Changes Coming For Travelers Without Real ID

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, January 20, 2026

• If you’re planning on taking a domestic flight soon, there are some things you need to know. Starting February 1, if you don’t have a Real ID driver’s license or another federally approved document like a passport, you’ll need to pay a $45 fee at the airport to be able to get on your flight. This new fee was announced by TSA back in December.
• Until this year, drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy had been covered under Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Now, the state says patients who only take these GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, are no longer covered.
• Siskiyou County has reached a partial settlement in a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination against Asian residents.

No REAL ID? TSA Will Charge You $45 At The Airport Starting Feb. 1

Are you taking a domestic flight soon? You should know: Starting Feb. 1, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license — or another federally approved document like a passport — you’ll need to pay a $45 fee at the airport to be able to get on your flight.

This new fee was announced by the Transportation Security Administration back in December. Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening. But as of Feb. 1, every person 18 or older attempting to board a domestic flight without a REAL ID will face the $45 fee – or won’t be allowed through TSA screening to board their flight.

While TSA says that “more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification,” in 2025, the California DMV reported that only about 58% of all driver’s license and ID cardholders in the state were REAL ID-compliant.

TSA says even if you pay the new $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1, “there is no guarantee” they’ll be able to successfully verify your identity through TSA ConfirmID. A spokesperson for TSA confirmed to KQED by email that the $45 fee is non-refundable in this instance. But because payments are “valid for a 10-day period after their original first flight date,” travelers who miss their flight because their identity couldn’t be verified can “use the receipt once they are able to rebook their flight within that 10-day period,” the spokesperson says.

You can pay at the airport itself, or beforehand, but either way, TSA says you have to pay online at pay.gov, the same federal website that processes payments like Department of Veterans Affairs medical bills and Social Security remittances. You won’t be able to pay TSA staff directly at the airport.

California Ends Medicaid Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs

Until this year, drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy had been covered under Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Now, the state says patients who only take these GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, are no longer covered.

The governor’s office has said limiting Medi-Cal coverage for GLP-1s could save the state nearly $800 million by 2029. The state is moving forward with this plan, even though the Trump administration has announced an agreement that is supposed to reduce the cost of these drugs for government insurance programs in the coming years.

Some providers are concerned about the effect this shift will have on patients taking the drugs for obesity, who will no longer have this coverage. Dr. Wayne Ho is a Los Angeles obesity specialist. He said patients could be at risk of regaining the weight. He said there’s also the physical and mental health issues that can come with that, which range from high blood pressure to depression. Now, he’s trying to adapt his approach. “I think that’s important not to forget. It’s not GLP or bust,” he said.

These alternatives could include everything from lifestyle changes to other medications and interventions like bariatric surgery, which is covered by Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal will continue to cover GLP-1 prescriptions for patients diagnosed with issues like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Siskiyou County Must Hire Independent Monitor In Traffic Stop Discrimination Settlement

Siskiyou County has reached a partial settlement in a 2021 class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination against Asian residents. The sheriff’s office agreed to a traffic stop policy that prohibits targeting certain races or using stops as a pretext to investigate other crimes.

“The fact that, for example, a person is Asian American or driving in an alleged high-crime area, or the mere fact that they have out-of-state license plates, cannot be used as a basis to essentially harass that driver,” said Emi Young, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California.

Deputies regularly catch drivers transporting illegal cannabis grown in the county. The board of commissioners declared a local state of emergency last year over alleged widespread use of foreign-made pesticides at grow sites. According to this agreement, the sheriff department can’t pull over a suspect for a traffic violation in the hopes of searching their vehicle for cannabis. Deputies must also activate body-worn cameras during all traffic stops, tell suspects they have no legal consequences for refusing a search and offer translations if the person is not proficient in English.

The county will also hire an external auditor for at least two years, for no more than $150,000 per year, who will review stop records and a randomized sample of body camera footage.