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What Happened Today – January 23, 2026

America is a dangerous place for children these days.

A family here legally and waiting for their asylum hearing took their 7-year-old to a Portland emergency room last week. ICE detained them anyway, the girl grew more sick, and the entire family is in detention in Texas.

In Minnesota, a toddler was separated from her mother, and four children, as young as five years old, were taken into custody. The administration tried freezing child care subsidies affecting 1.3 million kids until a judge issued an order today for them to comply. And the new chair of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel spent this week calling school immunization requirements “authoritarian” and questioning whether we even need polio and measles vaccines. The worst measles outbreaks in decades have spread across America since Trump returned to office.

Minnesota didn’t wait for permission. Thousands marched, hundreds of businesses closed, and a toddler got her mother back.

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🚨 GovBrief Intensity Score 196
Extreme. History will remember.
Volume: Normal (19)
Severity: High (2.58)
Defining Moments: 2
Previous 5 Days
🟠128|🟠128|🚨176|🚨170|🟡97
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
It’s not going to be on Twitter. It’s not going to be on anything like that. We don’t want to create a false narrative.
Federal agent filming Nekima Levy Armstrong's arrest for protesting at a Minnesota church. The images were later doctored and appeared on the White House's social media channels.
Yesterday's Most Read

U.S. formally completes withdrawal from World Health Organization one year after Trump initiated process; Rubio and Kennedy say WHO refuses to return American flag over unpaid dues.

Today’s GovBrief News


Foreign Relations 1 of 19

British government says Trump "wrong" to claim NATO allies avoided Afghanistan front lines; 457 British troops died in the war, second only to the U.S.

UK troops deployed to Helmand, Taliban heartland

Source: BBC

January 23, 2026

Foreign Relations 2 of 19

Treasury sanctions nine Iranian "shadow fleet" oil ships as Trump announces U.S. "armada" heading toward Iran following regime's killing of 5,000 protesters.

5,002 executed, including dozens children

Source: UPI

January 23, 2026

Health 3 of 19

California becomes first state to join WHO disease surveillance network one day after Trump completed U.S. withdrawal from the organization.

Newsom met WHO director in Switzerland

Source: KCRA Sacramento

January 23, 2026

Health 4 of 19

CDC vaccine panel chair questions need for polio vaccines, calls school immunization requirements "authoritarian," says individual autonomy comes before public health.

U.S. hit 12 months of measles transmission this week

Source: The Hill

January 23, 2026

Voting Rights 5 of 19

Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit demanding Georgia voter rolls, ruling the department filed in the wrong court; DOJ has sued more than a dozen states for voter data.

Dismissed without prejudice, can refile

Source: 11 Alive Atlanta

January 23, 2026

Military 6 of 19

U.S. carries out 35th strike on alleged drug boat since September, killing two, one day after House defeated war powers resolution on Venezuela.

First strike since Maduro capture

Source: CBS News

January 23, 2026

Justice Dept 7 of 19

FBI agent resigns after facing pressure to stop investigating ICE officer who killed Renee Good; six federal prosecutors also quit over DOJ push to investigate the widow.

DOJ says "no basis" for civil rights probe

Source: The Hill

January 23, 2026

Courts 8 of 19

California sues to block restart of pipeline that caused 2015 Refugio oil spill after federal agency reclassified it as "interstate" to bypass state control.

Pipeline solely located in California

Source: USA Today

January 23, 2026

Courts 9 of 19

Judge blocks Trump administration from ending deportation protections for 4,000 Myanmar nationals, ruling decision lacked "genuine basis" and ignored country conditions.

Termination was set for Monday

Source: Reuters

January 23, 2026

Courts 10 of 19

Judge extends order requiring Trump administration to keep funding child care subsidies in five states after HHS cited fraud concerns based on right-wing influencer video.

$10 billion annually, 1.3 million children

Source: The Associated Press

January 23, 2026

Immigration 11 of 19

Family with active asylum case detained while taking 7-year-old to Portland emergency room; entered legally through CBP One, now held in Texas.

Active asylum case, 2028 court date

Source: KGW Portland

January 23, 2026

Immigration 12 of 19

HUD threatens sanctions against public housing authorities that do not verify tenants' immigration status within 30 days, claiming audit found 6,000 "ineligible" tenants.

2.2 million residents public housing nationwide

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

January 23, 2026

Immigration 13 of 19

ICE staff reported Cuban detainee's death as suicide on 911 calls, but medical examiner ruled it homicide while detainee was being restrained by guards.

3rd doctor at Camp East Montana in 2 months

Source: The Washington Post

January 23, 2026

Federal Personnel 14 of 19

DHS halts terminations of FEMA disaster workers as massive winter storm approaches, hours after staff were escorted out during Noem's tour of headquarters.

300 let go this month, thousands due this year

Source: CNN

January 23, 2026

Federal Personnel 15 of 19

GAO reports Social Security at risk of "losing many staff in the near term" after telework ban dropped remote work from 42% to 13% of hours.

Agency at 50-year staffing low

Source: Government Executive

January 23, 2026

Arts 16 of 19

Soprano Renée Fleming cancels National Symphony Orchestra concert at Kennedy Center, the latest artist to withdraw after board added Trump's name to venue built to honor JFK.

Resigned as artistic adviser Feb 2025

Source: Deadline

January 23, 2026

Grift 17 of 19

Watchdog files complaint alleging Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche violated conflict-of-interest law by ending crypto investigations while owning $159,000 in digital assets.

Bitcoin up 34% before he divested

Source: ProPublica

January 23, 2026

Protest 18 of 19

Thousands march in Minneapolis as hundreds of Minnesota businesses close for "ICE Out" statewide shutdown protesting federal deportation operation now in its eighth week.

Detained 2-year-old reunited with mother

Source: The Minnesota Star Tribune

January 23, 2026

Fighting Back 19 of 19

Philadelphia sues National Park Service to restore slavery exhibits removed from President's House, where George Washington brought enslaved people while serving as president.

Panels installed 2010

Source: NBC News

January 23, 2026

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