Today is Tuesday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2026. There are 310 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 24, 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $200,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.

Also on this date:

In 1803, in its landmark Marbury v. Madison decision, the U.S. Supreme Court established the foundational principle of judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes.

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In 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate by a single vote.

In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees died.

In 1981, a jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr. Herman Tarnower. (Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Harris was granted clemency by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo in December 1992.)

In 1991, the United States began ground operations in the Gulf War by entering Iraqi-held Kuwait.

In 2008, Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother, Fidel, who announced days earlier that he would not seek reelection. Raul Castro served as president until April 2018.

In 2011, Discovery, the world’s most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey marking the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

In 2020, Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York and was led off to prison in handcuffs in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement. An appeals court later threw out the verdict and ordered a new trial, but Weinstein remained behind bars after other convictions.

In 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions.

Today’s birthdays:

Actor Dominic Chianese is 95.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight is 88.
Actor Barry Bostwick is 81.
Actor Edward James Olmos is 79.
Musician George Thorogood is 76.
Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 70.
Actor Billy Zane is 60.
Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 49.
Tennis Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt is 45.
Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 37.
Singer-songwriter Domenic Innarella is 15.

A Hastings man was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen’s office announced Monday.

Hunter James Geidl, 29, was indicted in 2024 on three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Court documents state that in May 2022, Geidl “knowingly possessed” a video of a minor engaged in sexually explicit activities. Then from July 29, 2022 until March 22, 2024, court documents say Geidl allegedly employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce videos.

“Protecting our nation’s children is a mission we hold sacred in the FBI,” said Richard Evanchec, the Interim Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.  “The sentence imposed on Mr. Geidl should send a strong message about our work to bring to justice those who prey on America’s kids.  If you have information about additional victims of Hunter James Geidl who have not yet been identified, you are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.”

During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez said while Geidl may be a first-time defendant, he is not a first-time offender, Rosen’s office said.

Geidl’s prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.

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Rep. Angie Craig will bring the son of a Minnesota woman as her guest to the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

Angel Silva’s mother, Concepcion Macias-Pulido, left the United States in December after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an immigration hearing. She had a work permit and was going through the process of obtaining legal, permanent residency, Craig’s office said in a news release.

Macias-Pulido was held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and then sent to El Paso, Texas, the release said. “Without any clear path to release, Concepcion ultimately made the difficult decision to self-deport back to Mexico, leaving behind her family in Minnesota, including a 10-year-old child,” the release said.

“I’m proud to be in Washington representing immigrant families,” said Angel Silva, 25, a U.S. citizen from Rosemount. “My mother’s strength and sacrifice are the reason I’m here today. Families like mine deserve fairness, compassion, and the chance to stay together.”

Macias-Pulido “was one of the many immigrants here in Minnesota trying to do things the right way yet still targeted by President Trump and Kristi Noem’s rogue ICE,” Craig said in the release.

Craig said the fact that the woman was detained during an immigration hearing is “truly unthinkable.”

She said she is honored to have Silva by her side at the Tuesday address.

“His resilience and willingness to share his family’s story is an inspiration and reminder that our immigrant neighbors strengthen the fabric of our state. President Trump and Secretary Noem will never be able to take that away,” Craig said in the release.

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Gov. Tim Walz has ordered all U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff for two days this week to honor and remember the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who died Feb. 17. He was 84.

All U.S. and state flags on state buildings will be flown at half-staff from sunrise Wednesday to sunset on Thursday.

“Reverend Jackson spent his life pushing America to live up to its highest ideals,” Walz said in a news release. “His fight for civil rights, dignity, and fairness changed our country and will inspire generations to come. Gwen and I extend our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and to all who mourn his passing.”

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84

Jackson rose to national prominence in the civil rights movement, becoming a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and joining the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.

He will lie in repose this week at the Chicago headquarters of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. His body will then travel to South Carolina and Washington, D.C., for more celebrations of his life. A public service will be held in Chicago at House of Hope on March 6, followed by private homegoing services the next day at Rainbow PUSH, which will be livestreamed.

“His work touched Minnesota through efforts like advocating for farmers, encouraging voter registration, and standing with communities after the killings of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright,” according to the release from the governor’s office.

The governor’s office encouraged individuals and organizations to join in lowering their flags.

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Joe Soucheray: We keep electing people who merely intend to be important. Which stinks.