January 29, 2026 – Short News

Fear begins to name names!!

Kristi Noem says that in connection with the operations she merely carried out instructions. The political decisions, she says, were made at the White House, by Donald Trump and his adviser Stephen Miller. Almost all of the decisions, she says, were not decided by her. With this, the Secretary of Homeland Security explicitly shifts responsibility upward. She does not name any decisions of her own. Within the administration, this step is remarkable because Noem had previously appeared as the public bearer of the line. The statement retroactively changes the allocation of responsibility. It suggests internal self-protection, not political unity. In ongoing investigations and possible proceedings, this distinction gains weight. Whoever emphasizes orders distances themselves from consequences. And it is not aimed at the public, but at those who read transcripts.

Update

The next reporting will take place around 5:30 p.m. CET, as we are currently operating with only half of our team, with two members expected to be back on their feet by the weekend. That, of course, does not change our efforts against ICE. Today, a very large number of ICE operations appear to be planned, and there is also a great deal happening in court related to this.

Asylum after exposing Chinese camps

A Chinese citizen may remain in the United States because he faces persecution if he returns. A US immigration judge found that there is a well-founded fear of repression. The 38-year-old Guan Heng had publicly exposed human rights violations in his home country. He entered the United States in 2021 without valid entry documents and applied for asylum. Since a large-scale immigration enforcement action in August, he had been in detention. Previously, the Department of Homeland Security had considered deporting him to Uganda, but abandoned that plan in December after public pressure and attention in Congress. In 2020, Guan secretly filmed detention and reeducation facilities in Xinjiang, providing further evidence of massive abuses in the region. The asylum decision was issued on Wednesday by an immigration court. He was not immediately released, as the Department of Homeland Security reserves the right to appeal and has 30 days to do so. Judge Charles Ouslander urged the agency to make its decision quickly.

Paris stands with Minneapolis

Several hundred people gathered in Paris to show their solidarity with the protests in the United States. The occasion was the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis. The rally took place in front of the French parliament and the foreign ministry and was organized by a member of parliament as well as Americans living in France. At the center was support for those in the United States who are resisting state violence and intimidation. French parliamentarian Pouria Amirshahi said the images of the protests had given him new strength. Millions of people, he said, were rising up, refusing to submit, and in doing so giving courage beyond the United States as well. This determination, Amirshahi said, is a lesson in stance and courage for which one must be grateful.

Saudi Arabia draws a red line in the Iran conflict

Saudi Arabia has made clear to Tehran that its airspace and territory may not be used for military actions against Iran. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman conveyed this position directly to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. The message is unequivocal and applies to all sides, regardless of origin or alliances. At the same time, the kingdom is trying not to escalate tensions with the United States. While President Trump is considering possible military action against Iran, Riyadh is relying on ongoing talks. A senior official at the Saudi embassy in Washington spoke of constant exchanges with the US government. These discussions concern the situation in the region and dealings with Tehran. Publicly, Saudi Arabia seeks to play down differences with the White House. Behind the scenes, however, the line remains clear. The kingdom does not want to be part of an attack. This stance reflects concern about further destabilization of the region. Dialogue is to remain open, military use excluded.

Central bank remains firm despite pressure from the White House

The US central bank has left the key interest rate unchanged at around 3.6 percent, marking a pause after last year’s rate cuts. Monetary policymakers point to a stabilized labor market and economic growth now assessed as solid. They currently see no signs of a slowdown in new hiring. Against this backdrop, the central bank sees no reason to rush further steps. While many decision-makers expect additional rate cuts later in the year, the prerequisite remains a clear decline in inflation toward the two percent target. According to the central bank’s preferred measure, inflation most recently stood at 2.8 percent, slightly higher than a year earlier. The decision is likely to draw new criticism from President Trump’s circle, as he has publicly attacked central bank chair Powell for months. Rate cuts affect loans for housing, cars, and businesses, but they are not determined by the central bank alone. Market mechanisms remain a decisive factor.

Court forces Netherlands to protect Bonaire

A court in The Hague has ordered the Netherlands to effectively protect the population of the Caribbean island of Bonaire from the effects of climate change. The judges found that the state violated the human rights of the roughly 26,000 residents by failing to present a binding protection plan for the overseas territory. Within 18 months, the government must now set firm targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, a detailed adaptation plan for Bonaire must be developed and implemented within four years. The court described the previous approach as unequal treatment compared to the European part of the Netherlands. For people who are affected earlier and more severely by rising temperatures, storms, and sea level rise, measures must not come later and weaker. Eight island residents, together with Greenpeace Netherlands, had brought the case. They pointed to concrete risks to mangroves, coral reefs, and the tourism-dependent economy. Poorer residents, in particular, are hardly able to protect themselves from extreme weather. The court also found violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. The decision joins a growing number of international rulings that specify state responsibility in climate protection. International agreements such as the Paris Agreement also played a role. The Dutch government is still reviewing the ruling. For the plaintiffs, it is a turning point. Implementation, they say, must not be delayed. The train, they say, is now leaving.

Hamburg court bans Kremlin accusations against oligarch

A court in Hamburg has stripped several claims about Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov of their legal basis. In a defamation case against the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the judges declared key statements to be untrue. Among other things, the claim that Usmanov deployed his wealth in the interest of or on behalf of the Kremlin was prohibited. Allegations that he interfered in editorial decisions after taking over the newspaper Kommersant were also found to be unsubstantiated. The judges likewise rejected assertions that Usmanov informally represented the interests of Russian authorities in Uzbekistan. The case stemmed from an article titled “On behalf of the Kremlin” published in spring 2023. After the newspaper refused to print a rebuttal, Usmanov filed suit with the Hamburg Regional Court. In its assessment, the court also followed earlier rulings by Russian courts that had already deemed similar allegations from investigations by Alexei Navalny to be false. The Hamburg court explicitly adopted this assessment. Usmanov’s representatives emphasized that this was the first time a European court had prohibited the further dissemination of statements that had previously been judicially rejected in Russia. According to the entrepreneur’s press office, these very allegations had earlier been used to justify EU sanctions. His lawyer spoke of a collection of unsubstantiated and unlawful accusations. Usmanov had previously achieved successes before German courts as well, including against reports by the broadcaster ARD and the magazine Forbes.

Federal judge Schiltz loses patience with ICE

It was not a political statement, but a judicial finding that resonates. The presiding judge of the federal court in Minnesota, Patrick J. Schiltz, found that the immigration authority ICE had ignored nearly one hundred court orders this month. In the language of the judiciary, that is an alarm. The orders concerned concrete release directives, deadlines, and procedural requirements that were simply not implemented. This is not about a mistake, but about a pattern. Court orders were treated as if they were optional. The judge made clear that this directly attacks the authority of the judiciary. Political pressure, operational goals, or internal instructions do not change that. Whoever ignores orders places themselves outside the legal framework. Schiltz left no doubt that this situation will not be tolerated. Further steps are on the table. The message is unmistakable: courts are not spectators.