SDF: Syrian govt. forces beheading captured SDF fighters. “Damascus-affiliated forces on Monday beheaded 4 Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria..., according to a video published by the [SDF], which described [it] as ‘a heinous crime’... in ‘the style of’ Islamic State." www.rudaw.net/english/midd...

SDF repels attacks on Kobani. “The Syrian Democratic Forces' media center reported that ‘during the early hours of Tuesday morning... the Sarin front south of Kobane witnessed two successive attacks by Damascus-backed factions, which our forces repelled..." hawarnews.com/en/sdf-repel...

Syrian govt. forces take IS prison from SDF. "Al-Shaddadi Prison, which holds thousands of [ISIS] prisoners..., has been subjected to repeated attacks... by Damascus-affiliated factions. ....the International Coalition base... did not intervene despite repeated calls." hawarnews.com/en/sdf-shadd...

Pres. Trump selects big campaign donor to sell seized Venezuelan oil. "[John] Addison... donated $6 million total to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign via several super PACs, including $5 million to MAGA Inc." www.commondreams.org/news/venezue...

Kurdish group targeted Iranian security forces to protect protesters. "The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) ...admitted on 15 January that its members carried out ‘armed operations’ against security forces in Iran, framing the attacks as a ‘defense’ [of] protesters." thecradle.co/articles/kur...

Socialist candidate wins first round of Portugal’s presidential election. "[Receiving] just over 31% of the votes cast, [António José] Seguro’s triumph was an unforeseen upset over André Ventura, leader of the far-right Chega party, [who received 23.5% of the vote]." www.politico.eu/article/far-...

Minneapolis man dies in ICE custody in Texas. “Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old undocumented migrant from Nicaragua, died in ICE custody Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana in El Paso, according to ICE. ....He died of a presumed suicide, ICE said." www.ktsm.com/immigration/...

Noem denies ICE using chemicals on peaceful protesters. “…[Noem] denied in a televised interview on Sunday that her department had used pepper spray and similar tactics curtailed by a judicial order..., then backtracked... after being confronted with a video..." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/u...

Syrian government seizes most of Aleppo, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces from SDF. “In the space of two days, the Syrian military, aided by tribal militia, has driven Kurdish forces from wide swathes of northern Syria that they have held for more than a decade." edition.cnn.com/2026/01/18/m...

Trump campaign promises that haven’t been kept. “The economy and inflation were two central issues to the 2024 election, and Trump made repeated vows to ‘end inflation’ and ‘immediately bring prices down’ if elected. ....[Trump] has called... affordability a ‘hoax’..." thehill.com/homenews/adm...

Thousands in Greenland turn out for anti-Trump march. "They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted ‘Greenland is not for sale’ in the face of increasing threats of an American takeover." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Majority of news stories on proposed California ‘billionaire tax’ are negative. ‘California commits economic suicide as tech investors flee wealth tax’ thehill.com/opinion/robb... ‘Could a progressive push for a wealth tax send California billionaires running?’ edition.cnn.com/2026/01/16/p...

U.S. carries out third attack on Islamic State-linked targets in Syria. "The latest strike was conducted in northwest Syria, U.S. Central Command announced... on Saturday. ….The alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader [killed] was identified as Bilal Hasan al-Jasim..." abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Syrian government launches major military offensive against SDF. "...state news agency SANA [reported] they had expanded into the Raqqa countryside, entering Kurdish-controlled towns and villages, including Hneida, Rajm al-Ghazal, Mansoura and Zur Shamar..." www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...

Anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis clash with far right activists, send them running. "[Jake] Lang is one of more than 1,500 people pardoned by US President Donald Trump after their criminal convictions related to the January 6, 2021, riot on the US Capitol." www.dw.com/en/us-anti-i...

Iran’s leader admits thousands killed during protests and riots. “The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Second man also blinded by ICE projectile during Santa Ana protest. "The video suggests [Britain] Rodriguez was struck at the same time that 21-year-old Kaden Rummler was hit.... Rodriguez can be heard screaming in the background just as Rummler falls to the ground.” www.latimes.com/california/s...

31 groups condemn FBI raid on journalist’s home. "...that’s what happened on Wednesday morning to Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, when the FBI searched her Virginia home and took her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch." www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

Multi-agency task force raids wrong Minneapolis apartment in search for stolen FBI weapons. "[Alisa] Porter says she knows the man [named on the search warrant] and [says] he lived in the unit above her, but moved two months ago.” www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...

Filmmaker claims Trump to give ‘UFO disclosure’ speech. "That is the astonishing claim of documentary filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee, who said Washington insiders have told him the US President has already written the speech that will ‘change humanity forever’." www.dailystar.co.uk/news/us-news...

EPA finds xAI guilty of unauthorized use of gas turbines to power its data centers. “Elon Musk’s xAI has been illegally operating dozens of natural gas turbines to power its Colossus data centers in Tennessee, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled Thursday." techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/e...

After using stick on Kurds, Syrian government tries carrots. "[Pres. Ahmed] Sharaa’s decree [recognizes] Kurdish cultural & linguistic rights, [designates] Kurdish as a national language..., and [grants] Syrian nationality to previously stateless Kurds." thenewregion.com/posts/4298

Torrential rain and flooding kill over 100 in southern Africa. "The death toll across South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe is [a total] after weeks of heavy rains. ....Flooding has also hit the island nation of Madagascar as well as Malawi and Zambia.” apnews.com/article/sout...

Canada & China agree to lower tariffs. "The deal... drops Canada’s levies on Chinese EVs from 100% to 6.1% for the first 49,000 vehicles imported each year. ....China will cut tariffs on Canadian canola seed to around 15%..., down from the current rate of 84%." www.bbc.com/news/article...

California wealth tax initiative splits Democratic Party. "Gavin Newsom in recent days tore into the proposal.... Former Rep. Katie Porter, a leading candidate to succeed Newsom, is the latest high-profile Democrat to oppose the proposal." www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

Judge rules ICE arrest after breaking down door was illegal. “...Judge Jeffrey Bryan found that the arrest of Liberian immigrant Garrison Gibson violated his Fourth Amendment rights. ....The agents had only administrative paperwork, not the required judicial warrant...” www.fox9.com/news/judge-i...

Federal immigration agents have shot 11 people since last September. “In the majority of the shootings, officers have fired into cars — a tactic that law enforcement authorities and policing experts have been trying for decades to curtail." www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Delaware State Police admit gunman had interactions with police before he fatally shot trooper, but provide few details. "[Rahman Rose,] who fatally shot [State Police Cpl. Matthew Snook] at a DMV office believed he was being monitored and harassed by law enforcement..." apnews.com/article/dmv-...

DHS claims man who died in El Paso detention center was trying to commit suicide, witness disagrees. "A witness told The Associated Press that [Geraldo] Lunas Campos died after he was handcuffed, tackled by guards and placed in a chokehold until he lost consciousness." apnews.com/article/ice-...

More than half of Americans unhappy with Trump presidency. "52% say he has been a ‘poor’ or ‘terrible’ president. ….[More than] half [53%] say the country as a whole and the national economy have become ‘somewhat’ or ‘much’ worse off since Trump became president in 2025." apnorc.org/projects/the...

At least 88 arrested during ICE raids in southern California this week. "...gardeners, vendors, and a 10-year-old child, were kidnapped this week in Southern California as ICE and Border Patrol continue their relentless persecution of Latinos and other immigrants..." lataco.com/daily-memo-t...

Former governor of Puerto Rico and co-conspirators in corruption scheme pardoned. "Pres. Trump has pardoned... Wanda Vázquez Garced.... [and her] two co-defendants, ...billionaire Venezuelan-Italian banker... Julio Martin Herrera Velutini and Mark Rossini..." www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-p...

Trump threatens to impose tariffs on countries that fight U.S. annexation of Greenland. "‘I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,’ said Trump.” www.euronews.com/2026/01/17/t...

Federal judge orders immigration task force to stop detaining & attacking protesters. "The preliminary injunction by Judge Katherine Menendez of the U.S. District Court in Minnesota applies to federal agents & officers participating in Operation Metro Surge..." www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Groups urge House Oversight Committee to withdraw subpoena targeting journalist. “A coalition of media associations, press freedom groups, and civil liberties organizations urged members of Congress to withdraw a subpoena against journalist Seth Harp." thedissenter.org/coalition-de...

Governments restricting use of license plate reader data. “...Arkansas, Idaho & Montana enacted laws last year designed to protect personal data collected through [LPRs].... Democratic-led cities in [7 states] last year terminated their contracts with Flock Safety..." stateline.org/2026/01/08/w...

U.K.’s new ‘Your Party’ needs to overcome factionalism to become a mass, left-of-center party. "...what sort of party should this be? ....Our answer is clear: It should be broad-based, inclusive, [and] socialist.” tribunemag.co.uk/2026/01/your...

Musk upset students are taught about racism and ‘stolen land’. "Self-proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’ Elon Musk believes schoolteachers should be ‘imprisoned’ for educating students on topics that portray America negatively..." www.commondreams.org/news/musk-im...

Trump donors evading sanctions? "Public Citizen estimates 1/3 of the corporations that have benefited from dropped or frozen enforcement efforts... have ties to his administration, including more than 30 that donated to [his] inaugural fund or ballroom project." www.commondreams.org/news/donald-...

Trump ‘joking’ about canceling mid-term elections. "‘It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,’ Trump told Reuters in an interview.... ‘When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.’" www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Sources inside Iran claim protest deaths are now 12,000 to 20,000. "... based on reports from medical officials..., [activists] believed the toll was at least 12,000, and possibly as high as 20,000. ....CBS News has not been able to independently verify [this]..." www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-pr...

U.S. forces seize 6th oil tanker linked to Venezuela. "U.S. Southern Command said Marines & sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford... alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which [DHS Sec. Kristi] Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids." apnews.com/article/vene...

Federal judge rips Trump administration over attempts to deport Palestine activists. "‘There was no policy here,’ said U.S. District Judge William Young, ...[a] Reagan appointee.... ‘What happened here is an unconstitutional conspiracy to pick off certain people.’" www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

EMT report says Renee Good suffered four bullet wounds. "There were two gunshot wounds on Good’s right chest, one on her left forearm and one ‘with protruding tissue on the left side of the patient’s head’ the report said. Blood was flowing out of her left ear.” www.startribune.com/renee-nicole...

Federal judge rules against Trump administration in California voter data case. “Federal district Judge David O. Carter dismissed a lawsuit in California that sought to give the Justice Department access to that state’s unredacted voter file..." www.npr.org/2026/01/15/n...

911 call after Minneapolis ICE shooting differs from DHS’s account of incident. "The video captures tense moments inside the home as a woman speaks with a 911 dispatcher. ....She claims... [when her husband] ran inside, agents shot through the door, hitting him in the leg." kstp.com/kstp-news/to...

Number of Americans enrolling in Obamacare plans falls by 1.4 million. "Last year, there were about 24.2 million people who had selected a plan... by this time last year.... As of Jan. 12, there have been 22.8 million consumers who selected a plan..." abcnews.go.com/Health/14-mi...

Trump proposes giving Americans cash instead of health insurance subsidies. “It’s hard to assess the... impact..., experts said, since the... framework lacked key details such as who would be eligible, the amount consumers might receive and how the money could be spent." www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/t...

Death at ICE detention camp investigated as possible homicide. "[Geraldo] Lunas Campos’ daughter shared an audio recording... [of a Medical Examiner] employee stating that the... preliminary reason for death [was]... ‘asphyxia due to neck and chest compression’." www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/i...