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| Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 5. Let’s get to the news. | |
 | President Donald Trump’s border czar said 700 agents will leave Minnesota. | - A significant scaling back: Many ICE and Border Patrol agents will depart immediately, Tom Homan said. It follows weeks of confrontations and two fatal shootings by officers.
- What else to know: A government lawyer who told a judge that her job “sucks” during a court hearing in Minnesota this week has been pulled from her Justice Department post.
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 | The Supreme Court cleared the way for a California voting map favoring Democrats. | - Potential impact: The map could help Democrats gain up to five seats in Congress. It was approved by voters and designed to offset a redistricting effort by Republicans in Texas.
- In an interview with The Post: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) spoke about his mother’s controversial decision to end her life and the effect it had on his political beliefs.
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 | Trump defended the appearance and size of his planned ballroom. | | | A rendering of the planned White House ballroom, released by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. (Shalom Baranes Associates) | |
 | Savannah Guthrie pleaded with her mother’s apparent abductor. | | | Savannah Guthrie said she and her siblings had heard reports about a ransom letter through the media, but did not offer any information about their authenticity. (Savannah Guthrie via Instagram/Reuters) | |
 | Universities were slowly making faculties more diverse before Trump took office. | - According to a Post analysis: Faculty from underrepresented groups at large research universities increased by a third between 2015 and 2024. Search your university here.
- But now: Most of these efforts are on ice or abandoned as the Trump administration attacks schools for their DEI work. Trump’s college agenda could have a lasting impact.
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 | This map shows where winter has been harshest. | | | About 205 million people have experienced below-average temperatures since the start of December. (Ben Noll/The Washington Post) | - A tale of two winters: One half of the country has been much warmer than average, and the other colder. Humidity levels and snowfall also widely varied — look at these maps.
- But spring is coming: Sunday could be the most frigid day of winter so far for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. But milder air will travel eastward across the U.S. next week.
- While the cold lasts: Try one of these staff-approved warming recipes.
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 | Scientists are working to understand what causes near-death experiences. | | | Researchers have developed a model to explain the science of near-death experiences. Others have challenged it. (Washington Post illustration; iStock) | - When people nearly die: Many report having strange experiences, including viewing their body from the outside, journeying through a tunnel and having a deep sense of peace.
- Why? While scientists keep discovering more about the brain, these experiences remain a mystery. There is debate over possible causes and the reliability of patients’ accounts.
Before you go … which Winter Olympics sport is the most dangerous? It’s not luge or ice skating,
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Jamie Ross and 
