Posted by Matt Kiser
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2026/01/13/day-1820/
Today in one sentence: At least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota and at least five senior prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division resigned over the Trump administration’s handling of the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE officer; Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul sued the Trump administration to block what they called an “unprecedented” surge of thousands of federal immigration officers into the area; Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to “keep protesting” and to “take over your institutions,” saying “help is on the way”; Jeanine Pirro subpoenaed the Federal Reserve without seeking approval from senior Justice Department officials; Global central bank leaders issued a rare joint statement backing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell; consumer prices rose 2.7% in December from a year earlier; and about 1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans so far this year.
1/ At least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota and at least five senior prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division resigned over the Trump administration’s handling of the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE officer. In Minnesota, at least five prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis, including the office’s second-in-command, stepped down after the Justice Department wanted to investigate Good’s widow for possible ties to activist groups protesting immigration enforcement – rather than open a civil rights investigation into the shooting. And in Washington, five senior prosecutors in the criminal section of the Civil Rights Division said they were leaving after the department declined to pursue a criminal civil rights probe, even as Trump administration officials publicly described Good as a “domestic terrorist” without providing evidence. The Justice Department, however, said the Civil Rights Division leaders had requested early retirement before the shooting and said “any suggestion to the contrary is false.” (New York Times / Minnesota Public Radio / Washington Post / MS Now / Axios / New York Times)
- poll/ 53% of voters said the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE officer was not justified, 35% said it was justified, and 12% didn’t have an opinion. 57% disapprove of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws and 52% disapproved of the way Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is handling her job. (Quinnipiac)
2/ Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul sued the Trump administration to block what they called an “unprecedented” surge of thousands of federal immigration officers into the area. The lawsuit, asking a federal judge to order the agents removed immediately, alleged the deployment and enforcement tactics violate the Constitution, including the Tenth Amendment. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state was being targeted and called the operation a federal “invasion.” About 2,000 DHS officers and agents are already deployed to the area and roughly 1,000 more CBP officers are being sent. Federal officials, meanwhile, called the suits baseless and saying immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. The White House called the lawsuit a “pathetic stunt” that prioritizes “illegal criminals” over Americans. (NBC News / New York Times / Axios / Politico / New York Times)
- The Trump administration will end Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, forcing those covered to leave the U.S. by March 17. Minnesota is home to the nation’s largest Somali community. (Bloomberg / The Guardian / NBC News)
3/ Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to “keep protesting” and to “take over your institutions,” saying “help is on the way.” Iran is facing nationwide protests over the collapse of Iran’s economy and political repression. Security forces have responded by killing more than 2,000 people and arresting roughly 16,700, while shutting down the internet to prevent demonstrators from organizing and to stop images and video from reaching the outside world. Trump, meanwhile, said he had “cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.” The White House is reportedly considering a range of options on Iran, ranging from nonmilitary steps to possible strikes. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Washington Post)
4/ Jeanine Pirro subpoenaed the Federal Reserve without seeking approval from senior Justice Department officials. Nevertheless, the former Fox News host now serving as U.S. attorney in Washington said she plans to keep pursuing a criminal probe tied to Chairman Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony on headquarters renovation cost overruns. Powell said the Justice Department served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment that he described as politically motivated pressure over interest rate policy. Pirro said the Fed had “ignored” her office’s outreach, “necessitating the use of legal process.” The Fed reportedly received two emails from Pirro’s office late last year that didn’t cite a criminal inquiry or set response deadlines. (Bloomberg / The Hill / NBC News / ABC News / Politico)
- Trump has repeatedly complained to aides that Attorney General Pam Bondi is weak and ineffective. Trump’s complaints reportedly focus on Bondi’s failure to prosecute FBI Director James Comey and New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. (Wall Street Journal)
5/ Global central bank leaders issued a rare joint statement backing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after the Justice Department served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas tied to his congressional testimony on renovations of its Washington headquarters. “We stand in full solidarity with the Federal Reserve System and its Chair Jerome H. Powell,” the officials said, arguing that central bank independence is a “cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability.” Powell said the subpoenas amounted to political “intimidation” aimed at forcing faster interest rate cuts. Trump, meanwhile, denied ordering the investigation but continued to attack Powell, saying he was “either incompetent or crooked” and complaining that the Fed chair was “billions of dollars over budget” on the renovation, before later adding: “That jerk will be gone soon.” (Politico / Bloomberg / New York Times / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press)
6/ Consumer prices rose 2.7% in December from a year earlier, matching November, with core inflation running about 2.6% to 2.7%. With inflation still above the Fed’s 2 percent goal, Federal Reserve officials are expected to hold rates steady even as Trump demands “MEANINGFULLY” lower rates. (CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times)
7/ About 1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans so far this year compared with last year’s final enrollment. Measured against the same point in last year’s enrollment window, sign-ups were down by about 800,000 people, reflecting declines among both new enrollees and returning customers. The figures reflect only early January selections and doesn’t distinguish between people postponing enrollment, switching coverage, or exiting the insurance market entirely. (Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News)
The 2026 midterms are in 294 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 1,029 days; it’s been 25 days since the Trump administration was required by law to release the Epstein files.
✏️ Notables.
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Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22 about his Trump investigations. The appearance follows a closed-door deposition where Smith said the Jan. 6 Capitol riot “does not happen” without Trump and denied claims that his prosecutions were designed to block Trump’s 2024 return to power. Smith’s investigations produced two indictments that were later abandoned after Trump won the presidency due to longstanding Justice Department policy barring prosecution of a sitting president. (NBC News / Associated Press)
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Bill Clinton refused to appear for a House Oversight Committee deposition in its Jeffrey Epstein investigation, prompting Chairman James Comer to threaten contempt of Congress even though Clinton hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing. Clinton and his lawyers called the subpoena legally invalid, and accused Republicans of selectively enforcing compliance for political effect. Comer said the committee will proceed toward a contempt vote anyway. (Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times)
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A House Republican introduced legislation to authorize Trump to annex or otherwise acquire Greenland. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, however, rejected the premise and said Greenland would choose Denmark and “does not want to be part of the United States.” (Axios / Bloomberg / New York Times / Politico)
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