Good morning. Protesters gathered in Minneapolis on the weekend after another shooting by federal officers left a local dead. More on that below, along with fresh tariff threats and new legal strategy. Let’s get to it.
People protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 25.Adam Gray/The Associated Press
TOP STORY
U.S. officials trade blame for death as Minnesotans protest
The latest: In the wake of a second shooting death in Minneapolis by a federal agent – this time a U.S. Border Patrol officer – federal and state officials offered starkly different messages Sunday about the crackdown that has swept across Minneapolis, leaving a second resident dead. Local leaders and Democrats across the country demanded ICE and Border Patrol officers leave Minnesota, prompting more protests in a city already shaken by another shooting death just weeks earlier.
Who: Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. He had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.
On the ground: While Minnesota is facing an immigration enforcement siege, we’ve sent reporters Joe Friesen and Adrian Morrow there to tell us how locals are feeling and to follow protests and other news.
What’s next: The confrontation between federal and state officials will move to a federal courtroom today in a case that observers say has significant implications for how power is wielded in the U.S.
Opinion: Are ICE agents modern-day Nazi brownshirts?
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Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President of China Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 16, 2026.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Trade
Trump threatens Canada on trade with China
The latest: Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has no intention of pursuing a free-trade deal with China and that recent events amounted to a rectification of existing issues. He was responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 100-per-cent tariff on Canada if it makes a trade deal with China.
The context: In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that a trade agreement between Canada and China would result in Canadian territory being a transit point for shipping Chinese goods into the U.S. The President once again used belittling language that cast the Prime Minister as a state governor instead of the leader of a sovereign country.
What’s next: Carney told reporters that under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free-trade deal, there are commitments not to pursue free-trade agreements with non-market economies without prior notification.
Opinion: How must the world stand up to Donald Trump?
Ian Brown became a fan of violent Viking fantasy/history.The Globe and Mail
How We Live
Putting the ‘man’ in romantasy
The latest: Romantic fantasy is the wildly popular TikTok-driven subgenre of romance novels in which a love story plays out in a fantasy setting. But there is an equally thrilling, lesser known category in the publishing game: a version of romantasy, but for men. Women still reportedly make up 82 per cent of these readers, but men are said to be reading the stuff more and more. Including feature writer Ian Brown, who stumbled upon The Book of I.
Who else: Romantasy has been around for decades but began selling in eye-popping numbers during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term – a stretch of time, it has been theorized, that lacked for chivalry and heroes and idealistic behaviour. The genre is also fast-paced and a relaxed read.
Economy
For Canadians, the cost of food is hard to swallow
The latest: It’s not all in your head. Households are being squeezed, especially when it comes to the price of food. Over the past six years, rent has risen by 32 per cent and home insurance by 45 per cent. But grocery prices are a constant reminder of nearly five years of excessive food inflation.
What’s next: Economists expect the Bank of Canada will keep its overnight interest rate on hold through 2026. The BoC will keep its key interest rate at 2.25 per cent on Wednesday, all 35 economists in a Reuters poll predicted.
Also: Carney spent Sunday preparing for the start of a new parliamentary sitting on Monday. He said his government’s priorities include affordability measures for Canadians, and he promised those very soon.
Politics
New legal strategy in Alberta trans-rights case
The latest: Advocacy groups are attempting a new legal strategy to combat an Alberta law shielded by the Charter’s notwithstanding clause – legislation that prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming health care to transgender youth.
What’s next: Today, Egale Canada, Skipping Stone and five youth are back at the Court of King’s Bench in Calgary. They plan to argue that Alberta’s law is a criminal prohibition, rather than one focused on health care under the province’s Health Professions Act.
Bookmarked
- At home: AGO trustee and major donor Judy Schulich led internal push to prevent Nan Goldin acquisition.
- Abroad: Israel said yesterday its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza.
- For your finances: Kids are expensive. Three steps for parents looking to avoid money fights.
- For your driving: When I can’t see the lines on a snowy road, where should I drive?
- Conversation starter: How would Trump behave differently if he was legitimately losing his mind? Robyn Urback writes.
The Quote
I never thought I’d have to say this, but no, the Plains of Abraham are not the birthplace of a united Canada.
— Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Leader of the Parti Québécois
A campaign for an independent Quebec took shape at a Parti Québécois convention this weekend. The PQ Leader has promised to hold a referendum by 2030 if his party forms government in the next election, scheduled for October.
The Shot
Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 25.Chiang Ying-ying/The Associated Press
American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.