Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 26, 2026
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Federal immigration agents fatally shot Alex Prey and Renee Good in Minneapolis, sparking widespread protests.
- ❖Video evidence and witness statements contradict federal claims regarding Prey's shooting, showing him unarmed and defending a woman.
- ❖Minnesota's Governor and Mayor condemned ICE, while the NRA criticized the Trump administration's justification for Prey's killing.
- ❖Attorney General Pam Bondi offered to withdraw ICE in exchange for Minnesota's voter and welfare data.
- ❖An FBI supervisor resigned after being pressured to discontinue an investigation into an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting.
- ❖Israeli forces launched a military operation in North Gaza, violating a US-brokered truce and killing multiple Palestinians.
- ❖Venezuela's interim government released over 100 political prisoners and asserted its right to resolve internal conflicts without foreign intervention.
- ❖A CDC advisory committee chair suggested polio and measles vaccinations should be optional, drawing strong criticism from pediatric experts.
- ❖Marxist scholar Michael Parenti, a critic of capitalism and imperialism, died at 92.
Insights
1Contradictory Accounts of Fatal ICE Shootings in Minneapolis
Federal immigration agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Prey, an ICU nurse, and Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis. Federal agents claimed Prey was a violent gunman, but video evidence and witness statements show Prey was unarmed, filming officers, and defending a woman before being shot 10 times. He had a legal permit to carry a firearm but never drew it.
Video footage shows Prey being wrestled to the ground by multiple officers, sprayed with a chemical agent, and shot at close range, with an officer firing additional shots at his motionless body. Prey's parents stated he had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand raised while protecting a woman.
2Political and Public Backlash Against ICE Actions
The shootings triggered widespread protests and condemnation from various sectors. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls blamed untrained federal officers, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry questioned the administration's priorities. The NRA issued a statement condemning the Trump administration's justification for Prey's killing, asserting the right to carry a weapon. The NBA postponed a game, and the NBA Players Association released a statement in solidarity with protesters.
Governor Walls' statement (), Mayor Fry's statement (), NRA statement (), NBA game postponement (), NBA Players Association statement ().
3Federal Demands for State Data in Exchange for ICE Withdrawal
Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded access to Minnesota's voter roles and welfare data (Medicaid, SNAP) in exchange for pulling ICE out of the state. This demand came just hours after Alex Prey's fatal shooting.
Bondi's letter to Governor Tim Walls, quoted: "Share all of Minnesota's records on Medicaid and food and nutrition service programs... allow the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to access voter roles."
4FBI Supervisor Resigns Over Blocked ICE Investigation
Tracy Mgan, an FBI supervisor in Minneapolis, resigned after being pressured by the FBI's Washington Bureau to discontinue her probe into ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Good. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch stated there was no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation into Good's killing.
Mgan's resignation and the pressure from the FBI's Washington Bureau to stop the investigation into Ross (). Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch's statement ().
5Controversial Stance on Vaccine Mandates by CDC Official
Dr. Kirk Milhones, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC, stated that polio and measles shots should be optional, citing changes in sanitation and disease risk. He called school vaccinations 'authoritarian.' This view was strongly refuted by Dr. Sha Olirri, Chair of the infectious disease committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics, who called Milhones' comments ideological and not grounded in science.
Dr. Milhones' comments in the 'Why Should I Trust You?' podcast () and Dr. Olirri's response ().
Lessons
- Scrutinize official narratives regarding federal law enforcement actions, especially when video evidence or witness accounts present conflicting information.
- Monitor legislative and executive actions that link federal agency presence to demands for state data, as this could set precedents for federal overreach into state governance and citizen privacy.
- Engage with local and national advocacy groups working on issues of police accountability, immigration rights, and public health policy to support efforts for transparency and justice.
Quotes
"How many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end? How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?"
"This sentiment is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens."
"As you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we're in a different time now than we were then. Our sanitation is different. Our risk of disease is different. and so that those all play into the evaluation of whether this is worthwhile of taking a risk for a vaccine or not."
"He has no idea what he's talking about. It's very frustrating for those of us who spend our careers trying to do what we can to improve the health of children to see harm coming to children because of an ideological agenda not grounded in science."
"Well, I argue that one of the functions of a capitalist state is to is to defend capitalism from itself, to defend capitalism from the capitalists. Uh it was Marx. Yeah, we mentioned him. I hear he's coming back in style. It was Marx who said one capitalist will kill many other capitalists that uh the system is it begins to consume itself."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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