Greetings! Happy National Bagel Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇺🇳 Guterres says international law is being treated like a menu. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, starting the final year of his second term, warned governments are cherry-picking rules and ducking consequences. He pointed to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a template for impunity. Guterres also said the American government has not paid its 2025 UN dues. He argued that when enforcement disappears, escalation gets cheaper. He noted the richest 1% hold about 43% of global financial assets. His warning was plain: inequality and lawlessness feed each other. Diplomacy, he said, is losing to brute force and bad incentives.

🇮🇷 Middle East allies try to slow-roll Trump’s Iran trigger. An Arab diplomat said Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar urged President Donald Trump to hold off on strikes. The pitch was time: buy space for talks, avoid a regional chain reaction. The pressure campaign comes as Iran reels from unrest and activists cite over 2,500 deaths. American officials say Tehran is speeding toward fast trials and executions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “all options” remain available. Oil prices dipped during the diplomatic scramble, a reminder that missiles also move markets. The message from allies is simple: postpone the boom, if only briefly.

🚨 President Trump threatens the Insurrection Act as Minneapolis seethes. President Donald Trump said he could invoke the Insurrection Act, an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act (1878), to deploy troops. He accused “agitators” of attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The threat followed a shooting where an officer wounded a man in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the officer was attacked with a shovel and a broom handle. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would fight any troop deployment in court. DHS said it has made 2,000+ arrests in Minnesota since early December. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city is being forced into an “impossible situation".

🪶 Oglala Sioux Tribe says its citizens are not deportable. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said ICE detained four tribal members at a Minneapolis homeless encampment. He said three were transferred to Fort Snelling and one was released. Star Comes Out said DHS provided only first names when the tribe asked questions. He said DHS demanded an immigration agreement for additional details. The tribe’s memo argues enrolled members are American citizens by statute and tribal citizens by treaty. University of Minnesota professor Nick Estes called Fort Snelling a place with a notorious anti-Indigenous history. Community groups are urging tribal citizens to carry identification and avoid panic.

🧫 Sewage surveillance keeps spotting outbreaks before doctors. Two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies found wastewater can flag measles early. Oregon researchers saw signals about 10 weeks before the first confirmed case. Colorado saw wastewater turn positive about a week before doctors confirmed infections. The national system tracks 1,300+ sites serving about 147M people. A Trump budget plan would cut funding from about $125M to $25M per year. CDC leader Peggy Honein said that would force hard prioritization. Public health teams call it a cheap radar dish for invisible spread, now threatened by reckless, needlessly tighter purse strings.

💿 Harry Styles returns with disco on the menu and irony on tap. Singer Harry Styles announced “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.”, his first album in four years. Columbia Records said the 12-track project drops March 6. Styles said the lead single “Glass Tongue” arrives Jan 23. He again worked with executive producer Kid Harpoon, a familiar co-pilot. His last album, the synth pop record “Harry’s House”, won album of the year at the 2023 Grammys. The rollout feels less like a comeback and more like a restart. Looks like pop has just got a new date to circle, glitter pen optional.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!