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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional tensions:

• Following a first round of indirect talks last week in Oman, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Geneva, Switzerland, for a second round of nuclear-related negotiations with the U.S. this week. Oman will mediate the Geneva talks, according to Iran's IRNA state-run news agency. [more]
• U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that members of the so-called Board of Peace that will oversee post-war security and reconstruction in Gaza have pledged $5 billion and committed to providing thousands of stabilization force troops to the effort. The Board is scheduled to hold their first meeting in Washington, DC, on Thursday. [more]
• In a move characterized by Palestinian officials as a "grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law" and a "de facto annexation," the Israeli Cabinet last week approved a land regulation and registration process for a large portion of the occupied West Bank under which anyone with a claim to land in the region must submit documents proving ownership. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,451 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ahead of a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, reports say Ukrainian drone strikes ignited fires at Russia's Black Sea port of Taman yesterday. [more]

U.S. DHS SHUTDOWN | Day 3. While an estimated 90% of Department of Homeland Security employees will continue to work without pay after no deal was reached Friday to fund the department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations are expected to continue during the DHS shutdown by using billions in expanded funding previously provided to those agencies. Talks are expected to continue regarding Democratic demands for changes in immigration enforcement policies during the current congressional recess, which lasts through February 23. [more]

U.S. DHS AND PRIVACY | According to multiple news outlets, the Department of Homeland Security has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to major tech companies requesting detailed information such as names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and social media account data on people who oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Reports say Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, are among the companies that have received the subpoenas. [more]

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY | Speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that ending the strong relationship between the U.S. and Europe is "neither our goal nor our wish," but made clear that the Trump administration will stand firm on its policies regarding migration, trade, and climate. [Rubio full remarks] [more]

MINNESOTA | Trump administration border czar Tom Homan said yesterday that more than 1,000 of the 2,000+ immigration agents deployed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, have departed the region and that a "small," though unspecified, security force of federal agents would remain in the Twin Cities to "protect remaining immigration agents." Homan also noted that several hundred more agents would leave the region early this week. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT DATA | Responding to a lawsuit filed by 22 states, San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney said Friday that she intends to rule that the federal government cannot force states to hand over detailed information, including immigration status, on people who have applied for or received aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. [more]

U.S. AND HUNGARY | U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Budapest today for meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, during which the two are expected to sign a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that is expected to include the Hungarian purchase of up to 10 compact nuclear reactors known as small modular reactors. [more]

U.N. CLIMATE RESOLUTION | The U.S. last week called for countries around the world to reject a United Nations draft resolution sponsored by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu that calls for concrete climate-related steps to be taken following last year's International Court of Justice finding that countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and that nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations. Among the measures in Vanuatu's draft resolution are: adopting national climate action plans to limit global temperature increases, phasing out subsidies for fossil fuel exploration, production and exploitation, and urging "full and prompt reparation for damage" caused by climate policy violations. [more]

CHINA | Chinese officials say the U.K. and Canada are being added this week to the list of countries whose citizens can enter China without a visa – bringing to 79 the number of countries granted visa-free entry as part of efforts to boost tourism and business. [more]

CZECH REPUBLIC | Organizers say demonstrations in support of President Petr Pavel in his ongoing dispute with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka were held in about 400 municipalities across the Czech Republic yesterday. [more]

COLOMBIA | President Gustavo Petro has reportedly agreed to a proposal from Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army, to have an independent commission investigate the groups' alleged links to the drug trade. Petro said in a social media post yesterday that any such investigation should be "independent of governments" and have its findings delivered to the United Nations. [more]

PAKISTAN | Police in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province say at least two people were killed, and several others were wounded, today when explosives rigged to a motorcycle detonated near the gates of a police station. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, though reports suggest suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban. [more]

OLYMPICS | As of publication time, Norway leads the overall medal count on Day 10 of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games with 27, followed by host country Italy, the United States, Japan, and France. [medal tracker] [competition schedule] [more]

BASKETBALL | The "Stars" beat both the "Stripes" and the "World" team made up of foreign players to win the NBA All-Star mid-season round-robin tournament this weekend. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was named the tournament's most valuable player. [more]

GOLF | Collin Morikawa shot a final-round 5-under-par 67 yesterday to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am and claim his first PGA Tour title in 28 months. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Wuthering Heights" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $34.8 million in receipts, followed by "GOAT" and "Crime 101." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1959, after defeating the forces of dictator General Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba and transformed the island nation into the Western Hemisphere's first communist state. [more history]