BLUF: Across the country; in MN, sustained anti-ICE protests escalated into riots following multiple enforcement-related incidents, including a fatal shooting, vehicle attacks on federal agents, fireworks and projectiles used against officers, tear gas deployment, National Guard mobilization, disruption of church services by rioters, and widespread property damage and looting; in FL and NY, protests targeted U.S. actions in Venezuela and the detention of Nicolás Maduro; in DC, January 6 anniversary rallies devolved into clashes between pro-Trump demonstrators and counter-protesters; in OH, vandalism occurred at the Vice President’s residence resulting in state and federal charges; in WI, an anti-ICE activist vandalized a sitting congressman’s vehicle and attempted forced entry into his office; in TX and AZ, large anti-ICE marches and metro-area demonstrations disrupted traffic but were largely contained; in MS, a synagogue was severely damaged in a pre-dawn arson attack; in CA, a U-Haul truck drove through a pro-Iranian protest crowd after the crowd attacked him. On a national level, the U.S. Supreme Court heard challenges to state laws barring males identifying as transgender from competing in girls’ and women’s sports; the Trump Administration announced plans to cut federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions beginning February 1st; the U.S. designated multiple branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist entities, triggering sanctions and asset freezes; Bill and Hillary Clinton refused House Oversight subpoenas tied to the Epstein investigation, raising the prospect of contempt proceedings; a major Verizon Wireless outage disrupted communications across much of the U.S.; the Pentagon placed 1,500 active-duty troops on prepare-to-deploy orders amid Minnesota unrest while the Insurrection Act was openly discussed; internationally, military tensions rose around Iran and Greenland with European troop deployments, paused U.S. strike planning, Iranian threats of retaliation, and expanded communications disruption measures.
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