Early Edition: February 10, 2026

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

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

The U.S. military yesterday killed two people in a strike against a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific, leaving one survivor, according to the U.S. Southern Command. Southcom said that it had notified the U.S. Coast Guard to begin search and rescue operations. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.

U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine on Venezuela, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday. “I don’t care if we got to go around the globe to get them; we’re going to get them,” he added. Ben Finley, Michael Biesecker, and Konstantin Toropin report for AP News.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told POLITICO yesterday that he will soon travel to Venezuela to meet its leaders and discuss the future of its state-run oil company. Wright insisted that the Trump administration’s interest in Venezuela does not revolve around oil, adding that the country’s crude reserves were never a “meaningful part of the decision-making” in deposing former President Nicolás Maduro. James Bikales reports.

The Cuban government yesterday notified airlines that it would soon run out of aviation fuel, following President Trump’s announcement last month that he was taking additional steps to stop the flow of oil to Cuba. Air Canada announced that it had suspended its 16 flights per week to four Cuban cities, adding that it would send empty jets to Cuba to bring back the roughly 3,000 Canadians currently visiting the island. Frances Robles reports for the New York Times.

IRAN

“The Muscat meeting was not a long meeting. In our view, it was to gauge the seriousness of the [United States] and how to continue this path,” a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry said today, adding “after the talks, we felt there was understanding and consensus to continue the diplomatic process.” Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, is set to meet Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi today to follow up on regional and international developments. Reuters reports; Al Jazeera reports.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration yesterday issued guidance to commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, recommending that vessels “remain as far as possible from Iran’s territorial waters without compromising navigational safety.” Richard Valdmanis reports for Reuters.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

An Israeli airstrike yesterday killed three Palestinians in an apartment in Gaza City and fatally shot a farmer in Deir al-Balah, health officials said. Earlier in the day, Israeli forces killed four militants in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the Israeli military. There was no immediate comment from Hamas, but some sources identified one of those killed as Anas Annashar, the son of senior Hamas official Issa Annashar. The Gaza health ministry said at least 580 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire since the October ceasefire deal was agreed. Israel says four soldiers had been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Estonia’s foreign intelligence service says that Russia has no intention of launching a military attack on any NATO state this year or next, but is racing to rebuild its forces as Europe steps up its rearmament, according to its annual report published today. “We see that the Russian leadership is very concerned about… European rearmament, they see that Europe might be able to conduct independent military actions against Russia in two to three years,” Estonian Chief of Foreign Intelligence Service Kaupo Rosin told reporters. Andrius Sytas reports for Reuters.

Rosin also told reporters that Moscow thinks it can outsmart Washington during talks about how to end the war in Ukraine, adding that based on the intelligence, “there is absolutely no discussion about how to cooperate with the U.S. in a meaningful way.” Russian President Vladimir Putin, “in his head, still thinks that he can actually militarily win [in Ukraine] at some point,” Rosin said. Emma Burrows reports for AP News.

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR        

Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, according to multiple sources. Eight sources said the United Arab Emirates financed the camp’s construction and provided military trainers and logistical support to the site. This view was also shared in an internal note by Ethiopia’s security services and a diplomatic cable seen by Reuters. In response to a request for comment, the UAE Foreign Ministry said it was not party to the conflict. Giulia Paravicini and Reade Levinson report.                                   

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

The International Organization for Migration said yesterday that a rubber boat carrying 55 passengers, including two babies, capsized off the coast of Libya on Friday. The only survivors, two Nigerian women, were rescued by the Libyan authorities. The IOM says that almost 500 migrants have been reported dead or missing trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya so far in 2026. Jean Otalor reports for BBC News.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Trump said yesterday on social media that he would block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting the United States and Canada, “until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them.” Trump cited Canada’s perceived hostility towards the United States and its relations with China as key issues. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO.

The United States will turn over two of NATO’s major command posts, in Naples, Italy and Norfolk, Virginia, to European officers, a military source told Reuters yesterday. Asked about the planned changes, a NATO official said: “Allies have agreed on a new distribution of senior officer responsibility across the NATO Command Structure in which European Allies, including NATO’s newest members, will play a more prominent role in the Alliance’s military leadership.” Sabine Siebold reports.

Vice President JD Vance made a historic visit to Armenia yesterday, the first by a sitting U.S. president or vice president, promoting economic cooperation and backing a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two nations advanced talks on nuclear energy, technology exports, and infrastructure. Vance is set to travel to Azerbaijan today. Michelle L. Price reports for AP News.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE in Trump’s first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Homeland Security Department document obtained by CBS News. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

An immigration judge ruled last month that the Homeland Security Department had not met its burden of proving that Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was removable, and terminated the proceedings against her, according to Ozturk’s lawyers. Ozturk was arrested last year as part of the Trump administration’s targeting of pro-Palestinian campus activists. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime companion of Jeffrey Epstein, yesterday refused to answer questions during a deposition before the House Oversight Committee. Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to every question, according to Rep. James R Comer (R-KY). Comer added that Maxwell’s lawyer said she would only answer questions if she were granted clemency by Trump. Michael Gold reports for the New York Times.

The Justice Department redacted the names of at least six men who are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the Epstein files, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) said yesterday after reviewing the unredacted documents. The lawmakers said they want to allow the DOJ time to further unredact the files for the public, but also suggested sharing the names on the House floor. Kate Santaliz reports for Axios.

A Georgia judge yesterday dismissed one of three civil cases related to the Fulton County ballots and paused another. The judge issued terse rulings, making clear his frustration with the FBI seizure of the ballots last month. “We are left to hope that the bureau and the Department of Justice handle the ballots and related records with the care required to preserve and protect their integrity,” the judge said. Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset report for the New York Times.

The Justice Department yesterday asked the Supreme Court to send Steve Bannon’s case back to the district court, where the U.S. attorney filed a separate motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. Bannon was convicted for defying a congressional subpoena about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche characterized the DOJ’s move as a course of correction from “the prior administration’s weaponization of the justice system.” Salvador Rizzo and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Washington Post.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration wants tech companies to publicly commit to a new compact governing the expansion of AI data centers, according to two administration officials. A draft of the compact lays out commitments to ensure data centers do not raise household electricity prices, strain water supplies, or undermine grid reliability. It also sets out that the companies driving demand carry the cost of building new infrastructure. It remains unclear which companies have agreed to the compact or have been invited to participate. Sophia Cai, Jason Plautz, James Bikales, and Ben Johansen report for POLITICO.

The Trump administration is planning this week to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that six greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. The finding provided the legal underpinning for federal greenhouse gas regulation. “This amounts to the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said. Meredith McGraw and Benoit Morenne report for the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has directed top U.S. spy agencies to share sensitive intelligence about the 2020 election with his former campaign lawyer Kurt Olsen, according to four sources. Olsen, now a temporary government employee in the White House, is leading the probe into whether the 2020 election win was the result of fraud or other electoral irregularities. The White House did not say whether there were any limits on the intelligence that could be shared with Olsen, explaining only that the President “has the authority to provide access to classified material to individuals as he deems necessary.” John Sakellariadis reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration will fund efforts to promote free speech in Western countries allied with Washington, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said yesterday. The State Department said that Rogers will discuss freedom of speech and digital freedom with officials and others on her trip to Dublin, Budapest, Warsaw, and Munich. Simon Lewis reports for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal appeals court yesterday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status for more than 60,000 migrants from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction blocking California’s law prohibiting federal law enforcement agents from wearing masks. She ruled that it was unconstitutional because it exempted state law enforcement officers, making it discriminatory. The judge upheld a companion measure requiring them to display identification. Laurel Rosenhall reports for the New York Times.