Nick Kristof

Opinion | This Is the Best Legal Path for Justice in the Minneapolis Shootings

Important piece by Steve Vladeck and Barry Friedman about how local prosecutors could leap various hurdles and hold federal agents accountable for state crimes, like murder: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o... We need to end the impunity now enjoyed by ICE agents.

Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show A Post analysis of videos sheds light on the encounter that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.

If this had happened when Clinton, Obama or Biden were in office, the right-wing infosphere would be having a meltdown about jack-booted thugs murdering an innocent man who was lawfully exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. Now where’s the outrage? www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

If anyone needs an emetic...

William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89

Bill Foege, a health giant who led the eradication of smallpox and then led the CDC, has died. Bill's commitment to humanity and to selfless leadership contrasts with the fecklessness of today's health leaders who try to undermine vaccines. RIP, Bill. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

Meanwhile, as Alex Pretti's family mourns, at the White House:

Another ruling just yesterday in Minnesota: A federal judge calls it "particularly craven" that ICE transfered "a nursing refugee mother" out of state. Ta Eh Doh Lah was admitted as a refugee from Myanmar in 2024, has no criminal history and a 5-month-old. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A doctor on the scene says that instead of administering first aid to Alex Pretti after they shot him in the back, ICE agents appear to have been counting his gun wounds.

For all the Trump administration lies, the following is true: 1.) Alex Pretti was a US citizen, an ICU nurse and a Good Samaritan who tried to help a woman whom ICE had thrown to the ground; 2.) his legally licensed gun had been removed, so he was unarmed when... 3. Agents shot him in the back.

Opinion | The Island That Actually Matters to American Interests The risk of Chinese aggression is hard to gauge, but it surely grows if we signal that Beijing has a free hand.

“If Trump can’t even respond promptly to a straightforward provocation by China, what hope is there that he would respond decisively if President Xi Jinping of China actually attacked Taiwan?" @nickkristof.bsky.social asks.

Federal agents have shot another person dead in Minneapolis; the police believe he is a US citizen. The feds say he was armed and planning a violent assault. Possible. But considering how the feds lied about Renee Good, skepticism and an independent investigation are necessary.

Opinion | The Island That Actually Matters to American Interests

As President Trump chases Greenland, he seems to be running away from Taiwan -- and that risks tempting Xi Jinping and elevating the risks of a catastrophic war. My column from Taipei: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...

The top of tomorrow's @startribune.com is taken up by more stories of ICE predation: the detention of a 5-year-old boy, and separately a 2-year-old girl grabbed and sent to Texas despite a judge ordering the child's release. Why persecute children?

F.B.I. Agent Who Tried to Investigate ICE Officer in Shooting Resigns

The FBI officer who was trying to investigate the ICE officer who shot Renee Good has resigned after being pressured by Trump administration officials to halt her inquiry: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...

So over 5 years later Trump is suddenly suing for this and we are supposed to believe this has nothing to do with Jamie Dimon recently stating that he will not donate to Trump’s ballroom?

Jack Smith Will Not Be Silenced Finally, the former Special Counsel speaks the truth in public, while the vengeful target of his criminal investigation continues to spread lies

“Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan. 6, that it was foreseeable to him and that he sought to exploit the violence,” Smith testified. Yet Trump continues to lie the election was “rigged” & threaten prosecutions.

www.americaamerica.news/p/jack-smith...

Newly released documents show that the Trump administration was deporting non-citizens because they expressed sympathy for Palestinians.

This extraordinary photo captures federal immigration agents immobilizing a protester on the ground and spraying chemical irritant into his face. It runs on the front page of tonight's Minneapolis @startribune.com. It reminds me of the brutality used against civil rights protesters in the 1960s.

Opinion | The American Threat: Three Words I Never Imagined Typing

“Our friends and allies must stop indulging, enabling, and submitting to America’s president. Only forthright resistance and tough love will get us out of our downward spiral.”

~ @larrydiamond.bsky.social via @nickkristof.bsky.social.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...

Critical take of my weekend Taiwan column:

Opinion | The American Threat: Three Words I Never Imagined Typing

My new column is about Trump's threats to Greenland, to Europe, to the world order, and the need to stand up to him rather than submit. It's headlined: "The American Threat: Three Words I Never Imagined Typing." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...

Opinion | Please, World Leaders, Don’t Appease America

My new column is a strange one for an American columnist to write: "Please, world leaders, don't appease America!"
All of us, Americans included, will be better off if Europeans have the gumption to stand up to an increasingly erratic Trump. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...

Read the full transcript of Carney’s speech to World Economic Forum - National | Globalnews.ca Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a forceful speech in Davos, Switzerland, on the 'new world order' and how middle powers like Canada can benefit by working together.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at Davos is quite brilliant. Without vitriol or exaggeration, he outlines the harsh new world that Trump is leading us all toward. Here's the full text; much recommended: globalnews.ca/news/1162087...

As Trump was saying in his press conference that America was never more respected, I took a call from a prominent European. He heard Trump's voice and asked if I was listening to the "rambling mendacities" of "the demented leader of the free world." So much for global respect.

Opinion | How Trump Has Used the Presidency to Make at Least $1.4 Billion The president took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he’s focused his second term on enriching himself and his family.

The swamp has never been so fetid. President Trump has greedily raked in $1.4 billion (an underestimate) in the last year, often from those seeking favor. E.g. He accepts a Qatari jet and promises US forces will protect Qatar. The corruption is staggering: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The Prime Minister of Belgium speaks:

Best Give!Guide Yet It’s been three weeks, and we’re still happily stunned by Give!Guide’s final results.

News organizations sometimes wonder how they can deepen ties to their communities. One answer is shown in the Portland weekly @wweek.com's annual philanthropic drive for local nonprofits. This year it raised a remarkable $9 million from 17,000 donors. www.wweek.com/giveguide/20... Bravo!

The Trump threats about Greenland don't strengthen anything. They may destroy NATO and they weaken both Europe and America. And why Trump thinks it's wise to tax Americans (through tariffs) to punish Europe for protecting NATO territory is beyond me.

So much of covering the Trump administration is reminiscent of covering authoritarian regimes abroad, including the indifference to facts. We in journalism need to be as vigilant about correcting misinformation from the Trump administration as we are when covering Putin or Xi.

In other news, Kristof Farms Chief Security Officer Connie Kristof checks for intruders at sunrise this morning on The Most Beautiful Farm in the World.

Great piece by NYT’s Nick Kristof on Taiwan conflict dangers. Several useful sources. Emphasizes deterring China without provoking them. Key question is how best to do that.