From the desk of Rich Stephens
News for the week ending 1-24-26
Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.
Top Story
Minneapolis Protester Shot By Border Patrol
We begin again in Minneapolis where another ICE protester was fatally shot Saturday, January 25. According to Minneapolis ICE head Greg Bovino, agents were conducting a targeted operation to apprehend Jose Huerta Chuma. who’s criminal history includes domestic assault, intentional bodily harm and disorderly conduct. The rest of this story is hard to tell because no matter what I say or how I say it, someone is going to be upset. Mayor Jacob Frey called the video of the incident “more than 6 masked agents, pummeling one of our constituents, and shooting him to death” while referring to ICE operations as “Occupation” and “Invasion”. Bovino says that an individual approached border patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic hand gun and that when they attempted to disarm him he violently resisted. A border patrol agent shot the subject who had two loaded magazines and no identification. There are videos from several angles.
DHS Statement / Image of Firearm
Politics
House To Vote on Clintons’ Contempt Charges
In Washington, D.C., where on Wednesday, January 21, the House Oversight Committee voted to refer Bill and Hillary Clinton to the House floor on the criminal charge of contempt of Congress. This comes after the Clintons did not appear before a scheduled congressional hearing last week. The Oversight Committee is seeking to interview the Clintons regarding the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s business. Committee Chair James Comer wants to ask the Clintons about Epstein’s alleged connections to the Clinton Foundation. Votes to refer both the former president and former secretary of state to the floor were bipartisan, but neither was unanimous.
House Oversight Hearing on Health
Staying in the House, on Friday, January 24, the House Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to interview CEOs of major health care companies. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke to CVS CEO David Joyner, pointing out that CVS owns Aetna, Oak Street Health clinics, and CVS Caremark, a company that negotiates the prices of pharmaceuticals. She stated that this monopoly is not good for patients. She went on to note that the ACA forces insurance companies to spend large amounts on care. However, owning the care facilities, doctors’ offices, and drug pipeline means that companies like Aetna, United, and Cigna are able to make a profit at each stage.
AOC Explains Prior Authorization
Automatic Vehicle Disabling Systems Still Law
In November of 2021, Congress passed HR3684, a 1039-page funding bill for highway safety, transit and “other purposes.” Buried about 400 pages in, is a requirement that all new vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States come equipped with systems that can passively monitor drivers and automatically limit or prevent operation of the vehicle if the system believes the driver to be impaired. As part of this week’s congressional funding packages, Representative Thomas Massie proposed an amendment that would prohibit funding to enforce the rules in HR3684. His amendment did not pass when 57 republicans joined with Democrats to oppose it. This means that new cars will be required to adhere to this rule beginning in 2027.
Summary of Proposed Rule (You can still comment)
SAVE Act
On April 10, 2025, The House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility act known as SAVE. It passed 220-208 with 4 Democrats crossing the aisle and joining the Republicans. After last week’s news about Michigan voter roll calls (rolls), there has been increased pressure from Republicans for the Senate to take up and pass the bill into law. The SAVE Act would require ID to vote and require states to take action to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls. Currently, Republicans do not have 60 votes to get the bill past the filibuster.
SAVE Act Official Site / Details
Details on States Offering Licenses to non-citizens
Trump Health Plan
On January 15, the White House released the president’s plan for health care reform. The plan asks Congress to pass laws to codify most favored nation status for drug prices. It shifts subsidy payments from insurance companies and instead provides those funds directly to the insured. It requires insurance companies to meet what is being called the “plain English insurance” standard. Further, it requires any health care provider who accepts Medicare or Medicaid to publish pricing and fees in their place of business. The White House claims this plan would save taxpayers $36B and reduce the most common Obamacare premiums by 10%.
Current Events
World Health Organization
On Thursday, January 22, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a joint statement with HHS Secretary Kennedy announcing that the United States has terminated its membership in the World Health Organization. According to 2025 congressional research, the U.S. provided $134 million in fiscal year 2025, accounting for about 20% of the WHO’s $6.8 billion budget. However, a fact sheet released by HHS this week states that the U.S. contributed an average of $570 million per year.
Virginia Proposed Legislation
On Saturday, January 17, Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as governor of Virginia. With control of both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, Virginia democrats have proposed legislation aimed at a wide variety of topics. One piece of proposed legislation would require election votes to be counted electronically and prohibit hand counting. Other proposals include lowering penalties for robbery, changes to state sales tax rates that also includes a 20 cent tax on food deliveries, and new state income tax brackets of 8 and 10%. They also propose to allow cities to outlaw gas powered leaf blowers. An assault weapons ban, a $500 firearms suppressor tax, and prohibition of open carry are also on the table.
Prohibition on Open Carry of Firearms
Senate Version of ‘Assault’ Weapons Ban
House Version of ‘Assault’ Weapons Ban
Requiring Ballots To Be Electronically Counted
Adding Lawn Equipment To Personal Property Tax
Allowing Cities To Ban Gas Powered Leaf Blowers
Adding 8% and 10% Income Tax Brackets
Adding 3.8% Investment Income Tax
Changes to Sales Tax, Adding $0.20 Food Delivery Tax
Remove 3 Strikes Rule for Robbery
Spanberger Executive Orders
Illinois Clean Slate Act
Illinois Governor signed HB1836, known as the Clean Slate Act into law. The law automates the process of sealing records for people convicted of theft, fraud, money laundering, drug possession, and other non-violent crimes. Individuals will no longer have to apply or go through a legal process, and the records will be automatically sealed after 2 years for misdemeanors and 3 years for eligible felony convictions. The governor asserted that having a record sealed leads to an average wage increase of 22%.
St. Paul Church Protest – Don Lemon
Three people have been arrested for their roles in a protest that took over a St. Paul Minnesota church last Sunday. Video posted to social media showed a group standing, chanting, taking over the aisles and interrupting the service. US Attorney General Pam Bondi and the department of homeland security coordinated on the arrests, but all three defendants were given bail within 48 hours. A fourth complaint for former CNN reporter Don Lemon was rejected by a judge. The story got so much attention on social media that rapper Nicki Minaj made a video mocking Lemon. He and the others argue that they have a first amendment right to protest ICE and that the pastor of the church is the director of the local ICE field office.
Video Of Don Lemon Participating In Protest 1
Video Of Don Lemon With Pastor
Video Of Don Lemon With Parishioner
Video of Other William Kelly
Don Lemon Past Statements On First Amendment
Nicki Minaj Mocks Don Lemon (video)
Dhillon Says Lemon Still Under Investigation
Ian Roberts Guilty Plea
Thursday, January 22, former Des Moines school superintendent Ian Roberts pled guilty to two charges from his arrest in September. He admitted to a False Statement of Employment and Illegal Alien in possession of a firearm. His sentencing is scheduled for May 29 where he may receive as much as 15 years for the firearms charge and 5 for the employment statement. He could also be fined as much as $500k
Ryan Wedding Arrest
Friday, January 23, the FBI held a press conference to announce the arrest of Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding. We told you in November about the arrest of 10 others involved in Wedding’s drug trafficking operation. He is accused of shipping 60 tons of cocaine through California and into Canada as well as witness intimidation and murder. The FBI said they worked with Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Dominican Republic to arrest 36 individuals, including Wedding. His arraignment is expected to happen on Monday.
Previous Announcement About Arrests In Case
USPS Post Marks
If you wait until April 15 to mail your taxes, they might be stamped April 16 and you will get a fine. Maybe. Let’s talk about the post office. If you read the official release from the post office, they will tell you that postmarks have not changed since the move away from hand stamping mail. While that is technically true, the Postmaster General began closing and consolidating regional processing centers in 2012. The Postal Regulatory Commission says that if your mail is dropped more than 50 miles from the closest regional processing center, it will be stamped with the FOLLOWING business day’s date. This is because it’s stamped at the processing center, not at the post office. So, if you need to wait until April 15 to mail your tax return, go to the post office, ask them to cancel the postage in front of you and you’ll be fine.
Processing Center Consolidation
Postal Regulatory Commission Findings
Postal Regulatory Commission Statement
USPS Statement About Post Marks
Finance
Markets continued a 2-week slide with the Dow losing about a half percent, dropping 261 points to close at 49,098. The NASDAQ fell 14 points, closing at 23,501. The S&P500 closed at 4979, a drop of 25 points. Meanwhile, Gold closed at another record high, ending the week at $4,979 per ounce, a gain of almost 8.5% this week.
Sports
Tennis
In Australia, Novak Djokovic defeated Botic van de Zandschulp, winning in straight sets to secure his 400th Grand Slam singles victory. He is the first player in history to reach this milestone and the first to record more than 100 wins on each of the three surfaces. On the women’s side, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
College Football
On Monday, January 19, the Indiana Hoosiers met the Miami Hurricanes in Miami Gardens, Florida, for the College Football National Championship game. Indiana led 10–0 at halftime and never trailed in the 27–21 win. The victory capped an undefeated, 16‑win season for the Hoosiers and delivered the university’s first football national championship. Congratulations to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, head coach Curt Cignetti, and the 2026 NCAA football national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers.
Rich Stephens
The Cold Take