☕ NATO puts troops in Greenland

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If there’s a K-Pop fan in your life, it’s been a big week for them: mega-group BTS has announced the band’s first world tour since its members completed their compulsory military service in South Korea.

BTS will kick off their 2026/27 tour in April, with more than 70 dates across the U.S, Asia, South America and Europe. It marks the group's first headline performances since their 2021/22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• Authorities have confirmed a federal law enforcement officer has shot a person in Minneapolis, a week after 37-year-old Renee Good was killed by an immigration officer in the same city. According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers were conducting “a targeted traffic stop” of a Venezuelan migrant when the person fled the scene on foot before allegedly attacking an officer. A DHS statement said the officer “fired defensive shots to defend his life,” hitting the subject in the leg. Both were taken to hospital. It comes as protests continue in the area, with tensions escalating since last week’s fatal shooting. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has described immigration enforcement activity as “a campaign of organised brutality.”

• President Trump will meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House today, despite previously questioning her ability to lead the country. Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, leads a political party widely believed to have won Venezuela's 2024 election before then-president Nicolas Maduro rejected the results. Trump said Machado is "a very nice woman", but previously stated "it would be very tough for her to be the leader" because she lacks support within Venezuela. The meeting comes after U.S. forces captured Maduro in a military raid less than two weeks ago and brought him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.

• NASA has returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Wednesday in its first medical evacuation, cutting their mission short by over a month. The crew - including astronauts from the US, Russia and Japan -splashed down in the Pacific near San Diego after launching in August for what should have been a mission until late February. NASA refused to identify which astronaut needed medical care or disclose the health issue, saying only the person is "stable, safe and well cared for." The early return temporarily reduces the station crew to three and forces NASA to postpone routine spacewalks until a replacement crew arrives in mid-February.

• FBI agents searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking classified documents. Agents seized Natanson's phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch, though the Justice Department told the Post that neither the reporter nor the newspaper is a target of the probe. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was requested by the Defense Department after Natanson was "obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor." The contractor, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, was charged earlier this month with unlawful retention of national defense information but has not been accused of leaking documents.

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Seven European NATO countries are deploying military personnel to Greenland in response to President Trump's repeated threats to take the Danish territory by force.

The announcement marks an unprecedented split between NATO allies, as European members increase their military presence to deter the U.S. - a fellow member of the alliance.

Why Greenland?

Greenland is a Danish territory with significant self-governance - it creates its own laws on most major issues, while Denmark handles defense and foreign policy.

The territory sits between the U.S. and Russia and controls key shipping routes between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The U.S. maintains a military base there for early warning systems. Greenland also has untapped mineral and energy resources.

President Trump has pushed to acquire Greenland since his first term, citing its strategic importance. His administration has intensified these efforts following recent U.S. operations in Venezuela.

NATO allies vs NATO ally?

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Denmark announced the deployment in a joint statement on Wednesday, declaring that Greenland is "for the people."

In their statement, the leaders said they had "increased our presence to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries."

Following the announcement, Sweden, Norway, and Germany confirmed they are sending military personnel to the territory.

Denmark's Defense Minister also announced an increase in Denmark's "military presence and exercise activity" in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The meeting

On Tuesday, Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt held two hours of talks with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

After the meeting, Rasmussen told reporters outside the Danish embassy that there remains a "fundamental disagreement" and that "we didn't manage to change the American position."

However, the two sides agreed to create a working group.

What’s next?

This week, Greenland's government released a statement calling for NATO to play a stronger role in the territory's defense. The statement made clear that the government "can in no way accept a U.S. takeover of Greenland."

From here, the working group will continue discussions about U.S. security concerns and Danish sovereignty over Greenland.

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The U.S. State Department will suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countries starting January 21, citing concerns about welfare fraud.

The move is part of President Trump's ongoing immigration crackdown and follows allegations of large-scale fraud in state welfare programs.

The suspension

The State Department announced Tuesday that the freeze targets "countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates." Most of the 75 countries affected are in South America, the Balkans, Africa, and Asia.

The State Department said "the freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people."

The suspension is based on a November directive that requires visa applicants to prove they won't claim public benefits in the U.S.

What’s covered

Non-immigrant visas - like temporary tourist or business visas - are exempt from the suspension.

However, a separate State Department memo orders that even non-immigrant visa applicants be screened for possible intent to defraud the public of benefits.

"The Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs," the internal cable said Monday.

Fraud allegations

Federal prosecutors allege that $9 billion in COVID-19 and other welfare payments may have been stolen in Minnesota.

After it emerged that a majority of those accused in the Minnesota case were Somali, the Trump administration has emphasized the role of immigrants in fraudulent activity.

The administration also suspended funding to five Democratic states, alleging they mismanaged funds and allowed fraud.

The Trump administration's crackdown

Combined with previously imposed travel bans, over 90 countries now face restrictions on accessing the U.S.

The administration says these policies have resulted in nearly 100,000 visa revocations, a massive reduction in the number of asylum applications accepted, and the deployment of immigration officers to U.S. cities.

The administration says it has deported over 600,000 people, and another 2.5 million have left on their own.

Different perspectives

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, said in a statement that "this action will ban nearly half of all legal immigrants to the United States, turning away about 315,000 legal immigrants over the next year alone."

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot defended the move, saying: "The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States."

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