“In his seminal book On Bulls— (the actual title isn’t censored), philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt argues that lying implies a certain respect for, and knowledge of, the truth. ‘It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. Producing bulls— requires no such conviction.’ What this administration does is worse than lying because they don’t care whether something is true or false, only whether it will be believed. The Trump White House is a bulls— distribution hub, that connects via tubes, canals, and sluices across the media landscape. Like some vast Rube Goldberg contraption, the guy on the giant hamster wheel powering the whole thing is a president who spent his life saying whatever he needed to say at any given moment to make a deal, get out of trouble, whatever.” (01/28/26)
“The top federal judge in Minneapolis backed off a plan to haul the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement into court Friday, but delivered a brutal condemnation of the agency for repeatedly defying judges’ orders in cases stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz tore into the agency in a Wednesday order for what he characterized as a pattern of unprecedented defiance — violating dozens of court orders in ways that abused the rights of immigrants facing deportation proceedings. … Despite the judge’s fury, his order amounted to a reprieve of sorts for ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons, whom Schiltz had previously ordered to appear before him Friday to address potential contempt of court.” (01/28/26)
“‘Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets.’ So claimed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday, apparently as part of a strategy to separate the president from the second killing in Minnesota perpetrated by federal immigration agents. The plan also included demoting Greg Bovino, who held the title of Commander At Large at the U.S. Border Patrol, and removing him from his role as head of Minnesota’s mass deportation initiative, ‘Operation Metro Surge.’ Leavitt is wrong. Trump has a well-documented record of expressing his desire for protesters and immigrants to get hurt, and to get hurt by law enforcement officials. Bovino’s fall, after a fact-challenged defense of his trigger-happy agents, may provide some short-term schadenfreude. But let’s not allow Trump to get away with scapegoating Bovino.” (01/28/26)
“A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in jail on Wednesday for accepting Chanel bags and a diamond pendant from Unification Church officials in return for providing political favours. The wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office last year, was cleared on other charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act. Prosecutors will appeal against the not-guilty verdicts, media reports said. The ruling comes amid a series of trials stemming from investigations into Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law in 2024 and related scandals involving the once-powerful couple.” (01/28/26)
“It turns out that President Donald Trump can change direction when a high-profile enforcement effort staged for political impact instead causes blowback. While sending 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota was supposed to embarrass the state’s Democratic politicians and make them look impotent, it instead resulted in the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti and further alienated a public already turning against hardline immigration policies. The shift is welcome, but the price in lives required to achieve it is too high. It’s also unlikely to bring us the far-reaching law enforcement reform we need.” (01/28/26)
“European leaders face a puzzle that defies the usual political logic. As U.S. reliability collapses under the second Trump administration, one might expect those Europeans most alarmed by American hostility to become the strongest advocates for autonomous European defense. Instead, the opposite pattern prevails. The constituencies most willing to invest in European rearmament are precisely those that still believe NATO can be salvaged — while those who have concluded that the United States is now an adversary are the least willing to bear the costs of replacing American protection.” (01/28/26)
“A private plane carrying a deputy chief minister crashed in an open field in western India on Wednesday, killing the official and four other people on board, aviation authorities said. There were no survivors. The aircraft was en route from India’s financial capital of Mumbai to Ajit Pawar’s home city Baramati when it crash-landed and burst into flames some 159 miles from Mumbai. The reason for the crash was not immediately known. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage. … Pawar was a key figure in state politics and served as the second highest elected official in Maharashtra as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition in the state.” (01/28/26)
“Indian authorities said they had contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, as several Asian countries tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travelers arriving from India. India’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that two Nipah cases had been detected since December and that all identified contacts had been quarantined and tested. The ministry did not release details about the patients but said 196 contacts had been traced and all tested negative.” (01/28/26)
