24/7 News: The Latest
The Latest: 01/28/2025 02:59pm ET
"This is your 24/7 News Update, the latest views this hour in just four minutes." A freeze on federal aid order by President Trump will go into effect at 5 p.m. Eastern. A White House internal memo reportedly said the temporary pause will allow for agency programs to be reviewed. In press secretary Caroline Levitt's first press briefing, she addressed some of what the freeze will not impact. "Social security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits. Assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted by this pause. And I want to make that very clear to any Americans who are watching at home who may be a little bit confused about some of the media reporting." At 27 years old, Levitt is the youngest person ever to hold the position of press secretary. More than 3,500 arrests have been made in immigration raids across the country. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined a raid Tuesday morning where ICE officers made an arrest in New York — it comes as President Trump's borders are Tom Holman, told CNN the scale of the deportation raids depends on funding from Congress. Sean Duffy is being confirmed as secretary of transportation. The Senate voted to confirm President Trump's pick to lead the transportation department Tuesday. The vote was 77-22. During his confirmation hearing, Duffy said he would focus on road safety to reduce fatalities on U.S. roadways. Open AI CEO Sam Altman calls emerging Chinese AI startup DeepSeek impressive. Altman wrote on X that it's invigorating to have a new competitor. DeepSeek launched its AI model R1 last week. It jumped to the #1 free app position on Apple's U.S. app store, overtaking Open AI. Altman added that his company is working on new models, saying the world is going to want to use a lot of AI. Americans' economic confidence is slipping, but responses are very much split by party. Gallup's Economic Confidence Index sits at a negative 19 on a scale from negative 100 to positive 100 that's slightly down from negative 14 in December. Republican score has ticked up since President Trump won the White House. It rose by 30 points with GOP voters, the same amount it dropped for Democrats. Einley Satayler, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are in New York City conducting raids as part of the nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants. Scott Pringle reports. Before sunrise, the feds arrested a person with a criminal history and an outstanding warrant. This was after an ICE raid at an apartment in the hybrid section of the Bronx. More arrests could be coming. Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Gnome was in the Bronx and saw this arrest firsthand. Republican Staten Island Congresswoman Nicole Malio-Takis thanked the Trump administration, saying they're removing dangerous criminals from the streets. Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Society says in response, it's launched a new Know Your Rights Hub, featuring resources to help people navigate immigration issues. Scott Pringle, New York. A North Carolina man is accused of impersonating an ICE officer to sexually assault a woman. Police say suspect Carl Thomas Bennet showed a phony badge and threatened to deport the victim if she refused to have sex with him. The alleged incident happened at a motel six on Sunday. The 37-year-old was arrested and charged with multiple sex crimes. One of the FBI's top 10 most wanted fugitives is in custody after being caught during a traffic stop in Florida. Police arrested Donald Eugene Fields, the second on Saturday in Lady Lake, northwest of Orlando. Fields was wanted on federal charges of child sex trafficking and state charges of child rape. He was pulled over when an officer discovered the license plate on his vehicle was not registered to the car he was driving. Fields had been on the run for over two years. Billionaire and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer wants to help Los Angeles County fire victims. Ballmer says he'll match all fire aid contributions made during the live broadcast this week, which is set to be carried by more than 20 television and streaming partners. The concert lineup is a who's who of pop artists, fire aid is Thursday and will be held at two venues in LA. The Intuit Dome will host Lady Gaga, Sting, Billy Eilish, Katy Perry and Jelly Roll. The key of forum will feature Alanis Moore set, Dave Matthews and John Mayer.