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NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-18-2026 3PM EST

18 Feb 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What happened during the avalanche incident near Lake Tahoe?

1.094 - 23.348 Lakshmi Singh

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The operation to find a group of backcountry skiers who got caught in yesterday's avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California has now gone from rescue to recovery. In a news conference a short time ago, Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon said most of the members of a tour group did not survive the Castle Peak avalanche.

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23.589 - 33.598 Unknown

Eight of the nine additional skiers have been located deceased. We are still looking for one of the members at this time.

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35.097 - 54.186 Lakshmi Singh

The snowy terrain is expected to complicate the search for that final skier and recovery of those who've died. A crew rescued six people who Moon says were sheltered and had some equipment to try to stay warm. However, under extreme conditions, two were unable to walk because of injury sustained in the avalanche.

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Chapter 2: How is President Trump addressing accusations of racism during Black History Month?

54.166 - 69.042 Lakshmi Singh

President Trump's hosting a White House reception this hour in recognition of Black History Month. The event coming days after a now-deleted image appeared on his social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.

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Chapter 3: What are the implications of ICE agreements with local police under the Trump administration?

69.062 - 71.705 Lakshmi Singh

Moments ago, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt defended Trump.

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71.765 - 81.456 Caroline Leavitt

There is a lot this president has done for all Americans, regardless of race, and he has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist, and I'm happy to provide you those receipts.

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81.892 - 92.191 Lakshmi Singh

Meanwhile, President Trump is also facing legal pushback over allegations he's attempting to erase history at national parks. The Association of National Park Rangers is suing the administration.

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Chapter 4: What legal challenges is Meta facing regarding social media addiction?

93.012 - 107.431 Lakshmi Singh

A federal law allows local police to be deputized for immigration enforcement duties. They're partnered with ICE officials. The use of these agreements has soared in President Trump's second term. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz has details.

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Chapter 5: How are Olympic figure skaters changing their musical choices?

107.631 - 125.557 Jacqueline Diaz

Data reviewed by NPR shows that as of February 13th, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had reported more than 1,400 such agreements with police. In 2019, there were just 45 such deals. The Trump administration sees it as a major tool in its immigration agenda.

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125.577 - 139.219 Jacqueline Diaz

Critics of the program are warning that 287G powers heighten the risk of racial profiling and civil rights violations by local police who get little training in complex immigration law. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News.

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140.549 - 159.216 Lakshmi Singh

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was scheduled to take the witness stand today in California in a state court trial over whether social media companies are legally responsible for young people's addiction to their products. In Meta's case, platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are under scrutiny.

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159.196 - 179.23 Lakshmi Singh

Ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, still no sign of a breakthrough in the latest U.S.-brokered peace talks. In Geneva, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustam Umarov told reporters talks were substantive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to drag out the talks. It's NPR News.

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182.382 - 194.08 Lakshmi Singh

Olympic figure skaters are adopting broader musical choices for their programs, going from mostly classical works to a wide array of genres from rock to hip-hop. NPR's Chloe Veltman has more.

194.22 - 208.463 Chloe Veltman

This is the third Winter Olympics at which figure skaters have been allowed to use vocal music. The International Skating Union ruled on this change more than a decade ago. In Milan, US ice dancers Madison Chok and Evan Bates skated to a medley of Lenny Kravitz songs.

208.483 - 208.643 Unknown

I'm mad.

210.614 - 215.427 Chloe Veltman

Daphne Backman is the owner and editor-in-chief of IceDance.com.

Chapter 6: What trends are impacting rental markets across the United States?

215.447 - 221.383 Chloe Veltman

She says the broadening of musical choices is enabling the sport to connect with younger audiences on social media.

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222.747 - 224.129 Caroline Leavitt

viral moment.

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224.149 - 236.584 Chloe Veltman

But at this Olympics, copyright problems have become a major headache. Some competitors, like Russia's Peter Gumenik, had to make last-minute soundtrack changes because they lacked the necessary permissions. Chloe Valtman, NPR News.

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237.065 - 243.693 Lakshmi Singh

Well, the U.S. is becoming more renter-friendly, according to a report from Realtor.com. NPR's Stephen Basaja with details.

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243.713 - 264.378 Stephen Basaja

There are some exceptions where landlords have more power. Coastal cities like Boston, New York City, and San Jose still have few vacancies. But empty apartments across most of the country are pushing rents down. In the 50 largest metros, the median asking rent in January was a bit under $1,700, down 1.5% from a year earlier.

264.919 - 277.354 Stephen Basaja

A big reason for dropping rents and vacancies are new apartments being built, especially in the Sunbelt. But the National Association of Realtors is expecting apartment construction to slow down this year, in part because of those vacancies.

277.534 - 279.737 Lakshmi Singh

That's Stephen Basaja, it's NPR.

280.105 - 293.963 Unknown

Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.

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