In today’s newsletter: Kristi Noem’s relationship with the Coast Guard is becoming increasingly strained, sources say. U.S. women’s hockey team will go for gold after sweeping past Sweden. And civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson dies.
Here’s what to know today.
Kristi Noem’s use of Coast Guard resources strains her relationship with the military branch, sources say
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard has become increasingly strained throughout her first year leading the department, according to two U.S. officials, a Coast Guard official and a former Coast Guard official.
Early in her tenure, Noem made decisions that rankled Coast Guard officials, including shifting resources away from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member and putting them toward deporting migrants, the sources told NBC News.
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The dynamic has only worsened in recent months. In one contentious incident, Noem’s top adviser Corey Lewandowski berated Coast Guard flight staff and threatened to fire them for taking off without one of the secretary’s personal items on board: a heated blanket.
Coast Guard officials have privately raised concerns about some of the secretary’s directives and use of Coast Guard resources to service her priorities, the sources said.
Noem’s focus on deportation quotas appears poised to further impact operations in the coming months. DHS recently informed the Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento that its first priority is the transport of detained immigrants, according to multiple U.S. officials familiar with the orders.
Read our full exclusive reporting here.
2 killed and 3 injured in shooting at a Rhode Island high school hockey game
Two people were killed, and three others were injured after a gunman opened fire during a high school hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday, officials said.
“It appears that a lone individual, the suspect, entered the arena to watch the hockey game of a family member — and unfortunately, during that time a shooting occurred,” said Pawtucket Police Department Chief Tina Goncalves.
The incident was captured on video because the “senior night” game, which featured Blackstone Valley Schools, was livestreamed online. In the video, which NBC News has verified, students can be seen on the ice when a series of roughly a dozen shots are heard.
The suspected shooter was identified by police as 56-year-old Robert Drogan, who Goncalves said went by the first name Roberta and by the last name Esposito. The shooter, whose motive is being investigated, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, she said.
Three other people who were taken to the hospital were in critical condition from gunshot wounds, officials said in a press conference.
Olympics recap: U.S. women’s hockey steam past Sweden to advance to gold medal game
The U.S. women’s hockey team continued its run of dominance, sweeping Sweden in a 5-0 victory to advance to the gold medal game, where they’ll face Canada in Thursday’s championship. The two North American powerhouses have faced off for the gold medal all but once since women’s hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998.
Inside the U.S. men’s hockey locker room, the number 13 jersey hangs proudly to honor the late NHL star Johnny Guadreau, who played for Team USA in six different international events. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were fatally struck by an alleged drunk driver while they were cycling in 2024.
“We know he’s here with us, cheering us on and rooting for us,” alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk said. “He’s got his own area in the locker room, and it’s always nice to see that as a reminder,” he added.
Elana Meyers Taylor arrived at Milan Cortina 2026 as a five-time Olympic medalist, but she clinched her first gold yesterday, taking first in women’s monobob and tying with Bonnie Blair as the most decorated female American winter Olympian.
Keep track of Team USA’s medal count. Follow live updates on our blog, see today’s full schedule here, and sign up for The Sports Desk newsletter to get daily dispatches from Milan and Cortino.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon, dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the longtime civil rights activist, Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate, has died, his family said. He was 84.
Jackson’s activism spanned decades and included demonstrations alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and two runs for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said.
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton said “our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices” and paid tribute to a man who “carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”
A cause of death was not immediately given. Jackson was admitted to a hospital in November and had been living for more than a decade with progressive supranuclear palsy, according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson revealed he had Parkinson’s in 2017.
Read more about Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy and career.
Read All About It
- New Mexico lawmakers passed legislation to launch an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s 7,600-acre Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women. The so-called truth commission seeks to identify ranch guests and state officials who may have known what was going on at the 7,600-acre property.
- Robert Duvall, the commanding and supremely versatile actor who earned a lasting place in American movie history, died Sunday at age 95.
- Iran’s supreme leader warned that U.S. attempts to depose his government would fail, as Washington and Tehran began indirect talks in Geneva on their long-running nuclear dispute amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.
- At least 11 million people in California are under flood watch as a torrential downpour is expected to bring at least 4 inches of rain across the state this week.
- Democrats and a major Islamic civil rights group are calling for Rep. Andy Fine, R-Fla, to resign after he posted anti-Muslim remarks on social media.
- Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club in seven states has been recalled due to potential listeria contamination.
Staff Pick: Parents are opting kids out of school computers, insisting on pen-and-paper instead
Parents across the country are opting their children out of using computers at schools entirely, and they’re sharing resources to show each other how to do it.
When I talk to these concerned parents, they often explain that excessive screen time in class goes against how they’re trying to raise their kids.
That argument echoes what I’ve heard from conservative parents who complain about school lessons involving LGBTQ issues or sex ed. But these tech-weary parents insist they don’t want to sound like they’re trying to tell educators what is taught — they’re just worried about how it’s taught. And even if they’re the only ones in a district opting their kid out, they say it’s important to get school leaders thinking about whether the reliance on laptops is worth it.
— Tyler Kingkade, reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Is dunking your face in ice water really beneficial? We spoke to dermatologists to find out if the latest social media trend is actually worth trying. Our editors also investigated whether dermarolling can help regrow hair and how to do it properly at home.
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