Winter Storm Paralyzes US Travel and Leaves Several Dead

A sprawling winter storm sweeping from Texas to New England has caused widespread power outages, severe travel disruptions and multiple deaths across the United States. Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights as snow, sleet and freezing rain shut down major hubs and left runways coated in ice.

At least seven people have died in weather-related incidents across the US as authorities warned of continued hazardous conditions and advised citizens to remain indoors as much as possible and head to shelters if heating is not available.

  

Two Fatal Shootings by Federal Agents Ignite Minneapolis Fury

Federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis faced mounting scrutiny this weekend after the death of another US citizen an encounter with federal agents following large protests demanding the withdrawal of those forces from the city. Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot and killed Saturday by a Border Patrol agent during what officials described as a “targeted operation” supporting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a Minneapolis neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti approached agents while armed and resisted efforts to disarm him, prompting “defensive shots.” Videos circulated by witnesses appear to show agents tackling Pretti and removing his firearm before opening fire on him.

Earlier this month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Reneé Good after agents confronted her in her car shortly after she dropped off her child at school. DHS officials claimed Good tried to “weaponize” her vehicle against an officer, a characterization disputed by state and local officials who cite video of the incident and have questioned whether the shooting was in self-defense.

Both deaths have fueled anger over Operation Metro Surge, a federal initiative that sent roughly 2,000 immigration and other federal agents into Minnesota, particularly the Twin Cities. Thousands of protestors joined a statewide “Day of Truth & Freedom” general strike and protests Friday, which continued through the weekend with vigils for Pretti and Good and marches demanding ICE’s removal from Minneapolis.

Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have condemned the federal crackdown as destabilizing and have urged President Trump to pull agents out of the state, while DHS and Border Patrol leaders have defended the operations and blamed “hostile” local conditions for recent confrontations.

 

Israel Recognizes Somaliland, Spawns Pushback from African States

Israel’s decision to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state has thrust the territory in Somalia’s north into the center of a geopolitical contest, centered on the Horn of Africa.

Somaliland, which broke from Somalia in 1991, has built relatively functioning democratic institutions and security forces, contrasting sharply with Somalia’s chronic instability and aid dependence. Somaliland, in contrast to the rest of Somalia, was colonized by the British rather than the Italians.

Somalia condemned the move as a violation of its sovereignty, along with most African states, which warned it could destabilize a region already strained by conflict and shipping disruptions in the Red Sea. Taiwan, in contrast, welcomed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. Somaliland is seen as a rare Taiwanese ally on the continent, and Taiwan opened reciprocal representative offices with Somaliland in 2020.

US President Donald Trump, in response to Israel’s decision, has said the US will not recognize Somaliland’s independence.

 

Frank Gehry, Noted Architect of the Past Half Century, Dies at 96

Frank Gehry, boundary-pushing architect whose sculptural buildings reshaped skylines worldwide, died at 96 earlier this month at his home in Santa Monica, California, after a brief respiratory illness.

The Canadian-born American architect was known for his unconventional building designs. His signature works include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. He won architecture’s top honor, the Pritzker Prize, in 1989.

 

Winter Storm Paralyzes Midwest, Great Lakes Ahead of New Year

The National Weather Service placed at least 15 states under winter storm warnings or advisories as a deep low-pressure system swept east, bringing heavy snow, damaging winds and dangerous wind chills from Montana through the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Forecasters warned of treacherous travel, with gusts topping 50 miles an hour in parts of Minnesota and whiteout conditions forcing closures along key interstate corridors during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.​

Farther south, the same sprawling system fueled severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes across portions of the Midwest and the South, with authorities reporting pockets of structural damage, downed power lines and scattered outages. In Texas, where some areas saw freezing temperatures and sleet, forecasters cautioned that even minor accumulations could slick roads ill-prepared for wintry precipitation.​

The West Coast was also not spared from destructive weather this past month. An intense atmospheric river lashed California both just before and during the holiday week, delivering some of the wettest conditions in years to parts of the state and triggering floods, debris flows and mudslides, particularly near recent wildfire burn scars. Emergency crews conducted evacuations in vulnerable canyons as saturated hillsides gave way, while officials warned that additional rounds of rain, on already soaked ground, could prolong the risk well into the new year.