U.S. and world news for Jan. 23

New Hampshire primary: New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary results are in from the tiny town of Dixville Notch. Six residents voted just after midnight and all six voted for Nikki Haley to be the Republican presidential nominee. Results from the rest of the state aren’t expected until tonight with Donald Trump polling as the favorite. Haley would need to either beat Trump or come within single digits of him in order for her campaign to gain momentum going into the South Carolina primary.

Payment scams: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has written letters to the operators of the Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and CashApp payment applications demanding that they institute new security measures to stop what Bragg says is rampant theft. In an interview on CNN, Bragg said that swindlers have been having a field day with rampant fraud on the payment sites. Bragg also said that the payment apps have been used by criminals to move money around in their illegal activities.

Soldiers killed: At least 24 Israeli soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian militants, with 21 killed when they were setting up explosives to demolish two buildings near a refugee camp. A rocket-propelled grenade hit their position and touched off the explosives. The Israeli military says that 217 of its soldiers have been killed since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that touched off the current war.

Razor wire: The U.S. Supreme Court decided on a 5 to 4 vote that U.S. Border Patrol agents can cut and remove the razor wire installed along the border by Texas while the federal government’s case against the installation by Texas is pending. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the liberal members of the court to support the federal government. The government says that the razor wire hinders efforts to patrol the border and has injured some migrants. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the razor wire put in place along part of the Rio Grande River that separates the U.S. and Mexico.

Passings: Dexter Scott King, son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has died at age 62 of prostate cancer. Movie director Norman Jewison has died at age 97 his publicist revealed yesterday. Jewison’s films included “Fiddler on the Roof,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “Moonstruck.” He received a lifetime achievement Academy Award in 1999.

Academy Awards: The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. “Oppenheimer” received 13 nominations while “Poor Things” received 11 nominations. Both were nominated as best picture. The other best picture nominations are “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” and “The Zone of Interest.” The Academy Awards show takes place Sunday, March 10.

Cover photo courtesy of Universal Pictures