January 23, 2019 (Wednesday)
Law and crime
- Three residents of the U.S. state of Michigan are arrested at Gerald R. Ford International Airport for allegedly conspiring to support the Islamic State. (ABC News)
- 2019 Sebring, Florida shooting
- A gunman kills five people at a SunTrust Banks branch in Sebring, Florida, United States, following a hostage situation. The suspect later surrenders himself to the authorities. (The Independent)
- The Diocese of Covington building in the U.S. state of Kentucky is evacuated after "suspicious" packages were reportedly found outside. Authorities cleared the building of threats later in the evening. (Washington Post) (USA Today)
- Abortion in the United States
- New York passes the Reproductive Health Act, which allows abortion rights. (CBS News) (Wall Street Journal)
- LGBT rights in Angola
- Angola decriminalizes homosexuality. (Human Rights Watch)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Venezuelan protests, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, United States–Venezuela relations
- Opposition leader Juan Guaidó swears himself in as President of Venezuela, with de facto President Nicolás Maduro not recognizing this. (CNN)
- The United States, Canada and several Latin American nations recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as President of Venezuela. (Chicago Tribune)
- President Nicolás Maduro says his government is breaking off diplomatic relations with the United States, giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. Juan Guaidó, in turn, asks diplomats of countries that have recognized him as president to remain in Venezuela. (AP)
- The Venezuelan military rejects Juan Guaidó's self-proclaimed Presidency and remains loyal to President Nicolás Maduro. (RT)
- 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not authorize President Donald Trump's 2019 State of the Union Address in the House chamber until the government shutdown has ended. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- 2019 in spaceflight
- Blue Origin successfully launches its New Shepard 3 rocket and completes the tenth sub-orbital test flight, reaching an altitude of 106.9 km (351,000 ft), carrying its crew capsule and making a controlled upright landing in West Texas. (NASA) (Ars Technica)