of Feb. 6, 2026, tax refunds averaged $2,290, up nearly 11% from the same point last year. “Average refund amounts are strong,” the IRS said in a statement last week.
Forecasters have predicted filers would benefit from larger checks this year due to a series of new tax provisions included in the “one big, beautiful” bill signed by President Trump in July 2025. One financial services firm, Piper Sandler, estimated the average payment would increase by about $1,000 per filer.
The biggest benefits are likely to flow to those in the top 10% of households, experts have said. Lower-earning taxpayers will also see gains, but they aren’t as likely to enjoy as big a jump in refund amounts as higher-income households, according to a Jan. 30 analysis from investment firm Principal Asset Management.
Tax season officially kicked off on Jan. 26, 2026. As of early February, the IRS has received nearly 22.4 million returns, slightly down from 23.6 million the same time last year, the agency’s data shows.
People who file electronically usually get their refunds in fewer than 21 days, according to the IRS.
Refund sizes likely to expand
Refunds will likely grow in size as tax season progresses. That’s in part because lower-income Americans tend to file early, while wealthier households, which have more complex tax returns, take longer to file.
The average refund amount typically starts small, peaks in mid-February and then slips slightly through the end of tax season, Andrew Lautz, director of tax policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said in a policy brief last month. Last year, the average refund was $2,939, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The IRS typically releases a fresh batch of data each week during tax season and provides a few subsequent updates after filing concludes on April 15.
The agency said it expects refund numbers to be higher when it posts an update on Feb. 27. That’s because by that point, the agency will have processed some of the refunds of Americans who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit, refundable tax credits designed for low- to moderate-income working families.
Millions of Americans are turning to AI for emotional therapy. A report in JAMA found about 13% of young people use AI chatbots for mental health advice. Dr. Sue Varma, a board-certified psychiatrist, explains what to know about safety, privacy and ethical standard concerns.
Potential 2028 presidential contenders weigh in on global affairs at Munich Security Conference – CBS News
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Several 2028 presidential hopefuls on both sides of the aisle made appearances at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend. CBS News’ Fin Gómez reports.
Minnesota’s top investigative agency said Monday the federal government has formally refused to hand over evidence and information in the killing of Alex Pretti.
The FBI has also withheld evidence in the federal killing of Renee Good and the shooting of a Venezuelan national last month. The BCA said it has reiterated requests for evidence and information in all three shootings.
“Our agency has committed to the FBI and Department of Justice that should its stance change we remain willing to share information that we have obtained with that agency and would welcome a joint investigation,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “We will continue to pursue all legal avenues to gain access to relevant information and evidence.”
Federal agents shot and killed Pretti in south Minneapolis on Jan. 24. Federal investigators physically prevented BCA agents from gathering evidence at the scene, and the BCA successfully requested a restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from destroying or altering evidence. Days later, though, a federal judge lifted the order, saying the concerns over evidence tampering were undeveloped.
On Sunday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told WCCO she plans to send a written demand for evidence in Pretti’s killing to the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security. She previously sent a similar letter in regards to Good’s killing, and is investigating the shooting of the Venezuelan national as well.
Earlier this month, Pretti’s family called for the FBI and BCA to investigate his killing jointly.
“Justice and accountability requires a thorough and impartial investigation to establish the facts. A truly joint state and federal investigation would be a welcome development,” the family said in a statement.
A report released by the Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform earlier this month accused the Trump administration of lying to “cover up misconduct” in the killings of Good and Pretti.
Each election cycle in California, Republicans bring up the same idea: Democrats will split their votes so much in the primary that two Republicans end up in the top spots, leading to a Republican-only general election for governor. Since Democrats usually win big here, this theory is tempting. It depicts a November ballot on which Republicans are guaranteed a win.
The flaw is not arithmetic. It is power.
California elections are shaped by money, organization, and disciplined political institutions that protect their governing coalition. No institution in California politics possesses more deployable capital or strategic coherence than public employee unions.
Public employee unions routinely spend well into nine figures per cycle. Even in 2024, without a governor’s race on the ballot, independent-expenditure committees funded by labor and business interests poured nearly $100 million into legislative contests, including more than $42 million in the final month alone. That level of spending is routine.
This is not a scandal. It is how California’s top-two system operates when sophisticated actors are involved.
Shaping the opponent field is not hypothetical. In the 2024 U.S. Senate race, then-Congressman Adam Schiff and allied committees spent millions on advertising that elevated Republican former baseball player Steve Garvey while boxing out Representative Katie Porter — a successful effort to shape the runoff.
In those cycles, Democratic frontrunners controlled the board directly.
This cycle presents a different configuration. Aside from billionaire Tom Steyer, no Democrat has established overwhelming financial dominance. That does not eliminate the system’s capacity to intervene. It shifts greater influence on outside organizations — among them, public employee unions, which remain the most consistently well-heeled. The California Policy Center estimates that these public employee unions pull in around a billion dollars every year, spending it in many ways to dominate California’s political and policy-making processes.
Labor is not the only strategic actor intent on preventing an all-GOP November showdown. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the race with substantial Silicon Valley backing, disclosing roughly $7 million in early direct fundraising support. And millions more dropped into an independent pro-Mahan committee.
If two Republicans appear positioned to advance, unions and allied committees will not remain passive. They will consolidate behind a Democrat, and in “support” of a Republican, and spend what is necessary to secure both in the top two positions. Their objective is risk containment.
The “two Republicans advance” theory depends not just on Democratic vote-splitting but also on inaction by institutions whose influence depends on preventing precisely that outcome.
Such inaction is improbable.
Of course, this begs the question: If outside forces decide to elevate a Republican to shape the general election, which Republican would they select?
According to RealClearPolitics polling averages this month, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is polling at roughly 15% and Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton at roughly 13% — placing them among the top overall vote-getters in the field. With the June primary approaching, outside interests can wait until late spring to see whether one candidate separates. If consolidation occurs organically, intervention may be minimal. If not, they will spend heavily to do it. The objective is straightforward: ensure a solitary Republican advance – whichever one will cost them the least to effectuate that outcome.
It’s hard to escape the irony that Hilton and Bianco, in a way, are auditioning to see which of them will earn union “support” for the June election.
Republicans should compete vigorously. They should organize, raise funds, and build support wherever they can. The one sure-fire way to ensure, with 100% certainty, that a Republican cannot be Governor of California, is if there is no Republican on the ballot.
The odds of two Republicans advancing are not zero. But in California politics, institutions rarely leave outcomes to chance. Consider how often a coin lands on its edge.
Jon Fleischman, a longtime strategist in California politics, writes at SoDoesItMatter.com.
Investigators working on the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother are consulting with Walmart management to develop leads because a backpack the suspect was wearing is sold exclusively at the stores, the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff said Monday.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.
Yellow flowers and signs remain at a vigil outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neil)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released surveillance videos of a masked person wearing a handgun holster outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson the night she vanished. A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves.
Pima Count Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a text message to The Associated Press on Monday that the 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack was the only clothing item that has been “definitively identified.”
“This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,” Nanos said.
This combo from images provided by the FBI shows surveillance footage at the home of Nancy Guthrie the night she went missing in Tucson, Ariz. (FBI via AP)
The suspect’s clothing “may have been purchased from Walmart but is not exclusively available at Walmart,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday. “This remains a possibility only.”
Investigators on Sunday announced that a glove discovered near the Guthrie home has been sent for DNA testing. The FBI said that it received preliminary results Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation. The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence and as the search for Guthrie’s mother heads into its third week. Authorities previously said they had not identified a suspect.
The FBI said the suspect in the surveillance footage is a man about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
As the investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie entered its third week, authorities await key DNA evidence, President Trump threatened the abductors and daughter Savannah Guthrie urged her mother’s kidnappers to “do the right thing.” But with no sign of the 84-year-old, there growing concerns about her welfare and questions about how long the investigation will drag on.
On Sunday, the FBI said DNA was found on a glove discovered several miles away from Guthrie’s home, and the glove matched those worn by a masked person seen outside the home.
This could prove a key development in an investigation beset by false starts and stops. No suspects have been named, and local authorities have come under scrutiny over the lack or progress and certain tactical decisions. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos of Pima County told CBS News that investigators believe the clothing and face mask worn by the suspect were purchased at a Walmart.
Savannah Guthrie issued a statement on Instagram Sunday pleading with the kidnappers.
“And I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late, and you’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “We are here and we believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it’s never too late.”
Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tuscon home Feb. 1. The kidnapping drama has captivated the nation but until now there have been relatively few leads.
Investigators got their first major break in the case Tuesday with the release of footage showing an armed man wearing a balaclava, gloves and a backpack. The man was seen approaching the front door of Guthrie’s home and tampering with a Nest camera at 1:47 a.m. the night she was abducted.
On Tuesday, authorities detained a man at a traffic stop in Rio Rico, a semirural community about 12 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, in connection with the investigation. Deputies and FBI forensics experts and agents searched his family’s home overnight but did not locate Guthrie. The man was released hours later and has denied any involvement in her disappearance. The Times is not naming him because he has not been arrested or accused of a crime.
Authorities served a search warrant at a home in Tucson on Friday night in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie but made no arrests.
President Trump on Monday told the New York Post that the kidnappers would face “very, very severe — the most severe” punishment. When asked if he was referring to the death penalty, the president said: “The most, yeah — that’s true.”
Nancy Guthrie was discovered missing Feb. 1 after she didn’t show up to a friend’s house to watch a church service. She was taken from her home without her heart medication, and it’s unclear how long she can survive without it.
A day after Guthrie disappeared, news outlets received identical ransom notes that investigators treated as legitimate.
Sources told The Times that authorities have no proof the person who authored the ransom notes has Guthrie. But they also said the Feb. 2 note felt credible because it included details about a specific damaged piece of property and the placement of an accessory in the home that had not been made public.
The people of Orange Cove in Fresno County could soon be an unwilling part of an experiment in dangerous, expensive utility boondoggles. And if California’s gas companies get their way, families statewide will be forced to pay higher energy bills, breathe more indoor air pollution and bear greater safety risks.
Southern California Gas Co. wants to use Orange Cove to test blending hydrogen with natural gas in its pipeline network. This might sound futuristic and clean because it would reduce fossil fuel use, but it would waste $64 million in SoCalGas customer money and threaten this community’s health and safety — without actually fighting climate change.
Worse yet, SoCalGas and two other utilities just petitioned state regulators to skip pilot projects altogether. If approved, they could then request to pump a 5% hydrogen blend across California without demonstrating safety.
The problem is blending hydrogen into pipelines and appliances designed for gas. Hydrogen is leakier and more flammable, and it burns hotter and faster than gas. It can’t be smelled or seen, and burning it increases asthma-causing air pollution in homes and risks damaging appliances. Forcing consumers to burn hydrogen worsens fire, explosion and health risks in our homes, where we should feel most safe
The truth is gas utilities’ hydrogen blending proposals intend to keep customers hooked on pipelines. Utilities earn huge profits on infrastructure investment — over 10% for SoCalGas. The wiser approach for Californians would be to switch from gas to electric appliances, protecting customers from volatile gas prices and toxic indoor air. But that would hurt gas utility profits.
This story is playing out across the country and the world. In Eugene, Ore., backlash from residents made NW Natural cancel its hydrogen blending pilot. In Massachusetts, state regulators prevented utilities from pursuing similar plans. In the United Kingdom, residents of Whitby and Redcar protected themselves from even larger proposals.
Orange Cove is the next flare-up. SoCalGas began campaigning to blend hydrogen in 2022, but residents recently uncovered the truth and are speaking out accordingly. State regulators are expected to act by June, and their decision will have far-reaching consequences.
SoCalGas’ proposal stems from state policy to slash climate pollution from gas utility systems — a good idea, but a threat to utility profits. In theory, replacing natural gas with hydrogen can help gas utilities cut emissions while still investing in pipelines, because hydrogen can be produced and burned without emitting greenhouse gases.
But that’s where hydrogen’s advantages end.
Let’s air out the proposal’s dirty laundry: SoCalGas’ proposal to blend less than 5% hydrogen into Orange Cove’s system — which serves about 2,000 customer gas meters — would cost $64 million over 18 months. That’s comparable to removing the tailpipe pollution of 100 cars for one year.
That same $64 million could permanently remove the pollution of 12 times as many gasoline cars if used to purchase new electric vehicles. It’s also worth around $32,000 per customer gas meter in Orange Cove — more than enough for the community to install electric heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and induction stoves, zeroing out gas use.
Using that $64 million to fund incentives for cleaner, efficient electric appliances could help tens of thousands of Californians eliminate indoor air pollution and climate emissions.
This price tag is ludicrous for an 18-month experiment. Clean hydrogen is an extremely expensive way to heat homes. Current prices are 10 to 25 times higher than that of natural gas, and even the most optimistic forecasts expect it to remain much more expensive for decades.
Gas utilities claim Orange Cove will “inform the feasibility of developing a hydrogen injection standard” to decarbonize their broader systems, but that hides the truth: Hydrogen blending is a dead end that at best would reduce gas utility climate emissions by less than 7%. California’s gas system was not designed to safely handle more than a small share of hydrogen, so this pilot project couldn’t meaningfully scale up without the wholesale replacement of all gas pipelines and appliances.
Pilot projects seem small in the grand scheme of things, but they lend legitimacy to a bad idea debunked as a climate solution and wisely rejected by other communities time and time again. It would be even worse to ditch pilot tests and skip right to harming Californians with statewide blending.
Hydrogen is not categorically a “false solution” for climate. We need it to clean up things like fertilizer, chemicals and aviation fuel — products without cheaper clean alternatives that are made in specialized industrial complexes overseen by trained technicians.
But California doesn’t need hydrogen to clean up its buildings. Families are already choosing electric appliances for higher-quality, fully clean service. Hydrogen can’t save our gas networks; it can only waste money and delay California’s work to stop climate change.
Forcing communities to use hydrogen also reduces consumer choice. People have the freedom to install electric appliances when they’re ready, using government and utility incentives. With hydrogen blending, homes and businesses would have to use a lower-quality gas whether they want it or not, safety and health risks be damned.
The California Public Utilities Commission plays a critical role protecting customers from utility investments that lock in unjustifiable rate increases. Ultimately, the Orange Cove pilot is nothing more than an expensive waste of customer money with no near-term benefit and minuscule contribution toward California’s climate efforts.
The mountain of scientific literature against hydrogen blending, lessons learned by other regulators and communities rejecting similar pilots, and the voices of Orange Cove residents should be enough to slam the door on this would-be boondoggle.
Dan Esposito is a manager in the nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation’s fuels and chemicals program.
Jack in the Box, home of the ping pong ball-shaped mascot, turns 75 this week on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The first restaurant opened on Feb. 21, 1951 at 6270 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, near San Diego State University.
It was founded by a former undergraduate, Robert O. Peterson.
The chain has grown to about 2,135 restaurants in 21 states, according to a recent news release, but remains based in San Diego. Its headquarters are off the I-15 Freeway, a few miles north of the original restaurant.
A timeline showcasing Jack in the Box’s history ends with the chain’s 75th anniversary at its headquarters on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in San Diego, (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Southern California was a hotbed of creativity when it came to fast food in the second half of the 20th century. Jack in the Box’s claim to fame was pioneering the drive-thru, a feat that won it a place in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
“Ever since we were founded in 1951, we really were a brand that was rooted in innovation,” said Sheena Dougher, vice president of marketing for the chain.
From its drive-thru to its advertising campaigns and, of course, its tacos, here are some highlights from Jack in the Box history.
The founder
Like Ray Kroc of McDonald’s fame, Robert O. Peterson spent time as a milkshake mixer salesman before hitting it big, according to his obituaries.
Kroc became famous, Peterson less so.
Born in 1916, he was not a very public person but he made his presence felt. As an undergraduate in the 1930s, he founded the Collegiate Club, which put on dances at Balboa Park. La Jolla native Gregory Peck, who would go on to play Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was a bouncer, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Although Peterson transferred from San Diego State to UCLA, where he graduated with a degree in business, he returned to his hometown and opened his first drive-in 1941. It was called Oscar’s, after his father’s name and his middle name.
His career was interrupted by World War II and he was called into active duty in the U.S. Navy.
Returning to civilian life, he converted one of his eateries into the first Jack in the Box. After growing the chain, he sold it to Ralston Purina in 1968.
Peterson was also known for banking and real estate investments. But he was mostly covered in the Union-Tribune as the husband of Maureen O’Connor, a San Diego councilmember who became mayor from 1986 to 1992.
He died of leukemia in 1994.
The drive-thru
Oscar’s restaurants were called “drive-in diners,” serving burgers and malts.
Drive-ins were common in the 1940s and ’50s, with customers parking in front of the restaurants to be served by carhops, who hooked trays of food on their vehicles’ rolled-down windows.
Drive-thrus changed all that. They used intercoms to allow customers to place their orders in advance without parking.
In-N-Out Burger, founded in 1948, has been called California’s first drive-thru restaurant. It was still a novelty in 1951, when Jack in the Box opened.
Early locations had a giant clown head popping out of a square box on the roof, based on children’s jack-in-the-box toys, music boxes with cranks that, when turned, cause figures to pop out of their lids.
Intercoms were also shaped like jack-in-the-box toys, with menus displayed on a plexiglass box topped by a clown’s head. The two-way intercom was hidden in the clown’s ruffled collar.
Panels on the box read, “place order here” or “Jack will speak with you.”
“We understood from the donor that customers had to get used to hearing a disembodied voice coming out of the speaker, thus they were told that Jack would speak to them,” Smithsonian curator Paula Johnson wrote in an email.
The Smithsonian has two panels of the speaker box but not the clown’s head, she said in a phone interview.
They are part of an exhibition in the Washington D.C. museum called “Food: Transforming the American Table,” in a case with In-N-Out lap mats and polystyrene burger containers from McDonald’s.
“If you want to know about American history, look at food history, and you will see big topics, themes, issues” said Johnson, who acquired Julia Child’s kitchen for the exhibition.
““The drive-thru story is one part of that. We were looking at big changes, and the change in how and what and where we eat, certainly. Fast food was developed in the post-war period, and the drive-thru was a key part of that. And it’s still so important today.”
“Jack’s Jack,” a Jack in the Box restaurant inside the the Jack in the Box headquarters on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in San Diego, (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The menu
Jack in the Box’s early menu was short. Speaker box panels from the early ’60s, like the one in the Smithsonian, show a signature Bonus Burger going for 39 cents, “fresh fried potatoes” and hot apple turnovers for 19 cents, onion rings and shakes for 25 cents, and for a splurge 79-cent shrimp and 89-cent chicken sandwiches.
Jack in the Box’s signature tacos were added to the menu in 1954, according to Dougher.
They are still what they were back then and remain the chain’s “No 1 add-on item.”
“What makes ours so unique is that they’re deep-fried, and also that slice of American cheese that comes in the tacos,” she said.
“We like to call ourselves a burger joint famous for tacos.”
Jack in the Box added breakfast to the menu in 1969 and made it available all day long.
“That’s been a core part of our brand to this day, where you can get anything on our menu any time of day,” Dougher said.
The Jumbo Jack was introduced in 1971, followed by an expansion of the core menu in the 1980s with such items as salads.
Jack in the Box now has a long menu with wraps, egg rolls, jalapeño poppers, cheesecake, chocolate cake, mini churros and sugar cookies.
There’s also a mind-boggling stream of limited-time items. Author George Geary lists several in his 2021 book “Made in California.” Among them are Bacon Ice Cream Shakes; Frings, a mixture of french fries and onion rings; macaroni bites; and from 2013 the Hot Mess Burger, a beef patty served on sourdough toast onion rings, pickled jalapeños and a lot of cheese that Jack in the Box brought back Monday, Feb. 16. It’s one of several “fan favorites” that will get a reprise for the anniversary throughout 2026, according to Dougher.
Jibbi keychains are shown displayed at a worker’s cubicle at the Jack in the Box headquarters on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in San Diego, (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The hype
Advertising was always important to Jack in the Box. Child actor Rodney Allen Rippy got his start in early 1970s commercials pitching steak sandwiches and singing the jingle, “Pack up the kids, crank up the car, to Jack in the Box. Come as you like, come as you are, to Jack in the Box.”
The Jack Box character appeared around the same time. His voice was supplied by ventriloquist Paul Winchell, who was also the original voice of Tigger in Disney’s 1968 featurette, “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.”
Jack in the Box was originally aimed at children. Hence the childish clown imagery in an era before coulrophobia was widely talked about.
By the early 1980s the chain’s core audience was grown up and the chain sought to rebrand itself for adults.
A memorable commercial from 1980 showed Jack in the Box staffers blowing up the clown speaker box.
An E.coli outbreak in 1993 damaged Jack in the Box’s reputation. The chain was able to salvage its image by adopting stricter quality control standards and a “Jack’s Back” campaign that introduced the modern version of Jack Box the following year.
Instead of a clown, Jack became a business executive in a suit and tie, but still wearing a clown head. In the end of a 30-second commercial, he blows up Jack’s boardroom.
Facing declining sales and revenue in 2025, Jack in the Box is in need of another turnaround. In October, it sold off Lake Forest-based Del Taco, which it acquired in 2022.
At the time Jack in the Box’s new chief executive officer Lance Tucker, who assumed the role in March, said in a news release that “we look forward to focusing on our core Jack in the Box brand.”
That’s the strategy of the chain’s anniversary year, which will offer more throwback menu items and nostalgic merchandise throughout 2026.
A reserved parking space for Jack Box at the Jack in the Box headquarters on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in San Diego, (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Jack Box has his own parking space at Jack in the Box headquarters.
“We refer to him as our fearless leader and CEO,” said Dougher.
“That iconic and irreverent humor that he has, that was really developed in the ‘90s. That’s when all of those ads that people still remember and love today were created. We definitely work to modernize him but make sure he keeps that witty sense of humor.”
In this series of essays, we’ve discussed how Baha’is worship—but now, in the final essay, we’ve come to the ultimate form of worship: selfless service to humanity. The Baha’i teachings…
This is the week of Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians.
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.
Worshippers receive ashes, commonly imposed in the shape of a cross on the forehead. The officiant typically says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” a stark reminder that death is part of life and that one should focus on things of the spirit. Or the officiant says, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Ashes in churches, chapels — and parking lots
Ash Wednesday is considered an obligatory fast day for Roman Catholics between 18 and 59 — meaning limiting food to one full meal and two smaller-than-normal meals.
Many Protestants — particularly those in Episcopal, Lutheran and other historic churches — also mark Ash Wednesday with similar liturgies.
In recent years, many Episcopal and other churches in the United States have begun offering “Ashes to Go” in parking lots, commuter-rail stations and elsewhere. Clergy offer to impose ashes on busy workers and others who want to participate in the ritual but may lack the time to get to church.
Chaplains of various denominations offer ashes at airport chapels and other sites.
Among other Protestants, such as Baptists and other evangelical groups, traditions vary. Some observe Ash Wednesday and Lent, others don’t. But they often have their own penitential and ascetic traditions. Many Pentecostals, for example, fast for a period in January to consecrate the year ahead.
Members of another of the world’s largest religions are also about to embark on their season of prayer and fasting. The start of Ramadan and the start of Lent may fall on the same date — for sure within the same week — this year.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, leading up to observances of Jesus’ death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.
Ash Wednesday is designated by counting backward 40 days from Easter, minus the Sundays.
Different churches have found various ways of calculating the traditional 40 days of Lent, but the number itself is important. It connects to the biblical symbolism of the number 40, typically used for times of testing, judgment, purification or renewal. Most directly, it alludes to the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness after his baptism, in preparation for his public ministry.
During Lent, the faithful devote themselves to prayer and other devotions, as well as charitable deeds, fasting and other forms of self-discipline. People speak of giving up something for Lent — stereotypically chocolate, but really anything that one finds difficult to do without. These days, that might mean reducing screen time.
Many churches also have extra times of devotions and other activities. Catholics often have group meditations on the Stations of the Cross, marking different events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus.
Observant Catholics also abstain from meat on Fridays — though not fish.
To that point, Lent is not all solemnity. For many Catholic parishes in the U.S., the Friday fish fry has become a tradition combining food, fundraising and community bonding.
A movable fast
Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday. For most Christians, Easter will fall on April 5 this year.
Easter moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25, following an ancient formula in which Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.
Eastern Orthodox Christians calculate the beginning and end of their “Great Lent” differently. They begin their observances on a Monday — this year on Feb. 23 — which they call “Clean Monday” or “Pure Monday.” While they don’t use ashes, they do start a period of penance and fasting. The Great Lent continues through the Friday before Holy Week, including Sundays.
The dates for Great Lent are also determined in tandem with Orthodox calculations of Easter (Pascha), which differ from those of Western churches. Orthodox Easter is April 12 this year — as in most years, falling later than Catholic and Protestant observances.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Hot Dog on a Stick is getting harder to find in Southern California malls.
The Carlsbad-based counter-service chain has closed several locations, its parent company Fat Brands confirmed in an email.
Fat Brand hasn’t yet provided details on what locations have closed or when, but said the closures were due to unfavorable leases and that the chain still has nearly 40 locations.
Fat Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Jan. 26 in Texas.
The parent company of Fatburger, it owns 18 brands with more than 2,200 units worldwide, according to a recent news release. Prominent brands in Southern California include Round Table Pizza, Johnny Rockets and Fazoli’s.
Social media users have been wondering if Hot Dog on a Stick has a future after an Instagram video was posted on Feb. 1 by What’s Up with Riverside’s Instagram channel. It shows Hot Dog on a Stick after closing down for good in the Galleria at Tyler.
The video got 42,100 likes and more than 2,250 comments.
Can you still even call it a mall legally without a Hot Dog on a Stick, one commenter asked.
Hot Dog on a Stick was founded 80 years ago. Its first stand opened in 1946 near the Santa Monica Pier. That location was rebuilt and restored to its original appearance in a yearslong project that was completed in 2023. The first mall location opened in 1973 in Murray, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, according to newspaper reports.
The brand is known for its corn dogs and “hand-stomped” lemonade made with T-shaped tools used to crush the citrus fruit in large tubs. And then there’s the uniforms with the high red, white, blue and yellow hats.
With the Tyler mall location closed, Riverside County has one Hot Dog on a Stick left. San Bernardino County has three and Los Angeles County has seven, according to the list of locations on the chain’s website.
Here’s where to look.
Los Angeles County
Antelope Valley Mall: 1233 Rancho Vista Blvd. No. 805, Palmdale.
NEW ORLEANS — It is Carnival season in New Orleans. That means gazillions of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads.
Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beaded necklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful. Spectators sometimes pile dozens around their necks, but many are trashed or left on the ground. A few years ago after heavy flooding, the city found more than 46 tons of them clogging its storm drains.
The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable. That is why it was a radical step when the Krewe of Freret made the decision last year to ban plastic beads from their parade.
“Our riders loved it because the spectators don’t value this anymore,” Freret co-founder Greg Rhoades said. “It’s become so prolific that they dodge out of the way when they see cheap plastic beads coming at them.”
This year, beads are back, but not the cheap plastic ones. Freret is one of three krewes throwing biodegradable beads developed at Louisiana State University.
The “PlantMe Beads” are 3D-printed from a starch-based, commercially available material called polylactic acid, or PLA, graduate student Alexis Strain said. The individual beads are large hollow spheres containing okra seeds. That is because the necklaces can actually be planted, and the okra attracts bacteria that help them decompose.
Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, said plastic beads are a twofold problem. First, they clog the storm drains, leading to flooding. Then those that aren’t caught in the drains are washed directly into Lake Pontchartrain, where they can harm marine life. The group is currently preparing to study microplastics in the lake.
The trend toward a more sustainable Mardi Gras has been growing for years and includes a small but growing variety of more thoughtful throws like food, soaps and sunglasses. Trail said there is no good data right now to say if those efforts are having an impact, but the group recently got a grant that should help them answer the question in the future.
“Beads are obviously a problem, but we generate about 2.5 million pounds of trash from Mardi Gras,” Trail said.
Strain works in the lab of Professor Naohiro Kato, an associate professor of biology at LSU. He first got the idea to develop biodegradable beads in 2013 after talking to people concerned about the celebration’s environmental impact. As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.
The first iteration of the lab’s biodegradable beads came in 2018, when they produced beads made from a bioplastic derived from microalgae. However, production costs were too high for the algae-based beads to offer a practical alternative to petroleum-based beads. Then Strain started experimenting with 3D printing, and the PlantMe Bead was born.
For the 2026 Carnival season, LSU students have produced 3,000 PlantMe Bead necklaces that they are giving to three krewes in exchange for feedback on the design and on how well they are received by spectators.
One funny thing, Kato said, is that people have told him they love how unique the PlantMe Beads are and want to keep them.
“So wait a minute, if you want to keep it, the petroleum-plastic Mardi Gras bead is the best, because this won’t last,” he said.
The lab is still working on ideas for a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Strain is experimenting with a different 3D printer material that biodegrades quickly without needing to be planted. Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project. He envisions students 3D printing necklaces while learning about bioplastics and plant biology. And he is still exploring ways to make algae-based bioplastic commercially viable.
Ultimately, however, Kato said, the goal should not be to replace one plastic bead with a less harmful one. He hopes Mardi Gras embraces the idea of less waste.
Rhoades said Freret is moving in the same direction.
“In 2025, we were the first krewe — major parading organization — to say, ‘No more. No more cheap beads. Let’s throw things that people value, that people appreciate, that can be used year-round,’ ” Rhoades said.
One of the most coveted items they throw is baseball hats with the Freret logo. He sees people wearing the hats around the city, and he says other krewes have noticed.
“I really believe that we, and other krewes, are able to inspire your larger krewes,” he said. “They want people to like their stuff. They want people take their stuff home, and use it, and talk about it, and post it on social media, and say, ‘Look what I just caught!’ ”
BEIJING — British and Canadian citizens can enter China without a visa starting Tuesday, bringing to 79 the number of countries granted visa-free access in a bid to boost tourism and business.
China has expanded eligibility for the program significantly in the last two years. Visitors can stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, exchange programs and to visit family and friends.
Most Europeans qualify for visa-free entry, along with some from select countries in other regions including Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Citizens of a few other countries, including the United States and Indonesia, can enter for 10 days if they are in transit — meaning they have a ticket departing for a different country than they arrived from.
Business executives and tourists have welcomed the change, as the China visa application process can be a relatively cumbersome one.
The U.K. and Canada are being added following visits to China last month by their prime ministers, Keir Starmer and Mark Carney. Both are relatively new leaders who are trying to revamp ties with Beijing after a downturn in recent years.
For most countries, the visa-free access expires at the end of this year, but it has been extended in the past.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama said he did not see evidence that aliens “have made contact with us,” after sending social media abuzz by saying aliens were real on a podcast over the weekend.
During a lightning round of questions with podcast host Brian Tylor Cohen, Obama was asked, “Are aliens real?”
“They’re real,” he answered, continuing: “But I haven’t seen them. And, they’re not being kept in Area 51.”
On Sunday night, the former president released a statement on Instagram, appearing to clarify what he meant by his comments that have since gone viral.
“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
Secrecy around Area 51, a top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert, has long fueled conspiracy theories among UFO enthusiasts.
In 2013, the CIA acknowledged the existence of the site, but not UFO crashes, black-eyed extraterrestrials or staged moon landings.
Declassified documents referred to the 8,000-square-mile (20,700-square-kilometer) installation by name after decades of U.S. government officials refusing to acknowledge it.
The base has been a testing ground for a host of top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the B-2 stealth bomber.
LUSAKA, Zambia — She says she was let down at every step. By a partner who abandoned her when she was pregnant. By a health service that denied her a legal abortion. And by a justice system that sent her to a maximum-security prison for illegally terminating her pregnancy on her own.
Violet Zulu, a house cleaner in Zambia earning $40 a month, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024 after representing herself in court with little understanding of the consequences of her actions. She didn’t see her two children or other family members for nearly two years.
After word of her case reached international rights groups that helped her file an appeal, Zulu was freed last month. Activists say she represents many women in Africa who take desperate decisions when facing barriers to legal abortion services.
Her story has drawn little sympathy in her southern African nation, where parts of society view abortion harshly. Her own mother said she agreed with her daughter’s prison sentence, but said it should have been shorter.
Zulu spoke with The Associated Press as she pieces her life together again at the age of 26.
She said she first attempted to access legal abortion services at a public clinic, which should have given her advice or services but turned her away. She then tried a private pharmacy, which requested 800 Zambian kwacha ($43) for abortion drugs, a month’s salary for her.
She was already struggling to feed her two young sons, and she sometimes had to beg food from relatives.
She said her decision to drink an herbal concoction she prepared herself, one known for terminating pregnancies, was taken out of despair. She couldn’t bear for her boys to have even less food if she had another child.
“I never wanted to abort my pregnancy, but it is the circumstances at home that forced me to do it,” Zulu said in the interview at the two-room rented home with no running water that she shares with her children and parents.
“I was scared (when I took the concoction), but I didn’t really care what would happen to me,” she added.
In her court testimony, she explained what happened next: She delivered the fetus in a toilet, placed it in a sack and dropped it in a nearby stream. She said she confided in a friend, but word got out and neighbors reported her to police.
Zulu, who left school in the eighth grade, was never offered free legal counsel despite the right to request it. She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to the offense of procuring her own abortion. She said she didn’t understand the legality of abortion and thought she would receive a warning.
“This is a system that failed Violet,” said Rosemary Kirui, a legal adviser for Africa for the abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights, which campaigned for Zulu’s release and helped with her appeal. “It is not that she did not try. It is that she could not afford the services, yet she should be able to access them as a citizen of Zambia.”
Zulu should have been eligible for a free abortion under a provision that allows doctors in Zambia to consider risks to the well-being of her existing children, said Sharon Williams, country director for the Women and Law in Southern Africa advocacy group.
But Zulu was not aware of that, largely because of the secrecy, stigma and shame around abortion, which is not advertised by Zambia’s public health system.
Zambia’s health ministry did not respond to questions about her case.
Part of the problem, Williams said, is that Zambia has legalized abortion while also defining itself in its constitution as a strongly Christian country.
Abortions are still largely restricted in Africa, with few countries allowing them for reasons other than threats to the health of the mother or the fetus. Even in countries like Zambia, religious beliefs, conservative values rooted in local cultures or a lack of information make access to legal procedures difficult, according to health and rights groups.
Williams said Zulu’s case ought to lead to a national conversation over whether Zambian authorities should better educate communities over the legal right to abortion.
“I think now that we have this judgment, we’re ready for the conversation,” she said.
Activists say desperate women turn to unsafe abortions. Africa and Latin America have the highest proportions of them, with approximately 75% of all abortions in Africa deemed unsafe, according to the World Health Organization.
The Guttmacher Institute health rights organization estimated in a 2019 report that over 6 million unsafe abortions a year occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. It noted that Zambia’s abortion law “tended to be a ‘paper law’ rather than one that ensures widespread access.”
In South Africa, which claims to have the most progressive laws on the continent, abortion has been legal for nearly 30 years. It is allowed on request before 13 weeks of pregnancy and for several reasons before 21 weeks.
But studies estimate only 7% of public health facilities there offer abortion services.
In 2023, the case of a 14-year-old who was denied an abortion by South African health workers three times for reasons that were not valid prompted a national reality check. After an urgent court case, a judge ordered that the girl be allowed to have an abortion, which was performed on the last day eligible by law.
At the time, a representative of the social justice group that represented the girl said South Africa’s abortion laws were being undermined by “the abuse of medical knowledge by health care professionals” in trying to prevent abortions.
In Zambia, Zulu said she still felt bad about what she did but must now provide for her sons. She was looking for work again, she said.
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
As Khelin Marcano was preparing for her routine scheduled appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December, she debated packing a bag full of her 1-year-old daughter’s clothes. While she and her husband had been attending appointments without issue, she knew others were being detained at government buildings by immigration authorities.
“When they told us we were being detained, it felt like we already knew, all along,” Marcano told ABC News.
The family, including 1-year-old Amalia, was quickly sent from El Paso to Texas’ Dilley immigration detention center, where they were detained for 60 days — joining hundreds of other families that the government has held for durations that advocates say exceed the limits established by federal court rulings.
Those restrictions stem from the Flores Settlement, a 1997 legal agreement that a federal court has interpreted to mean that the government generally should not hold children in immigration custody for more than 20 days.
As of last month, there were about 1,400 people being held at Dilley, including children and parents, according to RAICES, a legal immigrant advocacy group. The facility was closed during the Biden administration and was re-opened last year as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown ramped up.
The 60 days that Marcano, her husband Stiven Prieto, and their daughter were held there is three times the general legal limit permitted by the settlement.
“The Trump administration is holding children and families in detention for prolonged periods of time, weeks, months,” Elora Mukherjee, the family’s lawyer, told ABC News. “Children and families at the Dilley facility don’t have access to sufficient clean drinking water, where they don’t have access to sufficient nutritious food, [and] don’t have access to adequate medical care.
‘Why does this happen to us?’
The family entered the U.S. using the Biden-era Customs and Border Protection app in 2024, according to court documents. They were processed and granted parole to live in the country while applying for asylum. The family was released last week after their 60-day detention and their first court date is scheduled for 2027, according to their attorney.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the family “was released into the country under the Biden administration,” and confirmed their detention.
“For years, the Flores consent decree has been a tool of the left to promote an open borders agenda,” the DHS spokesperson said. “It is long overdue for a single district in California to stop managing the Executive Branch’s immigration functions. The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our immigration system.”
Early on during their detention, the family says 1-year-old Amalia developed a persistent fever. Marcano told ABC News that despite her repeated pleas for medication, the medical staff dismissed the symptoms.
“The doctor told me that fever was a good sign because it meant she was actively fighting a virus,” Marcano said in Spanish. “I got really upset … and told her that whatever the case was, a fever is not a good thing. If she didn’t know that fever could kill people, or that fever could cause convulsions, fever would never be good.”
In a habeas petition Marcano filed against the government, she and her attorney claimed the Dilley facility lacked basic hygiene and nutrition, and that they saw bugs in the food. They alleged that the tap water smelled so strongly of chlorine that the family spent their limited funds on bottled water for their daughter.
Khelin Marcano, Stiven Prieto and their one-year-old daughter Amalia were released from immigration detention this month.
ABC News
Marcano told ABC News that at one point during their detention, Amalia seemed to lose her strength and collapsed in her arms.
“I grabbed her and I dressed her and I took her back to the clinic, and I began to argue with the doctors, asking who would be responsible for my daughter if something happened to her,” Marcano said.
Marcano said it was only then that staff at Dilley transported her and Amalia by ambulance to a regional hospital, and later to a larger hospital in San Antonio. The 1-year-old was diagnosed with COVID-19 and a respiratory virus. according to the family and their habeas petition.
According to Marcano’s complaint, hospital staff provided her with a nebulizer and Albuterol to treat Amalia’s respiratory distress — but when they returned to the Dilley facility, the staff immediately confiscated both the nebulizer and the medication.
“They took her treatment away,” Marcano said. “Why does this happen to us if we have done everything right? I was begging the officers to please help me get out of there, and no one listened to me.”
The family was released together shortly after they filed a habeas petition. Marcano told ABC News that, while inside the facility, she met families with pregnant women and saw children as young as 2 months old.
Long-term effects
Several immigrant advocates and attorneys told ABC News that the Trump administration is keeping children and families who are seeking asylum and other forms of legal relief in prolonged detention.
In Minneapolis, where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained along with his father on their way home from school last month, local school officials told ABC News that immigration authorities had detained four other students from the district. One of them, 11-year-old Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano, was detained along with her mother for more than one month, according to the family’s attorney, Bobby Painter.
“They were pulled over by ICE and pulled out of their car, thrown on an airplane and sent to Dilley, all in the span of maybe 24 hours,” the attorney said.
Some families have been held for months, attorneys told ABC News.
“The effects of detention are long-term on children,” Mukherjee, Marcano’s attorney, told ABC News. “Children who are with their parents and who are safe with their parents should never be detained when it’s not in a child’s best interest.”
The one-year-old was diagnosed with COVID-19 and RSV during their immigration detention according to a lawsuit.
Attorney Elora Mukherjee
The DHS, in a statement, said “being in detention is a choice.”
“We encourage all parents to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App,” the spokesperson said. “The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now.”
Since being released, Marcano said her daughter hardly cries at night anymore like she did when they were at the detention center.
“We’re feeling very good and thank god for his blessings,” she told ABC News. “We’re still a little on edge about what we were planning to do given everything ahead. So we’re left here thinking about what is going to happen to us and that gives us a bit of fear.”
“Are they going to leave us alone?” Marcano said. “That’s what we hope, but we don’t know.”
The January inflation reading offered encouraging signs for consumers and the U.S. economy, with the Consumer Price Index coming in below Wall Street expectations and falling to its lowest level in nine months.
Although Americans continue to grapple with elevated prices and cost-of-living concerns, the trajectory of inflation in recent months offers some relief for consumers, experts said. Inflation rose at an average annual rate of 2.6% from November through January — down from nearly 2.9% from July through September. (October’s CPI report was canceled due to the government shutdown.)
“Inflation fell to the lowest level since May, and key items such as food, gas and rent are cooling off,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in an email. “This will provide much-needed relief for middle-class and moderate-income families.”
Here are five takeaways from today’s CPI report, which tracks changes in prices of goods and services across the U.S.
Inflation came in cooler than expected
Friday’s report showed that inflation in January dipped to 2.4% on an annual basis, a shade below economists’ forecasts of 2.5%.
The softer reading surprised some experts because January CPI data often comes in hotter than other months due to seasonal factors and more rapid price changes at the start of the year, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said in an analysis earlier this month.
To be sure, while inflation is cooling, prices continue to rise faster than economists and the Federal Reserve would like.
“They’re going up at a slower pace, and that’s what we want, but they’re still going up,” Stephen Kates, a financial analyst at Bankrate, told CBS News ahead of the CPI release.
So-called core inflation, which strips out the more volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.5% year over year, a sign that prices remain somewhat sticky.
Some grocery costs eased
Price hikes at the grocery store are easing, providing some relief for consumers. Food at home — a category that tracks food bought at grocery stores and other retailers for consumption at home — rose 2.1% from a year earlier, cooler than the overall CPI rate.
Grocery items that dropped in price last month compared with a year ago include cheese, fresh fruit and eggs, with the latter declining 34%. To be sure, some foods are still seeing significant price hikes, including ground beef and roasted coffee, with the cost of both items up 17% in January from a year ago.
Prices at restaurants and other eateries rose 4% last month from a year earlier, exceeding the overall inflation rate.
Lower prices at the pump
One standout from Friday’s report was energy prices, which showed a notable deceleration and helped lower the overall inflation reading, EY-Parthenon senior economist Lydia Boussour said in an email.
Within the energy category, gasoline prices dipped 7.5%.
By contrast, electricity prices continue to climb sharply, rising 6.3% year-over-year. That comes amid an increase in electricity demand, partly from data centers powering the spread of AI services, that has driven up consumers’ utility bills. Those price pressures are likely to persist. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts residential electricity prices will rise nearly 4% in 2026.
Housing costs slowed
Housing costs, categorized as “shelter” in the CPI, slowed in January. The category rose 3% from a year earlier, down from 3.2% in the prior month.
One caveat: Experts say that the year-over-year shelter figures have been softer in recent months, likely due to the lingering effects of the government shutdown in fall 2025, which disrupted federal data collection.
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not have data from October, and they had to impute what they think it was going to be, and that has very likely created some artificially low numbers on housing,” Kates explained, adding that he expects numbers to normalize around March or April.
Fed likely to hold off on March rate cut
Many experts think the Federal Reserve will leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its March meeting, despite today’s CPI report showing inflation edging closer to the central bank’s goal of a 2% annual rate.
While January’s CPI data will be “welcome news for the Federal Reserve,” there may be concerns about some data distortions remaining from last fall’s government shutdown, noted Bernard Yaros, lead economist at Oxford Economics, in a Friday report.
Meanwhile, other inflation gauges suggest it’s too early for the central bank to declare victory. Although the latest CPI numbers show that core inflation is fading, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — Personal Consumption Expenditures, another measure of consumer spending — remains stuck at nearly 3%, well above the central bank’s 2% annual target.
The Fed will also likely be monitoring the labor market for signs of stabilization, Yaros added. Oxford is forecasting two rate cuts in 2026, at the Fed’s June and September meetings.
TikTok said Wednesday that it’s rolling out a new local feed that shows videos from nearby businesses and services based on users’ precise geolocation data.
Users of the social media platform will now see a new tab on their app called “Local” that leads to content related to nearby travel, events, restaurants and shopping, as well as posts from local creators, the company said in a statement. The local tab won’t appear in accounts owned by people younger than 18, those who have a private account or who set their privacy settings to “friends” or “only you,” it added.
The service is rolling out after TikTok drew backlash in January when it updated its privacy policy to state that it may collect “precise location information” from users’ devices if they enable location services in their device settings. Some users described such data collection as “invasive,” although TikTok’s terms noted that people could turn off the geolocation tracking in their settings.
On Wednesday, TikTok emphasized that sharing geolocation data is voluntary and that other apps rely on similar information about their users.
“This approach is consistent with how many modern apps use location today and gives people the choice to enable it when they want more relevant, local experiences, while keeping them in control,” TikTok said.
TikTok said that geolocation tracking is set to “off” by default and, if turned on, will only be active when the app is in use.
The social media service rolled out the new privacy policy in January on the same day that it split from its prior owner, China-based ByteDance. TikTok’s new ownership includes software maker Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX, which together own a combined 45% of the company.
Another 35% stake in TikTok is owned by eight other investors, including Dell CEO Michael Dell’s personal investment office. ByteDance will retain 19.9% of the business, just below the 20% ownership cap allowed under federal law.
This week on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” as Democrats refuse to vote to fund DHS with changes to ICE, Ed O’Keefe speaks to Trump administration border czar Tom Homan. Plus, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Thom Tillis join.
INGLEWOOD — Kawhi Leonard let the slightest smirk evade the corner of his mouth as he stoically swayed during the player introductions before Sunday’s new-look NBA All-Star Game.
No nod, no wave for his Intuit Dome crowd. Leonard’s silence, a cornerstone of the seven-time All-Star’s personality, is part of what makes the 34-year-old Moreno Valley product a compelling figure in the NBA. But across All-Star Weekend, Leonard made nothing but noise on his name alone.
Talk about the two-time NBA Finals MVP’s snub-turned-selection for the festivities. Chat about his views on the All-Star Game’s ever-evolving formats. Or listen to NBA commissioner Adam Silver answer hot-button questions on Leonard and the league’s ongoing investigation into potential salary cap infractions involving the Clippers. Leonard answered the noise himself by doing what he does best: playing competitive basketball.
“When I come in to play basketball, I’ve got one way,” Leonard said. “Obviously nobody is trying to get hurt. I’m going to try to attack, try to get some shots up. I don’t like people just scoring on me.”
“The Klaw” was not named the All-Star Game MVP, but the Clippers’ forward made Sunday evening memorable with an offensive flurry for Team USA Stripes. Leonard’s shots kept going down during a dominant display in the round-robin tournament’s third mini-game against Victor Wembanyama and Team World. Leonard poured in 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting (6 for 7 from 3-point range) across a 12-minute span to remember.
“We got a guy like Kawhi going for 30, making every shot,” Wembanyama said. “I started guarding him for sure. Tried my best.”
Leonard played all 12 minutes in two of his team’s three games. He made his first seven shots with five 3-pointers amid raucous cheers. To finish off Team World, Leonard challenged Karl-Anthony Towns one-on-one at the top of the key, draining a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in a 48-45 win as he pointed to the Clipper fan-laden section dubbed “The Wall” as they chanted his name.
San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who coached Leonard and Team Stripes to a runner-up finish, said Leonard’s dominance on Sunday is a testament to his “excellence over time.” Norman Powell, who played for the Clippers from 2022-2025, said his former teammate’s All-Star takeover was just the expected when it comes to Leonard.
“Us guys putting on that jersey that’s played with him, know his approach, know his ability and know what he wants to do every single time he steps on the floor,” said Powell, who represented his Jamaican heritage with Team World on Sunday.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox recalled working out with Leonard in San Diego during the offseason a few years ago, watching his now-All-Star teammate flex his strength on the court, placing purpose into every dribble, shot and free throw, he said.
It’s why, Fox says, Leonard is one of the “top-10 most-skilled” players in NBA history.
“There’s no wasted motion in anything that he does. It’s simply amazing how good he is. And that’s like, bro; that’s why no one guards you one-on-one,” Fox said. “That’s why we’re sending doubles at you. We send three guys at you. We try to make somebody else shoot the ball if you’re in the game.”
Toronto’s Brandon Ingram, who was also a late addition to the All-Star Game alongside Leonard, said he spent the weekend watching how his teammates – including the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry – prepared with their respective routines. But when it came to watching Leonard, Ingram said, there’s nothing to observe.
Leonard lurked in the background of the All-Star hubbub, leaving his noise on the court as the only routine Ingram could watch.
“Honestly, (Leonard) don’t say nothing,” Ingram said. “He went out on the floor. He knew what he wanted to get to. He knew what he wanted to do. And he went out and did it.”
A firefighter suffered a medical emergency, and $720,000 in construction materials were damaged when flames erupted in pallets behind a commercial building in Riverside on Sunday.
The fire was reported at 8:36 a.m. at 6960 Jurupa Ave., near Wilderness Avenue. according to Riverside Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg White, who was the Incident Commander.
“The first arriving unit found a well-involved fire to the rear of the structure with immediate fire threat to the surrounding businesses,” White said. “Fire crews quickly made access and contained the fire to pallets of construction materials. The exterior of the building was damaged from the radiant heat of the fire and crews were able to prevent further extension into the building.”
The flames were out at 9:06 a.m., he said.
One firefighter suffered a “medical emergency” while working on the blaze and was taken to a hospital for treatment by ambulance, White said.
Authorities later said the firefighter was stable and that the medical emergency was unrelated to the fire.
About $720,000 in construction materials were damaged by the fire, White said.
The cause was under investigation.
Southern California News Group reporter Jordan Darling contributed to this story.
