Today: Trump Arrives in Davos With Greenland Center Stage

Trump will be meeting with key business and political leaders today (USA Today). Author Klaus Dodds explains what he sees unfolding: “Greenland is ground zero for a new world order of great powers and their spheres of domination if we’re not careful,” said Klaus Dodds, co-author of Unfrozen: The Fight For The Future of The Arctic. “What European states are recognising is that all of this is disastrous for smaller states.” … “Greenland is the front door for hemispheric defence,” said Thomas Dans, a Trump appointee who heads the US Arctic Research Commission, an advisory body. He added: “It’s not just the ice melting but also the idea that you can rely on a small country on the other side of the world to provide security for the front door of America. There’s way too much risk for us.” …  “It may sound like American chauvinism . . . and it is. We’re done apologising about that. There’s no other country that can provide safety for America that America can’t provide itself,” Dans said (Financial Times).

Justice Department to Subpoena Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

Ellison has been defending the storming of a Christian worship service as First Amendment free expression. Dmitri Bolt at Townhall: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sparked controversy after claiming that protesters had a right to disrupt a church service, comments he made during a podcast appearance with Don Lemon. Ellison: The protest is fundamental to American society; this country started in a protest. It’s freedom of expression; people have a right to lift up their voices and make their peace. None of us are immune from the voice of the public. Quite honestly, I think that you got the First Amendment, freedom of religion and the freedom of First Amendment and freedom of expression. I think it’s just something you gotta live with in a society like this (Townhall). Now, from CNN: The Justice Department is planning to subpoena Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a criminal investigation of several state and local officials, according to two sources familiar with the matter…. The planned subpoenas are a significant escalation between the federal government and elected officials in Minnesota (CNN). Jonathon Turley on Ellison: He is wrong. Protesting outside of the church is a First Amendment activity. Disrupting church services and abusing congregants inside the church is conduct, not speech…. There is not even a suggestion of self-awareness as Ellison dismisses any enforcement of his own laws against protesters who trespassed and engaged in disorderly conduct — putting aside the targeting and disruption of religious services. Putting aside his own refusal to investigate or prosecute, Ellison has also declared that there are no grounds for federal charges. He is wrong. There are a variety of possible federal laws that could be enforced (Turley). Bill Melugin of Fox: DOJ sources confirm to @FoxNews that six grand jury subpoenas were served in MN today in relation to conspiring to impede federal law enforcement, including offices of Gov. Walz, AG Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor, & Ramsey & Hennepin Counties (Melugin).

Today: House Oversight Committee Begins Contempt of Congress Proceedings on Bill and Hillary Clinton

Regarding their refusal to testify on their involvement with their friend and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Committee Chair James Comer summarizes the latest: Facing contempt of Congress, the Clintons’ lawyers made an untenable offer: that I travel to New York for a conversation with President Clinton only. No official transcript would be recorded and other Members of Congress would be barred from participating. I have rejected the Clintons’ ridiculous offer. The Clintons’ latest demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment. The House Oversight Committee’s bipartisan subpoenas require the Clintons to appear for depositions that are under oath and transcribed. Former President Clinton has a documented history of parsing language to evade questions, responded falsely under oath, and was impeached and suspended from the practice of law as a result…. Without a formal record, Americans would be left to rely on competing accounts of what was said. Former Secretary Clinton’s on-the-record testimony is necessary for the Committee’s investigation given her knowledge from her time as Secretary of State of the federal government’s work to counter international sex-tracking rings, her personal knowledge of Ms. Maxwell, and her family’s relationship with Mr. Epstein. Contempt proceedings begin tomorrow (Comer).

Trump Marks 365 Days—and 365 Accomplishments

Yesterday was one year since the president’s inauguration. He joined the White House press corps to tout the administration’s accomplishments. The administration also released “365 Wins in 365 Days”: 1. Achieved negative net migration in 2025, reversing a 50-year trend and restoring U.S. control over immigration flows for the first time in a generation. 2. Removed more than 2.6 million illegal aliens from the United States through deportations and voluntary self-departures. 3. Carried out over 650,000 arrests, detentions, and deportations of illegal aliens — including the worst of the worst criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, gang members, and repeat offenders. 4. Deported more than 400,000 illegal aliens charged with or convicted of crimes. 5. Induced two million self-deportations by ending Biden-era release incentives and restoring credible consequences (White House). And the impressive list goes on with 360 more accomplishments.

Virginia’s Hard Left Turn Serves as a Reminder: Elections Matter

Democrats hold both chambers of the state legislature, governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Above and beyond what we looked at yesterday in Daybreak, Democrats in Virginia have also: introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for rape, manslaughter, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possession and distribution of child pornography, and all repeat violent felonies (Heiens). And: Introduced a slew of new taxes—a partial list: New 4.3% sales tax on Uber Eats, Amazon, etc deliveries. – New sales tax on admissions to a wide variety of businesses. – Create two new higher tax brackets of 8% and 10% on people making over $600K. – A new 10% tax bracket for anyone making over $1M. – 3.8% investment tax on top of state income taxes (Townhall). David Strom: The 2025 election in Virginia could be a turning point. Democrats are changing the rules to consolidate power. This is what the government shutdown was really about, which is why it ended shortly after the elections. Democrats in Congress wanted to ensure that their base was maximally angry, and succeeded in seizing power. With even the Attorney General’s seat in their hands, Spanberger and the legislature will face few barriers to enacting radical changes. Elections do have consequences, although the Democrats are trying—again—to render the election of Trump null and void by conducting a low-level civil war against the federal government, along the lines of George Wallace (Hot Air).

Republicans Pressing to Pass Voter Eligibility Legislation

Legislation known as the SAVE Act—Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. It passed the House in April—but has not moved in the Senate. Newsweek: It would mandate that states require in-person proof of U.S. citizenship—such as a passport or birth certificate—before registering someone to vote, and direct states to identify and remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls. It is part of a wider Republican push to ensure that only U.S. citizens can cast ballots in federal elections. The SAVE Act follows a March 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump’s administration that directs federal agencies to enforce the citizenship requirement for voting in federal elections (Newsweek). Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R): Over here, you have the United States Senate. They blocked it the first time and now they haven’t brought it up for a vote. We believe the Senate ought to bring the SAVE Act up for a vote so that we can make sure that we retain the sovereignty of this country and guarantee only citizens vote. It’s an 80 percent issue. The House, we should pull it up again and we should add to it voter identification to require voter ID in federal elections. Call up the SAVE Act, add voter ID, and then send it over to the Senate. And the Senate should force them, force Democrats to block passage of the SAVE Act on the floor of the Senate by requiring them to stand up and speak, what we call a talking filibuster, and make everybody do their job (Roy). Elon Musk: Without voter ID, democracy is a lie.” This is why the Senate must nuke the filibuster and pass the SAVE ACT with voter ID with just 50+1 votes! JD VANCE can even break the tie. YOU ONLY NEED 50! (Daugherty).

Supreme Court Appears Sympathetic to Challenge of Hawaii Law Limiting 2nd Amendment Rights

With Chief Justice John Roberts pointing out that the 2^nd Amendment has become something of a “disfavored right.” SCOTUS Blog: The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to side with a group of Maui gun owners in their challenge to a Hawaii law restricting their ability to bring their guns onto private property that is open to the public. After approximately two hours of oral argument in Wolford v. Lopez, virtually all of the court’s six Republican appointees seemed to agree with the challengers that the law, which requires the gun owners to obtain express permission from the property owner, violates the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms…. The Hawaii law bars anyone with a concealed-carry permit from bringing a gun on private property that is open to the public without explicit permission from the property owner. A violation of the law is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison (SCOTUS Blog). John Lott: Hawaii’s law is a clear effort to nullify the right to carry, but a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could clearly define where guns can be banned and eliminate many gun-free zones across the country (Wall Street Journal).

In Hawaii Gun Case, Justice Jackson Favorably Cites Post-Reconstruction Black Codes

In yet another example illustrating Jackson as something less than the brightest candle on the court. First, a reminder on the Black Codes: After the Civil War, the South was in economic and social turmoil…. white lawmakers scrambled to maintain control over Black people. Instead of openly re-enslaving them, Southern states passed Black Codes—a set of restrictive laws that: • Forced Black people into low-paying, exploitative jobs • Made it illegal for Black people to be unemployed (leading to mass arrests) • Criminalized “vagrancy” and “loitering” to justify imprisonment • Banned Black people from owning property in certain areas • Restricted Black people from testifying against white people in court… they were about controlling Black labor and ensuring white supremacy stayed intact (Obliterate Hate). Ketanji Brown Jackson: They were not deemed unconstitutional at the time that they were enacted. They were part of the history and tradition of the country. And when we have a test now that’s asking us to look at what people were doing back then, I don’t understand why they should be excluded (Severino). Alito was precise in correcting his colleague: Wasn’t the purpose of the laws in the post-Reconstruction South that disarmed black people precisely to prevent them from doing what the Second Amendment is designed to protect?—which is to defend yourself against attacks? They wanted to disarm the black population in order to help the Klan terrorize them. And law enforcement officers in that period, in that region, they wanted to put them at the mercy of racist law enforcement officers. So is it not the height of irony to cite a law that wasn’t enacted for exactly the purpose of preventing someone from exercising the Second Amendment right to cite this as an example of what the Second Amendment protects? (Severino). Hugh Hewitt on Jackson: [a] remarkable effort to undermine originalism via the argument that the unconstitutional-from-the-moment of their adoption Black codes should be “history and tradition” (Hewitt).

Israel Demolishes UNRWA Facilities

A fitting end for the facilities that housed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Those who’ve watched closely these past few decades have grown to recognize that the UN agency had become a virtual extension of Hamas. Times of Israel: Israel on Tuesday began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with Israeli forces entering the compound with bulldozers and other demolition equipment in the early morning and destroying buildings in what UNRWA called an “unprecedented attack.” The move to demolish UNRWA’s headquarters comes after years of legislative measures against the agency, which Israel accuses of collusion with Hamas and participation in terror activities (Times of Israel). The UN is very upset. They may even pen an angry memo to Israel. UN: These actions, together with previous arson attacks and a large-scale disinformation campaign, fly in the face of the ruling in October by the International Court of Justice, which restated that Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate UNRWA’s operations, not hinder or prevent them. The court also stressed that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem. There can be no exceptions. This must be a wake-up call (UNRWA). More: Israel will begin shutting down the United Nations Relief Works Agency’s water and electricity in facilities located in the country starting tomorrow, Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen (Likud) told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday (JPost).

Elders of Minneapolis Church Invaded by Protestors Release Response

Wise, measured words, using the moment well. From Cities Church: On Sunday, January 18, a group of agitators jarringly disrupted our worship gathering. They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat. Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated. Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation. We welcome respectful dialogue about present issues, and about how the realness of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, provides the only final answers to the world’s most complex and intractable problems. Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, lived, died, and rose again for the rescue of all who put their faith in him. He offers a love that transcends cultures, borders, policies, and politics. As those who have been loved and rescued by him, we will not shrink from worshiping Jesus, nor will we stop “teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:42). Church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message. We therefore call on local, state, and national leaders to protect this fundamental right. We are evaluating next steps with our legal counsel (Cities Church).