The Nobel to Go!
Donald Trump accepts a Nobel Prize that no one has awarded to him and acts as if something has thereby been settled. What is handed over is not an award, but a piece of symbolism, heavily framed, gold colored, large enough for the camera. He holds the object firmly, smiles, and assigns meaning to himself, without there being any framework for it other than the wooden one. Not from the committee, not from an institution, but from private hands, without mandate, without procedure.
That the presenter herself is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate does not make it better, but worse. Anyone who knows what this prize means also knows that it is not a gift item. No sign is being set here, meaning is being shifted. Political claim turns into ingratiation, recognition into a souvenir. Trump accepts it gratefully because it shines. She passes it on even though she cannot pass it on. In the end, what remains is a photo that shows everything that is wrong. Not grand, not dignified, just simply off. We had initially considered not reporting on it at all, because it is simply embarrassing.
Threatening with a State of Emergency!
Karoline Leavitt dodges when asked what would concretely move Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. Only Trump himself can say what would trigger such a step, she explains, describing the law as a tool within the president’s power. It has only rarely been used by previous presidents. At the same time, Trump openly threatens to deploy soldiers against ongoing protests in Minneapolis. The trigger is the massive use of federal agents to enforce the tightened deportation policy. The city has been under tension for days, fear and anger lie close together. A day earlier, a man was shot by an immigration officer after allegedly attacking him with a shovel handle and a broom. The incident followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Since then, the feeling has grown that state violence is increasingly being used politically. Leavitt responds not with de-escalation, but by attacking Democratic politicians and accusing them of hatred toward Trump. Unanswered remains who decides when protest is declared justification for military action.
Seeking Support
The Danish foreign minister travels to Washington to secure support in the Capitol for relations between the United States and Denmark. The background is Donald Trump’s repeated threats to bring Greenland under American control. In talks with senators from both parties, Rasmussen emphasizes the close ties to the Senate and the House of Representatives. Denmark is willing to address reasonable American concerns regarding Greenland. At the same time, it becomes clear how deeply mistrust now runs. In both parties, concern is growing that Trump could damage the North Atlantic alliance. The idea of using military pressure alarms even long-standing allies. Republican lawmakers instead point to cooperation with Denmark to strengthen security in the Arctic. Rasmussen tries to build precisely on that and demonstrate willingness to talk. It is an attempt to limit political damage before it becomes irreversible. The uncertainty remains as long as threats are part of Trump’s official line.
Severely Injured Activist Speaks After ICE Operation
Twenty-one year old Kaden Rummler says he will be blind for the rest of his life. His skull has fractures that doctors cannot operate on. He describes that even sneezing or coughing is dangerous, because the pressure in his head could put his life at risk. A piece of plastic roughly the size of a coin was removed from his eye. Behind it were fragments of metal, glass, and plastic, some in the eye, some in the skull. The images of the ICE operation of January 14, 2026, which led to the severe injury, are shocking and inhumane.
Santa Ana, California. A 21 year old demonstrator was shot in the eye by a Homeland Security officer. America 2026.
He speaks of pain that does not subside, and of a body that no longer functions as it did before. Doctors told him it was a miracle that he survived. What remains is a destroyed eye and a head full of foreign bodies that cannot simply be removed. When a state acts like this, the game is over. What remains is violence that declares itself the law.
Escalation in the Press Room
Karoline Leavitt confronts a journalist head on who described the fatal ICE operation as reckless. She declares that he is not a journalist, but a political activist. The accusation is that he is sitting in that seat without entitlement. Leavitt says the question itself proves bias. Journalism, she argues, means reporting on facts and cases, not insinuations. She demands numbers of US citizens killed by undocumented immigrants. The journalist does not have these numbers. She suggests he has never read relevant cases. She names Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray. These names are meant to demonstrate what ICE stands for. Leavitt portrays the officers as courageous and their actions as protecting the community. She accuses media representatives with other views of distorting facts. In the end, for Leavitt it is not clarification that matters, but the suppression of reality.
Minneapolis Like Under Martial Law
Aliya Rahman is dragged from her car in Minneapolis, filmed by dozens of cell phones, spread millions of times. She was on her way to a doctor’s appointment, not seeking a confrontation. At an intersection she encounters federal agents. Screams, whistles, honking, chaos. Masked officers smash a window, cut the seatbelt, and pull her from the vehicle. She says she is disabled and therefore could not drive on. Her arms are forced behind her back, several men carry her to an ICE vehicle. Later she is taken to a detention center. She receives no medical care there. She loses consciousness in the cell. Only then is she taken to the hospital. Authorities call her an agitator. She ignored instructions. Videos show a pattern that repeats itself. Windows are smashed, people are pulled from cars, pepper spray is used in public. Citizens and migrants are treated alike. The city feels like it is under martial law. Anyone who sees this understands why many say they are afraid to leave their homes. We spoke with the woman later, and she said she believed she was going to die. She has since been released from the hospital. Whether Aliya has been charged remains open. From experience, however, we can already say that the case will almost certainly be dropped. Claims for damages will be filed.
Judge Blocks Trump Lawsuit Over Voter Data
A federal court in California has rejected the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking the release of detailed voter data. The attempt to force access to personal information of more than 23 million registered voters was unlawful and without any legal basis, the ruling stated. The administration has no right to access sensitive election registers without congressional approval. Judge David O. Carter warned of a “concentration of all electoral power in the executive” and spoke of a threat to free elections. The lawsuit was part of a broader offensive by the Justice Department against Democratic governed states. The demands included names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and parts of Social Security numbers. California’s top election authority announced it would continue to resist such access. From the states also came the suspicion that the data was to be passed on to the Department of Homeland Security. The central question remains: Why should an immigration agency gain access to voter registers?
UN Discusses Iran Protests – Trump Remains Vague
At the request of the United States, the UN Security Council held an emergency session on Thursday to discuss the deadly protests in Iran. President Trump left open what measures he intends to take against Tehran after demonstrators were again killed and executions announced. The Iranian government struck a conciliatory tone, while the regime continues to crack down on nationwide protests. Karoline Leavitt said that for Trump “all options remain on the table.” Iran closed its airspace without explanation for several hours. In Qatar, US military personnel were instructed to prepare for evacuation, in Kuwait travel by US embassy staff to bases was temporarily restricted. The situation remains tense as Tehran tries to project resolve outward and control inward. International observers speak of another possible escalation point in the Gulf region. Trump’s intentions remain unclear, but the warning stands.
Starlink Against the Shutdown
Despite internet blackouts, GPS interference, and satellite hunts, tens of thousands of people in Iran continue to manage to connect. Around 50,000 Starlink terminals are now said to be hidden in the country, on rooftops, behind windows, in improvised networks. Activist groups had prepared for the emergency, smuggling, building, and testing for years. When the network was shut down on January 8, they activated. Images of shootings, bodies, burning street corners reached the outside world. The government responded with measures otherwise known only from war zones. GPS jammers, drones, raids, threats. The presence of the terminals is nevertheless too dispersed, too deeply rooted. A digital cat and mouse game has begun in which no state can fully shut down anymore. The technology comes from SpaceX. Musk has announced he will provide the service in Iran free of charge. Activists nevertheless warn of dependency. They point to countries where the service is unavailable for economic reasons. Starlink becomes political infrastructure, and control over it lies with one man with shifting interests. The Iranian government speaks of illegal devices, of national danger. What it really fears, however, is the connection to the outside world.
