NPR News: 02-18-2026 2PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: February 18, 2026, 2PM EST – Episode Summary

Episode Overview

This five-minute news roundup, hosted by Lakshmi Singh, delivers key national headlines of the hour, ranging from a high-stakes social media trial involving Meta's CEO, to media upheaval at CBS, major infrastructure funding news, and breakthroughs in maternal health. The episode is brisk, direct, and information-packed, reflecting NPR’s signature objective tone.

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Key News Segments and Discussion Points

1. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies in Landmark Social Media Trial

• [00:14 – 01:05]
  • Main Point: Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a trial scrutinizing Instagram's design and its alleged impact on youth mental health.
  • Core Legal Debate:
    • Whether social media platforms, such as Instagram, are “defective products” intentionally designed with addictive qualities harmful to users.
    • The usual legal cover under Section 230 (which protects platforms from liabilities related to user-posted content) is challenged here by reframing harm as a product liability issue.
  • Wider Impact: The trial could set precedent for 1,600 similar social media addiction cases pending in courts.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Bobby Allen: “This trial is framing social media platforms as a defective product designed knowing the harms they could cause. The outcome of this trial could shape 1600 other social media addiction cases still pending.” [00:51]

2. CBS Faces Backlash and Internal Shake-Ups Amid Corporate Drama

• [01:05 – 02:04]
  • Recent Controversies at CBS:
    • Stephen Colbert publicly confronts network lawyers for allegedly blocking his interview with Senate candidate James Talarico due to FCC concerns.
    • Departure of veteran journalist Anderson Cooper from CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
    • Editorial discord under Bari Weiss, facing resistance from experienced journalists.
    • Broader context: Ongoing Paramount Skydance attempts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, CBS’s parent company, currently controlled by the Trump-allied Ellson family.
  • Political Concerns:
    • Democratic Representative Sam Licardo warns of growing media consolidation and politically close ties between media CEOs and the presidency.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Rep. Sam Licardo: “It's certainly concern enough if you have oligarchical control of major broadcast TV news sources that the American public relies upon. But it's even more problematic when you have a very cozy relationship between that CEO and the president.” [01:46]

3. Trump Administration Releases Funds for Hudson River Tunnel Project

• [02:04 – 03:04]
  • Background: Over $200 million in previously frozen federal funds is released for the Gateway Hudson River Tunnel project between NY and NJ.
  • Project Status: Construction had halted due to funding issues, with President Trump withholding funds over financial concerns and reportedly seeking to name Penn Station after himself in exchange for funding.
  • Resolution: Attorneys general from NY and NJ sued; a federal judge sided with the states, unlocking crucial infrastructure funding.
  • Notable Details: The tunnel, vital for Northeast transit, has suffered from age and damage (notably from Hurricane Sandy).
  • Notable Quote:
    • Walter Wuthman: “President Trump had frozen money for the new train tunnels under the Hudson river in late September, saying the project would be, quote, financially catastrophic for the region.” [02:38]

4. Settlement in New Jersey Catholic Diocese Sex Abuse Case

• [03:04 – 03:24]
  • News Brief: South Jersey’s Catholic diocese agrees to pay $180 million to resolve clergy sex abuse allegations.
  • Comments: Bishop Joseph A. Williams describes the settlement as “long overdue for survivors.”

5. Lake Tahoe Avalanche: Rescue Efforts Ongoing

• [03:24 – 03:44]
  • Situation Update: Nine skiers remain missing following an avalanche near Lake Tahoe.
  • Rescue Status: Six people rescued, two hospitalized after extensive rescue operations.

6. Experimental Drug for Preeclampsia in South Africa

• [04:06 – 04:43]
  • Medical News: Early-stage trials of a new drug for preeclampsia—a dangerous pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure—show promise.
  • Study Leader: Professor Kathy Kluver, Stellenbosch University.
  • Drug Potential: The drug may lower maternal blood pressure and improve uterine blood flow, offering hope for extending pregnancies safely.
  • Reactions:
    • Ari Daniel: “We were like, we don't believe this, like, this is impossible.” [04:31]
    • Kathy Kluver: “The researchers say there's still more to learn about how the drug works and whether it can keep mothers pregnant for longer.” [04:35]

7. Market Update

• [03:44 – 03:54; 04:43 – 04:53]
  • Stock Market: Dow up over 300 points; Nasdaq and S&P 500 show healthy gains.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Social Media Liability:
  “This trial is framing social media platforms as a defective product designed knowing the harms they could cause.”
  — Bobby Allen [00:51]

• On Media Consolidation:
  “It's even more problematic when you have a very cozy relationship between that CEO and the president.”
  — Rep. Sam Licardo [01:46]

• On Funding the Hudson Tunnel:
  “President Trump had frozen money for the new train tunnels...saying the project would be, quote, financially catastrophic for the region.”
  — Walter Wuthman [02:38]

• On the Promise of a Preeclampsia Drug:
  “We were like, we don't believe this, like, this is impossible.”
  — Ari Daniel [04:31]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Meta Social Media Trial: [00:14 — 01:05]
• CBS Backlash & Media Consolidation: [01:05 — 02:04]
• Gateway Tunnel Project Funding: [02:04 — 03:04]
• NJ Diocese Settlement: [03:04 — 03:24]
• Lake Tahoe Avalanche Update: [03:24 — 03:44]
• Preeclampsia Drug Trial: [04:06 — 04:43]
• Stock Market Update: [03:44 – 03:54; 04:43 – 04:53]

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Overall Tone & Style

True to NPR’s direct and impartial style, this rapid-fire bulletin delivers authoritative reporting, brief expert comments, and relevant sound bites. Each segment is concise yet informative, with an even-handed tone and a focus on public interest.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The CEO of the big tech company Meta is testifying today in a landmark social media trial. Mark Zuckerberg is facing accusations that Meta's platform, Instagram, has been engineered to hook young people. Here's NPR's Bobby Allen.

[Bobby Allen]

A core question of the trial is whether tech companies should be found legally liable for designing social media apps in ways that have harmed or worsened users mental health. Silicon Valley has long avoided legal repercussions thanks to a federal shield known as section230. It makes it hard to sue tech companies for content users post. But this trial is framing social media platforms as a defective product designed knowing the harms they could cause. The outcome of this trial could shape 1600 other social media addiction cases still pending. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Pushback is intensifying against CBS. In the last 24 hours, late night talk show giant Stephen Colbert called out network lawyers for denying they'd blocked his on air interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico over fears of running afoul of the FCC. And CBS is also losing 60 Minutes veteran Anderson Cooper at a time when Bari Weiss's editorial leadership is running afoul of a number of seasoned journalists. This is happening against a backdrop of Paramount Skydance's final attempt to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, CBS's parent company, is run by the Ellson family, allies of President Trump. Democratic California Congressman Sam Licardo says he's concerned about what that could mean for independents in the media.

[Sam Licardo]

It's certainly concern enough if you have oligarchical control of major broadcast TV news sources that the American public relies upon. But it's even more problematic when you have a very cozy relationship between that CEO and the president.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Representative Sam licarda, speaking with NPR's Morning Edition. We should note Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount plus are financial supporters of NPR. The Trump administration is releasing more than $200 million of frozen funds for the Gateway Hudson River Tunnel project linking New York and New Jersey. As Walter Wotherman of member station WNYC tells us, contractors say work can resume next week.

[Walter Wuthman]

Work stopped earlier this month when the Gateway Development Commission said it had run out of money and exhausted a line of credit. President Trump had frozen money for the new train tunnels under the Hudson river in late September, saying the project would be, quote financially catastrophic for the region. Trump reportedly offered to release the money if officials agreed to name Penn Station after him. The New York and New Jersey attorneys general sued, and a federal judge sided with the states. Officials say the project is necessary because the existing century old tunnel was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. For NPR News, I'm Walter Wuthman in New York City.

[Lakshmi Singh]

U.S. stocks are trading higher this hour with the Dow Jones industrial average now up more than 300 points. This is NPR. A New Jersey Catholic diocese confirms a $180 million settlement to resolve clergy sex abuse allegations. On its website, the Catholic Church of South Jersey says the survivors committee unanimously agreed to accept the terms of the agreement. Bishop Joseph A. Williams writes the settlement is long overdue for survivors. Nine skiers are still missing following yesterday's avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California. And the Nevada County Sheriff's Office says six people were rescued in long operation. Two skiers had to be sent to the hospital. The condition known as preeclampsia, is marked by skyrocketing blood pressure and can be fatal to pregnant women and their babies. Ari Daniel reports on a new drug being tested in South Africa that researchers hope may be the first for their condition.

[Kathy Kluver]

Kathy Kluver is a professor at Stellenbosch University who studies preeclampsia.

[Ari Daniel]

It really is one of the most significant serious complications of pregnancy.

[Kathy Kluver]

Prescribing conventional blood pressure medicine is risky because it may also reduce blood flow to the baby. Now Kluver and her team are testing a new drug at Tigerberg Hospital in Cape Town that appears to reduce the mother's blood pressure while also improving blood flow to the womb.

[Ari Daniel]

We were like, we don't believe this, like, this is impossible.

[Kathy Kluver]

The researchers say there's still more to learn about how the drug works and whether it can keep mothers pregnant for longer. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The the Nasdaq is up 1.2% S&P 500, up more than three quarters of a percent. You're listening to NPR News.

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