The second day of 2026 brings a whirlwind of national security updates and local community highlights on the Roggin Report. Host Tim O’Brien, filling in for Fred Roggin, leads a discussion on the finalized sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. Under a new joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, a majority stake has been sold for approximately $14 billion. This move, aimed at protecting American user data from Beijing-based ByteDance, ensures the app remains operational for its 170 million users under American-led oversight.
The conversation shifts to a darker side of technology: AI-driven extortion. The FBI has issued warnings regarding "virtual kidnapping" scams, where criminals use AI to scrape social media and create realistic fake videos of loved ones in distress. Guests Doug and Jamiee Baker emphasize the importance of family "code words" and tracking apps to verify safety before reacting to such high-tech ransom demands.
On the local front, California's new labor laws have officially taken effect, raising the state minimum wage to $16.90—and as high as $20.25 in West Hollywood. The panel debated the merits of industry-specific pay floors versus across-the-board increases. Additionally, the show explored the "swag gap," a lighthearted look at style mismatches in relationships, with Jamie Baker joking that she maintains the "swag" in her household by dressing her husband.
The program concluded with a trip to the Empire Polo Grounds for the Kennel Club of Palm Springs’ New Year Classic. Alondra Campos visited the event which features over 6,500 dogs from around the globe, the event showcases the intense training and "muscle memory" required for elite canine competition. Between high-stakes tech deals and high-maintenance show dogs, 2026 is already proving to be a year of rapid change.
By: NBC Palm Springs
January 2, 2026
