Reuters World News - Minnesota protests, Machado-Trump and Lebanon's holy DJ

Episode Date: January 17, 2026

A judge sets limits on ICE tactics used on protesters in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Justice Department begins a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other officials. María Corina Machado courts President Donald Trump, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets Venezuelan officials, deepening questions overthe shape of the country’s future. And in Beirut, Father Guilherme Peixoto, the “DJ Priest,” spins faith into a techno beat. Listen to the latest On Assignment: On the ground in Greenland Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.  Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Sharon Reich Garson in New Jersey. It's Saturday, January 17th. Today, Minnesota's rally in sub-zero cold as federal agents surge into the Twin Cities. Machado courts Trump in Washington as the CIA chief holds quiet talks in Caracas. Plus, meet the holy DJ packing a Beirut nightclub. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. A pound of Minnesota residents bundled up against sub-zero wind on Friday to protest the

massive surge of federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities. For nearly two weeks, the Trump administration has flooded the Minneapolis region with almost 3,000 federal officers, a deployment larger than the city's own police force. Say her name! The move followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 7th, and then another ICE shooting just this past Thursday, when an officer wounded a Venezuelan man during an attempted vehicle stop. On Friday, a U.S. judge in Minnesota issued a major injunction,

restricting what immigration officers can do during these protests. The judge's order blocks ICE and Border Patrol from arresting peaceful protesters or using tear gas or pepper spray on people who aren't interfering, saying the government hadn't shown why force against peaceful observers was necessary. At the same time, the Justice Department has launched a probe into Minnesota Governor Tim Walts and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over alleged interference with immigration operations. Accusations both reject. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corino Machado met with President Donald Trump in Washington this week,

even presenting him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal as she tried to sway him to give the opposition a role in determining Venezuela's future. But her visit hasn't clarified how much influence she actually has. We spoke to Reuters correspondent Graham Slattery, who explains why her priorities may not line up with Washington's. Given what we know, it's very clear that Machado and the Venezuela in opposition in general have very different priorities than Trump in his administration. Machado is understandably very interested in a political transition, free and fair elections, the end of human rights abuses in Venezuela. That's not a top priority for the Trump administration, and they've been clear about that. And while Machado was touring Washington, D.C., Trump's CIA director John Ratcliffe, was in Caracas, sitting down with Venezuela's interim leader, Delci Rodriguez.

It's pretty common for a CIA director to take sensitive meetings. We can certainly expect them to have talked about what the administration considers designated terrorist organizations, drug trafficking. There's a lot of concerns within the Trump administration about drug flows through Venezuela. There's also a lot of concerns in the Trump administration about the influence, of hostile nations in Venezuela, specifically Cuba and Iran, and affiliate groups like Hezbollah. After the U.S. raid in Venezuela, world leaders are no longer laughing off President Trump's vow to buy or take Greenland against its will. Because we need Greenland for national security, so I may do that.

And the administration's military threats are testing the patience of America's allies and the strength of the NATO alliance. On this week's on assignment, host Jonah Green calls up correspondent Jacob Gronhold Peterson who traveled to the Arctic Island to see how this tug of war with the U.S. is playing out on the ground. Many people have told me they're afraid. They don't sleep well at night. It's the first thing they think of when they wake up in the morning and the last thing they think about when going to bed at night. And this has traditionally been a quiet place, not much goes on here.

And now all of a sudden you have journalists around, you have the global attention in Greenland, and you have a real threat to your country. So this is unlike anything people have experienced before. We'll drop a link in today's description. South America's biggest economies on the European Union have clinched a mega trade deal after a quarter century of talks. In fact, analysts say the Trump administration's pressure tactics, in the region may have helped the deal finally get over the line. The pact between the EU and South America's Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Argentina,

Paraguay and Uruguay, will substantially boost ties in a region that saw commerce with China soar in recent decades, while U.S. influence plummeted. Lucinda Elliott has more. So as trade deals go, the EU-Mercosur saga really shattered records. It exposed serious rifts between and within the negotiating blocks. There were concerns over farming, deforestation, fierce internal politics that stalled these talks. And the diplomats and analysts we spoke to say that the breakthrough really came only after the growing economic uncertainty that we've seen globally, notably the U.S. trade war, that shifted, at least for the European Parliament, the kind of political will to sign this pact. But not everyone's please.

Farmers across the EU have been protesting for months, hoping to squash the deal and have continued, even after it was agreed to, dumping tractor loads of potatoes in Paris and Brussels, and protesting in Ireland and Greece. But for farmers in Mercosur countries... The immediate winner is likely Brazil and then Argentina. These are the two agricultural heavyweights and they're going to be granted duty-free quotas for things like beef and poultry plus some other more sensitive goods like rice, sugar, honey. Brazil also has key critical minerals. You know, it's got reserves of graphite, nickel, rare earths. And while Argentina also has lithium and copper, all of which the EU considers and the world

considers strategic for different areas like tech, portos. So I imagine these two countries will see increases in agricultural exports. and greater EU demand for critical minerals. We're turning to China now, where an app with a name you won't forget, are you dead, is taking off. It's designed as a safety check for those on their own, and its viral success points to a bigger shift,

the rise of one-person households. Faramaster is in Hong Kong and explains how it works. So you have to log a person who's an emergency contact, and then you have to check in every day. And if you miss a day, then that user will, there'll be an email reminder, and then there will be an automatic alert to your emergency contact. But behind it is an increasing shift to solar living in China.

So be it students or singles who are choosing not to get married or the elderly who live away from their children. China has around 200 million, one-person household. So this app provides some sort of security or daily check-in that's easy to manage to make sure that people are safe. But Faris says the app's name, Are You Dead, has sparked some controversy. Many users are saying that the Are You Dead name is what made so many of them downloaded in the first place.

Others are more concerned or sensitive about the name and are asking to change it to Are You Alive or Are You There? There's been so much kind of frenzy online about it that the company said this week that it's going to rebrand its name internationally, but they still haven't changed the Chinese name. That new name for international release is Dumuu. In a packed nightclub in Beirut, Lebanon, the man behind the decks isn't your typical DJ.

By night, the crowds dance and sway to the DJ priests spinning, and by day... ...Fartheiré Peshoto is better known for leading mass. His mix of faith in techno drew 2,000, people to the club and a fair amount of criticism. Some Christian groups have accused him of distorting religious imagery and even tried to shut down his show. But on the dance floor, many Lebanese clubgoers see connection, community,

and a message they say fits the moment. That unity is what Peishotos says guides him, whether he's behind the altar or the turntables. Even without a message of faith is a powerful message of respect of tolerance. His sets have been blessed by two popes, and he calls his music a way of bringing his values outside the church. We need to live as a family, of course, with different religions or even without religion. And if you live in Lebanon, Lebanon is your house.

While outside the club, Lebanon continues to navigate political tension and conflict, inside, Pichotto says the beat offers something simple. Respect, tolerance, and maybe even hope for peace. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. And if you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news. from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headlines show.