Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Monday, February 2, 2026, 6:38 AM Pacific. We’ve analyzed 107 reports from the last hour to bring you both the signal — and the silences.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Gaza’s Rafah crossing. As dawn broke over southern Gaza, crowds gathered again at Rafah, where Israel and Egypt coordinated a limited pedestrian reopening under new security protocols. Our historical review shows months of on‑off preparations and mediation, with aid still far below agreed levels and journalists tightly restricted. Why it leads: Rafah is leverage — over aid access, hostage diplomacy, and reconstruction timelines. The crossing’s status now shapes life‑and‑death decisions for patients, students, and families, and tests the credibility of Phase II of the ceasefire.

Today in Global Gist: - Minnesota constitutional crisis: After weeks of protests, an internal review contradicts federal claims in the shooting of Alex Pretti; two CBP agents are identified as shooters. Courts documented warrantless stops and profiling; journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested. Our lookback shows the surge began in early January with 2,000+ agents deployed, mounting legal clashes, and talk of active‑duty troops. - Nuclear deadline: New START expires in 4 days. Russia floated a one‑year mutual limits extension last fall; no US follow‑through. If it lapses, this would be the first time in over 50 years with no bilateral strategic limits. - Ukraine: The grid operates with an estimated 40% deficit amid the coldest winter since the invasion. Germany delivered cogeneration units; more mobile plants and boiler houses are inbound. Months of strikes have targeted generation and gas facilities, pushing rolling blackouts. - Iran: Tehran signals openness to a framework for renewed US talks as protests continue under a weeks‑long internet blackout. Rights monitors put confirmed deaths in the thousands; connectivity remains patchy. - DRC: A mine collapse near Rubaya killed 200+ amid conflict‑linked coltan extraction. One year after M23’s advance on Goma, banks remain shut and displacement deepens. - Markets/tech: Gold and silver tumbled after record highs; xAI expands generative video while investigations detail moderation gaps around deepfakes. - US politics: A partial shutdown bites as Senate Democrats condition DHS funding on enforcement reforms; ACA subsidy talks stall. Underreported crises check: Sudan’s catastrophe persists — UN agencies warn of food pipelines running dry as cholera and hunger spread across all 18 states. Ethiopia’s refugee aid collapse continues. Haiti faces a mandate cliff in 6 days, with elections pushed to August and no clear succession plan; our archive shows weeks of elite maneuvering to unseat the PM.

Today in Insight Analytica, three threads tie the hour together: - Control the chokepoints, control the outcomes: Rafah gates, Ukraine’s substations, Haiti’s political calendar — governance and power hinge on a few switches, crossings, and dates. - Policy shock to human survival: Aid cuts reverberate into excess mortality; updated estimates project millions of preventable deaths by 2030. Health, food, and education pipelines fray first — and longest — in conflict zones. - Climate-compounded fragility: Cyclone damage in Madagascar, landslides in Sicily, and DRC’s rain‑triggered mine failure show how extreme weather turns weak oversight into mass‑casualty events and supply disruptions.

Today in Regional Rundown, - Americas: Minnesota’s enforcement surge fuels a funding standoff and civil liberties suits; Cuba faces tightening US energy sanctions even as backchannel talks are signaled; a Russian cargo plane’s arrival in Cuba raises regional security questions. - Europe/Eastern Europe: Eurozone growth beats expectations, but Europe’s sixth‑gen fighter ambitions wobble. Poland funds an anti‑drone “wall.” New START’s expiration looms with scant public debate. - Middle East: Rafah’s partial reopening proceeds under new protocols; US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Israeli leaders as Phase II unfolds. Iran protests simmer under blackout; the EU rejects Tehran’s “terrorist” label on European armies. - Africa: Sudan’s famine‑scale emergency remains the world’s largest aid crisis. In the DRC, conflict minerals, insecurity, and rain drive lethal risk. Malawi–Madagascar brace for cyclone impacts; South Africa celebrates Tyla’s Grammy while economic pressures persist. - Indo‑Pacific: Taiwan–US launch a firepower center for asymmetric defense; Japan retrieves rare‑earth‑rich seabed samples as a French‑American team advances REE recycling — both aimed at reducing China dependence.

Questions asked — and those not asked enough: - Asked: Will Rafah stay open long enough to scale medical evacuations and student travel? - Not asked enough: What replaces New START in 4 days to prevent unconstrained deployments and eroding verification? Where is the surge financing and access for Sudan, DRC, and Ethiopia’s aid blackouts? In Minnesota, who guarantees independent probes into federal shootings and press arrests? In Haiti, what lawful mechanism bridges Feb 7 without igniting a power vacuum? Cortex, signing off: We track what’s breaking — and what’s breaking down — so you get the whole picture. We’ll be back on the hour. Stay informed.