Major Nuclear Arms Treaty Expires, and Federal Prosecutor in Minnesota Says ‘This Job Sucks’

0:02From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, February 5th. Here's what we're covering.

0:13The statement that I shall now read is being issued simultaneously in Moscow and Washington. Washington, 12 o 'clock, Moscow, 7 p.m. Back in the early 1970s, in the middle of the Cold War, President Nixon made history announcing he was working toward a nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The two sides are taking this course in the conviction that it will create more favorable conditions for further negotiations to limit all strategic arms. That treaty ushered in a new era where the world's superpowers acknowledged there was a danger to letting the arms race spin out of control.

0:52After they signed it, stockpiles of nukes dropped drastically. In the decades since, I state clearly and with conviction, America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. The U.S. signed on to a series of updated treaties. The most recent one was under President Obama in 2010. Mr. President, just one, you said three weeks on this, though. Is it going to expire? If it expires, it expires. We'll do a better agreement. But as of today, it has expired. And so for the first time since 1972, the U.S. and Russia have no limits on the size of their arsenals. Many experts agree with what the Trump administration has argued, that the treaty was in need of updates.

1:39It needed to cover more types of weapons and more countries needed to sign on, etc. But the complete absence of an arms control agreement comes at the very moment world leaders are considering expanding their capabilities. Russia has done test launches to prepare for nuclear weapons in space and a test of an underwater drone that could detonate a warhead and trigger a radioactive tsunami. China now has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, trying to rival Moscow and Washington. And Japan, South Korea, and Turkey, which are non-nuclear countries, are now discussing whether they need to change course.

2:19Some countries in Europe are wondering the same, feeling like they can no longer rely on the U.S. for protection and might need their own weapons. Analysts say it leaves the Trump administration with a choice. The U.S. can expand its own arsenal and develop specialized weapons to keep up. Or it can try and negotiate a new, broader deal. That would require Trump pushing on Moscow, though. And it would require China to engage on the topic, which it has so far refused to do. For now, two of the U.S.'s leading nuclear experts have warned that, quote, nuclear weapons are back with a vengeance.

3:01In Minnesota this week, a federal prosecutor was in court in front of a judge when she made a pretty wild statement. Julie Lee was being grilled about why the Trump administration has been ignoring court orders to release immigrants who shouldn't have been detained. And in response, she said, quote, What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. Lee said her office was so slammed with immigration cases that she wished the judge would just hold her in contempt of court so that she could get some sleep. The next day, she was fired from her position. But her dramatic outburst points to the chaos that Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown has triggered in the court system, not just in Minnesota but across the country.

3:45The surge of arrests has meant a flood of cases. Lee said that in the last few weeks, she personally found herself overseeing about 90 of them. The backlog has left scores of immigrants stuck in detention in violation of judicial orders and their constitutional rights. Meanwhile. Mr. President, speaking of Minneapolis, what did you learn? I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. These are criminals. President Trump said that he's ordered about 700 federal immigration agents to leave Minnesota. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement.

4:28His Borders are. Tom Homan said the administration was doing the partial drawdown because some counties were cooperating with immigration officials, though he didn't specify how many. The biggest county in the state, where Minneapolis is, has not changed its longstanding policy against working with ICE. For now, roughly 2 ,000 federal agents will remain in Minnesota. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry called the reduction a step in the right direction, but joined the governor and other state officials in calling for all federal agents to leave.

5:06This week, for the first time, two major American medical groups have backed limitations on gender-related surgeries for minors. The American Medical Association, the nation's largest organization representing doctors, said yesterday that the procedure should generally be deferred until patients reach adulthood. And on Tuesday, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommended essentially the same. Until now, most major medical groups in the U.S. have opposed efforts to restrict this kind of care. And several, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say their positions remain unchanged.

5:41Their general guidance has been that doctors should make decisions that take into account patients' individual needs, no matter their age. That includes, in rare cases, gender-affirming surgeries. But in explaining their changing guidance, both the AMA and the Plastic Surgeons Association pointed to what they said was sparse research on the risks and benefits of the procedures. Their shifting stance comes as there's been growing political backlash over this kind of care. The Trump administration has condemned gender treatment for minors as malpractice and made it a frequent talking point. Medical professionals have also been rattled by dozens of lawsuits filed by people who came to regret the gender-related procedures they had as teenagers.

6:24Last week, a jury in New York ruled in favor of a woman who claimed a mastectomy she had at 16 when she identified as male had left her disfigured. She was awarded$2 million, marking the first malpractice verdict in a case like that.

6:48Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. In an emotional video released last night, the TV news anchor Savannah Guthrie said she and her siblings were ready to listen to ransom offers as a frantic search for their mother continues. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. Please reach out to us. 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has been missing since this weekend. She was dropped off at home in a quiet neighborhood outside of Tucson on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, she didn't show up for church. Her wallet, cell phone, and car were all left at her house.

7:32And when police went to investigate, there was red splatter on her front doorstep. The local sheriff said there was other concerning evidence at the scene, quote, inside, outside, all over. In the past few days, at least two news outlets reported that they had received messages that appeared to be ransom notes, including one that demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin. Officials say they're investigating the notes, but so far, no suspects have been identified. Savannah Guthrie, who's an anchor on NBC's Today show, is one of the most watched morning TV hosts in the country. She was set to play a key role in the network's Winter Olympics coverage, but pulled out after her mother's disappearance.

8:23And finally, even though the Olympics haven't officially started, a handful of the competitions are already underway. The tricky thing is... So it appears that there is a partial power outage here at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. That yesterday, right at the very start of the very first event of the Games, the lights went out. Here we go. The outage didn't last long. A little cheer goes up. After only a few minutes, the curlers were able to get back at it with their brooms. But it was a live-action hiccup for Italy, which is hosting the games and has faced questions for months about whether its facilities would be ready.

9:03The big show will get underway tomorrow with the opening ceremonies.

9:11Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, an inside look at the unfolding crisis at The Washington Post, where hundreds of staffers were let go yesterday. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.