Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally withdrawn President Trump's proposed 'anti-weaponization' fund ahead of his confirmation hearing. Two Republican senators had sought a written guarantee that Trump would not revive the controversial proposal. The NPR report also notes that Trump called off planned strikes on Iran over a potential deal, though that development is not corroborated by the second report.
BBC News – World 2 publishers and 2 source reports documented this archived update.
BBC News – World 
NYTimes – World Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have captured Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint for Red Sea shipping and oil exports. Saudi Arabia said it shut down a major oil pipeline as a precaution after it came under attack. The Houthis also reportedly took over Yemen's port of Mokha, about 50 miles from the strait, consolidating control along the key maritime route.
Sky News – Front Page Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested Jacques Ratliff in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant house in August. Authorities have ruled her death a homicide.
BBC News – World Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline after drones launched from Iraq attacked and set the route on fire, authorities said Friday. The pipeline has become crucial for shipping Saudi oil to the Red Sea since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iraq removed a military commander and opened investigations into the attack, which came from an area bordering Iran.
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