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US President Donald Trump on Saturday escalated his quest to acquire Greenland, threatening multiple European nations with tariffs of up to 25 percent until he achieves his goal of controlling the Danish territory.Trump’s threats came as thousands of people protested in the capital of Greenland against his wish to acquire the mineral-rich island at the gateway to the Arctic.Thousands more protested in Copenhagen and other Danish cities.The US president aimed his ire at Denmark, a fellow NATO member, as well as several other European countries that have deployed troops in recent days to the vast autonomous territory with a population of 57,000.If realized, Trump’s threats against Washington’s NATO partners would create unprecedented tension within the alliance.From February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would be subject to a 10-percent tariff on all goods sent to the United States, Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%. This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” he wrote.”These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” Trump said.”Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”Trump added that he was “immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries.”Denmark called Trump’s announcement a “surprise,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was “completely wrong,” and French President Emmanuel Macron added: “Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.””We won’t let ourselves be intimidated,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told AFP, adding that the governments involved were working on a joint response.In a statement, European Union leaders said the bloc “stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.” An extraordinary meeting of EU ambassadors has been called in Brussels for Sunday afternoon.Greenlandic minister Naaja Nathanielsen on Saturday praised the reaction of European countries, saying she was “thankful and hopeful for diplomacy and allieship (sic) to prevail.”- ‘Make America Go Away’ -In Nuuk, thousands of people, including the territory’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, waved Greenlandic flags, chanted slogans and sang traditional Inuit songs under light rain. Many wore caps with the words “Make America Go Away” — a riff on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.”We don’t want Trump invading Greenland, that is the message,” 44-year-old nurse Paarniq Larsen Strum said at the Nuuk rally, calling the situation “nerve-wracking.””We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added protest organizer Avijaja Rosing-Olsen. In Copenhagen, charity worker Kirsten Hjoernholm, 52, said it was important to show unity with Greenlanders.”You cannot be bullied by an ally. It’s about international law,” she said.Around her, demonstrators waved the flags of Denmark and Greenland while chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” — the vast Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic.Some also held placards saying “USA already has too much ICE,” referring to Trump’s deployment of federal immigration officers in US cities, while others chanted “Greenland is not for sale.”- US ‘security’ claims -Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States needs Greenland for US “national security,” while alleging without evidence that China and Russia are trying to control it.Those two countries have increased their security presence in the Arctic, but have not made any claims over its sovereignty.France said the European military exercise in Greenland was designed to show the world that it will defend the territory.Denmark said the US had been invited to join the drill.It was not immediately clear what authority the US president would invoke to impose the threatened tariffs of up to 25 percent. Since returning to the presidency, Trump has unleashed sweeping tariffs on goods from virtually all trading partners, to address what Washington says are unfair trade practices and as a tool to press governments.Washington and the European Union struck a deal last summer to lower US tariffs on key European goods, with the deal currently being implemented.Also on Saturday, US lawmakers were wrapping up a visit to Copenhagen for talks with Greenlandic and Danish politicians.The group, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, told reporters that Trump’s stance was not backed by the majority of Americans.It is also roundly rejected by Greenlanders, 85 percent of whom — according to the latest poll published in January 2025 — oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent were in favor.

NASA on Saturday rolled out its towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as it began preparations for its first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.The maneuver, which takes up to 12 hours, will allow the US space agency to begin a string of tests for the Artemis 2 mission, which could blast off as early as February 6.The immense orange and white Space Launch System rocket and the Orion vessel were slowly wheeled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and painstakingly moved four miles (6.5 kilometers) to Launch Pad 39B.If the tests are all satisfactory, three Americans and one Canadian will head to the Moon sometime between February 6 and the end of April — they will not land, but instead fly around Earth’s satellite. The mission — which would last about 10 days — would be a huge step towards Americans once again setting foot on the lunar surface, a goal announced by President Donald Trump in his first term. “We’re making history,” Artemis 2 mission management team chair John Honeycutt told a press conference on Friday.- ‘Pretty pumped’ -US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, were on site Saturday for the rocket’s rollout.”I’m actually pretty pumped to see that,” Hansen told reporters. “In just a few weeks, you’re going to see four humans fly around the moon, and if we’re doing that now, imagine what we can do next.”Glover added: “We’re swinging for the fence, trying to make the impossible possible.”Before the mission can take off, engineers must ensure the SLS rocket is safe and viable. After a battery of tests, a pre-launch simulation will be carried out. The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission took place in November 2022 after multiple postponements and two failed launch attempts.NASA hopes to put humans back on the Moon as China forges ahead with a rival effort that is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed mission.Its uncrewed Chang’e 7 mission is expected to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the Moon’s south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set to go ahead this year.NASA is hoping that the Moon could be used to help prepare future missions to Mars.But the program has been plagued by delays. The US space agency surprised many late last year when it said Artemis 2 could happen as soon as February — an acceleration explained by the Trump administration’s wish to beat China to the punch. Artemis 3, currently scheduled for 2027, is expected to be pushed back, as industry experts say Elon Musk’s SpaceX is behind on delivering the Starship megarocket needed for the mission.

Thousands of people demonstrated in the capital of Greenland on Saturday against President Donald Trump’s plans for the US to annex the Danish autonomous territory.The protesters, including the territory’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, waving a Greenlandic flag, chanted slogans and traditional Inuit songs under light rain. Many wore caps with the words “Make America Go Away” — a riff on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.The Nuuk demonstration coordinated with others across Denmark on Saturday that were joined by thousands.Trump warned on Friday that he could put tariffs on countries that oppose his plans to take over mineral-rich Greenland.”We don’t want Trump invading Greenland, that is the message,” said 44-year-old nurse Paarniq Larsen Strum at the Nuuk rally, calling the situation “nerve-wracking”.In Copenhagen, charity worker Kirsten Hjoernholm, 52, said it was important to show unity with Greenlanders.”You cannot be bullied by an ally. It’s about international law,” she said.Around her, demonstrators waved the flags of Denmark and Greenland while chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” — the vast Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic.Some also held placards saying “USA already has too much ICE”, referring to Trump’s deployment of armed immigration officers in US cities, while others chanted “Greenland is not for sale”.- US ‘security’ claims -The Copenhagen demonstration coincided with a visit by a delegation of US lawmakers who held talks with Greenlandic and Danish politicians.The group, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, told reporters that Trump’s stance was misguided and not backed by the majority of Americans.It is also roundly rejected by Greenlanders, 85 percent of whom — according to the latest poll published in January 2025 — oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent were in favour.Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States “needs” Greenland — a vast, mineral-rich territory at the gateway to the Arctic with a population of 57,000 — for US “national security”. He also claims that Denmark — a NATO ally — is incapable of ensuring Greenland’s security.European NATO members have responded by deploying troops in Greenland in recent days for a military exercise that France said was designed to show the world that they will defend the territory.Denmark said the US was invited to take part in the exercise.- ‘We demand respect’ -Senator Coons insisted there was no security threat to justify the Trump administration’s stance.”There are legitimate reasons for us to explore ways to invest better in Arctic security broadly, both in the American Arctic and in our NATO partners and allies,” he said.One of the organisers of Saturday’s protests, Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said the aim was “to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights”.”We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, an organiser of the demonstration in Greenland. “This is not only our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the entire world.”

Ukrainians negotiators arrived in the US Saturday for talks with Donald Trump’s administration on how to end four years of war with Russia, expected to focus on security guarantees and post-war recovery.   The team — headed by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s new chief-of-staff Kyrylo Budanov — will meet with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, envoy Steve Witkoff and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in Miami. The talks come as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion looms and as Moscow has pounded Ukraine’s energy facilities during a freezing winter. The war is Europe’s worst conflict since World War Two. Kyiv is seeking clarity from its allies on post-war security guarantees, which it sees as key to deter Moscow from invading again.  Sticking points between Kyiv and Washington on the guarantees remain, but Zelensky hopes to sign documents on them with the US next week.  Ahead of the talks, the wartime leader said his delegation was tasked to “provide all the real information about what is happening”. Thousands have braved freezing temperatures as low as -19C without heating in Kyiv due to Russian strikes. “One of the consequences of this terror is the discrediting of the diplomatic process, people are losing faith in diplomacy,” Zelensky warned.  Ukraine’s security chief Rustem Umerov and negotiator David Arakhamia will join Budanov for the Miami talks. Trump has pushed for an end to the war and expressed frustration with both sides, with no breakthrough on the horizon. He has also pressured Ukraine to accept peace terms that Kyiv says amount to capitulation. Russia’s advance in east Ukraine gathered pace since autumn, with the Kremlin insisting it will seize the rest of Ukrainian land it claims as Russian by force if diplomacy fails. The Kremlin has so far rejected Western peace proposals and not dropped its maximalist demands.    – Thousands without power -Territory and security guarantees have been at the forefront of remaining questions on a plan to end the war. The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent to deploy troops to Ukraine if there is a ceasefire — but Moscow objects to that plan, warning any foreign forces would be “legitimate targets” for its forces. Zelensky said 400,000 people were experiencing “difficulties with electricity” in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv after night-time Russian strikes. Authorities also said 56,000 families in the Bucha area — outside Kyiv where Russian forces committed atrocities in 2022 — were without power after the attacks. Schools in the Ukrainian capital will be shut until February over health concerns due to the power outage, authorities have said. Ukraine’s energy ministry said most regions of Ukraine had power restrictions. “Due to constant massive attacks by the Russian Federation, a state of emergency has been declared in the Ukrainian energy sector,” the ministry said. Russia occupies large swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine. It said Saturday that its forces had captured two more Ukrainian villages, in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The US has held talks with both Moscow and Kyiv on ending the war, but relations between Europe and the Kremlin largely frozen since Russia launched its full-scale offensive in 2022. France and Italy have said in recent weeks that Europe should re-engage with Moscow to end the conflict, while Britain has said it has no plans to talk to the Kremlin. 

Thousands of people took to the streets of Denmark’s capital on Saturday to protest at US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.The protest followed Trump’s warning on Friday that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose his plans to take over mineral-rich Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.They also coincided with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation from the US Congress that has made clear the opposition of many Americans to the Trump administration’s sabre-rattling.Waving the flags of Denmark and Greenland, the protesters formed a sea of red and white outside Copenhagen city hall, chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” — the vast Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic.Thousands of people had said on social media they would to take part in marches and rallies organised by Greenlandic associations in Copenhagen, and in Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and the Greenlandic capital Nuuk.”The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights,” Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said on its website.A sister demonstration was scheduled to happen in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT), to protest the US’ “illegal plans to take control of Greenland”, organisers said. Demonstrators would march to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags.The Copenhagen rally, which began at 12:00 pm (1100 GMT), was due to make a stop outside the US embassy in the Danish capital.- ‘Demand respect’ -“Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark under pressure,” Uagut chairwoman Julie Rademacher said in a statement to AFP, calling for “unity”.”When tensions rise and people go into a state of alarm, we risk creating more problems than solutions for ourselves and for each other. We appeal to Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark to stand together,” she said. The demonstration in Greenland was “to show that we are taking action, that we stand together and that we support our politicians, diplomats and partners,” Kristian Johansen, one of the organisers, said in a statement.”We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, another organiser. “We demand respect for international law and international legal principles. This is not only our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the entire world.”According to the latest poll published in January 2025, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent were in favour.- ‘No security threat’ -Speaking in Copenhagen, where the Congressional delegation met top Danish and Greenlandic politicians and business leaders, US Democratic Senator Chris Coons insisted there was no security threat to Greenland to justify the Trump administration’s stance.He was responding after Trump advisor Stephen Miller claimed on Fox News that Denmark was too small to defend its sovereign Arctic territory. “There are no pressing security threats to Greenland, but we share real concern about Arctic security going forward, as the climate changes, as the sea ice retreats, as shipping routes change,” Coons told the press.”There are legitimate reasons for us to explore ways to invest better in Arctic security broadly, both in the American Arctic and in our NATO partners and allies,” said Coons, who is leading the US delegation.Trump has repeatedly criticised Denmark — a NATO ally — for, in his view, not doing enough to ensure Greenland’s security.The US president has pursued that argument, despite strategically located Greenland — as part of Denmark — being covered by NATO’s security umbrella.European NATO members are deploying troops in Greenland for a military exercise designed to show the world, including the United States, that they will “defend (their) sovereignty”, French armed forces minister Alice Rufo said this week.Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced they are sending small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the Arctic. The United States has been invited to participate in the excercise, Denmark said on Friday.

A US judge restricted federal agents on Friday from interfering with peaceful protesters in Minnesota, after President Donald Trump said there was no immediate need to invoke the Insurrection Act over the demonstrations.US District Judge Katherine Menendez ordered immigration agents to dial back their aggressive tactics, barring the detention or arrest of peaceful protesters and drivers and the use of pepper-spray against demonstrators.The 83-page order gives the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) current operation in the northern US city 72 hours to come into compliance, and follows two incidents where federal agents opened fire, killing one person and wounding another in the span of a week.In a separate legal move that could inflame the standoff between the White House and Minnesota elected officials, CBS News reported that the Justice Department (DOJ) was investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for impeding federal officers. Both have called for peaceful protests against immigration sweeps in their state.”This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city,” Frey wrote on X on Friday.Walz said the Trump administration has moved to investigate other Democrats who have spoken out against the president’s policies and mentioned the 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on January 7. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” Walz wrote on X.The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X on Friday: “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.”Trump threatened the drastic measure of invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy the military to police the protests, as the row escalated this week.”If I needed it, I would use it. I don’t think there is any reason right now to use it,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the move.The Insurrection Act allows a president to sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act to suppress “armed rebellion” or “domestic violence” and deploy soldiers on US soil “as he considers necessary” to enforce the 19th-century law.Crowds of protesters have clashed with immigration officers across Minneapolis, opposing their efforts to target undocumented migrants. Some officers have responded with violence.Demonstrations grew dramatically following Good’s killing as the Trump administration pressed operations to catch undocumented migrants.- ‘Organized brutality’ -Federal agents fired their weapons in two separate incidents, wounding a man from Venezuela on Wednesday and in Good’s killing last week.In a separate incident, DHS confirmed on Friday that Heber Sanchez Dominguez, a 34-year-old Mexican national, died while detained in ICE custody two days earlier.At least four people have died in ICE detention so far this year, according to agency data.Trump backers have also begun to face off with protesters who oppose ICE’s actions in the state, leading to tense encounters.The Minnesota Star Tribune newspaper reported that divisions within the anti-ICE movement were beginning to emerge over how aggressively to resist the enforcement efforts. Activists have also become increasingly wary of “far-right provocateurs trying to bait demonstrators into rioting,” it said.Minnesota’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter has reported an uptick in complaints against ICE officers.Walz accused federal agents of waging “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota” in a video posted to X Wednesday night. Good’s family announced on Wednesday that they had retained a top law firm to probe the killing ahead of launching possible legal action against the officer and the government.The lawyers demanded on Thursday that federal officials — including the officer who shot Good — preserve records and evidence relating to the incident.

Large demonstrations are planned across Denmark and Greenland on Saturday to protest against US President Donald Trump’s designs to take over the Arctic island. Thousands of people have indicated on social media that they intend to take part in marches and rallies organised by Greenlandic associations in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and the Greenlandic capital Nuuk.”The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights,” Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said on its website.The protests follow Trump’s warning on Friday that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose his plans to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.The demonstration in Nuuk is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT), to protest “against the United States’ illegal plans to take control of Greenland”, organisers said. Demonstrators would march to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags.The Copenhagen rally was due to begin at 12:00 pm (1100 GMT), and make a stop outside the US embassy in the Danish capital around an hour later.”Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark under pressure,” Uagut chairwoman Julie Rademacher said in a statement sent to AFP, calling for “unity”.”When tensions rise and people go into a state of alarm, we risk creating more problems than solutions for ourselves and for each other. We appeal to Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark to stand together,” she said. – ‘Demand respect’ -Uagut, along with the citizens’ movement “Hands Off Greenland”, and Inuit, an umbrella group of Greenlandic associations, were staging the demonstrations to coincide with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers.On the event’s Facebook page, at least 900 people in Greenland said they planned to take part in the territory, which has a total population of about 57,000.”With this demonstration, we want to show that we are taking action, that we stand together and that we support our politicians, diplomats and partners,” Kristian Johansen, one of the organisers, said in a statement.”We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, another organiser. “We demand respect for international law and international legal principles. This is not only our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the entire world.”According to the latest poll published in January 2025, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent were in favour.

The son of Iran’s late shah said Friday he was confident that mass protests would topple the Islamic republic and urged international action, as US President Donald Trump holds off on intervening in the unrest.Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the Washington area, has presented himself as leader of the opposition as the cleric-run state ruthlessly represses mass protests.”The Islamic republic will fall — not if, but when,” Pahlavi told a news conference in Washington.Since the demonstrations erupted in late December with a rallying cry of solving Iran’s severe economic woes, Pahlavi has pleaded for US intervention.Trump had repeatedly warned Iran that if it kills protesters, the United States would intervene militarily. He also encouraged Iranians to take over state institutions, saying “help is on the way.”But two weeks after he first suggested help, he has not acted. Security forces in the meantime have killed at least 3,428 protesters, according to Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, with other estimates putting the toll at more than 5,000 or possibly as high as 20,000.Trump instead has highlighted what he said was an end to the killing of protesters, as the size of demonstrations diminished in recent days.Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform that Iran had called off executions of hundreds of protesters and said to the clerical state, “Thank you!”Pahlavi also took to social media Friday, with posts on X and Instagram calling for Iranians across the country to “raise your voices in anger and protest with our national slogans” at 8:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.Pahlavi, seeking to touch a nerve with Trump, called on him not to be like Democratic predecessor Barack Obama who negotiated with Tehran.”I believe that President Trump is a man of his word and ultimately he will stand with the Iranian people as he has said,” Pahlavi said when asked if Trump had given false hope.”Iranian people are taking decisive actions on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully.”Gulf Arab monarchies, despite frequent friction with Iran, have urged Trump to show caution.- ‘Surgical’ strikes -Pahlavi called for targeting the command structure of the elite Revolutionary Guards, as it is key to “instituting terror at home or terrorism abroad.””I’m calling for a surgical strike,” said Pahlavi, who controversially backed Israel’s military campaign on Iran in June.He also urged all countries to expel diplomats from Iran and to help restore internet access, which has been severely hampered.Many protesters have chanted the name of Pahlavi, whose pro-Western father fled in 1979 in the Islamic revolution.While Iran’s last Shah presented a glamorous image of the oil-rich nation to the world — replete with caviar, glittering crown jewels and a jet-setter lifestyle — domestically, repression and the brutality of his secret police force as well as a lack of economic mobility opened the door to political challenge.Asked about repression under his father, Pahlavi told reporters, “I let historians write history. I’m here to make history.”Pahlavi, 65, said he wants to be a figurehead to lead a transition to a secular democracy, with a popular referendum to choose the next system of government.He also has plenty of detractors who suspect a desire by his supporters to restore the monarchy and say changes should come from the opposition within Iran.”I reaffirm my lifelong pledge to lead the movement that will take back our country from the anti-Iranian hostile force that occupies it and kills its children,” Pahlavi said.”I will return to Iran.”Pahlavi promised that a new Iran would have better relations with the leadership’s sworn enemies — the United States and Israel — and integrate into the global economy.He said Iran would quickly normalize relations with Israel in a “Cyrus Accord,” a reference to Cyrus the Great, the celebrated Persian emperor who freed Jews from Babylonian captivity.”Iran today should have been the next South Korea of the Middle East,” he said. “Today we have become North Korea.”

US immigration agents now remind many Americans of the Gestapo — and not just the left-wing activists who have taken to the streets to protest violent raids commanded by President Donald Trump.Avid Trump supporter and podcaster Joe Rogan, whose massive audience heard him repeat Republican talking points in the run-up to the 2024 election, fueled debate this week by airing those concerns.”Are we really gonna be the Gestapo, ‘Where’s your papers?’ Is that what we’ve come to?” Rogan asked millions of listeners.”You don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around, snatching up people — many of which turn out to be US citizens that just don’t have their papers on them,” he said.A growing number of Americans agree with that sentiment. In every national poll, a majority condemns the actions of the immigration officer who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, a US citizen, in Minneapolis on January 7.A Quinnipiac survey found that 57 percent of voters condemn ICE’s methods, with 94 percent of Democratic voters and 64 percent of independents against Republicans, by contrast, support them at 84 percent.Another poll from Economist/YouGov found that, for the first time, 46 percent of respondents support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), exceeding the 43 percent who oppose getting rid of it.- ‘Swing voter’ -“The most useful way to think about Joe Rogan is as America’s most famous swing voter,” left-wing commentator Ben Burgis posted on X this week.Rogan wasn’t the pliant conservative megaphone White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt may have had in mind when she reaffirmed the Trump administration’s hard line of the ICE officer’s innocence.ICE agents “are simply trying to enforce the law and the Democratic Party has demeaned these individuals,” Leavitt told reporters Thursday.”They’ve even referred to them as Nazis and as the Gestapo, and that is absolutely leading to the violence we’re seeing in the streets,” she added. Beyond differences on policy or polemics, the methods used by the masked and sometimes heavily armed federal agents run counter to deeply rooted principles within American political and legal culture, Steven Schwinn, a law professor at University of Illinois, Chicago, told AFP.During chaotic raids in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis —  all Democratic strongholds across the country — Schwinn points to the identity checks and stops that have outraged Rogan, because such stops were only authorized with “reasonable suspicion,” a standard used by law enforcement to stop people in the United States.- ‘Absolute immunity’ -When ICE agents demand peaceful protesters produce their papers, or when they target people solely on the basis of their perceived ethnicity, “a lot of folks associate that with dictatorial and authoritarian regimes,” Schwinn said. “What is happening with ICE is unprecedented,” Schwinn added, both in the scale of the deployment — federal agents now number 22,000 nationwide, compared with 10,000 a year ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security — and in the protection they seem to enjoy from the White House.Senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller has said all ICE officers have “federal immunity” to conduct their raids, adding “anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony.” Vice President JD Vance agreed, saying the agent who shot and killed Good in Minnesota “is protected by absolute immunity.”Legal experts and local officials, including prosecutors, have denounced those views.And according to Axios, the Trump administration has conducted its own polling and found support for immigration police is eroding, even among right-leaning voters.An anonymous senior advisor told the site Friday that the president “wants mass deportations. What he doesn’t want is what people are seeing. He doesn’t like the way it looks. It looks bad, so he’s expressed some discomfort at that.”

President Donald Trump’s administration is finalizing its repeal of a foundational scientific determination that underpins the US government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.The Environmental Protection Agency proposed reversing the 2009 Endangerment Finding last July. After a public comment period that drew more than half a million submissions, the proposed final rule was sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review on January 7, records show.Here’s what to know.- What it is -The 2009 finding concluded that six greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide and methane — endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change.That determination flowed from a 2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether they pose a danger to public health and welfare.Although then president George W. Bush’s administration delayed acting on the ruling, the EPA under president Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases met the legal threshold for regulation.While the finding initially applied only to a section of the Clean Air Act governing vehicle emissions, it was later incorporated into other regulations, including limits on carbon dioxide from power plants and methane from oil and gas operations.As a result, repealing the finding would immediately affect vehicle emissions rules, while placing a broader suite of climate regulations in legal jeopardy.”If finalized, it would be the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States of America,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said Friday at Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant where he and other officials touted policies they said would lower vehicle prices. – The Trump administration’s arguments -The administration’s draft proposal rests on both legal and scientific arguments.Procedurally, it argues that greenhouse gases should not be treated as pollutants in the traditional sense because their effects on human health are indirect and global rather than local. Regulating them within US borders, it contends, cannot meaningfully resolve a worldwide problem.On the scientific front, the administration has sought to downplay the scale and impacts of human-caused climate change. It commissioned a Department of Energy working group filled with skeptics of human-caused climate change to produce a report challenging the scientific consensus.That report was widely criticized for misattribution and for misstating the conclusions of the studies it cited. Environmental groups sued the Energy Department, alleging the panel was convened behind closed doors in violation of federal rules. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later disbanded the group.- What happens next -Environmental organizations are expected to move quickly to challenge the rule in court.Challengers point out that despite the current conservative-dominated Supreme Court’s willingness to overturn precedent, the Endangerment Finding has survived multiple challenges and the underlying case Massachusetts v. EPA remains in effect.”Their efforts to undo the Endangerment Finding are the latest evidence that President Trump is trying to remake the Environmental Protection Agency into the Polluter Protection Agency,” Manish Bapna of the Natural Resources Defense Council said. “If the EPA follows through and tries to repeal the Endangerment Finding, we will see them in court.”