Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 29, 2026

An internal review by Customs and Border Protection found no evidence of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Prey attacking officers or brandishing a gun before being fatally shot by DHS agents. This directly contradicted initial claims by Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome. Three new videos also surfaced, showing a prior confrontation between Prey and federal agents 11 days earlier, where Prey kicked a tail light and was tackled by an armed agent.

Preliminary internal review by Customs and Border Protection; new video footage; initial claims by Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome.

ICE and Border Patrol agents continued raids in the Twin Cities, including an attempt to enter Ecuador's consulate, which is sovereign territory under the Vienna Convention, prompting a formal protest from Ecuador. President Trump publicly criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry for stating the city would not enforce federal immigration laws, calling it a 'serious violation of the law.' Mayor Fry responded, asserting police should focus on preventing homicides, not 'hunting down a working dad who contributes to Minneapolis and is from Ecuador.'

ICE raids; attempted entry into Ecuador's consulate; President Trump's social media post; Mayor Fry's public response.

Democratic Congress member Wen Castro met with 5-year-old Liam Kjo Ramos, detained with his father, who was reportedly depressed and sleeping excessively. 80 members of Congress demanded the return of Anil Lucia Lopez Biosa, mistakenly deported to Honduras. A federal judge ruled DHS can continue requiring a week's notice for lawmakers visiting detention facilities, while Senator Cy Booker introduced a bill to end private for-profit immigrant detention. Separately, prisoners at an ICE jail testified that Cuban immigrant Heraldo Limus Compos pleaded for medication before being tackled and dying from asphyxiation, contradicting ICE's suicide claim.

Congress member Castro's visit; congressional demand for Lopez Biosa's return; judicial ruling on detention facility visits; Senator Booker's bill; prisoner testimonies and autopsy report on Limus Compos.

Homeland Security officials urged FEMA staff to avoid using the word 'ice' in public messaging about the recent winter storm, fearing it would be 'easy for the public to meme it' in reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The directive reportedly instructed FEMA to use terms like 'freezing rain' instead.

Source told CNN about DHS directive; reported instruction to FEMA staffers.

The FBI raided Georgia's Fulton County election office, seeking computers and ballots related to the 2020 election. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard visited the site. This raid followed President Trump's social media vow that 'people will soon be prosecuted for what they did' regarding the 2020 election. Georgia Democratic Senator John Ossoff criticized the raid as a 'continuation of this sore loser's crusade' despite repeated audits confirming Trump's defeat.

FBI raid; DNI Gabbard's visit; President Trump's social media post; Senator Ossoff's statement.

The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, resisting President Trump's pressure to lower them. The Fed and Chairman Jerome Powell are facing a criminal investigation launched by Trump's ally Janine Piro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia. Powell confirmed attending Supreme Court arguments over Trump's effort to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, calling it 'perhaps the most important legal case in the Fed's 113-year history.'

Federal Reserve decision; criminal investigation by Janine Piro; Powell's confirmation of Supreme Court attendance and statement on the case.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to rule out further US attacks on Venezuela, stating Venezuela's interim government agreed to submit a monthly budget to the Trump administration for oil-funded money release. Anti-war activist Leonardo Flores interrupted Rubio's testimony, condemning sanctions as 'collective punishment.' President Trump also threatened another US military strike on Iran unless a new nuclear deal is reached, stating a 'massive armada is heading to Iran' prepared to move 'with speed and violence if necessary.' Iran's foreign minister promised an immediate and powerful response.

Secretary of State Rubio's testimony; activist interruption; President Trump's social media post; Iran's foreign minister's response.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. They cited the urgent need for action on nuclear weapons threats, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, multiple biological security concerns, and the continuing climate crisis.

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announcement; specific reasons cited.

Bruce Springsteen released a new song, 'Streets of Minneapolis,' directly criticizing President Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. The lyrics portray ICE agents as 'King Trump's private army' and reference the killing of Alex Prey, with lines like 'Alex pretty lay in the snow dead. Their claim was self-defensive. Just don't believe your eyes.'

Bruce Springsteen's new song release; specific lyrics quoted.