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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Minnesota National Guard was mobilized on Saturday afternoon to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, according to an announcement from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).

This development occurs amid the , referred to as “Operation Metro Surge” by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS officials are reporting the operation as a major success, citing the arrests of the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from Minnesota neighborhoods” including alleged thieves, drug traffickers and fraud perpetrators. Recent DHS statements have also claimed that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey “refuse to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens” from custody.

Governor Walz, who directed the Minnesota National Guard to mobilize on Saturday, made a statement earlier in the week criticizing the intentions behind this latest crackdown operation in his state.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A large group of protesters turned out in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday and confronted a much smaller group of people organized by conservative influencer Jack Lang to demonstrate in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Anti-Ice protesters chased the pro-ICE group away and forced Lang, who appeared to be injured, to leave the scene with visible bruises and scrapes on his head.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/41762724

Donald Trump has appointed the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and former British prime minister Tony Blair to a newly created Gaza “board of peace”, a body he claims will steer the next phase of reconstruction and governance in the war-ravaged territory.

The White House said the seven-strong “founding executive board” will also include Trump’s special envoy, the property developer Steve Witkoff; the World Bank president, Ajay Banga; and the president’s son-in-law and long-time adviser Jared Kushner. Trump himself will serve as chair, with further appointments expected in the coming weeks.

“Each executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization,” a White House statement said.

“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community.”

Blair’s inclusion is likely to prove contentious in the region. The former Labour leader remains a divisive figure in the Middle East for his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Donald Trump has appointed the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and former British prime minister Tony Blair to a newly created Gaza “board of peace”, a body he claims will steer the next phase of reconstruction and governance in the war-ravaged territory.

The White House said the seven-strong “founding executive board” will also include Trump’s special envoy, the property developer Steve Witkoff; the World Bank president, Ajay Banga; and the president’s son-in-law and long-time adviser Jared Kushner. Trump himself will serve as chair, with further appointments expected in the coming weeks.

“Each executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization,” a White House statement said.

“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community.”

Blair’s inclusion is likely to prove contentious in the region. The former Labour leader remains a divisive figure in the Middle East for his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally moved to block the appointment of an independent monitor or special master to oversee the release of Epstein-related records in the long-closed criminal case of Ghislaine Maxwell—arguing that no federal court has the authority to compel such disclosures.

In a six-page letter filed tonight, to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, prosecutors contend that recent efforts by members of Congress to force production of the so-called “Epstein files” amount to an improper attempt to reopen a concluded criminal case and to create a form of judicial oversight that Congress itself did not authorize.

The DOJ begins by emphasizing that United States v. Maxwell is no longer an active criminal matter. Maxwell’s conviction was affirmed by the Second Circuit, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari in October 2025, rendering the judgment final. According to the government, only two narrow issues remain before the court: Maxwell’s collateral challenge under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and the court’s supervision of a protective order governing discovery materials.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people.

The prospect of U.S. retaliation for the protesters’ deaths still hung over the region, though President Donald Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. The White House stressed that “all options remain on the table.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. announced new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of suppressing the protests, which began late last month over the country’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency. The Group of Seven industrialized democracies and the European Union said they too were looking at new sanctions to ratchet up the pressure on Iran’s theocratic government.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran for Thursday afternoon at the request of the United States.

In Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnesses said recent mornings showed no new signs of bonfires lit the night before or debris in the streets. The sound of gunfire, which had been intense for several nights, has also faded.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/41530183

LONDON (AP) — Iran’s leadership is under incredible pressure as the largest protests in years against the Islamic theocracy shake the country.

Government hard-liners have threatened to attack the U.S. military and archrival Israel over support for the demonstrators, though for now President Donald Trump says Iran has signaled it wants to negotiate with Washington.

There is no sign that a Venezuela-style U.S. military intervention is coming.

Here’s a look at the fragility at the top as the protest death toll rises into the hundreds in the crackdown and as connections to the outside world remain cut.

LONDON (AP) — Iran’s leadership is under incredible pressure as the largest protests in years against the Islamic theocracy shake the country.

Government hard-liners have threatened to attack the U.S. military and archrival Israel over support for the demonstrators, though for now President Donald Trump says Iran has signaled it wants to negotiate with Washington.

There is no sign that a Venezuela-style U.S. military intervention is coming.

Here’s a look at the fragility at the top as the protest death toll rises into the hundreds in the crackdown and as connections to the outside world remain cut.

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook owner Meta has named Dina Powell McCormick, a former Trump administration adviser and longtime finance executive, as president and vice chairman of the tech giant.

Powell McCormick previously served on Meta’s board of directors — where, the company notes, she was “deeply engaged” in accelerating its artificial intelligence push across platforms. In her new management role, Meta says Powell McCormick will help guide its overall strategy, including the execution of multi-billion-dollar investments.

The news, announced Monday, quickly gained the applause of U.S. President Donald Trump. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the Republican president said the move was a “great choice” by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — and noted that Powell McCormick had “served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction.”

The Trevor Project, known for its hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, received $45 million from billionaire and author MacKenzie Scott at the end of 2025, the organization said Monday.

The gift is the largest in the organization’s history but also a major boon following years of management turmoil, layoffs and the loss of significant federal funding over the summer.

“I literally could not believe it and it took some time. I actually gasped,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, when they were notified of Scott’s gift.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration secretly reimposed a policy limiting Congress members’ access to immigration detention facilities a day after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, attorneys for several congressional Democrats said Monday in asking a federal judge to intervene.

Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota were blocked from visiting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Minneapolis on Saturday, three days after an ICE officer shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good in the city.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked ICE from enforcing policies limiting Congress members’ access to immigration detention facilities. In a court filing on Monday, plaintiffs’ lawyers asked Cobb to hold an emergency hearing and decide if the duplicate notice policy violates her order. Cobb scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.