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Layoffs jumped in January as companies pull back on hiring

February 5, 2026 / 3:00 PM EST / CBS News

Layoffs across the U.S. surged in January to their highest level for the month since 2009, when the economy was reeling from the housing crash, new data shows.

Employers announced 108,435 job cuts in the first month of the year, up 118% from the year-ago figures, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Layoffs often rise in January as companies adjust their payrolls to meet financial targets for the forthcoming year.

The top three reasons employers cited in cutting jobs last month were losing a commercial contract, stock market and economic conditions, and restructuring.

Most layoffs by industry

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The sectors that dismissed the most employees in January, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas:

• Transportation: 31,243 job cuts
• Technology: 22,291 job cuts
• Health Care: 17,107 job cuts
• Chemical: 4,701 job cuts
• Media: 510 job cuts

Driving the January layoffs were large cuts by several major companies. Those included Amazon, which said it wascutting 16,000 jobs, and delivery company UPS, which plans to slash its workforce by30,000 this year.

The spurt in layoffs signals that businesses are “less-than-optimistic about the outlook for 2026,” Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray and Christmas, said in a statement.

Pinterestand chemical manufacturerDowalso announced layoffs, which they attributed in part to their adoption ofartificial intelligence. Employers directly cited AI in announcing nearly 8,000 layoffs in January, 7%, Challenger’s data shows.

Some experts have questioned the extent to which AI is playing a role in layoffs, with economists telling CBS News that companies could be using AI as a pretext for job cuts.

“I don’t think these companies are doing layoffs because they know AI can replace workers, but I think they’re investing in it,” Andrew Stettner, senior director for economic security at the nonprofit National Employment Law Project, told CBS News.

Although layoffs have edged up, the nation’s unemployment rate remains low by historical standards, at 4.4%. The Federal Reserve on Jan. 28 said that the economy was expanding at a “solid pace,” while noting that inflation remains above its 2% annual target.

Yet the latest economic signals show that job openings around the country are falling, while more Americans are filing for unemployment benefits. Initial jobless claims jumped to231,000 for the week ending Jan. 31, up sharply from the previous week, according to the labor data released on Thursday.

Revelio Labs, a workforce intelligence company, reported a 64% increase in the number of workers who received layoff notices between December 2025 and January.

To be sure, the spike in layoffs isn’t a sign of a broader economic malaise, Stettner emphasized. For example, the construction sector is booming as demand for AI services and the data centers required to power them increases. Still, he called the pockets of layoffs “concerning.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/what-are-the-prospects-for-laid-off-workers/

As silver prices soar, jeweler Pandora turns to platinum

February 5, 2026 / 4:17 PM EST / CBS News

[Surging silver prices]are spurring jewelry maker Pandora to find a less costly alternative to the shiny metal: platinum.

The Danish company [said]Wednesday that it will continue selling silver jewelry, but that it will add platinum-plated versions of its best-selling bracelet to make it more affordable — including for Pandora.

The company plans to introduce the new platinum-plated pieces later this year. Initially, they will be available in 30 stores and through the company’s e-commerce site. In the second half of 2026, Pandora will add more platinum offerings, including a selection of charms, it said.

Pandora said adding platinum-plated items will help reduce its reliance on silver as prices have skyrocketed.

The company’s most popular bracelet starts at around $80 in sterling silver. The platinum-plated version of the same piece will cost roughly the same amount, a Pandora spokesperson told CBS News. The same bracelet in 14k gold retails for $2,350, while the gold-plated version costs $200.

Pandora also sells lab-grown diamond jewelry that is made in Thailand.

[Gold and silver have soared] over the last year, while more recently investors have piled into the precious metals as a hedge against risks stemming from economic uncertainty and rising global debt.

As of Thursday, silver cost $76.06 an ounce, according to[Priority Gold]. That’s up 135% from $32.30 per ounce in early 2025. While platinum remains far more expensive than silver, at $2,100 an ounce, it’s up only 3% over the past year.

Edited by [Alain Sherter]

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/gold-and-silver-prices-surge-as-concerns-about-inflation-remain-high/

Tuberville warns mayor over anti-ICE activism: ‘You won’t like me very much’

Mayor James Stewart Jr. cited Martin Luther King Jr. as justification for protecting illegal immigrants, while telling a local affiliate Irondale remains a law-abiding city and not a ‘sanctuary’ for criminals

By Charles Creitz
Fox News

Published February 5, 2026 4:02pm EST

Irondale Mayor James Stewart, Jr. cited Martin Luther King Jr. as justification for protecting illegal immigrants and pledged funds to train activists to track ICE agents. However, his actions may prompt federal blowback, as Alabama’s senior senator warned the mayor he “won’t like me very much” if he follows through.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. — who is also running to succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey this year — warned Stewart that the Democrat will have no such luck circumventing the feds.

“[When I’m governor, Alabama] will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to rogue mayors trying to go around federal law,” Tuberville, the ex-Auburn football coach, told Fox News Digital.

“Like it or not, federal law says that illegal immigrants must be deported. If mayors don’t like that, they should run for Congress.”

ANTI-ICE LEGISLATION HEADS TO DESK OF RISING STAR DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR, TESTING HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., left, speaks as President Donald Trump, right, listens.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Stewart’s office after he said in his February mayoral newsletter that “watching ICE operations tear families apart in Irondale highlights the urgent need to address immigration policies affecting our community, which brings me back to King’s final speech, the one where he said he’d seen the Promised Land but might not get there.”

“I understand that now. This may be my last term. But I still have to do God’s will. Every single day. When Dr. King said, ‘I just want to do God’s will’ the night before they killed him, it brings me to tears. Because I know what that means now,” Stewart said.

Stewart said ICE operations are “following the same pattern” King described in his letter from jail in Birmingham, adjacent to Irondale.

Tuberville further took issue with reporting from Alabama news outlet 1819 News – so named for the state’s founding year – that Irondale has contracted with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) to aid programs such as a “warning system to track [ICE] agents at the behest of the city’s mayor.”

In that regard, Stewart said in his newsletter his King-inspired work is not done while “families who built this community are being hunted.”

Days after Stewart’s newsletter publication, knife-wielding Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Ba-Ruiz was arrested and charged Monday by the Justice Department for assaulting an ICE agent in the Birmingham area.

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR AVOIDS QUESTION ON OPPOSING OBAMA-ERA IMMIGRATION POLICY NOW PUSHED BY TRUMP

Interstate 20 enters Alabama from Georgia, as drivers gain an hour crossing into Central Time, at Abernathy, Ala.(Charles Creitz/Fox News Digital)

In comments to Fox News Digital, Ivey backed up Tuberville, saying Montgomery will always work with DHS:

“Unlike Minnesota, in Alabama, we enforce the law,” Ivey said.

“We are proud to work with ICE to do just that: Enforce the laws and protect our citizens from criminals and lawbreakers.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

While Stewart did not respond to Fox News Digital by publication time, he told Fox’s Birmingham affiliate that Irondale is not a sanctuary city and will not hide criminals from the law, and then claimed he won’t actually interfere with ICE operations.

“A lot of the things that we see now are the things that were going on 300 to 400 years ago,” he told the outlet. “We want to be a law-abiding city, but we also know our role.”

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

Bad Bunny says 2026 Super Bowl halftime show will “be a huge party”

February 5, 2026 / 5:08 PM EST / AP

[Bad Bunny] says he’s approaching his [highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance] with a mix of excitement, gratitude and perspective.

“To be honest, I don’t know how I’m feeling. There’s a lot. I’m still in the middle of my tour. I was just at the Grammys last week. All of that,” he said in English on Thursday at a press event hosted by Apple Music. He walked out to his 2017 single “Chambea.”

“I’m excited, but at the same time, I feel more excited about the people than even me — my family, my friends, the people who have always believed in me,” he said. “This moment, the culture — that’s what makes these shows special.”

Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most-streamed artists on the planet. He will take the Super Bowl stage just one week after he won album of the year at the [2026 Grammys] for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” It’s the first time an all Spanish-language album has taken home the top prize.

During the conference, Bad Bunny joked that fans didn’t need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set — but they should be prepared to dance, a reference to his “Saturday Night Live” monologue from last October.

Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden hosted the conversation with Bad Bunny. Thursday’s event began with conversations with pregame performers at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

This year, a long line formed well before the doors opened, with credentialed media — including a noticeable presence of Spanish-language and Latin American outlets — packing the conference room nearly an hour before the news conference began.

It marked a stark contrast to Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 news conference, when the room didn’t fill up until roughly 15 minutes before the event.

Despite the heightened interest, Bad Bunny offered few specifics about what viewers will see Sunday.

Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performer Bad Bunny smiles during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in San Francisco ahead of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP

“It’s going to be a huge party,” he said. “What people can expect from me … I want to bring to the stage, of course, a lot of my culture. But I really don’t, I don’t want to give any spoilers. It’s going to be fun.”

For the artist, the journey to the Super Bowl was never driven by recognition or awards. He said “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” became his most meaningful project because it was rooted in reconnecting with his identity, history and culture but not chasing milestones.

“I wasn’t looking for album of the year. I wasn’t looking to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show,” he said. “I was just trying to connect with my roots, connect with my people, connect with myself.”

That mindset, he said, ultimately opened the door to something larger: bringing a deeply personal expression of culture to one of the world’s biggest stages.

“You always have to be proud of who you are and where you’re from,” he said. “But don’t let that limit where you can go.”

Bad Bunny is no stranger to the Super Bowl stage. He previously appeared during the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV in 2020 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. But he said his focus has remained unchanged.

“My biggest pleasure is just to create, have fun doing it and connect with the people,” he said. “That’s what I’m always looking for every time I’m in the studio.”

When asked if he will have surprise guests, he said “That’s something I’m not going to tell you.”

Then he said he will actually have a lot of guests watching — his friends, family, “the Latino community,” and people around the world who love his music.

At the end of the interview, Bad Bunny took questions from a few student journalists, including one who asked him to name an early supporter. “My mom,” the singer replied.

“Before everything, she believed in me as a person, as a human. She believed in me, in my decisions, in my opinions,” he continued. “I think that’s what got me here, you know? Not because she believed that I was a great artist but that she believed that I am a great person.”

The Super Bowl will be held Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Seattle Seahawks facing off against the New England Patriots.

The Super Bowl pregame show will open with several standout performers in Northern California: Charlie Puth will hit the stage to sing the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will take on “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“I want them to feel inspired. I want everybody to know that music is such an amazing thing,” Puth said of his performance.

“This is pretty much the top of the top,” added Jones. “This is the bee’s knees. … It’s hard to compete. Maybe my wedding will be up there.”

The national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will be performed by deaf performing artist Fred Beam in American Sign Language. Julian Ortiz will sign “America the Beautiful.”

Before the game, Green Day will play a set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl. The band, which has its roots in the Bay Area, plans to “Get loud!” according to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong.

In a historic first, the halftime show will include a multilingual signing program featuring Puerto Rican Sign Language, led by interpreter Celimar Rivera Cosme. She was also the interpreter for Bad Bunny’s landmark residency in Puerto Rico last year that drew more than half a million fans.

All signed performances for the pregame and halftime shows will be presented in collaboration with Alexis Kashar of LOVE SIGN and Howard Rosenblum of Deaf Equality.

The typical U.S. worker has $955 saved for retirement, report finds

February 5, 2026 / 5:09 PM EST / CBS News

The average American worker has less than $1,000 saved for retirement, underscoring the financial strain millions could face in old age, according to a new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security.

That figure factors in workers with 401(k) and other retirement plan savings, while also including the roughly 56 million U.S. workers who lack access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Median savings for all employed adults between the ages of 21 and 64 amounted to $955, the nonpartisan think tank found, tapping data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation.

For workers who do have retirement savings, the median balance stands at $40,000, the group found — a far cry from the roughly $1.5 million that Americans say they need to retire comfortably. Adding to the financial pinch is Social Security’s funding shortfall, which if not addressed by Congress could result in a roughly 20% cut to benefits starting in 2034.

“While there have been some noticeable improvements in the retirement savings system in recent years, many workers are still left out of that system, and major challenges lie ahead,” the report noted.

The findings come as the Trump administration is rolling out so-called Trump Accounts, aimed at helping millions of children build a nest egg to eventually buy a home, fund their education or start a business. The accounts could also be used to help save for retirement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.

While Trump Accounts could benefit future workers, the current retirement system effectively excludes millions of Americans who lack access to 401(k)s and similar plans, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS), a nonprofit group whose members include financial services firms, employee benefit plans, trade associations and other retirement service providers.

“The bottom line is that if Americans are not saving for retirement through their employer, then they are probably not saving at all,” the report said.

The paltry level of retirement savings may also help explain rising poverty among older Americans. The share of seniors living in poverty climbed to 15% in 2024, up from 14% a year earlier and the highest rate among all age groups, Census data shows.

Few workers reach retirement benchmarks

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The analysis, which also examined savings by age group, found that many older workers are no closer to their savings targets than younger workers, who have more time to catch up.

The rule of thumb is that people should have retirement savings worth one year of their annual income by age 30, then double that by age 35, and rising from there, according to Fidelity. By 60, the typical worker should have eight times their annual income socked away for their golden years.

Workers ages 55 to 64 had accumulated only 19% of their targeted retirement savings in 401(k)s or similar plans, NIRS found.

Urgent fix needed for Social Security

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Given the meager retirement savings of millions of Americans, Social Security remains an increasingly important source for keeping seniors financially stable and out of poverty.

Many workers also misunderstand Social Security’s role in retirement, either overestimating or underestimating its importance, experts note. A 2025 survey by life insurer Allianz found that 1 in 5 Americans believe Social Security will provide all the income they need in retirement, when in fact it provides roughly half of the typical senior’s annual income, according to NIRS.

Given that millions of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their annual income, shoring up the program to avoid insolvency is a pressing issue, the report said.

Lawmakers could address the program’s funding gap by raising the payroll tax rate, increasing the retirement age or lifting the current cap on earnings subject to the payroll tax, which in 2026 is set at $184,500. Income above that threshold is not subject to Social Security taxes.

Without a fix, the resulting 20% reduction in benefits “would have a significant impact on the lives of seniors and other beneficiaries,” NIRS said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

In:

• Social Security

Trump calls for nuclear experts to work on ‘new, improved, and modernized treaty’

February 5, 2026 3:23pm EST / Fox News

President Donald Trump on Thursday called for U.S. nuclear experts to begin work on what he described as a “new, improved, and modernized Treaty,” arguing that the United States should move away from extending the existing New START nuclear arms agreement.

Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social as the administration weighs the future of U.S. nuclear arms control policy and whether it will seek to extend or replace New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow.

“Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote.

“The president wants to have our nuclear experts work on a new, improved and modernized treaty that can last long into the future,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing. “And that’s what the United States will continue to discuss with the Russians.”

TRUMP VOWS TO ‘KNOCK THE HELL OUT OF’ IRAN IF NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS REBUILT AGAIN AFTER HIGH-STAKES MEETING

President Donald Trump, right, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump also made broader claims in his post about his role in preventing nuclear conflict, writing that he stopped “Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine.”

A White House official told Fox News that the Trump administration is still weighing next steps on nuclear arms control and that no final decision has been announced.

“The President will decide the path forward on nuclear arms control, which he will clarify on his own timeline,” the official said.

TRUMP STUNS WITH CALL TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTS — WHY NOW, AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN

President Donald Trump walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today (Friday) Russia has “not received anything officially” from Washington on the 28-point plan.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The official added that Trump “has spoken repeatedly of addressing the threat nuclear weapons pose to the world and indicated that he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in arms control talks.”

Axios reported Thursday that U.S. and Russian officials have been discussing whether both sides could continue to observe the terms of New START after its expiration, citing multiple sources familiar with the talks. The outlet reported that no formal extension has been approved and that any arrangement would not be legally binding.

In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote that the U.S. should pursue a new agreement rather than extend New START.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to explain President Donald Trump’s policy toward Venezuela following the U.S. military raid that ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

According to the Associated Press, New START’s expiration leaves no caps on the U.S. and Russia’s nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Trump has made clear that future arms control efforts must include China, telling reporters that “in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it’s impossible to do something that doesn’t include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile.”

Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.

Leavitt flips script on media for balking at Fulton election probe after years of promoting Russia claims

Karoline Leavitt says DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s role in Fulton County search warrant execution is part of election security duties

By Emma Colton
Fox News

Published February 5, 2026 4:35pm EST

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at media outlets questioning the FBI seizing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at media outlets questioning the FBI’s seizure of ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, after years of the media claiming that Russia influenced the 2016 election.

The FBI executed a search warrant in the Georgia county home to Atlanta in January, which included Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard deploying on the ground to carry out an election security assessment. Gabbard’s presence has sparked outrage and questions from Democrats and the media over what they characterize as an unusual, politicized show of force.

“As the director of national intelligence, it is a part of Miss Gabbard’s role to make sure that American elections are free of foreign interference and that American elections are safe and secure,” Leavitt said of Gabbard’s presence in Fulton County. “And so the ODNI director is working with the FBI on this effort, and the president wholeheartedly supports both Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard in ensuring that American elections are safe, secure, and free of foreign intervention.”

GEORGIA’S FULTON COUNTY FILES MOTION SEEKING RETURN OF 2020 ELECTION MATERIALS SEIZED BY FBI

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the White House on Feb. 5, 2026.(Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The reporter pushed back, “Is there any indication that there’s foreign influence?”

Leavitt began taking another question before circling back to remind the reporter of the media’s focus on claims Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, when President Donald Trump ran against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

PATEL DOUBLES DOWN ON FBI ELECTION HUB RAID, SAYS TRUMP CALLED AGENTS DIRECTLY TO THANK THEM FOR OPERATION

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, N.C.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

“Excuse me one second. It’s the media who has said that there’s Russian interference in American elections. You guys have been saying that for many, many years,” Leavitt shot back.

FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA TO SUE AFTER FBI SEIZES 2020 ELECTION RECORDS

“The people in this room, considering that you all, you all said for many years that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump, you should all be very happy that we finally have an administration that is looking into that, and we’ll be happy to keep you posted,” she continued.

[image_4]

Newly sworn in Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into claims Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to secure the election wrapped up in March 2019, determining there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Weeks after ice storm in northeast Mississippi, 25,000 still without power: “It’s a lot worse than we thought”

February 5, 2026 / 5:19 PM EST / CBS News

Nearly two weeks after a catastrophic ice storm rocked northeast Mississippi, still 25,000 customers are without power as of Thursday, and the situation is getting more dire by the day for people who are taking on overwhelming financial burdens to stay warm and retain some normalcy.

The Golden family of Taylor, Mississippi, a town just 20 minutes south of Oxford, said they have been dipping into savings to pay for the high cost of propane for their small space heater and fuel for their $400 generator they bought five days ago. The generator can only run a few things at a time, so they use it for an electric space heater and occasionally the TV at night for entertainment for their 7-year-old son, Tylin.

They put a special pipe fitting tape around the window sills and door frame to keep cold air out, and they keep water boiling perpetually on their gas stove, not only to have warm water to bathe with, but also to help keep their kitchen warm.

Seven-year-old Tylin Golden sits by an electric space heater in Tayor, Miss. CBS News

The family of three sleeps in their living room at night — the warmest room in the house.

“We wasn’t expecting it to be this bad,” Tambra Golden said with tears in her eyes in an interview with CBS News. “We kind of figured that we was gonna be without lights for a few days, and we thought the Northeast (Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association) and the power company, they was going to be able to go through and fix things and get us back to where up and running, but I see that it is, it’s a lot, it’s a lot worse than what we thought it was gonna be.”

Tambra Golden said she and her husband have been working as food delivery drivers to drum up some extra cash to pay for more propane. The two said they are also grateful to have received some donations from a local church.

“All we can do now is pray that when we do get lights and able to move, that we can build our savings back up and get back to where we were before this happened,” she said.

The Golden family keeps boiling water sitting on the gas stove to have warm water to bathe with and help keep their kitchen warm. CBS News

Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association spokesperson Sarah Brooke Bishop told CBS News earlier this week that crews from Mississippi and several neighboring states are working tirelessly until all power is restored, but the massive, widespread damage of fallen trees and power lines has created serious obstacles.

An hour north of Oxford, in Ripley, Miss., some families tell CBS News their local power company has informed them it will be at least another week before all power is restored.

Part of the challenge is that even though much of the mainline infrastructure has been restored, crews now have to go from house to house to get people back online.

According to Jill Knox, a spokesperson with the Oxford public school district, 30% of their staff were still without power as of Feb 4.

“It’s still pretty dire,” Knox said.

At a donation event at Oxford Middle School on Wednesday, volunteers passed out meals, snacks and coats to families in need. Volunteer staff members are also helping deliver items to families.

Knox says they have been feeding up to 600 people a day with free hot meals. She says she’s aware of several other food drives in town that have also been helping hundreds of people a day.

“I cannot say enough great things about everyone in this community,” Knox said.

Some people in Oxford, Miss., are just grateful to be alive.

Cleanup continues after ice storm that hit Mississippi in January. CBS News

Brindin Chandler, 20, of Oxford, said last week, during the ice storm, instead of sleeping in, he was volunteering his time to help crews chainsaw and remove fallen trees.

When he came home around 10 a.m., as he was walking up to his mobile home, he watched a large tree fall right through his home and onto his bed. If he had not been out helping others, and instead at home sleeping, the tree would have landed on top of him.

“Because we were doing that is the only reason that I wasn’t in there,” Chandler said.

He chalks it up to “luck.”

“I never thought it would happen to me,” Chandler said. “Glad to be alive.”

As soon as he saw it fall, he said, “I instantly ran right over here to look for my cats, but I couldn’t find them.”

Brindin Chandler, 20, of Oxford, said since the storm hit, he has been working around the Oxford community to help others. CBS News

One of his two cats inside the home at the time died, but the other survived. It took three days for them to sort through the rubble before they found the cat’s body. Chandler still has a lot of cleaning up left to go.

It was his starter home. He had lived in the mobile home for almost two years. Now he’s living with his dad until he can find another place. He also works for his father, and the two of them even play in a metal rock band together.

Since the storm hit, he has been working around the Oxford community to help others with all of their tree damage and debris. He said it’s felt good to be a part of “one community.”

Asked about how he’s kept a positive attitude, helping other clear trees off their houses while he still has a tree on his own, he said, “well, they say life is what you make it, if you stay negative, everything in front of you will probably be negative, if you stay positive, everything will at least seem that way.”

Sweeping bill to crush sanctuary cities, protect ICE agents unveiled in Senate

Sen Eric Schmitt’s Protect America Act would punish sanctuary cities, boost agent protections after anti-ICE protests

By Alex Miller
Fox News

Published February 5, 2026 2:06pm EST

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to kneecap sanctuary cities and provide more stringent protections for federal agents in a sweeping package designed to push back against disruptions to the Trump administration’s immigration operations.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., plans to introduce his Protect America Act, a colossal legislative package that would punish sanctuary cities, enhance penalties for illegal entry and reentry, boost protections for federal agents, and defund “corrupt” nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), or nonprofits.

The goal of the package is to cut into the unrest simmering in cities across the country where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are operating.

[SENATOR CALLS OUT ‘GRASSROOTS’ ANTI-ICE GROUPS, URGES DOJ INVESTIGATION INTO ‘COORDINATED NATIONAL OPERATION’]

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is gearing up to introduce a sweeping immigration package meant to crush sanctuary cities and bolster protections of federal agents.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Schmitt’s legislation comes as anti-ICE protests continue around the country, most notably in Minneapolis, where agitators have clashed with federal agents, resulting in the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

“This environment demands action,” Schmitt said in a statement. “The Protect America Act is a comprehensive, four-part legislative response designed to address the root causes of disorder, restore lawful enforcement authority, protect federal officers from coordinated interference and violence, and prevent the abuse of nonprofit status to shield or support criminal activity.”

[SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS]

Agitators using whistles to alert neighborhoods to ICE activity face off with Minneapolis police officers Jan. 24, 2026.(Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

The package would condition federal funding to sanctuary cities based on cooperation with ICE and federal law enforcement. Cities that don’t comply would lose their funding completely.

It would also require that jails and detention centers coordinate with ICE to share the identity, immigration status and release timing for detainees, allow people to sue for civil liabilities if a “removable alien” is knowingly released within a sanctuary city and commits a serious crime, and halt new foreign student visas until jurisdictions comply with federal immigration law.

In a bid to bolster protections for federal agents, the package would close loopholes that allow people to use whistles or other devices to interfere with officers’ communications, impose penalties of up to five years in prison for people who obstruct federal agents’ duties, ensure that the First Amendment protections explicitly state that the “act does not prohibit expressive content or lawful expressive conduct,” and make assaulting a federal agent a federal criminal offense.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii., after the passage of government funding bills at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Schmitt’s legislation would also strengthen penalties for illegal entry and reentry into the country by ending catch-and-release and mandating detention, make illegal entry a felony, and boost penalties for illegal reentry to include fines and up to two years in prison.

The fourth prong seeks to de-fang NGOs by revoking the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit that promotes, incites, or provides material support for criminal violence.

His legislative package comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and congressional Democrats offered their own, competing list of demands meant to rein in DHS and ICE, which they are demanding be considered and codified in exchange for their support of the now-sidelined Homeland Security funding bill.

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Schmitt and Senate Republicans haven’t taken well to many of the proposals from their counterparts, notably requiring ICE agents to get judicial warrants, de-masking federal agents and requiring full identification when in the field.

“My view is we’re not doing any of this stuff until, unless, we end sanctuary city status, because that’s what’s causing all of this, is the lack of cooperation,” Schmitt said. “It’s the confrontations that are being created, and why you don’t see this in blue or red jurisdictions that aren’t sanctuary status. So this solution is very obvious. I think there’s a political grandstanding on their part.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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