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Sunday, February 8, 2026

Trump accepts ownership of the current economy: 'I'm very proud of it'

February 08, 2026
Trump accepts ownership of the current economy: 'I'm very proud of it'

President Donald Trump says it's his economy now.

NBC Universal

In an interview with "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, the 47th president said the country is already experiencing the Trump economy.

"At what point are we in the Trump economy?" Llamas asked.

"I'd say we're there now," he replied. "I'm very proud of it."

His remarks come at a time when most Americans tell pollsters they are not satisfied with the state of the economy and as Trump executes a barnstorming strategy to bring his economic message to political battlegrounds before the November midterms.

AnNPR/Marist/PBS News surveyreleased last week showed that 36% of adults say they approve of Trump's handling of the economy, while 59% disapprove. In off-year elections last November, Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and New Yorkhammered away at "affordability"on their way to victory.

In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in the Oval Office, Trump said the economy is doing so well that Democrats are abandoning that message — and also blamed his predecessor, President Joe Biden, for stubbornly high prices on some staples.

"In the last four days, it's only four days, the Democrats have not uttered the word 'affordability,'" he said. "They're the ones that caused the problem. I took over a mess in every way."

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Using figures that are not backed up by the administration's own data, Trump claimed that the gross domestic product has grown by 5.6% on his watch. According to the Labor Department, the economy grew at a strong annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter of 2025. It has not grown at more than 5% in any quarter since 2021, when the U.S. was recovering from the Covid pandemic.

The country's economic output also contracted in the first quarter of 2025, in part due to anticipated trade and tariff policies that Trump later unveiled in April, affecting the global economy.

The Labor Department has not released its data for last year's fourth quarter due to a government shutdown. Though most estimates of the quarter's growth are much lower, the president was referring to the Atlanta Fed's projection, which has ranged as high as 5.4%, according to a White House official.

More from NBC News' interview with Trump

"I think '26 is even gonna be better," Trump told Llamas. "You know, we have hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into our country. Actually trillions — $18 trillion is being invested in our country as we speak. And there are factories and plants and thousands of businesses being built all over the country."

While Trump has secured foreign investments — and promises of investments — in the U.S., even the White House website gives a figure of $9.6 trillion, a little more than half the sum he cited. Andreviews of that figurehave concluded it is inflated.

Llamas asked whether foreign companies' plants and factories would open in the U.S. during Trump's term, which expires Jan. 20, 2029.

"Oh, yeah," Trump said. "They'll be opening up over the next year, year and a half, yeah."

In May, Trumptold NBC News' "Meet the Press"that the "good parts" of the economy were his, while the "bad parts" belonged to Biden.

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Gunmen kill three people and abduct Catholic priest in northern Nigeria

February 08, 2026
Gunmen kill three people and abduct Catholic priest in northern Nigeria

BAUCHI, Nigeria, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Gunmen killed three people and abducted a Catholic priest and several others during an early morning attack on the ​clergyman's residence in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state, church and police sources said ‌on Sunday.

Reuters

Saturday's assault in Kauru district highlights persistent insecurity in the region, and came days after ‌security services rescued all 166 worshippers abducted in attacks by gunmen on two churches elsewhere in Kaduna.

Such attacks have drawn the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused Nigeria's government of failing to protect Christians, a charge Abuja denies. U.S. forces ⁠struck what they described as ‌terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria on December 25.

The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan named the kidnapped clergyman as Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of ‍Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku, and said 10 other people were abducted.

Three residents were killed during the attack, which began at about 3:20 a.m. (0220 GMT), the diocese said in a ​statement.

A Kaduna police spokesperson confirmed the incident, but said five people had been ‌abducted in total and that the three people killed were members of the security forces.

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"Security agents exchanged gunfire with the bandits, killed some of them, and unfortunately two soldiers and a police officer lost their lives," he said.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement on Sunday that Nigeria's security crisis was "increasingly getting out of ⁠hand". It accused the government of "gross incompetence" and ​failure to protect civilians as gunmen kill, abduct ​and terrorise rural communities across several northern states.

A presidency spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Pope Leo, during his weekly address to ‍the faithful in St. ⁠Peter's Square, expressed solidarity with the victims of recent attacks in Nigeria.

"I hope that the competent authorities will continue to act with determination to ensure ⁠the security and protection of every citizen's life," Leo said.

(Reporting by Ado Hazzard, Hamza Ibrahm and ‌Ahmed Kingimi; Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer in Rome;Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; ‌Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Helen Popper)

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‘We must get through the next few days’: Ukrainians face bitter cold without power

February 08, 2026
'We must get through the next few days': Ukrainians face bitter cold without power

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Ukraine face several days of extreme cold with very little heat and light, after sustained Russian drone and missile attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

CNN A Kyiv resident holds a plastic bag with hot meals as she leaves a tent at a government‑run humanitarian aid point during a power blackout on February 7, 2026. - Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters

In the capital, Kyiv, temperatures well below zero and bitterly cold winds are expected for the next four days at least.

"We must get through the next few days, which will be very difficult for Kyiv," the city's mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, said Sunday. "Severe frosts are again forecast in the capital, especially at night," he said onTelegram.

Klitschko said Ukraine's energy infrastructure was in "an extremely difficult situation" and that he had issued instructions for communal "heating points," powered by generators, to be fully functional. Some of these shelters allow people to stay overnight.

According to the energy ministry, residents of the capital are receiving electricity only for one and a half to two hours a day.

Yuliia Davydenko shows a thermometer reading of just 3 degrees Celsius (about 37 degrees Fahrenheit) inside her family's apartment in Kyiv, which has no heating or hot water and experiences frequent power outages. - Alina Smutko/Reuters Residents wait for hot meals inside a tent at a government‑run humanitarian aid point, where people can warm up, charge their devices, get hot drinks and receive psychological support. - Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters

During a Russian strike in early January, one Kyiv resident who lived in an apartment at the top of a 16–story building at the time said he and his wife had lost heating, power and water.

The next Russian strike hit the power plant providing heat to the apartment block, as well as 1,100 other buildings in the capital, and he said about half of the residents had moved out of the building, including his family.

The average temperature in the apartment had fallen to just 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.

Residents were told that repairs could take two months – during the coldest part of the year.

A blackout in Kyiv on February 7, 2026. - Maksym Kishka/Frontliner/Getty Images

Businesses also suffer. The Backstage Beauty Salon network says it invested $400,000 in back-up systems, including generators, fuel and batteries. But a drone had hit one of its salons, shattering a heating pipe and flooding the premises.

"Despite all this spending, weather conditions and Russian attacks prevail over the system," the company posted on Instagram Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said onTelegramSunday: "Almost every day, the (Russians) strike energy facilities, logistics infrastructure, and residential buildings… Over 2,000 strike drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 116 missiles of various types were launched by Russia at our cities and villages this week alone."

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Ukrenergo, the national grid company,said Sundaythat it continued dealing with the aftermath of two massive missile and drone attacks on the power grid this week.

"The level of power shortages and damage to the electricity transmission and distribution networks currently prevents the lifting of emergency blackouts in most regions," but repair work had made power cuts less severe in some regions, it said.

"Restoration work is continuing at both power plants and high-voltage substations that supply power to nuclear power plants."

Oleksandr Zinchenko, 36, an employee of an energy company, deals with an issue with voltage at a power substation after recent Russian drone and missile strikes, on February 5, 2026. - Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Another Ukrainian power operator, DTEK, said Saturday that damage to high-voltage substations had caused a reduction in output at nuclear power plants, leading to a significant loss of available electricity.

The latest Russian strikes followed a short-lived moratorium on attacks by each side on the other's energy infrastructure, agreed at the urging of the United States.

Zelensky said Saturday that Washington had proposed "that both sides once again support the US President's energy de-escalation initiative. Ukraine has agreed, but Russia has not yet responded."

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Saturday: "The fact that Russia conducted two sets of strikes with over 400 projectiles within six days of the lapse of the energy strikes moratorium demonstrates the Kremlin's determination to maximize the suffering of Ukrainian civilians and unwillingness to de-escalate the war or seriously advance the US-initiated peace negotiations."

"Russian forces have also modified their drones and missiles to inflict more damage, including by equipping Shahed drones with mines and cluster munitions, and such measures have disproportionately affected civilian and energy infrastructure," the institute added.

The consequences of Russian strikes are aggravated in many urban areas by reliance on centralized heating systems, a legacy of the Soviet era. Heat is generated at thermal or combined heat and power plants before being distributed, so if such facilities are targeted many residential blocks are impacted.

Workers prepare to lift a section of a pipe at Kyiv CHPP-4, a thermal power plant severely damaged in a massive Russian missile attack in Kyiv on the night of February 2, 2026. - Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The destruction of central heating pipes can affect an entire neighborhood. When temperatures drop below freezing, a long power outage can lead underground heating pipes to fracture if the water inside them freezes.

Some analysts have noted that Russia's war planners try to take advantage of this vulnerability in their targeting.

"I think the Russian military is being advised by their energy specialists and they are explaining how to cause maximum damage to the energy system," DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said in 2022.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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Former All-Pro defensive back Barry Wilburn dies in Tenn. house fire

February 08, 2026
Former All-Pro defensive back Barry Wilburn dies in Tenn. house fire

Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion Barry Wilburn died early Feb. 6 in a house fire in Tennessee, his family confirmed on Saturday.

Wilbur Wood, baseball, 1941-2026 Phil Goyette, hockey, 1933-206 Eddie McCreadie, soccer, 1940-2026 Dave Giusti, baseball, 1939-2026 <p style=Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Billy Truax, football, 1943-2026 Jawann Oldham, basketball, 1957-2026 Robert Pulford, hockey, 1936-2026

Sports figures we lost in 2026

Wilburn was 62.

Television station WMC in Memphis reportsthat the Memphis Fire Department responded to a fire call in Orange Mound, Tenn., around 2 a.m. Friday morning. Firefighters found a victim unresponsive in a rear hallway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A standout defensive back at Ole Miss, Wilburn was selected in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL draft. He spent the first five years of his NFL career in Washington, where he led the NFL with nine interceptions in 1987 and was named first-team All-Pro.

Cornerback Barry Wilburn celebrates after his interception in Washington's 42-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XXII in San Diego.

Wilburn recorded an interception of Denver quarterback John Elway in Washington's 42-10 victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl 22.

Wilburn also played for theCleveland Brownsin 1992 and for two seasons with thePhiladelphia Eaglesin 1995 and 1996.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Super Bowl champion DB Barry Wilburn dies in Tennessee house fire

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Falcons' James Pearce Jr. arrested in domestic dispute with WNBA star Rickea Jackson

February 08, 2026
James Pearce Jr speaks to an interviewer on the football field (Danny Karnik / AP file)

Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. was arrested in Miami Saturday following a domestic dispute with Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson, according to police.

Pearce crashed his car during a police chase while trying to avoid arrest, according to Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez.

Following the police chase, Pearce was arrested Saturday evening and charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking, all connected to domestic violence, according to online records. He was also charged with aggravated battery of an officer, fleeing or eluding police with lights and siren and resisting an officer without violence to his person.

The nature of Pearce and Jackson's relationship was not immediately clear.

Rickea Jackson about to dribble on the basketball court (Kyusung Gong / AP file)

Pearce is an NFL rookie who was picked in the first round of the 2025 draft by the Falcons. In a statement, the Falcons said they were "aware of an incident" involving Pearce in Miami.

"We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time," the statement read.

Video circulating on social media and confirmed by the Doral Police Department showed Pearce being tackled to the ground and taken into custody by multiple officers.

Representatives for Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jackson was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks as the fourth overall pick in 2024, going on to create a name for herself in the WNBA averaging 14.7 points in 38 games in the 2025 season.

Pearce is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is expected to have his first court appearance on Sunday.

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Celtics' Jayson Tatum reportedly participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches less than a year removed from ruptured Achilles

February 08, 2026
Celtics' Jayson Tatum reportedly participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches less than a year removed from ruptured Achilles

All eyes are on Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum as the team quickly approaches the All-Star break. Tatum has reportedly been participating in controlled 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches, according toESPN's Shams Charania.

Yahoo Sports

Tatum is still recovering from rupturing his Achilles tendon last May during a playoff series with the New York Knicks. Tatum still has several benchmarks to clear from his recovery and there remains no timetable for his return, ESPN reported. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Jan. 29 thatTatum is considering sitting outfor the entire 2025-2026 season.

Charania reported that Tatum wants to come back as close to 100 percent as possible. Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

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Part of Tatum's reluctance to return has been how well the Celtics have played without him. The Celtics are second in the East at 34-18 and currently on a five-game winning streak.

"That's something I contemplate every day," Tatum said on thePivot Podcast. "More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would've played 50 some-odd games without me. So they have an identity this year or things that they felt have clicked for them, and it's been successful, right, third or second team in the East up to this point. So there is a thought in my head that's like, how does that work or hows does that look with me integrating myself off an injury and 50-60 games into a season? There could obviously be some challenges and it is a thought, like damn? Do I come back or should I wait? It's something that I honestly, recently in the last two weeks or so, just kind of contemplate every single day."

Jaylen Brown is also in the midst of a career season. He is averaging 29.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Brown was recently selected for his fifth All-Star Game.

Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have also increased their scoring numbers, with both guards scoring over 17 points per game. The team also acquired big man Nikola Vučević in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

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Rescue teams search for survivors in building collapse that killed at least 2 in northern Lebanon

February 08, 2026
Rescue teams search for survivors in building collapse that killed at least 2 in northern Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Associated Press Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo) Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo) Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo) Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo) Rescue workers and residents search for survivors in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

Lebanon Building Collapse

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

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The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon's second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards.

Lebanon's Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state's expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of "blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security," and said it is "not an isolated incident."

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

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