The Headlines

Plus, the Friday news quiz.
Here’s what we’re covering:
‘Gang Stuff’ and ‘Illicit Trysts’: How Epstein Sought Leverage With the Wealthy, by Steve Eder, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Matthew Goldstein
Nike and Trump’s Supporters Have Been on a Collision Course for Years, by Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Kim Bhasin
Trump’s Online Drugstore Opens for Business, by Rebecca Robbins and Margot Sanger-Katz
U.S. and Iran Set for Talks in Oman as Regional Leaders Seek to Prevent War, by Erika Solomon and Ben Hubbard
Near a Refinery for Venezuelan Oil, U.S. Residents Say: Please Buy Our Homes, by Hiroko Tabuchi
Americans Are Learning Korean Because of ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ by Amy Qin
Listen to the end of the episode for an audio news quiz. If you want to take The Times’s weekly online news quiz, go here.
Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].
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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Plus, Savannah Guthrie makes a plea to her mother’s abductor. 
Here’s what we’re covering:
Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons, by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad
Prosecutor Fired After Voicing Frustration With Immigration Caseload, by Alan Feuer, Glenn Thrush and Hamed Aleaziz
Trump Says He Ordered Withdrawal of 700 Immigration Agents From Minneapolis, by Madeleine Ngo and Mitch Smith
Doctors’ Group Endorses Restrictions on Gender-Related Surgery for Minors, by Andrew Jacobs
Savannah Guthrie Addresses Mother’s Abductor: ‘We Are Ready to Talk,’ by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Reis Thebault
Five Minutes Into 2026 Winter Olympics’ First Event, the Lights Went Out on Curling, by Zack Pierce
Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Plus, a fitting tribute to Catherine O’Hara. 
Here’s what we’re covering:
Renee Good’s Brothers Call on Congress to Rein In Immigration Crackdown, by Michael Gold
A Winter of Anguish for Minneapolis Children, by Corina Knoll
Congress Targets Housing Crisis as Solutions Elude Trump, by Ronda Kaysen
Ruptures in China’s Leadership Could Be Due to Paranoia and Power Plays, by Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes
Catherine O’Hara, Star of ‘Best in Show,’ Honored in Westminster Tribute, by Callie Holtermann
Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Plus, a conservative group plans an alternate Super Bowl halftime show. 
Here’s what we’re covering:
Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections, by Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti
Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search, by William K. Rashbaum, Devlin Barrett and Julian E. Barnes
Here’s What to Know About the Partial Government Shutdown, by Aaron Boxerman
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks End of Protection for Haitians in U.S., by Miriam Jordan
Clintons Capitulate on House Epstein Inquiry, Agreeing to Testify, by Annie Karni
Gaza Crossing to Egypt Reopens in Step Forward for Fragile Cease-Fire, by Isabel Kershner and Bilal Shbair
Conservative Group to Stage Alternate Halftime Show With Kid Rock, by Marc Tracy
Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Plus, big firsts at the Grammy Awards. 
Here’s what we’re covering:
How Trump Appears in the Epstein Files, by Steve Eder, Michael C. Bender and David Enrich
The Government Published Dozens of Nude Photos in the Epstein Files, by Mike Baker and Julie Tate
Release of Three Million Epstein Pages Falls Short, Survivors Say, by Devlin Barrett, Michael Gold and Mike Baker
They Said They Weren’t Close to Epstein. New Documents Show Otherwise., by Nicholas Confessore
U.A.E. Firm Quietly Took Stake in the Trump Family’s Crypto Company, by David Yaffe-Bellany and Eric Lipton
Trump Says Kennedy Center Will Close for 2-Year Reconstruction Project, by Adam Nagourney and Julia Jacobs
How the Supreme Court Secretly Made Itself Even More Secretive, by Jodi Kantor
Snow Drought in the West Reaches Record Levels, by Jim Robbins
Grammy Takeaways: Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar Take Top Awards, by Ben Sisario
Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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