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A U.S. immigration court has terminated the Trump administration's attempt to deport a Tufts University student and pro-Palestinian activist who has been critical of Israel, her lawyers said Monday.

The court terminated the government's removal proceedings on Jan. 29, finding that the government has not met its burden in proving thatRümeysa Öztürk, a Ph.D. student from Turkey studying children's relationship to social media, should be deported, the lawyers said.

The termination was noted Monday in a filing on behalf of Öztürk with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City, where she is challenging her arrest and detention.

"Today, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that despite the justice system's flaws, my case may give hope to those who have also been wronged by the U.S. government," Öztürk said in a statement Monday. "Though the pain that I and thousands of other women wrongfully imprisoned by ICE have faced cannot be undone, it is heartening to know that some justice can prevail after all."

Immigration officers detained Öztürk in March, and a federal judge ordered her release in May, pending proceedings on the merits of her habeas corpus petition. Terminating removal proceedings "does not moot her habeas case," her lawyers wrote.

Her legal team's filing says the immigration court in question denied a key argument the Trump administration used toupend the immigration statusof multiple students and campus activists critical of Israel amid its war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson characterized the immigration court decision as "judicial activism" and called Öztürk a "terrorist sympathizer."

"Visas provided to foreign students to live, study, and work, in the United States are a privilege, not a right — no matter what this or any other activist judicial ruling says," the spokesperson said in a statement Monday. "And when you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country."

Immigration court proceedings are generally not public, and the decision ruling that Öztürk cannot be deported was filed under seal, her lawyers said in their filing. They offered to provide a copy to the appeals court under seal.

Öztürk was arrested March 25 in Somerville, Massachusetts. In supporting her release from an immigrant detention facility,Tufts said in Aprilthat Öztürk had co-authored an opinion piece in the student newspaper criticizing the university's response to the war in Gaza and demanding it divest from ties to Israel.

The Trump administration cited a rarely used provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that allows the secretary of state to deport noncitizens if it is determined their presence would result in "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."

In their filing Monday, Öztürk's lawyers, including counsel from the ACLU of Massachusetts, highlighted what they called the "dangers" of the government's interpretation of the act.

"Under the government's view," they wrote, "it could punitively detain any noncitizen in retaliation for her speech for many months, so long as it simultaneously institutes removal proceedings—no matter how unmeritorious—all without any federal court review of the lawfulness of detention at any time."

Defense team member Mahsa Khanbabai said in a statement Monday that the Trump administration "has manipulated immigration laws to silence people who advocate for Palestinian human rights and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

Khanbabai added: "I hope that other immigration judges will follow her lead and decline to rubber stamp the president's cruel deportation agenda."

The Department of Justice sued to strike down the ban in November 2025 after it was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. In a ruling on Feb. 9, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder preliminarily struck down the law, and upheld another California law that requires federal officers to display their identification while performing their official duties.

The Trump administration hailed the ruling as a win, with Attorney GeneralPam Bondicalling it a "key court victory." The Justice Department argued in the lawsuit that immigration agents "face a real threat of criminal liability from state officials who have made clear their intent to target federal officers and disrupt federal law enforcement activities, including federal immigration enforcement."

"These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs. We have no tolerance for it," Bondisaidin her statement on Feb. 9.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also counted the ruling to uphold the identification law as "a clear win for the rule of law," and said "no badge and no name mean no accountability."

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

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'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

More:Safety measure? Or intimidation tactic? Masked ICE agents spark the debate

In the ruling, Snyder said that the federal government would likely prove the mask ban to be unconstitutional because it treated state officers differently than federal officers; the law included local law enforcement officers and federal officers but not state officers.

The ruling comes as political tension is heightened over PresidentDonald Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions in primarily Democrat-led states and cities. Weeks of protests have spread nationally after federal officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, inMinneapolis, where the administration recently announced the departure of hundreds of immigration enforcement personnel. In videos and photos, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents are routinely seen wearing face coverings while conducting operations, making arrests and clashing with protesters.

Los Angeles has also been atarget for enhanced immigration enforcement, which sparked protests that at times turned violent last summer.

More:White House negotiating with Democrats on DHS reform as deadline nears

Scott Wiener, the state senator who introduced the mask ban, said in a statement that he will introduce new legislation to include state officers, and said the ruling demonstrates that California has the right to block officers from covering their faces if state officers are included.

"Today's federal court ruling is a huge win: The Court ruled that California has the power to protect our community by banning officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks and thus inflicting terror and shielding themselves from accountability," Wiener, a Democrat whose area of representation includes San Francisco, said.

"ICE and Border Patrol are covering their faces to maximize their terror campaign and to insulate themselves from accountability. We won't let them get away with it," Wienersaid.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents

Russian forces usedcluster munitionsin an attack on a market in Ukraine killing seven as envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi last week foranother roundof U.S.-brokered talks. No breakthrough was made, although a new prisoner swap was agreed.

After saying in 2024 that he could end the war in a day, then 100 days, U.S. President Donald Trump has now given Ukraine and Russiauntil Juneto come to an agreement.

The EU is convinced that Russia is not negotiating seriously and it doubts that European and Ukrainian interests are being represented by the Trump administration, so work has begun on "a sustainable peace plan" that might force Moscow's hand.

"We have just seen increased bombing by Russians during these talks," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, including the targeting of Ukraine'selectricity gridduring what has been the coldest winter of the war.

Kallas said that the 27-nation bloc is "very grateful" for U.S. diplomatic efforts so far, but "to have sustainable peace also, everybody around the table including the Russians and the Americans need to understand that you need Europeans to agree."

"We also have conditions," Kallas told reporters in Brussels. "And we should put the conditions not on Ukrainians that have already been pressured a lot, but on the Russians."

Kallas said these conditions could include demands that Russia return possibly thousands of childrenabducted from Ukraineand limits on the size of the Russian armed forces once the war is over. Russia insists on a cap for Ukraine's forces.

"The Ukrainian army is not the issue. It's the Russian army. It's the Russian military expenditure. If they spend so much on the military they will have to use it again," Kallas said.

A draft list of conditions is likely to be shared among EU member countries in coming days for a possible discussion when the bloc's foreign ministers meet on Feb. 23.

Kallas said that Ukraine is reliant on the United States for support and that this dependency has seen it forced to make almost all the concessions.

"Pressuring the weaker party is always maybe getting the results faster but it's only a declaration that we have peace. It's not sustainable peace. It's not going to be a guarantee for Ukraine or anybody else that Russia is not going to attack again."

She said that the Europeans do not want to start a separate track of peace talks, which Russia in any case would likely dismiss, but she said that it is important "to change the narrative."

"Everybody wants this war to stop, except the Russians," she said. "We can push them into the place where they actually want to end this war. They're not there yet. Unfortunately, it's not an easy solution."

Kallas cited recent intelligence estimates that President Vladimir Putin is struggling to find recruits to continue his war effort and insisted that EU sanctions are damaging Russia's economy as inflation there runs high.

The EU is also working on a ban to halt repairs and other services to ships carrying Russian oil. Kallas hopes to bring the Group of Seven nations onboard in talks at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.

"We can push them into the place where they actually want to end this war. They're not there yet. Unfortunately, it's not an easy solution," she said.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Tracy Scroggins," his family said ina statement provided to TMZ.

"Tracy was a devoted father, cherished family member, and loyal friend whose life was marked by remarkable strength and perseverance. While many knew him for his career as a professional football player in the NFL, those closest to him knew him as a kind-hearted and generous man who cared deeply for his family and friends."

The family also said in its announcement of Scroggins' death that the 56-year-old had suffered symptoms suspected to be from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during his post-playing career.

CTE is only diagnosable through a neuropathological autopsy performed after a person's death. It was not immediately clear whether Scroggins' family would have his brain tested.

"Playing in the NFL gave Tracy the opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream and to rise from poverty," the statement read. "However, unfortunately, the NFL was also ultimately the cause of his untimely demise. Tracy spent every moment of retirement courageously battling the devastating effects of CTE. While our hearts are heavy, we find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace."

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Scroggins was one of nearly 5,000 players to file concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL before the league's sweeping concussion settlement in 2015.

Scroggins filed an additional claim against the NFL in 2016. His lawyer at the time – Tim Howard – stated his client was suffering from symptoms consistent with CTE.

"He can't remember where he is or where he's going,"Howard told USA TODAY Sports in 2016. "He hasn't been able to hold a job over the last six years. Beyond memory issues, he suffers from depression and has angry outbursts."

Scroggins was a defensive mainstay for Detroit

Scroggins played 10 NFL seasons, all for theLions, after being selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft. The Tulsa product played 142 games and made 89 starts while playing both defensive end and linebacker.

Scroggins racked up 60½ career sacks – seventh-most in franchise history – and was named the No. 90 player in the ranking of the greatest players franchise history bythe Free Pressin 2019.

TheLionspaid homage to Scroggins with a social media post shortly after his death was announced:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tracy Scroggins, Detroit Lions great, dies after suspected CTE battle

Golden State coach Steve Kerr announced the news prior to the Warriors' game on Monday evening versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

Curry will not play vs. Memphis on Monday or San Antonio on Wednesday, missing his fourth and fifth consecutive games. He is suffering from patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner's knee.

The Warriors are hopeful that Curry will return after the All-Star break when they host the Boston Celtics on Feb. 19.

"It's a matter of learning as I go what works rehab-wise," Curry told ESPN. "Because it's still painful. You have to try to get rid of all the inflammation and pain. It's something we still have to monitor and injury-manage, but it's something where, if I come back too early, it could flare up."

Curry has missed 14 games to date, but is averaging 27.2 points per game, the fifth-highest per game total of his 17-year career.

He has not played since leaving a Jan. 30 home game vs. Detroit.

Curry joins the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) as All-Stars who will miss Sunday's game in Los Angeles. Gilgeous-Alexander has been replaced on the Team World roster by the Houston Rockets' center Alperen Sengun.

The NBA hasn't announced a replacement for Curry on Team USA.

--Field Level Media

It was tense.

Access the St. John's beat like never before

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-timetexting withZach Brazillerabout the inside buzz on St. John's.

It was close.

It could've gone either way.

The second matchup between the Pitinos was much like the first one — a narrow St. John's victory that could have easily been won by Xavier.

Ultimately, the 17th-ranked Johnnies made enough plays Monday to survive, three days after their rousing victory over Connecticut.

"We were ready to play, but [Xavier] was terrific, and they were terrific at Xavier. Certain teams cause matchup problems for you, and this team does for us," coach Rick Pitino said after the Red Storm's grind-it-out, 87-82 overtime victory in front of 14,512 at the Garden. "But we came away twice in the latter stages of the games with a victory. I think that's a great thing for our team. I hope we don't play them in the Big East Tournament."

Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins came up big in overtime, after Oziyah Sellers shook off a poor shooting night by tipping in his own miss late in the regulation to force the extra session.

In those final five minutes, Ejiofor scored six of his game-high 25 points, Hopkins came up with two key steals and St. John's (19-5, 12-1) defense made critical stops and held Xavier (12-12, 4-9) star Tre Carroll without a field-goal attempt.

"That's what we said, he's not going to touch it, we're going to make their guards handle the basketball and take shots," Pitino said.

The elder Pitino improved to 5-1 against his son, Richard, and moved into third place on his own on the all-time wins list, surpassing Roy Williams.

It marked St. John's 10th consecutive win and moved them into a flat-footed tie atop the Big East with sixth-ranked UConn.

But the Hall of Fame coach wasn't thrilled with the performance.

"Because I was not pleased with our defense tonight, I'm not really happy about 904. If we played better defense, I'd be much happier," he said. "Happy with the victory, but more proud of my son. In the two times we played them, he did things to really hurt our defense, did things to really hurt our press."

Xavier had St. John's on skates defensively for large portions of the evening.

They led by five deep into the second half, and were a defensive rebound away in the final seconds from pulling off the upset as a 16.5-point underdog.

CHECK OUT THELATEST BIG EAST STANDINGSANDST. JOHN'S STATS

But Hopkins got two key offensive rebounds with St. John's down two, Sellers got to his own miss to pull the Johnnies even and Carroll slipped and his heave at the horn wasn't close.

In overtime, Hopkins was terrific on the defensive end.

"When the game was on the line, really Bryce Hopkins won the game," Pitino said. "He made big plays for us on the defensive end, and he was outstanding in the final seven, eight minutes of the game."

Ejiofor had seven rebounds and five assists to go with his 25 points, Hopkins added 19 points and nine rebounds and Dylan Darling had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Carroll scored 21 for Xavier and Jovan Milicevic tallied 13.

Predictably, the atmosphere three days after the rousing Connecticut win was not nearly the same.

The crowd, decent in size, was quiet and the team wasn't sharp.

"It might've looked like we came out lacking a little bit of energy. But it wasn't like we were taking Xavier lightly," Darling said. "They took us down to the buzzer at their place, and we just went to OT with them tonight. We weren't taking them lightly. … We struggled, and we struggled guarding them."

Adm. Daryl Caudle's vision — what he callshis "Fighting Instructions"— calls for the Navy to deploy more tailored groups of ships and equipment that would offer the sea service more flexibility to respond to crises as they develop.

Caudle spoke to The Associated Press before the rollout of the new strategy, which comes as the Trump administration hasmoved aircraft carriers and other shipsto regions around the world to address emerging concerns. This has disrupted standing deployment plans, scrambled ships to sail thousands of miles and put increasing strain on vessels and equipment that are already facing mounting maintenance issues.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, theUSS Gerald R. Ford, was redirectedlate last year from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean Sea, where the crew ultimately supported last month's operation to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. And two weeks ago,the USS Abraham Lincoln arrivedin the Middle East as tensions with Iran rise, having been pulled from the South China Sea.

In an interview, Caudle said his strategy would make the Navy's presence in regions like the Caribbean much leaner and better tailored to meet actual threats.

He said he's already spoken with thecommander of U.S. Southern Command, which encompasses the Caribbean and Venezuela, "and we're in negotiation on what his problem set is — I want to be able to convey that I can meet that with a tailored package there."

Admiral sees a smaller contingent in the Caribbean in the future

Speaking broadly, Caudle said he envisions the mission in the Caribbean focusing more on interdictions and keeping an eye on merchant shipping.

The U.S. military hasalready seized multiplesuspicious and falsely flaggedtankers connected with Venezuelathat were part of a global shadow fleet of merchant vessels that help governments evade sanctions.

"That doesn't really require a carrier strike group to do that," Caudle said, adding that he believes the mission could be done with some smaller littoral combat ships, Navy helicopters and close coordination with the Coast Guard.

The Navy has had 11 ships, including the Ford and several amphibious assault ships with thousands of Marines, in South American waters for months. It is a major shift for a region that has historically seen deployments of one or two smaller Navy ships.

"I don't want a lot of destroyers there driving around just to actually operate the radar to get awareness on motor vessels and other tankers coming out of port," Caudle said. "It's really not a well-suited match for that mission."

Turning to drones or robotic systems

To compensate, Caudle envisions leaning more heavily on drones or other robotic systems to offer military commanders the same capabilities but with less investment from Navy ships. He acknowledges this will not be an easy sell.

Caudle said even if a commander knows about a new capability, the staff "may not know how to ask for that, integrate it, and know how to employ it in an effective way to bring this new niche capability to bear."

"That requires a bit of an education campaign here," he later added.

President Donald Trump has favored large and bold responses from the Navy and has leaned heavily toward displays of firepower.

Trump has referred to aircraft carriers and their accompanying destroyers as armadas and flotillas. He also revived the historicbattleship title for a planned type of shipthat would sport hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns and high-powered lasers.

If built, the proposed "Trump-class battleship" would be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships, though the Navy has not only struggled to field some of the technologies that Trump says will be aboard but it has had challenges building even smaller, less sophisticated ships on time and on budget.

Given this trend, Caudle said if the Lincoln's recent redeployment to the Middle East were to happen under his new plan, he would talk with the Indo-Pacific commander about how to compensate for the loss.

"So, as Abraham Lincoln comes out, I've got a three ship (group) that's going to compensate for that," Caudle suggested as an example.

Caudle argues that his vision already is in place and working in Europe and North America "for the last four or five years."

He said this could apply soon in the Bering Strait, which separates Russia and Alaska, noting that "the importance of the Arctic continues to get more and more prevalent" as China, Russia and the U.S. prioritize the region.

Trump has citedthe threat from China and Russiain hisdemands to take over Greenland, the Arctic island overseen by NATO ally Denmark.

Caudle said he knows he needs to offer the commanders in that region "more solutions" and his "tailored force packages would be a way to get after that."