Reuters World News - Iran, ICE, Nipah virus and the Fed

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

The threat of a U.S. hit on Iran escalates as President Donald Trump gives Tehran an ultimatum. ICE hands down new orders to its agents in Minneapolis. Senate Democrats demand limits on ICE in exchange for sidestepping a government shutdown. And the Federal Reserve holds interest rates as chair Jerome Powell holds steady on central bank independence. Plus, what you need to know about the Nipah virus.   Listen to the Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Kim Vinal in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Thursday, January 29th. Today, Trump steps up his threats against Tehran. Democrats demand ICE agents unmask in a row that could partially shut down the government. The administration's attempt to dial it down in Minnesota has little impact on the ground. The Fed holds interest rate steady while Jerome Powell stays defiant. And the Nipar virus, prompts airport screenings in Asia. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. We start with US President Donald Trump's ramped up threats against Iran.

He's issued a stark ultimatum on Truth Social, demanding Iran comes to the table to make a nuclear deal, or the next US attack will be, quote, far worse than the June strike on its nuclear facilities. Iran was quick to hit back, saying if pushed, it will respond like never before. Two sources have told Reuters Trump is escalating his threats to inspire protesters, saying he wants to create conditions for regime change. Arab and Israeli officials have warned him that air power alone won't be enough to topple the government there. US intelligence reports are raising doubts about whether Venezuela's individuals' interim president, Delci Rodriguez, will cooperate with Washington's demand.

It wants Venezuela to cut ties with Iran, China and Russia. In the meantime, the U.S. is handing over a tanker to Venezuela that it seized earlier this month. That's according to two officials. To Minneapolis now, where ICE agents have new orders. They've been told to avoid engaging with agitators as they continue their crackdown. That's according to new internal guidance reviewed by Reuters, which also tells agents to only target, quote, aliens with a criminal history. It comes as at least two federal agents involved in Saturday's fatal shooting of Alex Preti

are placed on administrative leave. That's according to media reports. An initial US government review of the fatal shooting found no mention of him brandishing a firearm, despite initial statements by Trump officials contradicting that. Even so, immigration agents aren't slowing down. Ecuador's foreign ministry says an ICE agent tried to get into Ecuador's consulate in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Relax. Relax. Relax. You touch me out. You test me out. Video footage shows the agent was stopped by consulate staffers.

Trump has softened his rhetoric around the deployment and has ushered in a change of leadership of immigration operations in Minneapolis. Reporter Brad Brooks is there and has more on what that translates to on the ground. Since Borders are Tom Homan has taken over operations here, we've seen subtle slight shifts and also our sources who are neighborhood observers. they've confirmed that they are also seeing these same sort of shifts that we are seeing, which is ICE and Border Patrol seems to be doing smaller operations now and highly targeted instead of just showing up in a neighborhood and randomly stopping people.

They are not, however, abating or stopping. They are not getting out of town. We do not know if the numbers of agents in Minneapolis is dropping or not. but they are certainly not ceasing activity. But in Washington, those new ICE orders don't go far enough. Senate Democrats are calling for new restrictions on immigration agents, including forcing them to use body cameras and prohibiting them from covering their faces with masks.

Their demands set up a showdown which could lead to a partial government shutdown, the second of Trump's second term. To explain why, here's reporter David Morgan in Washington, D.C. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security and these other departments, including the Department of Defense, is set to expire at midnight on Friday. That means that without an extension of funding, those government programs would shut down. The main question is whether Republicans are willing to strip funding for the Department of Homeland Security out of a much longer. larger funding package. So far, they have not shown a willingness to do that. And the White House has

issued a statement saying that they view the ploy that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is pursuing as tantamount to a partial shutdown. However, I hasten to add that there was a major piece of legislation passed last year with Republican-only votes. Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill, and that has huge amounts of money specifically for ICE and Border Patrol and border security. So those operations would not be harmed by a government shutdown now. They've already been funded and funded very richly. According to the New York Times, Trump and Schumer were working on a possible agreement last night for new limits on federal immigration agents in exchange for dodging a shutdown.

Royces could not immediately verify the report. Essentially, the economy has once again surprised us with its strengths, not for the first time. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announcing the central bank is keeping interest rates steady again. The benchmark is being left at 3.5 to 3.75%, as policymakers say inflation is still somewhat elevated, and the job market is showing signs of stabilising. Normally, that would set the stage for a pretty standard press conference from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, but not this time. Instead of the usual questions about the economy and interest rates, reporters pressed Powell on an extraordinary video statement that he released a few weeks ago,

where he revealed he's being investigated by the Department of Justice. While he had no new comments about the probe, he did make. one point very clear. You're confident it can maintain that independence at this point. Yes. I mean, I'm strongly committed to that and so are my colleagues. Powell didn't say what he plans to do when his term ends, but he did offer one piece of advice to whoever takes over. Don't get pulled into elected politics. Don't do it.

Fed reporter Howard Schneider says on the rate front, the decision to hold steady was widely expected, but his assessment of economic growth stands out. So, you know, read between the lines. A, it's a pretty good outlook for the economy. B, they're less worried about the job market taking a hit. C, they think inflation's going to fade, but it's still high. Put all that together and you get probably, you know, a pause that could last a while. For more Econ and Markets News, tune into our sister podcast Morning Bit. It's available wherever you get your podcasts.

Federal agents have searched an election facility in Georgia's, Fulton County. It's part of an investigation tied to Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 race was stolen from him. The FBI executed a court-authorized warrant at the county's election hub outside Atlanta, seeking records from the 2020 vote. A local commissioner said agents were collecting hundreds of boxes of ballots, calling the move an assault on voters and accusing Trump of trying to create chaos ahead of the midterms. In Indonesia, airport travellers pass through thermal scanners reminiscent of COVID-era travel. But this time, authorities are trying to stop the spread of Nipa virus.

Only two cases of Nipa have been confirmed in India's West Bengal. But while there are vaccines in trials, none have been cleared so far. And this virus has a high fatality rate. Even so, Reuters' global health correspondent Jennifer Rigby says there's no need to panic. NEPA virus is a really nasty disease. It has very high fatality rate between 40 to 75%. It's a virus. It's spread mainly through contact with infected bats.

But the reason that this is something not to worry about too much right now around the world and the risk of global spread is that it doesn't spread that easily from person to person. Jennifer says even though the world is still spooked by memories of COVID, NEPA virus is different. It's a disease we know about. it's been around since it was found in Malaysia at the end of the 1990s. There's been outbreaks almost every year in Bangladesh. Small outbreaks because it doesn't spread easily from person to person. So this isn't COVID.

This is not a pandemic. This is not, you know, zooming across borders at this point. And for today's recommended read, we go to what's being called the largest floating slum in the world. Authorities are demolishing the Venice of Nigeria, displacing thousands of people who've lived there for generations. There's a link to that story and photos in the podcast description. For more on any of the stories from today,

check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.