The Spin newsletter
Tom Pritzker, citing Epstein connection, steps down as Hyatt’s executive chair • Illinois Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey rebukes national GOP for post mocking Pritzker’s weight
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The Spin

Monday, February 16, 2026

Girl Scouts in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa moving cookie sales online in response to ICE actions

This year looks different as many scouts are selling cookies online rather than knocking door-to-door.

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Tom Pritzker, citing Epstein connection, steps down as Hyatt’s executive chair

Thomas J. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, stepped down from his role Monday as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corp., becoming the latest person felled by an association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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Illinois Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey rebukes national GOP for post mocking Pritzker’s weight

The official GOP X account used Valentine’s Day to post a generated image of Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sitting at a table piled with food and declaring, “My love for you is bigger than JB Pritzker.”

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Chicago treasurer employee alleges political staff pushed office on US bonds boycott

Mauricio Banuelos, a treasurer’s office portfolio manager, sent a complaint to the public integrity units of both the Illinois attorney general and U.S. Department of Justice.

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Indiana Senate fails 12 amendments to electric affordability bill

House Bill 1002, which saw no changes Monday, will go to a final reading before passage in the Indiana Senate.

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Expectations are low for the latest US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine

A Ukrainian delegation was heading to Geneva on Monday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks with Russian officials, ahead of next week’s fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

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Donald Trump says Board of Peace will unveil $5 billion in Gaza reconstruction pledges at inaugural meeting

President Donald Trump said Sunday that members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza.

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US military boards another oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean

U.S. military forces boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said Sunday.

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