Today's Top Stories from NBC News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

In today's newsletter: The Justice Department is investigating whether Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey impeded immigration enforcement, sources say. Tapping Greenland's rare earth minerals comes with costly hurdles. And Iran's crackdown of protests stands apart from other moments in its history of violent suppression.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

DOJ investigating Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey, sources say

(Star Tribune via Getty; AP)

The Justice Department is investigating Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey under the theory they conspired to impede federal immigration agents through public statements, a senior law enforcement official and a person familiar with the matter said.

Both Democratic lawmakers have been at odds with federal officials. Walz said in a statement the DOJ's actions are purely political.

"Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic," he said. "The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her."

Frey called the move "an obvious attempt to intimidate me" for standing up to the Trump administration.

Read the full story here.

Read more:

A judge ordered federal law enforcement participating in the Minnesota immigration crackdown to stop pepper spraying, detaining and pulling over peaceful protesters.

Republicans, who haven't won statewide in Minnesota in two decades, think they now have an opening with the fraud controversy that's hanging over Walz.

Federal immigration officers have shot 11 people since September as DHS ramps up deportation operations around the country.

Immigration officers around Minneapolis are approaching people and demanding proof that they're U.S. citizens.

With Trump's continued push to acquire Greenland, the island's national security upsides — including many minerals crucial for modern technology — have again become the subject of geopolitical importance.

There is broad agreement that Greenland holds untapped deposits of rare earth elements used in magnets, motors and semiconductors driving the artificial intelligence boom.

Yet much of the country's resources remain untapped due to its isolation, harsh conditions, environmental stewardship and the mining industry's price sensitivity.

The minerals are vital to U.S. efforts to maintain its technological lead over China, but tapping them isn't so easy — and some experts are skeptical it's worth it.

Here's what they said.

Iran has a long history of violent suppression, but this time may be different

Iran has a grim history of crushing dissent, but the latest crackdown dwarfs anything seen during the repressive Islamic theocracy's 47 years in power, evidence trickling out of the country suggests.

Human rights activists say at least 2,500 people have been killed and some 19,000 people have been arrested since protesters took to the streets last month.

Iran's top judge has suggested that there needs to be rapid trials and executions to restore order.

"This crackdown is more intense because the scope of the protests is more widespread, playing out at the same time in big cities but also remote areas," said Clément Therme, a nonresident fellow at the International Institute for Iranian Studies.

The bloody reprisals against protesters are the culmination of the regime's decades of precedent for using violence to suppress its opponents, dating back to its foundation.

Read the full story here.

South Carolina measles outbreak doubles within a week

A measles outbreak is growing at rapid speed in South Carolina, with cases doubling over the last week and spreading to at least three other states.

"Over the last seven to nine days, we've had upwards of over 200 new cases," Dr. Johnathon Elkes, an emergency medicine physician said. "We feel like we're really kind of staring over the edge, knowing that this is about to get a lot worse."

The South Carolina Department of Public Health said that 531 people are in a 21-day quarantine following an exposure to measles.

Eight people, including adults and children, required hospitalization.

The majority of patients reported in the state are children and teenagers, most of whom are unvaccinated.

Here's what else we know.

▼ Quiz Time

Which Hollywood A-lister is now the highest grossing actor of all time?

A. Zoe Saldaña
B. Scarlett Johansson
C. Samuel L. Jackson
D. Timothée Chalamet

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

The surgeon accused of killing his ex-wife and her dentist husband at their Ohio home was indicted on murder charges, facing a maximum term of life in prison.

Former Giants cornerback Samuel Beal has been missing for six months after he drove to Virginia Beach in July and never returned home, his family says.

A new review has found no evidence for the claim that Tylenol use in pregnancy raises the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.

OpenAI announced that some versions of ChatGPT will soon come with advertisements.

An Australian woman who sued luxury real estate broker Oren Alexander and his twin brother Alon for sexual assault has died.

▼ Staff Pick

He almost died. Now he's on the verge of a second Olympic medal.

Few athletes know adversity like Colby Stevenson. Nearly a decade ago, the skier was involved in an accident in which he fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his truck off the side of the road.

He shattered his skull in more than 30 places and was placed in a medically-induced coma. That horrific moment, he told NBC News, changed his perspective on life and helped him return to glory.

"I was kind of just like, 'holy crap. I should be dead right now,'" Stevenson said. "I got nothing to lose."

Stevenson stopped feeling pressure at competitions and just rode freely. It got him a silver medal in Big Air at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Now, he has his sights set on gold in 2026. Based on what he's gone through, he said he's at peace with whatever the outcome: "Everything now is just icing on the cake."

— Greg Rosenstein, sports editor

▼ NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Major winter sales are still going strong. NBC Select rounded up the best deals at Best Buy and flagged a rare Dyson sale. Plus, Brooks sneakers are marked down, making it a smart moment to upgrade your walking or running shoes while prices are lower.