February 3, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1075 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• In a new report, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says it has documented an “alarming rise” in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian armed forces, noting that 74 such executions in 24 separate incidents have been reported since the end of August 2024. [full report] [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | President Donald Trump, while acknowledging that American's may feel some economic pain from the move, announced Saturday that new tariffs of 25% on a wide range of imported Canadian and Mexican products, and a 10% tariff on goods from China, will go into effect on Tuesday. The three countries, which together account for almost half of all goods imported in the U.S. annually, have announced their intentions to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump also suggested in comments yesterday that he is considering new tariffs on products from the 27-nation European Union economic bloc. [more]

JANUARY 6 | Employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were ordered yesterday to complete a questionnaire by this afternoon indicating what, if any, role they played in investigations into the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, raising concerns over possible retaliatory measures against employees by the Trump administration. [more]

U.S. FOREIGN AID | The U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers billions of dollars' worth of humanitarian, development, and security assistance in more than 100 countries annually, is in the process of being shut down, according to Trump administration’s billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s “Department of Government Efficiency” effort but is neither a government employee nor a formal member of the Trump administration, referred to the USAID over the weekend as a “criminal organization” and a “ball of worms.” [more]

U.S. AVIATION | Investigations and recovery efforts are continuing today at the site of last week’s collision of an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. Safety and accident investigators are also on-site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, today following the Friday evening crash of a medical transport jet that killed all six people on board the plane and at least one person on the ground. [more]

U.S. TREASURY | The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency has reportedly gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems, through which the government pays individuals, organizations, and contractors. The move has raised concerns over possible misuse of the system and the information it contains, as well as possible withholding of payments from various programs. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Amidst the Trump administration’s increased migrant deportation efforts, thousands of people took part in protests against the policy in southern California yesterday, including by blocking all lanes of U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles for several hours. [more]

PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL | In an annual rite of weather prognostication yesterday, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow – suggesting six more weeks of wintry weather. [more]

WORLD HEALTH | World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a meeting of the WHO budget committee, is urging the international community to pressure the Trump administration to reverse its decision to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization, to which the U.S. contributed an estimated $988 million in 2024-2025. [more]

UGANDA | Health officials in Uganda say they are preparing to deploy an experimental vaccine against Ebola following an outbreak of the viral disease in the capital Kampala. [more]

RUSSIA | At least two people were killed, and three others were wounded, this morning in a residential building explosion in Moscow. Reports say a criminal investigation into the explosion has been opened and that one of the people killed in the incident is the founder of a volunteer military battalion fighting in Ukraine. [more]

SYRIA | Reports say at least 15 people were killed, and another 15 were wounded, early today when a car bomb exploded on the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij. It was the latest in a series of such bombings in the area since the downfall of President Bashar Assad in December. [more]

GREECE | Emergency crews were deployed, and schools were closed, on the Greek island of Santorini today after an increase in local seismic activity raised concerns about the potential of a major earthquake. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | A South Korean appeals court today upheld a lower court’s acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who had faced criminal charges related to a merger of Samsung affiliate companies that prosecutors had alleged was illegally conducted to strengthen Lee’s control over the electronics giant. [more]

BASKETBALL | In what many are calling one of the biggest trades in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks have traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. [more]

MUSIC AWARDS | Top winners at last night’s 67th Grammy Awards included Beyoncé, who won album of the year for “Cowboy Carter,” Kendrick Lamar, who won both song and record of the year for “Not Like Us,” and Chappell Roan, who was named best new artist. [full list of awardees] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Dog Man" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $36 million in receipts, followed by "Companion" and "Mufasa: The Lion King." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race and intending to ensure, along with the Fourteenth Amendment, the civil rights of former slaves. [more history]