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February 18, 2026 
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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
- A California avalanche kills at least eight
- Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand
- Plus, Michael Heizer’s enormous art
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| Members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, Calif., yesterday. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, via Reuters |
An avalanche near Lake Tahoe kills at least eight skiers
Search-and-rescue teams in the Sierra Nevada found the bodies of eight skiers who were trapped yesterday under an avalanche the length of a football field. Another skier is missing and presumed killed in what is the deadliest snow disaster in modern California history.
The skiers had been part of a group of 15, including four guides, on a three-day backcountry expedition. Six members of the group were rescued after they contacted authorities using emergency beacons and their iPhones’ SOS functions. They sheltered under a tarp for hours, braving treacherous blizzard conditions.
The National Weather Service had issued avalanche warnings across the region, including the greater Lake Tahoe area, because of a combination of rapid snowfall and strong winds. That raised questions about why the group was on the mountain, though locals emphasized that conditions in the backcountry can swiftly change.
For more: Here’s a look at how snow becomes deadly. (We removed the paywall for readers of this newsletter.)
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| Eric Lee/The New York Times |
The N.I.H. director will also run the C.D.C.
Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, will take on the additional role of acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some public health experts, including former C.D.C. officials, worry that it will be difficult for him to do both jobs.
The change is part of the Trump administration’s broader shake-up in health leadership, which comes partly in anticipation of health policy being a major issue in this year’s midterm elections. Bhattacharya, a critic of Covid lockdowns, has no formal training in public health, but is a physician and medical economist whose research has focused on the well-being of populations.
In other health news, the F.D.A. reversed its decision on Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine and agreed to review it for possible approval.
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| “Billionaires’ Row” in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Loren Elliott for The New York Times |
The fight over a billionaire tax intensifies in California
Bernie Sanders, the popular left-wing senator, is hosting a rally this evening in Los Angeles to support a proposed tax on very wealthy Californians. Sanders and his allies are hoping to put a measure on the state’s November ballot that, if approved by voters, would require about 200 residents with a net worth beyond $1.1 billion to pay a one-time tax equal to 5 percent of their assets.
People who oppose the tax plan — including California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom; crypto executives; and business leaders — are ramping up efforts to stop it. They argue that the measure would stifle innovation.
Some tech executives have tried to cut ties with California, while others in the three-comma club are hunting for ways to reduce their net worth. One idea that has gotten laughs: “Get divorced.”
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| Mark Abramson for The New York Times |
Zuckerberg takes the stand in landmark tech addiction trial
Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom today and answered questions from a lawyer who argued that Meta’s social media platforms had harmed children. Zuckerberg said that users spent so much time on Instagram because it was valuable, not because it was addictive.
The case is the first in a flood of lawsuits claiming that social media platforms, much like cigarettes or slot machines at casinos, are addictive and harmful. Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube reject the claims. Our tech reporter Cecilia Kang explained what’s at stake.
More top news
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THE LATEST FROM THE OLYMPICS |
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| James Hill for The New York Times |
Mikaela Shiffrin, the great American Alpine skier, took gold in the slalom for her first Olympic medal since 2018. Here’s the latest from Day 12 in Italy.
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| Dina Litovsky |
Michael Heizer reflects on his enormous and influential art
The land artist Michael Heizer is famous for working at a colossal scale. His preferred materials are multi-ton rocks and dirt, and his masterpiece, “City,” is a mile-and-a-half-long megasculpture in a Nevada valley that took him 50 years to complete. It may be the most artwork to ever exist: the most ambitious, the most remote, the largest.
Recently, Heizer, who is 81 and in poor health, sat down with my colleague M.H. Miller to reflect on his career. He hasn’t visited “City” in years, but he isn’t ready to consider the work complete. “It’s my home,” Heizer said. “That’s where I live.”
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| Lila Barth for The New York Times |
This dilapidated mansion unites Brooklyn in awe
At nearly 6,000 square feet, the house at 1000 Ocean Avenue was once among Brooklyn’s most impressive. Built in 1899, its imposing facade stands out even in the elegant Ditmas Park neighborhood. But it has been steadily deteriorating, as you can see in these photos.
As early as the 1960s, children would call it “the scary house.” Now, its pillars are rotting, its windows are cracked, it looks entirely unlivable, and many locals are worried about its future. The mansion is currently for sale for $2.6 million, and restoration would cost $3 million to $5 million.
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| Sela Shiloni for The New York Times |
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