Today's quick hits cover major developments in diplomacy, legal disputes, and institutional secrecy. U.S. and Iranian officials plan de-escalation talks in Istanbul, while Fulton County is suing over the FBI's seizure of 2020 election records. Reporting identified federal agents involved in a Minneapolis shooting, and a judge ordered the release of a detained 5-year-old and his father. Additional items include a Supreme Court nondisclosure report, a ruling against the Energy Department's secret appointments, and an upcoming Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship.
Monday Mini-Report: Key U.S. Political & Legal News — Feb. 2, 2026
Today's quick hits: concise updates on diplomacy, legal battles, and institutional secrecy across U.S. politics.
Difficult Diplomacy: Senior U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday for talks aimed at de-escalating tensions, according to three current regional officials and a former official familiar with the planning.
Case Worth Watching: Fulton County announced on Monday that it is filing a federal lawsuit challenging the FBI's seizure of 2020 election records in Georgia.
Clintons and Oversight Committee: Representative James R. Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, rejected an offer from Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The rejection comes days before an expected House vote on holding the couple in criminal contempt of Congress.
ProPublica Investigation: Reporting identifies the two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti as Border Patrol Agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection Officer Raymundo Gutierrez, according to government records cited by ProPublica.
Family Released From Detention: A federal judge ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father from a Texas detention facility after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained them in Minneapolis last week.
Veiled Iranian women wave the country's flags while participating in a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution at the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran, Iran, on February 1, 2026 (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)(Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Supreme Court Nondisclosure Reports: In November 2024, two weeks after the election, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. reportedly asked Supreme Court staff to sign nondisclosure agreements pledging to keep the court's internal workings confidential, according to accounts of the meeting.
Energy Department Ruling: A federal judge ruled that the Energy Department violated the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who reject the scientific consensus on climate change to work secretly on a major government report on global warming.
Birthright Citizenship Case: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 1 in a challenge testing President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to redefine birthright citizenship under the U.S. Constitution.
Misconduct Complaint Dismissed: A federal judge dismissed a Department of Justice misconduct complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Boasberg had overseen a case related to the Alien Enemies Act last year.
Kennedy Center Closure Planned: President Donald Trump said Sunday he plans to close the Kennedy Center for roughly two years for construction. The announcement follows a string of cancellations and internal turmoil since he took control of the arts institution and rebranded it in his name.
See you tomorrow.
Originally published on MS NOW.
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