Top 5 US news stories
January 30 2026
Fatal Shooting Prompts Senate Deal to Avert Shutdown, Negotiate Immigration Limits
ICE Deploys Facial Recognition, Tracking Tools to Monitor Immigrants and Protesters in Minneapolis
Trump Administration Invests $1.6 Billion in Rare Earths Company to Secure Critical Mineral Supplies
Trump Reviews Expanded Military Options Against Iran as U.S. Repositions Assets in Middle East
U.S. Seeks Cuban Insiders for Regime Change Deal as Oil Embargo Pushes Economy Toward Collapse
BREAKING...Trump picks Kevin Warsh, a former Fed official, as the central bank’s chair...
Fatal Shooting Prompts Senate Deal to Avert Shutdown, Negotiate Immigration Limits
Senate Democrats reached an agreement with President Trump and Republicans on Thursday that would prevent a government shutdown and provide additional time to negotiate limits on the administration's immigration enforcement. The deal would fund most government operations through the end of the fiscal year before Friday's midnight deadline, while giving the Department of Homeland Security two weeks of funding as lawmakers discuss Democratic demands to restrict federal immigration agents. The agreement represents a significant political shift following the fatal shooting of American citizen Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis last weekend, the second such incident this month. Senators hoped to vote on the measure Friday after facing objections from Republican members Thursday night.
NYT
ICE Deploys Facial Recognition, Tracking Tools to Monitor Immigrants and Protesters in Minneapolis
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deployed multiple surveillance technologies in Minneapolis, where thousands of agents are conducting an immigration crackdown, according to current and former Department of Homeland Security officials. The agency is using facial recognition programs including Clearview AI and Mobile Fortify, along with cellphone and social media monitoring tools that can potentially access individuals' phones. Agents are also utilizing a Palantir database that combines government and commercial data to track real-time locations of targeted individuals. The technologies are being used not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to monitor citizens protesting ICE's presence, the officials said. Civil liberties advocates have raised concerns about the aggressive deployment of these technologies, with the ACLU filing suit over the Minneapolis operation.
NYT
Trump Administration Invests $1.6 Billion in Rare Earths Company to Secure Critical Mineral Supplies
The Trump administration is planning to inject $1.6 billion into USA Rare Earth, marking Washington's largest investment in the sector as part of efforts to secure supplies of key minerals. The U.S. government will receive a 10 percent stake in the publicly traded Oklahoma-based miner, which controls significant domestic deposits of heavy rare earths, according to people familiar with the matter. The government investment, along with a separate $1 billion private financing deal, represents the administration's latest intervention in private industry to shore up access to materials critical for defense and technology applications.
FT
Trump Reviews Expanded Military Options Against Iran as U.S. Repositions Assets in Middle East
President Trump has been presented with an expanded range of military options against Iran in recent days, aimed at damaging the country's nuclear and missile facilities or weakening its supreme leader, according to multiple U.S. officials. The proposals go beyond options Trump considered two weeks earlier and include potential American raids on sites inside Iran, the officials said. The United States has been repositioning military assets to the Middle East as the administration weighs its options. The proposals come as the administration demands Iran halt its nuclear weapons program and end support for proxies targeting Israel and destabilizing the Middle East. Trump and his advisors are considering whether to follow through on threats of military action to achieve these goals and potentially bring about a government change, particularly as recent protests in Iran have been suppressed by security forces and affiliated militias.
NYT
U.S. Seeks Cuban Insiders for Regime Change Deal as Oil Embargo Pushes Economy Toward Collapse
The Trump administration is actively seeking Cuban government insiders who can facilitate a deal to end Communist rule by the end of the year, emboldened by the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials have assessed that Cuba's economy is nearing collapse and the government has never been more vulnerable after losing Maduro as a vital benefactor, viewing his capture as both a blueprint and warning for Cuba. In meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups, administration officials have focused on identifying someone within the current government willing to negotiate, while President Trump warned on social media that "NO MORE OIL OR MONEY" would flow to Cuba and urged leaders to make a deal "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE." The administration's strategy centers on choking off subsidized Venezuelan oil that has sustained Cuba's economy since 1999, with senior officials saying this could bring the economy to a halt within weeks. Cuba has only enough oil to last 15 to 20 days at current demand levels, according to data company Kpler, after Mexico appeared to cancel shipments and the U.S. blocked Venezuelan deliveries. President Trump issued an executive order Thursday declaring a national emergency that allows new tariffs on any country exporting oil to Cuba, with Mexican oil exports to the island slowing to a trickle as pressure mounts on President Claudia Sheinbaum's government to end support for the Communist regime.
WSJ / FT
January 30 1835: Andrew Jackson narrowly escapes assassination
Andrew Jackson became the first American president to face an assassination attempt when Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, tried to shoot him as he left a congressional funeral, but both of Lawrence’s pistols misfired. Jackson, then 67, furiously attacked Lawrence with his cane before aides subdued the would-be assassin, leaving the president physically unharmed but deeply suspicious and paranoid afterward.
Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:
citizen journal offers three flagship products: a daily national news summary, a daily Kansas news summary, and local news and school board summaries from 34 cities across 5 states. Use the links in the header to navigate to national, kansas, and local coverage. Subscribe to each, some, or all to get an email when new issues are published for FREE!
Brought to you by (click me!)
Sources
