CR MAG

Celebs Top News

Hot

Sunday, February 22, 2026

DHS Suspends Global Entry at Airports. Here's What We Know

February 22, 2026
DHS Suspends Global Entry at Airports. Here's What We Know

Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA PreCheck in Terminal one at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Chicago. Credit - Armando L. Sanchez—Chicago Tribuyne/Tribune News Service

Time

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday it would suspend two programs that allow millions of air travelers to expedite airport security, only to reverse course less than 12 hours later following an outcry from industry groups and passengers.

The DHS said Saturday evening it would suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, blaming thepartial government shutdownthat has halted funding to the agency, sparked by a dispute between Democrats and Republicans over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

TSA PreCheck had more than 20 million active membersas of 2024, while some 13 million people useGlobal Entry. Those who enroll in the programs enter a separate, often much shorter line at airport security.

Read more:DHS Shuts Down With No End In Sight Amid Impasse Over Immigration

DHS said that it would halt the programs from Sunday morning to "refocus Department personnel on the majority of travelers." Secretary Kristi Noem said: "Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security."

But later Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said PreCheck "remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly."

The TSA added that courtesy escorts provided for members of Congress have been suspended "to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America's skies."

The suspension of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program, appeared to remain in place.

Industry backlash

The reversal followed an outcry from airline industry leaders, who said the short notice would cause chaos for passengers.

Advertisement

Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines,saidhis organization was "deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown."

"The announcement was issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, which is especially troubling at this time of record air travel," he added in a statement.

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman called the suspension "extremely disappointing," and argued that lawmakers have used travel personnel as a "means to achieve political ends."

A larger battle

The battle over airport lines comes as Democrats and Republicans continue to negotiate over how to end the partial shutdown over DHS funding.

Many DHS operations remain untouched during the shutdown, but agencies such as TSA are bearing the brunt of the impact asroughly 95 percentof its employees, about 61,000, have been forced to work without pay since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14 at midnight.

As part of what she said was an effort to "conserve resources" in response to the funding shortfall, Noem said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would "halt all non-disaster related response to prioritize disasters," the same day that a major blizzard is set to hit the East Coast. As much as 20 inches of snow is expected to fall in New York City.

According to Noem and the DHS, FEMA will not focus on past disasters during the shutdown, but only those  "requiring immediate emergency action to protect lives or prevent catastrophic damage."

The snowstorm has already affected airlines and airports, with more than 6,000 flight cancellations reported through Monday from Virginia to Maine ahead of the blizzard.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, accused the Trump Administration of making travel "less safe.""This is Trump and Kristi Noem purposely punishing the American people and using them as pawns for their sadistic political games. TSA PreCheck and Global Entry REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS staff who are working without pay because of Trump's abuse of the Department and killing of American citizens," he said in astatement.

The partial shutdown continues as the White House said last week that Democrats and Republicans are "still pretty far apart" on DHS and ICE funding. The shutdown began after Democrats demanded changes toimmigration operationsand President Donald Trump's mass deportations in the aftermath of immigration officers shooting and killing two U.S. citizens during their crackdown inMinneapolis.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

Read More

The next US-Iran talks will be Thursday in Geneva, Oman says

February 22, 2026
The next US-Iran talks will be Thursday in Geneva, Oman says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The next round of talks between the United States andIranwill be Thursday in Geneva, Oman's foreign minister said Sunday, shortly after Tehran's top diplomat said he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff then.

Associated Press Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets on its deck and a sign in Farsi and English reading, Vehicles drive by the Azadi (Freedom) monument in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran Daily Life

Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on social media he was pleased to confirm the development, "with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal." Oman previously hosted theindirect talkson the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and facilitated the latest round in Geneva last week.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had told CBS in an interview aired Sunday that a "good chance" remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue, adding it was the only matter being discussed.

The Trump administration has been pushing for concessions from its longtime adversary and has built up thelargest U.S. military presence in the Middle Eastin decades.

President Donald Trump warned on Friday thatlimited strikes against Iranare possible, even as Araghchi at the time said Tehran expected to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days.

Araghchi told CBS that Iran was still working on the draft proposal. He added that Iran has the right to enrich uranium. On Friday, he said his U.S. counterparts had not asked for zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly.

Both Iran and the U.S. havesignaled they are prepared for warif talks on Tehran's nuclear program fail.

Minutes after Oman's confirmation of talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media that "recent negotiations involved the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals. However, we continue to closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario."

The U.S. has said Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should onlyfocus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn't been enriching uranium sinceU.S. and Israeli strikeson Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.

Talks were deadlocked for years after Trump's decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S.from Iran's 2015 nuclear dealwith world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

New protests in Iran

Confirmation of new talks came as new anti-government protests began inIran, according to witnesses, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in acrackdown on previous nationwide demonstrationsabout six weeks ago.

Advertisement

Iran's state news agency said students protested at five universities in the capital, Tehran, and one in the city of Mashhad on Sunday. The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during anti-government rallies.

Iran's government has not commented on the latest protests.

Many Iranians have held ceremonies marking the traditional 40-day mourning period in the past week. Most of the protesters are believed to have been killed around Jan. 8 and 9, according to activists tracking the situation.

Iranians across the country are still reeling withshock,griefandfearafter the earlier protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-oldSupreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands are believed to have beenarrested.

Although the crackdown tamped down the largest protests, smaller ones are still occurring, according to protesters and to videos shared on social media.

Duringthe 1979 Islamic Revolutionthat toppled the shah andbrought the Islamic Republic to power, 40-day memorials for slain protesters often turned into rallies that security forces tried to crush, causing new deaths. Those were then marked 40 days later, with new protests.

Posts on social media Saturday and Sunday have alleged that security forces tried to restrict people from attending some 40-day ceremonies.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 7,015 people were killed in the previous protests and crackdown, including 214 government forces. The group has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists there to verify deaths.

The death toll continues to rise as the group crosschecks information despite disrupted communication with those inside the Islamic Republic.

Iran's government offered its only death toll from the previous protests on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran's theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, given authorities have disrupted internet access and international calls in Iran.

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Read More

Armed man shot, killed after allegedly breaching secure Mar-a-Lago area

February 22, 2026
Armed man shot, killed after allegedly breaching secure Mar-a-Lago area

U.S. Secret Service agents and local police shot and killed an armed man who allegedly breached a secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago and raised a gun at law enforcement officials in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 22.

USA TODAY

A security detail detected the man near the north gate of PresidentDonald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, at about 1:30 a.m. local time. Authorities said he was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can. The president was in Washington during the incident and not at his property.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the man reached the property's inner perimeter near its entrance, prompting a sheriff's deputy and two Secret Service agents to go to the area and investigate.

"They confronted a White male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun," Bradshaw said. "He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat."

A mobile Police tower can be seen on the grounds of US President-Elect Donald Trump's South Florida home in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach Florida on December 20, 2024. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Bradshaw said, and no agents were injured.

Nobody who receives protection from the Secret Service was present at the time of the shooting, Secret Service communication chief Anthony Guglielmi said innews release.

Advertisement

Officials have not released the man's identity, but they said he was in his early 20s. When asked if the man was already known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said "not right now." He said he could not yet confirm how many shots were fired because the incident remains under active investigation, with the FBI taking lead.

Camilo Valencia of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office sets up the media stand ahead of Sheriff Ric Bradshaw's arrival on Southern Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

Authorities asked people who live in the area to look at any security footage they may have from around their homes and report anything suspicious to the FBI or local authorities.

In aposton social media, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service "acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person." She also slammed Democrats for the ongoingpartial government shutdown,during which the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, has faced a lapse in funding.

In September 2024, Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt while he golfed at his club in suburban West Palm Beach, a short drive from Mar-a-Lago.RyanWesley Routhwas found guilty of attempting to assassinate the then-presidential nominee. It was the second attempt on Trump's life in the run-up to the November 2024 election, preceded by the shooting in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In January 2020, a woman drove an SUV through barriers at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the Secret Service and Palm Beach County sheriff's officers to fire at her vehicle. The woman, opera singer Hannah Roemhild, was found not guilty byreason of insanity.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Man shot and killed after allegedly breaching Mar-a-Lago

Read More

USA vs. Canada men's hockey: Sidney Crosby out of Winter Olympics gold-medal game due to injury

February 22, 2026
USA vs. Canada men's hockey: Sidney Crosby out of Winter Olympics gold-medal game due to injury

MILAN — Sidney Crosby has been ruled out of Canada's Olympic gold-medal game against the United States. The news came about an hour before the start of the game.

Yahoo Sports MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 18: Sidney Crosby of Canada leaves the ice with an apparent injury following a check from Radko Gudas of Czechia during the Men's Ice Hockey Quarterfinal match between Canada and Czechia on day twelve of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 18, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist,suffered a lower-body injury during Canada's quarterfinal victory over Czechia. His status for Sunday's game had been in doubt right up until the official announcement.

In the game against Czechia, Crosby was hit along the boards in the second period by Czechia's Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas, the third major hit he'd taken that period. He exited the ice soon afterward, limped toward the locker room, and was soon ruled out of that game.

Canada head coach Jon Cooper said on Friday that he believed Crosby had a chance to play in the gold-medal game, but clearly the 38-year-old Canadian captain did not recover in time to be in Canada's active lineup.

Advertisement

"He's Sidney Crosby," Connor McDavid said after Crosby's injury. "He's going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he's going to have a big influence. That's what he does."

Crosby, the oldest player on Canada's roster, has played in three Olympic Games for Canada, and has won two golds, in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Crosby scored Canada's golden overtime goal in 2010 that sent Canada past the United States. He skated in practice on both Friday and Saturday but made no public statements, as both practices were closed to media.

McDavid will again be the playing captain for Team Canada, as he has been since Crosby's injury.

Crosby has scored two goals and four assists while in Milan, and holds the Canadian NHL-era Olympic record with 16 total points.

Read More

March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA Tournament bubble

February 22, 2026
March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA Tournament bubble

Less than a week remains before thecollege basketball calendar turns to March.

USA TODAY Sports

TheNCAA Tournament fieldis somewhat starting to shape up, with multiple teams pulling ahead as potential national championship favorites. Saturday, Feb. 21, was potentially even a Final Four preview, withNo. 3 Duke defeating No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Arizona beating No. 2 Houston.

March Madness bracketology:NCAA Tournament field prediction has new No. 1 seed

There are also assuredly to be a few bid stealers come conference championship season, which almost always throws a wrench when in the NCAA's plans with crafting the 68-team bracket.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

Advertisement

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Based on games through Saturday, Feb. 21

NCAA Tournament locks

  • Big Ten (7): Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin

  • Big 12 (6): Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, Houston, BYU, Texas Tech

  • ACC (6): Duke, Louisville, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, NC State

  • SEC (5): Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee

  • Big East (3): UConn, Villanova, St. John's

  • Other (2): Utah State, Saint Louis

There are 27 virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament, according toBart Torvik's "TourneyCast,"one of multiple metrics used by the NCAA in deciding the bracket. Each team listed has a 99.8% chance or better to reach the Tournament, perTorvik.

Torvik's metrics are part of the NCAA's BPI equation, alongside other third-party analyst Ken Pomeroy, who runs KenPom.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

  • Big 12 (1): UCF

  • Big Ten (2): Indiana, UCLA

  • ACC (2): SMU, Miami

  • SEC (4): Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia

  • Big East (0): N/A

  • Other (3): Saint Mary's, New Mexico

There are a lot fewer likely-in teams than locks, due to there still being a few weeks left in the regular season, along with conference tournaments. Teams included have between a 70% and 99.8% chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

  • Big 12 (3): TCU, West Virginia, Cincinnati

  • Big Ten (3): Ohio State, USC, Washington

  • ACC (2): Virginia Tech, Cal

  • SEC (2): Auburn, Missouri

  • Big East (1): Seton Hall

  • Other (3): Santa Clara, San Diego State, VCU

Not all of these teams will reach the NCAA Tournament, and some might only have a chance at earning a bid through the conference tournament. Still, these teams have between a 5% and 57% chance of reaching the tournament as an at-large team, per Torvik.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA Tournament bubble

Read More