Good morning.
The death of a man who was being held at a federal detention camp in Texas in early January may be investigated as a homicide after the local medical examiner reportedly found the preliminary cause was “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression”.
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old from Cuba who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in July last year, was pronounced dead on January 3. He had been in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso.
The Department of Homeland Security had previously highlighted Lunas Campos as one of the “worst of the worst”, a category used by DHS to trumpet what they claim as victories in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Lunas Campos had convictions for child sexual abuse, possession of a firearm and aggravated assault.
What did ICE say about his death? In a press release, the agency claimed he died after “experiencing medical distress” and said his cause of death was under investigation.
María Corina Machado presents Donald Trump with her Nobel peace prize medal
The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has presented her gold Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump after meeting him in the White House, nearly a fortnight after he ordered the abduction of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Machado, who received the award last year for her struggle against Maduro’s “brutal, authoritarian state”, told reporters on Thursday she had made the gesture in recognition of the US president’s “unique commitment [to] our freedom”.
Several hours later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Machado “presented me with her Nobel peace prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.
What have the peace prize organizers said? Earlier in the day, they posted on X: “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel peace prize laureate cannot.”
Khamenei regime will not be able to keep control of Iran, says dissenting film-maker
The regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, will not be able to maintain control over Iranian society after the violent suppression of the latest wave of protests, one of the country’s leading film-makers has predicted.
“It is impossible for this government to sustain itself in this situation,” the director Jafar Panahi told the Guardian. “They know it too. They know that it will be impossible to rule over people. Perhaps their only goal right now is to bring the country to the verge of complete collapse and try to destroy it.”
Protests caused by an ailing economy have swept through Iran since late December and have been met with deadly crackdowns by the security forces, with reports of more than 2,500 people killed.
What else did he say? “The regime will collapse, 100%,” Panahi said. “It is what has happened to dictatorship governments throughout history. When it will collapse, no one knows. We want it to be as soon as possible, in the next few minutes, but there are many factors that have to come together for it to happen.”
In other news …
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, asserted that a working group of Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers with US officials was established to discuss the acquisition of Greenland, prompting a swift denial from Denmark.
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China as he held talks in Beijing with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, the first visit by a Canadian leader in eight years.
X has continued to allow users to post highly sexualised videos of women generated by its Grok AI toll, despite the company’s claim to have cracked down on misuse.
Stat of the day: Trump-linked figures lead talks on $200m European pipeline contract
Leading members of Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election results are seeking a huge European pipeline contract, the latest figures from the US president’s circle to mix business and geopolitics. Designed to curb the Balkans’ reliance on gas from Russia, the Southern Gas Interconnection pipeline would cost about $200m to build.
Culture Pick: 28 Years Later – The Bone Temple boasts phenomenal Ralph Fiennes in franchise’s best chapter yet
It’s very rare for a fourquel to be the best film in a franchise, but that’s how things stand with the chequered 28 Days Later series. In this one, which follows immediately on from the previous episode, 28 Years Later, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell bring pure death-metal craziness.
Don’t miss this: Children with brain cancer were already in a life and death struggle. Then came Trump
The US president vowed to “end childhood cancer”. However, his administration’s dismantling of federal agencies has hit cancer research hard. It has led to budgets being slashed, grants canceled or delayed, while clinical trials – often the final hope for children with terminal illness – have been suspended or closed. It has sent families scrambling for treatment.
… or this: ‘Soon after my baby’s birth came a bottle of champagne’ – readers remember Alan Rickman
After the anniversary of Alan Rickman’s death, fans recall his joy at a train platform mishap, enthusing about experimental theatre, an embarrassed double-take and a former colleague remembers how the actor had asked the company manager to let him know when his baby arrived and promptly sent a bottle of champagne to congratulate him and his wife.
Climate check: How ‘day zero’ water shortages in Iran are fuelling protests
Gripped by a terrible drought now entering its sixth year, Iran’s cities are on the brink of what its meteorological organisation calls “water day zero”: the boundary beyond which supply systems no longer function. The supply failures are a dramatic example of the way climate crisis threatens basic human needs – and with it political stability.
Last Thing: Tortilla, broccoli, ‘a piece of chicken’ – US agriculture secretary mocked for ‘money-saving’ meal
The US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is facing ridicule from congressional Democrats and others after claiming Americans can save money and have their meals align with new Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines by simply eating “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli”, “a corn tortilla” and “one other thing”.
Sign up
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com
