Both the House and Senate passed the Laken Riley Act, which is headed to Donald Trump's desk as the first legislation of his second term. The final House vote was 263-156, with all Republicans supporting it and nearly 50 Democrats jumping on board. Read more.
- A new wildfire exploded in Los Angeles County, forcing more than 31,000 evacuations as firefighters struggled to contain it. This new blaze, the Hughes Fire, was 14% contained as of press and covered over 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles. The Palisades fire continues as well and is 70% contained. Read more.
- Donald Trump is sending 1,500 troops to the southern border in a crackdown on illegal immigration. He is weighing sending as many as 10,000 soldiers and using U.S. military bases to hold illegal migrants crossing the border. Read more.
- Democratic states are running "Bias Response Hotlines" for residents to report their neighbors for "offensive jokes." That's the explosive report from the Washington Free Beacon, which found Oregon running a phone hotline that allows anyone to report fellow citizens for things like "sharing offensive jokes." It is unclear what the state then does with the information, but it is tracking what people send it. Read more.
U.S. News:
- Trump selected Sean Curran to lead the Secret Service. Curran is the agent who protected him during the Butler shooting. Read more.
- CNN announced layoffs of 6% of its workforce, or around 210 employees, in a memo to staff. NBC News is also laying off staff as news networks struggle for audience. Read more.
- Marco Rubio makes his first trip as Secretary of State. Rubio is headed to Panama, kicking off the Trump administration's new focus on Latin America. Read more.
- Gavin Newsom fired the top wildfire expert because he was Jewish. That's according to Jeffrey Magram, who led the CA National Guard's wildfire response team. He blames Newsom for what's happened in LA. Read more.
- Nancy Pelosi and her husband made $38 million in stock trades leading up to the Trump inauguration. Read more.
Pop Culture News
- CBS is ordering a spinoff of the drama "FBI," which is supposed to be about the CIA. CBS is calling this new series - we are not making this up - "FBI: CIA." Read more.
- Rapper Nelly is looking for Donald Trump to 'step up, serve, and lift us all,' respond to critics who blasted him for performing at the inauguration ball. Read more.
What I'm reading...
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams says The Democratic Party "Left Me." In a wide-ranging interview with Tucker Carlson, the mayor accused Democrats of leaving him and the working class behind. Read more.
- Coleman Hughes: The End of DEI. Trump is ending racial preferences, and America will be better because of it. Read it here.
