Person of interest released in Guthrie case; El Paso airspace reopens after abrupt closure
Police detain and then release a person of interest in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance after the FBI shares new surveillance footage showing a masked man outside her home.
Plus, a shooting at a school in western Canada. Officials say the death toll and number of injured are rising as authorities piece together what happened.
And Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits under oath that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012. Now the revelation is fueling bipartisan scrutiny and calls for him to step down.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
Editor’s note: The Unbiased Updates episode includes an original news report on the FAA issuing a ground stop and declaring a national defense zone. The FAA has since reopened the El Paso airspace as of 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Person of interest in Guthrie case released after FBI shares new surveillance footage
The search for Nancy Guthrie took a new turn after authorities released a new video and questioned a person of interest in the Guthrie case. The FBI shared surveillance video of a masked man, while a person detained overnight has just been released.
In the video, the man appears to carry a handgun, walking toward the 84-year-old’s home the morning she was taken.
It’s now day eleven of the search for the mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie. NBC News reported that an FBI source said tips have surged since the video went public.
Tuesday, Pima County sheriff’s deputies stopped a man south of Tucson and detained him for questioning, but later released him. CNN reported that the man told a local Phoenix station he is a delivery driver and did not know Nancy Guthrie.
Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings continue their public pleas, saying they believe their mother is still alive and are prepared to pay to bring her home.
Guthrie posted an image of the masked suspect on Instagram on Tuesday, writing, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”
Concern continues to grow about Nancy Guthrie’s health. She requires daily medication, and investigators believe she has been without it since her abduction on Feb. 1.
7 killed in Canada school shooting, with two others found dead in nearby home
At least nine people are dead, and dozens more are injured after two shootings shook a small community in British Columbia, Canada.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a shooter killed seven people and wounded more than 25 others in a shooting at a secondary school in the town of Tumbler Ridge. At least two victims were airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police said the suspect, a woman, was found dead at the school from what appears to be a self-inflicted injury. Investigators are also looking into a second scene, where two more people were found dead at a home in the same town.
“So we have two scenes, we have the school, and then we have found two other persons deceased at a residence in Tumbler Ridge that we are trying to determine the connection to this event,” said Superintendent Ken Floyd with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “We believe they’re connected, but we are not in a position to provide that definitively right now at this time and what that connection may or may not be.”
Police said they believe they’ve identified the shooter but are not releasing her name.
The motive remains unclear, and investigators are still working to determine how the victims may be connected.
DOJ fails to indict Democrats involved in video urging military members to defy illegal orders
Six congressional Democrats who recorded videos telling military members they have a right to refuse illegal orders will not face criminal charges after a federal grand jury declined to indict them.
The Justice Department had sought charges, arguing the lawmakers encouraged insubordination, disloyalty or refusal of duty within the military.
However, the grand jury declined to indict.
Those names in the investigation include Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, along with Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan.
President Donald Trump had called their actions “seditious” and urged that they be arrested.
After the decision, Slotkin accused the president of weaponizing the justice system against political opponents. Kelly called the probe an outrageous abuse of power.
The video was posted in November after the Trump administration began targeting suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and as the president threatened to deploy troops to major U.S. cities, including Chicago.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the video created confusion within the ranks.
And for Kelly, the matter isn’t entirely closed. The Pentagon is still moving to downgrade his Navy rank and reduce his retirement pay.
Kelly has filed suit against the defense secretary. That case is now pending.
Lutnick admits 2012 Epstein Island trip after earlier denial
The repercussions of the Epstein files extend to the Trump cabinet and the president, beginning with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
On Tuesday, under oath, Lutnick was questioned by senators about earlier claims that he ended his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein years before Epstein’s criminal activities were exposed. Instead, Lutnick acknowledged that he and his family visited Epstein’s private island in 2012, years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen: “Did you, in fact, make the visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island?”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with, they were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island. That is true for an hour, and we left with all of my children with my nannies and my wife all together. We were on a family vacation, we were not apart. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012. I don’t recall why we did it.”
Lutnick insisted he had no meaningful relationship with Epstein, noting that their contact consisted of a handful of emails over more than a decade. But Democrats and some republicans say his account collapses under the newly released record.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who helped force the release of the Epstein files, has called for Lutnick to resign.
“He should just resign. I mean, there are three people in Great Britain who have resigned from politics,” Massie said. “He’s got a lot to answer for. But really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”
The White House, however, stood firm, supporting Lutnick.
“Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
As pressure builds around Lutnick, new reporting is also raising fresh questions about Trump’s account of what he knew about Epstein and when he knew it.
The Miami Herald was first to report that in 2006, as Epstein’s abuse of teenage girls came into focus, Trump called the Palm Beach police chief and said, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him. Everyone has known he’s been doing this.”
That account, which was documented years later in an FBI interview revealed during the recent Epstein files release, seems to contradict Trump’s later public statements, including his 2019 claim that he was unaware Epstein was abusing underage girls.
“It was a phone call that may or may not have happened in 2006. I don’t know the answer to that question. What I’m telling you is that what President Trump has always said is that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because Jeffrey Epstein was a creep. And that remains true. And this call, if it did happen, corroborates exactly what President Trump has said from the beginning,” Leavitt said.
Lawmakers have signaled that more questions are ahead, with the Epstein files still under review and pressure mounting for additional testimony.
El Paso airspace reopens after abrupt closure – Updated
Breaking: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly lifted the order halting all flights to and from El Paso International Airport on Wednesday morning, around 9 a.m. ET. Read the full update here.
The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.
— The FAA
(@FAANews) February 11, 2026
Editor’s note: The Unbiased Updates episode includes the original news report, in which the FAA issues a ground stop and declares a national defense zone.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport and closed airspace over El Paso and parts of southern New Mexico for about 10 days, citing “special security reasons” without detailing the threat.
The temporary flight restriction prohibits all aircraft from operating within the designated area.
El Paso International confirmed all flights are grounded, and city officials say the order came with little notice. FAA documents designate the area as national defense airspace, cautioning that non-compliant aircraft could be intercepted, detained or questioned. The notice also states that the U.S. government may use deadly force if a plane is deemed an imminent security threat.
The restricted zone encompasses most of El Paso County and extends into southern New Mexico, but does not include Mexican airspace.
Travelers are advised to check with their airlines as local officials await further guidance from the FAA.
Naumov honors parents in Olympic debut, advances to men’s free skate
An emotional Olympic debut one year in the making. U.S. figure skater Maxim Naumov took to the ice in Milan Tuesday night, competing at his first Olympics and fulfilling a dream he shared with his parents.
Former pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the 67 people killed in January 2025 when an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National, sending the plane into the Potomac River.
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MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Maxim Naumov of Team United States reacts while holding a picture of his family in the Kiss and Cry zone after competing in Men’s Single Skating – Short Program on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) -
MILAN, ITALY – February 10: Maxim Naumov of the United States reacts after performing his routine during the Figure Skating, Men’s Single Skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 on February 10th, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images) -
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Maxim Naumov of Team United States competes in Men’s Single Skating – Short Program on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) -
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Maxim Naumov of the United States competes in the Men’s Single Skating – Short Program on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) -
MILAN, ITALY – February 10: Maxim Naumov of the United States performs his routine during the Figure Skating, Men’s Single Skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 on February 10th, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images) -
MILAN, ITALY – February 10: Maxim Naumov of the United States performs his routine during the Figure Skating, Men’s Single Skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 on February 10th, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
Naumov said one of his final conversations with them concerned what it would take to qualify for the Olympics.
After his short performance, he dropped to his knees in a wave of emotion.
“I kept saying, ‘Look what we just did. Look what we just did.’ I repeated it in English, I said it in Russian. I just, man,” Naumov said.
Naumov scored 85.65, which is enough to advance. He will perform again in the men’s free program on Friday night.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Judge blocks California state law looking to prohibit masked federal agents
Some states are banning federal agents from wearing masks to hide their identities, a reaction to more aggressive immigration enforcement. State leaders say the practice breeds distrust in the community but also makes it easier to impersonate a federal agent.
But many of these proposed laws have faced challenges. On Monday night, a federal judge in California blocked a state law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. However, the judge did allow a companion measure requiring them to display identification, The New York Times reports.
Even if mask prohibitions for federal agents pass, it would be impossible for a state to enforce them. Under the Constitution, federal law and federal authorities override state law when the two conflict. So if a federal agency deems masks necessary, states can’t overrule that judgment.
In November, the FBI released a report stating criminals posing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carried out robberies, kidnappings and sexual assaults. California state Sen. Jesse Arreguín said this is a reason the state passed the law.
“When armed operatives walk into our communities obscuring their face, and without a badge or a name, the public’s trust is broken and the risk to everyone increases,” he wrote in a press release. “That risk is significantly heightened when there are known impersonators exploiting ICE’s propensity to withhold their identity.” Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
