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In rare public rebukes, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama posted lengthy condemnations of the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration tactics on X, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents. 鈥淚n recent weeks, we鈥檝e watched horrible scenes play out in Minneapolis and other communities that I never thought would take place in America. 鈥� It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up, speak out, and show that our nation still belongs to We the People.鈥� wrote Mr. Clinton. Mr. Obama, with former First Lady Michelle Obama, stated that 鈥渞ather than trying to impose some semblance or discipline and accountability over the agents they鈥檝e deployed, the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings 鈥� that aren鈥檛 informed by any serious investigation 鈥� and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence. This has to stop.鈥澛�

A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill, as well as several Republican governors, are calling for a deep federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. Mr. Pretti, a nurse who focused on caring for veterans, was recording a protest with his cellphone when he was tackled and disarmed by several agents. Sarah Matusek reports on the mood among residents in the Twin Cities.

A winter storm swept across a wide swath of the United States over the weekend, leaving more than 800,000 people without power, dropping more than a foot of snow in 17 states, and leading to the cancellation of roughly 15,000 flights. Temperatures fell to negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit in New York, factoring in wind chill. As the nation awoke this morning, more than 70 million people were under extreme cold warnings. Several states reported fatalities. The Trump administration paused staffing cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and boosted coordination with state officials ahead of the storm.

Two top Chinese generals 鈥� Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli 鈥� are under investigation for corruption and causing 鈥渋mmense damage鈥� to China鈥檚 military, the state-run People鈥檚 Liberation Army (PLA) Daily said in an editorial on Sunday. The latest targets signal that a sweeping purge has reached the pinnacle of China鈥檚 military. Gen. Zhang, a Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), is second in command of China鈥檚 military after Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and has long been seen as a close ally of Mr. Xi.

The price of gold rose above $5,000 per ounce on Sunday for the first time, overtaking the U.S. dollar as the largest Global Reserve asset. Silver also reached an historic high, reaching $110 per ounce. The rise in precious ores and parallel weakening聽 of the dollar, which has now fallen to a record low against the Swiss franc, sets the backdrop for a week of consequential financial news. In its first meetings of 2026, the U.S. Federal Reserve will decide Wednesday whether to make a fourth cut in interest rates. Meanwhile, many of the world鈥檚 biggest companies, ranging from Microsoft and Exxon to General Motors and Visa, are due to report earnings.

The New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time in their post-Tom Brady era and will face the Seattle Seahawks. The last time the two teams battled for the championship, the Patriots overcame a 10-point deficit to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy. This year鈥檚 rematch, in Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, will be a trench battle between two stingy defensive teams. A victory for New England would mark a record seventh title.

鈥� From Monitor writers around the globe

A second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis has sparked protests and calls for investigation. Ongoing immigration enforcement efforts are also upending everyday lives for many Twin City residents.

Feeling threatened, Iran鈥檚 leaders deployed unprecedented brutality to suppress the latest protests. Now, amid an internet blackout, the regime is blaming outside 鈥渁gents鈥� and 鈥渢errorists鈥� for the death toll. Says one rights lawyer, such 鈥渄enial and distortion鈥� has been heard before.

A new poll finds 45% of American voters identify as independents, not aligned with either party that dominates politics. That is the highest rate on record for the United States. Voters in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe display a similar neutrality or disinterest. Political polarization, it appears, is contributing to citizens鈥� party disaffection and thus, potentially, to civic disengagement.

The danger of a public that鈥檚 鈥渃hecked out鈥� of political interchange, observed American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Samuel Abrams, is that 鈥渃itizens gradually learn the wrong lesson: that withdrawal is safer than participation.鈥�

At the same time, cities around the world 鈥� from Mexico City to Montreal, from Boston to Bengaluru, India 鈥� are managing to cultivate a feeling of local belonging that fosters civic involvement and trust. They鈥檙e doing this by setting aside a portion of city funds and entrusting residents, including children, with proposing and choosing projects to spend on for the good of the community.

This idea of organized 鈥減articipatory budgeting鈥� emerged in the late 1980s in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Within a decade of the city giving its citizens a say in directing budget resources, the number of schools quadrupled, public housing soared, and sanitation greatly improved.

Today, the city of Paris reportedly allocates the largest annual 鈥減articipatory budget鈥� in the world 鈥� around 鈧�100 million ($118 million) a year. Since 2014, residents of the French capital have submitted more than 21,000 ideas to city hall, which assesses feasibility before putting projects to a public vote.

Last fall, presented with 261 options, Parisians chose 104 projects to be implemented in 2026. These include expanding parks, urban gardens, and community kitchens. People in New York City (ages 11 and older) opted for similar priorities in 2025 for a $30 million share of the Big Apple鈥檚 budget. They chose upgrades to school libraries and science labs, as well as neighborhood sports and health facilities.

Through often monthslong awareness campaigns and multiple community meetings, the participatory budgeting process sparks grassroots engagement. It also improves transparency and can lessen perceived or actual favoritism or corruption among officials. This, in turn, increases trust in institutions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a way for citizens to build relationships with elected officials,鈥� according to governance specialist Hollie Russon Gilman, quoted on the Harvard Kennedy School website. 鈥淭his process enables people to feel efficacious in their communities ... like they鈥檙e a part of something,鈥� said Dr. Gilman, admitting that she once was 鈥減retty skeptical of the idea.鈥�

Her conclusion now? 鈥淚t鈥檚 putting democracy back into the hands of the people.鈥�