On Feb. 19, 1776, Ben Franklin wrote to Gen. Charles Lee, an admirer of Thomas Paine's to connect the two. Just a month after its publication, Paine's 47-page pamphlet is making waves all over the colonies.
Few Americans today realize that until the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, US senators were appointed by their state legislatures, not by popular vote. This development had an unfortunate effect upon US politics, further damaging the original federalist governing arrangement.
Police in Britain say the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. After being held for a day, he was photographed slouched in the back of a car leaving a police station in eastern England. Earlier his brother, King Charles, said the investigation would have the Royal Family's full support and co-operation. Police are looking into allegations that when he was a British trade envoy, he shared confidential documents with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Officers have searched his current and former homes at Sandringham and Windsor. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Also in the programme: President Trump's Board of Peace meets for the first time, pledging to end conflicts and rebuild Gaza; and the fantasy epic Game of Thrones gets a Shakespearean twist.
(Photo: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station in a vehicle on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Britain February 19, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Phil Noble)
He’s also been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
For the first time in four centuries a member of the royal family has been arrested. What could this mean for the former Prince and the women and girls abused by Epstein and his associates?
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P.M. Edition for Feb. 19. Walmart had strong sales growth in its most recent quarter. Despite this, Walmart fell behind Amazon as the largest U.S. company by revenue. Reporter Sarah Nassauer discusses the milestone. Plus, beef prices are high—and likely to stay that way. We hear from WSJ reporter Patrick Thomas about why, and how consumers are responding. And British police say Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, has been released under investigation. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter.
Investors showed caution after a jump in a trade deficit. Plus: Klarna shares plunge after reporting a quarterly loss. Katherine Sullivan hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
Does laser technology explain the recent US government airport shutdowns? What did the former President Barack Obama imply in a recent conversation about extraterrestrials? All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.
Earnings results are flooding in from companies across numerous industries Some look great, some look ok, and some the market didn’t like one bit. Today, we break down earnings results from several consumer companies to see spending trends, the gang gets into a spirited back and forth about insurance company Lemonade, and we try to figure out what spooked the market about Klarna’s results.
Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Jon Quast discuss:
- Earnings results from Walmart, Booking Holdings, Etsy, and Ebay
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Plus: Walmart’s investments in technology are paying off, according to its CEO. And India’s Reliance Industries will invest more than $110 billion in AI over the next seven years. Julie Chang hosts.