2026.01.14

[lsanderson]

Thompson, colleague resignations cast scrutiny on Justice Department’s probe into Renee Good’s death
Upheaval in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota comes amid divisive Justice Department actions in the wake of Good’s shooting.
by Ana Radelat
https://www.minnpost.com/national/washington/2026/01/thompson-colleague-resignations-cast-scrutiny-on-justice-departments-probe-into-renee-goods-death/

Trump plans to illegally stop over $2 billion in Medicaid payments, state says, in latest twist to fraud saga
The Minnesota Medicaid head says that feds will shut off spigot in 13 programs.
by Matthew Blake
https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2026/01/trump-plans-to-illegally-stop-over-2-billion-in-medicaid-payments-state-says-in-latest-twist-to-fraud-saga/

Eight arrested in Minneapolis as Trump officials issue threats to protesters
Federal agents use teargas against protesters as homeland security officials tell of ‘largest operation in DHS history’
Guardian staff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/ice-cbp-minneapolis-teargas

Union leaders accuse Trump administration of ‘shift toward white supremacy’ with online posts
Labor department rhetoric, such as ‘One Homeland. One People. One Heritage’, prompt comparisons to Nazi slogan
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/union-leaders-trump-administration-white-supremacy

2026 is already pure chaos. Is that Trump’s electoral strategy?
Moustafa Bayoumi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/13/trump-chaos-midterms-republicans

Scott Adams, Dilbert creator and conservative commentator, dies aged 68
Cartoonist – who was dropped from US papers in 2023 after calling Black people a ‘hate group’ – had prostate cancer
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/scott-adams-dilbert-dies

Zoe Saldaña becomes highest-grossing actor of all time
Star overtook Scarlett Johansson after success of third Avatar – her films have now made more than $15.46bn worldwide
Benjamin Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/13/zoe-saldana-highest-grossing-actor

German church’s televised ‘slime Jesus’ provokes fury on right
Christmas Eve live broadcast showed holy child portrayed by female performance artist writhing in sticky rice paper
Deborah Cole in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/13/german-church-televised-slime-jesus-infuriates-faithful

US supreme court appears poised to uphold laws banning trans athletes
A ruling against two athletes in West Virginia and Idaho could have far-reaching implications for civil rights
Sam Levin, Robert Tait and Lucy Campbell
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/supreme-court-case-trans-athletes

Musk’s AI tool Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks, Hegseth says
Defense secretary says AI tool will join military systems later this month as it comes under fire for sexual imagery
Anna Betts
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/13/elon-musk-grok-hegseth-military-pentagon

Meet the merpeople: ‘Once I put the tail on, my life was changed forever’
Professional mermaids risk hypothermia, seasickness and the cling of skin-tight silicone, but the reward is becoming an ‘ocean ambassador’ – and a bit more colour in the world
By Sarah Szabo
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jan/13/professional-mermaids-ocean-ambassadors

Saks Global files for bankruptcy after takeover leads to financial collapse
Debt-riddled retail giant’s demise has cast uncertainty over the future of US luxury fashion
Lauren Aratani and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/14/saks-global-files-for-bankruptcy

From Ralph Fiennes to Jeffrey Wright: the most overlooked performances this awards season
Jessie Buckley and Timothée Chalamet might be winning all of the awards but as Oscar voting begins, these actors also deserve inclusion
Jesse Hassenger
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/14/awards-season-overlooked-performances

‘I knew these photos wouldn’t be published for decades’: gay cruising in New York – in pictures
In 1969, Arthur Tress started making images at an overgrown corner of Central Park known as the Ramble – the beginning of an archive of a transitional period in queer culture
In 1969, Arthur Tress began taking his camera on walks through the Ramble, an overgrown corner of Central Park that had become New York’s best-known outdoor meeting place for queer men. Designed as a picturesque woodland in the 19th century, by the late 1960s it had grown wild, a hidden, half-forgotten place of chance encounters in the middle of the city. Arthur Tress’s The Ramble, NYC 1969 is published by Stanley Barker. An exhibition at CLAMP, New York runs until 28 February 2026. All photographs: Arthur Tress
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/jan/14/i-knew-these-photos-wouldnt-be-published-for-decades-gay-cruising-in-new-york-in-pictures

France records more deaths than births for first time since end of second world war
Country joins EU neighbours in demographic crunch of ageing population and falling birthrate
Ashifa Kassam
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/14/france-data-deaths-birthrate-ageing-population