Greetings! Happy National Backward Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇲🇽 Mexico’s vape ban is feeding cartel leverage. One shop owner says a cartel seized his store and abducted 2 employees to make the point. The owner, now living in the United States, said he was told to sell only online and only outside his state. Mexico’s national ban took effect January 16th. The next day, authorities displayed more than 50K confiscated vapes in Mexico City’s central square. Mayor Clara Brugada cast the crackdown as youth protection. Lawyer Cirión Lee argued that prohibition simply reroutes sales through dealers who already move cocaine and fentanyl. Drug-policy researcher Zara Snapp said the ban removes a safer alternative to cigarettes and hands the market to organized crime. Officials say police seized about 130K e-cigarettes at the Lázaro Cárdenas port in 2024. Analysts peg the market near $1.5B, and cartels are treating it like fresh territory.

🇩🇰 Denmark widens deportation powers for the worst offenders. In Denmark, the government presented a reform in Copenhagen. It aims to deport foreign nationals convicted of the most serious crimes. The trigger is a sentence of at least 1 year of unconditional imprisonment. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen cited crimes like aggravated assault and rape. She said Denmark should not negotiate with people who harm the public. Frederiksen acknowledged the plan could collide with European human-rights conventions. Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 non-European Union convicts got 1+ year sentences in 5 years but were not expelled. A new ankle monitor would apply to foreign criminals as cases move through the system. Ministers also plan return diplomacy, including reopening an embassy in Syria and working with Afghanistan.

🧸 Judge orders 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos released. United States District Judge Fred Biery ordered Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, freed from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. The pair were moved from Minnesota to a detention center in Dilley after a January 20th court hearing. Biery told the government to release them by Tuesday. He wrote that the detention looked like quota math rather than a flight-risk case. Liam’s lawyers say the child has been tired, stressed, and eating poorly in custody. The White House’s policy chief Stephen Miller has pushed a target of 3,000 ICE arrests per day. Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett toured the Dilley facility, which holds about 1,100 people. Attorneys say the family is pursuing asylum and the immigration case remains pending. The order is narrow, but it lands as a rebuke to detention-by-headline.

🔌 Partial shutdown snarls DHS, Pentagon, and transportation. Funding lapsed at 12:01am Saturday, triggering a partial shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation are among the agencies affected. Some employees are furloughed, while others are required to work without pay. Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners stay on post because planes still fly. Many defense civilians are sent home even as core military operations continue. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can draw on a $7B to $8B disaster fund, at least for now. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is paused, so new and renewed policies are on hold. Nutrition aid is largely insulated, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) still serves about 42M people with average benefits near $190 per month. United States Congress is negotiating, but the shutdown is already charging interest.

🏀 Paul George’s 25-game suspension hits wallets and wins. The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George for violating the league’s anti-drug program, and it did not disclose the substance. ESPN reported George said he took an improper medication while seeking treatment for a personal issue and apologized to teammates and fans. Under the labor agreement, a 25-game ban signals a first violation. It costs about $11.7M of his $51.7M salary, or about $469,692 per missed game. Some forfeited pay becomes a team credit that nudges Philadelphia toward the luxury-tax line. Philadelphia entered Saturday at 26-21 and is 16-11 when George plays. Coach Nick Nurse praised George as a leader and said he had not noticed personal issues. George is eligible to return March 25th, when Philadelphia hosts Chicago. For a contender, a missing star is never just a footnote.

🏥 Skull injury dispute pits ICE against Minnesota clinicians. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says Alberto Castañeda Mondragón fractured his skull after running headfirst into a wall. He was arrested January 8th during Operation Metro Surge and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Doctors performed surgery, but staff say the account does not fit the injuries they observed, and nurses described a disoriented patient in ankle shackles. Physician Gregory Henry reviewed imaging and said the damage looked inconsistent with that explanation. Hospital security video and a detention video are now central to the dispute. ICE agents kept a bedside watch, while clinicians questioned restraints and access. His attorneys say the family was left scrambling for answers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not released videos publicly. In Minneapolis, the argument is over facts, not slogans.

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That’s all for today!

Much obliged and many thanks for reading and sharing today’s newsletter.

See you tomorrow!