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Administration signals it could scale back federal presence after backlash to fatal shooting. Plus, widespread disruption from winter storm continuesGood morning.Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who has become the public face of the Trump administration's on-the-ground immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, is expected to leave the city today. The move is part of the Trump administration's reshuffling of the leadership of its immigration enforcement operation, and the scaling back of the federal presence in the city after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, 37.Are administration officials rowing back? After Pretti was killed, administration officials were quick to label him a domestic terrorist". But during a White House press briefing yesterday, Karoline Leavitt struck a more conciliatory tone, calling Pretti's death a tragedy" - though she was careful not to directly contradict Stephen Miller, who called Pretti a would-be assassin", and she blamed the shooting on Democrats.What about the president? Trump said he held a very good call" with Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey.What has Pretti's family said? The family of the intensive care nurse - who had no criminal record and held a legal permit to carry a firearm - said after his killing: The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting." Continue reading...

Official who said Alex Pretti wanted to massacre' agents relegated to bench as White House appears to change tack

A chance encounter reminded me: there are two ways to look at what's happened in MinneapolisOne of the few advantages of being as conspicuous as I am is that many people come up to me whom I don't know, to talk about what's happening in America. It's like a free-floating focus group.On Monday morning, I was at a restaurant counter finishing my breakfast when a middle-aged man sat down next to me and said he didn't want to intrude. (He just had, so I put down my knife and fork, wiped my mouth with my napkin, and turned toward him.) He wanted me to know that although he'd been a life-long Republican, the events of the past weeks had caused him to leave the Republican party.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now Continue reading...

Progressive caucus leader Greg Casar calls for five non-negotiable' items to be included before Democrats vote yesThe leader of Congress's progressive caucus on Monday called for Democratic senators to demand real reforms" to Immigration and Customs Enforcement before voting for a key spending bill, and warned that Republicans would take the blame if the standoff sparks another government shutdown.The call from Greg Casar, the Texas congressman who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, comes after the Saturday killing of US citizen Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis upset delicate negotiations in Congress intended to keep the government running beyond Friday, when the current spending authorization expires. Continue reading...

A country where safety is under threat from federal violence on the streets is not fit to stage soccer's showpiece eventRemoving the United States as co-host of the 2026 World Cup would hurt for pretty much everyone. Fans would miss out on seeing the sport's pinnacle in their home towns (or somewhere nearby). Cities and businesses small and large would lose the financial benefits they had banked on. It would be a logistical and political nightmare on an international scale, the likes of which have never been seen before in sports. It would be eminently sad. And it would be entirely justified.It brings me no pleasure to say this. The United States has been eager to host a men's World Cup for more than a decade and a half. The desire survived and even grew after 2010's failure to out-bid Russia and Qatar (in public and behind closed doors) for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. With hosting rights for 2026 later secured alongside Canada and Mexico, the US soccer scene prepared to show off that the sport is now part of the nation's fabric, 32 years after hosting the tournament for the first time in 1994. Soccer's growing popularity in America has helped inspire other US sports to try new formats, encouraged us to engage more fully with the world in a sporting context, and has been at the center of conversations about our society and culture. The 2026 World Cup was seen as the best chance for the world to fully experience not just how much the US has improved at soccer, but how much soccer has improved the US. Continue reading...

Since the Trump administration sent ICE agents into the city in December, there have been 3,000 arrests and two fatal shootings. In the freezing cold, as the crisis deepens, the Minnesotan people continue to resistIn many ways, Alex Pretti and Renee Good could have been any of the dozens of Minneapolis residents I met last week. Among them were teachers, store clerks, Uber drivers, charity workers and clergymen - a patchwork of humanity withstanding what many have called the Trump administration's siege on their city, which began in December last year and has led to 3,000 arrests, two fatal shootings, and routine rights violations in an operation defined by government brutality.What the administration has attempted to laud as the largest immigration operation in US history has instead become a fully fledged crisis, and the sharpest test of American democracy under Trump's second term. Continue reading...

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Thousands of flights also canceled as states from Texas to Maine grapple with heavy snow, ice and cold temperatures

Federal agents set to scale back presence in Minneapolis as president and allies strike more conciliatory toneDonald Trump's efforts to deploy militarized immigration agents in US cities may finally be reaching a reckoning as he faces widespread opposition across the US, dissenting lawmakers in his own party, and impending court rulings after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis.While there was no sign the aggressive tactics used by immigration enforcement are coming to an end, the mayor of Minneapolis said the administration would begin to scale back the number of federal agents in Minneapolis starting on Tuesday, as the president and his team soften their harsh rhetoric regarding Pretti's killing. Continue reading...

Widely circulated video of Pretti's killing by federal agents undercut earlier assertions of him being a gunmanWhite House officials sought to rapidly distance Donald Trump and top officials from their initial portrayals of the man fatally shot by federal officials in Minnesota as a gunman, as they faced a deepening backlash after video footage was widely seen to undercut their assertions.The move came as Trump advisers appeared to realize that the caustic portrayals of the man, Alex Pretti, who was reportedly licensed to carry a gun, had turned the killing into an even larger political liability for the president. Continue reading...

President and team soften harsh rhetoric after fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents - key US politics stories from Monday 26 January at a glanceThe US news cycle remained fixed on Donald Trump's ICE crackdown in Minnesota on Monday as outrage and calls for accountability mount following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents.While there is no sign the aggressive tactics used by immigration enforcement are coming to an end, Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis said the administration will begin to scale back the number of federal agents in Minneapolis starting on Tuesday, as the president and his team soften their harsh rhetoric about the incident. Continue reading...

Authorities allege Ryan Wedding, 44, turned to a life of crime' after his snowboarding career endedRyan Wedding, the Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of cocaine distribution and orchestrating several murders, appeared on Monday in a southern California courtroom for arraignment.The 44-year-old has been charged with drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder, witness tampering and money laundering, among other charges. Authorities allege that after his snowboarding career, Wedding turned to a life of crime" as a narcotics trafficker and led an organization that moved cocaine from South America to the US and Canada. Continue reading...

Lawyers argue that surge ordered by Trump administration amounts to an illegal occupation of the stateA federal court in Minneapolis heard arguments on Monday on whether the Trump administration's deployment of 3,000 immigration agents to Minnesota has crossed the line from law enforcement into unconstitutional occupation.Hours later, Kate Menendez, the Biden-appointed US district judge overseeing the case, ordered the federal government to respond to the assertion that the Trump administration's so-called Operation Metro Surge" enforcement campaign was intended to punish plaintiffs for adopting sanctuary laws and policies". Continue reading...

Warning: this video contains footage that may be distressing to some viewersAt about 9am on Saturday, US federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse who was observing immigration officers in the city. The Guardian's video team has pieced together footage showing the attack from different angles Continue reading...

Karoline Leavitt seemed unusually defensive in discussing Alex Pretti's killing - and refused to endorse Stephen MillerWhat Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, did not say on Monday was more important than what she did.When Leavitt stepped up to the briefing room podium to address the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, she avoided the kind of victim-blaming tirade that has become de rigueur for Donald Trump's administration. Continue reading...

The shooting of Alex Pretti was carried out by a federal agent licensed to act with impunity. The US must be rescued from Trump's authoritarianismFollowing the fatal shooting earlier this month of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, his colleagues received reassurance thatthey continued to enjoy federal immunity" for their actions. Anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony," the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, had previously stated. No city official, no state official, no illegal alien, no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist can prevent you from fulfilling your legal obligations andduties."Words have consequences. Ms Good, a US citizen and mother of three children, had in fact been attempting to drive away from a protest in Minneapolis, where ICE's deportation snatch squads have terrorised migrants and those who have attempted to defend their rights. On Saturday, in the same city, the same quasi-paramilitary force was responsible for a second shocking death. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot multiple times in the back after being wrestled to the ground and pepper-sprayed. Continue reading...

Federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the second such killing in the city within less than three weeks. Pretti was an intensive care nurse with no criminal record, yet federal agents raced to portray him as a violent gunman' who threatened to massacre' law enforcement. Video evidence directly contradicts this account. Since then, protests have erupted in the US. The Trump administration said it was reviewing' the incident. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist Moira Donegan. Continue reading...

Outrage mounts after US attorney general's request as state reels from the weekend killing of Alex Pretti in MinneapolisThere was widespread outrage after the attorney general, Pam Bondi, pushed for access to Minnesota's voter rolls as the state reeled from the killing of Alex Pretti over the weekend.Bondi included the demand for voter rolls in a letter she sent to the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, on Saturday urging him to change course" in the state. In addition to turning over the voter rolls, Bondi also said the state should turn over data on those receiving public assistance and repeal sanctuary city policies in the state. Continue reading...

Chris Madel drops out of race and in video criticizes the federal retribution on the citizens' of MinnesotaA top Republican candidate for Minnesota governor has dropped out of the race, sharply criticizing what he called a federal retribution on the citizens of our state" amid the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement operations - which sparked public outrage after US agents' killings of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.On Monday, Minneapolis-based attorney Chris Madel made his announcement, saying in a video online: I cannot support the ... stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so." Continue reading...

The US cites the wisdom' of historical immigration policy. But nation states in the Americas have spent more time with open borders than closedLate last year, Donald Trump's White House published a new National Security Strategy (NSS) outlining its vision for the world. At the time, the plan raised alarm for dismissing European alliances (now largely confirmed after Trump threatened Nato allies over Greenland), previewing interventions in Latin America (also largely confirmed by recent military action in Venezuela), and aligning closely with the priorities of the Kremlin.The document also demonizes immigrants. In one widely cited passage, it even claims that unchecked migration" has gotten so out of control that Europe is facing imminent civilizational erasure". On these grounds, the plan makes ending The Era of Mass Migration" a top priority for the US. Continue reading...

Investors seek safe haven in precious metal, while Japan's government spooks money markets with tax-cuts pledgeThe price of gold has jumped above $5,000 an ounce for the first time as Donald Trump's chaotic policies and proclamations drive more investors to seek safe harbour in the precious metal.Gold reached a record high of $5,100 (3,723) on Monday morning, before easing back to settle up 2.2% at $5,091. Continue reading...

If they're trying to eliminate witnesses, they cannot eliminate us allHis last words, spoken to a woman who had been tackled to the ground and pepper-sprayed by nearby ICE agents, were Are you OK?" Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital; those who knew him recalled, among other things, his devotion to his elderly dog, Joule, who died about a year ago.In bystander videos taken of Pretti's death, he can be seen holding up his phone to video ICE agents operating in Minneapolis, and waving cars around him to avoid the officers as they attack other onlookers. After he is dragged away from the woman he was trying to help, a gaggle of ICE officers surround Pretti and force him to the ground, beating and restraining him there as he struggles to free himself. Continue reading...

US senator warned that Republicans would lose elections if prices continue to rise, prompting president to respond fuck you, Ted'

Last week, the independent photographer John Abernathy was tackled to the ground by ICE agents during a protest in Minneapolis. He said he tossed his camera in the hope of saving his photographs because the images of the protests 'deserve to be seen'. The Department of Homeland Security told CNN Abernathy had been arrested for obstructing pedestrian and vehicle traffic on federal property

Has extreme weather left you without power, or your child's school closed due to heavy snow? We would like to hear from youAt least seven people have died as afierce winter storm sweeps across the US,leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, schools and roads closed, and flights cancelled.Twenty-six states, from Texas to Massachusetts, were under storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service over the weekend, with many alerts remaining in place this week. Continue reading...

Thousands join the anti-ICE rallies across the US calling for an end to federal crackdowns and the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The demonstration came after the recent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis Continue reading...

Ben Shelton came from a set down to book his place in the last eight, after Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner had eased through tooDown break point at 0-2 1-2, Darderi locates an ace, but he must soon handle another, Sinner dashing in to put away a volley having cracked a forehand to the corner. But a netted return restores deuce and from there he closes out the game before celebrating by petulantly throwing down a towel next to his coach. Meantime, Swiatek is doing all she can to prevent Inglis getting on the board, an overhead dispatched with prejudice saving game point at 3-0.Swiatek breaks Inglis immediately for 2-0 and though, as she seeks to consolidate, she's taken to deuce, she eventually prevails. She can play a lot better than this - and if she wins, against Rybakina, she'll have to. Continue reading...

Barack and Michelle Obama say killing should be wake-up call' and accuse federal agents of not operating in lawful way. Plus, meet the OB-GYNs fighting Trump's guerrilla war on science'

Alexander, his wife and son, who fled danger under Putin, fighting for security - and compensation - after torment of migration journeyAlmost a year after Donald Trump strong-armed a deal with Costa Rica to receive 200 people from other countries who were being deported from the United States after being denied the right to request asylum, a small handful remain there in legal limbo and fighting for compensation.The asylum seekers flown to Costa Rica in chains last February, despite not being criminals, were from 20 other countries, chiefly parts of Asia and Africa and included 81 children. They had all tried to request refuge at the US-Mexico border but were quickly removed from American soil after Trump returned to the White House and effectively closed the US asylum system. In the face of a variety of political difficulties with deporting them to their native countries, the Trump administration sent them to Costa Rica, as he did others to Panama. Continue reading...

Pardons come as president and Republicans seem intent on investigating fraud in Democratic-run statesDonald Trump's mass pardoning of those convicted in connection to the January 6 insurrection raised eyebrows last year, but more recently his pardons have appeared to have a particular focus: to grant clemency to those convicted of fraud.Since taking office, Trump has pardoned dozens of people convicted of white-collar crimes, including several billionaires, with most of the 13 pardons he quietly issued this month granting clemency to people convicted of fraud. Continue reading...

Childcare workers push back on Trump administration's ridiculous' narrative that programs are riddled with fraudUS families are facing impossible choices" as the Trump administration pushes to freeze federal funds for childcare and family assistance in five states over claims of potential fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds.Billions of dollars of funding are at risk in Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois, and Colorado, each with state governments run by Democrats. Continue reading...

On the whims of Fifa's Peace Prize winner, a life usually so focused on sports has found anything but peaceIt's Saturday morning, and news breaks shortly after the Premier League kickoff window; another member of your community has been brutally killed in the streets by ICE. There are already a few videos on social media, depicting multiple angles of the grotesque scene. This killing, like the one before, has felt inevitable - because of the actions of the federal government, and in spite of the diligence and peaceful pushback by you and your neighbors.For more than a decade, watching soccer has been a staple of your Saturday routine, as it is for millions of others. Given that, it was hard not to think about a prize awarded by the sport's most powerful organization just eight weeks prior, to the president overseeing and encouraging all of this. You know, the medal meant to reward exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace." Plenty of people have been joking about this honor" online since the day it was announced. You were among them in December. Today, you find it hard to laugh. Continue reading...

An imitation pipe bomb topped the list, followed by turtles stashed away in a bra and pair of pantsAn imitation pipe bomb topped the list of most unusual things confiscated at US airports by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers in 2025, just beating out turtles stashed away in a bra and a pair of pants, according to agency officials.The TSA recently published the list in a video on YouTube as well as in a press release that drew attention in corners of the internet dedicated to offbeat news items. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege real-estate trio Tal, Alon and Oren Alexander raped, assaulted and trafficked dozens of womenProsecutors in New York will tell a jury on Monday that three brothers from a wealthy Florida family raped, sexually assaulted and trafficked dozens of women during a decades-long reign of terror and depravity.The high-profile trial in Manhattan with elements of money, fame and power has parallels in other recent sex-trafficking cases held there, including the conviction and sentencing of the musician Sean Diddy" Combs last year on prostitution-related charges.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

From capturing Maduro to proposing a take over of Greenland - people respond to the president's rhetoricAs Donald Trump continues to call for theUS to take control of Greenland,not long after theUS captured the deposed president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, we asked people in the US what they thought about Trump's foreign intervention and rhetoric. Here are some of their responses. Continue reading...

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback has endured a rocky NFL career. But in the biggest game of his career, he delivered the performance of a lifetimeMoments after clinching a Super Bowl berth, Sam Darnold strolled over for his obligatory television interview. He was thrilled; the Seahawks had just toppled the Rams in a 31-27 thriller. But he was also measured. Unlike receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who would follow and was teeming with emotion, Darnold simply spoke about his love for his teammates. And when asked about his improbable journey, he replied, I haven't really thought about it that much."He may not have, but the rest of us have. And whether Darnold likes it or not, his comeback story will be the prevailing storyline of Super Bowl 60. How can it not, especially after the quarterback saved what may have been the best performance of his life for Seattle's third, and most important, tilt with the Rams this season. Continue reading...

Mark Carney and other custodians of the order are right to contemplate its death, but are they really willing to unpick the the entire system?When precisely did the rules-based order die? Mark Carney's speech last week at Davos was the first time a western head of state has said outright what has been hanging over political proceedings for some time. The rules-based order is fading", in the middle of a rupture" and there's no going back. But outside Davos, the G7 and Nato, that is old news - many believed the rules-based order had expired long ago, depending on what moment you take as your watershed.There were several components to the order, which of course was a layered, complex thing. The first is structural, that is, the agreement between powerful and prosperous countries that there would be certain mechanisms and protocols to maintain political stability, contain the outbreak of wars and promote their mutual economic interests. All the bodies that direct international traffic - the EU, Nato, the UN, the WTO, the IMF - make up that top layer of organisation. Continue reading...

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Sixth seed marches into quarter-finals with 6-3, 6-4 victory while the defending champion must pay forfeit agreed on with her podcast co-hostWhile speaking on a podcast before her big match against Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula was discussing their battle last January in the Adelaide final. Keys's performance, Pegula recalled, had prompted Pegula to accurately predict to their mutual friends that Keys would win the Australian Open two weeks later. It is normal for players to discuss future opponents, but they do not usually do so in conversation with each other. With a chuckle, Keys interjected: Jess is like, I hope I don't see that level [tomorrow].'"She did not. Keys's reign at the Australian Open came to a difficult end in the fourth round as the defending champion and ninth seed was crushed under the weight of her hefty unforced error count and a spotless performance from Pegula, the sixth seed, who marched into the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win. This was, in some ways, a historic match on Rod Laver Arena: the first grand slam singles match between two podcast co-hosts. Continue reading...

This is the news we should be paying attention to. At least for the moment, everything else is a distractionWhen we talk about our inability to pay attention, to concentrate, we often mean and blame our phones. It's easy, it's meant to be easy. One flick of our index finger transports us from disaster to disaster, from crisis to crisis, from maddening lie to maddening lie. Each new unauthorized attack and threatened invasion grabs the headlines, until something else takes its place, and meanwhile the government's attempts to terrorize and silence the people of our country continue.So let me break it down. There is one story: our country is on the brink of an authoritarian take-over. In Minneapolis an innocent poet and an ER nurse at a VA hospital were both killed in cold blood by federal agents. It is happening now. Toddlers are being sent to detention centers; videos of their gyms for kids recall the youth choruses that the Nazis so proudly showed off at the Terezin concentration camp. Intimidation and violence are being weaponized against the citizens of Minneapolis, some of whom are afraid to leave their houses for fear of being beaten, arrested and shackled, regardless of whether they are US citizens or asylum seekers or people from another country peacefully living and working here for decades.Francine Prose is a former president of PEN American Center and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Continue reading...

Two Democratic ex-leaders warn core American values are under assault - key US politics stories from Sunday 25 January at a glanceDemocratic ex-presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have spoken out against the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis, the second person to be shot dead by federal immigration officers in the city this month.In a statement released on Sunday, Obama and his wife, Michelle, described the killing of Alex Pretti as a heartbreaking tragedy" and a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault". Continue reading...

Minnesota governor pressures president to end surge of immigration officers in his state before it costs another lifeMinnesota governor Tim Walz appealed to Donald Trump to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota on Sunday, a day after US border patrol officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was monitoring the immigration crackdown.What's the plan, Donald Trump?" Walz asked at a news conference. What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?" Continue reading...