In Minneapolis, all-encompassing immigration story tests a newsroom in midst of digital transition

With the eyes of a nation fixed on the unrest in Minneapolis, the events haven't left local journalists overmatched.

Immigration Enforcement Minnesota

Over the past month, the Minnesota Star Tribune has broken stories, including the identity of theimmigration enforcement officerwho shotRenee Good, and produced a variety of informative and instructive pieces. Richard Tsong-Taatarii'sphotoof a prone demonstrator sprayed point-blank with a chemical irritant quickly became a defining image. TheICE actionshave changed how the outlet presents the news.

At a time when many regional newspapers have become hollowed-out shells due to thedecline in journalismas a business, the Star Tribune has kept staffing relatively steady under billionaireGlen Taylor, who has owned it since 2014. It rebranded itself from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and committed itself to a digital transformation.

It was ready for its moment.

"If you hadn't invested in the newsroom, you wouldn't be able to react in that way," said Steve Grove, publisher and chief executive.

Minnesota's robust journalism tradition

The Star Tribune hasn't operated in a vacuum. Minneapolis has a robust journalism tradition, particularly on public radio and television. Sahan Journal, a digital newsroom focusing on immigrants and diverse communities, has also distinguished itself covering President Donald Trump's immigration efforts and the public response.

"The whole ecosystem is pretty darn good," said Kathleen Hennessey, senior vice president and editor of the Star Tribune, "and I think people are seeing that now."

While national outlets have made their presence felt, strong local teams offer advantages in such stories. The Star Tribune's Josie Albertson-Grove was one of the first journalists on the scene afterICU nurse Alex Prettiwas shot dead on Jan. 24. She lives about a block away, and her knowledge of the neighborhood and its people helped to reconstruct what happened.

Journalists with kids in school learned about ICE efforts to target areas where children gather by hearing chatter among friends. While covering a beat like public safety can carry baggage, Star Tribune reporter Liz Sawyer developed sources that helped her, along with colleagues Andy Mannix and Sarah Nelson, report on who shot Good.

Besides those contacts, the staff simply knows Minnesota better than outsiders, Hennessey said.

"This is a place with a really, really long and entrenched tradition of activism, and a place with really deep social networks and neighborhood networks," she said. "People mobilize quickly and passionately, and they're noisy about it. That's definitely been part of the story."

A Signal chat tipped Tsong-Taatarii about a demonstration growing raucous on Jan. 21. Upon arriving, he focused his lens on one protester knocked to the ground, leaving the photographer perfectly placed for his richly-detailed shot. Two officers hold the man face-down with arms on his back, while a third unleashes a chemical from a canister inches from his face. The bright yellow liquid streams onto his cheek and splatters onto the pavement.

What some have called the sadistic cruelty involved in the episode outraged many who saw the photo. "I was just trying to document and present the evidence and let people decide for themselves," Tsong-Taatarii said.

'A badge to prove I belong'

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In one enterprising story, the Star Tribune's Christopher Magan and Jeff Hargarten identified 240 of an estimated 3,000 immigrants rounded up in Minnesota, finding 80% had felony convictions but nearly all had been through the court system, been punished and were no longer sought by police. Hargarten and Jake Steinberg collaborated on a study of how the size of the federal force compared with that of local police.

Columnist Laura Yuen wrote that her 80-year-old parents have begun carrying their passports when they leave their suburban townhouse, part of the "quiet, pervasive fear" in the Twin Cities. Yuen downloaded her own passport to carry on her phone. "A document that once made me proud of all the places I've traveled is now a badge to prove I belong," she wrote.

A piece by Kim Hyatt and Louis Krauss detailed the health consequences of chemical irritants used by law enforcement — or thought to be used, since questions about what specifically was deployed went unanswered.

"I really think they've done a commendable job," said Scott Libin, a veteran television newsman and journalism professor at the University of Minnesota. He praised the Star Tribune's story about the criminal backgrounds of immigrants as thorough and dispassionate.

Since Hennessey, a former Associated Press editor, began her job last May, the Star Tribune has experienced a run of big stories, including theshootingof two state lawmakers and agunman opening fireat a Catholic school in Minneapolis. And, of course, "we have a newsroom that still has muscle memory fromGeorge Floyd" in 2020, Grove said.

News compelled fundamental shifts in the way the Star Tribune operates. Like some national outlets, it has rearranged staff to cover the story aggressively through a continuously updated live blog on its website, offered free to readers. There's also a greater emphasis on video, with the Star Tribune doing forensic studies on footage from the Pretti and Good shootings, something few local newsrooms are equipped to do. Traffic to its website has gone up 50 percent, paid subscriptions have increased and the company is getting thousands of dollars in donations from across the country, Grove said.

"People have changed the way that they consume news," Hennessey said. "We see that readers are coming back. You know, they're not just waking up in the morning, reading the site and then forgetting about us all day long. They're coming back a couple of times a day to check in on what's new."

Most people in the newsroom are contributing to the story, including the Star Tribune's food and culture team, and its outdoor reporters. "There are no normal beats anymore," Albertson-Grove said.

A rapid transformation to a digital-first newsroom

Under Grove, a former Google executive, the Star Tribune has attempted a digital-first transition, turning over about 20% of its staff in two years. The paper shut its Minneapolis printing plant in December, laying off 125 people, and moving print operations to Iowa.

"We face every single headwind that every local news organization in the country does," Grove said. "But we do feel fortunate that we're the largest newsroom in the Midwest and it's part of the reason we're able to do this now."

As a reporter, Sawyer says the public response to the outlet's work, sharing stories and images, has lifted her spirits. Readers see it as public service journalism. Still, she could use a break. She and her husband, Star Tribune photographer Aaron Lavinsky, have a baby daughter and make sure to stagger their coverage. They can't both be tear-gassed or arrested at the same time; who makes the daycare pickup?

"I think both residents and journalists in this town are running on fumes," she said. "We're tired of being in the international spotlight and it's never for something positive. People are trying their best to get through this moment with grace."

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him athttp://x.com/dbauderandhttps://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

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In Minneapolis, all-encompassing immigration story tests a newsroom in midst of digital transition

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Black history centennial channels angst over anti-DEI climate into education, free resources

For academics, historians and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating the teaching of Black history in the United States.

Despite last year proclaiming February as National Black History Month, President Donald Trump started his second term by claiming some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country. The administration has dismantled Black history at national parks, most recently removingan exhibit on slavery in Philadelphialast month. Black history advocates see these acts and their chilling effect as scary and unprecedented.

"States and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House," said DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist and executive director of Campaign Zero, an organization focused on police reform. "So even the good people are just quieter now."

In the 100th year since the nation's earliest observances of Black History Month — which began whenscholar Carter G. Woodson pioneered the first Negro History Week— celebrations will go on. The current political climate has energized civil rights organizations, artists and academics to engage young people on a full telling of America's story. There are hundreds of lectures, teach-ins and even new books — from nonfiction to a graphic novel — to mark the milestone.

"This is why we are working with more than 150 teachers around the country on a Black History Month curriculum to just ensure that young people continue to learn about Black history in a way that is intentional and thoughtful," Mckesson said about a campaign his organization has launched with the Afro Charities organization and leading Black scholars to expand access to educational materials.

New graphic novel highlights history of Juneteenth

About three years ago, Angélique Roché, a journalist and adjunct professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, accepted a "once-in-a-lifetime" invitation to be the writer for a graphic novel retelling of the story ofOpal Lee, "grandmother of Juneteenth."

Lee, who will also turn 100 this year, is largely credited for getting federal recognition of theJune 19 holidaycommemorating the day when enslaved people in Texas learned they were emancipated. Under Trump, however, Juneteenth isno longer a free-admission dayat national parks.

Juneteenth helped usher in the first generation of Black Americans who, like Woodson, was born free. "First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth," the graphic novel, comes out Tuesday. It is the culmination of Roché's assiduous archival research, phone chats and visits to Texas to see Lee and her granddaughter, Dione Sims.

"There is nothing 'indoctrinating' about facts that are based on primary sources that are highly researched," said Roché, who hopes the book makes it into libraries and classrooms. "At the end of the day, what the story should actually tell people is that we're far more alike than we are different."

While Lee is the main character, Roché used the novel as a chance to put attention on lesser known historical figures like William "Gooseneck Bill" McDonald, Texas' first Black millionaire, and Opal Lee's mother, Mattie Broadous Flake.

She hopes this format will inspire young people to follow Lee and her mantra — "make yourself a committee of one."

"It doesn't mean don't work with other people," Roché said. "Don't wait for other people to make the changes you wanna see."

Campaign aims to train new generation of Black historians

When Trump's anti-DEI executive orders were issued last year, Jarvis Givens, a professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard, was thousands of miles away teaching in London, where Black History Month is celebrated in October. He had already been contemplating writing a book for the centennial.

Watching Trump's "attack" cemented the idea, Givens said.

"I wanted to kind of devote my time while on leave to writing a book that would honor the legacy that gave us Black History Month," Givens said.

The result is "I'll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month," a book with four in-depth essays that comes out Tuesday. The title is a line from the 1920s poem "The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson, whose most famous poem, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," is known as the "Black National Anthem."

Givens examines important themes in Black history and clarifies misconceptions around them.

The book and the research Givens dug up will tie into a "living history campaign" with Campaign Zero and Afro Charities, Mckesson said. The goal is to teach what Woodson believed — younger generations can become historians who can discern fact from fiction.

"When I grew up, the preservation of history was a historian's job," Mckesson said, adding his group's campaign will teach young students how to record history.

How the 'father of Black history' might feel today

Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson was among the first generation of Black Americans not assigned to bondage at birth. He grew up believing that education was a way to self-empowerment, said Robert Trent Vinson, director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The second Black man to earn a doctorate at Harvard University — W. E. B. Du Bois was the first — Woodson was disillusioned by how Black history was dismissed. He saw that the memories and culture of less educated Black people were no less valuable, Vinson said.

When Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he was in an era where popular stereotypes like blackface and minstrelsy were filling in for actual knowledge of the Black experience, according to Vinson. This sparked the creation of Black history clubs and Woodson began inserting historical lessons "on the sly" in publications like the "Journal of Negro History" and the "Negro History Bulletin."

"Outside the formal school structure, they're having a separate school like in churches or in study groups," Vinson said. "Or they're sharing it with parents and saying, 'you teach your young people this history.' So, Woodson is creating a whole educational space outside the formal university."

In 1976, for the week's 50th anniversary, President Gerald Ford issued a message recognizing it as an entire month. There was pushback then over the gains the Civil Rights Movement had made, Givens said.

As for today's backlash over Black and African American studies, Vinson believes Woodson would not be surprised. But, he would see it as a sign "you're on the right track."

"There's a level of what he called 'fugitivity,' of sharing this knowledge and being strategic about it," Vinson said. "There are other times like in this moment, Black History Month, where you can be more out and assertive, but be strategic about how you spread the information."

Resistance to teaching Black history is something that seems to occur every generation, Mckesson said.

"We will go back to normalcy. We've seen these backlashes before," Mckesson said. "And when I think about the informal networks of Black people who have always resisted, I think that is happening today."

Tang reported from Phoenix.

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Black history centennial channels angst over anti-DEI climate into education, free resources

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Chaka Khan, Cher, Whitney Houston, Fela Kuti get Grammys Life Achievement Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Chaka Khan,Cher,Carlos Santana,Paul Simon,Fela KutiandWhitney Houstonreceived the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy at theGrammysSpecial Merit Awards on Saturday night.

"Music has been my prayer, my healing, my joy, my truth," Khan said as she accepted the award. "Through it, I saved my life."

She was the only Lifetime Achievement recipient who appeared at the ceremony at the small Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on the eve ofSunday's main Grammys ceremony.

She was preceded by a short documentary on her career that highlighted her hits as a member of the funk band Rufus and as a solo artist, including 1974's Stevie Wonder-written "Tell Me Something Good," 1983's "Ain't Nobody," 1978's "I'm Every Woman" and 1984's Prince-penned "I Feel For You."

Wearing a shimmering sea green gown, she thanked her many collaborators while admitting not all of them were entirely sane.

"Over 50 years I am blessed to walk alongside extraordinary artists, musicians, writers, producers and creatives," she said, pausing before adding, "and cuckoos."

Family accepted the Lifetime Achievement Awards for the Nigerian Afrobeat legend Kuti, who died in 1997, and the singing superstar Houston, who died in 2012.

"Her voice — that voice! — remains eternal," Pat Houston, Whitney's sister-in-law, close friend and longtime manager, said. "Her legacy will live forever."

Three of his children accepted the award for Kuti, introduced as a "producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the father of Afrobeat." He's the first African musician to get the award.

"Thank you for bringing our father here," Femi Kuti said. "It's so important for us, it's so important for Africa, it's so important for world peace and the struggle."

The audience gave a collective moan of disappointment when academy President Harvey Mason Jr. said Cher wasn't there.

She spoke in a very short video.

"The only thing I ever wanted to be was a singer. When I was 4 years old I used to run around the house naked, singing into a hair brush," she said. "Things haven't changed all that much."

Santana also spoke on video, after his son, Salvador, accepted his trophy.

"The world is so infected with fear that we need the music and message of Santana to bring hope, courage and joy to heal the world," Carlos Santana said.

Elton John's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin paid tribute to Simon, calling him "the greatest American songwriter alive."

Taupin was there as one of the recipients of the Grammys Trustees Award, which honors career contributions outside of performing.

Despite co-writing the vast majority of John's hits, Taupin has somehow never won a competitive Grammy, though he's nominated for one Sunday.

"I've been waiting 57 years for one of these," he said, looking at his honorary trophy.

Taupin read a list of the songwriting principles he's always followed. They included "avoid cliches," "never write songs in cubicles" and "don't say you're going to die if she leaves you — because you're not."

Eddie Palmieri, a pianist, composer and bandleader who was a great innovator in Latin jazz and rumba, also got a Trustees Award.

Palmieri, who died last year at 88, became the first Latino to win a Grammy Award, in 1975.

Another trustees honoree was Sylvia Rhone, the first Black woman to head a major record label.

John Chowning, whose work as a Stanford professor in the 1960s was essential to the synthesizer sounds that dominated the 1980s, won the Technical Grammy Award.

Jennifer Jimenez, a band director from South Miami Senior High School, won the Grammys Music Educator Award, and "Ice Cream Man" by Raye got the Harry Belafonte Song for Social Change Award.

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January 31, 2026

Chaka Khan, Cher, Whitney Houston, Fela Kuti get Grammys Life Achievement Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Chaka Khan,Cher,Carlos Santana,Paul Simon,Fela KutiandWhitney Houstonreceived the Lifetime Achievement...

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'SNL' takes on Minneapolis as Pete Davidson plays border czar

Pete Davidsonreturned to "Saturday Night Live" and addressed the ongoing political turmoil in the U.S. in the show's cold open.

In the sketch show's latest cold open, the former cast member returned to play White House border czarTom Homanin a sketch tackling the political unrest happening in Minneapolis. In the sketch, Davidson's Homan spoke to a room full of confused ICE agents and grew frustrated while trying to explain why they should not use force against protesters or destroy evidence.

After Davidson's Homan said that ICE's mission in Minneapolis is to "detain and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes," one of the agents said this is "literally the first I'm hearing of that."

When he asked the agents what they're looking for in Minneapolis, an ICE agent responded, "Epstein files?"

More:3 million more Epstein pages with 2,000 images publish, ending review

"No, we actually just released those to distract from this," Davidson as Homan said. "Which is ironic, because we did this to distract from those."

Pete Davidson, 'SNL' tackle ongoing ICE raids in cold open

Homan then stressed that ICE agents should not use force, asking, "The job, ultimately, is about keeping America safe from what?"

"This could be wrong, but Don Lemon?" an ICE agent responded.

Davidson's Homan also addressed agents, saying that protesters shouldn't be able to have guns, asking, "How many of you went to a 'stop the steal' protest with a loaded automatic weapon?"

James Austin Johnson's ICE agent character eventually concluded, "You hired a bunch of angry, aggressive guys, gave us guns and didn't train us, so this is maybe what you wanted to happen?"

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The sketch ended with Davidson giving an inspirational speech to the agents, asking if they can do their jobs "without violating anyone's rights as Americans," to which an agent played by Kenan Thompson simply replied, "No."

"Well, I had to ask," Davidson's Homan said. "Maybe just try not to get filmed?"

Vigils held for Alex Pretti, killed in Border Patrol related shooting

Tonight's "SNL" cold open comes after theshow's previous episodeon Jan. 24, which opened with a sketch in whichJohnson's Trump hosted an awards show reminiscent of the Oscars. The episode received backlash from some fans over the way it largely sidestepped thekilling of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis earlier that same day.

The Jan. 24 opening sketch only alluded to the events in Minneapolis when Johnson, as Trump, said he was trying to distract from "what all my little freaks and psychos in ICE have been doing."

Later in the Jan. 24 show, Minneapolis was briefly referenced on "Weekend Update" and in a sketch depicting a PBS news program. "To have basically no mention of the absolute horror of today and the past month is a slap in the face,"one fan wrote on the "SNL" subredditafter the episode aired, drawing thousands of upvotes.

In 'SNL' cold openTrump distracts from 'freaks and psychos' in ICE

Who else was on 'SNL'?

Alexander Skarsgård made his "SNL" hosting debut on the Jan. 31 episode, joined by Cardi B as the musical guest.

Skarsgård is starring in the new Charli XCX mockumentary "The Moment" and the dark comedy "Pillion," while Cardi B is coming off the release of her album "Am I the Drama?" in September.

Who's hosting 'SNL' next?

"SNL" will return on Feb. 28 with host Connor Storrie and musical guest Mumford & Sons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open tackles Minneapolis and ICE as Pete Davidson returns

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'SNL' takes on Minneapolis as Pete Davidson plays border czar

Pete Davidsonreturned to "Saturday Night Live" and addressed the ongoing political turmoil in the U.S. in the ...

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Dog Show 101: What to know about the 150th Westminster show

NEW YORK (AP) — It's go time for thousands of America's most dogged competitors.

Big or small, sleek or shaggy, imposing or impish, they're all trying for the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in itsmilestone 150th year.

MightComet the shih tzusnag the trophy after coming close the last two years? What about Neal the bichon frisé, another 2025 finalist who's competing again? Could this be the year forZaida the Afghan hound, who has twice won the World Dog Show, a major international showcase, but has yet to make the finals at Westminster?

Or will the prize go to another well-known contender — or a dark horse?

Here's what to know about the United States' most prestigious canine competition.

When is the Westminster dog show?

The breed-by-breed judging — officially called "conformation" — happens Monday and Tuesday, at a combination of the Javits Center convention hall and Madison Square Garden. Best in show is awarded at the Garden around 11 p.m. EST Tuesday.

For fans who can't be there in person, Fox Sports isshowing the event's various componentson FS1 and FS2 and its various streaming platforms. Westminster is streaming some, as well.

How many dogs are there?

Some 2,500 dogs from 212 breeds and varieties (subsets of breeds) are signed up to compete. (No doodles, though. These popular poodle mixes aren't recognized as distinct breeds by the American Kennel Club, the governing body for Westminster and many other U.S. dog shows.) There are contestants from every U.S. state and 18 other countries.

A few hundred more dogs,including mixed-breedones, competed Saturday in Westminster's agility and flyball contests.

Who are some dogs to watch?

Besides Comet, Neal and Zaida, entrants include Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog who won the National Dog Show televised last Thanksgiving Day, and a Lhasa apso called JJ, who triumphed at the huge AKC National Championship that aired in late December. The runners-up from those shows — George, an American foxhound, and a Gordon setter named River — also are due at Westminster.

And keep an eye out for Baby Joe, a miniature schnauzer who topped national dog show standings for 2025. Don't forget Penny the Doberman pinscher, who's been climbing the rankings since her crowd-pleasing turn in last year's Westminster semifinals. There's also a high-ranking Chesapeake Bay retriever, a prominent papillon and many other buzzy contenders.

But anything can happen at Westminster, a champions-only show where every contestant is a proven winner. Cognoscenti often say victory goes to "the dog on the day," meaning the one that has the performance of a lifetime.

Whichever dog the judge chooses, others sometimes run away with the audience's heart.

A 2020 crowd fave, Daniel the golden retriever, is among eight past finalists or winners set to return for a special presentation Monday night. So are some other 2020 finalists, Bono the Havanese, Wilma the boxer — andSiba, the standard poodlewho defeated them all to claim that year's best in show award. Do show dogs hold grudges? We shall see.

What makes a dog best in show?

First, dogs are judged against others of their breed. Then each breed winner goes up against others in its "group," such as terriers or herding dogs. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show.

At each level,judges decide which dog best matches the ideal, or "standard," for its own breed.

What breeds win most?

Wire fox terriers (15 wins), followed by poodles of various sizes (11).

Many breedshaven't won yet, including such favorites as Labrador and golden retrievers. But never say never:Last year's winner, Monty, was the first giant schnauzer chosen as best in show. He then retired from showing but is expected to join Monday's special tribute to Westminster "legends."

What do winners get?

Bragging rights, ribbons and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility winner gets to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.

Why are there protests?

Animal welfare activists routinely protest the Westminster show. They see it as an irresponsible canine beauty contest that overlooks shelter dogs' predicament and some purebreds' health problems.

For Westminster's milestone show this year, PETA plans to demonstrate outside the show and has erected billboards nearby with such messages as "flat-faced dogs struggle to breathe," echoing aspects of the animal rights group's ongoinglawsuit against the American Kennel Club. The AKC has called the case frivolous and is trying to get it dismissed.

The Westminster club notes that it donates to rescue groups, veterinary scholarships and other endeavors that help dogs. Club President Donald Sturz says that "shows an overarching commitment to responsible dog ownership and responsible dog breeding."

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January 31, 2026

Dog Show 101: What to know about the 150th Westminster show

NEW YORK (AP) — It's go time for thousands of America's most dogged competitors. Big or small, sleek o...

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