标签： North America

Minneapolis remains embroiled in escalating tensions as anti-ICE demonstrations intensify following the January 7th fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The situation reached a new threshold when protesters disrupted a Sunday service at St. Paul’s Cities Church, chanting “ICE out” and demanding “Justice for Renee Good” while alleging one of the church’s pastors serves as a local ICE official.

The U.S. Justice Department has initiated an investigation into the incident, with Attorney General Pam Bondi vowing to exercise the “full force of federal law” against demonstrators accused of “desecrating a house of worship.” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed via social media that federal charges would be pursued in the case.

According to Associated Press and Minnesota Star Tribune reports, a person identified as David Easterwood—matching the name of one of the church’s pastors—appears in ACLU court filings as acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office. Easterwood was not present during the disrupted service, and the Department of Homeland Security maintains its policy of neither confirming nor denying agent identities for security reasons.

The protests represent broader opposition to President Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has brought thousands of ICE agents to Minnesota following campaign promises of historic deportation operations. Monique Cullars-Doty, Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder and protest organizer, stated to CBS News that activists “can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.

In a significant escalation, the Pentagon has placed 1,500 active-duty soldiers on standby for potential deployment after President Trump suggested invoking the Insurrection Act—a 19th-century law last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots—to address the protests. Meanwhile, a federal judge has limited crowd control tactics ICE agents can use against peaceful demonstrators.

Separately, the Justice Department has opened investigations into Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both Democrats, for allegedly impeding federal immigration operations. The DHS reports approximately 3,000 arrests in Minneapolis since deployments began.

The controversy stems from the death of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three who was shot while observing ICE activities from her vehicle. While city officials maintain she was legally documenting operations, the Trump administration has labeled her a “domestic terrorist” and claims the agent acted in self-defense.

The Pentagon has initiated preparations to deploy approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers from Alaska to Minnesota, according to U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters on Sunday. This military mobilization comes in response to escalating tensions in the midwestern state, where widespread protests have erupted against intensified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

The development follows President Donald Trump’s Thursday threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would authorize military deployment if state officials fail to contain demonstrations targeting immigration authorities. While the Army has placed units on prepare-to-deploy status, officials emphasized that actual deployment remains uncertain and contingent on potential violence escalation.

Tensions in Minneapolis intensified dramatically after the January 7th fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by ICE officer Jonathan Ross during a vehicle encounter. The administration has already dispatched 3,000 immigration and Border Patrol officers to the region, despite local officials characterizing the protests as largely peaceful.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed strong opposition to military intervention, stating on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ that ‘We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe.’ He warned that military deployment would further exacerbate tensions in the city.

The situation has grown increasingly complex with multiple incidents drawing national attention. The Justice Department has launched an investigation into a protest at a St. Paul church where demonstrators disrupted a service to protest a pastor’s alleged ICE affiliations. Meanwhile, ICE agents conducted a Sunday operation in St. Paul, removing a Hmong community member from his home while facing vocal opposition from neighbors.

President Trump has justified the increased federal presence by referencing a social welfare funds scandal in Minnesota, specifically targeting the state’s Somali immigrant community. However, enforcement actions have expanded to include other immigrant groups, including the recent arrest of three workers from a family-run Mexican restaurant in Willmar.

The potential deployment involves soldiers from two infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, specializing in cold-weather operations. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the Department of War ‘is always prepared to execute the orders of the commander-in-chief if called upon,’ using the administration’s preferred terminology for the Defense Department.

This development represents the latest chapter in the administration’s pattern of federal interventions, primarily targeting cities governed by Democratic officials. While the president maintains these actions are necessary to combat crime and protect federal property, local leaders accuse the administration of federal overreach and exaggerating isolated violence incidents to justify military deployment.

In a remarkable diplomatic escalation, former US President Donald Trump has issued threats against NATO allies while explicitly linking his foreign policy decisions to his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The controversy emerged through a text message exchange with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, where Trump declared he no longer feels “obliged to think purely of Peace” after Norway’s Nobel committee awarded the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado instead of him.

The message, obtained and verified by major US media outlets, reveals Trump’s renewed insistence on US control of Greenland, which he claims is essential for global security. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” Trump stated in his communication with the Norwegian leader.

Prime Minister Støre confirmed receiving the message on Sunday in response to a joint communication he had sent with Finland’s president expressing concern over proposed tariff increases related to the Greenland dispute. Støre emphasized that the Norwegian government plays no role in Nobel Prize selections, which are determined by an independent committee.

Trump has threatened to impose escalating tariffs—starting at 10% in February and potentially rising to 25% by June—on eight NATO allies unless they support his proposed takeover of the strategically significant Arctic territory. The sparsely populated but resource-rich island has become a focal point in Trump’s national security strategy due to its value for early warning systems and regional monitoring.

The former president has not ruled out military action against a NATO member to acquire Greenland and has questioned Denmark’s historical claim to the territory, suggesting American explorers had equal historical presence. Trump framed his demands within the context of NATO reciprocity, stating, “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States.”

International response has been swift, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asserting that Greenland’s status “belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone” and condemning the use of tariffs against allies as “wrong.” Danish and Greenlandic officials are scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to address the escalating situation.

The Nobel Foundation has clarified that Peace Prize medals cannot be “passed on or further distributed,” despite Machado’s recent meeting with Trump at the White House where she reportedly gave her medal to him. This development follows Trump’s non-endorsement of Machado after US forces removed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, instead backing Maduro’s vice-president as interim leader.

Political analysts are raising alarms about the substantial expansion of presidential authority in the United States, warning that the current administration’s unprecedented use of executive actions threatens the foundational system of checks and balances. With 228 executive orders issued within the first year—a significant increase over previous administrations—concerns are mounting about the long-term implications for American democracy.

The American Presidency Project database reveals that many of these orders invoke national emergency declarations or national security justifications to implement sweeping policies across immigration, trade, and foreign affairs. Notably, the administration declared a national emergency at the southern border on its first day in office, followed by April’s invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose comprehensive ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on all trading partners without congressional consultation.

According to Zhang Guoqing, associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies, ‘This explosion of orders and routine use of national emergency declarations have significantly expanded executive power beyond traditional boundaries.’

Experts identify multiple factors enabling this power shift, including legislative gridlock and heightened partisan polarization. Diao Daming, professor of US studies at Renmin University of China, notes that ‘executive orders allow the administration to bypass legislative constraints on controversial policies’ when congressional cooperation proves unattainable.

Zhang Tengjun, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies’ Department for American Studies, observes that the current administration operates within legal gray areas where constitutional boundaries remain ambiguous. ‘The power to levy taxes is constitutionally granted to Congress, not the president. Yet massive tariffs were imposed without congressional consultation through emergency powers,’ he noted.

The legislative branch’s weakened response reflects both partisan alignment and institutional limitations. With Republicans controlling both chambers, few party members challenge presidential actions from their own party. Meanwhile, the judicial system shows increasing signs of politicization, with appellate judges appointed by Democratic presidents ruling against administration policies 73% of the time compared to 32% for Republican-appointed judges.

Diao warns that ‘the independence of the US judicial system has clearly been significantly eroded,’ as evidenced by divergent rulings on identical legal questions along partisan lines. This erosion of traditional safeguards creates long-term risks for institutional stability and social cohesion.

Experts conclude that while executive power expansion offers short-term policy implementation efficiency, it potentially inflicts profound damage on constitutional separation of powers. The precedent established could enable future presidents—regardless of party—to govern through executive action rather than legislative process, potentially triggering systemic crisis in America’s constitutional order.

A high-level Ukrainian delegation has arrived in Miami, Florida, for crucial peace negotiations with representatives of the Trump administration, aiming to find a resolution to the four-year conflict with Russia. The talks, scheduled for this weekend, will center on security assurances and postwar reconstruction efforts.

Leading the Ukrainian contingent is Kyrylo Budanov, recently appointed Chief of Staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The delegation includes Security Chief Rustem Umerov and lead negotiator David Arakhamia. They are set to meet with key US figures including Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

The negotiations occur against a backdrop of severe humanitarian challenges in Ukraine. President Zelensky reported that approximately 400,000 residents in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, are experiencing significant electricity shortages following nighttime Russian strikes. Additionally, 56,000 families in the Bucha region near Kyiv remain without power, prompting authorities to extend school closures until next month due to health concerns.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry has declared a state of emergency across the nation’s energy sector, implementing power restrictions in most regions due to sustained infrastructure attacks. Zelensky has ordered the accelerated import of electricity and additional power equipment to address the crisis.

The peace process faces significant challenges as President Trump has expressed frustration with both conflict parties and has advocated for peace terms that Kyiv considers tantamount to surrender. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported continued territorial advances, claiming control of five populated settlements in the past week, including two additional locations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions captured on Saturday.

Zelensky emphasized the importance of providing accurate information about Ukraine’s current situation, noting that the ongoing attacks have undermined public faith in diplomatic solutions. The Miami talks represent a critical effort to bridge differences between Washington and Kyiv on security guarantees, with Zelensky hoping to finalize relevant documents with the US next week.