The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Jan 21 2026

Nicole Fallert
Reporter & Newsletter Writer

Morning! Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Here's what's breaking this morning:

•	Pro-Greenland merch is popping up online.
•	Second lady Usha Vance is making history yet again.
•	Don't let your wedding go Beckham.

Nicole Fallert here. Do you dare to put a backpack in the plane's overhead bin? We have Wednesday's headlines, from the latest on ICE enforcement across America, President Donald Trump's visit to Switzerland and some texts from Taylor Swift.

USA TODAY Exclusive: ICE is freeing some detained families

Despite vowing "zero releases," the Trump administration has begun quietly releasing dozens of immigrant families from a Texas detention center after detaining but not deporting them.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released some 160 detained people — half of them minors — to a border shelter beginning Jan. 17, with plans to release as many as 100 to 150 per day over the next two to three weeks, according to the shelter director and other sources with direct knowledge of the releases. The reason for the releases remains unclear.

Meanwhile, USA TODAY is tracking heightened scrutiny of the tactics employed by federal immigration agents, including allegations American citizens are being stopped on the streets.

More news to know now

•	Is a Greenland takeover coming? Trump is scheduled to address European leaders Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, as top U.S. allies reject his forceful statements on acquiring Greenland — and prepare retaliatory tariffs. Meanwhile, the U.S. and several European nations have sent troops to the Arctic island in recent days, stirring speculation about whether a military skirmish between historic allies is on the horizon.
•	Will the Supreme Court let Trump take control of the Fed? As the Supreme Court is deciding whether President Trump's sweeping tariffs are legal, the justices will take up on Wednesday his other major attempt to assert unprecedented control over the U.S. economy : Trying to remove a member of the Federal Reserve board.
•	*Brrrr!!!* Much of the U.S. feels cold temperatures due to a blast of arctic air from Canada. The Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South are expected to see below-freezing temperatures due to a polar vortex system.

Tennis clap

Americans down under

American Madison Keys in action during her first round match Tuesday against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine during the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Jaimi Joy/Reuters via Imagn Images

The Australian Open begins Round 2 on Wednesday in Melbourne, and the draw couldn't be more enticing. That's especially true for the U.S. women: Stars like Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are each looking for their first Australian Open title, while defending champion Madison Keys takes on Ashlyn Krueger, hoping to become the tournament's first American back-to-back champion since Serena Williams.

Something to talk about

Text from: Taylor Swift

Hundreds of exhibits were unsealed Tuesday in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal case. These include an alleged December 2024 text exchange between Lively and Taylor Swift in a filing that was obtained by USA TODAY . In the exhibit, previously filed by Baldoni's team, on Dec. 5, 2024, Swift appeared to send Lively a screenshot of People magazine's reporting on Baldoni speaking out on "trauma" from a prior relationship, along with the message: "I think this b---- knows something is coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin."

Before you go

•	Karamo Brown is sitting out the "Queer Eye" press tour.
•	Celebrity stylists like Chris Appleton keep the best secrets.
•	The curious case of Andy Pettitte and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

Protesters rallied on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration

Activists hold signs reading "Justice For Renee Good" as they demonstrate against ICE during a protest on the one-year anniversary of President Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. Protestors gathered to call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave Washington, D.C.

On the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration of his second term, demonstrators took to the streets around the US to protest ICE.

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