January 2026 News

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Say hello to your new Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Disney announced that they have found their lead stars for the live-action version of “Tangled.” Letting down her hair for the role of Rapunzel is Australian actor Teagan Croft, while the swashbuckling thief role of Eugene Fitzherbert, also known as Flynn Rider, goes to "Zombies" star Milo Manheim.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving Democrat in Congress and once a rival to become House speaker, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his term. Hoyer, who served for years in party leadership and helped steer Democrats through some of their most significant legislative victories, reflected on the House floor about how the Congress he entered in 1981 has changed from a time when “most Republicans and Democrats worked together in a collegial and productive way.”

 Nikita Casap, who was accused of killing his parents and stealing their money to fund a plot to kill President Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty after reaching a deal with prosecutors.  The 18-year-old from Waukesha County, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Thursday in the deaths of his stepfather, Donald Mayer, and mother, Tatiana Casap. In exchange for the guilty plea, several other counts were dropped and he will serve two life prison sentences 

NASA is debating whether or not to bring one of the astronauts on the International Space Station early because of a medical issue. The agency did not give specifics of the medical problem or which astronaut it was, but did say the person was stable, The New York Times reported.  “Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11’s mission,” NASA officials said, according to the Times. “These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely.” 

The third-longest serving member of Congress will retire at the end of his term.  

Rep. Steny Hoyer, 86, first came to the House in 1981 in a special election, representing portions of Maryland, The Associated Press reported. He was the House majority leader twice — in 2006 and 2019. Hoyer was, as the AP described, a partner and sometimes rival to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He also worked closely with Rep. James Clyburn from South Carolina.

An Alabama woman is accused of employing Mace to stage a robbery at a Chick-fil-A drive-thru, then apparently using the stolen cash to gamble at an area casino, authorities said.  

According to Elmore County online booking records, Kaudija Shondrelle Haynes, 32, of Leeds, was arrested on Jan. 4. She was charged with attempting to elude, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the Leeds Police Department, authorities tracked Haynes to the Wind Creek Casino in nearby Wetumpka, and she was taken into custody after a chase resulted in a crash in a group of trees.

Hours after executing the raid to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, the heads of the United States government gathered before the press not to exalt democracy or detail their plan for Venezuelan self-determination, but to make clear that they intend to bleed the nation of its oil reserves. President Donald Trump is “deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned.

Sean Combs personally wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for a pardon after the Bad Boy Entertainment founder was sentenced to just over four years in prison, according to The New York Times. Trump — who used to be friendly with Combs on the social circuit of New York City in the 1990s and 2000s — didn’t seem too moved by the 56-year-old’s plight, stating he was not considering the request. 

 Fetty Wap, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge in 2022, was released from the Minnesota prison where he was serving a six-year sentence on Thursday. He will continue his sentence, which the Bureau of Prisons reports will end on Nov. 8, in home confinement in Philadelphia, according to TMZ.