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MN Police Criticize ICE, Thousand-Mile Storm & Hybrid Creep - Wednesday, January 21, 2026
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Today is Wednesday, January 21st. We're talking about new tensions in Minnesota as local law enforcement officials lay out new demands for ICE agents. Also, President Trump seems to be escalating tensions with US Allies over Greenland. And an extreme winter storm could stretch more than a thousand miles across the U.S. plus, a call to action from the American Red Cross, new technology guidelines from a leading medical organization, and a baseball player who overcame a cheating controversy to become a Hall of Famer. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. Top Minnesota police officials are increasingly criticizing the tactics federal agents have been using during the immigration crackdown. And now, as one sheriff put it, quote, we demand more from our federal government, more, more professionalism, more accountability, more humanity. The Minneapolis police chief told CBS News 60 Minutes that a video of ICE agents pulling a disabled woman who was also a U.S. citizen out of her car and carrying her by the arms and legs pissed him off. Other local law enforcement say ICE agents have been profiling American citizens, including off duty officers, detaining them, drawing weapons and demanding their citizenship papers. One Minnesota man with a story like that saw his picture spread all over the Internet this week. And, and now he's telling his story to news outlets. He says ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and forced him outside into the snow wearing just boxer shorts and Crocs. He's an American citizen with no criminal record and says he was looking for his ID when officers detained him. The problem was a wanted sex offender apparently used to live at a same address. Now, Homeland Security defends the agents, saying it's standard protocol to hold all members of a house where an operation is happening for the safety of the public. Federal officials have also defended other ICE agents actions all across the region. For example, President Trump said ICE agents are going to make mistakes sometimes and that they're occasionally going to be too rough with somebody. But senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bevino said all ICE tactics are, quote, born out of necessity. He also insists what ICE agents do is legal, ethical, and moral. Meanwhile, Trump administration officials still say the real problem is actually with Minnesota's Democratic officials, who they accuse of inciting chaos. Yesterday, five of them, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry, received grand jury subpoenas. The subpoenas are demanding records as part of an investigation into whether the officials conspired to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The Minnesota Democrats insist they've done nothing wrong, and some are now accusing the federal government of weaponizing its power to try to intimidate local leaders. Still, those local leaders and many protesters have said they'll keep resisting. As expected, thousands of people across the country marched through cities and university campuses yesterday, and more protests are planned for later this week. President Trump now says there's no going back on his goal to control Greenland, despite pushback from America's biggest allies. He made that point on social media with a series of posts that seem to be taking aim at many world leaders. He posted a map of the Western Hemisphere that showed Greenland, Canada and Venezuela and as all being part of the US in another post, he was berating Britain for giving up a military base in the Indian Ocean. Trump also shared screenshots of flattering messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. California governor Gavin Newsom, who is also in Europe right now, called global leaders pathetic for failing to stand up to Trump. Of course, the conversations won't end here. Trump confirmed he agreed to a meeting this week with key players on Greenland, and today he's set to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Today, the US Supreme Court is set to weigh President Trump's power over the Federal Reserve. Specifically, the justices will hear arguments as to whether Trump can fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook over accusations of mortgage fraud that she says are not true. Now, to be clear, Cook has not been convicted or even charged with any crime. So Cook is challenging her firing, and judges on lower courts have so far let her stay in her job. Now it will be up to the highest court to decide if she'll stay on while the legal battles play out. If Trump is ultimately able to name someone to take Cook's place, he would have four of his picks on the seven member board. Now, it's worth noting no president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency's 112 year history. And all of the former Fed chairs who are still living have asked the Supreme Court to side with Cook, along with five former treasury secretaries appointed by presidents of both parties. In their filing, the former officials said immediately ousting Cook would expose the central bank to political influences jeopardizing the credibility of US Monetary policy. But the Trump administration says courts have no business second guessing a president's judgment on what's a legitimate cause for someone's firing. Looming over all of this is the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who who's called the probe political and is expected to be there for arguments today. To be continued. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance made a big announcement this they're welcoming their fourth child and it's a boy. The statement from the Vances say mom and baby are both doing well and the due date is coming up this July. This will mark the first time a sitting Vice president is known to welcome a new child while in office. The White House congratulated the couple on social media and said this is the quote, most pro family administration in history. More news is still coming up, but first let's take a quick break to talk about our sponsor. Here's something that may surprise you. I still look forward to getting the mail every day. In fact, it's kind of a fun thing my son likes to do with us. He'll run out to the mailbox and loves to turn the key and see what's inside. Plus, there's just something about that physical, personal touch. But you might be asking, Erica, what about the junk mail? Yeah, I know. No thanks. That's why I'm a fan of Gunder. They create smart, targeted direct mail that people actually want. 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And now Americans in the south are being put on notice. Forecasters say a storm is set to come later this week that could be potentially catastrophic. From Texas to the Carolinas, the National Weather Service says large swaths of heavy snow, sleet and treacherous freezing rain is set to start on Friday. Meteorologists also say ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering power outages. Travel is also a big concern since southern storms have less equipment to remove snow and ice from the roads, and extremely cold temperatures could keep it from melting for several days. The storm is also expected to impact many major hub airports, including those in Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis and Charlotte. And through it all, the northern US Will stay cold. In fact, another blast of arctic air expected later this week is forecast to be the coldest yet. Still, the forecast could change a bit between now and Friday, so meteorologists suggest keeping an eye on things and getting prepared. Now the US Is dealing with a severe emergency blood shortage. The American Red Cross, which accounts for 40% of all blood donations in the U.S. put out the warning yesterday. It says the shortage is now so severe it can't provide enough blood to some of the hospitals that need it for patients. The Red Cross says part of the blame is the winter weather, the that's caused hundreds of blood drives to be canceled, as well as a busy flu season that's left many donors not feeling well enough to donate. So some patients might be getting less blood than what they need, and hospitals might struggle to find any suitable matches for patients with rarer blood types, and surgeries might get canceled. Now the Red Cross is once again calling on Americans to replenish the supply. It's even offering an incentive Donors who give blood this week will be entered to win a trip for two to the Super Bowl. If you want to make an appointment or find a blood drive near you, we've added a link in today's Episode notes on thenewsworthy.com the American Academy of Pediatrics has put out some new guidelines for kids using technology, and they acknowledge how the subject is not as simple as it used to be. Now, the group says, instead of parents just counting minutes of screen time, the focus should be on the quality of content, the context in which it's being used, and the individual impact it has on each child. For example, the AAP suggests parents participate in screen time, using media with their children and talking about what they see. It also tells parents to observe how their kids behave after using screens, whether they sleep well, keep up with their schoolwork and have healthy relationships. The new guidelines also include making sure screen time does not replace the essentials like adequate sleep, physical activity, reading and in person social interaction. They put particular emphasis on that last one such saying devices should never be a substitute for human interaction, especially in early childhood. The AEP also calls on tech companies and policymakers to make the digital environment safer, suggesting digital platforms face safety standards similar to those used for toys, cars or food. Netflix is doing even better than expected, with the streaming leader seeing a rise in both revenue and profit last quarter. And already the company has big plans for how to spend it. Netflix announced it will increase spending on both movies and TV shows by 10% this year. It's also forging ahead with plans to buy the studio and streaming business of Warner Bros. Discovery. In fact, yesterday it sweetened its pitch to Warner Bros. Saying it will now offer $72 billion in cash instead of cash and stock. Already, Netflix has secured the streaming rights to movies from Universal and Sony. It's also expanding its portfolio of live events and video games, and it plans to introduce a new mobile user interface later this year. It's able to do all of this in part because it's brought on more subscribers, higher prices and advertising. The Baseball hall of Fame has two new members, including one whose legacy has been clouded by controversy. Both Carlos Beltran and Andrew Jones have been elected to the class of 2026, and that's even though Beltran was considered the ringleader in the Houston Astros cheating controversy back in 2017. It involved the Astros using a camera system to steal signs from opposing catchers and trash can banging to relay the signs to batters. It's believed if it weren't for that, Beltran would've already been a Hall of Famer since he had a career full of accomplishments outside of it, including 435 home runs and 312 steals. Now it seems voters were ready to look past the controversy. They also decided to elect Andrew Jones, who was one of only four players in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and earn 10 Gold Glove awards. But Jones had his own issues like domestic violence charges that he pleaded guilty to in 2012. The induction ceremony will happen this summer in Cooperstown, New York. Well, that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Work Wednesday when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. But first, a quick break to tell you about something I've been loving this new year. I take workout classes weekly, but honestly I kind of get bored of the same ones over and over again. That's why I've been loving ClassPass. You can sign up for so many different types of local gyms and classes in your area, trip, try them out once or go back multiple times, all without over committing. Thanks to ClassPass, I can take Pilates barre, dance strength and yoga classes all in the same month with one easy monthly fee. And I wanted to bring this up to you right now because ClassPass is running a special offer. If you sign up through the link I put in today's episode notes in your podcast app, you'll get 20 more credits than their regular first time offer. So this is a special new year bonus that won't last long, so click the link in today's Episode Notes in your podcast app to try it out. Now I Again, you can sign up for a free one month trial, and for a limited time you'll receive extra credits than you usually get. Plus, by clicking that link in today's Episode Notes to get your trial, you'll be supporting the show at no extra cost to you. Okay, now back to work Wednesday so there's a new workplace trend bosses are apparently embracing for 2026. It's called the hybrid creep. The idea is to slowly move away from a work from home model without forcing it, since return to office mandates continue to see mixed results. So how do you encourage people to choose to leave the comfort of their homes? Well, one way companies are doing it is by tying promotions to office attendance, elevating those who show up more than is required, hoping their employees take the hint. Another is by increasing employee surveillance, hoping workers might come in the office to try to impress their superiors. Of course, this all comes as layoffs are on the rise too, and experts say leverage in the job market has tilted in favor of employers. While it might be unwanted pressure for some workers, others are coming back into the office because they actually want to be there. Some employees say they thrive on face to face energy, even if it means breaking out the business attire and braving the weekday commute. Thank you so much for listening today for sharing the show. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great day.