Featured
The Silence of Elites. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor / On Race in America
Last Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards presented a scene familiar to American cultural life: celebrities applauding winners, elegantly dressed guests posing for photographs, and broad smiles under bright lights. But in the glow of that televised spectacle, there was one glaring absence — no meaningful acknowledgment of the deepening crisis gripping this country, no public expression of revulsion at the killing of an American citizen by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis earlier this week. Read more
The Week’s Top Stories
Political / Social
Trump is something worse than a fascist. By Heather Digby Parton / Salon
We’ve been using the wrong word to describe the president and his approach to ruling
The better definition for Trumpism is an ancient word that should nonetheless be familiar to anyone who recalls the founding ideals of this country: tyranny. Plato saw it as an inevitable consequence of democracy, when a quest for freedom leads to excess and the populace demands a strongman. He defined it, more or less, as rule for himself rather than the common good, maintained under a system of fear and violence, and characterized by repression of the citizenry — particularly those who are educated and ethical — while relying on lackeys to carry out the tyrant’s wishes and whims. Read more
Related: We’ve just hit a more dangerous phase of Trump’s reign. By Robert Reich / AlterNet
Related: This Is Not How a Normal President Speaks. By Jamelle Bouie / NYT
What Trump’s War Against Wokeness Is Really About. By David A. Graham / The Atlantic
The president once promised to combat the supposed excesses of woke culture, but since taking office, he’s been dismantling something else.
After taking office, Trump did move to push back on DEI initiatives (in the federal government and in private universities) and transgender-athlete participation in sports; a veteran FBI employee claims that he was fired for displaying a Pride flag. But Trump has also gone much further than that, working to undermine structures that were in place long before DEI or woke became familiar terms. This broader project is one that keen observers of the plans laid out in Project 2025 would have known to expect—but that many voters may not have intended and may not endorse. Read more
Minnesota sues Trump administration over immigration crackdown. By Faisal Ali / Aljazeera
Minnesota and its Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St Paul, have launched legal action against the United States President Donald Trump administration to stop a hardline immigration enforcement crackdown.
Local officials have called the government operation a “federal invasion”, which also led to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shooting a Minneapolis mother of three, Renee Nicole Good. Read more
Related: Minnesota Attorney General: Trump Blocked Probe Into ICE Shooting. By Kevin Robillard / HuffPost
U.S. Ending Temporary Protected Status For Somalis—Thousands May Have To Leave By March. By Zachary Folk / Forbes
President Donald Trump vowed to revoke citizenship from naturalized citizens “from Somalia or anywhere else” if they are convicted of fraud, the same day the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants—after the administration spent weeks targeting Minnesota with fraud investigations and a massive surge of federal agents in the Minneapolis area.
A Federal Register notice scheduled to be published on Wednesday indicated there were 1,082 Somalis with temporary protected status, as well as 1,383 pending applications for temporary protected status, according to estimates from DHS. Read more
Related: How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. By Joe Hernandez / NPR
Trump’s Slash-and-Burn Economy Is Devastating Black Women. By Kali Holloway / The Nation
Elections have consequences—and they are, unfailingly, most profoundly visited upon Black women. Donald Trump’s reelection has had the consequence of Black women being pushed out of their workplaces at astonishing rates.
Between February and July of last year, Black women lost 319,000 jobs in both the private and public sectors, driven largely by mass layoffs in education, healthcare, and housing. During that same period, white women gained 142,000 jobs, Hispanic women 176,000 jobs, and white men—wait for it!—picked up 365,000 jobs. Read more
Elon Musk Fully Endorses Shocking Call for ‘White Solidarity.’ By Janna Brancolini / Daily Beast
President Donald Trump’s once and future First Buddy has endorsed a social media post calling for white people—especially men—to defend their political power against other races and ethnicities.
“If White men become a minority, we will be slaughtered,” a user going by the name Jerr wrote on X. “Remember, if non-Whites openly hate White men while White men hold a collective majority, then they will be 1000x times more hostile and cruel when they are a majority over Whites. White solidarity is the only way to survive.” Musk replied to the post with a “100” emoji signaling he agreed 100 percent. Read more
Education
How Mississippi Transformed Its Schools From Worst to Best. Sarah Mervosh / NYT
Since 2013, Mississippi has skyrocketed on national tests, while blue states lag. What is it doing right?
In Kim Luckett-Langston’s first year as principal of Hazlehurst Elementary School, one of the lowest performing schools in what had been one of the lowest performing states, she quickly diagnosed the problem. Children at her school, outside Jackson, Miss., were suffering from what she calls A.B.T.: “Ain’t been taught.” Kindergartners arrived not knowing their letters from their numbers. After a few years in school, they were still far behind. A decade ago, just 12 percent of Hazlehurst students were reading on grade level. Today, Hazlehurst has clawed that figure to 35 percent. And Mississippi has emerged as one of the best places in the country for a poor child to get an education. Read more
Civil Rights Rollbacks in the South Signal a Threat to Vulnerable School Children Everywhere. By Ashana Bigard / The Progressive Magazine
Ending federal anti-discrimination oversight is an assault on the principle that all children deserve equal educational opportunities.
The Justice Department lifted a school desegregation order in a school district near New Orleans, Louisiana, releasing the district from federal oversight. The oversight was in place because of alleged segregation of students on the basis of race, which is a violation of the Constitution according to federal courts. Trump officials called the original 1967 agreement, which required the school board to take specific steps to desegregate schools and fix the harm caused by past racial discrimination, a “historical wrong” that needed to be corrected. Read more
Where’s the Outrage? Universities Need to Speak Up. By Brian Rosenberg / The Chronicle of Higher Ed
On January 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an ICE agent on a Minneapolis street, roughly a mile from the site of George Floyd’s murder.
Colleges and universities have been, with rare exception, silent. To many inside and outside the academy, this change will be seen as progress — “institutional neutrality” has replaced institutional activism and the business of teaching and research will be all the better for it. I, however, see the change as a profound moral and practical failure, at best an overcorrection and at worst a sign of an industry paralyzed by fear and dominated by a misguided idea of self-interest. Read more
Morris Brown College President Says He Was Abruptly Dismissed Without Explanation. By Walter Hudson / Eduledger
In his post, James said the board dismissed him abruptly and failed to offer “specific cause or substantive explanation” for the decision. He expressed particular concern about the timing, noting the Atlanta-based college is weeks away from an accreditation reaffirmation review.
“The timing of this decision is particularly troubling, as the institution is approaching its accreditation reaffirmation review in a few weeks,” James wrote. “Equally concerning is that this action disregards established governance best practices and my existing presidential contract, which extends through 2029.” Read more
World
Why Afro-Venezuelans Oppose U.S. Intervention in Venezuela. By Adam Mahoney / Capital B
More than half of Venezuelans identify as having African ancestry, the highest rate of the world’s Spanish-speaking nations.
That complicated history has also produced a clear racial and class divide in how Venezuelans reacted to Maduro’s arrest. While many whiter, wealthier exiles publicly welcomed the U.S. strike, poorer, darker communities — especially along the coast — grappled with the immediate loss of life and uncertainty about what may follow. Read more
Related: Why Trump’s Venezuela raid may not stop China’s influence in South America. By
As Trump urges deal, Cuban president warns that the country will defend itself ‘to the last drop of blood.’ By Alex Nitzberg / Fox News
‘No one dictates what we do,’ Cuban President Diaz-Canel declared
President Trump had spoken about Cuba in a Truth Social post earlier in the day, urging that “they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” “Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic shortages we suffer should hold their tongues out of shame. Because they know it and acknowledge it: they are the fruit of the draconian measures of extreme strangulation that the U.S. has been applying to us for six decades and now threatens to surpass,” the Cuban wrote on X, according to a translation of the Spanish-language post. Read more
U.S. to Name Palestinian Committee to Run Gaza. Adam Rasgon and Aaron Boxerman / NYT
Officials said the body’s leadership could be announced as soon as Wednesday, but U.S. efforts to shape postwar Gaza by disarming Hamas have faced hurdles.
But it is far from clear whether it can succeed. Officials have so far said little publicly about who will join the committee, how exactly it will administer Gaza and who might finance its operations. Analysts say that the announcement of its composition might be aimed at injecting some momentum into Mr. Trump’s broader plans for Gaza, which have appeared to hit a roadblock. Read more
UN Rights Office Says Hundreds Killed in Iran Protests. By Emma Farge / Reuters
The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday that he was “horrified” by mounting violence by Iran’s security forces against peaceful protesters, with the U.N. citing its own sources as saying that hundreds have been killed so far.
The Islamic Republic’s clerical authorities are facing the biggest demonstrations since 2022 and on Sunday a rights group said that unrest has killed more than 500 people. An Iranian official indicated on Tuesday it was higher, at around 2,000. “This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement read out by U.N. rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
Trump’s Amoral World Meets Its Match in Pope Leo.
Since his election in May as the first American pope, Leo XIV has become a political and temperamental counterweight to an incendiary American president.
A face-off between the two most prominent Americans on the world stage was inevitable, if only for the contrast between President Trump’s blustery inconstancy and Leo’s soft-spoken yet firm dignity. The pope is “neither quiet nor shy — if he has something to say, he will say it,” in the words of his eldest brother, Louis Prevost, a Trump devotee whom the president has hosted in the Oval Office and at Mar-a-Lago. Read more
A Commitment to the Gospel Is A Commitment to Diversity. By Caitlin Edwards / Christianity Today
Is it possible to build bridges between the white evangelical Church and evangelicals of color in America? Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero believes it is and that this reflects a true commitment to what the gospel calls us to do.
“Bridge building between the different parts of the Church has always been critical,” says Salguero. “Scripture calls us to be a global Church. It is at the heart of the gospel—the Church was born in diversity on the day of Pentecost.” Read more
Druski’s mega church parody has people laughing, and asking hard questions about the modern Black church. By Bobby Pen / The Grio
In Druski’s latest social media parody, the comedian portrays a caricature of a modern mega pastor, delivering a spectacle that feels exaggerated — until it begins to mirror real-life controversies.
The video opens with Druski suspended high above a packed congregation, surrounded by bursts of air as Kirk Franklin’s “Revolution” plays. Hundreds of congregants fill the sanctuary, hands raised, as the scene unfolds like a high-budget revival service. From there, the satire escalates. Druski storms the pulpit, hooting and hollering, wiping sweat from his brow in front of a massive LED screen that reads “Collect & Pray.” Read more
Historical / Cultural
Claudette Colvin, unsung civil rights pioneer, dies at 86. By Harrison Smith / Wash Post
Nine months before Rosa Parks made history, Ms. Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated city bus in Montgomery. She became a star witness in a civil rights case.
On March 2, 1955, a 15-year-old Black high school junior named Claudette Colvin boarded a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, taking a window seat near the back. When the driver ordered her to give up her seat so a White woman could be more comfortable, Ms. Colvin — who had been studying Black history in class, learning about abolitionists like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth — did not budge. Read more
Smithsonian pressured to show Trump its plans for exhibits for America’s 250th birthday. By Meg Kinnard, Gary Fields and Calvin Woodward / PBS
The Smithsonian Institution gave the White House new documents on its planned exhibits Tuesday in response to a demand to share precise details of what its museums and other programs are doing for America’s 250th birthday.
For months, President Donald Trump has been pressing the Smithsonian to back off “divisive narratives” and tell an upbeat story on the country’s history and culture, with the threat of holding back federal money if it doesn’t. The institution is a cornerstone of American culture, operating 21 museums and a zoo that are among the most popular tourist destinations in Washington. Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. was ahead of his time in pushing for universal basic income. By Tarah Williams and Andrew Bloeser / The Conversation
To address inequality – and out of growing concern for how automation might displace workers – King became an early advocate for universal basic income. Under universal basic income, the government provides direct cash payments to all citizens to help them afford life’s expenses.
In recent years, more than a dozen U.S. cities have run universal basic income programs, often smaller or pilot programs that have offered guaranteed basic incomes to select groups of needy residents. As political scientists, we have followed these experiments closely. Read more
Watch “Night Owl-AI Dance Video 4K” on YouTube. By Kelly Boesch
All visuals and music in this video are original works created using AI-assisted production tools. All creative direction, editing, composition, and final authorship belong to the artist.
Night Owl is a cinematic AI dance video in stunning 4K, blending expressive motion, vibrant colors, and surreal visual patterns. This project explores the beauty of AI-generated dance, where movement feels alive like an animated dream. All dancer visuals were created using AI image generation, then animated with advanced AI video tools to bring rhythm, flow, and emotion into motion. The colors, textures, and patterns are inspired by night energy, freedom, and artistic expression — designed to feel hypnotic, elegant, and immersive. Watch here
Sports
Is the Sports World Finally Giving Up Its Right to Remain Silent? By Dave Zirin / The Nation
Last year, the sports industry remained quiet in the face of Trump’s violence. Now with the killing of Renee Good, it may be waking up to the dangers of this administration. Minnesota Frost and Seattle Torrent take part in a moment of silence for Renee Good at Grand Casino Arena on January 11, 2026, in St Paul, Minnesota.
I am aware that a howl of anger from one set of sports fans, two coaches, a commentator, and a sprinkling of social media posts does not sound like much amid the enormity of the injustice that happened less than three miles from the Timberwolves’ and Lynx’s arena. But it also should not be dismissed. I wrote two weeks ago that 2025 marked the low point of sports activism. Given the tumult of violence that engulfed this country under year one of Trump’s second term. Read more
Mike Tomlin steps down as Steelers coach after 19 seasons. By Mark Maske / Wash Post
Tomlin led the franchise to a Super Bowl victory early in his tenure but struggled to advance in the playoffs in recent years.
Tomlin stepped aside Tuesday as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 years in which he won a Super Bowl title, never had a losing season and consistently led his team to the playoffs. But the Steelers were unable to win during the postseason in recent years, leaving the team’s fan base increasingly frustrated. Tomlin said in a statement released by the Steelers that he had made the decision after “much thought and reflection.” He added: “This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. Read more
Stephen A. Smith Hits Back at Critics Over Controversial ‘Lawful Perspective’ on ICE Shooting. By Rashad Grove / The Root
Stephen A. Smith faced an instant social media backlash following his controversial take on the Renee Good shooting and ICE.
Stephen A. Smith has angrily responded to critics, stating that his comments on the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good were taken out of context. He used a segment on his political talk show, Straight Shooter, to clarify his position: while he considers the shooting “legally justified” based on law enforcement protocols, he finds the act “morally and humanly” indefensible. Read more
James Harden Makes Emotional LeBron James, Stephen Curry Confession After Breaking Historic Record. By Atrayo Bhattacharya / Essentially Sports
When James Harden decides to hang up his boots, he will be missed by the NBA fans dearly. Regarded as one of the best players to grace the league, the Beard continues to leave an indelible mark on his legacy as a future Hall of Famer. On Monday, it was yet another chapter in his illustrious career where he rewrote history by recording 32 points, which guided the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-109 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Harden became the ninth all-time leading scorer in NBA history when he drained a pull-up three-pointer with 9:12 left in the third quarter. He surpassed Shaquille O’Neal in the leaderboard and once again proved himself to be the epitome of longevity as he is still playing at an All-Star level in his 16th season in the NBA. Read more
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