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White House, DHS push back on claims ICE targeted 5-year-old in Minnesota, say child was 'abandoned'

The child is now back with his father, an illegal alien from Ecuador, at a Texas detention facility, officials say

The Department of Homeland Security said a child, whom Minnesota Democrats alleged had been targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was actually "abandoned" during an immigration enforcement operation.

After Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., shared an image of a 5-year-old boy online and claimed he was arrested by ICE while coming home from pre-school, the White House fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson condemned what the Trump administration views as the mainstream media working "hand-in-glove with Democrats to spread malicious lies about ICE operations."

"It’s shameful that the media so quickly runs with the fake Democrat narrative without first getting the facts," Jackson said. "Here’s the reality: ICE officers work heroically with the utmost professionalism to make American communities safer. In this instance, they stayed with a child who was abandoned by his father — an illegal alien from Ecuador."

"The media’s lies have consequences — assaults against ICE officers have increased by 1300% because of dangerous smears against them by elected Democrats that are amplified by the press," she added. "The Trump Administration is not only removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the country, but we are also locating the countless migrant children that Joe Biden lost. Thanks to the Administration’s efforts well over 120,000 children have been located."

The comments come as a photo is circulating online purportedly showing a young boy wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat standing next to a black vehicle, with an adult’s hand placed on his backpack.

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said the boy had been taken by federal agents from a running car while it had been in the family's driveway Tuesday afternoon.

The child, who at the time was arriving home from preschool, was later sent with his father to a detention facility in Texas, The Associated Press reported, citing school officials and the family's lawyer.

"ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED," Homeland Security wrote on X on Thursday. "On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration."

"As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias fled on foot — abandoning his child. For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias," it added.

"Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement," DHS also said.

In another post, DHS wrote: "Our officer’s made multiple attempts to get the mother inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her that they would NOT take her into custody. She refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him. Our officers primary concern during the entire operation was the safety and welfare of the child. Following the mother’s abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him. Father and son are together at Dilley [Immigration Processing Center]."

Minnesota agitators arrested in wake of church invasion, Bondi says

Federal authorities have arrested activist lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen

Federal authorities have arrested two anti-ICE agitators after a mob stormed a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.

Bondi named Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly as the suspects.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Armstrong's arrest was in connection with a violation of the FACE Act, which prohibits interfering with the exercise of religion at a place of worship. Armstrong is expected to appear Thursday before U.S. Judge Douglas Micko.

Allen is charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, the Department of Homeland Security said.

And just days after publicly daring the Department of Justice to arrest him, agitator William Kelly was, indeed, arrested, Bondi said.

Kelly stormed the Cities Church service in St. Paul and berated congregants, according to video posted online.

"Minutes ago at my direction, HSI and FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Bondi wrote on X.

"A second arrest has been made at my direction. Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody," she announced minutes later.

"We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," she added.

Armstrong, whose website identifies her as a civil rights lawyer and "scholar-activist," helped to organize the storming of Cities Church in in St. Paul on Sunday.

Allen is a member of the St. Paul School Board who also helped organize the protest.

Armstrong continued to harass people connected with the church as recently as Wednesday, when she accused one of its pastors of having a "conflict of interest" due to working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Armstrong claimed in a Facebook post that one of the church’s pastors is a leader at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration is one of many throughout the Twin Cities in protest of the federal government’s surge of immigration enforcement officials to crack down on widespread fraud taking place in the state.

The Sunday attack saw dozens of agitators storm Cities Church during its service. Video from the incident showed activists screaming at congregants, including children.

Before the Sunday service disruption, Armstrong caused controversy through her far-left views and activism. She has also been a key organizer of the boycotts against Target over its decision to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Canadian snowboarder-turned-drug kingpin Ryan Wedding arrested in Mexico after years on the lam

Ryan Wedding — the former Olympic snowboarder-turned alleged El Chapo-esque drug trafficker — has been arrested a year after landing on the FBI’s most wanted list, the feds announced Friday.

Wedding was taken into custody Thursday night in Mexico — where he was believed to be hiding out for more than a decade, evading charges related to what the FBI says is a violent multinational drug empire.

“To tell you how bad of a guy Ryan Wedding is, he went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco traffickers in modern times,” FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters at the Ontario International Airport in Southern California — flanked by US and Canadian agents.

“He’s a modern day El Chapo, he is a modern day Pablo Escobar and he thought he could evade justice,” he said.
He will be transported back to the US to face charges, Patel said.

Wedding was wanted by the feds for running an alleged transnational drug trafficking enterprise, shipping massive amounts of cocaine from Colombia to the US and Canada.

Wedding — whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King” — is also accused of involvement in several murders.

“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office when he was added to the agency’s Most Wanted List in March.

He was arrested in Mexico City, although Patel declined to provide additional details about the operation, which was carried out with Mexican, Canadian and local law enforcement partners.

Wedding’s arrest marks the sixth FBI top-ten most wanted fugitive captured under the Trump administration, according to Patel.

Jack Smith Testimony: Ex-Special Counsel Reveals If He Has ‘Regrets’

Former special counsel Jack Smith was asked Thursday at a congressional hearing whether he had any "regrets," a question that drew fresh attention to two criminal investigations that shadowed Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Smith replied to a question from Republican Representative Kevin Kiley of California, in part, “If I have any regret, it would be not expressing enough appreciation for my staff, who worked so hard in these investigations. We followed the facts and the law. These people who worked for me sacrificed endlessly and have endured way too much for just doing their jobs. If anything, I wished I would have thanked them..."

Kiley quipped back, "No mistakes. There's that humility. Mr. Chair, I yield back."

Smith on Thursday defended his investigations of Trump at the contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing, insisting that he acted without political motivation and had no regrets about the criminal charges he brought. The appearance marked Smith’s first public testimony since leaving the post last year and came after he answered lawmakers’ questions in a closed session last month.

The five-hour hearing immediately broke along familiar partisan lines. Republican lawmakers sought to depict Smith as an overaggressive prosecutor determined to target Trump, while Democrats pushed to reinforce the legitimacy of his work and to elicit new insights into the former president’s conduct.

“It was always about politics,” said Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the Republican chairman of the committee.

“Maybe for them,” Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland replied in his opening statement. “But for us, it’s all about the rule of law.”

Smith reiterated that he stood firmly by his decisions as special counsel to bring charges against Trump in two separate cases. One accused Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election after his loss to Joe Biden; the second alleged that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, after leaving the White House.

He emphasized that he “followed Justice Department policies, observed legal requirements and took actions based on the fact and the law.”

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith said. “If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat. No one should be above the law in our country, and the law required that he be held to account.”

I don't remember Trump trying to get Biden killed or preventing him from becoming the 46th US president. He just flew somewhere else and let them take care of his own ceremony. Claiming that elections have been stolen from him is not a crime per se. How curious that Smith forget facts like Epps working for the FBI to agitate people and provoke them to invade the US Capitol that Nancy Pelosi as then House Speaker did not want to reinforce with National Guard troops.

Smith didn't mention how leftist poll workers produced extra ballots and let the Dominion systems process them as if they were legal votes for Biden most of the time. Responsible citizens denounced those illegal actions and signed affidavits because they were convinced that their coworkers broke the law, and the Biden administration simply jailed them for going against their narrative.

And lastly, Smith's assignment as special counsel to probe Trump's alleged crimes was illegal from the very beginning. They had skipped steps required by law to make his appointment valid.

UKRAINE WAR + GREENLAND + GAZA

Before we learned about NATO Chief Rutte speaking about the agreement he had reached with Trump...

Russian Media Rejoices at Greenland—’NATO’s Collapse’

Russian pundits have rejoiced over President Donald Trump's approach to Greenland, which they said was "delivering a catastrophic blow to NATO."

On the Russian TV show One's Own Truth, hosted by Roman Babayan, political scientist Sergey Stankevich said in Trump trying to take Greenland, Americans are "delivering a catastrophic blow to NATO because one country that is a member of NATO is taking away the territory that rightfully belongs to a country that is also a member of NATO, despite all protests and despite international law."

This comes as, on Monday, the Kremlin said "Trump will certainly go down in history" if he took control of Greenland. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added he was not discussing whether such a step would be good or bad—simply stating a fact.

A NATO official told Newsweek: "At NATO, we all agree on the importance of the Arctic and the North Atlantic to our shared security."
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What To Know

On the show, host Babayan said "Yes, it's wonderful, let them deal with Greenland, I think this benefits us" as pundits continued to discuss Trump's actions toward Greenland and what it could mean for NATO.

American journalist residing in Moscow, Michael Bohm said: "Trump's attempt is very different from all previous ones, because he says that if they don't want to do it nicely, and Denmark doesn't want to, then it will happen the bad way. This is very serious."

Babayan responded: "It's wonderful."

Alongside the pundits' reaction on the NTV show, which is owned by Gazprom-Media, a major Russian media conglomerate that has strong ties to the state, Russian newspapers have also been commenting on the escalations in tensions over Greenland.

One paper, Moskovsky Komsomolets, recently had an article that read: "Europe is at a total loss and, to be honest, it's a pleasure to watch this…" according to the BBC.

The Russian government newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, said "the Old World's keen to keep Greenland for itself, even at the risk of NATO’s collapse," according to a BBC report, but based on the BBC's analysis of the paper, it appeared the Russian government was blaming European leaders for the risk of collapse not Donald Trump, and that there was an absence of criticism toward Trump's actions.

The BBC said that the article almost "borders on praise" for Trump in regards to Greenland. The article read, according to the BBC: "Standing in the way of the U.S. president's historic breakthrough, is the stubbornness of Copenhagen and the mock solidarity with it of a number of intransigent European capitals, including the so-called friends of America — Britain and France."

This also comes as figures close to Russian President Vladimir Putin have welcomed Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on NATO allies over Greenland.

Kirill Dmitriev, a key figure in negotiations with the U.S. over the war in Ukraine, posted on X that "the trans-Atlantic alliance is over." 

On Sunday, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom also issued a joint statement, as shared by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on X, stating in part: "We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind."

They added: "Tariff threats undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty."

Trump Invites Putin To Join Gaza Peace Board: Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace, according to Russian state media agency TASS, citing a senior Kremlin official.

Newsweek contacted the White House for comment via email on Monday.
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What To Know

The Board of Peace is a U.S.-led international body created as part of Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza. It is tasked with overseeing the strip's postwar reconstruction and governance. Structured in three tiers, it includes a top council chaired by Trump alongside global political and business figures, a regional executive board and a Palestinian technocratic committee.

The group seeks to stabilize Gaza, demilitarize Hamas and manage billions in rebuilding funds—while signaling ambitions to expand into other global conflicts.

Several world leaders confirmed over the weekend that they had been invited to join the initiative. Trump's allies have framed the board as a bold alternative to existing global institutions, while critics warn that it could undermine the United Nations and entrench U.S. influence in Middle East diplomacy.

"Indeed, President Putin also received an offer through diplomatic channels to join this Peace Council," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS. "At the moment, we are studying all the details of this proposal."

Trump's initiative has reached more than 60 national leaders, with confirmations from leaders in Jordan, Argentina, Egypt, Turkey, Hungary and Vietnam, among others. The White House denied reports that permanent board membership required a $1 billion contribution, saying, "There is no minimum membership fee."

"This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity," the White House said, appearing to refer to the $1 billion cost first reported by Bloomberg.

Israel criticized the composition of the board, saying it was not consulted on membership decisions and that no Israeli politicians were among the appointees. The United Nations Security Council endorsed the Board of Peace framework for Gaza through at least 2027, but the mechanism for coordination with existing multilateral organizations remains unclear.

In London on Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Trump's efforts in Gaza but declined to endorse the board during a news conference, simply saying he was "talking to allies" about Trump's terms.

Trump Pulls Canadian Prime Minister’s Invitation to Gaza ‘Board of Peace’

President Donald Trump said that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation for Canada to join the "Board of Peace" is withdrawn, in a post to Truth Social Thursday night.

The “Board of Peace,” launched by Trump this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and intended to guide Gaza’s transition out of war, has drawn mixed responses from allies.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for additional information.
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What To Know

In a post to Truth Social, Trump said, "Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

Carney previously told reporters that he had agreed for Canada to join in principle, but details still needed to be resolved.

Trump unveiled the "Board of Peace" at Davos, with an executive panel including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, Tony Blair, Ajay Banga, Robert Gabriel and Marc Rowan to spearhead the initiative.

Other nations have declined or deferred, including France, Norway and Sweden.

Russia Alarmed by US Typhon Missile System in Japan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is "very much concerned" by what it believes is the ongoing presence of the U.S. Typhon missile system in Japan, in light of deepening military and strategic cooperation between Washington and Tokyo.

Lavrov, speaking to journalists in Moscow, said NATO allies from outside the region had also been part of what he said was the "militarization" of Japan, with drills and other military activity "happening in close proximity to Russia's borders".

Newsweek contacted the State Department for comment outside of normal business hours.

The Japanese Defense Ministry had told Newsweek in October that the U.S. was preparing to remove the Typhon system and it was "not intended to be a permanent deployment." The following month, the Japanese Foreign Ministry responded to Russian concerns about the weapon, saying it was not directed at any country in particular.

Deployments of the Typhon system to the Asia-Pacific are intended to reassure U.S. allies as China, in strategic partnership with Russia, increasingly asserts itself with aggression in the region. China is also rapidly building up its military capabilities.

NATO sees the Asia-Pacific as connected to transatlantic security because of the deepening partnership between China and Russia, which is waging a years-long invasion of Ukraine and posing a broader threat through hybrid war to European allies.

Beijing provides substantial financial support through oil purchases to Russia's sanctions-hit war economy. But the Western alliance also fears that China could bog U.S. military resources down defending Taiwan should Beijing decide to invade the island, and so limiting Washington's ability to defend European NATO members against Moscow.

In August, the U.S. deployed its mid-range Typhon missile system to one of its bases in Japan for the first time, part of Washington's effort to increase its presence and strengthen its military posture in the Asia-Pacific to counter China, its great power rival.

The land-based Typhon weapon is capable of firing the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk cruise missiles, and was deployed to the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Iwakuni, in southwestern Japan, for exercises.

"We were told that it was on a temporary basis for some military drills, but according to our information, these offensive systems, the Typhon systems, which are meant to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, are still in Japan," Lavrov said, originally in Russian.

"So maybe it's not just about military drills. Maybe this is more about a permanent presence, if I can say that. We have had no official confirmation that these systems have been withdrawn, so we are still very much concerned about that."

The system was deployed to Iwakuni during a bilateral war game, code-named Resolute Dragon 25, held in September.

The 1,000-mile-range Tomahawk cruise missiles could strike China, Russia, and North Korea from Japan.

The SM-6 has a range of 290 miles and is designed to conduct anti-air and anti-surface warfare operations as well as ballistic missile defense missions.

What Russia Has Said About Interest in Greenland

While President Donald Trump has pointed to national security concerns surrounding Russia to justify his push to acquire Greenland, Russia has not publicly said it is eyeing the territory.

Moscow has however been very clear that it views the Arctic as an area of strategic significance.

“So far we know Russia has been increasingly active in the Arctic region with various military bases being refurbished, new equipment stationed, and military exercises conducted. Such developments are in direct conflict with the national security interests of the U.S, Canada, and EU,” Dani Belo, director of the Global Policy Horizons Research Lab at Webster University, told Newsweek.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment via email.
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What to Know

Russia has not made public statements indicating it plans to acquire Greenland.

Vladimir Barbin, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, told Russian state media Tass in a January 14, 2026, interview that Russia has “no claims” toward Greenland.

"Russia has no aggressive plans with regard to its Arctic neighbors. It is not threatening them with military action, not blackmailing them, and is not preparing to lay a claim to their territory,” Barbin told the media outlet.

He accused NATO countries of “broadly using fantasies about a Russian or Chinese threat in order to militarize the Arctic Region,” adding that a “confrontational approach” would lead to a “degradation of security” and “military tensions.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia was not interested in Greenland, but that Greenland was not a “natural part” of Denmark, Reuters reported.

In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Trump’s plans for Greenland “is an issue that concerns two specific nations and has nothing to do with us,” as reported by CNBC at the time. He said it would be a “profound mistake” not to take Trump’s remarks seriously and that the U.S. has had plans for Greenland since the 1860s.

“In short, the United States has serious plans regarding Greenland. These plans have long historical roots, as I have just mentioned, and it is obvious that the United States will continue to consistently advance its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic,” Putin said, according to the report.

In January 2025, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said it was watching Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland “with great interest,” CNBC also reported.

Russian media pundits have celebrated Trump's approach to Greenland, which they have viewed as a "catastrophic blow to NATO."

Dani Belo, director of the Global Policy Horizons Research Lab, told Newsweek “credible intelligence” may provide insights into whether Russia has the “intent and capacity” to claim Greenland.

Russian presence on Greenland could be a “stepping stone for the conduct of military and non-military operations by Moscow closer to the North American continent,” he said.

Robert English, professor of international relations at the University of Southern California, told Newsweek that Russia’s military power in the Arctic has indeed increased in recent years but remains dwarfed by that of NATO.

“From ice-hardened navy vessels and submarine deployments, to long-range airpower projection, NATO is far ahead of Russia,” he said.

Russia has not threatened Greenland, he said, noting that it has “more oil, gas and minerals of its own than it could consume in 50 years and thus has no need of Greenland’s.” Russia’s Arctic deployments are mostly focused on securing shipping routes and port access.

I don't think that 50 years of valuable resources are something you should treat as garbage. Who knows what kind of crises might come along the way...

Zelensky: Agreement Reached on US Security Guarantees After Trump Meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and Donald Trump have reached an agreement on postwar U.S. security guarantees for his country, following their meeting in Davos on Thursday.

Zelensky told reporters that a document on the guarantees was "finished" and just needed to be "signed by the sides, by the presidents, and then will go to national parliaments."

However, he said those guarantees would only come into play "after the war will stop."
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What To Know

Zelensky was speaking after his meeting with Trump and several senior members of the administration, which he described as “productive and meaningful."

The Ukrainian president did not outline all specific terms, but said the agreement, when ratified by both countries’ governments, would be a key element of a potential peace framework aimed at ending Russia’s ongoing invasion. He also stressed that while security guarantees were being finalized, territorial issues with Russia remain unresolved.

Zelensky also took aim at Europe in his comments, accusing leaders of having no "political will" and contrasting the European Union and NATO's slow response to Russia with Trump's decisive action in Venezuela.

What Are Security Guarantees?

Security guarantees are formal commitments by other countries to protect Ukraine from future aggression, including potential military support if Russia attacks again. Zelensky said these guarantees are meant to ensure Ukraine no longer has to live in fear that the war could restart.

Unlike full NATO membership, these guarantees would likely be bilateral or multilateral pledges by various partners to uphold Ukraine’s security, without committing Ukraine to an alliance treaty.

What Did Zelensky Say About Europe?

In the same Davos address, Zelensky sharply criticized European allies for their slow and fragmented support.

“Europe looks lost,” he said, urging the continent to build a stronger, unified political voice rather than being reactive.

He compared repeated calls for support to the movie Groundhog Day, saying, “Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And nothing has changed.”

Well, Trump has been trying to make the EU understand how dangerous it is to underestimate Russia for years now.

Japan Scrambles Jets To Intercept Russian Nuclear Bombers

Japanese fighter jets have intercepted multiple Russian military aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, approaching the country's airspace, according to official reports.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the bomber-led flight was conducted over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea in South Korea, noting that its aircraft operated in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.

Confirming the incident on Friday, the Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry said it would maintain vigilance and take "all necessary measures" against airspace violations in accordance with international law and the Self-Defense Forces Law.
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What To Know

The Russian Ministry of Defense said Wednesday that Tu-95MS strategic bombers, without disclosing the exact number of aircraft, conducted a planned mission lasting more than 11 hours over the Sea of Japan, escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets.

According to Japan's Joint Staff Office, three groups of Russian aircraft were tracked over different parts of the Sea of Japan on Wednesday. Each group consisted of at least two Tu-95MS bombers, and two of the groups also included two fighter aircraft each.

No Russian aircraft entered Japan's sovereign airspace, which extends up to 13.8 miles from the coastline, according to a map provided by Japan's Joint Staff Office.

Japan's Joint Staff Office reported the Air Self-Defense Force deployed fighter jets and took appropriate action amid the possibility of airspace violations over the Sea of Japan.

In a post on the social media platform X, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the Russian bombers are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, noting that Russia also deployed bombers for a joint air patrol with China near Japan in December.

"This cannot be seen as anything but a show of force against our country," he wrote, warning that Russia's military movements, along with its strategic coordination with China, have raised "strong defense concerns" in both Japan and the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia Warns on Ukraine War After ‘Extremely Frank’ Putin Talks With US

The Kremlin again warned that its war in Ukraine would continue until Russia's goals were met, and that there could be no long-term peace without resolving the territorial issues at the heart of negotiations, after the latest talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Witkoff and Kushner headed straight from Moscow to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where a fresh set of trilateral negotiations between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine is scheduled to take place on Friday. On Thursday, Witkoff expressed optimism about the prospect of reaching a peace deal soon, saying the negotiations were down to a single issue that he described as solvable.

U.S. President Donald Trump, a self-styled global peacemaker, has made ending Russia's war in Ukraine a priority for his administration, having initially said he could bring about peace on "Day One" of his second term. But the war continues at a human cost of tens of thousands of lives every month. February will see the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"The talks lasted about four hours and were exceptionally substantive and constructive and, I would say, extremely—extremely—frank and conducted in a spirit of trust," said top Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov, who gave an update to journalists in Moscow, state news agency RIA reported.

Ushakov also said, originally in Russian: "As Vladimir Putin has emphasized, we are sincerely interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic means. But until that happens, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives set for the special military operation."

He said the "main point is that during these talks between our president and the Americans, it was once again stated that without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed in Anchorage, one should not expect to achieve a long-term settlement.”

Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over the remainder of its industrial Donbas region, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, not already under the control of the Kremlin's forces. Ukraine still holds two fortress cities in Donetsk—Kramatorsk and Sloviansk—that analysts say could take years for Russia to conquer.

Ukraine says it is constitutionally bound to hold a referendum on ceding territory, but it cannot lawfully conduct a vote while the country is under martial law due to the war.

Kyiv also objects to rewarding Russia for its aggression, a position supported by its European allies, who are concerned about the broader implications for security on the Continent if the Kremlin has designs on other former Soviet states, such as those in the Baltic.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the Donbas issue would be discussed in Abu Dhabi, according to Ukrinform, a state news agency in Kyiv.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, declined to elaborate on the Anchorage formula referred to by Ushakov. He said the Kremlin does not want to “go into details publicly” about it, state news agency TASS reported, adding: “We consider this to be inadvisable."

Zelensky held a "productive and substantive" meeting with Trump at the annual World Economic Forum gathering in Davos on Thursday. "Russians have to be ready for compromises because, you know, everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine," Zelensky said, "and this is important for us."

On Wednesday, Trump said Zelensky and Putin would be stupid not to agree on a peace deal.

US, Ukraine and Russia hold first-ever trilateral talks on ending Putin’s war

Ukraine’s top security official confirmed Friday that his country, the US and Russia had held the first-ever trilateral meeting meant to restart long-stalled efforts to end Moscow’s nearly four-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

In a post on X, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the participants — including special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Army Secretary Gen. Daniel Driscoll, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum for the US— discussed charting a path toward ending the deadliest European conflict since World War II.

“The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace,” he said.

Representing Ukraine in Abu Dhabi were Umerov, Ukrainian parliament majority leader David Arakhamia, chief of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office Kyrylo Budanov, as well as Budanov’s deputy, Sergiy Kyslytsya.

Moscow’s team included intelligence and defense leaders led by chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian army Igor Kostyukov, according to the Kremlin.

“These aspects: Buffer zones, various control mechanisms, are discussed at the meeting along with other important topics,” an unidentified source told Russia’s state-run TASS news.

Additional talks are expected to be held on Saturday, Umerov added.

Zelensky said he has been receiving hourly updates from his team in the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine’s “positions are clear,” but that it’s “too early” to interpret how the discussions are going. 

“The key is that Russia must be ready to end the war it started,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.

“[I]t is still too early to draw conclusions,” Zelensky continued. “We will see how the conversation develops tomorrow and what results it produces.

“It is necessary that not only Ukraine has the desire to end the war and achieve full security, but that a similar desire somehow emerges in Russia as well.”

On Thursday, Witkoff indicated that negotiations are down to “one issue,” without elaborating.

“[W]e have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable,” Witkoff said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

GERMANY

2,000-year-old Roman treasure hoard recovered after being kept secret for years

A hoard of hundreds of Roman-era silver coins and precious metals was recovered in northern Germany, years after it went unreported to authorities.

The find was announced by the Lower Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (NLD) in October.

It was found near Borsum, in the district of Hildesheim.

The hoard consisted of 450 silver coins, bars of silver, a gold ring, and a gold coin.

German officials said the 2,000-year-old hoard was discovered by a detectorist in 2017 — but it wasn’t until April 2025 that he reported it.

NLD archaeologists headed to the site in October to find exactly where the hoard was taken, and to “recover objects still in the ground,” the organization said.

“Particular attention was paid to the question whether — despite the destroyed context of the find — information about the type of burial 2,000 years ago could still be obtained through the improper excavation in 2017,” the statement added.

“As part of this investigation, additional coins were found; the treasure trove was completely recovered after the excavation was completed.”
The NLD also described the treasure as “one of the largest treasure troves of Roman coins in Lower Saxony.”

“Given the present state of knowledge, the coins can be dated to the early Roman Empire, a time of co-existence, juxtaposition and opposition between Romans and Germanic peoples,” the statement said.

Officials cautioned that a comprehensive scientific analysis was still needed.

“Only then can it be assessed where the artifacts came from and why they were buried here,” said the NLD. “Were they Romans or Germanic peoples?”

The detectorist who found the hoard will not face legal repercussions, as the statute of limitations expired, officials said.

Sebastian Messal, an archaeologist at NLD, told Fox News Digital that treasures like this are rare to find in Lower Saxony, but not unheard of.

“Comparable discoveries are nevertheless well known in the region… Among other examples, 3,000 coins were recovered in Jever, and more than 1,100 Roman coins are known from Lengerich,” he said.

As of mid-January, Messal added that the finds are still awaiting scientific analysis — but the scientific value of the hoard is “enormous.”

The hoard’s monetary value has not been reviewed.

Messal noted that a single Roman denarius can fetch up to 130 euros depending on its condition.

How the hoard was buried in the first place remains unclear, Messal said, because the detectorist’s improper excavation destroyed the original archaeological context.

MIDDLE EAST

Iranian forces storm hospitals, detain wounded protesters, including actors, in latest brutal crackdown

Iran’s security forces are raiding hospitals and arresting wounded suspected protesters — including actors and athletes — in the nation’s latest crackdown on the anti-government movement.

Security forces have stormed hospitals as they carry out mass arrests across multiple cities, detaining patients receiving treatment for suspected protest-related injuries, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Those swept up in the ruthless clampdown include actors, athletes, business owners, lawyers, human rights activists and more — all accused of protesting the regime amid a collapsing economy.

“We have indications that the security forces made mass arrests in several cities, even pursing injured people into hospitals, and detaining lawyers, human rights defendants, activists, and ordinary civilians,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk charged during an urgent council session in Geneva Friday.

“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has reportedly opened criminal cases against athletes, actors, people involved in the movie industry, and the owners of cafes, on charges of supporting the protests. I call on the Iranian authorities to reconsider, to pull back, and to end their brutal repression.”

Turk condemned forces of using live ammunition on protesters, killing “thousands of people, including children,” since imposing a near-total internet blackout on Jan. 8 to conceal the relentless massacre.

Former UN prosecutor and Iranian-Canadian lawyer Payam Akhavan called for a “Nuremberg movement” during the meeting, referencing the post-World War II trials in which Nazi leaders were prosecutors and sentenced to death for their atrocities.

“This is the worst mass murder in the contemporary history of Iran,” he said.

While Iran’s UN ambassador Ali Bahreini reported about 3,000 deaths in the unrest, a UN human rights experts warned Tehran’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters has resulted in up to 20,000 Iranian demonstrators being killed.

The council approved a motion extending and mandating investigations into the Islamic Republic brutalizing its populace and urged Tehran to cooperate fully with the probe.

Seven countries, including China and India, voted against the resolution, while 25 nations, including France, Mexico, and South Korea, voted in favor. Fourteen countries abstained.

The protests, which exploded on Dec. 28, spread rapidly across all 31 provinces, morphing from demonstrations over a collapsing economy into the most serious threat to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The regime answered with overwhelming force, deploying the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia to crush the unrest, according to rights groups and witness accounts.

Leaked images have since shown the bodies of hundreds of victims piled inside and outside morgues.

President Trump announced Thursday that at least 132,000 tons of US Navy hardware is steaming toward Iran — including the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers.

Trump sends USS Abe Lincoln carrier group to Middle East to keep Iran honest

WASHINGTON — Abe will keep Iran honest!

President Trump said he’s got an “armada” was sailing toward Iran — and he meant the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

On Thursday, the commander-in-chief told reporters that “maybe we won’t have to use” the carrier strike group but that the US had “a lot of ships” going in Iran’s direction “just in case.”

At least 132,000 tons of US Navy hardware is steaming toward the Middle East — including the nuclear-powered “Abe” and three guided-missile destroyers.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is hauling five squadrons of strike fighters, with a max capacity of 90 aircraft.

These include F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and EA-18G Growler radar jammers — along with Osprey tilt-rotor transports and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters.

Tehran’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters has resulted in up to 20,000 Iranian demonstrators being killed, according to a United Nations human rights expert.

Leaked images showing the bodies of hundreds of victims of the crackdown emerged after Trump’s threat to send “help” if the Islamic Republic continued to brutalize its populace.

Iranians have taken to the streets to protest the mullahs’ iron-fisted rule and harsh economic conditions.

“We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely. I stopped 837 hangings on Thursday,” Trump added.

“They would have been dead. Everyone would have been hung. This is like from 1,000 years ago.”

“I said, ‘If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to you around nuclear look like peanuts,’” he continued.

Some of Iran’s richest fled to Turkey to party while rest of country wallowed in regime’s deadly crackdown

Some of Iran’s richest residents fled to Turkey so they could party while back home their country’s oppressive government was slaughtering thousands of residents as anti-government protests raged.

The well-heeled unimpeded by the economic crisis that first sparked the national outrage have taken shelter in Van, a Turkish province just over 60 miles away from Iran’s border. Reporters with The Telegraph observed “elite Iranians gathering” in a nightclub.

“These people benefit from the regime. They left Iran for now, because they were worried about staying there. Here, they can feel safe,” one Iranian at the club told the outlet.

“They have made a lot of money from their businesses in Iran, and then they come here to spend it,” he added.

On the other side of the mountain range separating Iran and Turkey, tens of thousands of protesters are still pushing ahead with the weeks-long anti-government protests.

Graphic footage that surfaced from the demonstrations in Iran showed an indiscernible number of corpses lined up in rows outside of multiple morgues.

Survivors detailed their experiences watching the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the state’s core military branch, spraying “everyone with gunfire” and “calmly trying to aim for people’s heads.”

AUSTRALIA OR TRUMP?

Fans Want Tennis Reporter Banned For Asking Every American Player The Same Annoying Donald Trump Question At Australian Open

He really wanted to know everone’s thoughts on Donald Trump.

One journalist really wanted every American Tennis star’s opinion on President Donald Trump and wouldn’t stop asking about it. Many of the country’s biggest stars were asked about President Trump’s second term at the Australian Open.

A reporter at the Grand Slam made it a routine to ask American players their thoughts on the U.S. one year into Trump’s second term. American tennis star Madison Keys said she hoped the U.S. could “come together and get back to the values that I think make our country great.”

Not everybody was receptive to his question. Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz balked at the question.

The reporter said, “Congratulations on the win. I’ve been asking a lot of the American players just how it feels to play under the American flag right now. And I’m curious how you feel?”

Anisiomova replied, “Yeah, I mean, I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. And yeah, a lot of us are doing really well, and it’s great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women’s side, on the men’s side. So, yeah, I feel like we’re all um doing a great job representing ourselves.”

Not willing to give up on his political questions, the reporter followed up, “Sorry. Just to clarify a little, I mean, sort of in the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the U.S., does that complicate that feeling at all?”

Anisimova said, “I don’t think that’s relevant.”