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Officials from the U.S. and Iran are set to meet today in Geneva to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program in what appears to be the last opportunity to avoid war. The development comes after President Trump claimed, without providing evidence, in his State of the Union address that Iran was developing missiles that could reach the U.S. The U.S. military buildup in the Middle East is currently at its highest level since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.
Prominent Harvard professor and economist Larry Summers announced his resignation from teaching later this year. His statement comes after a new revelation about Summers’ relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers is one of Harvard’s most well-known figures, serving as its president for five years starting in 2001. He was also Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton. Harvard continues to investigate Summers and others for their ties to Epstein.
Cuban border troops engaged in a gunfight late Wednesday with a boat registered in Florida, according to Cuban officials. The government says soldiers killed four people on board the boat, and six others were injured. Cuba says the boat was carrying “terrorists trying to infiltrate the island.” Officials recovered assault rifles, handguns and Molotov cocktails from the vessel, according to Cuba’s interior ministry.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will not patrol polling locations during this year’s midterm elections, a Department of Homeland Security official said yesterday on a call with top state voting officials. Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams confirmed the promise in a social media post. The declaration comes as the president has continued to push false claims of noncitizen voter fraud, as recently as in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
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Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt leads Oklahoma, a state that gave Trump 66% of its vote in 2024. Stitt has publicly diverged from the president multiple times this year. Most elected Republicans avoid direct criticism of the president, voting for his policies even when they may disagree with them. Stitt has made his disagreements clear, notably challenging Trump’s determination to remove everyone without legal status from the U.S. For his part, Trump has described Stitt as a “wiseguy” on social media, among other things. On the sidelines of the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., Stitt discussed his vision for the Republican party’s post-Trump future and more with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
Much like the growing number of war-wounded amputees, Sgt. Mykhailo “Misha” Varvarych, a Ukrainian 80th Airborne Assault Brigade commander, navigates an altered reality after he lost his legs during Russia’s full-scale invasion. In January 2023, Varvarych and his partner, Iryna “Ira” Botvynska, traveled to Orlando, Fla., to visit Revived Soldiers Ukraine, a nonprofit organization that supports Ukrainian soldiers. There, they received rehabilitation and state-of-the-art prosthetics. Together, Varvarych and Botvynska’s romance showcases a life marked by the changes of these years, from prosthetic fittings to a marriage proposal. Their decision to live with joy and hope has become a weapon against war. These photos capture how Varvarych has tackled life head-on.
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