Early Edition: February 5, 2026

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

MINNESOTA

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said yesterday that 700 immigration and border agents are departing the Minneapolis area. The withdrawal decreases the number of agents in the area from 3,000 to 2,300. Homan also said several law enforcement agencies in Minnesota had expressed interest in allowing ICE to arrest immigrants for deportation inside jails, after they had already been arrested for a crime. “My goal with the support of President Trump is to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can,” he said. Trump told NBC yesterday that he had personally ordered the withdrawal. “It didn’t come from me because I just wanted to do it,” Trump said. “We are waiting for them to release prisoners.” Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post; Madeleine Ngo and Mitch Smith report for the New York Times.  

 “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough,” Trump also told NBC News yesterday when asked about ICE operations in Minneapolis. Trump added that he hopes to push his immigration crackdown into five more cities, saying “we have five cities that we’re looking at very strongly, but we want to be invited.” Jonathan Allen, Peter Nicholas, Henry J. Gomez, Allan Smith, and Dan De Luce report. 

A federal prosecutor in Minneapolis was fired yesterday from the U.S. attorney’s office after she expressed in court that she was overwhelmed by the case load arising from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to three sources. The prosecutor told a judge during a hearing on Tuesday that she and her colleagues could not handle the rapid increase in cases, saying “the system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying with every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.” Alan Feuer, Glenn Thrush, and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times. 

More than 300 former federal prosecutors and civil rights attorneys sent a letter to the Justice Department, urging the DOJ to allow state and local investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. “Blocking a state law enforcement agency from investigating potential violations of state law in its own jurisdiction would mark a severe departure from established DOJ norms and pose a serious threat to the rule of law,” a letter by the Prosecutors Alliance and the Vera Institute of Justice says. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.  

IRAN

Iran and the United States will meet tomorrow for a new round of negotiations in Oman, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the White House. Three Iranian officials said the planned talks nearly collapsed on Wednesday morning, when Araghchi informed Arab counterparts that if the United States insisted on broadening the discussion beyond Iran’s nuclear program, talks would be called off. The three Iranian officials and an Arab official said that, in the end, everyone had given an inch. The United States agreed that the talks would be held in Oman and exclude regional actors. Both sides agreed to focus on the nuclear program and to discuss missiles and militant groups. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times. 

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

The United States has yet to secure funding commitments for its Gaza reconstruction plan as potential donors voice concerns that disagreement over Hamas disarmament could lead Israel to resume full-scale war in Gaza, sources told Reuters. Seven diplomats said that the funding holdup was also being driven by a demand by some potential donors for funding to be managed by the U.N. rather than Trump’s “Board of Peace.” Rami Ayyub, Emily Rose, and Alexander Cornwell report. 

Israel’s Ministry of Justice yesterday charged a dozen people, including Israeli soldiers, with systematically smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods into Gaza during the war, according to a statement by Israel’s prosecutor. Sam Mednick and Natalie Melzer report for AP News.  

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Ukraine, Russia, and U.S. envoys have started the second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Both Kyiv and Moscow described yesterday’s talks as productive and positive, without providing further details. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters. 

Finland has urged U.S. officials not to describe future security guarantees to Ukraine as “Article 5-like,” hinting that doing so could undercut the mutual defense clause at the heart of the NATO military alliance, according to a State Department cable, dated Jan. 20, obtained by POLITICO. Nahal Toosi and Paul McLeary report.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

The Pakistani military said yesterday that it had concluded its operation against separatists in Balochistan, killing 216 militants in targeted offensives. Saad Sayeed reports for Reuters. 

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has deployed military forces to the Kaiama district after suspected jihadist fighters killed 170 people in an overnight attack, Tinubu’s office said today. Camillus Eboh reports for Reuters. 

U.S. energy company Chevron yesterday signed an initial agreement with the Syrian Petroleum Company, alongside a Qatari partner, to explore the development of Syria’s first offshore oil and gas field, according to Syrian state media. The deal follows the Syrian government’s recent seizure of oil and gas fields from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Christina Goldbaum reports for the New York Times.  

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk appealed for $400 million to address mounting human rights needs in countries such as Sudan and Myanmar in a speech today, adding, “we are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain.” The U.N. office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale-back of its work in some areas due to funding cuts from the United States and Europe. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.  

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) said one of its hospitals in South Sudan was hit by an airstrike on Tuesday carried out by government forces. Lankien, where the hospital is located, had been evacuated hours before the airstrike after MSF received information about a possible attack. This is the 10th attack in 12 months on a medical facility run by MSF. Joseph Falzetta reports for AP News.  

Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has won a tightly controlled election that excluded major opposition groups, final officials figures showed yesterday. The army chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, signed a law authorizing a new consultative body that could allow him to retain influence without formally leading the government. AP News reports. 

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

The Trump administration is prepared to approve Nvidia’s sale of advanced H200 AI chips to ByteDance, but negotiations are stalled over strict U.S. conditions, including Know-Your-Customer requirements aimed at preventing military use in China, according to a source. Karen Freifeld reports for Reuters.  

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

Venezuelan security agents yesterday arrested and questioned two prominent businessmen, Raúl Gorrín and Alex Saab, who have faced money laundering charges in the United States, according to five Venezuelan sources and a U.S. official. The businessmen were detained in Caracas overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. A U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters that the arrests were part of a joint operation between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities. Saab is expected to be extradited to the U.S. in the coming days, the official said. Anatoly Kurmanaev and Annie Correal report for the New York Times; Jana Winter reports.

An Argentine judge yesterday asked the United States to extradite former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to Argentina to face crimes-against-humanity charges over alleged torture, disappearances and repression of protesters, relying on the principle of universal jurisdiction. Sergio Farella reports for AP News.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard led an investigation in Puerto Rico’s voting machines last spring, according to Gabbard’s office and three other sources. The sources said the goal was to work with the FBI to investigate claims that Venezuela had hacked voting machines in Puerto Rico, but added the probe did not produce any clear evidence of Venezuelan interference in Puerto Rico’s election. Gabbard’s office confirmed the May investigation but denied a link to Venezuela, saying its focus was on vulnerabilities in the island’s electronic voting systems. Phil Stewart, Erin Banco, and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters.  

Trump yesterday had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which Trump described as “excellent” and “long and thorough.” Trump said the two leaders discussed “Trade, Military, the April trip… Taiwan,” and multiple other issues, summarising it as “all very positive.” According to Chinese state media, Xi told Trump that the U.S. position on Taiwan was “the most important issue in U.S.-China relations,” adding that “the U.S. must handle arms sales to Taiwan with extreme caution.” Erica L. Green reports for the New York Times.  

The CIA announced yesterday that it is ending the publication of the CIA World Factbook reference tool. The statement posted on the CIA website offered no reason for the decision, but follows a pledge from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that do not advance the agency’s core missions. David Klepper reports for AP News.  

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) yesterday released 10 policy demands to “rein in ICE” in a letter to Republican leadership. These include: targeted enforcement, no masks, requiring DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement to display their agency, unique ID number and last name, and stopping racial profiling. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.  

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS  

Brad Karp, the chairman of Paul Weiss, resigned yesterday, following the release of several emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein. The law firm’s statement announcing his resignation gave no explanation. However, it included a quote from Karp saying “recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.” Matthew Goldstein, Michael S. Schmidt, and Jessica Silver-Greenberg report for the New York Times.  

Ryan W. Routh was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for plotting to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course during the 2024 campaign, after a jury convicted him of attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer, and firearm offenses. David C. Adams and Patricia Mazzei report for the New York Times.  

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration has stalled the development on federal lands of more than 60 large wind and solar farms, according to multiple sources. The administration is also holding up hundreds of wind and solar projects on private land that require federal consultations. Many projects are facing potentially fatal delays, according to interviews with more than a dozen energy companies, industry groups, and analysts. Brad Plumer and Rebecca F. Elliott report for the New York Times.  

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from the California Republican Party and the Trump administration to block California’s new congressional map. “Donald Trump said he was ‘entitled’ to five more Congressional seats in Texas,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said on social media. “He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November.” Lindsey Holden and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.   

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction blocking federal immigration agents in Oregon from arresting people without warrants unless there is a likelihood of escape. ABC News reports.  

Educators in Minnesota yesterday filed a lawsuit seeking to stop federal agents from conducting immigration enforcement near schools and bus stops. Sarah Mervosh reports for the New York Times.  

Fulton County in Georgia yesterday filed a sealed motion seeking the return of ballots and other election materials from the 2020 presidential contest that the FBI seized last week. Nick Corasaniti and Richard Fausset report for the New York Times.