Panama Canal ports drag Panama into tussle between superpowers

PANAMA CITY (AP) – Two ports run for years by a Hong Kong-based company at either end of the Panama Canal have thrust Panama into a geopolitical tug-of-war between the United States and China. Even before taking office for his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump complained that China was running the Panama Canal.

OpenAI gets $110 billon in funding from a trio of tech powerhouses, led by Amazon

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has received $110 billion in funding from Amazon, SoftBank and Nvidia, putting the technology company’s pre-money valuation at $730 billion. Amazon is leading the trio of tech heavyweights in commitments, putting up $50 billion, followed by $30 billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank, said OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman.

Trump heads to Texas, where 3 supporters are battling it out

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump just can’t seem to choose among friends in the Texas Senate Republican primary. So when he travels to the state on Friday for his first post- State of the Union trip, where he plans to promote his energy and economic policies, Trump will have all three candidates in the competitive race join him.

France's nukes and Europe's worries about Trump in spotlight

PARIS (AP) – They lurk in the oceans, a last resort to pulverize attackers with nuclear fire should France’s commander in chief ever make that terrible call. French President Emmanuel Macron, the person with the power to unleash France’s nuclear arsenal, will on Monday update French thinking on the potential use of warheads carried on submarines.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Trump says he is 'not happy' with the Iran nuclear talks

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make a quick trip to Israel early next week, the State Department said, as tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after their latest nuclear talks and American forces gather in the region.

With only 3 women left, an Amazon tribe faced extinction

SAO PAULO (AP) – Pugapia and her daughters Aiga and Babawru lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an Indigenous people decimated by a government-backed push to develop parts of the Amazon rainforest. As they advanced in age without a child to carry on the line, many expected the Akuntsu to vanish when the women died.

Today in History: February 27, the German Reichstag fire

Today is Friday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2026. There are 307 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 27, 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.

House Democrats say they're headed back to power

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) – Gathered at a resort in suburban Virginia, House Democrats this week were acting like a party on the verge of reclaiming power as they drafted policy blueprints and spoke confidently about election victories in November.