Today's Headlines: Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters
Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines

January 17, 2026, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters

A federal judge ordered agents not to retaliate against people “engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” in the state and not to stop drivers who are not “forcibly obstructing” officers.

Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time

The president issued a raft of clemency grants this week, including pardoning a woman he had given relief to once before and a man whose daughter had donated millions to a Trump super PAC.

Trump Has Machado’s Nobel Prize, but Neither Got What They Really Wanted

President Trump has María Corina Machado’s medal, but he is not recognized as the prize laureate. Ms. Machado did not win Mr. Trump’s endorsement to become Venezuela’s president.

World

Iran Protests Quelled Since Deadly Crackdown, Residents Say

“There is massive disappointment and disillusionment,” one Tehran resident said. A human rights group acknowledged that demonstrations had been subdued since Sunday, with thousands of people detained.

Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

China is practicing vast maneuvers that could be used to disrupt U.S. naval movement, a New York Times analysis of ship data reveals.

A Refuge for Afghan Music Is at Risk of Falling Silent

Peshawar is a haven for Afghan artists who fled from the Taliban, which had banned music. A new policy of deportations by Pakistan threatens this community of exiles.

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U.S.

Trump Backs Down on Insurrection Act as Democrats Take the Offensive

Officials denounced the Trump immigration crackdown in Minneapolis at an unofficial congressional hearing, while the president said he no longer saw a need to send in military forces.

Several U.Va. Board Members Resign as a Democratic Governor Takes Power

After months of upheaval at the state’s flagship university, a new Democratic governor appeared ready to shake up the school’s leadership.

Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles Billionaire, Will Not Run for Office This Year

Mr. Caruso had the potential to shake up the contests for Los Angeles mayor or California governor.

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Politics

Trump Administration Begins Criminal Inquiry Into Minnesota Leaders

The Justice Department’s investigation is a major escalation in the state-federal battle over the conduct of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Trump Announces Largely American Council to Oversee Gaza

The president also tapped a U.S. general to lead an international peacekeeping force that will be deployed to disarm Hamas and occupy Gaza.

Judge Recommends U.S. Issue Visa to Student Who Was Deported in Error

A federal prosecutor apologized this week, saying an ICE officer made a “mistake” in deporting Any Lucia López Belloza, a college freshman in Massachusetts, to Honduras.

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Business

Powell, an Unlikely Foil, Takes On Trump

Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, this week tapped a groundswell of support that has been years in the making.

Stock Investors’ Strategy for 2026: ‘Don’t Fight the White House’

From oil drillers to credit card companies, President Trump has been a market mover this year.

Is This Billionaire a Financial Genius or a Fraudster?

Michael Saylor’s financial alchemy thrust an ordinary software company, Strategy, into the center of the crypto frenzy. It all worked spectacularly, until now.

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Technology

OpenAI Starts Testing Ads in ChatGPT

The company said on Friday that it would start serving ads in the free version of its chatbot over the next several weeks.

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New York

Mamdani’s Push to Halt Sale of 5,000 Apartments to Big Landlord Fails

The sale of the apartments, whose residents had complained of neglect by management, to a troubled firm is an early test of the new mayor’s ability to deliver for tenants.

A $12.6 Billion Budget Gap May Complicate Mamdani’s Affordability Plans

The New York City comptroller, Mark Levine, said that poor budgeting practices by the previous mayor, Eric Adams, had left the city with looming deficits.

Drunken Driver Who Killed 4 at Cookout Is Sentenced to Decades in Prison

The driver, Daniel Hyden, was a substance abuse counselor who had past citations for driving under the influence.

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Arts

As Kennedy Center Rebrands, It’s Mired in Black Tape

After the institution’s board declared it the Trump Kennedy Center, a lot of signage around the building is in the midst of a makeover.

What Kind of Lover Are You? This Poem Might Have the Answer.

William Blake’s “The Clod & the Pebble” is a dialogue on tenderness and cruelty in three short stanzas. Read it with our critic A.O. Scott, and then play a game to memorize it.

‘The Disappear’ Review: A Couple on the Rocks and Out of Sync

Erica Schmidt’s discordant comedy, starring Hamish Linklater and Miriam Silverman, is a farce clumsily straddling two genres.

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Food