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Birthright battle, abortion pill backup and assassination files

 
Today's IMMIGRATION story

Judge pauses Trump's birthright citizenship ban

What happened
A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's executive order to overturn birthright citizenship, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional." Under the 14th Amendment, the U.S. is one of about 30 countries, mostly in the Americas, that grant citizenship to anyone born in the country.

Who said what
In more than 40 years on the bench, "I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is," said U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee. It "just boggles my mind" that any lawyer in good standing "could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order."

"Obviously we'll appeal," Trump told reporters. Coughenour's ruling was Trump's "first setback as he attempts to upend the nation's immigration laws and reverse decades of precedent," The New York Times said. The Seattle case, brought by four states, is one of a "flurry of lawsuits" filed to block Trump's order, The Seattle Times said.

Trump's team argues that children born to parents who aren't citizens or permanent residents are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States, so not covered under the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause. Washington assistant attorney general Lane Polozola called that argument "absurd" in court, pointing out that noncitizens are "subject to the decisions of the immigration courts" and must "follow the law while they are here."

What next?
Coughenour's restraining order blocks the order from taking effect nationwide for 14 days, and he said he might issue a longer preliminary injunction after a Feb. 6 hearing. Trump's executive order says it will go into effect Feb. 19.

 
 
Today's Health Care story

Study finds possible alternative abortion pill

What happened
Researchers reported yesterday that a 60 milligram dose of ulipristal acetate, the active ingredient in the prescription emergency contraceptive Ella, appeared to be as safe and effective at ending a pregnancy as the abortion medication mifepristone. The study, involving 133 women in the first nine weeks of pregnancy, was published in the journal NEJM Evidence.

Who said what
Dr. Beverly Winikoff, president of Gynuity Health Projects and lead author of the study, said abortion bans and efforts to bar mifepristone started her searching for more options. With the ulipristal and a later dose of misoprostol, "at least now we would have an alternative," she told The Associated Press.

Mifepristone, "now used in two-thirds of U.S. abortions," has been "under attack by abortion opponents" since Roe v. Wade was struck down, the AP said, and the new study "may make emergency contraception a target" as well. Drugmaker Perrigo said the prescribed 30 mg dose of Ella prevents but cannot end pregnancies. The "much more widely used morning-after pill" Plan B "contains a different drug and does not work in a way that would terminate a pregnancy," The New York Times said.

What next?
The "political implications of the study are complex," the Times said. Evidence that a "morning-after pill ingredient can be used" to terminate pregnancies, as abortion opponents have long said, could "sow confusion" and "bolster the larger anti-abortion strategy," but banning contraception is deeply unpopular across the board.

 
 
Today's NATIONAL Story

Trump orders release of JFK, RFK, MLK Jr. files

What happened
President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order to release thousands of classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

Who said what
About 99% of the government's roughly 320,000 documents on the JFK assassination have already been released, according to the National Archives, including in batches released by Trump during his first term and by President Joe Biden in 2023. Several thousand remain classified or partially redacted, including CIA files. Trump told reporters "everything will be revealed."

Trump has "long indulged in conspiracy theories" about JFK's 1963 assassination, The New York Times said. "The records will not reveal any smoking gun," Tom Samoluk, who reviewed all the classified records in the 1990s under a government review board, told ABC Boston affiliate WCVB. But "there will be some puzzle pieces that will be put back in that will tell a more robust and rich story."

What next?
Trump directed officials to develop a plan within 15 days to release the "full and complete" JFK records, and 45 days to plan publication of the more dispersed records on the 1968 RFK and MLK assassinations. It's not clear when the records would be released.

 
 

It's not all bad

Weight-loss drugs containing GLP-1s, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, reduce the risk of 42 health conditions in people with diabetes, including dementia and infections, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis made the discoveries while analyzing the records of more than 1.4 million diabetic patients. The team, puzzled by the reduced risk of infections, has called for further trials of the medications to confirm their broader potential.

 
 
Under the radar

For years, conservationists celebrated Nepal after it tripled its wild tiger population in a decade. Last year, the country's prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, called tiger conservation the "pride of Nepal." But with fatal attacks on the rise, Oli has had a change of heart on the endangered animals, now saying there are too many.  

"In such a small country, we have more than 350 tigers," Oli said last month at an event reviewing Nepal's COP29 achievements. "We can't have so many tigers and let them eat up humans."  

Nepal's "incredible feat" in tripling its tiger population since 2010 was "celebrated worldwide," said Al Jazeera. But the "roaring success" was accompanied by an "uncomfortable element": the "unfair, uncompensated burden" on local communities. 

Fatal encounters are on the rise. Tigers killed nearly 40 people and injured 15 between 2019 and 2023, according to government data cited by the BBC, and locals say the true figure is "much higher."  

Concern over the number of tigers is "misplaced," according to biologist Ullas Karanth. Humans are increasingly encroaching on tigers' habitats to cultivate the land, reducing prey numbers, he said. Nepal should focus on "expanding protected areas" that have enough prey for the tigers.

For now, the "situation is at an impasse," said the BBC. It's unclear whether Oli's "tiger diplomacy" will gain traction or who's to blame for the increased attacks — man or beast. But what's clear is that humans and tigers are "struggling to achieve peaceful coexistence."

 
 
On this day

January 24, 1857

The University of Calcutta was established in Kolkata, India. The institution is the oldest permanent university in South Asia, and today it has 14 campuses spread across India. Its notable alumni include several Indian and Bangladeshi presidents and Pakistani prime ministers. It is still considered one of the region's best universities.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

House Republicans are reviving their probe of the Democrat-led Jan. 6 committee, but "sexual texts" from House members to key witness Cassidy Hutchinson "beset bid to issue" her a subpoena, The Washington Post says on Friday's front page. President Donald Trump's defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth "nearing Senate approval despite concern" over "abuse claim" and other issues, The New York Times says. In a video appearance in Davos, "Trump warns business elite: Produce in U.S. or face tariffs," The Wall Street Journal says. "Judge blocks Trump birthright order," The Boston Globe says. But Chicagoans "born in the U.S.A." to "foreign-born parents" still fear they will be denied citizenship, the Chicago Sun-Times says.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Smoking hazards

A cigarette break turned into a high-speed adventure for a train rider in Germany. The passenger, who boarded in Munich without a ticket, got out during a stop at Ingolstadt to smoke. When he saw the train leaving without him, he jumped onto a bracket between two cars and clung to the cables for nearly 20 miles, at speeds of 170 mph. The man was not injured and is expected to face charges for an "act disruptive to operations," German police said.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harriet Marsden, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Amid Farahi / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images; Thierry Monasse / Getty Images; Bettmann via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images