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Israeli soldiers take up positions during an army raid in the West Bank city of Hebron Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Mahmoud Illean/AP hide caption toggle caption Mahmoud Illean/AP Israel has been asked to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace that will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, an Israeli official said Monday, while France is holding off accepting for now. It’s not known whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the offer, said the Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a behind-the-scenes diplomatic matter. Russia, Belarus, Slovenia,…

Books & the Arts / January 20, 2026 What are the politics of free speech? A new history explores the political limits as well as possibilities of freedom of speech. Ad Policy Angelo Herndon, whose conviction for a crime related to free speech was overturned in 1935, arrives at NYC’s Penn Station.(Getty) This article appears in the February 2026 issue. The subtitle of Fara Dabhoiwala’s ambitious new book, What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea, raises a question: In what sense is free speech “dangerous”? For autocrats, to be sure, free speech is perilous. It enables subjects…

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories Up to 1,500 active-duty troops in Alaska are on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, a U.S. official informed NPR. This comes as the Trump administration has escalated pressure on the state, including threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress protests happening in Minneapolis. Anti-ICE protesters continued to take to the streets over the weekend, even as temperatures plummeted. Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers post up…

From right, U.S. Cardinals, Joseph Tobin of Newark, and Blase Cupich of Chicago, attend a press conference at the North American College in Rome on May 9, 2025. Along with Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington (not pictured), the men issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Gregorio Borgia/AP hide caption toggle caption Gregorio Borgia/AP The three highest-ranking heads of Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy — without mentioning President Trump by name. Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Robert…

Economy / January 19, 2026 New York City is suing a delivery app for stealing workers’ pay—signaling that under Mamdani, gig companies can no longer break the law with impunity. Ad Policy Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, steps up to a podium during a news conference in Brooklyn borough of New York on January 15, 2026.(Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Inside the office of the nonprofit Worker’s Justice Project in Brooklyn, Gustavo Ajche pulled up a screenshot on his phone. It showed the delivery app Motoclick had paid him $6.75 for three hours of work in…

“Hey, hey. Back up, back up. Do not impede me. Do not impede me. Do not impede me. That’s assault.” This is the moment anti-ICE protesters clashed with a prominent right-wing activist here in Minneapolis on Saturday, less than two weeks after a surge of federal agents deployed to the city as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. “Exactly 80 million Trump supporters voted for our president and for the agenda to sweep our nation of these migrants.” Jake Lang, who spent four years in prison for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,…

FILE – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at the National Palace in Mexico City, Nov. 7, 2025. Marco Ugarte/AP hide caption toggle caption Marco Ugarte/AP MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quelled concerns on Monday about two recent movements of the U.S. military in the vicinity of Mexico that have the country on edge since the attack on Venezuela. On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration urged U.S. aircraft operators to “exercise caution” when flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing “military activities.” The president said her administration waited a…

Politics / January 19, 2026 Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche makes clear that the Department of Justice won’t look into the death of Renee Good—but that won’t stop Minnesota from investigating. Ad Policy Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attends a news conference on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images) It’s hard to be shocked by anything the Trump administration does. But when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Sunday that the Department of Justice will not investigate the actions of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Renee Good on January 7, I’ll admit…

President Donald Trump greets Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, upon his arrival at the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP President Trump says his controversial push for U.S. control of Greenland comes after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year, adding he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace. In a message to Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Sunday night, Trump criticized the European country for not giving him the prize. “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace…

Jon Wiener: From the Nation magazine, this is Start Making Sense. I’m Jon Wiener. Later in the show: 20 minutes without Trump — a TV series about how capitalism came to Communist China, by the great Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. John Powers will comment. But first: from Minneapolis to Caracas, Harold Meyerson has our political update — in a minute.[BREAK]JW: Harold Meyerson is editor at large of the American Prospect. Harold, welcome back. Harold Meyerson: Always good to be here, Jon. JW: We’ve said for a long time that, as Trump’s support collapsed, as his approval ratings crashed,…