In Minneapolis, all-encompassing immigration story tests a newsroom in midst of digital transition

With the eyes of a nation fixed on the unrest in Minneapolis, the events haven't left local journalists overmatched.

Over the past month, the Minnesota Star Tribune has broken stories, including the identity of theimmigration enforcement officerwho shotRenee Good, and produced a variety of informative and instructive pieces. Richard Tsong-Taatarii'sphotoof a prone demonstrator sprayed point-blank with a chemical irritant quickly became a defining image. TheICE actionshave changed how the outlet presents the news.

At a time when many regional newspapers have become hollowed-out shells due to thedecline in journalismas a business, the Star Tribune has kept staffing relatively steady under billionaireGlen Taylor, who has owned it since 2014. It rebranded itself from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and committed itself to a digital transformation.

It was ready for its moment.

"If you hadn't invested in the newsroom, you wouldn't be able to react in that way," said Steve Grove, publisher and chief executive.

Minnesota's robust journalism tradition

The Star Tribune hasn't operated in a vacuum. Minneapolis has a robust journalism tradition, particularly on public radio and television. Sahan Journal, a digital newsroom focusing on immigrants and diverse communities, has also distinguished itself covering President Donald Trump's immigration efforts and the public response.

"The whole ecosystem is pretty darn good," said Kathleen Hennessey, senior vice president and editor of the Star Tribune, "and I think people are seeing that now."

While national outlets have made their presence felt, strong local teams offer advantages in such stories. The Star Tribune's Josie Albertson-Grove was one of the first journalists on the scene afterICU nurse Alex Prettiwas shot dead on Jan. 24. She lives about a block away, and her knowledge of the neighborhood and its people helped to reconstruct what happened.

Journalists with kids in school learned about ICE efforts to target areas where children gather by hearing chatter among friends. While covering a beat like public safety can carry baggage, Star Tribune reporter Liz Sawyer developed sources that helped her, along with colleagues Andy Mannix and Sarah Nelson, report on who shot Good.

Besides those contacts, the staff simply knows Minnesota better than outsiders, Hennessey said.

"This is a place with a really, really long and entrenched tradition of activism, and a place with really deep social networks and neighborhood networks," she said. "People mobilize quickly and passionately, and they're noisy about it. That's definitely been part of the story."

A Signal chat tipped Tsong-Taatarii about a demonstration growing raucous on Jan. 21. Upon arriving, he focused his lens on one protester knocked to the ground, leaving the photographer perfectly placed for his richly-detailed shot. Two officers hold the man face-down with arms on his back, while a third unleashes a chemical from a canister inches from his face. The bright yellow liquid streams onto his cheek and splatters onto the pavement.

What some have called the sadistic cruelty involved in the episode outraged many who saw the photo. "I was just trying to document and present the evidence and let people decide for themselves," Tsong-Taatarii said.

'A badge to prove I belong'

In one enterprising story, the Star Tribune's Christopher Magan and Jeff Hargarten identified 240 of an estimated 3,000 immigrants rounded up in Minnesota, finding 80% had felony convictions but nearly all had been through the court system, been punished and were no longer sought by police. Hargarten and Jake Steinberg collaborated on a study of how the size of the federal force compared with that of local police.

Columnist Laura Yuen wrote that her 80-year-old parents have begun carrying their passports when they leave their suburban townhouse, part of the "quiet, pervasive fear" in the Twin Cities. Yuen downloaded her own passport to carry on her phone. "A document that once made me proud of all the places I've traveled is now a badge to prove I belong," she wrote.

A piece by Kim Hyatt and Louis Krauss detailed the health consequences of chemical irritants used by law enforcement — or thought to be used, since questions about what specifically was deployed went unanswered.

"I really think they've done a commendable job," said Scott Libin, a veteran television newsman and journalism professor at the University of Minnesota. He praised the Star Tribune's story about the criminal backgrounds of immigrants as thorough and dispassionate.

Since Hennessey, a former Associated Press editor, began her job last May, the Star Tribune has experienced a run of big stories, including theshootingof two state lawmakers and agunman opening fireat a Catholic school in Minneapolis. And, of course, "we have a newsroom that still has muscle memory fromGeorge Floyd" in 2020, Grove said.

News compelled fundamental shifts in the way the Star Tribune operates. Like some national outlets, it has rearranged staff to cover the story aggressively through a continuously updated live blog on its website, offered free to readers. There's also a greater emphasis on video, with the Star Tribune doing forensic studies on footage from the Pretti and Good shootings, something few local newsrooms are equipped to do. Traffic to its website has gone up 50 percent, paid subscriptions have increased and the company is getting thousands of dollars in donations from across the country, Grove said.

"People have changed the way that they consume news," Hennessey said. "We see that readers are coming back. You know, they're not just waking up in the morning, reading the site and then forgetting about us all day long. They're coming back a couple of times a day to check in on what's new."

Most people in the newsroom are contributing to the story, including the Star Tribune's food and culture team, and its outdoor reporters. "There are no normal beats anymore," Albertson-Grove said.

A rapid transformation to a digital-first newsroom

Under Grove, a former Google executive, the Star Tribune has attempted a digital-first transition, turning over about 20% of its staff in two years. The paper shut its Minneapolis printing plant in December, laying off 125 people, and moving print operations to Iowa.

"We face every single headwind that every local news organization in the country does," Grove said. "But we do feel fortunate that we're the largest newsroom in the Midwest and it's part of the reason we're able to do this now."

As a reporter, Sawyer says the public response to the outlet's work, sharing stories and images, has lifted her spirits. Readers see it as public service journalism. Still, she could use a break. She and her husband, Star Tribune photographer Aaron Lavinsky, have a baby daughter and make sure to stagger their coverage. They can't both be tear-gassed or arrested at the same time; who makes the daycare pickup?

"I think both residents and journalists in this town are running on fumes," she said. "We're tired of being in the international spotlight and it's never for something positive. People are trying their best to get through this moment with grace."

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him athttp://x.com/dbauderandhttps://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

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January 31, 2026

In Minneapolis, all-encompassing immigration story tests a newsroom in midst of digital transition

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Black history centennial channels angst over anti-DEI climate into education, free resources

For academics, historians and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating the teaching of Black history in the United States.

Despite last year proclaiming February as National Black History Month, President Donald Trump started his second term by claiming some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country. The administration has dismantled Black history at national parks, most recently removingan exhibit on slavery in Philadelphialast month. Black history advocates see these acts and their chilling effect as scary and unprecedented.

"States and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House," said DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist and executive director of Campaign Zero, an organization focused on police reform. "So even the good people are just quieter now."

In the 100th year since the nation's earliest observances of Black History Month — which began whenscholar Carter G. Woodson pioneered the first Negro History Week— celebrations will go on. The current political climate has energized civil rights organizations, artists and academics to engage young people on a full telling of America's story. There are hundreds of lectures, teach-ins and even new books — from nonfiction to a graphic novel — to mark the milestone.

"This is why we are working with more than 150 teachers around the country on a Black History Month curriculum to just ensure that young people continue to learn about Black history in a way that is intentional and thoughtful," Mckesson said about a campaign his organization has launched with the Afro Charities organization and leading Black scholars to expand access to educational materials.

New graphic novel highlights history of Juneteenth

About three years ago, Angélique Roché, a journalist and adjunct professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, accepted a "once-in-a-lifetime" invitation to be the writer for a graphic novel retelling of the story ofOpal Lee, "grandmother of Juneteenth."

Lee, who will also turn 100 this year, is largely credited for getting federal recognition of theJune 19 holidaycommemorating the day when enslaved people in Texas learned they were emancipated. Under Trump, however, Juneteenth isno longer a free-admission dayat national parks.

Juneteenth helped usher in the first generation of Black Americans who, like Woodson, was born free. "First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth," the graphic novel, comes out Tuesday. It is the culmination of Roché's assiduous archival research, phone chats and visits to Texas to see Lee and her granddaughter, Dione Sims.

"There is nothing 'indoctrinating' about facts that are based on primary sources that are highly researched," said Roché, who hopes the book makes it into libraries and classrooms. "At the end of the day, what the story should actually tell people is that we're far more alike than we are different."

While Lee is the main character, Roché used the novel as a chance to put attention on lesser known historical figures like William "Gooseneck Bill" McDonald, Texas' first Black millionaire, and Opal Lee's mother, Mattie Broadous Flake.

She hopes this format will inspire young people to follow Lee and her mantra — "make yourself a committee of one."

"It doesn't mean don't work with other people," Roché said. "Don't wait for other people to make the changes you wanna see."

Campaign aims to train new generation of Black historians

When Trump's anti-DEI executive orders were issued last year, Jarvis Givens, a professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard, was thousands of miles away teaching in London, where Black History Month is celebrated in October. He had already been contemplating writing a book for the centennial.

Watching Trump's "attack" cemented the idea, Givens said.

"I wanted to kind of devote my time while on leave to writing a book that would honor the legacy that gave us Black History Month," Givens said.

The result is "I'll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month," a book with four in-depth essays that comes out Tuesday. The title is a line from the 1920s poem "The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson, whose most famous poem, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," is known as the "Black National Anthem."

Givens examines important themes in Black history and clarifies misconceptions around them.

The book and the research Givens dug up will tie into a "living history campaign" with Campaign Zero and Afro Charities, Mckesson said. The goal is to teach what Woodson believed — younger generations can become historians who can discern fact from fiction.

"When I grew up, the preservation of history was a historian's job," Mckesson said, adding his group's campaign will teach young students how to record history.

How the 'father of Black history' might feel today

Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson was among the first generation of Black Americans not assigned to bondage at birth. He grew up believing that education was a way to self-empowerment, said Robert Trent Vinson, director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The second Black man to earn a doctorate at Harvard University — W. E. B. Du Bois was the first — Woodson was disillusioned by how Black history was dismissed. He saw that the memories and culture of less educated Black people were no less valuable, Vinson said.

When Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he was in an era where popular stereotypes like blackface and minstrelsy were filling in for actual knowledge of the Black experience, according to Vinson. This sparked the creation of Black history clubs and Woodson began inserting historical lessons "on the sly" in publications like the "Journal of Negro History" and the "Negro History Bulletin."

"Outside the formal school structure, they're having a separate school like in churches or in study groups," Vinson said. "Or they're sharing it with parents and saying, 'you teach your young people this history.' So, Woodson is creating a whole educational space outside the formal university."

In 1976, for the week's 50th anniversary, President Gerald Ford issued a message recognizing it as an entire month. There was pushback then over the gains the Civil Rights Movement had made, Givens said.

As for today's backlash over Black and African American studies, Vinson believes Woodson would not be surprised. But, he would see it as a sign "you're on the right track."

"There's a level of what he called 'fugitivity,' of sharing this knowledge and being strategic about it," Vinson said. "There are other times like in this moment, Black History Month, where you can be more out and assertive, but be strategic about how you spread the information."

Resistance to teaching Black history is something that seems to occur every generation, Mckesson said.

"We will go back to normalcy. We've seen these backlashes before," Mckesson said. "And when I think about the informal networks of Black people who have always resisted, I think that is happening today."

Tang reported from Phoenix.

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January 31, 2026

Black history centennial channels angst over anti-DEI climate into education, free resources

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Chaka Khan, Cher, Whitney Houston, Fela Kuti get Grammys Life Achievement Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Chaka Khan,Cher,Carlos Santana,Paul Simon,Fela KutiandWhitney Houstonreceived the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy at theGrammysSpecial Merit Awards on Saturday night.

2026 Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards - Arrivals

"Music has been my prayer, my healing, my joy, my truth," Khan said as she accepted the award. "Through it, I saved my life."

She was the only Lifetime Achievement recipient who appeared at the ceremony at the small Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on the eve ofSunday's main Grammys ceremony.

She was preceded by a short documentary on her career that highlighted her hits as a member of the funk band Rufus and as a solo artist, including 1974's Stevie Wonder-written "Tell Me Something Good," 1983's "Ain't Nobody," 1978's "I'm Every Woman" and 1984's Prince-penned "I Feel For You."

Wearing a shimmering sea green gown, she thanked her many collaborators while admitting not all of them were entirely sane.

"Over 50 years I am blessed to walk alongside extraordinary artists, musicians, writers, producers and creatives," she said, pausing before adding, "and cuckoos."

Family accepted the Lifetime Achievement Awards for the Nigerian Afrobeat legend Kuti, who died in 1997, and the singing superstar Houston, who died in 2012.

"Her voice — that voice! — remains eternal," Pat Houston, Whitney's sister-in-law, close friend and longtime manager, said. "Her legacy will live forever."

Three of his children accepted the award for Kuti, introduced as a "producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the father of Afrobeat." He's the first African musician to get the award.

"Thank you for bringing our father here," Femi Kuti said. "It's so important for us, it's so important for Africa, it's so important for world peace and the struggle."

The audience gave a collective moan of disappointment when academy President Harvey Mason Jr. said Cher wasn't there.

She spoke in a very short video.

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"The only thing I ever wanted to be was a singer. When I was 4 years old I used to run around the house naked, singing into a hair brush," she said. "Things haven't changed all that much."

Santana also spoke on video, after his son, Salvador, accepted his trophy.

"The world is so infected with fear that we need the music and message of Santana to bring hope, courage and joy to heal the world," Carlos Santana said.

Elton John's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin paid tribute to Simon, calling him "the greatest American songwriter alive."

Taupin was there as one of the recipients of the Grammys Trustees Award, which honors career contributions outside of performing.

Despite co-writing the vast majority of John's hits, Taupin has somehow never won a competitive Grammy, though he's nominated for one Sunday.

"I've been waiting 57 years for one of these," he said, looking at his honorary trophy.

Taupin read a list of the songwriting principles he's always followed. They included "avoid cliches," "never write songs in cubicles" and "don't say you're going to die if she leaves you — because you're not."

Eddie Palmieri, a pianist, composer and bandleader who was a great innovator in Latin jazz and rumba, also got a Trustees Award.

Palmieri, who died last year at 88, became the first Latino to win a Grammy Award, in 1975.

Another trustees honoree was Sylvia Rhone, the first Black woman to head a major record label.

John Chowning, whose work as a Stanford professor in the 1960s was essential to the synthesizer sounds that dominated the 1980s, won the Technical Grammy Award.

Jennifer Jimenez, a band director from South Miami Senior High School, won the Grammys Music Educator Award, and "Ice Cream Man" by Raye got the Harry Belafonte Song for Social Change Award.

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in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

Chaka Khan, Cher, Whitney Houston, Fela Kuti get Grammys Life Achievement Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Chaka Khan,Cher,Carlos Santana,Paul Simon,Fela KutiandWhitney Houstonreceived the Lifetime Achievement ...

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Undercover investigation of Meta heads to trial in New Mexico in first stand-alone case by state

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors in a stream of lawsuits againstMetais getting underway in New Mexico, with jury selection starting Monday.

New Mexico's case is built on a state undercover investigation using proxy social media accounts and posing as kids to document sexual solicitations and the response from Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. It could give states a new legal pathway to go after social media companies overhow their platforms affect children, by using consumer protection and nuisance laws.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed suit in 2023, accusing Meta of creating a marketplace and "breeding ground" for predators who target children for sexual exploitation and failing to disclose what it knew about those harmful effects.

"So many regulators are keyed up looking for any evidence of a legal theory that would punish social media that a victory in that case could have ripple effects throughout the country, and the globe," said Eric Goldman, codirector of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law in California. "Whatever the jury says will be of substantial interest."

The trial, with opening statements scheduled for Feb. 9, could last nearly two months.

Meta denies the civil charges and says prosecutors are taking a "sensationalist" approach. CEOMark Zuckerbergwas dropped as a defendant in the case, but he has been deposed and documents in the case carry his name.

In California, opening arguments are scheduled this week for a personal injury case in Los Angeles County Superior Court that could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out.

The allegations against Meta in New Mexico

Prosecutors say New Mexico is not seeking to hold Meta accountable for content on its platforms, but rather its role in pushing out that content through complex algorithms that proliferate material that can be addictive and harmful to children.

The approach could sidestep immunity provisions for social media platforms under a First Amendment shield andSection 230, a 30-year-old provision of the U.S. Communications Decency Act that has protected tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.

An undercover investigation by the state created several decoy accounts for minors 14 and younger, documented the arrival of online sexual solicitations and monitored Meta's responses when the behavior was brought to the company's attention. The state says Meta's responses placed profits ahead of children's safety.

Torrez, a first-term Democrat elected in 2022, has urged Meta to implement more effective age verification and remove bad actors from its platform. He's also seeking changes to algorithms that can serve up harmful material and criticizing end-to-end privacy encryption that can prevent the monitoring of communications with children for safety.

Separately, Torrez brought felony criminal charges of child solicitation by electronic devices against three men in 2024, also using decoy social media accounts to build that case.

How Meta has responded

Meta denies the civil charges while accusing the attorney general of cherry-picking select documents and making "sensationalist, irrelevant and distracting arguments."

In a statement, Meta said ongoing lawsuits nationwide are attempting to place the blame for teen mental health struggles on social media companies in a way that oversimplifies matters. It points to the steady addition of account settings and tools — including safety features that give teens more information about the person they're chatting with and content restrictions based on PG-13 movie ratings.

Goldman says the company is bringing enormous resources to bear in courtrooms this year, including New Mexico.

"If they lose this," he said, "it becomes another beachhead that might erode their basic business."

Many other lawsuits are underway

More than40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuitsagainst Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms. The majority filed their lawsuits in federal court.

The bellwether trial underway in California against social video companies, including Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube, focuses on a 19-year-old who claims her use of social media from an early age addicted her to technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. TikTok and Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. settled claims in the case that affects thousands of consolidated plaintiffs.

A federal trial starting in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

In New Mexico, prosecutors also sued Snap Inc. over accusations its platform facilitates child sexual exploitation. Snap says its platform has built-in safety guardrails and "deliberate design choices to make it difficult for strangers to discover minors." A trial date has not been set.

The jury weighs guilt, but a judge has final say on any sanctions

A jury assembled from residents of Santa Fe County, including the politically progressive state capital city, will weigh whether Meta engaged in unfair business practices and to what extent.

But a judge will have final say later on any possible civil penalties and other remedies, and decide the public nuisance charge against Meta.

The state's Unfair Practices Act allows penalties of $5,000 per violation, but it's not yet clear how violations would be tallied.

"The reason the damage potential is so great here is because of how Facebook works," said Mollie McGraw, a Las Cruces-based plaintiff's attorney. "Meta keeps track of everyone who sees a post. … The damages here could be significant."

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January 31, 2026

Undercover investigation of Meta heads to trial in New Mexico in first stand-alone case by state

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors in a stream of lawsuits againstMetais getting un...

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Blast in Iran port city kills 1, wounds 14 before Strait of Hormuz naval drill watched by US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion tore through an apartment building Saturday inIran's port city of Bandar Abbas, killing a 4-year-old girl as local media footage purportedly showed a security force member being carried out by rescuers.

Iran

The blast happened a day beforea planned naval drill by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. The U.S. military has warned Iran not to threaten its warships or commercial traffic in the strait, on which Bandar Abbas sits.

State television quoted a local fire official as blaming the blast on a gas leak. Media reported at least 14 others injured in the explosion.

A local newspaper, Sobh-e Sahel, aired footage of a correspondent speaking in front of the building. The footage included a sequence that showed a man in a green security force uniform being carried out on a stretcher. He wore a neck brace and appeared to be in pain, his left hand covering the branch insignia on his uniform.

The newspaper did not acknowledge the security force member being carried out elsewhere in its reporting. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard did not discuss the blast, other than to deny that a Guard navy commander had been hurt.

Another explosion blamed on a gas explosion Saturday in the southwestern city of Ahvaz killed five people, state media reported.

Iran remains tense overa threat by U.S. President Donald Trumpto potentially launch a military strike on the country over the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in a major crackdown over the demonstrations.

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Trump on Saturday night declined to say whether he'd made a decision on what he wanted to do regarding Iran.

Speaking to reporters as he flew to Florida, Trump sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the U.S. backed away from launching any strikes on Iran, saying, "Some people think that. Some people don't."

Trump said Iran should negotiate a "satisfactory" deal to prevent the Middle Eastern country from getting any nuclear weapons but said, "I don't know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us."

Ali Larijani, a top security official in Iran, wrote on X late Saturday that "structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing." However, there is no public sign of any direct talks with the United States, which Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly ruled out.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday called for de-escalation and said Egypt is working to bring the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table to achieve a "peaceful and comprehensive settlement to the Iranian nuclear file," according to a statement on his phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Qatar in a statement said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Tehran on Saturday and met with Larijani about "efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region."

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Will Weissert aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

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January 31, 2026

Blast in Iran port city kills 1, wounds 14 before Strait of Hormuz naval drill watched by US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion tore through an apartment building Saturday inIran's port city of Ban...

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Shooting at Louisiana parade leaves 5 people wounded, including 6-year-old, sheriff says

CLINTON, La. (AP) — A 6-year-old and four other people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a small-town parade Saturday in Louisiana, sending people in the crowd fleeing for cover, authorities said.

East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis told reporters the shooting happened shortly after the midday start of the Mardi Gras in the Country Parade in Clinton, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Baton Rouge.

Investigators are trying to piece together what happened, why and who was responsible, but those answers weren't immediately clear even with extra law enforcement on hand at the time to help with the parade, he said. Travis said three people in the area who had firearms were taken into custody but that it wasn't clear whether they were involved in the shooting.

Gov. Jeff Landry reacted to the shooting in a post on the social platform X, calling it "absolutely horrific and unacceptable" and urging people to pray for the victims.

Details about them and their conditions weren't immediately released. But Chief Criminal Deputy Bill Cox from the sheriff's office toldThe Advocatethat everyone was expected to survive.

The sheriff's office asked for anyone with photos or video of the shooting or nearby areas to share those with investigators.

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January 31, 2026

Shooting at Louisiana parade leaves 5 people wounded, including 6-year-old, sheriff says

CLINTON, La. (AP) — A 6-year-old and four other people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a small-town parade Satur...

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'SNL' takes on Minneapolis as Pete Davidson plays border czar

Pete Davidsonreturned to "Saturday Night Live" and addressed the ongoing political turmoil in the U.S. in the show's cold open.

In the sketch show's latest cold open, the former cast member returned to play White House border czarTom Homanin a sketch tackling the political unrest happening in Minneapolis. In the sketch, Davidson's Homan spoke to a room full of confused ICE agents and grew frustrated while trying to explain why they should not use force against protesters or destroy evidence.

After Davidson's Homan said that ICE's mission in Minneapolis is to "detain and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes," one of the agents said this is "literally the first I'm hearing of that."

When he asked the agents what they're looking for in Minneapolis, an ICE agent responded, "Epstein files?"

More:3 million more Epstein pages with 2,000 images publish, ending review

"No, we actually just released those to distract from this," Davidson as Homan said. "Which is ironic, because we did this to distract from those."

Pete Davidson, 'SNL' tackle ongoing ICE raids in cold open

Homan then stressed that ICE agents should not use force, asking, "The job, ultimately, is about keeping America safe from what?"

"This could be wrong, but Don Lemon?" an ICE agent responded.

Davidson's Homan also addressed agents, saying that protesters shouldn't be able to have guns, asking, "How many of you went to a 'stop the steal' protest with a loaded automatic weapon?"

James Austin Johnson's ICE agent character eventually concluded, "You hired a bunch of angry, aggressive guys, gave us guns and didn't train us, so this is maybe what you wanted to happen?"

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The sketch ended with Davidson giving an inspirational speech to the agents, asking if they can do their jobs "without violating anyone's rights as Americans," to which an agent played by Kenan Thompson simply replied, "No."

"Well, I had to ask," Davidson's Homan said. "Maybe just try not to get filmed?"

Vigils held for Alex Pretti, killed in Border Patrol related shooting

Tonight's "SNL" cold open comes after theshow's previous episodeon Jan. 24, which opened with a sketch in whichJohnson's Trump hosted an awards show reminiscent of the Oscars. The episode received backlash from some fans over the way it largely sidestepped thekilling of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis earlier that same day.

The Jan. 24 opening sketch only alluded to the events in Minneapolis when Johnson, as Trump, said he was trying to distract from "what all my little freaks and psychos in ICE have been doing."

Later in the Jan. 24 show, Minneapolis was briefly referenced on "Weekend Update" and in a sketch depicting a PBS news program. "To have basically no mention of the absolute horror of today and the past month is a slap in the face,"one fan wrote on the "SNL" subredditafter the episode aired, drawing thousands of upvotes.

In 'SNL' cold openTrump distracts from 'freaks and psychos' in ICE

Who else was on 'SNL'?

Alexander Skarsgård made his "SNL" hosting debut on the Jan. 31 episode, joined by Cardi B as the musical guest.

Skarsgård is starring in the new Charli XCX mockumentary "The Moment" and the dark comedy "Pillion," while Cardi B is coming off the release of her album "Am I the Drama?" in September.

Who's hosting 'SNL' next?

"SNL" will return on Feb. 28 with host Connor Storrie and musical guest Mumford & Sons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open tackles Minneapolis and ICE as Pete Davidson returns

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January 31, 2026

'SNL' takes on Minneapolis as Pete Davidson plays border czar

Pete Davidsonreturned to "Saturday Night Live" and addressed the ongoing political turmoil in the U.S. in the s...

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Dog Show 101: What to know about the 150th Westminster show

NEW YORK (AP) — It's go time for thousands of America's most dogged competitors.

Westminster Dog Show 101

Big or small, sleek or shaggy, imposing or impish, they're all trying for the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in itsmilestone 150th year.

MightComet the shih tzusnag the trophy after coming close the last two years? What about Neal the bichon frisé, another 2025 finalist who's competing again? Could this be the year forZaida the Afghan hound, who has twice won the World Dog Show, a major international showcase, but has yet to make the finals at Westminster?

Or will the prize go to another well-known contender — or a dark horse?

Here's what to know about the United States' most prestigious canine competition.

When is the Westminster dog show?

The breed-by-breed judging — officially called "conformation" — happens Monday and Tuesday, at a combination of the Javits Center convention hall and Madison Square Garden. Best in show is awarded at the Garden around 11 p.m. EST Tuesday.

For fans who can't be there in person, Fox Sports isshowing the event's various componentson FS1 and FS2 and its various streaming platforms. Westminster is streaming some, as well.

How many dogs are there?

Some 2,500 dogs from 212 breeds and varieties (subsets of breeds) are signed up to compete. (No doodles, though. These popular poodle mixes aren't recognized as distinct breeds by the American Kennel Club, the governing body for Westminster and many other U.S. dog shows.) There are contestants from every U.S. state and 18 other countries.

A few hundred more dogs,including mixed-breedones, competed Saturday in Westminster's agility and flyball contests.

Who are some dogs to watch?

Besides Comet, Neal and Zaida, entrants include Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog who won the National Dog Show televised last Thanksgiving Day, and a Lhasa apso called JJ, who triumphed at the huge AKC National Championship that aired in late December. The runners-up from those shows — George, an American foxhound, and a Gordon setter named River — also are due at Westminster.

And keep an eye out for Baby Joe, a miniature schnauzer who topped national dog show standings for 2025. Don't forget Penny the Doberman pinscher, who's been climbing the rankings since her crowd-pleasing turn in last year's Westminster semifinals. There's also a high-ranking Chesapeake Bay retriever, a prominent papillon and many other buzzy contenders.

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But anything can happen at Westminster, a champions-only show where every contestant is a proven winner. Cognoscenti often say victory goes to "the dog on the day," meaning the one that has the performance of a lifetime.

Whichever dog the judge chooses, others sometimes run away with the audience's heart.

A 2020 crowd fave, Daniel the golden retriever, is among eight past finalists or winners set to return for a special presentation Monday night. So are some other 2020 finalists, Bono the Havanese, Wilma the boxer — andSiba, the standard poodlewho defeated them all to claim that year's best in show award. Do show dogs hold grudges? We shall see.

What makes a dog best in show?

First, dogs are judged against others of their breed. Then each breed winner goes up against others in its "group," such as terriers or herding dogs. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show.

At each level,judges decide which dog best matches the ideal, or "standard," for its own breed.

What breeds win most?

Wire fox terriers (15 wins), followed by poodles of various sizes (11).

Many breedshaven't won yet, including such favorites as Labrador and golden retrievers. But never say never:Last year's winner, Monty, was the first giant schnauzer chosen as best in show. He then retired from showing but is expected to join Monday's special tribute to Westminster "legends."

What do winners get?

Bragging rights, ribbons and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility winner gets to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.

Why are there protests?

Animal welfare activists routinely protest the Westminster show. They see it as an irresponsible canine beauty contest that overlooks shelter dogs' predicament and some purebreds' health problems.

For Westminster's milestone show this year, PETA plans to demonstrate outside the show and has erected billboards nearby with such messages as "flat-faced dogs struggle to breathe," echoing aspects of the animal rights group's ongoinglawsuit against the American Kennel Club. The AKC has called the case frivolous and is trying to get it dismissed.

The Westminster club notes that it donates to rescue groups, veterinary scholarships and other endeavors that help dogs. Club President Donald Sturz says that "shows an overarching commitment to responsible dog ownership and responsible dog breeding."

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in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

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Former Prince Andrew can't escape Epstein's shadow as new documents reveal details about friendship

LONDON (AP) — Britain's royal family is facing a fresh round of embarrassment after thelatest release of documentsfrom the U.S. investigation into Jeffrey Epstein revealed unsavory details about the relationship between the convicted sex offender and a correspondent who appears to be the manformerly known as Prince Andrew.

Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department include an invitation for Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace, Epstein's offer to introduce his correspondent to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Andrew kneeling over an unidentified person who is lying on the floor.

The revelations come three months after King Charles IIIstripped Andrew of his royal titles, including the right to be called a prince, as he tried to insulate the monarchy from a steady stream of stories about his younger brother's relationship with Epstein that has tarnished the royal family for more than a decade. The former prince is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

A tarnished figure

As a result of that move, the damage from the latest emails is likely to be limited to Mountbatten-Windsor, said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London.

The documents show that "they had to do something to separate Andrew from the rest of the family, and the nuclear option was the clearest way of doing it," Prescott said. "And as more comes out, then you do feel that they have been justified."

The documents raise serious questions about Andrew's judgment, while offering a rare look at how some of the world's super elite behave behind closed doors, Prescott said.

"It's sort of the things they do behind some of the most gilded doors in New York or London or wherever," he said. "It's the sort of things that on some occasions seem to be going on. And I think most people just think, wow, that's all very extraordinary.''

The disclosures have revived questions about whether Mountbatten-Windsor should cooperate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein and his links to powerful individuals around the world.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein's activities.

"In terms of testifying, I've always said anybody who's got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they're asked to do that, because you can't be victim-centered if you're not prepared to do that," Starmer said as he arrived in Japan to meet with the country's leaders.

Mountbatten-Windsor said in late 2019 that he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with its investigation into Epstein. However, previous documents released by the Justice Department show that in 10 months of emails and conference calls, Mountbatten-Windsor's lawyers rejected proposals for their client to be directly interviewed by federal prosecutors either in person or by video.

Instead, his lawyers asked that he be allowed to answer questions in writing, something they said would be permitted in British courts. Finally, on Sept. 23, 2020, prosecutors gave up on securing a voluntary interview and said they planned to ask the British courts to compel Andrew's testimony. There is no indication that Mountbatten-Windsor has ever provided such testimony.

The House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein, in November asked Andrew to sit for a transcribed interview.

A relationship under fire

Mountbatten-Windsor has been dogged by his relationship with Epstein ever since 2008, when the wealthy financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. In 2011, the lateVirginia Giuffrealleged that she had been trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.

He tried to stifle the controversy in a 2019 interview with the BBC, but the appearance only fueled the scandal when he was criticized for offering unbelievable explanations of his behavior and failing to show empathy for Epstein's victims.

The former prince has repeatedly deniedcommitting any crimes and has rejected Giuffre's allegations. An email seeking comment on the latest document release was not answered. The presence of anyone's name or images in the investigative files isn't proof of wrongdoing.

The emails released on Friday include an August 2010 exchange between Epstein and an account labeled "The Duke" that occurred soon after the financier was released from home detention following his earlier conviction. Before he was barred from using the title, Mountbatten-Windsor was the Duke of York.

"I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with," Epstein writes.

"The Duke" replies: "Of course. I am in Geneva until the morning of 22nd but would be delighted to see her. Will she be bringing a message from you? Please give her my contact details to get in touch."

The email is signed "A."

In response to a redacted email, "The Duke" then writes, "Great. Any other information you might know about her that might be useful to know? Like what have you told her about me and have you given her my email as well?"

Epstein, whose emails often contain typographical errors, responds: "She 26, russian, clevere beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email."

"That was quick!" The Duke replies. "How are you? Good to be free?"

"Great to be free of many things," Epstein says.

The exchange elicited shock from former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, who pointed out that it would be highly unusual for a royal to meet with someone they knew so little about.

"I mean, what was he thinking?" Bond told the BBC. "What was he thinking when Epstein offered him a 26-year-old Russian very beautiful lady to have dinner with? I mean, was there no red light saying, 'Oh my goodness, you know, is this a security risk? Could she be a spy? Should I do this?' Nah. He says, 'That would be absolutely lovely.'''

Damaging emails

In another exchange in September 2010, Epstein said he was in London.

"I am just departing Scotland should be down by 1800," "The Duke" replied in an email signed with the initial A. "I'll ring you when I get down if you can give me a number to ring.

"Alternatively we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy."

"bp please," Epstein responds.

Also included in the release are three photographs that show someone who looks like Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified person whose face is redacted.

In one photo the man, wearing blue jeans and a polo shirt, looks into the camera. In the others he appears to be talking to the unidentified person with his hand on their abdomen. There is no caption and no indication of when or where the photos were taken.

As unseemly as the revelations are, there isn't much else the palace can do to sanction him, Prescott said.

"In terms of Andrew's reputation, that has totally gone," he said.

byAdministrator

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

Former Prince Andrew can't escape Epstein's shadow as new documents reveal details about friendship

LONDON (AP) — Britain's royal family is facing a fresh round of embarrassment after thelatest release of documentsfro...

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Italians furious over deployment of ICE agents to bolster US security at Winter Olympics

Outrage is growing in Italy over the deployment ofImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agentsto assist US security operations at the Winter Olympicsnext month– something US officials say has been common practice at previous Olympics.

Current and former lawmakers urged Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to intervene and block their presence in the wake of two fatal shootings during Trump'songoing immigration crackdownin Minneapolis.

The former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte urged the country's government to "set our own limits" and "make clear decisions," following increasinglyaggressive tacticsby the agency in the US.

"After street violence and murders in the US… We cannot allow this," Conte posted on X on Tuesday. "Enough with the bowing," he added.

Officials in Washington and US diplomats in Rome sought to clarify ICE agents' role at the Games.

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the agency, will serve "a security role" at the Olympics, a spokesperson from the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed to CNN Tuesday. "They don't do immigration enforcement (operations) in a foreign country obviously," the spokesperson added.

After meeting with Italy's interior minister Tuesday, the US ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta, said HSI's role will be "strictly advisory and intelligence-based, with no patrolling or enforcement involvement."

Federal agencies have supported the security of US diplomats at previous Olympics, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a State Department spokesperson told CNN.

The State Department said its Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is leading the US security effort in Milan.

"At the Olympics, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN in a statement. "All security operations remain under Italian authority," she added.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee emphasized in a statement to CNN that it does not work with "US domestic law enforcement or immigration agencies in the planning or execution of the Games," including ICE.

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'A militia that kills'

Over the weekend, Italian media reports of ICE's deployment to the northern city of Milan drew criticism and prompted petitions, amid increased scrutiny over the jurisdiction and force leveraged by immigration officers in the US.

The Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, declared that authorities "don't need ICE" to implement security at the Olympics, telling local radio, "They're not welcome in Milan."

"This is a militia that kills," Sala told Italian radio station RTL 102.5 on Tuesday. "Could we ever say 'No' to Trump? This isn't about severing relations or creating a diplomatic incident, but could we say 'No?'"

"I believe they shouldn't come to Italy because they don't guarantee they're aligned with our democratic security management methods," added Sala.

Another Italian lawmaker warned ICE agents "must not set foot in Italy." "It is a violent, unprepared, and out-of-control militia," Carlo Calenda, a veteran politician, told RTL 102.5 on Tuesday.

In recent weeks, ICE federal law enforcement agents killed two US citizens in the city of Minneapolis – against the backdrop of intensified protests demanding a halt to sweeping immigration raids by the White House.

Several Americans living in Milan reacted to the move by US authorities with incredulity, expressing concern over their country's reputation on the world stage under US President Donald Trump's domestic and foreignpolicy agenda. They spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation.

"I'm so confused, why on earth would ICE agents come to Italy? They don't have jurisdiction here," one person said on Tuesday.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN's Kit Maher and Sharon Braithwaite contributed reporting.

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byAdministrator

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

Italians furious over deployment of ICE agents to bolster US security at Winter Olympics

Outrage is growing in Italy over the deployment ofImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agentsto assist US security o...

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Judge orders release of 5-year-old, father detained in Minnesota ICE raid

By Kalea Hall

A 5-year-old boy is detained by federal agents in Columbia Heights

DETROIT, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, whom ​immigration officers detained during a Minnesota raid.

The boy — seen in a now-viral photo ‌wearing a blue bunny hat outside his house as federal agents stood nearby — was one of four students ‌detained by immigration officials earlier this month in a Minneapolis suburb, according to the Columbia Heights Public School District.

"The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children," U.S. District Judge Fred Biery wrote in ⁠a ruling published on Saturday.

"Ultimately, ‌Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur ‍through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place."

The Ecuadorean boy and his father, who entered the United States legally as asylum applicants, were sent to a family detention facility in Dilley, ​Texas, their attorney Marc Prokosch previously told Reuters.

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Prokosch and the Department of Homeland Security ‌did not immediately return requests for comment.

Judge Biery, appointed by then-President Bill Clinton, blasted the administration of President Donald Trump in his three-page order.

He likened the Trump administration's behavior to that of the British king decried in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, including sending "Swarms of Officers to harass our People," exciting "domestic Insurrection among us" and "quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops ⁠among us."

Biery cited the Constitution's requirement that an arrest ​warrant must be based on a judge finding probable ​cause of a crime. The use of "administrative warrants," issued by immigration officials, "is called the fox guarding the henhouse," he wrote.

"Observing human behavior confirms that for ‍some among us, the ⁠perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency," Biery wrote. "And the rule of law ⁠be damned."

Armed and masked officers detained two 17-year-olds and a 10-year-old in addition to Liam, school district Superintendent ‌Zena Stenvik said last week.

(Reporting by Kalea Hall; Additional reporting by William ‌Mallard; Editing by Sergio Non and Alistair Bell)

byAdministrator

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

Judge orders release of 5-year-old, father detained in Minnesota ICE raid

By Kalea Hall A 5-year-old boy is detained by federal agents in Columbia Heights DETROIT, Jan 31 (Reuters) -...

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Trump says US is 'starting to talk to Cuba' as he moves to cut its oil supplies

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. was beginning to talk with Cuban leaders as his administration is putting greater pressure on thecommunist-run islandand cutting off key oil supplies.

The Republican president made the comment to reporters on Saturday night as he was flying to Florida. It comes in the wake of his moves in recent weeks to cut off supplies of oil from Venezuela and Mexico, which he suggested Saturday would force Cuba to the negotiating table.

His goals with Cuba remain unclear, but Trump has turned more of his attention toward the island after his administration in early January captured Venezuela's then-PresidentNicolás Maduroand has been more aggressive in confronting nations that are adversaries of the U.S.

Trump has predicted that the Cuban government is ready to fall.

He did not offer any details on Saturday about what level of outreach his administration has had with Cuba recently or when, but simply said, "We're starting to talk to Cuba."

His recent moves to cut off its oil supplies have squeezed the island.

This past week, Trump signed an executive order to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba. The move put pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became dependent on for oil after Trump halted oil shipments from Venezuela in the wake of Maduro's ouster.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that it could cause a humanitarian crisis. She said on Friday that she would seek alternatives to continue helping Cuba.

"It doesn't have to be a humanitarian crisis. I think they probably would come to us and want to make a deal," Trump said Saturday. "So Cuba would be free again."

He predicted they would make some sort of deal with Cuba and said, "I think, you know, we'll be kind."

Price reported from Washington.

byAdministrator

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 31, 2026

Trump says US is 'starting to talk to Cuba' as he moves to cut its oil supplies

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. was beginning to talk with Cuban leaders as his administ...

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