If you’re too overwhelmed to look through the headlines, then let’s catch you up! Here’s a brief but not all-encompassing collection of (mostly) US-based news and events from February:

• Black History Month (Feb 1-28): A month-long celebration established back in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson–this year marked the first centennial of the observance that honors Black excellence, contributions, and triumphs. In lieu of having reparations and justice given to Black Americans for their generational oppression, consider donating to Black organizations and causes, supporting Black-owned businesses, learning more about the history of Black liberation, and finding other ways to uplift and elevate Black voices

• Grammy Awards (Feb 1): The 68th Grammy Awards saw several firsts! Bad Bunny made history with his win for Album of the Year, marking the first time a Spanish-language album has won the music accolade (more on him later!). Kendrick Lamar was the most nominated artist (as deserved and expected!) with a total of nine nominations, winning five throughout the ceremony. 

• The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (Feb 6-22): Team USA’s female athletes thrived during these Winter Olympics! Figure skaters Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn, as well as freestyle skier Eileen Gu, are among the Olympic stars who brought home gold and represented the best of America at the multi-sport international event. The U.S. men’s hockey team visited Trump at the White House at his request, where goalie Connor Hellebuyck received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the rest of the team was celebrated. The women’s team reportedly declined to attend after Trump made a distasteful joke about having to invite them as well.

• Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX (Feb 8): Puerto-Rican superstar Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, showcasing Latine culture and solidarity throughout his set. The highly anticipated event was also highly polarizing, drawing criticism from the MAGA crowd (including from Trump himself, who called the event “[an] Affront to the Greatness of America” via TruthSocial). Regardless, Super Bowl LX was the most-watched program in NBC history, drawing nearly 130 million viewers for Bad Bunny. With Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin as guests, as well as the inclusion of Latine artists and icons within his crowd, Benito’s halftime show was a joyful cultural celebration.

• Al Jazeera Investigation on Israel/Palestine (Feb 10): An investigation by Al Jazeera reveals that the United States supplied Israel with explosive thermal weapons that were unleashed upon Palestinians in Gaza throughout 2024, chemically “evaporating” nearly 3,000 Palestinians as per the work of forensic accounting by Gaza’s Civil Defence. These harrowing findings, as well as the blatant breach of international justice conditions set in place by a ceasefire that has not been honored, only show how crucial it is to keep advocating and fighting for Palestinian liberation from this violent, genocidal occupation. 

• Multicultural Celebrations (Feb 17): Not only was February 17th the day the Lunar New Year (Year of the Fire Horse!) was celebrated, but Ramadan (in Islam, the holy month of fasting) and Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday,” the last day of Carnival before Ash Wednesday initiates the Christian Lenten season) also happened to coincide on this day. Happy festivities!  

• El Mencho’s Death Sparks Restlessness (Feb 22): Mexican militia reportedly killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, leader of Jalisco Nueva Generación (the Jalisco New Generation Cartel). He was one of the most wanted fugitives, and his death triggered waves of retaliatory violence from the organized crime group throughout Mexico, particularly in the cartel’s base state of Jalisco. At the time of writing, there is still unresolved conflict affecting Mexican civilians, especially innocent residents and families who have been forced to shelter due to continuing widespread violence. If you are able to, try to seek out and support Mexican workers and creatives who are financially and emotionally affected during this time.

• Trump’s State of the Union Address (Feb 24): Trump addressed the country Tuesday night, making claims about his “achievements” as the midterm elections approach (Addendum: the ABC News team compiled a fact-check of this address that you can read here). Moreover, a poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos reflects a negative trend for Trump, with his disapproval rating sitting at 60%. However, Democrats aren’t necessarily in the clear, as the same poll concludes that Americans “don’t [trust] them any more than Trump to handle problems.”

• US/Israel Attack on Iran (Feb 28): The United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran based on claims that the country has been working towards obtaining nuclear weapons. As of March 2nd, Trump said that the United States military intelligence anticipated prolonguing the attack so it will continue for multiple weeks, implying that Iran would keep being targeted as long as it remained a “threat” during his first public event since the strikes on Iranian land. This has been a wildly polarizing and controversial decision by the Trump Administration, especially following callous and insensitive remarks from Trump about the casualties thus far: “And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends, that’s the way it is. Likely be more.” Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatolla Ali Khamenei, was killed; moreover, a missile strike on a primary school in southern Iran killed at least 153 people, with Israel denying responsibility. This conflict is still ongoing.