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By Jamie Ross and Hannah Jewell Listen to this briefing Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 13, and there’s a lot of difficult news out there. So, today, our writers want to celebrate your small wins — tell us something good. Now let’s catch up. Elon Musk’s team has begun sweeping layoffs of federal workers. What to know: Employees were informed of widespread “reductions in force” yesterday. Later, a federal judge lifted a pause on President Donald Trump’s worker buyout offer. Zooming out: There are over 3 million federal employees — these graphs show where cuts could come from. One target is agencies that investigate government wrongdoing. Fact check: Trump said his team found “tens of billions” in savings — he’s not even close. Read this story          Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. The details: The call kicked off Trump’s bid to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. And it started a new chapter in the two leaders’ complicated and unpredictable relationship. What else to know: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Ukraine’s peace goals “unrealistic” yesterday. And the U.S. is releasing a notorious Russian cybercriminal in an exchange. In the Middle East: Israel is likely to strike Iran’s nuclear program in the coming months, according to U.S. intelligence. Read this story          Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as Trump’s director of national intelligence. Trump holds up Gabbard’s commission document after she was sworn in by Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Who is she? A former Democratic congresswoman and one of Trump’s most controversial nominees. The Senate confirmed her yesterday — see how your lawmaker voted here. Today: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s health secretary pick, is likely to be confirmed. He’ll probably get pushback from Mitch McConnell, a lonely voice of Republican resistance. Read this story          Pilots got 104 helicopter warnings near a D.C.-area airport in the past decade. What to know: The incidents were logged by air traffic controllers near Reagan National Airport, where a midair collision of a jet and a helicopter killed 67 people last month. Why it matters: The Post’s analysis adds to a volume of evidence suggesting federal regulators had ample information that the busy airspace carried the risk of a collision. Read this story          A California city voted to criminalize helping people in homeless camps. It’s a first: The measure in Fremont forbids “aiding” or “abetting” the camps, concerning advocates. It follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that let cities ban sleeping outside. In D.C.: Trump is expected to issue an executive order that would seek to clear homeless camps. The president has frequently insulted the city. Read this story          Disney is scaling back its content warnings on classic films. Why? It’s part of a revamp of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs as it adjusts to the new Trump era. Trump has signed executive orders targeting DEI. Some examples: “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan” will no longer autoplay warnings on Disney Plus about racial slurs and stereotypes. The disclaimers were introduced in 2020. In related news: Banking giant Goldman Sachs has abandoned its DEI rule. Read this story          ADVERTISEMENT   Scientists detected a mysterious messenger from the cosmos. Scientists detected the highest-energy neutrino ever measured using the ARCA telescope, built out of spherical digital optical modules like this one.  (N. Busser) What is it? A tiny, elusive particle known as a neutrino. An ultra-high-energy one flitted at close to the speed of light toward a detector off Italy’s coast, researchers said yesterday. Why it’s exciting: Neutrinos travel in straight lines from their origins to us. Scientists may be able to backtrack this one’s path and figure out how and why it shot toward Earth.   Read this story          Before you go … cold where you are? Try these 10 warming, pantry-friendly recipes. Plus: Here’s how to save money on a heat pump. One more fun read: After 50 years of hockey in D.C., what do Capitals fans hold on to? Pain, joy, comfort, love and more. And finally … test your news knowledge with The Post’s daily quiz, On the Record. Click here to play. Or try our word games, Keyword and the brand-new Wridges. You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow. (Illustration by Katty Huertas/The Washington Post) Do you know someone who would like this newsletter? Share it with them. Prefer push notifications? Download The Post’s app to get one when The 7 publishes.