NEWS - FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026 - NEWS
In his first press conference since taking over federal immigration operations in Minnesota after the killing of two U.S. citizens, border policy advisor Tom Homan said street operations in the state would wind down if the agents are allowed into the local jails instead. LA Times
VOA VIEW: The operative words are "if they have access to jails".
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that military tensions could be escalated in Venezuela if new leaders stray from U.S. goals. LA Times
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has slammed the mob responsible for hijacking Tuesday's Police Commission meeting. New York Post
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared that the US military will be ready to attack Iran if President Trump deems it necessary. New York Post
VOA VIEW: We should be ready.
A pizza cutter-toting lunatic posed as an FBI agent in a botched bid to spring Luigi Mangione out of his notorious Brooklyn jail, federal prosecutors said Thursday. New York Post
Ms. Omar was sprayed with liquid from a syringe as she spoke at a town hall and called for the resignation of Kristi Noem, who leads the Homeland Security Department. New York Times
VOA VIEW: Omar is an idiot.
The monthly trade deficit and imports rebounded in November after shrinking significantly in prior months, new data show. New York Times
The move, which comes after the killing of protesters, brings the European Union in line with the United States and Canada. New York Times
Up to a foot is possible this weekend in parts of the Southeast and on Cape Cod, with smaller amounts expected for much of the East Coast. New York Times
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A new study suggests that those with long-lived families probably have the best prospects of making it to a very old age. New York Times
A proposed class-action lawsuit claims Costco was misleading customers and engaging in false advertising when it described the chicken as having no preservatives. New York Times
A dizzying array of rules govern what can be bought with SNAP dollars, confusing grocery stores and consumers. New York Times
VOA VIEW: It must be known.
Passengers evacuated from an Air France jet in Arizona after a Jordanian man, who boarded despite having a canceled ticket, refused to leave the plane. Washington Times
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The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged up for the second week in a row, but remains just above its lowest level in more than three years. Washington Times
Mississippi dispatched 500 National Guard troops to clear roads blocked by fallen trees and Tennessee had nearly 1,000 linemen scrambling to restore power to thousands of Nashville homes as the Southern states raced to recover from a crippling winter storm before another blast of dangerous cold hits Friday. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Everybody must be ready.
Officials confirmed this week that there are three cases of tuberculosis at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. Washington Times
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The Trump administration on Wednesday took a step toward rolling back a rule that limits smokestack emissions that burden downwind areas in neighboring states. Washington Times
Democrats say they won't allow the funding package to move forward without reforms to immigration enforcement. CBS
VOA VIEW: Dems are pushing it.
Side-curtain air bags in some Hyundai Palisade SUVs may not properly deploy during a crash, auto safety watchdog warns. CBS
U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 - the highest mark in American history. But the U.S. still ranks below dozens of other countries. CBS
VOA VIEW: Good and bad news.
A Texas man became the first person executed in the U.S. this year. The man killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. At one point, he escaped prison for three days. CBS
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before Congress about Nicolás Maduro's capture and the future of Venezuela, and also fielded questions about Iran and Greenland. CBS
The recall affects several batches of the 5.5-ounce Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits, the FDA said. CBS
Multiple sources told Reuters that Trump is weighing targeted strikes on Iranian security forces and leaders to inspire protestors. CNBC
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An audit from a government watchdog alerted the IRS of the mistake and the agency took steps to credit the tax accounts affected by the oversight. CNBC
South Carolina confirms second hypothermia death from winter storm as 83-year-old woman dies in Lexington County. More extreme weather threatens the state. FOX News
A driver was taken into custody after police say the individual intentionally and repeatedly rammed a vehicle into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City. FOX News
The viral "bananas and rice" woman was among 16 arrested during the Minneapolis riots as federal authorities escalate enforcement after deadly clashes with protesters. FOX News
A California man pleaded guilty to sending over $1,600 to ISIS fighters and possessing a homemade bomb packed with metal fragments in a federal terrorism case. FOX News
CTA passenger allegedly beaten into coma with brain injuries, broken ribs won't see attacker serve prison time under current Illinois sentencing laws. FOX News
A judge has barred federal immigration officers from arresting and detaining legally present refugees in Minnesota, handing the Trump administraiton a legal defeat in its aggressive immigration crackdown. UPI
VOA VIEW: The judge did not have the authority to bar immigration officers.
The deployment of National Guard and other military troops in U.S. cities cost taxpayers nearly $500 million in the second half of 2025, the CBO said. UPI
The FBI has executed a sealed search warrant at a Fulton County, Ga., elections hub to take election documents from the 2020 elections. UPI
VOA VIEW: It's time to check all the facts.
Senate Democrats said they will force the federal government to shut down if three demands are not met ahead of Friday's budget deadline. UPI
VOA VIEW: The shut down will be on Dems.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has altered the official portrait of former Adm. Rachel Levine, the Biden administration’s transgender federal health official, replacing Levine’s current name with his original birth name. It is the right thing to do.
Levine is a biological male who identifies as a transgender female. The former Biden official previously stated that, for decades, he lived with the distress of gender dysphoria while building a career and raising a family. Once his children were older and more independent, Levine felt he “could finally live authentically.” He eventually began transitioning in his early 50s.
Levine’s portrait, which hangs in a seventh-floor corridor of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building alongside those of previous leaders of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, originally read “Adm. Rachel L. Levine.” However, sometime recently — presumably during the recent government shutdown that furloughed non-essential employees — HHS staff removed the frame’s glass, swapped the printed nameplate for one reading “Richard L. Levine,” the former Biden official’s “deadname,” and resealed it.
HHS changed Richard Levine’s name back to Richard after the Biden admin referred to him as “Rachel.” This is a dude! If the truth hurts, seek help. According to LGBTQ terminology, a deadname is the birth name or former legal name that a transgender, non-binary, or gender-nonconforming person used before they transitioned and adopted a new name. Adrian Shanker, another former Biden administration health official, upheld that the change occurred during the government shutdown this fall.
“During the federal shutdown, the current leadership of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health changed Admiral Levine’s photo to remove her current legal name and use a prior name,” Shanker said, describing the change as “small acts of pettiness and bigotry.” NPR first reported the change on December 5th after receiving a photograph from an “anonymous HHS employee” who described the alteration as “disrespectful.”
Levine, a pediatrician, served as HHS Assistant Secretary for Health from March 2021 until the end of the Biden administration. He played a prominent role in the disastrous federal COVID-19 response under Biden and strongly supported access to hormone blockers and sex change operations, describing both as being “medically necessary and life-saving.”
