Rachel Leingang

Was Trump ever in control of the Iran war?

Was Trump ever in control of the Iran war he chose to help start? That's the question @rachelleingang.bsky.social asked in today's Politics Weekly America ep

She speaks to Iran expert, Ali Vaez & @rothandrew.bsky.social about what the administration might do next.

open.spotify.com/episode/72Q6...

How daily routines in Minneapolis and St Paul have changed amid 3,000 federal immigration agents – in pictures Many people have been sheltering at home. Protests have become part of the daily rhythm. Community networks continue to patrol and document agents’ interactions

This photo essay shows the disruptions to daily life in Minnesota because of ICE - from people staying home to mutual aid distributions to taking kids to school to going to work. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

She’s raised almost $20m to help Minnesota – she thinks you can do it too Ashley Fairbanks launched Stand with Minnesota as ICE raids rocked her home town – now donations are pouring in, and families’ rent is being paid

Ashley Fairbanks @ziibiing.com launched Stand With Minnesota standwithminnesota.com, a mutual aid repository supporting residents under ICE's siege, in early Jan. in the weeks since, it's facilitated covering people's rents and flown folks detained back home from Texas.

she can help you do it, too.

What is it about Minnesota that made it a target for Trump’s ICE crackdown? The Democratic-leaning midwestern state where federal agents killed two citizens is in many ways anathema to the administration

Since the ICE surge started, I’ve asked nearly everyone why they thought Minnesota was the target, beyond immigration or fraud claims. Basically, the state is anathema to the Trump administration - strong social safety net, open to immigrants, collective culture. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

“Not Ready for Prime Time.” A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes. The Department of Homeland Security pushed out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.

NEW: A federal tool meant to find noncitizens on voter rolls is consistently marking citizens as noncitizens, especially if they were born outside the U.S., causing chaos as election clerks try not to disenfranchise voters, @zachdespart.bsky.social and I found. 🧵 www.propublica.org/article/save...

I started this story in January and it me took way too long to complete just given everything that's happened, but it was never just Minneapolis under attack, and it felt important for people to understand how widespread this is, even if I wish my own timing on publishing was better here

Quiet Minnesota suburbs turned into conflict zone by ICE crackdown Activity of immigration agents has left no part of the state unscathed even as border czar says surge would be ending

ICE's surge in Minnesota menaced the suburbs and rural areas, too - and the response in those areas can look different and is less dense geographically. People all over the state stood up response networks and mutual aid www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

‘These are people’s livelihoods’: Minnesota’s economy in crisis amid ICE surge Local businesses across the Twin Cities are suffering and owners say ‘ Metro Surge’ could be worse than Covid-19

The federal government’s surge into Minnesota is hurting small local businesses, especially those run by immigrants, tremendously. “It’s terrifying. All my employees are legal. I’m 100% legal. But that doesn’t mean anything anymore.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... via @laurenaratani.bsky.social

The Minnesotans trapped at home, too terrified of ICE to go outside: ‘Our house is like a jail’ The surge of federal immigration agents has forced many families to remain inside for weeks, living in fear of roving ICE patrols snatching people off the street

A look at the families in Minnesota stuck inside for their safety, from @maanvisingh.bsky.social: "They’ve played hide-and-seek and tag in the wide hallways of their building – but they won’t go past the lobby." www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Opinion | I Was Arrested for Doing My Job as a Reporter. Who’s Next?

From Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort, who has been charged for documenting a protest: “A society that claims to value our democracy cannot criminalize those who document threats to democracy.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/o...

I think one thing people outside Minnesota don't understand is that after Good and Pretti were killed by feds while observing, the most normal people you could imagine have made peace with the fact that they could be next, and they are still out there because they say it's the right thing to do.

Yesterday I was at a Latino church that's doing food and supply distribution. There were stacks of diapers. A church leader pointed out the beauty and pain of this time in MN: look at all the people who gave so many diapers, but behind every diaper is a baby at home with fearful parents, or worse.

I knew Trump would target Minnesota. I didn’t expect this level of violence | Rachel Leingang I’m reporting on a political retribution campaign, disguised as immigration enforcement, in the community where I live

I've been covering Trump's retribution campaign since he came back to the White House. Then, that storyline came directly to my state - and what I've covered will stick in my brain forever. The children, the brutality, the isolation, the camaraderie and bravery. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Public health crisis unfolding in Minneapolis as residents avoid healthcare Providers are arranging home visits and telehealth as neighbors pick up prescriptions, groceries and diapers

“If people aren’t getting their medications and they’re not getting their treatments, they will die. I dread the day that the stories start to come out about finding people dead in their homes because they’re afraid to seek medical care.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... via @melodyschreiber.com

DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’ Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims

After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.

But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:

Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.

Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.

What We Saw in Minneapolis Our visual journalists documented the days surrounding Alex Pretti’s killing in Minneapolis.

“The journalists who flocked here over the past few weeks are people I have run into while on assignment in hot spots all over the world. Now they were in my home city.” www.propublica.org/article/minn...

‘We’re fighting for the soul of the country’: how Minnesota residents came together to face ICE Networks created after police killed George Floyd were reactivated to challenge Trump’s mass deportation policy

Tried to capture why Minnesotans so quickly came together to fight ICE & to help neighbors stay home: strong unions and nonprofits, high civic engagement, lessons from George Floyd, and a federal force that felt like an invasion that made people jump into action. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

St. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident The police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to the first time local police in...

"MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident" who had been observing federal agents. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

I've shadowed observers multiple times in the last two months, each with different parameters and procedures given how quickly things shift and comfort levels. I've also talked to lots of observers, again negotiating how and what to include. It's vital reporting to show what's happening here.

Minneapolis ICE observers keep showing up despite risk of arrest and violence Bystanders say they are determined to keep recording federal agents’ actions: ‘There will be absolutely no accountability unless people are documenting’

Minnesotans following and documenting ICE activity here have been detained, pulled out of their cars, hit with chemicals, had agents route them to their homes and take photos. Even after the killings of two observers, they aren't stopping. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

"ICE OUT" on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, as seen from my flight leaving MSP airport

‘Our spirit can’t be broken’: Minneapolis city council member on resisting Trump’s immigration crackdown Aisha Chughtai, who represents the district where Alex Pretti was fatally shot, speaks on the ‘despair’ caused by federal immigration enforcement

“I don’t think that we can even begin to rebuild or recover from this grief and trauma that we’ve been experiencing now for two months until these people leave our state,” said @aishaforward10.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

signs left at alex pretti’s memorial in minneapolis: “i love you so much / i’ll miss you forever” photo with a friend, “i would have done the same. RIP alex,” a stethoscope and “we’ll take it from here, alex” and a tshirt for the minnesota nurses association

Minneapolis residents, angry and anxious, resolve to fight back as they mourn Alex Pretti Scene of a growing vigil is all too common in city as killing comes less than three weeks after Renee Good’s death

The unrelenting federal campaign on the city has residents angry and anxious, resolved to fight back but aware that their resistance continues to grow more dangerous after the deaths of two observers. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

For every one person you're seeing in the streets observing, there are dozens more behind the scenes, and this has been the case for many weeks, and it's ever-growing. I have never witnessed such activation, in so many places. Most people you know here are doing *something* to help out

Man shot in Minneapolis by federal agents identified as VA nurse: ‘He wanted to help people’ Alex Pretti, 37, worked in the ICU at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and had assisted on scientific research

Alex Pretti took care of veterans as an ICU nurse. “He was a super nice, super helpful guy – looked after his patients," said @dimitridrekonja.bsky.social, who worked with Pretti both at the hospital and on scientific research. "I’m just stunned.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

‘You ask us for peace, we get shot in the face’: Minneapolis in turmoil after federal agents kill second US citizen Federal agents released chemicals into the air and arrested people after they had shot and killed a 37-year-old man

“What are you doing?” one woman yelled. “You just shot someone and now you’re terrorizing us. What more can we take?” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy as he came home, say school officials Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to Texas

Full story from @samtlevin.bsky.social, incl this from his teacher: “Liam is a bright young student. He is so kind and loving, and his classmates miss him. He comes into class every day and just brightens the room. All I want is for him to be back here and safe.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...