The briefing for Thursday, January 15.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration canceled approximately 2,000 grants worth nearly $2 billion on Tuesday night, only to reverse course Wednesday after widespread confusion and staff layoffs. The abrupt action affected substance abuse treatment, mental health services, opioid programs, and support for homeless populations nationwide, representing about a quarter of SAMHSA's total budget.

Organizations told the Associated Press they immediately began cutting staff and canceling training programs after receiving termination notices Tuesday evening. The Boston-based Baker Center for Children and Families, which lost $1 million in grants including funding for child trauma services, said 600 families would lose care. The Las Vegas-based PACT Coalition lost $560,000 across three grants focused on substance abuse issues.

The grants were terminated using a regulation allowing cancellation of awards that no longer match agency priorities, though recipients said their work directly aligned with SAMHSA's stated goals. Two sources within SAMHSA told the AP that staff weren't widely notified of the action before it was announced. The reversal came after advocates warned the cuts would jeopardize lives and force providers to close programs serving vulnerable populations across the country.

The State Department announced Wednesday it will indefinitely pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, citing concerns about potential use of welfare and public benefits. The suspension begins January 21 and applies to immigrant visas but not temporary tourist or business visas, according to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

The administration says it wants to end abuse of the system by those who would become a public charge in the United States. The move expands existing restrictions already in place for Brazil, Iran, Russia, Somalia, and 19 other countries deemed security threats. According to the Associated Press, the 75-country list includes Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, and multiple African nations, though the complete list has not been released.

The action follows Trump's broader effort to restrict both legal and illegal immigration since returning to office. Asylum cases, citizenship processing, and green card applications from the initially banned countries have also been paused. The State Department said it will reassess procedures during the suspension to prevent entry of foreign nationals who might require public assistance.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Wednesday there remains a fundamental disagreement with the United States over Greenland after an hour-long meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rasmussen called the talks frank but constructive, though he emphasized that Trump's interest in conquering Greenland is totally unacceptable to Denmark.

The meeting produced agreement to establish a high-level working group that will meet in coming weeks to find a compromise. Rasmussen said Denmark and Greenland are open to the possibility of the US opening more military bases on the island, and that there is an element of truth to Trump's concerns about bolstering security against Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic. However, he disputed Trump's claims about Russian and Chinese warships around Greenland as not true.

European allies moved quickly to show support for Greenland following the talks. Sweden pledged to send armed forces to the territory at Denmark's request, while Germany, the UK, and France announced plans to send reconnaissance teams or military officers. Denmark announced increased military presence in Greenland in close cooperation with allies, citing geopolitical tensions spreading to the Arctic. Trump reiterated after the meeting that the US needs Greenland for national security and again declined to rule out using military force to acquire the territory.

US envoy Steve Witkoff announced Wednesday the start of phase two of President Trump's Gaza peace plan, establishing a technocratic Palestinian government to administer the territory. The 15-member body will be headed by Ali Shaath, a former deputy planning minister in the Palestinian Authority, and will operate under a Board of Peace to be chaired by Trump.

Phase two includes reconstruction and full demilitarization of Gaza, requiring the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Witkoff warned that Hamas must comply fully with its obligations, including returning the body of the last dead Israeli hostage, and that failure to do so will bring serious consequences. Regional mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey welcomed the formation of what they called the Palestinian Technocratic Committee to Administer the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a joint statement they agreed to support efforts to form the technocratic government while providing the appropriate environment for it to begin work. The Palestinian Authority also expressed support, with Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh saying Trump's leadership contributed to creating a new opportunity for peace and stability. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the parents of the last dead hostage that his return remains a top priority and that the new committee will not affect efforts to bring him home.

A federal three-judge panel ruled Wednesday that California can use a new voter-approved US House map designed to boost Democrats in the 2026 midterms, denying requests from state Republicans and the Justice Department to block it. The 2-1 ruling said there was not strong evidence the maps were drawn based on race, concluding instead they were created for partisan advantage.

The map, approved by voters through Proposition 50 in November, aims to give Democrats a shot at flipping as many as five House seats next year. The effort was pushed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to counter a similar redistricting effort in Texas backed by President Trump to help Republicans. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is a political question not for federal courts to decide.

Republicans vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court, with state GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin saying the dissenting opinion better reflects their interpretation of the law. In dissent, US District Judge Kenneth Lee, appointed by Trump, argued at least one district was drawn using race as a factor. The ruling represents a victory for Democrats in the state-by-state redistricting battle that could help determine which party controls the House in 2026, as Democrats need only a handful of seats to take control.

FBI agents searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home Wednesday, seizing a phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of taking home classified materials. The Post said it was told that Natanson and the newspaper are not targets of the investigation, though Attorney General Pam Bondi said the journalist was obtaining and reporting classified information.

The search warrant was related to an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland system administrator charged earlier this month with unlawful retention of national defense information. Authorities allege Perez-Lugones printed classified reports at work and kept documents marked SECRET at his home, including one found in a lunchbox. While classified documents investigations are not unusual, the search of a reporter's home marks a rare escalation in leak investigations.

Press freedom advocates warned the raid will have a chilling effect on journalism. Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said he couldn't remember the last time the government raided a journalist's home and believes it's meant to deter both reporters and whistleblowers. Natanson, nicknamed the federal government whisperer for her reporting on Trump's federal workforce changes, recently wrote about receiving tips from 1,169 government employees on Signal after posting her contact information online.