Tensions are escalating between the United States and Europe after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European allies that oppose his push to take over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. On Sunday, Trump sent a text message to Norway’s prime minister, writing, “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.” Trump went on to write, “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.” In a post overnight, Trump also criticized Britain for giving the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius after nearly six decades of British rule.

Over the weekend, thousands took part in protests in Greenland and Denmark. European leaders denounced Trump’s threats and are weighing cutting off U.S. companies to the EU market — a move known as the EU’s trade bazooka. U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper spoke on Monday.

Yvette Cooper: “As the prime minister said this morning, the future of Greenland is for the Greenlanders and for the Danes alone. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and those principles around sovereignty are crucial. It’s also why we have made very clear that the use of tariffs and threats against allies in this way is completely wrong and counterproductive.”

President Trump is heading today to the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Washington Post reports the elite gathering has been turned into an emergency diplomatic summit this year due to Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

The Pentagon has placed 1,500 soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska on standby to possibly be deployed to Minnesota, just days after President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell protests over ICE’s immigration crackdown.

This comes as the Trump administration says it has opened criminal investigations into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both of whom have sharply criticized ICE’s tactics. In a statement, Walz said, “Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.”

On Friday, a federal judge ordered ICE agents to stop arresting or pepper-spraying peaceful protesters in Minneapolis. On Sunday, demonstrators disrupted services at a church in St. Paul to protest one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, who is reportedly a top ICE official in the Twin Cities. The Department of Justice is now threatening to investigate the protesters.

In another development, the Trump administration is being accused of denying legal counsel to many arrested during the immigration sweeps. Multiple attorneys have told ABC that they have been prevented from seeing clients held at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis.

Meanwhile, ICE agents continue to carry out raids. In St. Paul, armed, masked agents battered down the door of a home and — without a warrant — arrested a man who was led out of his home in his underwear in subfreezing weather. It turned out the man, ChongLy “Scott” Thao, was a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Laos. He was later released and spoke to reporters.

ChongLy “Scott” Thao: “And then, suddenly, there’s like guns pointed at us. I’m like, 'Whoa.' And then they go, 'You, come out here.' I go, 'OK,' and then I came out there with my hands up. And then they said, put my hands on my back. So I did. And suddenly they just handcuffed me.”

We will go to Minnesota after headlines.

President Trump has openly called for regime change in Iran. In an interview with Politico, Trump said, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” This comes as an internet blackout continues in Iran, where security forces have largely crushed nationwide protests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has verified the deaths of over 3,900 protesters, but the group says the death toll could be far higher. At least 180 security forces have also been killed. The Iranian government has blamed some of the unrest on armed agitators.

Israeli forces have begun demolishing the headquarters of UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, in occupied East Jerusalem. In a statement, the U.N. agency said, “This is an unprecedented attack not only against UNRWA and its premises. It constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations.” UNRWA was formed in 1949 to provide aid to Palestinians displaced during the Nakba.

President Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join his so-called Board of Peace. Trump floated the idea of the board to oversee a ceasefire in Gaza, but it now appears Trump is envisioning a body that could rival the United Nations. Over the weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Trump’s offer to join the board, warning the new board could undermine the U.N. Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accepted an invitation to join the board. Trump will serve as the board’s chair and have veto power over the board’s decisions. Initial appointees on the board include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In addition, Trump is asking countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent spot on the board.

The United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk visited Sudan for the first time since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military. Sudan is dealing with the world’s largest displacement crisis — an estimated 13.6 million people are displaced by the ongoing war. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 30 million people out of Sudan’s population of nearly 47 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. This is Volker Türk.

Volker Türk: “A chronicle of cruelty is unfolding before our very eyes, and we must not look away. This needs to shock our collective conscience. All those who have any influence, including regional actors and, notably, those who supply the arms and benefit economically from this war, need to act urgently to put an end to it.”

In Uganda, 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni has been reelected to a seventh term. Election observers and rights groups criticized the result, claiming that the campaign was marred by a heavy crackdown on the opposition and an internet blackout. The main opposition candidate, Bobi Wine, spoke to the BBC from hiding and said that he will not contest the results. Wine told the BBC, “The judiciary in Uganda is captured and we encourage Ugandans to use any legal means to fight back and protect their democracy.”

Chile has declared a “state of catastrophe” as wildfires have killed at least 19 people. Parts of central and southern Chile were under extreme heat warnings with temperatures set to reach 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Guatemala has declared a state of emergency after 10 police officers have been killed in a wave of coordinated attacks. The violence started over the weekend when inmates held dozens of guards hostage at three prisons, demanding privileges for gang members and leaders. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo’s state of emergency allows authorities to limit demonstrations and enables the police to arrest anyone suspected of being a gang member without an arrest warrant.

Hundreds protested in Davos ahead of President Trump’s visit to the World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of global business elites. It comes as Oxfam released a report Monday warning that the collective wealth of billionaires hit a record $18.3 trillion and that the total number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 for the first time in history last year. Oxfam also reports that highly unequal countries are seven times more likely to experience the erosion of the rule of law and the undermining of elections. This is Oxfam’s executive director, Amitabh Behar.

Amitabh Behar: “But the real story is also about how these billionaires are not content enough with being super rich. Now they’re buying political power. So, they’re buying elections. They’re buying media houses. And what you’re eventually seeing is a rise of oligarchy. So, these few billionaires control politics, policies and narratives.”

The Justice Department is considering weakening gun laws in an attempt to appeal to Second Amendment supporters. According to The Washington Post, the DOJ is looking to ease rules on private gun sales, loosen requirements for shipping firearms, alter what types of guns can be imported, and even make federal gun licensing fees refundable. Officials are also looking to have applicants list their biological sex at birth on forms required to purchase guns. DOJ officials are reportedly seeking to announce the new rules at the National Shooting Sports Foundation gun trade show in Las Vegas tomorrow. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is scheduled to speak at the trade show.

Three top Catholic cardinals in the United States have issued an unusual statement denouncing U.S. foreign policy, saying the country’s “moral role in confronting evil around the world” was in question. The cardinals cited the U.S. attack on Venezuela, Trump’s threats against Greenland and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The cardinals wrote, “In 2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War.”

In other religious news, an Episcopal bishop in New Hampshire has urged fellow clergy to finalize their wills and prepare for what he called a “new era of martyrdom.” Bishop Rob Hirschfeld made the comments during a vigil honoring Renee Good, who was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. He said, “Now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies, to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”

On Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton held a Martin Luther King Day rally in Harlem. He denounced the ICE killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Rev. Al Sharpton: “If she cursed him out, does that give them the right to shoot her? And they’re now talking about sending in National Guard, sending in more ICE agents, sending 1,500. We are in a state that Dr. King would have been fighting against this country going this far.”

Sharpton also criticized Trump for canceling free admission at national parks on MLK Day and on Juneteenth. Instead, park entrance fees are now waived on June 14 — President Trump’s birthday.

One year ago today, President Trump returned to office. A coalition of activist groups including the Women’s March are calling for a nationwide walkout today from schools, jobs and places of commerce. It’s called the “Free America Walkout.”