Fox News Hourly Update

Episode: The Economy Slowed Down at the End of Last Year

Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Dave Anthony

Overview

This episode delivers a rapid-fire rundown of major late-breaking news for February 20, 2026, with a central focus on the U.S. economy’s unexpected slowdown in the fourth quarter—tying in political finger-pointing, recent inflation data, and a series of top national and international developments including updates on the Epstein estate, avalanche tragedies, and Olympic triumphs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Economy: Fourth Quarter Slowdown

• GDP Growth Drop: Economic growth sharply slowed, with Q4 GDP rising only 1.4%, down significantly from Q3’s 4.4%.
  • Cheryl Cassoni: “We came in at 1.4%. This is even below the range of expectations that we got for fourth quarter.” (00:12)
  • “We had a 43 day government shutdown in this quarter. That is certainly going to be one of the issues here now.” (00:23)
• Political Blame & Reactions:
  • Dave Anthony: President Trump, on Truth Social, blamed Democrats for the government shutdown, claiming it cost the US “at least 2 percentage points of GDP growth.” Trump also demanded lower interest rates and criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as “the worst.” (00:30)
  • Quote from Trump Rally: “You notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability, because I’ve won. I’ve won affordability.” (Unknown Political Commentator, 00:49)

2. Tariffs & Inflation Update

• Ongoing Tariffs: Trump continued to promote his tariff policies, with Democrats retorting that tariffs are “the American people paying the price for them.” (00:58)
• Inflation Report: Slight uptick in personal consumption expenditure inflation; rate increased a tenth of a percent to 2.9% annualized for December. (00:58)

3. Presidential Updates: Iran and UFOs

• Iran Nuclear Deadline: President Trump set a strict 10-15 day deadline for Iran to reach a nuclear agreement.
  • Quote: “I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum.” (Unknown Political Commentator, 01:21)
• UFO Files Order: The President directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other agencies to declassify files related to “alien life” and “unidentified aerial phenomena.”
  • Trump's jab at President Obama: accused him of leaking classified information about aliens.
  • When asked about his beliefs: “No, I don’t. I don’t have an opinion on it.” (Unknown Political Commentator, 01:54)

4. Legal Developments: Royal & Epstein Cases

• Prince Andrew Released: Former Prince Andrew was released after a high-profile arrest in Britain. Still faces misconduct charges related to Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme. His title was stripped by King Charles in response to the allegations. (02:40)
• Epstein Estate Settlement: The estate settled a class action for $35 million, related to claims two top associates enabled trafficking. The settlement follows a prior $121 million restitution fund payment; neither man admits wrongdoing or has been criminally convicted.
  • Eben Brown: “That lawsuit alleged the two men... were helping to facilitate Epstein’s trafficking of women and girls.” (03:01)

5. Avalanche Tragedy in the West

• Utah Avalanche: An 11-year-old girl died after being buried for half an hour near Brighton Ski Resort. This follows a California avalanche which killed 8 with one still missing and 6 rescued. (03:39)
• Investigation: Authorities and state regulators are probing possible criminal negligence and the responsibilities of tour organizers.
  • Gary Baumgarten: “Both police and state regulators are looking into the possibility that criminal negligence was involved and whether the tour organizers are at fault.” (03:55)

6. Market & Sports Update

• Wall Street: Stock futures dropped after the morning’s downbeat economic data. (04:23)
• Winter Olympics: Norway set a record with its 17th gold medal of this year’s Winter Games. (04:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Economic Sticker Shock:

  • Cheryl Cassoni: “We came in at 1.4%. This is even below the range of expectations that we got for fourth quarter.” (00:12)
  • Dave Anthony: “GDP that is down from 4.4% growth in the third quarter.” (00:19)

• Political Soundbite:

  • Unknown Political Commentator: “You notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability, because I’ve won. I’ve won affordability.” (00:49)

• Presidential Deadlines:

  • Unknown Political Commentator (on Iran): “I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum.” (01:21)

• UFO Curiosity:

  • Unknown Political Commentator (on alien life): “No, I don’t. I don’t have an opinion on it.” (01:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:03] – [00:23]: Economic report and reaction
• [00:30] – [00:58]: Political responses, tariffs, and inflation data
• [01:21] – [01:36]: Iran deadline and UFO directive
• [02:40] – [03:39]: Prince Andrew update and Epstein estate settlement
• [03:39] – [04:23]: Avalanche tragedy and investigation
• [04:23] – [04:37]: Stock market and Olympics wrap-up

Conclusion

This briskly-paced update zeroes in on the U.S. economy’s surprising dip, traces its political reverberations, and weaves together sharp snippets of major ongoing stories from royal scandals to winter sports glory. If you missed it, this episode delivers the essential facts and sharper exchanges shaping today’s headlines.