Your Weekend Reader for Jan. 24-25

by | Jan 24, 2026 | Weekend Reader

Another week, another person shot to death in Minneapolis in another encounter with federal officers. At this writing, it appears that The Associated Press is doing a good job following the breaking story — and I’m pretty sure you’d be better off following the AP’s work than relying on social media. I also am sure that you will be shocked to learn that statements from the federal government about the shooting appear to contradict video accounts examined by news organizations. Access to the AP’s site is free, but you could consider making a contribution.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is saying it has recruited 12,000 or so new ICE officers, agents and legal staff in the last four month. If the claim is true, it would mark the fastest expansion of a federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. But there’s a catch, Nick Miroff reports in The Atlantic: Many of the new recruits are not ready to hit the streets, and some lack the necessary aptitude and qualifications for the job. But administration officials itching to expand their immigration enforcement efforts to cities beyond Minneapolis aren’t likely to worry too much about unleashing underprepared agents.

Much of the country is hunkering down this weekend for what could be an unprecedented winter storm. Cold is one thing. Snow is another. But, as we learned in the mid-valley just a few years ago, “ice will humble you fast.” Nancy Walecki writes in The Atlantic about the forecast for stretches of the United States that don’t have a lot of experience with winter weather — ice in particular. One meteorologist told Walecki that preparing for such a storm is like “preparing for a hurricane — except it’s ice.”

Are you baffled about how certain segments of the population seem to be diehard Trump supporters? A new study might give you some clarity: The authors of the study say you need to examine how the president maintains backing from four different segments of supporters.

The May election is nearer than you think. Two new GOP candidates announced plans this week to run for governor: One is a Republican state House member from Scio. The other is a right-wing influencer who was pardoned by Trump for his actions in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. At this point, neither appears likely to seriously challenge the GOP front-runner, state Sen. Christine Drazan, who may be facing off against Gov. Tina Kotek in a November rematch. (And, as weird as this sounds in a Democratic-leaning state, I think Kotek is vulnerable.)

Moving on to world affairs: Here’s Nicholas Kristof in the Times, arguing that President Trump’s obsession with Greenland obscures the fact that the president may be ignoring (or, at best, soft-pedaling) the threat China poses to another island of considerably more importance — Taiwan.

The San Francisco 49ers football team has suffered a remarkably long list of injuries this season, and in seasons past. Is that because its practice facility is too close to an electrical substation? No. But did that stop a conspiracy theory from erupting this past week? You know the answer.

We had plenty of news this week about movies, especially with the Oscar nominations announced Thursday. First, though, a sad note from Park City, Utah, which is hosting the Sundance Film Festival for the last time this winter. After this year, the festival is moving to Boulder, Colorado.

You might recall an edition of the Reader a few weeks ago, when I suggested that if you had seen “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” you would get a big head start on your Oscar preparations this year. I wasn’t wrong: Those two films combined collected 29 nominations, with “Sinners” alone nabbing a record 16 nominations. But eight other movies also collected best picture nominations, so now you may be wondering: In what order should I see those other movies to take care of most of my Oscar homework?

Here’s the short answer: “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” According to the latest odds from the Gold Derby website. there’s a 93% chance that one of those two movies will be the best picture winner, with “One Battle” holding a substantial lead over “Sinners.” (It is, however, notoriously difficult for a film to lead the Oscar race from start to finish.)

After that, see “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “Sentimental Value,” whose stars currently are front-runners for acting Oscars. Check out the remaining five flicks — which include very some good movies — at your leisure. One of those five flicks has a Northwest connection: “Train Dreams” was shot in eastern Washington.

I’ll let you know when and if the Oscar odds change. Also, I’m inclined to run my Oscar predictions contest, in which prizes await those readers who beat my prediction record, again this year.

What I’m reading: “When the Going Was Good,” the breezy and engaging memoir by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Carter, who also co-founded Spy Magazine, always will have a warm place in my heart for coining the phrase “short-fingered vulgarian” to describe Donald Trump. As Carter explains in this interview with Seth Meyers, Trump responded in part by sending Carter photos of his hands in an apparent attempt to discredit the claim that his hands were freakishly small. I am not aware that Trump ever took action to dispute the “vulgarian” part of the epithet.

That’s it for this weekend. We’ll gather here next weekend to — I don’t know — compare hand sizes?

Correction: Alex Pretti, the victim of Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis, was shot by Border Patrol agents, not U.S. Immigration and Customs agents, as the Weekend Reader originally reported.

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