The Daily Brief

The latest on the mass shooting in Canada, the jobs report, immigration enforcement, and more

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Canada Mass Shooting

Eight people were killed Tuesday in a shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in northern British Columbia. Police say the suspected shooter, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18,also died from a self-inflicted wound. At least 27 others were wounded, including two with serious injuries.

During the shooting, students hid in classrooms for hours while parents waited at a community center. Tumbler Ridge is a remote town of about 2,400 people. School shootings are rare in Canada. In 2020, the government banned more than 1,500 assault-style weapons and limited handgun sales after a deadly rampage in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post that he was devastated by the shooting. “I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” he wrote on social media.

“It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said Tuesday evening.

The school deaths included one female educator, two male students, and three female students. Two people found dead at a nearby home, the shooter’s mother and stepbrother, are believed to be connected to the attack. Police were called to the home by a female youth related to the family.

It is typical journalistic practice not to include details that do not appear relevant to the story. This generally includes details about someone’s race, sexual orientation, or other details that are not known to be related to the commission of the crime. When the police provided their briefing to the media, they included details about the shooter having been “born a biological male, who... approximately six years ago began to transition to female, and identified as female.” It is unknown why the local police included this information, as they say they do not understand the shooter’s motive at this time.

Two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun, were recovered at the school. Both the secondary school and the local elementary school will remain closed for the week for safety and to provide support to students and families. Van Rootselaar dropped out of school four years ago, and police say there is no evidence the suspect faced bullying because of the transition. Police are still investigating the shooter’s motive and the connection to victims.

Grand Jury Refuses to Indict 6 Democrats in ‘Illegal Orders’ Video

A federal grand jury on Tuesday refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a November video in which they reminded military and intelligence members that they could refuse illegal orders.

The six lawmakers — Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio and Maggie Goodlander — have military or intelligence backgrounds. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, led by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, tried to charge them under a law against interfering with military loyalty.

The video drew sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who called it “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

Kelly is also awaiting a judge’s decision in a separate case over the same video. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeks to downgrade Kelly’s retirement rank and pay, arguing the video “sows doubt and confusion” among service members. Kelly’s legal team says retired officers remain protected by the First Amendment.

Lawmakers celebrated the grand jury decision. Slotkin said, “It was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law.” Deluzio added, “I will not be intimidated for a single second… They may want Americans to be afraid to speak out or to disagree — but patriotism demands courage in this moment.” Kelly called the indictment attempt “an outrageous abuse of power by Donald Trump and his lackies.”

Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota May End as Congress Faces DHS Deadline

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Tuesday he expects the federal immigration crackdown in his state to end soon. He spoke after calls with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. “We’re very much in a ‘trust but verify’ mode. But it’s my expectation — and we will hear more from them I think in the next day or so — that we are talking days, not weeks and months, of this occupation,” he said.

The crackdown has deployed roughly 3,000 federal agents in Minnesota, following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month. Walz called the operation a “retribution campaign” that has targeted Minnesota with visible federal force, disrupting communities and local businesses.

Walz added, “It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done.”

Jobs Report Opens 2026 Strong

The US labor market kicked off 2026 strong. Employers added 130,000 jobs in January, and unemployment fell to 4.3%, a tenth of a percent lower than December. Both numbers beat economists’ expectations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

However, updates to last year’s numbers show that the 2025 labor market was even weaker than it appeared. BLS revisions show 2025 added just 181,000 jobs overall, far below the initial 584,000 estimate. That’s an average of only 15,000 jobs per month, a near standstill for a 160-million-job economy.

President Trump celebrated: “GREAT JOBS NUMBERS, FAR GREATER THAN EXPECTED!”

The January numbers suggest the labor market may be stabilizing after a slow 2025. Average wages rose 3.7% from a year ago, meaning workers are earning more than last year and have extra money to spend.

“The latest data show hiring came out of the gate stronger than expected to start the year,” said Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor chief economist.

Atsi Sheth, Moody’s Ratings chief credit officer, warns that one month isn’t a trend. “The strong jobs growth in January assuages some concerns around the softening labor market... But we’ll need to see more data to determine whether January is a brief deviation or a reversal of the weakening employment outlook,” she said.

Trump Administration Removes Stonewall Pride Flag

The Trump administration removed a pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument over the weekend. Officials said only US flags or other government-approved flags can fly on National Park Service sites, following a January directive issued by the Department of the Interior to clarify and enforce flag policies across all NPS-managed sites. Under the directive, only US flags, Department of the Interior flags, or POW/MIA flags can fly on NPS-managed flagpoles. New York City leaders plan to raise the flag again Thursday on the same federal parkland where it was removed, across the street from the Stonewall Inn.

Stonewall is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. A 1969 police raid on the Stonewall Inn sparked protests that helped launch national LGBTQ activism. In 2016, President Barack Obama made the area a national monument, the first dedicated to LGBTQ history.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called the removal “another outrage by the Trump administration directed at the LGBTQ community.” He said, “This is not a moment for our community to stand by idly as attempts to undermine our history are put forward by Trump and the federal administration.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani added, “New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.”

Raising the flag again could trigger a direct clash over federal policy and LGBTQ representation at national monuments.

AG Pam Bondi Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with Democrats during a fiery House Judiciary hearing today over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The hearing was called to examine how the department released millions of Epstein-related documents. Lawmakers grilled Bondi about redactions in millions of released documents — why certain names were hidden and whether the DOJ was following federal law on transparency.

Democrats accused Bondi of protecting powerful figures and targeting President Trump’s rivals. “You’re running a massive Epstein coverup right out of the Department of Justice,” Rep. Jamie Raskin said. Bondi fired back, calling him a “washed-up loser lawyer — not even a lawyer.” She also labeled Republican Rep. Thomas Massie a “failed politician” with “Trump derangement syndrome.”

For decades, the Justice Department has operated with a measure of independence from the White House to avoid political influence in criminal cases. Attorneys general have traditionally kept distance from investigations involving a president's political rivals.