Barack and Michelle Obama say killing should be \u2018wake-up call\u2019 and accuse federal agents of not operating in lawful way. Plus, meet the OB-GYNs fighting Trump\u2019s \u2018guerrilla war on science\u2019<\/b>
\nBarack and Michelle Obama say killing should be \u2018wake-up call\u2019 and accuse federal agents of not operating in lawful way. Plus, meet the OB-GYNs fighting Trump\u2019s \u2018guerrilla war on science\u2019
Good morning.
Pressure is mounting on Donald Trump\u2019s administration to fully investigate the killing of the 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
Calls for an investigation have come from across the political spectrum after video analysis showed officers had removed a handgun from Pretti that he was reportedly permitted to carry \u2013 and which he was not handling \u2013 before fatally shooting him on Saturday. Trump officials, meanwhile, are continuing to lie about what happened.
Barack and Michelle Obama described Pretti\u2019s death as \u201ca heartbreaking tragedy\u201d and \u201ca wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault\u201d.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the latest on what\u2019s happening in Minnesota? A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments today on whether to halt the often brutal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, which has led to the killings of two 37-year-old US citizens by government officers in less than a month. Follow our live blog here.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening with the investigation into Renee Nicole Good\u2019s fatal shooting? A supervisor in the FBI\u2019s Minneapolis field office who had sought to investigate the ICE agent responsible for the fatal shooting in the city on 7 January has resigned, according to reports.US storm leaves seven dead and more than 1m without power
At least seven people have died as a result of a powerful winter storm sweeping across the US, bringing heavy snow and ice from the Gulf Coast to the north-east.
More than 1 million people in the south were left without power, and more than 10,000 flights were cancelled.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed two storm-related deaths in Caddo Parish, while the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said \u201cat least five New Yorkers passed away and were found outside\u201d on Saturday, before snowfall began.<\/p>\n

How is the government responding? On Saturday, Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia.Israel agrees to \u2018limited reopening\u2019 of Gaza\u2019s Rafah crossing after hostage search operation
Israel has said its military is conducting a large-scale operation to locate the body of the remaining hostage in Gaza, adding that the Rafah crossing with Egypt would be reopened only once the mission was completed.
The statement came as Israel\u2019s cabinet met to discuss the possible reopening of the key border crossing, and a day after senior US envoys met the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and reportedly urged him to reopen the vital entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel\u2019s demand for the return of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as the final obstacle to opening the Rafah crossing and beginning the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. The border was originally due to open during the initial phase of Trump\u2019s plan to end the war last October.<\/p>\n

What has Hamas said about the search for Gvili? Hamas said in a statement yesterday that it had provided all the information in its possession about Gvili\u2019s remains and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.In other news \u2026<\/p>\n

Iranian authorities unveiled a new mural on a billboard in a central Tehran square yesterday, issuing a direct warning to the US against launching a military strike, as US warships move into the region.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s military leadership is in turmoil after its most senior general \u2013 a close ally of Xi Jinping \u2013 was placed under investigation for \u201csuspected serious violations of discipline and law\u201d.<\/p>\n

A US security agreement for Ukraine is \u201c100% ready\u201d to be signed, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said after two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia.Stat of the day: Gold tops $5,000 an ounce for first time as investors seek refuge from Trump turmoil
Gold has risen above $5,000 an ounce for the first time, as Trump\u2019s erratic policies and pronouncements drive investors to seek safe harbor in the precious metal. The price hit a record high of $5,100 this morning, before easing to settle up 2.2% at $5,089.Building power: Meet the OB-GYNs fighting Trump\u2019s \u2018guerrilla war on science\u2019
As some medical groups yield to pressure from the Trump administration, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is taking a stand. Over the past year, the non-partisan organization has become a leading voice in the fight against Donald Trump\u2019s anti-science agenda, particularly on issues related to pregnancy and childbirth.Don\u2019t miss this: the US feels like a country on the brink of an authoritarian takeover
\u201cOne flick of our index finger on our phones transports us from disaster to disaster, from crisis to crisis, from maddening lie to maddening lie, each grabbing the headlines, meanwhile the government\u2019s attempts to terrorize and silence the people of our country continue,\u201d writes Francine Prose, the American novelist, critic and former president of PEN American Center. \u201cSo let me break it down. There is one story: our country is on the brink of an authoritarian takeover. It is happening now.\u201d\u2026 or this: \u2018Embarrassed\u2019 v \u2018force to be reckoned with\u2019 \u2013 Americans on Trump\u2019s foreign interventions
As Trump continues to call for the US to take control of Greenland \u2013 not long after the US captured the deposed president of Venezuela, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro \u2013 we asked people in the US what they thought about Trump\u2019s foreign interventionism and rhetoric. Here are some of their responses.Climate check: Trump says the big winter storm is proof of a climate hoax \u2013 here\u2019s why he\u2019s wrong
Donald Trump has erroneously pointed to the latest enormous winter storm in the US as supposed proof that the world is not heating up. Scientists, however, say the storm is being fueled by a weakened polar vortex \u2013 a phenomenon linked by research to a rapidly warming Arctic \u2013 while long-term trends show US winters are, overall, getting warmer.Last Thing: Does it even need to be said? No, you don\u2019t need to do a \u2018parasite cleanse\u2019
Type \u201cparasite cleanse\u201d into TikTok or Instagram and you\u2019ll be inundated with so-called experts peddling expensive herbal supplements that promise to detox the body. So should we all do a cleanse? \u201cNo,\u201d says Caroline Susie, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n