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Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Government unseals affidavit filed in support of Fulton County election raid

February 10, 2026
Government unseals affidavit filed in support of Fulton County election raid

Federal authorities unsealed Tuesday the affidavit they filed in support of their search of a Fulton County, Georgia,election officelast month, following an order by a federal judge.

FBI agents on Jan. 28 seized 700 boxes containing ballots and other materials associated with the 2020 election from the county's  Elections Hub and Operations Center after obtaining a search warrant. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that there wasvoter fraudin the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia, that contributed to his election loss.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump nominee, on Sunday ordered the government to unseal the affidavit that was filed in support of the search warrant, subject to "the redaction of the names of non-governmental witnesses."

Fulton County files motion seeking return of seized 2020 ballots, spokesperson says

In his ruling, Boulee noted that the government did not oppose the unsealing of the affidavit, which could provide more information on the search and the investigation that lead to it.

The ruling came after Fulton County Chairman Robb Pittsfiled a motionseeking the unsealing of the affidavit, as well as the return of the election documents that were seized.

Pitt's office said Tuesday it was reviewing the affidavit and that he would hold a news conference in the afternoon.

Pitts had earlier said in a statement he was "pleased" with the judge's ruling.

"Fulton County will continue to pursue every legal option to seek the return of election records and to defend our elections from possible takeover," Pitts said. "Even in the midst of this unprecedented legal action, we will not allow our staff to be deterred or distracted from preparations for the 2026 election, which will be once again free, fair, transparent and legally compliant."

While the judge on Sunday ordered the release of the affidavit that was the basis for the search warrant, the warrant itselfauthorized the FBIto search for "All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election" in addition to tabulator tapes from voting machines and 2020 voter rolls, according to a copy of the warrant that was obtained by ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB following the raid.

WSB - PHOTO: The FBI confirmed there is court authorized activity at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center, Jan. 28, 2026.

The warrant said the material "constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offense."

The warrant listed possible violations of two statutes -- one which requires election records to be retained for a certain amount of time, and another which outlines criminal penalties for people, including election officials, who intimidate voters or to knowingly procure false votes or false voter registrations.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Violence breaks out at anti-government protest in Albanian capital

February 10, 2026
Violence breaks out at anti-government protest in Albanian capital

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and flares during a demonstration Tuesday night in central Tirana by thousands of opposition supporters demanding the resignation of Albania's government.

Associated Press Hooded youth protesters throw flares and fireworks during an anti-government rally outside Prime Minister's office over corruption scandals and broader political issues, in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli) Protesters throw Molotov cocktails, flares and fireworks during an anti-government rally outside Prime Minister's office over corruption scandals and broader political issues, in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli) Protesters throw Molotov cocktails during an anti-government rally outside Prime Minister's office over corruption scandals and broader political issues, in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli) Protesters throw Molotov cocktails, flares and fireworks during an anti-government rally outside Prime Minister's office over corruption scandals and broader political issues, in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli) Hooded youth protesters throw flares and fireworks during an anti-government rally outside Prime Minister's office over corruption scandals and broader political issues, in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

APTOPIX Albania Protest

Sixteen protesters were treated in a hospital for burns and other injuries, police said, adding that 13 protesters were arrested.

Prime Minister Edi Rama's government has come under fire over corruption allegations involving Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, but Rama has resisted calls to dismiss her. There have been growing demands that lawmakers lift Balluku's immunity from prosecution, which can only be done in a parliamentary vote.

Anti-corruption prosecutors have accused Balluku, who is also minister for energy and infrastructure, of interfering in public procurement for construction projects to favor certain companies, and has called for her immunity to be lifted.

Tuesday night's protest in the Albanian capital was attended by thousands of people. It was the third such demonstration in recent months demanding Rama's resignation. More than 1,300 police officers had been deployed to ensure security. Previous protests also turned violent, with demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at police and a government building, and with authorities responding with tear gas and water cannons.

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Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, a former prime minister who has also faced corruption charges himself, described the protest as a "peaceful uprising" at a critical moment for Albania. Speaking at the protest, he accused Rama of "declaring war on the justice system."

Political analyst Mentor Kikia said it was unlikely that any major change would result from the protests. "Citizens are distrustful, having consistently voted for the lesser evil to remove the greater evil from power," he said.

"The current perception is that if Rama leaves, Berisha will return. One left power because of corruption, the other must also leave power because of corruption," Kikia said.

Albania hopes to join the European Union, and is under close monitoring by the bloc as part of its accession process, which it hopes to complete by 2027.

However, international watchdogs say the country continues to suffer from widespread corruption.

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Irish man held by ICE says he had U.S. work permit, fears for his life

February 10, 2026
Irish man held by ICE says he had U.S. work permit, fears for his life

An Irish man who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years has been detained by U.S. immigration officials for almost five months despite insisting he had a valid U.S. work permit and a pending green card case as the spouse of an American citizen. Seamus Culleton has said he fears for his life due to the conditions in the detention center where he's being held in Texas.

Seamus Culleton, who lived in Boston, is being held at theEl Paso Camp East Montana, an ICE detention facility inside the Fort Bliss Army base in Texas, according to the agency's detainee locator system. Speaking to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ in a phone interview Monday from the detention center, Culleton described life at the camp as a "nightmare."

"You don't know what's going to happen on a day-to-day basis. You don't know if there's going to be riots, you don't know what's going to happen," he told RTÉ. He characterized the detention facilities as "a bunch of temporary tents."

Irish national Seamus Culleton is seen in a photo posted on his Facebook account in August 2024.  / Credit: Seamus Culleton/Facebook

Culleton said he had rarely been outside in the five months since his arrest.

"I have barely any outside time, no fresh air, no sunshine. We have two TVs on the wall. There are 72 detainees here in total. We get three meals a day, very very small meals — kid size meals, so everybody is hungry," he said.

Culleton called the conditions "filthy" and said the toilets and showers were "completely nasty" and "very rarely cleaned."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which ICE falls under, denied the allegations about the conditions at the Texas facility on Tuesday, with Assistant DHS Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin telling CBS News in a statement that Culleton's claims were, "FALSE. ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens."

McLaughlin confirmed that ICE agents arrested Culleton on Sept. 9, 2025, calling him "an illegal alien from Ireland" who entered the U.S. in 2009 under the tourist visa waiver program but then failed to depart the U.S. after the permitted 90 days.

"He received full due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025," McLaughlin said. "He was offered the chance to instantly be removed to Ireland but chose to stay in ICE custody … A pending green card application and work authorization does not give someone legal status to be in our country."

Under U.S. law, DHS can arrest people with pending immigration applications if they don't have underlying permanent immigration status, even if they have not been convicted of crimes, but under previous administrations, non-criminals with valid pending applications were rarely arrested, and officials would typically allow a green card case to play out.

McLaughlin said Culleton was offered a chance to be sent to Ireland "instantly." She claimed he "chose to stay in ICE custody, in fact he took affirmative steps to remain in detention."

Culleton has said he was going through the legal process to obtain lawful permanent residency, or a green card, and that he had a valid U.S. work permit when he was arrested. Spouses of U.S. nationals can obtain a work permit while their green card applications are processed.

Culleton, a plasterer, said that he was stopped by federal agents while driving home in early September after stopping at a store. He was followed initially by a blue Ford, and then, "out of nowhere, it seemed like there were seven or eight cars and a bunch of officers at the window of the van, telling me to roll down the window."

"They asked me if I had a green card. I said I didn't. I said I was married to a citizen and that I had a marriage-based petition in place and I was just about to receive my green card and that I had a work permit to be here and work," Culleton told RTÉ, adding that none of those details seemed to matter as the officers proceeded to detain him.

Culleton was held after "local police ran a license check on his vehicle outside a Home Depot in Massachusetts,"court records from late Januaryshow.

Estimates from the Irish government about a year ago suggested that as many as 10,000 undocumented Irish immigrants were living across the U.S. Many likely came on tourist waivers or temporary work visas but then stayed illegally in the country after those documents expired,effectively living in the shadows.

A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told CBS News on Tuesday that Irish officials were aware of Culleton's case and were providing consular assistance to him and his family.

"Our Embassy in Washington D.C. is also engaging directly with the Department of Homeland Security at a senior level in relation to this case," the spokesperson said.

In December, the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups released a letter demanding the closure of ERO El Paso Camp East Montana, alleging a pattern of abuses at the camp including beatings and sexual abuse by officers against detained immigrants, beatings and coercive threats to compel deportation to third countries, medical neglect, hunger and insufficient food, and denial of meaningful access to counsel, among other alleged rights violations.

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Braves add catching depth, sign former Rangers All-Star Jonah Heim to $1.25 million. 1-year deal

February 10, 2026
Braves add catching depth, sign former Rangers All-Star Jonah Heim to $1.25 million. 1-year deal

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — The Atlanta Braves added catching depth while awaiting the return of Sean Murphy by signing former Texas Rangers All-Star Jonah Heim to a $1.25 million, one-year deal on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Heim was with the team for the first workout with pitchers and catchers.

The Braves announced the signing of Heim and placed right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day injured list. Schwellenbach, whose 2025 season was cut short by abroken right elbow, has inflammation in the elbow.

Braves first-year manager Walt Weiss told reporters Schwellenbach has "bone spur type stuff" in addition to the inflammation. "It's going to be significant time he's going to miss," Weiss said.

"I always say before a season even starts your pitching depth is going to get tested. It's inevitable. You'd rather it not be right away in February."

Heim, 30, was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2023, when he hit .258 with 18 homers and 95 RBIs with Texas. He hit .220 in 2024 and .213 last season.

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Murphy hadseason-ending surgeryin September to repair a labral tear in his right hip. He began running on Tuesday and said he had no timetable on when he expects to be ready to play.

The Braves are expected to rely on 2025 NL Rookie of the YearDrake Baldwinto handle most starts at catcher to open the season. Heim will serve as depth, possibly allowing Baldwin to remain in the lineup as the designated hitter when he's not catching.

Murphy told reporters: "I feel good. I think we're making good progress on the hip and now we're checking boxes as we go. So far no setbacks and everything is going well."

Infielder Nacho Alvarez also worked with the catchers during the first workout.

Brian Snitker, whoretired after last seasonas manager to assume an advisory role, sat in a golf cart as he chatted with new manager Walt Weiss for the first day of workouts. Snitker will be inducted into the team's hall of fame this year after 49 years in the organization. He led the Braves to the 2021 World Series championship.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/MLB

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LeBron James bluntly says Lakers aren't a championship team after loss to Thunder: 'We can't sustain energy and effort'

February 10, 2026
LeBron James bluntly says Lakers aren't a championship team after loss to Thunder: 'We can't sustain energy and effort'

Since starting the season 15-4, in part thanks to a seven-game win streak down the stretch of November, the Los Angeles Lakers have yet to stack more than three wins in a row. They had another chance to accomplish that feat for the first time in the New Year on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With injuries sidelining reigning NBA MVPShai Gilgeous-Alexanderand 2025-26 NBA scoring leaderLuka Dončić, Crypto.com Arena featured a physical contest that included a combined 52 free throws.

A scrappy Thunder bunch, which leads the league in defensive rating for the second straight season,outlasted the Lakers 119-110, pulling away in the final minute.

Although Oklahoma City (41-13) had dropped its previous two games in the absence of Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be out through at least the All-Star break, and has looked increasingly vulnerable this season, the Thunder are still the defending NBA champions and the Western Conference's top team.

Plus, they're 2-0 against the Lakers (32-20), currently the fifth-place team in the West. More than just eight games separate the Thunder and the Lakers in the conference standings, according to LeBron James.

"That's a championship team right there,"James told reporters postgame. "We're not."

LeBron: "We can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes and they can. That's why they won a championship."pic.twitter.com/CBMK3s3P8Q

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN)February 10, 2026

The 41-year-old James was then asked what's keeping the Lakers from joining the Thunder in that echelon.

"We can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can," he said bluntly. "That's why they won a championship."

James scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half of the loss. He also logged 10 assists and six rebounds. Austin Reaves, in his fourth game backfrom a calf injury, pitched in 16 points off the bench. Marcus Smart finished with 19 points and went 4 of 7 from deep.

But James, Reaves and Smart each missed a 3-point attempt in the final 40-some seconds, as the Thunder held on to win, bolstered by a clutch-time, midrange jumper by Jalen Williams that made it a 115-110 game with 51.9 seconds remaining. Williams had a game-high 23 points, most notably 10 in the final five minutes.

In James' eyes, shotmaking and 50-50 balls made the difference.

While the Lakers' defense has been criticized during the JJ Redick era, including by Redick himself, and they rank 22nd in the NBA in defensive rating this season, James maintained that defense wasn't the problem on Monday against the Thunder.

James conceded that the Lakers let Isaiah Joe get way too many 3-point looks in the first half and weren't executing their switches to a high enough level. Joe hit four 3s and scored 19 points.

"But I mean, listen, for the majority of the second half, I thought we was really good defensively," James said. "We didn't have that many lapses."

Redick was even pleased with his group's effort overall.

"I think when you play the best teams — and Oklahoma City is clearly — you know, you have to have a really high level of effort and you have to have a really high level of execution," Redick said,per ESPN.

"It's got to be both, and I thought for the most part our effort was fantastic. In key stretches of the game, our execution wasn't great."

Regardless if it's execution, effort or energy, these Lakers are too often missing a key ingredient for championship-level success. James called them out after a setback against the defending champs.

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Former Pitt women's basketball players call coach Tory Verdi abusive, toxic in Title IX lawsuits

February 10, 2026
Former Pitt women's basketball players call coach Tory Verdi abusive, toxic in Title IX lawsuits

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Six former players on the women's basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh have sued coach Tory Verdi and the school over what they call abusive coaching methods and say their efforts to seek help were ignored.

"These players aren't soft. We aren't talking about sensitive personality types," lawyer Keenan D. Holmes told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Obviously, there are expectations placed on players. But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency."

Verdi, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, also tried to force players into the transfer portal, putting their scholarships at risk and threatening their academic and athletic futures.

The university denied the allegations in a brief statement issued Tuesday on behalf of both the coach and the school.

"The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended," the statement said.

Verdi has struggled over three seasons at Pitt after notching a winning record in seven seasons at the University of Massachusetts. According to the lawsuits, he once told his Pitt players: "Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you."

He told one athlete, according to the legal complaint, "I don't like you as a player, but I'd let my son date you."

And he once divided the players by race and had them face off at practice, it said. Some of the women are now in counseling or therapy, and others have sought a red-shirt year of NCAA eligibility based on mental health problems, Holmes said.

The former players include Favor Ayodele of Spain, now at Grand Canyon University; Raeven Boswell, who left the team but stayed at Pitt to finish her degree; Isabella Perkins, now a student at Boston College; Jasmine Timmerson, now playing for Davidson College; and MaKayla Elmore and Brooklynn Miles, who had transferred to Pitt for their senior years.

Some of the players reached out repeatedly to Verdi's supervisors in the athletic department for help, to no avail, the lawsuits said.

The women seek an acknowledgment that the school violated their civil rights underTitle IX, which prohibits gender-based discrimination in education, along with the restoration of their school records and reputations, and compensatory and punitive damages.

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Israeli government adopts measures increasing civil control of West Bank

February 10, 2026
Israeli government adopts measures increasing civil control of West Bank

LONDON and TEL AVIV -- The Israeli government adopted a series of significant, bureaucratically complex measures that would allow Israelis and Jews abroad to more easily purchase and build on land in the West Bank, consolidating Israeli control in the area that would potentially serve as the heartland for a future Palestinian state.

The measures, which were approved over the weekend, are likely to be challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court. But they represent the most far-reaching attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government to advance a de-facto annexation of the West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority, the governing body for Palestinians that already has only limited powers in the West Bank, described the moves as an "unprecedented escalation" and "illegal," views echoed by regional Arab states.

Mussa Qawasma/Reuters - PHOTO: A Palestinian man puts on a keffiyeh as an Israeli soldier stands guard in the old city in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Feb. 9, 2026.

U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said the U.S. opposes attempts by Israel to annex the West Bank, a long-held dream of some settler groups and far-right ministers who now hold powerful positions in Netanyahu's government.

The newly adopted measures are expected to deepen Israeli civil -- as opposed to military -- control of new areas within the West Bank, including key religious sites in Hebron, and are designed to make it easier for Israelis to buy land in the territory.

Israel's Security Cabinet, headed by Netanyahu, approved on Sunday a series of new measures that would lift a ban on the sale of land to private Israeli Jews, transfer construction authority at religious and sensitive sites in the city of Hebron to the Israeli government, and declassify land registry records.

Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Palestinian boys look out over the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron from a rooftop on Feb. 9, 2026.

The United Nations condemned the measures, with a spokesperson for the secretary-general saying ina statementthat "all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their associated regime and infrastructure, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law, including relevant United Nations resolutions."

The measures would allow the Israeli government to operate under the guise of civilian issues in Palestinian areas A and B for the first time, which contravenes the Oslo Accords. Under the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is the sole authority responsible for civilian matters in Area A and B. Israel, in contrast, has full Israeli civil and security control over Area C, which represents about 60% of the West Bank.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right, pro-settlement finance minister, hailed the move as an "historic day for settlement for Judea and Samaria," as parts of the West Bank are known in Hebrew.

He said the changes would "fundamentally change the legal and civil reality." He boasted that it would end the prospects for a potential Palestinian State.

Netanyahu has vowed that a Palestinian state "will not be established," even as Western countries, including France, Canada and the United Kingdom, have moved to recognize a Palestinian state.

Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: A Palestinian woman stands in the yard of her home as shops and homes belonging to Palestinian families in Beit Aawa, west the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Feb. 5, 2026.

The office of the Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, issued a statement condemning the measures as "dangerous decisions" designed to "deepen attempts to annex the occupied West Bank."

The president's office said the move was a "blatant violation" of the Oslo Accords, which divided the West Bank into Areas A, B and C, adding that the move represents an "unprecedented escalation targeting the Palestinian presence and its national and historical rights throughout the Palestinian territory."

Abbas' office described the move as illegal and called for the U.S. and the European Union to intervene.

​A joint statement by the foreign ministers of eight Muslim countries condemned the new measures.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates said ina statementposted on social media that they collectively "condemned in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity, and enforcing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank, thereby accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people."

Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: This picture shows an Israeli flag fluttering above the Israeli settlement of Beit Romano (unseen), with Palestinian buildings in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Feb. 9, 2026.

"They reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories," the statement added.

According to Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog and activist nongovernmental organization, the measures adopted over the weekend would effectively mean that Israeli authorities can now carry out legal demolitions of Palestinian property in Areas A and B, which comprise around 40% of the West Bank and which under the Oslo accords have been governed by the Palestinian Authority.

While the Israeli military could operate in those areas as the occupying power, the "government is now seeking to ignore its international commitments and begin administrative operations inside areas of the Palestinian Authority. Under the Oslo Accords, Israel has operated militarily in PA areas since the early 2000s," the watchdog said.

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