https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/rubio-urges-trump-to-leave-unfccc-00487331

President Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from the world’s overarching treaty on climate change in a move that escalates his attempts to reverse years of global negotiations toward addressing rising temperatures.

The announcement to sever ties with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change came as Trump quit dozens of international organizations that the White House says no longer serve U.S. interests by promoting radical climate policies and other issues. It was outlined in a memo by the White House. Trump has called on other countries to abandon their carbon-cutting measures, and the move appears to be his latest attempt to destabilize global climate cooperation.

The 1992 UNFCCC serves as the international structure for efforts by 198 countries to slow the rate of rising climate pollution. It has universal participation. The U.S. was the first industrialized nation to join the treaty following its ratification under former President George H.W. Bush- and it will be the only nation ever to leave it. The move also marks Trump’s intensifying efforts to topple climate efforts compared to his first term, when he decided against quitting the treaty.

"Many of these bodies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength," stated a White House fact sheet.

> https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/un-chief-says-the-u-s-has-legal-obligation-to-fund-agencies-after-trumps-withdrawal-order

UN chief says the U.S. has 'legal obligation' to fund agencies after Trump's withdrawal order

NEW YORK (AP) — The top United Nations official on Thursday said the United States has a "legal obligation" to keep paying its dues that fund U.N. agencies after the White House announced that it is withdrawing support from more than 30 initiatives operated by the world body.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from 31 U.N.-related agencies, including the U.N.'s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations. The U.S. will also depart from dozens of other global organizations or initiatives not affiliated with the U.N.

"As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States," Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement.

He added that despite the announcement, the U.N. entities targeted will keep doing their work: "The United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us."

The strong retort from the U.N. comes after the world body has spent the better part of the past year in a somewhat hostile and fragile back-and-forth with U.S. officials, who, after Trump's return to office, zeroed in on eliminating billions of dollars in aid and funding to international organizations like the U.N. and humanitarian assistance at large.

In a blow against cancel culture waged by far right conservatives to censor and silence anyone who speaks out against them, a Tennessee Professor was rewarded their job back after unfairly being fired for comments against far right political commentator Charlie Kirk a day after he was killed by another far right gunman.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2026/01/07/austin-peay-professor-clarksville-tn-fired-charlie-kirk-free-speech-social-media-settlement-lawsuit/88065303007/

Days after being reinstated to his position, a theater professor at Austin Peay State University will receive a $500,000 payout as part of a settlement following his firing in September due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

A lawyer for Professor Darren Michael confirmed to The Tennessean that Michael will receive $500,000, as well as reimbursement for therapeutic counseling services, as part of a settlement agreement with the Clarksville university.

David King, Michael's attorney, confirmed that while the settlement closes the chapter on restoring Michael's employment, they are "exploring future options" against those who "interfered with (Michael's) First Amendment rights."

The settlement deal was first reported by WKRN.

Michael was reinstated to his position at the school on Dec. 30, 2025, three months after he was originally fired due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, after the school admitted to not following its termination policy.

Kirk, the founder of the conservative Turning Point USA organization, was killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Following his death, Michael shared an article on his personal social media account titled "Charlie Kirk says gun deaths are ‘unfortunately’ worth it to keep 2nd Amendment,” which discussed controversial comments made by Kirk shortly after the Covenant School shooting.

The "Just comply if you have nothing to hide" crowd immediately get to work blocking Minnesota state officials from investigating the senseless murder of an innocent mother of three by a bloodthirsty masked thug in Minneapolis on January 7th

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/minnesota-officials-say-they-cant-access-evidence-after-fatal-ice-shooting-and-fbi-wont-work-jointly-on-investigation

>Minnesota officials say they can't access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won't work jointly on investigation

>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The head of Minnesota's state investigations agency says the U.S. attorney's office has cut off its access in the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent.

>"The investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation," Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement.

>It had been decided that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would investigate Good's shooting death along with the FBI, but that later was changed by the U.S. Attorney's office, according to Evans.

>The BCA "has reluctantly withdrawn from the investigation," Evans wrote.

>This is a developing story and will be updated.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-federal-agent-involved-minneapolis-shooting-during-immigration-surge-city-2026-01-07/

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday amid an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violent incident during President Donald Trump's nationwide crackdown on migrants.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adamantly rejected the Trump administration's claim that the agent fired in self-defense, saying he has seen video of the shooting that directly contradicts what he called the government's "garbage narrative."

"They're already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense," he said at a press conference. "Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly - that is bullshit."
A visibly angry Frey said federal immigration agents were responsible for sowing chaos in the city, telling ICE: "Get the fuck out of Minneapolis." But he also urged residents to remain calm.
The shooting drew protesters into the streets near the scene, some of whom were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing gas masks who fired chemical irritants at the demonstrators.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/world/europe/finland-scandal-beauty-queen-china-racist.html
Finland’s prime minister apologized on Wednesday to China, South Korea and Japan in an effort to quash a growing racism scandal in the country.

Over the past few days, lawmakers in Finland’s most prominent anti-immigration party have posted pictures of themselves pulling back their eyelids, apparently in support of a Finnish beauty queen who was stripped of her crown last week for making a similar gesture.

“I sincerely apologize for recent offensive social media posts by individual members of Parliament, which do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a Chinese-language statement posted on social media on Wednesday by the Finnish Embassy in China.

Finland’s embassies in South Korea and Japan shared similar statements on social media.

The controversy began this month when pictures surfaced on social media of Sarah Dzafce, Finland’s representative to the Miss Universe pageant, pulling her eyelids back at a slant, according to Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper.
Ms. Dzafce apologized in an Instagram statement last week.

“One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,” she said, adding, “I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this.”

The Miss Finland Organization then stripped her of her title, saying in a statement that her comment was “offensive, harmful and completely against the values” of the pageant.

> https://abcnews.go.com/US/2-shot-federal-agents-portland-sources/story?id=129038573

Two people were injured in a shooting involving a federal agent in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, according to authorities.

The Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred while Border Patrol agents were conducting a "targeted" stop on a vehicle carrying two people allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang. The passenger was the target, DHS said.

"When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents," DHS said in a statement.

An agent fired a defensive shot and the driver drove off with the passenger, according to DHS, which called the situation "evolving."

The shooting incident occurred around 2:19 p.m. local time, DHS said. Portland police said officers responded to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street near Adventist Health, a medical office, for the report of a shooting.

Several minutes later, Portland police officers responding to a call for help at an apartment complex some 3 miles away from the shooting scene found a man and woman with "apparent gunshot wounds," according to the police department.

The shooting victims had driven themselves to an apartment complex in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street, where the man who had been shot called for help, according to police.

Police officers applied a tourniquet and called for emergency medical personnel, and the two shooting victims were transported to a hospital, police said. Their conditions are unknown, police said.

"Officers confirmed that federal agents had been involved in a shooting," the Portland Police Department said in a statement, adding, "Portland Police were not involved in the incident."

The FBI was seen in video responding to the scene of the shooting. Portland police are assisting, a department spokesperson said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/06/trump-venezuela-oil.html
President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening that the interim authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.

Trump, in a social media post, said the oil will be sold at its market price, “and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”
“I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately,” Trump wrote. “It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.”

Trump said that the oil being turned over the U.S. was “high quality” and “sanctioned.”

The announcement came three days after U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, and his wife in Caracas, and took them to New York, where they are charged in a federal drug-trafficking conspiracy indictment.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump plans to meet with representatives from the major U.S. oil companies Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Exxon Mobil, along with other domestic producers, at the White House on Friday “to discuss making significant investments in Venezuela’s oil sector.”

Trump has said that U.S. oil companies would end up investing billions of dollars to rehabilitate Venezuela’s aging oil production capabilities.

Chevron currently operates in Venezuela, the only U.S. oil company to do so. The assets of ConocoPhillips and Exxon were nationalized by Venezuela’s then-President Hugo Chávez in the mid-2000s.

https://www.startribune.com/she-was-an-amazing-human-being-mother-identifies-woman-shot-killed-by-ice-agent/601559922

The woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, was identified by her mother as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.

Good died just a few blocks from where she lived. A woman who answered the door at Good’s home declined to comment.

Donna Ganger told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter lived in the Twin Cities with her partner. Ganger said the family was notified of the death late Wednesday morning.

"That’s so stupid" that she was killed, Ganger said, after learning some of the circumstances from a reporter. "She was probably terrified."

Ganger said her daughter is "not part of anything like that at all," referring to protesters challenging ICE agents.

"Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known," she said. "She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being."

An Instagram account that appears to belong to Good describes her as a "poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty guitar strummer from Colorado; experiencing Minneapolis, MN."

Good had previously been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at the age of 36. Macklin’s father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., was shocked to hear the news that Good had been shot and killed.

He said Good and his son had a child who is now 6 years old.

"There’s nobody else in his life," Macklin said. "I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild."

Macklin added that Good had two additional children who he believed lived with her extended family.