TAKEN: Investigators in Arizona say a ransom note for the mother of “Today Show” anchor Savannah Guthrie was received by a local television station and they’re trying to determine whether it’s real.

  The tabloid news outlet TMZ says it also has a copy of the note which demands an enormous ransom to be paid in untraceable Bitcoin.

  Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been taken from her home … actually from her bed … overnight Friday into Saturday. News reports have showed bloodstains outside her front door.

  The note included specific details about the home and what Guthrie was wearing that night, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. He said investigators are taking the note seriously.

  Savannah Guthrie has withdrawn from NBC’s coverage of the Olympics.

ICED OUT: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees immigration enforcement, will be funded only until the end of next week by a bill President Trump signed yesterday ending a short federal government shutdown.

  After many ugly incidents and the killing of two US citizens in Minneapolis, lawmakers from both parties are pressing for reforms in how immigration officers behave on the job. Some of the restrictions in play include reduced use of force, banning masks, and having every officer wear a body camera.

THE WAR ROOM: A fighter jet from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln yesterday shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively approached” the ship in the Arabian Sea. 

  Hours later  two gunboats reported to be operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize the ship, according to the Pentagon.

  The carrier was about 500 miles from the southern Iranian coast when the drone was shot down. Iran’s State-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that the drone had been on a “reconnaissance, surveillance and filming” mission over international waters.

DOWNHILL RACER: Skier Lindsey Vonn announced that despite tearing a crucial ligament and cartilage in her left knee during a crash in her last World Cup race before the Olympics, announced that she still plans to ski in Cortina.

  Vonn wrote in a social media message that, “Despite my injuries my knee is stable, I do not have swelling and my muscles are firing and reacting as they should.” Despite skiing on a partly artificial right knee, the 41-year-old was making a big comeback with a shot at an Olympic medal. She plans to race in both the downhill and Super G.

  “I know what my chances in these Olympics were before this crash, and even though my chances aren’t the same now, there is still a chance, she wrote. “And as long as I have a chance, I will not lose hope. I will not give up! It’s not over yet.” 

THE REGIME:

— The mercurial man who lives in the White House appears to have reversed his decision to drop his demand for a $200 million payoff from Harvard University and has instead pumped up the figure to $1 billion.

  Donald Trump posted several angry rants after The NY Times reported he had dropped his claims against Harvard, saying, “Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’ to The Failing New York Times” and that if the Times went out of business it would be a good thing for the country. He wrote, “We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University.”

— A coalition of immigrants working with an academic labor union sued President Trump over his “gold card” visa initiative, arguing that the program requiring a million dollar fee takes spots away from scientists, doctors, and other people whose presence would benefit the United States … instead rolling out the welcome mat for people who’ve got cash.

  The card has Trump’s scowling portrait, the flag, the statue of liberty, an eagle, and the President’s mark of ego, his signature.

— A 15-foot gold statue of President Trump that would stand nearly two stories tall on its 7,000 pound pedestal, is being prepared for installation at Trump’s golf complex in Doral, Florida. It’s called “Don Colossus.”

  The $300,000 statue made of bronze and covered in gold leaf is the collaboration of cryptocurrency investors giving it to Trump in gratitude for his support of digital money.

— Trump posted a claim of: “The highest Poll Numbers I have ever received. Obviously, people like a strong and powerful Country, with the best economy, EVER!”

  According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Trump’s approval rating is 42.9 percent and his disapproval is 54.2.

THE SPIN RACK: The first husband of former First Lady Jill Biden has been arrested on charges that he murdered his new wife, 64-year-old  Linda Stevenson, in December at their house in Elsmere, Delaware. Cops were called to the home for a domestic dispute on December 28^th and found her unresponsive on the floor. Bill Stevenson, 77, has been unable to make a $500,000 bail. Jill Biden married Stevenson in about 1970 when she was 18. The marriage last five years and she married Joe Biden two years after her 1975 divorce. She and Stevenson had no children. — A four-year-old Doberman pinscher named Penny won Best in Show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  Her handler, Andy Linton, won best in show in 1989, with a Doberman named Indy.

BELOW THE FOLD:  A lawyer representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told a federal judge in Minneapolis that she has a difficult time getting the agency to follow court orders. 

  “The system sucks. This job sucks,” Assistant US Attorney Julie Le told judge Jerry Blackwell. “I wish you would hold me in contempt so I would have a full 24 hours sleep.”

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