đď¸ Senate Democrats Threaten to Block DHS Funding Over Minneapolis Shooting, Raising Shutdown Odds
Senate Democrats, rallied by the fatal shooting of Alex Prettiâa 37-year-old armed protester gunned down by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolisâare refusing to support a key government funding package that includes money for the Department of Homeland Security. This standoff, fueled by outrage over what they call excessive and abusive federal immigration actions amid the Trump administrationâs crackdown, has united the party behind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumerâs vow to withhold votes needed to advance the bill, demanding stronger curbs on ICE and Border Patrol operations. The move heightens the chance of a partial government shutdown starting January 31, as the DHS portion is bundled into a larger $1.3 trillion spending measure already passed by the House, leaving Senate Republicans short of the 60 votes required without Democratic cooperationâthough the incident has Democrats framing it as a necessary stand against perceived overreach rather than routine funding politics.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post
âď¸ Massive Winter Storm Disrupts Over 15,000 U.S. Flights Amid Widespread Chaos
A historic winter storm stretching over 2,300 miles from New Mexico to Maine has hammered air travel across much of the country, disrupting more than 15,000 flights with nearly 10,000 cancellations through Monday and around 5,000 delays reported as of early Saturday morning; the brutal mix of heavy snow, ice, freezing temperatures, and dangerous conditions has led to airport closures at places like Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, John Wayne in Orange County, and San Diego International, while major carriers such as American Airlines (822 cancellations), Southwest (571), Delta (165), and United (150) have taken the hardest hits according to FlightAware tracking dataâthe National Weather Service has warned folks to avoid travel if possible, the storm has blanketed over 190 million Americans under winter alerts, breaking records for simultaneous Winter Storm Warnings, and even prompted President Trump to note on Truth Social that his administration is coordinating with officials and FEMA stands ready, all while the FAA keeps a close eye on snow removal and de-icing efforts in this punishing blast of old-fashioned winter misery.
đ¸ The House Approves $839 Billion Defense Spending Package Laden With Earmarks
The House of Representatives recently passed an $838.7 billion (often rounded to $839 billion) fiscal 2026 defense appropriations bill in a lopsided 341-88 bipartisan vote, adding about $8.4 billion above the Pentagonâs original request while addressing various funding gaps. Critics point out the inclusion of several unrequested or unwanted items that smack of classic congressional pork, such as $897 million directed toward the Navyâs next-generation F/A-XX fighter program with a specified contract award, $1.1 billion to keep the Air Forceâs E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft alive despite the serviceâs push to cancel it, and roughly $300 million for the Armyâs Joint Light Tactical Vehicle despite calls to end the program. These additions prioritize narrow industrial or local interests over strict military priorities, contributing to a bill that advances massive military outlays with limited fiscal restraint as it heads to the Senate ahead of a potential appropriations deadline.
Sources: ZeroHedge, Breaking Defense
âđź DHS Agent Reportedly Loses Finger in Minneapolis Protest Melee
A Department of Homeland Security (HSI) officer had his finger bitten offâlikely losing it entirelyâwhen anti-ICE protesters turned violent amid chaos in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, following a Border Patrol-involved shooting that killed a 37-year-old local man, Alex Pretti, during a federal immigration enforcement action; DHS officials described the scene as rioters attacking agents, with one protester allegedly biting the officerâs finger during the confrontation, prompting outrage over the assault on federal law enforcement as tensions boiled over from the fatal shooting where the deceased was said to have approached agents armed with a handgun, though conflicting accounts and bystander footage have fueled disputes about the full circumstances.
Sources: Legal Insurrection. FOX News
đş FCC Issues Guidance on Equal Opportunities Rule for Broadcast Talk Shows
The Federal Communications Commission has reminded the major broadcast networks that their daytime and late-night talk shows must comply with the long-standing equal opportunities requirement under Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934, meaning if a legally qualified political candidate appears on such a program, opposing candidates for the same office are entitled to comparable airtime and placement; the agency clarified that it sees no evidence current interview segments on these shows qualify for the bona fide news exemption, particularly when driven by partisan motives, a shift in enforcement posture highlighted by Chairman Brendan Carr who noted networks had long assumed partisan-flavored programs counted as exempt news, while Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez pushed back that nothing has changed in the rules and broadcasters retain editorial discretion based on newsworthiness without fear of government pressure. This guidance, backed by studies showing extreme guest imbalancesâsuch as ABCâs The View hosting 128 liberals versus just two conservatives in 2025, and late-night programs featuring 99% liberal guests in the second half of the yearâputs shows like The View, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on notice that they can no longer rely on outdated precedents to skirt providing access to GOP candidates without risking complaints or obligations.
Sources: The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times
Todayâs Featured Opinion-Analysis:
Why Bureaucrats & Corporate Insiders
Are Destroying American Healthcare
đą Minneapolis Activists Allegedly Run Coordinated Signal Network to Shadow ICE Operations
In Minneapolis, amid the Trump administrationâs surge of immigration enforcement, including ICE agents, a citizen journalist claims to have infiltrated multiple Signal chat groups operated by left-wing activists. These groups reportedly function like a shadow surveillance network, dividing the city into patrol zones, using military-style reporting (such as the SALUTE system for detailing unit size, activity, location, uniforms, and time), maintaining databases for vehicle plate checks, dispatching real-time alerts to mobilize protesters, and training participants for roles like mobile patrols and dispatchers. The operation aims to spot suspected federal vehicles, share locations, and impede agents through confrontation, harassment, or obstruction, with some claims suggesting possible local law enforcement leaks of data. The narrative ties into broader tensions, including recent shootings involving federal agents and federal subpoenas to Minnesota officials over potential interference, though the primary evidence stems from screenshots and recordings shared on X by the infiltrator.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Washington Examiner
đĽ Left-Wing Groups Shift Tactics to Disrupt Economic Infrastructure in Minneapolis
Left-wing nonprofit organizations and affiliated activist networks in Minneapolis have reportedly moved away from direct confrontations with federal immigration agents toward actions aimed at choking off key economic access points, exemplified by a recent demonstration where roughly 100 protesters were arrested after blocking the main road to Terminal 1 at MinneapolisâSt. Paul International Airport; this appears part of a broader âeconomic blackoutâ effort in Minnesota, framed by critics as a test run for wider disruptions in sanctuary cities, potentially funded through dark-money channels and aligned with pressure tactics seen in other protest movements, though local reports describe coordinated business closures, work stoppages, and community actions in opposition to ongoing ICE enforcement activities following an officer-involved incident.
đŁ Minnesota Antifa Figure Urges Armed Action Against ICE Following Fatal Shooting
A self-identified Antifa militant in Minnesota, going by Kyle on Instagram (@Kaos.follows), posted a video wearing tactical gear and smoking, where he exhorted followers to arm themselves and mobilize against ICE and law enforcement in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen Alex Jeffrey Pretti by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration-related operation; the agent reportedly fired defensive shots after attempts to disarm Pretti, who was armed, failed amid a confrontation, sparking protests and unrest in the city, while Kyleâs rant dismissed peaceful protest in favor of readiness with firearms to confront what he termed Nazi-like gunmen operating with impunity, all set against the backdrop of a Trump executive order classifying Antifa as a terrorist threat warranting disruption of its activities.
Sources: The Post Millennial, FOX9 Minneapolis
𤥠California Defies Federal Exit by Joining WHO Outbreak Network
California Governor Gavin Newsom has positioned the state as the first and only U.S. state to join the World Health Organizationâs Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a move announced shortly after the Trump administration completed the United Statesâ full withdrawal from the WHO on January 22, 2026. Newsom, fresh from a meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Economic Forum in Davos, described the federal pullout as a reckless step that endangers public health preparedness, vowing that California would not stand by amid the resulting âchaosâ and would instead maintain global partnerships to protect its residents from emerging threats. The federal decision, driven by long-standing criticisms of the WHOâs COVID-19 handling and perceived biases, ended U.S. funding and membership after a process initiated earlier, while Californiaâs direct affiliation through its Department of Public Health aims to ensure continued access to international outbreak coordination and rapid response resources.
Sources: Governorâs Office - State of California, The Hill
đ¤ Virginia Democrats Eye Funding Cuts to Historic VMI Over Missing DEI Mandates
Fresh off taking control in Richmond, Virginia Democrats are moving quickly to put the squeeze on the Virginia Military Institute, the nationâs oldest state-supported military college, by questioning its lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and floating investigations that could yank state funding or even shake up its governanceâbecause apparently a place known for producing military leaders needs more bureaucracy to decide if itâs âinclusiveâ enough.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, Cardinal News
â ď¸ Iran Protest Crackdown Death Toll Estimates Soar Amid Regimeâs Silence
A report, drawing from Time magazine and Iranian hospital records, claims that as many as 30,000 people may have died nationwide during a brutal two-day security crackdown on January 8-9, 2026, amid escalating anti-government protests that began in late December 2025 over economic woes and ballooned into calls to topple the regime; this staggering figure dwarfs Iranâs official state media tally of 3,117 killed (including civilians and security personnel), while other activist groups like HRANA have confirmed over 5,000 deaths with thousands more under review, and opposition outlets push numbers into the tens of thousands based on leaked documents and eyewitness accounts of security forces using live ammunition, snipers, and heavy weapons after imposing communications blackoutsâleaving hospitals overwhelmed, bodies transported en masse, and the U.N. extending probes into what looks like one of the regimeâs ugliest episodes of crowd control in years.
Sources: NewsMax, Time Magazine
𩸠Trump Administration Eyes Oil Chokehold on Communist Cuba
The Trump White House is seriously considering a full blockade on oil deliveries to Cuba as one option to accelerate the collapse of the islandâs long-standing communist regime, now seen as more vulnerable than ever after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro cut off Havanaâs primary cheap oil supply lifeline. Officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, view energy restrictions as the key âchokeholdâ to force regime change in 2026, legally supported by the Helms-Burton Act, with hardline Republicans like Senator Rick Scott pushing for zero petroleum or funds reaching the island amid existing fuel shortages and economic woes; this builds on Trumpâs earlier Truth Social warnings that no more Venezuelan oil or money will flow to Cuba and urging the regime to âmake a deal before itâs too late,â though no final decision has been made and internal debates continue over escalation.
Sources: The Daily Mail, The UK Sun
𧧠China Removes Two Senior Generals in Ongoing Military Shake-Up
Chinaâs defense ministry has placed two high-ranking officersâPolitburo member and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, along with CMC member and Joint Staff Department chief Liu Zhenliâunder investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, following a Party Central Committee probe that led to formal case reviews; the move comes amid Xi Jinpingâs extended campaign to root out corruption and tighten control over the Peopleâs Liberation Army, highlighted by their unexplained absence from a key Beijing seminar earlier in the week, and marks yet another twist in the regimeâs habit of cycling through top brass on vague graft allegations that conveniently consolidate power at the very top.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Reuters
𧧠The Chinese Regime Tightens Passport Controls on Ordinary Citizens in Select Provinces
Local authorities in parts of southwest China, including Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, have been demanding that some ordinary residents and frequent international travelers hand over their passports for âtemporaryâ custody, often without any clear legal basis or timeline for return, expanding long-standing restrictions that already apply to public servants and now touch groups like Catholic clergy. Reports from affected residents describe police or subdistrict officials collecting passports from those who book overseas flightsâparticularly to places like the US, Europe, or Japanâfollowed by interrogations about travel purposes before departure and required statements upon return, all enforced through verbal instructions rather than formal laws, raising concerns about arbitrary curbs on freedom of movement in these areas.
Sources: The Vision Times, The New Kerala
đŞ Carney Rejects Full Free Trade Deal with China Amid U.S. Tariff Warnings
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has explicitly ruled out any comprehensive free trade agreement with China, directly addressing and dismissing concerns raised by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if Ottawa allows Beijing greater market access that could serve as a backdoor into the American economy. Carney described his recent agreementâreducing Canadaâs 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles to 6.1% under strict quotas in return for China lowering barriers on Canadian agriculture and exploring auto-sector investmentsâas a targeted fix to 2024 trade retaliations rather than a step toward broader free trade, insisting it complies with USMCA provisions on nonmarket economies. The exchange highlights ongoing friction as the U.S. prepares to renegotiate the USMCA, with Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent voicing worries that loosened Canadian restrictions on Chinese goods could undermine American interests.
Sources: NewsMax, FOX Business