LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-instagram-youtube-social-media-addiction-los-angeles-1b409b31438e5ba46e2e8c064229b51a">landmark social media case</a>&nbsp;that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube.

At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits will play out. KGM and the cases of two other plaintiffs have been selected to be bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury.

Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier delivered opening statements Monday in the Los Angeles Superior Court trial that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google's YouTube responsible for addictive features and harms to children who use their products. Two other defendants, TikTok and Snap,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-trial-kids-addiction-meta-tiktok-youtube-d3a6bf617f2d11521675412ffb275031">have settled the case.</a>

Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt spoke of the disagreement within the scientific community over social media addiction, with some researchers believing it doesn’t exist, or that addiction is not the most appropriate way to describe heavy social media use.

Luis Li, the attorney representing YouTube and Google, delivered an opening statement on Tuesday focused on KGM's user data, saying the five-year average of her watch time is 29 minutes per day. He said KGM's average daily time spent on YouTube Shorts, watching vertical short form videos with the “infinite scroll” feature Lanier called into question Monday, was just 1 minute and 14 seconds.

He also told jurors that all of the YouTube features Lanier challenged in his opening statement could be disabled and modified to match users’ preferences.

“When you strip away all of the rhetoric ... what you are left with is a simple truth. Infinite scroll is not infinite,” Li said. “In some cases, in this case, before this court, before you, the jury, it’s as little as a minute and 14 seconds. It’s not social media addiction when it’s not social media and it’s not an addiction.”

Lanier, the plaintiff's lawyer, delivered lively first remarks Monday, where he said the case will be as “easy as ABC” — which stands for “addicting the brains of children.” He said Meta and Google, “two of the richest corporations in history,” have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”

He presented jurors with a slew of internal emails, documents and studies conducted by Meta and YouTube, as well as YouTube’s parent company, Google. He emphasized the findings of a study Meta conducted called “Project Myst,” in which they surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use. The two major findings, Lanier said, were that Meta knew children who experienced “adverse events” like trauma and stress were particularly vulnerable for addiction; and that parental supervision and controls made little impact.

He also highlighted internal Google documents that likened some company products to a casino, and internal communication between Meta employees in which one person said Instagram is “like a drug” and they are “basically pushers.”

Li was insistent that KGM is not addicted to YouTube, pointing to sworn testimony where she directly said she wasn’t addicted to it. He also displayed three large boxes containing about 10,000 pages of medical records, saying that within all of those records, jurors would not see a “single example” of KGM being addicted to YouTube, or a single treatment plan for an addiction to YouTube.

The sole reference to YouTube within those records is an instance where her provider noted KGM was using a YouTube video to assist with sleep at night when feeling anxious, he said.

Plaintiff grew up using YouTube, Instagram

KGM made a brief appearance on Monday during Lanier’s statement and she will return to testify later in the trial. Lanier spent time describing KGM's childhood, focusing particularly on what her personality was like before she began using social media. She started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, Lanier said. Before she graduated from elementary school, she had posted 284 videos on YouTube.

The outcome of the trial could have profound effects on the companies' businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.

Lanier said the companies’ lawyers will “try to blame the little girl and her parents for the trap they built,” referencing the plaintiff. She was a minor when she said she became addicted to social media, which she claims had a detrimental impact on her mental health.

Lanier said that despite the public position of Meta and YouTube being that they work to protect children, their internal documents show an entirely different position, with explicit references to young children being listed as their target audiences.

“For a teenager, social validation is survival,” Lanier said. The defendants “engineered a feature that caters to a minor’s craving for social validation,” he added, speaking about “like” buttons and similar features.

In his opening statement representing Meta, Schmidt said the core question in the case is whether the platforms were a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles. He spent much of his time going through the plaintiff’s health records, emphasizing that she had experienced many difficult circumstances in her childhood, including emotional abuse, body image issues and bullying.

Schmidt presented a clip from a video deposition from one of KGM‘s mental health providers, Dr. Thomas Suberman, who said social media was “not the through-line of what I recall being her main issues,” adding that her struggles seemed to largely stem from interpersonal conflicts and relationships. He painted a picture — with KGM’s own text messages and testimony pointing to a volatile home life — of a particularly troubled relationship with her mother.

Schmidt acknowledged that many mental health professionals do believe social media addiction can exist, but said three of KGM’s providers — all of whom believe in the form of addiction — have never diagnosed her with it, or treated her for it.

A reckoning for social media and youth harms

A slew of trials beginning this year seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children's mental well-being. Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the Los Angeles trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.

A separate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-new-mexico-child-exploitation-trial-19195fc680dba782fb971d68082e11a4">trial in New Mexico</a>, meanwhile, also kicked off with opening statements on Monday. In that trial, Meta is accused of failing to protect young users from sexual exploitation, following an undercover online investigation.

A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

In addition, more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/instagram-facebook-children-teens-harms-lawsuit-attorney-general-1805492a38f7cee111cbb865cc786c28">40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits</a>&nbsp;against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-lawsuit-youth-mental-health-2993f8e70d2e3d4eab9988df168fb948">TikTok</a>&nbsp;also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.

Ortutay reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press Writer Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this story.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758981317980.jpg" alt="Image. Pixaby" />
                        <figcaption>Image. Pixaby</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-instagram-youtube-social-media-addiction-los-angeles-1b409b31438e5ba46e2e8c064229b51a">landmark social media case</a>&nbsp;that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube.</p><p>At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits will play out. KGM and the cases of two other plaintiffs have been selected to be bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury.</p><p>Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier delivered opening statements Monday in the Los Angeles Superior Court trial that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google's YouTube responsible for addictive features and harms to children who use their products. Two other defendants, TikTok and Snap,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-trial-kids-addiction-meta-tiktok-youtube-d3a6bf617f2d11521675412ffb275031">have settled the case.</a></p><p>Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt spoke of the disagreement within the scientific community over social media addiction, with some researchers believing it doesn’t exist, or that addiction is not the most appropriate way to describe heavy social media use.</p><p>Luis Li, the attorney representing YouTube and Google, delivered an opening statement on Tuesday focused on KGM's user data, saying the five-year average of her watch time is 29 minutes per day. He said KGM's average daily time spent on YouTube Shorts, watching vertical short form videos with the “infinite scroll” feature Lanier called into question Monday, was just 1 minute and 14 seconds.</p><p>He also told jurors that all of the YouTube features Lanier challenged in his opening statement could be disabled and modified to match users’ preferences.</p><p>“When you strip away all of the rhetoric ... what you are left with is a simple truth. Infinite scroll is not infinite,” Li said. “In some cases, in this case, before this court, before you, the jury, it’s as little as a minute and 14 seconds. It’s not social media addiction when it’s not social media and it’s not an addiction.”</p><h2>‘Addicting the brains of children’</h2><p>Lanier, the plaintiff's lawyer, delivered lively first remarks Monday, where he said the case will be as “easy as ABC” — which stands for “addicting the brains of children.” He said Meta and Google, “two of the richest corporations in history,” have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”</p><p>He presented jurors with a slew of internal emails, documents and studies conducted by Meta and YouTube, as well as YouTube’s parent company, Google. He emphasized the findings of a study Meta conducted called “Project Myst,” in which they surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use. The two major findings, Lanier said, were that Meta knew children who experienced “adverse events” like trauma and stress were particularly vulnerable for addiction; and that parental supervision and controls made little impact.</p><p>He also highlighted internal Google documents that likened some company products to a casino, and internal communication between Meta employees in which one person said Instagram is “like a drug” and they are “basically pushers.”</p><p>Li was insistent that KGM is not addicted to YouTube, pointing to sworn testimony where she directly said she wasn’t addicted to it. He also displayed three large boxes containing about 10,000 pages of medical records, saying that within all of those records, jurors would not see a “single example” of KGM being addicted to YouTube, or a single treatment plan for an addiction to YouTube.</p><p>The sole reference to YouTube within those records is an instance where her provider noted KGM was using a YouTube video to assist with sleep at night when feeling anxious, he said.</p><h2>Plaintiff grew up using YouTube, Instagram</h2><p>KGM made a brief appearance on Monday during Lanier’s statement and she will return to testify later in the trial. Lanier spent time describing KGM's childhood, focusing particularly on what her personality was like before she began using social media. She started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, Lanier said. Before she graduated from elementary school, she had posted 284 videos on YouTube.</p><p>The outcome of the trial could have profound effects on the companies' businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.</p><p>Lanier said the companies’ lawyers will “try to blame the little girl and her parents for the trap they built,” referencing the plaintiff. She was a minor when she said she became addicted to social media, which she claims had a detrimental impact on her mental health.</p><p>Lanier said that despite the public position of Meta and YouTube being that they work to protect children, their internal documents show an entirely different position, with explicit references to young children being listed as their target audiences.</p><p>“For a teenager, social validation is survival,” Lanier said. The defendants “engineered a feature that caters to a minor’s craving for social validation,” he added, speaking about “like” buttons and similar features.</p><h2>Meta pushes back</h2><p>In his opening statement representing Meta, Schmidt said the core question in the case is whether the platforms were a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles. He spent much of his time going through the plaintiff’s health records, emphasizing that she had experienced many difficult circumstances in her childhood, including emotional abuse, body image issues and bullying.</p><p>Schmidt presented a clip from a video deposition from one of KGM‘s mental health providers, Dr. Thomas Suberman, who said social media was “not the through-line of what I recall being her main issues,” adding that her struggles seemed to largely stem from interpersonal conflicts and relationships. He painted a picture — with KGM’s own text messages and testimony pointing to a volatile home life — of a particularly troubled relationship with her mother.</p><p>Schmidt acknowledged that many mental health professionals do believe social media addiction can exist, but said three of KGM’s providers — all of whom believe in the form of addiction — have never diagnosed her with it, or treated her for it.</p><h2>A reckoning for social media and youth harms</h2><p>A slew of trials beginning this year seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children's mental well-being. Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the Los Angeles trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.</p><p>A separate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-new-mexico-child-exploitation-trial-19195fc680dba782fb971d68082e11a4">trial in New Mexico</a>, meanwhile, also kicked off with opening statements on Monday. In that trial, Meta is accused of failing to protect young users from sexual exploitation, following an undercover online investigation.</p><p>A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.</p><p>In addition, more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/instagram-facebook-children-teens-harms-lawsuit-attorney-general-1805492a38f7cee111cbb865cc786c28">40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits</a>&nbsp;against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-lawsuit-youth-mental-health-2993f8e70d2e3d4eab9988df168fb948">TikTok</a>&nbsp;also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.</p><p>—</p><p>Ortutay reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press Writer Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this story.</p>

Google, Meta, push back on addiction claims in landmark social media trial

NEW YORK (AP) — The operator of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus said that it will close eight Saks Fifth Avenue stores as well as its Neiman Marcus Boston store as it focuses on its most profitable businesses and pares down debt during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-bankruptcy-neiman-retail-69767dc507055d394b54488b71626835">its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring</a>.

Saks Fifth Avenue’s locations to be shuttered include sites in Tulsa, Philadelphia; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, the company said. That will leave parent company Saks Global with 25 Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 35 Neiman Marcus stores. The company will continue to operate its two Bergdorf Goodman stores.

The stores targeted for closing will remain open until the end of April, the company said.

Saks Global also said Tuesday it will be winding down 14 standalone Fifth Avenue Club personal styling suites on Saturday, though it will keep three standalone sites. It also will close its home site called Horchow.com, a business that Neiman Marcus acquired in the late 1980s. As of Feb. 19, shoppers will be redirected to the home category on NeimanMarcus.com, where they will find the full assortment previously available on Horchow.com.

The moves mark the initial phase of store closures across Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, the company said. Saks Global said the stores earmarked for closing represent a small part of its business and were not profitable.

“We are initiating a series of actions to reinforce Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman as the ultimate destinations for luxury with a seamless multichannel shopping experience,” Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Saks Global, said in a statement.

The moves follow Saks’ announcement last month that it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-global-bankruptcy-saks-off-5th-88f6549b5b0def8ec69b9811bf214462">close most of its Saks Off 5th locations.</a>&nbsp;Saks Global operates 70 Saks Off 5th locations and plans to shutter all but 12 stores. The remaining outlets will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, it had said.

Last month, Saks Global also announced it was shuttering the remaining five Last Call stores, which are outlet locations that serve as a discount channel for Neiman Marcus.

Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on Jan. 14, buffeted by rising competition and the massive debt it took on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-fifth-avenue-neiman-marcus-takeover-4dc8ee9f03ed05def9a54043e1205d00">to buy its rival in the luxury sector</a>, Neiman Marcus, just over a year ago.

Saks Global had secured roughly $500 million of the broader $1.75 billion financial package. That money will help to pay its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-neiman-marcus-bankruptcy-suppliers-7db914b38a80284f803067be78df5404">suppliers,</a>&nbsp;who have faced a pile of unpaid bills from the retailer and who are critical for keeping the store stocked with merchandise.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770763423919.png" alt="The Saks at Utica Square in Tulsa, Okla. (shown above) is among stores set to close. In addition, The Summit in Birmingham, Ala.; Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus, Ohio; American Dream in East Rutherford, N.J.; Shops at Canal Place in New Orleans; Bala Plaza outside of Philadelphia; Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix and Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond, Va. will close -google image" />
                        <figcaption>The Saks at Utica Square in Tulsa, Okla. (shown above) is among stores set to close. In addition, The Summit in Birmingham, Ala.; Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus, Ohio; American Dream in East Rutherford, N.J.; Shops at Canal Place in New Orleans; Bala Plaza outside of Philadelphia; Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix and Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond, Va. will close -google image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) — The operator of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus said that it will close eight Saks Fifth Avenue stores as well as its Neiman Marcus Boston store as it focuses on its most profitable businesses and pares down debt during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-bankruptcy-neiman-retail-69767dc507055d394b54488b71626835">its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring</a>.</p><p>Saks Fifth Avenue’s locations to be shuttered include sites in Tulsa, Philadelphia; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, the company said. That will leave parent company Saks Global with 25 Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 35 Neiman Marcus stores. The company will continue to operate its two Bergdorf Goodman stores.</p><p>The stores targeted for closing will remain open until the end of April, the company said.</p><p>Saks Global also said Tuesday it will be winding down 14 standalone Fifth Avenue Club personal styling suites on Saturday, though it will keep three standalone sites. It also will close its home site called Horchow.com, a business that Neiman Marcus acquired in the late 1980s. As of Feb. 19, shoppers will be redirected to the home category on NeimanMarcus.com, where they will find the full assortment previously available on Horchow.com.</p><p>The moves mark the initial phase of store closures across Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, the company said. Saks Global said the stores earmarked for closing represent a small part of its business and were not profitable.</p><p>“We are initiating a series of actions to reinforce Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman as the ultimate destinations for luxury with a seamless multichannel shopping experience,” Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Saks Global, said in a statement.</p><p>The moves follow Saks’ announcement last month that it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-global-bankruptcy-saks-off-5th-88f6549b5b0def8ec69b9811bf214462">close most of its Saks Off 5th locations.</a>&nbsp;Saks Global operates 70 Saks Off 5th locations and plans to shutter all but 12 stores. The remaining outlets will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, it had said.</p><p>Last month, Saks Global also announced it was shuttering the remaining five Last Call stores, which are outlet locations that serve as a discount channel for Neiman Marcus.</p><p>Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on Jan. 14, buffeted by rising competition and the massive debt it took on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-fifth-avenue-neiman-marcus-takeover-4dc8ee9f03ed05def9a54043e1205d00">to buy its rival in the luxury sector</a>, Neiman Marcus, just over a year ago.</p><p>Saks Global had secured roughly $500 million of the broader $1.75 billion financial package. That money will help to pay its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saks-neiman-marcus-bankruptcy-suppliers-7db914b38a80284f803067be78df5404">suppliers,</a>&nbsp;who have faced a pile of unpaid bills from the retailer and who are critical for keeping the store stocked with merchandise.</p>

Saks Global to close more stores amid bankruptcy proceedings

KANSAS CITY —One person was injured in a fire at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just before 9p.m. Monday, Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the 3900 block of Wabash in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

First crew on scene reported heavy smoke and fire showing from a 2-story house and initiated a defensive fire attack using their deck to gain control of the main body of fire.

&nbsp;Once this was accomplished, they transitioned to an offensive fire attack with companies entering the structure with multiple hose lines. The fire was brought under control at 9:32 p.m.

Red Cross was contacted to assist with 2 adults and a dog.&nbsp;One occupant of the house was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for smoke inhalation..&nbsp;A second patient, who was not involved in the incident, approached on scene personnel for medical assistance and was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital, according to Riley.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD.

<p>KANSAS CITY —One person was injured in a fire at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.</p><p>Just before 9p.m. Monday, Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the 3900 block of Wabash in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.</p><p>First crew on scene reported heavy smoke and fire showing from a 2-story house and initiated a defensive fire attack using their deck to gain control of the main body of fire.</p><p>&nbsp;Once this was accomplished, they transitioned to an offensive fire attack with companies entering the structure with multiple hose lines. The fire was brought under control at 9:32 p.m.</p><p>Red Cross was contacted to assist with 2 adults and a dog.&nbsp;One occupant of the house was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for smoke inhalation..&nbsp;A second patient, who was not involved in the incident, approached on scene personnel for medical assistance and was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital, according to Riley.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD.</p>

1 hospitalized after fire at home in Kansas City

TOPEKA —On Monday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach&nbsp; asked a Senate legislative committee to pass legislation to protect Kansas kids from AI chatbots. 

"We can't wait for Congress. I don’t have any confidence that they will act soon. And who knows how many children will be harmed as we wait."

<p>TOPEKA —On Monday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach&nbsp; asked a Senate legislative committee to pass legislation to protect Kansas kids from AI chatbots. </p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This morning, I asked a Senate <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> committee to pass legislation to protect Kansas kids from AI chatbots. We can&#39;t wait for Congress. I don’t have any confidence that they will act soon. And who knows how many children will be harmed as we wait. <a href="https://t.co/kizmchINbR">pic.twitter.com/kizmchINbR</a></p>&mdash; Kansas AG&#39;s Office (@KSAGOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSAGOffice/status/2020972543465918636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>"We can't wait for Congress. I don’t have any confidence that they will act soon. And who knows how many children will be harmed as we wait."</p>

🎥Kan. AG asks lawmakers to protect Kan. kids from AI chatbots

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities investigating the disappearance of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>&nbsp;released the first surveillance images Tuesday showing a masked person on her porch the night she went missing, as law enforcement and her family intensified calls for public help more than a week into the search.

Law enforcement searching for the mother of “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>&nbsp;have not identified any suspects of persons or interest, and it's unclear if she is still alive. FBI Director Kash Patel posted the images on X.

“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems,” Patel wrote, saying the images show “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”

Video released by the FBI shows the person wearing a backpack, long sleeves and pants walk up to the door and try to conceal a camera with a glove before turning around, grabbing some plants and then putting them in front of the camera.

Investigators had been hopeful that cameras at the home would turn up some evidence about how she went missing, but the doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday. And while software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, Nancy Guthrie didn’t have an active subscription, so none of the footage could be recovered, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had said.

The announcement comes as heartbreaking messages made by “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>&nbsp;and her family have shifted from hopeful to desperate as they plead with the apparent kidnappers to hand over their mother.

It's also unclear if ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, or whether the Guthrie family has had any contact with the abductors.

Guthrie and her family have posted a series of videos over the past week, each striking a different tone. The latest message from Savannah Guthrie, in which she appeared alone, was more bleak.

“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said Monday, telling the public: “We need your help.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her house just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">doorbell camera was disconnected</a>&nbsp;in the early hours of Sunday morning, the sheriff has said.

Authorities say Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication because she is said to have high blood pressure and heart issues, including a pacemaker.

Investigators were in her neighborhood several times over the past few days and plan to keep working Tuesday as they expand the search and follow up on new leads, the sheriff’s department said.

Three days after the search began, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings sent their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-88e8731270d05e6e667730d2ed8633d3">first public appeal</a>&nbsp;to the kidnappers, telling them “we want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”

In the recorded video, Guthrie said her family was aware of media reports about a ransom letter, but they first wanted proof their mother was alive. "Please reach out to us,” they said.

Law enforcement officials declined to say whether the letters sent to several media outlets were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously.

The next day, Savannah Guthrie’s brother&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-2765f354b498e6146b955162c3b71d4f">again told the kidnappers</a>&nbsp;to reach out "so we can move forward.”

“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said.

Then over the past weekend the family&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-92dff046a91f2c5c0093f17cd3b7ad42">posted another video</a>&nbsp;— one that was more cryptic and generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/search-nancy-guthrie-social-media-posts-e176abcc670af3844416946fb3bb5619">even more speculation</a>&nbsp;about Nancy Guthrie's fate.

“We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” said Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her siblings. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Up to that point, the family's first three videos addressed the kidnappers directly.

But just ahead of Monday's deadline spelled out in a purported note, Savannah Guthrie urged people nationwide to be on the lookout “no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”

Her turn to the public comes as much of the nation is closely following the dramatic twists and turns involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/today-savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-2c0512333cfaa6cdb01a82d1992160b2">the longtime anchor</a>&nbsp;of NBC’s morning show.

The FBI this week began posting digital billboards in major cities from Texas to California.

Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Monday that the agency&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-ransom-deadline-arizona-3977f842fd3d1fd66952d1d763944b9d">wasn’t aware of ongoing communication</a>&nbsp;between Guthrie’s family and the suspected kidnappers. Authorities also had not identified any suspects or persons of interest, he said.

“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home,” he said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770746409686.png" alt="Image from FBI" />
                        <figcaption>Image from FBI</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities investigating the disappearance of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>&nbsp;released the first surveillance images Tuesday showing a masked person on her porch the night she went missing, as law enforcement and her family intensified calls for public help more than a week into the search.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: The FBI has released new videos of the suspect involved in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. <a href="https://t.co/H7ZWzfHQSe">pic.twitter.com/H7ZWzfHQSe</a></p>&mdash; Resist Times (@ResistWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/ResistWire/status/2021287372105884078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Law enforcement searching for the mother of “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>&nbsp;have not identified any suspects of persons or interest, and it's unclear if she is still alive. FBI Director Kash Patel posted the images on X.</p><p>“The video was recovered from residual data located in backend systems,” Patel wrote, saying the images show “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770749564250.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Video released by the FBI shows the person wearing a backpack, long sleeves and pants walk up to the door and try to conceal a camera with a glove before turning around, grabbing some plants and then putting them in front of the camera.</p><p>Investigators had been hopeful that cameras at the home would turn up some evidence about how she went missing, but the doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday. And while software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, Nancy Guthrie didn’t have an active subscription, so none of the footage could be recovered, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had said.</p><p>The announcement comes as heartbreaking messages made by “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>&nbsp;and her family have shifted from hopeful to desperate as they plead with the apparent kidnappers to hand over their mother.</p><p>It's also unclear if ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, or whether the Guthrie family has had any contact with the abductors.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770737956751.png" alt="Billboard in Texas -photo courtesy KVUE" />
                        <figcaption>Billboard in Texas -photo courtesy KVUE</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Guthrie and her family have posted a series of videos over the past week, each striking a different tone. The latest message from Savannah Guthrie, in which she appeared alone, was more bleak.</p><p>“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said Monday, telling the public: “We need your help.”</p><p>Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her house just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">doorbell camera was disconnected</a>&nbsp;in the early hours of Sunday morning, the sheriff has said.</p><p>Authorities say Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication because she is said to have high blood pressure and heart issues, including a pacemaker.</p><p>Investigators were in her neighborhood several times over the past few days and plan to keep working Tuesday as they expand the search and follow up on new leads, the sheriff’s department said.</p><p>Three days after the search began, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings sent their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-88e8731270d05e6e667730d2ed8633d3">first public appeal</a>&nbsp;to the kidnappers, telling them “we want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”</p><p>In the recorded video, Guthrie said her family was aware of media reports about a ransom letter, but they first wanted proof their mother was alive. "Please reach out to us,” they said.</p><p>Law enforcement officials declined to say whether the letters sent to several media outlets were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously.</p><p>The next day, Savannah Guthrie’s brother&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-2765f354b498e6146b955162c3b71d4f">again told the kidnappers</a>&nbsp;to reach out "so we can move forward.”</p><p>“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said.</p><p>Then over the past weekend the family&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-92dff046a91f2c5c0093f17cd3b7ad42">posted another video</a>&nbsp;— one that was more cryptic and generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/search-nancy-guthrie-social-media-posts-e176abcc670af3844416946fb3bb5619">even more speculation</a>&nbsp;about Nancy Guthrie's fate.</p><p>“We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” said Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her siblings. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”</p><p>Up to that point, the family's first three videos addressed the kidnappers directly.</p><p>But just ahead of Monday's deadline spelled out in a purported note, Savannah Guthrie urged people nationwide to be on the lookout “no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”</p><p>Her turn to the public comes as much of the nation is closely following the dramatic twists and turns involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/today-savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-2c0512333cfaa6cdb01a82d1992160b2">the longtime anchor</a>&nbsp;of NBC’s morning show.</p><p>The FBI this week began posting digital billboards in major cities from Texas to California.</p><p>Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said Monday that the agency&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-ransom-deadline-arizona-3977f842fd3d1fd66952d1d763944b9d">wasn’t aware of ongoing communication</a>&nbsp;between Guthrie’s family and the suspected kidnappers. Authorities also had not identified any suspects or persons of interest, he said.</p><p>“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home,” he said.</p>

🎥FBI: Video from Guthrie home shows masked person

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.

Just after 8p.m. Feb. 7, a Sheriffs Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford pickup truck on U.S. Highway 75 near 126th Road for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; Deputies arrested the passenger, 61-year-old Daniel Lorann Hysten, of Topeka on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

The driver, Frank Newton, of Topeka, was arrested on an outstanding City of Topeka warrant.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770686510829.png" alt="Hysten photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Hysten photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.</p><p>Just after 8p.m. Feb. 7, a Sheriffs Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford pickup truck on U.S. Highway 75 near 126th Road for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; Deputies arrested the passenger, 61-year-old Daniel Lorann Hysten, of Topeka on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. </p><p>The driver, Frank Newton, of Topeka, was arrested on an outstanding City of Topeka warrant.</p>

Pickup passenger caught with meth during Kan. traffic stop

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn’s father said Monday that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lindsey-vonn">American superstar</a>&nbsp;will no longer race if he has any influence over her decision and that she will not return to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Winter Olympics</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/lindsey-vonn-downhill-winter-olympics-milan-cortina-updates">breaking her leg</a>&nbsp;in the downhill over the weekend.

“She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career,” Alan Kildow said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”

Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family — a brother and two sisters, too — have been with Vonn while she is being treated at a hospital in Treviso following her fall and helicopter evacuation from the course in Cortina on Sunday.

The hospital late Sunday released a statement saying Vonn had undergone surgery on her left leg and the U.S. Ski Team said she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-milan-cortina-olympics-90b10c0a145053f3bbfb573c4024653a">was in stable condition.</a>&nbsp;There have not been other updates since.

Kildow declined to comment on details of Vonn’s injuries, but he did address how she was doing emotionally.

“She’s a very strong individual,” Kildow said. “She knows physical pain and she understands the circumstances that she finds herself in. And she’s able to handle it. Better than I expected. She’s a very, very strong person. And so I think she’s handling it real well.”

Kildow — a former ski racer himself who taught his daughter to race — said he slept in his daughter’s hospital room overnight.

“She has somebody with her — or multiple people with her — at all times,” Kildow said. “We’ll have people here as long as she’s here.”

Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family watched the crash from the finish area with all of the other spectators.

“First, the shock and the horror of the whole thing, seeing a crash like that,” Kildow said of what he felt watching the scene unfold. “It can be dramatic and traumatic. You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.

“You can go into a shock an emotional psychological shock,” he added. “Because it’s difficult to just accept what’s happened. But she’s well cared for. … And the USOC and the U.S. Ski team have a very, very top-notch doctor with her and she is being very well cared for here in Italy.”

Vonn raced the downhill despite tearing the ACL in her left knee nine days earlier in another crash.

“What happened to her had nothing to do with the ACL issue on her left leg. Nothing,” Kildow said. “She had demonstrated that she was able to function at a very high level with the two downhill training runs. … And she had been cleared by high level physicians to ski.”

Kildow said the crash was less a result of Vonn’s knee injury than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-crash-olympics-cortina-219737db2d60c6c2d917b95048b2c0e7">the way she pushed the limits of her racing line</a>&nbsp;to the point where she clipped a gate early in her run and got knocked out of control.

“There are times sometimes in any race, but especially in downhill, where you have to take a little speed off,” he said. “You can give yourself a little bit more leeway on the line so you don’t put yourself in a questionable position.”

Vonn, who holds the record of 12 World Cup victories in Cortina, returned to the circuit last season after nearly six years of retirement and after a partial titanium replacement surgery in her right knee. She won two downhills and finished on the podium in seven of the eight World Cup races that she finished this season — and came fourth in the other one.

“She won 84 World Cup races. And not many people do that,” Kildow said, referring to Vonn’s victory total, which place her second on the all-time women’s list behind teammate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mikaela-shiffrin">Mikaela Shiffrin’s</a>&nbsp;record 108 wins.

“And there’s a hell of a lot of the difference between a speed race, a downhill especially, and a slalom,” Kildow added.

Vonn will not return to the Olympics to cheer on teammates or for anything else, Kildow said.

“No, she’s not that in kind of situation,” he said. “She will be going home at an appropriate point in time.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770677482378.png" alt="FILE - United States' Lindsey Vonn, right, poses for photographs with her father Alan Kildow at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill race, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Dampf, File)" />
                        <figcaption>FILE - United States' Lindsey Vonn, right, poses for photographs with her father Alan Kildow at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill race, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Dampf, File)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn’s father said Monday that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lindsey-vonn">American superstar</a>&nbsp;will no longer race if he has any influence over her decision and that she will not return to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Winter Olympics</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/lindsey-vonn-downhill-winter-olympics-milan-cortina-updates">breaking her leg</a>&nbsp;in the downhill over the weekend.</p><p>“She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career,” Alan Kildow said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”</p><p>Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family — a brother and two sisters, too — have been with Vonn while she is being treated at a hospital in Treviso following her fall and helicopter evacuation from the course in Cortina on Sunday.</p><p>The hospital late Sunday released a statement saying Vonn had undergone surgery on her left leg and the U.S. Ski Team said she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-milan-cortina-olympics-90b10c0a145053f3bbfb573c4024653a">was in stable condition.</a>&nbsp;There have not been other updates since.</p><p>Kildow declined to comment on details of Vonn’s injuries, but he did address how she was doing emotionally.</p><p>“She’s a very strong individual,” Kildow said. “She knows physical pain and she understands the circumstances that she finds herself in. And she’s able to handle it. Better than I expected. She’s a very, very strong person. And so I think she’s handling it real well.”</p><p>Kildow — a former ski racer himself who taught his daughter to race — said he slept in his daughter’s hospital room overnight.</p><p>“She has somebody with her — or multiple people with her — at all times,” Kildow said. “We’ll have people here as long as she’s here.”</p><p>Kildow and the rest of Vonn’s family watched the crash from the finish area with all of the other spectators.</p><p>“First, the shock and the horror of the whole thing, seeing a crash like that,” Kildow said of what he felt watching the scene unfold. “It can be dramatic and traumatic. You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.</p><p>“You can go into a shock an emotional psychological shock,” he added. “Because it’s difficult to just accept what’s happened. But she’s well cared for. … And the USOC and the U.S. Ski team have a very, very top-notch doctor with her and she is being very well cared for here in Italy.”</p><p>Vonn raced the downhill despite tearing the ACL in her left knee nine days earlier in another crash.</p><p>“What happened to her had nothing to do with the ACL issue on her left leg. Nothing,” Kildow said. “She had demonstrated that she was able to function at a very high level with the two downhill training runs. … And she had been cleared by high level physicians to ski.”</p><p>Kildow said the crash was less a result of Vonn’s knee injury than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-crash-olympics-cortina-219737db2d60c6c2d917b95048b2c0e7">the way she pushed the limits of her racing line</a>&nbsp;to the point where she clipped a gate early in her run and got knocked out of control.</p><p>“There are times sometimes in any race, but especially in downhill, where you have to take a little speed off,” he said. “You can give yourself a little bit more leeway on the line so you don’t put yourself in a questionable position.”</p><p>Vonn, who holds the record of 12 World Cup victories in Cortina, returned to the circuit last season after nearly six years of retirement and after a partial titanium replacement surgery in her right knee. She won two downhills and finished on the podium in seven of the eight World Cup races that she finished this season — and came fourth in the other one.</p><p>“She won 84 World Cup races. And not many people do that,” Kildow said, referring to Vonn’s victory total, which place her second on the all-time women’s list behind teammate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mikaela-shiffrin">Mikaela Shiffrin’s</a>&nbsp;record 108 wins.</p><p>“And there’s a hell of a lot of the difference between a speed race, a downhill especially, and a slalom,” Kildow added.</p><p>Vonn will not return to the Olympics to cheer on teammates or for anything else, Kildow said.</p><p>“No, she’s not that in kind of situation,” he said. “She will be going home at an appropriate point in time.”</p>

What Lindsey Vonn’s father wants her to do after her Olympic crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela</a>, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday.

Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-trump-sanctions-maduro-a2ef5b45b48365861e0a724d8c27dce3">smuggle crude into global supply chains</a>. Following the U.S. raid to apprehend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">then-President Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including the ship that was boarded in the Indian Ocean overnight.

Hegseth vowed to eventually capture all those ships, telling a group of shipyard workers in Maine on Monday that “the only guidance I gave to my military commanders is none of those are getting away.”

“I don’t care if we got to go around the globe to get them; we’re going to get them,” he added.

Later Monday, the U.S. military said it had carried out another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-military-death-toll-venezuela-20cef307b035c386f390df846b6056b7">deadly strike on a vessel</a>&nbsp;accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Southern Command said the strike killed two people, while one person survived. Southern Command said it had notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate its search and rescue system for the survivor. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.

Monday’s attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats to 130 people.

The Trump administration has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-tanker-us-military-trump-086d42db3d56f0e952014f97fa30faaf">seized seven tankers</a>&nbsp;as part of its broader efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">to take control</a>&nbsp;of the South American country’s oil. Unlike those previous actions, the Aquila II has not been formally seized and placed under U.S. control, a defense official said.

Instead, the ship is being held while its ultimate fate is decided by the U.S., according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing decision-making.

The Aquila II is a Panamanian-flagged tanker under U.S. sanctions related to the shipment of illicit Russian oil. Owned by a company with a listed address in Hong Kong, ship tracking data shows it has spent much of the last year with its radio transponder turned off, a practice known as “running dark” commonly employed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-middle-east-iran-shipping-44d5cdc52e589c44a7bb0fc5be59d156">smugglers to hide their location</a>.

It was one of at least 16 tankers that fled the Venezuelan coast last month, according to Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, who said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship’s movements. According to data transmitted from the ship Monday, it is not currently laden with a cargo of crude oil.

The Pentagon’s post on X said the military “conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction” on the ship.

“The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” the Pentagon said. “It ran, and we followed.”

A Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, would not say what forces were used in the operation but confirmed the destroyers USS Pinckney and USS John Finn as well as the mobile base ship USS Miguel Keith were operating in the Indian Ocean.

In videos the Pentagon posted to social media, uniformed forces can be seen boarding a Navy helicopter that takes off from a ship that matches the profile of the Miguel Keith. Video and photos of the tanker shot from inside a helicopter also show a Navy destroyer sailing alongside the ship.

Since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">U.S. ouster of Maduro</a>&nbsp;in a surprise nighttime raid on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has set out to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-oil-sales-rubio-maduro-rodriguez-61ad64e8a983db7faaa80beb71ba1aa4">control the production</a>, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s petroleum products. Officials in President Donald Trump’s Republican administration have made it clear they see seizing the tankers as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">way to generate cash</a>&nbsp;as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump also has been trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-economy-oil-crisis-us-6b2b44a4818616bbc542b7b63159a47b">restrict the flow of oil to Cuba</a>, which faces strict economic sanctions by the U.S. and relies heavily on oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela.

Since the Venezuela operation, Trump has said that no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is ready to fall. Trump also recently signed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-cuba-tariffs-trump-mexico-30f1d74a766fee23001684a5bb8079d9">executive order that would impose a tariff</a>&nbsp;on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, primarily pressuring Mexico because it has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela</a>, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a> says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.<br><br>Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the… <a href="https://t.co/kYVAQC5io9">pic.twitter.com/kYVAQC5io9</a></p>&mdash; Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2020833550488965503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-trump-sanctions-maduro-a2ef5b45b48365861e0a724d8c27dce3">smuggle crude into global supply chains</a>. Following the U.S. raid to apprehend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">then-President Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including the ship that was boarded in the Indian Ocean overnight.</p><p>Hegseth vowed to eventually capture all those ships, telling a group of shipyard workers in Maine on Monday that “the only guidance I gave to my military commanders is none of those are getting away.”</p><p>“I don’t care if we got to go around the globe to get them; we’re going to get them,” he added.</p><p>Later Monday, the U.S. military said it had carried out another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-military-death-toll-venezuela-20cef307b035c386f390df846b6056b7">deadly strike on a vessel</a>&nbsp;accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.</p><p>U.S. Southern Command said the strike killed two people, while one person survived. Southern Command said it had notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate its search and rescue system for the survivor. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.</p><p>Monday’s attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats to 130 people.</p><p>The Trump administration has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-tanker-us-military-trump-086d42db3d56f0e952014f97fa30faaf">seized seven tankers</a>&nbsp;as part of its broader efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">to take control</a>&nbsp;of the South American country’s oil. Unlike those previous actions, the Aquila II has not been formally seized and placed under U.S. control, a defense official said.</p><p>Instead, the ship is being held while its ultimate fate is decided by the U.S., according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing decision-making.</p><p>The Aquila II is a Panamanian-flagged tanker under U.S. sanctions related to the shipment of illicit Russian oil. Owned by a company with a listed address in Hong Kong, ship tracking data shows it has spent much of the last year with its radio transponder turned off, a practice known as “running dark” commonly employed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-middle-east-iran-shipping-44d5cdc52e589c44a7bb0fc5be59d156">smugglers to hide their location</a>.</p><p>It was one of at least 16 tankers that fled the Venezuelan coast last month, according to Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, who said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship’s movements. According to data transmitted from the ship Monday, it is not currently laden with a cargo of crude oil.</p><p>The Pentagon’s post on X said the military “conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction” on the ship.</p><p>“The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” the Pentagon said. “It ran, and we followed.”</p><p>A Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, would not say what forces were used in the operation but confirmed the destroyers USS Pinckney and USS John Finn as well as the mobile base ship USS Miguel Keith were operating in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>In videos the Pentagon posted to social media, uniformed forces can be seen boarding a Navy helicopter that takes off from a ship that matches the profile of the Miguel Keith. Video and photos of the tanker shot from inside a helicopter also show a Navy destroyer sailing alongside the ship.</p><p>Since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">U.S. ouster of Maduro</a>&nbsp;in a surprise nighttime raid on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has set out to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-oil-sales-rubio-maduro-rodriguez-61ad64e8a983db7faaa80beb71ba1aa4">control the production</a>, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s petroleum products. Officials in President Donald Trump’s Republican administration have made it clear they see seizing the tankers as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">way to generate cash</a>&nbsp;as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.</p><p>Trump also has been trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-economy-oil-crisis-us-6b2b44a4818616bbc542b7b63159a47b">restrict the flow of oil to Cuba</a>, which faces strict economic sanctions by the U.S. and relies heavily on oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela.</p><p>Since the Venezuela operation, Trump has said that no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is ready to fall. Trump also recently signed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-cuba-tariffs-trump-mexico-30f1d74a766fee23001684a5bb8079d9">executive order that would impose a tariff</a>&nbsp;on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, primarily pressuring Mexico because it has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba.</p>

🎥US military boards sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuit

DOUGLAS COUNTY – Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical (LDCFM) investigators and Lawrence Police Department (LKPD) detectives have arrested a suspect in connection with multiple aggravated arsons and burglaries that occurred between December 2025 and February 2026, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.

The suspect was taken into custody on February 7, following a joint investigation by investigators and police detectives. The investigators have identified the crimes took place at three separate apartment complexes involving four vacant dwelling units and two laundry rooms. Damage estimates are not available at this time.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.

<p>DOUGLAS COUNTY – Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical (LDCFM) investigators and Lawrence Police Department (LKPD) detectives have arrested a suspect in connection with multiple aggravated arsons and burglaries that occurred between December 2025 and February 2026, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.</p><p>The suspect was taken into custody on February 7, following a joint investigation by investigators and police detectives. The investigators have identified the crimes took place at three separate apartment complexes involving four vacant dwelling units and two laundry rooms. Damage estimates are not available at this time.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.</p>

Police arrest suspect in multiple Kan. arson and burglaries

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — Parents, first responders and educators are urging lawmakers to require schools to stock naloxone and provide fentanyl prevention education to prevent overdoses and deaths.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2489/" target="_blank">House Bill 2489</a>&nbsp;would combine education and resources with the goal of preventing youth fentanyl-related deaths. Schools would be required to maintain a stock supply of naloxone, as well as being responsible for storage, adequate quantity and administering as needed.

The bill would allow school personnel to administer naloxone on a “voluntary basis” outside of the scope of employment.

Josh Magaha, a Kansas City firefighter, said he has given 15,000 children and adults overdose prevention education across eastern Kansas since 2018. Magaha’s first presentation was in Basehor. Five days later, someone overdosed on the school’s campus.

“Every single school I’ve presented in has had an overdose. Every single school I’ve presented in has Narcan now,” Magaha said. “I see it first hand. The fact that the deaths are going down is being blanketed because we have so much Narcan in the community.”

Narcan is a brand name for naloxone as a nasal spray.

Education on fentanyl abuse prevention would be for grades 9-12 and can be provided alongside other drug prevention programs. The State Board of Education would be responsible for creating guidance to ensure the curriculum is age appropriate.

Tim Graham, of the Kansas National Education Association, said he worried the language in the bill regarding staff and personnel was broad, and should be changed since those handling the naloxone would be nonmedical professionals.

“The bill requires nonmedical employees and volunteers who’d be asked to administer naloxone outside of their employment,” Graham said. “This raises practical concerns about expectations placed on staff who are not trained as medical professionals.”

Between 2020 and 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24650/638947359763000000" target="_blank">48 children died</a>&nbsp;because of fentanyl, according to the Kansas State Child Death Review Board, with 74% of child drug-related deaths caused by fentanyl.

Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican, testified in favor of the bill, saying roughly 30 to 50 people overdose per year in Leavenworth. Proctor, who has served in the House since 2021, said roughly a dozen of those are overdose deaths.

“I didn’t understand the scope of this problem when I came here. This is happening to our kids and in our schools, too,” Proctor said. “The problem isn’t getting worse, but it ain’t getting better.”

Amber Saale-Burger testified to the committee about losing her daughter and grandson’s father to pills laced with fentanyl. She said the concept of stocking naloxone is the same as automated external defibrillators or fire extinguishers in schools.

“Naloxone needs to be as readily available as possible,” she said. “We keep fire extinguishers in the house not because we plan to start a fire, but because if it happens we can put it out. Naloxone should be treated no different.”

Saale-Burger said prevention education can save lives and break the cycle for drug-endangered children.

“The only way to make this problem go away is to talk to our kids about it,” Saale said. “Kids don’t know until it’s too late.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770730893829.png" alt=" Proposed legislation in the House would require schools to stock naloxone and administer it as needed. The product is seen here in a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Proposed legislation in the House would require schools to stock naloxone and administer it as needed. The product is seen here in a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — Parents, first responders and educators are urging lawmakers to require schools to stock naloxone and provide fentanyl prevention education to prevent overdoses and deaths.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2489/" target="_blank">House Bill 2489</a>&nbsp;would combine education and resources with the goal of preventing youth fentanyl-related deaths. Schools would be required to maintain a stock supply of naloxone, as well as being responsible for storage, adequate quantity and administering as needed.</p><p>The bill would allow school personnel to administer naloxone on a “voluntary basis” outside of the scope of employment.</p><p>Josh Magaha, a Kansas City firefighter, said he has given 15,000 children and adults overdose prevention education across eastern Kansas since 2018. Magaha’s first presentation was in Basehor. Five days later, someone overdosed on the school’s campus.</p><p>“Every single school I’ve presented in has had an overdose. Every single school I’ve presented in has Narcan now,” Magaha said. “I see it first hand. The fact that the deaths are going down is being blanketed because we have so much Narcan in the community.”</p><p>Narcan is a brand name for naloxone as a nasal spray.</p><p>Education on fentanyl abuse prevention would be for grades 9-12 and can be provided alongside other drug prevention programs. The State Board of Education would be responsible for creating guidance to ensure the curriculum is age appropriate.</p><p>Tim Graham, of the Kansas National Education Association, said he worried the language in the bill regarding staff and personnel was broad, and should be changed since those handling the naloxone would be nonmedical professionals.</p><p>“The bill requires nonmedical employees and volunteers who’d be asked to administer naloxone outside of their employment,” Graham said. “This raises practical concerns about expectations placed on staff who are not trained as medical professionals.”</p><p>Between 2020 and 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24650/638947359763000000" target="_blank">48 children died</a>&nbsp;because of fentanyl, according to the Kansas State Child Death Review Board, with 74% of child drug-related deaths caused by fentanyl.</p><p>Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican, testified in favor of the bill, saying roughly 30 to 50 people overdose per year in Leavenworth. Proctor, who has served in the House since 2021, said roughly a dozen of those are overdose deaths.</p><p>“I didn’t understand the scope of this problem when I came here. This is happening to our kids and in our schools, too,” Proctor said. “The problem isn’t getting worse, but it ain’t getting better.”</p><p>Amber Saale-Burger testified to the committee about losing her daughter and grandson’s father to pills laced with fentanyl. She said the concept of stocking naloxone is the same as automated external defibrillators or fire extinguishers in schools.</p><p>“Naloxone needs to be as readily available as possible,” she said. “We keep fire extinguishers in the house not because we plan to start a fire, but because if it happens we can put it out. Naloxone should be treated no different.”</p><p>Saale-Burger said prevention education can save lives and break the cycle for drug-endangered children.</p><p>“The only way to make this problem go away is to talk to our kids about it,” Saale said. “Kids don’t know until it’s too late.”</p>

Bill would require schools to stock naloxone, provide fentanyl education

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —After a two-day search, law enforcement captured a stolen vehicle suspect.

Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a caller who observed a pickup truck that had been reported stolen out of St. Mary’s, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 The caller observed the vehicle in western Jackson County.&nbsp; Jackson County Deputies located the vehicle near N. Road on 158th&nbsp;Road.&nbsp; A pursuit ensued eastbound.&nbsp; The vehicle turned into a driveway of a residence located at 15505 158th&nbsp;Road and crashed through a fence.&nbsp; The vehicle caught fire, deputies and fire crews extinguished the fire as the driver escaped into a thickly wooded area. Deputies and troopers searched the area with K-9s and drones and were not able to locate the suspect.

Just after 10 a.m. Monday, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen who reported finding a man wearing a brown Carhartt Jacket with blue jeans in his chicken house. Sheriff’s Office personnel quickly came on scene.&nbsp; Deputies, State Troopers and K.B.I. agents assisted with the search including K-9s, drones and aircraft.&nbsp; As of 2 p.m. today, the subject has not been located.

The Sheriff’s Office identified William Joseph Goetz, 43, of Saint George. Goetz as the suspect and reported he believed that Goetz was without a phone and would access buildings or vehicles to stay warm at night.&nbsp; Deputies continued to canvass the area.

Late Monday afternoon, the suspect allegedly stole a 2005 Ford F-250 pickup truck from a residence on U. Road.&nbsp; The suspect headed south on U. Road and only after 1/8th of a mile rolled the truck and fled again on foot.&nbsp; Law enforcement continued pursuing the suspect southeast to a lake located east of U. Road on 150th.&nbsp; Law enforcement finally apprehended Goetz who was hiding in another pickup truck.&nbsp; Goetz will be booked into the Jackson County Jail for numerous requested charges.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770686387795.png" alt="Goetz photo Jackson Co. Sheriff" />
                        <figcaption>Goetz photo Jackson Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —After a two-day search, law enforcement captured a stolen vehicle suspect.</p><p>Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a caller who observed a pickup truck that had been reported stolen out of St. Mary’s, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.</p><p> The caller observed the vehicle in western Jackson County.&nbsp; Jackson County Deputies located the vehicle near N. Road on 158th&nbsp;Road.&nbsp; A pursuit ensued eastbound.&nbsp; The vehicle turned into a driveway of a residence located at 15505 158th&nbsp;Road and crashed through a fence.&nbsp; The vehicle caught fire, deputies and fire crews extinguished the fire as the driver escaped into a thickly wooded area. Deputies and troopers searched the area with K-9s and drones and were not able to locate the suspect.</p><p>Just after 10 a.m. Monday, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen who reported finding a man wearing a brown Carhartt Jacket with blue jeans in his chicken house. Sheriff’s Office personnel quickly came on scene.&nbsp; Deputies, State Troopers and K.B.I. agents assisted with the search including K-9s, drones and aircraft.&nbsp; As of 2 p.m. today, the subject has not been located.</p><p>The Sheriff’s Office identified William Joseph Goetz, 43, of Saint George. Goetz as the suspect and reported he believed that Goetz was without a phone and would access buildings or vehicles to stay warm at night.&nbsp; Deputies continued to canvass the area.</p><p>Late Monday afternoon, the suspect allegedly stole a 2005 Ford F-250 pickup truck from a residence on U. Road.&nbsp; The suspect headed south on U. Road and only after 1/8th of a mile rolled the truck and fled again on foot.&nbsp; Law enforcement continued pursuing the suspect southeast to a lake located east of U. Road on 150th.&nbsp; Law enforcement finally apprehended Goetz who was hiding in another pickup truck.&nbsp; Goetz will be booked into the Jackson County Jail for numerous requested charges.</p>

Kansas stolen vehicle suspect captured after 2-day search

HAMILTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a violent incident in southwest Kansas.

Just before 9:30p.m. Sunday, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office received a report of an aggravated battery and assault in progress involving a machete and a firearm in the area of Grant Street, according to a media release.

Deputies located a man inside a small camper who was holding another individual hostage. After issuing verbal commands, deputies deployed a Taser, and the subject was safely taken into custody without further incident.

Deputies also located an additional victim at the scene who sustained a cut to the shoulder consistent with a machete-related injury. The suspect was identified as Jose Alfredo Miranda Dubon, who was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail. The sheriff's office did not release details on possible charges.

<p>HAMILTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a violent incident in southwest Kansas.</p><p>Just before 9:30p.m. Sunday, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office received a report of an aggravated battery and assault in progress involving a machete and a firearm in the area of Grant Street, according to a media release.</p><p>Deputies located a man inside a small camper who was holding another individual hostage. After issuing verbal commands, deputies deployed a Taser, and the subject was safely taken into custody without further incident.</p><p>Deputies also located an additional victim at the scene who sustained a cut to the shoulder consistent with a machete-related injury. The suspect was identified as Jose Alfredo Miranda Dubon, who was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail. The sheriff's office did not release details on possible charges.</p>

Man jailed after machete attack in southwest Kansas

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are investigating the cause of house fire in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just before 3p.m. Monday, crews&nbsp;were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 300 block of Benton Blvd., according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

On arrival, crews reported smoke showing from a 2-story house. An offensive fire attack was initiated and 2 hose lines advanced into the structure.&nbsp;

Searches throughout were performed and reported all clear. The fire was brought under controlat 3:19 p.m.. No injuries have been reported from this incident.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770676439726.png" alt="Photo KCFD" />
                        <figcaption>Photo KCFD</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are investigating the cause of house fire in Kansas City, Missouri.</p><p>Just before 3p.m. Monday, crews&nbsp;were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 300 block of Benton Blvd., according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770676267543.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>On arrival, crews reported smoke showing from a 2-story house. An offensive fire attack was initiated and 2 hose lines advanced into the structure.&nbsp;</p><p>Searches throughout were performed and reported all clear. The fire was brought under controlat 3:19 p.m.. No injuries have been reported from this incident.</p>

Crews battle fire at 2-story Kansas City home

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The FBI said Monday it is unaware of any continued communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and suspected kidnappers more than a week after the “Today” show host’s mom went missing.

The FBI has still not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>, said Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI.

Savannah Guthrie said the family was “at an hour of desperation” in a video released Monday, just hours before a purported ransom deadline apparently set by her mom's abductors.

She didn’t mention the deadline in the video, saying her family in Arizona continues to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.

“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout. “No matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”

The mysterious disappearance and search has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-famous-kidnappings-4c4ac60734ea43d6e4edb3261a0d1732">riveted the country</a>&nbsp;— from President Donald Trump, who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week, to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/search-nancy-guthrie-social-media-posts-e176abcc670af3844416946fb3bb5619">online sleuths</a>&nbsp;who’ve flooded social media with tips, theories and rumors.

The FBI is now asking for the public’s help on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.

Multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first deadline passed last Thursday but a second one was set for Monday evening.

Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls.

Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Savannah Guthrie expressed hope on Monday that her mom was still alive.

“We believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers,” she said, “and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place.”

In a video Saturday, she said the family was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-92dff046a91f2c5c0093f17cd3b7ad42">prepared to pay</a>&nbsp;for her mother’s return. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">doorbell camera was disconnected</a>&nbsp;in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Outside the home on Monday, neighbors strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff's deputy remained stationed out front.

Law enforcement's work at Guthrie residences will continue Tuesday “as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday.

Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighborhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday.

“Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” the department said.

Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Nancy Guthrie's house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770317606483.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The FBI said Monday it is unaware of any continued communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and suspected kidnappers more than a week after the “Today” show host’s mom went missing.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to Nancy Guthrie. Anyone who believes they have information that may assist investigators is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or the PCSD non-emergency line at 520-351-4900, or 88-CRIME.</p>&mdash; Pima County Sheriff&#39;s Department (@PimaSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/PimaSheriff/status/2021009531174891608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The FBI has still not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-nancy-042abd04a6d87e14eecb22f0bc2893d1">Nancy Guthrie</a>, said Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjPVoYEpci/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjPVoYEpci/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjPVoYEpci/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Savannah Guthrie said the family was “at an hour of desperation” in a video released Monday, just hours before a purported ransom deadline apparently set by her mom's abductors.</p><p>She didn’t mention the deadline in the video, saying her family in Arizona continues to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.</p><p>“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout. “No matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”</p><p>The mysterious disappearance and search has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-famous-kidnappings-4c4ac60734ea43d6e4edb3261a0d1732">riveted the country</a>&nbsp;— from President Donald Trump, who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week, to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/search-nancy-guthrie-social-media-posts-e176abcc670af3844416946fb3bb5619">online sleuths</a>&nbsp;who’ve flooded social media with tips, theories and rumors.</p><p>The FBI is now asking for the public’s help on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.</p><p>Multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first deadline passed last Thursday but a second one was set for Monday evening.</p><p>Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls.</p><p>Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.</p><p>Savannah Guthrie expressed hope on Monday that her mom was still alive.</p><p>“We believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers,” she said, “and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place.”</p><p>In a video Saturday, she said the family was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-92dff046a91f2c5c0093f17cd3b7ad42">prepared to pay</a>&nbsp;for her mother’s return. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”</p><p>Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>&nbsp;from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">doorbell camera was disconnected</a>&nbsp;in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.</p><p>Outside the home on Monday, neighbors strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff's deputy remained stationed out front.</p><p>Law enforcement's work at Guthrie residences will continue Tuesday “as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday.</p><p>Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighborhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday.</p><p>“Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” the department said.</p><p>Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Nancy Guthrie's house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.</p>

FBI unaware of 'Today' show host talking with her mom's suspected kidnappers

On Monday at the direction of U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a social media report from the U.S. Southern Command.

 Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. 

Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.&nbsp;

<p>On Monday at the direction of U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a social media report from the U.S. Southern Command.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Feb. 9, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOUTHCOM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOUTHCOM</a> commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… <a href="https://t.co/fa5vppjcCy">pic.twitter.com/fa5vppjcCy</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2021023735881564262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p> Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. </p><p>Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.&nbsp;</p>

🎥Two dead after another US strike on a drug boat

SEDGWICK COUNTY<b>—</b>Law enforcement authorities have&nbsp;arrested two suspects including a teen in connection with an aggravated assault with a firearm that occurred at a home in Garden Plain.

Just before 10 p.m., deputies and the Garden Plain Police Department responded to reports of shots fired into an occupied home in the 300 block of West Lavern Lane, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's office spokesman Branden Stitt.

 The Garden Plain Police Department requested the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office take over the investigation.

Four people were inside the home at the time of the shooting. No one was struck by gunfire, and no injuries were reported.

Detectives believe one of the victims, who was also the intended target, was involved in a drug transaction with the suspects that involved the use of counterfeit currency. Detectives believe the suspects then followed the victim back to his home and fired shots into the occupied house.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770673396405.png" alt="Garcia photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Garcia photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY<b>—</b>Law enforcement authorities have&nbsp;arrested two suspects including a teen in connection with an aggravated assault with a firearm that occurred at a home in Garden Plain.</p><p>Just before 10 p.m., deputies and the Garden Plain Police Department responded to reports of shots fired into an occupied home in the 300 block of West Lavern Lane, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's office spokesman Branden Stitt.</p><p> The Garden Plain Police Department requested the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office take over the investigation.</p><p>Four people were inside the home at the time of the shooting. No one was struck by gunfire, and no injuries were reported.</p><p>Detectives believe one of the victims, who was also the intended target, was involved in a drug transaction with the suspects that involved the use of counterfeit currency. Detectives believe the suspects then followed the victim back to his home and fired shots into the occupied house.&nbsp;</p><p>The investigation continued into the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 7, when deputies, detectives and forensic investigators identified and arrested the suspects. Detectives booked 20-year-old Cristian Yair Garcia and a 16-year-old male juvenile, both of Cheney, on charges of criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling.</p><p>The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.</p>