Politics: 5 stories from this week

January 24, 2026

Here are some stories you might have missed this week, curated by Times editors and personalized for you.

Thousands of people in the streets of Minneapolis.

David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Demonstrators Flood Minneapolis Streets as Hundreds of Businesses Close to Protest ICE

Thousands of protesters shut down streets throughout Minneapolis-St. Paul to demand that federal immigration agents end their weekslong crackdown. Businesses closed in solidarity.

By Chris Hippensteel, Talya Minsberg, Maia Coleman and Summer Rabold

In Little Havana, a couple walks by a store that says “Cohiba.”

Alfonso Duran for The New York Times

Remaking America

To Their Shock, Cubans in Florida Are Being Deported in Record Numbers

Cubans had long benefited from legal privileges unavailable to immigrants from other countries. President Trump has changed that.

By Patricia Mazzei

Jack Smith, wearing a blue suit and tie, sits at the witness table in a congressional hearing room.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

4 Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Testimony Before Lawmakers

In his remarks, the former special counsel repeatedly denied that he had acted out of partisan animus and bemoaned the Trump administration’s efforts to go after the president’s perceived enemies.

By Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush

Marco Postigo Storel for The New York Times

The Voters Who Have Taken a U-Turn on Trump

One year later, the second Trump coalition has come apart, a Times/Siena poll finds.

By Nate Cohn

Dr. Kirk Milhoan wears a suit as he speaks from his seat at a table.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional

Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who leads the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said a person’s right to refuse a vaccine outweighed concerns about illness or death from infectious diseases.

By Apoorva Mandavilli

Demonstrators Flood Minneapolis Streets as Hundreds of Businesses Close to Protest ICE

To Their Shock, Cubans in Florida Are Being Deported in Record Numbers

4 Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Testimony Before Lawmakers

The Voters Who Have Taken a U-Turn on Trump

Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional

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