Mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew ordered released from immigration detention

(ST. CLOUD, Minn.) — For Justice Anne McKeig, the high-stakes endeavor of deciding cases on the Minnesota Supreme Court is increasingly an exercise in stress management and risk tolerance.

“It is an overwhelming responsibility,” said McKeig, an amateur musician and the first indigenous woman justice anywhere in the country.

An unprecedented surge of violent threats directed at state and federal judges in Minnesota and across the country has created taxing new dimensions to life as a judge and to upholding rule of law in America.

“I think people are extremely unhappy, and they don’t know where to take out their anger, or how to take out their anger in a way that is not involving violence,” McKeig told ABC News.

Nearly three quarters of Minnesota judges have reported receiving threats, according to a 2024 report from the Minnesota District Court Judges Association. About as many say they fear for their safety because of the job they do.

“Also, it’s the public response to the decisions that we make,” McKeig added. “We’re in the press more than some of our district court colleagues, but all of our families get impacted by this.”

As courts at all levels of the judiciary raise alarm about an influx of vitriolic phone calls, swatting and doxxing incidents involving judges’ personal homes, and social media posts threatening bodily harm, Justice McKeig says many arbiters of justice have been searching for new ways to cope.

“I thought, OK, we need to find out a way to have some fun, because this is a pretty serious job,” McKeig said.

Her answer is called the Reasonable Doubts, an all-judge rock band that meets twice a month to blow off steam and jam together inside an old law library.

“The job is tough, and you have to have outlets for something to get you out of your own head every once in a while,” said retired Judge Dale Harris, who plays guitar.

The group of 9 from across the state plays classics from Johnny Cash to contemporary hits from Elle King, part of a diverse repertoire that has a decidedly law and order vibe.

“Being a judge is not only stressful, but there’s a lot of secondary trauma. We sit through trials where you have victims testify who have suffered through some really difficult criminal experiences,” said Sarah Hennessy, an associate justice of the state Supreme Court.

“This is therapy for us. This is a way to use something creative to feel better,” she said.

The judges — which hail from rural, suburban, and urban communities and include Republican and Democrat appointees — have also begun performing in public, taking the stage at community gatherings.

“I think that it shows people a side of judges that they don’t expect,” McKeig said. “It’s like, well, no, actually, we’re people.”

The band is believed to be the only of its kind in the country — heightening public exposure of the judges at a time when safety risks have kept many others shying from the spotlight.

Recent cases of political violence in Minnesota, in particular, have unsettled McKeig and her peers. Earlier this year, a gunman killed the top Democrat in the state House and her husband, and wounded a state senator and his wife, both at their homes.

“I tell my kids, you are to never acknowledge that I’m your mom,” McKeig said, “and that’s a sad statement. If somebody says, is your, mother Anne McKeig, you say no. I don’t want them to get hurt.”

Federal judges have also experienced a wave of threats, particularly those who have handed down rulings against the Trump administration.

Federal District Court Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island, who recently ordered the Trump administration to pay out SNAP food benefits in full during the shutdown, says he’s had six credible death threats against his life.

“I’ve been on the bench almost 15 years, and I must say it’s the one time that actually shook my faith in the judicial system, in the rule of law, in the work we do,” McConnell said earlier this year during a rare public forum of active federal judges speaking publicly about security concerns.

Dozens of federal and state judges nationwide have reported cases of unsolicited pizza deliveries to their personal homes as acts of intimidation.

A delivery to Judge McConnell’s home was in the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of federal Judge Ester Salas of New Jersey who was murdered in 2020 by a disgruntled lawyer posing as a delivery man outside Salas’ home.

“To hear that my beautiful son’s name — everything that Danny stands for is love and light, you know — and to hear people using it as a weapon, weaponizing his name to inflict fear on Judge McConnell,” said an emotional Judge Salas during the forum. “Now Florida judges, state judges that are just doing their jobs, are getting pizzas in my beautiful boy’s name.”

Members of the Reasonable Doubts say they hope the band can inject a spirit of humanity into divisive public rhetoric around courts and judges and maybe even deepen respect for those tasked with upholding rule of law.

“You can have disagreements, but it doesn’t mean that we have to be at war with each other,” McKeig said.

“And we take care of each other,” added Hennesy.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is recalling dozens of career diplomats from overseas posts in the next month, according to a source familiar with the matter, the latest shakeup at the U.S. State Department. 

More than two dozen senior diplomats have received notice that they must leave their roles in the next month, according to the source. 

According to the American Foreign Service Association, the labor union that represents the U.S. foreign service and career diplomats, those affected by the recall report being notified by a phone call that they were being removed from their posts “abruptly,” with no explanation provided.

They were directed to vacate their posts by Jan. 15 or 16.

“This method is highly irregular,” a spokesperson for AFSA told ABC News. 

“This is not normal practice. Career diplomats and ambassadors are not typically recalled in this manner. The lack of transparency and process breaks sharply with longstanding norms,” the spokesperson said. 

Most of the impacted ambassadors are serving at U.S. diplomatic posts in Africa, but the removals also affect posts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. 

A senior State Department official described the recall of the ambassadors as “a standard process in any administration.”

“An ambassador is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” they said.

The State Department declined to comment on specific numbers or ambassadors affected.

AFSA confirmed there is no official, verified list of recalled ambassadors.

There are various lists circulating that appear to be crowdsourced from people inside and outside the department, according AFSA.

POLITICO first reported on the removal of the diplomats.

The recall is the latest move by the Trump administration to reshape the State Department to align it more with its “America First” priorities. The recall comes after more than 1,300 officials and more than 240 foreign service officers were laid off earlier this year as part of what the administration said was a major reorganization aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing government size. 

It is typically normal for new presidents to replace political appointments service in ambassador roles; however, career diplomats are typically allowed to continue serving in their roles. 

The AFSA slammed the recall, saying it sends a “chilling signal” to career foreign service officers that their oaths to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty. 

“Removing senior diplomats without cause undermines U.S. credibility abroad and sends a chilling signal to the professional Foreign Service: experience and an oath to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty. This is not how America leads,” the statement said.

AFSA says the recall represents “a steady erosion of norms, transparency, and professional independence in the Foreign Service.”

“Abrupt, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of institutional sabotage and politicization our survey data shows is already harming morale, effectiveness, and U.S. credibility abroad,” the spokesperson said.

AFSA is working with partners to confirm names one-by-one through direct contacts.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — With a polarized political climate approaching the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections, more Americans are identifying as independents than ever before, according to a Gallup poll conducted throughout 2025.

A record-high 45% of Americans called themselves political independents in 2025. The figure is a record since Gallup started measuring in 1988 — with the previous high for independents at 43% in 2014, 2023 and 2024.

Gallup found that an equal share of Americans identified as Republicans and Democrats — 27% each.

These findings come as the midterm elections approach in November and several tight races are expected as Republicans in the House try to maintain their slim majority so they can work to push President Donald Trump’s agenda. Both Republicans and Democrats will have to appeal to independents to win any tight races nationwide.

Thomas Nickel, an 85-year-old who lives in California, told ABC News that he has been independent for several years after leaving the Democratic Party. Nickel left his former party because he said he believes Democrats have not pushed hard enough for issues that are “necessary” — specifically mentioning health care coverage. He said universal health coverage is a priority for him, which he said he believes neither party has focused on.

Trump, who has been a vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, unveiled his new health care proposal earlier this month, which presents a proposal to shift government insurance subsidies directly to consumers through health savings accounts and take advantage of his “most favored nation” drug price initiative. However, Trump’s proposal has left experts unsure on how impactful these ideas could be.

When asked about his thoughts on the president’s recent health care proposal, Nickel called it “ridiculous,” and added that an average person won’t be able to afford to pay for their own insurance with money they would receive directly. When asked what he would like to see Democrats do, Nickel noted that the ACA is “a step in the right direction,” but that “there’s going to be 25% of people that can’t even afford the health care premiums for the Medicare assistance.”

A Louisiana resident who did not want to disclose his name told ABC News that he is an independent because of how “divisive” politics have become. He said he remains a registered Republican so that he can vote in Republican primaries. Some states hold closed primaries where only voters registered with a certain party can vote in that party’s primary; other states hold open primaries where voters of any affiliation can vote in the primary of any party.

“I think, in recent years, especially the last decade or so, things have gotten so divisive that it feels like the minority on both sides speak for the majority,” he said, adding that he believes both parties “had alienated their voter base by being so polarizing.” He cited the Trump administration’s push to acquire Greenland as “a game of Risk,” but didn’t give specifics on Democrats’ actions he found polarizing.

Zach Servis — a 27-year-old independent who lost his bid for mayor for Jackson, Mississippi, last year — also said that the political climate is “way too polarized and hateful.”

Servis said he left the Republican Party around 2020 during the height of COVID after recognizing what he described as “hypocrisy” of his former party. He pointed to Republicans not supporting social programs such as the ACA, but willingness to help other countries — something he said is not in line with Trump’s “America First” slogan.

Looking ahead to this year’s midterm elections, Servis said he believes that independent voters have enough “power to shift which side wins.”

“I think that independent politics have an opportunity to shape this midterm where some of these parties are going to have to shift a little bit in how they win these voters — and if they’re not willing to come a little more to the middle or reach across the aisle, they’re going to risk people crossing the aisle entirely and voting even for a party they don’t believe in because at least that person’s willing to listen,” Servis said.

Generational shifts in political affiliations

The increase in the share of independents is partly attributable to a larger percentage of younger generations of Americans remaining independent as they age — compared to older generations who are less likely to remain unaffiliated, according to Gallup.

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2007, has the highest percentage of independents, with 56% identifying as independent, Gallup found.

Gen Z is also less likely to identify as Republican compared to older generations, with 17% identifying as Republican compared to 37% of the Silent Generation (born before 1946).

Gallup found 27% of Gen Z identifying as Democrats compared to 32% of the Silent Generation.

Karine Jean-Pierre, who became an independent after serving in the Biden administration as White House press secretary, told ABC News that she believes the growing percentage of independents is not “temporary” and will continue to reshape the electorate in this 2026 election year.

“I do think there’s power amongst independents. The thing that is changing the electorate is changing in the sense of that you’re seeing more and more independents,” Jean-Pierre told ABC News.  

Jean-Pierre also noted that younger generations may be reluctant to join a political party as a way to “express moral concern” over U.S. involvement in global issues.

She also noted that young independents deserve a seat at the table as the midterms approach.

“I don’t think independents, especially young independents, are disengaged,” Jean-Pierre said. “I think what they’re doing is they’re growing numbers — put pressure on both political parties to earn support with real policy results, rather than just assuming loyalty based on branding or identity.”

The Gallup poll was conducted throughout 2025 among 13,454 U.S. adults nationwide and has a margin of error of +/- 1 percentage point.

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