Greetings! Happy Chocolate Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

Stop losing nuance when you type prompts. Wispr Flow captures your spoken reasoning, removes filler, and formats it into a clear prompt that keeps examples, constraints, and tone intact. Drop that prompt into your AI tool and get fewer follow-up prompts and cleaner results. Works across your apps on Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Try Wispr Flow for AI to upgrade your inputs and save time.

Try Wispr Flow

🇱🇾 Migrant boat sinks off Libya, leaving 53 dead or missing. The United Nations (UN) says babies were among the dead or missing. Officials said 55 people boarded and left from Zawiya near midnight Thursday. The boat later capsized north of Zuwara on Libya’s western coast. Two Nigerian women survived, according to the UN migration agency. One said she lost her husband, the other said she lost two babies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates 484 people have died or gone missing in 2026. Last year, IOM counted more than 1.3K dead or missing on the same route. Libya’s detention system keeps feeding the sea, with reports of abuse and forced labor. Europe keeps tightening borders, and the water keeps collecting names.

🇵🇰 Pakistan warns Afghanistan is breeding threats like pre-September 11th. President Asif Ali Zardari said militant sanctuaries across the border are setting Pakistan back decades. He argued the environment is “similar to or worse than” conditions before September 11th, 2001. Zardari also accused India of backing groups that target Pakistan. The remarks came after a suicide bombing inside a Shia mosque in Islamabad. Police said the blast killed 31 people and wounded 169. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the bomber was Pakistani but trained in Afghanistan. Pakistan has urged Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to curb militants operating from their soil. Afghan officials deny harboring such groups, and India rejects similar accusations. The dispute now mixes terror warnings with border politics and drone-age suspicion.

🏛️ Ghislaine Maxwell seeks clemency, then stonewalls Congress. Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes. She has asked President Donald Trump for clemency, according to accounts of her outreach. In the same stretch, Maxwell declined to answer questions from a House committee probing Epstein’s network, invoking the Fifth Amendment. Lawmakers said they want names, dates, and financial trails that helped Epstein operate for years. Maxwell’s side said responding could create new legal jeopardy, so she would not engage. The committee called the refusal a dead end, not a disclosure. The clemency bid tests Trump’s tough-talk brand against his taste for personal deals. For survivors, the optics feel like a system bargaining with the messenger, not the damage. In Washington, Epstein’s shadow still writes meeting agendas.

🗽 NYC nurses win 2 deals as one strike drags on. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) said members approved a tentative 3-year contract. The pact covers about 10.5K nurses at Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian. NYSNA said it includes a 12% pay raise and keeps health-benefit coverage intact. The walkout began January 12th, when roughly 15K nurses left bedside work across three systems. Negotiations kept going as flu season packed emergency rooms and nerves. Montefiore nurses stayed out Monday, saying staffing levels and safety still fall short. Hospital leaders have argued unionized nurses’ salaries already average about $165K. The union said the deals add guardrails on workplace violence, AI tools, and patient loads. City officials urged a fast finish, because the strike narrows, but pressure does not.

🧥 Eddie Bauer’s retail operator files Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Catalyst Brands said it is seeking Chapter 11 protection for the business behind Eddie Bauer stores. The operator runs about 180 Eddie Bauer locations across American cities and Canada. Chief executive Marc Rosen said the filing is meant to stabilize operations, not shut them. Stores and websites will keep operating during the court process, executives said. Catalyst plans to seek bids for Eddie Bauer’s license and related assets, which began as an outdoors outfitter and became a mall staple before e-commerce rewired shopping. At its peak in 2001, the chain had nearly 600 stores, but now competes with cheaper basics, pricier tech fabrics, and thinner consumer wallets. Bankruptcy court will decide the next chapter, and shoppers will decide if nostalgia converts.

🔒 Gabbard’s office marks a complaint classified and warns its lawyer. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s office told an attorney not to share a complaint with Congress. The office said parts of the filing contain classified information, even if the lawyer disputes that label. The complaint was submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, the watchdog for American spy agencies. Gabbard’s team warned that wider distribution could violate security rules and trigger legal exposure. The attorney argued Congress needs access to perform oversight, especially when allegations involve senior officials. Lawmakers have pressed for records as they scrutinize how intelligence gets used in political fights. The dispute is procedural on paper, but it is power in practice over who reads the evidence. In Washington, classification can protect sources, and it can also protect reputations. Now the inspector general must weigh secrecy against accountability, line by line.

Help better understand our audience. Take this 1-minute survey here so we can provide our community with the best content, news, and stories that matter to you most.

Feel free to reply with your feedback. PM reads and responds to every email. :)

That’s all for today!

Much obliged and many thanks for reading and sharing today’s newsletter.

See you tomorrow!