Morning news brief

NPR | By Leila Fadel,

Steve Inskeep

Published February 17, 2026 at 4:42 AM EST

U.S. and Iran to meet in Geneva for second round of nuclear talks, nine people charged in Texas ICE detention center shooting go on trial, a look at the AI race between the U.S. and China.

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Israel launches airstrikes in Beirut, displacing thousands of people

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Israel has carried out air strikes in central Beirut for the first time since the latest conflict began, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
CNN correspondent shares his takeaways from his recent visit to Iran

Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep asks CNN's Fred Pleitgen for his takeaways from his recent reporting trip to Iran.
Medicaid can share data with ICE. Here's how that 180-degree change spreads fear

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When Medicaid began sharing personal data with federal immigration authorities last year, it upended decades of explicit promises to patients. Now, even eligible immigrants fear getting the health coverage.
Bucking stigma, more places turn to factory-built for affordable housing

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Mobile homes have long been zoned out of cities and suburbs. But with updated designs and a housing shortage, they're increasingly being welcomed as more-affordable starter homes.
Morning news brief

A Martínez, Steve Inskeep

Israel launches strikes in Beirut, FBI investigating two unrelated attacks in Michigan and Virginia, Senate passes bipartisan housing bill to ban large investors from buying up single-family homes.