Today in one sentence: An internal ICE memo signed by acting director Todd Lyons authorized immigration officers to forcibly enter a person’s home to arrest someone with a final order of removal using only an administrative warrant; House Democrats helped Republicans pass a Homeland Security funding bill that includes $10 billion for ICE; JD Vance said Minneapolis would be "less chaotic" if state and local officials would "cooperate" with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement; the Trump administration ordered most federal agencies to review funding sent to 14 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.; no written documentation memorializing Trump’s verbal "framework" deal with NATO about Greenland exists; Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion; Former special counsel Jack Smith testified publicly before the House Judiciary Committee, saying his investigation produced “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump “engaged in criminal activity” and that “no one should be above the law in our country”; 49% of voters say the country is worse off than a year ago and 56% disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance; and Trump said he’s expanding his defamation lawsuit against the New York Times after an unfavorable public opinion poll.

1/ An internal ICE memo signed by acting director Todd Lyons authorized immigration officers to forcibly enter a person’s home to arrest someone with a final order of removal using only an administrative warrant, according to a copy of the memo and a whistleblower complaint shared with Congress. The May 2025 document instructs officers to knock and identify themselves, operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., give occupants a “reasonable chance to act lawfully,” and then use a “necessary and reasonable amount of force” if refused entry. The memo claims DHS counsel found the practice consistent with the Fourth Amendment and immigration law, but cites no case law or statutory authority. And, according to the whistleblower disclosure, the directive directly conflicts with longstanding ICE and DHS training materials that administrative warrants don’t authorize nonconsensual entry into a residence. (Associated Press / ABC News / NBC News / CBS News / Washington Post / The Hill)

2/ House Democrats helped Republicans pass a Homeland Security funding bill that includes $10 billion for ICE, rejecting Democratic demands to block ICE from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens, restrict raids at sensitive locations, like schools and hospitals, and impose stricter limits on use of force. The bill largely holds ICE funding flat while adding $20 million for body cameras, mandating additional training and oversight, and trimming money for enforcement and removal operations and detention capacity – concessions that most Democrats said would do little to restrain the agency. Still, seven Democrats joined Republicans to narrowly approve the funding bill 220-207. The House separately passed a broader spending package, sending the funding measures to Senate days before a Jan. 30 government shutdown. (Politico / NBC News / NPR / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Bloomberg / CBS News / Axios)

3/ JD Vance said Minneapolis would be “less chaotic” if state and local officials would “cooperate” with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement. Two weeks after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent, sparking widespread protest, Vance said “This is the inevitable consequence of a state and local government that have decided that they’re not going to cooperate with immigration enforcement at all.” He added: “We can do a good job of enforcing our immigration laws without the chaos.” At the same time, a school district just north of Minneapolis said ICE agents detained four of its students in recent weeks, including a 5-year-old taken after his father was arrested. The district said agents refused requests to leave the child with another adult and had him knock on the door to see if others were inside, an account DHS disputes. The boy and his father are now being held together at a family detention facility in Texas. (NBC News / Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post)

4/ The Trump administration ordered most federal agencies to review funding sent to 14 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., directing them to compile data on their grants, loans and contracts. The Office of Management and Budget memo said the request is a data-gathering exercise to “reduce the improper and fraudulent use” of federal funds and doesn’t withhold money or violate court orders. It excludes the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments from the review. Agencies were told to report back by Jan. 28 – days before Trump has said he plans to cut off funding to states and cities with so-called “sanctuary” policies. (CNN / Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico)

5/ No written documentation memorializing Trump’s verbal “framework” deal with NATO about Greenland exists. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he hasn’t been told what’s “concrete” in the framework, and said sovereignty and territorial integrity are “red lines,” while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said ceding territory is “non-negotiable” and any path must “respect international law and respects sovereignty.” Even so, NATO officials reportedly floated the idea of additional U.S. bases on land treated as sovereign U.S. territory. And one European official said the framework includes U.S. missiles and mining rights aimed at keeping Chinese interests out. Trump, meanwhile, said the U.S. would get “total access” with “no end, no time limit,” adding that U.S. acquisition of Greenland remained “possible.” (Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC / The Guardian / Axios /New York Times)

  • 🌐 IN UNRELATED WORLD NEWS…

  • Trump launched his Gaza “Board of Peace” at Davos. He said 59 countries had signed on, but only 19 attended. (Semafor)
  • The Trump administration said its seeking regime change in Cuba by year’s end, banking on economic collapse and insider defections after the U.S. ousted Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Officials, however, have no clear plan or successor lined up. (Wall Street Journal)
  • The Pentagon is weighing a full U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria. With about 1,000 troops left, ISIS prisoners being moved out, and Syrian government forces encroaching on U.S. positions, officials question whether staying still delivers clear security gains. (Wall Street Journal)

6/ Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion, alleging the bank closed accounts tied to Trump and his businesses for “political discrimination” following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The lawsuit, however, doesn’t publicly say how Trump determined that politics motivated the decision. It says JPMorgan gave him roughly 60 days’ notice in early 2021, offered no explanation for the closures, and later placed Trump, the Trump Organization and family members on an unspecified “blacklist” that the complaint claimed discouraged other banks. JPMorgan said the suit “has no merit,” denied closing accounts for political or religious reasons, and said account terminations are driven by legal or regulatory risk. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Washington Post / CNBC / Politico / New York Times)

7/ Former special counsel Jack Smith testified publicly before the House Judiciary Committee, saying his investigation produced “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump “engaged in criminal activity” and that “no one should be above the law in our country.” Smith, defending his decision to indict Trump twice, told lawmakers that Trump was “by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person” for efforts to overturn the 2020 election, saying “these crimes were committed for his benefit” and that the Jan. 6 attack “does not happen without him.” Smith said Trump “sought to exploit the violence.” He rejected Republican claims of political bias, saying “I am not a politician and I have no partisan loyalties,” “we followed the facts and we followed the law,” and that subpoenas for lawmakers’ phone records were routine, adding “my office didn’t spy on anyone.” As Trump attacked him on social media during the hearing and called for his prosecution, Smith said the statements were “meant to intimidate me” and that he expects the Trump Justice Department to indict him “because they’ve been ordered to by the president.” Smith said, “I will not be intimidated,” while warning that failure to hold powerful figures accountable “can be catastrophic” for the rule of law. (NPR / New York Times / Politico / Bloomberg / NBC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Washington Post / ABC News)

poll/ Democrats lead the generic 2026 midterm congressional ballot 48% to 42% among likely voters. While partisan voters largely backed their own party, independents broke for the Democratic candidate 50% to 28%. (Emerson College Polling)

poll/ 49% of voters say the country is worse off than a year ago, while 32% say it is better off. 56% disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance, including 66% disapproval on the cost of living and 58% disapproval on the economy and immigration. 40% approve of his presidency overall. 73% of Republicans saying the country is better off compared with 86% of Democrats and 52% of independents saying it is worse off. 34% of independents approving of Trump’s job performance. (New York Times)

  • Trump said he’s expanding his defamation lawsuit against the New York Times after an unfavorable public opinion poll. He called the survey “fake,” and accused the paper of publishing “knowingly false” polls. (The Guardian)

The 2026 midterms are in 285 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 1,020 days; it’s been 35 days since the Trump administration was required by law to release the Epstein files.

Six years ago today: Day 1098: "Protect our democracy."
Seven years ago today: Day 733: Hypothetical.
Eight years ago today: Day 368: Shutdown shut down.
Nine years ago today: Day 3: Alternative facts.