The billionaire behind the retail empire that once blanketed shopping malls with names such as Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch has told members of Congress he was “duped by a world-class con man,” his close financial adviser Jeffrey Epstein. Les Wexner also denied knowing about the convicted sex offender’s crimes or participating in Epstein’s abuse of girls and young women. The House Oversight Committee said Wexner “answered every question asked of him” during a six-hour interview. He was subpoenaed after the latest release of Justice Department documents involving Epstein. Wexner told lawmakers he had “nothing to hide.”

State legislators in New Mexico have launched a truth commission to investigate past activity at a secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests. A four-member panel of state House representatives met Tuesday to begin its investigation into concerns that the ranch may have facilitated child sex trafficking. New Mexico lawmakers also say they want to know why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender in the state after pleading guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. State House legislators voted without opposition to create the truth commission with subpoena power and a budget of over $2 million.

Students in Georgia describe the terror of a school shooting as prosecutors try to convict the suspect’s father for giving him the gun. On Tuesday, ninth-graders testified that they saw a classmate bleeding in their algebra class. One student said she saw a hole in her wrist and feared she would die. Investigators say then 14-year-old Colt Gray planned the Sept. 4, 2024, attack that killed two teachers and two students and wounded several more. Prosecutors said his father ignored warnings and bought the rifle and ammunition used in the shooting. The defense says Colt hid his plans from his father.

Police say actor Shia LaBeouf has been arrested after being accused of hitting two men during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. New Orleans police say in a statement that LaBeouf has been charged with two counts of simple battery. Police say LaBeouf “was causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive” inside a business around the French Quarter on Tuesday. Police allege LaBeouf hit two men outside the business and he was held down until police arrived. Court and jail records did not list an attorney who could speak on behalf of LaBeouf. Emails to LaBeouf’s publicists were not immediately returned. LaBeouf has had several run-ins with the law during his career.

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2026. There are 317 days left in the year.

The trial has started for a man whose teenage son is accused of killing two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school in 2024. Lawyers gave opening statements Monday in the case against Colin Gray. Prosecutors say Gray gave his son, Colt, access to a gun and ammunition despite warning signs. They link that decision to the four deaths at Apalachee High School. Investigators say the 14-year-old planned the attack and brought a rifle in his backpack. Gray's attorney says his client wasn't told about the planning and timing of the shooting and shouldn't be held criminally responsible The trial is being held in Winder, where the shooting happened, with jurors from nearby Hall County.

Israeli prosecutors say on Monday they plan to charge a settler in the killing of a Palestinian activist during a confrontation that was caught on video. That would open a rare prosecution of violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. Attacks from settlers and home demolitions by authorities have spiked dramatically over the past two years. But the death in July of Awdah Hathaleen has drawn particular attention due to his involvement in the 2025 Oscar-winning film “No Other Land.” The case also stands out because the confrontation was captured on video from multiple vantage points.

Jeffrey Epstein repeatedly played up hosting the head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee in invitations to and chats with elites like Richard Branson, Larry Summers and Steve Bannon, the Epstein files show. Thorbjørn Jagland turns up dozens of times in the millions of documents about the former U.S. financier and convicted sex offender that were released by the U.S. Justice Department last month.  Jagland, 75, has been charged in Norway for “aggravated corruption” in connection with the case. His lawyers say he denies the charges.

Federal authorities have opened a criminal probe into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month, as all charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Friday that his agency had opened a joint probe with the Justice Department after video evidence revealed “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements” about the shooting of one of the Venezuelan men. The officers, whose names were not disclosed, are on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal investigation. Lyons added that the U.S. attorney’s office is actively investigating.

Four people have been indicted on federal charges stemming from clashes with federal officers in Minneapolis. That includes one woman who was charged with assaulting a federal officer after authorities allege she bit off the tip of an immigration officer’s finger. The altercation took place during a protest after immigration officers shot and killed Alex Pretti. Court documents also say FBI employees received threatening text or voice messages after documents containing their personal information was stolen from a government car left at a protest site.