Democratic lawmakers push back on Paramount's potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the deal an “antitrust disaster,” while California's attorney general vowed a “vigorous” investigation.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Scouting America to end DEI efforts in deal with Pentagon  —  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Feb. 26 announced the Pentagon will conditionally continue to provide support to Scouting America following the youth organization's “commitment to pull all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from its program.”

KAMALA HARRIS MAKES LAST-MINUTE PITCH FOR JASMINE CROCKETT WITH ROBOCALL  —  HTML PLAIN TEXT  —  Former Vice President Kamala Harris has recorded a robocall for U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to turn out voters for the Dallas congresswoman in Tuesday's hard-fought Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Bill Clinton denies knowledge of Epstein's crimes: ‘I saw nothing’  —  Former President Bill Clinton said he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's criminal conduct and “did nothing wrong,” according to opening remarks released publicly on Friday as he appeared for a closed-door deposition before the House oversight committee.

A new poll shows just how quickly Israel has lost America's sympathy  —  For the first time, a Gallup survey found more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis in the long-running Middle East conflict, a watershed moment in relations between the US and one of its closest — but most controversial — allies.

New poll: Democrats' real problem isn't being too liberal — it's being seen as too weak  —  This article is the last in a four-part series presenting findings from the latest Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll, conducted February 18-20 among 1,566 U.S. adults.  The margin of error is +/- 2.5 percentage points.

Iran Is Far From Building ICBMs, Experts Say, Despite Trump Warning  —  U.S. demands Tehran curb its missile ambitions, but Iran denies seeking intercontinental ballistic missile  —  Iran would need to master significant technological challenges before it could field an intercontinental …

Hegseth cancels troop attendance at top-ranked schools  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the cancellation of members of the military attending some of the country's top-ranked colleges and universities on Friday, beginning academic year 2026-2027, arguing the schools are teaching the …

FEMA taps billions for disasters, warning Democrats of ‘dire’ shutdown impact  —  The Trump administration spent more than half of the balance in the nation's disaster relief fund this week, pointing to that dwindling aid as means to pressure Democrats into yielding in Department of Homeland Security funding negotiations.

Trump admin blacklists Anthropic as AI firm refuses Pentagon demands … President Donald Trump said Friday that he was ordering every U.S. government agency to “immediately cease” using technology from the artificial intelligence company Anthropic.  —  Trump in a Truth Social post …

U.S. Says Staff Can Leave Israel, Urging Speed, as Possible Iran Strike Looms  —  In an email to embassy workers Friday morning, Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned them that if they wanted to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”  —  With the threat of a U.S. strike on Iran looming …

911 calls capture kids burning with fever, struggling to breathe at ICE detention center  —  EMS crews were called to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas at least 11 times since September for children in medical distress, records show.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Kansas revokes driver's licenses from trans residents in latest assault on rights  —  Law demanding IDs match ‘sex at birth’ also includes bathroom ban provision for trans people in public buildings  —  Transgender Kansas residents have begun receiving letters from the state's department …

Same Brutal ICE.  Now Stealthier.  —  What approach should Donald Trump take to rigging this year's midterms?  A coalition of hardcore MAGA activists has a few ideas.  The Washington Post reports that activists “who say they are in coordination with the White House” are circulating …

Travel Advisory Update: Authorized Departure of Non-Emergency U.S. Government Personnel and Family Members of Personnel from U.S. Mission Israel.  —  Updated to reflect the authorized departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of U.S. government personnel to leave Israel.

Trump Media & Technology Group in talks to spin off Truth Social  —  Trump Media & Technology Group said Friday it is in talks to spin off Truth Social into a new publicly traded company. … - TMTG businesses including Truth Social would merge with a blank-check company called Texas Ventures Acquisition III Corp.

Read the draft emergency executive order for Trump to take control of elections  —  A draft emergency executive order to declare a national emergency to allow President Donald Trump to take unprecedented control over voting is being circulated by anti-voting activists who said they are in coordination with the White House.

Elon Musk's Secret Web of Companies in Texas  —  The megabillionaire was tied to about 90 companies in the state, which he uses for everything from paying nannies to buying land to supporting Donald Trump's re-election, according to a Times examination.  —  In 2020, Elon Musk announced …

How a Call From Trump Ignited a Bitter Feud Between Two U.S. Allies  —  A request made to President Trump about the war in Sudan is at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  —  Behind the scenes, tensions had simmered for years between Saudi Arabia …

The US surpassed 1,100 measles cases in two months.  Expect more deaths next  —  Vaccines Children's health Federal agencies  —  The US has recorded more than 1,100 measles cases so far this year, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump told FBI Director Kash Patel he didn't like his Olympics hijinks  —  Trump told Patel directly that he wasn't pleased about his viral locker-room partying with the U.S. men's hockey team, as well as his use of a government jet to travel to Italy.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Rep. Jamie Raskin Opens Investigation Into Howard Lutnick and His Former Firm's Tariff Dealings  —  The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee has opened an investigation into potential conflicts of interest between Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his former firm, Cantor Fitzgerald …