00:00Blood at the house, a ransom note in circulation.
00:04The mystery deepens into what happened to the mother of Today Show host, Savannah Guthrie.
00:09Plus, the shutdown is done, but the real battle starts.
00:12Homeland security funding, ICE tactics, and a two-week deadline that could throw Washington right back into chaos.
00:18And mixed signals from the top.
00:20Trump says the federal government should take over elections.
00:23The White House says he meant voter ID.
00:25Lawmakers say absolutely not.
00:30The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:36These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:42Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:44This morning in southern Arizona, the mystery deepens in what investigators say is the abduction of Nancy Guthrie,
00:50the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host, Savannah Guthrie.
00:54Authorities believe she was taken from her bed while she slept.
00:57Two media outlets, including TMZ, have received what appears to be a ransom note.
01:02Investigators are now working to confirm whether it is authentic and who sent it.
01:07CBS News has also obtained video showing blood droplets outside the front door of Guthrie's home
01:13in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains near Tucson.
01:16Authorities have not confirmed whose blood it is.
01:19Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night after returning home from dinner with family.
01:24When she failed to show up for church on Sunday morning, relatives called for help.
01:28The Pima County Sheriff says investigators are now processing evidence, including fingerprints, DNA, and surveillance footage.
01:36They say the home is equipped with cameras, but authorities have not said what, if anything, they captured.
01:41The sheriff says time is critical.
01:43Guthrie relies on daily medication, and without it, her life could be in danger.
01:47President Trump, asked about the case on Tuesday, called it terrible, and said he will reach out to Savannah Guthrie.
01:54The Today Show anchor was scheduled to take part in NBC's upcoming Winter Olympics coverage in Italy, but has since withdrawn.
02:01She has asked for the public's prayers.
02:03The sheriff of Pima County said again multiple times on Tuesday they simply do not know where her mother is.
02:09President Trump is doubling down on his call to nationalize American elections, even after the White House tried to walk it back.
02:18A day after Trump said Republicans should take over voting, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt insisted the president was talking about voter ID and pushing Congress to pass the SAVE Act.
02:29I don't think any rational person who's being honest with themselves would disagree with the idea of requiring citizens of this country to present an ID before casting a ballot in a federal election, or frankly, in any election.
02:43And that's something the president wants to see happen, so that's what he was referring to.
02:46But just hours later, the president went much further, this time from the Oval Office.
02:52Take a look at Philadelphia.
02:54You go take a look at Atlanta.
02:56Look at some of the places that terrible, horrible corruption on elections.
03:00And the federal government should not allow that.
03:03The federal government should get involved.
03:05These are agents of the federal government to count the votes.
03:09If they can't count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.
03:14His comments are drawing swift pushback from Democrats, including from Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner.
03:22It is inappropriate for the president to advocate for actions that are wholly at odds with the Constitution in two and a half centuries of state and local elections.
03:35But it wasn't just Democrats disagreeing with the president.
03:39When asked by reporters about Trump's comments, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wasn't in favor of federalizing elections either,
03:47saying it's, quote, harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one.
03:52Under the Constitution, elections are run by states and local officials, not the White House.
03:56But the president is making clear this isn't about voter ID.
04:01It's about who controls and oversees the vote and who doesn't, heading into a high-stakes midterm year.
04:07Also from Washington, the partial government shutdown is officially over, ending after just a few days of disruption.
04:14President Trump signed a $1.2 trillion spending package into law Tuesday after the House approved it in a tight 217 to 214 vote.
04:23The measure funds major federal agencies, including defense, health, education, and state, through the end of the fiscal year on September 30th.
04:32But there's a big caveat.
04:33The Department of Homeland Security is only funded through February 13th.
04:38That short-term extension was part of a compromise to get the broader package passed.
04:43And now lawmakers have 10 days to work out a longer-term deal for DHS funding.
04:48Democrats and some Republicans say they want changes to immigration enforcement practices
04:53after deadly incidents involving federal agents in Minneapolis.
04:57House Speaker Mike Johnson has made clear he won't back a plan with proposals that include certain Democratic demands,
05:04like mandatory body cameras or restrictions on warrantless actions.
05:09But lawmakers say more negotiations are coming.
05:12Some conservatives are pushing to fund DHS for a full year if a deal cannot be struck by next week.
05:18For now, most of the federal government is back open and employees who were off work during the shutdown are being recalled and could receive back pay.
05:26The ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden is now charged with murder.
05:33Delaware authorities arrested 77-year-old William Stevenson after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge
05:40in the death of his current wife, Linda Stevenson, who was found unresponsive inside their Wilmington area home in late December.
05:48Police say officers were initially called to the House for a reported domestic dispute.
05:52They found 64-year-old Linda Stevenson in the living room and later pronounced her dead.
05:57Investigators have not released details about how she died.
06:00A grand jury returned the indictment after what police described as an extensive, weeks-long investigation.
06:06William Stevenson was married to Jill Biden in the early 1970s.
06:11That marriage ended decades ago.
06:13The Biden post-presidential office has so far declined comment.
06:17Stevenson is now being held on $500,000 cash bail and remains in custody.
06:22It is unclear whether he has an attorney.
06:25A federal judge will decide later today whether the man who tried to assassinate President Trump on a Florida golf course
06:31will spend the rest of his life in prison.
06:33Prosecutors say 60-year-old Ryan Wesley Ruth, who you see getting arrested right there,
06:39painstakingly planned the attack in September of 2024,
06:43hiding in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club with a military-grade rifle,
06:48waiting for the presidential candidate to appear.
06:51They described the plot as methodical and deliberate.
06:54After a chaotic trial in which Ruth represented himself
06:57and made headlines for trying to stab himself in the neck with a pen when the guilty verdict was read,
07:02prosecutors are now seeking the maximum sentence.
07:05A jury convicted Ruth on five counts,
07:08including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate
07:11and assaulting a federal officer.
07:14Ruth's defense is asking for 27 years,
07:16arguing he should one day experience freedom again,
07:20rather than die in a cell.
07:21They've submitted psychiatric reports citing narcissistic and bipolar disorders.
07:27But prosecutors say the record tells a different story.
07:30They point to Ruth's own writings where he expressed no remorse
07:34and even suggested he would prefer the president pummel him personally rather than face court.
07:40The judge's decision is expected later this morning.
07:43Finally this morning, the Chinese Lunar New Year is upon us,
07:48and it's the year of the sad horse.
07:52I mean, this is a crazy story.
07:53It's actually supposed to be the year of the horse.
07:56But a production mistake at a Chinese toy factory
07:59has turned a holiday push into a viral hit.
08:02Look, the red-stuffed horses were meant to look festive and joyful
08:07and kick off the new year with a gallop and a smile.
08:09Instead, look, they appear miserable with a very noticeable frown.
08:14And that unhappy expression is exactly why people love them.
08:18Really.
08:19The cry-cry horse, as it's now being called,
08:22has exploded online with knockoffs already flooding marketplaces
08:26and buyers saying it perfectly captures their mood
08:29amid a tough economy and uncertain job prospects.
08:33Adding to the irony,
08:342026 is the year in which Chinese Zodiac tradition symbolizes bold action,
08:40rapid change, but also the downside,
08:43greater intensity, and wait for it,
08:46the risk of burnout.
08:48The toy maker is now struggling to keep up with demand,
08:50and the worker who made the mistake that started it all,
08:53they've been rewarded with a bonus of more than $1,200 a year
08:57over the next 12 years.
08:58How about that?
08:59Consider it a very happy ending for a sad horse.
09:02Hey, we're not burned out.
09:052026 just started.
09:07But then again, ask us again on Friday.
09:11All right, so here's what we're tracking today.
09:13This morning, Borders are Tom Holman,
09:15holds a press conference on the latest on the situation in Minneapolis.
09:19At noon, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem
09:21heads to the border in Arizona,
09:23promising what the department calls a major update on the southern wall.
09:27Minutes later, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
09:29takes his Take Back Your Health tour to the Tennessee state capitol.
09:34This afternoon, freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel
09:37meets privately with First Lady Melania Trump
09:39a year after his release by Hamas.
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09:51Those are your unbiased updates for this Wednesday.
09:53We'll see you back here tomorrow.
09:54For all of us here at Straight Arrow News,
09:56I'm Craig DiGrelli.
09:57Have a great day.
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