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Border Agents on Leave, FBI Raids Election Office & Bill Belichick Snubbed? - Thursday, January 29, 2026
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Today is Thursday, January 29th. We'll tell you about the ongoing confrontations between activists and federal agents in Minnesota. Stephen Miller's change of tone about the Alex Preddy shooting and a new video of Preddy officials say is now part of the investigation. Also, what FBI agents were looking for when they raided an elections hub in Georgia yesterday and where America's next winter storm is expected to hit. Plus, the latest interest rate decision from the Fed, the growing list of businesses contributing to so called Trump accounts. And the show streamed more than any other in 2025 despite not putting out any new episodes. Those stories and even more news to know next. Welcome to the Newsworthy all the Days News in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica. Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. From Washington, D.C. to Minneapolis, Minnesota, leaders have spoken about easing tensions, but there's little evidence of any real significant changes. The AP is reporting about even more confrontations between federal officers and activists in Minneapolis and St. Paul that happened just yesterday. Agents have still been seen using pepper spray on crowds and breaking in car windows. And Attorney General Pam Bondi said 16 people were arrested yesterday on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement in Minnesota. This comes on top of dozens of other arrests already this month of people the Trump administration has referred to as rioters. But many community leaders say the vast majority of people in Minnesota are peaceful and just trying to look after their neighbors. Last night, hundreds of people also turned up to a peaceful vigil to honor ICU nurse Alex Preddy, who was killed by immigration agents on Saturday. They included some of his former patients who spoke about the impact he made. Many more protests are still being planned for today and later this week. And celebrities are encouraging even more people to turn out or speak out against the immigration crackdown. For example, Katy Perry, Pedro Pascal, Billie Eilish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Martha Stewart and the union for NBA players. Bruce Springsteen even released a protest song yesterday called Streets of Minneapolis. He dedicated it to the memory of both Americans killed by federal agents, Alex Preddy and Renee Good. In response, the White House said it's focused on removing dangerous criminals from American communities, not, quote, random songs with irrelevant opinions. Within just hours of release, the song was streamed more than a million times on YouTube. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller now says the federal agents who shot and killed Alex Preddy may not have been following protocol. It comes just days after he and some other officials portrayed the shooting as justified. Remember, Miller also called Preddy a domestic terrorist and a would be assassin and accused lawmakers who condemned the shooting of inciting an insurrection. He now says that was all based on initial reports from the officers on the scene. Since then, the administration has faced growing backlash over the killing. For now, the two federal agents who shot Preddy are on leave as standard procedure. Meanwhile, investigators say they're looking into another video of Preddy taken days before he was shot and killed. It seems to show Preddy yelling, spitting on a federal agent's car and kicking in the taillight. Then an agent getting out, chasing Preddy and wrestling him to the ground. Preddy's family confirmed it's him in the video and that he was hurt but did not get medical care. The Homeland Security Department says that video is now part of the investigation, as well as several others that show the shooting that killed him, including body camera footage. By the way, federal officials say the person they were really after when Preddy was killed was an Ecuadorian man who at one point was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault. As of this morning, he still has not been captured. Remember, the Trump administration has said the immigration crackdown is meant to capture violent criminals. But in Minnesota, a recent local review found less than 6% of the people who have been arrested recently have been convicted of violent crimes. President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, just took over in Minneapolis in what was seen as a shift in strategy. He's scheduled to hold a news conference this morning. The government could once again partially shut down by the end of this week. This time it's because some lawmakers object to the spending bills needed to avoid a shutdown. And the reason specifically is funding for ice. Of course, ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A group of Senate Democrats is now withholding their votes unless new restrictions are placed on the agency in a new list of demands. They say they want federal agents to remove their masks, carry proper identification, and end roving immigration patrols. They also want to require warrants for arrests, end detention quotas, and have agents observe conventional law enforcement standards on use of force. At this point, it's not clear how much negotiation has been going on with Republican senators, but President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were reportedly considering options last night. The New York Times reports they're talking about a plan to split off the Homeland Security part of the spending package so it's separate from the other agencies that also need to be funded. The hope is the Senate can pass the other parts before the deadline and vote on a short term extension for Homeland Security to give time for more negotiation. It's worth noting, even if there is a shutdown, most law enforcement is considered essential, and ICE still has plenty of leftover funding from another bill passed last year. In other words, ICE is not expected to be immediately impacted one way or another. To be continued. FBI agents searched the main election office in Fulton County, Georgia, yesterday. That's the jurisdiction that's been at the center of President Trump's claims the 2020 election was stolen from him. As we've told you, he repeatedly said the county produced fake results despite several courts and election authorities saying the results were legitimate. Georgia election officials even conducted two recounts to confirm them. Flash forward five years, and a Fulton county spokesperson said the agents were specifically looking for records related to the 2020 election. Remember, it was just last week that President Trump said people will soon be prosecuted for rigging the race against him, though it's not clear exactly who might be prosecuted or what crimes they might be charged with. With much of the country still cleaning up from the last big winter storm, millions of people are starting to prepare for the next one. There's a threat of significant snow, strong winds and some coastal flooding from the Carolinas to New England. That storm is expected to take shape tomorrow. Meanwhile, last weekend's winter weather is now considered to be responsible for the deaths of at least 73 people. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. Millions of people are still under cold weather alerts this morning, and it's expected to get much colder. The National Weather Service says this period of frigid temperatures could actually be the longest cold stretch the US has seen in several decades. More news is still ahead, but first a quick break to talk about our sponsor. There are a lot of decisions to make as a parent, but one that's been super simple for me two years ago and is still true today in 2026 is giving my son highest children's vitamins. While other products seem to prioritize candy like appeal, Haya looked at what modern kids are actually eating or not eating and formulated around those specific nutritional gaps, working alongside pediatricians and nutrition scientists. And still my son loves taking his Chaya vitamins and probiotics. He loves the taste, the colors and just the routine of it. And I love that Haya earned Clean Label Project's highest Purity award certification and puts every batch of product through third party testing for heavy metals and contaminants in GMP compliant labs. Oh, and if getting your kids to eat vegetables feels like an impossible daily battle, Haya's New Kids Daily Greens plus Superfoods is a total game changer. It's basically chocolate milk stuffed with veggies. It's a greens powder that's packed with over 55 whole food sourced ingredients. Just mix one scoop with milk or any non dairy beverage and watch them actually enjoy something that's secretly fueling their growing bodies. We've worked out a special deal with Hayya for their best selling children's vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order to claim this deal you must go to hygahealth.com Newsworthy this deal is not on their regular website. Go to H I Y-A H-E-A-L-T-Com Newsworthy to get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults. Now back to the news. For the first time in six months, the Federal Reserve has decided to leave interest rates alone. The central bank had already cut its benchmark rate the last three straight meetings, getting it down to a range of 3.5 to 3.75% since it last met. The Fed noted some positive signs in the economy, like a stabilizing job market, but with inflation still above target, it still voted to keep things right where they are for now and didn't give any clues as to when the next cut might happen. Of course, that goes against what President Trump wants, which is much lower interest rates as soon as possible. The President is expected to nominate a new Fed leader soon, since Jerome Powell's term as chair ends in May. When asked to give advice to his future successor, Powell said, quote, don't get pulled into elected politics. The so called Trump accounts are getting more support from big businesses and celebrities. Remember, the U.S. treasury already announced plans to deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for all children born between 2025 and 2028. But for it to make the most difference, it needs a private sector buy in. Well, yesterday Visa announced it will let credit card holders use reward points to help fund those accounts. JPMorgan Chase, bank of America and intel also announced they'll match the US Government's contributions for eligible employees. And musician Nicki Minaj said she'd invest hundreds of thousands of dollars for accounts belonging to the children of her fans. One pro Trump group also plans to promote the accounts with an ad airing shortly after the national anthem at the super bowl next month. The White House and its supporters say the Trump accounts will bring financial freedom to future generations, but critics say the program's design leaves out low income Americans who can't afford to supplement the government's initial seed money while offering fewer tax benefits than other saving options like 529 plans. Either way, parents and guardians can start contributing to Trump accounts on July 4th. Another batch of prescription drugs is about to be up for Medicare price negotiations. The latest list includes the GLP1 drug Trulicity for diabetes and Botox for things like migraines and muscle spasms, as well as prescriptions for Crohn's disease, hiv, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and more. Quick reminder, the government now has the authority to haggle over prices on the costliest prescription drugs each year because of a law that was passed back in 2022. The first round of negotiated prices came for prescriptions meant to treat cancer, diabetes, heart disease and more, and those just went into effect this year. The negotiated prices for the new batch of drugs will go into effect in 2028. Drug makers can choose not to negotiate, but doing so would likely mean removing their drugs from Medicare, which is one of the country's largest markets. Of course, Medicare is government run health insurance for people 65 and older and some younger people with disabilities. The football world seems to be in a collective state of disbelief over a new report from espn. It cites sources who say legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not getting into the Pro Football hall of Fame. He apparently fell short of the necessary 40 of 50 committee votes. But Belichick is considered to be one of the, if not the greatest, coach in NFL history. He is an eight time Super bowl champion and has 333 career wins. But ESPN says two cheating scandals known as Spygate and Deflategate came up during deliberations among hall of Fame voters. No matter what the reason, the news has sparked an outcry from tons of other huge stars like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Troy Aikman, LeBron James, Dick Vital and many more. This is Belichick's first year of eligibility for the hall of Fame. It's not clear yet if any other finalists received the necessary votes for induction. We should find out for sure next week. The animated kids series Bluey is once again the most streamed show in the U.S. nielsen's annual year end streaming charts came out this week for 2025. It shows American viewers watched more than 45 billion minutes of Bluey last year. That's despite the fact that most episodes are less than 10 minutes long, and a new episode hasn't come out since 2024. Its closest competitor was Grey's Anatomy, which was nearly three times as many episodes that run for more than 40 minutes each and it's available on more streaming services. Even then, it didn't even come close. The only streaming original to make the top 10 for 2025 was Stranger Things, which came in third. When it came to movies, Demon Hunters was far and away the most streamed of the year, and Seth MacFarlane received Nielsen's Streaming Icon of the Year award. Overall in 2025, his shows and movies, led by Family Guy, amassed more than 60 billion minutes of watch time. That's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Thing to Know Thursday, and it seems a lot more Americans are starting to reject the two party system in this country. Recent Gallup data show a record number of American adults now consider themselves political independents. In surveys conducted throughout last year, 45% identified as being neither Democrat nor Republican. That makes independents the largest group of voters. Former President Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean Pierre, is one of those Americans who has recently become independent, and she told ABC News she doesn't think independents are disengaged, that she believes more people are just looking for politicians to earn their support with policies rather than just assuming loyalty based on branding. Of course, all these findings come as the midterm elections are coming up this fall. Several tight races are expected as both Republicans and Democrats compete for control of Congress. And now it seems clear candidates on both sides will have to appeal to independents if they're going to have any chance at winning. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll catch you up on more News to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.