>>Four astronauts have docked at the International Space Station (ISS) after blasting off from Earth on Friday.

>>The crew will spend eight months aboard the ISS after replacing a team that evacuated last month due to a medical emergency.

>>On board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft travelling to the ISS were two Nasa astronauts from the US, Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, from France, and Russian Roscocosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

>>The four are known as Crew-12, because they make up SpaceX's 12th crewed rotational flight to the International Space Station.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c1e9z8jw93yo

https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-homeland-security-democrats-ice-bd2b84b6f38f1c916637b205854a3c83
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise Sunday in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September. Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump’s tax and spending cut law from 2025 provided billions more to those agencies that can be tapped for deportation operations. About 90% of DHS employees were to continue working during the shutdown, but do so without pay — and missed paychecks could mean financial hardships. Last year there was a record 43-day government shutdown.

White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats’ demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.

“I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said, But, he said, “These men and women have to protect themselves.”

Democrats also want to require immigration agents to wear body cameras and mandate judicial warrants for arrests on private property.

https://apnews.com/article/dhs-shutdown-tsa-travel-airports-delays-ff8b225c6ff8d57172fd301a550057b3

A shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that took effect early Saturday impacts the agency responsible for screening passengers and bags at airports across the country. Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.

Transportation Security Administration officers are expected to work without pay while lawmakers remain without an agreement on DHS’ annual funding. TSA officers also worked through the record shutdown that ended Nov. 12, but aviation experts say this one may play out differently.

Trade groups for the U.S. travel industry and major airlines nonetheless warned that the longer DHS appropriations are lapsed, the longer security lines at the nation’s commercial airports could get.

Funding for Homeland Security expired at midnight. But the rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.

According to the department’s contingency plan, about 95% of TSA workers are deemed essential personnel and required to keep working. Democrats in the House and Senate say DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations.

During past shutdowns, disruptions to air travel tended to build over time, not overnight. About a month into last year’s shutdown, for example, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. That same day, the government took the extraordinary step of ordering all commercial airlines to reduce their domestic flight schedules.

John Clark, arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from a business trip in Mississippi, said he was impacted by that earlier shutdown and is worried.

Federal charges have been dropped against two men who had been charged with assaulting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis last month, including one Venezuelan defendant who was shot in the leg by an officer. The Justice Department's motion cited "newly discovered evidence" that was "materially inconsistent" with the allegations against them.

The filing, entered Thursday by U.S. Attorney in Minnesota Daniel Rosen, moved to dismiss the charges against the men with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be reintroduced. On Friday, a judge granted the request.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Friday that two officers have been placed on administrative leave after a review of video evidence indicated they provided "untruthful statements" in their sworn testimony.

"Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution," Lyons said.

In January, the two men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were charged in a federal criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers in performance of their official duties. The charges came after Sosa-Celis was shot by an ICE officer, which drew nationwide attention amid the federal immigration surge in Minnesota.

From early on, the government's account of the alleged assault was not consistent.


>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-drops-charges-assaulting-ice-officers-inconsistent-evidence/

A California protestor was SHOT in the FACE by ICE for literally just walking around doing nothing

It was captured in video.
https://apnews.com/video/video-shows-moment-california-protestor-is-hit-in-the-face-with-a-projectile-by-federal-police-officer-b914688c2af44c88ae7e53ffaeb8ba13
Video shows moment California protestor is shot in the face by federal police officer
Video shows a federal officer shot a demonstrator in the face fired from close range during a protest in Southern California last week.

https://www.newsweek.com/emiru-drama-explained-popular-streamer-responds-after-ice-clip-goes-viral-11488160

Twitch streamer Emiru is facing backlash after a clipped moment from her livestream went viral, sparking accusations that she deliberately avoided addressing a question about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The clip led to widespread speculation about her political views and intentions, with some users accusing her of attempting to remain apolitical to avoid alienating parts of her audience.

The controversy began when a clipped segment of Emiru’s Twitch stream appeared to show her dodging a question that referenced ICE.

"If you need a streamer who doesn’t even know anything about politics to tell you about politics you probably just need to like get off the Internet," Emiri said in a response to her thoughts on ICE on her Twitch stream.

The backlash unfolded as public figures, celebrities, and influencers increasingly spoke out against ICE amid growing allegations of misconduct, racial profiling, and heavy-handed tactics, at a moment when the agency has been thrust back into the national spotlight by the Trump administration’s hard-line deportation policies dominating headlines.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/bondi-epstein-files-search-history-hearing-pramila-jayapal/

A high-profile House Democrat is accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi of "spying" on her search history while she pored through Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, after Bondi was seen at a combative congressional hearing Wednesday with what appeared to be a list of the lawmaker's searches.

One of the printouts that Bondi referenced during the hearing was a list labeled "Jayapal Pramila Search History," referring to Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington. The document listed out at least eight different files from the Justice Department's trove of Epstein records, including their file numbers and brief descriptions of their contents, according to images snapped by photojournalists who covered the hearing.

It's not entirely clear how the list was compiled, but since Monday, the Justice Department has allowed several members of Congress to visit its offices and search through a database of unredacted Epstein files. In recent weeks, the department has made millions of records on the late sex offender public, but with redactions to take out survivors' names and other information, drawing criticism from some lawmakers who argue the redactions were excessive.

Jayapal said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday: "It is totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files."

"Bondi showed up today with a burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched," said the Democrat, who previously chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "That is outrageous and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5736499-kennedy-cocaine-toilet-seat-recovery/

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the latest episode of Theo Von’s podcast Thursday that he once snorted cocaine off of a toilet seat while talking about not fearing germs.

Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, appeared on “This Past Weekend” when he made the remark. He reflected on meeting with Von at recovery meetings in the Los Angeles area when he brought up still going to in-person recovery meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I mean for me, I said this when I came in, ‘I don’t care what happens, I’m going to a meeting everyday,'” Kennedy said. “I’m not scared of a germ, you know. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats. I know this disease will kill me. If I don’t treat it, which means going to meetings everyday, it’s just bad for my life. For me, it was survival.”

The secretary, who has been in recovery for more than 40 years, called it “heartbreaking” when meetings tried to go virtual rather than in person.

The two moved on to discuss Kennedy’s work at the HHS, and he reflected on his time working as a lawyer.

Kennedy has been open about his past drug use, which he said started in the years after his father, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 in Los Angeles after winning the state’s presidential primary for the Democratic nomination.

Kennedy was arrested twice for drug possession, the latter of the two arrests leading him to commit to becoming sober.

> 1/29/2026
<__<
Repeat: Republicans come for Stephen Miller.
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15505693
Battles raging inside ‘Homeland’…
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15505693
The Walz are caving in…: Tim Walz fears a Fort Sumter, South Carolina moment.
> https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ar-AA1VdfBr
Firearm instructors see surge in interest amid the turmoil…
> https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna256101
Make sure you don’t show them any uncrossed ‘t’s or anything like that!: Citizens are carrying their passports with them…
> https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-carrying-passports-minneapolis-minnesota/
The Trumps sue America for 10 Billion dollars!
> https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/trump-sues-irs-and-treasury-for-10-billion-over-leak-of-tax-records.html
Trump’s magic tariffs fail to improve economic situation from a year ago. (Red Text)
> https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/trade-balance-soared-94percent-in-november-and-was-higher-than-a-year-ago-despite-tariff-efforts.html
Repeat: Emergency situations needed for workers because of AI…
> https://www.the-independent.com/b2886415.html
Lady Gaga does Mister Roger’s…
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMFQmOBO6D4
Poor West…: Spain legalizes 500,000 illegals… (Red Text)
> https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260128-why-spain-is-offering-amnesty-to-500-000-undocumented-migrants
Trump meddles in Iranian affairs…
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-weighs-iran-strikes-inspire-011041251.html
Melania documentary arrives amid national turmoil…
> https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ar-AA1Vf5Zi
Press blocked from screening the movie.
> https://variety.com/2026/film/news/melania-documentary-premiere-amazon-blocks-press-1236645317/
Amazon promotion of ‘Melania’ has people questioning it’s motives…
> https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/business/media/amazon-melania-trump-film-critics.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFA.heH7.Qhw5wppEehCQ&smid=url-share

Motives…