DOJ investigating after protesters disrupt service at Minneapolis church where ICE field director is pastor

(MINNEAPOLIS) — The Justice Department said they are investigating am incident in which anti-ICE protesters disrupted a service on Sunday at a Minneapolis church where one of the pastors is an ICE official.

Video posted online by Black Lives Matter Minnesota shows protesters entering Cities Church in Minneapolis, where they said one of the pastors, David Easterwood, is the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office.

Easterwood was not at the church at the time of the protest, according to Black Lives Matter Minnesota. Jonathan Parnell is the church’s pastor and can be seen talking to the protestors in the video.

“Someone who claims to worship God, teaching people in this church about God, is out there overseeing ICE agents. Think about what we’ve experienced,” a protestor tells the congregation inside the church in the Black Lives Matter Minnesota video.

“I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X Sunday. “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”

“If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails,” Bondi’s post continued.

Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon likewise said they are investigating the incident.

“This heinous act that occurred in Minnesota yesterday is receiving the highest level of attention from @TheJusticeDept,” Dhillon posted on X. “@AGPamBondi & I are working around the clock, because no right in our Constitution is more sacred than the freedom to assemble & pray to God.”

Dhillon also said that they were investigating the church protest as “potential violations of the federal FACE Act.” The Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act of 1994 makes it a federal crime to intimidate or interfere with any person “seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship,” or attempting to obtain or provide reproductive health services. The legislation was prompted by violent crimes that were being committed against abortion providers and those seeking their services.

“At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Sun. Jan. 18, Saint Paul Police officers responded to Cities Church on the 1500 block of Summit Ave. following multiple calls reporting approximately 30 to 40 protesters who interrupted church services,” the St. Paul Police Department told ABC News in a statement.

“By the time officers arrived on scene, the group had moved outside the church and began to walk down the alley. Saint Paul Police continued to monitor the protest,” the statement concluded.

A St. Paul Police spokesperson later said in a statement that they are “actively investigating this incident as a disorderly conduct investigation” and had no additional public information at the time due to the investigation being open.

The Cities Church website lists Easterwood as one of their pastors. Easterwood also appeared with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during an Oct. 24 news conference in Minneapolis, where Noem identified him as an ICE acting field office director in the region who is with Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Easterwood also is one of several parties, including Noem, named in a class action lawsuit filed last week by the ACLU alleging “unlawful policies and practices” by ICE in Minnesota, including racial profiling and arrests without warrants or probable cause.

ICE blamed the disruption on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, saying on social media that they “are responsible for whipping these mobs into a frenzy and then allowing them to run rampant.”

“The Governor has repeatedly and unequivocally urged protesters to do so peacefully,” a spokesperson for Walz told ABC News in response to a request for comment. “While people have a right to speak out, he in no way supports interrupting a place of worship.”

Frey had not publicly addressed the church protest as of early Monday afternoon. He did post a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on X, to mark Monday’s federal holiday commemorating the late civil rights leader.

“’Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ Dr. King said it best. On MLK Day, I’m thinking about his call to stand up for justice, love others, and speak out when power goes too far. As the federal gov moves the opposite way, we’ll keep standing with our neighbors,” Frey posted.

January 19, 2026

Local news National

‘Severe’ geomagnetic storm could make northern lights visible in southern US

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of an X5.8 solar flare peaking at 9:23 p.m. EDT, May 10, 2024. (NASA)

(NEW YORK) — A strong geomagnetic storm could soon interact with Earth’s atmosphere, bringing the potential for northern lights displays to be seen much further south in the continental U.S., according to space weather experts.

A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) — a massive burst of solar material and magnetic field from the sun’s outer atmosphere — that occurred on Sunday is expected to reach Earth within the next 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.K.’s Met Office.

Strong (G3) or severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions could occur as a result of the CME, including auroras that extend as far south as Alabama and northern California.

Northern light displays occur when a solar flare interacts with the atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere.

As the solar flare clashes with the upper atmosphere, it causes the atoms to emit a glow, creating a spectrum of light in the night sky.

Whether the auroras will actually be visible will depend on how the CME arrives, the magnetic orientation of the CME’s magnetic field and how cloudy it is locally.

The best time to see the northern lights in the U.S. is generally between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. local time, and traveling to the darkest location possible is recommended for the best viewing, according to NOAA.

The storm could also impact power systems, spacecraft operations, radio frequencies and satellite navigation.

Geomagnetic storms are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. A G3 storm could require voltage corrections on power systems and cause intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems, according to NOAA.

Under a G4 storm, possible widespread voltage control problems and other issues on power grids could occur, as could increased satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems.

Spacecrafts could also experience surface charging and tracking problems.

The sun’s magnetic field reached its solar maximum phase of its 11-year cycle in October 2024 and has continued to emit strong solar flares and geomagnetic storms, leading to an increase in aurora displays.

Intense magnetic activity caused by sunspots are expected to last through 2026, according to NOAA.

NOAA is currently analyzing the data for the most recent CME.

January 19, 2026January 20, 2026

Entertainment

‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ sequel officially in production

The title treatment for ‘Red, White & Royal Wedding.’ (Amazon MGM Studios)

The sequel to Red, White & Royal Blue is officially in production.

Prime Video has announced that cameras have started rolling on the upcoming sequel movie Red, White & Royal Wedding. The streaming service made the announcement in a video posted on Instagram.

“we’re so beyond back. #RWRWedding is officially in production!” the video’s caption reads.

Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez are set to reprise their starring roles for the sequel. While plot details are being left under wraps, the new film will tell the next chapter in the love story of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry, who is third in line to the British throne.

“Welcome back!” Galitzine said in the video, before Zakhar Perez said, “Oh, I did want to say that we are here for Bea’s wedding.”

“Yeah, we just wanted to clarify, you know?” Galitzine continued, before Zakhar Perez said, “We’re not getting married.”

“That’s a long ways off at this point,” Galitzine said.

But I’m a Cheerleader director Jamie Babbit will helm the upcoming movie. Babbit takes over directing duties from Matthew López, who helmed the first film. She directs from a script by Gemma Burgess, López and Red, White & Royal Blue author Casey McQuiston. McQuiston will also executive produce.

“Working with this team to bring Red, White & Royal Blue to life has been a dream come true, and I hope readers and watchers alike will love how the story continues in the sequel,” McQuiston said in a press release.

Babbit said she’s thrilled to be back in the “queer love universe” after she directed But I’m a Cheerleader while she was in her 20s.

“We all need this kind of optimism, fantasy, and gay joy,” Babbit said. “I’m thrilled to work with this brilliant team.”

January 19, 2026

Local news National

Brutal cold invades Midwest before heading to Northeast: Latest forecast

Bitter Cold – Tuesday AM Wind Chills Map. ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A brutal arctic blast is bringing dangerously low temperatures to the Plains and Midwest before it invades the Northeast.

On Monday morning, the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — plunged to minus 30 degrees in Minneapolis; minus 27 degrees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; minus 22 degrees in Chicago; and minus 22 degrees in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In the Windy City, wind gusts could hit 35 mph.

The cold even reached Florida on Monday. Wind chills dropped to the 20s in North Florida and hovered around 32 degrees in Central Florida.

On Tuesday morning, the freezing cold will continue in the Midwest, with the wind chill forecast to hit minus 12 degrees in Minneapolis; minus 8 in Chicago and Detroit; and minus 13 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The dangerous temperatures will also arrive in the Northeast on Tuesday. The wind chill is forecast to drop to minus 12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 5 degrees in New York City and Philadelphia; 7 degrees in Washington, D.C.; and minus 9 in Buffalo, New York.

The Arctic blast will also bring lake effect snow through Wednesday. Six to 12 inches is possible from western Michigan to Buffalo, New York.

January 19, 2026January 20, 2026

National

Man killed, 3 bystanders hurt in shooting at iconic New Orleans restaurant

Stock image of police lights. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(NEW ORLEANS) — A man was killed, and three bystanders were wounded, in a shooting in the foyer of an iconic New Orleans restaurant, authorities said, and the gunman remains at large.

The shooting occurred just after 8 p.m. Friday, when a young man was being shot at and chased down the street, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.

The man ran into the small foyer of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant to try to escape, she said. The restaurant was full at the time, and “because there was so much gunfire going on,” Kirkpatrick said, “three innocent bystanders were hit” in the foyer.

The three women who were shot and wounded were all tourists waiting for tables, Kirkpatrick said.

Two of those women were friends from Los Angeles, she said.

One of the friends was shot more than five times and suffered “very severe gunshot wounds,” the chief said.

“She has been in [the trauma intensive care unit] and has had several surgeries,” Kirkpatrick said at a news conference on Monday. “As of last night, she has come out of those surgeries successfully. She will be in the hospital for a couple weeks.”

The second woman from LA had surgery and has been upgraded to stable condition, the chief said.

The third woman, who was visiting from Florida, suffered graze wounds and was treated and released hours after the shooting, the chief said.

Police said they are looking for the unknown gunman, with the chief noting that “there’s some speculation [the gunman] may have been with others.”

The young man shot and killed was the target, the chief said, noting that it “appears to be a retaliatory-type of shooting.”

A reward of $13,500 is available, Darlene Cusanza of Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans said.

“The perpetrators ran within, right out of the restaurant. And so we know that people have seen something, because the event occurred on the street,” Kirkpatrick said. “I can understand that people are fearful about these things, but that’s why Crimestoppers is so important, because we don’t want your name, we only want your information.”

Dooky Chase, a New Orleans institution for Creole food, has been open for more than 80 years and has served as a meeting place for politicians, civil rights leaders and musicians. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush have visited the establishment. Martin Luther King Jr. frequented the restaurant, the police chief said, noting that the shooting happened over MLK weekend.

The Chase family said in a statement, “Dooky Chase’s Restaurant has always been a place of gathering, culture, and care. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the people and community of New Orleans. As a family rooted in faith and community, we lift up in prayer all those impacted by this random and tragic incident.”

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our guests, staff, family, and our historic restaurant during this difficult time,” the family added.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

January 19, 2026

Entertainment

‘Zootopia 2’ becomes Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated film ever

Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) in ‘Zootopia 2.’ (Disney)

Zootopia 2 has surpassed Inside Out 2 to become Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Walt Disney Studios announced the milestone by sharing a drawing of the characters Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Gary De’Snake from Zootopia 2 being embraced by characters from Pixar’s Inside Out 2, including Joy, Sadness and Anxiety. The top of the image says, “Congrats!”

The Chinese film Ne Zha 2, which is not a Motion Picture Association release, remains the biggest animated movie of all time with $2.25 billion.

Zootopia 2 is now also the ninth biggest film in history worldwide, having made $1.703 billion in its global gross to date. The film is still available to watch in theaters worldwide.

“This milestone belongs first and foremost to the fans around the world whose enthusiasm made it possible. We’re incredibly proud of our filmmakers Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Yvett Merino and the entire team at Walt Disney Animation Studios for creating a film that connects so deeply with audiences everywhere,” Alan Bergman, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, said. “Zootopia 2 is an extraordinary achievement, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped bring it to life.”

Walt Disney Studios now has the top three animated film releases of all time with Zootopia 2, Inside Out 2 and Frozen 2.

Zootopia 2 opened in theaters on Nov. 26, 2025, to a record-breaking amount of $559.5 million in five days. That makes it the highest global opening of an animated film of all time and the highest global debut of 2025.

The animated sequel follows the rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, who go on a journey to discover the mystery of Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan). It was directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard.

January 19, 2026

World news

Europe mobilizes as Trump again demands ‘complete and total control’ of Greenland

The Greenlandic flag flies over houses, Jan. 17, 2026, in Nuuk, Greenland. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

(LONDON) — The leaders of all 27 European Union nations will meet for an “extraordinary meeting” later this week, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Sunday, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure campaign to acquire Greenland.

European leaders are mobilizing after Trump on Saturday announced a 10% tariff to be imposed on all goods sent to the U.S. from eight NATO nations — Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland — that recently sent small contingents of troops to Greenland to take part in military exercises there.

On Sunday, Trump sent a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in which the president again expressed his desire to take control of Greenland. Store’s office confirmed to ABC News on Monday that Oslo received the message from Trump. The details of the letter were first reported by PBS.

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote.

“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also,” the president continued. “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”

Costa said he had called the meeting due to the “significance of recent developments.”

Costa said recent conversations with European leaders had reconfirmed their “strong commitment” to international law, Arctic security through NATO and solidarity with Denmark and Greenland in the face of Trump’s continued effort to acquire the Arctic island.

European leaders also agreed that “tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and are incompatible with the EU-U.S. trade agreement,” Costa said, noting the bloc’s “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion” and to engage “constructively with the US on all issues of common interest.”

An EU Council spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the summit would be an in-person meeting in Brussels.

Trump said the new tariffs will come into force on Feb. 1 and will increase to 25% on June 1. The president said the measures would remain in place until the U.S. is able to purchase Greenland.

Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump first raised the prospect of acquiring the minerals-rich island in his first term. Danish and Greenlandic politicians have repeatedly rebuffed such proposals.

Trump’s new tariffs raise the risk of a fresh transatlantic trade war. A French official confirmed to ABC News on Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron “will request the activation of the EU’s anti-coercion instrument in the event of new U.S. tariffs.”

That mechanism, colloquially known as the bloc’s “trade bazooka,” would allow the EU to impose severe restrictions on U.S. goods and services. Among the available measures would be restrictions on U.S. investment in EU nations, blocks on access to public procurement schemes and limits on intellectual property protections.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that U.S. sovereignty over the world’s largest island is necessary to ensure American security and blunt Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic region. On Sunday, the president again claimed that only the U.S. can ensure the security of Greenland.

A 1951 defense agreement grants the U.S. military access to Greenland. Danish politicians have repeatedly expressed willingness to work with Washington to expand the American and NATO presence there.

Danish officials have also sought to head off concerns about the supposed vulnerability of the Arctic. Last year, Copenhagen announced a $6.5 billion Arctic defense package in response to U.S. criticism that it had failed to adequately protect Greenland.

But such steps do not appear to have deterred Trump, who has said he would consider taking Greenland by force if other means to acquire the land fail.

Indeed, it was the recent deployment of more NATO forces to the Arctic territory that prompted Trump to threaten a new raft of tariffs. The troops traveled to Greenland to take part in the Danish-led Operation Arctic Endurance.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt are scheduled to visit NATO’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday for a previously planned meeting with the alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, NATO said in a press release.

On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged “calm discussion” between allies. “The security of Greenland matters and it will matter more as climate change reshapes the Arctic,” he said, noting the need for “greater attention, greater investment and stronger collective defense.”

“The United States will be central to that effort, and the U.K. stands ready to contribute fully alongside our allies through NATO,” Starmer said, adding that any decisions about the territory’s future should be left to Greenlanders and Danes.

Trump’s use of tariffs against allies, Starmer continued, “is completely wrong. It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance. Nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland’s security as a justification for economic pressure.”

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule, Tom Soufi Burridge and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

January 19, 2026

World news

Trump’s Greenland threats prompt ‘extraordinary meeting’ of European leaders

The Greenlandic flag flies over houses, Jan. 17, 2026, in Nuuk, Greenland. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Costa said he had called the meeting due to the “significance of recent developments.”

An EU Council spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the summit would be an in-person meeting in Brussels.

Trump said the new tariffs will come into force on Feb. 1 and will increase to 25% on June 1. The president said the measures would remain in place until the U.S. is able to purchase Greenland.

A 1951 defense agreement grants the U.S. military access to Greenland. Danish politicians have repeatedly expressed willingness to work with Washington to expand the American and NATO presence there.

But such steps do not appear to have deterred Trump, who has said he would consider taking Greenland by force if other means to acquire the land fail.

ABC News’ Victoria Beaule, Tom Soufi Burridge and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

January 19, 2026

World news

At least 39 killed after high-speed train collision in Spain, transport minister says

Emergency services work at the site of a train collision on January 19, 2026 after yesterday’s train collision in Adamuz, Spain. Authorities say at least 39 were killed and more than 150 were injured when a train collided with a derailed train on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 18. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

(ADAMUZ, Spain) — At least 39 people were killed and about 152 others were injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday, according to officials.

A train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, crossing over to the adjacent track where it hit another train coming from Madrid to Huelva, according to the Spanish Interior Minister.

The number of confirmed dead rose to 39 from the previously reported 21 and was “not final,” Oscar Puente, the Spanish transport minister, said in a statement early on Monday.

“I want to express all my gratitude for the huge effort of the rescue teams during the night, under very difficult circumstances, and my condolences to the victims and their families in these terribly painful moments,” he said in Spanish on social media.

Spain’s prime minister is expected to visit the crash site this morning.

Officials had earlier said that of those injured, 75 were hospitalized, with 15 in very serious condition and five in life-threatening condition.

Rescue crews are on the scene, and all trains between Madrid and the Andalusia region are suspended, according to officials.

The cause of the train derailment has not yet been released.

Iryo, the company operating the train that initially derailed, released a statement, saying the company “deeply regrets what has happened and has activated all emergency protocols, working closely with the competent authorities to manage the situation.”

The company said there were 300 passengers on the train at the time.

Puente, the transport minister, spoke to reporters late Sunday night and the high-speed Iryo train was “relatively new.”

Puente said the derailment of the Iryo train bound for Madrid and its subsequent collision with the second train happened on a straight stretch of track, which had undergone extensive renovation work that was only finished in May.

The Spanish minister called the accident “extremely strange.”

“It’s very difficult at this moment to explain,” Puente added, and said he hoped the investigation would help clear up what has happened.

ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

January 19, 2026

Entertainment

In brief: J.J. Abrams movie release date, ‘God of War’ casting, and more

J.J. Abrams has a release date for his next movie. The Great Beyond, starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega, will hit IMAX theaters Nov. 13, according to Warner Bros. Variety reports Warner Bros. also announced Sam Esmail’s new movie starring Julia Roberts, Panic Carefully, will debut in IMAX theaters on Feb. 26, 2027; Tim Miller and Keanu Reeves’ untitled sci-fi project will premiere on Aug. 13, 2027; and The Conjuring: First Communion is set to hit theaters Sept. 10, 2027 …

Another Glen Powell movie — a country music comedy from director Judd Apatow — has also secured a release date. Variety reports the as-yet-untitled Universal film will debut Feb. 5, 2027. In addition to starring in the film, Powell co-wrote the script with Apatow…

Deadline reports Teresa Palmer is joining the cast of Prime Video’s God of War series, based on the popular ancient mythology-themed Playstation video game. Ryan Hurst was previously tapped to play the lead character of Kratos …

January 19, 2026

Author: admin