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What’s on tap: 

• Saks declares bankruptcy

• Whole milk back in schools

• Are one-word text responses rude?

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Big Stories

US Suspends Visas for 75 Countries

• The Trump administration announced Wednesday it is suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, and Somalia, claiming immigrants from these nations "take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates." It takes effect January 21 and will remain in place indefinitely.

• The suspension applies to permanent residency visas, but not to short-term visas for tourists, students, or temporary workers. However, most immigrants are already barred from accessing food stamps, Medicaid, and other public benefits for five years after arrival, undercutting the administration's stated justification.

• The administration's immigration crackdown has ramped up recently. In December, the administration halted applications from 19 countries, and on Tuesday, it revoked temporary protected status for Somalis.

Luxury Lags

• Saks Global, the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, filed for bankruptcy late Tuesday, one of the largest US retail collapses since the pandemic. The luxury company struggled under major debt from its acquisition of Neiman Marcus, weak department store sales, and intensifying online competition.

• The company said stores will remain open after securing a $1.75 billion financing package while it seeks to restructure debt or pursue a sale. Former Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck will replace Richard Baker, who orchestrated the debt-heavy acquisition.

• Saks Global had struggled to pay vendors like Chanel, Kering, and LVMH, leading to inventory shortages that drove shoppers to rivals. The company recently sold its Neiman Marcus flagship in Beverly Hills to raise cash.

FBI Searches Reporter's Home

• FBI agents searched the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson, a Washington Post reporter who covers the federal workforce, seizing her phone, two laptops, and a smartwatch. Investigators told Natanson she is not the target of the investigation, the paper said.

• The probe centers on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Pentagon contractor charged with unlawfully retaining classified information. He has not been charged with leaking, and the criminal complaint makes no mention of Natanson.

• Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Pentagon requested the search, asserting the reporter was 'obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information'—despite investigators telling Natanson she is not a target. Press freedom groups condemned the move, warning it could chill investigative journalism after the Justice Department rolled back reporter protections in April.

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Quick Stories

US News

• Verizon's wireless service suffered a major outage on Wednesday, affecting data and voice for its 146 million customers. Engineers are working to fix it, but no timeline has been given. (More)

• Schools can now serve whole and 2% milk again after Trump reversed Obama-era restrictions, and parents can request nondairy options like soy milk without a doctor's note. (More)

• Illinois Democrat Robin Kelly moved to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over blocking Congress from ICE facilities, ordering warrantless arrests, and improper use of tear gas against citizens. (More)

World

• Denmark will join Greenland talks after meeting Vance and Rubio, calling ownership "totally unacceptable," while Trump vowed to take the Arctic territory "one way or the other." (More)

• Ukraine's new defense minister said the military has 200,000 desertions and 2 million who dodged the draft, driven by excessive bureaucracy and outdated Soviet-style management. (More)

• Venezuela's acting president promised to keep releasing prisoners after Maduro's US capture. About 800 are still detained. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Wednesday (S&P -0.49%, Nasdaq -1.00%, Dow -0.09%). Tech weighed down the market for a second day in a row. (More)

• China's trade surplus hit a record $1.2 trillion in 2025 as exports rose 5.5% globally, making up for slower US shipments amid Trump's tariffs while imports stayed flat. (More)

• Fintech company Bilt will offer new credit card customers 10% interest for a year, matching Trump's proposed cap days after he announced it. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The NCAA asked federal regulators to suspend prediction markets on college sports until more safeguards are in place, citing threats to student-athletes' well-being and competitive integrity. (More)

• Former Alabama running back Mark Ingram headlines this year's College Football Hall of Fame class along with NFL stars Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, who won their college titles at Pitt and Nebraska. (More)

• Actor Kiefer Sutherland was arrested for allegedly assaulting his ride-share driver after the driver repeatedly refused to stop and let him out. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Brain scans from 3,700 adults show memory decline stems from widespread brain shrinkage, not one area, and accelerates unpredictably—with some people losing memory much faster once shrinkage begins. (More)

• A 14,000-year-old wolf pup frozen in Siberian permafrost had woolly rhinoceros meat in its stomach, letting scientists sequence the extinct species' genome just before it disappeared. (More)

• 2025 was the third-warmest year on record, and the past decade has seen all 11 of the hottest years ever measured globally. (More)

Extra Credit

The latest interior design trend: screen-free spaces.

Meet the man who holds the record for the largest collection of traffic cones.

Are one-word text responses rude?

In medieval France, murderous pigs were put on trial.