• Trump delays tariffs: President Donald Trump is holding off on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada for 30 days after the two United States neighbors agreed to boost border security efforts. 
• China tariffs on U.S.: China has countered President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs of its own on multiple United States imports as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures. 
  • Related Monitor story: Globalization is over. Will Trump tariffs reset US-China rivalry?
• Ukraine loses ground: A shortage of infantry troops and supply routes under Russian drone attacks has dealt a blow to Ukrainian forces around the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk.
  • Related Monitor story: War worries heavy? Internet out? In Ukraine, books are the balm.
• Legal help for migrants: The U.S. Justice Department has ordered a halt to programs and nonprofits that provide information and guidance to people in immigration proceedings.
• France #MeToo trial: A Paris court Feb. 3 found filmmaker Christophe Ruggia guilty of sexual assault on French actor Adèle Haenel when she was between 12 and 15 years old in the early 2000s.

Other presidents have vowed to cut the federal bureaucracy before – and largely failed. Are the brash actions of the Trump administration the only way to make headway? President Donald Trump and Elon Musk seem to think so. The question is whether they are smashing the Constitution to bits along the way. The administration’s actions seek to dramatically redefine the power of the modern American presidency and will likely force courts to step in and decide.

The release of Israeli hostages is somewhat overshadowing the release of Palestinian prisoners in Gaza and the West Bank. Some have been in Israeli jails for more than half their life. Many were unaware that the war in Gaza even happened. The Monitor went to discover who they are and to hear their stories. “Every single one of us is born again today,” said one prisoner. “From this very moment, I am reborn.”

One of President Donald Trump’s primary targets during his first weeks in office has been diversity, equity, and inclusion – or DEI. But what actually is DEI, and what is Mr. Trump trying to do? The president’s effort to dial back affirmative action in federal hiring, for instance, could be one of his most consequential executive actions yet. Says one lawyer, “It’s the linchpin of the modern equal employment opportunity.”

A San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit had a novel idea. What if those experiencing homelessness could have someone to talk to? So began Miracle Messages, in which homeless residents and volunteers become phone buddies. More than anything, those living on the streets “need a human connection and recognition that they are worthy of support,” says one expert on homelessness. Such efforts offer “hope that there’s a way forward instead of just feeling overwhelmed by the challenge.”

In our weekly roundup of progress around the world, prioritizing well-being over convenience is producing benefits for people and environments. It has meant safer streets in Warsaw, Poland; a healthier Sri Lankan capital; and even family members who feel more connected to each other.

Nearly two months after their liberation from a half-century of dictatorship, Syrians appear to be shaping their future as much as the country’s new de facto ruler, former Islamist rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. And many are doing it through laughter.

Since the fall of the Assad regime Dec. 8, a collective of 20 comedians has toured the country entertaining thousands of people in various venues with uncensored humor. They are taking advantage of Syria’s newfound freedom of expression and equality. And their audiences are as diverse as the comedy collective itself, reflecting Syria’s ethnic and religious groups.

“If we can laugh together, we can live together,” Malke Mardinali, co-founder of the Styria Comedy Club, told New Lines Magazine. One audience member said about the show, “We feel at home here. We can laugh about anything and as much as we want – no one is watching us anymore.”

In cafés and street markets, on campuses or public transportation, a country at the heart of the Middle East is having a grand moment of inclusiveness and is rediscovering a national identity briefly expressed during the 2011 Arab Spring protests. Dozens of Syrian writers, artists, and academics, for example, have signed a petition asking for “the restoration of fundamental public freedoms” and that a new government – not yet fully formed – would not “interfere in people’s customs.” Their concern stems from Mr. al-Sharaa’s appointment of some officials who seek to impose strict Islamic rules even on non-Muslims.

“What is new and gives a sense of hope is that the fear barrier has been smashed in Syria, and from this development, there can be no going back,” wrote Shahira Salloum, managing editor of the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news publication.

Mr. al-Sharaa, whose rebel group dispatched the old regime, may be getting the message. Last week, he promised a national dialogue to help write a constitution and prepare for elections. He also wants to “form a broad transitional government, representative of Syria’s diversity.” He has also heard that message from diplomats visiting from countries that range from Qatar to Germany.

“Syrians have already proved they can do the impossible,” wrote Oz Katerji, a British Lebanese freelance journalist, in Foreign Policy. “Why should they fear rebuilding Syria as a democratic pluralist nation state?”

For those Syrians now laughing in comedy clubs, fear may be the last thing on their mind.