NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Minnesota under siege: Minnesota is under siege as ICE operations in the Twin Cities have made this peaceful state a battleground between American citizens and a barbaric federal agency. The flashpoint was the murder of unarmed Renee Good (captured on video from multiple angles) as she attempted to drive away peacefully from an area of ICE activity. (The DOJ has refused to take action against the ICE agent who shot her, and is pursuing an investigation into the victim instead). Then came the heartrending news that 5-year-old Liam Ramos was picked up from his school as bait to apprehend his father, a non-criminal asylum seeker. (The illustration above is an AI rendering of an image of Ramos provided by the Columbia Heights Public Schools to news organizations.) Another brutal and unnecessary shooting of ICU nurse and veteran Alex Pretti was also caught on video. The video evidence from both murders directly contradicts the DOJ stance that the victims were “domestic terrorists” - an eerie real-life illustration of the famous line from George Orwell's 1984 - “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command”   

Amid intense protests from tens of thousands of  Minnesota citizens in the subzero weather, and a general strike on January 23, the DOJ has subpoenaed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey in an investigation alleging obstruction of federal immigration enforcement. Other cities are gearing up for similar protests against ICE operations. In Boston, thousands turned up in solidarity with Minnesotans, chanting, “We’re not cold, we’re not afraid, Minnesota taught us to be brave.” (Search for Rapid Response Networks in your area for resources and support.)

Trump scrapped the tariffs that he threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for U.S. control over Greenland: In a post on his social media site, Trump said he had agreed with the head of NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security, potentially defusing tension that had far-reaching geopolitical implications. AP

Trump administration concedes DOGE team may have misused Social Security data: Two members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team working at the Social Security Administration were secretly in touch with an advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results in certain states,” and one signed an agreement that may have involved using Social Security data to match state voter rolls, the Justice Department revealed in newly disclosed court papers. POLITICO

IMMIGRATION

ICE says it doesn't need judicial warrants to enter homes. What to know.: Immigration and Customs Enforcement is facing scrutiny over its assertion that federal officers can forcibly enter a home without a judicial warrant – a move constitutional scholars, immigration experts and a federal judge say is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. An internal ICE memo from May 2025 directs agents to use force to enter a residence with only an administrative warrant, which are signed by ICE officials and do not require a judge's approval, according to a whistleblower complaint reviewed by USA TODAY and first reported by The Associated Press.  

ICE Agents Violently Arrest Black Corrections Officer: “We’re being told one story, which is totally different than what’s occurring or what occurred [Wednesday] night,”  the sheriff of Cumberland County, Main, Kevin Joyce said, noting that the recruit had passed the county’s application process to qualify as a corrections employee, and was cleared to work in the United States until April 2029. “In fact, he was squeaky clean. Squeaky clean,” Joyce said. “I guess if you’re not the card-carrying, you know, U.S. citizen, then you must be illegal, because that’s what they told me is he’s illegal, and he’s definitely not a criminal. So what part of him is illegal? I don’t know.” TNR

DESI NEWS

Indian American Geeta Gandbhir Creates History with Two Nominations for 98th Academy Awards: Geeta Gandbhir just created history by earning two Oscar nominations at the 98th Academy Awards (2026) for her work in documentary cinema. “The Perfect Neighbor” and “The Devil is Busy” from her repertoire are riding the waves of Oscar nods for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film respectively. INDIAN EAGLE

ICE Deportations Create Fear & Isolation In California’s Sikh Community: Following a January memo from the Department of Homeland Security, expanding where officers can operate, federal immigration agents are more routinely showing up at formerly protected “sensitive locations” — hospitals, clinics, schools and places of worship. The intensification of ICE enforcement across California has left many Sikh immigrants wondering whether even their gurdwaras are still safe. INDIA CURRENTS

CORRUPTION ALERT  

How “Bitcoin Jesus” Avoided Prison, Thanks to One of the “Friends of Trump”: Billionaire fugitive Roger Ver avoided prison by hiring a defense attorney whom DOJ prosecutors label one of the “Friends of Trump.” The story of “Bitcoin Jesus” highlights the extent that white-collar criminal enforcement has eroded under Trump. Prosecutors had hoped to make Ver a marquee example amid concerns about widespread cryptocurrency tax evasion. PRO PUBLICA

Donald Trump Has Used His Presidency to Profit $1.4 Billion in Just One Year, Report Claims: A new investigation by The New York Times reports that President Donald Trump has made $1.4 billion in personal profit since returning to office last year. Trump has profited by licensing his name in overseas projects and various media ventures, but his biggest moneymaker by far has been cryptocurrency. PEOPLE

Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal: The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing he called “deceitful and potentially criminal.” PRO PUBLICA

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

Trump rescinds Biden's executive order on AI safety: President Donald Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing former President Joe Biden’s guardrails for the fast-developing technology. WSLS

DOE kills decades-old radiation safety standard: Energy Secretary Chris Wright killed the Department of Energy’s decades-old radiation safety standard Friday. Wright ended the department’s use of the As Low As Reasonably Achievable — or “ALARA” — principle, which has long been a staple of nuclear regulation. The move could lower operational costs and accelerate projects using nuclear material, but it will alter an established safety-first culture. POLITICO

GOOD NEWS

California joins WHO public health network following US exit, marking a first for any state: California is joining the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), after the United States withdrew from the entire international organization. ABC

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