“A federal judge said Tuesday that a nearly completed Massachusetts offshore wind project can continue, as the industry successfully challenges the Trump administration in court. At U.S. District Court in Boston, Judge Brian Murphy halted the administration’s stop work order for Vineyard Wind, citing the potential economic losses from the delays and the developers’ likelihood of success on their claims. Vineyard Wind is one of five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast that the Trump administration froze days before Christmas, citing national security concerns — and the fourth that has since been allowed to go forward.” (01/27/26)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will unveil plans to further bolster its nuclear program at the upcoming ruling party congress, as he observed the North’s latest weapons launch, state media reported Wednesday. The Korean Central News Agency said North Korea performed a live-fire drill of an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system in the presence of Kim on Tuesday, an apparent reference to what South Korea and Japan earlier described as ballistic missile launches from North Korea. State media photos show Kim walking near a huge launch truck with his teenage daughter in her latest public appearance with her father. South Korea’s spy service said in early 2024 it considered the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, as her father’s likely heir.” (01/27/26)
“A NASA plane made a dramatic landing at Ellington Airport this morning—skidding across the runway on its belly, gears up. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Runway 17R-35L at Ellington Airport (EFD), Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for Houston Airports, said in a statement. First responders with a military subcontractor responded to the incident. … Video footage shows the aircraft sliding along the runway on its belly before coming to a full stop, as reported by KHOU 11. Additional footage shows the pilot climbing out of the plane’s cockpit with assistance from emergency responders.” (01/27/26)
“Yale University said on Tuesday that attending the university would be free for newly admitted undergraduate students from families with annual incomes below $100,000, and that tuition would be waived for those earning below $200,000. The change takes effect for the class that will enroll in the fall. The move enters Yale into an arms race of elite institutions offering increasingly attractive financial aid packages to students from low- and middle-income families. At Yale, the full-price cost to attend is now more than $90,000 a year.” (01/27/26)
“A circuit court judge in rural Tazewell County has ruled against the redistricting effort started by Virginia Democrats, declaring that the process they used to create a proposed constitutional amendment is invalid. Democrats immediately pledged to appeal. With controlling majorities in the General Assembly, Democrats have pushed through a proposed amendment that would give lawmakers power to draw new congressional maps in time for this fall’s midterm elections. If passed by voters in a referendum scheduled for April 21, Democrats could create maps that give their party a 10-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation, which is split between six Democrats and five Republicans. Democrats launched the effort in response to President Donald Trump’s encouraging of Republican states to create red-leaning districts to help the GOP retain control of the House of Representatives this fall.” (01/27/26)
“A Russian drone strike on a passenger train in north-eastern Ukraine has killed five people, prosecutors said, an attack denounced as terrorism by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Prosecutors said fragments of five bodies had been found at the scene of the strike on the train, which occurred on Tuesday near a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The train had been operating from Chop, near Ukraine’s western borders with Hungary and Slovakia, to the town of Barvinkove. Photographs posted online showed at least two carriages ablaze next to a snow-covered rail bed. … A barrage of more than 50 Russian drones killed three people and wounded more than 30 in the southern city of Odesa, regional officials said.” (01/27/26)
“A man was arrested after he lunged at and sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with an unknown substance during a town hall Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. Minneapolis Police say Omar was uninjured and resumed speaking, but said that Minneapolis Forensic Scientists responded to process the scene. The town hall was an opportunity for Omar and other officials to meet with community members about the federal immigration operations going on throughout the state. Omar was speaking when the man got up, lunged at the congresswoman, and sprayed an unknown liquid from a syringe before being tackled. Police say the man was arrested for third-degree assault.” (01/27/26)
“TikTok’s U.S. app, now under majority American ownership, said a recent wave of glitches and content disruption was due to a power outage at one of its data centers, pushing back against claims that the platform was censoring political speech. Users have reported issues with their accounts since the video-sharing app began operating under a newly-formed U.S.-led joint venture, following months of political pressure over its Chinese ownership. Against the backdrop of a tense political environment in the U.S., a growing number of viral complaints about TikTok have accused the platform of censoring certain political positions and even the word ‘Epstein’ within direct messaging. CNBC confirmed that messages containing the word ‘Epstein’ triggered an error message, but was unable to independently verify broader claims of political censorship.” (01/27/26)
“As the internet blackout in Iran appears to be easing after weeks of protests across the country, the scale of the Islamic Republic regime’s bloodiest crackdown in decades is now being made public, according to activist groups. More than 5,700 protesters have been killed since Jan. 8, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, an Iran-focused activist group based in the U.S. More than 17,000 other related death cases are still under review, the group said. That U.S.-based group relies on a network of activists in Iran for its reporting and has been known to be accurate during previous unrest. While ABC News cannot confirm the number independently, the true toll might be even higher, according to other sources.” (01/27/26)
“Minnesota’s chief federal judge has ordered the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, to appear in his courtroom Friday and threatened to hold him in contempt for what he says has been repeated defiance of judges’ orders in the state. ‘The court’s patience is at an end,’ U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said in a three-page order issued Monday night, demanding the acting director explain himself ‘personally.’ … Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, said the administration has been slow-walking or outright defying the directives of many Minnesota judges, including at least one of his own: The order for Lyons to appear came in the case of a man Schiltz ordered released on Jan. 15 but who remained detained as of Monday night.” (01/27/26)
