Good morning, Welcome to MS NOW's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. First, some breaking news: Minnesota officials say federal agents shot and killed a man on Saturday in Minneapolis, sparking chaotic clashes between protesters and officers near the scene of the incident. The victim, identified as 37-year-old ICU nurse and Minnesota resident Alex Pretti, died at a nearby hospital. The city has been on edge for weeks due to federal law enforcement's large and aggressive presence, with tensions escalating following the recent killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Follow MS NOW for the latest updates. Meanwhile, senators have an opportunity to curb ICE and Border Patrol funding, the Trump administration argues that you don't have a right to observe immigration agents on the job, the U.S. is not invading Greenland after all, and the rest of the world is starting to think about what a world order without Uncle Sam at the top might look like. Plus, the Trump official who wants a new TV series to boldly go away. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
DHS showdown: Many voters who watched yet another American protester shot and killed in the middle of a Minneapolis street on Saturday are now looking to Congress to finally rein in ICE. The timing is significant. This week, the Senate plans to vote on six government funding bills ahead of a Jan. 30 government shutdown deadline. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer seems to understand the urgency of the moment, vowing to oppose any spending package that includes DHS funding. This is the right approach argues Mike Zamore, national director of policy and government affairs at the ACLU. If Congress renews the ICE budget with no strings attached, it risks becoming complicit in violence, violations of rights, and chaos. Read more. |
ICE Watch: A government lawyer recently argued in federal court that observing the police is not protected by the Constitution. That could not be farther from the truth, argues Scott Hechinger, a civil rights lawyer and former public defender. In fact, video evidence is often "the only thing standing between a lie and a life being ruined by it," he writes. While the Trump administration spreads false claims to justify its aggressive immigration enforcement in places like Minneapolis, video taken by bystanders has helped show the public the truth. In fact, he argues, "filming and documenting ICE and other law enforcement activities and arrests is the most American thing you can do." Read more. |
Greenland's soft landing: After all the bellicose threats, President Donald Trump has pulled back from the brink of economic and military war with Europe over his quest to annex Greenland after announcing a "framework of a future deal" over the Danish territory. The details are still unclear, but it's a relief that Trump seems to have found an off-ramp from "one of the dumbest and most dangerous foreign policy ideas he's ever had," argues Zeeshan Aleem. While this will likely reward Trump for his bad behavior, the deal appears to be fairly benign — and may even be mostly illusory. Read more. |
New world order? Frustrated with America's increasingly hostile behavior, Western allies are starting to chart their own path. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the leaders of Belgium, France and Canada called for new relationships with one another as a hedge against American bullying, notes political columnist Michael A. Cohen. But there have also been moments in the past when it seemed like a new world order was about to emerge, only to have America re-emerge as the center of multilateral efforts. For all their current frustrations, Canadian and European leaders "would almost certainly welcome a sane America back with open arms" — even Mark Carney. Read more. |
Set phasers to stunned: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and other conservatives are upset that a new "Star Trek" series is "woke." That's because they appear to have completely missed the point of the decades-old science-fiction franchise, argues culture critic John DeVore. Since its launch in the 1960s, the franchise has tackled everything from racism and the Cold War to philosophical questions about diplomacy and compromise with a hopeful, egalitarian message. That ethos carries through into the new show "Starfleet Academy," whether Miller likes it or not. Read more. |
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The tragic shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis was not an isolated incident. An MS NOW review of court records and media reports found that federal agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol have shot at people in their cars at least 15 times since July, write David Noriega and Kay Guerrero, as part of a new series, "Cities Under Siege." The shootings have occurred most often in places that Trump has targeted for federal deployments, including California, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington, D.C. After each shooting, federal officials and agencies have quickly asserted that the driver was attempting to run over or ram agents with their vehicle, but the claims have frequently fallen apart once videos and other evidence emerged. Eight of the incidents led to criminal cases, four of which were dropped or dismissed by judges and four of which are ongoing. In two, charges were never filed because the civilians were fatally shot. None of the agents, meantime, has been charged. Read the article here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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In the latest episode of "Why Is This Happening?," Chris Hayes is joined by MS NOW's Jacob Soboroff to discuss his new book, "Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster," and rebuilding following last year's devastating fires. Listen now, and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening and bonus content. |
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