Trump News for Thursday, January 15, 2026

A federal judge dismisses the DOJ's effort to get voter data from California

Miles Parks, NPR

The Trump administration has been dealt its first legal setback in its unprecedented effort to consolidate voter data traditionally held by states.

WATCH: What is the Insurrection Act?

ABC News

What is the Insurrection Act, and why might a recent Supreme Court decision make it more likely that President Trump would invoke it? ABC News' Steven Portnoy has more.

Jamie Dimon says he called Warren Buffett after poaching his protégé

Alice Tecotzky, Business Insider

Dimon also said he would "absolutely, positively, no chance, no way, no how for any reason" serve as Fed Chair.

For Trump, Everything Is an Existential Threat

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

The president and his allies are misleading the public about the threats they face.

What 3,000 federal agents are doing in Minnesota

Cameron Peters, Vox

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Tensions are rising in Minneapolis as the Trump admini…

Senators Postpone Crypto Market Bill as Coinbase Flexes Its Muscle in Washington

Kyle Torpey, Gizmodo.com

Coinbase's CEO isn't happy. Senators pump the brakes.

U.S. carbon pollution rose in 2025, a reversal from prior years

The Associated Press, NBC News

U.S. emissions rose last year, new research says: The country spewed 2.4% more heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before.

Ford worker who called Trump "pedophile protector" raises $440K after suspension

Ellsworth Toohey, Boing Boing

TJ Sabula, the Ford factory worker who called Trump a "pedophile protector" during a plant tour in Dearborn, Michigan, has raised over $440,000 on GoFundMe after being suspended without pay, reports Click On Detroit. Video captured Trump mouthing "f*ck you" a…

Majority of Americans say ICE agent’s shooting of Good was unjustified, inappropriate

Emily Guskin, ABC News

A Quinnipiac poll found 53% of voters said Good's shooting was not justified.

Trump aims to keep everyone guessing over Iran action

BBC News

There were growing signs that US military action on Iran might be imminent, then the US president suddenly changed his tune.

WATCH: Trump says 'killing has stopped' in Iran amid protests

ABC News

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he's been informed that the "killing" in Iran has stopped and the anticipated executions of arrested protesters won't take place.

What’s going on with the missing Trump phone? Lawmakers demand answers

Matt Horne, Android Authority

Democratic lawmakers are urging the FTC to investigate Trump Mobile over alleged false advertising tied to its long-delayed T1 Phone.

Machado presented Trump with her Nobel medal at White House meeting

BBC News

The Venezuelan opposition leader said she "presented" her Nobel medal to Trump, but did not say whether he accepted it.

There Is No Green Transition, and This Book Explains Why

Taras Grescoe, Highspeed.blog

There is No Green Transition, and This Must-Read Book Explains Why

A Ford worker heckled Trump. His suspension is a reminder that free speech can get you in trouble at work.

Ben Shimkus, Business Insider

The advice from five legal experts all boiled down to a blunt reality: employees should watch their mouth at work if they want to keep their job.

Troops and vessels from European Nato allies arrive in Greenland

BBC News

The limited deployment involves Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.

Behind the front lines of the legal battle against Trump's National Guard deployments

Kat Lonsdorf, NPR

As President Trump began a pattern of deploying the National Guard to democratic-led cities, several Democratic attorneys general and their staffs worked to coordinate their fight against the deployments – and, ultimately, they won.

The US claims it just strongarmed Taiwan into spending $250 billion on American chip manufacturing

Emma Roth, The Verge

The US just lowered Taiwan's tariffs in exchange for a massive domestic chipmaking promise, the Commerce Department announced on Thursday. Under the deal, tariffs on goods from Taiwan will decrease from 20 to 15 percent, while Taiwanese technology companies w…

Trump Uses Stardew Valley To Threaten Third Term

Kenneth Shepard, Kotaku

The Trump administration keeps using video games to meme its way through fascism The post Trump Uses Stardew Valley To Threaten Third Term appeared first on Kotaku.

Trump health care plan doesn't help people facing skyrocketing ACA premiums

Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR

President Trump announced a plan that addresses drug costs and health savings accounts, but not the health insurance premium spikes millions of Americans are facing.

Finally, Some Good News in the Fight Against Cancer

Ellyn Lapointe, Gizmodo.com

The American Cancer Society’s annual report found that 70% of patients now survive at least five years after diagnosis.

How right-wing influencers are bending reality in Minneapolis

Christian Paz, Vox

In the hours and days after news and videos spread of the ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week, a small army of right-wing, pro-Trump creators, journalists, and influencers descended on the city and flooded social media. They filmed protests; r…

THEN AND NOW: Vintage photos show how department stores have changed

Amanda Krause,Talia Lakritz, Business Insider

Department stores once sold necessities. Now, many are struggling to remain in business amid the rise of online shopping.

Raging Leavitt Melts Down After Being Challenged Over ICE

The Daily Beast, Daily Beast

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt completely lost it at a columnist who challenged administration claims that ICE was doing everything by the book...

WATCH: White House unveils President Trump's 'Great Healthcare Plan'

ABC News

ABC News' Mary Bruce asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt how Trump's plan to "deliver money directly to the American people" — instead of health insurance companies — would work.

Can the ICE shooter be prosecuted?

Ariana Aspuru, Noel King, Vox

The Twin Cities, and much of the nation, are still reeling from ICE agent Jonathan Ross shooting and killing Renee Good last week. The local resistance to the federal immigration forces deployed in and around Minneapolis has grown, and the Trump administratio…

DHS Expands Immigration Ban, Ensuring The Only Way An African Can Come To The US Is If We Bring Slavery Back

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

Ever since Trump took office and turned over immigration enforcement to someone who killed pets more often than she’s experienced moments of joy, the world has been shrinking. It America vs. everyone else at this point, with the Trump administration adding he…

Dutch experts warn US takeover of DigiD platform poses security risks

NL Times

Dutch privacy advocates, legal scholars and technology experts are demanding immediate transparency from the Ministry of Economic Affairs over the planned acquisition of Solvinity, the Dutch company that operates the platform underlying DigiD, by the U.S. mul…

Democrats push FTC to investigate Trump Mobile

Dominic Preston, The Verge

Elizabeth Warren and other Democrat lawmakers have written an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking for an investigation into alleged "false advertising and deceptive practices" from Trump Mobile. The company first announced its T1 Phone mo…

Appeals court says judge had no jurisdiction to order Mahmoud Khalil's release

Aaron Katersky, ABC News

An appeals court says a judge had no jurisdiction to order pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released from ICE detention, a ruling that could lead to his re-arrest.

Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act. What is it?

Juliana Kim, NPR

As protests grow over violent ICE enforcement actions in Minneapolis, the president said he could invoke a centuries-old law that would give him sweeping powers to deploy the military in U.S. cities.

The number of foreign students enrolling in US universities has dropped for the first time in 3 years

Tristan Anthony, Business Insider

US graduate international student enrollment dropped 5.9% in 2025 as the Trump administration continues to clampdown on visas and immigration.

AI Tool Reportedly Sent ICE Recruits Into the Field Without Proper Training

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

Department of Homeland Security's AI initiatives in action...

State Department Threatens UK Over Grok Investigation, Because Only The US Is Allowed To Ban Foreign Apps

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

So let me get this straight. The United States government spent years championing a ban on TikTok, rushed it through the Supreme Court with claims of grave national security threats, got a 9-0 ruling blessing government censorship of an entire platform used b…

There's an internet blackout in Iran. How are videos and images getting out?

John Ruwitch, NPR

Starlink is illegal in Iran, but people are still using the satellite internet service to get around the government's internet shutdown.

Microsoft is closing its employee library and cutting back on subscriptions

Tom Warren, The Verge

Microsoft's library of books is so heavy that it once caused a campus building to sink, according to an unproven legend among employees. Now those physical books, journals, and reports, and many of Microsoft's digital subscriptions to leading US newspapers, a…

Iran's protests appear increasingly smothered after a deadly crackdown

The Associated Press, NPR

The nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy appear increasingly smothered a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown.

Trump announces outlines of health care plan he wants Congress to consider

MICHELLE L. PRICE and ALI SWENSON, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the outlines of a health care plan he wants Congress to take up as Republicans have faced increasing pressure to...

Trump threatens Insurrection Act as Blanche accuses Minnesota governor of 'terrorism'

Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News

President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act as tensions intensify with Democratic politicians in Minnesota following another ICE shooting.

US planning for the Maduro raid eyed a time when much of the Venezuelan military was expected to be on holiday, memo reveals

Jake Epstein, Business Insider

A Justice Department memo offers new details about how the US planned to pull off the daring nighttime mission.

Harmeet Dhillon Is the DOJ's Anti-Woke Crusader Behind the Refusal to Probe ICE Killing of Renee Good

Danielle Han, Jezebel

“Her time at DOJ has been disastrous for the [Civil Rights] division," the co-founder of Global Extremism told Jezebel.

Final day to select ACA health plans arrives in most states, with no subsidy deal yet

ALI SWENSON, Yahoo Entertainment

Thursday was the final day to select an Affordable Care Act health insurance plan across much of the country, as the expiration of federal subsidies drives...

The Project of Gaslighting Us About the Renee Good Execution Video Has Been Years in the Making

Julie Stone Peters, Slate Magazine

Last week, the fruits of the Department of Homeland Security’s burgeoning gestapo tactics came into full view.

Marco Rubio’s Empty Victory in Venezuela

Missy Ryan, Vivian Salama, The Atlantic

Is it really a victory when the regime you detest stays in place?

ICE Agents Verbally Assaulted by Patrons at Mexican Restaurant in MN, on Video

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents got a heated reception upon entering a restaurant in Minnesota ... with customers screaming profanities at them and demanding they get out. Video of the wild interaction this week has surfaced online ...…

Americans Overwhelmingly Support Science, but Some Think the U.S. Is Lagging Behind: Pew

Claire Cameron, Scientific American

A new report finds that a majority of Americans think the U.S. should be a world leader in science, but Democrats increasingly believe other countries are catching up

Trump Is Going to Have a Hard Time Winning on Iran

Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone

Donald Trump has vowed to protect demonstrators in Iran, but the United States doesn't have many good options.

The Palantir app helping ICE raids in Minneapolis

Joseph Cox, 404media.co

Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activities on the ground.

This Trump Supporter Posted About Hating Social Programs... But Now She's Mad That Her Mother's Government Assistance Was Cut

Alexa Lisitza, Buzzfeed

She called social programs "state control" and a sign of "dependency." Now, she's p*ssed that her mother's heat assistance was cut.View Entire Post ›

Trump, Ellison Wage War On ‘Woke Netflix’ In Effort To Scuttle Warner Brothers Deal, Dominate U.S. Media

Karl Bode, Techdirt

The Trump empire is nothing if not predictable. Last year we noted repeatedly how the Trump administration and Larry Ellison (owner of CBS) would be joining forces to try and stop Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers. Larry, if you’re not aw…

Trump Threatens Insurrection Act, Military, and Mass Death in Minnesota

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

While DHS posts nazi musical anthems to social media, Trump threatens to deploy military against Americans in Minnesota via Insurrection Act.

Former CISA Director Jen Easterly Will Lead RSA Conference

Lily Hay Newman, Wired

The longtime cybersecurity professional says she’s taking the helm of the legacy security organization at “an inflection point” for tech and the world beyond.

The US expected 'significant resistance' from Venezuela's air defenses, Maduro raid planning memo reveals

Jake Epstein, Business Insider

Venezuela relied on Russian air defense systems and Chinese radars, but its forces did not shoot down any US military aircraft.

Trump Admin’s Recommended Tiny $3 Meal for Americans Is a Big Load of Crock

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a corn tortilla, and “one other thing” can help overhaul the affordability crisis.

Europe allies begin Greenland military mission as Trump says US needs island

BBC News

France says a 15-strong French military contingent has arrived in Nuuk as part of a so-called reconnaissance mission.

10 Thursday AM Reads

Barry Ritholtz, Ritholtz.com

My morning train WFH reads: • For Years, Powell Avoided Fighting Trump. That’s Over. After receiving grand jury subpoenas Friday, Powell spent the weekend deciding how to respond. By Sunday, he had his answer. (Wall Street Journal) • The golden handcuffs are …

Trump Says His Humiliating Peace Plan Failures Are All One Person’s Fault

Martha McHardy, Daily Beast

President Donald Trump is pointing the finger at an unlikely target after his much-touted efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine failed to gain...

Jay Powell, the Prepster Banker Who Is Standing Up to Trump

John Cassidy, The New Yorker

The seventy-two-year-old Fed chairman put to shame the heads of law firms, universities, and public companies who have caved to the White House.

Trump is threatening to attack another country with tremendous oil reserves

Analysis by David Goldman, CNN, CNN

The United States is considering whether to strike Iran as turmoil intensifies for the country’s authoritarian regime.

What Teddy Roosevelt has to do with Trump's moves in Venezuela and Greenland

Scott Neuman, NPR

Presidents James Monroe and Theodore Roosevelt helped shape a policy that rationalizes U.S. intervention in Latin America and elsewhere. But Trump has brought that idea to a whole new level.

Uganda goes to the polls amid heavy security and internet blackout

Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR

Ugandans are voting in a tense presidential election as 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his four-decade rule amid an internet shutdown and heavy military deployment.

AWS flips switch on Euro cloud as customers fret about digital sovereignty

Lindsay Clark, Theregister.com

EU-only ops, German subsidiaries, and a pinky promise your data won't end up in Uncle Sam's hands Amid continued trade and geopolitical volatility between Europe and the US, Amazon Web Services is making its European Sovereign Cloud generally available today …

DHS: ICE officers in Minneapolis shoot Venezuelan man in the leg

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR

The Department of Homeland Security says the shooting happened after the agent came under attack. Protestors have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, clashing with federal agents, after Renee Macklin Good's killing last week.

FBI searches a Washington Post reporter's home as part of investigation

The Associated Press, NPR

Hannah Natanson had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized. The Justice Department says this is part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information.

Rift at top of the Taliban: BBC reveals clash of wills behind internet shutdown

BBC News

The Taliban leader once warned of a split: A BBC investigation reveals how attitudes to women, the internet and religion are dividing the group at the very top.

Trump v China: How Oil Is Defining Great Power Politics

BBC News

What is this new era of global politics and where it does it leave Europe?

ICE agent shoots Minneapolis man in the leg

BBC News

The City of Minneapolis confirmed a man was shot and taken to hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Trump places a 25% tariff on high-end computing chips, and said more duties may be coming for the semiconductor industry

Katherine Li, Business Insider

The tariff will cover hardware central to the AI boom like Nvidia's H200 processor and AMD's MI325X chips, with some exemptions.

Russia could face costly write-offs in Venezuela on its oil assets and arms loans, think tank analyst says

Huileng Tan, Business Insider

Western sanctions and weak oil prices are already squeezing Russia's coffers, pressuring funds used to sustain the war and the broader economy.

Trump says Iran has 'no plan' to execute protesters

BBC News

The US president does not rule out military action in Iran, as Tehran temporarily shuts its airspace to nearly all flights.

Federal Officer Shoots Undocumented Migrant In Minneapolis

TMZ Staff, TMZ

One week after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent, a federal officer has shot another person during a targeted operation in Minnesota, authorities said. Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, tells TMZ ...…

New Year, But The Same Measles Crises Rages On

Timothy Geigner, Techdirt

Meet the new year, same as the old year, at least as far as America’s measles problem goes. We talked a lot about this disease last year, and for good reason. In RFK Jr.’s first year as Secretary of DHS, America managed to suffer its worst measles infection c…

China drafting purchase rules for Nvidia H200 chips, Nikkei Asia reports

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

China is working to set rules on how many advanced artificial ​intelligence chip companies can buy from foreign ‌makers such as Nvidia, Nikkei Asia reported...

Senate Republicans block Venezuela war powers resolution

Jason Breslow, NPR

The resolution would have forced President Trump to get authorization from Congress before launching military operations in Venezuela. It was blocked after having previously advanced with GOP support.

Exclusive-Trump questions Reza Pahlavi's ability to garner support in Iran

Yahoo Entertainment

As pressure mounts for Apple to pull the X app, xAI says Grok will stop undressing people

Marcus Mendes, 9to5Mac

Hours after a coalition of digital rights, child safety, and women’s rights organizations asked Apple to “take immediate action” against X and Grok AI, xAI confirmed that Grok will no longer edit “images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” …

Liberian man arrested in Minneapolis raid was regularly checking in with authorities, lawyer says

TIM SULLIVAN, Yahoo Entertainment

The Liberian man arrested over the weekend after heavily armed immigration agents used a battering ram to break through the front door of his Minneapolis...

The U.S. Military Can’t Do Everything at Once

Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic

Hot spots around the globe mean a heightened risk that any retaliation succeeds.

How Donald Trump Has Transformed ICE

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker

Isaac Chotiner interviews Deborah Fleischaker, a former D.H.S. oversight official, on ICE’s accountability mechanisms, which have been “gutted beyond recognition.”

In his own words: Stephen Miller's arguments for White House actions in US cities and abroad

MATT BROWN, Yahoo Entertainment

More than a year before an American military operation deposed Nicolás Maduro, a senior aide to President Donald Trump argued that the Venezuelan leader had ...

Is Everything Going According to Marco Rubio’s Plan?

The New Yorker

On The Political Scene Podcast: The Secretary of State is often described as the architect of U.S. policy toward Venezuela. How much control he actually exercises remains uncertain.

U.S. to suspend immigrant visas from 75 countries over public assistance concerns

The Associated Press, NPR

The State Department says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.