It’s more than the Jeep Wave: Miatas can wink with their pop-up headlights, and Porsche owners have their own waves, but only for the right cars.

The Nationals have signed right-hander Zack Littell to a one-year, Major League contract that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. Financial teams of the contract aren’t yet known. The deal will become official when Littell passes a physical, and when Washington makes a corresponding move for the CAA Sports client to create space on the 40-man roster. Littell ranked 35th on MLB Trade Rumors’ list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and was predicted to earn a two-year, $24MM deal. He’ll have to settle for just a one-year pact, and the righty could be on the move again relatively soon if the rebuilding Nationals move him at the trade deadline. Littell, 30, is a veteran of eight big league seasons but spent most of that time in a bullpen role. In the first five seasons of his MLB career, Littell posted a 4.08 ERA (104 ERA+) with lackluster peripherals in 169 2/3 innings of work. After the 2022 campaign, Littell rode the DFA and waiver claim carousel throughout the 2022-23 offseason. He eventually wound up with the Red Sox to start the season, but he made just two appearances in the majors before being once again designated for assignment. That led him to the Rays, with whom he managed to transform himself from a fringe member of the 40-man roster into a solid mid to back of the rotation arm. Upon arriving in Tampa, Littell moved into a swing role for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He posted a 3.93 ERA with a nearly matching 3.99 FIP in 87 innings split between 14 starts and 12 relief appearances. Littell’s 19.8% strikeout rate in those outings was hardly exciting, but he made up for it with pinpoint command that allowed him to post a 2.5% walk rate and an 8.2% barrel rate. That control and command style was enough to earn him a full-time rotation job headed into the Rays’ 2024 season, and he rewarded the team with a career year. In 29 starts for the Rays in 2024, Littell posted a 21.5% strikeout rate against a 4.7% walk rate while pitching to a 3.63 ERA (110 ERA+) with a 3.81 FIP. His 156 2/3 innings of work made him just one of just 71 pitchers to throw more than 150 innings that year, and only 15 of those pitchers surrendered fewer runs than Littell. Littell remained generally effective in terms of run prevention last year as he posted a 3.81 ERA (111 ERA+) in a career-high 186 2/3 innings of work across 32 starts for the Rays and Reds. Unfortunately, those solid results were not paired with similar peripherals. A look under the hood reveals Littell’s strikeout rate plummeted to just 17.1%, while his barrel rate jumped to 9.8% as he allowed the second-most homers in all of baseball last season. Perhaps some of that can be explained by Littell pitching his home games at the hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field and Great American Ballpark, but a 4.88 FIP with a 4.40 SIERA suggested that Littell was more of a back-end starter than his results may have indicated. The result was a soft free agent market for Littell this offseason, with minimal interest in his services being reported. A reunion with the Rays once seemed to be on the table, but Tampa Bay instead brought in Steven Matz and Nick Martinez. No other clubs were publicly connected to the right-hander’s services for most of the winter, though plenty of pitching-needy teams like the Braves and Athletics emerged as speculative fits. The Nationals were the ones to ultimately bring Littell into the fold, with some past connections possibly helped complete the deal. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni formerly worked in the Red Sox front office, new manager Blake Butera spent years managing in Tampa’s farm system, and new pitching coach Simon Matthews was the Reds’ assistant pitching coach in 2025, so all three have direct familiarity with Littell’s work. D.C. is unlikely to compete for a playoff spot this year as they reboot their rebuilding efforts under Toboni. As such, the team has pursued just short-term and relatively inexpensive veteran signings like Littell and Miles Mikolas, and made another move for the future in trading MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers. The Gore trade diminished an already questionable Washington rotation, so Littell will reinforce a starting five that seems set to include Mikolas and another new signing in Foster Griffin. The last two spots in the rotation figure to go to some combination of Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker. ESPN.com’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan were the first to report the agreement between the two sides, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting that Littell had signed a guaranteed contract. The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka (multiple links) had the details about the one-year term and mutual option, and Littell needing to pass a physical. Inset photo courtesy of Joe Puetz — Imagn Images

Dubai (AFP) Feb 17, 2026 The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it would extend its Mars probe mission, now in its fifth year, for an additional three, underlining the oil-rich state's space ambitions. The UAE's Hope probe arrived in orbit around Mars in 2021 after a seven-month voyage through space, making it the first Arab country to explore the Red Planet with a $200 million investment. The Emirat

A sweeping new study reveals that what’s on your plate may directly shape the pesticides circulating in your body. Researchers found that people who eat more fruits and vegetables known to carry higher pesticide residues—such as strawberries, spinach, and bell peppers—also have significantly higher levels of those chemicals in their urine. While produce remains a cornerstone of a healthy diet, the findings highlight how everyday food choices can drive real-world exposure to substances linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and developmental harm.

Introduction Our review is once again looking at a refreshed release from the MSI MAG tier of motherboards. The MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WiFi II is the most feature-rich B850 chipset motherboard in the MAG tier. If you aren’t familiar with how MSI stacks their motherboard lineup, MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) is the entry-level enthusiast tier. The entry level, however, is not shy on features or performance, and the TOMAHAWK branding is generally quite well laid out as far as expansion and connectivity, while being offered at an affordable price point. We have recently reviewed two other “MAX” boards from MSI. The MAX moniker indicates that the motherboard in question offers up the latest improvements and additions in the line-up. If you are looking to upgrade within the socket AM5 AMD motherboard tiers, the MAX will have some features that “plain” or non-MAX prior releases won’t. During the review, we will point out the features that make this board a “MAX”. So if there is a MAX II, there must be a MAX, right? Well, right you are. We, in fact, reviewed the MSI B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WiFi when it was first released, January 20, 2025. If you aren’t up to speed on the AMD chipset hierarchy, here is a nice chart. Pricing should be under $250; the motherboard has a three-year warranty. So off we go to look at what “MAX II” has to offer. Packaging and Contents The MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WiFi II was sent to us directly from MSI. We received a full retail package in the standard motherboard box. Inside is the board in a thick anti-static bag. The WiFi antenna is separately boxed on top of the board, and the accessories there are were placed under the motherboard. The accessories include: one SATA right-angle cable, one RGB/fan EZ-CONN cable, three EZ Clip II screws, one EZ Clip tool, WiFi antenna, a sheet of stickers and one Quick Start Guide. Join the discussion in The FPS Review Forums...The post MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WiFi II Motherboard Review appeared first on The FPS Review.

Virginia Trioli has a name for what Jackie ‘O’ Henderson spent years doing alongside Kyle Sandilands. She calls it collaboration, and she says it comes with consequences. Speaking on ABC Sydney on Friday, the broadcaster told host Hamish McDonald that Henderson was, to some degree, an architect of the very environment she has now publicly said she feels “unsafe” working within. “If you choose to be the collaborator, you’ll probably end up being the victim at some point,” Trioli said. Trioli continued: “[Kyle] had a collaborator in Jackie O, who smiled and laughed prettily at all the appalling jokes and traducing of women and insulting of women and degrading of women that he was doing; she took the money and happily collaborated in that,” Trioli said. She was clear about her sympathy; however, Trioli was equally as clear about its limits. “I feel for her. She feels that her workplace is unsafe,” she said. “And, I don’t want to make this personal, but there is such a thing as personal responsibility. And if you’re prepared to take that cash in order to make that kind of radio, then you might expect that someday it might come for you.” The incident that broke the show The rupture had been building before it erupted on air on 20 February. During a live broadcast, Sandilands turned on Henderson, first criticising what he described as her recent “fixation” on astrology, then broadening his attack to her overall performance. “You’re not doing the rest of the job, and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” he said, claiming staff had repeatedly asked what was “going on with Jackie” over the past month. “It’s not great, it’s just a fact. Wake up (beep) .. I’m not lying to her to make her feel bad.” Henderson’s response was measured but pointed. “Well, let management talk to me then. No, please, I welcome it,” she said. As the exchange intensified, she became emotional. “I would never say things like that about you,” she told Sandilands. “There are so many things that you don’t do, and I would never bring them up, and I would never say what people say.” Sandilands replied, “Feel free, it’s an open forum,” but Henderson declined to continue what she labelled a “tit for tat,” calling the situation “mean and nasty.” ARN’s response: termination and an olive branch ARN Media moved swiftly. The company confirmed it had terminated the services agreement with Henderson Media Pty Ltd, the entity through which Henderson presents the show, after Henderson gave notice that she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands.” In the same statement, ARN said it had served written notice to Sandilands and his company, Quasar Media Services Pty Ltd, stating that his behaviour on 20 February constituted “an act of serious misconduct” in breach of his services agreement with the network. ARN also said it had offered Henderson the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network, a detail that points to the company’s reluctance to lose one of Australian radio’s most recognisable names entirely. Henderson: ‘I did not quit’ Henderson, for her part, has pushed back against the narrative that she walked away. “Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure from the show. I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign,” she said in a statement. “I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” she said, adding that “the current media narrative” did not reflect what had occurred. “It has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages of support during what has been an incredibly challenging time.” Main image: Virginia Trioli, Jackie Henderson. Source: Supplied Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox. The post ‘If you choose to be the collaborator, you’ll probably end up being the victim’: Virginia Trioli on Jackie O’s fall appeared first on Mediaweek.

... Black Friday for when the year's lowest price has historically gone into effect. Christine McKee's profile picture. Christine McKee. Deals Expert.

HBO Max's new period drama Madam Beja has caused a thirst meltdown amongst the gays, girls and theys.Back in February, the Brazilian telenovela, originally named Dona Beja, made its global premiere on HBO Max, with five new episodes dropping weekly.Written by Daniel Berlinsky and António Barreira, Madam Beja is set in the 19th century and is inspired by the life of popular historical figure Ana Jacinta de São José. The series is also described as "a new interpretation of the iconic telenovela, originally aired in the 1980s."The synopsis reads: "[Madame Beja] follows a woman who challenges the social norms of her time in a context marked by restrictions and inequalities. Throughout the plot, themes such as desire, freedom, power and revenge intertwine to shape a complex character, whose intelligence and independent place her in constant conflict."

“We’re not too long, I think, before you will see more regular resumption of ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” Chris Wright said on CNN on Sunday.

A lost cache of 250-million-year-old fossils from Australia has rewritten part of the story of life after Earth’s worst mass extinction. Instead of a single marine amphibian species, researchers uncovered evidence of a surprisingly diverse community of early ocean predators. One of these creatures had relatives stretching from the Arctic to Madagascar, showing that some of the first sea-going tetrapods spread across the globe with remarkable speed.

Washington lawmakers passed a bill Friday that would cut damages available to plaintiffs under the state's antispam law from $500 per offending message to just $100, significantly reducing Commercial Electronic Mail Act penalties for companies that send offending emails or text messages.

A newly identified protein may hold the key to preventing diabetic blindness. Researchers discovered that LRG1 triggers the earliest damage in diabetic retinopathy by constricting tiny retinal blood vessels and reducing oxygen supply. In mice, shutting down this protein stopped the damage before it could take hold. The finding could pave the way for treatments that protect vision before symptoms ever begin.

Last week, Boris Cherny, the creator and head of Anthropic’s popular Claude Code programming agent, posted ​a thread on X​ about how he personally used the AI tool in his own work. It created a stir. “What began as a casual sharing of his personal terminal setup has spiraled into a viral manifesto on the future of software development,” explained a ​VentureBeat article​ about the incident. As Cherny explained, he runs five different instances of the coding agent at the same time, each in its own tab in his terminal: ‘While one agent runs a test suite, another refactors a legacy module, and a third drafts documentation.’ He cycles rapidly through these tabs, providing further instruction or gentle prods to each agent as needed, checking their work, and sending them back to improve their output. One user, responding to the thread, ​described the approach​ like playing the famously fast-paced video game Starcraft. The VentureBeat article described Cherny as operating like a “fleet commander.” It all seemed like a lot of fun. But here’s the thing: If I were a software developer, I would be wary of any such demonstration. In his 1974 book, ​Labor and Monopoly Capital​, the influential Marxist political economist Harry Braverman argued that the expanding “science-technical revolution” was being exploited by companies to increasingly “deskill” workers; to leave them in “ignorance, incapacity, and thus in fitness for machine servitude.” The more employees outsource skilled activity to machines, the more controllable they become. It’s hard not to hear echoes of Braverman’s deskilling argument in something like Cherny’s AI programming demo. A world in which software development is reduced to the ersatz management of energetic but messy digital agents is a world in which a once important economic sector is stripped down to fewer, more poorly paid jobs, as wrangling agents requires much less skill than producing elegant code from scratch. The consumer would fare no better, as the resulting software would be less stable and innovation would slow. The only group that would unambiguously benefit from deskilling developers would be the technology companies themselves, which could minimize one of their biggest expenses: their employees. Boris Cherny is a senior technical lead at Anthropic who manages a large team and likely owns a significant amount of stock options in the company. Of course, he’s excited about the idea of agents replacing programmers, but that doesn’t mean we have to share his enthusiasm. — P.S., I don’t mean to deny the value of AI tools for programmers. I’ve talked to many developers who have found great utility in using AI to help (​apparently​) speed up programming tasks. What makes me suspicious is the claim that shifting to a world in which you just assign agents work is somehow just the natural next step in programming productivity. It might seem cool in the moment, but something more profound and dark might be lurking beneath these gee-whiz demos. The post Be Wary of Digital Deskilling appeared first on Cal Newport.

The Florida Bar said Friday that it is not investigating controversial former interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan, walking back a previous assertion it had made in a letter to a nonprofit that it was probing Halligan's actions.

CBD and CBG, two non-intoxicating cannabis compounds, may help combat fatty liver disease by boosting liver energy reserves and restoring cellular cleanup systems. In the study, both compounds improved blood sugar control and reduced harmful lipids linked to fatty liver disease. Researchers say the findings point to a promising new plant-based approach to treating metabolic liver disorders.

She enjoyed gardening, reading, Black Friday shopping, bridge and boasting about her beloved grandchildren. She was never happier than when she ...

Netflix acquired Ben Affleck's AI filmmaking startup InterPositive shortly after stepping away from its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company exited the deal with a substantial termination fee, freeing up capital for technology focused content investment. The InterPositive purchase points to a push to weave AI tools into Netflix's production pipeline and creative workflows. Netflix, traded as NasdaqGS:NFLX, is making this move with its shares at $99.02 and a value_score of 1. The...

Iran has launched waves of Shahed drones to menace Persian Gulf nations. The U.S. has unleashed its own copycat on Iran. It’s a sign of how war is changing.

Loewe was a hoot. Junya Watanabe, a sartorial satire. And wait until I tell you about the Schiaparelli kitten heels.

Not all acts of extinction are to be regretted.