The briefing for Friday, February 6.

The United States and Iran held nuclear negotiations Friday in Muscat, Oman, after a week of confusion over the location and scope of the talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, accompanied by Jared Kushner, met separately with Omani officials in what appeared to be indirect talks. The meetings came after President Donald Trump warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that he "should be very worried" about potential US military action.

The talks represent the first direct engagement between the two countries since Israel's 12-day war against Iran last June, during which the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. According to the Associated Press, US officials believe Iran's theocracy is at its weakest point since the 1979 Islamic Revolution following last month's brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands. The White House remains "very skeptical" about the prospects for success but agreed to the talks out of respect for regional allies.

The scope of negotiations remains a key sticking point. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that talks must address Iran's ballistic missile program, support for regional militant groups, and treatment of protesters, not just nuclear issues. Iran, however, has maintained that discussions should focus exclusively on its nuclear program. Araghchi stated that a deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief is "possible," while Trump claimed Iran was "within one month" of having a nuclear weapon before US strikes destroyed much of its enrichment capacity.

Russia and Ukraine conducted their first prisoner exchange in five months on Thursday, swapping 314 individuals following a second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 157 Ukrainians were released, including seven civilians, while Russia's Defense Ministry said 157 Russian servicemen and three civilians from the Kursk region were returned. US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the talks as "detailed and productive" but said "significant work remains."

The negotiations, led by Witkoff and Jared Kushner, represent President Trump's ongoing effort to end the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to the BBC, the most difficult issue remains territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the rest of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow does not currently control. Zelensky said the talks "had not been easy" and Ukraine would remain "as constructive as possible" but wanted "faster results."

In a separate development, Zelensky disclosed that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed on the battlefield since the war began, the first such update since December 2024 when he put the figure at 43,000. He also noted that "a large number of people" are registered as missing. Ukraine's interior ministry had recorded more than 70,000 people as officially missing as of six months ago, though the true casualty figures for both sides are expected to be much higher than officially acknowledged. The BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced Thursday it will produce cutting-edge 3-nanometer semiconductors at its second factory in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, a significant boost for the country's chipmaking ambitions. The decision by TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker and a major supplier to companies like Nvidia and Apple, came during a meeting between CEO C.C. Wei and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo.

The advanced chips will be used in artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous driving—sectors that Takaichi's cabinet has designated as strategically important. According to the Associated Press, the announcement was "very meaningful from the perspective of Japanese economic security," Takaichi said, adding she wants the project to "move forward as proposed, by all means." TSMC's first Kumamoto plant began mass production in late 2024 making less advanced chips, and the company is also building new facilities in Arizona.

The move represents a major win for Takaichi ahead of Sunday's general election, where she hopes to secure public mandate for her policies. Wei said Japan's "forward-looking semiconductor policy will deliver significant benefits to the semiconductor industry." As Japan works to regain ground in global chipmaking competitiveness, it is also providing substantial subsidies to domestic chipmaker Rapidus, which is advancing toward mass production of cutting-edge chips. TSMC plans to increase capital spending by up to 40% this year to between $52 billion and $56 billion, up from $40 billion in 2025.

The US Census Bureau plans to use survey questions from the American Community Survey, which includes a citizenship question, as part of its 2030 census field test in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. The unexpected decision raises questions about whether the Trump administration might attempt to add the controversial question to the actual 2030 census, despite failing to do so during Trump's first term when the effort was blocked by the Supreme Court.

Questions for the decennial census have not asked about citizenship for 75 years, and the Constitution's 14th Amendment requires counting "the whole number of persons in each state" for apportionment purposes. The Census Bureau has interpreted this to mean anybody living in the US, regardless of legal status. According to the Associated Press, the ACS questions have never been used for a census field test before, and the bureau did not respond to inquiries about why they were chosen.

Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who consults on census issues, called the change "alarming" and said the test has become "a shell of what the Census Bureau proposed and should do to ensure an accurate 2030 Census." The field test, which was reduced from six locations to two, is meant to help the statistical agency improve methods for populations that were undercounted in 2020. In January, Trump instructed the Commerce Department to have the Census Bureau start work on excluding immigrants in the US illegally from the count, and Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to that effect.

Amazon announced Thursday it will invest $200 billion in artificial intelligence and infrastructure this year, a nearly 60% increase from the $125 billion it spent on AI in 2025. The announcement sent the company's shares down more than 11% in after-hours trading as investors expressed concern about the scale of spending and when returns would materialize. CEO Andy Jassy said the bulk of spending would go toward "AI, chips, robotics and low earth orbit satellites," adding "it's an unusual opportunity" and the company would "invest aggressively."

Amazon joins other Big Tech giants in announcing massive AI spending increases this week, with Meta, Google, and Microsoft collectively committing $650 billion to AI and related projects in 2026. According to the BBC, Meta will spend up to $135 billion this year, nearly double last year's amount, while Google plans to invest $185 billion. The spending surge has rattled markets, with Meta and Microsoft also seeing their share prices fall this week. The S&P 500 stock index fell more than 1% Thursday, adding to losses from an all-time high reached in late January.

Mary Therese Barton, chief investment officer at Pictet Asset Management, told the BBC there are "certainly jitters" and the announcements have been "a bit of a wake up call" about whether AI investments will pay off. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins warned the BBC that while AI will be "bigger than the internet," the current market is "probably a bubble" and some companies "won't make it." JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon similarly said some of the money invested in AI would "probably be lost." Amazon's CFO Brian Olsavsky noted the company was looking at cost reductions elsewhere as it ramps up spending.