Early Edition: January 27, 2026

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

MINNESOTA

President Trump announced yesterday that Border Czar Tom Homan was going to Minnesota to oversee ICE operations in the state, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday. “[Tom] has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump said. The Trump administration is also planning to move Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and several other Border Patrol agents out of Minneapolis, according to two officials. Bovino has been stripped of his title “commander at large” of the Border Patrol and will return to his former job as chief patrol agent along part of the U.S.-Mexico border, where he is expected to retire soon, a DHS official and two other sources told The Atlantic. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO; Hamed Aleaziz reports for the New York Times; Brad Brooks, Jack Queen, and Andy Sullivan report for Reuters; Nick Miroff reports for The Atlantic. 

Following a call with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) yesterday, Trump said on social media that he and Walz “seemed to be on a similar wavelength” and that Walz was “happy” that Homan would arrive in Minnesota soon. According to Walz’s office, the governor told Trump that impartial investigations into the two killings in Minneapolis were needed, and a reduction in the number of federal agents, which Trump agreed to look into. Luke Broadwater and David E. Sanger report for the New York Times. 

A few hours later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt continued the administration’s previous strategy of blaming Minnesota Democrats for creating chaos in the state, saying “this tragedy occurred as a result of deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota for weeks.” Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO. 

A Trump administration lawyer yesterday assured a federal judge that investigators have preserved the body-camera footage and other evidence from Pretti’s shooting. The lawyer also said he did not know whether the federal government would preserve evidence after the federal investigation ended so officials could share it with Minnesota investigators. The Trump administration also appeared to acknowledge that its investigation was limited to a “use of force” review aimed at determining whether government employees had violated training standards, according to court filings. Devlin Barrett, Alan Feuer, and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times; Maria Sacchetti and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Washington Post. 

During another hearing yesterday in Minneapolis, Minnesota state lawyers urged a federal judge to order the federal government to dramatically curtail its operations. The judge did not immediately rule on the state’s request. Maria Sacchetti and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Washington Post. 

Federal prosecutors yesterday dropped assault charges against a man accused of ramming his vehicle into federal agents during an immigration operation outside a Mexican restaurant in Minnesota this month. The dismissal of the charges against Jose Espinoza-Espinoza came at a five-minute hearing where prosecutors did not present any witnesses to establish probable cause that an assault had been committed. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.  

More than 100 refugees with no criminal record from about a dozen countries have been arrested in Minnesota by immigration agents in recent weeks and flown to detention centers in Texas for interviews, according to lawyers and other sources. New York Times.  

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

Israel yesterday brought home the remains of the last hostage in Gaza. The return of Ran Gvili’s remains should pave the way for the second phase of the ceasefire and the opening of the Rafah crossing in the coming days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday in an address to the Israeli parliament, “the next phase is disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. The next phase is not reconstruction.” Julia Frankel and Samy Magdy report for AP News. 

Trump told Axios yesterday that Hamas had helped locate the remains of the last Israeli hostage, adding, “Now we have to disarm Hamas like they promised.” A senior U.S. official confirmed that in a briefing with reporters. “I will say Hamas was very cooperative in this. They fulfilled the obligation that they signed up for.” Barak Ravid reports.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH – CEASEFIRE

Hezbollah said yesterday that an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon killed TV presenter Ali Nour al-Din. The Israeli military said that al-Din was a Hezbollah militant who recently worked to rehabilitate the group’s artillery capabilities. Reuters reports. 

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

The Trump administration has signalled to Ukraine that U.S. security guarantees depend on Kyiv agreeing to a peace deal that is likely to require ceding the Donbas region to Russia, according to eight sources. Washington has also suggested it would promise Ukraine more weaponry to bolster its peacetime army if it agreed to withdraw its forces from the parts of the eastern region it controls, two people said. The United States has yet to give its final approval to the security agreements, even though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that the text was “100 per cent ready.” Christopher Miller, Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Amy Mackinnon report for the Financial Times.  

An AP News investigation has found that Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work, only to be taken to an army camp for training in drone warfare techniques, medical evacuation procedures, and basic combat skills using heavy weapons. Three Bangladeshi men shared accounts of being coerced into front-line tasks against their will, including advancing ahead of Russian forces, transporting supplies, evacuating wounded soldiers, and recovering the dead. Samya Kullab reports.

IRAN

Iran’s currency, the rial, fell today to a record low of 1.5 million to the dollar following nationwide protests. Also today, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 6,126 people died during the crackdown. Iran’s government has put the death toll far lower, at 3,117. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.  

Trump has received several U.S. intelligence reports indicating that the Iranian government’s position is weakening, according to multiple sources. The reports signal that the Iranian government’s hold on power is at its weakest point since the shah was overthrown in the 1979 revolution. Tyler Pager, Julian E. Barnes, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.  

Trump told Axios yesterday that the situation with Iran is “in flux,” because he sent a “big armada” to the region but thinks Tehran genuinely wants to cut a deal. White House officials say that strikes in Iran are still on the table, though the protests have largely been suppressed. Sources close to Trump say he has not yet made a decision and will likely hold more consultations this week. The USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships entered U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility yesterday. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.  

SYRIA 

Russia is withdrawing forces from Qamishli airport in north-eastern Syria, moving to end its military presence in the area where the Syrian government is trying to seize control from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, five Syrian sources said. Russia is expected to maintain its air base and naval facility on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. Reuters reports. 

Iraqi Intelligence Chief Hamid al-Shatri says that the number of Islamic State fighters in Syria has grown from 2,000 to 10,000 in little more than a year. This figure has not been confirmed elsewhere. The latest U.N. Security Council report estimated 3,000 Islamic State members in Syria and Iraq combined as of August last year. Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim report for the Washington Post.  

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR 

The Sudanese military said yesterday that it has broken a siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary on Dilling, a key town in the South Kordofan region. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. AP News reports.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS  

Iran is now the primary supplier of jet fuel and urea to Myanmar’s military, according to a Reuters investigation. The deliveries violated Western sanctions on both countries. Gavin Finch, Devjyot Ghoshal, Han Huang, and Adolfo Arranz report for Reuters.  

Islamic State-linked militants on Sunday killed at least 22 civilians in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province, according to an internal U.N. report and local civil society leaders. Ange Adihe Kasongo reports for Reuters.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Trump said yesterday that South Korea’s legislature had failed to ratify a trade deal with the United States and so “hereby [increased] South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%.” South Korean officials today insisted that the trade deal did not require parliamentary ratification because the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding, not a treaty. Choe Sang-Hun reports for the New York Times.  

“If anyone thinks here… that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told members of the EU Parliament yesterday. Several politicians pressed Rutte on his discussions last week with Trump about Greenland, though Rutte did not elaborate on the framework deal Trump announced. Jeffrey Gettleman reports for the New York Times. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said yesterday that Washington would know if a free trade deal were on the table with China, pointing to a rule under the North American trade deal that requires parties to give such notice. Carney stressed that Canada’s recent, limited trade adjustments with China fall well short of an FTA and comply with USMCA rules. Zi-Ann Lum reports for POLITICO.  

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal appeals court yesterday declined to reimpose restrictions on federal agents at protests in Minnesota, refusing the American Civil Liberties Union’s plea to do so in a new filing following this weekend’s fatal shooting. The panel ruled that the limits imposed by a lower court judge earlier this month were too broad and vague. Zach Schonfeld reports for the Hill.