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ICE Funding Talks, Measles Hotspots & Best in Show - Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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Today is Wednesday, February 4th. We'll tell you how the expected changes in the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis are actually being noticed on the ground now and the type of negotiations happening next in D.C. when it comes to funding for ICE. Also, measles cases are rising all over the U.S. the popular places where crowds may have been exposed, plus how college enrollment seems to be shifting, why X offices were raided in France, and who won the so called super bowl of dog shows. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica. Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. Well, there has been a noticeable shift to the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. As border czar Tom Homan promised, federal agents have been conducting more targeted immigration arrests at homes and neighborhoods rather than staging in parking lots. Reports say the convoys of immigration agents have been overall harder to find and less aggressive. But there is still tension. For example, the AP says immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were trailing their vehicles yesterday. As the Homeland Security Department explained it, the people were arrested because they got in the way of efforts to arrest a man who's in the country illegally. Meanwhile, the US Justice Department had requested records of any official effort to stifle the immigration crackdown, and yesterday was the deadline for Minneapolis to produce that information to a grand jury. Mayor Jacob Fry's office said the city was complying, but also denounced the request as a bullying tactic. Other state and local offices run by Democrats were also given subpoenas. The federal government is also now working with the Minnesota Sheriff's Association. The Minneapolis Star Tribune says it's been negotiating a deal for county jails to cooperate with immigration officials, and that's a move that could lead to at least some of the thousands of federal agents leaving the state. Border czar Tom Homan is expected to give an update about the operation today. Two brothers who lost their sister in a high profile Minneapolis shooting testified on Capitol Hill this week. Their sister was Renee Good, who was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer during a confrontation last month. At a hearing yesterday, they gave emotional testimony about the devastating toll her death has had on their family. They pointed out how their family represents a very American blend of different faiths and political affiliations, but that everyone is treated with love and respect. They said, quote, our family took some consolation in thinking Renee's death would bring about change in our country, and it has not. They asked lawmakers to take action to prevent similar deaths at the hands of federal agents. Democratic lawmakers who called the hearing were more specific, talking about oversight, transparency and changes to how agents operate. But no Republican showed up to the hearing. Either way, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will be having this debate. Yesterday, the House narrowly voted to end the government shutdown and President Trump signed the package of bills. But remember, it only extended homeland Security funding for a short amount of time, just enough to give lawmakers the opportunity to negotiate new accountability measures for immigration enforcement. GOP leaders have said they're not willing to include Democrats full list of reforms which include things like mandatory warrants for arrests, but some have been open to at least some changes like de escalation training. They now have just 10 days to reach a more long term deal or else DHS funding will lapse and that includes not only funding for ice, but also for tsa, FEMA and so on. Measles has now been confirmed in two different ICE facilities, two cases in Texas and three more in Arizona. In both places, the Homeland Security Department said the detainees were quarantined and all movement within the facilities had stopped. But human rights organizations and migrants in detention centers have also described sick children and a lack of healthcare resources, along with other unsafe and unsanitary conditions inside the facilities. The Trump administration has reduced oversight, but it says the facilities are still regularly inspected by external agencies to make sure things are up to standard. Meanwhile, measles cases are still rising all over the US at least 12 people have tested positive for measles at a private Catholic college near Naples, Florida. Other cases have been confirmed at the University of Wisconsin Madison and at Clemson University in South Carolina and South Carolina. Health officials say dozens of people have been infected in their state in just the last few days. There are also ongoing outbreaks in Utah and Arizona, sickening hundreds. And health officials in California are watching for potential cases after a child visited Disneyland last week. While contagious with measles, people have also been warned about measles exposures at airports in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. the U.S. is expected to officially lose its elimination status soon. For the first time in more than a quarter century, tensions are escalating between the US And Iran. Just days before planned talks yesterday, the Pentagon shot down an Iranian drone near an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. The US Military says the unmanned drone aggressively approached the USS Abraham Lincoln, so it was taken down. Then just hours later, two gunboats operated by Iran's military approached an American flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says they threatened to board and seize the ship, so a US Military destroyer escorted the tanker away from the area. Afterward, the Pentagon said it won't tolerate harassment in international waters. All this comes as President Trump has been weighing a major strike on Iran over its nuclear program and ballistic missile production. Just last week, President Trump laid out a list of demands for Iran, but he didn't make any reference to the protests that sent the country into turmoil late last year, even though at the time he promised to come to their aid. As of this morning, there are still talks planned for this Friday. President Trump is calling for Republicans in Congress to nationalize elections. Of course, the US Constitution gives the power over elections to the states, but Trump says it hasn't been working, citing what he sees as corruption in battleground states, where he lost in 2020. The President urged Republican officials to take over voting procedures in 15 states in total, though he didn't name them all. Well, Congress is not on board. Not only are Democrats calling this an effort to manipulate the midterms in November, but Republican leaders don't support it either. Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans should not take over elections, though they do support new election reform, like showing ID to prove citizenship and voting. A bill to do that, among other things, is being debated now in Congress. Democrats have called it a voter suppression effort, so it's not clear whether it will get enough votes to actually become law. Alright, we have much more news for you still coming up. But first let's take a quick break because the newsworthy is brought to you by Wild Grain. Wild Grain is the first bake from Frozen subscription box for sourdough breads, artisanal pastries and fresh pastas. And all items conveniently bake in 25 minutes or less. Which means my family gets these beautiful, delicious breads, pastas and pastries even when life is feeling busy. In fact, it's the perfect thing to help us sit down together at dinner time, even on a busy weeknight, and enjoy each other's company over a cozy homemade meal. It's so convenient to have wild grain in the freezer for whenever we want a great sourdough bread, or warm flaky croissants, or even the occasional giant chocolate chunk cookie and just pop them in the oven. Quick, easy and such a delight. Their amazing fresh pastas also can make dinner time feel special, like we're at a restaurant. And Wildgreen's boxes are fully customizable, so they've got a variety box as well as the gluten free vegan and new protein box. There's nothing like having an artisan bakery in your freezer to chase away the winter chill. Now is the best time to stay in and enjoy comforting homemade meals with wild grain. I highly recommend giving Wild Grain a try. And right now Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box plus free Croissants for Life when you go to wildgrain.comnewworthy to start your subscription today. That's $30 off your first box and free Croissants for Life when YOU visit wildgrain.comnewworthy or you can use the promo code Newsworthy at checkout. Okay, now back to the news. Colleges around the country have seen a major shift in student enrollment ever since the U.S. supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action in ADM. A new analysis from the nonprofit organization Class Action found a significant drop in black and Latino students being admitted into highly selective universities like Stanford and mit. But at many other schools, like the public flagship universities, the opposite has happened. And overall freshman enrollment of underrepresented minorities has gone up by 8%. An investment from a year ago is now raising new serious questions about foreign money, crypto and the Trump family, the Wall Street Journal first reported about this deal. It involves World Liberty Financial, the crypto company that counts all three of President Trump's sons as co founders. It's also closely tied with one of Trump's most prominent advisors, Steve Witkoff. As the Journal and other news outlets report, the company sold a large stake to investors tied to the United Arab Emirates just days before Trump's inauguration. The investment was reportedly worth half a billion dollars, and Reports say the UAE's National Security Advisor and member of the royal family was involved in the purchase. So critics argue the deal creates a conflict of interest, blending foreign policy, national security and private business. But the spokesperson for World Liberty Financial defends the deal, saying the company only made it because that's what was best for the company's growth. And the White House insists the president has not been involved in the company since taking office, but he does still make money from it. That goes into a trust. And the timing is raising questions, partly because just months after the deal was reached, the Trump administration approved the sale of advanced American AI chips to the uae, even though some members of the administration reportedly worried about the UAE sharing those chips with China. And the fear there is China would potentially use them to advance its military weapons system. So now some Democratic lawmakers are calling this whole thing corruption, and they're demanding Trump administration officials testify about it. As of this morning, no hearing has been set. The French offices of Elon Musk's ex were the site of a law enforcement raid this week. It's all part of a sprawling investigation that first opened last year. It was first focused on an alleged bias in the platform's content algorithm, but has since expanded to look into sexualized deepfake images made by the Grok chatbot. Prosecutors say X could end up being charged with disseminating child pornography and Holocaust denial, which is illegal in France. They're hoping to talk to Musk and other executives, but X is describing the raid as an abuse act of law enforcement theater. It says there is no truth to the French allegations. The company has some support here in the US Just yesterday, the US House Judiciary Committee released a report accusing the European Commission of running a global censorship campaign. A hearing on the subject is planned for today. Walmart has now become the first traditional retailer to cross a trillion dollars in market value. In hitting the milestone, the nation's largest retailer joins an exclusive club that's made up mostly of tech giants like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. Reports say there are quite a few reasons why Walmart is doing so well right now. For example, it has leaned into its online selling platform and advertising business. And as inflation has bit into grocery budgets, the discount retailer has drawn in more shoppers. Walmart's stock has climbed more than 28% in the last year and more than 14% so far in 2026. The Westminster Dog show turned 150 this year. That means among US sporting events, only the Kentucky Derby has a longer history of being held every year. This year featured More than 3,000 top dogs from all 50 states, representing more than 200 breeds. And last night, a Doberman pinscher named Penny won Best in show in front of thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The judge mentioned this year's lineup of best in show finalists would go down in history as one of the most impressive. Animal welfare activists often criticize dog shows for focusing on aesthetics over health in dog breeding, but the Westminster Kennel Club says it cares about dog welfare. The organization has donated to veterinary scholarships, pet friendly domestic violence shelters, rescue groups and more. Well, that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Work Wednesday when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. But first, this episode is brought to you by Quince. 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Q U I-N-C-E.com newsworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com newsworthy now back to work Wednesday as layoffs tick higher, More and more companies have been putting at least some of the blame on artificial intelligence. But that might not be the full story. There are skeptics who believe many companies are just using AI as an excuse to cover up other issues like over hiring, diagnostic tariffs or the loss of a big client. It's something known as AI washing. Research firm Challenger Gray and Christmas found AI was cited in announcements of more than 50,000 layoffs last year. But market research firm Forrester put out a report last month pointing out how many companies announcing AI related layoffs don't actually have mature, vetted AI applications ready to fill those roles. So why might a company blame AI anyway? Well, one researcher at the Brookings Institute says it's a more investor friendly message, especially if the alternative might mean the business is in trouble. Of course, AI could really transform the job market as well, but for now, it's not clear exactly how much of an impact it's actually had. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great day.