This black hole “burps” with Death Star energy

that’s not a burp, that’s a space station

Dubbed “Jetty McJetface,” the tidal disruption event’s energy keeps getting brighter and should peak in 2027.

Jennifer Ouellette – Feb 5, 2026 
Back in 2022, astronomers were puzzled by a so-called “tidal disruption event” (TDE), dubbed AT2018hyz, that had faded when it was first noticed three years earlier, only to unexpectedly reanimate and burp out extremely bright radio waves. University of Oregon astrophysicist Yvette Cendes, a co-author of that 2022 paper, dubbed the black hole “Jetty McJetface” (a nod to the 2016 online British competition to name a research vessel Boaty McBoatface).

Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons

Administration

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Beijing, Moscow and shaken American allies are seeking new warheads as President Trump ends more than a half century of nuclear arms control with Russia.

By David E. Sanger and William J. Broad

David E. Sanger and William J. Broad have covered nuclear proliferation and arms control for The Times for more than four decades.

• Feb. 5, 2026Updated 8:45 a.m. ET

Ombudsman Intervenes in Chios Tragedy

 

NEWSROOM

The Greek Ombudsman, in an announcement, highlights to the Hellenic Coast Guard Headquarters the need for an impartial and thorough investigation of the collision incident between a Coast Guard vessel and a migrant boat in Chios, which resulted in 15 deaths, and stresses that it will review the completeness of the inquiry once it concludes with its report.

Don’t Look Now, But Dems Are Winning the DHS-Funding Fight

Whether they’ll recognize it as a victory is another question.
Andrew Egger and Jim Swift'

Feb 04, 2026

If you’re stressed out at work this week, console yourself that you’re handling it a bit better than Justice Department attorney Julie Le, who told a Minnesota federal judge yesterday she’s been so overwhelmed by the immigration-related habeas corpus motions assigned to her that she’d like to be held in contempt just so she could get some sleep. “The system sucks,” she said, according to local news. “This job sucks.” That’s something we can all agree on. Happy Wednesday.

US, Iran to hold talks in Oman on Friday

CONFLICTSIRAN

Dmytro Hubenko with AFP, Reuters

Deutsche Welle 7 hours ago7 hours ago

Despite disagreements over the possible agenda, US and Iranian officials confirmed that the countries will hold talks in Oman.

Iranian and US officials confirmed on Wednesday that a meeting between their countries would be held in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Friday.

Supreme Court allows California to use new voting map boosting Democrats

Lisa Lambert

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for California to use a new voting map that favours Democrats, paving the way for the party to gain up to five congressional seats this year.

Welcome to the Resistance, Public School Parents

Opinion

Feb. 4, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET

By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

The terror for children, parents, and teachers in Minnesota started even before Operation Metro Surge sent thousands of heavily armed, masked federal agents into the streets. The school year began with a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in South Minneapolis, where two children died and at least 24 others were injured. Local families barely had time to process those deaths — only five years after the killing of George Floyd rocked their city — before their daily lives were upended by the chaotic presence of federal officers harassing citizens under the guise of immigration enforcement.

‘We Are Going to Live With Scars’: Yair Golan’s Battle for a Two-State Solution

To many Israelis, he’s a war hero. To others, he’s a traitor guilty of “blood libel.” Can Yair Golan change politics in Israel?

By Ruth Margalit

Feb. 4, 2026

Updated 1:06 p.m. ET

On a sweltering day last August, the Israeli politician Yair Golan hopped onto a makeshift stage perched on a van outside the Knesset building in Jerusalem. Golan, 63, is a slim man with cropped hair that has recently turned white and deep-set eyes that constantly dart around. He has the straight-armed, straight-backed gait of a former general, which he is. Around him, hundreds of red-faced protesters had assembled in the heat, shouting slogans that displayed the various demands of the Israeli opposition: “Enough killing!” “Democracy!” “Hostages above everything!” Golan appeared to be the only person who had not broken a sweat.

'We are ready to talk' - US news anchor Savannah Guthrie pleads for return of her abducted mother

Christal Hayes
US news anchor Savannah Guthrie has posted a video message tearfully pleading for the return of her abducted mother and seeking proof from her captors that the 84-year-old is still alive.

In Counting the Dead in Iran, a Picture of Ferocity

Opinion

Guest Essay

Feb. 4, 2026, 1:00 a.m. ET

By Scott Anderson

Mr. Anderson is the author of "King of Kings,” an account of the Iranian revolution.

It’s been a trying time for the Islamic Republic of Iran

Over the past two years, its regional proxy allies have been severely weakened by the Israeli military. Add to that a 12-day bombing campaign against Iran conducted by the United States and Israel in June. The regime suffered a body blow last month when large-scale street protests over the nation’s economic collapse quickly transformed into calls for the government’s overthrow. For a moment, it appeared the protesters might be gaining the upper hand. Then came the state’s brutal crackdown.

Sheriff says ransom note being investigated in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie's mother

By Jordan Freiman, Jonathan Vigliotti

Updated on: February 3, 2026 / 8:06 PM EST / CBS News

A ransom note was sent to a local Arizona news station following the disappearance of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, the Pima County sheriff told CBS News.

After Republicans push Clintons to testify on Epstein, Democrats warn they'll haul in Trump

Democrats say Republicans have set a precedent with subpoenas of an ex-president and first lady. "We will follow it ... Donald Trump, all of his kids. Everybody," Rep. Maxwell Frost said.

Feb. 3, 2026 By Scott Wong, Melanie Zanona, Sahil Kapur, and Ryan Nobles

WASHINGTON — Facing the threat of being held in contempt of Congress, Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed Tuesday to testify before the House Oversight Committee about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Greece pushes to recruit tens of thousands more Asian migrant workers

Aware that its drive for foreign workers will play badly with some supporters, the government is simultaneously penalizing migrants who entered Greece illegally.

February 4, 2026 4:01 am CET

By Nektaria Stamouli

ATHENS — Greece’s parliament is expected to pass double-edged legislation on Wednesday that will help recruit tens of thousands more South Asian workers, while simultaneously penalizing migrants that the government says have entered the country illegally.

Venezuela: Thousands of Protesters Demand Maduro's Return

People were chanting: 

"Venezuela Needs Nicolas"
Documento / Newsroom

February 3, 2026

Thousands of citizens demonstrated in Caracas demanding the return of Venezuela's ousted president Nicolás Maduro, marking one month since the American military operation that led to his arrest, as reported by journalists from the French Press Agency (AFP).

Yes, Danielle Smith is a separatist

By Max Fawcett
Opinion
February 2nd 2026

David Eby had clearly seen enough. Ahead of a meeting in Ottawa between the premiers and the prime minister, Eby decided to call out the leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement and their widely documented meetings with Trump administration officials. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that, and that word is treason," he said.

Trump Has Overwhelmed Himself

Feb. 1, 2026

By Ezra Klein

Opinion Columnist

Last February I wrote an essay about the Trump administration’s strategy of “muzzle velocity.” Muzzle velocity, in its literal sense, describes the ferocious speed of a bullet at the moment it exits the front end of a gun. The term came from an interview that Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, gave in 2019. “All we have to do is flood the zone,” Bannon said. “Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done. Bang, bang, bang. These guys will never — will never be able to recover. But we’ve got to start with muzzle velocity.”

Trump wants to ‘nationalize the voting,’ seeking to grab states’ power

Trump, who continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 election, has baselessly alleged widespread fraud.

February 2, 2026

By Mariana Alfaro

President Donald Trump said Monday that Republican lawmakers should nationalize voting — claiming a power explicitly granted to states in the U.S. Constitution.

How to Organize a Real General Strike in the US

By Eric Blanc

General strikes are the most powerful tool in the working class’s arsenal. Recent mass actions in Minnesota against ICE terror were strong steps toward such a strike, but much more organizing is needed. Here’s how we can do it.

hat will it take to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Donald Trump? More and more Americans are coming around to the following answer: a general strike.