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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
GREENLAND
In a late-night flurry of posts to his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump doubled down on his threats to take Greenland and said he would meet with European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to talk about the spiraling crisis. He is expected to arrive at the Forum on Wednesday. In one of his posts, he said he’d told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, “Greenland is imperative for National and World security. There can be no going back.” Trump also posted at 12:58 a.m. an AI-generated image of himself in the Oval Office with European leaders and displaying a map where the United States, Canada, and Greenland are covered in the American flag. The Financial Times reports; Michel Rose and Stine Jacobsen report for Reuters.
During his social media spree, Trump also posted screenshots of private messages he’d received from world leaders over Greenland, including one from French President Emmanuel Macron that read, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.” CNN reports.
Trump also criticized the United Kingdom’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a deal his administration previously supported, calling it an act of “great stupidity.” He said it was another reason the United States needed to acquire Greenland. Haley Ott for ABC News.
Over the weekend, Trump continued to push for American control of Greenland, risking damaging relations with Europe beyond the point of repair. Following Trump’s threats of economic coercion and military invasion of a NATO ally, “Veteran observers of European politics said the alliance between Europe and the United States that formed in the aftermath of World War II had already been fundamentally altered,” Michael D. Shear reports for the New York Times.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that if the United States did not get a deal to buy Greenland, he would first impose a 10 percent tariff “on any and all goods sent to the United States of America,” from a certain group of European countries in February. He threatened to raise the rate to 25 percent in June. The threats upended months of trade negotiations between the United States and Europe. Adam Gabbatt, Robert Mackey, and Callum Jones for The Guardian.
In response, European capitals are considering hitting the United States with €93 billion in tariffs. “The retaliation measures are being drawn up to give European leaders leverage in pivotal meetings with the US president at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, officials involved in the preparations said.” Henry Foy and Mercedes Ruehl report for the Financial Times.
In a text message to Norway’s prime minister Trump said that because he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” and therefore was pursuing the “Complete and Total Control of Greenland” in the interests of the United States. The text was forwarded by the White House to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. Geir Moulson and Jill Lawless report for the Associated Press.
Following a weekend of escalating U.S. threats, Denmark deployed additional troops to Greenland on Monday. Richard Milne, Henry Foy, Barbara Moens, and George Parker report for the Financial Times.
Over the weekend, thousands of people marched in Copenhagen to protest Trump’s escalating threats. “The crowd, waving Greenlandic flags, chanted ‘Greenland is not for sale.’ Many demonstrators wore red hats in Trump’s own ‘Make America great again’ fashion that read, ‘Make America go away.’” Barbara Sprunt for NPR.
A small European troop deployment to Greenland last week for an Arctic security exercise was viewed by some European officials as having been misread in Washington and as helping spur Trump’s retaliatory rhetoric and tariff threats, the Financial Times reported, citing officials and diplomats. The move was framed as a show of solidarity with Denmark and an “Arctic security” signal, but some diplomats said the messaging was too subtle or too easily misconstrued, while others doubted any reframing would have changed Trump’s response. Charles Clover, Richard Milne, and Amy Kazmin report.
TRUMP’S “BOARD OF PEACE”
When it brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the Trump administration announced that a “Board of Peace” would oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, but it became clear over the weekend that Trump intends it to have a more ambitious mandate, “potentially rivaling the United Nations in what would be a major upheaval to the post-World War II international order,” reports Matthew Lee for the Associated Press.
The Times of Israel published the full text of the board’s charter, which it says “was attached to the invitations sent out to dozens of world leaders who were asked to join Trump on the panel tasked with overseeing the postwar management of Gaza.”
Trump has named himself chair of the international organization and given himself veto power. He has invited world leaders to join the board, telling them if they pay $1 billion, they can secure a permanent seat while those countries that do not pay will have a three-year membership. “On Friday, Trump announced seven members on a founding executive board, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and former British prime minister Tony Blair. Three others include World Bank President Ajay Banga, deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel and billionaire private equity chief Marc Rowan.” Lauren Kaori Gurley and Michael Birnbaum report for the Washington Post.
France rejected Trump’s offer to join the “Board of Peace” and Trump responded on Monday by threatening a 200 percent tariff on French wine. The statement from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said the board’s charter “goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question.” Clea Caulcutt for POLITICO.
Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to join the Board of Peace. “Later on Monday, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said President Alexander Lukashenko also received an invitation to join the board.” Ivana Kottasová and Anna Chernova for CNN; Bloomberg reports.
Israel has also been invited, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters, though it was not immediately clear whether Israel has accepted. Reuters reports.
Trump wants to hold a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace this week at Davos, which, along with the crisis over Greenland, is “transforming this week’s annual gathering of the global elite into an emergency diplomatic summit.” Cat Zakrzewski and Emily Davies report for the Washington Post.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the state’s National Guard on Saturday to support local law enforcement and emergency agencies as protests continue in Minneapolis over federal immigration enforcement, though troops have not been deployed to city streets and remain “staged and ready to respond.” Guard units have been pictured preparing equipment and are expected to assist with public safety and protection of peaceful assembly should conditions deteriorate. Holly Yan, Hanna Park, Sydney Bishop, Zoe Sottile report for CNN.
Up to 1,500 active-duty U.S. soldiers, primarily from two infantry battalions of the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division, have been placed on prepare-to-deploy orders for a possible mission to Minnesota, the Pentagon confirmed to reporters, though no decision has been made on whether the troops will actually be sent. Konstantin Toropin reports for the Associated Press.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over whether their public statements unlawfully impeded federal immigration enforcement, with grand jury subpoenas issued as part of the probe but not yet received by either office, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials said the investigation is proceeding under a rarely used Civil War–era obstruction statute, based on a theory that state and local leaders conspired to interfere with federal agents. NBC News reported the statute was highlighted in a recent memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi that outlined legal tools prosecutors could use to pursue cases against individuals the administration has described as domestic extremists. Ryan J. Reilly and Peter Alexander report for NBC News.
On Friday, a federal judge in Minneapolis ordered ICE agents and other immigration officials to stop using excessive force against protesters while conducting their operations in the city. The judge’s order included detailed accounts of how ICE agents are treating people in the city: “A protester detained, her bra removed and wedding ring cut off, and some of her clothes never returned. The ‘gratuitous deployment’ of pepper spray. A couple’s car surrounded by agents, who pointed semiautomatic weapons at them at close range.” Stephanie Saul reports for the New York Times.
On Monday, the Trump administration said it was appealing the judge’s preliminary injunction. Mitch Smith for the New York Times.
The Justice Department is also asking the court to allow its surge of ICE agents in Minnesota to continue after a lawsuit was filed last week by state and local officials claiming that the deployment was unconstitutional. Minnesota had pushed for the federal judge to immediately block the deployment of 3,000 federal agents but she made no rulings last week. Mitch Smith reports for the New York Times.
Multiple attorneys say people being detained during ICE operations in Minnesota are being denied the constitutional right to see an attorney by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Four attorneys told ABC News they have been denied access to their clients at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where they are being held,” Matt Rivers, Janice McDonald, and Armando Garcia report.
The FBI determined shortly after Renée Good’s killing that “sufficient grounds existed to open a civil rights probe into the actions of Jonathan Ross, the officer who shot Good.” The Justice Department says no such investigation exists. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.
Protesters interrupted a church service in St. Paul, MN, on Sunday. Protesters chanted outside a church where one of its pastors appears to also be the acting director of ICE’s field office for enforcement and removal operations in St. Paul, Lauren McCarthy, Maia Coleman, and Emily Cochrane report for the New York Times.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will investigate Sunday’s church protest, officials said. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon cited violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Andy Rose and Elise Hammond report for CNN.
IRAN
Iran’s judiciary signaled Sunday that some people involved in the recent unrest could still face execution, despite Trump’s suggestion otherwise. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said certain protest-linked conduct is being treated as “moharebeh,” or “waging war against God,” an offense that can carry the death penalty, and warned the cases would be “quickly prosecuted and punished.” He also said anyone who “collaborates with the enemy” during unrest would be punished under “clear” legal provisions. Billy Stockwell reports for CNN.
Iranian protester Erfan Soltani remains alive and in good physical health after fears he would be executed on Wednesday, a relative and a human rights group said. CNN.
A senior Iranian official confirmed the death toll from last week’s protests has topped 5,000, including about 500 members of the security forces, with some of the deadliest unrest in Iran’s Kurdish northwest. Reuters reports.
SYRIA
After several days of clashes, Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached a ceasefire agreement on Sunday, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi agreeing that the SDF would pull back from key Arab-majority areas including Raqqa and Deir al-Zor. The deal also contemplates the SDF’s integration into Syria’s armed forces and the handover to Damascus of oil and gas sites, border crossings, and detention facilities holding Islamic State suspects. The Associated Press reports.
Turkish officials said Monday that the agreement’s terms to cede territory to Damascus could clear Ankara’s main impediment to restarting Turkey’s stalled peace process with the PKK, the Kurdish separatist group. Reuters.
An unknown number of Islamic State (IS) detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison in Syria’s Hasaka region amid renewed fighting around the detention facilities in the northeast and a security breakdown that left control of the site contested, with Damascus and the SDF trading blame over how control was lost. The SDF said the prison—one of three the SDF controls in the Hasakah region—came under repeated assault by “Damascus factions” and that its forces repelled the attackers several times before temporarily losing control, adding that several of its fighters were killed and more than a dozen others wounded. Ghaith Alsayed for the Associated Press.
Syrian authorities said around 120 IS detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, adding that government forces moved into the area after the breakout and had recaptured 81 during sweep operations, with searches ongoing. Kurdish outlet Rudaw, citing an SDF spokesperson, put the number far higher—around 1,500 escapees. Reuters.
The SDF said it made repeated appeals to a nearby U.S.-led coalition base for assistance during the assault on Shaddadi prison by “Damascus factions,” but that the coalition did not intervene. The SDF added that dozens of its fighters were killed or wounded while defending the facility. Reuters.
U.S. Central Command said a U.S. strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed an Al Qaeda affiliate leader, Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, whom it described as “an experienced terrorist leader.” CENTCOM said al-Jasim helped plan attacks and was directly linked to the ISIS gunman who carried out the Dec. 13 ambush near Palmyra that killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter and wounded other U.S. and Syrian personnel. Marlene Lenthang reports for NBC News.
TARIFFS AND OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
If the Supreme Court rejects the legal foundation for Trump’s tariff program, the administration would move “the next day” to reimpose similar levies under other authorities, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said. In a Jan. 15 interview, Greer said the White House has “a lot of different options.” Ana Swanson for the New York Times.
U.S. consumers and importers paid about 96 per cent of the cost of last year’s U.S. tariff increases, with foreign exporters absorbing only about 4 per cent through lower prices, new research from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found—cutting against Trump’s repeated claim that foreigners are footing the bill. Using roughly $4 trillion in shipment data from between Jan. 2024 and Nov. 2025, the researchers also found that after surprise tariff hikes on Brazil and India in August 2025, exporters largely did not cut unit prices to offset the tariffs, instead shipping less to the United States, pointing to higher U.S. prices over time and reduced export volumes rather than “foreign-paid” tariffs. Tom Fairless reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The National Guard will remain deployed in Washington, D.C., through 2026. About 2,400 troops are currently stationed in the city and they are mostly from Republican-controlled states. Steven Beynon reports for ABC News.
The three highest-ranking U.S. Catholic archbishops said Monday that recent U.S. actions on Venezuela, Ukraine, and Greenland raise “basic questions about the use of military force” and have put America’s moral role “under examination.” Michelle Boorstein and Anthony Faiola report for the Washington Post.
Chief Immigration Judge Teresa Riley emailed immigration judges instructing them that they are not bound by federal court rulings requiring bond-hearing eligibility for many detainees, according to documents the ACLU of Massachusetts filed with a Boston federal court Friday. The ACLU said the directive shows a deliberate effort to disregard those rulings, with a hearing scheduled for today. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A D.C. federal judge declined to pause the administration’s new seven-day notice requirement for congressional visits to ICE detention facilities, explaining in a Monday order that the policy constitutes a new agency action not covered by her prior ruling and that the lawmakers raised the challenge through the wrong procedural mechanism. Michael Kunzelman reports for the Associated Press.
According to an international coalition of lawyers’ groups, it is now dangerous to be a lawyer in the United States. “The Day of the Endangered Lawyer, an annual event to raise awareness of risks to members of the profession, has in recent years picked Belarus, Iran and Afghanistan as its subject. For 2026, it has chosen the US.” Kaye Wiggins for the Financial Times.
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