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By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - For more than a year, Donald Trump has moved through Washington like a monarch, in a capital increasingly shaped by his power, threats and whims.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court abruptly altered that trajectory. In striking down his ‌administration's signature economic policy, the justices delivered a rare and public rebuke that signaled the dominant Republican president had finally reached the limits of ‌his authority.

Trump's reaction was immediate and visceral.

Upon learning of the ruling, Trump told governors gathered at the White House that he was "seething" and had to do something about the courts, said Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, ​a Democrat who was in the room.

Later, in front of reporters, Trump tore into the justices who ruled against him - including two of his own nominees - calling them weak, a disgrace and an "embarrassment to their families." He scoffed at what he cast as the majority's tortured logic.

"For someone who never admits losing," said Chris Borick, a pollster and political science professor at Pennsylvania's Muhlenberg College, "this is a pretty significant loss."

TRUMP'S FAVORITE WORD

Few policies have defined Trump's second term in office more than his aggressive use of tariffs. To Trump, ‌a tariff is not just a tax imposed on goods ⁠when they cross the U.S. border, but "my favorite word" and "the most beautiful word in the dictionary," as he has repeatedly told supporters.

He has wielded the threat of tariffs as a cudgel to extract concessions on soybean purchases, win billions in foreign investment pledges, ⁠stem the flow of narcotics, wade into international conflicts, adjust prescription drug prices and boost favored U.S. industries.

The Republican-controlled Congress, despite its constitutional authority over taxation, mostly stood aside.

The conservative Supreme Court often enhanced Trump's power, granting him immunity for his actions in office and issuing emergency rulings that favored his policies.

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But the court's 6-3 decision on Friday, authored by conservative Chief ​Justice ​John Roberts, punctured Trump's long-held assertion that he could impose sweeping tariffs in the name of ​U.S. economic security. The ruling injected fresh uncertainty into a political ‌landscape already shaped by volatile markets, uneasy foreign partners and looming midterm elections that could further curtail Trump's power.

"It is a blow to his expansive vision of emergency powers, which was the pillar for his entire economic agenda and more," said Julian E. Zelizer, presidential historian at Princeton University.

WOUNDED PRESIDENT LASHES OUT

Met with the biggest setback of his current term in office, an angry Trump responded characteristically: lashing out at those who dared to stand in his way, while still claiming victory.

Under theatrically dimmed lights in the White House press briefing room, Trump berated judges he had appointed. He suggested that their ruling had clarified his broad powers to use tariffs or cut ‌off trade with other countries entirely. And he quoted a dissenting Supreme Court opinion that said ​the decision might not substantially constrain a president's ability to order tariffs in the future.

"I can charge ​much more than I was charging," Trump concluded.

"It's a little more complicated," ​he said. "The process takes a little more time, but the end result is going to get us more money, and I think ‌it's going to be great."

Asked if he would ask Congress to ​give him the powers the Supreme Court said ​he did not have, Trump was defiant.

"No, I don't need to, it's already been approved," he said. "I mean, I would ask Congress and probably get it."

No president has used the law that was in dispute, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as expansively as Trump. And despite his bravado at Friday's ​press briefing, the alternative laws he could tap to impose ‌tariffs would be slower to implement, require more exhaustive justification and come with time limits.

"The presidency is definitely weaker" as a result of ​the ruling, said Saikrishna Prakash, a constitutional scholar at the University of Virginia School of Law. "He's weaker."

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; Additional ​reporting by Andrea Shalal and Bo Erickson; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Diane Craft)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Military jets were launched to intercept five Russian aircraft that were flying in international airspace off Alaska's western coast, but military officials said Friday the Russian aircraft were not seen as provocative.

Alaska Russian Jets

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it detected and tracked two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s and one A-50 operating near the Bering Strait on Thursday.

In response, NORAD launched two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3 and four KC-135 refueling tankers to intercept, identify and escort the Russian aircraft until they departed the area, according to a release from the command.

"The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace," according to the NORAD statement. It also noted this kind of activity "occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat."

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The Russian aircraft were operating in an area near the Bering Strait, a narrow body of water about 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide separating the Pacific and Arctic oceans, called the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

Such zones begin where sovereign airspace ends. While it's international airspace, all aircraft are required to identify themselves when entering zones in the interest of national security, NORAD said.

The command used satellites, ground and airborne radars and aircraft to detect and track aircraft

NORAD is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, but has its Alaska operations based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.

One technician climbing a tower. One FPV drone closing in. It sounds like a single tragic frame from an endless war. But it captures something larger: Russia's scramble to replace what Elon Musk took away.

Earlier this month,Ukraineappealed directly to Musk, asking him to disable Russian military access to SpaceX's Starlink internet system. The Russians had been running thousands of unauthorized terminals along the front — smuggled through Dubai and ex-Soviet republics, activated in countries where Starlink is legal, then shipped into the war zone.

With the flip of a switch, Musk complied.

The effect was immediate. Russian military bloggers began sounding the alarm, the message consistent across channels: there are no alternatives.

RELATED STORY |Ukraine hauls bombed train car into Kyiv to greet world leaders marking war's fourth anniversary

Russian forces, suddenly cut off, began improvising — setting up repeaters and relay stations to sustain drone video feeds and battlefield communications. And sending technicians up towers to do it.

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Those technicians keep appearing in Ukrainian drone compilation videos as easy targets.

What makes this more than a communications setback is something few outside the conflict fully grasp. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are now coming to scale on both sides of this war. They haul ammunition and supplies into what soldiers call the kill zone, guided remotely by operators miles away. Starlink terminals mounted on board make that possible. Without Starlink, the robots stop. And soldiers go in instead.

RELATED STORY |Quiet dissent emerges in Ukraine as war with Russia drags on

The result, according to sources familiar with Russian battlefield operations, is that Russia is now losing even more soldiers than before — men replacing machines that no longer work.

Which feeds directly into Ukraine's current strategy: killing Russians faster than Putin can replace them.

The bandwidth war has a body count. And right now, Russia is losing it.

Time flies when you're cold and baseball-less. Somehow,Team USA's first World Baseball Classic game is just two weeks away.

Barring injuries,the roster is fully set, with manager Mark DeRosaopting to carry 16 pitchers and 14 position players. That's a deviation from what DeRosa did in 2023, when Team USA featured 15 pitchers and 15 position players. Most likely, this tournament will be won or lost by its stars — the Judges, the Ohtanis, the Sotos — but DeRosa's roster machinations will have an impact, too, as they did last time around, when Team USA fell to Japan in the final.

With the stars and stripes assembling a comically formidable roster for the 2026 tournament, particularly on the pitching front, the pressure is very much on DeRosa to retake the title. Here are a handful of questions about Team USA's roster.

What are the biggest differences between the 2023 and 2026 Team USA rosters?

Instead of rostering a third catcher like in 2023, Team USA will enter the 2026 WBC with an eighth bulk arm, basically swapping Kyle Higashioka (2023) for Michael Wacha (2026). That makes tons of sense, as in the previous tournament, Higashioka didn't start and barely played. Cal Raleigh and Will Smith are more than capable of handling the catching duties, and Wacha isn't the most exhilarating arm, but he can cover innings out of the bullpen.

The other major adjustment DeRosa seems to have made is carrying two additional lefty-hitting bats and a switch-hitter in Raleigh. In 2023, Team USA inexplicably faced southpaw starters in six of its seven games. That's unlikely to happen again. Even so, the greater diversity in handedness should allow DeRosa to make his lineup more reliever-proof.

How will the second- and third-base alignment play out?

In 2023, Nolan Arenado started all seven of Team USA's games at the hot corner. Tim Anderson, of all people, started the final five at the keystone. Things won't be so settled at second and third in the upcoming tournament. Bobby Witt Jr., who was on the 2023 club exclusively as a pinch runner, should start every game at short. That leaves two starting spots for the quartet of Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang, Alex Bregman and Ernie Clement.

DeRosa could go about this multiple ways. He could play both lefties (Henderson at 3B and Turang at 2B) against righty starters and both righties (Bregman at 3B and Clement at 2B) against southpaws. He could prioritize offense (Bregman at 2B and Henderson at 3B) and slot Turang in late for defense. He could lean on Turang's phenomenal glove and start him regularly at second, alternating between Bregman and Henderson at the hot corner. He could also get Witt off his feet and give Henderson the occasional start at short, the only position he has played for Baltimore since Opening Day 2024. The good news here is the Team USA manager has options, all of which are relatively reasonable.

Will having more role players lead to less lineup shuffling?

Of the 15 position players on the 2023 team, only two were used as typical substitutes: Higashioka as the rarely used third catcher and Witt as a pinch runner. Witt has since blossomed into the third-best player on Earth and will probably lead off and start at short this time. The 13 other hitters in 2023 all received multiple starts, while only four — Arenado, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt — started every game.

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There will almost certainly be more lineup continuity in 2026. That's the case for two main reasons: (1) There's one fewer hitter after DeRosa opted against a third catcher; (2) There are more role players on this team. While he might nab a start or two, Pete Crow-Armstrong figures to feature most prominently as a pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement for Byron Buxton in center field. Goldschmidt, who turns 39 in September, is here to crush southpaws and provide veteran leadership. Clement offers versatility and splendid vibes.

In 2023, it seemed like DeRosa was trying to keep his star-studded group happy by shuffling through a carousel of players at the bottom of the lineup. Will he change that strategy this year? Given the personnel assembled, it seems like it. Witt, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Roman Anthony (in for the injured Corbin Carroll) will probably start every game. Kyle Schwarber will probably do the same at DH, unless DeRosa really wants Goldschmidt in against a lefty starter.

How will the starting pitching line up?

Team USA's enormous upgrade of its pitching staff could prove to be the most consequential story of this entire tournament. The Americans will have reigning Cy Youngs Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes leading a rotation that also includes Giants sinkerballing ace Logan Webb, Mets rookie phenom Nolan McLean and 2025 All-Star Joe Ryan.

In 2023, four different pitchers started USA's seven games. Adam Wainwright started the opener against Great Britain and the semifinal against Cuba. Nick Martinez kicked off a disastrous bullpen game against Mexico. Lance Lynn took the rock against Canada in pool play and against Venezuela in the quarters. D-backs kitchen-sinker Merrill Kelly faced Colombia in pool play and got the call against Japan in the finals. Three other traditional starters — Kyle Freeland, Miles Mikolas and Brady Singer — served in bulk roles out of the bullpen.

While the 2026 pitching plan has yet to be confirmed, let's copy and paste the 2023 strategy onto this year's group. Skenes and Skubal will almost certainly be put on schedule to start the semis and finals. That means Skenes would likely start March 9 against Mexico, and Skubal would go March 10 against Italy. Most of the top Italian hitters — Vinnie Pasquantino, Jakob Marsee, Dominic Canzone, Jac Caglianone and Miles Mastrobuoni — are left-handed, making Skubal the obvious choice there. That plan would then have Skenes start the semis on March 15 or 16 and Skubal on track for the finals on March 17. Webb and Ryan probably get the two other pool-play starts, and one of them probably starts the quarterfinals on March 13 or 14.

That leaves McLean, Wacha, Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd available in multi-inning relief roles. In theory, DeRosa could go with McLean over Ryan for a start or give the ball to the southpaw Boyd against another lefty-heavy lineup, but the Skubal-Skenes-Webb-Ryan starting quartet makes the most sense.

Which relievers will throw the highest-leverage innings?

This is the one area on the roster that hasn't necessarily improved compared to 2023. To be clear, that's more a compliment to the previous group than a criticism of this one.

During the previous WBC, DeRosa leaned on former Astros hurler Ryan Pressly to close out three games but didn't use him in the semis or finals. David Bednar (back for 2026), Devin Williams and Jason Adam were the other "Tier A" relievers. All appeared in four of seven games. Aaron Loup was the first lefty and Adam Ottavino the No. 2 southpaw. Daniel Bard and Kendall Graveman were further down the depth chart.

In the 2026 Team USA bullpen, Bednar and Padres flamethrower Mason Miller are the only two relievers slated to close for their MLB teams this coming season. They'll be the top two dogs in the kennel. Brad Keller, Griffin Jax and Garret Whitlock make up the next tier. The two high-leverage southpaws will be Gabe Speier and Garrett Cleavinger. Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who retired from MLB after the 2025 World Series, almost certainly won't see the mound in anything resembling a crucial moment. He's here to eat up pool-play innings against Brazil and Great Britain and generally have a good time.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar'sbid for an injunctionthat would have enabled him to continue playing for the Volunteers this fall was denied on Friday by a Knox County Chancery Court judge.

Aguilar was arguing that he should be allowed a fourth year of playing Divisional I football rather than having the years he spent in junior college count against his eligibility. Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty instead dissolved thetemporary restraining orderhe had granted in the case on Feb. 4 and denied Aguilar's request for an injunction.

Aguilar played at Diablo Valley (California) Community College from 2021-22 before transferring to Appalachian State, where he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Aguilar then transferred to Tennessee and completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season.

He also redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although Aguilar has been invited to next week's NFL draft scouting combine, he hadfiled a lawsuitagainst the NCAA in an attempt to return to Tennessee to play one more season.

Heagerty said the factors Tennessee courts consider before deciding to grant a temporary injunction are the threat to irreparable harm to the plaintiff if an injunction isn't granted, the balance between this harm and any injury that granting the injunction would inflict on the defendant, the probability the plaintiff would succeed on the case's merits and the public interest.

Heagerty noted that Aguilar's lawyers pointed out the quarterback could lose $2 million to $3 million in name, image and likeness opportunities by not playing. But the judge also pointed out that granting an injunction "could cause sweeping implications and cause significant ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the eligibility rules of the NCAA."

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While Aguilar's lawyers said an injunction would apply only to their client, Heagerty believed granting an injunction "could impact much broader issues and have a much more far-reaching effect than the plaintiff suggests."

Heagerty also said the evidence before the court at this time indicated Aguilar "has a low likelihood to succeed on the merits of his claim."

"The NCAA is thankful for the judge's decision today, which demonstrates the court's consideration of eligibility standards and protecting access to the collegiate experience for current and future student-athletes," the NCAA said in a statement. "We will continue to defend the NCAA's eligibility rules against attempts to circumvent foundational policies and hinder fair competition to all student-athletes. The NCAA is making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes and will continue to work with Congress to provide stability for all college athletes."

The Aguilar ruling comes a week after a Mississippi judge granted Ole Miss quarterbackTrinidad Chamblissa preliminary injunction that could enable him to play for the Rebels this fall. Chambliss has been in college for five years, but he was healthy enough to play just three years.

Of the 57 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed across the country, 31 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 12 have been granted. Seven of the injunctions that were granted came in state courts.

Another five eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts, and nine were voluntarily dismissed before a decision was reached on a preliminary injunction.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphere. AP college football:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-footballhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-football

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina house fire thatkilled the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlinand injured his mother has been ruled accidental but it's still unclear what started it.

A report released by Gaston County Emergency Management & Fire Services said the Dec. 28 fire at the two-story home originated in a bedroom, but the "cause of ignition" is "undetermined."

Otherwise, the investigation determined the fire as accidental, Gaston County spokesperson Adam Gaub wrote in an email Friday.

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Dennis Hamlin, 75, and Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, were found outside the home the evening of the fire suffering from catastrophic injuries, officials said. Dennis Hamlin later died, while his wife survived.

The home, located near Stanley about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Charlotte, was owned by a company that listed Denny Hamlin as its manager, according to government records.

Dennis Hamlin wasalready seriously illlast year, his son previously said.

Denny Hamlin is a leading driver in NASCAR's top circuit, having won 60 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 three times. Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-own the car driven by Tyler Reddickthat won this year's Daytona 500 last weekend.

The estate ofJeffrey Epsteinagreed on Thursday to pay up to $35 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by survivors of the late convicted sex offender.

The complaint, which was first filed in 2024, alleges that Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, co-executors of Epstein's estate, "facilitated" Epstein's "sex trafficking and abuse" and "were also integral in allowing Epstein to escape justice for years by concealing his litany of crimes."

Indyke and Kahn denied the allegations in Thursday's filing, adding that they were not involved in "the Epstein sex trafficking venture in any way" and that they do not believe "any Class Member has suffered any harm, injury, or damages as a result of their conduct." The settlement would resolve all claims against the two defendants and the estate. A judge must now sign off on the agreement.

It comes amid the fallout from the Justice Department's release of millions of pages of files related to Epstein in document dumps over the course of the last year. The files include numerousprominent names, and revelations have promptedseveral executives to step down.

The parties agreed on a settlement of up to $35 million, according to a court filing Thursday. The final figure depends on the number of survivors that signed onto the class-action lawsuit, and it could be as low as $25 million if there are less than 40 "Eligible Class Members."

An attorney for Indyke and Kahn stressed that they are not admitting to any wrongdoing by agreeing to the settlement.

"Neither of the co-executors has made any admission or concession of misconduct," lawyer Daniel Weiner said in a statement to CNN. "Because they did nothing wrong, the co-executors were prepared to fight the claims against them through to trial, but agreed to mediate and settle this lawsuit in order to achieve finality as to any potential claims against the Epstein Estate."

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CNN has reached out to lawyers representing the survivors.

Several survivors have already received compensation since Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.

In November 2019, attorneys for Epstein's estate executors filed a request to pursue a survivor compensation fund to avoid litigation and the program started in June 2020. By early 2021,payouts were pausedbecause the estate was low on cash. Before the pause, over 150 claims were filed and the program paid out over $50 million to eligible claimants.

Survivors have also reached settlements with two banks where Epstein was a client:JP Morgan Chase, which agreed to pay $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit, andDeutsche Bank, which reached a $75 million settlement.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN's Lauren del Valle and Chris Isidore contributed to this report.

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