Here's the latest
• US-Iran negotiations: The two countries agreed to continue discussions after holding high-stakes indirect talks in Oman today. Iran’s foreign minister called them a “good start.”
• Funding fight: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said conversations on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill will continue this weekend. The White House said Trump is willing to consider some of Democrats’ demands for ICE reforms, but others are “non-starters.”
• Outrage over video: Trump shared a racist video depicting the Obamas as apes, prompting a rare rebuke from the Senate’s only Black Republican, Tim Scott, who called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” It has since been deleted.
• Fulton County: Trump defended the involvement of spy chief Tulsi Gabbard in the controversial search of a Georgia elections office. Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to comment on whether she sent Gabbard, saying, “She was there, we are inseparable.”
Judge urges Trump foes to rely on the Constitution as a "beacon amid the tumult"
A high-ranking federal appeals court judge today railed against the Trump administration’s “obsession” with targeting “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion programs, even as he sided with the government in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s efforts to end government support of such initiatives.
In a unanimous decision authored by 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Albert Diaz, the Richmond-based court said two executive orders that sought to crack down on DEI programs in the federal government were legally sound. But the appointee of former President Barack Obama separately noted that the plaintiffs who brought the case had not challenged the application of Trump’s orders to any specific program.
He said that while the administration had argued that some DEI programs may be lawful, evidence in the case’s record “suggests a more sinister story: important programs terminated by keyword; valuable grants gutted in the dark; worthy efforts to uplift and empower denigrated in social media posts.”
The Trump administration’s “obsession over so called ‘woke’ DEI programs appears to know no bounds,” Diaz wrote in the solo concurrence, which specifically cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision last year to nix a Joe Biden-era typeface policy intended to make official papers from the department more accessible.
Rubio, Diaz wrote, “somehow found time to rail against the Calibri typeface previously approved for State Department use by his predecessor. I kid you not.”
Meanwhile, Trump touts first meeting with White House preservation committee
President Donald Trump said Friday he held his first meeting with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, describing the visit and discussions as positive and focused on maintaining the historic residence.
“Just had my first meeting with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and it went really well — Terrific people who adore the Building, and love our Country even more,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The meeting with the committee, which is tasked with advising on the conservation and protection of the White House, comes as the president has faced criticism for his decision to tear down the East Wing and replace it with a massive new ballroom.
Trump said he “toured them in and around the Lincoln Bedroom, the Queens’ Room, the Yellow Oval, the Map Room, the East Room, and more.”
“They loved it all,” the president added.
Trump also used the post to emphasize his administration’s approach to maintaining the White House, saying the building “after many years, is being cherished, and properly taken care of!”
US and Iran agree to more talks as Trump admin rolls out additional oil sanctions
The US and Iran have agreed to hold follow-on discussions after consultations with their capitals following today’s indirect talks in Oman, an outcome cautiously viewed as a positive result by both sides, according to source familiar.
The US delegation differed from the previous rounds of US-Iran talks, which took place before the US strike on Iranian nuclear sites last year. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff led for the US previously, along with a small team that joined him over time, but Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner was in the room this round, and US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper was part of the delegation.
Kushner had long been expected to join the discussions but Cooper’s inclusion in the delegation was not expected far in advance, the source said. His presence marks the first time a senior US military official joined indirect talks with Iran during Trump’s second term.
Some context: The Iranians grew frustrated with Witkoff over the course of last year’s talks and some people involved believe that having new US players could lead to more productive discussions, the source said. Still, the talks’ trajectory is yet to be determined, the source warned.
The location for the next round of talks is not yet set in stone but is likely to be Oman, the source said.
In terms of timing, that also remains unclear right now, the source said. Some people involved in the talks believe that slowing down the pace could allow for more robust negotiations to take place, they said.
The White House did not respond when asked for comment.
After the talks ended, in a sign that the US wants to keep up economic pressure, it rolled out new sanctions on Iranian oil and 14 vessels carrying it.
Racist video deleted from Trump account as White House blames staffer for posting it
A racist video shared on President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account has been deleted, with the White House now blaming a staffer for posting it late Thursday.
“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” a senior White House official told CNN.
The post, which depicted former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, remained online for roughly 12 hours before it was removed from Trump’s Truth Social feed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially downplayed the video in a statement Friday morning.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” she said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Swift backlash: Politicians from both parties, including GOP Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Mike Lawler, urged Trump to remove the post. A source familiar with the matter said GOP lawmakers had called Trump to discuss it with him.
FBI arrests "key participant" behind Benghazi attack, Bondi announces
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the FBI has arrested a “key participant” behind the 2012 Benghazi terror attack in Benghazi, Libya.
US Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed in the September 11, 2012 attack along with State Department employee Sean Smith and Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods are killed in the attack.
“We have never forgotten those heroes, and we have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation,” Bondi said.
The man accused landed in the United States early this morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday morning. A plane that departed Misrata, Libya, on Thursday landed at the Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia at 3 a.m. Friday morning, according to flight data reviewed by CNN.
The man, Zubayar Al-Bakoush, will face charges including murder, attempted murder, terrorism, and arson, Bondi said.
Bakoush was charged eleven years ago, but the case remained sealed until his arrest Friday, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. Her office will be leading the prosecution.
Bondi declines to say whether she sent Gabbard to Fulton County
Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to say whether she directed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to go to the FBI search at an election center in Fulton County, Georgia.
Bondi added she is not worried that Gabbard’s presence may have tainted evidence in their investigation.
She later noted FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey was “taking the lead” on the matter.
The administration has offered differing explanations for Gabbard’s presence.
Here’s what Deputy AG Todd Blanche told CNN earlier in the week:
GOP Sen. Scott criticizes Trump for posting racist video, says he "should remove it"
GOP Sen. Tim Scott criticized President Donald Trump for sharing a racist video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, writing Friday that Trump “should remove it.”
The rare rebuke from Scott, who is the only Black Republican in the Senate and was once a vice presidential contender, came hours after Trump shared the video on Truth Social. The video promotes the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and superimposes the Obamas’ faces onto the bodies of apes.
Scott also chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, leading the effort to hold onto the GOP’s Senate majority in the upcoming midterm elections.
The White House dismissed blowback over the video earlier Friday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it “fake 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,” she said.
Iranian foreign minister says talks with the US were "a good start"
Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States were a “positive and good start,” and the two sides agreed to continue the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told local news outlets after talks concluded in the Omani capital of Muscat.
“There was a consensus on the continuation of the talks themselves. It was decided that this process would continue but the timing, manner, and date of that will be decided in the future,” Araghchi said.
Speaking to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, Araghchi reiterated that the talks focused “solely” on the nuclear issue and “we did not discuss any other topics with the Americans.”
Araghchi added that Iran remains distrustful of the US, but if the negotiations continue with the “same view” from Washington, then a “framework” for future talks could be reached.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said both parties will make a decision on the next round of talks after consultations with their respective governments.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the negotiations, described the talks in a post on X as “very serious.”
US launched another deadly strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific
The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean yesterday, killing two people, according to US Southern Command.
“On Feb. 5, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X, adding that no US military personnel were harmed in the strike.
At least 119 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.
US-Iran talks conclude with "willingness to continue," Iranian media reports
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States in the Omani capital of Muscat have now ended, with a “willingness to continue,” according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Iranian state-affiliated news agency Tasnim said the two countries have agreed that talks will “continue at another time,” without specifying when.
Throughout the day, the Iranian and US delegations “conveyed views, considerations and approaches” through Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian diplomatic delegation, while President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special US envoy Steve Witkoff represented the US. The Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Adm. Brad Cooper was also seen in attendance.
Trump shares video depicting Obamas as apes
President Donald Trump shared a racist video on his social media platform that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, sparking intense condemnation.
The Obamas briefly and suddenly appear near the end of the short video, which promotes false claims that voting machines helped steal the 2020 election, with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of apes. As the images appear, for about one second, the start of the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays in the background.
The post, which recalls the racist trope of comparing Black people with monkeys, prompted swift backlash. In a statement to CNN on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the broader response to the video “fake 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. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
CNN has reached out to the Obamas for comment.
The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the video in a post on X, writing: “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
The incident is the latest example of Trump drawing criticism for sharing racist content on his social media platform.
Last year, the president posted an apparent AI video depicting Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. Later last year, Trump and members of his administration also shared digitally altered images and videos of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a fake mustache and a sombrero, imagery Jeffries publicly described as racist.
Here's what is on Trump's schedule today and for the weekend
Today, President Donald Trump will sign executive orders at 3 p.m. ET. As of now, this is closed to the press.
Later in the evening, the president will depart Washington, DC, en route to Palm Beach, Florida.
On Saturday: The president will meet with the president of Honduras at 3:30 p.m. ET, which is also closed to press.
On Sunday: At 6:30 p.m. ET, Trump is scheduled to attend a Super Bowl watch party, closed to press. The president is expected to return to the White House on Sunday night.
US CENTCOM chief seen attending Iran talks in Oman
The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, was seen attending meetings on Iran in Oman.
A video posted by the state-run Oman News Agency showed Cooper participating in talks between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-la, Jared Kushner during their meetings with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
Albusaidi is mediating between the United States and Iran in the indirect negotiations.
Kremlin says Russia and US "recognize the need to begin negotiations" on nuclear treaty issue
Russia and the United States “recognize the need to begin negotiations” on the issue of the lapsed nuclear monitoring treaty, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a news briefing today.
Peskov also described this week’s trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US, hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, as “both constructive and challenging.”
Asked if Russia was negotiating a short-term extension to the New START treaty with the US, Peskov said: “The provisions can be formally extended; informal extensions in this area are unlikely.”
The landmark New START treaty, which capped the nuclear arsenals of both the US and Russia, expired on Thursday, renewing fears about a nuclear arms race between the two biggest nuclear superpowers.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US should negotiate a new and improved nuclear treaty with Russia instead of agreeing to a treaty extension.
Iran enters diplomacy with a "steady memory of the past year," foreign minister said ahead of US talks
Ahead of high-stakes talks with the US on Friday, Iran’s foreign minister said his country “enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year.”
“We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on X hours before the talks.
The talks are the first official meeting between the two sides since the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites last year and come amid heightened tensions.
Araghchi also met his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi in Oman’s capital Muscat ahead of the talks with the US delegation, Iranian media reported.
Thune says conversations over DHS funding “will continue through the weekend”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that efforts to find agreement over the Department of Homeland Security funding bill will “continue through the weekend.”
He said he prefers a full-year funding extension as a backup but CNN has reported that Democrats are opposed to a short-term deal so far. As of now, the two parties appear to be at an impasse on the issue.
Remember: The funding deadline is February 13.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for not presenting a clear rebuttal to the Democratic demands on funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, Thune has also expressed frustration about not being able to get the Democratic side to sit down and negotiate, and many Republicans have said many of the Democratic demands are nonstarters.
The US and Iran are meeting in Oman today. Here's what you need to know
High-stakes talks between the US and Iran are underway in the Omani capital of Muscat, Iranian news agencies reported early on Friday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the Iranian diplomatic delegation, and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special US envoy Steve Witkoff are representing the US.
Araghchi presented to his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi a “preliminary plan” to “manage the current situation” between Iran and the US and advance negotiations, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. Albusaidi then conveyed the plan to the US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, and a US response will be delivered to the Iranian side during the talks, IRNA added.
The White House previously offered limited expectations for negotiations, saying President Donald Trump preferred to resolve tensions diplomatically and that he would receive a briefing from his delegates to the discussions afterward.
Trump hopes the large US military buildup he’s ordered in the Middle East will act as leverage as he seeks concessions from Iran on its nuclear and missile programs.
