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5 things to know for Jan. 28: Transgender troops, Immigration raids, Public health, California wildfires, DeepSeek

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — Natural disasters like wildfires, floods and hurricanes can have devastating financial consequences for homeowners, yet many are still expected to pay their mortgages — even if their homes are uninhabitable. These tips and resources may help if you find yourself in that daunting situation.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Transgender troops

President Donald Trump on Monday signed four executive orders that will reshape the military, including banning transgender troops from serving in the US armed forces; gutting the military’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and reinstating service members who were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated from Covid-19. The order outlines new military standards regarding gender pronouns and states that mental and physical readiness requires transgender service members to be excluded from the US armed forces. On his first day as defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who has long been in favor of these changes, told reporters that he would ensure these “orders are complied with rapidly and quickly.”

2. Immigration raids

A wave of planned immigration raids across the US has resulted in more than 2,000 arrests in two days and will continue across the Southeast US about two to three times a week, a source told CNN. Various US agencies have been given permission to apprehend immigrants under Customs and Border Protection’s immigration authority. At least two agencies assisting US immigration officials with the raids have told personnel to ensure their clothing clearly depicts their respective agency in case they are filmed by members of the media. While it is a common safety practice for agents conducting arrests to wear insignias identifying themselves as law enforcement, even agents on the perimeter of operations conducted across the nation have been specifically instructed by their leadership to wear raid jackets and be camera-ready, sources said.

3. Public health

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — the vaccine skeptic President Donald Trump has nominated to serve as Health and Human Services secretary — will face a pair of high-profile confirmation hearings this week. Despite the president’s backing, some GOP senators want public commitments from RFK Jr. on abortion and vaccines before deciding whether to support him. A new poll shows that less than half of US adults trust Trump and Kennedy to make the right recommendations on health issues, but views are split heavily along partisan lines — particularly regarding attitudes on vaccines. Kennedy’s views on vaccines have raised alarm among public health experts, including his promotion of the false claim that vaccines cause autism in children.

4. California wildfires

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has updated the death toll from this month’s destructive Southern California wildfires to 29. As of late Monday, there have been 17 deaths related to the Eaton fire and 12 deaths related to the Palisades fire. This comes as a new lawsuit alleges the Eaton fire in Altadena, California, was started by an electrical spark from a utility transmission tower. Video obtained by the law firm representing the fire victim shows what they say is the start of the blaze. The official cause of both fires in Los Angeles County remains under investigation.

5. DeepSeek

People across China are hailing the success of its homegrown tech startup DeepSeek and its founder after the company unveiled its newest artificial intelligence model, sending shock waves through Silicon Valley and Wall Street. The startup’s newest model DeepSeek R1 can nearly match the capabilities of its far more famous American rivals but cost less than $6 million to build, the company claims — a fraction of the investment from other major firms. Meta last week said it would spend upward of $65 billion this year on AI development, while OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said the AI industry would need trillions of dollars in investment to support the development of high-in-demand AI computer chips. President Donald Trump called the breakthrough a “wake-up call” for America in its rivalry with China.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

French artificial intelligence chatbot taken offline after wild answers
While some AI models are thriving, others have trouble answering simple mathematical equations. A French-language AI chatbot named Lucie was recently taken offline after sharing erroneous answers.

Thieves steal ancient artifacts in museum heist
A 2,500-year-old gold helmet was among the valuable items taken during a heist at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands.

Tourists look forward to flight routes connecting China and India
China and India have agreed to resume direct commercial flights for the first time in five years. Here’s what travelers should know.

Do you need new workout clothes?
Expensive doesn’t mean better when choosing athletic apparel, experts say.

US home sales in 2024 fell to the lowest level since 1995
It’s a tough time for many potential homebuyers. Economists share their predictions for the US housing market this year.

TODAY’S NUMBER

12,000
That’s roughly how many North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia to boost President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine, according to Western intelligence reports, which say around 4,000 of those troops have been killed or injured. Ukrainian officials expect Pyongyang to send more reinforcements soon as Moscow continues to experience manpower shortages.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“To have one of those in Maine was pretty shocking.”

— A resident in York County, Maine, after a magnitude 3.8 earthquake rattled parts of the New England region on Monday. The startling quake in an unexpected area should serve as a wake-up call for businesses, schools and homeowners everywhere to consider having safety protocols for earthquakes, the resident said.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

How tariffs can impact Valentine’s Day
Colombia exports more than $1 billion worth of cut flowers to the US each year. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, florists in Colombia tell CNN they are relieved the US backed off on imposing tariffs that could have collapsed their vibrant industry.

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