January 26

Bondi demands Minnesota voter rolls hours after Border Patrol kills Minneapolis man

Hours after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota demanding access to unredacted voter registration records, Medicaid data, and SNAP enrollment data, framing the request as necessary to restore "law and order." Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon rejected the demand, calling it "bizarre and disturbing" and arguing it violated state and federal privacy law. The DOJ had already sued Minnesota and 23 other states for similar voter data; federal courts had previously rejected those suits as "unprecedented and illegal."

Trump and Republicans pivot to affordability messaging before 2026 midterms

President Trump and Republican congressional leaders publicly shifted toward affordability messaging on January 26, 2026, launching a strategy their advisers said would show voters a domestic policy focus ahead of the midterms. The effort followed internal acknowledgment that inflation persistence had undermined Trump's economic promises, with aides recognizing affordability as the front on which the 2026 elections would be decided. However, Trump undercut the message at a Pennsylvania rally by calling affordability a hoax and dismissing it as a Democratic scam.

31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and health workers begin open-ended strike

More than 31,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals represented by UNAC/UHCP began an open-ended unfair labor practice strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California and Hawaii on January 26, 2026, the largest healthcare worker strike in US history. Workers cited dangerous staffing levels, escalating workloads causing moral injury, and wages that had not kept pace with housing and cost-of-living increases. The union had filed an NLRB unfair labor practice charge against Kaiser in December 2025, alleging the company bypassed agreed-upon national bargaining procedures.

GOP lawyer Chris Madel drops Minnesota governor bid, calls ICE crackdown a disaster

Republican attorney Chris Madel ended his campaign for Minnesota governor on January 26, 2026, saying he could no longer support the Trump administration immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Madel, who had represented the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good, announced his candidacy in December 2025 on a pro-law enforcement platform. He called Operation Metro Surge "an unmitigated disaster" and said he was unable to support "national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state." His withdrawal came two days after nurse Alex Pretti was killed by a CBP agent.

Israeli raid in Jenin kills multiple Palestinians amid rising West Bank violence

Israeli raid in Jenin kills multiple Palestinians amid rising West Bank violence..

Biden Imposes 20-Year Mining Ban on 225,000 Acres Near Boundary Waters

The Biden administration imposed a 20-year ban on mining across 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. The ban blocked Twin Metals Minnesota — a subsidiary of Chilean company Antofagasta — from reapplying to build an underground copper-nickel mine near Ely. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland cited risks of irreversible water contamination to one of the most visited wilderness areas in the United States.

Federal authorities arrest Nick DeCarlo in a Texas Jan. 6 case

Federal authorities arrested Nick DeCarlo, then 30, of Fort Worth, Texas, in a Jan. 6 Capitol breach case. The case involved conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, assaulting or impeding officers, civil disorder, destruction of government property, and theft of government property. NPR records that DeCarlo later pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding. He was sentenced on December 9, 2022 to 48 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. The obstruction conviction was later vacated, and the court dismissed the case without prejudice on January 22, 2025. NPR's public Jan. 6 archive was checked against the linked U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia record before insertion.

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Federal authorities arrest Daniel Dink Phipps in a Texas Jan. 6 case

Federal authorities arrested Daniel Dink Phipps, then 48, of Garland, Texas, in a Jan. 6 Capitol breach case. The case involved assaulting or impeding officers with physical contact, civil disorder, entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct, and parading or picketing in a Capitol building. NPR records that Phipps later pleaded guilty to all charges, was sentenced on August 10, 2023 to 27 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release, and later received a full pardon on January 20, 2025. NPR's public Jan. 6 archive was checked against the linked CourtListener federal case record before insertion.

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Federal authorities arrest Kenneth Grayson in a Pennsylvania Jan. 6 case

Federal authorities arrested Kenneth Grayson, then 51, of Bridgeville, in a Pennsylvania Jan. 6 Capitol breach case. The case involved civil disorder. NPR records that Grayson later pleaded guilty to the single charge. He was sentenced on December 19, 2022 to two months in prison, two years of supervised release, a $100 assessment, and $2,000 in restitution. NPR records a full pardon on January 20, 2025. The NPR archive was checked against the linked CourtListener federal record before insertion.

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Senate confirms Antony Blinken as Secretary of State

The Senate confirms Antony Blinken as Secretary of State by a vote of 78-22. Blinken, a longtime foreign policy adviser to Biden who served as Deputy Secretary of State under President Obama, becomes the top U.S. diplomat. His confirmation comes on Biden's first full day in office. Blinken pledges to rebuild alliances and reengage with international institutions.

Biden directs agencies to fight anti-Asian racism during COVID-19

President Joe Biden issues a memorandum on January 26, 2021, directing federal agencies to combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The memorandum says political leaders and public officials have a responsibility to avoid language that fuels stigma and discrimination. It directs agencies to improve language access, data collection, and public messaging. The federal government formally recognizes anti-Asian racism tied to pandemic rhetoric and directs agencies to respond.