US Politics

A 9,000-member group’s legal win could flip a congressional seat to Democrats in the midtermsEmma Petty Addams is used to navigating political divides. She grew up as a conservative Mormon in California’s progressive San Francisco Bay Area. She identified as a Republican while attending the largely liberal Stanford University. At a young age, she learned how to find common ground with those who may not agree with her.“I was oftentimes one of the most vocal, if not the only vocal, conservative in the room,” she said. “I learned how to speak my mind in a way that was hopefully persuasive.” Continue reading… More

Conservative figures such as Riley Gaines and Allie Beth Stuckey are urging their followers to ward off empathy for victims of ICE’s crackdownRiley Gaines, the former collegiate swimmer turned anti-transgender activist, makes motherhood and femininity a core part of her brand. Her husband, Louis Barker, is a naturalized US citizen who moved to this country from the UK. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Margot, in September; Gaines said there was “nothing” she would not do to protect her baby. But do not think that Gaines is at all sympathetic to families targeted by ICE.This weekend, Gaines spoke on her podcast about Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy taken by ICE agents from his driveway in Minneapolis. Images of Liam, clad in snowpants and wearing a blue hat with bunny ears, being held by a federal agent prompted widespread disgust in the US. How could a preschooler be considered one of the “dangerous” criminals Trump’s administration rails against? Continue reading… More

The high-profile killings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good are only two among manyThe killings of the 37-year-old Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal agents have sparked protests and outrage throughout the nation. Pretti and Good are just two people out of at least eight who have either been killed by federal agents or who have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in 2026 so far.The high-profile fatal shootings follow the deaths of at least 32 people in ICE custody in 2025 – the highest number since 2004. One of the people killed was Keith Porter Jr, a 43-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent outside of his Los Angeles apartment complex on the evening of 31 December 2025. The father of two was firing a gun into the air, a Los Angeles police department spokesperson said, before the off-duty ICE agent, Brian Palacios, went to investigate. Porter was pronounced dead at the scene when police officers responded. Continue reading… More

Whether he’s targeting Greenland, tariffs or Iran, Trump’s agenda is to distract – because a Europe that is always reacting is never planningWhen Donald Trump reassured the world that he would not, after all, use force to acquire Greenland – after days of threatening as much – he was doing what he does best: turning geopolitics into a spectacle. Whether Trump ever truly believed the US should acquire a vast Arctic territory belonging to a Nato ally is secondary to the fact that, once again, he ensured that Europe and the rest of the world were focused on his agenda.Trump is not a politician who responds to events – he seeks to make them. Not because he is deeply invested in policy detail, but because he understands a defining feature of contemporary politics: attention is power. In an era of information overload, there is no scarcity of data or analysis; what is lacking is attention. And whoever controls that controls the debate. Continue reading… More

This live blog is now closed.Minnesota raids continue as DHS report indicates two agents fired guns at PrettiTrump news at a glance: Top Democrats give Trump ultimatum to fire Kristi NoemMelania Trump has called for “unity” in the wake of the fatal federal law enforcement shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and widespread peaceful protests this month.Asked about the tensions in Minneapolis on Fox News this morning, the first lady said:We need to unify. I’m calling for unity. I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots. Continue reading… More

A man approached Ilhan Omar, a US representative, during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis, sprayed an unidentified liquid in her direction and shouted at her before being tackled by security. The disruption occurred days after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, an incident that has fueled protests and heightened tensions in the city. Continue reading… More

Democrats and a couple of their Republican colleagues are demanding Noem’s resignation over federal killings in Minneapolis – key US politics stories from Tuesday 27 January at a glanceTop Democrats issued a clear message to Donald Trump this week: either he fires Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, or they will impeach her.The ultimatum came after a majority of the House Democratic caucus signed on to articles of impeachment introduced earlier this month in response to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens fatally shot by federal agents during the increasingly violent immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota’s largest city. Continue reading… More

Authorities say suspect, who escaped from facility in 2024, ran from traffic stop and fired shots at helicopterA shooting involving a border patrol agent near the US-Mexico border in Arizona has left an accused smuggler in critical condition, local authorities said Tuesday.Border patrol agents attempted to stop a car at about 7am, Pima county sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference. Several people exited the car and ran off, and the vehicle drove away, Nanos said. About half an hour later, agents relocated the car and attempted to stop it again. The driver fled on foot, and a border agent chased after him. Continue reading… More