Trump's ICE Goons Detained a 5-Year-Old.  Then JD Vance Made It Worse.  —  In an administration that sometimes seems to lack a well-defined institutional role for JD Vance, he appears to be taking on a new function: putting a softer, more reasonable face on Stephen Miller's authoritarian police state.

F.B.I. Agent Who Tried to Investigate ICE Officer in Shooting Resigns  —  The resignation of the agent, Tracee Mergen, was only the latest shock wave to have emerged from the Justice Department's handling of the shooting of Renee Good.  —  An F.B.I. agent who sought to investigate …

Minnesotans strike to protest ICE surge in state: ‘No work, no school, no shopping’  —  Organizers demand ICE leave state and agency be investigated for constitutional violations  —  A “no work, no school, no shopping” blackout day of protest was kicked off by community leaders …

Just Don't Call It Ice  —  Good afternoon and welcome back to Final NOTUS.  If you don't subscribe yet, you can sign up here — it's free!  —  The Latest  —  Welcome to your snow emergency.  The Capital Weather Gang now expects “less pure snow, more sleet,” with maybe an inch or three of ice on top of the powder.

ICE detains family seeking emergency care for child at Portland hospital  —  Federal immigration agents arrested and detained a Gresham family, including a 7-year-old child, outside a Portland hospital last week as the girl's parents sought emergency medical care for her.

Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional  —  Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who leads the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said a person's right to refuse a vaccine outweighed concerns about illness or death from infectious diseases.

RNC moves ahead with efforts to have midterms convention  —  The RNC chair said a midterms convention will allow the party to “defy history.”  —  The Republican National Committee winter meeting in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.  —  The Republican National Committee adopted …

US Judge Rules ICE Raids Require Judicial Warrants, Contradicting Secret ICE Memo  —  The ruling in federal court in Minnesota lands as Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces scrutiny over an internal memo claiming judge-signed warrants aren't needed to enter homes without consent.

White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying  —  Got a Tip?  The Times offers several ways to send important information confidentially ›  —  Face to Face With History's Most Dangerous Painter  —  Jacques-Louis David, artist and politician of the French Revolution …

Vance announces aid restrictions for groups that promote diversity, transgender policies abroad … “Now we're expanding this policy to protect life, to combat [diversity, equity and inclusion] and the radical gender ideologies that prey on our children,” Vance told people attending the March …

California sues Trump administration over alleged ‘unlawful’ pipeline restart approval years after oil spill  —  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday the state is filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration …

Hundreds of clergy descend on Minneapolis and go on lookout for ICE  —  MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — Around 200 faith leaders fanned out across the city on Thursday (Jan. 22) to observe and document the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with some clergy confronting Department …

Senate Democrat calls for investigation into TikTok deal  —  Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called for an investigation Friday into a deal that saw TikTok's American business spun off into a separate entity in order to allow the app to continue operating in the U.S.

Trump leaves NATO allies “dumbfounded” and “disgusted” with remarks dismissing sacrifices in Afghanistan  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  London — European military veterans, families of the fallen, and politicians have voiced outrage after President Trump claimed the U.S. had “never needed” …

Patel ousts senior FBI agents linked to Trump probes, say sources  —  As many as six agents in Miami were forced out over their connection to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.  Special agents in charge in Atlanta and New Orleans were removed, as well as the acting assistant director in charge of the New York field office.

D.H.S. Cited Foreign Students' Writings and Protests Before Their Arrests  —  Documents unsealed by a federal judge on Thursday include dossiers that investigators prepared on pro-Palestinian student activists before they were targeted for deportation.  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio …

Executive Director of South L.A.-Based Charity Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging $23 Million Swindle of Homelessness Funds  —  For Immediate Release  —  U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California  —  LOS ANGELES - A Westwood man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging …

The People vs. ICE … For limited durations, in isolated contexts, it's a party.  On a Thursday morning the number of protesters outside the brutalist building from which ICE conducts its menace in Minneapolis swells from 25 to at least 100 by early afternoon.  Spirits are high.

Iran's top prosecutor denies Trump's claim 800 prisoners were spared execution  —  Iran's top prosecutor on Friday called U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he halted the hangings of 800 detained protesters there “completely false.”  Meanwhile, the overall death toll …

Federal judge rejects DOJ motion to detain arrested Minnesota protesters  —  The judge wrote in her order that Justice Department lawyers failed to “demonstrate that ... detention is otherwise appropriate.”  —  Listen to this article with a free account  —  A federal judge in Minnesota denied …

‘Terrifying abuses of power’: Judge hears arguments over leadership arrangement at New Jersey prosecutor's office … “Shouldn't that raise a red flag for this court?”  Brann asked.  —  During hours of questioning, he repeatedly tried to test the limits of Bondi's power.

Trump's Turnabout on Greenland Shows the Limits of His Coercive Powers  —  President Trump's faith in his ability to wring concessions by taking maximalist positions was on full display this week.  So were the costs, as he splintered NATO and then undercut his credibility by climbing down from his threats.

Trump 0, Europe 1  —  Ignorance and contempt lose a round  —  As I wrote yesterday, Donald Trump and his team clearly went to Davos determined to demean and insult their hosts.  It was, one might say, a novel approach to diplomacy: “You're pathetic, your societies and economies are falling apart, now give us Greenland.”

What if we just stopped paying taxes?  —  In solidarity with the anti-ICE general strike in Minnesota, I am donating all proceeds from today's newsletter to People over Papers, the Midway-Hamline Diaper Bank, and Every Meal.  If you're not already a paid subscriber but would like to do so and support …

Military conducts ‘lethal kinetic strike’ on alleged drug boat, leaving one survivor  —  The statement by U.S. Southern Command said it notified the Coast Guard “to activate the search and rescue system” for the survivor.  —  Listen to this article with a free account