Federal Officers Chill First Amendment; Trump Melds Healthcare Drama with Minnesota ICE Saga
KEY POINTS
- •Judge Katherine Menendez ruled federal officers’ conduct had a chilling effect on First Amendment rights in Minneapolis on January 16, 2026.
- •The US Justice Department launched an inquiry into Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for alleged conspiracy to obstruct ICE activities.
- •At the same time, ex-President Trump undermined the Affordable Care Act while promoting his new ‘Great Healthcare Plan,’ despite Congress stalling on subsidy legislation.
On January 16, 2026, Judge Katherine Menendez officially declared that federal officers sprinkled a hefty dose of 'chilling' on Minnesota protesters exercising their First Amendment rights—because what’s a protest without a frozen reception? Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice decided Minnesota’s top leadership, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, needed an inquiry for allegedly conspiring to obstruct ICE, as reported in that same icy January thaw. And fresh off the gaslight express, Donald Trump, the maestro of controversy, kicked off his remarks by dismantling the Affordable Care Act subsidies—last seen expiring at 2025’s end—and hyped his ‘Great Healthcare Plan,’ which conveniently arrives just as legislative rescuers in Congress stalled faster than a snowplow in a blizzard.
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When federal officers ‘chill’ protests and Trump touts his ‘Great Healthcare Plan,’ it’s hard to tell if freezing rights or poor health is the bigger emergency.
Nothing says democracy like frozen protests and a healthcare plan colder than legislative cooperation.
Minnesota leaders get probed for ICE obstruction while Trump’s ‘Great Plan’ reminds us exactly why subsidies died.
Source: Theguardian | Published: 1/17/2026 | Author: Gabrielle Canon (now); Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell and Vivian Ho (earlier)
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