海角大神

President Donald Trump appeared to soften his stance on immigration enforcement after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti over the weekend. He sent his border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minnesota, as top immigration official Gregory Bovino and some Border Patrol agents are expected to leave Minneapolis. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the White House does not want to see Americans hurt or killed. See today鈥檚 story on the shifting narrative.

India and the European Union announced a sweeping trade agreement as doubts grow about the United States as an economic partner. Negotiations have stretched on and off for nearly two decades but gained momentum amid new tariffs from Washington. Once finalized, the agreement would slash import duties on nearly 97% of EU and 99.5% of Indian goods. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, called it the 鈥渕other of all trade deals.鈥� India is the world鈥檚 fastest-growing and most populous economy.

The remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza were returned yesterday, 843 days after he was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The return of Ran Gvili, a police officer killed in a shootout with Palestinian militants while defending a kibbutz, marks the end of one of Israel鈥檚 most painful chapters. It paves the way for the next phase of the ceasefire: reopening Gaza鈥檚 border with Egypt for additional aid, and the more challenging goals of Hamas disarmament and establishing an international security force.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships reportedly reached the Middle East yesterday amid a wider military buildup in the region. President Trump told Axios the situation in Iran remained 鈥渋n flux鈥� following the regime鈥檚 crackdown on nationwide protests, which prompted Mr. Trump to threaten military intervention. The demonstrations now suppressed, Mr. Trump has said the Iranian government wants to 鈥渕ake a deal.鈥�

A Japanese court ordered North Korea to compensate people for a propaganda campaign that persuaded them to migrate. Tens of thousands of ethnic Koreans in Japan moved to North Korea in the 1960s and 鈥�70s amid a resettlement scheme the migrants said advertised 鈥減aradise on Earth.鈥� Instead the four plaintiffs faced harsh conditions 鈥� in some cases forced labor 鈥� and eventually escaped. The ruling is largely symbolic, with the lawsuit having received no acknowledgment from Pyongyang.

鈥� From Monitor writers around the globe

Video footage doesn鈥檛 guarantee agreement on the facts among a partisan public. But in the aftermath of a fatal shooting by federal agents on Saturday, a number of conservatives and business leaders broke with the Trump administration鈥檚 interpretation of events.

Despite Beijing鈥檚 campaign to encourage couples to have more children, new data shows China鈥檚 population decline is accelerating. Some experts believe the problem lies in the government鈥檚 narrow, materialistic approach to family planning.

Donald Trump isn鈥檛 the first U.S. leader to upend the status quo. Populism can awaken a nation to concerns ignored by elites. But it can also unravel institutions 鈥� from the rule of law to international alliances 鈥� that can take generations to rebuild.

Winter comforts offer a respite from Scotland鈥檚 short days and long nights. Not just festivals like Burns Night (Jan. 25), but also cozy evenings at home help stave off feelings of deprivation. Even homemade soup, which mystery novelist Val McDermid calls 鈥渃entral heating for the soul,鈥� plays a warming role.

Americans have long struggled with notions of 鈥渓ocal justice.鈥� Should state or federal laws sometimes bend to a community鈥檚 sensibilities and priorities? In Minneapolis, recent instances of violence by immigration enforcement agents, and sometimes by protesters, point to a federal-local split over immigration policies, not to mention which branch of law enforcement should investigate the violent acts.

Local justice was once so embedded in America that Vermont took until the 1970s to curb a Colonial-era practice of having two nonlawyers, or 鈥渟ide judges,鈥� help decide many court cases alongside a professional judge. Vermonters in the 18th century demanded this 2-for-1 balance because they were wary of the British king鈥檚 traveling judges and their appreciation of local values and circumstances.

Yet, for every standoff like the current one in Minneapolis, there are today examples of cooperation in implementing law 鈥� whether federal, state, or local. The issues are not always simple. Should Minneapolis police, for example, always protect immigration agents from civilians who try to block enforcement? Should the FBI allow the state of Minnesota to join the investigation into shootings by federal law enforcement? A lack of mutual trust driven by policy differences can exacerbate such issues.

One city currently walking this tightrope better than Minneapolis is Memphis. It is one of several cities where the Trump administration has sent in either the National Guard, ICE, or other federal law enforcement. Starting in September, the Tennessee city received some 1,500 federal personnel as well as up to 1,000 National Guard members. The surge was backed by a recent state law, passed by a Republican-controlled legislature, mandating local support of federal enforcement of immigration laws.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, made the decision to work with the federal task force as much as possible to direct it toward the city鈥檚 biggest problem: a high violent crime rate. His administration has instituted certain safeguards. Federal officers are integrated into the local police unit fighting gangs and organized crime. Local police are required to report abuses by federal agents, such as racial profiling. And the National Guard must not intervene in a crime situation, only notify police.

Memphis police often patrol with federal agents and will turn over unauthorized migrants arrested for a state or local crime. But the mayor said the city, with an immigrant population of about 7%, has a 鈥渃rime problem鈥� instead of an 鈥渋mmigrant issue.鈥�

鈥淚f there are individuals that have issues with documentation and status that are a part of any efforts around violent crime, then certainly they would be turned over鈥� to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Mr. Young told TV station WKNO.

In December, the mayor announced that 鈥渟erious crimes鈥� were at a 25-year low. That partly fulfilled his goal, stated in September, for the surge of federal law enforcement: 鈥渢o uplift our community and accelerate a safer, stronger future.鈥�

鈥淭his is our moment to show the world the truth about Memphis,鈥� the mayor stated.