U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement in Budapest on Monday, as the Trump administration deepened ties with the controversial leader ahead of Hungary's upcoming parliamentary elections in April. The deal, which was finalized during Rubio's visit, comes two months before the elections that could determine whether Orbán, who has led Hungary since 2010, can maintain his two-decade grip on power (Source 1, 4).
The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding on Nuclear Energy, was initiated in November 2025 and will facilitate cooperation across the civil nuclear industry, including on small modular reactors (SMRs) (Source 1). During his visit, Rubio enthusiastically endorsed Orbán's bid for a fifth straight term, emphasizing the strong personal relationship between the nationalist leader and U.S. President Donald Trump (Source 4). Orbán is one of Trump's most vocal supporters in the European Union (Source 4).
The signing of the nuclear cooperation deal took place amidst a politically sensitive time for Budapest, as the upcoming elections could significantly alter the political landscape (Source 1). The U.S. and Hungary have been working on this agreement since November 2025 (Source 1).
In other news, the search continues for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, who was reportedly kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona, home on February 1, 2026 (Source 2). The FBI released photos and videos of an armed person in a mask near her home, appearing to tamper with a security camera (Source 2).
Also, advocates have raised concerns about the length of time children are being held in immigration custody (Source 3). A 1997 legal agreement generally limits the detention of minors to 20 days (Source 3). Khelin Marcano and her family were detained at a Texas immigration detention center (Source 3).
In a separate development, comedian Bill Maher called viewers who stopped watching his show after his dinner with President Donald Trump "idiots" (Source 5). "First of all, the people who stopped watching my show because I had dinner with him are idiots, in my view," he said during an interview (Source 5).
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