curated news excerpts & citations
Forbes: Europe Halts US Trade Deal Over Trump’s Greenland Threats
The European Union will stop working to legally implement the U.S. trade deal touted by President Donald Trump in response to threats to the bloc’s “territorial integrity,” the chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade said on Wednesday, days after Trump threatened retaliatory tariffs on some European nations if they did not negotiate over ownership of Greenland.
(Forbes more…)
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – January 21, 2026
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this morning, a visibly exhausted president of the United States of America rambled in angry free association in a speech before the world’s leaders. At one point, speaking of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) dignitaries, he told the audience: “Until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me daddy, right, last time. Very smart man said, ‘He’s our daddy. He’s running it.’”
He meant Greenland.
The president of the United States went on to give a virulently racist, insulting, rambling speech in which he complained that people call him a dictator but that “sometimes you need a dictator.” More than anything, though, the speech demonstrated his mental unfitness for his position. …
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
Bulwark: Donald Trump vs. the World
In his Davos rant, the president lied, insulted allies, and depicted America as a hellhole.
Times of London: What did Trump say in his Davos speech? From Daddy to Iceland
- Trump repeatedly called Greenland ‘Iceland’ by mistake
- Greenland is “actually part of North America”
- He appeared to be confused by the name of Azerbaijan, calling the Caucasian country ‘Abba-baijan’
- Mark Rutte was ‘very smart’ for calling Trump ‘Daddy’
- Trump said Europe is ‘not recognisable’ anymore
Bulwark: Trump Butchers the Golden Goose
National Memo: Soft TACO: Whiny, Insulting, And Incoherent, Trump Retreats In Davos
… Trump has once again backed down from threats on which he couldn’t follow through—but only after causing chaos, sowing turmoil, and further damaging relationships with our closest allies.
He then tried to declare victory for a “deal” that does not exist and—even if it did—would amount to little more than what’s already in place.
Robert Reich: O Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney received a standing ovation after his speech yesterday at the World Economic Forum. In contrast to Trump’s bloviation today, Carney’s is well worth reading. Here it is in full, from the official transcript
Register: Trump says he got a deal for rare earths in Greenland, but they won’t come easy
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AP: Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says
Joyce Vance: ICE Says It Doesn’t Need A Judicial Warrant
Allison Gill: Hidden DHS Memo Instructs ICE to Enter Your Home Without a Proper Warrant
Allison Gill: I Have Filed a FOIA Request for the DHS OGC Determination Allowing ICE to Search Homes Without a Judicial Warrant
National Security Counselors has filed a FOIA on behalf of MSW Media to obtain the legal opinion from the DHS Office of General Counsel calling searches without a judicial warrant “legal.”
Liz Dye: Kristi Noem’s assault on the Fourth Amendment
Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims: In 2026, ICE detainees are dying at an alarming rate
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Waging Nonviolence: Nonviolent discipline is helping turn the tide on ICE
Despite brutal provocation, the people of Minneapolis have been courageous and remarkably nonviolent, embodying the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
(Waging Nonviolence more…)Bulwark: 24 Hours Alongside an ICE Protester in Minneapolis
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Wired: ‘I’m Witnessing a Lot of Emptiness’: How ICE Uprooted Normal Life in Minneapolis
WIRED talks to a postal worker, a teacher, two US citizens detained by federal agents, and six more Minnesota residents about life in an occupied American city.
(Wired more…)Michelle Kull on Facebook: … Last week while filling up my car with gas, I was approached by a masked, armed ICE agent.
… Check on your fellow people of color.
We are not okay and are so very, very tired…Fast Company: Minnesota is holding an economic blackout on January 23 to protest ICE: What to know about the ‘Day of Truth and Freedom’
Labor unions, faith organizations, and local businesses are urging residents statewide to skip work, school, or any shopping on Friday.
Hill: Vance to visit Minneapolis amid immigration crackdown tensions
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HuffPost: ‘The World Needs To See It’: The Moment A Photographer Saved A Camera From ICE
…
Pierre Lavie, a fellow photojournalist, snatched the Leica by the strap and brought it close to his body. As he reached for Abernathy’s phone, which had only traveled a couple of feet, a federal officer repeatedly tried to stomp on it.“I had to Hungry Hippo my hand in and out to avoid my hand getting stepped on, and I managed to finally grab it and get it away,” Lavie told HuffPost.
(HuffPost more…)
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Bloomberg: Foreign Enrollment at US Colleges Sinks, First Time in Years
Foreign student enrollment at US universities fell by 1.4% this fall, the first drop in three years after the Trump administration clamped down on immigration and took aim at a bevy of elite schools.
The number of international students across the country dropped by close to 5,000, even as the overall number of students grew by 1%, according to data released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The decline was driven by graduate student programs, where enrollment fell by 6% — or nearly 10,000 students — after shooting up more than 50% between 2020 and 2024.
(Bloomberg more…)
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arsTECHNICA: Judge orders stop to FBI search of devices seized from Washington Post reporter
Intercept: FBI’s Washington Post Investigation Shows How Your Printer Can Snitch on You
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Register: Social Security Administration admits it underreported DOGE dirty dealings
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National Memo: Who Are The Biggest Fraudsters In Minnesota (And America)? They’re Not Somali
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Al Jazeera: Israel’s wanted war criminal Netanyahu joins Gaza ‘board of peace’
Netanyahu’s participation, despite an ICC warrant seeking his arrest for war crimes in Gaza, will add to concerns over the objectivity of the board.
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Ken Klippenstein: Leaked Doc: Homeland Security’s Domestic Terror Obsession
Forget Greenland; the American public are the real target
…One phrase in particular stands out to me as new: potential terrorism based upon “class-based or economic grievances.” (The term has not appeared in any previous assessment.)
(Ken Klippenstein more…)
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Eric Topol: Spotlight on the Shingles Vaccine—Again!
Two new studies add to a remarkable body of evidence for benefit
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Decoding Fox News: Fox News: Run For Your Lives It’s an Army of Childless Cat Ladies
A condensed overview of 15 hours of Fox News for the week ending 1/18/26
[China is the world’s leading producer of wind power with a capacity of 442 GW, followed by the U.S. at 148 GW.]
Margaret Chase Smith: Declaration of Conscience
NPR: January 6, 2021: A visual archive
Accountability Initiative ICE List
GriftMatrix
Trump Action Tracker
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
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