As America’s energy demands grow exponentially, the country won’t be able to keep up without more nuclear power. It’s also flirting with relaxing radiation standards and eliminating some over-the-top security requirements at nuclear plants. Take, for example, the government’s overly stringent radiation standards. That has forced operators to incorporate concrete shields into their reactor designs, which raise costs and limit how long employees can work at a given time. The science underpinning the radiation rule is mushy, at best.

Tennessee whiskey is one of America’s most tightly defined styles. At the World Whiskies Awards America 2026, the Tennessee category belonged to one name. The two winning expressions show how broad the Tennessee style can be, from bonded structure to extended maturation. Category Champion – Best Tennessee Whiskey (No Age Statement)Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee WhiskeyTasting Notes: Seared corn, caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, toasted marshmallow, maple, oak, herbsFind Your Next Bottle: $27Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey forms part of the distillery’s Bonded Series, a line built around the Bottled-in-Bond Act. Category Winner – Best Tennessee Whiskey (13 To 20 Years)Jack Daniel’s 14 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey Batch 1Tasting Notes: Sweet, creamy pipe tobacco, seasoned oak, butterscotchFind Your Next Bottle: $845Jack Daniel’s 14 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey Batch 1 represents a very different side of the distillery’s portfolio.

The Department of Homeland Security is broadening federal immigration authorities’ ability to detain legal refugees who have not yet obtained green cards, citing national security concerns and the need to ensure refugees undergo additional screening, according to a DHS memo obtained by CNN. “Refugees may be considered to have voluntarily returned to custody” by submitting application paperwork and appearing at scheduled appointments with immigration services, according to the new memo. “This memo was done in secret, with zero coordination with the organizations that serve refugees,” said Beth Oppenheim, CEO of refugee agency HIAS. The International Refugee Assistance Project, one of the plaintiffs in the federal Minnesota case, says it is challenging the new refugee policy. Last fall, the Trump administration set the number of annual refugee admissions at 7,500 – a fraction of what the US has historically allowed.

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In a 50-page ruling, California State Bar Court Judge Yvette D. Roland found that Jim Clark, former chief deputy attorney under then-City Atty. With the city facing multiple lawsuits over the billing debacle, Clark helped oversee a friendly class-action lawsuit against the city, the judge found. After the sham lawsuit was revealed, Clark and others in the city attorney’s office blamed other attorneys. The city attorney’s office also spent tens of millions of dollars on outside attorneys in a related case, with Clark and others repeatedly denying wrongdoing. Clark casually informed Nagle about an upcoming class-action lawsuit that was going to be filed against the city that would be beneficial for the city.

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There are about a dozen fewer brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US than there were two years ago, according to a new report. There were 753 brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US at the end of 2025, according to a new report by the Guttmacher Institute — ​54 fewer than in ​2020, including a net loss of 12 abortion clinics since March 2024. In New York, abortion is legal and protected; voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state’s constitution in 2024. The closure was “a big blow,” said Chelsea Williams-Diggs, executive director of the New York Abortion Access Fund. “That has direct impacts on abortion access and on abortion funds,” Williams-Diggs said.

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UN disarmament panel passes Pakistan-led resolutions on arms control, nuclear security https://www.arabnews.com/node/2621911/pakistan​2. Deploys 24 F-15E, 30 F-35A and A-10 Jets to Jordan: Massive Airpower Buildup Near Iran Signals Escalation in Middle East Tensions https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/us-f35-f15e-a10-deployment-jordan-muwaffaq-salti-air-base-iran-tensions-2026/​8. Russia, China, Iran Launch “Maritime Security Belt 2026” Naval Drills in Strait of Hormuz as US Deploys Dual Carrier Strike Groups https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/russia-china-iran-maritime-security-belt-2026-strait-of-hormuz-us-carrier-strike-group/​11. Belgium wants additional F-35 jets to be ‘as European as possible,’ says defense minister https://breakingdefense.com/2026/02/belgium-wants-additional-f-35-jets-to-be-as-european-as-possible-says-defense-minister/​13. New Talks on Nuclear Arms Control of No Use Without China https://japan-forward.com/new-talks-on-nuclear-arms-control-of-no-use-without-china/​

IntroductionIran and Saudi Arabia are pursuing a détente. Against this backdrop, consolidating détente with Saudi Arabia has gained strategic importance for Iran’s leadership. Détente Under StressHigh-level contact between Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed after the 2023 agreement, including bilateral meetings between foreign ministers and security officials. In the context of renewed international pressure on Iran (sanctions, weakened deterrence and threats of future Israeli attacks), détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia represents a significant achievement for Iran. 2 “Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns the Blatant Israeli Aggressions Against Iran,” Saudi Press Agency, June 13, 2025, https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/w2339269.

(Obama later clarified that he’d seen no evidence of that during his time in the White House.) Advertisement“What’s funny is, we’ve kind of asked my father-in-law about this, ’cause we’re like, ‘Well, what do you know?’” responded Trump, who is married to the president’s son Eric. And it has to do with maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life, so to speak.”AdvertisementLara Trump said her father-in-law, President Donald Trump, "played a little coy" when she asked him what he knew about aliens. Noting that she considers herself a “numbers person,” Trump told Devine that it would be “pretty wild” to think that we’re alone in the universe. AdvertisementDevine then pressed Trump on whether she thinks the president “acts as if he believes there are UFOs.”“I mean, he’s kind of been very cool about it.

Since then, Democratic candidates have enjoyed a sustained polling advantage on health care. White House spokesperson Kush Desai argued that Trump has already defied the party’s history on health care, touting the president’s efforts to lower drug prices. But in recent briefings on midterm strategy, Trump’s political advisers offered a blunter motivation for leaning in on health care: They have no other choice. “I don’t think they just want to be attacked for letting health care costs go up,” said Alex Conant, a longtime GOP operative. The new focus has mirrored Trump’s own rising enthusiasm for campaigning on parts of his health care agenda.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday by a local U.K. police force in an extraordinary development as the former royal has faced intense scrutiny over his ties to late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. The BBC reported that the force had previously said they were evaluating a complaint over Andrew’s alleged sharing of confidential information with Epstein. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested by a local U.K. police force, per multiple reports. Andrew was stripped of his royal title in October as more details came to light about his relationship to Epstein. A man steps out of an unmarked car at the home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Robert Carlyle pictured in September 2025 Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockRobert Carlye has been announced as a new addition to the cast of Line Of Duty ahead of production beginning on the much-hyped seventh season. On Thursday morning, the BBC announced that the Trainspotting actor will play a new detective constable character, Shaun Massie, when the award-winning crime drama returns to our screens next year. Advertisement“Having been a huge admirer of [Line Of Duty creator] Jed Mercurio’s work for many years, I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to join such an exceptional cast for series seven of Line Of Duty,” he enthused. Line Of Duty's Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston BBCAdvertisementShowrunner Jed Mercurio said: “On Line Of Duty, we’ve been honoured by the glittering guest leads who’ve joined the cast over the years. We couldn’t be more thrilled that Robert Carlyle will star in series seven as Specialist Rifle Officer Shaun Massie.

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