“A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonya Massey, who had dialed 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield home. Sean Grayson, 31, was convicted in October. Grayson, who is white, received the maximum possible sentence. He has been incarcerated since he was charged in the killing. … Grayson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, which could have led to a life sentence, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge. Illinois allows for a second-degree murder conviction if evidence shows the defendant honestly thought he was in danger, even if that fear was unreasonable.” (01/29/26)
“The Senate’s race to avert a shutdown hit the skids late Thursday night as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) placed a hold on the government funding package, forcing leaders to punt the vote. Senators had been hoping to vote on the so-called minibus after leaders struck a deal earlier in the day and President Trump endorsed it. Under the agreement, the Senate was set to vote on a package of five full-year funding bills and a stopgap measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks. But as lawmakers awaited word on the vote late Thursday, a fired-up Graham emerged from Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) office and declared, ‘We’re not voting tonight.’ Graham pointed to language in the bill that would repeal a provision allowing senators to sue if their phone records were collected as part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s probe.” (01/29/26)
“The nation’s trade deficit rose by 94.6% in November after posting the lowest imbalance in years a month earlier, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday. The trade deficit’s sharp rise occurred despite tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and after the nation posted its lowest trade deficit since the first quarter of 2009, CNBC reported. The United States exported $292.1 billion in goods and services in November, which was $10.9 billion and 3.6% less than in October, according to the Census Bureau report. … The United States imported $86.9 billion more goods than it exported in November, but that sum was offset by exporting $30.1 billion more in services than the nation imported, for a total deficit of $56.8 billion.” (01/29/26)
“American Airlines announced on Thursday that it intends to restart daily flights to Venezuela for the first time since 2019, pending government approval and subject to security review. This comes weeks after US forces [abducted] former president Nicolas Maduro during Operation Absolute Resolve. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump directed the Transportation Department to lift the current limitations that bar US flights following a conversation with Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez, according to Reuters.” (01/29/26)
“Canada, facing U.S. tariffs that threaten its auto industry, announced on Thursday an agreement with South Korea to explore establishing a Korean automotive footprint in the country. Though scant on details, the accord was another move by Prime Minister Mark Carney to diversify Canada’s trade away from the United States in response to Mr. Trump’s volley of tariffs. The agreement also fits with Mr. Carney’s widely hailed call at the World Economic Forum last week for middle power nations to band together after what he characterized as an irreversible ‘rupture’ to the world order by Mr. Trump’s aggressive economic and diplomatic policies.” (01/29/26)
“Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and scrapped the legal framework governing their operations, according to a decree approved by the West African nation’s council of ministers on Thursday. The decision by the military rulers who seized power in September 2022 is the latest move to tighten control following the suspension of political activities after the coup. Burkina Faso’s Interior Minister Emile Zerbo said the decision was part of a broader effort to ‘rebuild the state’ after what he said was widespread abuses and dysfunction in the country’s multiparty system.” (01/29/26)
“A federal judge has rejected for now Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ‘s bid to gain more spending power in the state’s race for governor, upholding campaign finance rules that some Republicans argue give certain candidates an unfair advantage. Raffensperger’s independent political action committee, Safe Affordable Georgia, filed a federal lawsuit in December asking permission to raise unlimited funds for his campaign. One of his opponents in the GOP primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, has been able to do that under a 2021 state law that created leadership committees like the one he chairs, which can raise unlimited funds for candidates. Attorneys for Safe Affordable Georgia argued current law violates Raffensperger’s First Amendment rights by subjecting him to different rules than his opponent and requested that the limits for his committee be waived during the ongoing campaign.” (01/29/26)
“French lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill seeking to end the notion of ‘marital duty’ after criticism from women’s rights groups about how it ignores the idea of sexual consent in marriage and marital rape. The text – backed by more than 120 MPs in the lower house National Assembly – clarifies in the civil code that cohabitation does not create any obligation for spouses to have sexual relations. The cross-party bill will now have to go through the Senate upper chamber. The French civil code lists four duties attached to marriage – fidelity, support, assistance and cohabitation – but it does not mention sexual obligation.” (01/29/26)
“The average life expectancy in the United States hit a record high of 79 in 2024, a report from the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday. The average 79-year mark is an increase of more than a half year over 2023. The National Center for Health Statistics ‘Mortality in the United States, 2024’ report found that the age-adjusted death rate decreased by about 3.8%. … The increase in life expectancy was greater for males than for females, up 0.2 compared to 0.1. The average life expectancy for a female born in 2024 is 81.4 and for a male it is 76.5. Average life expectancies also increased for every race and ethnicity recorded.” (01/29/26)
“A raging Illinois teen has been accused of stabbing a pregnant mother to death and knifing her pet dog during a Facebook Marketplace meetup — then setting her home ablaze, according to authorities and reports. Nedas Revuckas, 19, has been hit with a slew of charges for allegedly murdering 30-year-old Eliza Morales in her suburban Downers Grove apartment unit on Monday evening, according to police. … Revuckas faces first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, armed robbery, aggravated arson, and animal cruelty charges in connection with the tragic killing, according to court records.” (01/29/26)
