A video still from the X account of U.S Southern Command shows a vessel in the eastern Pacific before it was struck Monday.  (U.S. Southern Command via X)

The U.S. said Monday that it hit a vessel allegedly transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor in thesecond such strikein the past four days.

Citing "intelligence," U.S. Southern Commandsaid Monday on Xthat the vessel "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations."

"Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike," it said, adding that the Coast Guard was activated for search-and-rescue operations.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. largely eased off attacks on boats in the region after the Jan. 3 arrest and removal of then-PresidentNicolás Maduroof Venezuela. Maduro, who is being held in a New York jail, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, which include narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

The U.S. renewed the boat strikes in late January.

The Trump administration has argued that the dozens of strikes, which began in September and have killed at least 120 people, are necessary to help stop the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who met with President Donald Trump last week, has repeatedly decried the U.S. strikes in the region, comparing them to war crimes. Colombian citizens have been injured or killed in previous strikes.

U.S. strike on alleged drug boat kills 2 and leaves a survivor

The U.S. said Monday that it hit a vessel allegedly transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor...
Top EU diplomat drafts a list of concessions Russia needs to make to secure real peace in Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that she is drafting a list of concessions that she believes Russia must make to secure any long-term peace in Ukraine as U.S.-run talks to endfour years of warshow little sign of progress.

Russian forces usedcluster munitionsin an attack on a market in Ukraine killing seven as envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi last week foranother roundof U.S.-brokered talks. No breakthrough was made, although a new prisoner swap was agreed.

After saying in 2024 that he could end the war in a day, then 100 days, U.S. President Donald Trump has now given Ukraine and Russiauntil Juneto come to an agreement.

The EU is convinced that Russia is not negotiating seriously and it doubts that European and Ukrainian interests are being represented by the Trump administration, so work has begun on "a sustainable peace plan" that might force Moscow's hand.

"We have just seen increased bombing by Russians during these talks," EU foreign policy chief Kallas said, including the targeting of Ukraine'selectricity gridduring what has been the coldest winter of the war.

Kallas said that the 27-nation bloc is "very grateful" for U.S. diplomatic efforts so far, but "to have sustainable peace also, everybody around the table including the Russians and the Americans need to understand that you need Europeans to agree."

European conditions

"We also have conditions," Kallas told reporters in Brussels. "And we should put the conditions not on Ukrainians that have already been pressured a lot, but on the Russians."

Kallas said these conditions could include demands that Russia return possibly thousands of childrenabducted from Ukraineand limits on the size of the Russian armed forces once the war is over. Russia insists on a cap for Ukraine's forces.

"The Ukrainian army is not the issue. It's the Russian army. It's the Russian military expenditure. If they spend so much on the military they will have to use it again," Kallas said.

A draft list of conditions is likely to be shared among EU member countries in coming days for a possible discussion when the bloc's foreign ministers meet on Feb. 23.

Shifting pressure from Ukraine

Kallas said that Ukraine is reliant on the United States for support and that this dependency has seen it forced to make almost all the concessions.

"Pressuring the weaker party is always maybe getting the results faster but it's only a declaration that we have peace. It's not sustainable peace. It's not going to be a guarantee for Ukraine or anybody else that Russia is not going to attack again."

She said that the Europeans do not want to start a separate track of peace talks, which Russia in any case would likely dismiss. Russian officials have said they are waiting for the Trump administration to deliver on commitments they say he made to Russian President Vladimir Putin at asummit last year.

Kallas described them as "absolute maximalist demands" that are not acceptable to the Europeans. Insread, she said, Europe must "change the narrative" and ratchet up pressure on Putin.

"Everybody wants this war to stop, except the Russians," she said. "We can push them into the place where they actually want to end this war. They're not there yet. Unfortunately, it's not an easy solution."

Kallas cited recent intelligence estimates that Putin is struggling to find recruits to continue his war effort and insisted that EU sanctions are damaging Russia's economy as inflation there runs high.

"We need to go from the place where they pretend to negotiate, to where they actually negotiate, and we are not there," she said.

Top EU diplomat drafts a list of concessions Russia needs to make to secure real peace in Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that she is drafting a list of concessions that she...
Top Iranian adviser visits mediator Oman, as Iran and US prepare for talks

By Jana Choukeir and Elwely Elwelly

Reuters

DUBAI, Feb 10 - A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader discussed ways to reach a "balanced and just" agreement with the United States during talks in Oman on Tuesday, as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume ​negotiations aimed at averting a new conflict.

Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the U.S. last week, which a spokesperson for Iran's ‌foreign ministry said had allowed Tehran to gauge Washington's seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue.

The talks came after U.S. President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in ‌the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump, who joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites, had threatened last month to intervene militarily during a bloody government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, but ultimately held off.

"After the talks, we felt there was understanding and consensus to continue the diplomatic process," said the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei.

Baghaei said Tuesday's trip to Oman by Ali Larijani, an adviser to Supreme ⁠Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been pre-planned, and that ‌Larijani would travel next to Qatar, which has also mediated in several Middle East crises.

Oil prices eased on Tuesday as traders remained focused on Iran-U.S. tensions.

DIFFERENCE OVER WHETHER TO DISCUSS MISSILE STOCKPILE

Oman's state news agency said Larijani and ‍Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq discussed ways to reach a "balanced and just" agreement between Iran and the U.S., stressing the importance of returning to dialogue to bridge differences and promote regional and global peace and security.

Iranian state media said the meeting lasted nearly three hours.

The date and venue of the next round of U.S.-Iran talks ​have yet to be announced.

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The U.S. is seeking to expand the scope of negotiations with Iran beyond the nuclear issue to curb Iran's ‌ballistic missile programme, one of the biggest in the Middle East.

Tehran says its missile arsenal has been rebuilt since last year's 12-day bombing campaign by Israel and the U.S., and that its stockpile is non-negotiable.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use a meeting with Trump in Washington on Wednesday to push for any U.S.-Iran deal to include limitations on Tehran's missiles.

Baghaei said the U.S. "must act independently of foreign pressures, especially Israeli pressures that ignore the interests of the region and even the U.S."

In any negotiations, Iran would continue to demand the lifting of financial sanctions and ⁠insist on its nuclear rights including enrichment, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said.

Washington has ​demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, a ​small step away from the 90% that is considered weapons grade.

VANCE SAYS TRUMP WILL DECIDE RED LINES

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, said on Monday: "The possibility of diluting 60% enriched uranium ... depends on whether, in return, ‍all sanctions are lifted or not".

Asked whether ⁠the U.S. would allow limited uranium enrichment by Iran, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said during a visit to Armenia on Monday: "I think President Trump is going to make the ultimate determination about where we draw the red lines in the negotiations."

Iran and the ⁠U.S. held five rounds of talks last year on curbing Tehran's nuclear programme, with the process breaking down mainly due to disputes over uranium enrichment inside Iran.

Since Trump struck ‌Iran's facilities, Tehran has said it has halted enrichment activity. It has always said its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful ‌purposes.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

Top Iranian adviser visits mediator Oman, as Iran and US prepare for talks

By Jana Choukeir and Elwely Elwelly DUBAI, Feb 10 - A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader discussed way...
Kaley Cuoco Says Filming

Bruno Calvo/AGC Studios/Fragile Films/MGM+

People Kaley Cuoco in 'Vanished' Bruno Calvo/AGC Studios/Fragile Films/MGM+

NEED TO KNOW

  • In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Kaley Cuoco says she enjoyed filming fight scenes for her new thriller Vanished

  • She also opens up about her most exhausting day on set, which included hours of crying

  • Vanished airs weekly on Sundays on MGM+

Kaley Cuocoisn't afraid of a little action.

In her latest role in the MGM+ thrillerVanished,Cuoco's Alice is on an intense search for her boyfriend Tom (Sam Claflin), after he suddenly goes missing on their train to the south of France. Throughout just four episodes, she uncovers his dangerous secret life that leaves her fearing for her own safety.

"Anyone that knows me knows I'm obsessed with true crime," Cuoco tells PEOPLE. "So I've watched so much of these documentaries and all this stuff — this could happen. I've watched way crazier s--- happen. So it felt realistic in a way."

Kaley Cuoco on 'Vanished' MGM+/YouTube

MGM+/YouTube

The actress notes that her character went through a plethora of both physical and emotional battles and admits there were "definitely a few" times she was eager to get certain scenes over with.

"I remember we were doing the hotel scene in one of the rooms where I literally spent, like, seven straight hours crying my eyes out, because it was a crying scene," Cuoco recalls. "By the end of it, I had cried for so long I was like, 'I don't think I can ever cry again. I think the tears have left my body. I am done.' I got more worn out from crying than I did doing any fight scenes."

"Actually, what I loved was shooting the fight scenes," she adds. "That was so fun. I love doing active stuff like this and learning the choreography and getting down and dirty, and it was actually really fun. So I really enjoyed the fight scenes."

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Cuoco explains that there are a lot of different technical strategies that are "mapped out for days" before filming a fight sequence, which she found interesting.

Sam Claflin (left) and Kaley Cuoco on 'Vanished' Bruno Calvo/AGC Studios/Fragile Films/MGM+

Bruno Calvo/AGC Studios/Fragile Films/MGM+

She also made sure to stick to a relaxing nighttime routine, especially because she traveled to film in Marseille alone while her fiancéTom Pelphreystayed back with their 2-year-old daughterMatilda.

"A large glass of wine right when I get home," she shares. "I don't care what time it is. A large glass of wine, and then turning on my sitcoms —Seinfeld— turning on my shows. That always makes me feel like I'm at home, which I still do today. I watched those shows today."

She continues, "When people come up to me and they're like, 'Oh my God,Big Bang, I grew up watching…' There are shows that I feel that way about that are my comfort, so I totally understand that, and I had those when I was in France."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Vanishedairs weekly on Sundays on MGM+.

Read the original article onPeople

Kaley Cuoco Says Filming “Vanished” Crying Scene for 7 Hours Was More Tiring Than Fight Sequences (Exclusive)

Bruno Calvo/AGC Studios/Fragile Films/MGM+ NEED TO KNOW In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Kaley Cuoco says...
Prince Harry's Absence Has Turned Royal Family 'Joyless,' Says Source

Prince Harryis reportedly needed for the royal family's vitality. It has been years since the Duke of Sussex cut ties with the royal family. Since then, the monarchy has allegedly lacked the humor and warmth that his presence brought. As per a source, the royals have entered a "joyless era."

Prince Harry 'vital' to Royal Family as his absence risks 'real danger,' says source

Experts have told Prince Harry is "vital" for the royal family as it is stuck in a "joyless era," according to an insider. Supporters have reportedly said that the monarchy has paid a cultural price for his absence. One royal source told the outlet, "What the monarchy is lacking at the moment is the lightness Harry once brought with him." They added, "He had a natural humor and ease that cut through formality. Without that presence, the institution feels unusually somber."

"It has created an atmosphere that many see as its most joyless period in years," the insider continued. This is "making it harder for the public to feel engaged." Analysts have observed a deeper generational problem with the senior working royals in the 60s, while the younger ones are less likely to prefer the monarchy.

One palace watcher shared, "This is precisely why Harry still matters to the monarchy's public image. He understands how to reach audiences who are unmoved by ceremony and scripted addresses." Additionally, the prince "communicates in a way that feels natural to people who would otherwise switch off." Another royal expert agreed and shared how those shaping "Brand Royalty" should accept Harry "like family" again.

They continued, "Like any institution that wants to survive long term, the monarchy cannot rely on a single audience. It has to speak across age groups and social divides if it hopes to remain relevant."

As such, the source feels "Harry's skills make him vital to the royal's brand." A royal aide explained, "Harry had an ability to connect with people who felt alienated by the formality of royal communications." They added, "His natural warmth and humor softened the institution and helped it feel relatable rather than remote."

The postPrince Harry's Absence Has Turned Royal Family 'Joyless,' Says Sourceappeared first onReality Tea.

Prince Harry’s Absence Has Turned Royal Family ‘Joyless,’ Says Source

Prince Harryis reportedly needed for the royal family's vitality. It has been years since the Duke of Sussex cut ties with the royal f...
Blake Garrett, child actor from

Gran Via/New Line/Imagine Ent/Walden

Entertainment Weekly Blake Garrett has died at 33 Gran Via/New Line/Imagine Ent/Walden 

Blake Garrett, who appeared as part of the 2006 family movieHow to Eat Fried Worms, has died at 33.

His mother, Carol Garrett, who confirmed his death toTMZ, said he died Sunday. Last week, he had experienced severe pain and gone to the emergency room, where he was diagnosed with shingles, she said. The elder Garrett told the outlet that she thought her son might have self-medicated and that his death might have been an accident.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

She also said that her son, who was born in Texas, had lived a good life in Oklahoma for the past three years, after becoming sober.

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to the Tulsa Medical Examiner.

In 2006, Blake Garrett portrayed Plug in Bob Dolman's adaptation of the popular 1973 children's book of the same name. The movie about a boy who takes another's bet that he can't eat 15 worms in 15 days costarred Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Clint Howard, Andrea Martin, Tom Cavanagh, James Rebhorn, and a host of young actors. Hallie Eisenberg was among them.

The group won the prize for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film at the Young Artist Awards in 2007.

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Before that movie, Garrett had toured with Barney, the iconic purple dinosaur, and appeared in 2004'sBarney's Colorful World, Live!

He spoke toThe Oklahomannewspaper ahead of his movie.

"I play the bully's henchman," he said in 2006. "But everybody got along on the set."

He described his experience on his final movie before leaving movies as a fun one.

Blake Garrett, left, appears in 'How to Eat Fried Worms' Van Redin/Gran Via/New Line/Imagine 

Van Redin/Gran Via/New Line/Imagine

"There were rows of bicycles, and they let me have first pick," Garrett said. "There was one scene where we were riding on a gravel road and got to slide to a stop. The guys who could ride worked on that scene. They had a camera on the ground, and in one scene I slid and gravel hit the camera. They really liked that shot, and that's the one they used in the movie."

He had previously worked on local productions such as "Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute" and "Aladdin and His Magical Lamp."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

Blake Garrett, child actor from “How to Eat Fried Worms”, dies at 33

Gran Via/New Line/Imagine Ent/Walden Blake Garrett, who appeared as part of the 2006 family movieHow to Eat ...
Retired Farmer 'Lucky' to Be Alive After Being 'Headbutted' and 'Punched' in Vicious Kangaroo Attack

A retired farmer from Victoria, Australia is recalling the injuries he received when he was attacked by a kangaroo

People An alpha male Red Kangaroo, Lake Mungo, New South Wales, Australia Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Col told Melbourne radio station 3AW that the animal "headbutted" and "punched" him in the incident

  • The man also said he was "very lucky" to be alive, likening his injuries to those typically associated with a "car crash"

An Australian man is recovering from serious injuries after being viciously attacked by a kangaroo.

Retired farmer Col was hanging out at his friend's house when the attack took place, he told the Melbourne radio show,3AW Drive, on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The pair heard Col's friend's dog barking. and, sensing something was wrong, went in search of the animal. They found the dog barking at a kangaroo, but weren't able to get away before the kangaroo approached.

"We drove across the paddock to the dam, and the kangaroo was standing up … leaning back on their tail trying to grab us. So I hit him with a stick, and he jumped into the dam," said Col.

Western grey kangaroo fight in Western Australia Getty

"He just came out of the water like a bl---y rocket and headbutted me in the face and punched the c--- out of me," he recalled. "...I've gone onto my back, and when I stood up to run away, he's given me … a roundhouse to the back and jumped on me and grabbed my head … he wouldn't let go."

Col was seen in photos with large claw marks and bruising on his back, a bloody bandaged head, and scratches on his arms. His blood-covered shirt was also torn in the attack. Col added that the kangaroo clawed him three inches deep on both sides of the stomach.

Col said his friend "got a shovel and hit" the kangaroo, causing it to let go of him as he jumped back in the dam. He was then sent to the hospital, where he remained for six hours as his injuries were treated, per3AW Drive.

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Australia, Western Australia, 10/10/2017 South of Perth city on bush road.single kangaroo crossing fram road Getty

Col likened his injuries to those typically received in a "car crash" and said that he is "very lucky" to be alive.

"It was really quick. A lot of Injuries for probably 25 seconds of work," he said. "I am very lucky. If I hadn't rolled onto my stomach, I would have been in a lot worse way."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

According to theUniversity of Melbourne, a kangaroo may sometimes see the upright stance of humans "as a threat" and they "may lash out in self-defence if we approach."

"An adult male kangaroo may view our stance as a serious challenge, and if large and confident, may escalate and attack," the university added.

Read the original article onPeople

Retired Farmer 'Lucky' to Be Alive After Being 'Headbutted' and 'Punched' in Vicious Kangaroo Attack

A retired farmer from Victoria, Australia is recalling the injuries he received when he was attacked by a kangaroo ...
Rümeysa Öztürk portrait (Mel Musto / Getty Images file)

A U.S. immigration court has terminated the Trump administration's attempt to deport a Tufts University student and pro-Palestinian activist who has been critical of Israel, her lawyers said Monday.

The court terminated the government's removal proceedings on Jan. 29, finding that the government has not met its burden in proving thatRümeysa Öztürk, a Ph.D. student from Turkey studying children's relationship to social media, should be deported, the lawyers said.

The termination was noted Monday in a filing on behalf of Öztürk with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City, where she is challenging her arrest and detention.

"Today, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that despite the justice system's flaws, my case may give hope to those who have also been wronged by the U.S. government," Öztürk said in a statement Monday. "Though the pain that I and thousands of other women wrongfully imprisoned by ICE have faced cannot be undone, it is heartening to know that some justice can prevail after all."

Immigration officers detained Öztürk in March, and a federal judge ordered her release in May, pending proceedings on the merits of her habeas corpus petition. Terminating removal proceedings "does not moot her habeas case," her lawyers wrote.

Her legal team's filing says the immigration court in question denied a key argument the Trump administration used toupend the immigration statusof multiple students and campus activists critical of Israel amid its war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson characterized the immigration court decision as "judicial activism" and called Öztürk a "terrorist sympathizer."

"Visas provided to foreign students to live, study, and work, in the United States are a privilege, not a right — no matter what this or any other activist judicial ruling says," the spokesperson said in a statement Monday. "And when you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country."

Immigration court proceedings are generally not public, and the decision ruling that Öztürk cannot be deported was filed under seal, her lawyers said in their filing. They offered to provide a copy to the appeals court under seal.

Öztürk was arrested March 25 in Somerville, Massachusetts. In supporting her release from an immigrant detention facility,Tufts said in Aprilthat Öztürk had co-authored an opinion piece in the student newspaper criticizing the university's response to the war in Gaza and demanding it divest from ties to Israel.

The Trump administration cited a rarely used provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that allows the secretary of state to deport noncitizens if it is determined their presence would result in "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."

In their filing Monday, Öztürk's lawyers, including counsel from the ACLU of Massachusetts, highlighted what they called the "dangers" of the government's interpretation of the act.

"Under the government's view," they wrote, "it could punitively detain any noncitizen in retaliation for her speech for many months, so long as it simultaneously institutes removal proceedings—no matter how unmeritorious—all without any federal court review of the lawfulness of detention at any time."

Defense team member Mahsa Khanbabai said in a statement Monday that the Trump administration "has manipulated immigration laws to silence people who advocate for Palestinian human rights and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

Khanbabai added: "I hope that other immigration judges will follow her lead and decline to rubber stamp the president's cruel deportation agenda."

Court rules U.S. can't deport Tufts student who criticized Israel, her lawyers say in filing

A U.S. immigration court has terminated the Trump administration's attempt to deport a Tufts University student and pro-Palestinian ac...
Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents

A federal judge has blocked California from enforcing a new law that would banfederal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings.

The Department of Justice sued to strike down the ban in November 2025 after it was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. In a ruling on Feb. 9, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder preliminarily struck down the law, and upheld another California law that requires federal officers to display their identification while performing their official duties.

The Trump administration hailed the ruling as a win, with Attorney GeneralPam Bondicalling it a "key court victory." The Justice Department argued in the lawsuit that immigration agents "face a real threat of criminal liability from state officials who have made clear their intent to target federal officers and disrupt federal law enforcement activities, including federal immigration enforcement."

"These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs. We have no tolerance for it," Bondisaidin her statement on Feb. 9.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also counted the ruling to uphold the identification law as "a clear win for the rule of law," and said "no badge and no name mean no accountability."

<p style=After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. People partake in a People partake in a People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a Protestors clash with police during a Protestors clash with police during a In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents. LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026. Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike.

'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

More:Safety measure? Or intimidation tactic? Masked ICE agents spark the debate

In the ruling, Snyder said that the federal government would likely prove the mask ban to be unconstitutional because it treated state officers differently than federal officers; the law included local law enforcement officers and federal officers but not state officers.

The ruling comes as political tension is heightened over PresidentDonald Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions in primarily Democrat-led states and cities. Weeks of protests have spread nationally after federal officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, inMinneapolis, where the administration recently announced the departure of hundreds of immigration enforcement personnel. In videos and photos, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents are routinely seen wearing face coverings while conducting operations, making arrests and clashing with protesters.

Masked federal immigration agents are seen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Los Angeles has also been atarget for enhanced immigration enforcement, which sparked protests that at times turned violent last summer.

More:White House negotiating with Democrats on DHS reform as deadline nears

Scott Wiener, the state senator who introduced the mask ban, said in a statement that he will introduce new legislation to include state officers, and said the ruling demonstrates that California has the right to block officers from covering their faces if state officers are included.

"Today's federal court ruling is a huge win: The Court ruled that California has the power to protect our community by banning officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks and thus inflicting terror and shielding themselves from accountability," Wiener, a Democrat whose area of representation includes San Francisco, said.

"ICE and Border Patrol are covering their faces to maximize their terror campaign and to insulate themselves from accountability. We won't let them get away with it," Wienersaid.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents

Judge blocks California mask ban for federal agents

A federal judge has blocked California from enforcing a new law that would banfederal immigration agents and other law e...

 

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