US President Donald Trump has once again questioned whether NATO allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them,” baselessly claiming that the alliance’s troops “stayed a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan. For 20 years, NATO allies and other partner countries fought alongside US troops in Afghanistan – a sacrifice Trump has routinely downplayed. And they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he said. Prince Harry, who was twice deployed to Afghanistan, said in a statement provided by his spokesperson that the sacrifices of NATO troops deserve respect. The UK and NATO allies answered the US call.

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James downplayed any suggestion of a rift between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss on Thursday following an ESPN report that detailed how the now-minority owner of the team had started to turn on the Lakers superstar. She reportedly floated the possibility of trading James to the Clippers in 2022 and didn't believe James was grateful when the Lakers drafted his son, Bronny James, in 2024. But LeBron James brushed it off. When he came to the Lakers, James told Buss that he wanted to return the Lakers to glory, he recalled while accepting the NBA Finals most valuable player award in 2020. When asked Thursday of how he thought the partnership with Jeanie Buss has been, James said he thought "it was good, but somebody could see it another way.

The ‘Hoos currently hold a solo third-place spot in the ACC standings while the Tar Heels are in a five-way tie for seventh. Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels have yet to win a road ACC game this season. But, as they are every year, the Heels are a highly-talented team that can play with any team in the nation. Vessar grabs more than 9 boards per game, is the Tar Heels’ best three-point shooter, hitting 48.1% of his threes, and is averaging 1.2 blocked shots per game. The Tar Heels’ defensive rebounding percentage is nearly 80%, ranking in the top-15 in the nation.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has dissolved the lower house of Parliament, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap electionJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, center in blue jacket, bows and other lawmakers cheer after dissolving the lower house, during an extraordinary Diet session at the lower house of parliament Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO -- Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Friday, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election. The dissolution of the 465-member lower house paves the way for a 12-day campaign that officially starts Tuesday. The scandal-tainted LDP and its coalition had a slim majority in the more lower house after an election loss in 2024. “Now is our chance to start the centrist movement,” said Yoshihiko Noda, a former prime minister and leader of the Constitutional Democrats.

It‘s not Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House. “I went back and I looked at every single democratic Senate leader,” said Enten. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty ImagesSchumer, 75, has served as the leader of Senate Democrats since 2017. The controversies may catch up to Schumer when his position as Democratic Senate leader is up for re-election following the 2026 midterms. “That‘s quite a low number given how long he served as Democratic Senate leader,” Enten observed.

(Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal. Ushakov noted that Trump’s envoys informed Putin about Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, as well as earlier discussions they had with Ukrainian and European officials. The Kremlin talks that he described as “frank, constructive” and “fruitful” began when it was just before midnight in Moscow and lasted nearly four hours. Addressing the World Economic Forum after meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe. Ushakov, the Kremlin aide, confirmed that a Russian delegation will take part in Friday’s meeting in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

Research and experience show that Federal Reserve independence is essential to fulfilling the congressional mandate of price stability and maximum employment, …. The Fed consisted of 12 Regional Federal Reserve Banks and a central Board of Governors appointed by the President. Another was the Secretary of Treasury was removed from the Board, solidifying the independence of the FED from the federal government. By those actions, the Fed was able to manipulate interest rates --- and that manipulation has become the major tool by which the Fed engages in monetary policy. For details, see interest rates and inflation rates between 2009 and 2020.

“I want you to put down your drink, definitely put down your smartphone if you’re scrolling, and please pay attention to this,” said Ruhle on “The 11th Hour” before playing portions of the footage, which was obtained by fellow MS NOW journalist Antonia Hylton. When the father and son drove off in fear, the federal officers followed and repeatedly rammed their van. Arnoldo, who captured the incident on his phone, told the outlet he and his father then pulled into a parking lot and exited their van. AdvertisementRuhle on Thursday watched portions of the footage with Hylton, who shared further details. “And after this scene here, they end up being violently detained on the ground inside a restaurant sort of depot lot,” Hylton said.

The Trump administration is restructuring, revising or eliminating more than $83B in Biden-era loans and conditional commitments for clean energy projects. "This action follows an exhaustive first-year review of the previous administration's $104B principal loan obligations, including approximately $85B rushed out the door

The son of Iran’s former monarch told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday that US airstrikes provide the “only chance” to remove Iran’s current theocratic government. “There’s no other way to help unarmed people who are facing this level of brutality that the regime has exerted against them,” said Reza Pahlavi. Some protesters have chanted his name at the widespread anti-government demonstrations that subsided after a violent crackdown. But the size of Pahlavi’s base within the country is unclear, and he has not lived in Iran since he was a teenager. On Friday, Pahlavi told CNN that he aimed to act as a transitional figure for Iran if the regime falls.

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Over 160 million people across more than two dozen states are under winter storm or ice storm alerts, from the Southern Rockies and Plains, all the way to New England. Travel and power outage impacts could last into at least early next week for areas that see significant snow and ice. That shift has implicated more of the Midwest and Northeast with heavy snow while still delivering destructive ice to a large portion of the South. Ice could knock out power to manyDamaging ice from freezing rain is the storm’s most serious threat. Heavy snow threat from Plains to East CoastHeavy snow will pile up for a wide area to the north of the storm’s freezing rain zone.

“I can tell you gentlemen, that the fault does not lie with Donald Trump,” Nehls, of Texas, said, addressing several law enforcement officers attending the hearing who responded to the riot that day. Nehls said the fault of the attack lies with “the US Capitol leadership team.”“We know they had the intelligence,” Nehls said before Fanone, after a loud cough, interrupted. “F**k yourself,” Fanone, who was dragged out and beaten in a crowd of rioters during one of the most violent clashes that day, said loudly. Smith, in his first public appearance before lawmakers, said he was “shocked” when he saw the attack on the Capitol. He warned that there are potentially “catastrophic” ongoing threats to US democracy because of the failure to hold Trump accountable for his “criminal” attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Stocks and bonds regained ground, the US dollar sank and gold posted its best week since 2020. Trump’s flip-flop on tariffs, paired with volatility in Japan’s bond market, sent US stocks and bonds bouncing around. The Trump administration’s policy proposals are whipsawing markets this year and the Greenland saga could be another nudge for investors to seek insurance against US uncertainty. Silver posted its best week since 2020 and is up almost 46% this year after climbing 141% in 2025 — also its best year since 1979. “I do think that these policy 180s, it’s not necessarily in the markets’ best interest long term,” he said.

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