Monday, February 16, 2026

Great Olympic expectations, greater pressure

The grander the stage, the greater the pressure on elite athletes. How some cope with the mental struggle of elite competition. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Mon Feb 16 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi! It's a new week. I'm Phaedra Trethan, contemplating a guilty pleasure. ☘️ 🥤

In Monday's news:

Olympians' bodies are in top condition. But what about their minds?
He's not on the ballot. So why is President Trump anxious about the midterms?
The search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week. The latest developments.

But first: Sing it with me: "Get your kicks / on Route 66 ..." 🎶 🚙 🎵

Great expectations, greater pressure 🏅

Ilia Malinin's stumbles across the ice on Friday night. Simone Biles' battles with "twisties" in 2021. Any pticher who's lost the strike zone, any golfer who's gotten the yips: Great expectations for elite athletes can manifest as even greater pressure to perform — and sometimes great disappointment.

Columnist Christine Brennan looks at how even the best athletes face mental struggles as difficult as any physical ones. 😖
How Ilia Malinin reacted to his performance. ⛸️
Not exactly sure how to introduce this story. Just saying, be careful who's around when you click on the link. 🫣
Team USA women's hockey faced off against Sweden on Monday. How goaltending is powering them past opponents. 🏒
USA TODAY's "Chasing Gold" children's book is full of vibrant profiles of Olympic athletes. Order here. 📖

Olympics Figure Skating Mens Singles Free Program

Ilia Malinin of the United States of America competes in the men's singles free program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

James Lang-Imagn Images

Midterm misgivings?

President Trump is telling Republicans that losing control of Congress "would lead to very bad things." Midterm elections tend to be a referendum on the party in power, and this year, Trump's underwater approval ratings and deeply unpopular policies around immigration enforcement and the economy could turn the tide against his administration.

USA TODAY's White House Bureau Chief Susan Page takes a look at why Trump might be worried.
Trump has an eye-popping amount of money to spend on the midterms. 💰

Real quick

Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, known for roles in "The Godfather" trilogy and "Apocalypse Now," died at 95. 💔
A "security force" will remain in Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said.
Six western and central states are under wildfire warnings.
A federal judge ruled the Trump administration should restore displays at a Philadelphia site where George Washington kept nine enslaved people.

Where is Nancy Guthrie?

Police have dismissed speculation that the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie was the result of a "burglary gone wrong" and have offered more details about a person who was seen on video surveillance at the 84-year-old's home on the day she disappeared. The latest developments.

nancy guthrie savannah

The search for Nancy Guthrie, right, the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, continues as authorities pursue new leads in the case.

Courtesy of NBC

Are aliens real? 👽

Did a former president admit that extraterrestrial life is real? Wellllll...

Barack Obama appeared to confirm the existence of alien life on a left-leaning podcast over the weekend, responding to a lightning round of questions and igniting a bit of a storm with the admission. How Obama tried to temper his answer the following day.

20260216_VPC_OBAMA SAYS ALIENS ARE REAL_THUMB.00_00_03_13.Still004.jpg

Barack Obama says aliens are "real" on podcast

YouTube / Brian Tyler Cohen

A break from the news

This Girl Scout might be the cutest salesperson in the history of sales or people. 🥹
Divers found a ship that sank on Lake Michigan 150 years ago. What they discovered. ⚓️
This Colorado town totally went to the dogs, but no one seemed to mind. 🦮 🤩

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and your favorite Girl Scout cookies (she's on the lookout for Thin Mints and Caramel DeLites). Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray walks in the Barrow County courthouse on the day of his and his son's first appearance, in Winder, Georgia, Sept. 6, 2024.

Colin Gray faces second-degree murder charges in Georgia after his son used a gun he provided to kill two teachers and two classmates in a 2024 school shooting. His trial begins Feb. 16.

The scene of a shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 24, 2026.
 

FBI stonewalls Minnesota probe into Alex Pretti shooting, state says

The FBI will not share evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said.

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo died on Friday, Feb. 13, according to a family spokesperson. She was 16.
 

Chicago teen who called for father's release from ICE detention dies

According to a family spokesperson, Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in December 2024.

News out of Colorado
 

Plane crash kills 4 people in Colorado including Tennessee CEO

A Tennessee millionaire, his son, nephew, and another man died in a plane crash bound for Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) holds up a fully redacted document from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice while questioning U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
 

Republican congressman says he has no confidence in Pam Bondi as AG

In a rare split within the GOP, Congressman Thomas Massie said on ABC's "This Week" that he has no confidence in Pam Bondi as Attorney General.

Lauren McDermott is grateful that Jadey is a concentrated space for real stories that aren't just medical jargon that's hard to understand.
 

Young women, shocking cancer diagnoses and a flicker of hope

Jadey offers cancer patients robust information in a sleek, more youthful and less clinical package.

EVA AI users go on in-person dates with AI companions over February 11 and 12 at Same Same Bar in New York.
 

These people are dating AI characters. I tagged along on a date.

Ahead of Valentine's Day, EVA AI hosted a pop up where human users could take their AI companions on a date. I went to see what it's like.

Understanding the difference between tax credits and tax relief is important, especially if you're trying to lower your tax bill or manage IRS debt.
 

Tax credit vs. tax relief: What's the difference?

Learn the difference between tax credits and tax relief, how credits reduce taxes owed and how IRS programs help manage tax debt.

US President Donald Trump listens to the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz as they discuss TrumpRx website, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2026.
 

Does TrumpRx deliver the lowest drug prices? Why results are mixed.

Analysts say TrumpRx, the Trump administration's consumer drug-pricing site, might not deliver lower drug prices for most Americans.

Childhood friends Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) begin a lustful love affair after she gets married and he returns after many years away in "Wuthering Heights."
 

'Wuthering Heights' snaps sizzles to box office glory

"Wuthering Heights" is sizzling its way to box office glory. The movie, which stars Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, raked in ticket sales.

Play Your Way to a Relaxing Break

Unwind with crosswords and challenges that recharge you. 

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