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When I was young, I liked bubblicious. I didn’t have many vices and bubble gum seemed reasonable. Not to my father. He used to say, “Gum chewing girls and cud chewing cows are somewhat alike but different somehow. Ah, yes. It’s the intelligent look on the face of the cow.” My dad was otherwise pretty liberated in his expectations. He just had a thing about gum. He’s no longer with us; he died in 2002. But if he were around, I’d forward him one of today’s stories in News That Doesn’t Suck. It’s a case for chewing gum. We’ve also got good news about food banks and a breakthrough cancer treatment. That’s all at the end of the newsletter.
Before we get there we bring you some news that does, well, suck. Today Trump keeps the insurrection threat alive and the ACLU alleges a pattern of abuse in Minnesota. Voters pan Trump’s first year. US lawmakers try to reassure Greenland, while Trump threatens tariffs. In Iran the death toll mounts as Trump freezes strikes and a cleric threatens protesters. And Jimmy Kimmel offers to trade trophies for peace.
**Breaking:**The Department of Justice hasopened an investigationinto Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. While we don’t know the specifics of the investigation, onTruth Social Trump allegedthat “highly paid professionals” are causing trouble in Minnesota and that the “Governor and Mayor … have totally lost control.” Earlier this week,𝕏Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanchedescribed the situation in Minnesota as an “insurrection” and accused “a failed governor” and a “terrible mayor” of encouraging violence against agents. Contrary to the administration’s claims, state and city leaders have repeatedly calledfor peaceful demonstrationsand have evenfaced criticismfor not deploying the National Guard. Keep in mind, this is the same DOJ that isnot investigating agent Jonathan Ross’s actionsin the killing of Renee Good. Governor Walz𝕏posted a statement on Xsaying, “Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.” This story is breaking. Checkmy Instagramfor ongoing updates.No End In Sight: President Trump walked back his threat toinvoke the Insurrection Actin Minnesota, sort of. Speaking toreporters today he said, “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if needed, I’d use it.” He warned he “may be forced to act” if Minnesota officials don’t protect federal agents. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law,”he warned, “I will institute the Insurrection Act.” He also madewild and false claimsabout thenumber of presidents who have invokedthe Act anddoubled down on his claimthat “insurrectionists” are attacking the “Patriots of ICE.” Here’s what we know:Note the language: Trump didn’t call them the professionals of ICE but rather the “Patriots.” It’s drawn scrutiny for a possible allusion to Patriot Front, given the latest critique ofwhite nationalist imageryandslogans usedin DHS recruitment campaigns and by senior officials.Insurrection? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemsays Trump“has the constitutional authority” to invoke the Insurrection Act. Stephen Millerclaimed the protestsare “an insurgency against the federal government.” The Insurrection Actallows the presidentto deploy US troops against Americans, under strict (albeit ill-defined) conditions — including to suppress an “insurrection” that “obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States.”If Trump invokes it, that will be the. ICE legally “can’t intentionally create a crisis,”first time in historythe law is used to quell protests started by the actions of federal officersone attorney explained, “then turn around to do a crackdown.” I explain this further here:
Caught in the Crossfire: The horrors in Minneapolis are ongoing. A couple and their children were driving home from their son’s basketball game when they got caught in the chaos of an ICE confrontation; agents reportedly deployed stun grenades and tear gas at and around the vehicle, sending their children — including a 6 month old —to the hospital.Local officials saythe infant was in a “stable but serious condition.”Fighting Back: The ACLUsued the Trump administrationon behalf of three US citizens in Minnesota. The suit accuses DHS of a “startling pattern of abuse,” where “masked agents in the thousands are stopping and violently arresting countless Minnesotans based on nothing more than their race and perceived ethnicity.” Renee Good’s family this weekhired the law firmthat represented George Floyd’s family. Her lawyers said they will pursue a civilinvestigation of the shooting, thoughwarned suing the federal governmentis a “byzantine” and “time-consuming” process.They also saidGood and her wife were returning home after dropping off their young child at school when they stopped to see what federal agents were doing in their neighborhood. “Just like anybody else who lives in the neighborhood,” the family’s lawyer said, “if there’s activity in the neighborhood, they’re going to be asking what’s going on.”Community: Minneapolis residents and businesses are setting up mutual aid networks to support each other. One church hasdelivered over 12,000 boxes of groceriesto families in need. Over adozen local businesseshave donated proceeds to community organizations. Somali community members arehanding out food to peaceful protestors. A pizza shop isdonating pies to peopleunable to leave their homes. Next door, a sex shop hastransformed into a community hubwhere volunteers are organizing essential supplies. “Right now, community and coming together and helping each other is probably the most important thing we can focus on,” a shop representative said. If you’re looking for ways to help, check outthis guide.
Bad Review: Anew CNN pollfinds that58% of Americans consider Trump’s first year a failure. Notably, people overwhelmingly consider the economy the country’s most pressing issue — and a majority think Trump’s policies have worsened already poor economic conditions. Even 42% of self-identified MAGAs believe Trump should be doing more to reduce prices.In Sickness and Wealth: The consequences of lawmakers allowing crucial healthcare subsidies to expire are already rolling in. So far, roughly 1.4 millionfewer people have signed up for Affordable Care Act planscompared to this time last year. Little wonder, as ananalysis foundthe average premium would more than double if (and when) the subsidies expired.Cool It Down: Eleven US lawmakersmet the leaders of Greenland and Denmark in Copenhagento reassure them the US will not, in fact, seize Greenland. Sen. Chris Coons (D-CT)promisedto “lower the temperature” in the US; Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) told Greenlanders to “hold tight to your right to self-determination.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), one of two Republicans in the delegation,said the“vast majority” of Americans, including herself, “do not think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland.” But Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, said Trump is “serious” about acquiring Greenland. Landry plans to visit the island in March, andsaid a deal“should and will be made.”Totally Unoriginal: Trump on Fridaythreatened to slap tariffson countries that refuse to “go along with Greenland.” That’s yet another threat against Europe.Man the Gates: Troops from seven European NATO nationshave arrived in Greenland. According to a French official, the moveis intendedto “show the US that NATO is present” on the island. The White House dismissed the deployments as irrelevant. “They added a second dog sled,” Trumpjoked on Wednesday. “That’s not going to do the trick.”
Lambona: Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machadogave her Nobel Peace Prize medalto Trump — prompting the Nobel Committee toremind everyonethat “a laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it.” Officials in Norway, where the Committee is based,dismissed Machado’s moveas “absurd” and “unbelievably embarrassing.” Trump hasdismissed Machadoas lacking “support” or “respect” within Venezuela. Reportssuggest that’s partially becauseshe didn’t decline the award and give it to him before he asked. Still, the White Housesays the gift hasn’t changedTrump’s “realistic assessment” of her.Art of the Deal: Machado isn’t the first to give up their medal. Several laureateshave sold theirsto raise funds for research or charity. In 2022, Russian journalist Dmitry Muratovauctioned off his Peace Prizefor a record-breaking $103.5 million. The proceeds went to UNICEF’s efforts to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, there’s Knut Hamsun. In 1943, theonce-beloved Norwegian novelistandfervent Nazi supportergave his prize to none other than Joseph Goebbels as agesture of support— and perhaps as part of his efforts to convince Hitler toremove the Nazi official ruling occupied Norway. It didn’t work.**What Would You Give?**Late night host Jimmy Kimmel last nightoffered to transfer his various awardsto Trump — including an Emmy, a Clio, a WGA Award, and a Soul Train Award for “white person of the year” — if Trump would agree to withdraw ICE from Minnesota. We asked ourIG audience what they’d hand over. The offers: Kids’ participation trophies for soccer, a 1993 Women in Tech award, Washington Town and Country Fair Queen. Turns out everyone’s got something they’d trade for peace.
Keep Things Moving: Congress haspassed six of 12 funding billsneeded to avoid a partial government shutdown. The agencies funded through the fiscal yearincludethe Treasury, FTC, DOJ, EPA, and IRS. But the majority of funding remains uncertain, including for the Departments of Defense, Ho…
