Early Edition: January 26, 2026

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

MINNESOTA

Federal agents on Saturday fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis. Trump administration officials have defended the shooting of Pretti, but videos of the encounter and moments preceding it appear to contradict the administration’s narrative. The Homeland Security Department accused Pretti of approaching “US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun,” saying that agents tried to disarm him; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accused Pretti of “domestic terrorism.” A New York Times analysis of videos filmed at the scene suggests that Pretti had been holding a phone, not his gun, when he was attacked by officers. Pretti was tackled to the ground, and an officer pulled what appeared to be a firearm from the group. Following this, at least 10 shots appeared to have been fired at Pretti within five seconds. Rylee Kirk reports for the New York Times; Cheyanne M. Daniels and Jacob Wendler report for POLITICO. 

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino said yesterday that his Customs and Border Patrol agents are “the victims,” following Pretti’s death. Bovino added that federal agents on Saturday  “prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement. So good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that.” Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.  

President Trump yesterday declined to say whether the federal officer who shot Pretti acted appropriately, stating that the administration is “reviewing everything” about the incident, during an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a “very powerful, fully loaded gun with the magazines loaded up with bullets” during a protest activity. Trump also signalled a willingness to withdraw immigration enforcement officials from Minneapolis, saying “At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job.”Josh Dawsey reports.

Gun rights groups over the weekend disputed claims from federal officials that approaching officers while legally armed can justify lethal force. The National Rifle Association said on social media that this sentiment was “dangerous and wrong,” while Gun Owners of America said that the Second Amendment “protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting – a right the federal government must not infringe upon.” Avery Lotz and Andrew Pantazi report for Axios. 

In the hours after Pretti’s shooting, state investigators obtained a search warrant from a Hennepin County judge to access the scene of Pretti’s death, but federal agents refused to honor it and physically blocked state investigators from the area. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Axios that any claim the government would destroy evidence is “a ridiculous attempt to divide the American people.” Kyle Stokes reports. 

Later on Saturday, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, represented by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the destruction of evidence related to the fatal shooting of Pretti. “Federal agents are not above the law and Alex Pretti is certainly not beneath it,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. “A full, impartial, and transparent investigation into his fatal shooting at the hands of DHS agents is non-negotiable.” A federal judge on Saturday granted their request to prevent DHS and other agencies from altering the evidence, giving the Trump administration until midday Monday to respond or object to the order and set a hearing for Monday afternoon. Avery Lotz reports for Axios. 

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Justice Department’s emergency attempt to revive arrest warrants for Don Lemon and four others accused of disrupting a church service in St. Paul, after a magistrate found that the prosecutors lacked evidence for criminal conduct. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.  

GREENLAND 

China and Russia do not present a threat to U.S. interests in or near Greenland, according to current and former U.S officials, including intelligence analysts. “Let me be clear: As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’m closely tracking the facts, and there is no current military threat from Russia or China to Greenland,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) told the New York Times. Edward Wong reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff landed in Israel on Saturday evening for a meeting with Netanyahu that was expected to focus on the opening of the Rafah crossing, two sources said. Barak Ravid reports for Axios. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced yesterday that the Israeli military is conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza. The statement said, “Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing.” It gave no details on how long that would be. Natalie Melzer reports for AP News. 

Israeli fire yesterday killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents in Gaza, while an Israeli drone wounded four others, according to the health officials. The Gaza Health Ministry has said that at least 480 people have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire agreement came into effect last October. Israel has said four soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.  

Israel wants to restrict the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through the border crossing with Egypt to ensure that more are allowed out than in, three sources told Reuters. The sources said it was unclear how Israel planned to enforce limits on the number of Palestinians entering Gaza from Egypt, or what ratio of exits to entries it aimed to achieve. Alexander Cornwell reports. 

TRUMP’S “BOARD OF PEACE”

Netanyahu rejected a request by the White House to allow Israeli President Isaac Herzog to attend the launch ceremony of Trump’s “Board of Peace” last week, according to two sources. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.  

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. officials will meet again next Sunday in Abu Dhabi for a new round of peace talks, U.S. officials said on Saturday. Last week’s trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi touched on economic and military issues, as well as discussions over territory, two officials said. One official told Axios, “It went as well as we could have expected. We feel good where we are now.” The talks took place as Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack against Kyiv and other cities overnight on Friday. Paul McLeary and Felicia Schwartz report for POLITICO; Barak Ravid reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that a U.S. security guarantees document for Ukraine is 100% ready, following two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was waiting for its partners to set a signing date, after which the document would go to the U.S. Congress and Ukrainian parliament for ratification. AP News reports. 

IRAN 

Iranian security forces shot dozens of protestors trying to escape a fire in the city of Rasht during the nationwide protests earlier this month, according to four witnesses. One source said that protestors had sought refuge from security forces in the alleys of an open-air market, which then caught fire on Jan 8. As protesters tried to flee, they were confronted by riot police and plainclothes officers armed with shotguns and assault rifles. Data collected by medical staff in and around Rasht shows more than 80 fatalities at just two hospitals in the city during the two days when the violence peaked. Nilo Tabrizy, Yeganeh Torbati, Meg Kelly, Imogen Piper, and Asal Abasian report for the Washington Post.  

SYRIA 

Syria’s defense ministry announced on Saturday that the ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been extended by another 15 days. Ghaith Alsayed reports for AP News.  

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

The U.S. military on Friday killed two people in another strike on a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific, according to U.S. Southern Command. Ashley Ahn reports for the New York Times. 

Trump said on Friday that the United States used a secret weapon called “The Discombobulator” to disable Venezuelan equipment during the capture of Nicolas Maduro, saying that the weapon made Venezuelan equipment “not work.” “They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Post. AP News reports. 

At least 104 people considered political prisoners by Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal were released on Sunday in Venezuela, according to the leader of the group. Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Friday that 626 people have been released, without specifying the timeline of the reported releases. Before Sunday, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of just 156 political prisoners in Venezuela since January 8. Reuters reports. 

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

China’s defense ministry announced on Saturday that it has opened an investigation into the country’s highest-ranking general, Gen. Zhang Youxia, over “grave violations of discipline and the law.” According to several sources, Zhang is accused of leaking information about China’s nuclear weapons program to the United States and accepting bribes for official acts. Lingling Wei and Chun Han Wong report for the Wall Street Journal; BBC News reports.  

South Sudan’s military yesterday ordered all civilians and personnel from the U.N. mission and all other charities to evacuate three counties in Jonglei State ahead of an operation against fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition. Denis Logonyi reports for Reuters. 

Two members of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council said on Friday they aimed to proceed with a plan to remove Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, despite warnings from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that such a move would face consequences. The standoff comes as the council’s mandate expires on Feb. 7. with no clear succession plan. Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland report for Reuters.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

British leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, condemned Trump’s claims last week that NATO troops stayed “off the front lines” in Afghanistan, calling it insulting and false given Britain’s loss of 457 soldiers. Starmer’s office stated that he had spoken with Trump about the issue on Saturday. Later that day, Trump appeared to backtrack, posting on social media that “the GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America.” Stephen Castle reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.  

Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine is convening a meeting on Feb. 11 of military leaders from 34 countries across the Western Hemisphere, including nations such as Denmark, Britain, and France that have territories there. It is expected to focus, in part, on enhancing regional coordination in fighting drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Trump administration proposed massive cuts to ICE’s body camera program for this fiscal year, including reducing staff members on the program from 22 to three employees and reducing spending from $20.5 million to $5.5 million. A homeland security spending bill passed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week rejected that proposal, instead providing $20 million for ICE and Border Patrol cameras. Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke report for Reuters; Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS 

The Pentagon on Friday released the National Defense Strategy, reaffirming the Trump administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere and defense of the U.S homeland. Jack Detsch reports for POLITICO. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s push to terminate the legal status of more than 8,400 family members of U.S. citizens and green card holders who moved to the United States from seven Latin American countries. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters. 

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

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ICYMI: Last week on Just Security

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