Greetings! Happy Optimist Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇷🇺 New START pact expires, and nuclear guardrails thin. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) has lapsed, ending the last major American-Russian limits on deployed strategic weapons. It capped each side at 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads. It also limited deployed missiles and bombers to 700. On-site inspections were designed to keep numbers honest, not polite. Russia suspended participation in 2023, and inspections had already been on ice since 2020. Moscow blamed American travel restrictions and sanctions for blocking inspections. Washington said Russia was using pretexts to duck verification. President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump now inherit a larger, blurrier risk picture. In arms control, fog is a force multiplier.

🇬🇧 Starmer apologizes as Mandelson’s Epstein ties resurface. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologized today after appointing Peter Mandelson last September as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse said the job choice felt like salt in an old wound. Starmer said the government had repeated assurances from Mandelson that were not true, prior to his abrupt firing. Mandelson had said he never met two women who later accused Epstein of sexual abuse. Court records show Mandelson met both women at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. Financial records cited in filings show Epstein paid $75K to each woman. The same records describe flights and hotel stays tied to those payments. Mandelson says he regrets any contact with Epstein and denies knowing about abuse. In politics, the scandal is not only what happened, but what leaders pretended not to know.

🏛️ Slotkin rebuffs a Justice Department interview request. Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin declined an interview sought by the American Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ asked to speak with her about a Democratic video urging troops to refuse illegal orders. Slotkin did not appear in the roughly 90-second clip, but it was posted from her campaign account. Her lawyer, former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting deputy Jeanine Pirro. He called the request improper and warned it could chill political speech. The video features former soldiers and police officers explaining why they would disobey unlawful commands. It accuses President Donald Trump of sedition and labels it a capital offense. Slotkin’s office said the message was about the rule of law, not incitement. The clash turns one question into two: what is advocacy, and what is intimidation.

🥙 New Jersey kebab shop becomes an immigration battleground. Celal Emanet and Emine Emanet run a kebab restaurant in a New Jersey suburb near Philadelphia, and their detention turned customers into organizers. On February 25th, American marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested the couple at the shop. Celal was sent home on an ankle monitor, while Emine, 47, was held 15 days at a detention facility over an hour away. The restaurant shut temporarily, and the neighborhood learned enforcement can reach beyond mugshot myths. Haddon Township Mayor Randy Teague said the family was not dangerous, just visible. Supporters raised $300K for bills and lawyers, and lawmakers added pressure. The surge of attention helped the family move to a bigger space on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood. Now the fight shifts to court, with Celal facing a deportation hearing in March. The Emanets say their children’s lives, and Celal’s safety, hinge on staying.

🧩 Kindergarten readiness gaps track income, and cities intervene. New results from the National Survey for Children’s Health show nearly two-thirds of American children are on track for kindergarten. Yet reported readiness differs by about 20% between the poorest families and the wealthiest. The survey pegs the federal poverty line at just under $32K for a family of four in 2024. San Antonio (SA) is trying to close it with a city-run pre-kindergarten (pre-K) initiative. Its flagship program, Pre-K 4 SA, offers 2,000 preschool seats for 3- and 4-year-olds. About 80% are free for families who qualify. The city funds it with a sales tax, and the program has run since 2013. CEO Sarah Baray says equity across outcomes is the point, not charity. Local researchers say graduates outperform the state average in third grade math and reading.

🚨 No public reply follows Savannah Guthrie’s plea. Investigators in Arizona say there is still no public sign that Nancy Guthrie’s abductor has responded. Guthrie, 71, has been missing since January 31st, and authorities say they suspect a crime. Her daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, posted an online message asking for evidence her mother is alive. She said even a small confirmation would shift the family from dread to action. Police have not identified a suspect publicly, and they have kept evidence details tight. The case has pulled national attention onto a search that is usually local and quiet. Friends and viewers have flooded social media with prayers, tips, and theories. Officials keep urging the public to share credible information, not speculation. In kidnappings, silence is not neutral, because it is part of the pressure.

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That’s all for today!

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

See you tomorrow!