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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
GREENLAND
“We do prefer respect to bullies,” French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, adding that France would not capitulate to intimidation and attempts to undermine European sovereignty following President Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on European nations until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. France is one of eight nations that have been threatened with an additional 10 per cent tariff on exports to the United States beginning on Feb.1. Pranav Baskar reports for the New York Times.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday called for “permanent” independence from the United States, framing Trump’s hostility toward allies as a rupture on the scale of the 1971 “Nixon shock.” Also speaking at the World Economic Forum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Let me be clear: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” Trump is set to arrive at Davos today and plans to meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and others to discuss Greenland. Zachary Basau and Barak Ravid report for Axios.
The Pentagon has not been directed to plan for an invasion of Greenland despite Trump repeatedly raising the possibility of using U.S. military force to seize it from Denmark, U.S. officials said yesterday. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.
MINNESOTA
Federal prosecutors yesterday issued subpoenas to at least five Democratic officials in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. The subpoenas sought documents related to their policies on immigration enforcement efforts in the state. Two Minnesota prosecutors, Keith Ellison, the state attorney general, and Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, were also sent similar subpoenas. Alan Feuer, Glenn Thrush, and Devlin Barrett report for the New York Times.
Federal immigration agents on Sunday detained U.S. citizen ChongLy “Scott” Thao, having bashed his door down, entered his home without a warrant, and pulled him out onto the street in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and a video reviewed by AP News. Agents eventually realized that he was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, Thao said, and an hour or two later, they brought him back to his house. The Homeland Security Department described the ICE operation at Thao’s home as a “targeted operation” seeking two convicted sex offenders.” Jack Brook reports.
Mark Bruley, police chief of Minneapolis suburb Brooklyn Park, said yesterday that ICE agents were violating U.S. citizens’ civil rights, including those of off-duty police officers. Bruley added that all the off-duty police officers who had been targeted by ICE were people of colour. Dawana Witt, sheriff of Hennepin County, said that people were being “stopped, questioned and harassed solely because of the color of their skin.” Frances Vinall reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
Amidst international controversy surrounding Trump’s invitees to join his “Board of Peace,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today announced that he had accepted Trump’s invitation. The UAE yesterday also publicly committed to join, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would decide soon. Hungary is the only European country that has agreed to join so far. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO; Trevor Hunnicutt, Kanishka Singh, and Tuvan Gumrukcu report for Reuters; Nayera Abdallah reports for Reuters; Zachary Basau and Barak Ravid report for Axios.
Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre, established in southern Israel in October, eight diplomats said. The diplomats added that the CMCC has failed to increase aid flows to Gaza or achieve political change. One Western diplomat described the centre as “directionless,” while another said “everybody thinks it’s a disaster, but there is no alternative.” Alexander Cornwell reports for Reuters.
Israeli forces ordered dozens of Palestinians families in southern Gaza to leave their homes in the first-known forced evacuation since the October ceasefire, residents of Bani Suhaila and Hamas said yesterday, adding that the Israeli military was expanding the area it controls. The residents said leaflets were dropped on Monday, saying, “Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately.” Israel confirmed the leaflet drops but said they were aimed at warning Palestinians not to cross the armistice line with Hamas. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
IRAN
Trump is still pressing aides for what he calls “decisive” military options against Iran, after pulling back from strikes last week, according to U.S. officials. Trump’s phrasing has spurred aides at the Pentagon and White House to consider some options that would seek to push the regime out of power, while also considering less severe options such as targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities. Alexander Ward, Michael R. Gordon, and Shelby Holliday report for the Wall Street Journal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.” Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
SYRIA
Guards from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces yesterday withdrew from a camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State, which the Syrian military said allowed detainees to escape. The SDF confirmed that its guards had withdrawn, but did not say whether any detainees had escaped. The SDF said on social media it had redeployed from the al-Hol camp to nearby cities, blaming “international indifference” for the withdrawal. Ghaith Alsayed and Abby Sewell report for AP News; Charlene Gubash and Ammar Cheikh Omar report for NBC News.
The Syrian military yesterday evening announced a new four-day ceasefire with the SDF. The SDF confirmed the deal and said, “It will not initiate any military action unless our forces are subjected to attacks. A statement from Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s office said government forces will not enter Kurdish-majority areas until plans are agreed upon for their “peaceful integration” and that Kurdish villages will be patrolled by “local security forces drawn from the residents of the area.” Ghaith Alsayed and Abby Sewell report for AP News.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
U.S. forces yesterday boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker, called the Sagitta, connected with Venezuela, according to U.S. Southern Command. The Sagitta is a Liberian-flagged tanker, and its registration says it is owned and managed by a company in Hong Kong. Konstantin Toropin and Michael Biesecker report for AP News.
Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said yesterday that Venezuela has received $300 million from oil sales, the first proceeds from the Washington-Caracas oil supply deal following the capture of Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. Trump said yesterday that the United States had taken the 50 million barrels out of Venezuela, and was selling some of it in the open market, though shipping records show that volume has not yet been exported. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine will allow allied nations to train AI models using its combat data gathered during the war against Russia, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told reporters. During the war, Ukraine has accumulated vast amounts of battlefield data, including huge volumes of footage from its fleet of drones. Fedorov said the Ukrainian defence ministry would work with tech company Palantir to launch a “data room…based on real war data” for allies to train their AI and help intercept enemy drones and protect Ukrainian airspace. Christopher Miller reports for the Financial Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Israeli officials yesterday seized the Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees, demolishing several of the structures within the compound. A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry defended the decision to seize the headquarters, saying UNRWA “has long ceased to be a humanitarian aid organization, serving instead as a greenhouse for terrorism.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Mexico yesterday sent 37 people accused of being criminal operatives to the United States. This is the third such transfer since Trump took office. Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said yesterday that the transfers were legal and that, in agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, the death penalty would not be pursued. James Wagner reports for the New York Times.
The Pentagon plans to cut its participation in a range of NATO advisory groups, according to multiple officials. The impending move will affect about 200 military personnel and will mostly diminish U.S. involvement in NATO’s 30 Centers of Excellence, the source said. Rather than withdraw all at once, the Pentagon intends not to replace personnel as their postings end, two U.S. officials said, adding that the process could take years. Two European officials said that NATO’s advisory groups dedicated to energy security and naval warfare were among those facing cuts. Noah Robertson reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The family of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a Cuban immigrant who died in ICE custody at a detention facility in El Paso, alleges that he was choked to death by guards and is seeking to block the deportation of two detainees who they say witnessed the incident, according to a court filing yesterday. Federal officials dispute the claim, saying Lunas Campos died by suicide after resisting staff. Pooja Salhotra reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Lindsey Halligan has left the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced late yesterday. Devlin Barrett and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.
Rep. James R. Comer (R-KY) yesterday rejected proposed terms from former President Bill Clinton’s legal team for testimony in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Comer said the committee would proceed today with a vote to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over their refusal to comply with subpoenas. Annie Karni reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Justice Department yesterday disclosed that two Department of Government Efficiency employees at the Social Security Administration may have improperly accessed and shared sensitive Social Security data. The SSA referred both DOGE employees for potential violations of the Hatch Act, which bars government employees from using their official positions for political purposes. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
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