24/7 News: The Latest
The Latest: 01/26/2025 11:59am ET
This is your 24/7 news update, the latest views this hour in just four minutes. President Trump is defending the late night purge of 15 inspectors general. Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff said inspectors general play a vital role in stopping fraud, abuse and waste in the federal government. The American people, if we don't have good and independent inspector generals, are going to see the swamp refill, they're going to see rampant waste fraud, they're going to see corruption. Schiff insisted that Trump broke federal law when he made the firings as Congress must be notified 30 days before any Senate confirmed inspector general is fired by the president. He said the move increases the risk of corruption under the Trump administration. Senator Lindsey Graham doesn't approve a president Trump's decision to pardon those who participated in the January 6 riot. The South Carolina Republican told CNN state of the union, he's a firm backer of the president, but he doesn't think it's acceptable to pardon criminals who assaulted police officers. I don't like this. I don't like it on either side and I think the public doesn't like it either. Graham insisted the move sets a bad precedent. He indicated that if these types of pardons become the norm, the pardon power of the president may need to be limited. He went on to criticize former president Biden for pardoning his son Hunter and commuting the sentence of Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975. South Korean authorities have indicted impeached president Yun Suqul on charges of insurrection. Yun was formerly indicted today for allegedly leading an insurrection in December when he briefly imposed martial law in South Korea. The New York Times says Yun's indictment means his trial is likely to start soon. Yun is the first president in South Korean history to face criminal charges while still in office. California crews are making progress containing the huge fire north of Los Angeles, which has scorched over 10,000 acres since it broke out Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Palisades fire is now 81% contained. I'm Lisa Carton. Under a recent order by President Trump, official U.S. documents will now have to be republished with the name Gulf of America replacing the Gulf of Mexico. Brian Schook has more on other name changes. The federal government is implementing name changes under a directive from President Trump. That includes reversing an Obama-era decision to rename Mount McKinley in Alaska to Denali. Denali is the name that local natives used. Meanwhile, former President McKinley never visited Alaska. The Interior Department says the name changes are effective immediately for federal use. Retailer Target is the latest big company to end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Rob Martier explains. The Minneapolis-based retailer announced the decision in a memo to employees on Friday. According to CNBC, the memo cited the importance of staying in step with the evolving landscape to help drive growth and serve its millions of customers. With the move, Target joins companies like Walmart, Meta and McDonald's in dropping DEI-related pledges and goals. I'm Rob Martier. However, in prior years, Target had said the murder of George Floyd in the company's hometown of Minneapolis motivated it to strengthen its DEI programs. Kia is recalling over 80,000 of its neuro-vehicles for issues with its seat belts and airbags. Details from Scott Carr. Federal safety regulators say adjusting the front passenger seat could cause serious safety risks by damaging the wiring which controls the features. They say it could prevent airbags from deploying properly during a crash. Yonek Sinner wins his second straight Australian Open men's tennis championship. Sinner swept #2 seat Alexander Zevrev in three sets today at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Sinner's win was in sharp contrast to last year's final when he rallied from two sets down for a five-set victory over Daniel Medvedev. Sinner has won three Grand Slam titles in the past two years. I'm Lisa Carton.