NewsFlash

<Previous post has been greatly amended.>


Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said the agreement at Wednesday’s meeting had in fact been “to launch a high-level working group to explore if a common way forward can be found to address the American security concerns in relation to Greenland.”- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/politics/white-house-greenland-meeting.html

Third offshore wind project halted by Trump is allowed to resume construction [court order] - https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5693355-offshore-wind-project-trump-virginia-dominion/

Supreme Court to decide constitutionality of geofence warrants  [mass cellphone sweeps] - https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5693307-constitutionality-geofence-warrants-supreme-court/

CNN put together a video of Kristi Noem claiming ICE officers are "highly trained and skilled" and "gifted" alongside to a clip of them beating someone nearly to death in Minneapolis [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mckit34v3o2q

Willmar, Minnesota:  ICE agents ate at El Tapatio and then came back hours later and detained the workers who served them. Turning a meal into surveillance isn’t public safety it’s intimidation. “Would your mama be proud of you right now?” a bystander said as agents returned at closing time to nab the workers. - https://www.startribune.com/ice-agents-eat-at-small-town-mexican-restaurant-then-detain-workers/601565580

Original link - https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mcksrvst2c2h
- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/minneapolis-couple-ice-tear-gas-6-children.html?smid=url-share  [There were six children in the car.] https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mckbvait422w

Trump Cabinet secretaries conspired to violate Constitution, judge says - A federal judge Thursday decried what he said were “breathtaking” constitutional violations by senior Trump administration officials....  In remarks laced with outrage and disbelief, U.S. District Judge William Young said Donald Trump and top officials have a “fearful approach” to freedom of speech that would seek to “exclude from participation everyone who doesn’t agree with them.” Young, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan, leveled the searing critique during a hearing in Boston to determine the appropriate remedies for the administration’s detentions of pro-Palestinian students last year. The judge had ruled in September that senior administration officials engaged in an illegal effort to arrest and deport noncitizen students based on their activism. On Thursday, he again denounced the administration’s conduct in unusually stark terms. “Talking straight here,” he said. “The big problem in this case is that the Cabinet secretaries and, ostensibly, the president of the United States, are not honoring the First Amendment.” - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-cabinet-secretaries-conspired-to-violate-constitution-judge-says/ar-AA1UjeZI

Was Minneapolis ICE Agent Hit By Renee Good’s Car Or Not? Videos Raise Fresh Doubts - https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/01/16/was-minneapolis-ice-agent-hit-by-renee-goods-car-or-not-videos-raise-fresh-doubts/ 

Place holder for tomorrow

[Nawww, ya think? Like if they had the word "officer" in their application?]

Immigration officers around Minneapolis are approaching people and demanding proof that they’re U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens who are out walking or standing in public are not required to provide documentation or provide identification, one legal expert says. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-approaching-people-minneapolis-demanding-proof-citizenship-rcna254247   Joe Rogan criticizes ICE tactics: 'Are we really going to be the Gestapo?' - https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/joe-rogan-criticizes-ice-tactics-podcast-rcna253931  Trump's DHS has shot 11 people during immigration enforcement operations since September. The ICE and Border Patrol shootings show a pattern that policing experts say is alarming: officers firing into cars and injuring and killing drivers. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-shootings-list-border-patrol-trump-immigration-operations-rcna254202 

More on Renee Good. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minneapolis-police-fire-department-reports-reveal-chaotic-moments-ice-rcna254362

A federal judge on Friday barred federal agents in Minneapolis from arresting peaceful protesters, or using nonlethal munitions and crowd control tools against them....[Judge] Menendez’s order bars Homeland Security and ICE officials involved in Operation Metro Surge from “using pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity.” The judge also prohibited federal agents from stopping vehicles following them, as long as those vehicles are maintaining a safe and “appropriate” distance. - https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/ice-minneapolis-arrests-judge-protests-00735416

John Abernathy ‪@john-abernathy.bsky.social‬ Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.




DOJ investigating Minnesota governor, Minneapolis mayor over alleged obstruction of law enforcement, sources say - https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/16/politics/doj-investigation-tim-walz-jacob-frey

The Companies Behind ICE:  Sludge built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration. - https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/

The National Guard Mission in Washington, D.C. which began last August and currently consists of 2,429 Soldiers and Airmen from the District of Columbia National Guard and eleven other states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia, has been extended through the end of 2026, two officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.



Since taking office, Trump has canceled or halted enforcement actions against 166 corporations accused of illegal conduct. At least a third of those companies have close ties to his administration, including over 30 that have donated to Trump's ballroom. The "law and order" president.

President Trump has announced that he will impose a 10% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on February 1, until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland, also citing recent deployment of European military forces to Greenland and the Northern Atlantic, adding that the tariffs will increased to 25% on June 1, 2026 unless a deal is made regarding the purchase of Greenland. So, initially the story was that Greenland was undefended and the Russians or Chinese could take it and attack America from there. So what's his beef about it now being defended? Like maybe that original story was not true? Ya think?]




In case you are planning to visit the Carolinas, there's a hell of a measles epidemic ramping up there.  South Carolina measles outbreak doubles in a week.  More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states.[Arizona, Utah, Ohio.  Other states reporting significant numbers include, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia.] - https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/south-carolina-measles-outbreak-cases-double-vaccines-quarantine-rcna253989

[Prior post amended. As this one probably will be by tonight.]




Statement by French President Emmanuel Macron in response to today’s threat by President Trump of tariffs against France and other countries in Europe, over the ongoing Danish-led military exercise in the Northern Atlantic and Denmark’s refusal to sell Greenland:  “France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of Nations, in Europe as elsewhere. This guides our choices. It underpins our attachment to the United Nations and to our Charter. It is on this basis that we support and will continue to support Ukraine, and that we have built a coalition of the willing for a robust and lasting peace, to defend these principles and our security. It is also on this basis that we have decided to join the exercise decided by Denmark in Greenland. We stand by this decision. Especially because it concerns security in the Arctic and at the frontiers of our Europe. No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations. Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond to them in a united and coordinated manner if they were to be confirmed. We will know how to uphold European sovereignty. It is in this spirit that I will speak with our European partners.”-  https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2012597078128558177

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s response to today’s threats of tariffs by President Trump over Greenland: “We will not let ourselves be blackmailed. Only Denmark and Greenland decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland. I will always stand up for my country, and for our allied neighbors. This is an EU issue that affects many more countries than those now being singled out. Sweden is now having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway, and the United Kingdom for a coordinated response.”

Dutch Foreign Minister: Netherlands has taken note of President Trump’s announcement on tariffs.

Statement published by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in response to today’s threat of tariffs from President Trump: “Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes. We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”

Spanish PM Sanchez to La Vanguardia: We have not accepted double standards when we talk about Gaza, Ukraine, Greenland, or Venezuela. Greenland is not a real estate whim; it is a territory with sovereignty and rights. An invasion of Greenland by the U.S. administration would make Putin the happiest man in the world.  Why? First, because it would in some way legitimize his invasion and his unilateral actions questioning Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Second, because I very much fear that if such an invasion of Greenland by the United States were to take place, it would be the death certificate of NATO.

Multiple European politicians have started to openly call for reciprocal tariffs on the U.S., along with potentially banning U.S. companies from the European market.  “In that case, I would then call on the European Union to activate its anti-coercion instrument, that is to say, reciprocal customs duties and the exclusion of American companies from European public procurement markets.” MEP Raphaël Glucksmann also calls for the activation of the EU’s anti-coercion instrument. 

[Original text: Bart Groothuis @bgroothuis De economische dwang die president Trump een aantal Europese landen oplegt gaat niet uit van onze goede trouw. De EU zal minder vriendelijk moeten reageren dan tot dusver is gedaan. Het anti coercion instrument moet op tafel. @MarosSefcovic  moet snel in het vliegtuig naar Washington om dit geschil bij te leggen met een economisch kanon in zijn achterzak [Translation:  The economic coercion that President Trump is imposing on several European countries is not based on our good faith. The EU will have to respond less amiably than it has done so far. The anti-coercion instrument must be put on the table. @MarosSefcovic  must quickly board a plane to Washington to settle this dispute with an economic cannon in his back pocket.]

EU set to halt US trade deal over Trump’s new tariff threat - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eu-set-halt-us-trade-211056932.html

From X:  Take note: the take it or leave it demands Trump is issuing America’s own treaty allies over Greenland are harsher than most anything he has said or threatened to Putin and Russia. [Wonder why THAT is....]

Trump has started a pissing contest that he's going to lose in an epic way.





U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that its forces conducted a strike in Northwest Syria on Friday, January 16, that resulted in the death of Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, a terrorist leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who had direct ties to the ISIS terrorist responsible for an ambush that killed two U.S. Soldiers and an American interpreter last month near Palmyra in Central Syria. So that's now Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria.





Federal agents attack and abduct Furry Fox because they could never dance this well - [video] https://bsky.app/profile/dominicervolina.com/post/3mcnp3zj24s2k

Greg Bovino was seen earlier today at the Minneapolis ICE facility dressed in a very Nazi-inspired outfit. They don’t even hide anymore. - https://bsky.app/profile/victinibcn.bsky.social/post/3mcni4jgue226    https://bsky.app/profile/wajali.bsky.social/post/3mcnl7ofwgc2r


Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilizes state National Guard amid ongoing protests  - https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/17/us/ice-shooting-minneapolis-protests-renee-good-hnk

Derek Johnson ‪@derekjjohnson.bsky.social‬:   Just so people outside of MN know - a lot of the US citizens getting “arrested” by ICE never get processed at Whipple. They are roughed up during the arrest and then often dropped off miles from where they were picked up. It means we don’t know the true scale of what ICE is doing based on ICE stats.   2:01 PM · Jan 15, 2026

Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments [paywall, sorry] - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/video/ice-shooting-renee-good-minneapolis-videos.html  try  video change X to h  Xttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9R9dAmws6M


Weather forecast for next week that includes Minneapolis.






https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dolls-pencils-backyard-chickens-piece-205710652.html


DOJ Moves to Block Independent Monitor in Maxwell Case, Says Courts Cannot Force Epstein File Disclosures. DOJ Tells Court It Cannot Be Forced to Release Epstein Files:  The U.S. Department of Justice has formally moved to block the appointment of an independent monitor or special master to oversee the release of Epstein-related records in the long-closed criminal case of Ghislaine Maxwell—arguing that no federal court has the authority to compel such disclosures. - https://meidasnews.com/news/doj-moves-to-block-independent-monitor-in-maxwell-case-says-courts-cannot-force-epstein-file-disclosures

[prior post has been amended to add more info]



Insurrection Act implementation imminent?:  The Washington Post’s @DanLamothe  has now confirmed reporting from ABC News, which stated that 1,500 soldiers, two battalions of paratroops, with the 11th Airborne Division, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, have been placed on prepare-to-orders to Minneapolis, amid ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  The source on X that I initially found this info on says: I am extremely doubtful of this story, the 11th doesn’t make any sense for a deployment like this, they are a rapid-response force, but primarily for the Indo-Pacific and Arctic. The 82nd Airborne or 10th Mountain would make way more sense for a deployment to Minneapolis. [Maybe their dance cards are already full? Then again, the 11th is trained for Arctic warfare. Minnesota in winter is pretty damned Arctic.]

New Hampshire:  Episcopal Bishop warns clergy to prepare for ‘new era of martyrdom’, update their wills. Hirschfeld’s speech cited several historical clergy members who had risked their lives to protect others, including mentioning New Hampshire seminary student Jonathan Daniels, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama while shielding a young Black civil rights activist in 1965. -  https://apnews.com/article/bishop-ice-martyrdom-new-hampshire-b58050770e7d40e3247d0aa3b91fe0d2

Fort Snelling, MN:  Federal agents detain, spray protesters day after judge orders agents not to 'retaliate'. Federal officers rushed toward a crowd of demonstrators, detaining several and spraying chemical irritants as the sun set at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling this evening. -  https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426   https://bsky.app/profile/startribune.com/post/3mcnp2scjls2v

Right-wing agitator run out of town: A right-wing influencer and his small cadre of allies were chased out of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon by throngs of counter-protesters. Jake Lang, who had organized an anti-Islam rally outside of City Hall, was mobbed by crowds who jeered, jostled and possibly injured him. Lang — who served four years in prison for attacking Capitol police on Jan. 6, 2021, before being pardoned by President Donald Trump — said on social media he had been physically assaulted. Lang was stuck for a time in a window recess against Minneapolis City Hall, soaked with freezing water after counter-protesters hurled water balloons at him.  bit.ly/4baGhJn     - https://bsky.app/profile/615antifascist.bsky.social

Donations pour in for Minnesota families impacted by ICE, Border Patrol surge - https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/donations-minnesota-families-ice-border-patrol-surge/



Los Angeles [CA] County" DA Hochman says employee was "wrongfully detained" by ICE - https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/los-angeles-county-district-attorney-employee-detained-ice/?intcid=CNR-01-0623

Phoenix, Arizona: String with many videos, peaceful protest -  https://bsky.app/profile/azrww.bsky.social/post/3mcn4lubscs2v      One of the men taken from this Home Depot last weekend is a 63-year-old father named Fernando. He’s worked as a day laborer in Phoenix for 30 years and has no criminal history. He’s being held at the Florence Detention Center as he struggles with Valley Fever. - https://bsky.app/profile/azrww.bsky.social/post/3mcnepsb2pk2b

Phoenix, Arizona:  ICE vehicles arriving in Phoenix - https://x.com/i/status/2012938498953580921 [uh oh]




(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is asking countries that want a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace to contribute at least $1 billion. According to a draft charter for the proposed group seen by Bloomberg, President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and would decide on who is invited to be members. Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s approval.   https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-wants-nations-pay-1-215228202.html [Noooooooooo! Bad idea, bad idea!]



Around 18:30 UK time 18 Jan - A C-17A Globemaster III just flew across the Atlantic from Dover AFB and pretty much up the entire west coast of England to Prestwick in Scotland, where it is now landing. Dover is a big logistics hub for equipment. Don't see that a lot - Prestwick. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Air_Force_Base

At least 12 U.S. F-15s are moving from RAF Lakenheath to Jordan, likely to bolster strike and drone defense capabilities linked to Israel, amid expectations of possible U.S.–Iran escalation.  source: @DefenceGeek    https://x.com/Conflict_Radar/status/2012881271232373047 https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/2012934727510938104
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G-8w2VFXYAAPbZR?format=png&name=small
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G-8w2VFXYAAPbZR?format=png&name=small
[There is another post that refers to a post on X that says there are now 35 (not including the 12) on the ground in Jordan, but when checking the link it goes to a "post not found" message. So either the author took it down as inaccurate or someone else took it down for other reasons.]

Twelve F-15E Strike Eagles with the U.S. Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) departed earlier today from RAF Lakenheath in England bound for Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, with one diverting to Chania International Airport on the Greek island of Crete. Several KC-135T Stratotankers and C-17A Globemaster IIIs supported the deployment of the F-15s to the Middle East, as tensions escalate with Iran. https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2012994243195810271 [Different source than above, so it tallies.]

Status of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier - https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5283526/mmsi:369970406/imo:0/vessel:US_GOVERNMENT_VESSEL  at 15 knots. Her task force is spread out in a line, not terribly far from her. They should be in the Arabian Sea by next weekend.


He Doesn’t Care About Us’: Iranian Protesters Say They Were Betrayed By Trump. [Welcome to the club. Oh, and it looks like he's prepping to bomb you back into the stone age. Time to dig bomb shelters. Good ones.] - https://time.com/7347090/iran-protesters-trump-help/



The U.S. Justice Department has not released a single new document from the Epstein Files for over three weeks, with the last release occurring on December 23. This is despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act requiring that all files be released by December 19, and not a thing has been done by Congress. 
Seen on X: What happened to strictly enforcing the act and the contempt charges against Bondi? @RoKhanna  @RepThomasMassie

[prior post amended extensively]

UK Yankee and several other services have been slow or down in recent days. Twitter "X" has been down as well nationally, and in Europe.  In the US there seems to have been a problem with cloudflare and the servers on which UKY resides, as best as I can tell.
--------------------------



Lawyers allege Dept. of Homeland Security is denying legal counsel to Minnesota detainees. Detainees are being held at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. - https://abcnews.go.com/US/lawyers-allege-dept-homeland-security-denying-legal-counsel/story?id=129335914

We protect our kids': Parents and neighbors guard streets around Minneapolis schools amid ICE fears. Makeshift groups of parents are using walkie-talkies, Signal group chats and whistles to alert the community to ICE’s presence near schools in the city. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minneapolis-school-patrols-ice-immigration-surge-rcna254477

Aftermath video of latest ICE shooting involving a man officials say assaulted an officer contradicts officials’ account -  https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/18/us/ice-agent-shooting-video-minneapolis



FBI asks agents to travel to Minneapolis for temporary assignments amid protests, sources say. The voluntary request comes amid heightened tensions following the fatal shooting of Renee Good and protests calling for ICE personnel to leave the city. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-asks-agents-travel-minneapolis-temporary-assignments-protests-sour-rcna254711

Portland, OR:  In the Hillsboro community outside of Portland, ICE is impersonating electric workers, complete with costumes.  Please don’t open your doors to utility workers, and share this with your friends and neighbors.

Bruce Springsteen Dedicates ‘Promised Land’ to Renee Good. In an unbilled performance Saturday night at the Light of Day festival in New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen took solemn time out during an otherwise celebratory 75-minute set to dedicate “The Promised Land” to the memory of slain Minneapolis woman Renee Good, decrying the “Gestapo tactics” that he said have resulted in a climate where citizens can be “murdered for exercising your American right to protest.” - [includes video]  https://variety.com/2026/music/news/bruce-springsteen-dedicates-renee-good-ice-gestapo-tactics-1236634267/



Pew Research Institute (2023):

• Red State Texas has about 2.1 million undocumented immigrants.
• Red State Florida has 1.6 M undocumented immigrants.
• Blue State Minnesota has 130,000 undocumented immigrants.

And yet only Minnesota is being occupied by masked thugs over "immigration."
It's *not* about immigration.


These are the Fortune 500 companies that have active contracts with ICE -  https://fortune.com/2025/06/26/fortune-500-companies-active-contracts-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-ice/ [As of last June.] Current, check here - https://factually.co/fact-checks/government/ice-contractors-usaspending-current-contractor-search-9330b4  Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators. ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. - https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/ice-businesses-boycott-campaign/  and  https://www.maga-collaborators.net/Corps

Example -


China Purchased No U.S. Soybeans For An Unprecedented Fifth Straight Month [That's going to wipe out some farmers.]  -  https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenroberts/2026/01/17/china-purchased-no-us-soybeans-an-unprecented-sixth-straight-month/




Major airfield upgrades in the works for US military base in Greenland  -  https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2026-01-18/greenland-military-airfield-upgrades-20445795.html

'Stars and Stripes' Responds to Pentagon Targeting 'Woke' Independent News - https://www.military.com/daily-news/headlines/2026/01/16/pentagons-stripes-shakeup-sparks-press-freedom-alarm.html

President Trump is becoming increasingly critical of Canada in private conversations with his aides in regard to what he calls Canada's vulnerability to adversaries, such as China and Russia in the Arctic, similar reasons that the President has given for his demand to acquire Greenland, officials have told NBC News. [Can we say "batcrackers crazy? WTF, well let's just take over the whole damned world then.]

Trump has penned a deranged letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, citing the Nobel Committee’s decision to not award him the Nobel Peace Prize as the primary reason for him wanting to acquire Greenland from Denmark. Staff with the United States National Security Council (NSC) forwarded the letter to several European Ambassadors in Washington. - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-tells-norway-he-no-longer-feels-obligation-think-only-peace-2026-01-19/    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/world/europe/trump-norway-greenland-nobel.html

[wow. just wow. His insanity is on full display.]


German Chancellor Merz on Greenland: The US once had more than 30,000 soldiers stationed in Greenland. Today, there are fewer than 200. So obviously the threat assessment of the US itself is not as dramatic as it is currently being presented, even though the security situation could become more difficult again.

America’s top Catholic clerics denounce militaristic US foreign policy - https://thehill.com/homenews/5695684-catholic-cardinals-us-foreign-policy/ [I don't think they care, guys, what you say.]

Ambassador Ken Fairfax (ret)‬ ‪@portlandken.bsky.social‬:  A note from reality: Trump says that he is imposing tariffs on 8 EU countries, but that's not doable. The EU is a single trading block and customs union. Things made in the EU are simply "made in EU." Many products such as autos or machinery are made with components from multiple EU countries.

The U.S. has completed its military withdrawal from Iraq after more than 20 years, with the last troops leaving Al-Asad Air Base in the west. American forces remain in semi-autonomous Kurdistan, while Baghdad regains full control elsewhere. At its peak in 2003, U.S. troop levels hit 170,000, dropping to around 2,500 before Iraq formally requested their exit in 2023. [Seems kind of a wasted effort since they'll probably be returning.]



https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-racist-account-back-at-immigration-court/

'Make 'em famous!' MAGA border czar wants 'database' of ICE protesters to ruin their lives - President Donald Trump's border security adviser Tom Homan told Fox News's Laura Ingraham on Thursday evening that he wants the administration to build a "database" of any protesters who get arrested for obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, so he can broadcast their names and faces to employers, schools, and everyone else he hopes might punish them for it. - https://www.rawstory.com/tom-homan-2674900206/


Morristown, N.J.:  Girl, 6, Found Alone by Neighbors Crying 'Where's Papi?' After Dad Was Detained by ICE While Picking Up Food, Mom Claims - https://people.com/nj-girl-found-crying-wheres-papi-dad-detained-by-ice-11887003

An agent in Houston put a teenage citizen into a chokehold, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, choking him so hard that his neck had red welts hours later. A black-masked agent in Los Angeles pressed his knee into a woman’s neck while she was handcuffed; she then appeared to pass out. An agent in Massachusetts jabbed his finger and thumb into the neck and arteries of a young father who refused to be separated from his wife and 1-year-old daughter. The man’s eyes rolled back in his head and he started convulsing. - https://www.propublica.org/article/videos-ice-dhs-immigration-agents-using-chokeholds-citizens

Second in a week: ICE says an immigrant who died in a sprawling Texas detention facility killed himself - https://apnews.com/article/ice-detention-immigrant-death-texas-416a2374d9c1547f0360344424101fa9

Three kidnapped Oglala Sioux (US citizen) tribal members are missing and unaccounted for by ICE -

Los Angeles, CA: ... the name of the off-duty ICE agent who killed Keith Porter, Brian Palacios, was exposed by his ex, who is currently in a custody battle with Palacios and alleges that Palacios “whipped his sons with a belt, made homophobic slurs and racist remarks about Black and Latino people, and brought a gun to a youth sports game.” https://lataco.com/daily-memo-ten-year-old-child-gardeners-and-vendors-among-the-more-than-88-kidnapped-in-socal-this-week

Minneapolis church has delivered more than 12,000 boxes of groceries to families in hiding - https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/01/15/minneapolis-church-has-delivered-more-than-12000-boxes-of-groceries-to-families-in-hiding 

Post on Blue:  Thanks. We have folks in our community giving vulnerable students rides to school, and a teacher shared that they were putting small stuffed animals on their dashboards to help kids identify safe cars. ICE picked up on it and started doing the same. Horrifying.

Minneapollis, MN:  Metro Transit Workers Rally at Bus Stop Where ICE Abduction Took Place, Demand ICE Not Interfere with Transit Operations. Metro Transit union members say workers and passengers are fearful after multiple detentions. - https://workdaymagazine.org/metro-transit-workers-rally-at-bus-stop-where-ice-abduction-took-place-demand-ice-not-interfere-with-transit-operations/

Sign in Mexican Restaurants in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

"A protester detained, her bra removed and wedding ring cut off, and some of her clothes never returned..." - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/us/minneapolis-federal-agents-misconduct-protesters.html [paywall, sorry]


  St. Paul, Minnesota: Elderly Hmong man abducted by ICE. ICE agents forcibly broke down the door of my brother-in-law, ChongLy Scott Thao, at his home in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Without showing a warrant or asking for identification, multiple armed agents entered the apartment, pointed guns at the family, and handcuffed ChongLy inside his own home. His 5-year-old grandson was napping on the sofa, woke up crying in fear, witnessing armed officers storm his home. ChongLy was taken outside in freezing weather wearing only underwear and Crocs, placed into an SUV, and driven around for nearly an hour while being questioned. Only after fingerprinting and running his information did ICE confirm what should have been known from the start — he is a U.S. citizen and had NO criminal record. He was dropped back at home with no apology and no explanation. - change X to h Xttps://www.instagram.com/p/DTsczg8Fdls/ VIDEO - https://bsky.app/profile/margareterosali.bsky.social/post/3mcsaixinic2u     https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3mcrqy3wjac2n   Video: ICE agents raid St. Paul home, detain elderly US citizen on frigid Sunday. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/video-ice-agents-raid-st-162027579.html


Minneapolis police chief fears ‘moment where it all explodes’  -  https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5695816-minneapolis-police-chief-trump-tensions/

Major solar storm inbound, X class flare.

[prior posts updated]

The United States is a global superpower, and its military trains for war in every domain. During my years as a military educator, I saw American officers wrestle with any number of scenarios designed to challenge their thinking and force them to adapt to surprises. One case we never considered, however, was how to betray and attack our own allies. We did not ask what to do if the president becomes a threatening megalomaniac who tells one of our oldest friends, Norway, that because the Nobel Committee in Oslo refuses to give him a trophy, he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of Peace” and can instead turn his mind toward planning to wage war against NATO. - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/us-military-trump-greenland/685677/?gift=T4xa8d0CTFb03B_V5K99pQXbP2c45ELDW6AO9IGgS3o



Trump administration appeals court-imposed limits on agents' tactics toward Minnesota protesters. The court order explicitly prohibits federal officers from detaining people who are peacefully protesting or merely observing the officers, unless there is reasonable suspicion that they are interfering with law enforcement or have committed a crime.  Federal agents also are banned from using pepper spray, tear gas or other crowd-control munitions against peaceful demonstrators or bystanders observing and recording the immigration enforcement operations. - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-appeals-limits-agents-tactics-toward-minnesota-protesters-2026-01-19/

Judge refuses to block new DHS policy limiting Congress members’ access to ICE facilities. Congresspersons must give seven days' notice of intent to examine a facility. - https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-shooting-congress-visit-ice-5eb6749b18d59ed8c47b5eeab9784432

Trump orders release of (Republican) Arkansas congressman's son serving prison sentence for distributing Meth - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-orders-release-of-arkansas-congressmans-son-serving-drug-sentence/ar-AA1UvS23


[The Danish pension fund AkademikerPension is offloading its entire U.S. treasury position by the end of the month, selling roughly $100 million in U.S. debt. The fund’s CIO: "The US is basically not a good credit and long-term the US government finances are not sustainable." I've decided to sell my TIPs  - not a huge amount of money, but a moral issue -  and move those funds to overseas investments.]

A 12-foot version of Trump’s birthday message to Epstein is currently being displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.



Seattle, Washington State:  Heads up, Seattle! Aki Kurose Middle School in Hillman City and Cleveland STEM High School in Beacon Hill are sheltering in place after ICE activity was reported in the area. - https://mynorthwest.com/local/ice-seattle-shelter-in-place/4190785 [Aki Kurose Middle School was named after a concentration camp survivor.]

Minneapolis, Minnesota: A nurse filmed a widely circulated video showing a U.S. Border Patrol agent repeatedly kneeing a man in the face.  Her video shows five Border Patrol agents restraining a man in the middle of Chicago Avenue near 24th Street. [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/startribune.com/post/3mcspuok5zk2u

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Police Chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop" - [video] https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mcuopvhabn2r   Twin Cities law enforcement raises concerns about ICE agents racially profiling citizens.  Metro law enforcement leaders said ICE agents have been stopping and harassing people - including off-duty officers - due to the color of their skin.  Bruley said one Brooklyn Park officer was stopped by ICE agents while she was driving. The agents demanded her paperwork even though she is a U.S. citizen. "When she became concerned about the rhetoric and the way she was being treated, she pulled out her phone in an attempt to record the incident, the phone was knocked out of her hands, preventing her from recording it," Bruley said. "The [agents] had their guns drawn during the incident and the officer became so concerned she was forced to identify herself as a Brooklyn Park police officer in hopes of slowing and de-escalating the incident." After she told them she was a police officer, the ICE agents left the scene without any further questions or comments. - https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/twin-cities-law-enforcement-raises-concerns-about-ice-agents-racially-profiling-citizens/89-80f7b210-df6f-4516-9c05-20cf8890c7bb

ICE agents with arrest quotas are colliding with angry residents, a compact city and a relatively small proportion of immigrants here illegally - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-standoff-that-has-turned-minnesota-into-a-tinderbox/ar-AA1UnNlQ



St. Paul, Minnesota: Mayor says “We’ve received reports of ICE officers going door to door asking where the Asian people live… I myself have received advice to carry my passport with me because they may target me based on what I look like.” - https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mcsq7zioys2n

Minneapolis Insider:  "It's worse than it looks."  How much can a city take? As Homeland Security’s siege on Minneapolis enters its third week, locals are volunteering for patrol shifts, protesting in the streets, and keeping one another up to date in group texts. - https://www.theverge.com/policy/864195/minneapolis-ice-invasion-organizing-immigration



St. Paul, Minnesota: Students, parents, educators and activists gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday to address the impact of ICE operations on Minnesota schools. The press conference comes after ICE agents detained students in Minneapolis and Willmar. An unrelated ICE operation also led agents to approach Roosevelt High School on Jan. 7, where a crowd of students and educators gathered. The ICE agents deployed tear gas on students and arrested an educator.  ...At the press conference, students and organizers encouraged Minnesotans to participate in the upcoming strike on Friday, Jan. 23. Activists planned a day of no school, no work and no shopping to protest ICE agents' presence in the state. - https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/twin-cities-law-enforcement-raises-concerns-about-ice-agents-racially-profiling-citizens/89-80f7b210-df6f-4516-9c05-20cf8890c7bb




You still want to vacation in Florida?

Miami Beach, Florida:  A woman left a comment on Facebook criticizing the Mayor of Miami Beach. The Mayor of Miami Beach then sent the cops to her home. - [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/out5p0ken.bsky.social/post/3mcryqjc4p22u
Her comment was:

Operation Tidal Wave - https://www.wftv.com/news/local/ice-central-florida-what-we-know-about-operation-tidal-wave/24V2CO4BLFGJZDOBACVBXZ4MFM/

Alcatraz Alley is still open for business - https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2026/01/05/deportation-depot-alligator-alcatraz-florida-detained-immigrants/88033323007/

"ICE agents in Florida openly talking about shooting people [among other things] during a traffic stop that included a U.S. citizen. They describe headlocks and tasers for slow compliance, then laugh about it, joking that a $30,000 bonus makes it worth it." - [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/thebonniesituation.bsky.social/post/3mcppcycnts2w

Orlando, Florida:  Police monitored group gathered to pray for immigrants in Orlando amid increase ICE activity - https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/01/18/police-monitored-group-gathered-to-pray-for-immigrants-in-orlando-amid-increase-ice-activity/

ICE Arrives Near Disney World, Disturbingly Large Detainment Facility Set Up Minutes Away - https://insidethemagic.net/2026/01/ice-arrives-near-disney-world-disturbingly-large-detainment-facility-set-up-minutes-away-ad1/

And an oldie but baddie from before things really got harsh - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/12/ice-tourist-detention-border-trump-immigration/82740260007/

[Don't forget your sun screen. And a phone number for an attorney, assuming you'd get to phone one.]


Texas:  Hays County officials blast federal ICE agents for "zero respect" after local raids - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hays-county-officials-blast-federal-042120147.html

Different kind of Ice. Texas electric grid operators are sounding really nervous about an incoming arctic blast, similar to the one in 2021 that killed over 250 people - many freezing in their own homes when the rickety power grid failed.



ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment. ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months - https://popular.info/p/ice-has-stopped-paying-for-detainee



There are an extraordinary number of military aircraft over the USA today.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has just announced and published footage of its seventh boarding and seizure of a sanctioned crude oil tanker, reportedly the Liberian-flagged M/T SAGITTA, this morning in the Caribbean Sea, carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard with support from the Navy and Marine Corps. - https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2013721643479101606

USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to arrive in CENTCOM area in about 72 hours. - https://news.usni.org/2026/01/19/carrier-lincoln-leaves-south-china-sea-uss-tripoli-back-underway

From X:  The United States did a great job defending the Kurds in Syria, used them when convenient, and discarded them afterward. Another valuable lesson for anyone who still doubts.

Greenland’s prime minister told the territory to prepare for a possible military invasion during a news conference this afternoon. - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/greenland-leader-tells-people-to-prepare-for-possible-invasion/

Trump [supposedly] made major admission about Greenland in private call, said he was given bad information - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-made-major-admission-about-greenland-in-private-call/ar-AA1UzYZg

Greenland remains defiant as Trump says there's 'no going back' - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/greenland-remains-defiant-trump-says-165824547.html

[I'm starting to hate that man on a personal level. Those poor folks in Greenland - what they hell must they be feeling right now!? This is untenable and inexcusable.]




In 2016, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, then a Republican presidential candidate, said, "We're liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark." [verified] -   https://archive.ph/VMnj6



Trump Blasted After Declaring Himself ‘Acting President Of Venezuela’ In Mock Wikipedia Entry  - https://www.comicsands.com/trump-venezuela-acting-president-wikipedia

25th Amendment Explained: How Trump Could Be Removed Without Impeachment - https://www.newsweek.com/25th-amendment-explained-how-trump-could-be-removed-without-impeachment-11388370    The 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967, in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was instituted to prepare for medical emergencies and incapacitation that could prevent a president from performing normal duties....Section 4 allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare in writing that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, making the vice president the acting president. If the president contests that declaration, Congress must decide the issue. The president remains sidelined only if two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote that he is unable to serve. Congress has 21 days to reach a decision once the question is formally before it....“There are both political and legal problems with efforts to invoke the 25th Amendment,” University of Maryland, Baltimore law professor Mark Graber told Newsweek in an email Tuesday.  “The legal problem is that the 25th Amendment was designed to deal with a medically incapacitated president, for example, a president who is unconscious or unable to physically perform the duties of the office,” he continued, “We might imagine a mentally ill president whose beliefs are so fantastic that he or she can no longer perform the job, but President Trump is [hypothetically] not suffering from that form of psychosis.”

[prior post has been updated]



CNN Panelist Epically Rips Conservative Pundit After He Tries To Downplay Epstein Files.  ...Jennings was very dismissive of the DOJ's failure to comply, saying:    “They should follow the law, but let’s not get our knickers in a twist here." McGowan, in a mocking accent, replied: “‘Let’s not get our knickers in a twist over child rape.’ Why are you talking like that? It’s insane, like it’s insane."“The Epstein files are a multinational, multi-generational child and woman sex trafficking ring. So your attitude right now, your sort of, ‘shucks, devil be gone,’ it’s just horrifying to me.”    "Every woman in the world who is watching this... why are you acting like you have no idea what's happening here? ... They're not following the law. They're 30 days late on following the law and they didn't explain why they redacted things in the first place, which they aren't supposed to do." "They are hiding it; it is not the behavior of innocent people.  Everything that is in these files, it could bring an entire house down. And, if it has to, it has to."  “If it brings down Democrats, bring them down. If it brings down Republicans, bring them down. If it brings down princes, world leaders, Hollywood people, bring them down. But what it feels like right now is that there's a giant cabal of people that do not have to listen to the law."  - https://www.comicsands.com/mcgowan-jennings-epstein-files

[Tuesday] There are a lot of stratotankers on the move tonight, according to the plane-spotters at https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2013783736677216271 From reading their earlier chatter, there's a lot of assets being moved from the USA to Europe and to the Middle East.  Given the carrier group should be in range shortly, if not already, it doesn't look like a pleasant rest-of-January in the region.  Wednesday: The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln's transponders turned off for over a day, but at last ping it was in the Indian Ocean. The carrier could arrive within striking distance of the Middle East in about 48 hours if it's still headed that way.  The number of transport aircraft moving across Europe tonight is also very much heavier than normal - and these are just the ones with their transponders on. Going to...Jordan maybe? Egypt? [They're going to do it. They're prepping.]



There have been Blackhawks up all day here (for a while it was just after dark when they swarmed). We've had a break, and now there are six of them up and rattling the pictures on the walls and the flower vase on the table. This still feels wrong. It's not "normal".  And we're both really ticked off about it. The only good part of this actively miserable, biting, freezing cold is that the rifle range is quiet tonight and has been all day.  I see on the tracking that they're flying around over Minneapolis/St. Paul tonight, too. God bless and protect those people on the ground. [I would imagine someone gets at least a B+ in psychological warfare. And I wonder how cold it can get before the Blackhawks ice up? EDIT:  ah. 40F below zero. Too bad.]

About Trump and Greenland. If he's so worried about security, why doesn't he reactivate the cold-war bases that the USA had there? At one point there were 27 different bases and about 10,000 soldiers. Now there's only Pituffik Space Base (used to be  Thule Air Base). -  https://flo.uri.sh/story/3550041/embed#slide-0 So it really is the minerals isn't it. Or his insanity wanting an American Empire (again).  Still not distracted from the Epstein Files.


And

One year into Trump's second term,  consumer watchdog agency is 'hanging by a thread' - https://www.npr.org/2026/01/21/nx-s1-5683060/cfpb-consumer-watchdog-agency-trump-second-term





And

What's to be said? This is not a uniquely American problem, and it absolutely is not a new problem.  It is unbelievably sad, though. [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/joncooper-us.bsky.social/post/3mcuxllvhl22g


And

[Ohgod.] Court lifts restrictions on immigration officers' tactics in Minnesota. An appeals court has suspended a decision that restricts the aggressive tactics of immigration officers in Minnesota.: The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was persuaded to freeze a judge's ruling that bars officers from using tear gas and other steps against peaceful protesters while the administration pursues an appeal. Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities, began in early December. - https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/court-lifts-restrictions-on-immigration-officers-tactics-in-minnesota/3834535/   Annnnd, it's finally hit the general public's eye - https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026-01-21-Letter-from-Blumenthal-to-FLETC.pdf

Back to the six-month-old baby that ICE teargassed - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/harrowing-moment-ice-refuse-to-call-911-after-tear-gassing-car-full-of-children-says-dad/ar-AA1Uioq9  ICE’s Tear Gas Sent a 6-Month-Old to the Hospital, the Latest in an Alarming Pattern - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/ice-tear-gas-on-kids-minneapolis-chicago-chemical-irritant/  A few reminders: 
   
change X to h  xttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVKXujeagO0


From a couple of months ago:  ICE Agents Tear Gas Chicago Police Officers.  Numerous Chicago Police Department officers were left incapacitated after being ‘accidentally’ tear-gassed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday, Chicago Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security confirms....  Broadview City Police Chief Thomas Mills says this is not the first time that poorly trained ICE agents have tear-gassed his officers. He also cited an incident in September where he was verbally assaulted by an ICE agent, claiming that in his 37 years on the force, he had never seen Federal agents behave so violently and unprofessionally. - https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/ice-agents-tear-gas-chicago-police-officers/ar-AA1O5s5X


Minneapolis, Minnesota:  The Pentagon has issued prepare-to-deploy orders to several hundred active-duty military police soldiers with the U.S. Army 16th Military Police Brigade stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, part of the XVIII Airborne Corps, in preparation for the possible mobilization of military forces to Minneapolis, Minnesota, sources have told MS NOW.   Orders sent yesterday to the 16th Military Police Brigade are in addition to prepare-to-deploy orders that were sent out last Friday by the Defense Department to two battalions, roughly 1,000 soldiers, with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Alaska, also in preparation for deployment to Minneapolis, where protests are continuing following the recent shooting of a woman by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Minneapolis: From Chicago to Minneapolis, federal immigration agents deployed on Trump administration crackdowns have relied on ... Mobile Fortify, a recently developed Department of Homeland Security app that allows officers to scan faces and retrieve detailed personal information... now being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in street encounters with protesters and civilians alike. - https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/21/us/ice-cbp-cellphones-minnesota-mobile-fortify-invs

Minneapolis: ...chaotic aftermath of yet another apprehension on the streets of Minneapolis by federal agents. [T]hey left the car in the middle of the street with all of the person’s belongings inside. [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/jacobsoboroff.bsky.social/post/3mcxstyrqis2y

Willmar, Minnesota:  Tina Smith, US Senator for Minnesota, says a Minnesota high school student was nabbed by ICE agents as she was trying to pick up food for her family after work. She was violently dragged from her car and lost her shoes. So, barefoot in the middle of winter, she was put into the back of an unmarked car...Her family came to the United States legally and has every right to be here. But because of the color of her skin, she was snatched off the street. For days, her family had no information on where she was being held and no way to reach her. ICE finally let her go after several days. - https://bsky.app/profile/smith.senate.gov/post/3mcxqxq2c222n




Compton, California:   Federal Agent Fires Gun During Immigration Operation in L.A. Area, Officials Say. The authorities said an agent fired his weapon at a man in Compton, Calif., who was being pursued over a human smuggling operation. The man was not struck. - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/us/los-angeles-shooting-ice.html  [video]  https://www.kcra.com/article/federal-agent-fires-shots-after-chase-near-los-angeles-dhs-says/70080316

Kern County, California: CBP claims it targeted people with criminal records, although a CalMatters investigation, a state non-profit newspaper, found the operation wasn’t as targeted as advertised.  In it’s report, according to data from CBP, agents did not know if 77 out of the 78 people detained had a criminal record.  “I remember the fear that families in and around Kern County felt not knowing whether they would see their loved one again,” said Bree Bernwanger, Senior Staff Attorney with ACLU. “I remember the absolute heartbreaking sadness when they learned that their loved one wasn’t going to be released.” - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pilot-project-aclu-attorney-discusses-030709536.html

Unknown location:   DHS claims the car being chased rammed the ICE vehicle. The video shows the opposite.  - https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3mcyetvopps2b


[An aside. Last Friday, after the close of business and everyone logged off from work for three-day weekend, a head honcho at a University campus in Southern California sent an email to all academics, faculty, students, and staff about how to deal with ICE if they came on campus. No prep memos, as would normally have come before they started discussing the nuclear strike ICE/BorderPatrol would do to the student body if they showed up and started rounding people up. They bold-texted "The university currently has no reports or indication of upcoming immigration action on our campus." Just color me suspicious, but after a few decades of working for that bunch of administrators, sending such a message after close of business on a three day weekend tells me they had heard of something informally that isn't good news. I still know people at that Uni and in that area, the Daughter has Latina friends there, and we genuinely fear for their safety. The letter does state the Uni would activate their emergency situation response, emailing the campus to let everyone know where the activity was going to take place.  Problem with that is that ICE doesn't make advance reservations, they just show up. And after the last natural disaster scenario on campus it took them twenty (or more) minutes to send out an email broadcast, by which time the streets were gridlocked. All talk.... I really am worried.]

They're hitting Maine - ICE arrives in Maine as a court freezes restrictions on tactics in Minnesota. In Maine, the Department of Homeland Security named the enforcement operation "Catch of the Day" in an apparent play on the state’s seafood industry. Maine has relatively few residents who are in the United States illegally but has a notable presence of refugees in its largest cities, particularly from Africa. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, said she won’t grant a request for confidential license plates sought by Customs and Border Protection, a decision that reflects her disgust over “abuses of power” by immigration enforcers.   https://apnews.com/article/subpoenas-minnesota-investigation-lawsuit-federal-officers-8693014921e7a240108cb7f58dc56a46?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share    ICE activity increases in Maine as anxiety grows in immigrant communities -  https://apnews.com/article/maine-ice-immigration-enforcement-778b02cc97e390edbc598def9e6ff317?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share   [ICE told Fox News Tuesday that it had arrested approximately 50 people at that point, and was targeting 1,400 immigrants in total.]


Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal ICE memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force to enter a residence based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final order of removal, a move that advocates say collides with Fourth Amendment protections...New ICE hires and those still in training are being told to follow the memo’s guidance instead of written training materials that actually contradict the memo, according to the whistleblower disclosure.   - https://apnews.com/article/ice-arrests-warrants-minneapolis-trump-00d0ab0338e82341fd91b160758aeb2d


God Bless you all.


Jack Smith is due to testify in a public hearing in Congress tomorrow. 10:00 Eastern time - streaming here - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-jack-smith-testifies-about-trump-criminal-investigations    Smith will testify in a House Judiciary hearing Thursday. It's an opportunity for the career prosecutor to offer his inside perspective on the investigations into Trump's mishandling of classified documents and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The president was indicted in two federal cases, but both were scuttled once it was clear that Trump would return to the Oval Office, due to Department of Justice policy that prevents prosecution of a sitting president.

House Republicans released a redacted transcript of former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith's closed-door deposition over his team's efforts to investigate President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss.  The 255-page document, released on the last day of 2025, accounts for some eight hours of testimony. Transcript here, and a link to a YouTube video of all 8 hours of his testimony - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-jack-smiths-full-deposition-on-the-decision-to-indict-trump

Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia January 22, 20261:15 AM ET  https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/g-s1-106773/cuban-immigrant-ice-custody-died-homicide    Geraldo Lunas Campos died Jan. 3 following an altercation with guards. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the 55-year-old father of four was attempting suicide and the staff tried to save him. But a witness told The Associated Press last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed as at least five guards held him down and one put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he was unconscious.

Renee Good autopsy released:  Two non-lethal wounds, another to the side of her head (in the temple - it exited on the other side) was lethal. Murder. - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/renee-good-was-shot-head-autopsy-commissioned-family-finds-rcna255335

From prior post, expanded:  ICE detains 5-year-old Minnesota boy; school leader says agents used him as ‘bait’. Liam’s family has an “active asylum case” with no deportation orders. "I have viewed the legal paperwork with my own eyes,” Stenvik [lawyer] said, adding that leaders from Liam’s school visited his home on Tuesday after he was detained to provide support to his family, including a middle school student in the district who returned home to find out his father and brother had been taken. - https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/21/ice-detains-5year-old-minnesota-boy-lawyer-says-agents-used-him-as-bait

St. Paul, Minnesota:  Mischief Toy Store in St. Paul targeted by Department of Homeland Security with a surprise audit launched Friday, just hours after one of the shop's owners criticized ICE agents during an ABC television interview. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/minnesota-toy-shop-hit-shock-214217083.html


And

Jack Smith testifying today. Nothing new of substance revealed, really. His best statements: "My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted. The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends on our collective commitment to apply it."  “If we do not hold the most powerful people in our society to the same standards of the rule of law, then it can be catastrophic,” Smith said. “Because if they don’t have to follow the law, it’s very easy to understand why people would think they don’t have to follow the law as well.” Smith continued, “it sends a message that those crimes are okay, that our society accepts that… it can endanger our election process, it can endanger election workers, and ultimately our democracy.”   [Amazing he was able to get that out, since the Republicans there keep cutting him off when he is trying to speak:  Chairman  Gym Jordan says that Jack Smith can answer the question even though his time expired. Jack Smith starts to give an elaborate answer. Gym Jordan interrupts Jack Smith saying his time expired. Etc., etc., etc.]  - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/takeaways-from-former-special-counsel-jack-smith-s-public-hearing/ar-AA1ULrPH
 

Trump administration orders review of federal funding in more than a dozen Democratic states - https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/22/politics/trump-federal-funding-democratic-states [Yeah, of course he did.]

US completes withdrawal from World Health Organization - https://apnews.com/article/world-health-organization-trump-b6e0be566c7db9aece0334e987d516f1

Greenland = TACO

The Trump administration has removed an exhibit on slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, calling it “corrosive ideology.” The exhibit, Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation, honored nine people enslaved by George Washington at the President’s House Site and examined the contradiction between slavery and freedom at the nation’s founding.  [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3md2z7czotk2x

DOGE violated Social Security privacy requirement: Investigators found that Social Security data was unlawfully accessed and misused, including an agreement signed by a DOGE employee with a political organization to compare Social Security records with state voter rolls they had acquired.  AARP on Wednesday called for staffers at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to be held accountable for sharing Social Security data with an advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results” and for storing private information on Cloudflare. - https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5699159-aarp-demands-doge-accountability/amp/







Yep, he's batcrackers crazy.  And STILL NOT DISTRACTED FROM THE EPSTEIN FILES.





[And the Blackhawks have been flying over us again all day. No sense trying to straighten out the pictures hanging askew on the wall now.]

Rep. Lee moves to hold Pam Bondi in Contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoena to release Epstein Files - https://summerlee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-summer-lee-moves-to-hold-pam-bondi-in-contempt-for-failing-to-comply-with-subpoena-to-release-epstein-files  TRANSCRIPT:  House Oversight Committee on Oversight and Government Reform  January 21, 2026

I think we need to speak plainly and lay the facts out on what is really happening in this Committee. We are one week out from when Bill and Hillary Clinton did not show for their depositions. One week and we're already having a markup to hold them in contempt. Meanwhile the Department of Justice has been legally obligated to hand over the full, unredacted Epstein files to this Committee since August. The same exact subpoena that they are using to hold the Clintons in contempt. And please note, that these resolutions are allowing the DOJ to prosecute the Clintons for the exact same thing that the DOJ itself is violating. They have handed over one percent of the files and heavily redacted. We are five months overdue, Mr. Comer. You have made no effort to bring in Pam Bondi. So no, the difference is not clear. You have made no effort to demand any answers, to exert any type of pressure. So with that, Mr. Chair, I do have an amendment at the desk which would hold Pam Bondi in contempt for noncompliance with the bipartisan subpoena that you issued on August 5, 2025. I hope that my colleagues will support. I yield back.

Get a bucket of popcorn for this one - and use closed captions, I can't get sound to work.



On January 21, 2026, the House Oversight Committee delivered two votes that laid bare the unequal application of congressional power. In a swift and largely partisan move, the committee voted to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress. Their offense? Declining to sit for a closed-door deposition in the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

On the same day, the committee also considered whether to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice in contempt for failing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan law passed in November 2025 that requires the DOJ to release all unclassified documents related to Epstein within 30 days. That deadline came and went on December 19. To date, the DOJ has released less than 1% of the required files, heavily redacted, exposing victims but protecting perpetrators. Yet when it came time to vote on whether Bondi and the DOJ should be held accountable, House Republicans blocked the motion. The contempt resolution failed. https://thetonymichaels.substack.com/p/the-contempt-games-how-congress-just

Five year old boy ICE'd. Lawyer disputes Vance claims about 5-year-old arrest by ICE.  Attorney Marc Prokosch said the father is not an "illegal alien" and has been following the law in seeking asylum. According to Prokosch, the family entered the U.S. in 2024 through a port of entry, has been following the legal process, appearing at court hearings, and does not pose a safety risk. He said they "did everything right when they came in," and the boy's arrest is "inhumane and unacceptable." https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/lawyer-vance-5-year-old-arrest-ice-columbia-heights/89-f5f5b915-c6d5-4512-a846-364b98b465cf     https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/us/liam-conejo-ramos-ice-wwk





ICE detains 2-year-old and father, Minneapolis city council member says. The 2-year-old was reportedly detained one day after a 5-year-old was detained at school pickup. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/ice-detains-2-year-old-and-father-minneapolis-city-council-member-says/89-c1383d48-7d9d-4c39-a2ee-481f358eabec  [change X to h] Xttps://www.instagram.com/p/DT1UFG7Cf1y/?hl=en&img_index=1


North Minneapolis:  ICE agents chased down a teenager and pinned him face down in the snow. ​The wind chill is -35°F. At that temp, frostbite hits in 10 minutes. ​You can see the boy's bare hands in the snow. You can hear him screaming "I AM LEGAL! I AM LEGAL!" - [video] - https://bsky.app/profile/spacerangero.bsky.social/post/3md4bbklp5k25

Hundreds of clergy descend on Minneapolis and go on lookout for ICE  - https://religionnews.com/2026/01/22/hundreds-of-clergy-descend-on-minneapolis-and-go-on-lookout-for-ice/

Pomona, California:  Community members, family demand father's release from ICE custody during Pomona vigil. Man on pacemaker, needs medication - https://abc7.com/post/community-demands-pomona-fathers-release-ice-custody/18449821/

Pomona:  A 13-year-old Pomona boy is now left without his sole caregiver after his uncle was taken by ICE. This comes after the boy's aunt, who was in the process of adopting him, was killed two years ago by a DUI driver. https://bsky.app/profile/victinibcn.bsky.social/post/3mcky3j5vlk2i

So Calif: ICE and Border Patrol Continue Shooting and Assaulting Immigrants, Citizens, Women and Minors - This morning, Federal agents continued their spree of shooting at cars in an attempt to detain someone, this time in Willowbrook between Watts and Compton... First, the shooting happened less than a block from a jr. high, and second, a young girl was dragged from the scene by masked border patrol men while a witness observed her being punched as she was forced into a vehicle. Early reports state no one was hit, but there is a vehicle that crashed, airbags were deployed, and DHS claims an agent was hurt in the incident without any details provided. ...They took Jesus Mendoza of Cachanilla Burritos. He used to work construction until he had a bad fall, breaking his neck, collar bone, and a couple of ribs. He can’t lift anything heavy anymore, so he wakes up every day at 3:30 am with his wife, who has chronic arthritis, to make about 80 burritos a day to sell on the street. It’s the only income they have to support their two young daughters. He is now in ICE custody....On Monday, in El Monte, a man chased by border patrol suffered severe head injuries. The fire department came by, and he was taken away by ambulance. We don’t have any further details at the moment....-  https://lataco.com/daily-memo-january-21-ice-and-border-patrol-continue-shooting-and-assaulting-southern-california-immigrants-citizens-women-and-minors

Arizona:  Attorney General Kris Mayes  cautioned that federal ICE agents' use of masks and limited identification during enforcement actions could create dangerous confusion under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law. [That is, if you are in fear for your life/safety you can use deadly force in your defense.] "If you violate Arizona law,  we will prosecute you." - [video]  https://x.com/PolymarketIntel/status/2014731760358105206

A federal judge ruled Thursday that university association members may seek relief from the court if their immigration status is changed as retribution for challenging an alleged Trump administration policy to single out campus activists critical of Israel’s war in Gaza for immigration enforcement. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/judge-warns-trump-administration-against-154644610.html

US expected to deport dozens of Iranians as Trump threatens regime over crackdown - https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/trump-administration-deport-iranians



There was this dust-up at the Jack Smith testimony - Cap. Hill police Mike Fanone (ret) and Trump Minion Ivan Raiklin get into it at the Jack Smith hearing. - https://bsky.app/profile/ronfilipkowski.bsky.social/post/3mczsrh2q3s2i   This is Mike Fanone and what Trump's Jan 6 insurrectionists did to him: More about Raiklin here - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/somebody-s-going-to-get-hurt-lawyer-warns-as-trump-secretary-of-retribution-runs-amok/ar-AA1UbPf8

prior post has been expanded.

MN Dept. of Corrections refutes ICE claims on number of arrests - https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/dispersal-orders-issued-at-whipple-federal-building/89-43ac6654-939d-4b73-b333-535f89b63d61

"When enforcement practices deter people from accessing education, healthcare, and basic stability, the harm extends beyond individuals to entire communities." https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalisitza/life-under-ice-viral-video

Stephen Barry‬  ‪@wa3zgt.bsky.social‬:  I'm seeing mainstream news orgs around the country calling today's action in Minnesota a "protest of immigration enforcement."   Ridiculous framing. It's not a protest against legitimate immigration policy, it's a protest against a paramilitary occupation and ethnic cleansing campaign.


Minnesota Public Radio - https://www.mprnews.org/live-updates

It's -14F at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. They are demonstrating. - [video] https://bsky.app/profile/krassenstein.bsky.social/post/3md4dvoot5s2t
https://bsky.app/profile/jackjenkins.me/post/3md46aqfkd22o
https://bsky.app/profile/jackjenkins.me/post/3md466k7zus2o


Law enforcement load clergy protesters into school buses at MSP; roughly 100 detained - [video] https://bsky.app/profile/faithinmn.org/post/3md4d5ovq7s2l [video] https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/ice-in-minnesota/law-enforcement-load-protesters-into-school-buses-at-msp/89-b100a221-ff5d-4636-905b-d4830d4d34ea   [video] https://bsky.app/profile/telecomone.bsky.social/post/3md4ih3yz7c2l



Friday’s ‘ICE Out of Minnesota’ day is a general strike. Here’s what that means. - https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/fridays-ice-out-of-minnesota-day-is-a-general-strike-heres-what-that-means/






Renee Good's death has been formally ruled a homicide - https://www.startribune.com/hennepin-county-medical-examiner-renee-good-death-homicide/601568759

4:07 PM Friday | Resident physicians and fellows from the University of Minnesota and HCMC in Minneapolis took a break from work Friday to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave Minnesota and its hospitals. Health care workers in the Twin Cities have said ICE agents are entering hospitals with detained individuals, sometimes with warrants and sometimes without, and they are frequently present during patient care. Nurses at HCMC say the presence of the agents is terrifying medical staff...They said that health care workers are breaking down inside the hospital from stress and trauma and that patients are refraining from seeking medical care due to an overwhelming sense of fear in the community.   2:57 PM Friday | Judge orders ICE to keep Hopkins family in Minnesota -  A judge has issued an order blocking the Department of Homeland Security from transporting a Hopkins family out of Minnesota. The order was issued Thursday hours after the family of four, including two children, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Maria Velasco Hurtado was detained on her way to work. According to attorney Brian Clark, agents took her to her home and offered the family inside the house an ultimatum: "Either come outside immediately and be detained if you want to see your mother anytime soon, or stay in that house, in safety, and have their mother taken away and flown out of the state away from them." 5:00 AM Friday | Kids, staff, parents detained: How federal activity in Minnesota is affecting schools and students. School officials across Minnesota say that the surge in federal activity is increasingly affecting the daily activities of students, parents and school staff. District leaders tell MPR News that they have verified incidents in which children, parents and school staff members have been pulled into vehicles by masked agents or detained in other ways. School districts also report that federal agents have been staging for their enforcement activities in school parking lots, and federal agents have detained and pepper sprayed people on school grounds. more at https://www.mprnews.org/live-updates