Minneapolis — In his visit to Minnesota Thursday, Vice President JD Vance appeared to acknowledge that the Minnesota Department of Corrections, overseen by Gov. Tim Walz, was cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Look, if I was going to list the five agencies locally and statewide I’m most worried about, I wouldn’t put the Department of Corrections on that list,” Vance said in a news conference when asked by CBS News if the state was cooperating. “I think that while there are certain things we’d like to see more from them, they’ve hardly been the worst offenders.”
“What I do think that we can do is working with state and local officials, we can make the worst moments of chaos, much less common, and all they’ve got to do is meet us halfway,” Vance said in a news conference.
A top Homeland Security official echoed Vance’s appeal – asking local authorities to turn over dangerous criminals.
“Please honor our immigration detainers that we’ve lodged against criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota in the state’s jails in prison,” Marcus Charles, the head of ICE’s deportation branch, said Thursday in a separate news conference.
But in an interview with CBS News Wednesday, Paul Schnell, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said that is exactly what is happening.
“As they approach their release date, several weeks before, our staff coordinates directly with the local ICE office,” Schnell said. “Staff do this on a routine basis. They make arrangements for the transfer of custody of that individual.”
Charles also later acknowledged that the Minnesota Department of Corrections has been cooperating with the federal government to notify ICE when undocumented criminals are released from state facilities, but argued county officials don’t always.
“We pick individuals up from the state, it’s the counties that do not honor our detainers,” Charles said.
Esteves has been involved in all forums and town halls focused on the upcoming gubernatorial election. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Even on the eve of an impending snowstorm, hopeful Georgians still gathered in fellowship to make sure they showed support for the man they’d like to become governor.
Supporters packed Wild Heaven Beer Thursday night for an election-year kickoff rally for former Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves, as the 2026 race for governor begins to take shape. The event brought together students, longtime Democratic activists, educators, and first-time volunteers, many undeterred by weather forecasts calling for snow and freezing temperatures across parts of Georgia.
The rally marked Esteves’ first major campaign event of the year, in an effort to position himself as a unifying candidate focused on issues such as education, health care, and economic opportunity. Attendees described the gathering as both celebratory and urgent, reflecting the stakes many Democrats see in Georgia after more than two decades of Republican control of the governor’s office.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“I think about the Georgia I’m about to inherit,” said Kennedy Washington, a junior at Spelman College who spoke to the attending crowd during the rally. “Will I be able to afford to live here? Will my family have access to health care? Will the jobs that are being promised actually exist?” she said, adding that those questions drove her to support Esteves.
During the night, Esteves leaned heavily into policy proposals that have become central to his campaign. He outlined plans for universal child care, expanded early learning, full funding for public schools, and new pathways to employment through apprenticeships and technical colleges. He also proposed creating a need-based college scholarship program, noting Georgia is one of only two states without one, and a low-interest loan fund aimed at helping small businesses and entrepreneurs access capital.
“This is a vision for the future of this state that gives people something to vote for, not just something to vote against,” Esteves said. “Georgia has the talent and the resources for all of us to have more.”
“This is a vision for the future of this state that gives people something to vote for, not just something to vote against,” Esteves (above) said. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Before Esteves took to the rally stage, the former Senator described himself as an “education governor” who understands both where Georgia has been and where it needs to go. He said his administration would focus on what he called three core priorities: health, wealth, and opportunity.
“Georgians are working harder than they ever have and barely getting by,” he said. “As governor, I’m going to make sure people have the health care they need, the ability to keep more money in their pockets, and that our children and grandchildren have more opportunity than we had.”
Supporters in attendance said Esteves’ emphasis on education resonated deeply. Melody Bray, a real estate agent who is volunteering for his campaign, said his track record with Atlanta Public Schools stood out to her.
“He helped APS recover from the cheating scandal, raised teacher pay, and increased graduation rates,” Bray said. “That showed me who he is isn’t just campaign talk. It’s who he is when no one’s watching.”
Paul Grant, a political science professor at Georgia Gwinnett College, said he believes Esteves is well-positioned to compete statewide, particularly with younger voters.
“He has the energy, the résumé, and the appeal to bring new people into the electorate,” Grant said. “After years of Republican leadership, it feels like the moment for something different.”
Attendees included state Sens. Kim Jackson, Harold Jones, and Rashaun Kemp, along with state Rep. Phil Olaleye.
As the rally concluded, Esteves urged supporters to turn enthusiasm into action, reminding them that vision alone would not win the election.
“Faith without works is dead,” he told the crowd. “So, Georgia, my question to you is: are you ready to do the work?”
The difference between administrative and judicial warrants – CBS News
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CBS News has obtained a memo telling ICE agents that they can forcefully enter a home without a judicial warrant in certain instances. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson joins with analysis.
Jack Smith, the former special counsel who oversaw two criminal investigations into President Trump during the Biden administration, testified publicly for the first time at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Scott MacFarlane has details.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar files to run for Minnesota governor – CBS News
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Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar has officially filed to run for governor after incumbent Tim Walz announced he would not seek reelection. Political strategists Rina Shah and Hyma Moore join with analysis.
The Office of Management and Budget, directed by Russell Vought, has ordered nearly all federal agencies to compile a detailed report of how much funding each one provides to a list of blue states, according to documents reviewed by CBS News.
The Jan. 20 memo said the request for the spending data will be used to “better understand the scope of funding in certain states and localities in order to facilitate efforts to reduce the improper and fraudulent use of those funds through administrative means or legislative proposals to Congress.”
It also says, “This is a data-gathering exercise only. It does not involve withholding funds, and therefore does not violate any court order.”
A spokesperson for OMB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The order was submitted to all federal agencies, except the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The reports being sought must contain details about all federal funding to states and localities, universities, and nonprofit organizations operating within those states.
The government is seeking federal spending data from a list of states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington — all led by Democrats.
CBS News could not immediately determine why the federal spending data is being sought.
The Trump administration has been trying to cut off federal funding to a variety of states and localities, resulting in dozens of lawsuits by states and nonprofits that have had their funding revoked.
The funds at issue are appropriated by Congress.
The deadline for agencies to send the data is Jan. 28.
Photograph by Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Atlantan is a first-person account from a familiar stranger who has made the city tick. Guevara was arrested covering a protest in Doraville in June 2025 and deported in October that year.
I am still working as a journalist. My plan is to continue reporting on news from around the world. I have already done two international stories, in Costa Rica and Colombia, both following up with people I interviewed while we were together in the ICE detention center. And tomorrow, I am going to Portugal to talk about freedom of the press. A journalists’ conference has invited me to tell my story. This is completely new for me, because when I lived in the United States, for almost 22 years, I couldn’t travel outside the country. I believe perhaps that is part of the divine purpose. I always believed that, in the United States, there was freedom of the press and that I could practice journalism freely. And that is how it was for 20 years, until the administration changed. I had a work permit issued by the Department of Homeland Security—100 percent legal—which allowed me to live in the United States, have a driver’s license, and open my own media company. I thought that gave me the possibility to live well. And I did, until today, when things are different.
Being back in El Salvador has not been easy at all. Although it’s my country, everything has changed so much. I’m in a place I no longer even recognize. And the hardest part of all is that my family stayed in the U.S., so, basically, I am here alone. But I am a person of faith. And although it has been difficult, and I still have not adapted to life here, I have faith that everything will turn out well. That God will have something better prepared for me. That is my hope. And I am trying to live day by day.
I was in jail for 112 days, in five jails. Immigration kept moving me. The saddest part of all is that they had me 70 days in solitary confinement. They only let me out two hours a day. I had to sleep with the light on. It was quite hard. I think they did that to punish me mentally and to make me accept voluntary departure. I did not accept it.
They pressured me: “Sign your voluntary departure and you will leave tomorrow, or if not, you are going to be in jail for a long time.” I did not sign, and I was locked up for almost four months.
Even from jail I interviewed four inmates. With paper and pencil I wrote their stories. It made me feel alive. I felt that I still had the power of the media.
Before the Trump administration, I had a very good relationship with ICE. They gave me ride-alongs and allowed me access to report from jails and even from a deportation flight. I never thought that I was going to be one more prisoner, a person treated like a criminal. I did not commit any crime. The only crime I committed was working hard and reporting on immigration. I feel like I lived the very story that I used to report on.
I have colleagues who still work in the media and are Hispanic immigrants. Many of them are not citizens, and I’m worried because I think that something could happen to them. I tell them, “Do not get into immigration topics because, right now . . . They are going to revoke your visas. They can persecute you, and they can arrest you and deport you, as it happened to me.”
I am the first and only journalist who has been arrested and deported under the Trump administration. But, possibly, I will not be the last. And that worries me.
Major U.S. airlines are issuing travel waivers as a massive winter storm threatens to snarl travel plans across the country.
The major weather event —named Winter Storm Fern by the Weather Channel — is expected to bring heavy snow, ice and cold to the South, Midwest and Northeast starting Friday, potentially affecting 230 million people across the U.S.
Forecasters expect widespread travel disruptions, and airlines are bracing for flight cancellations and delays over the weekend. Many carriers are issuing travel alerts and allowing customers to change their plans without penalty.
Some fliers are also taking additional steps to prepare. Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS), a travel agency, said it has seen a 17% increase in travelers purchasing its “Disruption Assistance” policy for flights this weekend.
Several airlines offer the plan, which lets customers rebook on the next available flight, regardless of the carrier.
Here’s how airlines are responding to the storm.
American Airlines
American Airlines on Wednesday issued an alert advising travelers that those affected by the storm may change their trips, with change fees waived.
Passengers flying to, through or from 34 U.S. airports may change their flights for free if they bought tickets before Jan. 19 and are booked on flights between Jan. 23 and Jan. 25. Eligible customers cannot change their origin or destination cities, however, and must make any changes by Jan. 25.
Travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date, the airline said.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is also encouraging customers to take advantage of its flexible change policy in response to the storm.
“To help customers manage their travel plans and minimize disruptions, Delta is offering flexibility to customers with existing bookings to change their travel with no fees,” the airline said in a statement on its website.
Customers with plans to travel across Texas, the Southeast and Northeast from Friday through Sunday may rebook their tickets for flights departing on or before Jan. 28, the airline said.
“Ahead of forecasted winter weather across Texas, the Southeast, including Delta’s Atlanta hub, and into the Northeast over the next several days, Delta is offering flexibility to customers with existing bookings to change their travel with no fees,” it said in a statement on its website.
Delta said it will notify customers whose flights are affected with a one-time text or email notification.
Frontier Airlines
Budget carrier Frontier said it is waiving change and cancellation fees for flights affected by the incoming winter storm, so long as customers do not change their origin and destination cities.
Customers are responsible for paying the fare differences, the airline noted.
JetBlue
JetBlue’s Winter Storm Fern waiver allows customers to rebook or cancel flights to or from a dozen cities without penalty, so long as original travel plans were made before Jan. 22.
Spirit Airlines
Spirit has also issued a travel waiver and is not charging fare differences for customers who rebook weekend flights for travel through Jan. 28.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest warned customers with plans to fly Jan. 23 through Jan. 26 that their flights could be delayed, diverted or canceled. Customers with reservations during that period may rebook without paying a change in airfare.
United Airlines
United customers who purchased tickets before Jan. 20 for travel between Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 can reschedule trips and have change fees and fare differences waived, the airline said.
There are some restrictions: New flights must depart between Jan. 21 and Jan. 28, and be between the same cities that were originally booked.
Vice President JD Vance will be in Minneapolis on Thursday for a roundtable with local leaders and community members amid the federal government’s immigration crackdown in the state. Follow live updates on the ICE surge here.
Senior Trump administration officials are forecasting a boom for the U.S. economy in 2026, driven by Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and historically large tax refunds.
“This quarter — the first quarter of 2026 — the United States of America’s $30 trillion economy will exceed 5% growth,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Fox Business on Wednesday, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. By the end of 2026, he added, “You’re going to see 6% growth from the United States of America.”
That would mark the fastest economic growth since late 2021, when the economy grew at a blistering 7% annual pace after many businesses started reopening during the pandemic. Outside of a few post-pandemic statistical outliers, economic activity in the U.S. has historically moved at a far more measured pace, typically averaging between 2% and 3% per quarter on an annualized basis.
As outlined by Lutnick, the U.S. economy could get a lift this year if President Trump appoints a new Federal Reserve chair more inclined to lower the central bank’s benchmark interest rate, a move that could spur growth. Consumers could also have more money in their pockets from larger tax refunds under the Republicans’ tax and spending law, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.”
“It’s possible — I would say it’s even likely on a one-off basis,” Mike Skordeles, head of U.S. economics at financial services company Truist, told CBS News of Mr. Lutnick’s forecast. But he added that maintaining that growth for a full year is “a really tough hill to climb.”
That’s because a number of economic headwinds are likely to persist into 2026 and could blunt any lift from lower borrowing costs and larger tax refunds, Skordeles said. Those include trade tensions stemming from Mr. Trump’s tariffs, as well as business uncertainty driven by the administration’s shifting economic policies.
“Those are not positives for the economy,” Skordeles told CBS News. “One of those reasons why we’re not growing faster is uncertainty.”
Truist forecasts 2.3% economic growth for all of 2026, while projections by other Wall Street economists range from 2% to 2.5%.
A White House official pointed out that Lutnick’s forecast is in line with the Atlanta Fed’s forecast for fourth-quarter GDP growth of 5.4%.
Risk of overheating
The latest readings on the U.S. economy show a jump in growth, with third-quarter GDP expanding at a 4.3% annualized rate, according to recent government data.
On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the economy is “likely accelerating,” citing an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow tool that pegs fourth-quarter GDP growth at 5.4%. The Commerce Department will announce fourth-quarter growth data on Feb. 20.
Yet there are risks to boosting the economy through interest-rate cuts and bigger tax refunds. Those same catalysts contributed to the searing inflation that drove the Consumer Price Index to a 40-year high in 2022.
“What the secretary was intimating earlier today, to me, that doesn’t unlock a bunch of growth — it unlocks a bunch of inflation,” Liz Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundworks, a liberal-leaning think tank.
Inflation still isn’t down to the Federal Reserve’s goal of a 2% annual rate, with the December CPI showing that prices rose at a 2.7% annualized rate. Food prices remain elevated, rising at an annual pace of 3.1% last month due to sharply higher costs of staples like beef and coffee.
“It’s not a single silver bullet that if we just lowered the [Fed’s interest] rate, it would make everything magically better,” Skordeles said. “You start giving these tax incentives, and you put more money in people’s pockets — it’s the classic ‘too many dollars chasing too few goods’.”
Would workers benefit?
Consumers remain generally dour about the U.S. economy, with recent CBS News polling finding that Americans want Mr. Trump to focus more on lowering prices.
While a stronger economy can translate into higher wages in many industries, workers are taking home a smaller slice of the economic pie. The labor share of the nation’s GDP slid to its lowest point since 1947, dropping to 53.8% in the third quarter of 2025, according to Bloomberg News.
Even sharply higher economic growth might not do much to assuage public frustration with the cost of food, rent and other affordability issues, Pancotti said, pointing to the example of the strong post-pandemic growth under President Joe Biden. While GDP grew at a 7% pace for two quarters in 2021, Americans were more focused on pocketbook issues such as higher grocery and housing costs, she added.
“Joe Biden had [strong GDP growth], and yet his marks on the economy were low, given that people want lower prices,” she added. “They want to be able to afford their grocery bills and send their kids to summer camp.”
President Trump could start flying in a plane donated by Qatar as early as this summer, as the U.S. Air Force confirms it will deliver the refurbished jumbo jet for use as Air Force One within months.
“The Air Force remains committed to expediting delivery of the VC-25 bridge aircraft in support of the Presidential airlift mission, with an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026,” an Air Force spokesperson said Wednesday, confirming a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The royal family of Qatar donated the Boeing 747-style plane for Mr. Trump’s use last spring. The plane could not enter service immediately, though, as the Pentagon needed to retrofit it to serve as Air Force One. It also needed to be checked for security and spying devices before it was accepted, a source told CBS News at the time.
The donated plane could take the place of two 35-year-old jets that currently serve as Air Force One. Mr. Trump has long pushed to replace the aging planes, but a project to replace them has faced delays, with delivery of two new planes currently set for 2027 and 2028.
The existing planes showed their age late Tuesday, when Air Force One turned around less than an hour after taking off for Switzerland due to a “minor electrical issue.” The president then switched to a smaller plane before flying across the Atlantic for the World Economic Forum.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt joked at one point during the ordeal that the Qatari jet sounded “much better.”
The donation has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats and watchdog groups, who have argued it poses ethics concerns for the president to accept a gift worth hundreds of millions of dollars from a foreign country. Some critics have also questioned the cost of retrofitting the donated plane.
“The fact that taxpayers are now funding a fifth Air Force One, originating from a foreign monarchy, is a staggering abuse of public trust, fiscal priorities, and national security interests,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel for ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund, a group run by an Obama-era ethics official that requested an investigation into the gift last year.
Mr. Trump has brushed off the concerns and defended his decision to accept the gift.
“If we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” Mr. Trump said last year. “Now I could be a stupid person and say, oh no, we don’t want a free plane.”
Prince Harry struck a combative tone as he testified Wednesday in his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail and insisted that his latest legal battle with Associated Newspaper Ltd. was “in the public interest.”
Harry and six other prominent figures, including Elton John and actor Elizabeth Hurley, allege that the publisher invaded their privacy by engaging in a “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” for two decades, attorney David Sherborne said. The celebrities allege that the company illegally spied on them by hiring private investigators to hack their phones, bug their cars and access private records. Testimony from several private investigators, who have said they worked on behalf of Associated Newspapers, is set to be used in the trial.
Associated Newspapers Ltd. has denied the allegations, called them preposterous and said the roughly 50 articles in question were reported with legitimate sources that included close associates willing to inform on their famous friends.
Harry said in his 23-page witness statement that he was distressed and disturbed by the intrusion into his early life by the Mail and its sister publication the Mail on Sunday, and that it made him “paranoid beyond belief.” Harry also alleged that the lives of “thousands of people” were “invaded” by Associated “because of greed.”
“There is obviously a personal element to bringing this claim, motivated by truth, justice and accountability, but it is not just about me,” Harry said in a written statement unveiled as he entered the witness box. Under the English civil court system, witnesses present written testimony, and after asserting that it’s the truth are immediately put under cross examination. “I am determined to hold Associated accountable, for everyone’s sake … I believe it is in the public interest.”
Britain’s Prince Harry gives evidence in his privacy lawsuit against the publisher of The Daily Mail, at the High Court in London, January 21, 2026, in this courtroom sketch.
Julia Quenzler / REUTERS
A heated cross examination
Harry, dressed in a dark suit, held a small Bible in his right hand in London’s High Court and swore to “almighty God that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” After the Duke of Sussex said he preferred to be called Prince Harry, he acknowledged that his 23-page statement was authentic and accurate.
Defense lawyer Antony White, in a calm and gentle tone, began to put questions to Harry to determine if the sourcing of the articles, in fact, had come from royal correspondents working their sources at official events or from friends or associates of the prince. Harry said that his “social circles were not leaky” and disputed suggestions that he had been cozy with journalists who covered the royal family.
Harry suggested that information had come from eavesdropping on his phone calls or having private investigators snoop on him. He said journalist Katie Nicholl had the luxury to use the term “unidentified source” deceptively to hide unlawful measures of investigation.
“If you complain, they double down on you in my experience,” he said in explaining why he had not objected to the articles at the time.
As a soft-spoken Harry became increasingly defensive, White said: “I am intent on you not having a bad experience with me, but it is my job to ask you these questions.”
Eventually, Justice Matthew Nicklin intervened in the tense back-and-forth and told Harry not to argue with the defense lawyer as he tried to explain what it’s like living under what he called “24-hour surveillance.” Nicklin also reminded Harry that he does not “have to bear the burden of arguing the case today.”
At another point in his cross examination, Harry appeared close to tears as he said tabloids had made his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery.” Harry has previously said persistent press attacks led to the couple’s decision to leave royal life and move to the U.S. in 2020.
Harry’s media crusade
For decades, Harry has had what he called an “uneasy” relationship with the media, but kept mum and followed the family protocol of “never complain, never explain,” he said.
The litigation is part of Harry’s self-proclaimed mission to reform the media that he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.
He said “vicious persistent attacks,” harassment and event racists articles about Meghan, who is biracial, had inspired him to break from family tradition to finally sue the press.
Britain’s Prince Harry arrives at London’s High Court in London on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
It is Harry’s second time testifying after he bucked House of Windsor tradition and became the first senior royal to testify in a court in well over a century when he took the stand in a similar, successful lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror in 2023.
Last year, on the eve of another scheduled trial, Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloid publisher NGN agreed to pay Harry “substantial damages” for privacy breaches, including phone hacking.
This trial is expected to last nine weeks and a written verdict could come months later.
“If Harry wins this case, it will give him a feeling … that he wasn’t being paranoid all the time,” Royah Nikkhah, royal editor for The Sunday Times and a CBS News contributor, told CBS News on Monday. “If Harry loses this case, it’s huge jeopardy for him, not just in terms of cost, but in terms of pushing all the way to trial and not seeking to settle. So we have to wait and see, but it’s high stakes for Harry.”
President Trump said in a speech in Davos, Switzerland, that he will promote homeownership in the U.S. by pushing for lower mortgage rates, restricting institutional investors from hoarding residential real estate and capping credit card costs.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Mr. Trump described homeownership as “a symbol of health and vigor,” while touting his executive order this week aimed at deterring Wall Street firms from competing with Americans for homes.
Yet he stopped short of providing details of how such a ban would work, and housing experts said such measures fail to address some of the key drivers behind rising home prices.
“It’s just not fair”
In his speech at the annual gathering of world leaders, policymakers and business figures, Mr. Trump blamed institutional investors for driving up home prices for Americans by purchasing hundreds of thousands of properties for investment purposes. x
“Homes are built for people, not for corporations,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s just not fair to the public. They are not able to buy a house.”
His proposed ban would restrict future purchases of single-family homes by major housing investors, such as hedge funds and real estate investment trusts, but would not force them to sell properties they already own. The plan would require approval by Congress before taking effect.
But Jina Yoon, chief alternative investment strategist at LPL Financial, noted that the proposal only applies to existing houses and excludes newly built homes, potentially allowing some firms to continue scooping up properties.
“This allows institutional investors to shift their capital to build-to-rent projects, which could actually accelerate more rental community development owned and managed by large institutional investors,” she said in an email. “And there are many more structural factors that drive home prices and affordability issues than the share of homes owned by institutional investors, such as chronic supply shortages, zoning constraints, income and mortgage costs.”
Across the U.S., big investors account for roughly 1% of total single-family housing stock, according to an August analysis by researchers at the American Enterprise Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. Yet research from the Government Accountability Office shows that even modest levels of institutional investment in the local housing markets can drive up home prices, especially in communities with high concentrations of investor-owned properties.
Shamus Roller, executive director of the nonprofit National Housing Law Project, said the plans released so far by the Trump administration to address home affordability fail to account for the complexities of the housing market.
“Given how big an issue this is across the country, it deserves more attention and thought than what has been provided,” he told CBS News.
Specifically, Roller highlighted the shortage of available homes for sale, saying that new U.S. tariffs on imported homebuilding materials have raised costs and that the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has led to worker shortages among construction companies.
Analysts with Oxford Economics said that Mr. Trump’s fixes could, in fact, boost demand for homes, but appear to do little to boost supplies, which they say is essential to addressing the affordability problem.
“A persistent shortage of housing units is a key driver of elevated housing costs,” Nancy Vanden Houten, U.S. lead economist with Oxford, said in a report.
Falling mortgage rates
Mr. Trump on Wednesday said his policies for easing home prices are already bearing fruit, pointing to mortgage rates this month falling to a three-year low after he directed the federal government to buy $200 billion worth of mortgage securities.
The president also said he could take other steps to reduce the cost of home loans, but added that he doesn’t plan to do so because he wants to protect existing homeowners.
“If I wanted to really crush the housing market, I could do that so fast people would buy houses,” he said.
The recent drop in mortgage rates to just over 6% has spurred more home buying and refinancing activity, according to Freddie Mac.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimate that the government buying $200 billion in mortgage securities would drive home loan costs down by 0.15%.
“While any decline in mortgage rates is helpful for affordability, the standalone impact of this move on our numbers is small,” analysts with the investment bank said in a report.
A dip in mortgage rates also risks pushing up home prices as more buyers enter the market, according to housing experts.
Credit card interest rate cap
President Trump said another administration plan for help struggling Americans regain their financial footing — capping credit card interest rates at 10% for one year — would also boost housing affordability.
“This will help millions of Americans save for a home,” said Mr. Trump, who has said that surging credit card debt impedes many Americans in saving for a down payment.
The banking industry has opposed the cap, saying it would limit consumers’ access to credit and steer them toward riskier lending products.
State Rep. Ruwa Romman (above) was joined by her staff and a couple of dozen people in a back room to kick off her “Georgia We Deserve” campaign tour. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
State Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Ruwa Romman introduced House Bill 1012 at the Capitol last week. The bill would place a temporary moratorium on future data center projects in Georgia until 2027.
Romman sat down with The Atlanta Voice on Wednesday, January 21, to explain why she wanted to introduce the bill. “The goal is to allow municipal, county, and state-level government officials enough time to implement the proper regulations before we permanently alter the landscape of our state,” Romman said.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has already opposed the bill before sitting down with her, according to Romman.
Romman said the idea would be to give Georgians time to prepare for the upcoming Public Service Commission (PSC) election in November and the other seats that will need to be filled over the next year. The PSC seats play a major role in final decisions on energy-related projects. Current PSC Peter Hubbard, who won the seat in November 2025, will be back on the ballot in May for a full term. There is another seat on the commission up for vote as well.
“All we’re saying is just give us some time to pass the legislation that makes sense, to allow Georgians to vote on PSC seats, to take a breather,” Romman said.
While campaigning for governor, Romman said she has been hearing about how data centers are affecting people’s way of life all around the state.
The bill will need to be passed on to a committee for study and potentially brought back to the floor for vote. Romman said she has bipartisan support for the bill.
“We’re not saying we don’t want data centers, we’re saying we want more time,” Romman said.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The news cycle in Georgia just doesn’t stop. Outside of the Capitol on Wednesday, January 21, a woman held a sign that read, “Georgia, treat our prisoners like human beings.” That woman, Dawn Arthan, is with the organization, Prison Health Georgia, and she was wearing a t-shirt that had the words “Incarcerated Lives Matter. She told The Atlanta Voice that she was planning on returning on Thursday. “I’ve been coming down here for years,” Arthan said.
Across the street from the Capitol in Liberty Plaza, multiple veterans organizations gathered for a rally in opposition of House Bill (HB) 108. The bill provides certain protections for veterans, but has not been supported by veteran-focused organizations. Democratic State Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Derrick Jackson, a United States Navy veteran, was in attendance. Several dozen veterans of all the branches of the military chanted “Kill the bill” during the peaceful protest.
Assorted nigiri on the salvaged wood bar at Nakato
Photograph by Martha Williams
Some establishments merely occupy space in Atlanta. Then there is Nakato. For 50 years, this restaurant has been more than a fixture on legendary Cheshire Bridge Road. It has been a quiet anchor in the city’s culinary landscape. The Nakato family didn’t chase trends; they set a standard. The restaurant has always balanced traditional Japanese formality with genuine comfort. Generations have marked milestones here, confident that the food and service won’t disappoint. I have celebrated five of my own special occasions here over the years.
For many, Nakato is synonymous with the fiery onion volcano that ignites celebrations in the teppanyaki rooms. It’s an image many remember: the chef flipping shrimp and playing with fire while wearing a tall toque. Yet this is only the surface of the story. The real heartbeat of Nakato has always been the family that started it and their chosen family: the guests.
In a city where restaurants come and go, often defined by trends or Instagram moments, Nakato has remained steady for more than five decades. The service isn’t showy but instead offers the kind of consistency that comes from doing things right for a very long time. So, when third-generation owner Sachi Nakato Takahara announced a $2.4 million renovation, I wondered if it would change what makes Nakato special. In Atlanta, big restaurant makeovers sometimes mean losing history to a slick new look. But that’s not what happened here. The refresh was more like a respectful polish than a complete redo: brighter, more modern, and more comfortable, yet still completely Nakato at its core.
A chef lights a fire in the renovated grilling area
Photograph by Martha Williams
Every element of the renovation honors both history and place. The new bar top, carved from Druid Hills white oak, roots the restaurant firmly in its home soil. A custom Japanese Seigaiha wave pattern, painted in blue and gold and prominently installed in the space, evokes both luck and resilience—themes ideally suited to a restaurant that has survived and thrived. Even the practical upgrades carry weight: The 34-year-old teppanyaki grills, witnesses to countless celebratory moments, were replaced with new ones. The dining rooms are brighter thanks to a fresh coat of white paint, and the adjoining bar has been updated with illuminated decor touches. The changes make the restaurant seem lighter and more spacious, yet there is no sense of lost intimacy. Nakato still seems like itself, but with a bit of a much-needed glow-up.
The food remains an unchanged and dependable mix of sushi standards, homestyle Japanese dishes, and hibachi standards cooked on the teppanyaki grills. Hibachi chefs still command the stage with skill and flair, delivering moments of excitement without overshadowing the food itself. It is still a great place for special occasions, and when I was there, the foyer was already packed with Atlantans celebrating something, even if it was just the restaurant’s reopening after a four-month renovation.
The Garden Room remains my favorite place to dine. It not only has an exceptional sushi program, great for takeout or delivery, but also offers an enormous menu of hard-to-find classic Japanese homestyle favorites. This is what I come here for the most. I typically order sukiyaki and shabu shabu because it is difficult to find Japanese-style preparations of these dishes in Atlanta proper. Both are hot pot–style dishes, so you cook platters of thinly sliced beef, vegetables, and noodles at the table. The sukiyaki is cooked in a sweet soy-based sauce, and the shabu shabu is cooked in a broth and dipped in a duo of creamy sesame and ponzu sauces. It brings me great comfort because I used to get shabu shabu with my sister in our 20s on girls’ nights, and now I go with my daughter. Otherwise, I am ordering nigiri; the simpler, the fewer sauces, the better. They do, however, make great rolls, if that’s your thing.
Sushi continues to arrive pristine, and the fish is always excellent quality and flown in from Japan two to three times a week. Beyond the sushi, hibachi entrees, soba noodles with crispy crowns of shrimp tempura, and bountiful bento boxes, there is also a strong focus on seasonality, so look for special menus featuring in-season ingredients, such as a recent smattering of elegant appetizers with matsutake mushrooms, such as chawanmushi, an egg custard.
A tableside hot pot of shabu shabu
Photograph by Martha Williams
At the new bar, the somewhat-renewed cocktail program is bold but measured. The Dirty Dashi martini, with kelp-infused vermouth, is a perfect example: savory and nuanced. But I am most happy with a tall Orion beer and two tiny, frosted glasses, which my waiter changed out mid-bottle so we could have a fresh glass. That is the type of service one can expect here, because it is an arena in which Nakato thrives. The restaurant adheres to the Japanese concept of omotenashi—a selfless, anticipatory form of service central to the experience. Staff members always do a good job of attending to details with quiet confidence, ensuring guests feel cared for without ceremony or fuss.
Nakato has lasted this long because the family keeps making wise choices that respect where they came from while moving the restaurant forward. The renovation is an example of that. Now the space is fresh but still familiar. Nakato isn’t just another restaurant in Atlanta. It’s part of the city’s fabric where care, craft, and tradition have quietly thrived for generations. Hopefully, that continues for many more.
Mr. Trump moved to oust Cook last August over allegations she engaged in mortgage fraud. A senior official in his administration, Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte, had claimed that Cook made misrepresentations on mortgage documents relating to properties in Michigan and Atlanta, Georgia.
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 allows the president to remove a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors “for cause,” though the law does not define the term. In informing Cook of her removal, Mr. Trump wrote in a letter shared to social media that he had “sufficient cause” to do so because of what he claimed was “deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter.”
Cook has denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged. Mr. Trump’s move to fire her was unprecedented. No other president has tried to oust a Fed governor in the central bank’s 112-year history.
Cook sued over her removal last year, arguing that the president violated the Federal Reserve Act. She also said she was entitled to and deprived of notice and the opportunity to a hearing before she was fired.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb sided with Cook and reinstated her to her post, finding that Mr. Trump had not validly removed her “for cause.” The judge also ruled that Cook was likely to succeed on her argument that she was deprived of her due-process rights because she did not receive the necessary process before her firing.
A divided panel of three appeals court judges continued to block Cook’s removal, and the Trump administration sought emergency relief from Supreme Court and asked the justices to allow the president to oust her.
The high court has allowed Cook to remain in her position while it considers whether Mr. Trump can fire her and is hearing the case on an expedited schedule. Cook has participated in the last two meetings of the Fed’s interest-rate-setting committee. Its next meeting is set for later this month.
The dispute involving Cook’s firing poses a test for the independence of the Fed, which defenders of the bank argue would be jeopardized if the Supreme Court rules for Mr. Trump. Arguments also come days after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell revealed the central bank received criminal subpoenas from the Justice Department stemming from a criminal investigation into him.
Powell, a frequent target of Mr. Trump’s attacks, is set to attend the arguments, a source directly familiar with his plans confirmed to CBS News.
The Supreme Court has allowed Mr. Trump to fire members of other independent agencies and appears poised to overturn a 90-year-old decision that allowed Congress to impose removal protections for officials at multi-member boards and commissions. But it has also signaled that it views the Fed differently from those other entities.
In May, the Supreme Court singled out the Fed as a “a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct historical tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh separately suggested in December that the court could create an exception for the central bank to the president’s otherwise unrestricted power to remove certain executive officers.
Unlike the case involving removal restrictions for independent agencies, the Justice Department is not challenging the constitutionality of the Fed’s for-cause protection. Instead, the key issues are whether Mr. Trump needed to give Cook notice and a hearing before removing her, if the president had cause to fire her — and what constitutes “cause” — and whether courts can review that decision.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in Supreme Court filings that the president lawfully ousted Cook after “concluding that the American people should not have their interest rates determined by someone who made misrepresentations material to her mortgage rates that appear to have been grossly negligent at best and fraudulent at worst.”
Cook’s alleged conduct “created an intolerable appearance of impropriety in someone charged with the weightiest responsibilities in our financial system,” he wrote. “There is a world of difference between that removal and removals grounded in policy disagreements.”
Sauer also told the justices in papers that courts cannot second-guess the president’s determination that there was cause to fire Cook. But even if they could, Mr. Trump identified a valid reason for doing so: her “apparent fraud or gross negligence in a financial matter,” the solicitor general said.
Cook’s lawyers called the allegations against her “flimsy” and “unproven” and argued in papers that the Fed’s independence and removal restriction prohibit her firing. They said that allegations of private, pre-office conduct do not constitute “cause” for removal under the law. Cook joined the Fed Board in May 2022, and the allegations involve mortgage agreements from 2021.
Cook also did not receive the notice and opportunity to be heard that she is due under federal law and the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment, they said. Her lawyers warned that accepting Mr. Trump’s argument that removals from the Fed Board are not subject to judicial scrutiny would “eviscerate” Congress’ choice to protect the central bank’s independence.
“Congress did not mean for the nation’s monetary policy to turn on that game of find-an-alleged crime,” they said.
Mr. Trump has frequently expressed frustration with the Fed and Powell over decisions regarding interest rates. He has denounced the chair as “incompetent” or “crooked.”
Powell and Cook have separately suggested that the accusations leveled against them are pretextual, and indicated Mr. Trump is targeting them for disagreements over monetary policy.
Air Force One, headed for Davos, forced to turn around after “minor electrical issue,” Leavitt says
A “minor electrical issue” forced Air Force One to turn around and return to Maryland less than an hour after takeoff Tuesday night as it was headed for Davos, Switzerland, with President Trump aboard, White House officials said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters aboard the plane that, after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews, the crew identified a “minor electrical issue” and, out of an abundance of caution, chose to turn around and return to the base.
The president then boarded a different aircraft bound for Davos shortly after midnight.
Trump departs for Davos: “You are well represented”
President Trump spoke very briefly to reporters Tuesday night on the White House lawn as he departed for Joint Base Andrews, where he boarded Air Force One headed to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“We’re going to Davos, I believe it will be very successful,” Trump told reporters.
The president is expected to deliver an address to the forum around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning Eastern Time.
“This will be an interesting trip,” Mr. Trump said. “I have no idea what is going to happen. But you are well represented.”
Trump lists what he sees as the top 3 accomplishments of his first year
In a final question, the president was asked to list what he sees as the top accomplishments of his first year.
The president listed rebuilding the military, including the Venezuela operation; sealing business deals and investments in the U.S.; and attaining most-favored-nation pricing for prescription drugs.
The president was in the briefing room for nearly two hours.
Trump says acquiring the Panama Canal is “sort of” still on the table
Given his insistence on acquiring Greenland, the president was asked if reclaiming the Panama Canal is still on the table. It’s something he spoke about doing during the first months of his administration.
“I don’t want to tell you that,” the president responded, before adding, “Sort of.”
Trump asked why Nobel Peace Prize win is so important to him
When asked why winning the Nobel Peace Prize is so important to him and how it would improve the lives of everyday Americans, Mr. Trump said “it wouldn’t improve” their lives. But, he asserted, he improved the lives of the people living in war-torn countries.
“I saved probably tens of millions of lives in the wars,” Mr. Trump said, again repeating his claim that he has resolved eight wars around the world. “I saved millions of people. So that to me is the big thing.”
Trump says he has a call with Turkey’s Erdoğan soon
Mr. Trump questioned how much longer he should continue to field questions, saying he has a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan soon.
Trump says his lawyers would “be very unhappy” if he tried to speak to Maduro in prison
One reporter asked the president if he’ll try to speak with Nicolás Maduro in prison in New York. Mr. Trump said he will not.
“No, I don’t think I would be doing that,” he said. “I think my lawyers would be very unhappy if I did that. They’ve learned some things.”
Trump says he believes he can give Americans checks from tariff revenue “without Congress”
Mr. Trump was asked if he agrees with his top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, that he would need to go through Congress to approve the $2,000 checks he wants to send to Americans from tariff revenue.
“I don’t think we would have to go the Congress route but, you know, we’ll find out,” he said.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. should be able to issue at least $2,000 to Americans, with an income limit, and pay down debt.
“I believe we can do that without Congress,” he added.
Trump on how far he’s willing to go to acquire Greenland: “You’ll find out”
Mr. Trump was evasive when asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland.
“You’ll find out,” he said. The president has repeatedly declined to rule out the threat of military force to acquire the semi-autonomous region.
Trump begins to take questions, says Board of Peace “might” replace the United Nations
Well over an hour into his remarks, the president opened the room up to questions. He was first asked if he wants his “Board of Peace” for Gaza to replace the United Nations.
“Well, it might,” he said. “I mean, the U.N. just hasn’t been very helpful. I’m a big fan of the U.N. potential. But it has never lived up to its potential.”
“I believe you’ve got to let the U.N. continue because the potential is so great,” he added.
Trump says “NATO has to treat us fairly, too”
The president questioned whether other NATO members would come to the aid of the U.S.
“The big fear I have with NATO is we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO,” Mr. Trump said. “And I know we’ll come to their rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they’ll come to ours.”
Article 5 of the NATO charter says that an attack on one member of the alliance is treated as an attack on all. It has only been invoked once: in response to the 9/11 attacks, when European countries joined the U.S. in the war in Afghanistan.
Mr. Trump claimed that he has done “more for NATO than any other person alive or dead.”
The president added, “NATO has to treat us fairly, too.”
Trump: “Don’t let anyone tell you that Norway doesn’t control the shots” on Nobel Peace Prize
Mr. Trump lamented that he didn’t receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end conflicts around the globe. He blamed Norway’s government for the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decisions.
“I should have gotten the Nobel Prize for each war, but I don’t say that,” Mr. Trump said. “I saved millions and millions of people. And don’t let anyone tell you that Norway doesn’t control the shots, OK? It’s in Norway.”
Mr. Trump cited the Peace Prize in a text message to Norway’s prime minister over the weekend, linking his failure to receive it to his pursuit of Greenland.
1 hour into briefing, Trump has yet to take questions
An hour into the president’s appearance in the briefing room, he has yet to take questions. He’s addressed the situation in Venezuela, his frustrations with Minnesota, the economy, immigration, growing up in Queens, his efforts at peace around the globe, how much he thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize and other topics.
Trump on Rep. Ilhan Omar: “I can’t stand her”
The president railed against Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. as a teenager, while questioning whether Somalia is a country.
“I always hate to see this Ilhan Omar — she comes from Somalia, a backward country, probably the worst country in the world,” Mr. Trump said. “She’ll come here, comes, and then she wants to tell us how to run our country… I can’t stand her.”
Mr. Trump has directed his ire at Omar in recent weeks over a string of Minnesota fraud schemes.
The president also claimed that Somalia is “not a country.”
“They say it’s the worst country in the world, if it’s a country — I don’t even think it’s a country — there’s no organization, no anything,” he said. “They don’t have police, they don’t have military, they don’t have anything.”
Trump says ICE is “going to make mistakes sometimes” and can be “too rough”
The president said ICE will “make mistakes sometimes” and can be “too rough” with people, but justified that by saying they’re dealing with “rough” people.
“They’re going to make mistakes sometimes,” Mr. Trump said of immigration officers. “ICE is going to be too rough with somebody. Or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people. Are they going to make a mistake? Sometimes it can happen.”
“You feel terribly,” he continued.
“I felt horribly when I was told that the young woman who was, had the tragedy — it’s a tragedy, it’s a horrible thing,” Mr. Trump said, seemingly talking about Renee Good. “Everybody would say it, ICE would say the same thing.”
Mr. Trump said Good’s parents were “tremendous” fans of his.
“He was all for Trump,” Mr. Trump said of her father. “Loved Trump. And, you know, it’s terrible. … I hope he still feels that way.”
Trump suggests drug focus could shift to land strikes
Mr. Trump claimed the U.S. has “taken out almost 100% of the drugs coming in by water” after dozens of military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September.
“Now, we’re going to be, very shortly, starting drugs coming in by land,” Mr. Trump said. “We know exactly where they’re coming from.”
Members of Congress, mostly Democrats, have expressed growing concern about the strikes and have introduced several war powers resolutions to limit further action around Venezuela without congressional approval. The attempts have so far been unsuccessful. Another vote on a war powers resolution is expected later this week in the House.
Trump says he told officials to “lighten up” on immigration crackdown
Mr. Trump said he told administration officials, “You got to lighten up,” amid a broad crackdown on immigration.
“We have a lot of heart for people,” the president said. “They came in illegally, but they’re good people, and they’re working now on farms and they’re working in luncheonettes and hotels.”
Mr. Trump said the focus should be on people with criminal records, but acknowledged that immigrants without such a history have been detained.
“So in theory, they should be [deported], but we’re focused on the murderers, the drug dealers, the mentally insane,” he said.
Internal data from the Department of Homeland Security indicates about 47% of ICE’s detainees had criminal charges or convictions in the U.S.
Trump: “I don’t like to do this” but need to “get the word out” about administration’s wins
Addressing reporters with less enthusiasm and energy than he often does, Mr. Trump said he doesn’t like doing press conferences like this.
“The fake news doesn’t want to write about this,” Mr. Trump said after mentioning his administration’s successful efforts to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to bring some drug prices down. “That’s why I do this. I don’t like to do this, to be honest with you. But I do it because, got to get the word out.”
Trump criticizes transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports
Mr. Trump briefly remarked on the issue of transgender athletes competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. The Supreme Court last week weighed the legality of state laws in Idaho and West Virginia that bar transgender women and girls from joining the sports teams that correspond to their gender identity.
“Men playing in women’s sports — doesn’t work,” he said.
Mr. Trump also noted that some of the liberal justices appeared sympathetic to arguments defending transgender athletes who want to compete on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Trump suggests his economic message isn’t resonating
Mr. Trump seemed to acknowledge the affordability issue that has taken front and center in recent months, suggesting his economic message isn’t getting through to Americans.
The president lauded a number of economic accomplishments, saying his administration ended “Biden stagflation,” created “super high economic growth,” the “best stock market in history” and the “best 401(k)s in history.”
“We inherited a mess,” Mr. Trump said. “The numbers that we inherited were way up and now we brought them — almost all of them — way down.”
Still, Mr. Trump said “maybe I have bad public relations people, but we’re not getting it across.”
Trump highlights how many immigration enforcement officers are Hispanic
As he touted the work of Border Patrol and ICE agents, the president said he loves “the Hispanic,” and noted how many voted for him.
“Border Patrol is incredible,” Mr. Trump said, adding they’re “mostly Hispanic, by the way.”
“They’re like 60% Hispanic,” Mr. Trump said. “You know, they talk about Hispanic, they’re mostly Hispanic, right? And they’re unbelievable people. And then they say, ‘Oh, we discriminate against —’ I love Hispanic. They are unbelievable. Entrepreneurial, they have everything. I did great, I did the highest, nobody ever got numbers like I got from the standpoint of being a Republican.”
Mr. Trump also said ICE agents are “largely Hispanic.”
Trump on Renee Good shooting: “I understand both sides”
Mr. Trump said he “felt terribly” about the killing of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minnesota.
“I understand both sides of it,” Mr. Trump told reporters, before alleging that some of the people who have protested ICE’s conduct are “professional agitators.”
In an interview with CBS News last week, Mr. Trump said Good was likely a “very, solid wonderful person,” but that her actions before she was killed were “pretty tough.”
Trump says “I’m loving Venezuela” after ouster of Maduro
The president briefly discussed his position on Venezuela following the operation earlier this month to remove its former president, Nicolas Maduro.
“I’m loving Venezuela,” he said.
Mr. Trump also offered quick praise for Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who met with the president at the White House last week. Machado presented the president with the Nobel Peace Prize medallion she was awarded in October.
The medallion and a certificate, signed by Machado, were placed inside a frame and given to the president. The certificate read, “Presented as a Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People in Recognition of President Trump’s Principled and Decisive Action to Secure a Free Venezuela. The Courage of America, and its President Donald J. Trump, will Never be Forgotten by the Venezuelan people.”
Speaking of Machado, the president said, “Maybe we can get her involved in some way. I’d love to be able to do that.”
The comment from the president appears to be a shift from earlier remarks made when announcing Maduro’s ouster. Mr. Trump said then that it would be “very tough” for Machado to take over because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, is serving as Venezuela’s interim president.
Trump highlights immigration apprehensions in Minnesota
The president quickly pivoted to highlight how his administration has apprehended, as he put it, “murderers and drug dealers” and “a lot of bad people” in Minnesota. He held up printed images of individuals, under the heading “Minnesota: Worst of Worst”
“Biden wouldn’t do this because he let them all in,” Mr. Trump said, arguing that the apprehensions wouldn’t have been necessary without the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
Mr. Trump claimed that the individuals were all “criminal illegal aliens that, in many cases, they’re murderers, they’re drug lords, drug dealers.”
“In Minnesota, the crime is incredible. The financial crimes are incredible, and the problem is because of the agitators and insurrectionists,” he said.
Trump holds up White House’s talking points on first-year accomplishments
Taking to the lectern, the president held up a book of 365 talking points the White House passed out to reporters listing its accomplishments in the first 365 days.
Even as the White House keeps military options on the table for Greenland, the president highlighted his efforts to end wars overseas.
“Nobody’s really seen very much like it,” he said.
Trump set to depart for Davos later Tuesday
Mr. Trump is expected to leave for Davos tonight to attend the World Economic Forum. Before his arrival, European leaders have been expressing strong opposition to Mr. Trump’s attempts to obtain Greenland, and the president has been berating and mocking some of the European leaders he’ll see there before he departs.
He called the U.K.’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius — a deal his administration previously supported — an act of “great stupidity” and said it was another reason that the U.S. must control Greenland. He also posted a note from French President Emmanuel Macron had sent to him saying, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.”
Newsom says it’s “critical” that European leaders “develop a backbone” and stand up to Trump
Speaking at Davos, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday “it’s critical” that European Union leaders “develop a backbone” and push back more forcefully on President Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.
“Trump thrives on finding vulnerabilities and weakness, and he exploits them,” Newsom told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe in an interview earlier Tuesday. “What he doesn’t respond well to, and what is effective, is strength. And he responds to that in a very different way.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says “it’s critical” European leaders “develop a backbone” and push back more aggressively on President Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.
“What he doesn’t respond well to, and what is effective is strength,” Newsom tells CBS News’… pic.twitter.com/A0Nl7l8Z5y
Newsom called the Greenland matter a “manufactured crisis” and said Mr. Trump has pinned himself in a corner on the issue because “it’s pretty damn obvious he’s not going to invade.”
“He now doesn’t have many cards to play,” Newsom said.
Newsom related the diplomatic row to Mr. Trump’s crackdown on higher education, media companies and law firms.
“I’m sick of the CEOs with their knee pads, universities selling out, law firms selling out, media selling out to this guy. Our allies are selling out alliances over 80 years because they’re not standing with more conviction,” he said.
More than 10 countries have signed on to Trump’s “Board of Peace,” sources say
More than 10 countries have signed on to join Mr. Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza, sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News, though only five — United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Morocco, Hungary and Canada — have publicly accepted his invitation to join.
As the president envisions it, the group would comprise world leaders, with him as its chairman. Countries can contribute $1 billion to become permanent members, rather than holding a typical three-year membership, the White House said, although Canada has said it won’t pay to join.
Some countries will contribute far less, possibly around $20 million, one of the sources said.
The group’s formation is facing serious headwinds from U.S. allies, particularly as the president renews his push to acquire Greenland and has not ruled out the use of military force to do so. Low support for the board could be embarrassing for the administration in Davos.
The president’s push for Greenland is only intensifying, with Mr. Trump saying he’ll impose heavy tariffs on countries that oppose his expansion plans.
The president hasn’t ruled out the use of military force to acquire the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and NATO allies are on edge, with some deploying military forces to Greenland for exercises that they say are meant to show their commitment to strengthening collective security.
On Tuesday, European Union Commission President called Mr. Trump’s threat to levy tariffs on eight NATO allies over their stance on Greenland a “mistake” that risks sending U.S. and European relations into a “downward spiral.”
Ahead of Davos, the president posted an AI-generated image showing him planting an American flag on Greenland, alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
9 major themes that defined the first year of Trump’s second term
In the year since his return to power, the president has shifted America’s approach to foreign policy and allies, targeted his political enemies, prioritized mass deportations and put his mark on Washington’s architecture.
Read more here about the themes that have shaped his first 365 days in office.
A “minor electrical issue” forced Air Force One to turn around and return to Maryland less than an hour after takeoff Tuesday night as it was headed for Davos, Switzerland, with President Trump aboard, White House officials said. The president then departed for Switzerland aboard a new plane about one hour later.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters aboard the plane that, after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews, the crew identified a “minor electrical issue,” and, out of an abundance of caution, chose to turn around and return to the base.
Air Force One landed back at the base at 11:07 p.m. Eastern Time.
A view of Air Force One after returning to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Jan. 20, 2026.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Reporters had said that the lights in the press cabin briefly went out after takeoff, but no explanation was offered.
The president then boarded a new aircraft, which took off at around midnight. The second aircraft is an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used by the president for domestic trips to smaller airports, according to the Associated Press.
Mr. Trump is headed to Davos for the World Economic Forum. He was scheduled to address the forum at about 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, shortly after landing, but that could be delayed.
“This will be an interesting trip,” Mr. Trump told reporters on the White House lawn shortly before departing for Joint Base Andrews. “I have no idea what is going to happen. But you are well represented.”
There are currently two modified Boeing 747s that serve as Air Force One. Both have been in service since 1990. They were set to be replaced in 2024 with modified Boeing 747s, but the completion of the first replacement plane was delayed until 2027, and the second delayed to 2028, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Last summer, Mr. Trump confirmed that the Qatari royal family had donated a Boeing 747-8 jumbo aircraft valued at $400 million to the president to eventually be used as Air Force One. However, renovating the plane could cost several hundred million dollars before it could be ready for use, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said last June.
A protester’s cap reads “RESIST”. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta took part in the national “Free America Walk Out,” which is calling on Americans to leave school or work in defiance of the direction the country is heading under the current leadership.
Occurring on Jan. 20, the one-year anniversary of the start of Trump’s second term, dozens of people gathered at the State capital in solidarity to disagree with the current administration’s policies and agendas.
Armed and masked law enforcement officers are seen smashing car windows, yanking people from vehicles, and chasing and wrestling others to the ground, hauling them away. The most recent event was an ICE agent shooting and killing Renee Good in Minneapolis, according to the Associated Press.
Additionally, to the massive ICE presence in many cities, the walkout also draws attention to strikes in Venezuela. The Trump Administration claims this was to help reduce the flow of drugs coming into the U.S. Other benefits were also mentioned, such as greater control of oil, according to the Associated Press.
To bring attention to what’s happening across the nation, like the “No Kings” protests from this summer, the nationwide walkout wants to “make visible how much our labor, participation, and cooperation are taken for granted and what happens when we withdraw them together.”
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Chants of “No ICE in our streets,” “No Justice, No Peace,” “We built these streets,” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down,” echoed through the streets in the cold, windy weather.
Many protesters held up signs that took bold, boisterous stances such as “My son is not your toy soldier,” “Remember Renee Good (who was killed by ICE),” “Free Palestine,” “We Stand with Venezuela,” and more.
Norcross resident Tim Andrease and his wife said they came to take part as Christian believers.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“We need to stand up for freedom, for tolerance, and for the real teachings of Jesus Christ of tolerance and liberation and all the best part of what a healthy soul experiences, we want to bring this goodness through our words and through our presence,” he said.
Andrease also said they’re hoping this is the beginning of a more generalized operation of doing what John Lewis counseled them to do to make “good trouble”, especially by leaving the workplace, using our power to show those who stand up for democracy are also those who are supporting the economy.
“Without the support for democracy, there is no support for the economy here,” he said.
Jazz Groves, a member of the Louisville chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in Kentucky, visited Atlanta to take part in walkout protests. Groves also emphasized the importance of solidarity and physical presence in activism, criticizing the tendency towards “clicktivism.”
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“I think it’s important to stand in solidarity with people who are in your community, even with people outside of your community, and to show up and do something,” she said. “In this era, we are in right now, it’s getting better, but sometimes we fall into a little bit of clicktivism, just like doing things from the comfort of our home, and it’s important to show up and show out. I’m really hoping that, like this is small, but I hope in the future, things get even bigger and even better.”
Groves said she learned about the protests through 5051 Kentucky and decided to join while visiting family in Atlanta, highlighting the significance of community action and the hope for future, larger, more impactful protests.
