European leaders brace for President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum, as new tariff threats and talk of acquiring Greenland overshadow talks on affordability. The Justice Department issues subpoenas to Minnesota’s top Democratic leaders, as state officials accuse the Trump administration of weaponizing immigration enforcement and creating fear in immigrant communities. And the Supreme Court hears a high-stakes case over President Trump’s attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor, a move that could upend a century of precedent and rattle financial markets.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gigi Douban, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction (02:24) Trump’s Speech in Davos (06:07) DOJ Subpoenas For Minnesota (09:49) SCOTUS Federal Reserve Case
3:21 PM PT — The TRO was denied by the court clerk because it’s not an emergency order … the judge will rule January 23 on the issue at the hearing. Brittany Furlan says Ronnie Radke just won’t leave her alone — blasting him as “unhinged and…
Ray J is reportedly being treated at a Las Vegas hospital for a severe case of pneumonia.
Ray J, 44, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, January 6, with pneumonia and heart pains, TMZ reported on Wednesday, January 7, citing a “source close to the R&B singer.”
According to the outlet, Ray J previously suffered from the illness — which affects the lungs and can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, according to the Mayo Clinic — in 2021 and “thought he could die.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Ray J’s team for comment.
A few weeks prior to his hospitalization, Ray J shared an unusual update via Instagram, revealing that he’s part of a new show called Celebrity Hitchhiker.
“I’m hitchhiking right now to try to get a place to stay tonight,” he wrote in his December 13 message. “Hopefully I can meet a new family, and it can take me in and teach me about their rules and their goals and life, and then send me on my way to the next destination.”
Ray J had filmed the video in Tampa, Florida, and said that he wanted to make it to Los Angeles in time for Christmas. At the time, he was by himself.
“I need some food and I need shelter,” he told his followers. “Just a lot of s*** that’s happened. And I just wanna get back home and see my kids. It’s a hitchhiking show, but it’s real though at the same time, and I wanna make it really authentic. I just do it for real on my phone. I mean, I have a camera in there too, but it’s just me.”
The singer, whose real name is William Ray Norwood, Jr., was arrested on Thanksgiving Day of last year for making threats to his estranged wife, Princess Love. He did an Instagram Live that day, saying that he had “the worst Thanksgiving in the f***ing world.”
In his Live, he appeared to pull a gun on Love, 41, and at least one of their children.
“Y’all wanna drive drunk? Y’all wanna drive drunk? Drive drunk. Drive drunk, Princess,” he said, to which Love replied, “Ray, you just pointed a gun— .”
Ray J was released from jail on the day of his arrest, TMZ reported at the time. (Us reached out to his representatives for comment. He has since claimed that he nearly got into a fight with a fellow inmate while behind bars.)
Ray J and Love filmed the early years of their marriage for the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. They tied the knot in 2016 and have filed for divorce multiple times. They share daughter Melody Love, 7, and son Epik Ray, 6.
Days prior to the incident involving Love, American Express sued Ray J and his company Tronix Network in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing him of owing a massive credit card debt — $139,849.85, to be exact. He allegedly stopped making payments in May 2025. Ray J has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
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President Trump says the United States will run Venezuela after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez shifts from defiance to calls for cooperation as the White House ramps up pressure and threatens further action. And Nicolás Maduro is set to appear in a New York courtroom, facing drug trafficking, weapons, and narco-terrorism charges that could test the reach of U.S. law overseas.
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<
p class=”readrate”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Tara Neill, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy, and HJ Mai.
<
p class=”readrate”>
<
p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
<
p class=”readrate”>
<
p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
<
p class=”readrate”>(0:00) Introduction (01:54) U.S. In Venezuela (05:49) Future Of Venezuela (09:46) Maduro In NYC Court
University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel spoke publicly for the first time since the firing of football head coach Sherrone Moore, who was terminated earlier this month over an “inappropriate relationship” with a staff member.
“There’s not much I can say,” Manuel, 57, told reporters on Sunday, December 28. “There’s an investigation continuing into Coach Moore — there’s a cultural evaluation around the department — and so we will we obviously know some facts. There’s some things that are out there that I can’t comment on, that are untrue, and there may be some things that they find, but that’s why we do an investigation, and I’m very open to that.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block is conducting an investigation into the University of Michigan athletics department, with Moore’s firing being “a particular focus.”
“I asked the President to help with a cultural analysis and have somebody come in,” Manuel explained. “So yes, I am very supportive of that, because as a leader, I face reality. There are things that happen. I don’t step away from it. Never have, never will. So we need to get better, and that’s part of it, getting somebody to come in and to assess.”
Manuel fired Moore, 39, on December 10 after a university internal investigation uncovered evidence of Moore’s relationship with the female staffer.
“Listen man, it’s hard,” Manuel said on Sunday. “It’s hard when you have a colleague that is going through something personally, professionally, in his family and [knowing the] people and impact that it has on so many staff, student-athletes and the Michigan community.”
Manuel added, “Personally, I’ve known him for seven or eight years, so it was difficult to see him, as a person, go through what he went through. But professionally, it was an easy decision to make because of the expectations that we have for everyone on our side.”
Moore was arrested on December 10 and subsequently charged with one count of third-degree felony home invasion, one count misdemeanor stalking related to a domestic relationship and one count misdemeanor breaking and entering.
The former coach was released on $25,000 bond and ordered to wear a GPS tracking monitor, in addition to dropping all contact with the staff member.
Former University of Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was officially named as the University of Michigan’s new head football coach on Friday, December 26.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Manuel said in a statement. “Throughout our search, he consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.”
The statement continued, “Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect — where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field. We are excited to welcome Kyle to the University of Michigan family as he takes the helm of our football program.”
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After Kentucky State University student De’Jon Fox Jr.was fatally shot by his classmate’s father, the victim’s parents are now facing criminal charges after they allegedly intimidated their son’s shooter.
De’Jon Fox, Sr., and Chardnae Cleveland were both charged with intimidation, according to Indiana online court records. WTHR reported that the duo are the parents of De’Jon Jr., who was killed at the age of 19 on December 9 on the Kentucky State University campus.
The intimidation charges stem from alleged threats that the two made against Jacob Bard, who was initially charged with the murder of their son, according to court records viewed by WTHR, WDRB and LEX18.
Bard was on the school’s campus to help his sons, who were students at the university, move out after they experienced issues with some of their classmates. Bard was arrested after authorities said he fatally shot De’Jon Jr. and wounded another student while at the college’s residence hall.
After the shooting took place, De’Jon Sr. allegedly wrote in a comment on Facebook, “YOU WILL FEEL THE SAME HURT I FEEL.” The comment was seemingly in reference to Bard.
Meanwhile, Cleveland has also been accused of writing concerning things about Bard. “I want his son dead just like mine,” one of her alleged posts read, according to the affidavit.
Both De’Jon Sr. and Cleveland were arrested and have since been released from jail on bond. It is not currently clear if either person has entered a plea or if they have obtained legal representation.
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
Two weeks after the incident took place, a grand jury ultimately declined to indict Bard during a hearing on December 23. The decision came after his attorney, Scott Danks, argued that his client had acted in self-defense, according to the Associated Press. The outlet also reported that Bard’s attorney claimed his client only fired his gun after 20 to 30 people had gathered to attack his family.
The attorney claimed that Bard was at the campus to help his two sons move out of their dorms after they were withdrawn from campus following “multiple armed, violent” incidents against them, per the outlet.
“Jacob’s actions were absolutely justified under the law and were the only measure that prevented his son’s death or serious injury,” Bard’s attorney argued during the hearing.
Following the jury’s decision, Bard was released from prison and the charges against him were dropped.
Kentucky State University issued a statement to the campus community following the ruling, saying that the grand jury’s decision “does not lessen the pain our community continues to feel, nor does it change our priorities.
“Our commitment remains centered on supporting our students and ensuring Kentucky State University is a safe place to learn, live, and work,” the statement added.
The shooting involving Bard was the second to take place near the residence hall in four months. On August 17, someone fired multiple shots from a passing vehicle that struck two people who weren’t students at the university, according to the Associated Press.
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