Greetings! Happy National Sweater Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇵🇸 Israel once again violates Gaza ceasefire. Israeli strikes hit multiple parts of Gaza on February 4th as fighting flared around Rafah. Gaza health officials reported 24 Palestinians killed in the latest round of attacks. The October 10th ceasefire was meant to freeze front lines, not reheat them daily, even as the IDF has violated the ceasefire a record 1540 times according to Gaza's Government Media Office. Gaza’s Health Ministry says 550+ Palestinians have been killed during the truce period, with 1500+ injured. Aid groups say the blockade still throttles basics like fuel, medicine, and safe water. Rights advocates describe the occupation’s architecture as apartheid, and repeated displacement as ethnic cleansing. Diplomats keep pitching calm, but Gaza keeps collecting receipts. Editor’s Note: The polycrisis afflicting Gaza was officially considered a genocide by the United Nations (UN) and International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), with famine declared formally by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), confirmed by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, World Food Program (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO), along with Global Sumud Flotilla eyewitnesses.

🇷🇺 Russia and Ukraine envoys sit down for 2 days in Abu Dhabi. Russian and Ukrainian envoys began two days of American-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi. The meetings come as battlefield pressure collides with war-fatigue politics across capitals. American officials have framed the track as practical, not panoramic, starting with limited steps. Kyiv’s team is pressing for security guarantees and a clear pathway on territory. Moscow’s side is seeking terms that lock in leverage gained since the invasion began. Both delegations are operating under leaders who cannot afford to look flexible on camera. The venue is neutral, but the stakes are not, because prisoners, ports, and power grids are all bargaining chips. Gulf intermediaries are selling process as progress, because a process at least slows escalation. Even a narrow agreement would matter, since “two days” is longer than most ceasefires survive online. The bigger tell will be what happens after the handshake photos, not during them.

🗞️ The Washington Post cuts a third of staff in a brutal reset. The newspaper said it is cutting about one-third of its staff. The reduction lands as legacy newsrooms fight a math problem with no nostalgia clause. The Post’s leaders are describing the move as necessary, even if it reads as painful. The cuts hit a brand that once set the tempo for American political journalism. Jeff Bezos, WaPo owner, has invested heavily before, but the industry’s revenue slide has been relentless. Inside the building, the fear is not only smaller teams, but smaller ambition. Competitors will call it an opening, while readers will call it a warning sign. The broader market will treat it as another proof point that attention has migrated. The Post will still publish, but fewer people will be doing more, faster. An iconic masthead discovered legends still have payroll.

🎯 Man who tried to shoot Trump at Florida golf course gets life. Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. Prosecutors argued the plot was aimed at “upending American democracy,” and they pushed for the maximum. Routh served as his own defense lawyer during trial, a risky choice with permanent consequences. He asked the judge for a 27-year sentence instead of life. The judge, described as a Trump appointee, imposed life anyway. The case centers on a Florida golf course and the security chaos that followed. The sentencing caps a prosecution that treated the attempt as political violence, not personal grievance. It also renews the question of how close is “close enough” before history changes. Trump’s allies are using the ruling to demand tougher crackdowns, while civil libertarians warn against reflex policy. The sentence is final, but the aftershocks are designed to travel.

🔥 Wildfire smoke linked to 24,100 American deaths per year. A new study links particle pollution from wildfire smoke to an estimated 24,100 deaths per year in the United States. The culprit is fine particulate matter (PM2.5), small enough to lodge deep in lungs and enter bloodstreams. Researchers say smoke is no longer a regional nuisance, because it travels and lingers. That shifts wildfire risk from “near the flames” to “anywhere downwind.” Public-health officials warn the burden falls hardest on older adults, children, and people with heart or lung disease. The study’s estimate reframes smoke as a chronic exposure, not just a summer headline. It also raises the price tag for inaction, since hospitalizations are only part of the toll. Climate change is expected to intensify conditions that make large fires more frequent and severe. Communities can reduce harm with filtration, alerts, and cleaner indoor air plans, but prevention is upstream. The message is blunt: the sky can hurt you, even when it looks like a sunset.

🏀 Wizards land Anthony Davis in an 8-player trade with Dallas. The Washington Wizards are acquiring Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks in an eight-player trade. The deal includes draft picks headed to Dallas, according to a person familiar with the agreement. Davis gives Washington a marquee name, even as the franchise retools direction and identity. Dallas, meanwhile, adds bodies and future assets, signaling a different timeline. Trades this large are rarely about one player, because payroll and rotations are a puzzle box. Coaches will have to rewire schemes, because roles change before practices even begin. Agents will pitch “fresh starts,” while front offices pitch “flexibility,” and both are half-right. Fans will judge it by wins, but the league judges it by leverage. The immediate question is fit, because talent travels, but chemistry has baggage fees. Either way, the transaction is a reminder that in the National Basketball Association (NBA), stability is just a rumor with season tickets.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!