President Donald Trump’s social media account shared a video late Thursday night that included a brief clip portraying former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama — the nation’s first Black president and first lady, respectively — as apes.
Shortly before noon Friday, the post including the video was removed from the president’s Truth Social account, which has approximately 11.7 million followers.
A White House official said in a statement that a “staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” when asked by Spectrum News about the video’s removal. The staff member was not identified by the official.
—Spectrum News’ Christina Santucci
Accused militant taken into custody in deadly 2012 Benghazi attack, Justice Department says
A man described as a key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in connection with a rampage that killed four Americans and became a divisive political issue, the Justice Department said Friday.
Zubayar Al-Bakoush, identified by officials as a member of an extremist militia in Libya, had been wanted by the United States for more than a decade. He is accused in a newly unsealed indictment of joining an armed mob that crashed the gates of the diplomatic mission and set fire to buildings in a 13-hour-long assault.
FBI and Justice Department officials did not detail the circumstances of his arrest but said he was taken to an airfield near Washington early Friday and will face charges in Washington including murder, attempted murder, arson and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorism organization.
—The Associated Press
In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, speaks with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi during their meeting prior to Iran and the U.S. negotiations, in Muscat, Oman, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)
Oman mediates indirect U.S.-Iran talks over Tehran’s nuclear program
Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman on Friday, negotiations that appeared to return to the starting point on how to approach discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program. But for the first time, America brought its top military commander in the Middle East to the table.
The presence of U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military’s Central Command, in his dress uniform at the talks in Muscat, the Omani capital, served as a reminder that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships were now off the coast of Iran in the Arabian Sea.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal on the program after earlier sending the carrier to the region over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands of others detained in the Islamic Republic.
—The Associated Press
GOP push to pass election-focused SAVE Act spurs talk of changing Senate filibuster rules
Some in the GOP’s full-force push to pass legislation that would add requirements to vote in U.S. elections have ignited a new conversation about changing Senate rules around the filibuster, specifically requiring Democrats to physically hold the floor to block it.
“We ought to nuke the zombie filibuster and require a talking filibuster if Democrats want to try to block it,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote in a post on X, referring to the bill that Republicans argue is essential to ensuring “election integrity.”
The filibuster — once associated with hourslong floor speeches to hold up legislation — now typically refers to the 60 votes needed in the upper chamber to end debate on most bills and move it to a vote.
—Spectrum News’ Maddie Gannon
More Friday reads
• Russia and U.S. discussed nuclear arms and agreed talks need to start soon, Kremlin says
• U.S. strikes another alleged drug-trafficking boat in Eastern Pacific
• Trump administration launches TrumpRx website for discounted drugs
