MORNING NEWS UPDATE: JANUARY 23, 2026
- A massive winter storm is bearing down on much of the U.S., threatening historic ice, snow, freezing rain, and dangerously cold temperatures across more than half the country (potentially impacting over 100-200 million people from Texas to the Northeast and Midwest).
- Ongoing fallout from Trump administration policies, including debates over ICE tactics, funding withholdings (e.g., for child care in Democratic states), and other domestic actions.
- Local incidents like searches for suspects (e.g., in Madison) and quirky legislative proposals (e.g., protecting New York's bodega cats).
- A major storm preparation alert from the Energy Department for grid operators to ready backup power amid the weather event.
WHO Withdrawal Finalized: The United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) today, one year after the formal notice was given.
Experts warn this may hinder global pandemic response and vaccine data sharing. ICE Enforcement Shift: Federal immigration officers have begun implementing more aggressive tactics, including reports of "forced entry" or creative methods to bypass barricaded doors as the administration ramps up deportation efforts.
Severe Winter Storms: A massive storm system is currently battering the U.S. interior, with over 2,000 flights canceled through the weekend, specifically impacting hubs in Dallas and the Midwest.
- President Trump disinvites Canada (Prime Minister Mark Carney) from his "Board of Peace" initiative, amid efforts to expand it as a rival to the UN, following tensions over foreign policy.
- Developments in U.S.-Greenland negotiations: A framework deal emerges after Trump's threats of force/tariffs are withdrawn, granting U.S. military base rights and economic sharing while limiting Russian/Chinese access.
- Trump warns of a massive U.S. "armada" heading toward Iran amid crackdowns on protests there, with high tensions but no strikes yet.
- Polls show low approval for Trump's second term so far, with many voters saying the country isn't better off and priorities are misplaced (e.g., economy, immigration, Ukraine).
- U.S. completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization (announced by RFK Jr. and Marco Rubio), effective this week.
"DOGE" Workforce Cuts: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency continues its drive to slash the federal workforce. New reports suggest these rapid cuts may be inadvertently slowing down federal AI adoption and modernization.
Executive Power Expansion: NPR and other outlets are highlighting a "sweeping expansion" of executive authority as the administration uses the DOJ for political investigations and redirects congressionally appropriated funds.
"Pay-to-Play" Allegations: Ethics experts and major news outlets are scrutinizing a "New Gilded Age" of political fundraising, where record-breaking donations to the MAGA Inc. PAC are reportedly linked to lax regulations for crypto and fossil fuel industries.
- U.S.-Greenland framework deal reached after Trump's push and European pushback, focusing on military/economic access without full acquisition.
- Diplomatic efforts on Russia-Ukraine war, with upcoming meetings in the UAE involving U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian negotiators.
- France intercepts a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean, amid broader energy/geopolitical tensions.
- A Singapore-flagged cargo ship capsizes in the South China Sea, killing two and leaving four missing (crew mostly Filipino).
- EU proposes suspending a €93 billion retaliatory trade package against the U.S. for another six months, tied to recent tariff threats.
Zelenskyy in Davos: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Davos today to meet with the Trump administration. This follows news of potential high-level U.S. envoys (Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner) preparing for talks with Putin in Moscow.
Syrian Territory Shift: Reports indicate that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has rapidly taken over Kurdish-held territory after a series of diplomatic meetings suggested the U.S. would not block the offensive.
Indian Rupee Record Low: The Indian rupee hit an all-time low of 91.96 against the dollar today, driven by foreign fund outflows and global economic volatility.
- Unprecedented changes in Trump's second term, including dismantling parts of the Department of Education, stop-work orders/terminations on federal awards (e.g., 145 at UW-Madison), and funding withholdings impacting K-12 and higher ed.
- Calls for higher education to "stand up" to government attacks on free speech, DEI, and related policies, with coalitions urged against violations.
- Various state-level developments, like cursive making a comeback in New Jersey schools and lawsuits over desegregation policies in L.A.
- New university launches/rankings, such as O.P. Jindal Global University debuting strongly in global law rankings and ASU expanding internationally.
K-12 Midterm Focus: Educational policy has become a central theme for the 2026 midterm elections, with 36 gubernatorial seats up for grabs that will determine the future of school choice and curriculum control.
Title VI Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education has concluded an investigation into a New York school district, finding it violated Title VI by complying with a state ban on Native American mascots.
RISE Award Winner: Secretary of Education Linda McMahon named Donella Wagner, a school custodian from Louisiana, as the 2026 National RISE Award honoree for her inspiring work in her local community.
- Global economy shows unexpected resilience despite Trump-era disruptions (e.g., tariff threats over Greenland), as noted by leaders at Davos (Lagarde, Georgieva, Okonjo-Iweala).
- Stock market mixed: Futures slightly lower, gold near record highs (~$4,970-$5,000/oz), oil above $60/barrel, amid volatility from geopolitical events.
- Fintech deals, including Capital One acquiring Brex (over $5B), JP Morgan buying WealthOS, and Airwallex expanding via Paynuri acquisition in South Korea.
- Currency movements, e.g., rupee hitting record lows in India and sterling gaining strongly against the dollar.
Gold Nears $5,000: Gold prices are approaching a historic $5,000 per ounce milestone, up 12% this year as investors seek "safe haven" assets amid U.S. tariff uncertainties and debt concerns.
Sallie Mae Surges: Shares of SLM Corp (Sallie Mae) jumped over 8% after a fourth-quarter profit beat and the announcement of a $500 million stock buyback.
"Data Fog" Concerns: The Federal Reserve is reportedly struggling with "data fog" as it prepares for next week's policy meeting, due to the lingering effects of the 43-day government shutdown on inflation reporting.
- AI boom strains power supplies: Data center energy needs expected to quadruple in the next decade, raising concerns for global tech growth (especially in Asia).
- Fintech sector highlights: Major acquisitions and expansions (e.g., Airwallex in South Korea, JP Morgan on wealthtech).
- Cathie Wood/Ark Invest's "Big Ideas 2026" predicts a technology revolution driving 7%+ real GDP growth by decade's end, with focus on deregulation and innovations like Tesla.
- Advances in quantum computing, e.g., ZenaTech progressing on a prototype for defense/AI applications (five-qubit target late 2026).
SpaceX IPO Moves: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reportedly selected major Wall Street banks (including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan) for an IPO that could value the company at over $350 billion.
Apple-Google AI Partnership: New details have emerged regarding Apple’s decision to integrate Google Gemini into its "Apple Intelligence" framework, a move led by software head Craig Federighi to bridge the gap in the AI race.
Energy-Efficient AI: Neurophos has secured $110 million in funding to develop optical AI chips designed to make compute cycles 100x more energy-efficient than current hardware.
- U.S. officially withdraws from the World Health Organization, completing Trump's process started on day one of his second term.
- Medication abortion remains a top target for anti-abortion groups in 2026, with frustration over limited Trump admin action on pills like mifepristone.
- Policy shifts: Regulatory rollbacks on nursing home staffing/home care, plus new Medicare AI experiments alarming advocates.
- Arthritis significantly impacts the U.S. workforce (nearly 10 million young/middle-aged people report work limitations).
- Push for preventive health via bipartisan bill to extend federal budget scoring window to 30 years for better cost-savings evaluation.
Vaccine Schedule Overhaul: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving forward with a major overhaul of the national children's vaccine schedule, a move that has sparked intense debate among public health officials and medical associations.
Medicare AI Pilot: A new AI-driven experiment in Medicare has raised concerns among eldercare advocates regarding privacy and the potential for automated "care denials."
Nursing Home Staffing: The administration has begun rolling back federal nursing home staffing requirements, citing the need for greater flexibility for state-level providers.
- NBA: Denver Nuggets recent win and upcoming games (e.g., at Milwaukee).
- NFL: Denver Broncos one win from Super Bowl but without QB Bo Nix.
- MLB offseason: Free agency updates, farm system rankings, and team policy discussions (e.g., Phillies).
- Other: French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel indicted on serious allegations; various college/local games (e.g., Wyoming high school basketball).
NFL MVP Finalists: The Associated Press announced the finalists for the 2025 MVP award: Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Christian McCaffrey, and Matthew Stafford.
NHL Rights in UK: ITV has officially acquired the media rights to the NHL in the UK and Ireland, marking a significant expansion of hockey's reach in Europe.
PGA Tour Update: Scottie Scheffler started the 2026 season strong with a 63 at The American Express, keeping him at the top of the leaderboard as the weekend approaches.