Unrest hits Minneapolis after new federal shooting; Astronauts return in historic splashdown
Minneapolis is on edge again after a federal officer shot a man in the leg during an arrest. The Department of Homeland Security says the officer was attacked during a struggle.
Plus, a nationwide Verizon outage cut off millions of customers from the world Wednesday, disrupting calls and data after what authorities say was a server failure — not a cyberattack.
And a dramatic splashdown off the California coast overnight. Four astronauts returned safely to Earth after NASA ordered a rare medical evacuation from the International Space Station.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Federal officer shoots Minneapolis man amid street confrontation
A new federal officer-involved shooting occurred in Minneapolis, just one week after the deadly ICE officer-involved shooting of Renee Good. Protesters confronted law enforcement overnight after a federal officer shot a man in the leg during an arrest attempt Wednesday evening, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In a post on social media, DHS said when federal officers stopped a man from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally, they said he tried to drive away, crashed into a parked car, then fled on foot.
DHS said that when an officer caught up with the suspect, the suspect resisted arrest. During the struggle, two people emerged from a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. The agency claimed the officer feared for his safety and “fired a defensive shot to defend his life.” The agency says, “The initial suspect was hit in the leg.”
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A person stands near tear gas smoke after law enforcement deployed tear gas and munitions against protesters, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis -
Protesters react after munitions and tear gas were deployed against them by law enforcement, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis -
A person stands next to smoke from tear gas deployed by law enforcement officials, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis -
A protester walks near tear gas used against them by law enforcement, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis -
A person carries a child exposed to tear gas after law enforcement deployed tear gas and munitions against protesters, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy -
Federal agents walk amid tear gas, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Seth Herald -
A community member walks away from tear gas after members of federal law enforcement used the chemical on angered community members, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Seth Herald -
Members of the community stand outside a building amidst tear gas used by law enforcement, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis
In the aftermath, the city of Minneapolis confirmed the man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. City officials acknowledged public anger, but urged residents to remain calm.
Minneapolis leaders also renewed calls for ICE to leave not only the city, but the state of Minnesota immediately. They said they stand by immigrant and refugee communities and offer their full support.
Trump says killing has stopped in Iran as US evacuates troops from Qatar
The U.S. is evacuating troops from its largest air base in the Middle East as the Trump administration weighs possible military action against Iran, according to reports. The move comes amid ongoing anti-government protests across Iran, driven by the country’s collapsing economy.
At the same time, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’s been told the “killing” in Iran has stopped, and the anticipated executions of arrested protesters will not happen.
Iran’s foreign minister confirmed that in an interview with Fox News.
“No, I haven’t heard about that. And there is no… Any hanging today or tomorrow or whatever. I can tell you, I am confident about that. There is no plan for hanging at all,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Human rights groups, however, say thousands of people have been killed in the nearly three weeks since the protests broke out.
On Wednesday, the government there held a mass funeral for roughly 100 people, including members of the security forces killed in the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported hundreds of troops at Al Udeid air base in Qatar are being relocated to other facilities and nearby hotels.
Sources say the goal is to keep personnel out of harm’s way if any U.S. action against Iran triggers retaliation against American interests in the region.
NBC also reported that Trump has told his national security team that, if the U.S. takes military action, he wants it to be swift and decisive and not turn into a prolonged war.
Tensions rise in Greenland talks as Trump advocates security, but Denmark and Greenland say ‘no’
Trump has doubled down on Greenland, saying the U.S. needs it for national security. Now, he’s making it clear that he’s not ruling out anything.
Just hours before a high-stakes meeting on Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Greenland is “vital” to U.S. defense. He warned that if America doesn’t take control, Russia or China will.
He tied it directly to his proposed golden dome missile defense system and said anything short of U.S. ownership is unacceptable.
After the meeting, Trump kept the pressure on.
“I’m not going to give up options, but it’s very important. Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” Trump said. “And the problem is, it’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it, if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela. There’s everything we can about things such as that. Not going to happen. We’re not, you know, I can’t rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off.”
He even mocked Denmark’s recent security measures, saying that adding another dog sled is not enough.
Denmark and Greenland’s foreign ministers, who met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pushed back firmly.
“For us, ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are of course totally unacceptable, and we therefore still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree, and therefore we will, however, continue to talk,” said Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the foreign minister of Denmark.
“I think it’s very important to say it again, that how important it is from all sides to strengthen our cooperation with the United States. But that doesn’t mean that we want to be owned by the United States,” said Vivian Motzfeldt, the foreign minister of Greenland.
The three sides did agree to form a high-level working group.
It came as protests were happening outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, demonstrators waved Danish and Greenlandic flags and chanted that Greenland is not for sale.
Denmark also announced it will expand its military presence in and around Greenland with NATO allies, a signal that while talks will continue, the lines are clear.
And that response is growing.
Sweden, Norway, and now France say they’re sending troops to Greenland at Denmark’s request, as part of joint NATO exercises.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X, saying the first forces are already en route.
For now, no deal. No backing down. And a standoff in the Arctic that’s now getting crowded.
GOP protects Trump’s war powers authority following Venezuela strikes
Senate Republicans have blocked an effort to limit Trump’s war powers over Venezuela after a White House pressure campaign flipped key GOP votes. The resolution would have required congressional approval for any future military action.
Opponents defeated it 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie after two Republicans — Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana — reversed course and voted with the president.
GOP leaders argue that the measure was unnecessary, emphasizing that the U.S. is not currently involved in hostilities. This comes despite a surprise raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s assertion that the U.S. has now taken control of the country.
The vote shows Trump still has firm control over his party, but there’s also growing unease on Capitol Hill about how far this goes. And voters may be feeling it, too.
A new AP-NORC poll finds that 56% of Americans say Trump has gone too far in using the military to intervene abroad, a majority that cuts against the president’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy. One bright spot for the president is a new Morning Consult poll that indicates 66% of Hispanics support U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
Verizon outage causes nationwide blackout, affecting millions’ calls and data
“Can you hear me now?” That used to be Verizon’s slogan — and on Wednesday, it became a very real question for millions of customers.
A massive outage that began around noon Eastern left Verizon users staring at phones that read “SOS” or “no signal” — where the bars should be. Calls wouldn’t go through, and data was down.
Major cities were hit, including New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Verizon later apologized on X, saying the outage had since been resolved. The company recommended restarting the device for users whose phones still have trouble connecting, or alternatively, toggling airplane mode on and off.
But the key question remains: what happened? Verizon hasn’t said, but ABC News, citing law enforcement sources, reports that the outage was caused by a server problem in New Jersey, not a cyberattack.
Verizon said it plans to issue account credits to affected customers and will share details directly.
Crew Dragon safely returns with astronauts after space medical emergency
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule safely splashed down in the Pacific near Southern California, returning four astronauts from the International Space Station weeks ahead of schedule after NASA directed a medical evacuation from orbit.
The capsule, Endeavour, streaked through the atmosphere. Parachutes deployed on cue, and it descended just off the coast of San Diego.
NASA said one crew member needed medical care that could be provided only on the ground.
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This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 capsule being taken into the recovery vessel after crew members re entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows Russian astronaut Oleg Platonov being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Zena Cardman being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Mike Fincke getting helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
Support teams onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON work around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
Officials are keeping the details private, describing the condition as serious but stable and emphasizing that this was a precaution, not an emergency.
Still, it’s historic. It’s the first time a U.S.-led space station mission has been cut short for medical reasons.
After the splashdown, recovery crews moved in; dolphins swam around the capsule and mission control radioed a simple message: “Welcome home.”
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In 2025, Americans ‘detoxed’ from social media. In 2026, they’re quitting altogether
Natalie Trice spent her last holiday season scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, checking notifications and watching other people’s highlight reels. But this time, something clicked.
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That’s why in 2026, instead of pledging to lose weight or save money, Trice, like many others, made a different kind of New Year’s resolution: stepping back from social media. And like the traditional Jan. 1 pledge to drop a few pounds, a step away from social media can lead to real health benefits.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
