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A 10-year-old Minnesota girl has been released from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a month in detention in Dilley, Texas, school officials said, one of hundreds of children detained at the facility.

Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano, a fourth-grader, and her mother walked free from the immigration detention center on Tuesday night. Elizabeth and her mother were taken by federal agents on 6 January, the first of five students from the Columbia Heights district to be detained by ICE. The family, originally from Ecuador, has an active asylum case, school officials said.

Meanwhile, Tom Homan, the White House border appointee, said about 700 federal agents would leave Minnesota, a large reduction in agents on the ground but still leaving about 2,000 there, far above typical levels for the state.

• What are the conditions like at the detention center? Federal officials have confirmed that Dilley, which houses families, is now the site of a measles outbreak.

• What did the judge say? On Monday, Fred Biery, a federal judge in Texas Western District, issued an order blocking the removal or transfer of Elizabeth and her mother and giving the federal government five days to respond to the family’s release petition. “This didn’t have to happen. … They did everything they were supposed to do and still found themselves detained and separated,” he said.

Stories you may have missed from the Epstein files

Journalists are still pouring over millions of pages of files released by the Justice Department. Inclusion in the files does not imply wrongdoing or knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s wrongdoing – but the files often provide extraordinary detail on the extent of his network.

Here are some stories you may have missed:

• Brad Karp has resigned as chair of the powerful law firm Paul Weiss after revelations of extensive communications with Epstein.

• The documents provide a high level of insight into Epstein’s close relationship with the former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, in which Bannon acted as a mentor for Epstein’s appearances in the media.

• The UK prime minister is fighting for his political future amid fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Epstein. Mandelson appeared to leak confidential information to Epstein while a minister.

• Bill Gates has said he “regrets” ever knowing Epstein, as his former wife Melinda French Gates alluded to “muck” in their marriage, and said the Microsoft founder has questions to answer.

• The release included Epstein’s full “household manual” detailing strict, cult-like requirements for his Florida mansion staff, who were expected to “see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing”.

‘Grave moment’: end of US-Russia nuclear pact comes at worst possible time, UN chief warns

The UN secretary general urged the US and Russia to sign a new nuclear arms control deal, as the existing treaty expired in what António Guterres called a “grave moment for international peace and security”.

The last nuclear treaty between the two powers, the New Start agreement, ended on Thursday, prompting fears of a global arms race. It limited each side’s nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, a reduction of nearly 30% from the previous limit set in 2002.

• What did Guterres say? “For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of … the two states that possess the overwhelming majority of the global stockpile of nuclear weapons,” Guterres said in a statement on Wednesday.

In other news …

• Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes in Gaza have killed at least 21 people, including six children and seven women, as Israel halted the evacuation of patients through the Rafah border crossing just two days after it reopened.

• Ryan Routh, 59, who tried to assassinate Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024, was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison.

• Striking Starbucks baristas are calling on customers to delete its popular mobile app in solidarity with their demands for a first union contract.

Stat of the day: Washington Post is laying off about 30% of staff – more than 300 journalists

The Washington Post laid off hundreds of employees on Wednesday, which its former executive editor said “ranks among the darkest days” in the newspaper’s history. About 30% of employees were affected. “It’s an absolute bloodbath,” said one employee. The Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, whose net worth is more than $244bn, and whose firm Amazon has also faced criticism for spending about $75m to acquire and promote a documentary about Melania Trump – particularly after Bezos faced accusations of cozying up to Trump by killing the Post’s planned endorsement last fall of Kamala Harris for president.

The Filter Recommends: nine Valentine’s gifts Americans haven’t caught on to yet

“Sometimes I think Valentine’s Day is a corny, capitalist holiday exclusive to the US, and then my coal-black heart remembers that love exists everywhere,” writes Karen Yuan for the Filter. Here are some gift ideas that Americans might not – but should – know about.

Don’t miss this: with nine films on the go, can Charli xcx act?

The Moment is already being positioned as Charli xcx’s pivot from pop to the silver screen. But it’s just one of nine films the British pop icon has coming up. Simran Hans asks: why is she suddenly in everything, everywhere, apparently all at once? And can she act?

Climate check: landslides on one side, floods on the other – the Costa Rican village desperate to escape the climate crisis

The community in La Carpio lives squeezed between the unstable banks of the Río Torres and a steep hillside. Each time it rains people face a double risk: the river swelling on one side and landslides on the other. With the climate crisis intensifying extreme weather in Costa Rica, and government action stalled, families are now making plans to relocate.

Last Thing: ‘My quest to become a Black dad who can do his daughters’ hair’

“For me – and many other Black men – hair care begins and ends with the barber shop,” writes Lanre Bakare. But as his daughters grow older, “I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the basics of caring for their hair” – which also provides an opportunity for connection.

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