International News Briefs for Thursday, January 8, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
ICE Agent Fatally Shoots 37-Year-Old Minneapolis Mother During Immigration Enforcement Raid
Jan 08, 2026
In Minnesota, thousands gathered in a Minneapolis neighborhood Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil to mourn a 37-year-old Twin Cities resident who was shot and killed by an ICE agent earlier in the day shortly after she had dropped her 6-year-old son at school. Renee Nicole Good was a mother of three who lived in south Minneapolis with her partner, just blocks from where a masked ICE officer fired three shots at her at point-blank range. Good’s mother described her as loving, forgiving and affectionate and “an amazing human being.” She was killed blocks from the site of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 by Minneapolis police officers, a killing that sparked protests internationally under the banner Black Lives Matter.
Video of Good’s killing quickly spread across the internet, sparking protests and demands for accountability. The footage shows masked ICE agents approaching a vehicle being driven by Good, screaming for her to “Get out of the F—ing car” — using profanity — and attempting to pull her driver-side door open. As Good backs up her car slightly, then attempts to drive past the officers, a masked agent pulls a firearm and fires three rounds into Good’s vehicle, which then crashes into a nearby car.
Another video shows the aftermath: outraged residents, including a physician, screaming at the agents to let them check the mortally wounded driver for a pulse, while she’s seen bleeding, limp and slumped against her car’s blood-soaked air bag.
Doctor: “Can I — can I go check a pulse?”
ICE agent 1: “No! Back up! Now!”
Doctor: “I’m a physician!”
ICE agent 1: “I don’t care!”
ICE agent 2: “Listen, we understand. We got EMS coming. And I get it. Just
give us a second. We have medics on scene. We have our own medics.”
Neighbor: “Where are they?”
Doctor: “Where is the medic?”
Neighbor: “Where are they?”
Doctor: “[inaudible] a fucking pulse!”
ICE agent 2: “Relax.”
Neighbor: “How can I relax? You just killed my fucking neighbor!”
Witnesses say medics responding to the shooting were forced to approach on foot, after federal agents obstructed their access to the scene while pepper-spraying bystanders who protested the killing. Good was ultimately brought to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mayor Tells ICE to “Get the Fuck Out of Minneapolis” as Trump Spreads Disinformation About Shooting
Jan 08, 2026
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of “weaponizing her vehicle” to commit an “act of domestic terrorism.” And in a social media post, President Trump falsely claimed Good had “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.” Trump went on to say that “it is hard to believe that he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital.” Video from the scene shows the ICE agent walking away after the shooting with no signs of injuries. Minnesota officials condemned those remarks.
Democratic Governor Tim Walz issued an order to prepare to mobilize the Minnesota National Guard, calling Good’s killing “preventable” and “unnecessary.” This is Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Mayor Jacob Frey: “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed. … To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.”
This comes after the Trump administration ordered a surge of 2,000 ICE agents to the Twin Cities this week, after President Trump called the region’s large Somali community “garbage” and accused state officials of failing to root out fraud in social services programs.
The killing of Renee Nicole Good was at least the ninth time federal immigration officers have fired on people since last September; five people have died in mass deportation operations since President Trump retook the White House. After headlines, we’ll go to Minneapolis for the latest.
Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly to File Articles of Impeachment Against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
Jan 08, 2026
Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Robin Kelly has announced plans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal shooting by an ICE officer, calling her an “incompetent leader” and “a disgrace to our democracy.” Kelly’s three articles of impeachment allege Noem has engaged in obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. Kelly wrote in a statement, “From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining — and ending — lives, and separating families. It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law.”
White House Plans “Indefinite” Control of Venezuela’s Oil Industry as U.S. Seizes More Tankers
Jan 08, 2026
Image Credit: Kristi Noem via X
The Trump administration has announced plans to control sales of Venezuela’s oil “indefinitely,” as it demands Venezuela’s government cut ties with U.S. adversaries, including Cuba, China, Iran and Russia. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. would continue to “dictate” policy to Venezuela’s interim leaders, after the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro in a bloody U.S. military raid on Caracas early Saturday morning.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “The president is fully deploying his ‘peace through strength’ foreign policy agenda, so we’re continuing to be in close coordination with the interim authorities. And their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America.”
On Wednesday, U.S. forces seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports — one in the Caribbean; the other, a Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic that the U.S. had pursued for weeks. In response, Russia accused the U.S. of violating maritime law, calling for the release of the ship’s crew. Their capture came as Vice President JD Vance reiterated that the Trump administration would have complete control of Venezuela’s oil reserves. In Caracas, interim President Delcy Rodríguez defended plans to cede control of Venezuela’s oil to the U.S.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez: “Venezuela is open to energy relations where all parties benefit, where economic cooperation is very well determined in commercial contracts.”
On Wednesday, President Trump told The New York Times he expects the United States will be running Venezuela for years to come. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interior minister said 100 people were killed in the U.S. attack that removed President Maduro from power on Saturday. We’ll have more on Venezuela later in the broadcast.
Trump Invites President Gustavo Petro to White House After Threatening Attacks on Colombia
Jan 08, 2026
President Trump praised Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro after the two leaders held a more than hourlong phone call on Wednesday. It was a stark shift of tone, after Trump previously threatened to attack Colombia and called the Colombian leader a “sick man” involved in the cocaine trade. After Wednesday’s call, Trump said it was his “great honor” to hold the conversation, adding that he’s planning to invite President Petro to the White House. Petro responded from a rally in Bogotá.
President Gustavo Petro: “Peace is found through dialogue, and that’s why I accept President Trump’s proposal to talk. We’ll see what comes of it. I’ll keep insisting that an alliance is possible in clean energy, because it brings peace and life and love. Colombia knows how to take advantage of peace.”
Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal from Dozens of International Groups and U.N. Agencies
Jan 08, 2026
President Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. will withdraw from dozens of international and U.N. entities, including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UNFCCC. The move would make it difficult for a future presidential administration to rejoin the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. In a memo to senior administration officials, Trump also said the U.S. will quit participation in U.N. Women, which works for gender equality around the world, and the U.N. Population Fund, which is focused on family planning and the health of mothers and children in more than 150 countries.
Drone Strike by Sudanese Paramilitary Group Kills 13, Including Children
Jan 08, 2026
In Sudan, at least 13 people have been killed, including eight children, after a drone strike hit a house in the city of el-Obeid — that’s according to the Sudan Doctors’ Network. The group says that it was likely carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. Meanwhile, several Sudanese women recounted harrowing stories of rape by the RSF to Al Jazeera. A senior doctor revealed that 14 infants were raped. The U.N. describes the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as the civil war between the Sudanese army and the RSF has been raging for nearly three years. More than 11 million people have been displaced, and over 150,000 people have been killed.
Israeli Forces Kill Children and Civilians in Fresh Violations of Gaza Ceasefire
Jan 08, 2026
Israeli forces killed an 11-year-old Palestinian girl, Hamsa Houso, in northern Gaza on Thursday and shot another child in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. On Wednesday, Israel bombed a residential home in the al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, killing three people. The strikes occurred west of the yellow line, which confines the Palestinian population as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Since the truce took effect on October 10, Israel has killed more than 420 Palestinians and injured more than 1,100.
U.N. Rights Chief Decries “Apartheid” in Occupied West Bank as Israel Approves New Settlements
Jan 08, 2026
Israel has cleared the final hurdle to begin construction on the E1 settlement project near Jerusalem that would split the occupied West Bank in two. The project has been under consideration for more than two decades but had been put on hold due to U.S. pressure. Meanwhile, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank faced apartheid. It’s the first time a U.N. human rights chief has used the term.
Volker Türk: “Whether accessing water, school, rushing to hospital, visiting family or friends, harvesting olives, every aspect of life for Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed by Israel’s discriminatory laws, policies and practices. Israel is violating international law requiring states to prohibit and eradicate racial segregation and apartheid.”
Trump Calls for Increasing U.S. Military Spending to $1.5 Trillion
Jan 08, 2026
President Trump on Wednesday called for increasing U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027, up from the 2026 military budget set at $901 billion. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said, “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us safe and secure, regardless of foe.” This comes as President Trump has threatened military action in Greenland, Iran, Mexico, Cuba and Colombia following the U.S. attack on Venezuela.
House Oversight Committee to Subpoena Billionaire Les Wexner over Epstein Ties
Jan 08, 2026
The House Oversight Committee has secured subpoenas to seek testimony from billionaire Les Wexner and two executors of the estate of convicted serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoenas come as the Justice Department has released just over 12,000 documents from more than 2 million files related to Epstein — which amounts to less than 1% of its files. That’s despite a measure passed by Congress ordering the DOJ to release the vast majority of the files by December 19. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed in a federal court filing Monday that the DOJ’s supposed efforts to protect the identities of Epstein’s survivors had slowed the process.