• Stewart Rhodes speaks out after he and others were pardoned by President Donald Trump, the future of federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, weather updates and TV ratings for the inauguration.
• US throws out policies limiting arrests of migrants at sensitive locations like schools, churches.
• Sagar Meghani reports President Trump heard a plea at a church service wrapping up four days of inauguration-related events.
• Haya Panjwani reports on states suing the Trump administration over order blocking birthright citizenship.
• Marissa Duhaney reports on President Donald Trump demonstrating one of his favored expressions of power firing people.
• Trump moves to suspend clearances of ex-intel officials who signed letter on Hunter Biden laptop.
• Trump White House celebrates release of two Americans freed in a swap with Taliban brokered by Biden.
• 'Orchestrated attack' on Portland elections office shatters dozens of windows, police say.
• The ash left behind by the Los Angeles wildfires might be toxic, experts warn.
• Winds picking up in Southern California and at least 2 new fires break out.
• A rare frigid storm brings heavy snow, sleet and ice to Texas and the northern Gulf Coast.
• 15 Stock market today Wall Street begins Trump's second term with gains.
• Baseball’s newest Hall of Fame class is announced, the Vikings re-sign their coach, the Cowboys look within in their head coaching search, national champion Ohio State loses a quarterback to the transfer portal, an NBA trade and a marquee matchup at the Australian Open. 
• Witnesses at a Turkish ski resort stood helpless as people leaped out of a burning hotel.
• A sample from a remote Tanzanian region tests positive for Marburg disease, confirming WHO fears.
• Dozens of firms pull ads from Japanese network over sex scandal linked to its staff and celebrity.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Theme music

The News Tonight, used under license from Soundstripe. YouTube clearance: ZR2MOTROGI4XAHRX