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Today's top stories

The United States and Iran are set to have high-stakes talks in Oman today to negotiate Iran's nuclear program. Typically, if both sides in a negotiation can't reach a deal, the diplomats go home, regroup and decide whether to hold another round of talks. But NPR's Greg Myre tells Up First that the U.S. has spent a month moving Navy ships and warplanes to the region, and if a deal isn't reached this time, President Trump could launch an attack on Iran.

An Iranian woman walks past a huge national flag hanging above shops, in Tehran on Feb. 6, 2026. Iran and the United States began talks in Oman on Feb. 6, with Washington refusing to rule out military action against the Islamic republic over its deadly crackdown on mass protests. AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images/AFP

• 🎧 Iran is in a position of weakness and will likely offer concessions during the negotiations, says Myre. The country has endured several setbacks over the last two years, including the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign against its nuclear facilities last June. Myre says a limited nuclear agreement from Iran will probably not be enough for Trump. The U.S. wants to discuss broader issues, including limits on Iran's ballistic missiles. The U.S. also seeks to stop Iran from supporting militant proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Democrats released a 10-point plan for the Department of Homeland Security's immigration law enforcement agents in a letter to the GOP. In addition to their original demands, which include removing officers' masks, Democrats want officers to wear identifying information, such as their last name. Lawmakers also want these officers to have standard uniforms and equipment, aligning them with civil enforcement officers.

• 🎧 NPR's Claudia Grisales says Republicans are not shutting down the proposal yet, but there is a lot of negotiating left to do with little time to accomplish it. Grisales says another stopgap bill is an option, allowing lawmakers to kick the can down the road for a few more weeks.

The FBI confirmed a ransom letter exists for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. A few media outlets received the letter earlier this week. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to Nancy's recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of whoever is involved. Nancy was reported missing from her home in Tucson, Ariz., on Sunday.

• 🎧 The FBI said it is taking the ransom note seriously. The ransomers have not reached out to the Guthrie family since the message was sent to the media, according to officials. Heith Janke, with the FBI's Phoenix office, says it's unusual that the people responsible for the kidnapping have not reached out to the victim's family at this point in the case. Nancy's disappearance has garnered massive national attention, including from the president, who has offered federal resources to help find Nancy, says NPR's Alana Wise.

Virginia lawmakers last night unveiled a proposed map aimed at helping Democrats flip four congressional seats this fall. The move comes in response to the president's redistricting push to tilt the midterm elections toward Republicans. Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas confirmed the plan after it appeared on the legislature's website. However, the map and accompanying legislation must clear several hurdles before it can be put in place in time for this year's elections.

Deep dive

Rules may change soon at school districts that receive federal funding for school meals. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled new Dietary Guidelines for Americans earlier this year, which included a new food pyramid that emphasizes protein, encourages full-fat dairy and limits highly processed foods. Here's how the new food pyramid could eventually impact schools:

• 🍽️ Cutting back on highly processed and ready-to-eat foods like mac and cheese and pizza won't be easy. Companies may need to adapt their recipes, and schools might have to prepare more meals from scratch to reduce added sugars and salt.
• 🍽️ The agency may change school breakfast standards, which currently lack a protein mandate. It is unclear if milk would satisfy new protein requirements.
• 🍽️ Federal law limits saturated fat in school meals, and whole milk contains more saturated fat than low-fat or nonfat varieties. However, recent federal legislation exempts milk fat from those limits.

Weekend picks

Charli XCX in The Moment. A24 hide caption

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A24

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: The Moment, a hyperpop faux documentary, comments on the intense response to Charli xcx's album Brat and her fickle relationship with stardom.

📺 TV: In Marvel's Wonder Man, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a struggling actor with incredible superpowers who is trying to make it in Hollywood. Ben Kingsley plays his new friend with a dark past.

📚 Books: In Dandelion is Dead, a grieving woman named Poppy gets into her dead older sister's phone and logs into her dating app. The author, Rosie Storey, discusses her debut novel with NPR's Juana Summers on the Book of the Day podcast.

🎵 Music: Don Toliver's Octane is billed as the first LP that the artist executive-produced. Even without knowing that, NPR's Sheldon Pearce says the album is the most refined and cohesive music of the rapper's career.

❓ Quiz: A lot has happened this week, from a new fee at a Roman tourist site to a company cutting the price of chips. How well were you paying attention? I scored a decent seven out of 10. Do you think you can top that? Give it a try.

3 things to know before you go

Cathy Fechoz of France performs her routine during the ski ballet competition at the Olympic Games in Albertville, France, in 1992. Chris Cole/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Cole/Getty Images

1. The Olympic Games once featured "demonstration sports" for many decades. While some, like curling, secured a permanent spot, others never made the official roster. Here's a look at some of the sports from Winter Games past.
2. Some blind and low vision football fans will get to use a OneCourt device at Super Bowl 60. The device looks like a tabletop version of the field and lets fans feel the ball's real-time movement on its surface.
3. A new social media platform, Moltbook, has launched as a Reddit-like platform for AI bots. The bots can autonomously carry out tasks, such as booking travel

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.