PBS News Hour Full Episode: Jan. 29, 2026 - Border Policy, Global Alliances, and Climate Change

Federal Forces in Minneapolis and ICE Operations

• ⚠️ Tom Homan, President Trump's border czar, indicated a potential drawdown of federal forces in Minneapolis, contingent on state cooperation.
• ⚖️ Homan acknowledged missteps and vowed to make operations safer and more efficient, emphasizing zero tolerance for protester interference.
• 🏛️ Despite Homan's statements, state and local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, are demanding more significant changes, with Frey calling for an end to "Operation Metro Surge" nationwide.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Federal judges have condemned immigration agents for violating court orders and ordered the administration to stop detaining and deporting certain Minnesota refugees.
• ⚖️ Legal expert Paul Butler explained that while Minnesota officials aren't constitutionally obligated to comply with federal immigration enforcement, state law requires releasing inmates to ICE custody post-sentence.
• 🔍 Butler also discussed the legal protections for protesters and bystanders, citing Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures and First Amendment rights to protest.
• 📱 Concerns were raised about federal agencies using intrusive technologies like facial recognition to track citizens opposed to government actions, potentially circumventing warrant requirements.

Shifting Global Alliances and Trade

• 🌍 Longtime U.S. allies are rethinking alliances and seeking new trading partners in China and India, alienated by President Trump's policies.
• 🤝 European Union and India finalized a significant trade deal, described as the "mother of all deals," and Europe upgraded ties with Vietnam.
• 🗣️ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted a "rupture" in global order, suggesting the world has changed and Washington has changed, leading to a need for greater European independence.
• 🇺🇸 Despite these shifts, allies like Canada and Europe still rely on the U.S. for security, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasizing the U.S. nuclear umbrella as crucial for European freedom.
• 🇨🇦 Chrystia Freeland, former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, highlighted the importance of diversification for countries and businesses, while expressing a desire for a close relationship with the U.S.
• 📉 Freeland also noted that market reactions to U.S. policy shifts, like threats regarding Greenland, can prompt the administration to course-correct.

Antarctica's Melting Glacier and Climate Change

• 🧊 Researchers are drilling into Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier," due to its rapid melting and potential to raise global sea levels by 2.5 feet.
• 🔬 The expedition aims to collect data on water temperature, salinity, and currents at the glacier's grounding line, 3,000 feet below the surface, to understand its accelerated melting.
• ⚠️ Challenges include drilling through crevasses formed by the glacier's rapid collapse and the limited time frame before the research vessel must depart.
• 📈 The data gathered is crucial for developing accurate models and forecasts for sea-level rise, as Thwaites Glacier acts as a keystone holding back other glaciers.

Innovative Medical Education

• 🩺 Alice Walton has founded the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) in Arkansas, aiming to blend traditional medicine with arts and whole health concepts.
• 💡 The school's philosophy emphasizes preventative care and well-being, focusing on nutrition and exercise, which are often not prioritized in current medical education due to payment system incentives.
• 🎨 Arts integration, including studying paintings and creative writing, is used to foster curiosity, empathy, and observational skills in medical students.
• 🧘‍♀️ A core component is teaching doctors self-care to combat burnout and stress, drawing from Walton's personal experience with chronic illness and the therapeutic benefits of art.
• 🌐 AWSOM offers free tuition for its first classes and aims to serve as a model for medical education that prioritizes holistic patient care and practitioner well-being.

Other News Headlines

• 🥶 Dangerously cold temperatures are expected across the Eastern U.S., with advisories in effect from Texas to Maine, and a rising death toll from frigid weather.
• ✈️ President Trump ordered Venezuela's airspace to reopen to commercial traffic, with American Airlines planning to restart service.
• 🇪🇺 The European Union has listed Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization and sanctioned Iranian officials and organizations following a crackdown on protests.
• ⚖️ A former Illinois sheriff's deputy was sentenced to 20 years for fatally shooting a Black woman who called 911 for help.
• 🏅 Gymnast Jordan Chiles is seeking to reclaim a disputed bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a Swiss court sending the case back for review.
• 📊 The U.S. trade deficit widened significantly in November, and Wall Street stocks ended mixed after a volatile trading day.
• 🎬 Twenty-five classic movies, including "Clueless," have been added to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
• 🕊️ Social media star and nonprofit founder Shirley Raines, known for her work with homeless people on Skid Row, has died at age 58.