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Trump’s immigration footing comes unstuck as Minnesota shooting turns into ‘Operation Cluster****’
Every delay has consequences.

The White House shifted into damage-control mode Monday after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti forced officials to soften their rhetoric and exposed rare political vulnerability for the president on his strongest issue with voters: Immigration.

Pretti was fatally shot Saturday during a confrontation with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, the second American citizen killed this month during an immigration enforcement operation.

Administration officials initially described Pretti as violently hostile, but video from the incident has cast doubt on those assertions, prompting a noticeably more cautious tone from President Donald Trump and his aides by Monday. Complicating matters, Republicans on Capitol Hill are demanding an investigation into Pretti’s death, while Democrats are threatening a partial government shutdown.

The episode comes as Trump’s standing on immigration shows signs of slipping. Polls from the New York Times and Politico show approval of Trump’s immigration policies declining, while Rasmussen pegged his overall approval at 39% — a 14-point drop since last summer.

Multiple Trumpworld insiders sounded the alarm on the issue while speaking with the Washington Examiner on Monday.

“Operation Metro Surge? More like Operation Damage Control,” one Trump administration official said sarcastically. “I was gonna say Operation Cluster****, but I doubt they’d let you put that in a headline.”

A former Trump White House aide predicted to the Washington Examiner that, despite the White House’s insistence that Trump maintains confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, she’s “definitely on the chopping block.”

That person additionally took a shot at White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, whom they blamed for giving Trump poor counsel “for weeks” about the operation in Minnesota and public perceptions of the president’s overall deportation agenda.

“He’s not going anywhere,” that person assessed. “But I think it’s safe to say that his days of playing shadow president are over.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump has lost any faith in Miller, the overall architect of the president’s immigration platform dating back to the 2016 campaign.

“Stephen Miller is one of President Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides,” she told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “The president loves Stephen.”

Trump’s first order of business on Monday was to dispatch Tom Homan, the White House’s border …

Trump admin wins court victory freeing ICE agents from Minnesota protest restrictions
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

A federal appeals court sided with the Trump administration Monday in a ruling that blocks restrictions on tactics being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while dealing with anti-ICE agitators in Minnesota. 
The ruling by the three-judge panel 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals put a stay on a lower court ruling that prevented officers from arresting, detaining, pepper-spraying or retaliating against protesters in Minneapolis without probable cause as anti-ICE agitators continue to confront authorities carrying out enforcement operations. 
"We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did," the appeals court said in the ruling. "What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways."
GO BIG, THEN GO SMART: TRUMP, ICE AND THE LAW. HOW TO SKIP THE LEFT’S PR TRAP
The lawsuit alleged that federal authorities violated the civil rights of six protesters. 
Last week, the court temporarily lifted restrictions on ICE agents' use of force against protesters in Minnesota. Monday's ruling grants a "FULL STAY," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. 
WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS, INSURRECTION ACT THREAT LOOMS
"Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators," she wrote on X. "The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand."
In a Jan. 16 ruling, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez sided with the protesters and issued the preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE over their treatment during immigration enforcement operations.
In her ruling, Menendez found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on claims that federal agents violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights during protests and observation of ICE activity tied to Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.
She cited incidents in which ICE agents allegedly used pepper spray, pointed weapons, made arrests and conducted traffic stops against individuals who were peacefully observing or protesting immigration enforcement.

Mamdani's early moves as mayor clash with affordability pledge: 'Ripple effects are significant'
This affects the entire country.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran on a message of making the Big Apple more affordable for everyday Americans, but some of his actions in the first few weeks of his tenure have served to undercut that reality.
In the early days of his time as mayor, Mamdani has already shown a penchant for vehemently defending low-wage, unskilled delivery-app workers in a manner that industry executives and business experts think will hit consumers' pocketbooks. He sued a delivery app startup earlier this month for allegedly violating the city's worker-rights laws, and warned the broader range of delivery app companies operating in the city to abide by ramped up worker rights being imposed at the end of the month, or else.
At a press conference announcing the lawsuit and accompanying demand letters issued to delivery app companies warning them to follow the updated worker protections, Mamdani also accused the delivery-app startup, MotoClick, of stealing workers' tips. Among the reforms Mamdani has signaled he plans to vigorously enforce is a mandated tipping framework that estimates show could push more than half-a-billion in additional costs on consumers annually. 
The updated protections will also add more delivery-app companies, such as those that deliver groceries, to the list that must follow the delivery-app worker rights laws, including a mandated minimum wage higher than what some emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in the city make.
'ZOHRANOMICS': NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST MATH DOESN’T ADD UP 
"We know affordability is not just about the cost of goods — it’s about the dignity of work," Levine told companies including DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber. "Today’s lawsuit against Motoclick is not just an action against one company, it’s a warning to every app-based company from this Administration. You cannot treat workers like they are expendable and get away with it. We will seek full back pay and damages. We will seek full accountability."
Mamdani pointed to a recent report put out by his Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Sam Levine, which showed disobeying city mandates going into effect later this month, requiring apps to give the opportunity for customers to tip before or at the same time that an order has been placed, significantly impacts the amount of incoming tip revenue. Levine's report that Mamdani touted estimates alternative tipping frameworks, such as only allowing tips upon completion of a delivery, have altered tipping revenue by an estimated $550 million per year.
Mamdani also stood by in tacit …

Pardoned Insider Trader Jumps in Congested House Race
Same show, different day.

Former New York Rep. Chris Collins, who pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2019, will now face off against former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.

Donalds’ gubernatorial run has left the safe GOP seat of Florida’s 19th Congressional District open, and two former members of Congress-turned-Florida transplants are looking to return to Washington.

Collins, who moved to Florida before being pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020, announced his candidacy in a video statement on Friday.

Cawthorn, meanwhile, served one term in Congress. He lost the GOP primary for North Carolina’s 11th District in 2023 after a series of controversies and scandals. After losing, the House Ethics Committee found that Cawthorn violated conflict-of-interest rules regarding a cryptocurrency promotion

“We need to take our country back,” Collins said. “We need to make America great again.”

A Crowded Primary

Aside from Cawthorn and Collins, seven other candidates are looking to fill the vacancy left by Donalds.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, former South Florida congressional candidate Johnny Fratto, and “populist Republican candidate” Dylan Modarelli have also announced their candidacies.

Former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, president of a local news station Jim Schwartzel, former Illinois congressional candidate Catalina Lauf, and veteran Mike Pedersen have also announced their candidacies.

President Donald Trump and Donalds have not issued endorsements as of yet.

Cawthorn declined to comment, and Collins did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request.

“Enter Broke, Leave a Millionaire”

Collins’ bid comes as a bipartisan group in Congress has introduced efforts to ban members of Congress from stock trading.

Congress continues to fall under scrutiny after its members, like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reportedly hold stock portfolios that have outperformed major Wall Street hedge funds by creating national policy that influences private markets and use insider information as an investment strategy.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., one of the most vocal opponents of trading by members of Congress, has described it as an “enter broke, leave a millionaire” scheme. In December, she introduced a discharge petition that would force a vote on a trading ban for members of Congress.

Weeks later, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., introduced the Stop Insider Trading Act to ban members of Congress from using insider information or altering policy to benefit their private investments.

“Members of Congress should not be enriching themselves with insider knowledge,” Luna wrote in a press release. “Both Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have acknowledged that insider trading in Congress is a serious problem and must be stopped.”

Luna added that on the issue of insider trading, “The people are more united than Washington is.”

Steil and Luna did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

The post Pardoned Insider Trader Jumps in Congested House Race appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Appeals court indefinitely halts judge’s limits on ICE tactics in Minnesota
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

A federal appeals court on Monday blocked a lower-court judge’s restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics in Minnesota, handing the Trump administration a significant win as protests and legal challenges continue to surround federal immigration operations in the Twin Cities.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an indefinite stay of a Jan. 16 order by U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez that sharply limited how federal officers could respond to protests tied to ICE activity in Minneapolis. The stay will remain in effect while the government’s appeal proceeds.

WIN AGAINST JUDICIAL ACTIVISM IN MINNESOTA

Our great @TheJusticeDept attorneys have now obtained a FULL STAY in this crucial case.

Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 26, 2026

Attorney General Pam Bondi lauded the decision, saying lower court judges like Menendez “tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators.”

“The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand,” Bondi said.

That order by Menendez, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, had barred federal officers from arresting, detaining, pepper-spraying, or retaliating against individuals engaged in what she described as peaceful and unobstructive protest activity. It also restricted officers from stopping vehicles unless they had reasonable suspicion that occupants were forcibly interfering with immigration enforcement. The appeals court previously intervened on Wednesday without issuing a written decision.

In a brief per curiam decision Monday afternoon, the appeals court said the government made a “strong showing” that the injunction is unlikely to survive appellate review. The panel concluded the order was both overly broad and impermissibly vague, raising constitutional and practical concerns.

The court said the injunction effectively amounted to a universal injunction by extending relief to a sweeping, uncertified class of protesters and observers. Citing recent Supreme Court precedent, the panel said federal courts lack authority to impose such broad restrictions on executive branch operations.

The judges also …

Scott Calls for Standing Filibuster on Voter ID Bill
Why resist verification?

Sen. Rick Scott has called for a standing filibuster to force a vote on legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. 

“We’ve got to secure our election. This cannot be another election where we’re worried about whether there’s gonna be fraud in the election,” Scott said Saturday during an interview on Fox News.

On Monday morning, Scott reiterated his point in a social media post, stating, “We have to pass the SAVE Act.” 

We have to PASS THE SAVE ACT, STOP EARMARKS, and BALANCE THE BUDGET to save our country! ??
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 26, 2026

The House approved the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. However, the bill is lingering in the Senate. 

The legislation requires voters to provide proof of citizenship in person in order to vote in a federal election and requires states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls.

“I don’t know how a Democrat could be against this,” Scott added. “We don’t get to vote in another country. Why are people from another country getting to vote in our country? It’s common sense. I don’t know why all 100 senators wouldn’t be on board with this.”

The SAVE Act is about securing our elections — why would anyone opposed to that?

I’m with @BasedMikeLee, let’s get this done ASAP.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 24, 2026

Democrats and liberal groups have argued that requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote creates an unnecessary barrier to voter participation.

The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The legislation is aimed at preventing noncitizen voting.

Scott said he would like to see senators go on the record regarding the bill. 

“We need to have a vote. We’ll show that all Republicans are gonna support this, and hopefully, Democrats will support it, and they’ll pass,” Scott said. 

It generally takes 60 votes to get a vote on a non-spending bill in the Senate to overcome a filibuster.

Scott suggested adding the SAVE Act to a spending bill, or forcing a standalone with “a standing filibuster, whatever it’s gonna take” to make senators speak on a filibuster. 

“We’ve got to get this passed. We’ve got to secure elections,” Scott said. 

“Let’s make everybody stay there and talk and have the standing filibuster,” Scott said. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but that’s what we ought to start with, and see if the Democrats want to do this.”

The post Scott Calls for Standing Filibuster on Voter ID Bill appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Trump raises tariffs on South Korea by 10% over failure to enact trade deal
Who's accountable for the results?

President Donald Trump announced he would raise tariffs on South Korea by 10% over its failure to enact a previously agreed-upon trade deal.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused South Korea’s legislature of “not living up to its Deal with the United States,” referring to the trade deal signed on July 30 and reaffirmed on Oct. 29.

“Why hasn’t the Korean Legislature approved it?” Trump asked rhetorically. 

“Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%,” he added.

In a statement to CNN, the South Korean Blue House said there was “no official notice or explanation about the details” from the U.S. government so far. It added that its trade minister, currently visiting Canada, would travel to the United States to discuss the matter with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The announcement triggered a panic within South Korea, which moved quickly to accommodate Trump. South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said he would look to gather support for a major U.S. investment bill in response, Mint News reported.

“Will request help from the Parliament for swift approval of Bill,” Koo said. “Will hold talks with the U.S. on Korea’s parliamentary bill approval process for US-bound investment.

South Korea’s legislature hasn’t ratified the trade agreement due to a dispute over conflicting interpretations of its implementation. The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea argue that the deal isn’t a legally binding treaty per se, citing language in the Memorandum of Understanding stating, “This Memorandum is an administrative understanding between each of the United States and Korea and does not create legally binding rights and obligations.”

WHAT SOUTH KOREA SHOULD LEARN ABOUT TARGETING US FIRMS

The DPK further argues that ratifying the agreement into law would prevent any further negotiations or revisions to the agreement down the line. The party introduced the bill pushing U.S. investment as an alternative to ratifying the agreement.

The opposition People Power Party, however, argues that the National Assembly must ratify the trade deal due to the exorbitant costs involved.

Trump backs challenger to Indiana state senator who voted against redistricting
This is performative politics again.

President Donald Trump backed a pro-Trump primary challenger to an Indiana state senator who voted against the president’s redistricting push within the state.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump endorsed “America First” businessman Tracey Powell against incumbent Republican state Sen. Jim Buck for Indiana’s 21st state Senate seat. He attached a poll showing a 32-point shift in Powell’s favor before and after the president endorsed him. The poll showed Tracey at 42% and Buck at just 25%.

Trump lambasted Buck as a “pathetic RINO,” or Republican in name only, who jeopardized Republicans’ hold over Congress over his refusal to back the president’s redistricting plan.

“Buck and his RINO friends made Indiana, a State I love and have been very good to, the only State in the Country that essentially said they don’t care if Democrats steal Republican House seats to take over the United States Congress,” Trump wrote.

“We could have easily picked up two seats in Indiana, helping Democrat seat theft in Blue States, but instead, Buck, an America Last politician, would rather give away our Majority in the House of Representatives, thereby putting our Country in a very dangerous position that could cost us some of the magnificent gains that we have made over the last year, since I assumed the Office of President,” the president added.

Trump gave Powell his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” detailing nearly every one of Trump’s priorities he would fight for.

INDIANA SENATE ADVANCES PLANS TO LURE CHICAGO BEARS FROM WINDY CITY

“As your next State Senator, Tracey will fight tirelessly to Protect ‘Hoosier’ Values, Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion our Amazing Farmers and Agriculture, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Support our Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, Advance Election Integrity, Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” he wrote.

An endorsement in a state legislature race is relatively rare from Trump, showing he’s serious about his revenge quest after Indiana Republicans refused to redistrict the deep-red state’s congressional map to benefit their party.

Minneapolis Is an “Insurrection” of Trump’s Own Making
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

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Minneapolis Is an “Insurrection” of Trump’s Own Making

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Activism

/ January 25, 2026

Minneapolis Is an “Insurrection” of Trump’s Own Making

The city has become ground zero for the Trump administration’s war on immigrants and the growing resistance to it.

Alyssa Oursler

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Protesters clash with law enforcement in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, after federal agents shot and killed a man—the second time one has shot dead Minnesotan this month.

(Arthur Maiorella / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Minneapolis—On Saturday morning, I followed the sound of whistles to the sound of flash-bangs. A man on the corner wiped his eyes while holding a gas mask. “You OK?” I asked. He shook his head. “I should have put my mask on sooner,” he told me. I pulled on my own as I approached the mass of protesters just beginning to gather. The eye shield crystallized like a windshield in the cold. When the sun hit, I could see nothing. I pulled the mask back off. Riot cops were moving in alongside the federal agents already in formation behind yellow crime-scene tape. Metal scraped on cement as protesters began to form a barricade from dumpsters, a mattress, a car. The makeshift fortress was meant to shield the swelling crowd from less-than-lethal weapons. But it also exemplified the persistence of community members in the face of escalating state violence.

On Saturday, three months to the day after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s opening salvo in Minneapolis, federal agents were filmed shooting a legal observer multiple times at point blank range, including after his body went limp. Alex Pretti—a 37-year-old lawful gun owner, per police chief Brian O’Hara—was declared dead at the scene. The assembly of protesters was declared unlawful shortly after.

The shooting, which took place on the immediate heels of a citywide strike, has further solidified Minneapolis as ground zero for the Trump administration’s war on immigrants and the growing resistance to it. The afternoon prior, tens of thousands descended upon downtown Minneapolis, armed with cardboard signs and snow goggles, as part of the nation’s first general strike in eight decades. Since January 7, when ICE officer Jonathan Ross was filmed shooting 37-year-old Renee Good in the face, residents have called for ICE to leave the city. Ross has not been arrested or charged.

Current Issue

February 2026 Issue

On the light rail to US Bank Stadium, where an afternoon march celebrating the strike began, a woman with a yellow stole around her neck told me she was part of a clergy delegation, the largest since Standing Rock, 100 of whom were arrested at the airport earlier that morning. As we funneled into the …

Republicans appeal ruling that scrapped New York City’s sole GOP House district
Confidence requires clarity.

Republicans appealed a ruling that scrapped the last remaining New York City congressional district held by a Republican.

Just days before, New York Judge Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that New York’s 11th Congressional District diluted the voting power of blacks and Hispanics. He demanded the bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission redraw the map and have one submitted by Feb. 6. Republicans portrayed the move as partisan and urged an appeal.

Among those objecting to the judge’s decision was the district’s incumbent congresswoman, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). She argued that the ruling was an attempt to disenfranchise voters who had chosen a Republican despite the Democrats having the advantage.

“Despite having a Democratic registration advantage, voters chose a Republican, and that choice should stand,” she said in an interview with WABC Radio.

Republicans appealed the ruling to both an appeals court and the highest court in New York, its Court of Appeals.

TRUMP BACKS CHALLENGER TO INDIANA STATE SENATOR WHO VOTED AGAINST REDISTRICTING

The case to redraw Malliotakis’s district was filed by an election firm aligned with the Democratic Party. It comes as part of a national redistricting arms race, triggered by Texas Republicans introducing a new map giving Republicans five more seats in the state.

New York currently has 19 Democratic and seven Republican congressional seats.