Today's Top Stories from NBC News

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2026

In today's newsletter: Immigration officers are confronting protesters with methods that are less deadly than guns but still inflict grievous injuries. A gold medal favorite fails to podium at the Winter Olympics. And the top Trump administration officials appearing in the Epstein files.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters

(NBC News)

They batter people with rubber bullets and pepper spray. Lob flash-bangs and smash car windows. And ram vehicles and shove people to the ground.

Federal officers carrying out President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown often use harsh methods to scare or repel those they see as getting in their way. Hundreds have been injured, and courts in at least four states have found that officers used force inappropriately and indiscriminately.

An NBC News review of dozens of incidents since the spring reveals a cycle of escalation: Heavily armed officers' open-air raids motivated angry residents to meet agents head-on in the streets. Rather than trying to defuse a tense situation, officers abruptly used physical or chemical force.

The Department of Homeland Security appears to apply these tactics with little discretion — whether protests were peaceful or violent, large or small — and in ways that violate their own policies.

Read our full reporting here.

Related news:

DHS officially shut down as the White House and Democrats continue to negotiate changes, but ICE and Border Protection will still be funded thanks to the "big, beautiful bill." Expect the biggest hit at airports, where TSA agents won't be paid.

Two immigration agents have been placed on leave after appearing to give false statements under oath about a violent encounter in Minneapolis, a federal official said.

✱ FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni take a career hit with legal dispute

Rebecca Keegan details how the "It Ends with Us" actors' ongoing lawsuit is damaging their reputations in Hollywood.

For more on the biggest storylines in entertainment, sign up for Keegan's new newsletter, On the Lot.

Become an NBC News subscriber to access this exclusive video briefing →

Ilia Martin was dubbed the "Quad God" for his famed quadruple axel — but he didn't perform even one during the men's free skate. The gold medal favorite fell several times during his final routine, shockingly missing the podium to place eighth.

"I blew it," Malinin said after, adding that all of the pressure was "too much to handle."

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov took first place in the event and Japan's star Yuma Kagiyama ended with silver.

The Games continue today with men's hockey, where Team USA plays Denmark. And American speedskater Jordan Stolz looks for another gold medal, this time in the 500-meters.

More from Milan Cortina:

Continental first?: A South American country has never won a medal in the Winter Olympics. Two athletes hope to change that today.

One man, 16 skaters, 13 different uniforms: Meet the coach behind some of figure skating's star athletes. Our Sports Desk newsletter has more on the story.

"I hope that they're proud of me": U.S. skater Maxim Naumov shared a message about his late parents with NBC News.

At least half a dozen Trump administration officials appear in Epstein files

At least a half-dozen top officials in the current Trump administration have connections to Jeffrey Epstein, according to an NBC News review of some of the over 3 million documents the Justice Department has released.

The connections range from a single email to years of communication.

A 2016 email to Epstein from Mehmet Oz, head of Medicare & Medicaid Services, appeared to contain an invitation to a Valentine's Day party. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears in Epstein's flight logs. And the Pentagon's No. 2, Stephen Feinberg, makes numerous appearances in connection with the business he founded.

None have been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement.

Read our full list of officials tied to the late sex offender and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

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▼ Quiz Time

James Van Der Beek died this week at 48. Which film or series did the actor NOT star in?

"Dawson's Creek"
"Varsity Blues"
"Gossip Girl"
"Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23"

Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)

TAKE THE NEWS QUIZ

▼ Read All About It

Authorities are testing unidentified DNA collected at Nancy Guthrie's property, the sheriff said. Follow live updates as the search continues.

Revelations over his uncle's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein loom over Prince William as he makes a trip to Saudi Arabia.

A jury convicted a New Jersey man of killing his brother's family and burning their home in 2017.

The eldercare workforce leads America's job growth, but modest pay, physical toll and worker shortages threaten the pipeline.

A Florida couple is facing felony battery charges following a heated pickleball brawl, officials said.

▼ Staff Pick

The multibillion-dollar industry propped up by struggling Americans

What's it like getting by in this economy? Look outside the entrance of a suburban Phoenix plasma center at 7 a.m.

There, in the cold, dark parking lot, I found Jill Chamberlain, 57, who told me she'd come to sell her plasma that morning before going to her job doing administrative work for a local school district making $16.11 an hour. Despite working 80 hours some weeks, it isn't enough to pay her bills. So she sells her plasma twice a week to earn around $400 a month.

Chamberlain is among the estimated 200,000 people a day selling their plasma and fueling the multibillion-dollar business. Despite data that shows a relatively stable economy, middle-class Americans from across the country told me they have had to start selling their plasma over the past year to cover basic expenses, from medical bills to a winter coat for their child.

It's a window into a slice of the economy not necessarily captured in the big picture data — and may help explain why a growing number of Americans say the economy is headed in the wrong direction.

— Shannon Pettypiece, senior policy reporter

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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Kayla Hayempour, with contributions from Rufina Chow. The answer to the quiz question above is C) Gossip Girl.

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