Greetings! Happy National Dark Chocolate Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇳🇬 Lagos evictions turn a lagoon neighborhood into driftwood. Authorities in Lagos State tore down homes in Makoko, a community built over water. Residents say the wave began late December and spiked on January 11th. Officials say they warned families to move 100m from a high-voltage power line. Advocacy groups estimate 3,000+ homes were razed and about 10,000 people displaced. Omoshalewa Onabajo now sleeps in a canoe with her 5-month-old twins. Her father, Olufemi Onabajo, says papers and pleas did not slow the bulldozers. Babajide Sanwo-Olu frames the demolitions as safety enforcement, not punishment. Critics call it development by erasure in a city of roughly 20M. Survival has become a housing policy test in real time.

🇸🇩 Darfur doctor’s escape reads like a survival ledger. Doctor Mohamed Ibrahim, 28, fled El Fasher after an assault that began October 26th. He says paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling and gunfire raged for three days. Ibrahim worked at the Saudi Maternity Hospital as supplies vanished. He says only 11 doctors remained while wards overflowed with trauma cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) says at least 460 people were killed and six health workers abducted. United Nations officials say only 40% of the city’s 260K residents escaped. Ibrahim describes sprinting between buildings and hiding in an empty water tank. He reached an army base by late afternoon and dressed wounds with torn clothes. International Criminal Court (ICC) officials say the evidence points to possible war crimes.

🗃️ Epstein documents dump names, not verdicts, into the spotlight. The United States Department of Justice released a new tranche of files tied to financier Jeffrey Epstein. The records include references to business executive Elon Musk and Britain’s former Prince Andrew. They also name Steven Tisch, a New York Giants co-owner, and former presidents Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak. Other mentions include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, economist Larry Summers, and activist Steve Bannon. Much of the material compiles contacts, travel logs, and investigative paperwork. Inclusion in the papers does not prove a crime, or even a meeting. Clinton’s representatives have said no victim has publicly accused him of wrongdoing linked to Epstein. Lutnick said in a statement that he has never been accused of any wrongdoing. The release still widens the reputational blast radius around a case that refuses to stay buried.

🏛️ Shutdown stalemate leaves Johnson juggling border fights and payroll. The Speaker is trying to corral House Republicans as the partial shutdown drags on. Senate negotiators sketched a framework to fund most agencies through September, but border policy is the tripwire. Chris Murphy is pressing to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats want $20M for ICE body cameras and an end to roving patrols. Some also want agents to show badges and drop masks during operations. Johnson says masking bans could endanger officers whose personal data gets posted online. Lawmakers are also calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired or impeached. Meanwhile, the shutdown ripples across defense, health, transportation, and housing programs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warns prolonged gaps can disrupt disaster response.

🎞️ “Melania” shrugs off critics and cashes a loud opening weekend. The documentary about former first lady Melania Trump opened with about $7M in ticket sales. It played in 1,778 theaters, a wide footprint for nonfiction film. Amazon.com ($AMZN) said its Amazon MGM Studios unit financed the release. The studio paid $40M for rights and spent about $35M marketing it. Brett Ratner returned to filmmaking after years out of the spotlight. Reviews were chilly, but curiosity proved warmer than critics. The film frames Melania’s life as a private person inside a public marriage. For a documentary, a $7M start is unusually large. In an election-saturated market, attention still trades like a high-yield currency.

📺 Demond Wilson’s Lamont made “Sanford and Son” sing. Actor and minister Demond Wilson died Friday after cancer complications, his publicist Mark Goldman said. He was 79 and best known for playing Lamont Sanford in the 1970s sitcom. Wilson starred opposite Redd Foxx, who played junkyard owner Fred Sanford. The show debuted in 1972 and became a breakout American hit. Lamont’s calm realism balanced Fred’s schemes, insults, and grand promises. The series ran six seasons on NBC before Foxx left for another deal. Wilson was born October 13th, 1946, in Valdosta and grew up in Harlem. In later years he turned toward ministry and wrote books alongside acting. His legacy is a reminder that comedy can be both sharp and humane.

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That’s all for today!

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