Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.
A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
MINNESOTA
A preliminary review by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s internal watchdog office found that Alex Pretti was shot by two federal officers after resisting arrest, but did not indicate that Pretti was holding a weapon during the encounter, according to an email sent to Congress and reviewed by the New York Times yesterday. The initial review by CBP represents the first official written assessment of Saturday’s shooting. It presents a detailed timeline of the events based on body camera footage and agency documentation. Madeleine Ngo, Alexandra Berzon, and Hamed Aleaziz report.
Border Czar Tom Homan met yesterday with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey separately. Walz’s office said in a statement that he and Homan had met in St. Paul and the two had agreed to continue working towards Minnesota’s goals: a swift reduction in federal forces on the ground, impartial investigations into Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and “an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.” Homan said on social media, “While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point.” Anushka Pati, Ernesto Londono, and Mick Corasaniti report for the New York Times.
A man yesterday sprayed an unknown substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis. Omar had just called for the abolishment of ICE and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when she was sprayed. There was a strong vinegar-like smell after the man pushed the syringe, according to an AP News journalist. Minneapolis police said the man was immediately arrested following the incident. Omar continued speaking for about 25 minutes after the man was ushered out, saying she would not be intimidated. Laura Bargfeld and Hannah Schoenbaum report for AP News.
An ICE agent yesterday tried to forcibly enter Ecuador’s consulate in Minneapolis, according to Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. The ministry said on social media that consular staff prevented the officer from entering the premises and that emergency protocols were activated. Julianna Bragg reports for Axios.
Democratic leaders in Congress and at least two Republicans yesterday called for Noem to lose her job, calling for dramatic changes following Pretti’s death. In a joint statement, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Pete Aguilar (CA) said, “Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.” Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also said Noem should be removed. President Trump yesterday said he would not fire Noem. “I think she’s doing a very good job,” he told reporters. Richard Cowan, Nolan D. McCaskill, and David Morgan report for Reuters.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was barred from his X account by his superiors at CBP on Monday evening, according to a DHS official. Another official said that Bovino would eventually regain access to his social media account once he has returned to his previous post overseeing the U.S.-Mexico border. New York Times.
A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to appear in his courtroom on Friday and has threatened to hold him in contempt for what he says is repeated defiance of judges’ orders in the state. “The court’s patience is at an end,” the order said. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
A review by Reuters of six immigration enforcement incidents in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Texas, including the two fatal shootings this month, shows a pattern in which officials rush to defend immigration officers without waiting for key facts to emerge. These initial representations have been challenged by video footage or other evidence, sometimes in court. “We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, adding that the department aims to “give swift, accurate information to the American people.” Renee Hickman, Ted Hesson, Brad Heath, and Kristina Cooke report.
DHS officers have fired shots during enforcement arrests or at people protesting their operations 16 times since July. Again, in each case, the Trump administration has publicly declared its actions justified before waiting for investigations to be completed. DHS did not respond to questions from The Washington Post on whether the agency has taken disciplinary action against any of its officers involved in shooting incidents. David Nakamura and Olivia George report.
Some TikTok users have accused the app of blocking them from posting videos about ICE or limiting the reach of these videos in recent days. TikTok denied accusations of censorship on Monday, attributing problems to a “major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage at one of our U.S. data center partner sites.” Jason Lalljee reports for Axios.
Meta yesterday stopped Facebook, Instagram, and Threads users from sharing a database claiming to contain thousands of names and photos of ICE agents, citing privacy concerns. Anyone trying to post the ICE List to Facebook as of Tuesday afternoon was warned that the post violates the platform’s community standards. Instagram and Threads users received a message saying the post failed to upload. Dominick Skinner, the creator of the ICE list, told WIRED that links to the website have been shared without issue on Meta’s platforms for 6 months. Alfred Ng reports for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, sources told Reuters. In a letter on Sunday, Gaza’s Hamas-run government urged its more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel to cooperate with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), assuring them it was working to incorporate them into the new government. Hamas and NCAG Chair Ali Shaath have not yet met in person to discuss governance, a Hamas official said. Nidal al-Mughrabi reports.
Israel has cleared land in southern Gaza for the construction of a camp for Palestinians, potentially equipped with surveillance and facial recognition technology at its entrance, Brigadier-General Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general who advises the Israeli military, said yesterday. Avivi said the camp would be used to house Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, as well as those who wish to stay, with entry and exit tracked by Israeli personnel. Pesha Magid reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said yesterday that nearly 1.2 million Russian troops and close to 600,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded or were missing in the war. Helene Cooper reports for the New York Times.
IRAN
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signaled today that they will not allow their airspace to be used for any attack on Iran, following calls with Iranian officials. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who acknowledged the calls but offered few specifics on the discussion. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today that the United States is not at war with Venezuela, that its interim leaders are cooperating, and that the Trump administration would not rule out using additional force if needed, according to his prepared testimony released by the State Department. “We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail,” Rubio will say. Matthew Lee and Stephen Groves report for AP News.
U.S intelligence reports have raised doubts about whether Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez will cooperate with the Trump administration by cutting ties with its allies, such as China, Russia, and Iran, according to four sources. In a speech on Sunday, Rodriguez said she has had “enough” of U.S. intervention. Still, U.S. officials have also held positive calls with her in recent days, according to two of the sources. U.S. officials are developing contacts with senior military and security officials in case they decide to change their approach, another source said. Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay, and Matt Spetalnick report for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
More than 70,000 people have fled a remote region in northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan over uncertainty of a military operation against the Pakistani Taliban, residents and officials said yesterday. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has denied the claims, saying no military operation was underway or planned, and instead attributed the migration to the weather. Riaz Khan reports for AP News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Internal forecasts made by Microsoft last year, obtained by the New York Times, show that the company expected its annual water needs for roughly 100 data center complexes worldwide to roughly triple this decade to 28 billion liters by 2030. That compares with 7.9 billion liters in 2020 and 10.4 billion in 2024. Microsoft said it has updated its projections to reflect a new water-saving technique and now expects to use 18 billion liters of water in 2030. Microsoft’s water use was expected to be particularly significant in areas already facing water crises, such as Jakarta, Indonesia. Adam Satariano, Paul Mozur, and Karen Weise report.
TikTok agreed to settle a social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial was set to start, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed yesterday. Details of the settlement with TikTok have not been disclosed. The trial will proceed as scheduled against Meta and YouTube. Kaitlyn Huamani and Barbara Ortutay report for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday warned that the United States would “no longer help Iraq” if Nuri Kamal al-Maliki returned as Iraq’s prime minister. Maliki was nominated to the prime minister post by the main Shiite bloc in the Iraqi parliament on Saturday. Anton Troianovski reports for the New York Times.
ICE will accompany the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Italy next month “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” DHS confirmed yesterday. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said yesterday that “ICE agents will have no external public order function,” following a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Italy. Motoko Rich reports for the New York Times.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico told EU leaders last week that a meeting with Trump left him shocked by the President’s state of mind, five European diplomats told POLITICO. Fico used the word “dangerous” to describe how Trump came across during their face-to-face meeting earlier this month, according to two diplomats. Two other diplomats said Fico was concerned about Trump’s “psychological state.” Fico said on social media today, “I must emphatically reject the lies of the POLITICO portal about how I assessed my meeting” with Trump. Nicholas Vinocur and Zoya Sheftalovich report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow have agreed to testify before the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, respectively. Meredith Lee Hill reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The family of two Trinidadian men killed in an Oct. 2025 U.S. missile strike on a small boat off the coast of Venezuela filed a wrongful death suit against the administration. Plaintiffs argue that the strike violated international and federal law against extrajudicial killings and seek compensation for the resulting deaths. Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father, who were arrested in a Minneapolis suburb last week. The image of the boy, wearing a Spider-Man backpack and a large winter hat as he was detained by federal agents, quickly became an emblem of the immigration tactics in Minnesota. The judge’s order was brief and did not delve into the details of the case. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports for the New York Times.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
If you enjoy listening, Just Security’s analytic articles are also available in audio form on the justsecurity.org website.
ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
