The briefing for Thursday, January 22.

The Supreme Court appeared inclined Wednesday to reject President Trump's effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, with even conservative justices expressing skepticism about weakening the central bank's independence. The case centers on Trump's August decision to remove Cook based on allegations of mortgage fraud, which she denies. No president has ever fired a sitting Fed governor in the institution's 112-year history.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, warned that allowing the firing to proceed would "weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve." At least five other justices voiced similar concerns during nearly two hours of arguments. Both Cook and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell attended the hearing, with Cook later stating she would uphold political independence "for as long as I serve at the Federal Reserve."

Trump's lawyers argued Cook committed mortgage fraud by claiming two different primary residences simultaneously on loan applications. Cook's attorneys countered that the claims were based on incomplete documents and that she received no due process to dispute them. The administration asserted presidents can remove Fed governors "for cause" based on their judgment alone, but justices questioned why more process was problematic. Chief Justice John Roberts suggested it may be pointless to return the case to lower courts rather than issue a final ruling. A decision is expected by early summer.

Federal immigration officers can now forcibly enter homes based solely on administrative warrants, according to an internal ICE memo obtained by the Associated Press. The directive, signed by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and dated May 12, 2025, marks a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches. The memo states that Homeland Security's general counsel has determined that neither the Constitution nor immigration law prohibits relying on administrative warrants alone to enter residences.

For years, immigrant advocates and legal groups have advised people not to open doors to ICE agents unless shown a warrant signed by a judge. That guidance stems from Supreme Court rulings that generally prohibit law enforcement from entering homes without judicial approval. The new directive directly undercuts that advice at a time when immigration arrests are accelerating under Trump's mass deportation campaign.

The memo has not been widely shared within ICE, according to a whistleblower complaint, but its contents have been used to train new officers being deployed nationwide. The AP witnessed ICE officers ramming through a Minneapolis home's front door on January 11 with only an administrative warrant, wearing tactical gear with rifles drawn. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin defended the practice, saying those served with administrative warrants have already had "full due process and a final order of removal." The change is almost certain to face legal challenges from advocacy groups and immigrant-friendly jurisdictions.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet Thursday at Davos after Trump envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about finalizing a deal to end the war with Russia. "I think we've got it down to one issue and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it's solvable," Witkoff said ahead of his trip to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. Witkoff did not specify the single issue, but recent negotiations have focused on the future status of Ukraine's Donbas region.

A proposal under discussion would create a demilitarized and free economic zone in Donbas in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv. Zelensky has offered to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the 25% of Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control by up to 40 kilometers if Russia does the same. Russian forces have advanced slowly in the east over the past year, and Putin is known to covet control of the entire region. Another sticking point is future control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, seized by Russia in March 2022.

Zelensky traveled overnight to reach Davos after initially canceling his trip to deal with Russian strikes on Kyiv's power infrastructure that have left large areas without heating or water. He said a US plan to end the war was 90% ready but that differences remain on Donbas. Trump stated Wednesday that he believes both Putin and Zelensky are ready to make a deal, adding "If they don't, they're stupid." Zelensky hoped to sign two documents with Trump covering security guarantees and economic prosperity, though it remains unclear if signings will occur during their meeting.

The US military has begun transferring up to 7,000 Islamic State detainees from prisons in northeastern Syria to Iraq as Syria's new government takes control of areas long run by Kurdish-led forces. US Central Command said it had already moved 150 IS fighters from Hassakeh province to a secure location in Iraq, aiming to prevent prisoners from breaking out and regrouping. The transfer follows a ceasefire agreement that brought much of Syria's northeast under Damascus control after the Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew from key areas.

The shift marks a dramatic fall from power for the Kurdish-led SDF, which once served as the main US partner in Syria's fight against ISIS. US envoy Tom Barrack stated bluntly Tuesday that the SDF's role as Syria's primary anti-IS force "has largely expired" since the new government is "both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities." Washington did not intervene militarily when clashes erupted between the SDF and government forces in early January, focusing instead on mediating a ceasefire.

Syria's government and the SDF have traded blame over the escape of suspected IS members from an SDF-run prison in Shaddadi, with Syria's interior ministry saying around 120 detainees fled while the SDF warned that up to 1,500 may have escaped during clashes. Rights group Reprieve warned that detainees transferred to Iraq could face torture and execution, urging the UK government to establish whether British nationals were among those being moved. The ceasefire is holding as of Wednesday, with the SDF signing onto a deal that would effectively dissolve the force.

President Trump said Wednesday the US has reached the "framework of a future deal" on Greenland and Arctic security after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump dropped his threat to impose tariffs on eight European countries that had opposed his ambitions to acquire the Danish territory. "This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations," Trump posted on Truth Social, though he provided few details about the arrangement.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement that "the day is ending on a better note than it began," adding that Denmark is ready to discuss American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the kingdom's red lines. According to the New York Times, the framework would grant the US ownership of small pockets of Greenland's territory where American military bases could be built, similar to UK bases on Cyprus. Trump told CNN the deal was "pretty far along" and "gets us everything we needed to get," especially regarding national security.

Trump had previously threatened a 10% tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland—all NATO members—escalating to 25% from June 1 until a deal was reached for Washington to purchase Greenland. The US already maintains more than 100 military personnel at its Pituffik base in northwestern Greenland under existing agreements with Denmark. Trump has cited Greenland's vast reserves of rare earth minerals and its strategic Arctic position as crucial for US national security. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen later insisted that Denmark cannot negotiate on sovereignty, stating she had been informed that this was not part of the framework discussions.

The Washington Post asked a federal court Wednesday for an emergency order requiring the government to return electronic devices seized from reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home last week. Federal agents took two phones, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive, and a smartwatch during a search related to an investigation of Pentagon contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, who is accused of illegally handling classified information. The Post argued the seizures violated Natanson's First Amendment rights and legal safeguards for journalists.

The seized materials span years of Natanson's reporting across hundreds of stories, including communications with confidential sources. "The outrageous seizure of our reporter's confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials," the Post said in a statement. The newspaper has asked the court to order immediate return of all materials and bar the government from using any of it.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was done at the request of the Defense Department and that the journalist was "obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor." Perez-Lugones has not been charged with sharing classified information. In April, Bondi issued new guidelines restoring prosecutors' authority to use subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants to hunt for government officials who make unauthorized disclosures to journalists, rescinding Biden administration policy that protected journalists from having phone records secretly seized during leak investigations.