Good to be with you. A new winter storm is threatening the East Coast — a potential bomb cyclone with blizzard conditions possible from the Southeast to New England. Parts of the East are still digging out from the last storm, linked to at least 65 deaths and widespread outages. Crews are working to restore power in Mississippi and Tennessee where National Guard units have been mobilized. New York City is using snow-melting machines as towering piles of hard-packed snow remain under subfreezing temperatures. Weather teams warn the next system will bring even colder air and additional snow in places, with wind gusts up to 50–65 mph and potential blizzard conditions near the Outer Banks.
In Mississippi and Tennessee, FEMA has delivered generators and local officials report tough recovery conditions — some communities without water for days. Rob Marciano and our weather team say the cold will be widespread through the weekend and into next week, with temperatures well below normal.
Back in Minnesota, the federal immigration crackdown has shifted tone after violent clashes and the deaths of two U.S. citizens. President Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. At a press conference Homan said ICE and CBP officers must operate professionally and indicated the roughly 3,000 agents on the streets could be drawn down if local officials cooperate by allowing access to jails. Minneapolis city leaders, however, have demanded the federal operation be ended. State prosecutors are investigating the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Reiten, and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said federal agents have no absolute immunity and the state is considering criminal charges. Court orders have restricted some detentions and required release of certain detainees. Lilia Luciano reports that legal immigrants and citizens have been swept up during the operation and local judges have accused ICE of violating orders.
In Washington, President Trump opened the first cabinet meeting of 2026 while lawmakers scramble to avoid a partial government shutdown. Democrats say they will block a short-term bill unless there are changes to how ICE and Border Patrol operate — including removing masks, using body cameras, and following state and local policing standards. The White House has signaled willingness to negotiate reforms. Also notable in the meeting: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem drew scrutiny for comments about the death of Alex Reiten; she did not speak at today’s meeting amid calls for her resignation. The president also said he plans to name his Fed chair pick next week.
Fulton County, Georgia — the county at the center of post-2020 election scrutiny — was raided by the FBI. Agents seized about 700 boxes of ballots and voter records from the county’s election hub under a warrant citing possible violations of federal election-records laws and fraud procurement statutes. County officials protested, saying they do not know where the boxes are being taken. The raid escalates investigations into Georgia’s 2020 election and follows prior probes into efforts to overturn those results.
In criminal justice news, a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy, Sean Grayson, received the maximum 20-year sentence for killing Sonya Massey, a mother who had called 911 to report a prowler. Body-camera video showed the deputy fatally shooting Massey in her home. In court Grayson, who has cancer, apologized; Massey’s family responded that they did not expect to forgive him. The defense has filed to reconsider the sentence.
Federal officers arrested a man in New York who allegedly attempted to free Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, from jail. Authorities say the man posed as an FBI agent and carried weapons, including a large barbecue fork and a pizza cutter. Mangione remains in custody with his next hearing scheduled tomorrow.
Dallas police arrested two young men accused of firing assault-style rifles from a bridge on New Year’s Eve; investigators recovered more than 100 shell casings. No one was hurt. One of the guns has been linked to a separate road-rage incident.
In Virginia, a notable murder trial is underway in Fairfax County. Former IRS special agent Brendan Banfield is accused of staging a double murder to kill his wife and frame another man while having an affair with the family’s nanny. Prosecutors say Banfield lured a man to his home via a catfishing scheme and killed his wife, Christine. The nanny — who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter — is cooperating with prosecutors. Body-camera footage showed Banfield at a hospital after the killings; he claims he shot the intruder in defense of his wife. Banfield could face life if convicted.
From science and health: new research suggests you may need far less exercise than commonly thought to lower your risk of death. A paper in Nature found that as little as 15 minutes of vigorous activity a week was associated with an 18% lower mortality risk; short bursts of effort — a couple of minutes of stair climbing or carrying groceries — also showed benefits. The message: moving more, even briefly, can help.
In a surprising climate-related finding, a new study reported that polar bears in the Norwegian Arctic appear to be getting fatter and healthier by hunting on land — preying on reindeer and walrus — as sea ice shrinks. Scientists caution the long-term outlook remains troubling, but the study suggests complex, regional responses to changing sea ice.
And a human-interest story: a group of Buddhist monks began a 2,300-mile walk for peace, starting last October in Fort Worth, Texas. Ninety-six days in, the monks and their dog, Aloka, have attracted millions of followers online and been greeted by crowds in multiple states. They plan to reach Washington, D.C., and visit Congress, carrying a message of peace. The monks’ leader said the walk has touched many hearts and grown in reach far beyond their expectations.
That’s another night in America. From CBS News headquarters in New York, I’m Tony Dokoupil. Thank you for joining us. Good night.