Is the worm turning against Trump? Last week saw a concerted pushback against the US president by western allies over Greenland. This week, it is on the domestic front where the Trump administration seems to be buckling – this time under intense criticism after the killing of another American citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The massive winter storm that swept across North America last weekend could not obscure from the nation video footage of an ICE agent shooting dead Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse and father of three who was seemingly rushing to protect a woman as she was pepper-sprayed by Border Patrol personnel.
As our Washington bureau chief David Smith writes in this week’s big story, the events were seen by many as clear evidence of fascistic overreach and a potential moment of reckoning for Trump in the US. A wave of condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum led to a swift softening of tone from the White House, though not before leading administration figures had wrongly tried to pin the blame on the victim.
From Minneapolis, Rachel Leingang reports on the sense of shock and fury in the city, while in a stark commentary, Francine Prose voices her fears that the US may be on the brink of an authoritarian takeover.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Are Trump’s tantrums pushing America’s allies closer to China?
After a week of diplomatic turmoil, some western nations are turning to a country that many in Washington see as an existential threat. Amy Hawkins reports
Science | Fly me to the moon, again
Nasa is readying its most powerful Artemis II rocket for a new, 1.1 million km lunar circumnavigation flight – and lift-off could come as soon as next week. Science editor Ian Sample sets the scene
Feature | Secrets of the superagers
Why do some people age better than others? Five extraordinary individuals – who scientists are studying – share their tips with Isabelle Aron
Opinion | It’s now clear. Labour needs a new leader – and quickly
UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s dismal decision to block likely leadership challenger Andy Burnham from standing in a byelection has bought him time, but it won’t change his fate, says Polly Toynbee
Culture | Has Netflix killed our attention spans?
Matt Damon has got it right, argues Stuart Heritage: the streaming giant knows we all just watch TV with one hand gripping our smartphones, which is why we need plotlines explaining to us over and over again
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What else we’ve been reading
• The Winter Olympics get under way in Italy this week, so I enjoyed this look back at some of the unexpected heroes of previous Games. Eddie the Eagle is there, of course, but the tales of competitors from countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and India are timely in the buildup to Milan-Cortina. Anthony Naughton, assistant editor
• After an expensive trip to the opticians, my eye was drawn to this piece about Emmanuel Macron’s reflective Top Gun-style shades at Davos. It turns out the French president had sound medical reasons for donning them, though it did no harm to his steely image in the resistance to Trump. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Has the world entered an era of ‘water bankruptcy’?
• Video | How the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis unfolded
• Gallery | A later-life love triangle? Redefining how to grow old
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