5 FEB 26 SITREP

• President Donald Trump announced that May 17, 2026 will be dedicated as a day to rededicate America as “One Nation Under God,” with Americans invited to gather on the National Mall to pray, give thanks, and participate in the rededication event.
• The announcement was delivered during the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast, where Trump framed the National Mall gathering as a nationwide civic and religious event.
• Trump announced that the Department of Education issued new guidance intended to protect the right to prayer in public schools, describing the action as a “big deal” across America’s public schools.
• The Department of Education guidance states that students, teachers, and other school officials have the right to pray in school as long as the prayer is not on behalf of the school and is an expression of personal faith, and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the administration will “vigorously protect” free exercise rights in public schools.

• The FBI announced an arrest related to an “imposter ransom demand” connected to the Nancy Guthrie case involving Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, who was reported missing on Sunday, and the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to her recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of those involved.
• FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke stated there is no evidence connecting the arrested person to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and identified the arrested individual as someone trying to profit from the situation through a false ransom demand.
• Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped, stated that investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest, and said authorities believe she is still out there while the Sheriff’s Office works to identify who is responsible.
• Investigators reconstructed a timeline showing Nancy Guthrie left her home at 5:32 pm on January 31 to go to her family’s home for dinner, returned home around 9:48 pm when a garage door opened and then closed 2 minutes later, had a doorbell disconnect at 1:47 am and detect a person at 2:12 am without preserved video due to no subscription, had her pacemaker disconnect from its app at 2:28 am, and was discovered missing at 11:56 am on February 1 with a 911 call placed less than 10 minutes later and patrol teams arriving around 10 minutes after the call.

• The United States and Russia reached an informal understanding to keep following the limits of the New START nuclear arms treaty after it expires on Thursday, with multiple sources saying the arrangement is not final until President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approve it.
• Negotiations occurred over the past 24 hours in Abu Dhabi, where U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian officials on the sidelines of discussions tied to the war in Ukraine, and a U.S. official said both sides agreed to operate in good faith and begin discussions on ways New START could be updated.
• New START, signed in 2010, is the last remaining treaty limiting the nuclear arsenals of the world’s 2 largest nuclear powers, caps deployed nuclear warheads on submarines, intercontinental missiles, and bombers, and includes inspection and transparency measures, while the U.S. official said any continuation after expiration would not be legally binding.
• U.S. European Command announced Thursday that military-to-military dialogue with Russia has resumed after a suspension that began in 2021 ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is ready for dialogue on limiting strategic offensive arms if Washington responds constructively, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that modern arms control would need to account for China as China’s arsenal grows and China has shown little interest in joining restrictions.