The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Saturday, January 31st 2026
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Ongoing reports and analysis On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, an academic economist, investor , and former governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve, to be the next chairman of the world's most important central bank. The term of current chairman Jerome Powell, who has been under fire from Trump for years for his refusal to slash interest rates, will expire in May. "I have known Kevin for a ...
Source: foreignpolicy.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Epstein wrote an email to Musk in 2013 discussing a visit with four "assistants," newly released DOJ documents show. Reading time 5 minutes Elon Musk has previously insisted that he never visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island in the Caribbean, known as Little St. James. But emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday indicate Musk was at least messaging that he planned to visit the island of ...
Source: gizmodo.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Congress has justifiably been criticized for rolling over to the President. But how it actually uses its leverage involves genuinely difficult trade-offs. January 30, 2026 In October, Senate Democrats plunged the country into a shutdown. As I wrote at the time , the Party's leaders primarily needed their base to see them pushing back on Donald Trump's authoritarianism, especially after ducking out of a funding ...
Source: newyorker.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Groups say arrests of ex-CNN anchor and Georgia Fort are 'extremely alarming' and an 'attack on the first amendment' Press freedom groups are warning that the arrests of two independent journalists, including the veteran former CNN anchor Don Lemon, signal a chilling new crackdown on US media by the Trump administration . Lemon was taken into custody on Thursday night by federal agents in Los Angeles , despite a ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
How Does Agentic AI Revolutionize Healthcare Security? Are you prepared to explore the transformative power of Agentic AI in securing the healthcare industry? The intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity has opened doors to innovative methodologies. This sector is under constant scrutiny due to the sensitive nature of its data. While we delve deeper into the concept of Non-Human Identities (NHIs) ...
Source: securityboulevard.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
US president warns against closer ties with China during British PM's trip to secure lower tariffs and better market access Donald Trump has warned the UK against doing business with China, just hours after Keir Starmer lauded the economic relationship during a landmark visit to Beijing . The US president said it was "very dangerous" for the UK to pursue closer ties with the rival superpower as the prime minister's ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
When FBI agents raided election offices in Georgia on Wednesday looking for evidence of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, there was a surprising figure in their ranks: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Her role in relitigating the campaign that President Donald Trump lost — but never conceded — is drawing scrutiny. It is "unprecedented" for an intelligence chief to join an FBI ...
Source: theweek.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
LEWISTON, Maine — The heart of the city's immigrant community expands from Lisbon Street, where ethnic food markets and other businesses usually bustle with customers. But for the past week and a half, it's been quiet, as federal immigration agents scoured the state making arrests. Many residents stayed home — and out of sight. "The community is scared," said Effrax Saciid-Cisse, who emigrated from ...
Source: wbur.org
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty if convicted, a court has ruled. US District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal firearms charges against the 27-year-old that carried the possibility of the death penalty. He will still face stalking charges, which can bring a maximum punishment of life in prison. Mangione was ...
Source: bbc.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
President Donald Trump has sued the US Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns during his first term in the White House , when the president broke with decades of tradition by refusing to voluntarily divulge the records. The lawsuit—joined by Trump's two eldest sons and his family business, the Trump Organization—was revealed Thursday in a filing ...
Source: commondreams.org
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The terms of a Russian commitment to U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily halt its bombardment of Ukraine during one of the country's bleakest winters in years remained unclear Friday, as Ukrainians braced for even worse conditions to come next week. Trump said late Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places as the ...
Source: military.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
A bill that will end the monopoly of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA in the oil sector has been passed by Venezuela's National Assembly, less than a month after the US captured Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez has signed a law opening the country's oil sector to privatisation. The National Assembly approved the bill to lure in foreign investment on Thursday - as the US eased ...
Source: news.sky.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Former Illinois sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey in her Springfield home. A jury last year found Grayson guilty of second-degree murder. police body camera footage shown widely across the nation," said the Chicago Tribune. The footage showed Grayson, who is white, fatally shooting the 36-year-old Black mother of two after responding to a ...
Source: theweek.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Donald Trump on Friday called Alex Pretti an " agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist ," marking an increase in the intensity of his rhetoric toward the ICU nurse fatally shot by federal agents after the president recently said he wanted to "de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Pretti's "stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Google AI lets you explore any virtual world you can dream up instantly Google's just begun opening up access to an AI model I can actually get behind. This one lets you generate a virtual world of any kind and travel through it with a vehicle or character like in a video game – all with text prompts or images you upload. That could be a spaceship flying over an alien planet, a blimp over a European city set ...
Source: newatlas.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Experts presumed that sea ice melting and habitat loss would hinder polar bears' hunting practices. In the aftermath, food consumption would be scarce, and the giant furry bears would shed some pounds. However, a new study showed that adult polar bears between the years 1995 and 2019 managed to maintain their body weight. This observation was astonishing considering the rapid and significant levels of sea ice loss ...
Source: greenmatters.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of Panama invalidated the contract of a Hong Kong subsidiary to operate ports on the Panama Canal, ruling it is unconstitutional. In a Thursday ruling the high court said the terms of Panama Ports Company's contract that allowed it to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristobal violated the country's constitution . Panama Ports Company is a subsidiary of CK Hutchinson Holding, a ...
Source: upi.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Traditionally, the conclusion of a Federal Reserve meeting in which interest rate cuts were kept on hold would not be a reason for optimism for borrowers, especially for homebuyers and owners looking to refinance. And that was the case this week after the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate frozen , following three straight rate cuts in the final four months of 2025. At the same time, interest rates ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Pressure was building on Iran on Friday as President Donald Trump weighed a military strike on the Islamic Republic and the Treasury Department sanctioned several officials it said were responsible for the regime's brutal crackdown on its own people. But the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a news conference no talks between Tehran and Washington were currently planned and his country was ready for ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn crashed in her final downhill before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday and was left limping and keeping weight off her left knee. Vonn lost control when landing a jump in a World Cup race and ended up tangled in the safety nets on the upper portion of the course. She eventually got up after receiving medical attention and walked away gingerly, taking ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Answer: The Model S and Model X. Tesla believes artificial intelligence and robotics are the future of tech, and so it's going to stop producing some of its legacy car models in order to make room. The specific models on the chopping block are the Model S luxury sedan and Model X crossover SUV. Both are priced around $100,000 and have been in production for more than a decade, but their sale numbers have slumped in ...
Source: govtech.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Artificial intelligence (AI)-supported mammography identifies more cancers during screening and reduces the rate of breast cancer diagnosis by 12% in the years following, finds the first randomised controlled trial of its kind involving over 100,000 Swedish women published in The Lancet journal. The interim safety results of the MASAI trial, ...
Source: news-medical.net
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Following Catherine O'Hara's death at 71, friends and former collaborators are remembering the comedy legend . The actor, who shared two children with her husband, Bo Welch, died on Jan. 30 after a brief illness, her team has confirmed . Justin Trudeau Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remembered O'Hara as a "beloved Canadian icon with a rare gift for comedy and heart" in a touching post , referencing ...
Source: bustle.com
OpenAI is retiring its popular 'yes man' version of ChatGPT again — and this time it may be for good
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
OpenAI is sending everyone's favourite "yes man" version of ChatGPT back into retirement. In a blog post on Thursday, the company said it would sunset GPT-4o alongside GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini on February 13. OpenAI gave GPT-4o a special mention in its announcement after many users became attached to its "conversational style and warmth" last year, which prompted the company to ...
Source: businessinsider.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis. The order would primarily put pressure on Mexico, a government that has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba and has constantly voiced solidarity for the U.S. ...
Source: military.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)— Steak 'n Shake announced it will give $1,000 to employees' children to match the Trump accounts. "For every child born between 2025 and 2028. By funding tax-advantaged investment accounts for our employees' children, we are ensuring that the next generation of Americans participate from birth in our free-market, wealth-building economy," Steak n' Shake said in a post on X, formerly known ...
Source: wfla.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Donald Trump has appeared to undermine Second Amendment rights in statements about Alex Pretti's killing. Many in the firearms community are going along with it. In the hours after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, President Donald Trump and his administration appeared to directly undermine the rights granted to gun owners in the Second Amendment. Department of Homeland Security ...
Source: wired.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that he expects the United States to respect the country's sovereignty after reports that Alberta separatists have met several times with officials of the Donald Trump administration. The Financial Times reported that US State Department officials held meetings with the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), a group calling for a referendum on whether the energy-rich western ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Saks Global says 57 Saks OFF 5TH stores will be closing Saks Global announced the majority of its Saks OFF 5TH locations across the United States will now be closing, just weeks after a bankruptcy filing. The luxury retailer said 23 of its Saks OFF 5TH stores will cease operations on Monday, Feb. 2, while another 34 will hold closing sales starting this weekend. Only 12 locations in New York, Florida, ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 -
Help Net Security newsletters : Daily and weekly news, cybersecurity jobs, open source projects, breaking news – subscribe here! A federal jury in California convicted former Google software engineer Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets tied to AI technology. Ding faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of ...
Source: helpnetsecurity.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
President Trump on Thursday threatened Canada with a 50% tariff on any aircraft sold in the U.S., the latest salvo in his trade war with America's northern neighbor as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands. The president said he was retaliating against Canada for refusing to certify jets from Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace. In response, Mr. Trump said on Truth Social late Thursday the U.S. ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
Apple on Thursday evening reported a blowout holiday quarter, driven by a 23% increase in iPhone sales. A strong revenue guide for the current March quarter suggests this strong device cycle will continue. Revenue in Apple's fiscal 2026 first quarter, which ended back on Dec. 27, rose 16% year over year to $143.76 billion, exceeding the $138.48 billion consensus estimate compiled by LSEG. Earnings per share of ...
Source: cnbc.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration is investigating an incident in which an autonomous Waymo taxi struck and injured a child last week in Santa Monica, Calif. The child was injured Friday after they ran into the street and was struck by an autonomous Waymo taxi about two blocks from an elementary school during its morning drop-off hours, the NHTSA's Office of Defects ...
Source: upi.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Minnesota dropped his summon for the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court in an order criticizing the agency's actions in the state. U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz previously ordered Todd Lyons, interim ICE chief, to appear in his court on Friday on allegations of contempt of court. The judge said ICE had violated his previous order to ...
Source: upi.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
Infections had turned his lungs to soup and had to be cleared before transplant. Humans can't live without lungs. And yet for 48 hours, in a surgical suite at Northwestern University, a 33-year-old man lived with an empty cavity in his chest where his lungs used to be. He was kept alive by a custom-engineered artificial device that represented a desperate last-ditch effort by his doctors. The custom hardware solved ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026 -
BERLIN — President Trump is turning his attention back to Iran, which he is threatening with more military strikes "with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose." He suggested that the strikes would come if Iran did not agree to various demands, including a deal to end its nuclear enrichment program. "Time is running out" for Iran to negotiate such a deal, Trump warned Wednesday. Trump — and Israel — ...
Source: bostonglobe.com