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Thursday, February 12, 2026

LeBron James becomes oldest player with triple-double in Lakers' 124-104 win over Mavericks

February 12, 2026
LeBron James becomes oldest player with triple-double in Lakers' 124-104 win over Mavericks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James became theoldest player in NBA history with a triple-doublewhen he put up 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Associated Press Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31), forward Daniel Gafford (21) and forward P.J. Washington defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, center, shoots as Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie, left, and forward Daniel Gafford defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Mavericks Lakers Basketball

At 41 years and 44 days old, James broke the record held by Karl Malone, who recorded a triple-double for the Lakers when he was 40 years and 127 days old.

James scored 14 points in a dominant first quarter, and had 22 points and 12 assists heading to the fourth. He grabbed his 10th rebound with 2:06 to play and checked out moments later, wrapping up another sensational game in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.

James is headed to the All-Star Game this weekend after being selected for the 22nd time. He got his most recent triple-double on Feb. 1, 2025.

Naji Marshall and Max Christie scored 19 points apiece for the Mavericks, who lost their ninth straight to fall into their longest skid in 28 seasons.

NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic didn't suit up against his former team, missing his fourth straight game for the Lakers with a mild hamstring strain. Star rookie Cooper Flagg sat out with a sprained foot for Dallas that will prevent him from participating in All-Star weekend at nearby Intuit Dome.

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James and Austin Reaves sat out the Lakers' loss to San Antonio on Tuesday for health maintenance, but both returned in a comfortable victory. Reaves had 18 points and six assists.

Rui Hachimura scored 21 points for the Lakers, who have won seven of 11.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said he expects Doncic to return after the All-Star break. Redick didn't know whether the Slovenian superstar will play in the All-Star Game after leading the NBA in votes.

Up next

Mavericks: At Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 20.

Lakers: Host the Clippers on Friday, Feb. 20.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/NBA

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LeBron James breaks Karl Malone mark: Oldest NBA triple-double in Lakers win over Mavs

February 12, 2026
LeBron James breaks Karl Malone mark: Oldest NBA triple-double in Lakers win over Mavs

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James became theoldest player in NBA history with a triple-doublewhen he put up 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Associated Press

At 41 years and 44 days old, James broke the record held by Karl Malone, who recorded a triple-double for the Lakers when he was 40 years and 127 days old.

James scored 14 points in a dominant first quarter, and had 22 points and 12 assists heading to the fourth. He grabbed his 10th rebound with 2:06 to play and checked out moments later, wrapping up another sensational game in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.

James is headed to the All-Star Game this weekend after being selected for the 22nd time. He got his most recent triple-double on Feb. 1, 2025.

Naji Marshall and Max Christie scored 19 points apiece for the Mavericks, who lost their ninth straight to fall into their longest skid in 28 seasons.

NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic didn't suit up against his former team, missing his fourth straight game for the Lakers with a mild hamstring strain. Star rookie Cooper Flagg sat out with a sprained foot for Dallas that will prevent him from participating in All-Star weekend at nearby Intuit Dome.

James and Austin Reaves sat out the Lakers' loss to San Antonio on Tuesday for health maintenance, but both returned in a comfortable victory. Reaves had 18 points and six assists.

Rui Hachimura scored 21 points for the Lakers, who have won seven of 11.

BUCKS 110, THUNDER 93

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng had 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, and Milwaukee beat Oklahoma City.

The Thunder traded Dieng just before the deadline. The 6-foot-9 Frenchman was the G-League Finals MVP as the Oklahoma City Blue won the championship in 2024 and a Thunder reserve.

Both teams were missing important pieces.

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Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers was out attending a funeral, and assistant Darvin Ham filled in. Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a right calf strain.

Oklahoma City played without reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and co-star Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain). Both will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

AJ Green scored 17 points for the Bucks, and obby Portis added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Isaiah Joe scored 17 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who were coming off road wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix.

TRAIL BLAZERS 135, JAZZ 119

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 31 points and Donovan Clingan added 23 points and 18 rebounds as Portland beat Utah — hours after the Jazzlost Jaren Jackson Jr. to knee surgeryand werefined $500,000 by the NBAfor sitting healthy stars.

Clingan also had a career-high seven assists and three blocks. Holiday had nine rebounds and seven assists to lead Portland (27-29) to its fourth victory in five games.

Jerami Grant added 18 points and Scoot Henderson scored 15 in his fourth game this season.

Brice Sensabaugh had 28 points while Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier each scored 15 for Utah (18-38).

In his first NBA game, Utah two-way player Blake Hinson scored 11 points and hit a 3-pointer to pull the Jazz to 111-108. But the Blazers responded with an 11-2 run capped by Holiday's layup to clinch the win.

Clingan sparked a 10-0 spurt with dominating play on both ends to give the Trail Blazers a 75-65 lead. Portland outscored the short-handed Jazz 40-23 in the third quarter to take control.

Jackson, who led the Jazz to a 2-1 record since arriving from Memphis in a trade last week, did not play. In a post-trade physical exam, Jackson was diagnosed with a benign growth in his left knee and will have surgery next week.

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Puerto Rico's flag is flying high this week. But who gets to hold it is complicated

February 12, 2026
Puerto Rico's flag is flying high this week. But who gets to hold it is complicated

MILAN (AP) — Puerto Rico is making its mark this week on two monumental stages: theSuper Bowl halftime showand — with a single athlete — the Winter Olympics.

Associated Press Puerto Rico's Kellie Delka poses at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Puerto Rico's Kellie Delka arrives at the finish during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Puerto Rico's Kellie Delka slides down the track during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Kellie Delka, flag bearer of Puerto Rico, leads her team in during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Milan Cortina Olympics Skeleton

Music and sport are among the island's few opportunities to wave its flag for the world to see. But the question of which people get to represent Puerto Rico remains a complicated one, tied up in its history, identity andstatus as a U.S. territory, rather than a full-fledged state. Reactions to the performances this week show the evolution of who is welcome to do so.

Bad Bunny, a six-time Grammy award winner, keeps Puerto Rican culture at the forefront of his music; he sings and raps in Spanish, uses Puerto Rican slang and frequently references politics and everyday island life. Yet he and his music have exploded into the U.S. mainstream.

By contrast, Kellie Delka is a native Texan who had no prior ties to the island when she moved there eight years ago. She carried Puerto Rico's massive flag at the Olympics opening ceremony. Even though people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens, it fields itsown Olympic team. And this year, that entire team is Delka, who will compete in skeleton on Friday and Saturday.

After training runs in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Delka told The Associated Press that her need to focus ahead of race day prevented her from tuning in for the halftime show, but "hopefully Bad Bunny's watching me at the Games."

"I hope the whole island's watching," she added.

Who can represent Puerto Rico, then and now?

Decades before Delka, there was Michael "Mike" González. Also an American, he was a member of the 2002 bobsled team, but it came to light just before the Games in Salt Lake City that he couldn't prove that he met Puerto Rico's residency requirement.

Puerto Rico's Olympic committee didn't just withdraw its two-man team; the ensuing scandal prompted it to nix recognition for the island's entire winter sports federation. No athlete would represent the territory in the Winter Games for another 16 years.

There has always been a debate about who counts as Puerto Rican, especially as more generations grow up off-island and never learn Spanish, according to Antonio Sotomayor, associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"When you have the athletes that do not speak the one element that mostly differs us from the U.S., it rubs the wrong way for many people," said Sotomayor, who is Puerto Rican and author of the book "The Sovereign Colony: Olympic Sport, National Identity, and International Politics in Puerto Rico."

There are 6 million people in the U.S. who identify as Puerto Rican, behind only Mexican for specific Latin American places of origin, according to latest U.S. census data, from 2024. That's double the number of Cubans, Salvadorans or Dominicans. Despite being U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential elections and have limited voting representation in Congress.

The island's Olympic committeerequires its athletes either be born in Puerto Rico, have a parent or grandparent born there, or live there for at least two consecutive years. Its Olympians usually come from Puerto Rico, but not always.

HurdlerJasmine Camacho-Quinncompeted for Puerto Rico at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 as an homage to her mom's heritage. She said at the time she always had Puerto Rican influences around the house in South Carolina — music, food, celebrations. And she took gold, but some Puerto Ricans raised eyebrows.

The opposite has happened, too. Puerto Rico-born tennis starGigi Fernándezchose not to represent her island, but rather the U.S. for both Olympics in 1992 and 1996. At the time, she said the decision wasn't easy, but that she wasunsure Puerto Rico could qualifyfor doubles — her specialty.

She won, and promptly took fire from fans back home for depriving the island of what could have been its first Olympic gold in any sport. Criticism of Fernández flared up again in 2016, when Puerto Rican tennis playerMónica Puigfinally achieved this feat.

Staying true in music

The same dynamic can be found in Puerto Rican music. Ricky Martin – whose birth name is Enrique Martín Morales – sang in English in order to cross over into the U.S. market. The "Livin' la Vida Loca" singer penned a letter in Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día on Feb. 3, praising Bad Bunny for staying true to himself.

"You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico," Martin wrote.

During his halftime show, Bad Bunny invitedMartin to perform "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,"("What Happened to Hawaii"), a rallying cry that presents Hawaii as a cautionary tale of American cultural colonization and widespread gentrification.

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Tropical nations look far and wide for winter athletes

Delka, a former track and field athlete in Denton, Texas, moved to Puerto Rico after being recruited by leaders of the island's winter sports federation.

This isn't unique to Puerto Rico; tropical countries cast a wide net to field Winter Games competitors. Nicolas Claveau-Laviolette was born in Venezuela and is the nation's sole representative, despite having lived in Canada most of his life.Richardson Viana, on Haiti's team this year, was adopted and raised by an Italian family in France at age 3. He skied for France before the Haitian ski federation approached him.

Delka doesn't claim to be Puerto Rican, but she has made the island her home and is "trying so hard to learn Spanish."

"I think I just get so much stage fright and when someone starts talking I forget everything that I learned," Delka said.

What doesn't scare her? Careeninghead-first down the skeleton trackat 80 mph (129 kph), her chin just inches from the ice. Most of the year, she's several thousand miles from any such frozen terrain — weightlifting and running under the tropical sun, often in just a bikini.

"For offseason, it doesn't really matter where you live because you are just working on getting more powerful," she said.

On race day, the eye atop her helmet is meant to be watching over Puerto Rico from space. Her goal is to make the top 15, and Delka says she can surprise in a sport wherewinners and losers are separated by mere seconds.

"I believe in myself more than anybody should," she said.

But will Puerto Ricans cheer for her?

Acceptance in Puerto Rico of foreign-born athletes has been slowly growing – at least for diaspora Puerto Ricans like Camacho-Quinn, said Sotomayor.

"Even if they don't know the Spanish language, they still uphold, protect, defend, celebrate many other cultural markers of Puerto Rico," he said. "That's mostly what matters at this point."

For her part, Delka says neighbors — once they find out how long she has lived on the island — embrace her as one of their own.

That was visible on social media after the opening ceremony, at which Delka waved the flag and wore a skirt inspired by clothing worn during traditional dances.

At awatch party for Bad Bunny's halftime showin San Juan two days later, Alexandra Núñez told the AP that she was aware of an Olympian representing Puerto Rico, but not who or what sport. Juan Carlos Lugo, a resident of Guaynabo, knew Delka would be sliding for Puerto Rico and said her ethnicity doesn't matter.

"As long as she wears the Puerto Rican flag on her chest and represents, I am proud."

AP reporter Jennifer McDermott contributed from Cortina and videojournalist Alejandro Granadillo from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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Actress Rose Byrne honored as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year with parade and roast

February 12, 2026
Actress Rose Byrne honored as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year with parade and roast

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Rose Byrne, fresh off her Golden Globe Award win and Oscar nomination for the leading role in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," will be honored Friday as the 2026 Woman of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Associated Press Rose Byrne attends the 98th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/Invision/AP) Rose Byrne arrives at the 98th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

98th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon - Inside

Byrne, who also has starred in "Bridesmaids," "Neighbors," "Insidious" and "Damages," will take part in a parade through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts. After that, she will receive her pudding pot award at a celebratory roast. She will then attend a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatricals' 177th production "Salooney Tunes."

In her review of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," TheAssociated Press' Jocelyn Noveck wrotethat the film gave Byrne "a chance to display versatility and grit in surely the toughest dramatic role of her career."

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ActorMichael Keaton, known for his roles in films such as "Batman," "Birdman," "Beetlejuice" and "Spotlight," is the 2026 Man of the Year. He received his pudding pot Feb. 6.

"We are thrilled to honor Rose Byrne as our Woman of the Year," Hasty Pudding Theatricals President Daisy Nussbaum said in a statement. "Hot off a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination, it's only right that she receives the most prestigious award of all: a pudding pot."

The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed the award annually on women including actors Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Annette Bening. Last year, the winner was"Wicked" star Cynthia Erivo.

Byrne, who is Australian, also acted in "Juliet, Naked," "Get Him to the Greek" and "28 Weeks Later." Her theater credits include "Medea, You Can't Take it With You" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and she will star opposite Kelli O'Hara in the revival of "Fallen Angels" on Broadway starting in March.

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'Love Story,' Episode 3 fact check – Was JFK Jr. jumped in the park?

February 12, 2026
'Love Story,' Episode 3 fact check – Was JFK Jr. jumped in the park?

Episode 3 ofFX's "Love Story"rounds out the three-part premiere of the limited series depicting the romance ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr.and his wife,Carolyn Bessette, which was cut short when they boarded a fatal flight in 1999.

USA TODAY

Like Episodes 1 and 2, which also debuted Feb. 12, the third installment shares tidbits about the former first family which might pique the interest of viewers. In the first few minutes, John (Paul Anthony Kelly) reads a card from the numerous bouquets well-wishers have sent toJacqueline Kennedy Onassis(Naomi Watts) following her diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"You're in my reflections," John reads from one card. "Michael Jackson?"

"Mom secured his book deal,"Caroline Kennedy(Grace Gummer) tells her brother.

And in actuality, the former first lady did help arrange that book deal,according to Reuters. Onassis began working as an editor at Doubleday in 1978. According to Stephen Davis, who collaborated with Jackson on his 1988 memoir "Moonwalk," Onassis was the "only person in America who could get him on the phone."Here are the real stories behind other notable moments in Episode 3. Subsequent episodes, to be released weekly (FX, Thursdays at 9 ET/PT, and streaming on Hulu), will be fact-checked as well.

Was John F. Kennedy Jr. really jumped?

John tells Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon) in "Love Story" that he was robbed as a teenager.

"You know I got jumped in a park once," he says. "I was like 15, riding my bike to a tennis lesson, and this guy just socked me, jacked my bike and took off."

The New York Times reportedon an incident in 1974, when Kennedy Jr. was 13. While riding his bike through Central Park en route to a tennis lesson, the outlet said a man "grabbed both the bike and the tennis racket and rode off into the park."

<p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette became tabloid fodder when the publisher son of President John F. Kennedy, described as the "closest thing to American royalty," and the Calvin Klein publicist, "a star in her own right," met in 1992 while at his fitting for the clothing brand. In recent years, Bessette's fashion has found a new following – particularly on TikTok – as a new generation fawns over her simple but chic wardrobe. After they were married, Bessette was known as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The end of the Kennedys' love story shocked the world when they died in a plane crash alongside Bessette-Kennedy's sister, Lauren Bessette. The former first son was piloting the aircraft when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Now, director Ryan Murphy is releasing the first installment of his "Love Story" anthology based on the whirlwind romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. See their relationship in photos, beginning here
at the U.S. Customs House in New York City on May 19, 1999, for the Newman's Own/George Awards.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John Kennedy Jr. with wife Carolyn Bessette arrive at Bright Night Whitney, a retrospective celebration of a century of American art at the Whitney Museum in New York City March 9, 1999. Kennedy was the publisher of George magazine. The pair married in 1996 on Cumberland Island, Georgia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy leave the funeral of Michael Kennedy at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville, Massachusetts, after services, Jan. 3, 1998.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette stop for photographers after Kennedy presented actor Robert De Niro with the Municipal Art Society of New York's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal at a gala dinner in New York, March 4, 1997.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy leave at the end of the White House Correspondent's annual dinner in Washington, D.C., May 1, 1999.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy arrive at a gala to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Whitney Museum's Madison Avenue building in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy arrive at the White House for a state dinner in honor of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=The July 18, 1999, edition of the Cape Cod Times featured the news that John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane went down off Martha's Vineyard on July 16, 1999.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, Max Kennedy and Victoria Kennedy gather with family on the beach at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to await word of John F. Kennedy Jr., whose plane went missing off Martha's Vineyard, July 17, 1999.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Victoria Reggie Kennedy consoles Sen. Ted Kennedy after the Coast Guard transports John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette's bodies after they were recovered from the plane.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Members of the Kennedy family head out to sea aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel which took them to the USS Briscoe for a burial at sea on July 22, 1999.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=A makeshift memorial for John Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette, at sunset on Moshup Beach, Martha's Vineyard.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=A photograph of John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette sits among flowers and other items at a makeshift shrine outside the couple's apartment building in New York. Kennedy, his wife and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when the plane he was flying crashed off Martha's Vineyard on July 16, 1999.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Hundreds of flowers and letters to John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette were placed on the hedges and the ground at the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's whirlwind romance

John F. Kennedy Jr.andCarolyn Bessettebecame tabloid fodderwhen the publisher son of President John F. Kennedy, described as the "closest thing to American royalty," and the Calvin Klein publicist, "a star in her own right," met in 1992 while at his fitting for the clothing brand. In recent years, Bessette's fashion has found a new following – particularly on TikTok – as a new generation fawns over her simple but chic wardrobe. After they were married, Bessette was known as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The end of the Kennedys' love story shocked the world when they died in a plane crash alongside Bessette-Kennedy's sister, Lauren Bessette. The former first son was piloting the aircraft when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Now, director Ryan Murphy is releasing thefirst installment of his "Love Story" anthologybased on the whirlwind romance betweenJohn F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. See their relationship in photos, beginning hereat the U.S. Customs House in New York City on May 19, 1999, for the Newman's Own/George Awards.

Did Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis burn saved letters before her death?

"Love Story" shows Jackie tossing letters into her fireplace. In one, "The Godfather" star Marlon Brando complimented her dance moves, which he hoped to see again soon.

"I don't need my personal correspondence memorialized in the Smithsonian," Jackie tells John. "I don't want them to be preserved publicly or privately."

The real Onassis also torched letters from her collection,J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of "Jackie: Public, Private, Secret," learned from architect John "Jack" Warnecke.

Warnecke, who designed President Kennedy's resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, also became romantically involved with Onassis in the mid-1960s.

Warnecke told Taraborrelli, "Every night that week, she was inviting a trusted friend or family member to her home to take part in" the burning of the letters. Per Taraborrelli, "Jackie untied the yarn and took a letter from the stack. She read it before placing it into the fire."

Onassis died on May 19, 1994, after her cancer metastasized. She was 64.

John F. Kennedy Jr., sister Caroline Kennedy, and their mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, attend the official groundbreaking ceremony for Boston's John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in 1977.

Did Daryl Hannah surprise John F. Kennedy Jr. at his mom's wake?

In "Love Story," John is stunned to see Daryl Hannah (Dree Hemingway) show up for his mom's wake at Jackie's New York City apartment. She attempts to connect with him about grief, bringing up the loss of her dog. John seems to resent her presence and insinuation that they could rekindle their relationship.

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In "JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography," Carole Radziwill, who was married to JFK Jr.'s cousin Anthony Radziwill, says she helped Hannah pick out "a proper funeral dress. I could see it was over. John could barely look at her. I think she knew, too."

Sasha Chermayeff, a friend of JFK Jr.'s, says in the book that he told her he was "dreading dealing" with Hannah and that the actress incessantly spoke about her ill dog. "I'm thinking, oh, my God. I'm sorry that you have an old dog who's sick," Chermayeff said. "But your partner − whatever it is right now − he's downstairs in the kitchen. His mother died."

"I believe they broke up for good shortly after the funeral," Radziwill said, "because three months later Anthony and I got married and John had quietly rekindled his romance with Carolyn."

Daryl Hannah attends the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on May 23, 1994, in New York City, as did Arnold Schwarzenegger, then-husband of Maria Shriver.

Did Caroline Kennedy plant marijuana in her mom's garden?

Episode 3 shows John and Caroline both overwhelmed after greeting mourners at Jackie's wake. In need of a reprieve, they take a beat in their mother's bedroom.

"Remember when she found your weed plant?" John asks his older sister. "In the garden at Hyannis?"

"She didn't find it," Caroline says. "A police officer found it."

"Didn't you tell her it was a zucchini?" John asks.

"Parsley," Caroline corrects him. "Her voice dropped into that really scary octave."

Kate Storey recounts the time Onassis discovered marijuana growing in her garden in her book"White House by the Sea."Onassis' assistant, Kathy McKeon, curious as to why "the teenaged Kennedy cousins" were in the garden, went to investigate. She brought over Jack Dempsey, former lieutenant of the Massachusetts State Police, who was "often hanging out in the Secret Service trailer." He confirmed McKeon's suspicions.

"He and the Secret Service men ripped the plants up that afternoon," Storey writes. Though a year of the incident is not specified in an excerpt, Storey adds, "Caroline and John were too young to have had anything to do with it."

<p style=A who's who of celebrities stepped out Feb. 3, 2026, for the premiere of FX's "Love Story." The show is director Ryan Murphy's first installment of an anthology based on the whirlwind romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

Scroll to see stars on the red carpet, beginning with Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon. Pidgeon and Kelly star as Kennedy and Bessette.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Naomi Watts attends the premiere at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 3, 2026 in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Sarah Pidgeon, Grace Gummer, Paul Anthony Kelly and Naomi Watts

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Ashley Iaconetti

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Elizabeth Sulcer

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Alessandro Nivola

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Noah Fearnley

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Jordan Roth

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style= Benito Skinner

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Dree Hemingway

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Stars step out for Ryan Murphy's 'Love Story' premere: See photos

A who's who of celebrities stepped out Feb. 3, 2026, for thepremiere of FX's "Love Story."The show is director Ryan Murphy'sfirst installment of an anthologybased on the whirlwind romance betweenJohn F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.Scroll to see stars on the red carpet, beginning with Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon. Pidgeon and Kelly star as Kennedy and Bessette.

Did Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis write a letter to JFK Jr. before her death?

Following Jackie's death in "Love Story," John reads a letter from his mom.

"Dear John," it begins. "I understand the pressures you will always have to face as a Kennedy, even though we brought you into this world as an innocent. You, more than anyone, have a place in history. No matter what path you blaze in life, all I ask is that you continue to make Caroline, the Kennedy family, and most importantly yourself proud. Stay close to those who know you and love you as you are. All my love, Mommy."

William D. Cohan wrote of a letter penned to JFK Jr. in his book,"Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short,"which closely matches the one mentioned in "Love Story."

"A few days before Jackie Kennedy Onassis died, in May 1994, she wrote a letter to her son John, to be opened only after her death," Cohan writes. " 'I understand the pressure you'll forever have to endure as a Kennedy, even though we brought you into this world as an innocent. You, especially, have a place in history. No matter what course in life you choose, all I can ask is that you and Caroline continue to make me, the Kennedy family, and yourself proud.' "

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Love Story fact check Episode 3 – Did Jackie burn private letters?

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Start-of-year price increases seen lifting monthly US consumer inflation in January

February 12, 2026
Start-of-year price increases seen lifting monthly US consumer inflation in January

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices likely maintained a steady pace of increase in January as businesses raised prices at the start of the year, which together with a stabilizing labor market could allow the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged for a while.

Reuters

The anticipated rise in the Consumer Price Index would ‌also reflect the continued pass-through from President Donald Trump's broad tariffs, economists said. The Labor Department's consumer inflation report on Friday would follow on the heels of news ‌this week of an acceleration in job growth in January and the unemployment rate falling to 4.3% from 4.4% in December.

"Firms tend to raise prices at the beginning of the year, after the holiday season," said Diego Anzoategui, an economist ​at Morgan Stanley. "Seasonal factors do not fully eliminate this pattern, so seasonally adjusted inflation prints tend to come in higher than during the rest of the year."

The CPI likely increased by 0.3% after a similar gain in December, a Reuters survey of economists predicted. Estimates ranged from a 0.1% gain to a 0.4% rise. With January's CPI report, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish recalculated seasonal adjustment factors to reflect 2025 price movements. That could result in revisions to seasonally adjusted indexes for the past five years.

Economists said they did not expect the updated seasonal factors, the model used by the ‌BLS to strip out seasonal fluctuation from the data, to resolve ⁠the so-called January effect. CPI numbers have overshot expectations every January.

The report was slightly delayed by last week's three-day shutdown of the federal government. A longer shutdown last year prevented the collection of prices for October, causing volatility in the CPI data. Economists expected the volatility to fade in January's ⁠report.

In the 12 months through January, the CPI is forecast to have advanced 2.5%. The anticipated slowdown in the year-on-year inflation rate from 2.7% in December would mostly reflect last year's higher readings dropping out of the calculation.

The U.S. central bank tracks the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Indexes for its 2% inflation target. Both measures are running well above target. The Fed last month left its benchmark overnight interest rate in the ​3.50%-3.75% ​range.

Food prices likely rose further in January after surging 0.7% in December, attributed by some economists to the failure ​to collect prices during last year's longest shutdown in history. Moves by ‌the Trump administration to roll back and cut tariffs on some imported food, including vegetables and bananas, were likely to ease food price pressures, economists said.

Some also noted that the White House's immigration crackdown had skirted undocumented agricultural workers, especially in Republican-led states like Texas and Florida, avoiding severe labor shortages that would have driven food prices much higher.

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DATA CENTERS ARE DRIVING UP ELECTRICITY PRICES

"While many migrant workers have likely left over fears of deportation, and the flow of new workers has slowed sharply, immigration policies have not had as much impact on farm labor as many had feared," said Dean Baker, senior fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Though gasoline prices likely fell, the cost of electricity is expected to have increased because of strong demand from data centers ‌to powerartificial intelligence.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the CPI is expected to have increased 0.3% ​after rising 0.2% in December. Economists expected the one-off turn-of-the-year price hikes would be evident in prescription medication and ​motor vehicle insurance categories among others.

They also anticipated the tariff pass-through to persist for goods ​like recreation, apparel and household furnishings.

"With demand holding firm, we see no compelling reason for companies to stop passing tariff costs through to consumers with ‌only 40% of the cost increase clawed back," said Andy Schneider, a ​senior U.S. economist at BNP Paribas.

Services inflation components were ​expected to show mixed readings, with some economists predicting a moderation in the pace of price increases for hotel and motel rooms as well as airline fares after they soared in December.

Rent and healthcare costs are forecast to have maintained the same pace of solid gains in January.

In the 12 months through January, the so-called core CPI was forecast ​to have increased 2.5% after advancing 2.6% in December. That would ‌also reflect last year's higher readings dropping out of the calculation.

"Keeping in mind indications that additional tariff-related costs will pass through onto consumers this year, as well as ​the potential pass-through of the sustained weakening of the trade-weighted U.S. dollar over the past year, we continue to expect that inflation will re-accelerate for a time ​this year," economists at JPMorgan wrote in a note.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci )

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