⛪Christian Leaders Call for Justice After Anti-ICE Protesters Disrupt St. Paul Church Service
On Sunday, January 18, 2026, a group of anti-ICE activists entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a worship service, chanting slogans such as “Justice for Renee Good” and “ICE out” while accusing one of the pastors of ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in connection with the recent fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis; the disruption, which traumatized congregants including children and was captured on video by former CNN host Don Lemon who accompanied the protesters, prompted widespread condemnation from Christian leaders who described it as an outrageous interference with religious worship and a potential violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, leading the Department of Justice under the Trump administration to launch a civil rights investigation with vows of prosecution to protect houses of worship and uphold the rule of law.
Sources: FOX News, The Christian Post
💸Schumer Pledges to Reverse DOGE Spending Reductions if Democrats Gain Control in Midterms
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has stated that Democrats will work to restore most of the funding cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk under the Trump administration, and even increase spending above prior levels for many affected programs if Democrats secure gains in the upcoming midterms. Speaking at a Center for American Progress forum, Schumer highlighted ongoing budget negotiations, particularly for the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) bill, where the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed boosting fiscal year 2026 funding by about $5 billion over the previous year, emphasizing bipartisan efforts to undo DOGE’s reductions in areas viewed as essential services while DOGE has already achieved $115 billion in enacted cuts from identified wasteful spending.
Sources: The Post Millennial, Breitbart
⚠️ Minneapolis Descends into Chaos as Anti-ICE Activists Target Suspected Supporters
In Minneapolis, amid heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement operations, anti-ICE activists have engaged in widespread harassment and physical attacks against individuals they perceive as connected to ICE, including surrounding a deli where tech workers were falsely identified via social media alerts as undercover agents, forcing a man to remove his patriotic hoodie in freezing weather under threats, assaulting a passerby with a flagpole in a parking garage causing significant injury, blocking an elderly woman with a walker while chanting insults, and attacking a conservative activist who entered the crowd; these incidents, occurring around January 18, 2026, reflect a breakdown in public order where groups hunt down suspected supporters based on rumors, clothing, or presence, while local police have been notably absent and a hotel housing ICE agents temporarily closed due to safety concerns stemming from the unrest.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, FOX News
🚨 Minneapolis Mayor Says City Is ‘Under Siege’ Amid ICE Operations, Reports of 1,500 Pentagon Troops on Standby
Summary
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, characterized his city as being “under siege” and “invaded” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge, which has deployed nearly 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota following recent protests and two shootings involving ICE officers, including the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. Frey described the federal actions as ridiculous, unconstitutional, and designed to intimidate, while urging residents to avoid escalating chaos by not “taking the bait” from the administration; meanwhile, the Pentagon has placed approximately 1,500 active-duty troops on standby for potential deployment amid the ongoing tensions, and the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into Frey and Governor Tim Walz over allegations of impeding federal law enforcement.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, The Daily Mail
🕋 Conservative Activist Assaulted During Anti-Islam Protest in Minneapolis
On January 17, 2026, conservative activist Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 participant known for his anti-Islam views, was assaulted by counter-protesters during his small rally outside Minneapolis City Hall, where he planned to burn a Quran in opposition to what he described as the increasing influence of Islam in the United States amid heightened immigration enforcement tensions; reports indicate he was dragged into a crowd, struck repeatedly on the head and neck causing bleeding, doused with liquid, and faced a stabbing attempt that his body armor blocked, before being mobbed again at his vehicle as he attempted to leave, with no arrests detailed in initial accounts and police presence reportedly limited.
Sources: The Straits Times, Townhall.com
🙅🏼♀️Mainstream Media Overreacts to New Acronym Describing Liberal White Women
Mainstream media outlets have reacted strongly to the emergence of the acronym AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal), a term used by some on the right to describe liberal white women, particularly in the context of protests and incidents related to immigration enforcement, including the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis after she allegedly attempted to run over an ICE agent; the term, presented as a straightforward demographic descriptor rather than a slur, has drawn criticism from publications like The New York Times for allegedly reflecting deeper anxieties around race, gender, and immigration, while the ZeroHedge article highlights perceived hypocrisy in the media’s outrage given their frequent use of harsh labels against conservatives and Trump supporters.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Burning Platform
✔️ Virginia Gov. Spanberger Rescinds Predecessor’s Order Requiring State Cooperation with ICE on First Day in Office
On January 17, 2026, shortly after being sworn in as Virginia’s governor and the first woman to hold the office, Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order rescinding Executive Order 47 issued by former Governor Glenn Youngkin, which had mandated state and local law enforcement participation in the federal 287(g) program to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigration enforcement matters; Spanberger stated that state and local resources should focus on core public safety duties such as investigating crimes and community policing rather than enforcing federal civil immigration laws, which she described as a federal responsibility, and emphasized in her inaugural address the need to ensure the security and safety of all residents, including hard-working, law-abiding immigrant neighbors. This change, celebrated by immigrant advocacy groups as a step toward protecting immigrant communities and reflecting support from Latino voters in her election, has drawn criticism from Republican leaders who argue it reduces cooperation with federal authorities and potentially compromises public safety.
Sources: Cardinal News, Just The News
⚖️ DOJ Opens Criminal Probe into Widow of Woman Killed in ICE Confrontation
The Department of Justice has initiated a criminal investigation into Rebecca (Becca) Good, the widow of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation in early January 2026. According to sources familiar with the matter, the probe examines whether Becca Good impeded a federal officer in the moments leading up to the shooting, with attention also directed toward her possible connections to activist groups involved in monitoring or protesting immigration enforcement actions. Cellphone footage from the ICE agent shows a confrontation in which Becca Good is heard taunting the officer and urging her wife to drive forward, after which Renee Good accelerated the vehicle toward the agent, prompting him to fire. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has stated that there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation into the ICE agent’s actions, which authorities describe as self-defense. Becca Good’s attorney has indicated no direct contact from federal officials confirming that she is the subject of an investigation.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Mail
🛑 Minnesota Senator Declares Cedar-Riverside ‘No-Go Zone’ for White Supremacists, Cites Community Protection
Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member representing parts of Minneapolis, declared the Somali-populated Cedar-Riverside neighborhood a “no-go zone for white supremacists” in social media posts on January 18, 2026, amid heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and recent protests in the Twin Cities area. Posting photographs of himself with two other men in front of the Cedar Riverside towers, Fateh stated, “Cedar Strong. White Supremacists aren’t welcome here. We protect our own,” and further affirmed in response to criticism that the area operates as a no-go zone specifically for white supremacists, while indicating that the community maintains its own patrol for protection. The remarks draw attention due to the term “no-go zone,” which has been associated with certain European neighborhoods where outsider access is reportedly limited, though Fateh has not provided a specific definition of “white supremacist” in this context.
Sources: The Post Millennial, FOX News
⛔ Dutch Student-Refugee Housing Experiment Leads to Years of Reported Sexual Assaults and Violence
In 2018, a housing complex called Stek Oost in Amsterdam’s Watergraafsmeer district launched an integration initiative that placed 125 Dutch students alongside 125 refugees, with encouragement for them to form buddy relationships to aid assimilation; however, over the following years, residents reported persistent issues including sexual assaults, harassment, stalking, threats, and violence, such as a 2019 rape of a female student by a Syrian refugee who was later convicted in 2024 and sentenced to three years in prison, multiple other reported sex attacks between 2018 and 2021, and a suspected gang rape in 2023, prompting the managing housing association Stadgenoot to express being overwhelmed and seek closure of the facility—though local authorities cited legal hurdles to evictions and the complex is scheduled to end operations in 2028.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Daily Mail
🕸️Chinese-Linked Cyberespionage Group Targets U.S. Officials with Venezuela-Themed Phishing Campaign
A Chinese-linked cyberespionage group, identified by industry researchers as Mustang Panda and previously described by the U.S. Department of Justice as sponsored by the People’s Republic of China, conducted a phishing operation against U.S. government and policy-related officials using emails themed around developments in Venezuela. The campaign began shortly after a U.S. operation to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with researchers from Acronis discovering a malicious ZIP file titled “US now deciding what’s next for Venezuela” uploaded to a public analysis site on January 5, 2026. The attached malware, which overlapped in code and infrastructure with prior Mustang Panda operations, was compiled rapidly in apparent haste to capitalize on the unfolding geopolitical events, enabling potential data theft and persistent network access if successfully deployed. It remains unclear whether specific entities were compromised, and China has denied involvement in such activities.
Sources: The Register, The Straits Times
☠️ Iranian Regime’s Deadly Crackdown on Nationwide Protests Claims Thousands of Lives
According to an analysis reported by The Sunday Times of London, based on testimonies from doctors inside Iran, medical data from multiple hospitals and emergency departments, and other accounts facilitated through restricted channels like Starlink, the Iranian regime has killed at least 16,500 protesters and injured over 330,000 amid ongoing nationwide unrest that escalated in early January 2026. The crackdown, involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij militia using live ammunition including machine guns, has been described as exceptionally brutal, with most casualties occurring over intense days of violence targeting demonstrators calling for an end to Islamic rule, including many young people, children, and pregnant women; the regime has imposed a near-total internet blackout to limit information flow, while official Iranian statements have acknowledged several thousand deaths but attributed them to foreign conspiracies and raised their verified count to around 5,000 including some security personnel.
Sources: The Times of London, Legal Insurrection
🌐 EU Convenes Emergency Meeting to Address Trump’s Tariff Threats Linked to Greenland Acquisition Push
The European Union held an emergency meeting of ambassadors from its 27 member states on January 18, 2026, in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement of escalating tariffs on eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland—unless they agree to a U.S. purchase of Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty. Trump stated on Truth Social that a 10% tariff on goods from these nations would begin February 1, rising to 25% on June 1, framing the measure as essential for U.S. national security and global stability due to Greenland’s strategic Arctic position and rare-earth mineral resources, while warning of potential Chinese or Russian influence if the U.S. does not gain control. The targeted countries, which recently deployed limited military personnel to Greenland to support shared transatlantic Arctic security efforts, issued a joint statement affirming solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, rejecting the tariff approach as undermining alliance relations and risking escalation, and emphasizing that sovereignty and territorial integrity must guide any discussions. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have firmly maintained that Greenland’s future remains a matter for its people alone, with no interest in sale or external takeover.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Reuters
🕌 Emerging Muslim-Majority Defense Pact Could Target Somaliland’s Autonomy
A recently signed Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which includes a collective defense clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, forms the basis of what analysts describe as a nascent “Islamic NATO,” with Turkey reportedly in advanced talks to join, potentially creating a powerful bloc combining Saudi financial resources, Pakistani military and nuclear capabilities, and Turkish defense expertise and NATO experience. This developing alignment, centered on Saudi Arabia and extending to pacts involving Somalia and Egypt, opposes Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence—recently recognized by Israel—amid converging interests to counter UAE influence in the Horn of Africa, as evidenced by Somalia’s Defense Minister requesting Saudi action against Somaliland modeled on operations in South Yemen, raising concerns that Somaliland’s relatively vulnerable forces could become an early focus if the coalition consolidates without swift deterrence from its partners like the UAE, Ethiopia, and Israel.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The First Post
🌊UN High Seas Treaty Expands International Control Over Ocean Resources
The United Nations has asserted greater authority over global oceans with the entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, known as the High Seas Treaty, on January 17, 2026, after securing the 60th ratification in September 2025. This binding international framework, adopted in 2023 following nearly two decades of negotiations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, creates mechanisms to regulate and oversee marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, encompassing nearly half the planet’s surface, regions that were previously largely free from centralized oversight. It mandates sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources, which raises concerns about forced redistribution of economic gains, authorizes the designation of marine protected areas via management tools that could limit national resource extraction and development, requires stringent environmental impact assessments for high seas activities potentially stifling private enterprise, and emphasizes capacity-building and technology transfers to aid developing nations, contributing to goals like safeguarding 30 percent of ocean areas by 2030 while prompting questions about encroachments on national sovereignty in the face of issues such as overfishing, pollution, and climate impacts.
Sources: FOX News, Heritage.org