With Super Bowl Sunday just about here, hosts across America are pulling together grocery lists and final preparations for game day.
Many partygoers gathering with friends and family will expect the typical offerings: chicken wings, pizza, nachos, pigs in a blanket and plenty of beer.
But Super Bowl Sunday, the first major hosting event for many people since New Year’s Eve, could bring some surprises this year.
At least one chef has observed some trends she expects will affect game day menus.
Kathryn Neidus, an executive chef at the StoneWater Golf Club in Ohio, told Fox News Digital that people are getting more creative with dips in particular.
A number of Super Bowl party hosts are rethinking classic game day foods as viral trends shape menus for 2026 gatherings, insiders have said.(iStock)
“Think jalapeño popper dip, hot bacon pickle dip or crab Rangoon dip,” she said.
“There’s also more experimentation with what to pair them with — from wonton chips to air-fried vegetables.”
And spicing up the dips doesn’t need to be unhealthy. She cited cottage cheese and Greek yogurt as options that are lighter than sour cream but don’t sacrifice flavor. nd they align with health trends of recent years.
Super Bowl snacks are getting more inventive this year, with chefs noting increased experimentation in dips and shareable dishes.(iStock)
Baked sliders, a longtime party favorite, are another game day essential that Neidus said offer room for creativity.
The chef cited baked Italian sliders, Buffalo chicken sliders, ham and Swiss with caramelized onions and barbecue brisket sliders as crowd-pleasers that can be prepped in advance.
“They’re also highly customizable, with the option to finish the buns with herbs, cheeses or seasoning blends for added flavor and presentation,” she added.
Side dishes may also get a game day upgrade. Neidus said party hosts tend to stick with familiar classics while elevating them with “thoughtful upgrades.”
Dips are becoming a focal point of Super Bowl menus as hosts look for easy, shareable crowd-pleasers.(iStock)
This could include incorporating “caviar, crispy prosciutto, bright vinaigrettes or salsas and added crunch or spice,” she suggested.
“There’s also a continued focus on lighter, more health-conscious options, including dishes like Buffalo cauliflower bites or avocado fries.”
“There’s also a continued focus on lighter, more health-conscious options,” as opposed to usual fare, as shown above, one chef told Fox News Digital.(iStock)
Last but not least, beverages are essential for a Super Bowl party, and Neidus said that batching cocktails is a must.
Authorities say that steps are being taken to contain the virus and that risk of a global spread of the virus remains low.
Published On 7 Feb 20267 Feb 2026
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that a patient in Bangladesh died after contracting the Nipah virus, adding that it believes the risk of the disease spreading internationally still remains low.
The WHO said on Friday that a patient died after being admitted to hospital on January 28, where a team collected throat swabs and blood samples. Infection with the virus was laboratory-confirmed the following day.
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“On 3 February 2026, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) for Bangladesh notified WHO of one confirmed case of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in Rajshahi Division,” the international health organisation said in a statement.
The announcement comes about a week after two cases were confirmed in West Bengal state in eastern India, as authorities work to contain the deadly virus that they say remains largely under control.
An outbreak of the Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal has heightened concerns in China and several Southeast Asian nations, prompting tighter health screening operations at airports, though the WHO said it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
“WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by NiV to be low at the national, the regional and global level,” an assessment reads.
“The risk of international disease spread is considered low,” it said.
The WHO said that the patient in Bangladesh, described as a female between the ages of 40 and 50 residing in the Naogaon district, first began experiencing fever and neurological symptoms on January 21. The patient reported no travel history but had recently consumed raw date palm sap.
An additional 35 contact persons have been tested for the virus, with no further cases yet detected.
About 348 Nipah virus cases have been reported in Bangladesh since 2001, about half of which occurred among people with a confirmed history of drinking raw palm sap.
Outbreaks tend to occur on a seasonal basis from the months of December through April, which the WHO says corresponds with the harvest and consumption of date palm sap.
There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specific for the infection, and the fatality rate is reported to be high, between 40 percent and 75 percent, among people infected with the virus, according to reports.
In a statement last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called Nipah a “rare but serious disease” that authorities are working to counter.
“Authorities have increased disease surveillance and testing, implemented prevention and control measures in health care settings, and are keeping the public informed about how to protect themselves,” Ghebreyesus said.
Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn discusses her plan to compete in the Winter Olympics despite rupturing her ACL. Sports medicine expert Dr. Rick Lehman assesses her chances and the risks involved, noting her mental toughness.
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Olympic gold medalist and American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn continued to defy the odds Friday when she completed her first women’s downhill training run just a week after she tore her ACL in a World Cup race.
Vonn, wearing the No. 10 bib and a brace on her left knee, successfully completed her run on a day when fog delayed skiers waiting for their turn at the famed Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
She did not appear to have any limitations during the training run, although she occasionally veered off course and almost missed some gates. Vonn made it down the 1.6-mile track in 1:40.33 and crossed the all-important finish line.
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in women’s downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre on Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Eric Bolte/Imagn Images)
The 41-year-old champion skier, who holds a record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina, including six in the downhill, looked aggressive in her first training session.
An ACL tear typically sidelines an athlete for about a year, but Vonn remains determined to manage the injury and compete. She detailed the severity Friday, writing on X that the critical knee ligament was “100% gone.”
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in women’s downhill training during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.(Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)
“My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone,” Vonn wrote.
Vonn disclosed the injury a day after posting a video of herself squatting with a barbell in the gym. She underwent a partial right knee replacement in 2024, underscoring a long history of knee issues.
Lindsey Vonn of the United States in the finish area during women’s downhill training at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre Feb. 6, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters via Imagn Images)
Vonn celebrated with Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson after Friday’s training run but declined interviews. Asked if she was “all good?” she replied simply, “Yup.”
The women’s alpine downhill begins Sunday with Vonn expected to be at the starting gate.
“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance. And as long as there’s a chance, I will try,” she told reporters Tuesday at Cortina Curling Stadium.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
When Victoria (Viktoriia Honcharuk) was 22 years old, she was an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley Company in America. But when war broke out in her country, she left everything and returned to her country and started serving the soldiers.
The girl loved her country so much that she left her job and returned to her country. (Photo: Instagram/victoria__honcharuk)
Every person has a big responsibility towards his country. From which he cannot escape. However, there are many people who leave the country and forget their country. A citizen of Ukraine had also gone to America to work where she had a job worth lakhs. She was a banker. Traveling in good money and expensive cars was his daily routine. But when his country entered into war and his people started dying and getting injured, he considered it his moral responsibility and decided to return home. After going there she became a nurse and started taking care of the injured soldiers.
According to the report of New York Post, this story is about 25 year old Victoria (Viktoriia Honcharuk). When she was 22 years old, she was an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley Company in America. She had bought an apartment in American Midtown, she had a boyfriend who loved her very much. She often went to eat and drink in famous restaurants in Manhattan and had to interact with people holding high positions.
The girl is now working as a nurse in Ukraine. (Photo: Instagram/victoria__honcharuk)
Left her job and joined the war But when the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, he started feeling restless after seeing the scenes there. In December 2022, within just 2 weeks, she left her rich life and went to Ukraine and started serving the injured soldiers there. She learned first aid, and then joined the war zone. She has been in Ukraine for the last 3 years and is working as a combat nurse. He took care of hundreds of injured patients, some of whom lost their legs and some lost their eyes. There were some occasions when Victoria’s life was in danger and she narrowly escaped death in the attack. Once she was evacuating a building, when a bomb fell on the same building.
Shares her experiences on social media Victoria has witnessed many deaths and has also performed the last rites of people. He also performed the last rites of his three closest friends. But despite that she remained strong. He said that when he saw so much, he immediately understood that he had found the purpose of life, to serve the country. She keeps recording her war-related experiences on Instagram. In this way she also inspires others to participate in the war. Many people called him crazy for leaving such a good job and doing this. But she says that if she had continued working, she would not have been able to live with herself.
Ashutosh Asthana is working as the Chief Sub-Editor of Offbeat Section of News18 Hindi website. Here he covers the strange news of the world, unique facts and trending news on social media. Ashutosh needs digital…read more
ICC T20 World cup 2026 Live score: ICC T20 World Cup matches are going to start from today. Pakistan team is going to face Netherlands in the first match of the tournament. West Indies team Scotland…read more
Today is the first day of T20 World Cup 2026 matches.
ICC T20 World cup 2026 Live score: ICC T20 World Cup is going to start from today. Fans will get to see three matches on the first day. In the first match, Pakistan team will play against Netherlands. In the second match of the day, the West Indies team will face Scotland, while in the third match today, the US team will start its campaign against host India.
Schedule of all three matches of the first day
Pakistan vs Netherlands – Colombo – 11 am (IST)
West Indies vs Scotland – Kolkata – 3 pm (IST)
India vs USA – Mumbai – 7 PM (Indian Time)
Where to watch T20 World Cup matches
All the matches of the ICC T20 World Cup can be watched live in different languages on all the sports channels of Star Sports. To watch its live streaming, you can go to Jio Star app.
February 7, 202607:03 IST
ICC T20 World cup 2026 Live: Schedule of all three matches of the first day
Pakistan vs Netherlands – Colombo – 11 am (IST)
West Indies vs Scotland – Kolkata – 3 pm (IST)
India vs USA – Mumbai – 7 PM (Indian Time)
February 7, 202606:55 IST
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Live: T20 World Cup will start today
Hello, all of you are welcome to the live blog of ICC T20 World Cup. The day for which the fans were waiting is going to be fulfilled today. ICC’s mega tournament T20 World Cup will start with the match between Pakistan and Netherlands in Sri Lanka. According to Indian time, it is to be played from 11 am. In the second match of the day, West Indies team will play against Scotland. Host India will start its campaign against America in Mumbai from 7 pm onwards.
Now things have become clear regarding India-America trade deal. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal posted on social media platform X that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi Under the decisive leadership of India has prepared the framework for an interim agreement with America. Both countries said in a joint statement that America and India will soon implement this framework. Both countries have described this as a historic milestone in their partnership.
How much benefit do farmers and fishermen get? Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that this will open the doors to a huge market worth 30 trillion dollars for Indian exporters, especially MSMEs, farmers and fishermen. Increase in exports will create millions of new employment opportunities for women and youth. Under this framework, America will reduce the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 percent, which will give Indian products related to key sectors like textiles, leather, footwear, plastic and rubber products, organic chemicals, home decor, handicrafts and select machinery access to a larger market in the world’s largest economy.
He said that tariffs on many items including generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds and aircraft parts will be reduced to zero, which will further strengthen India’s export competitiveness and Make in India. He said that this agreement shows India’s commitment towards protecting the interests of farmers and maintaining rural livelihoods.
Under the decisive leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji, India has reached a framework for an Interim Agreement with the US. This will open a $30 trillion market for Indian exporters, especially MSMEs, farmers and fishermen. The increase in exports will create lakhs of new jobs… pic.twitter.com/xYSjxML6kt
Agricultural and dairy products are completely safe Piyush Goyal said that sensitive agricultural and dairy products like maize, wheat, rice, soya, poultry, milk, cheese, ethanol (fuel), tobacco, some vegetables and meat have been completely protected. This agreement will help India and the United States move forward with a shared resolve to deepen our economic cooperation, which is essential for the growth of our citizens and businesses.
Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, under which the 25 percent tariff imposed on India for purchasing Russian oil was completely removed. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday that the two sides were aiming to sign a formal trade agreement by March, after which India would reduce tariffs on many products imported from the US.
America will impose 18 percent tariff According to news agency Reuters, India will either remove or reduce its tariffs on American industrial and agricultural products, which include nuts, fruits, soy oil, alcohol and other food products. America will also impose 18 percent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods like textiles, apparel, chemicals and machinery instead of 25 percent. Apart from this, America has agreed to remove tariffs on Indian aircraft and aircraft parts, while India will get priority tariff-rate quota on auto parts.
India will buy goods worth 500 billion dollars India said that it intends to buy energy products, aircraft, precious metals, technology products and coking coal worth $500 billion from America in the next 5 years. India and America have described this initial agreement as a positive sign towards further deepening trade relations between the two countries.
Trump says he directed posting of racist video that depicted Obamas as apes but claims not to have seen offensive images
Donald Trump admitted on Air Force One Friday night that he did direct aides to post a racist video on his social media account that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, but claimed that he did not see that part of the video, which was near the end of a 62-second clip that otherwise repeated conspiracy theories about his 2020 election loss.
Although the White House initially defended the video, in a statement from the press secretary, the video was later deleted and reporters were told that it had been posted, without the president’s knowledge, by an aide.
Natalie Harp, an aide to Trump, and a former anchor for the conspiratorial One American News, reportedly has access to the president’s Truth Social account.
As he so often does, Trump undercut efforts by his aides to explain away his own behavior, by telling reporters that he did approve posting the video. “I looked at it, I saw it and I just looked at the first part,” the president said. “I didn’t see the whole thing; I guess during the end of it there was some kind of a [thing] that people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either. But I didn’t see it, I just, I looked at the first part… then I gave it to the people. Generally they look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody didn’t and they posted- and we took it down.”
Asked if he would apologize, as even Republican officials have suggested he should, Trump bristled. “No, I didn’t make a mistake,” the president who approved the posting of a racist meme on his social media account said. “I mean you give, I look at a lot of, thousands of things,” he added, apparently suggesting that his posts, which are official statements from the president of the United States, are not something he takes much care about.
Trump then went on to offer a version of the explanation his press secretary had given earlier in the day, when the post was left up, that the meme was a reference to The Lion King. “Nobody knew that was at the end” he added, in reference to what was, again, a clip that lasted just over one minute. “Certainly if they had looked, they would’ve seen it, and probably they would’ve had the sense to take it down.”
Trump’s claim that the clip was taken down as soon as the racist depiction of the Obamas was discovered is untrue, given that the post remained up for hours after Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, attempted to brush off the outrage.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said in a statement on Friday morning. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Key events
Hegseth says US defense department will no longer support ‘woke’ Harvard
Pete Hegseth, the former Fox weekend host now serving as US defense secretary, announced in a video statement on Friday that the Pentagon is “discontinuing all graduate-level professional military education, PME, all fellowships, and certificate programs between Harvard University and the war department for active-duty service members”.
Hegseth, who made no mention of the master’s in public policy he earned from Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government, attacked the university as “one of the red-hot centers of Hate America activism”.
“Too many faculty members openly loathe our military; they cast our armed forces in. a negative light and squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings,” he said.
“With some exceptions,” Hegseth added, “the Ivy League as a whole has pervasive institutional bias and a lack of viewpoint diversity, including the coddling of toxic ideologies that undercuts our mission.”
“That is why, in two weeks’ time, components of all of our departments – army, navy and air force – will evaluate all existing graduate programs for active-duty service members at all Ivy League universities and other civilian universities,” he added.
“The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective, strategic education for future senior leaders.”
The Pentagon’s focus on “building lethality”, Hegseth also said, “no longer includes spending millions of dollars on expensive universities that actively undercut our mission and undercut our country. We train warriors, not wokesters.”
The Harvard alumni ended his video message with: “Harvard: good riddance.”
While Hegseth made no explicit reference to his own time at Harvard, the intended audience for his remarks, Fox News viewers, including Viewer Number One in the White House, likely understood what he meant by the cryptic aside “I know it well” when he first mentioned the school.
That’s because Hegseth’s attack on Harvard has been a theme of his political rhetoric in books and on television for years. He disparaged the school in two of his books, and, in a live segment of the morning show Fox & Friends in 2022, Hegseth made a show of defacing his diploma and writing “Return to sender” on it in large letters.
During the same broadcast, Hegseth acknowledged that he was not really “returning” his degree: “People will say, ‘This is just a stunt, you still have a degree’. And that’s fine, I went; I got the degree; I walked; took the classes and all that.”
Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday to boost imports of Argentinian beef, though economists have said the attempt to lower costs for American consumers will probably have little impact on prices, Reuters reports.
When the White House first said Trump would raise the limit on how much low-tariff beef could be imported from Argentina, US cattle ranchers were enraged.
Trump has faced pressure to address the issue of affordability, which he has been calling “a hoax” since a focus on rising costs helped Democratic candidates sweep several elections in 2025.
The move comes as US beef prices set record highs last year, benefiting ranchers who largely supported Trump, due to strong consumer demand and declining cattle supplies
Ranchers slashed the herd to its lowest level in 75 years as of January, after a persistent drought burned up pastures used for grazing and hiked feeding costs, according to US data.
Trump’s decision to raise the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef by 80,000 metric tons will let Argentina ship more of its beef to the US at a lower rate of duty. The increase will apply only to lean beef trimmings, which are blended with domestic supplies to make hamburger meat, according to the proclamation.
“Instead of imports that sideline American ranchers, we should be focused on solutions that cut red tape, lower production costs, and support growing our cattle herd,” said Deb Fischer, a Republican senator from the major cattle-producing state of Nebraska.
Economists have said increased US imports of Argentinian beef will likely be too small to significantly lower costs for grocery store shoppers, but the shipments could help improve margins for food companies.
The US imported about 33,000 metric tons of Argentinian beef in 2024, representing 2% of total imports, according to government data.
Boos for JD Vance are heard at Olympics opening ceremony, but not by viewers in US
While video posted on social media captured the booing of JD Vance, the US vice-president, at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan, the crowd reaction to his presence was not heard or remarked upon in the US TV coverage streamed live on Peacock, the NBC Sports platform.
“As the United States team, led by the speedskater Erin Jackson, made its way across the stadium it was loudly applauded,” the Guardian’s Sean Ingle reported from the San Siro in Milan. “But then the TV cameras panned to the US vice-president, JD Vance, and his wife, Usha, and the cheers turned to loud boos.
“The boos were picked up on the broadcast, too,” the Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur noted, referring to the Canadian broadcaster CBC’s coverage of the moment, which featured one commentator saying: “There is the vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha – oop, those are not … uh … those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause.”
The NBC live stream seen by Americans, however, skipped over the moment. The booing of Vance, when he appeared on screens inside the stadium during the entry of Team USA, was also not audible, or mentioned in a clip of the moment posted on YouTube by the broadcaster.
On social media, the White House shared a clip of the US team’s entrance, and Vance applauding, from the boo-less NBC broadcast.
Other journalists inside the stadium confirmed the unusual booing during the ceremony.
“It’s very rare to hear boos at an Olympic opening ceremony,” the USA Today correspondent Christine Brennan reported from Italy. “In my 22 Olympics it probably has happened but I sure don’t remember it. Vice President JD Vance just got booed when he appeared on the big screen. The US athletes, on the other hand, received loud cheers.”
The BBC Sport live blogger heard the boos. “The USA team got huge cheers as they entered the arena,” Emma Smith reported from the stadium for the BBC. “Those cheers turned quickly to boos when American vice president JD Vance appeared on the big screen. He is at the stadium tonight with wife Usha.”
Arthur noted that Vance was not alone in being booed. “Israel was definitely booed,” the columnist noted on the Star’s live blog. “ Not universally, but there were more boos than cheers in the Milan stadium for the four Israeli athletes who marched.”
Bill Clinton demands public hearing in Congress and full release of Epstein files
Bill Clinton, the former president, renewed his call for the full release of files from the federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender, and demanded that his testimony to Congress on his relationship with Epstein be made in a public hearing, not behind closed doors.
“I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee,” Clinton said in a statement.
“Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics,” he added. “I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared. If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about.”
The former president’s spokesman has said that he used Epstein’s private jet on four trips in 2002 and 2003 – visiting Europe, Asia and Africa “in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation” – but denied ever visiting Epstein private island and claimed he had no contact with him after he was first charged with sex crimes.
Bill Clinton’s statement on Friday seconded a call made by his wife, the former first lady and US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, on Thursday, when she accused James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, of playing “games”, by demanding testimony from both Clintons, but behind closed doors. “You love to talk about transparency,” Hillary Clinton told Comer on social media. “There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on.”
Sanya Mansoor
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating federal immigration authorities’ use of surveillance technologies. That includes the collection of sensitive biometric data and the use of facial recognition technology, which has become increasingly used by DHS and ICE agents against immigrants and citizens.
Joseph Cuffari, the head of the DHS watchdog, wrote in a letter on Friday that his office’s audit would address many concerns flagged by Democratic senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The pair wrote to Cuffari on 29 January –following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, about potential civil liberty violations tied to federal laws about data privacy and unlawful searches.
“ICE’s new information collection tools potentially enable DHS to circumvent the constitutional protections provided by the fourth amendment-protections guaranteed to all Americans and all persons within our borders,” the senators wrote.
The letter took particular issue with ICE’s contracts with surveillance and analytics firm, Palantir, and facial recognition software developer, Clearview AI, as well as the use of programs “that DHS does not have office access to-including Flock License Plate Scanning Software”.
Senators asked for more information about how DHS stores and uses sensitive, personally identifying data, reckons with false positives, considers consent around data collection and how this data may be used to define targets of immigration enforcement activities.
The Senators said in a joint press release on Friday that the investigation is “an important first step in investigating if Americans’ data is being misused.”
For some immigration advocates, there’s a need for even more urgency. “ICE has been operating like a paramilitary force, using facial recognition tech to suppress dissent and target people of color in blatant racial profiling incidents across the country,” said Laura Rivera, senior staff attorney at Just Futures Law, in an emailed statement. (The organization has been working to uncover more details about Palantir’s collaboration with DHS through public records requests). “An Inspector General investigation into these abuses is far from enough-we need real accountability and a ban on the use of this noxious method of surveillance.”
This week, congressional Democrats also introduced a measure that would ban ICE and CBP from using facial recognition technology and other biometric identification systems.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
Following intense backlash from Democrats and Republicans, the White House has now taken down Trump’s Truth Social repost of a racist video, depicting the Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Earlier, press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to brush off the outrage, defending Trump’s repost as “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King”.
Indirect talks between Iran and the US on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme ended on Friday with a broad agreement to maintain a diplomatic path, possibly with further talks in the coming days, according to statements from Iran and the Omani hosts. The relieved Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the eight hours of meetings as a “good start” conducted in a good atmosphere. The US team was led by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Donald Trump has told the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, that he will unfreeze funds for major infrastructure projects in New York City if he supports renaming Dulles international airport and Penn Station after him. The demand, which was first reported on Thursday by Punchbowl News, comes after the president in October halted $18bn in funding for a major subway line expansion in New York City as well as a new rail tunnel connecting the city to New Jersey.
The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, announced today that officials arrested one of the “key participants” in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four US government officials, including the US ambassador to Libya, J Christopher Stevens. Bondi said suspect Zubayar al-Bakoush was taken into custody at 3am ET on Friday. “We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. He’ll face charges related to murder, terrorism, arson, among others,” Bondi told reporters today.
Newsom debunks DHS claim that California plans to release 33,000 undocumented criminals from state prisons
Earlier today, the Department of Homeland Security issued a press release claiming that California plans to release more than 33,000 undocumented criminals from the state’s jails if detainers – ICE’s civil requests that local agencies are not legally required to honor – aren’t honored.
There are a few things to unpack here. First, the administration is referring to “jails.” California state law sharply restricts any cooperation between county jails and federal immigration enforcement. Accessing jails has long been a goal for Trump officials seeking to increase deportation numbers. In Minnesota, for example, Tom Homan, the president’s “border czar”, has routinely pushed sheriffs to transfer people from jails to federal custody during the ongoing immigration crackdown. Homan said this week that more counties are pledging to work with the agency, since state law there allows sheriffs to decide the level of collaboration.
In California, the state prison system is run by the California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR), which does cooperate with ICE in limited circumstances.
Under state law, CDCR may notify ICE and transfer custody when people with certain serious or violent felony convictions complete their sentences. Normally, when someone’s release date is approaching, CDCR contacts ICE to determine whether the agency intends to take custody. If the person is a noncitizen and ICE has not issued a detainer, CDCR still notifies federal immigration authorities ahead of the inmate’s release.
The most recent data from CDCR shows that in 2025, ICE picked up more than 88% of the people for whom it issued detainers while they were in state prison.
One key point: neither state prisons nor jails are permitted to hold someone past their scheduled release date – a common ask by federal immigration agents.
Newsom’s office doubled down on the state prison system’s longstanding compliance today, while accusing the Trump administration of trying to “distract” from the president posting a racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama.
“California cooperates with ICE when it comes to REMOVING CRIMINALS – like sick rapists and murderers – in our state prisons,” the governor’s office wrote on social media.
It’s not clear what source the administration is using to claim there are more than 33,000 undocumented criminals in California’s jails, or if they meant the prison system. In 2025, CDCR recorded only 1,641 ICE detainers for the more than 26,000 people released from custody.
Neither the White House nor DHS immediately responded to the Guardian’s requests for comment.
New Jersey Democratic primary on knife edge as votes trickle in
The outcome of a special Democratic primary to fill a US House of Representatives seat representing northern New Jersey was on a knife-edge on Friday, after a progressive challenger took a surprise lead over a former Democratic congressman who initially appeared to have won the nomination.
The election held on Thursday in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district was prompted by Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s resignation last year after she was elected governor. Eleven Democrats vied to replace her, and on Thursday evening, Tom Malinowski, who represented a neighboring district in the House from 2019 through 2022, took an early lead.
The Democratic National Committee chair, Ken Martin, quickly congratulated Malinowski, but as the ballot count continued, Analilia Mejia, a progressive activist and former political director for Bernie Sanders, overtook the former congressman.
The Associated Press has not yet called the race, but Mejia was leading Malinowski by 488 votes on Friday morning, with more than 61,000 ballots counted.
Amid the controversy around the president’s late-night post of a racist video of the Obamas, he just noted that he finished a meeting with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.
“It went really well,” the president said on Truth Social. “Terrific people who adore the Building, and love our Country even more.”
A reminder that the committee is working with the Trump administration on his renovation of the East Wing of the White House, which includes the construction of a new ballroom, that comes with a $300m price tag.
Chris Stein
Donald Trump has told the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, that he will unfreeze funds for major infrastructure projects in New York City if he supports renaming Dulles international airport and Penn Station after him.
The demand, which was first reported on Thursday by Punchbowl News, comes after the president in October halted $18bn in funding for a major subway line expansion in New York City as well as a new rail tunnel connecting the city to New Jersey. The funding freeze was announced on the first day of a 43-day government shutdown in which Schumer, who represents New York, played a major role.
A spokesman for Schumer did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
Trump, who is not eligible to serve another term as president, has moved to emblazon his name on a host of government buildings and websites since taking office a year ago, including the Kennedy Center and the US Institute for Peace. It is unclear if either change is legal.
He also pushed congressional Republicans to create new tax-advantaged investment accounts for young people dubbed “Trump Accounts”, and announced a new government-run website to sell discounted prescription drugs called TrumpRX.com.
The president is also reportedly planning to build a 250ft arch across the river from Washington DC that would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial.
Here’s what some more Democratic lawmakers had to say in condemning Donald Trump’s repost, which included a racist clip depicting former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, and calling on Republicans to speak out.
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders wrote:
Trump posted a disgustingly racist video depicting the Obamas as apes.
Are my Republican colleagues going to continue to bend the knee to a racist, authoritarian president who wants the American people to bow down before him?
Senator Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, said on X:
The vile video is racist. Period. And it came from a racist White House. If you can’t say that, what are we doing here.
Also of Maryland, governor Wes Moore said:
The President’s post on Truth Social goes beyond a dog whistle. It is blatant racism, relying on imagery that has long been used to demean and dehumanize Black people. But this moment is about more than a single post. The words our leaders choose matter. The images they invoke matter. It shapes how we see one another and the kind of country we are deciding to be. Leadership is about bringing people together, not tearing each other apart.
Reverend Raphael Warnock, senator from Georgia, similarly evoked images of division:
Yes … I saw the racist meme from the President of the United States. The President is trying to summon our country’s darkest demons to further divide us. Our nation’s spiritual rot is coming from the White House. I’m calling on all decent and honorable people to condemn this unabashed racism. Push back on hate, let love abide.
Colorado senator John Hickenlooper said:
Is the President sharing these disgusting racist images to distract people from his ICE agents killing people in the street? I don’t even think he deserves that credit. Every single Republican should denounce this immediately.
Virginia senator Tim Kaine said:
Trump was back at it again last night spamming his Truth Social with conspiracy theories, weird video edits, and racist depictions of Barack and Michelle Obama. How can anyone say this is a good look for the US or that this is a mentally well leader who should be in power?
Also from Virginia, senator Mark Warner said:
Trump’s blatant racism is indefensible.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi said:
The overnight post from the President of the United States is nothing but vile, racist filth. He should be ashamed of himself, if he were capable of shame. Taking it down is not enough. The White House must apologize for this beyond disgusting behavior.
In a statement to Reuters, Derrick Johnson, national president of civil rights group the NAACP said:
Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable. Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box.
White House deletes Trump post after furious backlash and says it was ‘erroneously’ made by a staffer
Following an intense backlash this morning, the White House has now taken down Trump’s Truth Social repost of a video showing a racist clip depicting the Obamas as apes.
Multiple outlets cite a senior White House official as saying:
A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.
The post was up for 12 hours.
As we reported earlier, a few hours ago the White House had initially tried to brush off the outrage, defending Trump’s repost as “an internet meme video”.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Karoline Leavitt said earlier. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Politicians from both parties have this morning condemned the post and urged Trump to remove it. CNN also reports that GOP lawmakers had called Trump to discuss it with him, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has also slammed the “racist, bigoted audacity” of Trump’s post, calling the president’s behaviour “disgusting and disturbing”.
Ending her X post, Crockett addressed her Republican peers:
But when will it be enough for those who continue to stand beside him? When will Republicans in Congress condemn his behavior? Your silence is complicity – and it is very loud.
Joining the chorus of disapproval today is Republican congressman Mike Lawler, a moderate representative from New York, who called the Trump’s post “wrong and incredibly offensive”.
Lawler said the video “should be deleted immediately with an apology offered”.
GOP senator calls on Trump to delete racist video of Obamas
Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator in Congress, had condemned the racist video that Donald Trump posted on social media, depicting the Obamas as apes.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott said. “The president should remove it.”
FIRST ON FOX —The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching an investigation into ABC’s “The View” amid the agency’s crackdown on equal time for political candidates, Fox News Digital has learned.
Last month, the FCC announced it will require the broadcast networks to adhere to the “statutory equal opportunities requirement,” citing the Communications Act of 1934, “including their airing of late-night and daytime talk shows.”
A source at the FCC told Fox News Digital that Monday’s “View” appearance by Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico triggered the probe.
Talarico was among the first political candidates to appear on “The View” since the FCC announced its crackdown.
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a probe into ABC’s “The View” over its policy on networks providing equal time for political candidates, Fox News Digital has learned.(Lou Rocco/Getty Images)
There has been a longstanding “bona fide” exception for news programming that wouldn’t require equal time for an opposing candidate, but the FCC now says it “has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late-night or daytime television talk show program on the air presently would qualify for the ‘bona fide’ news exemption.”
ABC’s parent company, Disney, never made an equal-time filing to the FCC regarding Talarico’s recent appearance, which would implicitly indicate to the FCC that Disney believes “The View” is bona fide news and would be exempt from the policy, the source said.
The equal opportunity requirement applies to all legally filed candidates on a ballot regardless of political party, meaning all eligible Democratic primary candidates would require equal time. Notably, Talarico received roughly nine minutes of airtime in one segment while his top primary rival, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, had roughly 17 minutes of airtime across three segments during her appearance on “The View” last month.
Crockett’s appearance came before the FCC announced its policy enforcement.
A source tells Fox News Digital that Monday’s “View” appearance by Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico triggered the FCC’s probe.(ABC/TheView)
The source noted that not only would ABC require equal airtime for Republican candidates on the ballot like incumbent Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn and his primary rivals. It would also apply to Ahmad Hassan, the little-known candidate running against Talarico and Crockett in the Democratic primary.
“Fake news is not getting a free pass anymore,” the source told Fox News Digital.
A representative for ABC News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the policy push, stressing that the law he’s enforcing “goes back to the 1950s.”
“On my watch, we’re going to enforce this regulation,” Carr said.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr doubled down on his agency’s policy push, previously telling Fox News Digital, “On my watch, we’re going to enforce this regulation.”(Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Carr indicated that candidates don’t necessarily have to appear on the exact programs for the networks to adhere to the policy, meaning they could either appear on a news program or the network can air their campaign ads as a supplement.
Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have lashed out at the policy push.
Kimmel called it a “threat” while Colbert accused the FCC of trying to “silence” him and his liberal colleagues.
BORK!BORK!BORK! When this vulture excuses himself from The Register‘s Australian eyrie for a little rest and recreation, I first avoid pyromaniac birds and carnivorous koalas, before settling into a bucolic beach town to catch a few waves, read a few books, and tune out from the world of tech.
So imagine my horror when my pre-beach provisioning excursion turned up a bork.
You’re looking at the digital signage from the sole supermarket in the charming village of Milton, which last week showed shoppers news of printing problems before they had a chance to choose cheese or procure pork products.
Digital signage wipeout in Aisle 1
As the digital signage cycled through its store of images, the bork sullied a slide promoting house brand Black & Gold, and covered a promo for lottery tickets too.
Black & Gold bork
Australia’s school year commences in late January, meaning the bork also had a chance to infest an ad for snacks parents might consider cramming into lunchboxes.
Back to school bork
Which seems rather apt because surely someone needs to go back to Windows maintenance school.
Your correspondent fumed about the bork for a while but mostly forgot all about it after hitting the beach. The shot below shows its glory at about 7:00AM one fine morning, when the water temperature was a very pleasant 22° C and gentle waves made for decent bodysurfing.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, has announced that his government plans to release all political prisoners no later than February 13.
Friday’s announcement was seen as a positive step towards addressing human rights abuses under the leadership of former President Nicolas Maduro.
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But critics have long been sceptical of promises made by the Venezuelan government, which remains led by Maduro’s close allies.
Speaking to the family members of political prisoners in the capital Caracas, Rodriguez set a clear deadline for the mass release.
“We hope that, between next Tuesday and by Friday at the latest, they will all be free,” Rodriguez, the brother of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, said as he stood outside the Zona 7 detention centre.
He added that the government would “repair all the mistakes” committed during the Chavismo movement, founded by the late President Hugo Chavez and continued under Maduro.
Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, leaves after a meeting about Venezuela’s amnesty law on February 6 [Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]
His remarks come one day after the National Assembly unanimously approved an amnesty bill in the first of two votes before its final passage.
The legislation is designed to absolve those who have been accused or convicted of crimes related to their political leanings or protests. Under Maduro, dissidents were often charged with crimes like treason, terrorism or spreading hate.
The bill would also lift bans that prevent opposition figures like Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado from running for public office.
But the amnesty measure would not cover crimes like murder, human rights violations or corruption.
The second and final vote on the bill is slated to take place on Tuesday. Rodriguez indicated that once the bill was signed into law, the mass release would begin.
“As soon as the law is adopted, they will also be released the same day,” he said on Friday.
The Maduro government had long been accused of stifling political dissent through arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killing.
On January 3, however, United States President Donald Trump authorised a military operation to abduct Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them to New York to face trial on drug trafficking charges.
Since that time, the Trump administration has pressured the interim presidency of Delcy Rodriguez to comply with its demands, particularly on the sale and extraction of Venezuelan oil.
But administration officials have also repeatedly blasted the Maduro government for its human rights record. This week’s prisoner release deadline, together with the amnesty law, is likely to be hailed as a victory for the Trump White House.
Still, concern abounds over whether human rights commitments will be maintained and justice served to alleged abusers within the government.
The Venezuelan government has said it has already released as many as 900 political prisoners.
But human rights groups like Foro Penal have recorded a number far lower, closer to 383. Foro Penal estimates that nearly 680 people remain jailed for their political activities.
There have also been reports of released prisoners facing gag orders, preventing them from speaking out about their arrest and detention.
Earlier this week, Amnesty International pointed out that 14 journalists were detained and released in the aftermath of Maduro’s abduction, and that others have reported harassment and intimidation from government-aligned forces.
It also argued that Venezuelan laws restricting free speech and political activities remain on the books, while those in power under Maduro also remain in office.
Though Amnesty International said the amnesty bill and other measures were “welcome”, it warned there was no guarantee that the abuses of the past would not be repeated.
“Crimes against humanity do not end with Maduro’s removal,” said the group’s secretary-general, Agnes Callamard.
“Venezuelan victims, survivors, and their families continue to carry physical and psychological scars. The fate and whereabouts of many people subjected to enforced disappearance remain unresolved. The state machinery responsible for those crimes is still firmly in place, now supported by the US authorities’ involvement.”
Callamard also criticised the US’s abduction of Maduro, calling it a violation of international law.
“Not only was the Trump administration’s use of force illegal, but it could encourage unlawful actions by other states and herald similar future actions by the USA,” she said.
In addition to releasing political prisoners, the Venezuelan government has also announced it plans to close one of its most infamous prisons, El Helicoide, a pyramid-shaped structure in Caracas reputed to be a torture site.
