The Introspective

The week included changes to health guidance, funding freezes, foreign policy moves, and a fatal ICE shooting.

Dante Belcher

Jan 9, 2026

Trump’s 51st week brought escalations in immigration, health policies, and global tensions. This follows a woman being shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during an operation in Minneapolis. She was later identified as Renee Good, a U.S. citizen.

Following a previous report from The Introspective detailing allegations of fraud involving Minnesota’s Somali population, the Trump administration froze $10 billion in funding for five states, raising concerns amid continuing anti-immigrant sentiment. At the same time, the administration expanded the list of countries whose visa applicants will be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States.

As global tensions rise, the Trump administration called acquiring Greenland a “national security priority,” highlighting potential military involvement. This comes as the United States seized a third oil tanker related to Venezuela, underscoring escalating tensions after a previous Introspective report detailed a U.S. strike in the country that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to face drug and weapons charges in New York.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the number of vaccines recommended for children, making certain immunizations, including the flu shot, optional.

Minneapolis

An ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Nicole Good—a U.S. citizen—during an operation on Wednesday, blocks away from where George Floyd was killed in 2020.

“Today, in an act of domestic terrorism, an anti-ICE rioter weaponized her vehicle against law enforcement,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote on X.

“Our officer relied on his training and saved his own life, as well as the lives of his fellow officers.”

Eyewitnesses at the scene disputed the allegation, saying Good was attempting to leave when officers shot her unprovoked.

“I could tell that my body was in a state of shock,” recalled Betsy, who witnessed the shooting during a morning walk, to ABC News.

“I felt really scared by what was happening and was in a kind of a state of terror and fear.”

In a Truth Social post, President Trump shared a video showing the ICE agent being hit by Good’s car before it crashed into a parked car and a light pole, saying Good was “very disorderly, obstructing and resisting.”

“The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator,” he wrote.

“The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our law enforcement officers and ICE agents on a daily basis.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to the shooting, saying he issued a “warning order” to prepare the Minnesota National Guard while encouraging peaceful protests.

“I want Minnesotans to hear this from me: The desire to get out in the protest and to speak up to this administration of how wrong this is, that is a patriotic duty at this point in time, but it needs to be done safely,” he said.

“I feel your anger, I am angry. They want a show, we can’t give it to them.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused the ICE agent of being “reckless,” claiming his actions were not self-defense.

“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying—getting killed,” he said.

He later told ICE to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”

“We do not want you here,” he added.

“Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. And now, somebody is dead.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dismissed Frey’s response, saying, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s very clear that this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations. Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation, and took actions to defend himself and defend his fellow law enforcement officers.”

The ICE agent involved in the shooting has since been treated and released from the hospital.

Immigration and Funding

As anti-immigrant sentiment continues, the Trump administration froze $10 billion in social services funding for five states, including Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois, and Colorado, following a previous Introspective report alleging fraud within Minnesota’s Somali population.

“For too long, Democrat-led states and governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch,” said Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in a statement to The Introspective.

“Under the Trump administration, we are ensuring that federal taxpayer dollars are being used for legitimate purposes. We will ensure these states are following the law and protecting hard-earned taxpayer money.”

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) said it has not received any notice about potential impacts to funding, which include $7 billion for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, $2.4 billion for the Child Care Development Fund, and $870 million for social services grants aimed at children.

“This is yet another politically motivated action by the Trump administration that confuses families and leaves states with more questions than answers. IDHS will provide an update if it is made aware of program or funding changes,” the agency said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the freeze, accusing the Trump administration of an “assault” on children and saying the state will “fight” for funding.

“Why is there such a frontal assault on children in this nation from this administration? Just back in November they stopped feeding our kids. Now they won’t vaccinate our kids. They are not allowing parents to have their health care premiums covered without going up dramatically to make sure our kids are raised safely and healthy,” she said.

“And now they don’t give a damn about child care for kids. We will fight this with every fiber of our being because our kids should not be political pawns in a fight that Donald Trump seems to have with blue-state governors.”

This comes as HHS announced it was ending many Biden-era rules that “required states to pay providers before verifying any attendance and before care was delivered,” citing ongoing fraud allegations in Minnesota.

“Congress appropriated this funding to support working families and ensure children have safe places to grow and learn,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a press release.

“Loopholes and fraud diverted that money to bad actors instead. Today, we are correcting that failure and returning these funds to the working families they were meant to serve.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration expanded the list of countries whose visa applicants must post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States. The new list now includes Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Previous countries on the list included Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, and Zambia.

Greenland, Venezuela, and Vaccines

As global tensions continue to rise, the Trump administration said acquiring Greenland—which is governed by Denmark—is a “national security priority,” and that using the military is being considered.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

European leaders—including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Denmark—later released a statement saying they would “not stop defending” Greenland’s sovereignty.

“The Kingdom of Denmark—including Greenland—is part of NATO,” the statement posted to X read.

“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them. Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

At the same time, as tensions with Venezuela reached a boiling point, the U.S. seized a third oil tanker—the M/V Bella 1—related to the Latin American country in the Atlantic Ocean, following previous Introspective reports highlighting other seized ships.

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” wrote the U.S. European Command on X, referring to the ship used by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A fourth tanker, the M/T Sophia, was captured the next day, with authorities alleging the ship was “conducting illicit activities” in international waters.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the number of vaccines recommended for children, making certain immunizations, including the flu shot, optional.

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a statement.

“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said all vaccines recommended by the CDC will continue to be covered by insurance.

“No family will lose access. This framework empowers parents and physicians to make individualized decisions based on risk, while maintaining strong protection against serious disease,” he said.

This comes as countries such as Denmark cover immunizations for more than 10 diseases, compared with 18 diseases covered by the United States in 2024.