Big Business keeps quiet on Minnesota

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2026-01-17 13:01

Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Before we get into the news, here’s a good Saturday read about American CEOs who may be bold leaders and risk takers – until they push back against Donald Trump. Our Copenhagen bureau chief Jacob Grønholt-Pedersen joins the On Assignment podcast to talk about reporting from Greenland. And the latest edition of City Memo boldly ventures into the heart of Jersey City.

Big Business keeps quiet on Minnesota

REUTERS/Tim Evans

No comment: We asked multiple companies based in Minnesota, including Target, General Mills, Best Buy, Hormel, Cargill and 3M, about their guidance to employees on the ICE raids. None would speak on the record. Some investors want Home Depot to tell them how law enforcement uses its surveillance data after ICE arrests at its stores.
Dispatches: Newly released transcripts of 911 calls and emergency-dispatch records detailed the scene after an immigration officer shot Renee Good to death. These Trump voters say the shooting was justifiable. A federal judge ordered restrictions on tactics ICE agents have taken against peaceful demonstrators and observers. The Justice Dept. started a criminal investigation into Minnesota’s governor and Minneapolis’ mayor over an alleged conspiracy to impede immigration agents.

Iran’s deadly crackdown quells protests

Quiet: Residents told Reuters that Tehran had been relatively calm following protests against the government. Authorities killed more than 3,000 people, rights groups say, during the demonstrations against economic hardship which broadened into demands for the end of Iran’s clerical rule. The late shah’s exiled son said he’s ready to return to Iran, but there’s no sign of widespread support.
Middle East: Israel is dealing with an increase in PTSD and suicide among its troops after the two-year assault on Gaza. Read more on the “volcano” of psychological trauma among Gaza residents. More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, a UNICEF spokesperson said.

Machado gives Trump the gift of gold

Worth its weight? The president accepted the Venezuelan opposition leader’s Nobel Peace Prize gold medal. Whether it’ll give her any leverage in determining her country’s future is unknown. Delcy Rodríguez, now serving as interim president, is working to solidify her grip on power as she guards against internal threats while meeting U.S.. oil demands. Learn more about Diosdado Cabello, the powerful interior minister whom the U.S. began speaking with months before the seizure of Nicolás Maduro.
Straighten up and fly right… or left: The FAA is warning airlines to be careful while flying over Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The U.S. is choking Cuba’s oil supply while sending humanitarian aid for hurricane Melissa more than two months after it struck the island.

Brussels examines an EU-lite plan for Ukraine

Quick accession: The plan would allow Ukraine to join the union quickly as part of a peace deal with Russia and a measure to ensure economic prosperity, then save all the hard parts for later. More than half of Ukrainians strongly oppose withdrawing troops from the eastern Donetsk region in exchange for European and U.S. security guarantees, a poll shows.
A most coveted island: Democratic and Republican lawmakers met Denmark’s and Greenland’s leaders in Copenhagen to “lower the temperature” over Trump’s threats to seize Greenland for the U.S.

The staying power of Jerome Powell

A seat at the table: Though the Fed chair’s term ends in May, Powell’s seat on its board of governors does not expire for two more years. This could give him a critical vote on monetary policy despite Trump’s fervent wish that he go away. Trump said he has no plans to fire Powell despite the Justice Dept. opening a criminal investigation into him.
Buy now, save later: The Trump administration plans to allow people to use money in their 401(k) retirement plans to make down payments on houses. Trump will share details of the plan from Davos next week, his economic adviser said. Speaking of Davos, we’ll be all over it.

A down-market drawdown for Saks

Mass appeal: Saks Global may have to widen its consumer reach beyond wealthy luxury shoppers after filing for bankruptcy. Note that the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan is not included in the bankruptcy.
Mistakes: Nestlé’s CEO apologized for the recall of batches of its infant-nutrition products after 53 countries issued health warnings. And xAI still must deal with regulatory investigations despite saying it would restrict image editing after the chatbot churned out thousands of sexualized images of women and children.

Before I forget…

Ugandan police denied allegations by Bobi Wine’s party that they arrested the opposition leader as President Yoweri Museveni cruised toward a comfortable election victory.
Two Lisbon police officers were charged with torturing vagrants and migrants, then sharing video of their acts in online chats with other officers. One also faces charges of rape, robbery and forgery.
A former Corsican separatist leader and soccer-club president was shot dead during his mother’s funeral east of Ajaccio.
Alpine communities in the Dolomites are sick of selfie-taking tourists harming the region’s fragile ecosystem ahead of the Olympics.

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