Here's what we covered
• Racist video: President Donald Trump would not apologize this evening for sharing a video depicting the Obamas as apes, saying he only saw the beginning of the clip. The White House has blamed the since-deleted post on a staffer, and Trump told reporters he “didn’t make a mistake.”
• Bipartisan outrage: The post prompted anger from Democrats but also some rare criticism from Republicans, including the GOP’s only Black senator, Tim Scott, who spoke to Trump about the video.
• Funding fight: Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says negotiations over a Department of Homeland Security funding bill will continue this weekend. Trump is willing to consider some of Democrats’ demands for ICE reforms, but others are “non-starters,” the White House said yesterday.
• US-Iran negotiations: The two countries agreed to continue discussions after holding high-stakes indirect talks in Oman today.
Our live coverage has ended. Read the latest here.
Pentagon severing ties with "woke" Harvard and ending military training and fellowships
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday the Pentagon is ending its relationship with Harvard University starting this fall, discontinuing all graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs in response to the school’s “woke” practices.
“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class,” Hegseth said in a video he posted on X. “Instead, 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.”
Reached for comment Friday night, a Harvard spokesperson pointed CNN to several webpages about the university’s ROTC program and its long history with the military.
The new policy allows currently enrolled service members to finish their courses and will take effect in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Hegseth said the Army, Navy and Air Force will be evaluating similar relationships with other universities in the coming weeks, with special attention to Ivy League schools.
Some background: In his second term, President Donald Trump has made a major push to put America’s elite universities on notice over political ideology, especially Harvard.
Earlier this week he doubled down on his attacks against the school, demanding it pay a $1 billion settlement to restore federal funding after months of failed negotiations.
Trump says Schumer suggested renaming Penn Station after president
President Donald Trump on Friday said it was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s idea to change New York’s Penn Station to “Trump station,” following reports that Trump had offered to unfreeze billons in funding on the condition of renaming it and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after him.
“Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump station,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding, “It was suggested to me by numerous people, unions, Democrats, Republicans, a lot of people suggested. Nothing’s been done on that.”
The president distinguished the name change at Penn Station from Washington’s Dulles International Airport, which he said is not within Congress’ purview.
“Dulles Airport is really separate. Dulles Airport is really not too involved with Congress. That’s a separate kind of a deal, as you know,” Trump said.
Schumer immediately dismissed Trump’s claim and accused him of lying about the details of their conversation.
“Absolute lie. He knows it. Everyone knows it. Only one man can restart the project and he can restart it with the snap of his fingers,” Schumer wrote on X.
Some context: Two people familiar with the conversation told CNN that Schumer rejected Trump’s offer last month to unfreeze funding for a major New York infrastructure project in exchange for the name change and told the president he didn’t have the power to deliver on such an unorthodox request.
In the weeks since, Trump has continued to withhold the more than $16 billion earmarked for the long-planned Gateway project connecting New York and New Jersey through a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.
Trump suggests “some things" could be coming from DOJ or FBI on Nancy Guthrie case
President Donald Trump seemed to suggest on Friday that “some things” could be coming from the Justice Department or the FBI in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“We have some things, I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon, from DOJ or FBI, or whoever, that could be, could be definitive. A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours. A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation in the last couple of hours,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The president posted on Truth Social earlier this week that he is “deploying all resources” to find “TODAY” anchor Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother.
Asked about the federal support, Trump said, “I think we’re doing very well on that regard,” adding, “Very well meaning we have some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up.”
Trump did not elaborate further as to what exactly those developments could be.
Vance booed at Olympics opening ceremony
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were booed when their images were shown on the screens inside the Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro stadium in Milan, video from the live broadcast appeared to show.
The Vances were met with boos all around the stadium, per CNN international sports writer Ben Church who is in Milan, Italy.
Asked about the incident, President Donald Trump told reporters Friday evening that he had not seen the moment but that it was “surprising” the vice president was booed.
“No, I didn’t see that,” the president said aboard Air Force One.
“It’s surprising, because people like him. Well, I mean, he is in a foreign country, you know, in all fairness, but he doesn’t get booed in this country,” the president added.
CNN has reached out to the vice president’s office for comment.
Trump says Iran wants to make a deal “very badly" after talks with US
President Donald Trump said the United States had “very good talks” on Iran and that the Iranians want to make a deal “very badly.”
“We likewise, had very good talks on Iran. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly. We have to see what that deal is. But I think Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly,” the president said aboard Air Force One on Friday.
“We have a big armada, and we have a big fleet heading in that direction, gonna be there pretty soon. So we’ll see how that works out,” the president added.
The president also told reporters more talks on Iran will be held next week.
The US delegation present at the talks in Oman included the president’s envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner, and US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
As CNN has reported earlier, 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 a source familiar.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
Trump won't apologize for racist video, says he didn't watch it to the end
President Donald Trump said he screened the first portion of a video that ended with a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, but said he didn’t see the final frames containing the offensive content.
The explanation, offered to reporters on Air Force One, was the first acknowledgement that Trump himself had screened at least part of the video before it appeared online. The White House said after it was removed that a staffer had posted it in error.
Trump stopped short of apologizing for the video, which superimposed images of the Obamas’ faces over animation of apes. And he said the video was taken down “as soon as we found out about it,” even though it remained on his Truth Social page for roughly 12 hours.
“I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,” Trump said, referring to the first part of the video that contained debunked claims about fraud in voting machines.
“It was a very strong post in terms of voter fraud,” he said. “Nobody knew that that was in the end. If they would have looked, they would have seen it, and probably they would have had the sense to take it down.”
Trump said after he watched the first section of the video, he passed the video on to a staffer, who he said should have watched it to the end.
“Somebody slipped and missed a very small part,” he said.
Trump confirmed he’d spoken to GOP Sen. Tim Scott, who called the video the “most racist thing” he’d seen from the Trump White House. And the president said, when pressed, that he condemned the racist portion of the clip.
But when asked directly whether he would apologize, he declined.
“No,” he said. “I didn’t make a mistake.”
Jeffries blasts Trump over racist video: “F**k Donald Trump”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday blasted President Trump and the racist, now-deleted video posted to his social media platform depicting the Obamas as apes.
“This disgusting video, posted by the so-called president, was done intentionally,” Jeffries said in an Instagram video. “F**k Donald Trump and his vile, racist, and malignant behavior. This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder. President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, caring and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country.”
Jeffries – who is the only Black party leader in Congress – called on his GOP counterparts to denounce Trump.
“It’s time for John Thune, Mike Johnson and Republicans to denounce this serial fraudster who is sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue pretending to be the president of the United States,” he said.
Just before noon on Friday, the White House blamed a staffer for the video posted to Trump’s Truth Social account and said the post had been removed.
Members of Congress can start viewing unredacted Epstein files on Monday
Members of Congress can begin reviewing unredacted versions of the Jeffrey Epstein files at the Department of Justice on Monday, according to a new letter obtained by CNN.
The letter from DOJ outlines parameters for how members can review the unredacted versions of the more than 3 million pages that DOJ has released to the public.
Khanna has an appointment at DOJ for Monday, according to Khanna spokesperson Sarah Drory.
Lawmakers will have access to computers in a reading room at DOJ where they cannot bring outside electronic devices but can take notes, according to the letter. The room will only be available to members and not staff, the letter stipulates. The DOJ asks members to provide 24 hours notice of when they’d like to view the materials.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced last month upon the department’s latest public release of Epstein files that members would be able to schedule appointments to view the unredacted versions.
The architects of the law that required the Epstein files release, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, had requested to view the unredacted materials on January 30.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, also requested that all Judiciary Committee Democrats get to review the documents before Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify in front of the panel on February 11.
New polling reflects how many Americans feel about the economy
CNN’s Harry Enten reports on some recent polling that finds a majority of Americans think the economy is moving in the wrong direction:
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.
