Will St. Paul’s new mayor hire an outside investigator to look into police use of force during an ICE operation in November?

Is the St. Paul city council working with enough urgency on immigration matters?

Those were among the questions asked during a community meeting Thursday night in St. Paul. It was scheduled in response to earlier ICE actions but took on more urgency after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Macklin Good on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

“Renee Good is not exactly why we’re here today,” but she’s actually exactly why people filled a room at Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center in Dayton’s Bluff, said independent journalist Georgia Fort.

She said testimony from a man at a recent St. Paul city council meeting stuck with her.

“He said, ‘I saw a federal agent point a live gun at an unarmed, peaceful protester,’” Fort said, adding that she also saw it. “What that guy said to the council that night was, ‘Imagine what would happen if he had pulled the trigger.’ But we did not have urgency at the council meeting. We still don’t have any action taken for the brutality that was inflicted in the city of St. Paul.”

Defending perimeter or unnecessary force?

On Nov. 25, federal deportation officers were conducting an operation in the 600 block of East Rose Avenue in St. Paul’s Payne-Phalen to arrest an undocumented person who’d previously been removed from the U.S. and who had re-entered unlawfully, according to a probable cause statement signed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer and filed with a criminal complaint in federal court.

ICE arrested that man, but the incident continued for about five hours until they arrested another man. The second man is charged in federal court with assaulting and impeding a federal officer, by allegedly striking the officer’s vehicle with his own, and improper entry to the U.S.

All St. Paul city council members, along with community members, have said that police used unnecessary force.

Police were called to assist when protesters broke the federal perimeter, “the street was compromised with foot and vehicle traffic, and a dangerous situation was unfolding,” the St. Paul Police Department has said in a statement.

Police Chief Axel Henry said at the time his officers were acting to protect protesters as well as ICE agents.

“Reports came out that people were starting to arm themselves with rocks and sticks,” Henry previously said. “… I asked additional officers to come to the scene to make the scene safe for both those who were there to protest those events and for the agents themselves.”

St. Paul police sprayed chemical irritants. After someone threw an object at a departing police vehicle’s back window and broke it, police launched 40-mm projectiles and chemical munitions.

“The old rules of engagement are being thrown out the window,” said Samuel Torres, co-chair of the board of Indigenous Roots, at Thursday’s meeting. “… We’re seeing that when our neighbors and our relatives are being tear gassed point blank in the face, being brutalized and pushed to the ground, even though they need a walking stick or a cane to stand up upright.”

People have spoken out at city council meetings about what happened on Nov. 25, and now they’re looking for the city council and Mayor Kaohly Her “to do more than offer words in a meeting,” said Danielle Matthias, Minnesota Freedom Fund’s policy and advocacy director. “We’re asking for real protections, for real accountability and real action to ensure that this never happens again because when our observers are harmed for documenting government misconduct, democracy in itself is at risk.”

Status of city council action

Six of the seven city council members sat at a table at the front of the packed room Thursday night. The legislative aide for Council Member Cheniqua Johnson, who is on maternity leave, read a message from Johnson.

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City council members gave updates on a resolution they unanimously passed last month that called for:

Investigation: An investigation into officers’ actions by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training. “This process will follow the completion of an internal affairs investigation, which is underway,” said Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim.

Audit: A financial audit of St. Paul police personnel, operations, equipment and supply costs from their presence on Nov. 25. They’re awaiting a timeline from the city’s Office of Financial Services, Kim said.

Ordinance: Working to strengthen the city’s separation ordinance, which says city employees are not authorized to enforce federal immigration policies. “What we wanted to really focus on was what are the actions we can do … as quickly as possible,” said council member Nelsie Yang, who represents the area of the Nov. 25 operation. The council has a committee meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday about changes they’re considering.

Outside investigator?

St. Paul’s Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission unanimously voted at its December meeting for an independent, external investigation. Under the city’s ordinance, the mayor or the city’s Human Rights director can hire such an investigator under city contract, which drew a question during Thursday’s meeting about whether Mayor Her would hire an outside investigator.

Her, who was sitting in the audience, said she hadn’t been informed she had the authority to do so and her staff will be looking into it more. She became mayor on Jan. 2.

Jenny Lahner, who lives on the West Side, said she expected the police chief would be at Thursday’s meeting.

“I thought I was going to be able to look into his eyes and tell him exactly what I thought about what he did on Rose Street,” she said.

Her, addressing the group, said she told Chief Henry not to attend.

“Because there is a current investigation, he cannot speak,” she said. “And I think it would be frustrating for all of you that if he sat here and he said to you he could not answer these questions.”

She said she is talking to Henry, not only about the timeline of what happened, “but I also want to know what we’re going to do differently. I’ve asked him to work with community members.”

Mayor questioned on standing up to feds

Riley Soeffker, who grew up on the East Side and is still a resident, said he thinks “we need to empower our police officers to get (ICE) out of our city,” and asked Mayor Her if police can “step in there and stop them” if they’re breaking the law.

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“I ask those exact same questions (about) when can police step in,” Her said. “… Because the federal government is a greater entity than we are … it becomes an extremely difficult situation for them to be able to then go in and do it.”

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Twin Cities civil rights attorney and activist who spoke during the meeting, said she was excited when Her was elected and hasn’t met her yet, “but what I just saw from you at the microphone honestly gives me pause.”

“We cannot have any more passive leadership when it comes to police accountability,” Levy Armstrong said. “… I don’t think the federal government is greater than us. The federal government right now is diabolical. We need local government to stand up for the people that they are responsible for.”

As he reflected on his impressive closing stretch to this season, Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner laughed when a reporter suggested to him that defensive coordinator Brian Flores doesn’t make it easy on young players.

“He sure doesn’t,” Turner said. “It’s all part of character development.”

After being selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Turner played 28% of the defensive snaps last season, forced to learn the ropes of the NFL as a rookie while buried on the depth chart behind edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and fellow edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.

It was a lesson in patience that forced Turner to trust the processes put in place by Flores.

“Just understanding his philosophy and stuff like that,” Turner said. “Just being able to accept the coaching.”

His willingness to lean in helped ensure that Turner was ready to play 66% of the defensive snaps this season, and emerge as a key piece for the Vikings while taking the next step in his career.

All the while, Turner leaned on Greenard and Van Ginkel, whose separate injuries presented Turner with even more chances to show he belonged.

“Those guys are my big brothers,” Turner said. “I can come to them about anything, whether it’s on the field or off the field. I’m very blessed and fortunate to have those dudes in my corner, and be in their corner as well. The relationship I have with both of those dudes is extraordinary and beyond football at this point.”

As he started to garner more playing time, Turner turned heads with his innate ability to rush the passer. By season’s end, he led the team in sacks (8) while looking every bit like the top prospect the Vikings expected him to be. Not that Turner is satisfied with his rise.

“I feel like there’s a lot more stuff out there to accomplish,” Turner said. “I’m just scratching the surface.”

There’s a precedent that suggests Turner might be onto something.

It comes in the form of Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who, like Turner, graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. They both share the same trainer, and Turner has long tried to mold himself in Bonitto’s image.

That’s a good idea considering Bonitto’s path to being considered among the best players at his position. He learned the ropes in Year 1, showed steady improvement in Year 2, and burst to the top of the charts in Year 3.

It appears Turner is on track to follow in Bonitto’s footsteps.

“I feel like everything fell into place perfectly,” Turner said. “I’m very blessed and thankful to have the opportunities that I’ve had on the field.”

The next step is maintaining a level of consistency.

“It’s about always staying level headed,” Turner said. “Just staying grounded and never getting too high.”

On that note, Turner was asked about a message from safety Josh Metellus earlier this season, when he stressed the importance of putting in the hard work in the present, then being able to enjoy the harvest in the future.

It’s something that has stuck with Turner amid his recent success.

“You can never enjoy it too much,” he said. “There’s always a better harvest to come.”

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By HAVEN DALEY, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drivers for Lyft and Uber protested self-driving Waymo taxis in San Francisco on Friday, urging state regulators to exercise greater oversight of autonomous vehicles, given recent events in which the cars killed pets and blocked traffic.

Demonstrators holds signs during a protest by Uber and Lyft drivers asking state regulators to take self-driving taxis off the streets due to safety concerns at the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

About two dozen drivers and supporters spoke or held up signs calling for safer streets and greater accountability outside the offices of the California Public Utilities Commission, which met Friday to consider further regulations on autonomous vehicles.

A steady stream of Waymo cars drove past the protest, a testament to the growing ubiquity of the white cars in San Francisco.

“I personally am not against technology; what I am against is unfair treatment,” said Joseph Augusto, who drives for both Uber and Lyft. “We have these people, these companies, these autonomous vehicle companies who are driving around the city, and they don’t seem to be held to the same standards as us drivers.”

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The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates Uber and Lyft, is refining and expanding policies around autonomous robotaxis as the industry grows. The California Gig Workers Union says the vehicles should be removed from streets until safety concerns are addressed.

The state agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Hobbled Waymos blocked San Francisco streets during a mass power outage days before Christmas, forcing the company to pause service and raising questions about the cars’ ability to adapt to real-world driving conditions.

In September, a Waymo pulled an illegal U-turn in front of a sign telling drivers not to do that, but San Bruno police could not issue a ticket because there was no human driver. In October, a Waymo crushed a popular neighborhood cat named Kit Kat.

Augusto, the driver, said he saw Waymos stalled at intersections as people darted around them on Dec. 20 when the lights went out across San Francisco.

“There were a lot of Waymos around. Just randomly all over the city and there’s no plan,” he said.

By DEVI SHASTRI, Associated Press Health Writer

South Carolina’s measles outbreak exploded into one of the worst in the U.S., with state health officials confirming 99 new cases in the past three days.

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The outbreak centered in Spartanburg County grew to 310 cases over the holidays, and spawned cases in North Carolina and Ohio among families who traveled to the outbreak area in the northwestern part of the state.

State health officials acknowledged the spike in cases had been expected following holiday travel and family gatherings during the school break. A growing number of public exposures and low vaccination rates in the area are driving the surge, they said. As of Friday, 200 people were in quarantine and nine in isolation, state health department data shows.

“The number of those in quarantine does not reflect the number actually exposed,” said Dr. Linda Bell, who leads the state health department’s outbreak response. “An increasing number of public exposure sites are being identified with likely hundreds more people exposed who are not aware they should be in quarantine if they are not immune to measles.”

Since the outbreak started in October, Bell has warned that the virus was spreading undetected in the area. Hundreds of school children have been quarantined from school, some more than once.

South Carolina is one of two active hot spots for measles. The other outbreak is on the Arizona-Utah border, where 337 people have gotten measles since August.

Last year was the nation’s worst year for measles spread since 1991, end-of-year data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. The U.S. confirmed 2,144 cases across 44 states.

And as the one-year anniversary of the Texas-New Mexico-Oklahoma outbreak approaches — which sickened at least 900 people and killed three — health experts say the vaccine-preventable virus is on the verge of making a lasting comeback in the U.S.

At that point, the U.S. would lose its status of having eliminated local spread of the virus, as Canada did in November. International health experts say the same strain of measles is spreading across the Americas.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.