Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey come under federal scrutiny, President Donald Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland, and the United States severs aid to Somalia.
It’s Monday, January 19, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
Minnesota Anti-ICE Protests Turn Violent
As left-wing protests in Minneapolis appear to be growing more violent, the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Democrats for obstructing federal law enforcement. Last week, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz urged President Donald Trump to “turn down the temperature.” But over the weekend, violent left-wing agitators in his state continued demonstrations. Large groups of protesters clashed with law enforcement outside of federal buildings and other ICE facilities, and a number of conservative demonstrators were brutally attacked in broad daylight. In one instance, a right-wing activist was physically dragged from the steps of a government building by a large mob of leftist agitators. They proceeded to beat him with fists, rocks, and flag poles, as some in the crowd yelled “kill him” — all with police nowhere to be seen.
On Sunday, dozens of protesters stormed the Cities Church in St. Paul as part of a “clandestine operation” to “disrupt business as usual,” activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong told ex-CNN host Don Lemon, who embedded with the protest group.
Clips from Lemon’s coverage of the protest spread on social media and drew the attention of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
“The [Civil Rights Division] is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers,” Dhillon said in a post on X.
Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are under federal investigation amid their opposition to the Trump administration’s massive immigration enforcement operation in the state. CBS News first reported the details of the investigation, which focuses on allegations that Walz and Frey have interfered with federal immigration operations.
Trump’s Greenland Gamble Revives Trade War With Europe
Some European leaders want to escalate a trade war with the United States after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on eight countries. Trump has said he will back off the tariffs only when Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. Leaders in the European Union want to freeze the trade agreement the bloc struck with the United States last year. Under that agreement, the EU would lift all levies on American goods, and in exchange, the United States would drop its tariffs on EU imports to 15%. The European Parliament was supposed to move forward on it next week, but instead the bloc is now expected to vote on Wednesday to put the deal on hold. It may also take additional steps to increase economic pressure on the United States. Some officials are concerned that the brewing trade war could mean trouble for the NATO military alliance, as well.
State Department To Permanently End Aid To Somalia
The State Department will permanently end foreign aid to Somalia after a warehouse full of U.S.-funded food disappeared. The Daily Wire obtained diplomatic cables from the United States embassy in Mogadishu showing corruption in Somalia that mirrors the fraud perpetrated by refugees in Minnesota. The U.S. embassy recommended that the State Department stop foreign aid after January 3, “at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Federal Government of Somalia, authorities at Mogadishu Port demolished the World Food Programme Emergency Response Warehouse with no prior notification or coordination with international donor countries, including the United States.” Seventy-six metric tons of food went missing, even as another 1,650 tons of commodities were on their way.
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