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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday that recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium is key for nuclear talks with the United States to succeed, adding “no one has the right to tell the Iranian nation what it should or should not have.” A diplomat told Reuters on Friday that Tehran was open to discussing the “level and purity” of enrichment, as long as it was allowed to enrich uranium on its soil and would be granted sanctions relief in addition to military de-escalation. Reuters reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet President Trump in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the negotiations with Iran, according to Netanyahu’s office. A White House official said that Netanyahu, who was meant to meet Trump on Feb. 18, asked to bring his visit forward. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
A limited number of Palestinians traveled between Gaza and Egypt yesterday as the Rafah crossing reopened after a two-day closure, according to Egyptian state media. Over the first four days of the crossing’s opening, just 36 Palestinians requiring medical care were allowed to leave for Egypt, plus 62 companions, according to U.N. data. Samy Magdy and Melanie Lidman report for AP News.
Trump’s “Board of Peace” is scheduled to meet in Washington on Feb. 19, according to an invitation letter shared with the New York Times. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the first head of state to publicly confirm his attendance. An official told Axios that the meeting will focus on fundraising for reconstruction in Gaza. Another source said, “Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the administration is planning it and has started checking which leaders are able to attend.” Natan Odenheimer reports; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Netanyahu released a 55-page document last week that appeared to direct blame onto other officials for the security and intelligence failings that occurred in the lead-up to the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Adam Rasgon reports for the New York Times.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
The Israeli Security Cabinet yesterday approved measures that aim to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the measures would make it easier for Jewish settlers to force Palestinians to give up land, adding that “we will continue to bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” The measures include canceling a prohibition on sales of West Bank land to Israeli Jews, declassifying West Bank land registry records to ease land acquisition, transferring construction planning at religious and other sensitive sites in Hebron to Israeli authorities, and allowing Israeli enforcement of environmental and archaeological matters in Palestinian-administered areas. AP News reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia overnight killed at least four people in drone attacks across Ukraine, including a mother and 10-year-old son, and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people, Ukrainian officials said today. Anna Pruchnicka reports for Reuters.
Russia also launched more than 400 drones and about 40 missiles on Saturday in a further attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters.
Zelenskyy told reporters on Saturday that the United States wants Russia and Ukraine to sign a peace deal that ends the war by June, before Trump pivots to focusing on the U.S. midterm elections. Zelenskyy also said that the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi had changed its rhetoric last week, and instead of just getting into “historical arguments” conducted a “concrete” discussion on what it is ready to do. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH – CEASEFIRE
The Israeli military seized a local official for a Sunni Islamist group and an ally of Hamas in southern Lebanon and took him to Israel for questioning, according to the Israeli military and Lebanese state media. Also today, an Israeli drone struck a car in southern Lebanon, killing three people, including a child. Israel has not commented on the strike. AP News reports.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary on Saturday killed at least 24 people, including eight children, in a drone attack, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The strikes hit a vehicle transporting displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, the group said. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner and media tycoon, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison. This is the harshest penalty ever handed down for a national security offence in Hong Kong. David Pierson and Francesca Regalado report for the New York Times.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a resounding mandate yesterday, securing a supermajority in the 465-member House of Representatives. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party won 316 seats, up from 198. Javier C. Hernandez, River Akira Davis, Kiuko Notoya, and Hisako Ueno report for the New York Times.
Syria and Saudi Arabia signed multibillion-dollar investment agreements on Saturday, including a major telecommunications project, a low-cost joint airline, and an international airport in northern Syria. Ghaith Alsayed reports for AP News.
An attacker on Friday opened fire and set off a suicide bomb in a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad, killing at least 31 people and wounding more than 170 others. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on social media. Asif Shahzad reports for Reuters.
Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned yesterday over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to the United States. McSweeney said, “When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.” Michael D. Shear reports for the New York Times.
Siniša Karan, a close ally of the former President of Bosnia’s Serb Republic, Milorad Dodik, yesterday declared victory in a partial rerun of the presidential election. Karan was also the victor in the November election for the largely ceremonial post. His opponent, Branko Blanusa of the Serb Democratic Party, conceded defeat in Sunday’s rerun but accused the ruling party of vote buying and “election engineering.” Reuters reports.
Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council stepped down on Saturday after almost two years of governance alongside Haitian Prime Minister Alix Dider Fils-Aimé, who is expected to remain in power. Fils-Aimé said on Saturday evening that he would hold elections and develop an emergency humanitarian plan. Haiti failed to hold elections this weekend as envisaged two years ago, with gang violence gripping much of the country. Even Sanon and Danica Coto report for AP News.
Nicaragua yesterday blocked Cuban citizens from entering the country without a visa. This move effectively cuts off Cubans from the country, which has long acted as a bridge for migrants traveling to the United States. Megan Janetsky reports for AP News.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Venezuela yesterday freed at least 35 political prisoners, including prominent opposition leaders, according to several sources. However, Juan Pablo Guanipo, one of the most prominent among them, was taken back into custody hours later. Guanipo’s son said on social media that his father had been “kidnapped” by a group of armed men, and his whereabouts were unknown as of this morning. The Venezuelan Public Ministry said in a statement that it had asked the court to revoke Guanipa’s release due to “noncompliance” with court-imposed conditions. Genevieve Glatsky reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States will make an initial payment towards the billions of dollars it owes the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said on Friday. Waltz said, “It’ll be a significant … down payment on our annual dues… I don’t believe that the ultimate figure is decided.” U.N. officials say more than 95 percent of what is owed to the regular U.N. budget is owed by the United States – $2.19 billion by the start of February. The United States also owes another $2.4 billion for current and past peace-keeping missions and $43.6 million for U.N. tribunals. David Brunnstrom reports for Reuters.
MINNESOTA
Jim Stolley, the top lawyer for ICE in Minnesota, left the agency last week. Stolley has not publicly addressed the circumstances of his departure, but emails sent to his government account generated an automated response noting that he had “retired from public service.” Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed on Saturday that Stolley had retired after working for the agency for 31 years. Ernesto Londono and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued an executive order on Friday reaffirming the city’s sanctuary laws and directing public-facing agencies, such as the NYPD, to undergo new training on sanctuary restrictions. McLaughlin said in response, “Mamdani will make New Yorkers less safe as a direct result of this policy.” Chris Sommerfeldt reports for POLITICO.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Justice Department will let members of Congress view unredacted copies of the recently released 3 million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a letter obtained by Axios. House members and senators will be given access to unredacted copies of the files from today, Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote in a letter. Andrew Solender reports.
The Democracy Defenders Fund filed a complaint to the DOJ on Friday, alleging that it had “impermissibly” narrowed the scope of disclosed documents that were required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The complaint calls it “deeply troubling” that only a “handful” of communications from Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel appear in the documents, despite their involvement in releasing the files to the public. Josephine Walker reports for Axios.
The Justice Department’s workforce declined by 8 percent between November 2024 and November 2025, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management. Some offices are so decimated that the DOJ has sent military lawyers in or asked officials from other offices to deploy to places desperately in need. Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer, Mimi Dwyer, Ernesto Londono, and Michael S. Schmidt report for the New York Times.
Trump plans to keep Democrats out of a traditionally bipartisan White House gathering of governors held as part of the National Governors Association’s annual Washington summit, the NGA said. In a statement on Friday, Brandon Tatum, the interim CEO of the NGA, said that the “bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year.” Mariana Alfaro reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The State Department is removing all posts on its public accounts on the social media platform X made before Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025. Anyone wanting to see older posts will have to file a Freedom of Information Act request, according to a State Department employee. In response to NPR’s questions about the removals, a State Department spokesperson said the goal “is to limit confusion on U.S government policy and to speak with one voice to advance the President, Secretary, and Administration’s goals and messaging.” Shannon Bond and Stephen Fowler report for NPR.
A whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stems from an intercepted conversation in which individuals linked to a foreign government discussed a person close to Trump, according to sources. The discussion concerned issues related to Iran, some sources said. The complaint alleges that Gabbard limited sharing of this intelligence for political reasons after meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Dustin Volz reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Pentagon will end graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard in the 2026-2027 school year. Hegseth said that sending personnel to Harvard has meant that “too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard – heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.” Victoria Craw reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that the Trump administration’s policy of detaining individuals it is seeking to deport without offering a chance for bond is lawful. “That prior Administrations decided to use less than their full enforcement authority… does not mean they lacked the authority to do more,” a judge on the panel said. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze billions of dollars in funding for the Gateway rail tunnel project. The Transportation Department yesterday appealed against the decision. Pavan Acharya reports for POLITICO; David Shepardson and Costas Pitas report for Reuters.
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