Criminal defense lawyers are raising concerns about unusual behavior by the U.S. Department of Justice, while PBS Distribution acquired the British detective drama "Bergerac" for U.S. audiences, and Native American leaders expressed frustration over a recent wave of immigration arrests. These developments, along with new research on killer whales and shark behavior, and the expansion of state public-option health plans, highlight a diverse range of news from February 18, 2026.
Leading defense lawyers were analyzing what they perceived as abnormal practices by the Justice Department over the past year, according to NPR News. They were developing a tool to track criminal cases that appeared to involve irregular charging practices, including aggressive legal theories and potential political retribution. Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee on February 11, defending the Justice Department's prosecutions during her tenure, as reported by NPR News.
Meanwhile, PBS Distribution secured the rights to the first two seasons of the British detective drama "Bergerac" from Banijay Rights, as revealed by Variety. The acquisition preceded the London TV Screenings.
Native American leaders expressed anxiety following a recent wave of immigration arrests, as reported by Time. The arrests, which included four members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, prompted immediate calls to the Department of Homeland Security. Frank Star Comes Out, the tribe's president, stated that he was unable to get answers from the DHS regarding the detentions. "We were in contact with DHS, but they wanted names, and I said, Well, we want names, too. What are you doing? Detaining Native Americans? But they couldn't answer that," he said, according to Time.
In other news, research from Flinders University, published on Phys.org, suggested that killer whales do not always drive shark disappearances. The study, using 12 years of acoustic telemetry and wildlife tourism sighting data, found that extended absences from aggregation sites were also part of the sharks' natural behavior.
Finally, NPR News reported that state public-option health plans were expanding but could not fill the gaps left by federal changes.
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