January 30, 2026

CORRECTION | We incorrectly stated in yesterday's Brief that the deadline for U.S. government funding measures currently under consideration in Congress was midnight Saturday (January 31). The actual deadline, as specified in the appropriations bill passed in November 2025, is midnight tonight (January 30).

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Citing a briefing with senior military officials, multiple Israeli news outlets report that Israel's military has accepted Palestinian health officials' estimate of around 70,000 Palestinians having been killed during the war in Gaza. [more]
• The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced a new agreement today aimed at stabilizing a cease-fire deal reached last week. Under the new agreement, government forces will gain access to some cities from which they had previously been barred, and the process of integrating government and SDF forces will begin. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,434 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call to a request to suspend attacks on Ukraine's power grid for one week. Reports note that Trump did not specify when the phone call took place and that Russia has yet to confirm that Putin committed to the pause. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL FUNDING | Senate Majority Leader John Thune said late last night that there were "snags on both sides" regarding plans to move forward with spending measures that must be passed by midnight tonight to avoid a partial government shutdown. Reports say several senators have raised objections after a deal was reportedly reached yesterday to pass most of the spending measures for the fiscal year while funding the Department of Homeland Security for just an additional two weeks to allow for debate on potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | House Republicans proposed a series of election-related measures yesterday that would, among other things, require, starting in 2027, that a photo ID be presented before a person can vote and that states verify the citizenship of individuals when they register to vote. Other provisions, which would take effect immediately upon becoming law, include prohibiting states from mailing ballots to all voters through universal vote-by-mail systems and banning ranked-choice voting, which is used in Maine and Alaska. [more]

U.S. PROTESTS | Organizers have called for walkouts and protests across the United States today to demand immigration enforcement reforms and the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota amidst ongoing tensions over the recent fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Rene Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE | President Donald Trump announced this morning that he has chosen former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, taking the position currently held by Jerome Powell when Powell's term expires in May. Reports note that it is not known if Powell will continue to serve as a Fed governor after his term as chair ends. [more]

TRUMP TAXES | In a lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court yesterday, President Donald Trump, along with his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump organization, accuses the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service of failing to prevent a leak of the president's tax information to news outlets between 2018 and 2020 and seeks $10 billion in damages  for "reputational and financial harm" and "public embarrassment." [more]

MAINE | A week after federal immigration officials began their "Catch of the Day" enforcement surge in Maine, Senator Susan Collins said yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security had ceased its "enhanced operations" in the state after she spoke with DHS leadership. [more]

U.S. LIFE EXPECTANCY | According to a new report from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, the average U.S. life expectancy reached an all-time high of 79.0 years in 2024 – an increase of 0.6 years from 2023. Researchers note that the leading causes of deaths in the U.S. in 2024 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries, and that suicide replaced COVID-19 as the 10th leading cause of death for the year. [full report] [more]

U.S. AND CUBA | In an executive order signed yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that "the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba directly threaten the safety, national security, and foreign policy of the United States," and declared a related national emergency that calls for imposing tariffs on all goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez characterized the move as a "brutal act of aggression against Cuba and its people." [full executive order] [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Amidst ongoing trade and political tensions between the two countries, U.S. President Donald Trump, citing what he said was Canada's refusal to certify jet from Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace, threatened yesterday to impose a 50% tariff on all Canadian aircraft sold in the United States. [more]

UNITED NATIONS | In a letter to ambassadors dated January 28, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the United Nations is at risk of "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces the global body to return unspent money. Reports note that while Guterres did not cite any particular countries in his letter, the U.N. financial issues come amidst major cuts in funding and payments from the United States. [more]

PANAMA | In a ruling announced late yesterday, Panama’s Supreme Court said that a concession allowing Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal is unconstitutional. The ruling came amidst U.S. pressure and related efforts to block Chinese influence over the strategic canal. [more]

HAITI | Unanimously passing a resolution co-sponsored by the U.S. and Panama yesterday, the U.N. Security Council extended the U.N.'s political mission in Haiti through January 2027, criticized Haitian authorities for the lack of progress in achieving a political transition, and called for urgent security reforms in the Caribbean island nation to tackle increasing violence by gangs. [more]

PAKISTAN | Military officials say at least 41 insurgents were killed in raids by government security forces yesterday on two separate militant hideouts in Pakistan's Balochistan province. [more]

NIGER | General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Niger's military leader, accused the presidents of France, Benin, and the Ivory Coast of supporting armed groups that attacked a military air base in the West African nation's capital of Niamey yesterday. [more]

TAIWAN | According to an advanced estimate released by Taiwan's statistics agency today, the Taiwanese economy, bolstered by AI-related technology sales and increased exports to the U.S., grew at an 8.6% annual rate in 2025 – it's highest growth rate since 2010. [more]

TENNIS | Matchups for this weekend's finals at the Australian Open are set following semi-final matches yesterday and today. Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina in the women's final, and Carlos Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in the men's final. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1948, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi—considered the father of his country and internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest to achieve political and social progress—was assassinated. [more history]