A pair of teen brothers are in the thick of tracking, documenting ICE activity in Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS — In a clip that became instant fodder for memes and late-night TV shows, a federal agent charges toward a Minneapolis protester, slips on a patch of ice and slams onto his backside as cheers and laughter erupt from onlookers.

In another video, Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino pulls a canister from his tactical vest as his agents wrestle a protester to the ground. Onlookers and whistles scream. “Gas, gas, gas,” he says as he pulls the pin and launches it while green smoke spreads.

In each case, behind the camera was a pair of teenage brothers from the Chicago suburbs — Sam and Ben Luhmann.

Over the course of the past three weeks, their widely viewed footage has become part of a prevalent and still-growing effort by community observers to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity amid the heightened tensions and two deadly encounters with federal agents in Minneapolis.

—Star Tribune

Judge takes death penalty off table in Luigi Mangione fed case, OKs weapon

NEW YORK — The Justice Department cannot seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled Friday.

​Judge Margaret Garnett granted Mangione’s motion to dismiss two counts of the federal indictment he faces, including the capital offense of murder through the use of a firearm, finding the government had not satisfied the charging requirements.

“This case will proceed to trial on Counts One and Two, which charge the Defendant with causing Brian Thompson’s death under two federal stalking laws. The potential maximum punishment for each of those offenses is life in prison without parole,” Garnett wrote.

In a separate ruling, the judge ruled against Mangione in his bid to suppress from evidence the alleged murder weapon and other items recovered in his backpack by Pennsylvania police officers during his arrest five days after the Dec. 4, 2024, fatal shooting of Thompson on a Midtown sidewalk.

—New York Daily News

Faith leaders raise concerns over Florida bill about religious freedom in schools

MIAMI — Religious leaders and interfaith advocates from across the state are sounding the alarm on a bill aimed at protecting religious freedom and expression in Florida public schools, arguing that it could lead to special protections for the dominant religious groups — such as Christianity — and weaken the lines between church and state.

The bill called “Protection of Religious Expression in Public Schools,” would amend Florida’s constitution to add language protecting students and staff from facing discrimination for expressing their religious beliefs in public schools, specifically in a student’s school work, clothing, prayer, moments of silence, and opening remarks at a high school events.

The bill also allows students to organize prayer groups, religious clubs and other religious gatherings to the same degree secular groups function. If the bill gets approved by the Legislature, Florida voters will see it on the ballot in the next general election.

The bill was discussed at a House Education and Employment Committee Meeting last week and a few groups, like the Christian Family Coalition Florida and Florida Family Voice showed up to support the bill. The majority of the groups who showed up to speak at the meeting spoke in opposition of the bill, including groups like Interfaith Alliance, Florida Council of Churches and the National Council of Jewish Women.

—Miami Herald

Kremlin says Trump asked Putin to halt strikes on Kyiv to Feb. 1

The Kremlin confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump asked Vladimir Putin to halt Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, though it said the agreement is set to expire on Sunday.

“Indeed, President Trump made a personal request to President Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv for a week, until Feb. 1, in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.

Putin “of course” agreed, Peskov said, declining to say what was covered by the moratorium and whether it extended to other areas of Ukraine. He didn’t indicate when the request had been made. The U.S. president told a White House cabinet meeting Thursday that he’d asked Putin “not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that.”

Ukraine and Russia are due to continue peace talks on Sunday brokered by the U.S. in the United Arab Emirates after meeting in Abu Dhabi for two days last week.

—Bloomberg News