Today's Top Stories from NBC News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2026

In today's newsletter: The Justice Department releases an avalanche of long-awaited investigative files relating to the late sex offender Jeffery Epstein. The agency also opens a civil rights probe into Alex Pretti's fatal shooting by federal agents. And Actress Catherine O'Hara, known for roles in "Home Alone" and "Schitt's Creek," dies at 71.

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▼ The Lead

DOJ releases millions of pages of additional Epstein files

The Department of Justice's document dump yesterday included more than 3.5 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, dwarfing two earlier releases — and constituting about half of the more than six million Epstein-related documents the agency has collected, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Blanche pushed back on the idea that the DOJ has a secret list of names of men associated with Epstein who abused women. He also insisted the agency was not trying to shield President Donald Trump, who had once been close friends with Epstein.

The DOJ temporarily removed and then republished a file that included a spreadsheet summary of complaints made to the FBI's National Threat Operations Center that included references to Epstein and Trump.

There was no indication that the tips were verified, and the complaints were made over an unspecified time frame.

Among the files were at least 16 emails that showed tech billionaire Elon Musk had expressed interest in visiting Epstein's island in 2012 and 2013 — contradicting his claims that he did not know Epstein very well.

More politics news:

Most of the U.S. government is shut down but is expected to reopen early next week. The Senate passed most of their spending bills to fund the government through September, but punted the DHS measure.

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham temporarily blocked the Senate from quickly voting on the spending package over the removal of a provision allowing him and other Republican senators to sue the DOJ.

Trump tapped a veteran economist to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing the agency's chief.

The value of silver plummeted after Trump picked Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced the first big test of his mayoral term.

The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Blanche announced yesterday.

The FBI has since taken a lead on the investigation into Pretti's death, which was initially being handled by the Department of Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection is also conducting an internal probe of the two Border Patrol agents who fired their guns.

Blanche did not go into detail on why the DOJ decided to open a case into Pretti's death, but suggested that the circumstances of the case merit a probe.

He added that this is a situation President Donald Trump wants to investigate, despite Trump repeatedly changing his rhetoric in the week since the shooting. Hours before the press conference, Trump called Pretti an "agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist" in a post on Truth Social.

More about the DOJ's investigation.

More immigration news:

Read additional details about Trump's comments after a new video of the ICU nurse confronting federal agents emerged.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was released by a federal judge after he was arrested yesterday in connection with his coverage of a protest inside a church last month.

Immigrant rights advocates filed a lawsuit challenging a recently disclosed ICE policy that allows officers to enter certain homes without a warrant.

This Minneapolis family has been in hiding for weeks, fearful of being deported.

The mother of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy who was taken with his father in Minnesota last week spoke about the experience with Telemundo.

Actress Catherine O'Hara dies at 71

Catherine O'Hara, the comedic actor best known for her performances in the Christmas classic "Home Alone," the mockumentary "Best in Show" and the sitcom "Schitt's Creek," died yesterday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness, her representatives said. She was 71.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, O'Hara excelled at playing characters who were cartoonishly larger than life but recognizably human, theatrically vain but ultimately endearing.

The Canadian actress had recently enjoyed a late renaissance as the former soap opera star Moira Rose on "Schitt's Creek," a role that earned her an Emmy Award in 2020.

Read about O'Hara's career journey here.

Southeast braces for another major storm

A week after a winter storm paralyzed communities across the Southeast, officials are still racing to keep residents safe as the extreme cold lingers.

So far, 16 people have died because of the storm, according to state officials.

And now, another major winter blast with possible blizzard conditions is expected to hit the Southeast, putting 33 million under alerts.

Some forecasters predict the weather system will become a "bomb cyclone," a fast-developing storm that's the winter equivalent of a hurricane.

More about how Mississippi is dealing with the fallout here.

▼ Quiz Time

A record 232 athletes will represent Team USA at the Winter Olympics. Which state produced the most Olympians?

A. Wisconsin
B. Utah
C. Michigan
D. Colorado

Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)

Take the news quiz

▼ Read All About It

Prosecutors cannot pursue a death sentence against Luigi Mangione in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge ruled.

Through the carnage of Iran's crackdown on violent protests, participants are looking to Trump after he promised "help is on its way" earlier this month.

Unvaccinated children have been hit hard with the flu as pediatric deaths rise to 52.

How Olympic snowboarder Bea Kim fights climate change through her words and wardrobe.

NASA's new lunar mission, which could launch Feb. 8, will take four astronauts farther from Earth than humanity has ever gone before.

▼ Staff Pick

Snowboarding's oldest competitor chases his first solo gold medal

Nick Baumgartner, a 44-year-old snowboarder, has been on the U.S. national team longer than some of his teammates have been alive. That longevity makes him an outlier in his sport. So does his lifestyle — training on a course he built himself in his front yard in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, rather than posh mountain resorts, and working side jobs pouring concrete patios, sidewalks and driveways.

But that doesn't make him an afterthought in the medal race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Four years after Baumgartner won gold at 40 in mixed snowboard cross, he's trying to keep up with his younger competition in hopes of grabbing another medal.

"Everyone's counting me out, and I love it," he told NBC News. "Fall asleep on me and tell me I can't, and we'll show that we can."

— Andrew Greif, sports reporter

▼ NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Dry January might be coming to an end, but these nonalcoholic spirits can be worth sipping throughout the year. If you're hoping to continue a sober or sober-curious lifestyle, our editors rounded up the best canned mocktails and expert tips for picking a nonalcoholic wine that matches your flavor profile.