Renee Good’s family hires law firm that won record settlement in George Floyd’s murder

MINNEAPOLIS — The family of Renee Good, the woman fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, has hired the same law firm that won a record court settlement five years ago for the family of George Floyd.

Romanucci and Blandin in Chicago said in a statement issued Jan. 14 that the firm is representing Good’s parents, Tim and Donna Ganger; her four siblings and her widow, Becca Good.

“The family of Renee Nicole Macklin Good is calling for peace,” the statement read. “Peace not only across Minneapolis, a city in shock about her swift and cruel death at the hands of federal agents on a residential street, but peace in cities across the country where Americans are increasingly and understandably distressed by the conduct of the federal government that defies our constitutional values and sows chaos in our communities.

“What happened to Renee is wrong, contrary to established policing practices and procedures, and should never happen in today’s America.”

—The Minnesota Star Tribune

HHS cuts $2 billion in mental health, addiction grants

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration quietly rolled back approximately $2 billion in mental health and substance use funding late Tuesday, according to four sources familiar with discussions, blindsiding about 2,000 grantees who rely on these funds to operate.

The scope of cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are worrying stakeholders, who say that cuts may continue to grow.

Grantees were notified of the funding changes in letters that cite “non-alignment with SAMHSA priorities.” The cutbacks primarily affect discretionary grant programs.

Many of the affected grant programs have bipartisan support and President Donald Trump has supported them in the past. Notably, Trump signed a wide-ranging 2018 opioid prevention and treatment law during his first term and signed its reauthorization just last month.

—CQ-Roll Call

Thousands to lose AIDS drugs under Florida cuts

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — At least 10,000 Floridians could lose access to life-saving HIV medication because Congress didn’t extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits last fall, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.

The Florida Department of Health is justifying deep cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides medication to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS, by saying it will prevent a dramatic $120 million funding shortfall.

The department is mailing letters this month to thousands of recipients, telling them they’ll be cut off from the decades-old program on March 1. Under the new version of the program, only the poorest Floridians will have access.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo warned lawmakers Wednesday that the situation could become a “crisis” without intervention. “It is a serious issue,” Ladapo said. “It’s a really, really serious issue.”

—Tampa Bay Times

Germany leads military buildup in Greenland in response to Trump

Germany will take the lead of European nations sending military personnel to Greenland after Denmark said its meeting with top U.S. officials intent on controlling the world’s biggest island revealed that a “fundamental disagreement” remains.

The decision to dispatch reinforcements to the Arctic territory as early as this week highlights the urgency with which European nations seek to respond to U.S. threats over Greenland. A meeting of foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington failed to dispel the specter of a U.S. takeover.

On Thursday, Germany’s “exploration mission” of 13 soldiers will arrive in Nuuk as European nations begin to work out how to ensure security in the region. Their task will be to “explore the framework conditions for possible military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region, for example, for maritime surveillance capabilities,” according to a statement from the German defense ministry.

France will participate in the joint drills in Greenland this week, according to the defense ministry’s press office, which provided no details. In addition, Sweden is sending “several officers,” Norway two persons and the UK one officer.

—Bloomberg News