Month: January 2026

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis tried to pursue a man with a criminal history who fled into the Ecuadorian consulate, but consulate staff physically blocked agents from entering. Ecuador’s foreign ministry called the incident an “attempted incursion,” released video showing the confrontation, and lodged a formal diplomatic protest with the U.S. embassy in Quito. ICE said officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation and were focused on public safety; it denied entering the consulate. The episode, amid a large ICE deployment in Minneapolis, has drawn criticism and raised legal and diplomatic concerns, and the suspect remains at-large. (theguardian.com)

Today the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6–3 decision, allowed Texas’s controversial 2026 congressional map to stand for the 2026 elections, staying a lower court’s order that had blocked the map as a likely racial gerrymander. The map, drawn in 2025 and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, is engineered to net Republicans five additional House seats and reshape several urban districts. The ruling clears the way for the new lines to be used while litigation continues, putting vulnerable Democrats — including Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Al Green — at risk of losing their seats. The three liberal justices dissented strongly. (washingtonpost.com)

President Trump has attacked Democrats’ “affordability” messaging, saying voters “don’t hear affordability anymore” and accusing Democrats of abandoning the topic as his administration touts an economic turnaround. In recent speeches and a Cabinet meeting he blamed Democrats for past inflation, credited his policies with falling prices, job and wage gains, and promised further steps to lower costs. Democrats and Senate leaders pushed back, calling his comments out of touch and disputing the economic picture. Coverage of the dispute appeared across major outlets, framing it as a political fight over who owns the affordability narrative ahead of upcoming elections, and messaging. (apnews.com)

Sen. John Fetterman (D‑Pa.) told reporters in Jerusalem on March 20, 2025 that he would back partnering with Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, shouting “Oh yeah. Blow it up! Blow it up!” and saying he would support U.S. tools to do so. In the JNS interview he criticized fellow Democrats for backing away from Israel and argued strong action was necessary to prevent Tehran’s nuclear breakout. The remarks, reported by JNS and picked up by other outlets, intensified intraparty debate over military force versus diplomacy and prompted swift responses from both progressive and hawkish Democrats and national security experts. (jns.org)

President Donald Trump on January 28, 2026, joked he could nominate Sen. Ted Cruz to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling Cruz a “brilliant legal mind” and saying Democrats and Republicans would confirm him just to “get him the hell out” of the Senate. (newsmax.com) Trump made the remarks while promoting his “Trump Accounts” initiative; Cruz was present and smiled. (houstonchronicle.com) Cruz’s office and recent interviews say he does not want a judicial post, preferring political work. (cbsnews.com) Trump had previously listed Cruz among potential high‑court picks, fueling renewed speculation. (cnbc.com)

On January 28, 2026, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center in Union City, Georgia, seizing boxes of 2020 physical ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images and voter rolls as part of an inquiry tied to the 2020 presidential contest. County officials said the materials were court-sealed and had been kept for legal proceedings; Fulton leaders expressed alarm about chain of custody and federal custody of ballots. The Justice Department confirmed the operation but offered few details; critics called the raid politically motivated while supporters said it responded to unresolved records issues. (apnews.com)