Questions?

Plus: The news you may have missed.

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, January 28, 2026. We have two pieces of business this morning: first, I’m taking questions for this week’s Q&A column. If you have any questions about, well, everything that’s going on, please send them my way and I’ll do my best to answer.

As always, you can leave a comment below, or simply enter your question in this form if you don’t want your name attached or don’t want to mess around with the Substack app.

I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on your mind.

Second, I want to take a moment in the middle of the week to get us up to date on the latest headlines, including a few stories that might have flown under your radar in a busy news week.

Let’s dive in…

* The latest from Minneapolis. According to a preliminary Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report on the shooting of Alex Pretti, two CBP officers fired shots at Pretti during the confrontation that led to his death on Saturday. The report did not indicate that Pretti reached for his weapon at any point, despite initial claims to the contrary by Trump administration officials. (One of those officials, Stephen Miller, also seems to be backing down from his earlier comments, now saying that the CBP officers — who he initially rushed to defend — “may not have been following” protocol.)

White House border czar Tom Homan has been dispatched to Minneapolis, and is striking a much more conciliatory note than other Trump officials, writing of his meetings with Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey: “While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead.” Trump, however, wrote this morning that Frey is “PLAYING WITH FIRE!” after the mayor said that he would not assist the government in enforcing federal immigration law.

* On the Hill. Republican frustrations over the Trump administration’s handling of the Pretti shooting continue to mount, with two GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.

Meanwhile, lawmakers now have three days to hash out a deal on Homeland Security funding, or the federal government will plunge into a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Negotiations are ongoing — and those at the center of the talks are expressing a “surprising bit of optimism,” per Punchbowl News — though the time-frame is incredibly short to come up with a deal.

* In the courts. U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee based in Minnesota, threatened to hold acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in contempt on Monday after the agency flouted his order to either release Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, or grant him a detention hearing. The threat appears to have worked: Tobay Robles was released on Tuesday.

* Attacks on lawmakers. Two Democratic lawmakers have faced attacks in the last week. A man punched Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) in the face at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, while yelling a racial slur and saying “we are going to deport you and your kind.” At a town hall last night, a man charged towards Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and sprayed her with an unknown substance before being tackled by security. “You might resign!” the man appeared to say.

The Capitol Police said Tuesday that it investigated almost 15,000 threats against members of Congress last year, up from more than 9,000 in 2024. President Trump, who had criticized Omar hours before the incident, told ABC News — without evidence — that “she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.” Trump did not offer any sympathy when asked about what happened, saying that he hadn’t seen the video and didn’t plan to. “I hope I don’t have to bother,” he said.

* Trump threatens Iran. As Iran continues its crackdown on protesters that has killed at least 6,000 people — and potentially as many as 30,000 — Trump announced this morning that a U.S. aircraft carrier is headed towards the Middle East to prepare for a potential strike. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Time is running out,” he added, referencing the U.S. bombing of Iran last June and warning that “the next attack will be far worse!”

* Redistricting update. A state judge issued a ruling Tuesday blocking Virginia Democrats’ plan to hold a referendum to ratify a new congressional district map before the midterms that would give Democrats as many as four new seats. The party is expected to appeal the ruling.

* Case to watch. The families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. boat strike in October filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Tuesday, the first legal challenge stemming from the Trump administration’s series of alleged boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela. The families, who say that the two men were fishing and deny any ties to drug trafficking, are suing under the Death on the High Seas Act (which allows family members to sue for wrongful deaths in international waters) and the Alien Tort Statute (which allows non-citizens to bring lawsuits in U.S. courts over violations of international law).

* Happening today. Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell will announce the central bank’s latest interest rate decision at 2 p.m. today, his first public appearance since releasing a video accusing the Trump administration of trying to influence monetary policy by opening a criminal investigation into him. The Fed is expected to keep rates steady, despite Trump clamoring for a cut.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. on U.S. policy in Venezuela. Rubio agreed to testify in exchange for Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) providing a key vote to block a war powers resolution earlier this month.