February 2, 2026

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Amidst the buildup of U.S. forces in the region, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned yesterday that any attack on Iran by the United States would spark a "regional war" in the Middle East. [more]
• Officials in both Israel and Egypt have confirmed the limited re-opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Reports say only about 50 people are expected to be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt today, but that the number of persons allowed to use the crossing is expected to increase over time. [more]
• The Iranian Foreign Ministry is reported to have summoned all European Union ambassadors in the Islamic Republic to protest last week's E.U. designation of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,437 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Following a two-day suspension of attacks, at least 12 people were killed in Russian drone strikes on Ukraine yesterday, including one that hit a bus carrying mine workers in the city of Dnipro and one that hit a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that the next round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators is expected to take place Wednesday and Thursday of this week in Abu Dhabi. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Two teenagers, ages 19 and 15, have been arrested on attempted murder and other charges following a shooting incident during a parade Saturday in Clinton, Louisiana, in which five people, including a six-year-old child, were wounded. Authorities say all five victims are expected to survive. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | Day 3. A partial shutdown of U.S. government operations began Saturday after the Senate passed funding measures Friday that authorized funds for the Department of Homeland Security for only two weeks to allow time for related negotiations. The measures require approval by the House, which is scheduled to begin considering them today. [more]

OREGON | Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave his city yesterday after federal agents deployed tear gas on demonstrators outside an ICE facility during a weekend protest. [more]

EPSTEIN FILES | The Justice Department on Friday announced the release of some 3 million files related to investigations into late financier and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said an additional approximately 3 million files reviewed by the Department would not be released for various reasons, including that they were found to be unrelated or linked to various types of privilege or exceptions. [DOJ press release] [files database] [more]

KENNEDY CENTER | President Donald Trump said yesterday that he will seek to close Washington, DC's Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years beginning in July for renovation and reconstruction. Reports note that the move follows a series of cancellations at the Center by performers, musicians, and groups after Trump removed the venue's previous leadership and added his name to the building. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to Labor Department data released Friday, wholesale inflation, as measured by the producer price index, rose a higher-than-expected 0.5% from November to December of last year and 3% from December 2024 to December 2025. [full report] [more]

U.S. AND RUSSIA | The 2010 New START Treaty – the last U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control treaty – is scheduled to expire on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he will let the treaty expire in hopes of a "better agreement," while Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev says the two powers should voluntarily extend the treaty's caps on the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons. [more]

U.S. AND CUBA | U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States is "starting to talk to Cuba" amidst U.S. pressure to cut oil supplies to the island nation. [more]

PAKISTAN | Following a series of weekend attacks claimed by the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army in which more than 30 people were killed, authorities in Pakistan say at least 177 militants were killed over the past 48 hours in multiple raids carried out by the country's security forces in the Baluchistan province. [more]

NIGERIA | Nigerian military officials say a top commander and 10 other members of the Boko Haram extremist group were killed in a raid Saturday in the African nation's northeastern Borno state. [more]

GERMANY | Commuter bus and rail services in many German cities are shut down today as tens of thousands of public transport workers take part in a strike called by trade union Verdi over pay and working condition issues. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in New Mexico in what is reported to be the first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors against Facebook parent company Meta related to the company's handling of child sexual exploitation and its alleged failure to disclose what it knew about those harmful effects. Reports say state prosecutors' case against Meta was built on undercover investigations using proxy social media accounts and posing as kids to document sexual solicitations and the response from Meta. [more]

SPACE | NASA is scheduled, weather permitting, to conduct a fueling test of the Artemis II moon mission rocket today in Florida ahead of the mission's expected launch in the February 8-11 period. [more]

TENNIS | Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic yesterday to win the men's championship at the Australian Open and become the youngest-ever male player to complete a career grand slam, having won all four major tournaments. Elena Rybakina beat top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to win the women's title on Saturday. [more]

MUSIC AWARDS | Among the winners at last night's 68th Grammy Awards were: Bad Bunny: album of the year for "Debí Tirar Más Fotos;" Olivia Dean: best new artist; Billie Eilish: song of the year for "Wildflower;" Lady Gaga, best pop vocal album for "Mayhem;" Kendrick Lamar and SZA: record of the year for "Luther;" and Jelly Roll: best contemporary country album for "Beautifully Broken." [full list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Send Help" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $20 million in receipts, followed by "Iron Lung" and "Melania." [more]

R.I.P. | Canadian-born actress Catherine O’Hara – best known for her comedic roles in "SCTV," "Schitt's Creek," and the two "Home Alone" movies – died Friday at the age of 71. [more]

MORE R.I.P. | Demond Wilson – best known for his role as the son of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford character in the 1970s sitcom "Sanford and Son" – died Friday at the age of 79. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the African National Congress, resulting in the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and marking the beginning of the end of apartheid. [more history]