Columbia Student Detained by ICE Released After Trump-Mamdani Call; Mortgage Rates Drop Below 6%

February 26, 2026 · 31 sources

Top Stories

Columbia Student Detained and Released After Mayoral Intervention Federal immigration agents detained a Columbia University student, Elmina Aghayeva, after allegedly misrepresenting themselves as searching for a "missing person" to gain access to a campus residence hall. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke directly with President Trump, who agreed to her immediate release. DHS maintains Aghayeva was in the country illegally with a visa terminated under the Obama administration. Columbia University disputed the agents' tactics. The incident intensifies the ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement on college campuses. (PBS NewsHour, The Guardian, NPR, Fox News, The Hill)

Mortgage Rates Fall Below 6% for First Time Since 2022 The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 5.98%, down from 6.01% last week and significantly below the 6.76% average from one year ago, according to Freddie Mac. The decline signals potential relief for the housing market after years of elevated borrowing costs. (PBS NewsHour)

Clinton Testifies in Epstein Investigation; Democrats Push for Trump Deposition Hillary Clinton testified behind closed doors before the House Oversight Committee, saying she has no information about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and accusing Republicans of a "fishing expedition." Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel's top Democrat, called for Trump to sit for a deposition, noting Trump appears in the Epstein files "almost more than any other person." Rep. Lauren Boebert drew bipartisan criticism for leaking a photo from inside the closed deposition. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence launched a review into whether Epstein used RAF bases. (The Guardian, PBS NewsHour, The Hill, BBC News)

US-Iran Nuclear Talks End With "Significant Progress" Talks between the US and Iran concluded in Oman with the mediating Omani foreign minister reporting "significant progress" but no deal. Additional negotiations are scheduled for next week in Vienna. Two House Republicans have now backed an Iran war powers resolution to limit unilateral presidential military action. (The Guardian, The Hill)

Left Perspective

Left-leaning outlets led with the Columbia detention story, emphasizing the deceptive tactics used by ICE agents and framing the incident as an escalation of immigration enforcement targeting students. NPR and The Guardian highlighted the attorneys' account that agents misrepresented their purpose. The Guardian gave prominent coverage to Kansas revoking over 1,000 transgender residents' driver's licenses under a new law requiring IDs to match "sex at birth," framing it as the "latest assault on rights." PBS NewsHour spotlighted Democrats' push for Trump's Epstein deposition. The Guardian also covered Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for a government shutdown delaying $625M in World Cup funding, presenting it as deflection from DHS responsibilities.

Right Perspective

Fox News covered the Columbia detention by leading with DHS's statement that the student was an "illegal alien whose visa was terminated under Obama," centering the law enforcement justification rather than the campus access tactics. Fox gave prominent space to Trump's State of the Union emphasis on crime victims, including victims of repeat offenders and undocumented immigrants. Coverage also highlighted the NYPD arrest connected to the Washington Square Park incident that Mayor Mamdani had characterized as a "snowball fight," framing it as evidence of Mamdani's soft-on-crime stance. Fox's "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter criticized Mamdani for removing an Israel-linked drone firm from city contracts.

International View

Cuba Boat Incident: The Cuban coast guard killed four people aboard a Florida-registered motorboat, prompting Florida Republicans to renew calls for regime change. (The Hill)

Missing Belgian Hiker Identified: Remains found in Tasmania have been provisionally identified as Celine Cremer, a Belgian backpacker who disappeared near Cradle Mountain in June 2023. (The Guardian)

UK Epstein Review: The British Ministry of Defence is reviewing records and emails to determine whether Jeffrey Epstein used RAF military bases during visits to the UK. (BBC News)

Pacific Northwest Salmon: A federal judge ordered changes to dam operations in the Pacific Northwest to protect salmon after the Trump administration withdrew from a restoration agreement. (The Hill)

Underreported

Bird Flu Kills Elephant Seal Pups in California: About 30 elephant seals, nearly all weaned pups, have died from highly pathogenic avian influenza at a California state park — a concerning wildlife health development receiving limited national coverage. (The Guardian)

NASA Lunar Trailblazer Failure Report: A new report details why NASA's $72 million Lunar Trailblazer mission to study water on the moon failed just one day after launch. (NPR)

San Francisco Nonprofit Fraud: A former nonprofit executive allegedly embezzled $1.2 million in taxpayer funds earmarked for homeless programs to fund a lavish personal lifestyle. (Fox News)

UN Investigator's Family Sues Trump Administration: The family of a sanctioned UN human rights investigator filed suit challenging sanctions imposed over her criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza, arguing First Amendment violations. (The Hill)

Data Center Moratorium Debate: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sharply criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders's proposal for a national data center moratorium, calling it a "surrender flag" to China in the AI competition. (The Hill)