FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic for its bombshell report last week, detailing that the agency head was fearful of losing his job, and is difficult to reach due to unexplained absences or nights of excessive drinking. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has left the Trump cabinet after multiple allegations of mishandling funds and inappropriate relationships with department staff, with Keith Sonderling taking over the job. In the Supreme Court, the justices are set to decide whether preschools that decline children of same-sex couples may receive state funding. After more than a year of legal challenges, the parent company of the satirical site The Onion has obtained a new deal to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars.

Virginian voters approved a special redistricting referendum that would change the state’s constitution, allowing a new congressional map that could give the Democrats four seats in the House. The move was part of a broader redistricting fight that started last year, when Trump requested Texas Governor Greg Abbott to redistrict the state’s seats to favor the president’s party even more. Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, faced questions from lawmakers in his confirmation hearing. Aside from not saying Trump had lost the 2020 election, the Fed pick said he is “absolutely not” the president’s puppet. Asserting he would be “strictly independent” on decisions related to interest rates, Warsh said he was unbothered by the president’s persistent calls for lower borrowing costs. During the hearing, Republican Senator Thom Tillis said Warsh would be getting confirmed, and the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell, would leave the Fed board, if not for the DOJ’s “bogus investigation” into the current Fed chair. In the House, Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress ahead of a vote to oust her over a litany of allegations, including funneling $5 million in COVID relief funds to her campaign. Florida Governor and former Trump rival Ron DeSantis is reportedly “begging” Trump for a prime role in the administration, as he is expected to leave his governorship position next January. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights nonprofit legal advocacy organization, was indicted by the DOJ over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups. An appeals court allowed Texas to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms, setting up a fight over church and state in the heavily Republican Supreme Court. In other headlines, the US military has removed mandatory flu shot requirements, and Tucker Carlson claimed in an interview with his brother that he is “tormented” for supporting Trump.

Navy Secretary John Phelan, who officials said repeatedly clashed with Hegseth, has been fired by the administration after more than a year of service. The NYT reported that the FBI has investigated one of its journalists following an article about Patel using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend security and transportation benefits, with agents recommending moving forward to determine whether the reporter broke federal stalking laws. Following Virginia’s redistricting win, a federal judge blocked the new congressional maps, while Republicans warned DeSantis that a similar push in Florida is now “fraught with peril.” Georgia Democratic Representative David Scott died after 20 years in Congress, as he was seeking a 13th term in his safely Democratic district. The Senate passed a budget plan to fund Border Patrol and ICE, which sets out to reopen Homeland Security despite Democratic opposition. Regarding other developments, the WSJ reported that the Trump administration was nearing a rescue deal for Spirit Airlines, RFK Jr’s heavy breathing was the “highlight” of his Senate testimony, and the CDC won’t publish a report showing that covid shots cut the likelihood of hospital visits.

The DOJ’s internal watchdog said it is reviewing the department’s compliance with the law that mandated the release of the Epstein files. Following the Atlantic report, House Judiciary Democrats have demanded that Patel take an alcohol disorders test. Ahead of King Charles III’s visit to Washington, Trump told the BBC that next week’s state visit could help repair relations with the UK. Marking a major win for cannabis advocates and drug policy, the Trump administration reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug. Despite Trump running on a platform of getting tough on crime, Reuters reported that the DOJ has cut thousands of law enforcement jobs. A US Army soldier involved in Maduro’s capture was charged by the DOJ over allegedly using classified information about the military operation to place bets on PolyMarket, winning $400 thousand in the process. This comes as there are repeated instances of suspiciously high wins by certain users on prediction market sites, including bets on the Iran war and the subsequent ceasefire. The Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman overseeing Stars and Stripes, a daily American military newspaper, a move which Smith said threatened the paper’s long-held independence. On sports, Italian officials expressed no interest in substituting Iran at the World Cup, reportedly at the request of a Trump ally. In a deeply ironic image, a White House photo celebrating a champion women’s tennis team sparked backlash as Trump and a few other men stood in front of the women for the photo-op.

Following pressure from senators and the risk of delaying Warsh’s confirmation, the DOJ dropped its criminal investigation into Powell over renovation costs. The Justice Department also acted to strengthen the death penalty, including readopting firing squads for executions. Marking a win for immigration rights, a federal appeals court found Trump’s “invasion” declaration at the US-Mexico border was illegal, effectively reopening the border to asylum seekers. Tensions between the US and the UK escalated after the Pentagon leak by Reuters, which included a review on Britain’s claim to the Falkland islands, which No. 10 stated its sovereignty rests with the UK. Following Trump’s executive order on psychedelic drugs, the FDA moved to fast-track review of psilocybin and methylone for mental health. Trump continued his election denialism streak, from calling the Virginia redistricting vote as “rigged” without evidence, to calling for the 2020 election results to be ”permanently wiped free of the books.” Over the weekend, Trump ousted several members from the independent National Science Board, which guides the funding for the National Science Foundation.

But the main news dominating the headlines was what happened at the Washington Hilton Hotel, as Trump attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) for the first time since he was president in 2017. It was a controversial event for many ahead of the event, seen as a further capitulation by the media towards a president who has declared them “the enemy of the people.” The Trump presidency (Especially the current administration) has long attacked press freedom, with reports before the event suggesting he would publicly attack media organizations that hold negative coverage against him during the dinner address. Moreover, this WHCD did not have a comedian who typically roasts the president and politics in the event. Instead, the White House Correspondents’ Association invited mentalist Oz Pearlman as the entertainment for the dinner. However, all of that was disrupted when loud bangs were heard at the hotel, forcing the Secret Service to evacuate Trump and other administration officials from the scene. It turned out the sounds were from a gunman firing a few shots in the lobby of the hotel, who was later detained by law enforcement authorities. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer was outside the ballroom when he saw the gunman opening fire, and was among the dozens of attendees taking cover as law enforcement swarmed to apprehend the man. One Secret Service agent was shot in their protective gear and was soon hospitalized; they were expected to survive. Despite initial plans to continue with the dinner, Trump told the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Weijia Jiang, to postpone the dinner and reschedule it within 30 days. In a press briefing soon after, Trump said, “That was very unexpected!” The president told reporters he initially thought the sound of the gunman charging into the building was the sound of a falling tray, “I heard a noise, and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down many times. There was a gun, and some people really understood that quite quickly. Other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down a little faster.” Referencing the Butler assassination attempt two years ago, Trump reflected on his “dangerous profession” of being president and the political significance of the third attempt against his life in as many years. “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most ... they’re the ones that they go after,” Trump said. “And I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot.” Not taking a break from promoting his ballroom project, the president claimed, “I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure. It’s got — it’s drone proof, it’s bulletproof glass.” The gunman was soon identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from California, as authorities plan to charge him with using a firearm in a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Allen was reportedly carrying multiple weapons during his attempt at violence, with acting AG Todd Blanche saying he wanted to harm top administration officials Saturday night. Handwritten notes found in the shooter’s hotel indicated an anti-Trump administration ideology, and Allen described himself as a “friendly federal assassin.” Recounting the experience to her home network, White House Correspondents Association head and CBS News’s White House reporter, Weijia Jiang, said of the moment the shots were fired, “It all happened so fast, and when we were still on stage, we were in the middle of a very light moment with the entertainer who was doing a trick. And when I heard something in the audience, I thought it was a protester or something we’re very used to.” Some in the media tried to sanewash and praise Trump for not attacking journalists that night, with Brian Stelter arguing the president said, “We’re all in this together.” Questions were also raised about the level of security in the hotel, given that the dinner lacked the highest security level despite the presence of Trump and other top officials, allowing Allen to sprint 60 feet and reach the staircase to the correspondents’ dinner ballroom. Then, in a surprising interview on 60 Minutes, Trump said he “wasn’t worried” about the attack when it happened, describing the man behind the manifesto as “sick.” In other headlines, Tillis ended his blockade against Warsh’s confirmation as the new Federal Reserve chief, while King Charles’ visit to Washington will go ahead as planned.

Donroe Delulu - TACO Tuesday And Peace Botching Again

As tensions between Iran and the US continue to escalate, Pakistan said Iran would send a negotiation team to Islamabad after Trump announced he would send his team hours earlier. However, that was contradicted by the Iranians, who said they are not planning to send diplomats to Pakistan. In a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Strait of Hormuz should remain open. In his daily telephone time with reporters, Trump told Bloomberg a truce extension with Iran is “highly unlikely” to be extended past the Wednesday deadline, and the Strait of Hormuz won’t open until the deal is signed, but told NewsNation that a US-Iran deal “will be signed” later that day. In Israel, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said an Israeli soldier pictured hitting a Jesus statue in Lebanon will face “harsh disciplinary action,” condemning the act “in the strongest terms.”

On Tuesday, Trump proclaimed he believes the US was “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the war, but told CNBC he will not extend the ceasefire after its Wednesday expiry date. “I would have won Vietnam,” Trump said as he is currently embroiled in a losing American war. The US leader also said they had intercepted a “gift from China” to Iran that wasn’t very nice, adding he thought that there was an “understanding” with Xi. The American delegation’s departure to Islamabad was first delayed for “additional policy meetings” involving Vice President JD Vance, before the departure was cancelled entirely. With Iran refusing to commit to ceasefire negotiations, the president soon TACOed out. Saying the US is extending the ceasefire, Trump said the blockade will also continue while he waits for a “unified proposal” from the “seriously fractured” Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, the US expanded naval operations against Iran, as they seized an oil tanker and escorted at least another vessel in the Indian Ocean.

Despite the ongoing ceasefire, at least three vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. All crews were safe, but a Liberia-flagged container ship sustained damage to its bridge. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed it has seized “two violating vessels,” with state media reporting they were escorted to Iran’s coast. According to cargo tracking group Vortexa, at least 34 Iranian-linked tankers have bypassed the US blockade and exited the Gulf. On the diplomatic side, an Iranian diplomat said they “won’t negotiate under threat,” while China’s Foreign Ministry said it is “imperative” to prevent the conflict from reigniting. Trump said peace talks with Iran were possible within the next 36-72 hours, as the Washington Post reported the president is considering an Iran deal with many similar trade-offs that he had criticized Obama for in the JCPOA. Amid increasing drone attacks in the Middle East, the US has turned to Ukrainian counter-drone technology and installed it near a US air base in Saudi Arabia. An Israeli strike killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, with officials from the country accusing Israel of war crimes, saying that she and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were deliberately targeted as they sought shelter in a home, following an initial air strike that hit the vehicle in front of them, and the IDF also targeted a marked ambulance as it tried to reach the reporters.

On Thursday, senior Iranian officials blamed Washington’s naval blockade of the country’s ports for stalling peace talks, as the Philippines said 15 seafarers on two ships seized by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz are unharmed. The US military announced it has seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil, while the third American aircraft carrier has entered the waters near Iran. According to the WSJ, the US has burned through so many munitions in Iran that some administration officials are worried it could affect America’s contingency plans in defending Taiwan in case of a Chinese military invasion in the short term. Renewing threats against Iran, Trump ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The major development on this day was Trump’s announcement that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be extended by three weeks, with Trump posting on Truth Social, “The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah.” A weird but true dimension to the ongoing conflict comes down to condoms, as the world’s largest condom maker, Karex, announced it is raising the prices of its products by up to 30%, citing supply chain issues caused by the Iran war.

Reuters reported that an internal Pentagon email has floated suspending Spain from the NATO alliance, as part of new steps being considered by the US amid a rift over Iran. In response, NATO said there is “no provision” for member states to be suspended or expelled from the military alliance. In defiance of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which nonetheless saw Israeli forces carrying out fresh strikes on Friday, Hezbollah announced the three-week extension was “meaningless.” Sky News first reported on renewed hopes of US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan, a positive note bolstered by Iran’s foreign minister travelling to Pakistan the same day. Hours later, we learned that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will also travel to Pakistan for talks with Iran’s foreign minister, but notably without Vance. Punishing Beijing and making good on a promise to impose secondary sanctions on companies and countries that do business with Iran, the US imposes levies on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iranian oil. Responding to criticism from the Pope, Hegseth claimed: “We know what authority we have.” On the US economic side, consumer sentiment fell to a record low amid growing concerns about the Iran war.

On Saturday, despite a promised meeting between American and Iranian officials, Iran’s foreign minister left Islamabad without meeting US envoys. Trump said he made the move to cancel the envoys’ trip to Islamabad, telling Fox News that “they can call us anytime they want.” Hours later, Trump told reporters the US has received new proposal from Iran after cancelling Witkoff and Kushner’s trip.

Typhoid Mandy - Starmer On The Crossfire

UK PM Keir Starmer faces continued blowback over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as London’s ambassador to the US, following last week’s revelations that he was allowed to serve despite failing a vetting process run by security officials, with the Foreign Office being blamed for the error. Last Thursday, Starmer fired top civil servant Olly Robbins, making him the scapegoat over the Foreign Office’s decision to override the security vetting failure, and prompting many civil servants to defend him last weekend.

On Monday, Starmer faced angry lawmakers in parliament over his decision. Apologizing for the mistake, the UK PM said, “I want to be very clear with the House that, while this statement will focus on the process surrounding Peter Mandelson’s vetting and appointment, at the heart of this, there is also a judgment I made that was wrong. I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson. I take responsibility for that decision. And I apologize again to the victims of the paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision.” As Starmer stated that he did not mislead the House of Commons, opposition leaders have rallied to attack the PM over his failure. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch stated Starmer had broken the ministerial code, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey repeated his call for the PM to resign.

During public testimony towards the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, Robbins said he felt political pressure to clear Mandelson, adding that No. 10 had a “dismissive attitude” to the vetting process. The next day, during PMQs, Starmer denied there was any pressure from No. 10 over clearing Mandelson’s security vetting, and stood by a Parliament statement that due process was followed. More chaos was also set for next Tuesday, as the Labour government’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, was summoned by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee to testify. Behind the scenes, the scene in Downing Street was bleak, with cabinet ministers losing confidence over Starmer and talks of a coup in No. 10.

European Mayhem - A Sealed Loan For Ukraine

On Wednesday, the EU finally gave preliminary approval to its 90 billion Euro loan to Ukraine. The move comes after Ukraine resumed pumping Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia, while Hungary dropped its opposition to the loan after months of blocking the proposal. A day later, European leaders officially approved the loan in Cyprus, with the Cypriot finance minister saying the money will “start flowing as soon as possible.” Regarding the ongoing war, Ukraine said some Russian drones and missiles had flown near Chornobyl, the site of the infamous nuclear plant disaster, risking a new major catastrophe. According to the NYT, Ukrainian officials have proposed calling part of the Donbas “Donnyland” in a bid to win the US president’s support. During a military recruitment event in a Russian university, a Ukrainian soldier crashed a Zoom call and claimed he would be forced to kill them if they joined the Russian army as part of its assault on Ukraine. Then on Friday, Kyiv said it had killed 12 Russian FSB officers in a series of drone strikes in occupied Donetsk, while Ukrainian forces fired a top general after photos emerged of emaciated soldiers who were left on the frontline without enough food and water for months. Over the weekend, the world marked fourty years since the Chernobyl disaster, as Zelensky accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” on Sunday and warned Russia’s invasion was “again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster.”.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria elected a pro-Russia former president by a landslide last Sunday, sidelining dominant political forces in the country, and may temporarily end the political instability that has brought the country its eighth election in as many years. Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party had won 44.7% of the vote after most ballots were counted, marking one of the strongest results for a single party in a generation for Bulgaria. A ​eurosceptic who is opposed to military support for Ukraine, Radev’s campaign raised comparisons with Hungary’s Viktor Orban over his comments on strengthening ties with Moscow and resuming the free flow of Russian oil and gas into the European continent. Riding on a wave of public frustration against political instability, Radev has been shallow on policy and has not ruled out ruling in a coalition government.

Local News - Picking Up After Tragedy

Starting on Monday, Wang Fuk Court residents began re-entering the burnt building as part of a phased process facilitated by the government, sifting through the ashes for belongings. Meanwhile, the public inquiry into last November’s fire continued throughout the week. Among the highlights was a member of the building’s owners’ corporation management committee alleging rigged proxy votes in the management committee election during Monday’s hearing, while testimony from fire service and Labour Department officials reflects confusion over safety roles. More broadly, the Security Bureau planned to propose legal amendments to improve oversight and impose punishments on practices like unapproved fire safety system shutdowns. On Friday, Director of the Fire Services Department (FSD), Andy Yeung, admitted authorities could have communicated better, adding that his agency is looking into amending laws and tightening oversight of fire services installation contractors.

Looking abroad from Hong Kong, a former civil servant and director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in Jakarta and Bangkok, is contesting a seat on Ealing Council in London. Lee Sheung-yuen left the city in 2023 and is representing the far-right Reform UK Party, which pushes hardline policies on immigration, in the upcoming local elections in Britain. The FT reported that Lee’s LinkedIn page described him as a “de facto former diplomat,” but the Reform Party claimed he was “insufficiently senior” enough to swear an oath of allegiance.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: Lai Ching-te: Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries revoke flight permits

Japan: Japan lifts ban on lethal weapons exports in major shift of pacifist policy

Japan: Strong earthquake hits northern Japan, triggering tsunami warnings - Nikkei Asia

India: Millions in India stripped of vote before critical state election, as government seeks to ‘purify’ electoral roll

The Philippines: Duterte to face ICC trial after judges confirm charges

New Zealand: New Zealand PM Luxon survives vote of confidence | Reuters

Israel: Netanyahu says he hid prostate cancer from public because of Iran war

Israel: Israel’s death penalty law could spell suspension from rights body role, says chief

Gaza: Gaza’s yellow line creeps forward as Israeli forces expand zone of control

Madagascar: ‘New face, same dictatorship,’ says Madagascar’s Gen Z activist following protester arrests | CBC Radio

France: Marine Le Pen’s niece seeks rightwing alliance for 2027 French election

UK: UK lawmakers approve lifetime smoking ban for today’s under-18s | Reuters

Brazil: How a Brazilian Prison Gang Became a Global Cocaine Power - WSJ

Markets: Global energy markets are on the verge of a disaster

Tech: Apple taps John Ternus as CEO to replace Tim Cook, who will become chairman

Tech: We translated the Palantir manifesto for actual human beings | The Verge

Tech: Exclusive: Meta to start capturing employee mouse movements, keystrokes for AI training data | Reuters

Tech: Meta Tells Staff It Will Cut 10% of Jobs in Push for Efficiency

AI: ChatGPT allegedly advised Florida State shooter when and where to strike

AI: Anthropic investigating claim of unauthorised access to Mythos AI tool

AI: DeepSeek releases next-gen AI model with ‘world-leading’ cost efficiency | South China Morning Post

AI: White House accuses China of ‘industrial-scale’ theft of AI technology

Science: The strange way cocaine water pollution is changing salmon | Scientific American

Space: Worried About U.S. Democracy, Astronauts Are Launching a Political Nonprofit - WSJ

Environment: ‘The damage is done’: global oil crisis has changed fossil fuel industry for ever, IEA chief says | Oil | The Guardian ​​

Environment: World food systems ‘pushed to the brink’ by extreme heat, UN warns | Global food crisis | The Guardian

Environment: Earth Day: 2 years on from single-use plastic ban, 42 penalties issued – but no sign of phase 2

Sports: A Humanoid Robot Set a Half-Marathon Record in China | WIRED

Sports: Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

FT: Britain’s desperate need for Keir Badenoch

WSJ: Rachel Goldberg-Polin Mourns Son Hersh in ‘When We See You Again’ - WSJ

Vox: The next global Trump ally to fall?

Bulwark: The Second Coming? - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark

NYT: How Elon Musk Used SpaceX to Benefit Himself and His Businesses - The New York Times

FT: Why America is falling out of love with Israel

Economist: The world wants Chinese tech. China is determined to keep it

Guardian: What went wrong in Israel? A genocide scholar examines ‘what Zionism became’

BBC: China weathered Trump’s tariffs - but the Iran war is taking a toll

FT: Six lessons from history’s greatest financial crises

MIT Tech Review: 2026 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now | MIT Technology Review

NYT: Anti-Trumpism Unites Europe - The New York Times

Economist: Sir Keir Starmer cannot govern. He has only himself to blame

Guardian: Inside Chornobyl: 40 years after disaster, nuclear site still at risk in Russia’s war

Bulwark: America Is Losing the Iran War - by Jonathan V. Last

Foreign Affairs: How to Fight an Economic War | Foreign Affairs ​​

HKFP: ‘Growing trend worldwide’: MSF worker warns of rising attacks on healthcare facilities after S Sudan hospital strike

FT: Escape from Hormuz: the oil tankers running the Iranian gauntlet

Bloomberg: A Dozen Young Job Hunters on What It Takes to Get Hired ​​

Economist: ​​Our midterms forecast predicts pain for Donald Trump

Guardian: Is this what war looks like now? | Israel | The Guardian

NYT: Opinion | Tim Cook: Great for Apple Investors. Not as Great for America.

FP: The U.S. Has Ditched Professional Diplomacy

Wired: The Weird, Twisting Tale of How China Spied on Alysa Liu and Her Dad | WIRED

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: A Shooter Throws Trump’s Night With the Press Into Chaos - WSJ

USA: Trump unhurt and suspect in custody after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner - follow live - BBC News

USA: Patel sues Atlantic over report on job performance, alcohol use

USA: The Onion has agreed to a new deal to take over Infowars : NPR

USA: ​​Tucker Carlson says he regrets backing Donald Trump and is ‘tormented by it’

USA: Warner Bros. Discovery Stockholders Approve Paramount Deal - WSJ

USA: F.B.I. is said to have investigated Times reporter after article on Patel’s girlfriend

USA: Pentagon fires ombudsman overseeing military newspaper after calling it ‘woke’

USA: Our Next Big First Amendment Stress Test - by Lauren Egan

USA: How a Deep State Bureaucrat Became Trump’s ‘Fake News’ Enforcer

USA: Donald Trump and the remaking of America’s media order

USA: Amy Goodman’s Journalism Is More Urgent Now Than Ever

USA: MAGA Is Increasingly Convinced the Trump Assassination Attempt Was Staged | WIRED

USA: The Internet’s Favorite Lawyer Says We’re Living Through ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’ | WIRED

Iraq: If I Tried to Escape, I Would Be Killed - The Atlantic

Lebanon: Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least five people, including journalist

Lebanon: Lebanon accuses Israel of targeting journalist killed in air strike

Hong Kong: NGO Reporters Without Borders says French journalist denied entry to Hong Kong in Nov, slams ‘weaponising’ of visas

France: France’s print media in crisis amid massive layoffs

France: Bolloré’s takeover of Grasset: ‘Bookshops now serve as sentinels of resistance to the radical rightward shift of society’

Russia: Steve Rosenberg: Kremlin’s tightening grip on internet fuels Russian discontent

UK: BBC announces up to 2,000 layoffs in next two years

Photojournalism: Photo of migrant family separation in US scoops World Press prize - Yahoo News UK ​

AI: Why your AI assistant is suddenly selling to you

Culture: ‘All the President’s Men’ at 50: Times Journalists Look Back

As the US prepared to impose a blockade against all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, Iran threatened Persian Gulf ports and condemned the restrictions, while the country’s foreign minister claimed last weekend’s ceasefire talks broke down due to “shifting goalposts” from the US. By Monday afternoon, the US moved to enact that blockade against Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, with the US leader threatening to “immediately eliminate” any Iranian naval ships coming close to the naval fleet. Concerning last weekend’s ceasefire talks, the US asked Iran to freeze uranium enrichment for 20 years, while Tehran proposed to do so for five years. As the final ships to clear the Strait of Hormuz before the Iran war arrive in Asia, a US-sanctioned tanker linked to China was among two ships on Monday that sailed out of the strait and into the Gulf of Oman in a test for the US blockade.

With both the US and Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, China confirmed that three ships had recently been able to successfully pass through the area. The US claimed the blockade had turned back six merchant ships leaving the strait, claiming that “no ships made it past” the American blockade. On the diplomatic side, as Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a new four-point plan to end the conflict, Trump said Iranian officials have called and “want to work a deal” with the US. Italy announced a suspension in its defense agreement with Israel, a move dismissed by Tel Aviv. Hours later, Trump came out to criticize Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni, accusing her of lacking courage. The International Monetary Fund warned the Iran war has upended the world economy, modestly reducing its forecast for global economic growth this year, and warned the conflict could cause a global “energy crisis on an unprecedented scale.” In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Israeli and Lebanese officials to solidify ceasefire talks, as Lebanon has experienced weeks of deadly strikes from Israel. After the talks, an Israeli representative said they were “on the same side of the equation,” while the US hinted at more talks to come. Speaking of peace talks, it seemed like the US and Iran would restart ceasefire negotiations after last weekend’s setback, with Trump saying it could resume in two days in Islamabad.

On Wednesday, the US and Iran made an in-principle agreement to extend the ceasefire to allow for more diplomatic talks, as the Trump administration sent thousands of soldiers to the Middle East. Pakistan’s army chief went to Tehran to continue mediation efforts, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the second round of negotiations would “very likely” be held in Islamabad. In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said he exchanged letters with Chinese President Xi Jinping about Beijing’s potential role in ending the war. However, according to the FT, Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite that allowed it to target US military bases across the Middle East during the war. In Congress, Senate Republicans blocked the fourth attempt to limit Trump’s Iran war powers, while the Senate also voted against an effort by Bernie Sanders to block the sale of bombs and bulldozers to Israel.

During a Thursday press conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to resume military operations against Iran if the government doesn’t “choose wisely.” Claiming Iran “will have a blockade and bombs dropping again,” the Secretary of War said the US has launched “Economic Fury” to pressure Tehran’s finances, while proclaiming Beijing has promised Washington it will not send weapons to Iran. In a dire warning, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Europe has “maybe six weeks of jet fuel left.” Regarding the Israel-Lebanon peace talks, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he has declined to speak to Netanyahu, despite Trump saying the two were set to hold talks. But after a phone call between Trump and the two leaders, the US president proclaimed that Israel and Lebanon had reached a 10-day ceasefire. The ceasefire was welcomed by both Aoun and Netanyahu, though for the latter, the announcement caught Israel’s security cabinet by surprise, and ministers weren’t given a vote on the deal. Later on, Netanyahu came out and said the ceasefire creates an opportunity for a “historic peace agreement,” but emphasized maintaining a “security zone” along the border in southern Lebanon. Trump also said he would invite the two Middle Eastern leaders for peace talks in the US, while most expect Hezbollah to follow through with the deal as well. As for the US-Iran ceasefire, which could benefit from the Lebanon ceasefire, Gulf and European officials told Bloomberg the deal may take months to negotiate. However, Trump is expressing optimism about the talks, hinting that the US might hold discussions with Iran this weekend, according to the WSJ, while telling a Las Vegas event that “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly.” In other news, Hegseth delivered a prayer for search-and-rescue crews that he claimed was from a Bible passage in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, but actually turned out to be a quote from Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction.

With the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations continuing to be hashed out, Axios reported that the Americans are considering releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Tehran to give up its stockpile of enriched uranium. In a gesture of goodwill, Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz would be completely open to commercial traffic during the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. A few minutes after that, oil prices fell by 11%, and the Dow surged by 500 points. Trump welcomed Iran’s move but stated the naval blockade would remain in full force until the transaction with Iran is 100% complete. In follow-up posts, Trump blasted against America’s allies, “I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL.” He added, “They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!” Trump added that Israel “will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” adding that “enough is enough.” In an interview with USA Today, Trump proclaimed the Strait of Hormuz fight is “over,” calling it a “great victory.” Then on Bloomberg, Trump said Iran would suspend its nuclear program indefinitely, and would not receive any frozen funds from the US. For Axios, Trump said he expects a three-page peace deal between Washington and Tehran to be completed “in a day or two.” In Paris, UK PM Keir Starmer said his country will lead a defensive military operation with the French government, aiming to protect shipping at the Strait of Hormuz. As Washington keeps giving signs of goodwill to Beijing, CBS News reported that US intelligence has detected signs that China is weighing whether to provide Iran with advanced radar systems.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, said Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz again. That news was later confirmed by the Iranian military, with one saying, “Until America allows full freedom of navigation for vessels traveling from Iran to destinations and vice versa, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control and in its previous condition.” Out in the Strait, Iran broadcast to ships that it is closed to traffic, before two tankers were “fired upon” by Iranian gunboats. Furthermore, Iranian media said Tehran has not agreed to further talks with the US, as the Iranian deputy foreign minister confirmed that no date has been set for a new round of face-to-face talks. In response, the US military has reportedly prepared to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters. Sunday saw the IDF announcing they have killed senior Hezbollah commander Ali Rida Abbas, as Iran’s armed forces said they stopped two more tankers on Sunday as they “illegally” attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. With both the US and Iran accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, Trump said US officials will head back to Pakistan on Monday for peace talks, threatening to attack “every power plant and bridge” if Tehran doesn’t capitulate. Hours later, Trump announced the US had struck and seized an Iranian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that attempted to bypass the American blockade.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Beefing With The Pope

Following last weekend’s deranged posts by Trump on Truth Social attacking the pope, including posting an AI-generated of artwork depicting the president as Jesus, Pope Leo XIV said, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.” Hours later, Trump’s post depicting him as Jesus was deleted after backlash from the religious right. When asked about the post, the president claimed, “It wasn’t a depiction. I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one.” Straight out of failing in Hungary and Iran peace talks, VP JD Vance said the Pope should stay out of US politics and “stick to matters of morality.” And because this is the reality we live in, Trump got a McDonald’s meal delivered by a DoorDash grandma outside the Oval Office as he promoted the “no tax on tips” policy. In a win for press freedom, a federal judge dismissed Trump’s defamation lawsuit against News Corp, the publisher of the WSJ, over an article about Trump’s birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. Soon after the House Ethics panel opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell’s sexual misconduct allegations, the California congressman announced he is retiring from Congress. Hours later, Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, who admitted to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide, also said he would retire from Congress. Regarding other headlines, Minnesota began investigating ICE’s arrest of a Hmong American man as a possible kidnapping, and the federal government agreed that the Pride flag could fly at the Stonewall National Monument in New York.

On the day Swalwell officially retired from Congress amid multiple sexual assault allegations, Lonna Drewes publicly came out as the fifth accuser and said the former congressman had drugged and raped her in 2018, stating that “My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by fear, not doubt.” The DOJ seeks to wipe out the most serious convictions from the January 6 riots, requesting a federal appeals court to throw out the convictions of 12 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for seditious conspiracy. A divided appeals court panel ruled that Chief Judge James Boasberg must end a contempt investigation into the Trump administration’s deportation flights in March 2025, arguing that the federal judge had abused his discretion in forging ahead with criminal contempt proceedings. Olivia Troye, a former adviser to the then-VP Mike Pence, announced she would run for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia’s proposed new 7th congressional district, pending the passage of a sweeping redistricting referendum later this month. In state-wide politics, Maine lawmakers passed the nation’s first statewide ban on large data centers, and the Maryland House passed a bill that would ban grocery stores from using surveillance data and dynamic pricing. On foreign policy, the Trump administration eased sanctions on Venezuela amid public-sector protests in the country, the US military conducted another boat strike in the eastern Pacific that killed four people, while Vance told a Turning Point conference that stopping funding for Ukraine was “one of the things I’m proudest we’ve done in this administration.”

Wednesday saw Trump threatening to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he doesn’t step down as chairman in May, given he has signalled he would not leave the central bank until the DOJ investigation is finished. Speaking of the DOJ investigation, federal prosecutors made a surprise visit to the Federal Reserve worksite that is at the center of the case. Following Trump’s doctor Jesus controversy, the president decided to post another AI photo, this time of him together with Jesus. House Democrats filed five impeachment articles against Hegseth, while a measure by Democrat Jamie Raskin proposed creating a commission led by Vance to remove Trump from office via the 25th Amendment. On foreign policy, the White House has pushed countries to commit to a “trade over aid” declaration, effectively abandoning Washington’s policy of humanitarian assistance in exchange for promoting America First values. Behind the scenes, USA Today reported that the Pentagon has quietly ramped up the planning of a military operation in Cuba, while awaiting Trump’s order. Liberal Justice Sotomayor issued a rare public apology to her colleague, Brett Kavanaugh, writing that “At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate. I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.” And because this is the world we are living in, in an interview with Donald Trump Jr, Mehmet Oz said the president believes his consumption of diet soda kills cancer cells.

Delivering a message of peace during his African tour, Pope Leo condemned that the “world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.” The night before that, a bomb threat occurred at the home of the pope’s brother. In an AI move that raised eyebrows, the White House plans to offer Anthropic’s powerful Mythos model to federal agencies, raising concerns regarding cybersecurity. Adding more problems to the White House ballroom, a federal judge again blocked its construction and escalated the legal fight. Marking an unsurprising win for the president, the Commission of Fine Arts approved Trump’s Triumphal Arch to move forward. In a new biography about RFK Jr, the HHS Secretary once cut the penis off a road-killed raccoon, in the latest incident involving him and dead animals. Speaking of public health, Trump tapped Erica Schwartz, a former deputy US surgeon general, instead of a more quacky candidate. Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia cruised to victory in a special election to replace Mikie Sherrill’s seat after she became governor, shrinking an already narrow GOP majority. The House voted to extend the expiring warrantless surveillance law, part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, for ten days before passing it on to the Senate for confirmation. In law enforcement, an ICE agent who allegedly pointed his gun at a civilian was charged in Minnesota with two counts of second-degree assault. On the same day, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the acting ICE Director Todd Lyons will step down from the agency. After his disgraceful departure from the House, the DOJ is investigating Swalwell over his sexual misconduct allegations. Former lieutenant governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax, was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide case.

Trump is expected to nominate Cameron Hamilton to serve as FEMA administrator, which was awkward given that the president removed him from being the agency’s acting head last year, telling Congress he was against eliminating the agency. The DOJ removed the career Miami federal prosecutor leading an investigation into Trump critic John Brennan, the former CIA director under the Obama presidency. In a win for environmental polluters, the Supreme Court sided with oil companies in Louisiana lawsuits over who should pay for the state’s coastal erosion. The Atlantic published an article about FBI Director Kash Patel’s episodes of “excessive drinking and unexplained absences,” which prompted the White House to threaten lawsuits against the magazine. In Biden family news, this week saw Joe unveiling his portrait in his alma mater, Syracuse University, while his wife Jill missed out on a Heated Rivalry cameo after being outbid at a charity auction. Regarding other news, federal agencies were talking with the Trump family over resolving a $10 billion lawsuit over tax leaks, and Trump supporter Caitlyn Jenner appealed to the president over the passport gender policy that required it to be listed as the person’s birth gender.

Over the weekend, Trump signed an order to speed up access to medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs, as a federal appeals court granted Trump’s White House ballroom construction to continue through June. In New York, Barack Obama joined Zohran Mamdani at a childcare center in the Bronx. Axios reported that the NSA has been using Anthropic’s Mythos Preview, despite their bosses in the Pentagon openly feuding with the AI company and deeming it a “supply chain risk.” Tragedy struck Louisiana as a gunman killed eight children, including seven of his own, in the deadliest US mass shooting since 2024.

Victory Lap - Magyar’s Week Of Preparation

Following last Sunday’s stunning victory for Peter Magyar and his Tisza Party over Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban, the former opposition leader-turned-prime minister has had a busy schedule since. On Monday, Magyar held his first press conference after his party’s victory, stating he would move Hungary away from Moscow and back towards the EU, but noted he would maintain a harsh stance on immigration. During the press conference, Magyar raised a particular aspect that raised American eyebrows, as he pointed out that Orban diverted taxpayer money to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and his administration would cut off the funnel of government cash. After appearing on public radio and public television for the first time in 18 months, due to Orban and his allies having strong control over the country’s media, Magyar announced on Wednesday that he would suspend state media news coverage, calling it a “propaganda machine.” After meeting Hungarian President and Orban ally, Tamás Sulyok, the incoming PM hoped the first meeting of the new National Assembly would happen on May 4th, as part of a quick handover of power. Magyar added on a social media post that Sulyok “is unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation“ and said, “He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or a role model.” Moreover, Magyar said his cabinet could be sworn in by mid-May, adding he would take quick steps to release billions in suspended European Union funding and enact anti-corruption efforts. Over the weekend, EU officials arrived in Budapest for high-stakes talks with Magyar’s government, aiming to strengthen ties with Hungary as Orban admitted he would stay on as Fidesz party leader but a “political era has ended.”

Local News: Home Edition - Fire Threats And Supermarket Mergers

In remarks by the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, for a National Security Education Day ceremony, the top official warned of some people “politicizing” last November’s Wang Fuk Court fire to “stir up chaos” in Hong Kong. Without further elaboration, Xia said that after six years of imposing the National Security Law, “Anti-China and anti–Hong Kong troublemakers are still plotting and biding their time to launch a comeback.” Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, echoed similar sentiments, warning that some people were “using the disaster to stir up chaos” and “to incite hatred” in the city.

Meanwhile, hearings by an independent committee into the fire continued throughout the week. This week’s hearings included heartbreaking cases of inter-departmental communications gone wrong during the fire, including the death of a woman trapped in the then-burning estate after police who picked up the 999 emergency call did not pass it to the Fire Department, ending with the operator urging her to “call back if needed.” Moreover, a fire survivor recounted the “despair” during his final phone calls with loved ones who later died from the fire, vowing to speak up for his family, “This anger and despair… come from my mother, my brother, Yan-yan [niece], and our worker. Now that they cannot speak, I will speak for them.”

On the business side of things, the head of the Shangri-La hotel empire, Hui Kuok, proclaimed Hong Kong schools should replace Cantonese with Mandarin to boost their competitiveness. Aside from the fact that many Hong Kong schools are teaching Chinese in Mandarin, either as the sole Chinese dialect or with Cantonese, some see it as a further erosion of the city’s traditional culture. Jardines and CK Hutchison, two of the biggest names in Hong Kong business, are pursuing a supermarket megadeal that would see a merger between two of the city’s largest supermarket chains, ParknShop and Wellcome. As the FT noted, it would be the equivalent of “Tesco buying Sainsbury’s in the UK or Walmart merging with Costco.” Despite being competitors for decades, some see growing competition from e-commerce and cheaper mainland Chinese options as reasons behind the proposed merger.

Oh Canada - Carney’s Winning Streak

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party in Canada secured a majority government on Monday, following three special by-elections in Toronto and Quebec. Continuing the stunning rise of the Liberals following Justin Trudeau’s resignation, the Liberals only secured a minority government last year when Carney was elected. Since then, there have been five defections, four from the Conservatives and one New Democratic Party (NDP) member, to the Liberals, with one of them defecting from the Tories just last week. Doly Begum in Scarborough Southwest and Danielle Martin in University-Rosedale helped secure the majority, while the hotly contested seat of Terrebonne saw Tatiana Auguste win for the ruling party, which pushed the party to get 174 seats in parliament. With a working majority, Carney can push his agenda without any MPs from opposition parties or tie-breaking votes from the Speaker of the House, and he can stay in power until 2029. On Sunday, Carney posted a video stating that Canada’s ties to the US have become “weaknesses” that must be corrected, adding he will work to diversify trade away from its southern neighbour.

Odd News Out - Robots Doing War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that Russian army forces were exclusively captured by Ukraine’s robots, a historic first in military warfare. Using only ground robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, Zelensky said, “The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side.” As Russia’s spring offensive continues, airstrikes on Thursday targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other cities, killing 17 people in its deadliest attack so far this year.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: China’s GDP grows 5 per cent in first quarter

China: China Imposes New Rules to Block Foreign Companies From ‘Decoupling’

Sudan: Sudan Enters Fourth Year of War Amid World’s Most Severe Humanitarian Crisis - The New York Times

Benin: Finance minister favoured to succeed Talon as Benin votes in presidential election - France 24

France: France’s antisemitism bill: a weapon against hate or threat to free speech? - RFI

France: French MPs introduce bill to remove statute of limitations for crimes against children - France 24

UK: Peter Mandelson failed UK Foreign Office vetting

Germany: ‘Remigration’ and Russian lessons: German far-right party promises radical measures if elected

Greenland: Greenland’s prime minister says citizens ‘don’t feel safe’ after Trump’s threats

Spain: Spanish prime minister’s wife charged with corruption | Pedro Sánchez | The Guardian

Venezuela: Venezuela is not the triumph Donald Trump claims, but it’s improving

Business: S&P 500 Hits Record High as Stock Market Looks Beyond Iran War - The New York Times

Business: Hollywood Heavyweights Sign Letter Opposing Paramount’s Deal for Warner Bros. - The New York Times

Business: Live Nation illegally monopolized ticketing market, jury in antitrust trial finds

Space: Artemis II Crew Discusses NASA Moon Mission and Next Steps - The New York Times
Environment: Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought | Oceans | The Guardian

Sports: Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures - The New York Times

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

BBC: The surprising reality of how teenage girls still define themselves

FP: The Man Who Shaped Washington’s View of the Middle East

CNN: ‘Colossal’ pressure: How Russia is targeting university students for military recruitment | CNN

FT: The ever-shrinking JD Vance

Bulwark: How to Drive a Stake Through the Heart of Trumpism

Guardian: ‘My life has become a rollercoaster’: Francesca Albanese on death threats, danger and dread after accusing Israel of genocide | Human rights | The Guardian

Bloomberg: How Anthropic Discovered Mythos AI Was Too Dangerous For Release - Bloomberg ​​

Economist: America wakes up to AI’s dangerous power

Foreign Affairs: Jake Sullivan: The Tech High Ground

BBC: Lyse Doucet: Under fragile ceasefire, Iranians wonder if US deal can be done

Wired: The Deepfake Nudes Crisis in Schools Is Much Worse Than You Thought | WIRED

CNN: Sharing ancient roots and distrust of the US, many in China are suddenly really into Iran | CNN

Bulwark: It’s Not Enough to Defeat Orbánism. You Have to Drive a Stake Through Its Heart.

WSJ: A Journey Into the Heart of Colombia’s Deadly Cocaine War

FT: Can global resilience trump disruption?

NYT: After Charlie Kirk’s Death, a Fight for the Youth Vote - The New York Times

Economist: The Republican congressman taking on Trump

Bloomberg: How Anthropic Discovered Mythos AI Was Too Dangerous For Release - Bloomberg

CNN: The record-breaking trip of the USS Gerald Ford, the aircraft carrier at the center of Trump’s military ambitions | CNN Politics

Atlantic: Illiberalism Is Not Inevitable - The Atlantic

Economist: Why China’s government worries about AI

Bulwark: MAGA International Goes Down in Flames

FT: ‘$20bn in 20 minutes’: the man turning Donald Trump into a global deal machine

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Judge Dismisses Trump’s Defamation Lawsuit Against WSJ Publisher

USA: TMZ Gets Political | The New Yorker

USA: A journalist filmed an ICE protest at a Minnesota church. Then federal agents showed up at her door

USA: NPR receives $113 million from two donors after federal funding cut

Iran: Viral victory: Iran is beating the land of tech bros in the social media wars

Iran: ‘Vengeance for all’: How Iran’s Lego videos won narrative war against Trump | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera

Iran: Iran Out-Trolled the Troller in Chief - The Atlantic

Vatican: Pope Says News Outlets Misread Some of His Remarks as Criticism of Trump - The New York Times

Hungary: Did a Documentary Just Help Defeat Hungary’s Viktor Orban? ​​

Hungary: Hungary’s prime minister-elect vows to suspend ‘propaganda machine’ state media | Péter Magyar | The Guardian

UK: The Economist Is Putting Names (and Faces) to Its Magazine - The New York Times

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Journalists Association warns stalking of journalists has ‘chilling effect’ on press freedom

Internet: The Internet’s Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril | WIRED

Sunday marked the most important election of 2026, as Hungarians headed to the polls in a free but unfair vote that would decide whether Viktor Orban, the country’s illiberal PM for the past 16 years, would continue to govern. Orban is celebrated by the global conservative movement for returning Christianity and family values to the political conversation, as well as pushing hardline views on immigration that often touch on populist and nationalistic rhetoric. Orban’s party, Fidesz, has deep connections with far-right movements across Europe, as well as the Republicans within the US. Many US conservatives have championed Fidesz’s tactics as a model for their country, most famously with Project 2025, the infamous document that instructed how the second Trump term can reshape government. Not only has Orban been invited to speak at CPAC, but the group itself has also had an offshoot conference in Hungary for the past few years. Trump notably endorsed Orban ahead of the election, as well as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, German far-right leader Alice Weidel, French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, and Argentine leader Javier Milei.

For many pro-democracy critics, Orban’s policies serve as a textbook model for turning a democracy into an autocracy. After the fall of Soviet communism, the Fidesz party was relatively more liberal, with Orban being a figurehead in talks that turned the country into a democracy. He was elected to parliament in 1990 and began moving the party to the right. Orban then became Europe’s youngest PM at the time in 1998, before losing office in one term. During his years out of power, he continued to move to the right, and when he became PM again in 2010, thanks to the global financial crisis and scandals surrounding the then-ruling party, Orban won a two-thirds supermajority and began tampering with the political system to fortify his power indefinitely. Orban’s first year in office saw his administration rush through hundreds of new laws that consolidated his power and ushered in a new constitution drafted behind closed doors, before being debated in parliament for nine days. Deeply gerrymandered maps tilted elections in Fidesez’s favour, with the party winning 45% of the vote, but 91% of parliamentary seats in the 2014 election. The judicial side saw Orban packing the courts with loyalists, which essentially removed checks and balances. Speaking of loyalists, Orban’s rich allies acquired many Hungarian media outlets, controlling roughly 80% of the country’s media market and forming a propaganda service. Real press freedom is also challenged. Just a few weeks ago, the Hungarian government charged investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi with spying for Ukraine over his reporting on Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, who has allegedly been passing details of confidential EU briefings to his Russian counterpart. The installation of yes-men to run Hungary’s independent agencies, state-owned firms, and government institutions also opens the space up to corruption. One of the most interesting parts of Hungary’s corruption involves zebras darting across a sprawling residence in the countryside, a residence owned by Orban’s father. Meanwhile, the country’s economy stopped growing and began falling behind its eastern European neighbours. On basic governance, not only do two-thirds of its citizens describe the national education system as “bad,” but Orban had to sign an executive order to ensure medical facilities were stocked with toilet paper. Amid the 2015 migrant crisis, Hungary was accused of unlawful detention and violence against asylum seekers, and Orban went so far as to set up an electrified border fence as a gesture to repel immigrants. On the subject of fearmongering, Orban has falsely characterized the migrants as “disease-ridden threats to public health” and “extremists plotting terrorist acts,” and even went full-on great replacement theory by proclaiming them “agents of a plot to replace native Europeans with foreigners.” Orban also repeatedly used George Soros as a boogeyman, pulling out full-page ads invoking the billionaire’s name, and passed anti-immigrant laws that were named “Stop Soros.” The anti-Soros vitriol is extra ironic of Orban, given that the now PM received a Soros-funded scholarship to study at Oxford University. And then, there is the cultural conservatism. Hungary tightened abortion access under Orban’s watch, most notably with a requirement that mothers have to “listen to the fetal heartbeat” before conducting such an operation. But one of Orban’s key cultural targets is the LGBT community, with the Hungarian parliament passing a bill in 2025 that bans Pride events. After the law was passed, thousands of protesters marched in a pride parade that also served as a protest against Orban’s hostility towards LGBT people.

On foreign policy, Orban has been a big thorn in the EU’s side. As Al Jazeera noted, “No single member state has stymied the European Union’s ability to express a common foreign, defence, energy and migration policy as much as Hungary.” Constantly battling with the Brussels establishment, Orban has blocked billions of Euros in funding because of issues he dislikes. Orban also serves as the most Russia-friendly leader in the EU, with Hungary continuing to buy Russian oil and gas, and the Hungarian leader has repeatedly met his Russian counterpart in the past four years. Then there is the revelation by Bloomberg that Orban told Putin he is willing to go to great lengths to help the Russian leader, saying in a government transcript that “In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.” If Orban has a fond friendship with Vladimir Putin, he has a great dislike of Volodymyr Zelensky. Not only has Orban been a key player in blocking a 90 billion Euro loan to Kyiv, but he has also consistently vilified the Ukrainian leader. During the election campaign, Fidesz and its allies have put up many attack ads centered around Ukraine and Zelensky, depicting the Ukrainian leader as corrupt and trying to scare voters that voting for the opposition would lead to war. Aside from Ukraine, Orban has been accused of making “false flag” claims, after Serbia said “explosives of devastating power” were found near a pipeline connecting Russian oil to Hungary.

Despite all that, there is a decent chance that Orban and his autocratic experiment may lose power. After years of a fractured opposition, anti-Orban forces have unified behind Peter Magyar, a charismatic former Fidesz member who has rallied voters with the slogan, “Now or never.” Magyar has come out in strong opposition against corruption under Orban’s rule, and his position as a former Orban ally has built credibility for his arguments. Aside from tackling corruption, he vowed to improve the economy and unlock billions of euros in EU funds, which are frozen by the bloc due to concerns over Hungary’s rule of law. Orban has attacked Magyar as a puppet for the EU and Ukraine, but despite that, he has unified the center-left and center-right behind him, and the polls showed his Tisza party between six and thirteen points ahead of Fidesz. Though it should be noted, some voters are voting for Magyar not as a supporter of his policies, but as an opportunity to kick out Orban. Instead of rallying around democracy, Magyar has tapped into voters’ concerns on the economy, which is badly affected by cronyism and corruption under Orban’s rule. Analysts say that despite the lead in the polls, Hungary’s gerrymandered electoral system still favors Orbán, and Magyar would need to win at least six points ahead of Fidesz to defeat the incumbent leader. But despite the long shot, if the opposition wins big, observers say ahead of the vote that it could be an important first step in showing the weaknesses of right-wing populism and autocracy, and it could also become a model for other democratic parties to learn from and use to defeat their populist and nationalistic figures.

Following the explosive Bloomberg revelation and the bust of Orban’s false flag plan, Vance visited Hungary to vouch for the US administration’s support for their Hungarian counterpart. Acting as foreign interference to support Orban’s campaign, Vance repeatedly criticized the allegedly unprecedented and “disgraceful” foreign interference from Brussels and Ukraine, portraying Hungary as an “alternative” to a Europe given in to corruption and far-left ideologies. In an awkward moment, Trump sent Vance to voicemail after the VP tried to call his boss to lend his support for Orban. When Trump picked up the phone, he also offered a vivid endorsement of the Hungarian strongman. A day later, as polls showed Magyar’s party could win a supermajority in the upcoming vote, Vance claimed the US is not interfering in the Hungarian election, calling the accusations “darkly ironic.” On the final days of campaigning, the polls suggest Magyar had an upper hand, as both candidates allege the enlistment of foreign interference in the election.

Voter turnout was high on election day. By 3 pm Hungary time, the voter turnout has hit 66%, compared to 52.75% in 2022. On social media, Orban urged his supporters to get out and vote, writing that “Too many people are voting.” Two and a half hours later, the turnout rate was at 78%, while there were long lines at polling stations nationwide. When the polls closed at 7 pm, this year’s vote cemented its position as the highest turnout ever. As the embargo on polling results collected in the days running up to the election expired after the polls closed, two polls show Magyar’s party winning the vote. Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban loyalist who holds the mostly ceremonial role, described the polling as “orderly” and proclaimed the record turnout was proof of the country’s democracy. Orban’s Chief of Staff, Gergely Gulyas, said the vote was democratic, adding he believes the high turnout is the result ​of ‌a ⁠huge mobilisation effort ‌by the ruling party. Magyar then took to speak, proclaiming more than 6 million people showed up to vote, calling it a “true celebration of democracy.” He added, “What I can say, based on the research, participation data, and the information we’ve received, is that we are optimistic, cautiously optimistic, but we don’t want to win opinion polls; we want to win the election.” With the votes coming in, Tiszda went from already having a majority to securing a supermajority, winning more than 135 seats (Two-thirds) in parliament. Magyar then announced on Facebook that Orban had congratulated the opposition “on our victory.” In a speech to supporters, Orban said, “The result of the election is clear and painful.” He noted, “We never give up, this is one thing people know about us, we never give up. The days ahead of us are for us to heal our wounds.” Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media, “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight.” Addressing a massive crowd in Budapest, Magyar said, “Together, we liberated Hungary and got rid of the Orban regime.” With 99% of the votes counted, Tisza is expected to hold 138 out of 199 parliamentary seats, giving the next government a supermajority.

Space News - Artemis Slay

Astronauts of the Artemis II mission arrived at the Moon on Monday and engaged in the first lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew also broke the record of the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human since the Apollo 13 astronauts in April 1970, amid their emergency return to Earth. In a touching moment, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the team hoped to name one of the craters identified by them as “Integrity,” after the name of their Orion spacecraft. The astronauts also proposed naming another crater “Carroll,” named after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, who lost her life to cancer in 2020. The astronauts abroad were seen wiping their eyes before having a group hug. As Artemis II flew past the dark side of the Moon, the crew temporarily cut off its contact with Earth as planned for 40 minutes, reaching their furthest distance from Earth and temporarily becoming the loneliest humans, away from 8 billion people. After re-establishing radio contact with Mission Control, the crew received a phone call from Trump, which quickly descended into a small campaign speech and experienced a few moments of awkward silence. This comes as the White House’s federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 proposes a 25% cut to NASA’s overall funding, and a 50% cut for its science budget. In fun cultural moments, a jar of Nutella was seen floating through the Orion cabin, Project Hail Mary got an “Amaze amaze amaze” shoutout, the astronauts made an 80s sitcom-style video, and astronaut Victor Glover did the “6-7” pose in space.

NASA released the first photos taken by astronauts from the far side of the moon, including a shot named “Earthset” that showed humanity “from the other side” as Earth dipped beyond the lunar horizon, and another picture called the “Artemis II Eclipse” that saw totality from lunar orbit as the Moon eclipsed the Sun. For the crew, Tuesday was a relatively quiet affair as the astronauts prepared to return home, but they did make history by engaging in the first ship-to-ship call with astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS). Wednesday saw a more relaxed call between the astronauts and Canada’s PM Mark Carney, who prompted laughter as he asked Hansen whether they use maple syrup instead of Nutella on their pancakes. On Friday afternoon, the Orion space capsule splashed down safely into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, with the astronauts reporting good health. It caps off a mission that lasted 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes, travelling 694,481 miles (1,117,659km), and saw the astronauts joining the elite club of just 24 other humans who have travelled to the Moon and back. In the crew’s first remarks since they returned to Earth, Christina Koch said,“I know I haven’t learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me. But there’s one new thing I know, and that is planet Earth: You are a crew.” Hansen added a more sentimental note, “What you saw was a group of people who loved contributing, having meaningful contribution and extracting joy out of that. And what we’ve been hearing is that was something special for you to witness. I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you, and if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.”

Donroe Delulu - Countdown To Destruction… Or Not…

Following Trump’s threat of attacking Iran’s civilian infrastructure on Tuesday, 8 pm EST, if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened last weekend, Monday started with the US and Iran receiving a peace proposal that would stop hostilities. Iranian state media reported the head of intelligence for the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) was killed in a targeted attack, hours before Israel announced it had also assassinated the Quds Force’s special operations commander, Asghar Bagheri. In addition, Israel struck Iran’s South Pars petrochemical plant. By Monday afternoon, Tehran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal before Trump’s Hormuz ultimatum, adding it wants a permanent end to the war. On Trump’s side, he said the Tuesday deadline to make a deal is final, adding he feels Iran’s proposal was significant but not good enough. During an Easter event, Trump told reporters, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They are lunatics, and you can’t put nuclear weapons in the hands of a lunatic.” Later in that event, Trump ranted about former President Joe Biden and the autopen to a group of confused children. Regarding last week’s daring rescue operation for a missing F-15E weapons systems officer whose plane was shot down in Iran, CBS News quoted sources saying the operation used more than 150 aircraft and 200 munitions to beat Iran in finding their man. Later, in a White House press briefing, Trump provided more details on how the pilot survived and was recovered by US forces. Hinting at bolder military action against Iran, Trump said, “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” The president likened the operation to the January mission that captured Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolas Maduro, bragging the entire operation as “genius” and saying it is an “honor” to be involved in it, while also threatening to jail a journalist who first reported on the missing US airman if the reporter doesn’t hand over the source information to the government. But in more alarming developments, Trump promised strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran fails to capitulate by 8 pm Eastern Time, stressing that free oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz must be in any Iran peace deal. In a further bizarre rant, the president said, “We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well, as you know. Do you notice he said very nice things about me? He used to call Joe Biden a mentally r****ded person... He was so nasty to Joe Biden. It was terrible.” Regarding his other conquests, Trump claimed, “I’m polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela. So after I’m finished with this I can got to Venezuela. I will quickly learn Spanish. It won’t take long. I’m good at language. I’m going to Venezuela. I’m going to run for president.” Wrapping up a deranged press briefing, Trump concluded by saying, “We want Greenland. NATO doesn’t want to give it us. And I said, ‘Bye bye.’ Okay, thank you very much everybody.“ In the UN, Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the US that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international law.

As the clock ticked towards the Tuesday deadline, Reuters cited Ukrainian officials in its report that Russia has provided spy imagery and cyber support to help Iran strike US targets. In Istanbul, two gunmen were killed, and more were wounded after the assailants opened fire outside the Israeli consulate. On the battlefield, Israel warned Iranian civilians to avoid taking the country’s train system, warning it could “endanger your life” while also confirming an attack on a third petrochemical site. As the Israeli military reported it had completed a wide wave of attacks across Iran, the US attacked more than 50 military assets in Kharg Island, close to the Strait of Hormuz. On Truth Social, Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” threatening to reduce Iran’s “crazy bastards” leadership to “living in hell.” Numerous Democrats and MAGA influencers have called for the 25th Amendment against Trump, but prominent Republicans were notably silent in response to that post. Following the threats, Iranian media said all diplomatic channels and indirect talks with the US have been frozen, as protesters formed human chains outside Iran’s nuclear power plants. In an Axios interview, a US official said, “The president is the most bloodthirsty, like a mad dog.” On the diplomatic scale, China and Russia vetoed a watered-down UN resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as the UK government reinforced that the US cannot use its bases for attacks against Iran. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly unconscious and is being treated for a “severe” medical issue in the city of Qom while he is unable to govern the country. Then, in a sequence of positive developments, a pro-Iran Iraqi militia group said it will release kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson after she was kidnapped in Baghdad last month, while Axios reported the White House’s thinking has shifted from “Can we get there?” to “Can we get there by 8 o’clock tonight?” after glimmers of progress in Iran talks. While on a darker note, the White House had to come out and deny they’re considering using nuclear weapons against Iran. In the UN, Iranian envoy Amir-Saeid Iravani said Iran would not stand idly by as the US attacks, warning Tehran will “take immediate and proportionate” action if Trump follows through on attack threats. Ahead of the deadline, Pakistan proposed a two-week Iran ceasefire as Pope Leo XIV said Trump’s strike threat was “totally unacceptable,” while the NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan released a damning report that included revelations of Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the Situation Room to persuade Trump to join the Iran war. Ninety minutes before the clock struck 8 pm EST, Trump said the US is suspending attacks on Iran for two weeks, subject to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council then responded by agreeing to the two-week ceasefire plan, but noted its acceptance doesn’t mean an end to the war. US-Iran peace talks were expected to be held on Friday in Pakistan, marking the first diplomatic talks between the two warring nations since the war began. Under the ten-point peace plan, the Americans will lift sanctions placed on Iran by every US administration since the George W. Bush administration. Tehran will impose a $2 million fee for every ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, share the proceeds with Oman, and use the rest for reconstruction. Iran’s foreign minister said ships would be allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz with “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” But as the AP had noted, there were no “technical limitations” before the war, not to mention the fact that Hormuz wasn’t under Iranian control before the war. Soon after the announcement, oil prices sharply fell, and stock futures rallied in light of the news. In an interview with AFP, Trump credited China with helping Iran to get to the negotiating table. But that brief sigh of relief didn’t last long, with Israel detecting an incoming Iranian missile barrage hours after the ceasefire announcement. Then, the semantic problems of the ceasefire started to emerge. First of all, Pakistan said the ceasefire deal extends to Israel and Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon, with the US administration saying Tel Aviv has agreed to the terms of the agreement. Soon after that, an Israeli military official said the country is still attacking Iran, and Netanyahu proclaimed he supports the ceasefire but “does not include Lebanon,” as an Israeli strike killed at least eight people in a southern Lebanese city. Secondly, Iran’s Farsi version of the ceasefire deal included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program, which is missing from the English version of the document. While on the streets of Tehran, pro-government protesters chanted, “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” Trump later said the US will help with “traffic build-up” amid the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming there is “big money to be made.”

The US took a victory lap on Wednesday, with Vance proclaiming the country’s military objectives were “achieved” in Iran despite the fragile ceasefire. In Trump’s first public remarks since the ceasefire, the president said America will work with Iran to “dig up and remove” the country’s nuclear material, as well as negotiate a relief in sanctions. Despite easing sanctions on Iran, Trump threatened 50% levies on arms suppliers to the country. Hegseth also declared an “overwhelming victory” over Iran, claiming the operation had severely damaged Tehran’s military capacities. In Saudi Arabia, the country’s important East-West Pipeline was attacked by Iran hours after the ceasefire came into effect, causing limited damage. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has reportedly demanded crypto fees for ships crossing the narrow waterway that Tehran currently controls. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the man who helped negotiate the ceasefire, warned on social media, “Violations of ceasefire have been reported at a few places across the conflict zone, which undermine the spirit of the peace process.” Iran released its 10-point plan that forms the basis for ending the war, but it is notably not the same proposal that Trump agreed to the day before. In Iran, local media said Tehran could pull out of the ceasefire deal over Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, which killed at least 89 people and injured 800 more. Soon enough, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the ceasefire deal of being “unreasonable,” as he claimed the US violated three out of the ten frameworks needed for a deal. We learned more about the delegations heading to Islamabad for negotiations, with Vance leading the US delegation that includes Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Ghalibaf was expected to lead the Iranian team with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump said US military aircraft and warships will stay in Iran for the time being, threatening that its forces will start shooting again until a deal with Tehran is reached. As Rubio met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the State Department, Trump took to Truth Social to lash out at the alliance before doing the same in private, while the WSJ reported that the administration is considering punishments for some NATO members for not sufficiently helping the US in its war effort.

As Israel ramped up its military operation in Lebanon, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday (The deadliest day yet for the conflict since it started last month), the IDF announced it had killed the nephew of Hezbollah’s chief Naim Qassem on Thursday. Hours later, Netanyahu said Israel will begin “direct negotiations” with Lebanon, focused on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two countries. In the US, House Republicans blocked Democrats from considering a measure to halt military hostilities with Iran. According to the AP, the Israel-Lebanon talks were expected to start next week in Washington to boost the tentative ceasefire between the US and Iran. Before Friday’s negotiation was postponed to Saturday, Trump told NBC News he feels “optimistic” about the peace deal getting reached. In the most direct criticism by Keir Starmer to date, the UK PM told ITV News, “I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy businesses bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world.” Trump urged Iran to stop charging tolls for tankers to cross the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Tehran is not living up to the ceasefire agreement. In journalistic news, a judge ruled that the Pentagon has not complied with an order that undid much of its revised press pass policy, while Trump took to Truth Social to blast “low-IQ” and “loser” influencers who have split with him over Iran in a long rant.

Zelensky said Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, calling it a “success.” US inflation figures showed a rise of 3.3% annual rate in March, the highest in two years, as consumer sentiment fell to a record low. As Vance set out for Islamabad, the Washington Post reported US envoys would ask Iran to release detained Americans. Iran then upped the ante, saying it won’t participate in peace talks unless there is a ceasefire in Lebanon, as well as Washington releasing “blocked assets” before the talks begin. In response, Vance warned Iran not to “try and play” the US at the talks.

On Saturday, after the American and Iranian teams arrived in Islamabad, both sides met Pakistan’s PM ahead of the talks. Before the negotiations, Iranian officials claimed that the US had agreed to release Iran’s frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, which the US soon denied. Reuters reported that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is still recovering from severe and disfiguring facial and leg injuries. CNN pointed to US intelligence, which indicates China is preparing new aerial defense systems for Iran in the next few weeks. As the talks kicked off, two US warships crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war began. Hours later, the first round of negotiations hit a “stalemate” as both sides didn’t agree over who gets control over the Strait of Hormuz. By early Sunday, after 21 hours of talks, Vance said the marathon peace talks failed to end in an agreement, citing Tehran's refusal to commit to not developing a nuclear weapon. On the other side of the world, Trump and Rubio showed up at UFC in Miami, Florida. As the talks faltered, Trump announced on Truth Social that the US Navy would blockade “any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Epstein Files Back To Relevance

In a win for Steve Bannon, the former Trump advisor won a Supreme Court order that paves the way to the dismissal of his contempt of Congress conviction. On the same day, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the dismissal of Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld’s case. The former Cincinnati City Council member was convicted of bribery and attempted extortion, but was later pardoned by Trump. Continuing the administration’s cruelty, the government has pulled out of civil rights settlements backing trans students, with the Education Department claiming there was no precedent for terminating settlements stemming from civil rights investigations into schools.

In the race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old seat, Republican Clay Fuller won that special election against Democrat Shawn Harris in a runoff vote. In Wisconsin, liberal judge Chris Taylor won a seat in the state’s Supreme Court, solidifying a Democratic majority in the swing state’s highest court. Following major public outcry, Annie Ramos, the newlywed wife of a US soldier detained last week by ICE officials at her husband’s Louisiana military base, was released from federal custody. Ramos is a Honduran immigrant who arrived in America as a toddler and is married to Matthew Blank, a US Army staff sergeant preparing to train for deployment. US government attorneys told a federal judge that DHS seeks to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, despite a new agreement with Costa Rica to accept deportees who cannot legally return to their home country. In other immigration enforcement headlines, Reuters reported that ICE arrested more than 800 people following information provided by the TSA, while immigration agents shot a man in a car in northern California. The DOJ’s civil rights division launched an investigation into Cassidy Hutchingson, a former White House aide who was a star witness in the January 6th Committee hearings four years ago. On the Epstein files, Bill Gates is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee in June, a month after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s grilling in May. Following a major party rift on far-left streamer Hasan Piker, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed declined to denounce the influencer’s past comments and believed it is “critical” that Democrats embrace Piker.

In Melania Trump’s first public statement about ⁠Epstein, the First Lady denied ever having a relationship with the disgraced financier. The White House address saw Melania calling for a hearing for Epstein survivors, as she said, “The lies linking ⁠me with the disgraceful ​Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.” More than a dozen Epstein survivors accused Melania of “shifting the burden” onto them, saying, “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice.” Amid a growing rift between the Trump administration and the Vatican, the chances of Pope Leo XIV visiting the US in the next few years have dropped significantly after the Pope’s ambassador to the US was summoned to the Pentagon for a “bitter lecture,” ordering the first American pope to get behind the president. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee said the DOJ notified them that Bondi will not comply with a subpoena to appear in front of the committee investigating the Epstein files, citing that the then-AG “was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General.” A panel of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted to reject a resolution condemning “the growing influence” of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in American politics.

The WSJ reported that Trump promised mass pardons to his administration’s officials, saying in a recent meeting, “I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval.” Former VP Kamala Harris made her clearest signal yet that she may run for president again in 2028, telling Reverend Al Sharpton at the National Action Network convention that “I’m thinking about it.” Marking the president’s latest vanity project, Trump officials unveil designs for the president’s controversial 250-foot arch. In personnel shifts within the White House, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was supposed to be fired last week, but the decision did not go through after persuasion by Trump ally Roger Stone. Meanwhile, Deputy White House Chief of Staff James Blair was reportedly considering taking a leave from his White House job, allowing him to run Trump’s political operation before the midterms. Rocking the California gubernatorial race, the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN revealed several women have accused Representative Eric Swalwell of sexual harassment, prompting multiple prominent Californian politicians to revoke their support of the candidate, and growing calls for him to resign. The AP reported that the Trump administration admitted it used faulty figures on Medicaid in New York, which is ironic given that it undermines a federal anti-fraud push led by Vance. In other news, Representative Jamie Raskin asked the White House physician for a “comprehensive cognitive assessment” of Trump, the president said Melania “had a right” to talk about Epstein, Hunter Biden challenged Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump to a cage match, there were more humiliating details about Kristi Noem’s husband’s bimbo lifestyle, another round of layoffs hit the Kennedy Center ahead of its two-year closure, and former New York mayor Eric Adams obtained Albanian citizenship.

Over the weekend, an appeals court ruled Trump’s White House ballroom construction can continue for now. The Swalwell scandal continues to grow, with the Manhattan DA investigating a sexual assault claim that happened in New York City in 2024. In the House, the Swalwell scandal might prompt lawmakers to clean house. GOP Representative Anna Paulina Luna has proposed to force a vote next week to expel Swalwell, while Democrats were planning expulsion votes for Republicans Tony Gonzales, Cory Mills, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. By Sunday, Swalwell announced he is suspending his governor campaign, writing on social media that “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.” Continuing his bizarre beef with the pope, Trump criticized Pope Leo as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”

China News - A Chairwoman’s Visit

This week saw the chairperson of Taiwan’s main opposition party, Cheng Li-wun of the Kuomintang (KMT), visiting mainland China amid growing tensions between Beijing and the self-governed island that it sees as a renegade province, as well as the opposition-led parliament stalling a government plan for $40 billion in extra defence spending. This marks the first time a KMT leader has visited China in nearly a decade, as Beijing severed high-level contact with Taiwan in 2016 following the election win of Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Beijing has refused to hold formal dialogue with the current Taiwanese leader, Lai Ching-te (Also from the DPP), whom they have labelled a “separatist.” In sharp contrast with the DPP, the KMT has long had warm relations with Beijing over the past few decades. For Cheng, although she was once a fierce campaigner for Taiwan’s independence, she has since been a firebrand advocate for closer economic and cultural ties with Beijing, so much so that critics from both inside and outside of the party worry she is too pro-China.

After arriving with her delegation for a “peace mission” on Tuesday, Cheng laid a wreath at revolutionary figure Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum in Nanjing on Wednesday. In a gesture of significant historic symbolism, Cheng said, “We should work together to ​promote reconciliation and unity across the (Taiwan) Strait and create regional prosperity and peace.” Friday saw the main event of the trip, with Cheng meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, Xi highlighted the need for peace, “Compatriots on both sides are both Chinese, and we need peace, we need development, we need communication, and we need cooperation. This is a common wish.” According to Xinhua News, a Chinese state media outlet, Xi said, “‘Taiwan independence’ is the culprit that undermines peace across the Taiwan Strait, and we will never tolerate or condone it.” Cheng echoed similar sentiments on peace during the meeting, “Both sides should transcend political confrontation…and seek a systemic solution to prevent and avoid war, so that the Taiwan Strait can become a model for peaceful conflict resolution in the world.” At a press conference after the meeting, Cheng described it as candid and frank, adding that she hopes to invite Xi to Taiwan if the KMT wins the 2028 presidential election.

Odd News Out - Good News For Democracy?

The democracy recession has shown signs of pausing, according to the latest democracy report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The health of democracy in 85% of countries included in the report has held steady or improved, with the global index rising by 0.02 points, which may not seem too much until you learn it is one of the biggest increases since 2012. Grading 167 countries out of ten according to the state of their democracies, Norway continues to hold the top spot of the world’s most democratic country, followed by New Zealand and other Nordic countries.

The most improved region is Latin America, which has stopped its nine-year democratic decline and seen scores rise in more than half of the region’s countries. The boost is credited with more political participation, including Bolivia recently holding its first free and fair elections in decades. Young populations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Gen-Z protests in the hybrid regimes of Kenya, Nepal, and Madagascar, have also provided some hope for democracy.

However, there is a notable outlier, which is the United States. Under Trump’s second term, the US lost 0.2 points from last year and remains a flawed democracy. Ironically, Trump’s influence might have boosted the scores of other democracies. Canada rose five places to ninth following high voter turnout for the 2025 elections that picked Mark Carney as leader, Romania’s strong turnout in last year’s election, and its success in kicking out a Trump-favoured candidate boosted its level from a hybrid regime to a flawed democracy, while Denmark rose four places to third thanks to its handling of Trump’s Greenland threats.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: All Hong Kong restaurant licences to have national security clauses by September – minister

Hong Kong: Hins Cheung to lead arrested 2019 Hong Kong protesters on mainland exchange trips

China: Exclusive: Chinese firm hired lobbyists with ties to Don Jr, then scored a win in Washington

Japan: Japan’s Sanae Takaichi tickled pink to meet UK band Deep Purple | South China Morning Post

Japan: Japan downgrades assessment of China amid souring ties

Vietnam: Vietnam’s leader To Lam strengthens power in unanimous assembly vote

Australia: Ben Roberts-Smith: Australian soldier charged over alleged war crimes

Iraq: Iraq parliament elects Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as president | Elections News | Al Jazeera

Canada: Canada’s Carney on verge of majority government after another opposition member joins ruling Liberals | Reuters

Canada: First Nation asks court to block Alberta referendum on seceding from Canada

Cuba: Cuba’s president says he’s ‘not stepping down’ in interview with NBC News

Peru: Peru votes for ninth president in less than decade | Elections News | Al Jazeera ​​

Argentina: Argentina passes bill loosening protection of its glaciers

Ukraine: Zelenskiy’s Top Aide Sees Ukraine Nearing a Deal With Putin

UK: U.K. Bars Ye Over Antisemitism, Months Before Major Festival Performances

Greece: Greece to ban social media for under-15s from next year

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa: Bid to scrap elections and extend term

AI: Anthropic Claims Its New A.I. Model, Mythos, Is a Cybersecurity ‘Reckoning’ - The New York Times

AI: Meta releases first AI model since Zuckerberg’s spending spree

Environment: Inside the Deadly Civil War That Tore Apart a Group of Chimpanzees in Uganda - WSJ

Environment: Ocean protections clash with mining pressure in Indonesia’s most diverse marine ecosystem

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

New Yorker: Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?

Bloomberg: The New World Order Will Be More Dangerous and More Cooperative - Bloomberg

FP: Lost Children Of the Minab School Bombing

Bulwark: Trump Just Fed America a Sh*t Sandwich

Atlantic: The Artemis Astronauts Are Studs

WSJ: The Day Trump’s Iran Threat Gripped the World - WSJ ​​

FT: The 10 minutes that set Lebanon ablaze

Vox: Did Trump accidentally do something woke for global health? | Vox

Bloomberg: Viktor Orban Is Fighting for His Political Life

CNN: ‘It really bent your mind’: The life-altering phenomenon astronauts experience in space

Economist: Scam Inc has a new weapon | The Economist ​​

Guardian: Zebras, wealth and power: Hungary’s election tests Orbán’s grip on power

FP: Why Trump Mishandled Iran

New Yorker: Trump’s Strategic and Moral Failure in Iran | The New Yorker

Vox: Iran ceasefire: The soft TACO theory of when Trump chickens out | Vox

Economist: The crew of Artemis II are returning to a planet they have cheered up

To The Contrary: ​​The Pope, the President, and Piker

Bulwark: Why Democrats Should Shun Hasan Piker

Guardian: ‘Abhorrent’: the inside story of the Polymarket gamblers betting millions on war

NYMag: Inside the Battle at DoJ to Get Trump What He Wants

Economist: Meet the four Democratic tribes

Bloomberg: US Dominance in the Middle East Is ‘Basically Over’

FP: China’s Absence Draws America Deeper Into Risky Wars

New Yorker: Can Sponge Cities Save Us from the Coming Floods? | The New Yorker

Vox: Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.

Bulwark: The Campus Protest Culture That Targeted Biden Goes Silent for Trump

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: AP says it will offer buyouts as part of pivot away from newspaper-focused history ​​

USA: Trump threatens to jail journalist who published leaked details of Iran rescue mission

USA: Trump blasts MAGA influencers who have split with him over Iran - ABC News

USA: US judge rules Pentagon has violated his order in press access case | Media | The Guardian

USA: How Hegseth has transformed the Pentagon’s wartime press operation

USA: ProPublica Union Launches 24-Hour Walkout After AI Talks Stymie Contract Negotiations - Yahoo News

USA: Exclusive: Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan book on Trump, “Regime Change,” coming in June

USA: The man who watches Trump all day, every day

Iran: How Iran turned to memes to take on Trump

Iraq: American Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq Is Freed

Hong Kong: Hong Kong independent media outlet says reporters ‘harassed’ and ‘stalked’

France: How France learned to fight Russian disinformation

France: Forget Netflix — YouTube is our main rival, top French broadcaster says – POLITICO

Gaza: Israeli attack kills Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah in Gaza

Photojournalism: Winners of the 2026 World Press Photo Contest

Photojournalism: World Press Photo 2026: Abdulmonam Eassa honored for his coverage of the war in Sudan for Le Monde

Photojournalism: ​‘He sent someone to intimidate me’: Christopher Anderson, the photographer who shot Jeffrey Epstein | Photography | The Guardian ​

Fashion: Anna Wintour shares Vogue cover with Hollywood doppelganger Meryl Streep

More than 50 years after the last time humans visited the Moon in the Apollo 17 mission, astronauts of the Artemis II mission are finally heading to Earth’s natural satellite. The ten-day mission would see four astronauts blast off aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, circle around to the far side of the Moon before returning to Earth on the Orion spacecraft. The first crewed Artemis mission includes commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen.

It has been a long way coming for Artemis II, which has suffered multiple delays, including in February and March this year, due to issues with the SLS rocket. There have also been major policy changes regarding Artemis in general since the initial hype earlier this year. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a former entrepreneur and an astronaut of two space missions he funded (Including one in 2024 that saw him performing the first commercial spacewalk), has announced ambitious but reasonable adjustments to the Artemis program. On Tuesday, NASA said the mission has a 80% chance of blasting off on Wednesday evening, saying the weather conditions are most favorable then, but noted conditions could rapidly change during the launch countdown.

By Wednesday at 18:35 EDT, Artemis II successfully blasted off from Florida and entered outer space. NASA reported the astronauts were “safe, secure, and in great spirits,” while Trump congratulated them by noting, “God bless those four.” There were a few issues: The astronauts temporarily lost communication with ground control, and the Artemis II toilet fan briefly malfunctioned. But soon enough, the Orion spacecraft carrying the astronauts reached a safe orbit around the Earth before heading to the Moon. During Thursday’s orbit around Earth, Wiseman reported a sadly relatable issue that most humans on Earth face: Microsoft Outlook doesn’t work. Saying in a livestream, “I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working. If you want to remote in and check Optimus and those two Outlooks, that would be awesome.” NASA Mission Control then said it could remotely access his Outlook system with permission. Twenty-five hours after launch, the astronauts fired the spacecraft’s service module engine for six minutes, finishing the translunar ignition that allowed them to fly to the Moon. In their first public affairs event since the launch, Koch said she was the one responsible for repairing the Artemis toilet, while Wiseman made a shoutout to the crew’s families, and Hansen remarked for his first trip to space, “Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon.” On Friday, NASA released spectacular high-resolution images of Earth seen through the Artemis astronauts, including the planet through the Orion capsule window, as well as beautiful shots that illuminate our world at night and day. With the astronauts getting closer to the Moon than Earth on Saturday, NASA released pictures of Wiseman and Koch looking out the Orion window at Earth, taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Meanwhile, astronauts reported a burning smell coming from the malfunctioning toilet. On the day Artemis II entered the lunar “sphere of influence,” the astronauts celebrated Hansen’s first spaceflight, and they received a special message by Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke.

Donroe Delulu - Addressing To Scare

On a Monday Truth Social post, Trump said the US is engaged in “serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” but threatened “If for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera that Trump prefers diplomacy as a way to end the war, adding that direct talks with Tehran are ongoing through intermediaries. However, Iran described the peace proposals as “unrealistic,” as it continued firing missiles at Israel. On the battlefield, the Israeli military said it is attacking the Iranian regime’s infrastructure “throughout Tehran” without further emphasis, while Spain closed its airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war. Re-stating the UK’s stance on the war following last weekend’s comments, UK PM Keir Starmer said, “Mock me all you want, but I am not getting dragged in this war. I can’t send British kids to die for your war.” Iran attacked a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai, while two Chinese container ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz safely after being turned back last Friday. The NYT reported that Iran’s fractured leadership is struggling to coordinate with negotiators on what to compromise, and the FT released a bombshell report on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s broker attempting to make a big investment in defense funds in the weeks leading up to the Iran war. Pope Leo XIV rebuked Hegseth’s prayers for violence against enemies who deserved “no mercy,” stating that “This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them. ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’” In other news from the Middle East, the Israeli parliament approved giving the death penalty as the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a win for the country’s far-right, and is condemned by the UN human rights chief as a “discriminatory” war crime.

US gas prices officially soared past $4 a gallon, the highest since the war in Ukraine began, and a dollar more than before the Iran war started. Telling CBS News he is not ready to abandon his bid to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump also took to Truth Social to complain about US allies, ranting that they should build up the “courage” to go to the Strait of Hormuz and “just take” fuel. It comes as Italy and France have reportedly shut their airspace to American military operations (Italy has denied claims of closing its airspace to the Americans), leading to Rubio’s response that the US should “re-examine” its relationship with NATO. During a trip to Japan, French President Emmanuel Macron praised Europe’s “predictability” amid countries that “could hurt you without even informing you,” an apparent jab against Trump. By Tuesday afternoon, Trump told reporters the war could end “two or three weeks,” as the White House said the president would deliver a national address on Wednesday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to target US tech companies in the Middle East, naming 18 companies that include Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Coming to the alarming news department, Iran has been using children in security roles during the war, as an eleven-year-old kid was killed in an airstrike while manning a security checkpoint with his father in Tehran. As the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China met in Beijing, the two countries jointly released a five-part peace plan for the Middle East. Regarding other news from the Middle East, Israel vowed to continue occupying swathes of southern Lebanon territory to expand its buffer zone, as an Israeli airstrike killed three Lebanese journalists covering the conflict. US freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad, with one of the suspects linked to an Iran-backed militia.

Wednesday saw Trump, Starmer, and Australian PM Antony Albanese delivering public addresses to their people. Starting with Albanese, the Australian leader vowed to “do everything we can to protect Australia from the worst” with a range of domestic policies, warning the effects could last for months. In Starmer’s speech, he said the UK “will not be drawn into” the Iran war, stating “I want to reassure the British people that no matter how fierce this storm, we are well-placed to weather it, and that we have a long-term plan to emerge from it a stronger and more secure nation.” Before his address, Trump told The Telegraph that he is “strongly considering” pulling out of NATO, calling the alliance a paper tiger, and claimed the UK doesn’t even have a navy. The UK drew up plans to host coalition talks among 35 countries, aimed at forming a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump claimed Iran’s president asked for a ceasefire, but the US wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open first. Soon after that, Trump told Reuters the US can leave Iran “pretty quickly” and return for “spot hits” if needed. Iran responded by dismissing the “absurd displays of the American president,” with the IRGC stating that the Strait of Hormuz is “decisively and dominantly under” their control, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left the door open to negotiations in an open letter to the US. By Wednesday night, Trump said in his address that the Iran war is “nearing completion,” but not done. Vowing “extremely hard” strikes in the next few weeks, the president threatened to return Iran “back to the stone ages” by attacking its energy infrastructure if Tehran doesn’t make a deal in the near future. On the financial side, markets rose, and oil briefly fell to below $100 a barrel amid a new round of optimism about ending the Iran war.

Following Trump’s address, the stock markets began falling again while oil prices rose past $110 a barrel. Macron criticized Trump on his remarks on NATO, saying that he cannot keep “contradicting” himself every day on Iran. On the Ukraine side of things, the FT reported that Trump threatened to stop military aid for Ukraine unless Europe joined the coalition to help with the Strait of Hormuz. Kyiv promised to use its expertise to help allies keep waterways open, coming as the EU’s energy commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, warned the continent must prepare for a “long-lasting” energy shock. Within the DOD, Hegseth asked the Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George, to step down. It comes as Hegseth took steps to block or delay promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four branches of the US military, and the defense secretary allowed soldiers to carry personal firearms while stationed at military bases. The US admitted responsibility for blowing up Iran’s largest bridge, the B1 Bridge linking Karaj to Tehran. At the UN Security Council, Russia, China, and France opposed a resolution by Arab states to authorize military action against Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the US bridge strike, Iran continued to hit Gulf refineries as Israel said it would strike two bridges in eastern Lebanon. On the battlefield, Iran shot down a US F-15 fighter jet, with at least one of the crew members being rescued alive and another missing. It came as two other American aircraft came under fire while trying to rescue the F-15 pilots, while a US A-10 military jet also went down in the Persian Gulf region. After the news, the US military and Trump went silent on the whole affair, which marked the first American aviator shot down over enemy territory since an A-10 pilot was ejected into Iraq by a surface-to-air missile in April 2003. In a brief interview with The Independent, Trump did not say what his course of action might be if Iranian forces got to the downed airman. The White House said it would ask Congress for about $1.5 trillion for defense in 2027, the highest amount requested in modern US history. On Saturday, Trump threatened that Iran only has 48 hours to make a deal, or else “all hell will reign down on them.” That proposal was quickly rejected by Tehran. After a tense search-and-rescue effort and a bounty from Iran, American forces rescued the F-15 pilot who went missing, confirming the crew member is “safe” after deploying “dozens of jets” to recover him. The niece and grand-niece of the deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Qasem Soleimani have been arrested by US authorities, after the State Department revoked their legal residence status. On Easter Sunday, Trump ramped up his threats, claiming he would strike Iran’s infrastructure starting Tuesday if it did not “open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell.” The Washington Post reported the US military and CIA coordinated on a daring mission to rescue the missing airman, while launching a deception campaign to throw off Iran’s hunt. During the first American pope’s first Easter speech, Pope Leo XIV urged, “Let those who have weapons lay them down!” Despite the Easter threat, Trump told Axios that Iran is engaged in “deep negotiations” to reach a deal before next Tuesday, as he hoped for concessions by the Monday after the holiday. Then, in a brief interview with The Hill, Trump declined to rule out ground troops if Iran doesn’t make a deal. Speaking with Fox News, Trump confirmed the US armed anti-regime protesters in Iran, saying that, “We sent them a lot of guns. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds kept them. We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them. And I think the Kurds took the guns.” Moreover, Trump said he has granted Iranian negotiators “immunity from death” amid ceasefire talks, adding that “The big thing is they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They’re not even negotiating that point, it’s so easy. That’s already been conceded. Most of the points are conceded.” On the Iran side, negotiators were making their last-ditch push for a 45-day ceasefire, which is billed as the last chance of preventing an escalation of the conflict.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Bye Bye Bondi

On Monday, the TSA said most of its workers got paid for at least two missed paychecks. Providing a win for Wall Street, 401(k)s are able to choose crypto and private equity as new options, after intense lobbying of the Trump administration. Second Lady Usha Vance told NBC News she and her husband, Vice President JD Vance, don’t always see eye to eye on issues, but stated that they always have “open-minded” conversations. Lawyers for Democratic Representative and California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the FBI, seeking to block the release of a decades-long investigation into suspected ties with a Chinese spy, as the administration’s efforts to gather documents from that investigation have alarmed law enforcement officials about its potential political purposes to smear the Trump opponent. On the foreign policy side, the US directed its embassies to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda, with staff able to work with the Pentagon’s psychological operations unit and Elon Musk’s Twitter (X) as an “innovative” tool. The first look of Trump’s presidential library and museum was unveiled by the president’s son Eric, a Miami skyscraper that includes a ballroom, a golden statue, and even airplanes. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to rename the largest airport in Palm Beach County as President Donald J. Trump International Airport. In other news, Trump revealed a new look for the White House ballroom after a NYT article, and the Army began an inquiry after a video emerged showing a pair of Apache helicopters hovering close to the house of pro-Trump musician Kid Rock.

Tuesday marked multiple legal blows for Trump, from a federal judge ruling that it is unconstitutional for the president to revoke federal funding for PBS and NPR, to a district judge halting construction on Trump’s ballroom until it gets congressional approval. It comes on top of a federal judge in Massachusetts ordering the Trump regime to reinstate legal statuses of migrants who were allowed to enter the US who used a Biden-era entry app, while a federal judge in Rhode Island said the government had wrongfully demanded groups seeking homeless grants comply with the administration’s agenda on other issues. The Supreme Court ruled in support of a challenge against Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, marking a blow to LGBTQ rights as the justices leaned towards a Christian talk therapist’s argument that the ban had violated her First Amendment rights. Other legal developments include an appeals court pausing a lower court ruling that ordered the Trump regime to reinstate all full-time Voice of America (VOA) journalists and support staff who were put on paid leave, a federal judge ruled the administration can demand that the University of Pennsylvania turn over information about Jews in their campus as part of a federal investigation, and former FBI agents who worked on the Trump election investigation sued FBI Director Kash Patel and then-AG Pam Bondi over their dismissals from the bureau. Trump signed an executive order that would create a national voter list that would determine voter eligibility and strictly limit mail-in voting, as part of the government’s latest efforts to curtail the voting method, and is of questionable legality. A federal panel, nicknamed the “God Squad” for its ability to decide the fate of species, voted to exempt oil and gas firms drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from federal wildlife protections. Hegseth reversed the suspension of Army crews that piloted two Apache helicopters close to Rock’s Nashville residence, writing on social media, “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.” Despite tensions between the US and UK over Trump’s remarks on UK PM Keir Starmer, King Charles and Queen Camilla are going ahead with their US state visit in late April. In other news, the Pentagon weighed using anti-drone lasers in Washington DC’s airspace after multiple sightings around Fort McNair, US Forest Service will move its headquarters from Washington DC to Utah, multiple photos of Senator Lindsay Graham touring Disney World were released amid the partial government shutdown, and former DHS head Kristi Noem’s husband was embroiled in a scandal that involved paying $25,000 to fetish models and shared cross-dressing photos of him wearing fake breasts.

Trump personally attended the Wednesday Supreme Court hearing over a challenge to his birthright citizenship ban, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Supreme Court argument. During the oral arguments, conservative and liberal justices cast doubt on whether Trump’s order declaring that children born to parents who illegally entered the US or were temporarily not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law. The president reportedly left the hearings early, as the arguments backing up his case were gradually dismantled. Behind the scenes, Trump has discussed the possibility of ousting Bondi with his allies. Trump endorsed a GOP-only bill that funds ICE and Border Patrol, which bypasses Democratic opposition, as House and Senate Democrats reached a deal to end the DHS shutdown. On the classified documents matter, Axios reported that Trump’s DOJ said he’s not required to turn over presidential records.

CNN reported that Trump talked with Bondi about the possibility of replacing her as AG, even though her job remained safe for that moment. At the same time, The Guardian reported that Trump has asked cabinet officials whether he should replace Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence, with the president being frustrated by her leadership and moves to shield Joe Kent, who recently resigned and undercut the administration’s rationale for its war with Iran. Soon enough, Fox News reported that Bondi is out as AG, while Todd Blanche will become the interim AG. The Daily Mail, not a usually reliable source, said Bondi begged Trump not to fire her in the moments leading up to the announcement, and stated that Trump fired the then-AG partially because she had tipped off Swalwell about the FBI case. Despite leaving as AG, Bondi isn’t off the hook from her upcoming testimony to the House Oversight Committee on April 14th, which is related to her mishandling of the Epstein files. After the GOP reached a DHS funding deal, the Senate passed it and handed it over to the House. However, the House failed to take action on the funding deal, as hard-right Republicans voiced strong opposition to the plan. On Trump’s side, he said he will sign an order to pay all DHS employees amid the shutdown. Despite the recent court ruling, the loyalist-stacked National Capital Planning Commission gave final approval for Trump’s ballroom. A year after Liberation Day, Trump imposed 100% tariffs on pharma companies not enrolled in Trump’s “most favored nation” program. In other headlines, a Colorado appeals court tossed out a nine-year prison sentence for election denier Tina Peters for tampering with voting equipment, and ICE arrested the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.

In some rare good news for the US economy, employers added 178,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, a surprising result given the backdrop of the Iran war. Following Bondi’s firing, MS Now shared a photo from inside the DOJ, showing Bondi’s portrait being trashed in the bin. Trump signed a memo that directed DHS to pay all employees during the partial shutdown, which has lasted for nearly 50 days. According to the Washington Post, Trump was weighing more cabinet changes but wanted to avoid a “massive shake-up,” with a White House official saying Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer are vulnerable, but Gabbard’s position is relatively safer. On the legal side, a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s demand for detailed student admissions data from public colleges in 17 states. Continuing the Democrats’ trend of dividing itself, the party has been engulfed in an internal split over Hasan Piker, a popular far-left Twitch streamer who was dubbed by some as the “Joe Rogan of the left,” after moderate think tank Third Way called on the Democratic Senate primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed to “put real distance between yourself and Hasan Piker’s hateful views.” Over the weekend, US National Park Service lawyers said halting Trump’s ballroom project is a national security risk. In an interview with The Hill, Trump claimed the public should not expect a Cabinet shake-up after the firings of Bondi and Noem.

Local News: Home Edition - First Round Testimonial Wrap-Up

Continuing hearings into the Wang Fuk Court fire last November, the Monday hearing heard testimony of “suspicious” voting procedures, like flat owners often being blocked from voting on major issues, and suspicious ballots “coming from nowhere” being dropped into boxes during the vote counting process. Then, in a moment of deep irony, the fire alarm went off during the morning break, suspending the proceedings for half an hour. Aside from that interruption, one resident testified that large piles of rubbish were piled high in the light well where the fire started, another resident whose wife died from the fire criticized the government for “evading responsibility” and failing to reflect on “deep-rooted bad habits,” while multiple testimonials paid tribute to a heroine who alerted neighbors of the fire when the alarm system failed, but sadly died in the fire. On Tuesday’s hearing, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire services equipment was asked whether the fire alarm system met quality standards, while the management company was unaware of the alarm system shutdown notice. Wednesday’s hearing is focused on the estate management staff of ISS EastPoint, with the group’s clerk tearfully rejecting “unfair” online comments about her and stating authorised votes used in ballots deciding major issues in the estate were never verified. Other ISS staff also testified in the hearing, with the electrician admitting to shutting off power to the firefighting pump and the fire alarm, as the carpenter told the committee that they were unaware that handling fire services was against the law. Justice David Lok, the chairman of the independent inquiry committee looking into the matter, says it has refrained from live-streaming the hearing due to doxxing concerns. Meanwhile, the inquiry committee urged the public to report suspected graft in building maintenance projects, and the government said the estate management firm it appointed, which took over Wang Fuk Court’s original owners’ board, will hold a “briefing session” for residents on financial matters like refunds and compensation. Wrapping up the first phase of hearings on Thursday, the estate’s property officer agreed with the independent committee’s lead counsel that ISS EastPoint could have breached its contractual obligation to the owners’ corporation by outsourcing fire safety to contractors alone. The inquiry learned that the electrician accidentally deactivated all fire alarms months before the deadly blaze, and the fire safety contractor is urged to testify again after the emergence of conflicting text messages.

In other news, Janice Tse, the newly appointed constitutional and mainland affairs minister by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee, will lead and oversee the city’s first five-year plan, following Beijing’s model. Starting on Wednesday, all Hong Kong taxis must accept at least two forms of e-payment, in a bid by the government to increase the quality of the city’s taxi services. After six years of renovation, the Hong Kong History Museum unveiled its revamped “Hong Kong Story” exhibition, with a focus on the city’s Chinese roots.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: As arms agreements fray, China secretly expands its nuclear weapons infrastructure | CNN

China: Taiwan’s Kuomintang leader to visit mainland China to aid ‘peaceful’ relations: Beijing

China: Beijing sanctions Japanese lawmaker for ‘colluding with Taiwan independence forces’ | South China Morning Post

Myanmar: Myanmar Junta Retains Power as Its Chief Wins the Presidency

Ukraine: Ukraine war briefing: Ukraine calls Hungary ‘a disgrace’ after leaked calls with Moscow emerge | Russia | The Guardian

Russia: Russia slowly trying to splinter its internet from rest of world, analysts say

Cuba: Cuba Says It Is Pardoning More Than 2,000 Prisoners - The New York Times

Business: SpaceX Is Said to File Confidentially for IPO Ahead of AI Rivals - Bloomberg

Business: FDA approves Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 pill, opening the next phase of the weight loss drug market

Science: Faced with Trump’s attacks on research, French scientists urge vigilance ​

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Economist: How China hopes to win from the war

NYT: Meet the Astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission - The New York Times

Guardian: ​​‘This was the real thing’: Meet the woman who alerts the world when an asteroid could hit | Space | The Guardian

FT: Prediction markets: the hunt for the new ‘dumb money’

Atlantic: Maybe Trump Should Not Have Given This Speech - The Atlantic

NYT: China’s Aiming for the Moon, and NASA Is Looking Over Its Shoulder - The New York Times

Foreign Affairs: What the Iran War Means for China | Foreign Affairs

Atlantic: America Is Now a Rogue Superpower - The Atlantic

NYT: How Russia Weaponized the Cold Ukrainian Winter - The New York Times

FT: Tailored for orbit

WSJ: The Sudden Fall of OpenAI’s Most Hyped Product Since ChatGPT - WSJ

Guardian: ‘This feels fragile’: how a satellite-smashing chain reaction could spiral out of control | Space | The Guardian

Reuters: Awaiting justice: The impact of Hong Kong’s national security laws

Atlantic: Trump’s Fateful Choice

NYT: Americans Have Never Been All That Excited About Going to the Moon

Economist: Donald Trump and the art of bad diplomacy

FT: The Iran war will cement China’s superpower status

NYT: The Awe of a Moon Launch in an Age of Trump, Turmoil and Tribal Divisions

Atlantic: The Manosphere Turns on Trump - The Atlantic

Guardian: Lunar prospectors: the businesses looking to mine the moon | Space | The Guardian

New Yorker: At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Judge rules Trump order eliminating NPR, PBS funding unconstitutional - The Washington Post

USA: Appeals Court Stops V.O.A. Journalists From Quickly Returning - The New York Times

USA: Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court - The New York Times

USA: How Fox News is luring in Gen Z

USA: Chris Hayes Has Some Advice for Keeping Up With the News | WIRED

USA: What Drives Patrick Radden Keefe? - The New York Times

Iran: The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign | The New Yorker

Iraq: US journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Baghdad

Lebanon: Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike, say broadcasters

Hungary: Hungary charges journalist after claims minister was in touch with Moscow

France: French channel CNews is accused of allowing racist remarks against mayor

Hong Kong: Ex-Hong Kong journalist who witnessed Tiananmen crackdown testifies in vigil activist’s subversion trial

Pakistan: How Pakistan Is Trying to Reshape Its Image Abroad - The New York Times ​

Kicking off the week, Trump said he is postponing military strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran regarding a complete and total resolution of hostilities. However, Iranian officials said they had no direct contact with the US or communicated through intermediaries, calling the president’s claim “fake news,” while adding the US has “backed down.” Oil traders bet millions just minutes ahead of Trump’s announcement before the markets opened, fueling suspicions of insider trading. In a conversation with reporters, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz may be jointly controlled by “me and the Ayatollah.” Meanwhile, Israel believes Americans and Iranian officials could hold talks in Pakistan as early as this week. The president referred to the Iran conflict not as a way, but as a “special military operation,” a weird and insane echo to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s coined term for his invasion of Ukraine. Kicking the Defense Secretary under the bus, Trump said of the man who started the war, “Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, ‘Let’s do it.’” In a Reuters report, Trump had approved the Khamenei operation after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu argued for the joint killing of the now-former supreme leader. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the US and Iran to come to the negotiating table, condemning Tehran’s moves to block the Strait of Hormuz through attacks on unarmed commercial vessels and critical infrastructure. Oil prices fell before rising again, following a report by the WSJ that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are moving closer to joining the Iran war.

On Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said planes may be grounded due to the fuel shortage caused by the Iran war. Iran named the ex-Revolutionary Guard commander, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Behind the scenes, the NYT reported that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed Trump to continue the war, citing a “historic opportunity” to remake the region. As Pakistan officially offered to host peace talks between the US and Iran, Tehran officials have planned to toughen their stance after Trump’s Monday claim, while Qatar said it is not involved in any talks between the warring states. Following an act of vandalism that saw three men torching ambulances belonging to a Jewish medical charity in London, a spokesperson for the fringe islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia group (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous) told CBS News “We’ll keep threatening U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide until we’ve avenged every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations. We urge people to stay away from Zionist and American interests and individuals to keep themselves safe.” Multiple outlets reported that the US is prepared to deploy a brigade combat team from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division, which includes ground forces and a headquarters element that oversees logistics and planning, to assist with Iran operations, while no decision was made to put boots on the ground. With the Iran war waging on abroad, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump’s approval rate has decreased to 36%. Trump told reporters Iran has “agreed they’ll never have a nuclear weapon,” adding that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in negotiations alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and VP JD Vance. Fun fact, CNN reported that the Iranians were more willing to negotiate with Vance than with Kushner and Witkoff. Moreover, the president proclaimed, “I think we’re going to end it. I can’t tell you for sure. You know, I don’t like to say this, this war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news.” In the diplomatic sphere, as Trump talked about having received a gift from Iran, American negotiators have rehashed a 15-point peace plan, based on a proposal put forward last year during nuclear talks.

The US administration’s 15-point plan to end the war starts to take shape, with officials saying the proposal includes a demand to remove all enriched uranium. However, Iran has dismissed the US proposal and laid out their own five conditions for ending the conflict, that includes taking control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said no talks with the US are taking place, noting that “No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations.” Domestically, Trump made his first public call for an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), authorizing the nation to spy on foreigners without a warrant. Continuing to contradict themselves on ending the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt signalled the US was winding down the military operation in Iran, but vowed to ramp up attacks against it if it doesn’t agree to America’s terms. In Congress, lawmakers fret at the few details provided by the Pentagon about the war. Behind the scenes, Trump told aides he wants a speedy end to the Iran war, as his advisors worry the video briefings showing successful strikes on Iranian targets over the previous 48 hours might be preventing the president from receiving the full picture of the war. According to the FT, Russia is now sending drones to Iran as part of phased deliveries of military aid to the country. Meanwhile, the recently re-elected North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has used the Iran war to justify keeping its nuclear weapons, stating the country’s nuclear status is now “irreversible.”

With more missiles flying around in the Middle East, Trump claimed the US had “no choice” but to go to war with Iran. Israel said it has killed Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy and the man responsible for overseeing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. On Truth Social, Trump first ranted that Iran’s negotiators are “very different and strange” and said they should be begging for a deal, before attacking NATO members for doing “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING” to help the US. According to Reuters, Israel took Iran’s foreign minister and parliamentary speaker off its hit list following a Pakistani request to the US. With the US gradually depleting its weapons, the Pentagon has considered diverting military aid for Ukraine to the Middle East. During a cabinet meeting, Trump said it was up to Iran to convince the US to end the war, saying, “They are begging to work out a deal. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that.” He added that Iran has allowed 10 “big boats of oil” through the Strait of Hormuz, which the president claimed was a gift to the US amid talks to end the conflict. Setting aside Trump’s delusion that Iran wanted him to become the country’s supreme leader, the US president extended his pause on attacking Iran’s energy facilities to April 6th.

The UAE has pushed for an international force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as its economy and security are impacted by Iran’s retaliation efforts. In the US economy, as stocks continued to fall, US consumer sentiment has seen a decline, Wall Street’s “fear gauge” spiked amid a slump in the Dow Jones index into correction territory, while the US Treasury declared America insolvent. As the Pentagon weighed sending 10,000 more troops to the Middle East, some were alarmed that the US had already used more than 850 Tomahawk missiles in four weeks, burning through limited supplies. Rubio claimed the US can achieve its objectives in the Iran war “without any ground troops,” adding that “We are achieving all of those objectives, we are ahead of schedule on most of them.” With US authorities reporting more than 300 soldiers were wounded in the first month of the war, more than two dozen American soldiers were wounded in an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Iranian-linked hackers claimed to be responsible for a breach in FBI Director Kash Patel’s email, publishing photos and his reported resume online, which the agency confirmed that Patel’s account was compromised.

Joining the conflict on Saturday, the Houthi Rebels in Yemen launched their first missile attack on Israel since the Iran war broke out. In a podcast interview, Vance said the US has “accomplished all its military objectives” in Iran, but admitted the war must continue “a little while longer” to ensure the country is “neutered.” That comes as the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has prepared for weeks of ground operations in Iran, while behind the scenes, Axios noted Vance had criticized Netanyahu in a tense call with Netanyahu for the Israelis’ rosy assessment about the war. During the US conservative conference CPAC, exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi pledged to “make Iran great again,” calling on the US administration to “stay the course” on its war. Showing more evidence of Russia’s support for Iran’s war against the US, Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia took satellite images of a US air base in Saudi Arabia days before Iran attacked the site and injured American troops. As the world is focused on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is also threatening to put another shipping route, better known as the “Gate of Tears,” as the next oil chokepoint. On the diplomatic scene, Zelensky finalized air defense deals with several Gulf countries, Elon Musk joined ‌a phone call between Trump and India’s leader Narendra Modi, while Netanyahu said Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon. In an interview with the FT, Trump said his “preference would be to take the oil,” but added that “some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’” Iranian officials accused the US of plotting a ground assault while publicly seeking talks, which is not helped by a WSJ report that noted Trump is weighing a military operation to extract uranium from Iran.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Airport Mayhem

Monday started with chaos in the airports, as two pilots were killed after an Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, while ICE agents are deployed to help with airport security. As the DHS shutdown continued, Trump proclaimed on Truth Social that he is “a BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks as they search for, and are forced to deal with, hardened criminals.” The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as the new DHS Secretary, with two Democrats voting in favor and one Republican against the move. Invoices seen by CNN reveal tens of thousands of taxpayer money was spent on expenses for hair and makeup artists and a horse in a Mount Rushmore advertisement, which featured the outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The Pentagon will move the media away from inside their dedicated workspace and to an external separate facility, with a spokesperson saying the DOD cannot adequately manage security with working press there. In the Supreme Court, the Republican-leaning court seemed to be skeptical of late-arriving mail-in voting. Regarding the environment, the Trump regime is seeking to pay a French energy giant nearly $1 billion to forgo building wind farms off the East Coast. On foreign policy, the US urged the EU to pass the Turnberry agreement or risk losing “favourable” access to liquefied natural gas, while Trump is considering inviting Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to the White House.

Minnesotan officials sued the Trump administration for access to investigative evidence in the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, as federal and state authorities have sparred over access to information about the two murders. In the Supreme Court, the justices seem open to the Trump regime’s plans to turn away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. While at the lower courts, a prosecutor admitted the government lacks evidence of misconduct by Fed Chair Jerome Powell amid claims of “criminality” in the central bank’s office renovations, and a federal judge blasted the Pentagon’s Anthropic ban as an “attempt to cripple” the company. A Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison has sued the US government, filing $1.3 million in compensation. Reuters reported that an investigation under former special counsel Jack Smith on current FBI Director (Then a citizen) Kash Patel was more extensive than reported, given two grand jury subpoenas to Verizon requested extensive records related to the classified documents and election interference cases. Oklahoma’s governor said he has appointed energy executive Alan S. Armstrong to temporarily fill Mullin’s Senate seat, as Senators and the White House are increasingly optimistic about funding the DHS. As Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric against mail-in ballots as “mail-in cheating,” the president ironically voted by the same method for a special election in Palm Beach County, Florida. Even more ironically, Democrat Emily Gregory won that special election, flipping a Republican seat and representing the district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Brooks Potteiger, the pastor for Hegseth, called on the Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to be “crucified with Christ” as part of a conversion. Talarico responded by saying in a statement, “I love you more than you could ever hate me.”

Among the disclosures made to the House Judiciary Committee in relation to its investigation into the Trump investigations before his second term, a memo by Smith revealed the president took documents that were so sensitive that they were only shared with six people, and that Trump showed a classified map to passengers on his private plane in 2022. On foreign policy, the White House announced that Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in China this May, after delaying the scheduled summit due to the Iran war. On public health, the White House delayed nominating its new CDC director ahead of Wednesday’s deadline due to problems finding one that fits RFK Jr’s MAHA agenda, while Kennedy’s choice for surgeon general has hit GOP opposition in the Senate. With the TSA reaching its longest airport wait times in its history, Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon said ICE agents being deployed to airports could be a “test run” for the midterm elections, while Senators prepared a deal to fund DHS while excluding immigration operations. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte made new criminal referrals against New York AG Letitia James after the DOJ failed to prosecute her for a third time. In unrelated news, Melania appeared in a White House tech event with a humanoid AI robot.

Marking a big win for Anthropic, a judge blocked the Pentagon’s unprecedented designation of the company as a supply chain risk, calling the underlying logic “Orwellian.” The DOJ has agreed to pay Mike Flynn $1.25 million in a move to settle claims that he was wrongfully prosecuted for lying to federal agents investigating ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign, despite pleading guilty to the charges twice. In addition, the DOJ neared a deal with DHS to hand over voter data for immigration and criminal investigations. The White House was weighing a plan to pay TSA officers if the Senate cannot agree to a budget deal, as Senate Republicans pushed the idea of declaring a national emergency to pay the agents. In the afternoon, Trump bypassed Congress and said he would sign an order to pay the TSA agents, hours before the Senate passed legislation to fund most of DHS except ICE and parts of CBP (Customs and Border Protection). TV host and comedian Bill Maher was selected as this year’s Mark Twain Prize recipient, despite the White House lying about the awardee when the revelation was reported by The Atlantic last week. Speaking of the Kennedy Center, as a Democratic lawmaker requested that a federal judge take down Trump’s name from the building, layoffs began ahead of the two-year closure. Justifying his decision to vote by mail, Trump said he can do it because he is president. In a New York courtroom, a judge said he won’t dismiss charges against the ousted Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, over a legal fees dispute, while Trump hinted more charges would be brought up against him. Continuing the crackdown on higher education, the Trump regime has set its sights on the admission policies of the nation’s three top medical schools with new investigations. In the pathetic category of US politics, House Speaker Mike Johnson gave Trump a so-called “America First” prize, while the Treasury said Trump’s signature will appear on US dollar bills, the first time a sitting president’s signature will go on paper currency.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans revolted and voted against the Senate bill before pushing their own bill to fund all of DHS for 60 days. Despite the congressional gridlock, Trump signed a memo ordering his administration to pay the TSA agents. Ahead of a likely bruising midterm election for the GOP, a senior House Republican and the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sam Graves, said he will be retiring after three decades in public office. While at the Pentagon, Hegseth blocked the promotion of four Army officers, including two black and two female officers, to be one-star generals. David Sacks, a key Trump ally and donor during the 2024 election, said his time as Trump’s crypto and AI czar has ended, and he is joining the President’s Council of Advisers on Science & Technology. A bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee found Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick had funneled millions of dollars in federal disaster funds to finance her campaign. Following lobbying efforts by the sons of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, Trump officials have begun considering designating Brazil’s two biggest drug gangs as terrorist groups. During the annual conservative CPAC conference, the audience cheered for impeachment investigations for the Trump administration, while FCC Chairman Brendan Carr bragged, “Trump is winning. Look at the results—PBS and NPR defunded. Joy Reid, Sleepy-Eyed Chuck Todd, Jim Acosta, John Dickerson are gone. Colbert is leaving. CBS is under new ownership, and soon enough, CNN will have new ownership as well.” In a rare moment of self-reflection, Trump said, “I hang out with losers because it makes be feel better. I hate guys that are very, very successful and you have to listen to their success stories. I like people that like to listen to my success.”

On Saturday, massive No Kings protests were held across the country, as part of the latest of such coordinated demonstrations against Trump’s policies. With more than 3,300 events in 50 states, as well as supportive demonstrations in places like Paris and Tokyo, at least 8 million people have attended the largest No Kings protests to date. With the DHS shutdown dragging on to Sunday, it has become the longest partial government shutdown in US history. Border Czar Tom Homan said ICE agents may continue to remain at airports, saying the move will depend on whether TSA agents “come back to work.” On foreign policy, the US allowed a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, effectively breaking Trump’s punishing fuel blockade.

Voterama 2026 - Major European Votes

Italians voted on a major judicial referendum from last Sunday to Monday, deciding whether to change the country’s judicial system. The move, pushed by the right-wing government and endorsed by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, is an issue pursued by the right for decades, as they have accused judges of a left-leaning bias. Under the judicial reforms, the proposal would separate the careers of judges and public prosecutors, while splitting the self-ruling High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) into two bodies, and its members would be chosen by lot instead of by elections. The splintered opposition argued that the judicial reform is a politically motivated act, aimed at weakening Italy’s judiciary. More broadly, the vote marks a significant test for Meloni’s government and its prospects heading into next year’s election, with the PM seeing weakening support after the start of the Iran war due to her closeness with Trump. According to polls ahead of the vote, it looked like a nail-biting election that could cost Meloni political capital. But by Monday afternoon, Melonia conceded defeat in the national referendum with 53% of voters dissenting against the plan, leaving the Italian PM in a weakened political position. Pouring fuel on the fire, Italy’s tourism minister resigned after the vote.

At the same time, last Sunday saw Slovenia voting to determine the composition of the National Assembly. The results showed a neck-and-neck tie between the governing centre-left Freedom Movement and the opposition right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party, meaning there is no clear majority winner, and kick off a tough round of coalition talks. In a closely watched vote in Germany’s western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ousted the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) after 35 years of rule. However, the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) also saw significant gains, receiving its record score in western Germany and double the party’s score in the state’s last elections. While in Munich, voters elected a 35-year-old physicist as the city’s first gay mayor.

On Tuesday, Denmark voted in a snap election that would decide who leads the Scandinavian country. PM Mette Frederiksen called the election weeks ago, hoping her confrontation with Trump over Greenland could deliver a positive electoral performance for her center-left Social Democratic party and give her a third term in office. Although the PM has received good reviews for her foreign policy, domestically speaking, Frederiksen’s popularity waned due to the cost-of-living crisis. Ahead of the vote, polls showed her party in the lead, with 20% support. The main challengers include Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen’s Venstre Party, a “blue bloc” of right-wing parties led by Alex Vanopslagh, as well as the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party that hopes to capitalize on immigration to be a kingmaker during coalition talks. The results show Frederiksen’s party in the lead but failing to achieve a majority, marking their worst performance since 1901 as local issues dominated voters’ minds. As both the left and right blocs failed to secure a majority, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Moderates would become kingmakers in coalition talks.

Local News: Home Edition - New National Security Rules

Strengthening the city’s national security law, the Hong Kong government introduced an offence that requires national security suspects to hand over passwords or help police decrypt their own devices. Failure to do so would result in a one-year imprisonment and a fine of HK$100,000, while providing false or misleading statements would land you three years behind bars and a fine of HK$500,000. Secretary for Security Chris Tang stressed that “These amendments have only improved some procedures and how we work; there are absolutely no newly added powers,” as authorities are able to demand external technicians to decrypt electronic devices during national security investigations. Hong Kong independent bookseller Pong Yat-ming and three of his staff were arrested for allegedly “knowingly selling a publication that has a seditious intention,” an offence under the city’s homegrown national security legislation, more commonly known as Article 23. The indy bookstore, Book Punch, seized seditious publications, including the book “The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic,” written by a former director of the media mogul’s conglomerate Next Digital, Mark Clifford. (The four people were granted bail on Wednesday night. At the same time, the city’s top decision-making body deregistered Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, and AD Internet Limited from the Companies Register and declared them “prohibitive organizations.” After the US consulate in Hong Kong warned citizens about the new national security rule, the government sternly expressed its “strong dissatisfaction with misleading information and sweepingly generalised descriptions.”

Hearings of a public inquiry looking into the Wang Fuk Court fire last November continued on Tuesday, with residents telling the independent committee that there was no alarm when the fire broke out, while a lawyer for the government said claims that a Housing Bureau official “tipped off” a renovation consultant about safety checks was “groundless,” arguing there was a practical need for the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) to arrange inspections in advance. In response to the fire, the Hong Kong government has proposed a blanket smoking ban on construction sites, seeking to penalize workers and contractors if they break the rules. On Wednesday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Hong Kong’s independent anti-corruption watchdog, charged five people with allegedly bribing flat owners and owners’ corporation members during large-scale renovation projects, using casino chips and red packets to conduct “manipulating tendering exercises” such as bribery and bid-rigging. On Thursday, residents slammed poor supervision by the contractor, as well as the “shady” tendering process and the questionable authorisation process in handling the Wang Fuk Court renovation project. During that hearing, an elderly survivor of the fire praised the firefighters who saved her from the blaze and retrieved a victim’s body. At the same time, a Wang Fuk Court resident named the pro-establishment politician, Peggy Wong, as they saw Wong and her volunteers “quarrelling with residents about our renovation.” By Friday, Wang Fuk Court residents will be given three hours to retrieve their personal items from the building from mid-April to early May.

In other local news, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Rosanna Law, announced Hong Kong has struck an agreement with Art Basel to secure the city as the region’s sole host for the next five years. Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union, the pro-democracy Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU), has officially dissolved after taking steps to disband for five years. Singapore’s leader, Lawrence Wong, visited the city and called relations between the two places “more important than ever,” adding that the country will explore more opportunities in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis.

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Tech-topia, USA:

In a landmark social media addiction trial, a Los Angeles jury found Instagram and YouTube liable for causing harm to children using their services on Wednesday, citing negligence in their design and operation of their platforms, and awarded the plaintiff $3 million in damages. This came a day after a jury ruled Meta must pay $375 million for willfully violating New Mexico’s unfair practices act law, in a case that the state AG accused of failing to safeguard kids who use Facebook and Instagram from predators.

Dateline The UN, New York:

Countries in the United Nations voted to describe the transatlantic chattel slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity,” and called for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.” Proposed by Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama and backed by the African Union (AU) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), 123 states voted in favor of the motion. Argentina, Israel, and the US voted against it, while the UK and EU members were among the 52 abstentions.

Dateline Planet Earth:

The UN warned that Earth’s heat-trapping levels have hit a record in 2025, with the consequences possibly spanning the next few thousand years. According to the latest State of the Global Climate annual report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), “the Earth’s climate is more out of balance than at any time in observed history, as greenhouse gas concentrations drive continued warming of the atmosphere and ocean and melting of ice.” In addition, all-time high greenhouse gas concentrations are driving heat records on land and at sea. Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, as the WMO noted the past decade was the warmest the planet has ever been since records began. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, warned, “Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red.” More domestically, for Hong Kong, the city’s Observatory noted that citizens are set to see abnormally high temperatures this year, in the footsteps of experiencing the hottest winter to date. Regarding tropical storms, the Hong Kong Observatory warned the city will experience between four and seven typhoons.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: China protests to Japan about Tokyo embassy break-in | Reuters

China: China is mapping the ocean floor as it prepares for submarine warfare with the U.S. | Reuters

China: Ex-Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je sentenced to 17 years for bribery, corruption - Focus Taiwan

Afghanistan: US citizen imprisoned in Afghanistan is freed after more than a year | CNN Politics

Palestine: No Israel prosecutions for killing Palestinian civilians in occupied West Bank since start of decade

Venezuela: Venezuela’s ‘chief torturer’ takes over the military

Brazil: Brazil’s Bolsonaro allowed to serve 27-year sentence at home due to ill health

Russia: Ilya Remeslo, formerly a pro-Putin blogger, has ended up in a Russian psychiatric hospital after criticizing the president. What happened?

EU: ‘It’s always Putin’ behind every EU migration crisis, official says

Hungary: Orban’s Hungarian government accused of mass voter intimidation ahead of election

Business: China’s Gen Z Day Traders Trust in Chatbots and Move Markets

AI: OpenAI ends Disney partnership as it closes Sora video-making app

AI: Exclusive: U.S. needs “whole new workforce” for AI, Meta president says

Science: Ancient coupling may have happened more between human females and Neanderthal males

Space: NASA announces new Mars mission, reshapes goals on the moon | CNN

Sports: Transgender women athletes banned from Olympics by new IOC policy on female eligibility

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

NYT: How the Iran War Has Rippled Across the World

Bulwark: In Praise of Stove-Touching - by Jonathan V. Last

HKFP: Fact-checking pro-Beijing lawmaker Dominic Lee after he slams West, defends security law in viral UN speech

Le Monde: From afar, American students in France feel the shockwaves of Trump

NYT: Opinion | Why More U.S. Officials Should Go to China

BBC: Artemis II: Inside the Moon mission to fly humans further than ever - BBC News

FP: What Would an Abundance Foreign Policy Look Like?

SciAm: Top climate scientist Kate Marvel just resigned from NASA. Here’s why | Scientific American

WSJ: The Iranian Prisons Where Bombs Are Threatening Dissidents and Americans - WSJ

Economist: China’s new masterplan for its tech economy in 2030 and beyond

Guardian: How to end this war | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian

Bulwark: Trump Doesn’t Have the Cards

New Yorker: The Distant Promise of Iran’s Would-Be King | The New Yorker

Guardian: AI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is far more worrying

SciAm: Inside NASA’s audacious plan to save a doomed space telescope | Scientific American

FT: How Viktor Orbán’s oligarchs reaped billions in public contracts

BBC: ‘He liked the fear in our eyes,’ Epstein survivors tell BBC

Economist: What a battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would look like

Atlantic: The Deep Risk That Republican Hawks Overlooked - The Atlantic

Wired: What Happens When You Can’t Get a Death Certificate in Gaza | WIRED

Guardian: ‘Changing a city is complicated’: Anne Hidalgo looks back on 12 years as Paris mayor

FP: No, China Doesn’t Want Spheres of Influence

Bloomberg: The Trump Administration Turns a Blind Eye to White-Collar Crime

NYT: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s C.D.C.

FT: The decapitation dilemma

Guardian: The ‘self-deportee’ hounded out of the US to Mexico: ‘There are days when I feel literally insane’

BBC” I tried to prove I’m not AI. My aunt wasn’t convinced

Atlantic: How Trump Killed Conservatism - The Atlantic

Le Monde: The French people’s vote is still up for grabs

FT: We must not underestimate the peril for democracy

Bloomberg: Trump, Musk, Gates Struggle to Dodge Epstein Files Fallout - Bloomberg

Economist: ByteDance is swallowing the internet—in China and beyond

Vox: The man who bet against humanity — and lost

FP: Three Scenarios for a Post-Trump World

Wired: When Satellite Data Becomes a Weapon | WIRED

Bloomberg: ‘God, It’s Terrifying’: How the Pentagon Got Hooked on AI War Machines

Guardian: Heroism, horror and the ‘pits of hell’: inside the last days of El Fasher | Global development | The Guardian

Le Monde: Vote transfers between France’s right and far right are increasingly common

NYT: The Gravity of the War in Iran - The New York Times

WSJ: Trump’s Ambivalence on Taiwan Opens a Historic Opportunity for China - WSJ

BBC: How a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly

FT: How the shadow fleet is capitalising on the chaos of war

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Pentagon will move press to external ‘annex’ following court loss over restricted access

USA: Voice of America staff allege Kari Lake violated its independence in lawsuit - The Washington Post

USA: Former CBS News Correspondent Scott MacFarlane Says He’s Joining MeidasTouch Network

USA: An Aural Companion for Decades, CBS News Radio Crackles to a Close

USA: CNN’s “Podcast Look” and the Slow Death of Cable News | The New Yorker

USA: Write It Up! How Fast Do Our Journalists Type? - The New York Times

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Mar 28, 2026: Book trade navigates red lines; reaction to Tai Po fire hearings ​​

China: China Spent Big on an African Media Empire, But No One’s Watching

France: France’s Independent Press Fights Back - Nieman Reports

UK: Ex-Google boss confirmed as new BBC director general

Australia: ABC strike: national broadcaster switches to BBC programming as staff walk off the job for 24 hours

World: What keeps journalists up at night? Funding, disinformation, and “unchecked” AI | Nieman Journalism Lab

World: Iran War, Epstein Files, Betting Markets: Why We’re ‘Monitoring the Situation’ - Bloomberg

On Monday, the UAE’s Fujairah port, the key outlet that lets oil bypass the Strait of Hormuz, was hit again. Marking a shift in global diplomacy, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump-Xi summit may be delayed if the US leader wants to stay in Washington to monitor the Iran war, while claiming the US is allowing Iranian tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later, the president asked Beijing to delay the Xi meeting by “a month or so,” citing the Iran war. Trump then told a press briefing that the US is “hammering” Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while flipping his stance and now claiming that his country does not need help from anyone to manage the situation. That move comes after the UK, France, and Germany refused to join the US-led naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Audio analyzed by The Telegraph revealed the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, escaped death by seconds after he decided to step outside for a walk in his garden. US intelligence officials told CBS News that the previous Ayatollah, Ali Khamenei, was wary of his son taking power because “he was perceived as not very bright, and was viewed as unqualified to be leader.” While in the Rumourville department, the New York Post claimed the CIA briefed Trump that the new supreme leader is gay.

Israel said overnight strikes have killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, as well as the head of Iran’s Basij force, Gholam Reza Soleimani. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on an internal cable by Israel to their US counterparts, noting they hope for an Iranian uprising even though it would lead to a massacre, as well as a State Department order that all its embassies should “immediately” review security after persistent attacks on US missions. NBC News also reported that officials regularly include off-ramps for Trump to end the war in the Iran war briefings, with aides focusing on global economic instability and weakening Iran’s regional influence. Marking the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the Iran war, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, said of his decision, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Director of National Intelligence and Kent’s former boss, Tulsi Gabbard, said Trump “concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action.” The US president lashed out at NATO for not helping with the Hormuz effort, claiming they have abandoned the US at their “time of need.” He also claimed one of the former presidents had voiced support for his Iran war, which was quickly denied by all four living former presidents. The WSJ noted Russia is sharing satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Iran in targeting US forces in the region, following multiple reports of intelligence sharing between Moscow and Tehran. Iran’s embassy in Russia refuted the claim that Mojtaba Khamenei was secretly flown to Russia for treatment after the attack that killed his family.

On Wednesday, Israel announced Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed, with its defense minister hinting that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all the fronts” without elaboration. Hours later, the news was confirmed by Iranian authorities. To deal with the rising oil prices, Trump eased sanctions on Venezuelan oil and allowed US companies to do business with the country’s state-owned oil and gas company, while also waiving the Jones Act for 60 days to stabilize the oil market. During her Senate testimony, Gabbard told lawmakers that the Iranian regime is degraded, but remains intact. Meanwhile, both Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided direct contradictions to the government’s justifications for going into war with Iran, with the DNI head refusing to say whether Iran’s nuclear program presented an “imminent threat” to the US. Five members of Iran’s national women’s football team, who first applied for asylum in Australia last week, dropped their bids and returned to their home country on Wednesday afternoon. Widely looked over after the Middle East conflict began, Zelensky said Ukraine will face a deficit of missiles used in fighting Russia as more attention is paid to Iran. Amid continued attacks in the Gulf states, Israel struck Iran’s massive South Pars natural gas field without participation from the US, which was reciprocated with a retaliatory attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy complex. Trump first claimed he did not know of Israel’s attack, before threatening to “blow up” the entire South Pars gas field. As the Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in a budget request for the war with Iran, the Senate voted down a measure aiming to limit Trump’s war powers. Following Kent’s resignation, VP JD Vance said he supports the move and welcomes the disagreement, right before the FBI started investigating him for allegedly leaking classified information.

Amid a broadening conflict, Reuters reported that Trump seeks to deploy thousands of US troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, while Hegseth denounced “ungrateful” European allies and “a dishonest” media during his Thursday press briefing in which he justified the $200 billion request. Trump’s recent fundraising email has caused outrage, as the email used an image from a dignified transfer ceremony and invited donors to become a “National Security Briefing Member,” suggesting they can receive his private briefings on national security matters. Following the targeting of energy facilities across the Gulf, the price of Brent crude climbed past $115 per barrel, as Iran warned it would show “zero restraint” against more attacks. A UK security advisor said there was a deal to be made in the days ahead of the Iran war, with new talks then expected to be held the Monday after that. A US F-35 fighter jet was hit by Iranian fire for the first time since the war began, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in the Middle East. In a meeting with Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi, Trump said he is “not putting troops anywhere,” adding that he hopes to see Tokyo “step up.” Responding to a journalist’s question about warning US allies about the Iran strikes, the president said, “We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” There have been conflicting reports on what the US does next amid the oil crisis, with Axios reporting the White House isn’t planning oil or gas export restrictions, while the Washington Post reported the US is mulling lifting oil sanctions on Iran. In Israel, Netanyahu said at a press conference that the Israelis did not drag the US into the war with Iran, and suggested there needs to be a “ground component” to the conflict.

On Friday, the US deployed three more warships and 2,500 more Marines to the Middle East. Embarrassingly enough, the US lifted oil sanctions against Iran, with Bessent said that the move is “narrowly tailored” and a temporary measure that permits “the sale of Iranian oil currently stranded at sea.” Trump privately claimed the US is doing “extremely well” in the Iran war, and is “considering” taking over Kharg Island. On the Iranian side, officials say they are unwilling even to discuss opening the Strait of Hormuz, focusing solely on surviving the US-Israeli attacks. Tehran warned of targeting recreational and tourist sites worldwide, as the UK approved the US to use their bases to strike Iranian targets striking in the Strait of Hormuz. Regarding the scrambling of US war strategy, CBS News first reported that the Pentagon was preparing plans for a possible US ground force deployment in Iran, before noting that Trump is strategizing means to seize Iran’s nuclear stockpiles. Trump claimed publicly that he doesn’t want a ceasefire with Iran, before saying he is considering “winding down” the war as the US military is “getting very close” to meeting its objectives. In the propaganda side of the war, the White House has been selling the conflict as nostalgic games, with one official telling Politico, “Over a four day period, the videos that we put out had over 3 billion impressions. That blows away anything we’ve ever done in the second term.”

Over the weekend, Iranian media reported that the Natanz nuclear facility was hit in an airstrike. In response, almost 100 people were injured by Iranian missile strikes against southern Israel, including a strike that hit the Israeli town of Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility. The UK condemned “reckless attacks” by Tehran after firing missiles at the UK-US airbase in Diego Garcia, with the country’s foreign secretary stating it has “taken a different position from the US and Israel.” In the US, Kent told conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly he fears retaliation but has no regrets and was “not concerned because I know I did nothing wrong.” Making his latest threat against Tehran, Trump said the US will “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened within 48 hours. In response, an Iranian official said the Strait is open to all except “Iran’s enemies.” At least six people were killed in a helicopter crash in Qatar, as defense authorities say the crash was caused by a ​technical malfunction. On Sunday, Trump reposted parts of the cold open from SNL UK’s first episode, which mocked UK PM Keir Starmer’s relationship with the US leader amid the Iran war. South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham urged Trump to invade Kharg Island during a Sunday show interview, citing Iwo Jima, and claimed the country can do it again. According to a NYT report, Netanyahu embraced a plan by the Mossad chief that planned to ignite regime change in Iran for an easy victory, which was then used to convince Trump to start the war.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Markwayne’s Senate Challenge

In an announcement on Truth Social, Trump said his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was diagnosed with breast cancer and plans to stay in her job while she receives treatment. Greg Bovino, who led multiple immigration enforcement incursions, will retire from federal service, while the SEC’s enforcement chief abruptly resigned. Without much surprise, the Kennedy Center board, appointed by Trump, approved the dear leader’s plan to close it for two years. And on a side note, Trump revealed Congressman Neal Dunn’s rumoured terminal diagnosis, while saying next to House Speaker Mike Johnson, “He would be dead by June.” In legal news, a federal appeals court allowed Trump to swiftly deport migrants to countries they do not have ties to, the Supreme Court took on Trump’s case that would revoke temporary protections for migrants from Syria and Haiti, while a federal judge blocked RFK Jr’s changes in vaccine policy that invalidates Kennedy’s hand-picked vaccine panel and the reduction of the recommended childhood immunizations. Being the despicable administration it is, a draft State Department memo outlined its pressure campaign for Zambia to expand its minerals access, including by withholding HIV aid and health support “on a massive scale.”

Threatening political retribution for GOP lawmakers who don’t support the SAVE Act, Trump lashed out and wrote, “Only sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT. If they do, each one of these points, separately, will be used against the user in his/her political campaign for office.” In the House Oversight Committee, Chairperson James Comer issued a subpoena to AG Pam Bondi, demanding that she testify before lawmakers over her handling of the Epstein files. The Trump administration made it easier for people to renounce their US citizenship, lowering the fee from from $2,350 to $450. In legal developments, a federal judge permanently blocked several Arkansas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments at public schools, citing the Establishment Clause and the free exercise rights of the plaintiffs. Marking another win for the Voice of America, a federal judge ordered 1,000 of its staffers to get back to work. In a legal filing, the US government said Anthropic poses an “unacceptable” national security risk, questioning whether it could be a “trusted partner” in wartime. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s law department has sought to stop representing former mayor Eric Adams in a sexual assault lawsuit brought against him two years ago. Among multiple primaries that were held on Tuesday, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller defeated former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd district, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic Senate primary in Illinois, and the Illinois governorship race will be between Democrat JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey. It was a mixed election day for AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), as it backed Melissa Bean, who won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 8th District, but failed to prevent Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss in a crowded Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th District that included AIPAC critic and online influencer Kat Abughazaleh, as well as AIPAC’s preferred candidate, Laura Fine.

During Markwayne Mullin’s fiery confirmation hearing to be the new head of DHS on Wednesday, he said FEMA should be “restructured, not eliminated,” while promising to revoke Noem’s controversial policy of personally reviewing expenditures above $100,000. Regarding the economy, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady, as Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that not as much progress was being made on inflation as hoped.

Then, on Thursday, NBC News reported that some DHS contractors told the White House that they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski, meaning the special government employee has stood to directly or indirectly profit out of the DHS contracting process. Mullin’s nomination advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security Committee after Democrat John Fetterman voted in support of the nod. In a damning report, the report found the Trump regime has been deporting parents without their children and did not offer care for the children afterwards, marking a violation of its own policies. In legal news, Afroman won his defamation case related to a song he made against the police officers who raided his home by mistake. Trump said the DOJ should continue its probe into Powell, which complicates the Fed Chair nomination of Kevin Warsh, while former FBI Director James Comey was subpoenaed in a “grand conspiracy” probe by a Trump-appointed prosecutor. Coming right out from the dear leader department, a federal arts commission approved the US Mint to produce 24-karat gold commemorative coins that bear the president’s face as part of celebrating the US’s 250th anniversary. Amid the continued dismantling of the Education Department, the government decided to shift student loan responsibilities to the Treasury. California’s state legislative lawmakers plan to change the name of César Chavez Day and rename it as Farmworkers Day, following sexual abuse allegations raised by the New York Times a day before.

Friday saw the Trump regime officially suing Harvard, citing antisemitism against Jewish students after losing a case that would have stripped some federal funding back to the government. Within CBS News, Bari Weiss announced a major round of layoffs that affected dozens of employees and ended its radio service. During an editorial call, Weiss said, “The most important thing that I want to say to everyone in this newsroom, and in particular to the people that are going to be affected today, is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of your work and the way you have poured your heart and soul into this organization. It simply has everything to do with the times we are living in, and the way that this industry perhaps more than any other industry is being just transformed.” In legal news, federal prosecutors are seeking to dismiss charges against Louisville officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s killing, House Republicans subpoenaed a Virginia prosecutor who oversaw a case related to an activist who protested Stephen Miller, and the Supreme Court revives a Mississippi evangelist’s challenge to a city protest ordinance. According to The Atlantic, anti-woke comedian Bill Maher was set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor before a quick turnaround by the White House.

Over the weekend, former FBI director and special counsel to Russian interference in the 2016 election, Robert Mueller, passed away at 81. Trump immediately took to social media and wrote, “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” Amid the continued DHS shutdown that saw more than 400 TSA officers quitting their jobs, Trump threatened that ICE agents would be deployed in airports to work on security starting on Monday, as Republican Senator Ted Cruz proposed splitting ICE from the Homeland Security funding bill to resolve the shutdown. After talking with kids under ICE detention, the popular children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel (Rachel Accurso) told NBC News the experience was devastating: “It broke me, and it was something I never thought I’d encounter in life.”

Local News: Exchange Edition - Municipal Voterama Part 2

After last Sunday’s first round vote for France’s municipal elections, it turned out to be a relatively good day for the far left La France insoumise (LFI, France Unbowed) and far right Le Rassemblement national (RN, National Rally), but not to the degree of success they had high hopes for. Entering Monday, all eyes turned to the competitive negotiations between candidates before this Sunday’s runoff vote. In French politics, no candidate receiving an absolute majority will see all of the candidates who score more than 10% of the vote qualify for the second round, while they get to decide whether to cut deals or go out alone by Tuesday at 6 pm French time.

During the frantic two days, the LFI’s candidate Sébastien Delogu dropped out of the second round of the Marseille mayoral race, aiming to help the incumbent left-wing mayor Benoît Payan (Who initially said he would not work with the LFI), as he was neck-in-neck in the polls against the RN’s Franck Allisio. In Paris, three candidates headed to the runoff for the city’s mayoral race, after the right-wing candidate Rachida Dati agreed to merge the candidate lists with the center-right Pierre-Yves Bournazel, while the far-right Sarah Knafo dropped out of the race to give “every chance to defeat the left.” In Strasbourg, the Socialist candidate Catherine Trautmann allied with the center-right Horizons candidate Pierre Jakubowicz, a shocking move aimed to counter incumbent Green Mayor Jeanne Barseghian’s alliance with the LFI. While in more trivial developments, the Arcis-sur-Aube mayoral runoff went viral because the two candidates facing off are the center-right incumbent mayor Charles Hittler and the far-right Patriot movement candidate Antoine Renault-Zielinski.

During President Emmanuel Macron’s first public remarks since the first round of voting, he denounced the extremes on both sides, warning they “remain a danger to the republic.” After the polls closed, the results started to flood in. In Paris, the Socialists will continue to govern the city after Emmanuel Gregoire’s victory. The RN saw some notable defeats, from Payan winning the Marseille mayoral race, right-wing independent candidate Josée Massi winning the Toulon election, and Vincent Bouget’s left-wing coalition helped him win the second round against the RN candidate. However, the far-right party still received some victories in places like Nice, in which the RN ally Eric Ciotti defeated the candidate for Les Républicains (LR) and Horizons. Speaking of Horizons, Edouard Phillippe was reelected as mayor of Le Havre, paving the way for his dreams of being in next year’s presidential race. In Lyon, the incumbent Greens Mayor Grégory Doucet won his race. Former PM and presidential hopeful Gabriel Attal said, “An overwhelming majority of French people reject this drift toward extremism.” Phillippe echoed similar sentiments, arguing that there is “a way forward for France” without far-left and far-right parties.

Local News: Home Edition - Criminal Negligence And Alleged Criminal’s Visit

Thursday saw the first in a series of public hearings on last November’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire that killed more than 160 people, held by a judge-led independent committee to “clarify the relevant facts.” Before the hearing, one Wang Fuk Court resident told the press, “The government is the culprit in this matter. They have never apologised, and this time we must hunt down all those officials [responsible] and dismiss them.” Highlighting the six key failures, the committee noted the use of combustible scaffolding mesh, deactivating the fire alarm system, removing the fireproof windows at emergency staircases and replacing them with wooden doors for workers accessing the scaffolding, and turning off the fire hoses for months, exceeding the legal limit of 14 days. The committee pointed to WhatsApp messages between contractors, which explicitly showed that substandard scaffolding mesh was used, and “nearly all fire safety measures have failed because of human faults.” With footage corroborating allegations that a cigarette started the fire, multiple videos taken by residents and media outlets showed the fire spread from the ground up in just 90 seconds, and the committee said, “We can imagine how severe the situation would be if the fire broke out at night.” With the smoke filling the corridors in 10 minutes, confusion and fire equipment issues have hampered the response, and the now-deceased firefighter Ho Wai-ho “may have died from a fall” after going into the wrong building. During the afternoon session, the most damning revelation came as a Housing Bureau officer at the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) “tipped off” a project consultant on WhatsApp before a mesh inspection at Wang Fuk Court, writing in a “confidential” text, “The ICU will come inspect tomorrow afternoon, and we might need to do a burning test. Please check in advance what part of the mesh is compliant.”

On the second day of hearings, committee chairman Justice David Lok expressed concern about the “extensive” media coverage, noting that “The committee has not reached any final conclusions.” During the morning session, the committee heard of repeated complaints against the contractor, Prestige Construction and Engineering Co, using non-retardant polyfoam boards to protect the building’s windows during the renovation process. The Housing Bureau’s ICU told residents there are no regulations on the polyfoam boards, while there was also no assessment for the shutdown of Wang Fuk Court’s fire services equipment. Victor Dawes, the lead barrister for the committee, concluded on Friday afternoon that the polyfoam boards, movable combustible boards installed in emergency stairwells that replaced fireproof windows, might have also played a role in the tragedy. In the end, the first two hearings showed that systemic issues like potential collusion and corruption to “rubber-stamp inspections” have helped exacerbate the tragedy in November.

In other developments, the controversial manosphere influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, both accused of rape and trafficking charges in Romania and the UK, were spotted in Hong Kong. Their itinerary included visiting the city’s nightlife district, Lan Kwai Fong, smoking a cigar in a luxury yacht in Victoria Harbour, and singing karaoke while surrounded by about a dozen women. As online discussions questioned why these two men are allowed in the city, especially given that journalists and human rights activists were denied entry to Hong Kong by the authorities white some alleged criminals moved to the city to avoid extradition (Officials have said they would not comment on individual cases), Andrew Tate dared the UK government to extradite him after British lawmakers called for that move.

Odd News Out - The Other Trump Projects

In Cuba, Monday started with an optimistic note, with the country’s economic czar telling NBC News that nationals living abroad can invest in and own businesses on the island. However, the country quickly descended into darkness, as officials reported an island-wide blackout. On the Trump side, the US leader said he would have the “honour” of “taking Cuba, in some form,” while warning the regime can stay, but its president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, must step down. Later in the week, a Russian oil tanker was spotted shipping 730,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba, while the country rejected a “shameless” proposal by the US embassy to bring in fuel while the Trump administration is implementing a blockade on the island nation. Over the weekend, members of the anti-war organization CodePink were seen partying at a humanitarian festival that featured the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, and progressive streamer Hasan Piker announced his arrival in Cuba, as part of the “Nuestra America Convoy” that brought hundreds of socialists from North America and Europe to the island. In the meantime, the rest of Cuba reentered a blackout, with some online blaming the convoy for diverting energy from those in need. Cuba’s deputy foreign minister told NBC News the country is preparing for “military aggression” by the US, noting that “Our military is always prepared, and in fact, it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression.”

On Wednesday, Venezuela’s acting leader, Delcy Rodriguez, ousted defense chief Vladimir Padrino, who was the longest-serving and most powerful military figure under Maduro’s regime, in a major shakeup. In darker news, the FT reported that back in January, Denmark was ready to blow up Greenland’s runways if the US invaded, and had given blood supplies in case of soldier injuries. Then on Friday, US prosecutors began investigating Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, looking into whether he has ties with drug traffickers. Over the weekend, Trump and Netanyahu endorsed Hungarian strongman Victor Orban, as he faces an uphill battle in next month’s election.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Video evidence shows Tai Po fire spread from ground up in just 90 seconds

China: Chinese tech enthusiasts ‘raise lobsters’ in latest AI craze

Mongolia: ‘We are being silenced’: Mongolian politicians face jail after vote calling for PM to resign | Mongolia | The Guardian

Vietnam: Vietnam’s Communist Party secures nearly 97% of assembly seats | Reuters

Thailand: Thailand’s Anutin reelected PM after crushing rival in parliamentary vote

Afghanistan: Hundreds feared dead in strike on Kabul hospital

Pakistan: Pakistan to pause Afghan strikes for Eid, two days after deadly Kabul attack | Afghanistan | The Guardian

Australia: Labor Party retains power in South Australia, as One Nation vote surges - ABC News

Ukraine: Ukraine makes rare advance inside ‘kill zone’

Hungary: To tilt Hungarian election, Russians proposed staging assassination attempt - The Washington Post

Denmark: A wealth tax for schools: Frederiksen’s shift left stirs debate before Denmark’s early election

International: NEW REPORT: Global Freedom Declined for 20th Consecutive Year in 2025

Business: Elon Musk defrauded Twitter investors during buyout, jury finds

Tech: Instagram to remove end-to-end encryption for private messages in May | Instagram | The Guardian

Tech: Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds | Social media | The Guardian

AI: Subnautica 2 publisher’s CEO used ChatGPT in failed bid to avoid paying US$250m bonus to own studio head, court hears

AI: Teens allege Musk’s Grok chatbot made sexual images of them as minors

Space: NASA Plans Bigger SpaceX Moon-Mission Role in Blow to Boeing

Environment: Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species

Health: Millions of children dying from preventable causes, report reveals | Global health | The Guardian

Health: The Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why?

Culture: ‘A very strong opener’: The reviews for Saturday Night Live UK’s debut are in | Ents & Arts News

Culture: ​BTS takes over central Seoul with massive comeback concert - Nikkei Asia

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Foreign Affairs: How America’s War on Iran Backfired | Foreign Affairs

Economist: War in Iran is making Donald Trump weaker—and angrier

SciAm: The kids are all right | Scientific American

New Yorker: What’s Behind Trump’s New World Disorder?

Le Monde: How food scandals are fueling anxiety: ‘I feel like the whole planet is contaminated’

Guardian: The war on Iran cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in charts

Bulwark: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

FT: Trump has broken it. Now he owns it

NYT: Marseille’s Tight Mayoral Race Is a Bellwether for France’s Future - The New York Times

WSJ: China Hoped Trump Summit Would Cement Its Superpower Status. Now Xi Has to Wait. - WSJ

Atlantic: Everyone but Trump Understands What He’s Done - The Atlantic

Economist: America’s failing gunboat diplomacy

Le Monde: In Paris, Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, builds his network

NYT: How Japan’s Leader Sanae Takaichi Found Her Voice in D.C. Decades Ago - The New York Times

SciAm: Galaxies without dark matter mystify astronomers | Scientific American

Guardian: ‘My dear son’: the Ukrainian soldier who came back from the dead | Ukraine | The Guardian

Wired: A New Game Turns the H-1B Visa System Into a Surreal Simulation | WIRED ​​

FT: China is not going to bail Trump out

New Yorker: Seeking a Second Passport | The New Yorker

Atlantic: Trump Is Betraying Iran’s Pro-Democracy Protesters - The Atlantic

FP: Trump’s Iran War Destroys MAGA’s Alliance With Europe’s Far Right Populists

NYT: The Billionaire Funding France’s Far Right - The New York Times

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: BBC asks US court to dismiss Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit

USA: Judge orders 1,000 Voice of America staffers back to work in rebuke to Kari Lake

USA: CBS News begins new round of layoffs: ‘This is really hard and really tough’ | CBS | The Guardian

USA: FCC green-lights Nexstar’s $6.2B merger with rival TV station owner Tegna

USA: White House meme-game mortifies retired generals - POLITICO

USA: How the Trump White House tries to sell war and death as a game

Middle East: Open-source intelligence shuts down ​​

Iran: ​​‘The final battle’: Iran’s information war

Iran: What Iranians are being told about the war

Iran: How Lego Became a Go-To Meme of the Propaganda Wars - WSJ

Israel: Netanyahu Posts ‘Proof of Life’ Video as A.I. Sows Doubts About What’s Real - The New York Times

Hong Kong: Yahoo Hong Kong to begin ‘phased wind-down’ of news business in April

UK: Screen scandal: How Ofcom lets GB News get away with it - The New World

UK: Newly unearthed Nigel Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogans

UK: Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith buys 27% stake in The Economist

UK: BBC World Service to get extra £11m a year in deal ending funding uncertainty

AI: Deepfakes Are Already Shaping Opinions Around Conflicts

Film: How the Makers of ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Addressed ‘an Ethical Minefield’ - The New York Times

Film: How Putin Indoctrinates Russia’s Young

With the Iran conflict moving into its second week, oil prices temporarily passed $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, just after Israel hit multiple oil targets in Iran for the first time (While the US said it would not target Iranian oil facilities). Oil prices and the stock market both saw a dramatic dip and recovery on Monday, affecting the Asia Pacific region heavily before the US market experienced a rebound. In Australia, police say five members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad have left the team’s hotel and are currently safe with them, following last week’s protest by the Iranian women’s football team refusing to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem ahead of an Asian Cup match in the country. G7 nations held an emergency meeting to discuss rising oil prices, and the French finance minister came out of the meeting and said the group “stands ready” for a deal to release emergency reserves. An Iranian official told CNN the country is ready for a long war with the US, adding that only economic pain will end the conflict. Trump told NBC News it is “too soon” to talk about seizing Iran’s oil like he did with Venezuela, but did not rule it out entirely. Then in a phone interview with CBS News, the president claimed that “the war is very complete” and suggested taking over the Strait of Hormuz. On oil prices, Trump told the New York Post, “I have a plan for everything, OK? I have a plan for everything. You’ll be very happy.” Beyond the media circus, Trump held a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict, which Moscow described as a “frank and constructive” conversation. Meanwhile, Ukraine has sent drone experts to help protect US bases in Jordan, following “requests for help from 11 countries neighbouring Iran.” At a press conference, Trump repeated his claim that the war will end soon, saying, “We know them all, and we’re knocking the hell out of that. Now, where they manufacture the drones. A lot of work, a lot of brilliant work. But we’re going to have a much safer world as soon as it’s finished, and it’s going to be finished pretty quickly.” This comes as a Pentagon estimate found the early Iran strikes cost $5.6 billion in munitions, and more contradictory statements by Trump that also hinted the war would continue In an unrelated note, Trump has ramped up threats against Cuba again, claiming that it is in “deep ​trouble” on a humanitarian basis, and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is dealing with the issue that may or may ​not be a “friendly takeover.”

A day after Trump contradicted Pete Hegseth on how long the conflict will last, the Defense Secretary previewed Tuesday as “our most intense day of strikes,” claiming the war is “contained” despite the US sending home more diplomats. On the other side, Iran again rejected ceasefire talks with the US, while the UAE’s biggest oil refinery halted operation after a drone strike caused a nearby fire. According to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, the Russians told Trump they didn’t share intelligence with Iran during the conflict. The Pentagon said 140 US service members have been wounded since the Iran war started, as a government watchdog reported the DOD went through a $93 billion spending spree last September, blowing some of those billions on fruit basket stands, furniture, and crabs. Given that the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints that carries about one-fifth of all of the world’s crude oil, it is only a matter of time before Iran allegedly begins laying mines in the region. In response, Trump claimed the US had “completely destroyed” 10 inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while Energy Secretary Chris Wright embarrassingly deleted a post minutes after lying that the US Navy had allegedly escorted a ship through the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the White House then denied. Iran continued to launch strikes at targets across the Gulf, including a drone hitting the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq as retaliation against the US. The regime also threatened that protesters would be treated as “enemies,” and confirmed the new supreme leader is alive despite suffering injuries from the same US-Israeli strikes that killed his father.

Wednesday’s economic figures in the US showed inflation in February was at 2.4% year-on-year, remaining steady ahead of the Iran war. Japan’s leader, Sanae Takaichi, became the first world leader to take the lead in releasing oil from its national reserves, signalling it could be as early as next week. This came moments before member states of the International Energy Agency agreed to the largest release of oil reserves in its history, releasing 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency stocks. Trump also moved to order the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. However, that move didn’t stop the bleeding as oil prices rose back to $100 a barrel, partly due to growing ship attacks in the Gulf, with two oil tankers being hit in the Persian Gulf off Iraq. In an interview with Axios, Trump said there’s “practically nothing left” to target in Iran, even though there is no internal directive from the US or Israeli side on how to stop the continued offensive. The preliminary inquiry of an ongoing military investigation concluded the US is responsible for the Tomahawk missile strike that killed more than 150 people in a girls’ elementary school, with multiple outlets reporting the US might have used outdated target data as it was operating against a nearby military base. In sports, Iran’s sports minister said the country will not play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US. The FBI warned Iran had “aspired” to strike California with drones, while the Pentagon made the unusual move of barring press photographers from two news conferences following unflattering photos of Hegseth from a rare briefing last week. In retaliation for the recent strikes, pro-Iran hackers brought a “global network disruption” to the US medical device maker Stryker.

In an interview with CNBC, Wright said the US Navy is not ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, adding, “We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.” Iranian state TV read out lout Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public remarks since becoming the new supreme leader, noting that the “lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz” will continue to pressure the enemy, and told neighbouring states to close American bases amid continued bombardment. Trying to soften the economic blow, the US said it has considered “waiving the Jones Act for a limited period of time to ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to US ports,” easing the requirement that American ships be used in transporting goods between US ports. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent then told Sky News that the US Navy will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that “as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through.” Israeli security sources told The Guardian, “We attacked Iran with no clear plan for regime change.” On the battlefield, there was a tragic US Air Force refueling plane crash that killed all six crew members onboard. Showing signs of the US being unable to sustain the war in the long term, reports suggest the country has burned through “years” of critical munitions like the advanced long-range Tomahawk missiles, while the first days of the war have already cost the US $11.3 billion. In an embarrassing move, the US temporarily removed sanctions on Russian oil as a short-term resort, while Putin’s envoy said Washington is “beginning to better understand” the importance of Russian oil in a “productive meeting.” This comes as Russia enjoys a $150 million daily windfall from oil profits, making it one of the biggest financial winners from the war. In a rally speech to support Ed Gallrein’s primary fight against Thomass Massie, Trump claimed Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities are degraded, while showing no evidence for that. On Truth Social, Trump claimed the rising oil prices benefit America, while admitting Putin may be aiding Iran “a little bit” in their war effort.

Hegseth said Iran’s new supreme leader is “wounded and likely disfigured,” adding that US and Israeli troops have hit more than 15,000 targets inside Iran before threatening intense military action. Cosigning on that, Trump posted on Truth Social, “We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.” At the same time, the Pentagon sent 5,000 additional Marines and at least one more warship to the Middle East. On the topic of a well and functioning US government, Trump claimed to the G7 that Iran is about to surrender, Hegseth criticized CNN and added he can’t wait to see the Ellisons take over the news network, an interview with Sky News showed Bessent visibly shaken after being called into the White House situation room, while the AI and crypto czar David Sacks called on the president to “declare victory and get out” of Iran. Trump said on social media that the US “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, warning that oil infrastructure targets are next. Israel issued an evacuation warning for the industrial area in the city of Tabriz, located in northwestern Iran, while Axios reported Israeli officials are planning a massive ground invasion of Lebanon. Amid tensions with Cuba, Cuban officials say they are in talks with their American counterparts, which might lead to a landmark economic deal with the US.

Over the weekend, Trump proposed that “many countries” send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to counteract the Iranian blockade, adding he might hit the Kharg Island “a few more times just for fun.” Telling NBC News, the president claimed Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire, but he believes the “terms aren’t good enough yet” to make a deal. Regarding casualties, the US military named the six service members killed in the plane crash in Iraq, while France reported its first casualty from the conflict. As Putin is funneling intelligence to Iranian troops on US targets they can attack, Trump snubbed Zelensky’s offer of air defense in the Middle East, claiming “No, we don’t need (Ukraine’s) help in drone defense. We know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually.” Threatening to revoke the licenses of news outlets over coverage that is critical of the Iran war, FCC Chairperson Brendan Carr’s threat came right after a post by Trump celebrating how the media has changed under his second term. Continuing the conflicting reports over Mojtaba Khamenei’s status, Iran’s foreign minister denied that the new supreme leader is dead after Trump claimed he’s “not alive.” In an interview with NBC News, Wright said the US will have “removed the risk” of Iran’s energy threat in weeks, adding that, “Americans are feeling it right now. Americans will feel it for a few more weeks.” India’s foreign minister hailed diplomacy with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “yielding results.” While talking with the FT, Trump warned NATO allies would face a “very bad future” if they don’t support his illegal quagmire in Iran. The president also threw the US-China reboot in doubt, as he suggested delaying his planned summit with Xi Jinping in April, despite officials still expecting the trip to go ahead on Friday.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - All The Other Crazy Stuff Trump’s Up To

Marking the latest alarming push by the Trump regime on elections, the administration subpoenaed the 2020 voting records of Arizona, a swing state that went for Biden in the election. Adding to the pressure, Trump threatened lawmakers that he would not sign any more bills unless the SAVE Act, a strict voter ID act that curtails voting access, is passed. The DOJ charged 2 teens in New York, following last weekend’s “ISIS-inspired” attack outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home. In business developments, Anthropic officially sued the Trump administration over the Pentagon’s decision to blacklist the firm, seeking to undo the “supply chain risk” designation, while the Justice Department settled with Live Nation over the illegal monopoly case related to the ticketing firm.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune openly rejected Trump’s call to pass the SAVE Act through abolishing the filibuster, noting that “the votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster.” Smartmatic, a voting machine company, alleged the DOJ is using malicious prosecution, under foreign bribery charges it filed last year, to bolster false claims about the 2020 election. Behind the scenes, the White House told House Republicans to stop talking about mass deportations as the issue becomes a toxic subject for the GOP, while House Speaker Mike Johnson proposed using a sweeping spending package to address alleged fraud in blue states. The race in Georgia to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene heads off to a runoff vote, with Democrat Shawn Harris and Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller heading into the second round in April. Marking further tensions with Canada, Trump referred to Mark Carney as the “future Governor of Canada,” while there was also a US consulate shooting in Toronto. Under RFK Jr’s oversight, the FDA expanded the use of the prescription drug leucovorin, but not for autism, walking back earlier statements suggesting a benefit for autistic children. Trump appointed Erika Kirk to the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, replacing her husband Charlie, who was assassinated last year. USA Today reported that the DOJ quietly restored gun rights to 22 felons and offenders, including an Arizona lawmaker, as part of its effort to review nearly one million convicted felons requesting gun rights relief. The Washington Post reported the Social Security inspector general’s office is investigating whistleblower allegations that a former DOGE engineer took Social Security data to his new job, which may constitute a major security breach.

The US launched new Section 301 trade investigations into its key trading partners, including Mexico, India, Japan, South Korea, and the EU, which many see as a precursor to new tariffs. Wanting to continue their immigration cruelty, the Trump regime has asked the Supreme Court to end protections for Haitian immigrants. Explaining why the DOJ suddenly reversed its move to drop its defense of White House sanctions on top law firms, Trump angrily told aides after the news broke, “I never signed off on that.” Following Kristi Noem’s departure from DHS, it was revealed that there are still dozens of unsigned contracts on her desk and thousands of branded vehicles in a garage. And because we live in the stupidest timeline ever, Trump endorsed boxer Jake Paul for political office.

Continuing the prelude to more tariffs following the Supreme Court defeat, the Trump administration launched a sweeping trade investigation targeting dozens of trading partners, including the EU and Canada, over forced labor allegations. Amid growing tensions of potential terror threats facing the US after the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, a man who opened fire at an Old Dominion University classroom on Thursday was convicted of ties with the Islamic State, while the FBI began an investigation into a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community” following a car ramming attack against a Detroit synagogue. Speaking of the FBI, Director Kash Patel confirmed UFC fighters will train FBI agents in Quantico in a “historic seminar.” In congressional news, the Senate passed the bipartisan housing bill that marked the largest piece of housing legislation in decades, and Democrats blocked a bill that would reopen Homeland Security after a 27-day shutdown. The 85-year-old Democratic old guard lawmaker James Clyburn said he will seek re-election, setting the stage for him to face off against young challengers.

In a major win for the Federal Reserve, a judge threw out the DOJ’s subpoenas targeting the Fed and Jerome Powell, as part of US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s criminal investigation into renovation costs for the agency. The economic figures show the US economy grew by only 0.7% last quarter, far weaker than previously reported. After approving the TikTok deal that sees the social media platform’s ownership now lying with a group of US investors, the Trump regime is set to receive a roughly $10 billion fee from the investors, totally not corrupt at all… Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell announced he is stepping down from the role, following a tumultuous year in the arts location that saw many artists cancelling their performances following Trump’s radical makeover. Meanwhile, a WSJ report on Trump gifting cabinet members and lawmakers a pair of leather oxfords has gained traction, which quickly evolved to a shoe size matching contest. On Sunday, delegations led by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met in Paris for economic talks, paving the way for an eventual Trump visit to Beijing, which reportedly will include Rubio despite Chinese sanctions on the Secretary of State.

Local News: Exchange Edition - Municipal Voterama Part 1

French voters from nearly 35,000 communes across the country take part in the country’s municipal elections on March 15 and 22, which is seen as a bellwether for the upcoming 2027 election. On the far right, the vote marks a strength test for the National Rally (RN, Rassemblement National), as it seeks to consolidate support in rural towns while expanding its popularity into urban areas. Opinion polls have shown the RN in the lead, with analysts arguing the party has a very good shot at entering the Élysée Palace next year after a failure by Macron and his Renaissance Party in building local roots after nine years in charge. At the same time, the left also faces a steep challenge following their election success last time around in 2020, as it is already weakened nationally before what happened earlier this year, when far-right activist Quentin Deranque was beaten to death by far-left activists in Lyon in February. The far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) has ties with a group accused of taking part in the beating, which has led to hostility towards LFI candidates running in the municipal elections, while other left-wing parties were pressured to take a stance on whether they would partner with the LFI. That is not even taking into account the voters, as France’s active and often chaotic political life has just weathered a tumultuous budget battle and shifting demographics that might swing the vote one way or another. A week ahead of the vote, a poll conducted by Ipsos BVA for Le Monde, Cevipof and the Jean Jaurès Foundation found voters are leaning to the right ahead of the election. Environmental issues have taken a back seat in voters’ minds, as security issues helped buoy the RN’s chances.

The spotlight for this year’s municipal election lies in three of France’s largest cities, Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. In all three cities, there are new election rules that will be tried out for the first time. Instead of the old model of only electing councilors for their arrondissement (administrative region), and the top-ranking councilors forming a central municipal council to elect the mayor, this time voters get two votes, one for the arrondissement council and one for the city council, the latter of which has the power to elect the mayor. Thanks to the new rules, campaigns have begun to focus more on City Hall than the arrondissements, with one describing such campaigning as a “mini-presidential race.”

In Paris, the race focused on succeeding the Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is not running for re-election this time around. Long held by conservatives, two of the city’s latest mayors are Socialists and have run the city for most of the 21st century. Taking Hidalgo’s place in the Socialists’ camp is Emmanuel Grégoire, who positioned himself as the heir apparent. The right’s main challengers include Rachida Dati from the Les Républicains party (Who is also facing trial on charges of corruption in September), as well as Pierre-Yves Bournazel from Horizons, the latter of whom is endorsed by Renaissance (Macron’s party) despite Dati formerly serving as the president’s culture minister. Sophia Chikirou from the LFI, Sarah Knafo from the far-right Reconquête! Party, and Thierry Mariani from the RN, are not likely to win, but they hope to strengthen their party’s position in Paris.

Marseille’s race is seen as the “microcosm of the nationwide electoral picture,” with the far-right seizing on the city’s violent crime that stems from drug trafficking, as well as fears of immigration, to gain an upper hand in the polls. It comes as the left won the conservative city in the last municipal vote, though it was in 2020, and many saw that election as a “weightless election” due to the pandemic. According to recent polls, the RN candidate, Franck Allisio, was neck-and-neck with the incumbent left-wing independent Mayor Benoît Payan. Trailing the two top candidates include the Renaissance-backed right-wing independent Martine Vassal and the hard-left France Unbowed candidate Sébastien Delogu, both having a shot at squeezing into the second round, which could create an unprecedented four-way race.

Lyon’s race will be dependent on whether its left-wing and Green coalition can continue holding on to power. The main challenge for incumbent Green mayor Grégory Doucet and his election campaign is a strong challenge from a right-wing and centrist coalition backing Jean-Michel Aulas, an independent candidate whose qualifications as a businessman include being a former owner of the local Olympique Lyonnais (OL) football club. As the two candidates have mostly led the opinion polls, the broader view finds a fractured left between the LFI’s MP Anaïs Belouassa-Chérifi, the center-left Parti Radical de Gauche (PRG) backed former deputy mayor for cultural affairs Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, and former mayor Georges Képénékian running as an independent. Alexandre Dupalais runs in the far right lane, which could allow RN members to retake some city council seats in Lyon.

In other French races that have political importance, former French PM Edouard Philippe seeks to use the Le Havre race as a key stepping stone to launch his 2027 presidential bid, Louis Sarkozy (The son of former President Nicolas Sarkozy) is running in the French Riviera town of Menton, and Communist leader Fabien Roussel is placing his political fortune in the Saint-Amand-les-Eaux race as the RN gained the upper hand against the Communists in the 2024 legislative elections. Aside from Lyon, the Greens also faced an uphill battle in Strasbourg and Bordeaux, while places like Toulon and Nice saw right-wing mayors fighting against their far-right opponents.

As the polling stations closed at 8 pm French time, initial polls already showed the far right having a good performance, despite low turnout by voters. In Marseille, the second round is setting up to be a race between the RN’s Alliso and Payan, with the far-right planning for an upset in that city. In the south, the RN scored well in places like Perpignan (With the party’s candidate being re-elected as mayor) but did not get the sweeping landslides it craved for in the regional strongholds, and is faciing uphill battles in areas like Toulon. RN President Jordan Bardella said after the polls closed. “These results reveal an expectation that we know is immense. Change won’t wait until 2027 — it starts this coming Sunday.” On the far left, the LFI performed surprisingly well in the northeastern cities of Lille and Roubaix, the Socialists did well in Paris and Montpellier, while centrist parties are set to face difficult challenges from the extremes of either end. Now, tense negotiations ahead of next Sunday’s runoff vote begin.

Europe Mayhem - Electoral Chances And Legal Troubles

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered an electoral loss in the wealthy southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, narrowly losing to the Greens. The Greens won 30.2% of the vote compared to the CDU with 29.7%, as gaffes by the CDU’s lead candidate and Merz’s broader failures with connecting with voters helped erode the party’s previous lead in the polls.

Istanbul’s mayor and opposition leader, Ekrem Imamoglu, went on trial on Monday, alongside 400 other defendants, in a major corruption case. Critics condemn the corruption trial as politically motivated against Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan’s biggest political rival, as Imamoglu was just elected as the main opposition party’s candidate for the 2028 election before he was arrested last year.

In the UK, the government released its first batch of the Mandelson files, focusing on the ex-US envoy’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Under the new revelations, we learned Starmer was repeatedly warned of Mandelson’s “particularly close” relationship with Epstein, noting the appointment posed a “reputational risk” and could have “personal” consequences for the PM. Meanwhile, other senior government advisers were warned of a “weirdly” rushed process handled by political aides. Starmer acknowledged responsiblity the next day, saying, “It was me that made the mistake… and it’s me that makes the apology to the victims of Epstein.”

Ahead of the Hungarian election, in which Victor Orban’s political future is hanging by a thread, an unsurprising backer is putting his influence in helping the autocratic leader re-elected. The Kremlin has reportedly backed a disinformation campaign aimed at getting Orban elected in April, endorsing a proposal by the Putin-linked media agency Social Design Agency, currently also under western sanctions, to flood social media with Russian-designed posts endorsing the Fidesz party. At the same time, Orban claimed Ukrainians have “threatened” his family as part of his broader anti-Kyiv campaign.

In Greenland, the island’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, stepped down on Friday after the Siumut party pulled out of the four-way coalition government. Greenland’s PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the decision and timing of the move as “terrible,” especially given the island is still facing pressure from the Trump administration on acquiring its land.

Odd News Out - Landslide Win In Nepal

Following last week’s elections in Nepal, which marked the first vote since student-led protests toppled the previous government, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won in a landslide. Despite falling short of achieving a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of parliament, the RSP won 182 seats in the biggest win for a single party in Nepal in decades. The vote also brings Balendra Shah, a popular rapper turned politician who defeated the last PM in his constituency, to power as the country’s next leader.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Trump’s China visit limited to Beijing due to tight schedule and security needs: sources

China: China adopts an ethnic unity law that critics say will cement assimilation

China: At China’s Big Political Meeting, a Rare Debate About Inequality - The New York Times

China: China’s petitioners battle to be heard

China: China exports surge in first two months of the year despite Trump tariffs

China: China’s nationalist spy thriller has few girls and lots of government

Malaysia: Malaysia’s Anwar Set to Drop Anti-Graft Chief in Wake of Probe - Bloomberg

Israel: Israeli military drops charges against soldiers accused of Gaza detainee abuse | Israel | The Guardian

Gaza: Exclusive: Trump’s Gaza plan on hold as Iran war pauses disarmament talks, sources say | Reuters

Canada: Carney calls three by-elections in Canada that could grant him a majority

Mexico: Mexico’s congress rejects Sheinbaum’s electoral reform proposal

Mexico: Sheinbaum tells Trump: stop illegal arms trade from the US to Mexico

Brazil: Brazil blocks visit of Trump official to see jailed Jair Bolsonaro

Haiti: Haiti president’s assassination driven by greed and power, US prosecutors say

AI: Poll: Majority of voters say risks of AI outweigh the benefits

AI: Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work | AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian

AI: Elon Musk’s $134bn claim against OpenAI rests on ‘numbers out of the air’, judge says

Space: Unanimous vote in risk assessment clears way for 4 astronauts to launch on moon mission

Space: Musk and Bezos Moon Landers Could Leave Artemis Astronauts Stranded, NASA Watchdog Warns

Environment: ‘A sobering preview’: extreme heat now affects one in three people globally, study finds

Culture: The women of “Sinners,” “K-Pop Demon Hunters” make Oscars history

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Bulwark: Against “The People” - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark

NYT: On the Road With Zelensky, Weathered, Weary and Fighting On - The New York Times

FP: China Is Learning the Lessons of Hard Power

Economist: Hong Kong’s property market has turned | The Economist

Atlantic: The Unbearable Lightness of Signalgate - The Atlantic

FT: Inside the labs training China’s humanoid robots

Bloomberg: Takaichi Recasts Japan’s Postwar Defense Doctrine With East Asia on Edge

Economist: The view from Tehrangeles

Monocle: ‘You can’t be truly sovereign by yourself’: Mark Carney talks geopolitical

pragmatism and a confident Canada

Bulwark: AI Apocalypse Looms. We’re Already Blowing It.

Atlantic: The Pete Hegseth Exception

FT: International law is in retreat. We cannot let it die

New Yorker: The Unmaking of the American University | The New Yorker

Bulwark: Dire Straits: The Iran War Is Run by Idiots

Atlantic: Sucker: My year as a degenerate gambler

Economist: How wars are adding hours to your flights

FT: The battle for Paris and beyond

Guardian: ‘Extraordinary cruelty’: images show longterm ‘starvation strategy’ in Sudan | Global development | The Guardian

Bloomberg: What a War-Rattled Dubai Can Learn from Hong Kong’s Expat Exodus

Atlantic: The Obvious Is Taking Its Revenge on Trump - The Atlantic

Economist: There are 56 ethnicities in China—and 55 are getting squashed

FT: The riches of Viktor Orbán’s home village

NYT: How President Trump’s Image Permeates the White House and Beyond - The New York Times

Bulwark: TACOs With a Side of War Porn

Time: Rise of the AI Soldiers

FT: China said it ended poverty. Did it?

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Fox News apologizes for showing old video of a hatless Donald Trump at a dignified transfer ceremony

USA: Pentagon bars press photographers over ‘unflattering’ Hegseth photos

USA: Trump officials erupt at CNN over report on surprise over Strait of Hormuz closing

USA: F.C.C. Chair Threatens to Revoke Broadcasters’ Licenses Over War Coverage - The New York Times

USA: Scott MacFarlane, CBS News’ Hard-Charging Justice Correspondent, to Exit

USA: Government appeals judge’s order barring search of Washington Post reporter’s devices

USA: How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post - The New York Times

USA: How Aaron Parnas rose to news influencer fame on Instagram, TikTok

Middle East: Press freedom violations in the Middle East during the Iran war - Committee to Protect Journalists ​

Iran: The Iranian school bombing and the information war

Iran: A country divided: state media show Mojtaba supporters as Iranians online fear repression | Iran | The Guardian

China: The kill line v Chinamaxxing: a window into how China and the US see each other

Hong Kong: Hong Kong court rejects Wall Street Journal’s bid to throw out wrongful dismissal suit

Hong Kong: Records show reporter Selina Cheng was let go from WSJ due to redundancy, HR exec. says in unlawful dismissal suit

France: French radical left mayoral candidates targeted in disinformation campaign

UK: What Makes ‘Good TV’ on the Internet? Piers Morgan Has Thoughts.

Russia: Unexplained Moscow internet blackouts spark fears of web censorship plan | Russia | The Guardian

World: When left-leaning journalists produce right-leaning stories | Nieman Journalism Lab

Books: Along Came an Influencer: How America’s Bestselling Writer Became MrBeast’s Co-Author

Film: Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’ | WIRED

Film: ‘Would you like me to cry now?’: Louis Theroux on the manosphere, marriage and misunderstandings

Film: Did Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary change anyone’s mind?

Film: ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ wins best documentary feature Oscar for teacher who opposed Ukraine war

Film: Mr Nobody Against Putin: How Pavel Talankin went from Russian school videographer to Oscar winner

Film: In Putin’s Russia, Resistance Is Lonely

Violence in the Middle East continued to grow on Monday, with Israel killing 31 people in airstrikes against Lebanon after a Hezbollah attack, and Iran’s Red Crescent reported more than 555 people were killed from the attacks. Iran claimed it had shot down a US fighter jet near Kuwait, as Kuwait’s defense ministry said “several” US military aircraft had crashed. The US military then confirmed the military aircraft crashed due to “friendly fire” from Bahrain, adding that all crew survived. The world’s largest liquid natural gas firm, QatarEnergy, announced it has halted production following the Iran attacks. By the middle of Monday, the world faced its worst travel chaos since the COVID pandemic due to cancelled flights that were halted due to the airstrikes, Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam banned Hezbollah’s military activities after it attacked Israel, and a total of six US service members were killed by Monday. The Pentagon held its first press conference after the Iran operation began, with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine saying more troops are on the way to support the Middle East operation and they expect more casualties, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bizzarly claiming “We didn’t start this war but under President Trump we are finishing it,” while not ruling out potential boots on the ground in Iran. After a briefing with congressional leaders, Rubio said a planned attack by Israel influenced the US’s timing of the attack. “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.” Meanwhile, Trump first told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the US military is “knocking the crap out of them,” warning, “The big wave hasn’t even happened.” In his first public remarks to the press, Trump said the US is already “substantially ahead” of its time projections, which were projected at between four and five weeks, and added they have “the capability to go far longer.” After a few minutes of talking about Iran, Trump immediately redirected the subject to the curtains he chose for the White House and the ballroom, noting, “I picked those drapes in my first term. I always liked gold.” Pouring fuel on the fire of an upcoming energy crisis, an Iranian commander said the Strait of Hormuz is closed, vowing to hit ships trying to pass the area. While all of the insane war news was coming in on Wednesday, Melania Trump chaired the UN Security Council, which discussed children in conflict and the Iran strikes.

On the fourth day of the war, the US embassies in Riyadh and Dubai were attacked by Iranian drones, while Iran said 13 IRGC members were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a Kerman province military base. The US has urged its citizens to immediately evacuate from the Middle East, despite reports that US embassies are unable to help Americans in the Middle East evacuate from the region. Israel’s military said its soldiers are operating in Lebanon, as it carried out a strike that killed 40 senior officials during a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Council. Following Iranian drone attacks in the Gulf region, the US closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. After fresh talks with the US, UK PM Keir Starmer sent HMS Dragon and helicopters to the Middle East. On the economic side, stock markets fell sharply, with the Dow down 1,000 points. In a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump floated the idea of “someone from within” the Iranian government taking power instead of the exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, adding that most of Iran’s military installations have been “knocked out.” Expressing his dissatisfaction with Europe, Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over its leader, Pedro Sánchez’s, response to the Iran conflict. He also expressed disappointment at Starmer over the Chagos Island deal, calling him “not Winston Churchill.” In addition, Trump ordered the US provide risk insurance for Gulf maritime trade, suggesting the Navy will escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. Meanwhile, Iran rejected further talks with the US as the death toll passed the 700 mark.

By day 5 of the conflict, there are already concerns that not only the Trump administration is making conflicting claims about justifying and ending the Iran war, but also the availability of US weaponry as the conflict sees a prolonged duration. Speaking of administrative incompetence, FBI Director Kash Patel gutted the agency’s counterintelligence team that monitors Iranian threats days before the US strikes. The Pentagon named four out of the six service members killed in the war, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, who were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait. Following an all-senators classified briefing on Iran, Senator Lindsay Graham said of the Gulf states’ involvement, “I’ve been on the phone all day with our Arab allies, and quite the opposite is unfolding. So I’m here to tell you the good news for me is I think the regional partners, the Arab partners, are going to be more involved, not less.” A submarine attack hit an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leading to at least 87 people killed. At the same time, Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted an Iranian projectile heading towards its airspace, France sent its warships to the Mediterranean, while Israel vowed to eliminate Iran’s next leader, which reports suggest the Ayatollah’s son is one of the front-runners in the race. An Iranian government agency said at least 1,045 people have been killed amid its war in Israel. Regarding economic news, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will make a “series of announcements” to stabilize oil trade in the Gulf region. During a press briefing, Hegseth said the Iranian officer who led the assassination attempt against Trump has been killed, and admitted it was a US submarine that conducted the first warship torpedo attack on an enemy since WWII. If a war with Iran isn’t enough, the US announced it has opened military action with Ecuador against “terrorist organizations” in the region. Then on Wednesday night, Senate Republicans rejected a bipartisan war powers resolution to halt Trump’s military action against Iran.

Continuing the conflict with the downright bizarre, a whistleblower NCO said his commanding officer told the troops, “Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.” With Israel expecting a weeks-long war in Iran, the US is in talks with Iranian Kurdish militants to play a role in anti-regime operations, just years after the first Trump term betrayed the Kurds in Syria to Turkey’s Recep Tayip Erdogan. Amid the ongoing Iran conflict, the US is seeking help from Ukraine to help its war effort, with the Pentagon eyeing cheap Ukrainian interceptor drones and Zelensky announcing Kyiv is sending military specialists to the Middle East to help counter Iranian drones and missiles. Broadening the conflict, Canadian PM Mark Carney did not rule out his country joining the war. The Pentagon identified the other two US soldiers who died in an Iranian strike on Kuwait, while Iran claimed it had attacked Kurdish groups in Iraq. A US oil tanker caught fire after being hit by Iranian forces, as Tehran vowed revenge for downing their warship. The Washington Post reported that during a call with Kurdish minority leaders within Iran and Iraq, Trump offered air cover and other forms of support if they rose against the Iranian regime. In the UAE, the government told residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to seek immediate shelter, citing a missile threat. The US closed its embassy in Kuwait, while Azerbaijan also reported an Iranian missile hitting its territory. Expressing confidence in deterring a potential US ground invasion, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that “We are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.” From Trump’s perspective, the president dismissed concerns about the Iran war affecting gas prices and US ammunition reserves to Politico, while telling Axios he must be personally involved in picking Iran’s next supreme leader and rejecting Khamenei’s son as an acceptable option. In addition, Trump demanded Israel’s President Issac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, stating that “Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f*cking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran.” Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee member Mark Warner warned that Trump has no phase two plan for the Iran war, saying, “I have never had, from any of the briefings, any description of what phase two would be.” Meanwhile, the US House rejected the bipartisan war powers resolution proposed by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna.

Fighting intensified on Friday, with Israel launching huge strikes against southern Beirut after a mass evacuation order, while Iran-backed militias intensified their attacks against American allies. Trump said the US and Israel are aiming to “go in and clean out everything,” hinting at ending Iran’s regime. In Tehran, Israeli jets destroyed Khamenei’s underground bunker. Amid the ongoing oil crisis, in which Qatar warns that Gulf states might halt energy exports in weeks, the US backtracked and granted India a waiver to purchase Russian oil after pressuring it to back off due to Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine war. Pushing a hardline stance on how the war could end, Trump said there will be no deal with Iran except “unconditional surrender,” but told CNN he is not worried whether Iran becomes a democratic state. Behind the scenes, Trump officials told US lawmakers that the American strike that hit an elementary school and killed at least 168 people, many of them children, happened when the US was targeting that particular area of Iran. On the other side, multiple reports say Russia is aiding Iran’s war effort by providing intelligence on American targets.

With the US announcing a $20 billion reinsurance program for oil tankers during the Iran war, the Trump administration has embarrassingly lifted some restrictions on Russian oil. NBC News reported that Trump has expressed a serious interest in putting boots on the ground in Iran, with the president warning “today Iran will be hit very hard” in a Truth Social post. This comes as an intelligence report warned that a large-scale assault on Iran will not be able to oust the Tehran regime. Iran’s president apologized on behalf of his country, saying they will stop attacking neighboring countries unless attacks originate from them. Meanwhile, in regime change news regarding Cuba, DOJ officials are looking to build criminal cases against Cuban government and Communist Party leaders, the same method that justified Maduro’s ouster.

By Sunday, there were several developments on the Iran war that have connections with the Asian Pacific region. In India, the government allowed an Iranian warship to dock on humanitarian grounds. Satellite images saw laden Iranian ships departing a Chinese port that is linked to key military chemicals that serve as a precursor to rocket fuel, while China’s foreign minister called the Iran war “a war that shouldn’t have happened” and claimed “Might does not make it right. The law of the jungle must not return and rule the world.” According to Iranian state media, the country has selected its next Supreme Leader, whom Trump claimed, whoever it is, won’t “last long” without his approval. The Iranian Assembly of Experts reportedly elected the new Supreme Leader in a “decisive vote,” selecting the slain Ayatollah’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Soon enough, Israel warned that it would target the next Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, despite the earlier apology, Iran was accused of firing 16 ballistic missiles and 117 drones at the UAE and striking a desalination plant in Bahrain. In an interview with NBC News, Iran’s foreign minister rejected calls for a ceasefire, while affirming that Moscow is “helping us in many different directions.” The death counts keep on rising, with Lebanon reporting at least 390 deaths and Iran reporting more than 1200 deaths in their respective countries. In the US, Trump witnessed the return of the six bodies killed during the Iran war, as they also reported the seventh casualty in the conflict. Saudi Arabia reported its first deaths in the war, noting a missile killed an Indian and a Bangladeshi resident. Contradicting Trump’s claim that Iran was behind the school strike that killed 175 people, video evidence showed a Tomahawk missile from the US hit a naval base beside the school. Regarding Cuba, it is reported that the Trump administration is planning a surprise economic deal with Cuba after months of threats.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Noem Out

Buried among the Iran saga is another damning scandal related to the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Back in 2019, during the president’s first term, DOJ officials asked New Mexico officials to halt their investigation and agree to share information related to sex trafficking activities at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, but it turned out to be “a one-way relationship” and led the DOJ to bury information that could have led to criminal charges. The Clinton deposition videos from last week were released by the House Oversight Committee, which includes footage of an angry Hillary Clinton learning that GOP lawmaker Lauren Bobert shared a photo of the deposition with the world. A National Park Service internal database flagged hundreds of items that might “disparage” America, as part of an effort to revise or remove information on African American history, climate change, and other topics. In legal news, the administration planned to abandon its defense of executive orders sanctioning several law firms, while the Supreme Court backed California parents’ right to be informed about their kids’ gender transitions, and restored New York Republican Nicole Malliotakis’s congressional district. In a surprising move, Trump said he will attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, marking the first time he will attend the annual gala since 2017.

Tuesday marked the first midterm primary day in the US, with Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina holding their primary elections. State Representative James Talarico won the Democratic Senate primary race in a competitive fight against Representative Jasmine Crockett, while the Republican Senate primary race has entered a runoff between state Attorney General Ken Paxton and current Senator John Cornyn on May 26. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court halted a lower court ruling on extending voting hours in Dallas, State Representative Steve Toth won his Republican primary against Representative Dan Crenshaw in a House seat primary, while the scandal-plagued Representative Tony Gonzales heads off to a runoff vote. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley are heading off to a faceoff for the Senate race. On governorship primary races, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Greg Abbott won their primary races in Arkansas and Texas. Amid deepening questions about his Epstein ties, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick volunteered to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee. DHS announced it is launching an investigation into senior Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended calling Alex Pretti and Renee Good “domestic terrorists” in a congressional hearing. GOP Senator Thom Tillis called on Noem to resign during that hearing, blasting her handling of the Minneapolis immigration enforcement effort. In an about-face by the government, the DOJ seeks to try to renew its defense of the executive orders leveled against the law firms. Amid continued drama at the Labor Department, two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were forced out following an internal investigation into claims of misconduct by the department’s top officials.

Following the primary, Texas Democratic Representatives Christian Menefee and Al Green will advance to a runoff vote. Crockett congratulated Talarico on his win, stating that “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot.” Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee opens a probe into Gonzales, which comes after allegations of an affair with a staffer who later died after setting herself on fire, hours before he acknowledged the affair. On the Epstein saga, the House Oversight Committee had issued a subpoena to Pam Bondi, asking her to testify on her handling of the files. Speaking of the DOJ, the agency quietly shelved its Biden autopen investigation that Trump had demanded. In a book promotion tour in Los Angeles, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom likened Israel to an “apartheid state” and questioned whether the US should continue military support in the future, marking a dramatic shift in public opinion on Israel in the past few years.

Following months of performative politics and incompetence, Trump announced DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is out, with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to fill the role, and Noem becoming “our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.” According to the WSJ, Noem’s Senate testimony and her comments that the president approved a $220 million ad campaign that prominently featured her were the straw that helped break the camel’s back. The House passed a DHS funding bill, amid eroding Democratic opposition to funding the agency. Continuing the primary aftermath saga, House GOP leaders have been requesting Gonzales to drop his reelection bid, while Paxton has begun considering conditions for a potential exit from the Texas Republican Senate primary race following Trump said he will be “asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE.” State AGs, led by New York state AG Letitia James, sued to block Trump’s latest tariffs, citing the misuse of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and a violation of the Constitution. Following the Trump administration’s move to officially blacklist Anthropic, the AI company’s CEO, Dario Amodei, apologized for a leaked memo criticizing Trump, and a company statement said they have “no choice” but to challenge the move in court. In the latest example of January 6 rioters going to prison again after Trump’s pardon in January 2025, in Florida, Andrew Paul Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for child sex abuse. The National Capital Planning Commission’s chair said the final procedural vote to approve the White House ballroom has been delayed, citing significant public comment about the move. On the business landscape, US officials have drafted regulations that would restrict chip shipments to anywhere in the world unless there is approval by the US government.

The February jobs report showed the US lost 92,000 jobs that month, marking an unexpected downturn in an already shaky economy. Following intense public scrutiny, the DOJ released the missing Epstein files removed before the Iran war, including documents that have allegations against Trump. In the FDA, controversial vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad is set to leave his role a second time, after briefly losing his job last July. On Saturday, a win for the media as a judge ruled Kari Lake had unlawfully overseen Voice of America, voiding layoffs from the outlet. Trump met with 12 Latin American leaders in Miami for the “Shield of Americas” summit, proposing a “counter-cartel coalition” to eradicate drug cartels in the region. In New York, local police said a device hurled near the mayor’s mansion was an IED that could have caused “serious injury or death.”

China Watch - Economy Under Expectations

This week marked the annual “two sessions” legislative meetings, attended by Chinese lawmakers from the National People’s Congress (NPC), as well as members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who provide policy advice and consultative work. On the first day of the two sessions, Premier Li Qiang will deliver the annual Government Work Report (GWR) and lay out the country’s GDP target for this year. Widely expected to gain near-unanimous approval, the new 15th five-year plan will be at the center of this year’s two sessions. The plan extends President Xi Jinping’s vision to shift China’s economy towards “new quality productive forces” like technology, rather than the traditional drivers of manufacturing, investment, and real estate. According to earlier reporting by SCMP, Li was set to cut this year’s economic growth target to between 4.5-5% instead of the “around five percent” statement made last year. Ahead of the two sessions last week, the Politburo, chaired by Xi, stressed Beijing’s need for a more proactive macroeconomic stance, noting in an official readout that China will “further advance the development of a unified national market, continue to prevent and resolve risks in key sectors, and exert every effort to stabilise employment, enterprises, markets and expectations.” The meeting is also held against the background of a major military purge. In January, Xi removed the highest-ranking general and top military ally, Zhang Youxia, as well as top general Liu Zhenli, from their roles. Last week, nine more military officials, including five full generals, one lieutenant general, and three major generals, were taken off the list of deputies.

Before the Two Sessions this week, Beijing removed three retired military generals from the CPPCC, as the government did not provide an explanation for removing Han Weiguo, Gao Jin, and Liu Lei. Then on Thursday, Li Qiang kicked off the opening ceremony of the NPC by delivering the annual government report. Confirming earlier reports, China sets its GDP growth target at 4.5-5%, the lowest economic growth target since 1991. In other economic projections, Beijing sees a consumer price index increase of around 2%, as Li said the country will aim to set annual GDP growth within “an appropriate range” in the 2026-2030 period under the new five-year plan. China sets a 7% increase in its defense budget, the slowest increase since 2021. Regarding Hong Kong, Li said the city should leverage its “unique strengths” and pivotal role as an interconnector to the world, with Beijing’s backing of the city. Li also warned of “long-standing problems and new challenges” facing China’s economic development and called for vigilance in the face of geopolitical challenges, while vowing to “resolutely” crack down against separatists advocating for Taiwan independence. Meanwhile, on the environment, China plans to cut its carbon intensity by 17% for its new five-year plan.

On Friday, China’s top economic officials held a press conference on the sidelines of the two sessions, with the Commerce Minister reporting a “better than expected” trade performance and jabbed, “While some countries use markets as weapons and bargaining chips for protectionism, China is a responsible major power.” Xi spoke at a meeting of military and armed police lawmakers on the sidelines of the NPC meeting on Saturday, demanding total loyalty to the party while warning, “There must be no room within the military for those harbouring disloyalty towards the party, nor any shelter for corrupt individuals.” On Sunday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to international reporters at a press conference, offering an optimistic note to US-China relations that are now “back to an even keel after ups and downs.” Wang stated it is “crunch time” for the South China Sea and repeated that Taiwan “never was, never is, and never will be a country.” On the global picture, aside from praising better ties with Europe, Wang insisted that China is working towards building a multipolar and peaceful world, stating that “Right now, hegemonism and power politics are asserting themselves and dealing a heavy blow to international order.”

Voterama 2026 - Nepal’s Big Vote

Nepalese voters headed to the polls for a crucial parliamentary election, following last September’s Gen-Z-led protests that led to the downfall of the country’s then-leader. Triggered by a social media ban, many young Nepalese took to the streets in what evolved into demonstrations against the country’s stagnant economy and ongoing corruption. Authorities then responded with force and police brutality, leading to 77 people killed in the demonstrations. The protests eventually forced out the 74-year-old Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, leading to the formation of an interim government. Under a 2015 constitutional rule, the parliamentary vote that would select 275 members for Nepal’s House of Representatives is conducted through a mixture of first-past-the-post voting and proportional representation. One of the more interesting figures that emerged from the election is the 35-year-old Balendra Shah, or Balen. The popular rapper, famous for critiquing the elite, emerged as a unifying and popular figure in Nepal during last year’s protests, and has a political history as the former mayor of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Running as a member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which came in fourth in Nepal’s last general election back in 2022, hopes to unseat Oli in his traditionally safe seat of Jhapa 5. Ahead of the vote, interim PM Sushila Karki urged people to vote, acknowledging the vote was held at a “complex, sensitive and challenging” time. After Thursday’s vote, Nepal’s Election Commission said 60% of the country’s 19 million voters showed up to cast their ballots. Early results show the RSP ahead, with Shah defeating Oli in his race.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Hong Kong grants HK$6.15 million to family of firefighter killed in Tai Po blaze | South China Morning Post

China: US, China Trade Chiefs to Meet Mid-March Before Trump-Xi Summit - Bloomberg

France: Macron starts biggest European nuclear shift since Cold War – POLITICO

Ukraine: Ukraine war briefing: Trump urges Zelenskyy to ‘get a deal done’ with Russia

AI: Trump says he fired Anthropic ‘like dogs’ as Pentagon formally blacklists AI startup | Technology | The Guardian

AI: Sam Altman admits OpenAI can’t control Pentagon’s use of AI | Technology | The Guardian

Environment: Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggests | Oceans | The Guardian

Film: An Oscar-nominated documentary goes behind enemy lines

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

FT: Trump has no realistic plan for Iran’s future

Bloomberg: How the US Gave Up On Liberalism

Atlantic: This Joke Explains Iran Today - The Atlantic

NYT: In a World Order Defined by Trump, the Key to Europe’s Defense Is Germany - The New York Times

Bulwark: Everything You Need to Know About the Future of Iran

FP: The Clash of Hypocrisies

SCMP: As US universities retreat from China partnerships, who is filling the academic void?

Economist: China’s ice-cold calculus over Iran

NYT: A Year After His Arrest, Mahmoud Khalil Lives in Limbo and in Fear

FT: The geopolitics of the global oceans treaty

Bloomberg: Will AI Disruption Force Xi Jinping to Turn China Into a Welfare State? - Bloomberg

Guardian: How the US-Israeli war on Iran created a massive hole in global airspace | Middle East and north Africa | The Guardian

Atlantic: Pete Buttigieg in the Wilderness - The Atlantic

BBC: ‘What is the game plan?’: The Iran war is unsettling China and its ambitions

Economist: Donald Trump must stop soon

NYT: In Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, China and America See a Mirror Image - The New York Times

Bulwark: Bombing Iran Is Easy. What Comes Next Is Not.

Video Highlights From All Sides​

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: American press voices concerns over Trump’s operation in Iran: ‘A reckless, imperial error’

USA: Following Iran strikes, Trump floods news outlets with one-on-one calls

USA: Kari Lake unlawfully oversaw Voice of America, judge rules, voiding layoffs - The Washington Post

Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai will not appeal conviction, paving way for political negotiations over release

Europe: Press freedom report: increasingly hostile environment for journalism - Portal

UK: BBC to call for permanent charter and end of political appointments to board

UK: How I’ve learned that certainty is the thing to really fear

Following the gradual escalation between Washington and Tehran, the week began with a definitely not at all worrying sign when the US evacuated all non-emergency personnel from its Beirut embassy. Behind the scenes, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine warned Trump and his officials that an Iran strike could carry significant risks of being tangled in a prolonged conflict. As Trump officially imposed 10% global tariffs, FedEx sued the US government, demanding a refund of the tariffs rejected by the Supreme Court, while the EU halted ratifying its trade deal with the US. France summoned the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, after the State Department cited “violent radical leftism” as part of the death of Quentin Deranque.

Before the SOTU, Rubio delivered a briefing in Iran to the “gang of eight,” including senior members of both parties. In Iran, the regime issued a death sentence linked to the January unrest, despite the government promising the Trump administration that it would not execute protestors after he threatened “very strong action” if Tehran followed through on such punishment. At the same time, Reuters reported that Iran was nearing a deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China. Because we live in the stupidest timeline, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he will order random pizzas to throw off the Pentagon Pizza Tracker.

Ratcheting up the threats after Trump’s SOTU speech, Iran threatened escalation if America attacks, including by reconsidering a doctrine that seeks to contain confrontations with Washington. The US deployed F-22 Raptors to Israel, which could mark the first deployment of military jets for a potential war mission. In a move that adds to tensions between the US and Cuba, four people were killed, and six were injured, by Cuban forces, after a Florida speedboat allegedly entered Cuban waters, which led to a gunfire exchange.

Marking the last-ditch attempt at diplomacy, US and Iranian officials met in Geneva for the third round of indirect talks. Mediators say “significant progress” was made in the talks, but the technical aspects will be discussed next week, and both sides left without a deal. Claiming he remains a “skeptic of foreign military interventions,” Vance told the Washington Post there is no chance that military strikes against Iran would lead to a drawn-out war. In a report by Bloomberg, the Trump regime’s latest moves in Cuba were part of a plan to make the island more reliant on the US, giving it more leverage to push for change.

As the US aircraft carrier Gerald Ford arrived at Israeli shores, multiple countries have issued travel warnings not to travel to Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, told embassy staffers if they want to leave the country, “do so TODAY.” Trump said he is “not happy” with the way Iran is negotiating, adding, “We’ll see what happens,” and he’d “love not to attack Iran, but sometimes you have to.” Speaking of Cuba, Trump even suggested the possibility of a “friendly takeover,” saying the communist state has no money left.

On Saturday, the US and Israel began launching airstrikes in a daylight attack against Iran. Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, first announced the strikes while declaring a state of emergency. Airspace above Israel and Iran was almost immediately halted, and air raid sirens were heard across Israel. On the ground in Iran, video footage showed explosions being heard as Tehran residents reported panic and chaos among the public, while thick smoke was seen coming from the Tehran district where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei normally resides. Iranians say they have not received any direction from the government, and air raid sirens were not activated when the strikes happened, as hospitals in both Iran and Israel were preparing for casualties. US officials later confirmed their involvement in the new strikes, noting to the NYT that “they expect this attack to be far more extensive than the American strikes last June against Iranian nuclear facilities.” Dozens of US strikes were carried out by attack planes based in America’s bases in the Middle East and aircraft carriers, with the focus being on Iran’s military apparatus. On a Truth Social post, Trump confirmed the US military has begun “major combat operations” in Iran, saying in an eight-minute video that “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. It’s menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.” Senior Arab and European officials said the White House was still not telling them what the objective of the strikes would be hours before the attack, but during his speech, Trump made the goal clear. Urging the Iranian people to “take over your government” after the military operation, Trump said of regime change, “This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond.” Meanwhile, Trump admitted there could be American casualties, “My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties.” The IDF then said it had identified missiles launched from Iran and was working to intercept them, as explosions were later heard in northern Israel. In a video statement, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the US and Israel launched a “joint operation” against Iran’s “existential threat,” while confirming regime change by saying the attack could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.” We soon learned the US named its new conflict effort as “Operation Epic Fury,” while Israel dubbed its operation against Iran as “Roaring Lion.” Bahrain said the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th fleet was being attacked, as part of what officials say are Iran’s retaliatory attacks against US bases in the Middle East. US embassies in Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE have directed all staff and citizens to shelter in place. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry declared it is time to “defend the homeland” amid the attacks. As the fighting continued, officials confirmed that the Israeli strikes targeted the supreme leader, the president, and the armed forces chief of staff. On the other hand, Iran struck four US military bases. Buried among the headlines, Israel said the current strikes against Iran were planned months in advance with the US, and at least 100 people were killed in a strike that hit a girls’ elementary school. Confirming his plans of regime change, Trump told the Washington Post that freedom for Iran is the goal of the major military operation. World leaders called on all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table to continue talks, the EU condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks while stopping short of endorsing the US-led operation, and UK PM Keir Starmer said British planes “are in the sky today” in the Middle East “as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies.” Amid uncertainty about the status of Iran’s supreme leader and its president, the country’s foreign minister claimed they are alive, “as far as I know,” before a spokesperson “confirmed” they are “safe and sound.” In the first bit of information about casualties, Iranian state TV reported on figures from the Iranian Red Crescent, stating that Israeli-US airstrikes have killed 201 people and injured 747 more. Meanwhile, US Central Command said there have been no reports of American deaths in the Iran operation, adding American forces have hit Iran’s missile sites, its air defense systems, and command and control centers for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Amid Iran’s counter-attacks, strikes have hit luxury hotels and airports in Dubai, with drone debris causing a fire at the Burj Al Arab ultra-luxury hotel. In Israel, Netanyahu claimed there are “signs” that the Iranian supreme leader is “no longer with us.” The confirmation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death was confirmed by an Israeli official to Axios, citing the country’s intelligence services, as well as the Jerusalem Post, which stated the supreme leader’s body was found dead in the rubble. Separately, Trump told NBC News that “a large amount of leadership” in Iran was killed in the Saturday strikes, before announcing the “most evil” Khamenei is dead. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei, the longest-serving leader in the Middle East who has overseen repression at home and harsh foreign policy measures abroad, is dead at 86. Behind the scenes, the Washington Post noted Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have pushed for a US attack in private, which is surprising for the Saudi leader, given his public advocacy for diplomatic solutions.

Israel announced on Sunday that it had begun striking targets at the “heart of Tehran,” which was followed by explosions in the Iranian capital. Meanwhile, retaliatory strikes by Iran against US and Israeli targets continued, with some explosions being heard over Doha and other Gulf states. In further reports by Iranian state TV, an airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council killed Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister. Among the growing international voices opposing the new conflict, China called “for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East,” while France cautioned that the escalation “is dangerous for all.” Among the most ironic comments unsurprisingly came from Moscow, with the Russian government condemning the “cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.” With a leadership vacuum at the highest levels of power in Iran, a three-person temporary leadership council has been formed, led by Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and including the reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, to govern the country. Meanwhile, the 88-member Assembly of Experts will select a leader as soon as possible, as the country’s foreign minister states that a new supreme leader will be selected in one to two days. With Iran vowing vengeance against the supreme leader’s death, a direct missile strike on a residential building near Jerusalem killed at least 9 people, while reports emerge that former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also assassinated. The US disclosed that three service members were killed in action amid the Iran operation, and five more were seriously wounded. In a new poll by Reuters, one in four respondents approved of the US strikes on Iran, with about half thinking the president is too willing to use military force. As Trump said, the US has destroyed nine Iranian Navy ships during the operation. An official told the AP that the country’s new “potential leadership” is open for talks. In an interview with The Atlantic, Trump also expressed willingness to negotiate, saying, “I have agreed to talk.” Amid a warning by the US leader that the conflict could last for weeks, Britain, France, and Germany expressed willingness to work with the US and its partners to help stop Iran’s retaliatory attacks, with the UK in particular allowing American troops to use their bases to strike Iranian missile sites. Because we live in the dumbest timeline, Trump told ABC’s Jonathan Karl that the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but funny enough, “The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates. It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.” In a video statement, Trump said he will “avenge” the deaths of the three US service members recently killed in the Iranian operation, adding “there will likely be more” US troops killed before the operation ends. In the markets, as supply chains related to the Middle East are at risk, oil and gold prices rise while US stock futures fall. Pouring more fuel on the already burning dumpster fire, Hezbollah launched missile strikes against Israel, prompting it to launch airstrikes in the Lebanese capital.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - SOTU Dull

US District Judge Aileen Cannon, famous for delaying Jack Smith’s document classification case long enough for Trump to win re-election, permanently blocked the DOJ from releasing former special counsel Jack Smith’s full report in a Monday ruling. In an embarrassment for the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro has reportedly shelved the case against a video by lawmakers relating to refusing unlawful orders. The Supreme Court said it will take on the case that would decide whether oil companies can be sued in state courts over the impact of climate change. As Trump officially imposed 10% global tariffs, FedEx sued the US government, demanding a refund of the tariffs rejected by the Supreme Court. Regarding immigration enforcement, an ICE whistleblower accused the agency of “deficient, defective, and broken” training as the hiring surge led to a cut in “vital classes” from mandatory training. While in the ongoing partial government shutdown, an internal email warned that FEMA’s national security functions are “significantly constrained” during the shutdown. CDC deputy director Ralph Abraham abruptly stepped down after being sworn in in December last year, with the agency citing “unforeseen family obligations.” FBI Director Kash Patel is under renewed fire after footage showed him drinking beer and celebrating with the US men’s hockey team after their win against Canada.

Tuesday marked Trump’s second State of the Union (SOTU) address in his second term in office, amid growing domestic and international discontent that the US president has played a major role in. A year ago, Trump delivered his first second-term SOTU with record-high approval ratings; this year, he goes into Congress with record-low approval ratings. Ahead of the address, a poll by the Washington Post, ABC, and Ipsos found the president’s support standing at 39% approval and 60% disapproval. At the same time, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found most Americans also believe Trump has grown more erratic as he ages. Dozens of congressional Democrats have skipped the speech for a counter-rally protest, and in the House chamber, Democratic Representative Al Green was walked out of the chamber after holding a sign writing “Black people aren’t apes.” A reminder that Green was removed last year for shouting at Trump during last year’s SOTU. As Trump entered the House chamber and began his speech, the president said, “My fellow Americans, our nation is back—bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.” The first part of his speech was obviously the president celebrating a victory lap for his administration, claiming he inherited “a nation in crisis” from Joe Biden, but his administration has “achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before.” Bragging that illegal border crossings are significantly down since he took office, the president struck a softer tone, saying, “We will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.” Trump then turned to brag about the economy, which was filled with the usual falsehoods. He claimed that “the Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country,” but as Bloomberg pointed out, “Annual inflation did reach a four-decade high in June 2022 after the pandemic. But it had fallen to 3.0% in January 2025 when Trump took office. The annual rate fluctuated last year and stood at 2.4% last month.” Trump added that gas prices are now “below $2.30 a gallon” in most places, even though figures say the national average is $2.95 a gallon. Touting the US has received some 80 million barrels of oil “from our new friend and partner, Venezuela,” he called the country “our new friend and partner.” The US men’s hockey team entered the press gallery to a round of applause, with Trump telling them, “You’re going to win big. You’re going to win bigger than ever,” while also bragging about a winning streak. Trump added that the women’s hockey team will “soon be coming to the White House,” despite declining to attend the day’s SOTU. Continuing the showmanship and stolen valor aspect of the speech, Trump said he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to star Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck, bragged that the World Cup and the Olympics will be held in the US, celebrated the World War II veteran Buddy Taggart, and led a bipartisan standing ovation to Coast Guard’s Scott Ruskin (Credited with rescuing 165 people in the Camp Mystic floods). Moving back to policy, Trump boldly and ironically suggested, “Where government answers to the people, not the powerful.” Touting his sweeping tax cut bill last year, the president naturally attacked Democrats for voting against the “really important” Big Beautiful Bill that provided “no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security.” Acting as an infomercial, the president bragged about the tax-advantaged savings accounts dubbed “Trump Accounts.” Moving to tariffs, the president mentioned the “Very unfortunate ruling” from the Supreme Court last week, claiming that tariffs have brought in “hundreds of billions of dollars” and reiterating his vow to impose the levies through other means. At the same time, he repeated his suggestion that his tariffs could substantially replace income tax. Moving to affordability, Trump reiterated that the prices of staple food items like beef are declining, and reminded voters about Democrats and the “Biden economy.” The attacks against Democrats also focused on rising health care costs. He reiterated that health care subsidies should be delivered directly to patients and touted Trump. Rx for cheaper drug price options. He repeated the false claim that he lowered drug prices by “300, 400, 500, 600 percent and more,” and called on Congress to codify most-favored-nation drug pricing. Making a throwaway line about both losing the 2020 election and talks of a third term, he said, “Should be my third term, strange things happen.” Bringing up his campaign plan to slash electricity bills in half by striking a deal for tech companies to pay for data centers, Trump says the GOP will “always protect” Social Security and Medicare. Advocating for passing the Stop Insider Trading Bill, the insider trading president made a jab by saying, “Can Nancy Pelosi stand up?” Inveighing against Somali refugees and a “war on fraud” led by JD Vance, Ilhan Omar shouted out that he was a liar. Pushing Congress to pass legislation to bar states from granting commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, Trump spent a chunk of the immigration section narrating grisly migrant crime and murder stories, before calling for the immediate restoration of all funding for border and Homeland Security. Republicans stood up after Trump told those who agree with the statement that their first duty is to American citizens and not illegal aliens to stand, before jabbing at Omar for yelling back, “You have killed Americans,” by shouting, “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up.” Playing the rigged election claim, Trump touted the Save America Act that requires voter ID and proof of citizenship to vote, and called for the abandonment of mail-in voting. In the first truly ominous note from the address, Trump claimed the only way Democrats win is to cheat, adding that “We have to stop it.” Moving to the trans bashing part of the speech, the president called for banning states from transitioning children against their parents’ will, before pointing at Democrats and saying, “These people are crazy, I’m telling you.” One Democrat Trump has made slight praise of is New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Trump said he has talked to “a lot” and called him a “nice guy” despite also referring to him as a “communist.” Trump then referred to Charlie Kirk’s death, pointing to his widow Erika, and called for a rejection of political violence, right after pointing at the “movie star,” First Lady Melania Trump. The president then continued to mention immigrant murder stories, mentioning the Ukraine war for the first time by paying tribute to the slain North Carolina Ukrainian woman who was murdered. Moving to foreign policy, Trump repeated his claim that he ended eight conflicts, which led to someone in the audience shouting, “You lie.” Paying thanks to Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Marco Rubio, Trump said of the Secretary of State that “I think he’ll go down as the best ever.” Touting the success of the Gaza ceasefire and vowing to end the Ukraine war (While also claiming the war would not have happened if he were president), he pivoted to Iran and last June’s strikes that “obliterated” their nuclear capabilities. When Trump mentioned Israel, Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib yelled, “It’s a genocide.” Back in Iran, Trump said he prevented the Iranian regime from hanging protesters, and said of Tehran’s massacre of 32,000 people, “These are some terrible people.” Saying his preference is to solve this through diplomacy, Trump reiterated that Iran can “never have a nuclear weapon.” On the armed services, Trump said, “We are investing a record number of dollars,” and touted the warrior dividend. Mentioning the drone strikes on the Caribbean, Trump noted, “nobody wants to go fishing anymore.” Regarding Ukraine, Trump touted the move by NATO allies to increase their military spending commitment to 5% of their G.D.P. by 2035, as well as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List program that allowed European nations to buy American-made weapons and send them to the frontline in Ukraine. Calling the Space Force his “baby,” the president pivoted back to Venezuela by celebrating the “absolutely colossal victory” for American security, citing wins on getting political prisoners freed in Venezuela. Trump celebrated a political prisoner released from Venezuela, as well as a military officer who “absorbed four agonizing shots” during the Caracas operation. Trump then awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to the officer wounded while piloting the helicopter in the raid that arrested Maduro. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have left the speech by then. As Melania awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor to a 100-year-old Korean War pilot, the president has broken a record he set last year for the longest presidential address to Congress. Trump then joked he cannot award himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, laughing that, “If they ever opened up that law, I will be right there with you, someday.” Wrapping up with a boring note on the 250th anniversary of America’s birthday, Trump said, “From the rugged border towns of Texas to the heartland villages of Michigan, from the sun-kissed shores in Florida to the endless fields of the Dakotas and from the historic streets of Philadelphia to right here in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC, the Golden Age of America is upon us.” At roughly one hour and 40 minutes, the longest SOTU speech finally ended. In a rebuttal by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic rebuttal blasted the president’s “reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs,” asking Americans “Is the president working to keep Americans safe — both at home and abroad?” Criticizing the Big Beautiful Bill, Spanberger criticized the Trump project is “threatening rural hospitals, stripping healthcare from millions of Americans, and driving up costs in energy and housing. All while cutting food programs for hungry kids.” Bringing up her law enforcement background, Spanberger criticized the Trump regime’s immigration enforcement policy by critcizing “poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans — and they have done it without a warrant.” On foreign policy, Trump’s moves were criticized as ceding “economic power and technological strength to China, bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with Iran.” Spanberger also said Trump is not making Americans safe, saying that, “Over the last year, through DOGE, mass firings, and the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation’s most serious positions, our president has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good.” Noting Trump “did what he always does” in the SOTU address, Spanberger noted “He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted. He also offered no real solutions to our nation’s pressing challenges — so many of which he is actively making worse.” Bringing up Trump’s “unprecedented” corruption through “crypto scams” and “cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms,” the address directly stated that the president is “enriching himself, his family, his friends.” Moving to praise the student demonstrators and the bravery of Minnesotans, Spanberger touted her success and Democratic wins across the country, ending the address by calling on Americans “unite in a common cause to move this nation forward.” Aside from the SOTU, NPR reported the DOJ had withheld and removed some parts of the Epstein files related to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor, despite a recent law that mandated their release. The Trump regime is considering requiring banks to collect citizenship information from customers. The House voted down an aviation safety bill after concerns from the Pentagon and the GOP. A federal judge ruled that the government may not search devices seized from a Washington Post reporter.

Following the SOTU’s speech demonizing the Somali community and announcing the establishment of an anti-fraud task force, JD Vance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz announced they are pausing Medicaid funds to Minnesota in a bid to crack down on fraud in the state. Days after Patel’s now-viral clip of him drinking alcohol while celebrating the US men’s hockey win, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, alleges Patel’s personal use of the FBI’s private jet has caused delays in high-profile cases like the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Trump’s surgeon general pick, Casey Means, a wellness influencer and RFK ally, repeatedly sidestepped questions about vaccinations, as she noted she won’t urge vaccines for measles, flu, or whooping cough. Pushing further on the Epstein story, the NYT also wrote about missing files related to a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Trump when she was a minor. In a totally unsurprising piece of news, Wired reported that a White House staffer runs a prominent pro-Trump Twitter (X) account that called the racist video depicting the Obamas as apes “a masterpiece.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to cut Anthropic from the Pentagon supply chain unless it agrees to sign off on its technology being used in all lawful military applications by Friday, which might be a dumb idea to put it kindly, since AI chatbots from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google seemingly can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations. In a slightly related note, Anthropic abruptly dropped its safety pledge that it had committed to not train an AI system unless it could guarantee the safety measures were adequate. Nonetheless, Axios reported the Pentagon has taken the first steps to blacklisting Anthropic, asking two major defense contractors to provide assessments on their reliance on its AI products. John Hurley, a Trump donor serving as the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, is set to exit after privately objecting to a White House-backed push to target alleged fraud in Minnesota. The FBI raided the home and district headquarters of Los Angeles superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who has clashed with federal authorities over immigration enforcement efforts at school sites.

Hillary Clinton appeared in a closed-door deposition to the House Oversight Committee, and in her opening statement, which was also posted on social media, she stated, “I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or offices.” In addition, Clinton accused Republicans in the committee of partisanship as a bid to cover up Trump’s actions, as GOP lawmakers asked her about UFOs and Pizzagate. However, the deposition was paused after right-wing commentator Benny Johnson shared a photo of Clinton claiming it was provided to him by GOP Representative Lauren Bobert. Meanwhile, the DOJ said it was reviewing whether the Epstein files with Trump allegations were wrongly withheld. Activists say they are working with the White House in drafting a potential executive order that would declare a national emergency, expanding the president’s power significantly in controlling elections. Setting up a new fight with the Pentagon, Anthropic has rejected the “final offer” in its AI’s use in the military. In a loss to preservationists, a federal judge declined to halt Trump’s White House ballroom construction project. Meanwhile, another federal judge ruled the IRS violated federal law by “approximately 42,695 times” by sharing confidential taxpayer addresses with DHS. Regarding law enforcement, the FBI fired several staffers who worked on the Trump classified documents case. Elaina Aghayeva, a neuroscience student from Columbia University, was shortly detained after federal agents made “misrepresentations to gain entry” inside a residential building. Hours later, Aghayeva was let go following a surprise meeting between Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

In Bill Clinton’s testimony on the Epstein probe, the former president said, “I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing. No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do. I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” After the hearing, there was bipartisan praise for Clinton’s cooperation in the deposition, with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer noting, “He did attempt to respond to every single question asked, even when his attorney told him to shut up.” In other Epstein news, the DOJ restored a photo showing now Commerce Secretary Howard Luntnick visiting the disgraced financier’s island, following reports that the photo was deleted. Regarding the Pentagon, Scouting America will alter its policies that allow girls but ban DEI to maintain military support, while OpenAI waded into the feud between the agency and Anthropic, with Sam (“People talk about how much energy it takes to train an AI model – but it also takes a lot of energy to train a human”) Altman working on a deal that reportedly supports Anthropic’s position. Hours later, Trump moved to blacklist Anthropic, saying the federal government “WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS.” After that, OpenAI struck a deal with the Pentagon to deploy its models in a classified network. Following an attack on the transgender community in Kansas, two transgender Kansans sued the state after a law abruptly invalidated their driver’s licenses this week. Thirty more people were charged for participating in an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church, while ICE killed a near-blind Rohingya refugee after immigration agents left him far from home. In the alarming news department, the US has surpassed 1,100 measles cases in two months, officials in multiple government agencies raised concerns about the safety and reliability of Elon Musk’s xAI, and a classified report suggested Kristi Noem may have created security vulnerabilities by pushing a policy that allows passengers to keep their shoes on at airport security.

Local News - Good Numbers, Sir!

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan unveiled the 2026-27 budget on Wednesday, focusing on fiscal prudence and balancing it with social needs. There’s a lot going forward for the city, as Hong Kong enjoys a booming IPO sector and thriving financial market over the past year, even as geopolitical headwinds from Sino-US relations and the Trump tariffs pose unforseen risks for the city. Ahead of the speech, Chan unveiled a purple color for this year’s budget last Sunday, saying it symbolizes the city’s strengthening economic momentum amid an uncertain economic environment. In his weekly blog, Chan noted, “Facing a volatile external environment and uncertainties in the process of economic transformation, we must manage our finances prudently, consider the short, medium, and long-term needs of society, and maintain a certain level of reserves to deal with any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.” According to the SCMP, Chan’s budget would diversify Hong Kong’s economic development, including boosting the city’s growing intellectual property (IP) economy through the establishment of an Intellectual Property Academy and providing patent support to local firms. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong told a radio program that the Budget would also unveil funding details for proposed HK$6.8 billion buyouts of Wang Fuk Court flats damaged by last year’s fire, with the offer to be accepted in the third quarter of 2026. Hours ahead of the speech, the SCMP reported that the government will earmark “huge funds” for the new San Tin Technopole near the border with mainland China and add more incentives to attract aerospace players to the city.

Kicking off his address by touting Hong Kong’s operating account has returned to a surplus this financial year, Chan expected good economic momentum and predicted the city’s economy will expand by 2.5 to 3.5 per cent year on year in 2026, ending a three-year deficit streak. The revised estimate for Hong Kong’s total government revenue is about HK$688.8 billion, which includes a HK$51.3 billion surplus and 4.5% higher than previous estimates. Despite the optimistic note, Chan warned the international environment remained “complex and intricate,” adding that “With the major advanced economies still frequently shifting their trade and economic policies, uncertainties will continue to loom over global trade. A slower‑than‑expected pace of US rate cuts could hamper the optimism currently underpinning the global financial market.” Chan also added that he expects the economy to grow by 3% between 2027 and 2030. Bringing up AI and other emerging technologies will continue to drive demand, the Financial Secretary said that the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has attracted more than 100 firms to set up shop in the city, and previewed the Apec finance ministers’ meeting that will be held in October. Leading the city’s AI transformation, Chan said the “AI+” initiative is a core component for the city’s role as the industry’s global hub, touting that he will chair a new AI+ and Industry Development Strategy Committee. Chan mentioned Hong Kong welcomed nearly 50 million visitors last year, and the new Kai Tak Sports Park has achieved the highest ticket sales and the highest gross income among Asian event venues. Gaming out an alignment with Beijing’s national development outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan, Chan said the city will focus on three areas: Driving research and financial capabilities, enhancing the city’s role as a “super-connector,” and attracting talent. Among the bids to attract talent and connect with the world is a HK$50 million “AI for All” plan, and the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Instituteto help mainland biotech go global. Pledging to adopt AI in public services, Chan confirmed that HK$220 million will be allocated for an innovation centre, HK$10 billion in funding for a border I&T hub under the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, and another HK$10 billion injection into the San Tin Technopole. Noting that the government is strengthening the city’s life and health tech ecosystem, Chan said he is eyeing privately held land in the Northern Metropolis to provide advanced industrial space and facilities, and noted that the low-altitude economy will be implemented in phases in the first half of 2026.

After using up most of the initial capital, Chan said the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) will get another financial boost. Moving forward with the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) to facilitate and attract aerospace companies through easing the listing criteria, while saying the government will enhance research and development tax arrangements. In a bid to attract more family offices and funds to Hong Kong, the city’s government said it is expanding tax concessions to such groups. The government will also launch the HK$10 billion Innovation and Technology Industry Oriented Fund for emerging fields of strategic importance, which mostly focuses on STEM aspects like health tech and AI. For the markets, Chan noted a push on stock exchange reforms for the HKEX, as well as a series of tax breaks and flexibility for establishing Corporate Treasury Centres (CTCs). There are also tax incentives for gold trading, and increasing the renminbi bond issuance as a move to internationalize the Chinese yuan.

By the one-hour mark, the government said it will push a bill to boost the crypto reporting framework and establish preferential tax rates for some enterprises. Further expanding the city’s trade network in ASEAN and Middle East markets, Chan vowed to continue reaching out to Belt and Road regions in a bid to seek more match-making business opportunities. Chan said he will also chair an Advisory Committee on Tax Policy to review the government’s tax policy.

Moving to local businesses, the government will help boost the local food industry in expanding to mainland and overseas markets through a unified “Made in Hong Kong” brand for local agricultural and fishery products. Injecting HK$200 million into the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading, and Domestic Sales, the government touted its support of small and medium-sized enterprises by also continuing the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme. Chan also touted tenders to be issued soon for the Skytopia project, and moves to boost the city’s role as a hub for legal and dispute resolution services. Bringing up the city’s goals to become a regional intellectual property (IP) trading centre, HK$10 billion in loans set for campus site development, an amendment bill is considered to provide tax deduction arrangements for capital used to buy IPs or IP rights. Allocating HK$1.66 billion to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, a 35% increase from 2025, to bolster the city’s appeal, Chan said the city will launch a new series of light festivals at various locations and ending the 22-year harbour light show, setting another HK$200 million to boost rural tourism, and a HK$1 billion injection into the Built Heritage Conservation Fund.

On housing, Chan aims to set aside HK$10 billion for a logistics park, while the government plans to sell land that will provide 98,000 flats over the next five years, with 104,000 new homes available in the private sector. On social policy, “One-for-One Replacement Scheme,” a tax incentive for buying electric vehicles, will not be renewed and is set to end in March. More than HK$3 billion will be invested in vouchers for the elderly, including an expansion in Community Care Service Vouchers to be expanded from 4,000 to 16,000 recipients. Touting a “significant improvement” in public finances, seen through a rise in stamp duties and profits tax from a robust stock market and accelerated economic growth. After the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire, Chan said HK$4 billion will be allocated for property subsidy schemes. Stamp duty on residential property transactions valued above HK$100 million will rise from 4.25% to 6.5%, giving the government an HK$16 billion in tax revenue.

Despite a surplus, the government will still continue to rein in operating expenditure growth by cutting recurrent expenditure by 2% in the next two years, as well as consolidating funds outside the government’s account. Chan said there will be a HK$150 billion allocation from the Exchange Fund for the Northern Metropolis project, before noting the debt-to-GDP ratio will rise, but at a “highly prudent level and well below that of most advanced economies.” In other financial announcements, the government will spend HK$1.2 billion to cement the city’s arts trading hub status and the sports industry, and the government will explore the establishment of a one‑stop multi‑asset class post‑trade securities infrastructure.

By the two-hour mark, Chan unveiled a slew of tax relief measures for residents and businesses, which include a 100% reduction in income tax for the 2025-26 assessment year that will benefit more than two million people. Based on the government’s medium-range forecast, the city has adopted a real economic growth rate of 3 per cent for the period from 2026–27 to 2030–31, with fiscal reserves reaching HK$733.7 billion by the end of March 2031. Wrapping up his speech, Chan acknowledged the challenges ahead, but is confident that “Hong Kong has always thrived amid changes and progressed through innovation, demonstrating strong determination and resilience, as well as exceptional agility and adaptability. While transformation is ongoing, our economy has recalibrated its course and is advancing steadily.”

War Watch - A Sad Anniversary And A New Conflict

Ahead of the 4th year mark of Putin’s illegal and immoral war, Zelensky told the BBC that Putin has already started World War Three and must be stopped, adding that only intense military and economic pressure can force him to step back. In a separate interview with the FT, Zelensky said the two warring countries are at the “beginning of the end” of the conflict, urging Washington to see past Putin’s “games” and the EU to set a fixed date for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc. Former UK PM Boris Johnson laid out a good idea that the UK should send non-combat troops to Ukraine now, making the rare compelling argument that “If we can have a plan for boots on the ground after the war, after Putin has condescended to have a ceasefire, then why not do it now?” In Brussels, the EU failed to adopt the latest round of sanctions following a veto from Putin-friendly Hungary. While in South Korea, local officials called on the Russian embassy to remove a large banner reading “Victory will be ours.” In a report by the BBC, Russian soldiers said they witnessed fellow troops being executed on commanders’ orders during the Ukraine war. As Zelensky and European leaders commemorated the war in Kyiv, the US voted to abstain in a UN resolution condemning the conflict, after voting against it just a year before.

On Thursday, Pakistan declared “open war” against the Taliban-run Afghanistan as fighting escalated along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The escalation came after the Afghan side started attacking several Pakistani military posts, including the major Torkham border crossing that leads to Afghanistan. Pakistan then decided to launch airstrikes, which took place in several areas, including the capital, Kabul. Both sides claim they have inflicted heavy casualties in the worst conflict for the Taliban since it took over in 2021, and it is bad news for Qatar after it helped mediate a ceasefire in 2025.

Journalistic Mayhem - Deadliest Year For Reporters

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented 2025 as the deadliest year on record for journalists, with 129 media professionals killed in the year, marking the second consecutive annual record for press deaths worldwide. Unsurprisingly, Israel was responsible for two-thirds of the global total, given that its brutal war in Gaza has killed many Palestinian reporters. Other journalists were also killed in conflicts, such as the Ukraine and Sudan wars. The CPJ added that the increase in slain journalists comes with a persistent lack of impunity, with very few transparent investigations being conducted into 47 cases of targeted killings.

Meanwhile, marking a consequential business merger decision that has reverberations in media and politics, Warner Bros Discovery said Paramount Skydance’s new offer is superior to Netflix’s deal, and the streaming platform declined to raise its offer for the media group as its boss, Ted Sarandos, met Trump in the White House that same day. The move gives the Elison family alarmingly more power, which has already ruined CBS News and now owns CNN under the new deal. “Shaken” journalists at CNN fear that Bari Weiss will play a major role in running that network as well, with one person telling NBC News, “No one wants to work for the Ellisons, and if Bari is going to be running CNN, expect people to leave.” Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance officially signed their $110 billion merger agreement on Friday, and will now need approval from Trump-friendly regulators and a shareholder vote.

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Epstein Consequences:

On Monday, the Metropolitan Police announced Peter Mandelson was arrested (and later released on bail) on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following accusations that he leaked confidential UK government memos to Jeffrey Epstein. It comes after authorities launched a criminal investigation into the matter this month, and it is the same accusation laid against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor when he was arrested last week. Speaking of the former Prince Andrew, Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese told his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer, that his country supports removing the former prince from the line of royal succession. Within the Epstein files, the sex offender blamed “Charles” on the day Andrew lost his UK trade envoy job. Back to the Mandelson arrest, it was reported that authorities took such action after authorities feared he might flee the country to the British Virgin Islands, while the police had to apologize to two parliamentary Speakers in two days over incorrect attribution to who passed on information about Mandelson to them.

In the US, Peter Attia is out as a CBS News contributor just weeks after he was announced as a new contributor, following damning revelations from the Epstein files that showed the longevity guru having a chummy relationship with the sex offender. The WSJ reported that Bill Gates apologized to the staff of his foundation and said he made mistakes by spending time with Epstein, insisting that “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” In Harvard, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will resign from teaching at the university. On Thursday, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, also announced he is stepping down weeks after the organization launched a probe into his relationship with Epstein.

Dateline Mexico City, Mexico:

Mexico saw an eruption of violence leading into the week after Mexican security forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, more well known as “El Mencho.” Oseguera Cervantes was killed last Sunday alongside six accomplices in the western state of Jalisco, after being seriously injured in clashes and while he was being taken to the country’s capital, Mexico City. Although not as well known as Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, “El Mencho” heads the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico that traffics fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the US. The US government has a $15 million bounty on Oseguera Cervantes’ head. Almost immediately after his death, supporters of the narco leader created roadblocks from burning cars, buses, and trucks, while 25 members of the Mexican National Guard were killed in six separate attacks on Monday. At the same time, authorities launched a hunt for 23 inmates who escaped from jail during the unrest. Speaking of Mexican politics, President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled a new overhaul of the country’s electoral system, which critics argue is a move to cement the ruling Morena movement.

Dateline Copenhagen, Denmark:
Center-left PM Mette Frederiksen announced the country will hold a snap election on March 24th, with less than a year left for the current parliamentary term. Frederiksen’s ruling Social Democrats have seen a surge in support after Trump’s recent threats to take over Greenland, which is a quick turnaround from last December’s losses in municipal elections.

Dateline Gorton and Denton, UK:

The Green Party won its first Westminster by-election, with Hannah Spencer comfortably winning the widely watched Gorton and Denton vote. The vote marked a massive blow to Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, especially since this was a safe Labour seat. Labour faced an uphill battle against two populist parties and came up third behind the far-right Reform UK party.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: 8 months jail for father of wanted Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok after he tried to cancel her insurance policy ​​

Hong Kong: Court rejects appeals of all 12 activists in landmark ‘Hong Kong 47’ national security case

China: China’s top legislature removes 9 military officials ahead of Beijing’s ‘two sessions’ ​

China: China expands export restrictions against 40 Japanese companies

China: Germany’s Leader Merz Delivers a Blunt Warning to China on Trade - The New York Times ​

North Korea: North Korea could ‘get along’ with US, says Kim Jong Un

Phillippines: ICC opens hearings into ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Australia: She’s Been Anti-Immigrant for Decades. Now Her Popularity Is Soaring.

New Zealand: The Latest New Zealander to Move to Australia Is an Ex-Prime Minister - The New York Times

France: Christophe Leribault to be appointed new Louvre president

Netherlands: Rob Jetten becomes Netherlands’ youngest ever prime minister

Canada: Canada Presses OpenAI for Answers on Mass Shooter’s Chatbot Use

Iran: Anti-government student protests spread to more Iranian universities

Business: SpaceX Weighs Confidential IPO Filing as Soon as March - Bloomberg

AI: Nvidia stock downbeat despite blockbuster quarter

AI: ​AMD clinches second mega chip supply deal, this time with Meta | Reuters ​

AI: Anthropic touts new AI tools weeks after legal plug-in spurred market rout | Reuters

Space: Nasa announces Artemis III mission no longer aims to send humans to moon ​​

Culture: Baftas 2026: BBC apologises for not editing out racial slur shouted by guest with Tourette’s

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

FT: Behind Trump’s truce with China

Economist: The AI productivity boom is not here (yet)

CNN: Analysis: Trump risks walking into an Iraq-style trap in Iran | CNN Politics

Bulwark: Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and Flight 93

Wired: This Is the Worst Thing That Could Happen to the International Space Station | WIRED

NYT: The Looming Taiwan Chip Disaster That Silicon Valley Has Long Ignored - The New York Times

Bloomberg: Kalshi and Polymarket Prediction Markets Turn Truth Into Bets

FP: Elbridge Colby and the Reordering of the Indo-Pacific – Foreign Policy

Vox: US democracy has repaired itself before. Here’s how we can do it again. | Vox

Economist: A stay-calm plan to save the world

WSJ: Our Parents Marched in Iran’s 1979 Revolution. They Know the Dangers of Groupthink - WSJ

Bulwark: At the Spot Where Alex Pretti Was Killed

New Yorker: James Talarico Puts His Faith in Texas Voters | The New Yorker

FT: Inside Ukraine’s ‘kill zone’

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

World: Record 129 press members killed in 2025; Israel responsible for 2/3 of deaths - Committee to Protect Journalists

USA: ‘Press freedom predator’: Donald Trump’s new cancel culture

USA: Paramount clinches Warner Bros deal after Netflix walks away

USA: Washington Post Losses Topped $100 Million in 2025 - WSJ

USA: Judge says government may not search devices seized from Post reporter ​

USA: Dr. Peter Attia Exits CBS News Contributor Pact As Paramount Skydance Makes New Pitch for Warner

Hong Kong: Hong Kong gov’t to recruit journalism students to intern at mainland Chinese media outlets

Hong Kong: Chief Exec. John Lee appoints SCMP publisher Tammy Tam to Law Reform Commission

France: The Sickest Burns on the Internet Right Now Are Coming From French Bureaucrats - WSJ

India: Bangladesh Daily Star: Inside the night a mob burned a newspaper

AI: UK media groups unite to tackle AI ‘scraping’ of journalism

AI: Guardian joins media coalition to protect original journalism from unpaid use by AI | Newspapers & magazines

AI: The Lesson of A.I. Literacy Class: Don’t Let the Chatbot Think for You

Environment: Image of ultra-rare white whale scoops top prize at World Nature Photography Awards

The Epstein saga continues to broil in the US, from Goldman Sachs’s top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, and billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels, Tom Pritzker, stepping down last Thursday and Monday, respectively, to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass being the latest one to call for the Chairman of the 2028 Olympics, Casey Wasserman, to resign. Marking the latest casualties of CBS’s media culture, Anderson Cooper announced he is leaving 60 Minutes after contributing to the program for 20 years, while Late Show host Stephen Colbert said CBS pulled his interview with Texas state representative James Talarico off the air due to the network’s premature compliance with FCC fair time rules suggested by Chairman Brendan Carr. A federal judge ordered the Trump regime to restore displays about slavery on the site of his former house, arguing the government’s power to erase history is echoing George Orwell’s 1984. The immigration crackdown claimed another life, as a Guatemalan driver fleeing ICE officers at a traffic stop crashed into another car, killing Linda Davis, a special education teacher in Savanna, Georgia.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights icon and activist, died on Tuesday, aged 84. A federal judge ruled Kilmar Abrego Garcia cannot be detained again by immigration authorities, ending a long ordeal that started when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador before fighting a second deportation attempt to African countries proposed by DHS after he returned to the US. In the latest internal clash in the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to oust Col. David Butler, a senior Army spokesman who worked for retired General Mark Milley. Continuing the CBS blowback over pulling Colbert’s Talarico interview, the YouTube interview clip gained more than five million views, while Talarico announced his campaign raised $2.5 million in 24 hours. CBS released a statement that suggested the show “was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview,” adding the network’s lawyers provided “legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.” On Tuesday night’s show, Colbert rebuked the CBS statement, saying that “They know damn well that every word of my script was approved by CBS lawyers.” Regarding the Epstein files, Hillary Clinton accused the DOJ of participating in a “cover-up,” while a UN panel says the revelations may amount to crimes against humanity. In other news, Republican Representative Randy Fine faced public backlash after responding to a Palestinian organizer that “the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” Trump’s Ambassador to Belgium was summoned after accusing his host nation of an antisemitic action, and the US conducted overnight strikes that killed 11 people in the Pacific and Caribbean.

Responding to the Colbert backlash, Carr said he “was highly entertained” and felt “It was one of the most fun days I’ve had on the job watching the hilarity of how this story played out.” Testifying to the House Oversight Committee, former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner told lawmakers he was “conned” by Epstein, insisting he did nothing wrong. While in a landmark social media trial, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was questioned about whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children. During the trial, the judge threatened to hold anyone recording with AI glasses in contempt, while a representative for the plaintiff asked Zuckerberg, “You expect a nine-year-old to read terms and conditions?” In a sharp U-turn by the FDA, the health agency said it will review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu shot after it agreed to further studies. At the same time, the White House tapped CDC critic Jay Bhattacharya, who co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration that rebuked the agency’s response to the COVID pandemic, to lead that same agency. With the ongoing partial shutdown at DHS, the agency has halted almost all travel, which could hamper FEMA’s ability to travel to disaster areas. In other headlines, four journalists were arrested in Cameroon as they were investigating a secretive effort to by the US government to deport migrants to the African country, a Homeland Security memo outlined a plan to arrest refugees that lacks a green card and detain them for rescreening, while the RNC sued to stop a Virginia redistricting referendum that would grant more House seats to the Democrats.

A giant banner with Trump’s face is displayed on the exterior of the DOJ building, which is an unprecedented move given that most presidents often state their independence from the agency, and the current president is weaponizing the agency to exert his retribution campaign. In a response to reporters about Obama’s aliens remark, Trump said he will release a tranche of data on UFOs and aliens. A federal court threw out a ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals, which endorsed the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy. Following the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the WHO, the government is planning to spend $2 billion a year to replicate the agency’s global disease surveillance and outbreak functions capabilities, while the US also threatened to pull out of the International Energy Agency unless it abandons its focus on tackling climate change. According to data from the US Census Bureau, imports to the country grew last year despite the sweeping tariffs, with a narrowing trade deficit. The husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Shawn DeRemer, was barred from the department after two female staff members accused him of sexually assaulting them. On culture, the panel of the US Commission of Fine Arts, made up of Trump appointees, approved the president’s proposal for the new White House ballroom.

Marking a stinging repudiation of the White House’s key economic goals, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 vote that Trump’s global tariffs were illegal. This means Trump could not invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to set tariffs on imports, opening the door to over $100 billion in repayments. Writing to justify the decision, the Court noted that “Against that backdrop of clear and limited delegations, the Government reads IEEPA to give the President power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will,” the court said. “That view would represent a transformative expansion of the President’s authority over tariff policy.” The ruling also marks a rare rebuke by the country’s highest court, which has been giving rulings that were more lenient to Trump in the past few years, given its GOP majority. According to CBS News, Trump said before a press conference that the ruling was “a disgrace” and claimed he had a backup plan. CNN noted that things went well during the annual breakfast with governors before the news came in, and when Trump heard the news, he was enraged and “He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts at one point, saying: these f’ing courts.” During the press conference, Trump said he is “deeply disappointed” at the ruling and called the liberal justices a “disgrace to the nation.” Further attacking the justices as “disloyal,” “fools and lapdogs,” the US leader repeated his allegation that the Supreme Court was influenced by foreign interests and blamed the ruling on the Democrats. Claiming he has “great alternatives,” Trump touted that he can do anything he wants to do regarding trade, including floating the idea of cutting off trade with other countries or enacting a trade embargo. Even more ridiculously, the president claimed the decision had broadened his powers to enact tariffs. By the end of his remarks, Trump announced he is imposing a a 10% global tariff under Section 122 over and above the tariffs already charged, adding that all national security tariffs under Section 232 and existing Section 301 tariffs are in full effect. When asked by reporters about what Congress needs to do, the president said, “I don’t need to. It’s already been approved.” The president said he felt surprised at the ruling, “I read very well, great comprehension. I read everything there is to read.” Rounding off his press conference, Trump said that “great certainty has been brought back to the US.” Speaking of great certainty, US GDP numbers showed that economic growth had slowed sharply at the end of 2025. By the afternoon, Trump signed the new 10% levy executive order. We also learned from internal reports that ICE shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez in his car in South Texas last March, months before Renee Good’s murder.

Saturday saw Trump raising the global tariff rate from 10% to 15%, “effective immediately.” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed the US tariff policy “hasn’t changed,” adding that no country has backed out of trade deals yet. Amid continued DHS funding cuts, the agency announced it will suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, but that only lasted for a few hours before DHS reversed the move, with officials saying it came after discussions with the White House and TSA. On Sunday, Secret Service agents shot and killed an armed man who breached the perimeter of Trump’s Florida club, Mar-a-Lago.

Donroe Delulu - Bored Of Peace Meeting

This week sets the stage for new talks between the US and Iran, with Iranian officials hoping to strike a nuclear deal with Washington in exchange for potential energy, mining, and aircraft deals. Back in Iran, X-ray imagery taken of the victims who were killed in recent protests showed a ”deliberate targeting of vital body parts.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio showered Hungary’s strongman, Victor Orban, with praise and an endorsement ahead of the country’s consequential vote in months, saying Orban’s leadership is crucial to US interests. Rubio also met with Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico, another far-right European leader. Trump also lashed out at the UK government for signing a green energy deal with California Governor Gavin Newsom, telling Politico that “The UK’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum. Gavin is a loser. Everything he’s touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster.” Moving away from the US, Politico reported that Canadian PM Mark Carney is leading talks that explore forming one of the largest global economic alliances, which involves the EU and the 12-nation Indo-Pacific Trans-Pacific Partnership [CPTPP] bloc.

After talks between Tehran and Washington, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the two countries reached an understanding in relation to the main “guiding principles” during the second round of talks in Geneva. Despite the supposed progress, multiple reports indicate the US military is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend after an intensive military buildup, but CNN noted Trump has yet to make a final call. Rubio held secret talks with Raúl Castro’s grandson, as the Trump administration continues its pressure campaign on Cuba after the Venezuela operation. In another about-face by Trump, the US leader called on his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, to “not give away” Diego Garcia in another flip-flop regarding the Chagos Islands deal. Dozens of world leaders and delegations are prepared to attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, spearheaded by the US president, with major European allies and the Vatican declining to join the group. Widely seen as a rival to the UN, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, defended the board during a Security Council meeting, saying that “We’re hearing the chattering class criticizing the structure of the board, that it’s unconventional, that it’s unprecedented. Again, the old ways were not working. We had choices of Hamas continuing to control Gaza, and occupation of Gaza, or a new way.” The news comes as a Lancet report suggested the Gaza death toll in the early part of the war was far higher than reported, estimating that more than 75,000 Palestinians were killed in the first 16 months of conflict.

On Thursday, Trump addressed the Board of Peace by noting, “This is a big day, and lots of people are watching.” Calling it “one of the most important and consequential things” he is engaged in, Trump took a jab at those who didn’t join the group, warning that “Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be. Some are playing a little cute - doesn’t work, you can’t play cute with me.” Saying his Board of Peace is open to endorsements, the US leader cited Hungary’s Orban and Argentina’s Javier Milei (Both in the audience at the inauguration meeting), and said, “I’m not supposed to be endorsing people, but I endorse, when I like people. You know, I’ve had a very good record of endorsing candidates within the United States, but now I endorse foreign leaders.” Soon after that, the president announced that nine members had agreed to pledge $7 billion for Gaza, adding that the US is pitching in $10 billion without specifying what the money is being used for. In addition, Trump claimed Rubio had renamed the US Institute of Peace in his honor without his knowledge. Meanwhile, Trump said he will decide whether to strike Iran in the next 10 days. Sources tell the Washington Post that Trump appeared ready to strike Iran as a strike force took shape, while the WSJ noted that the president was weighing an initial limited military strike to force Iran into a nuclear deal.

Openly acknowledging he is weighing a limited strike on Iran, Trump vaguly refered that “I am considering” taking such action to pressure Iran to make a deal. It was first reported on Sunday that new talks between Washington and Tehran might kick off again next Friday if Iran sends a nuclear proposal soon, before Oman confirmed the two countries will hold the discussions in Geneva set for next Thursday. According to the NYT, Trump is mulling a targeted strike against Iran before escalating it to a larger attack if talks fail. Speaking of the Middle East, US envoy to Israel, Mike Huckabee, claimed it would be “fine” if Israel took all of the land in the Middle East, from the “wadi of Egypt to the great river” because of biblical rights. In a major development in US-China relations, the White House confirmed that Trump will visit China from March 31st to April 2nd.

New Year - Bonjour, Horse Year

Millions of Asians in Asia and diasporas around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year (LNY) on Tuesday, which also marks the Year of the Fire Horse that only comes once every 60 years. Based on the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Horse will be a year that demands ambition and vitality.

This year’s LNY is a particularly interesting one, and let’s start with the delightfully weird ones. For starters, a defective “crying horse” plush toy became a viral sensation in China after a manufacturing error turned the supposedly smiling horse plushies into frowny-faced grimaces. Draco Malfoy became another unlikely LNY mascot in China, which came as a coincidence since the character’s Chinese name “马尔福”（maerfu) has the first character being “horse” and the third character being “great fortune,” the latter of which is plastered on Chinese house doors to attract fortune for families. Continuing China’s AI blitz a year after DeepSeek, Chinese AI titans like Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu have engaged in a red envelope giving frenzy, essentially spending billions of yuan (or millions of USD) promoting their AI chatbots by giving small packets of money. In the case of Alibaba’s chatbot Qwen, users can use the AI tool to order bubble tea and get it delivered at 0.01 yuan (which is basically free), leading to chaos at bubble tea stores across China as delivery drivers gathered to wait for their orders, as panicked staff did their best to make as many drinks as possible.

Ahead of the celebrations, the world’s largest human migration unfolded across China, bolstered by the country’s high-speed rail network. Many Chinese also chose to celebrate the holiday abroad, but visitors have shunned Japan amid geopolitical controversy and recommendations by the Chinese government not to visit the country. On Lunar New Year’s Eve, a lot of stuff happened. Starting with the annual Spring Festival Gala hosted by the state broadcaster CCTV, which again featured Chinese robots doing kung-fu this time, while Jackie Chan and Lionel Richie sang “We Are The World” in different languages. At the same time, Hong Kong experienced its warmest Lunar New Year’s Eve in history, recording a minimum of 22 degrees Celsius and a high of 28 degrees Celsius. With young people returning home for festive celebrations, the age-old tradition of parental inquisitions on whether their kids have a partner/child continues.

War Watch - Talk Bust

In Ukraine, former energy minister German Galushchenko was charged by anti-corruption authorities after he was prevented from fleeing the country. Following last week’s bipartisan criticism of Trump’s attacks on US allies in the Munich Security Conference, two senior Democratic senators traveled to Kyiv to share a hopeful message of sanctions with Zelensky. Ahead of trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine, and Russia, Trump urged, “Ukraine better come to the table, fast.” In some good news for Kyiv, an analysis by Agence France-Presse based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) found Ukraine recaptured 201 square kilometers from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday last week, following the Starlink shutdown for Russian forces.

On Tuesday, Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s power infrastructure hours before peace talks in Geneva. In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said the Ukrainian public will not let him hand over territory to Russia, complaining that it is “not fair” for Trump to keep pressuring him to make concessions, and not Putin. After the first day of talks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said talks between Russia and Ukraine had “brought about meaningful progress” to end the conflict. Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian living in Milan, voiced her opposition in an incredibly symbolic gesture. She carried the Ukraine team placard during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, and her nationality was not announced to the public when she led the five Ukrainian athletes to loud cheers at the San Siro stadium. One unusual corner of dissent within Russia came from Russian propagandists, who voiced dissatisfaction at the Kremlin’s move to restrict Telegram and push people to use a state-backed alternative.

The second round of talks ended on Wednesday, with Zelensky describing it as “difficult” and accusing Moscow of deliberately delaying progress to end the war. In a post on social media, Zelensky ranted, “I don’t need historical shit to end this war and move to diplomacy. Because it’s just a delay tactic. I read no less history books than Putin. And I learned a lot.” Meanwhile, Trump views the conflict as unfair to those who were killed, as well as the US taxpayer. In other headlines, a once-celebrated Russian lieutenant colonel was on trial this week, accused of ordering soldiers to shoot themselves to obtain payouts for battlefield injuries. Putin tightened surveillance laws by signing new legislation that obliges telecommunications operators to cut off access upon request by Russian security services, further limiting digital communications in the country. Following a threat by Hungary and Slovakia to cut off emergency energy supplies, Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned the act of “ultimatums and blackmail” amid the growing dispute relating to Russian oil.

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Seoul, South Korea:

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty of leading an insurrection in a South Korean court on Thursday, stemming from his martial law declaration in late 2024 that later led to his impeachment and removal from office. Judge Ji Gwi-yeon said the former president sent troops to the National Assembly after he declared martial law in an attempt to incapacitate the legislature, adding that military troops and police officers were under orders to arrest Yoon’s political rivals. Yoon was sentenced to life in prison over the insurrection charges.

Dateline London, UK:

On Thursday, King Charles’ brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and taken to Aylsham police station in Norfolk for questioning. Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday at his home in Sandringham, marking the first royal arrest in more than 300 years. The last royal arrest was of Charles I in 1649, which resulted in a conviction for high treason and his subsequent execution. Charges related to alleged misconduct in public office relate to Andrew’s role as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011, as the recently unearthed Epstein files show him forwarding government reports from his visits to China, Vietnam, and Singapore to Epstein. The move comes after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing a complaint over Andrew allegedly sharing confidential material with Epstein, and hours before UK PM Keir Starmer stated that “No one is above the law.” The former prince has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In a statement from the King, the monarch stated that “the law must take its course” and gave his unqualified backing to the police. Hours later, Andrew was released under investigation as authorities say searches in Norfolk have ended. By the weekend, MPs are considering launching an investigation into Andrew’s role as UK trade envoy after revelations emerged that he pestered government ministers for a more prominent role.

Dateline Paris, France:

France was in shock and horror after last weekend’s death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who was beaten up by a group of young men in the streets of Lyon, fatally damaging his skull and brain. Deranque was supporting a small protest, led by the hard-right feminist and anti-immigration collective Némésis, against left-wing politician Rima Hassan’s visit to Lyon’s Institute of Political Studies (IEP), or Sciences Po, on Thursday, before he was beaten and hospitalized. Immediately after Deranque’s death, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, “Hatred that kills has no place in our country. I call for calm, restraint, and respect.” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin placed the blame on the “ultra-left,” also accusing far-left politicians from the La France Insoumise (LFI), of which Hassan is a member representing the party in the European Parliament, of fueling violence with their rhetoric. With the far-right blaming the LFI and its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, there is also scrutiny against Jeune Garde, an antifascist banned by the government in June last year, after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez highlighted the group’s responsibility in the fatal street fight. At least 11 people were arrested over the incident, including a parliamentary aide to the LFI politician Raphaël Arnault. The horrific death only sparks more political tension in Paris, as the country gears up for local elections next month and presidential elections next year, which the far-right National Rally is widely expected to win. On Saturday, thousands attended a protest in Lyon paying tribute to Deranque, as Macron urged “everyone to remain” calm ahead of the rally.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Tai Po fire owners to get buy-back offer of up to about HK$10,000 per square foot | South China Morning Post

Hong Kong: ​‘Gov’t should bear greatest responsibility’: Tai Po fire survivors recall futile whistle-blowing attempts ​

Hong Kong: In Pictures: Hong Kong protesters call for ceasefire ahead of Russia-Ukraine war’s 5th anniversary ​​

Japan: Japan’s Takaichi targets Chinese ‘coercion’, US ties in first speech after landslide win

Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s incoming PM Tarique Rahman sworn into parliament

Phillippines: Philippine VP Sara Duterte announces 2028 presidential bid - Nikkei Asia

Phillippines: Duterte refuses to attend ICC pre-trial hearing, as former Philippine leader’s ‘drug war’ case begins

Israel: At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, health ministry says

Gaza: Hamas reportedly holds leadership vote at critical moment for militant group

Gaza: Medics in UK and US say they have been barred from Gaza after speaking out

Syria: I would scream in my sleep: Women from Syria’s Alawite minority tell of kidnap and rape

Sudan: UN says Sudan atrocities are ‘hallmarks of genocide’

Canada: Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux joins Liberal caucus: Carney | CBC News

Mexico: Violence erupts after Mexican security forces kill drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ | Mexico | The Guardian

Peru: Peru’s Congress ousts president after four months in office

UK: Nigel Farage unveils Reform UK frontbench team and warns over dissent

UK: Reform would create ICE-style agency and end leave to remain, Zia Yusuf to say

UK: Nigel Farage accused of ‘Maga stunts’ for saying he was denied access to Chagos Islands

UK: Starmer abandons plans to cancel May council elections in latest U-turn | The Independent

Tech: US builds website that will allow Europeans to view blocked content | Internet | The Guardian

AI: AI summit in India pushes a ‘third way’ between US and China

AI: A robotic dog made in China gets an Indian university kicked out of an AI summit

AI: Macron defends EU AI rules and vows crackdown on child ‘digital abuse’ | AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian

AI: What is Seedance? The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic

AI: ‘Slow this thing down’: Sanders warns US has no clue about speed and scale of coming AI revolution | US news | The Guardian

Finance: Christine Lagarde to leave ECB before the end of her 8-year term

Finance: Christine Lagarde’s move to run World Economic Forum not a ‘foregone conclusion’

Space: NASA moon rocket suffers setback likely to delay March launch: officials

Space: NASA boss blasts Boeing and space agency managers for Starliner’s botched astronaut flight

Culture: KPop Demon Hunters Sequel Would Take ‘Long Time,’ Creator Maggie Kang Says - Bloomberg

Sports: Norway (population: 5.7m) beats US (342m) to top Winter Olympics medal table

Sports: Alysa Liu walked away from skating. Her fresh outlook when she returned helped her win Olympic gold

Sports: Eileen Gu in tears after being told her grandmother passed following her Olympic triumph | AP News

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Guardian: ‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks

Economist: Why American allies are flocking to see Xi Jinping in Beijing

New Yorker: Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump | The New Yorker

Bloomberg: She Bet on K-Pop. Netflix Got Its Biggest Movie Ever.

SciAm: How AI copilots became everyday infrastructure | Scientific American

WSJ: The Hidden Government Funding of China’s American-Born Olympic Star - WSJ

Economist: Donald Trump’s envoys failed to reassure Europe ​​

Guardian: A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them

FT: How tech turned against women

Atlantic: The Disappointment of Young Trump Voters - The Atlantic

BBC: Trump’s new world order has become real and Europe is having to adjust fast

Economist: The Robin Hood state is coming for the rich

Time: The People vs. AI

Guardian: Gisèle Pelicot on rape, courage and her ex-husband: ‘He was loved by everyone. That’s what is so terrifying’

SCMP: Exclusive | Hasan Piker talks about his controversial China trip – and ‘thinking Chinese thoughts’

Foreign Affairs: Women’s Rights Are Democratic Rights | Foreign Affairs

Wired: Inside the Homeland Security Forum Where ICE Agents Talk Shit About Other Agents | WIRED

Economist: Vladimir Putin is caught in a vice of his own making

Bloomberg: Inflation Is Down, But Americans Still Feel an Affordability Squeeze

New Yorker: The Trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s Rapists United France and Fractured Her Family | The New Yorker

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Colbert Says CBS Barred Interview With Democrat, and Search Teams Scramble After Lake Tahoe Avalanche - The New York Times

USA: Trump Administration Uses ‘Equal Time’ Rule to Reshape Late-Night TV

USA: Anderson Cooper to leave ‘60 Minutes’ in latest shake-up at CBS News

USA: Anderson Cooper, the veteran CBS anchor leaves the set

USA: How Will Lewis Decimated the Washington Post

USA: CNN Forces Internal Change After Jake Tapper Joe Biden Book Fiasco

USA: CBS’s Bari Weiss pulls out of UCLA lecture - Los Angeles Times

USA: Burnt Hair and Soft Power: A Night Out With Evie Magazine | WIRED

France: Macron Calls Social Media’s Free Speech Defense ‘Bullshit’ in AI Policy Clash - Bloomberg

Russia: Putin’s Crackdown on Telegram Slammed by Russian Propagandists

Israel: Tucker Carlson says passport seized, staff interrogated at Israeli airport | News | Al Jazeera

Cameroon: Journalists Arrested in Cameroon While Covering Secretive U.S. Deportations - The New York Times

UK: How The Times Made Judgment Calls on Covering the Arrest

World: US funding for global internet freedom ‘effectively gutted’ | Censorship | The Guardian

World: Who’s Pulling the Strings on the World Stage? Ask the Puppets.

AI: Deepfakes are getting faster than fact-checks, says digital forensics expert Hany Farid | Scientific American

Appearing remotely in prison, Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded the Fifth and refused to answer questions before the House Oversight Committee. Maxwell’s attorney said she will not speak until she is “granted clemency” from Trump, drawing further criticism of who the former socialite is protecting. After lawmakers were allowed to view unredacted Epstein files, House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin accused the DOJ of making “mysterious redactions” that censored the names of the abusers. Trump threatened to block the opening of the Ontario-Michigan bridge unless Canada engages in trade talks with the US, and in a more demented note, the US president claimed China would “terminate all ice hockey in Canada” and ban the Stanley Cup if the two countries go through on a trade deal. In another boat strike on Monday, the attack killed two people in the Pacific and left one survivor. A federal appeals court allowed the administration to revoke deportation protections from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, affecting 60,000 migrants. Meanwhile, an immigration judge found there were no grounds to deport Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was detained by masked immigration agents last year after writing an op-ed about Gaza. Outside of the US, officials from the Munich Security Conference wrote that the world has entered an era of “wrecking ball politics,” thanks to the Trump administration. In a growing political mess affecting Team USA in the Winter Olympics, Trump called Olympian Hunter Hess “a real loser” last weekend after the athlete said he had “mixed feelings” about representing the US. The freestyle skier responded on Monday that “I love my country. There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out.” Fellow athletes like snowboarder Chloe Kim and freestyle skier Eileen Gu (Who competes for the China team) have also come to Hess’s defense.

Howard Lutnick was grilled by Congress over his relationship with Epstein, who was his next-door neighbour. The commerce secretary confirmed he visited Epstein’s island in 2012, but added that there was nothing “untoward.” Republican Thomas Massie said he knows the identity of six men who are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion after reviewing the unredacted files, which led to Khanna revealing their names as Leslie Wexner, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo. In addition, Khanna claimed Trump’s name appeared “more than a million times” in the Epstein files, while the former Florida police chief Michael Reiter claimed Trump told him ““everyone has known he’s been doing this” regarding Epstein’s crimes. In a tense hearing over immigration enforcement, acting ICE director Todd Lyons refused to apologize for the administration’s rush in describing Renee Good and Alex Pretti as “domestic terrorists.” We learned more about the recent FBI seizure of Fulton County 2020 election ballots, which originally came from an election denier within the White House, and led to a referral. In addition, the FBI cited debunked election claims to obtain the Georgia warrant. Marking an embarrassing legal loss for the administration, prosecutors failed to secure an indictment against six Democratic lawmakers, who called on military and intelligence officers to disobey illegal orders in a video last year. The WSJ reported the EPA planned to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding” under the Obama era, which would remove the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas regulation. Speaking to Axios, Trump said he might send a second carrier to strike Iran if the second round of talks, scheduled for next week, breaks down. The National Governors Association (NGA) cancelled its annual White House meeting, following Trump’s decision to only invite Republican governors to a traditionally bipartisan meeting. Moderna said the FDA has refused to review its application for its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, marking another setback for the innovation as the RFK Jr-led HHS continued its crackdown on vaccines. Interestingly enough, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, urged people to take the measles vaccine amid growing cases in the US. Ending Tuesday with a damning poll from Rasmussen, a Republican polling group favored by Trump, 48% of respondents believe Joe Biden did a better job as president to 40% for Trump.

Attorney General Pam Bondi faced bipartisan anger from Democrats and Massie over her DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files, which turned into a shouting match between the AG and lawmakers. During the meltdown, Bondi refused to apologize to survivors of Epstein’s abuse and was captured on camera avoiding gazing at the women as they raised their hands, yelled that the Dow was at 50,000, and her conversations with lawmakers often turned to personal insults. Massie wrote on Twitter, “A funny thing about Bondi’s insults to members of Congress who had serious questions: Staff literally gave her flash cards with individualized insults, but she couldn’t memorize them, so you can see her shuffle through them to find the flash-cards-insult that matches the member.” Lawmakers were also alarmed that the DOJ is tracking members of Congress’s search histories on the Epstein files, after a Reuters photographer took a photo of Bondi holding a document labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History.” Meanwhile, six Republicans joined Democrats in overriding Trump’s Canada tariffs in the House, and House Republicans passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act that requires voters to provide specific kinds of voter ID that millions of Americans don’t have, effectively disenfranchising many people, especially women. Following large public backlash against the Trump regime’s immigration crackdown, the administration has quietly withdrawn National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland. Amid growing tensions with both Mexico and Canada, Bloomberg reported that Trump was privately musing about quitting the North American trade pact that he agreed to during his first term. In some surprising news for the US economy, the January jobs report showed the country added 130,000 jobs in the first month of the year, with the unemployment rate decreasing to 4.3%, but there were also major revisions to last year’s total job growth that showed job growth is less than previously thought. In other news, the Washington Post reported that the IRS had improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS, the El Paso airport was shut down for a few hours over a balloon mistaken for a Mexican drug cartel drone, and the regime removed the LGBTQ+ pride flag from the Stonewall monument in New York.

Making the official announcement on Thursday, border czar Tom Homan said ICE operations in Minneapolis have concluded with Trump’s approval. This comes hours after a failed Senate vote, which all but guaranteed that the DHS would shut down on Saturday morning. In another loss to the Trump regime’s retribution campaign, a judge blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s move to censure Senator Mark Kelly for the video that called on soldiers to refuse illegal orders. Regarding the bombshell complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the WSJ reported that the highly classified complaint concerns a conversation intercepted last spring with two foreign officials discussing matters related to the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The EPA officially reversed the key legal decision that allows it to regulate greenhouse gases, upending the agency’s role in fighting climate change. It comes just a day after a coal industry group awarded the president the “undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal,” and Trump ordered the Pentagon to purchase more coal-based electricity. A Florida court let Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC go to trial, setting a February 2027 trial date. DOJ antitrust head Gail Slater was fired from the role, which came as there are major merger cases like the Warner Bros Discovery’s proposed merger with Netflix and the hostile bid by Paramount. Speaking of Paramount, CNN reported that the company’s head, David Elison, had talked with Trump early last week.

ICE documents provided to New Hampshire revealed the agency expects to spend $38.3 billion to acquire warehouses across the country and turn them into concentration camps, sorry, detention centers… Federal authorities began an investigation into two ICE agents who allegedly lied under oath about a confrontation in Minneapolis last month, which preceded officers shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg, before putting them on leave. A bombshell WSJ investigation delved into the deep relationship between Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and his top advisor Corey Lewandowski, with the duo both working to sideline rivals, berating senior staff, using polygraph tests to rule out those they don’t trust, and recently traveling in a luxury 737 MAX jet. In media news, Gallup announced it is not measuring presidential approval after 88 years, while independent journalist Don Lemon pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his reporting of an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church. Washington deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, as Trump said regime change would be “the best thing that could happen” to Iran amid growing tensions. Democrats launched an investigation into the DOJ over tracking lawmaerks’ search histories related to the Epstein files, urging Bondi’s department to “immediately cease tracking Members’ review of the Epstein files.” With the SAVE Act moving to the Senate, Trump said he will issue an executive order to get voter ID requirements before the midterms. As part of a leadership shakeup, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and General Counsel Mike Stuart, two of RFK Jr’s top aides, are leaving the agency amid internal restructuring. Marking another attack on higher education, the Trump administration sued Harvard over its failure to produce documents as part of the DOJ’s ongoing investigation into the Ivy League school’s admission process. On economic news, inflation cooled in January with consumer prices rising by 2.4%. Because we live in the dumbest foreign policy timeline, the Pentagon used the AI tool Claude in its operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. While at the Munich Security Conference, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Trump’s presence on the world stage is “temporary,” while progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Trump of destroying alliances to form a new “age of authoritarianism.”

On Saturday, DHS officially went into shutdown mode after no funding deal was approved by Congress. In an interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama said of Trump’s racist AI video that American politics has become a “clown show” and Americans dislike the rhetoric coming out of the White House, while casually dropping the bombshell that aliens are real but are not hiding in Area 51. With the brevity of Obama’s question and the lack of a follow-up causing a frenzy online, Obama clarified and said, “I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”In other headlines, Bondi was criticized after the DOJ told Congress it had released all of the Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the US deported nine migrants in secret despite most having court orders that protect them from being removed to their home countries, and a new US boat strike over the weekend killed three people in the Caribbean Sea.

British Lettuce - Starming By A Thread

UK PM Keir Starmer’s premiership seemed more untenable by the day after renewed scrutiny over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, the “Prince of Darkness,” who was revealed to have disturbingly close ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, as the country’s US ambassador. Reports indicate Starmer fully knew Mandelson’s Epstein ties before appointing him to the US ambassadorship role, and more infuriatingly, Downing Street gave Mandelson a five-figure payoff after sacking him. Following last weekend’s stunning resignation of former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s director of communications, Tim Allan, has announced his resignation on Monday, “to allow a new No 10 team to be built.” Unfazed by the drama, No.10 sources tell Sky News that Starmer was “upbeat” and would not resign. However, the pressure is building. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, a close ally of Starmer, called for the PM to quit. After that, the cabinet and former deputy PM Angela Rayner voiced support for Starmer, allowing him to keep his job afloat. Funny enough, The Guardian revealed that a “Rayner for PM” website temporarily went online in January. Health Secretary Wes Streeting released his messages with Mandelson, which revealed internal criticism of the Labour government and fears of losing the next election. As Prince William and Princess Kate expressed deep concern over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties with Epstein, British police began assessing the claim that the former prince allegedly shared confidential reports with the sex trafficker during his role as UK trade envoy.

While Labour was in self-destruct mode, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch went to work in a McDonald’s for a day as part of a photo-op stunt on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Starmer insisted he will lead Labour into the next election, before appearing at PMQs and telling lawmakers that the former communications chief, Matthew Doyle, “did not give a full account of his actions.” Writing for the New Statesman magazine, former PM Gordon Brown called on police to interview Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, arguing that “We owe it to survivors of abuse to help bring the guilty to justice.” Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald, the country’s most senior civil servant, announced he is leaving No.10 on Thursday, a day before the US Congress summoned Mandelson to testify. Meanwhile, the billionaire Manchester United co-owner, Jim Ratcliffe, sparked political outrage after claiming the UK was “colonized” by immigrants in an interview, leading to his apology days later. And over the weekend, former PM Liz Truss visited Trump and posted, “Right about everything,” a reference to one of the US leader’s favourite slogans.

War Watch - Ukraine Holds Elections?

During the Winter Olympics in Italy, Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych displayed images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war on his training helmet, which prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban him from wearing the helmet. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed there is “still a long way to go” before a peace deal could be reached, just as the Russian military claimed new gains in Zaporizhzhia and killed a mother and her 11-year-old daughter in a Donesk attack. As Putin’s war machine grinds on, figures show Russian army casualties in Ukraine have surged in recent weeks. Norway’s chief of defence, Eirik Kristoffersen, warned that his country cannot rule out a Russian invasion of the country, which could be done to protect nuclear assets. The FT reported that Ukraine is preparing to hold presidential elections and a referendum on any peace deal with Russia, following threats by Washington that Kyiv must hold both votes by May 15 or risk losing proposed US security guarantees. Following that bombshell, the Kyiv Independent reported that Zelensky would not announce elections on the 4th year anniversary of the conflict, while the Ukrainian leader himself said he had accepted an offer by the US to host another round of talks that centers around territorial disputes. Regarding potential peace in Ukraine, Zelensky said Ukraine can “end hostilities by summer” if Russia agrees to it, adding that “I have said it’s very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections.” On Thursday, Heraskevych was barred from competing after he said he would defy the ban, prompting his father, who is also the athlete’s coach, to cry at the announcement. Back in Kyiv, overnight, Russian drones and ballistic missiles further battered Ukraine’s energy system. A high-level Kremlin memo obtained by Bloomberg noted that Russia would see a return to the dollar system, which is part of a broader economic cooperation strategy to please Trump. The Russian government confirmed it has blocked WhatsApp services in the country, and instead promoted a state-backed alternative. As the Munich Security Conference kicked off on Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Russia isn’t serious about Ukraine peace talks and “The international order based on rights and rules is currently being destroyed.” French President Emmanuel Macron went guns blazing (metaphorically) during his Munich speech, insisting that Europe must take charge of its nuclear destiny and the continent “accelerate and deliver all the components of geopolitical power.” In an interview with Politico, Zelensky pushed on Trump to intensify pressure on Moscow, and for Congress to bolster American security guarantees, while promising Ukraine will hold elections if the US forces Russia to enforce a two- or three-month ceasefire. Meanwhile, Zelensky awarded Heraskevych the Order of Freedom, Ukraine’s highest civilian honor, criticizing the IOC’s decision by saying it “is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are founded on fairness and the support of peace.” On Saturday, after deciding to skip a Ukraine meeting with European leaders at the last minute, Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a softer tone compared to JD Vance’s speech last year. Rubio told Europe that “our destiny will be intertwined with yours,” adding that “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.” The Secretary of State also lashed out at the “systems of international co-operation,” criticizing the UN for not doing enough in resolving conflicts, as well as measures taken on climate change and migration. In an interview with Bloomberg, Rubio then assured allies that Washington’s commitment to Europe is solid, while wanting the continent to return to the traditions and values shared with the US. However, many Europeans aren’t sold on the charm offensive, exemplified by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said the next day, “Woke Europe not facing civilisational erasure” and criticized “fashionable euro-bashing” by Washington. In related developments, Starmer said the UK needs to develop “deeper links” with the EU, a decade after the country voted to leave the bloc. European allies of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny say he was killed in prison in 2024 after being poisoned with dart frog toxin, a neurotoxin classed as a chemical weapon. German Galushchenko, a former Ukrainian energy minister, was detained while trying to leave the country. In North Korea, Kim Jong-un vowed to repay “young martyrs” by providing housing for families of those killed in the war.

Israel’s security cabinet kicked off the week by making it easier for Jews to buy land in the West Bank, which critics point out violates the Oslo Accords and international law as the Netanyahu government continues its push to annex the West Bank. The move immediately prompted public backlash, with the US, the UK, the EU, and Arab nations criticizing the plan. Following the fragile ceasefire, Indonesia was prepared to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza under the Trump proposal. In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to mourn the victims of last December’s Bondi Beach shooting, prompting protests that turned violent. On Tuesday, an Israeli court blocked life-saving cancer care for a five-year-old boy because of his Gaza address. A day later, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu met with Trump for two-and-a-half hours, ending with no agreement on how to move forward with Iran. In a win for pro-Palestine activists, the UK High Court ruled the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful. Over the weekend, at least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza.

Voterama 2026 - Bangladesh’s Democratic Test

Thursday marked a consequential day for Bangladeshi politics, as voters turned out for the country’s first free and fair election following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Hasina was ousted after a brutal crackdown on student protests against quotas in the civil service, which the UN estimated had killed more than 1400 demonstrators. She is living in exile in India, while a court in Bangladesh found her guilty of crimes against humanity in November 2025. In addition, Hasina’s Awami League party was banned from political activity. The interim government was led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned to the country from exile at the request of protesters in August 2024. Yunus has vowed to step down after the polls, after presiding over an unusual transition of power that saw him trying to bring political reforms and justice for the victims under the Hasina term. In the Thursday vote, voters get to elect lawmakers and decide whether to approve the July National Charter 2025, which would set the foundations for future governance in Bangladesh.

The two main groups competing for the parliamentary vote include the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s ten-party coalition and an 11-party alliance led by the Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami (JIB). The BNP is a center-right party that served as the main opposition to the Awami League, led by Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country from exile and was widely seen as the PM front-runner. Rahman’s mother was Khaleda Zia, the country’s first woman PM and a bitter rival of Hasina, while his father is also a former president. In an interview with Reuters, despite the BNP’s history of governing together with the JIB in the past, Rahman rejected a unity government, saying, “How can I form a government with my political opponents, and then who would be in the opposition?” He also expressed a desire for better relations with India and China, saying Bangladesh needs partners that can boost economic growth.

Formerly a minor coalition partner, the JIB has become an insurgent force after being previously banned, but its popularity is accompanied by concerns that a JIB-led government could enforce Islamic law or restrict women’s rights and freedoms. The JIB’s leader, Shafiqur Rahman, has also emerged as a potential PM candidate, previously saying that the election “will be a turning point” for Bangladesh. Meanwhile, there is also the student-led National Citizens Party (NCP), formed in February 2025 by student protest leaders in a bid “to uphold the spirit of the July movement among students.” Nahid Islam, who leads the party, hopes to have “governance without corruption” and to unify the country. However, the NCP also faces a lack of faith by voters, sparking concerns that the old guard will still take the helm of politics.

On election day, Rahman told The Guardian that he wants to end Bangladesh’s entrenched corruption and put the country on a “new path.” After the voters were tallied, Rahman is poised for power as his BNP won 212 of 299 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation, a decisive two-thirds majority that would guarantee stability in the country’s political system. Meanwhile, the JIB and its allies won 70 seats in the House of the Nation.

Local News - Verdict Aftermath

Monday saw former media mogul Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison after his conviction last year over foreign collusion and sedition charges, as well as six former Apple Daily (Which Lai owned until 2021) staffers who received sentences of up to ten years. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Lai “deserves the punishment” and the decision was “widely applauded.” He added, “For a long period, Lai used Apple Daily to poison residents’ minds, incite hatred, distort facts, deliberately sow social division, glorify violence, and openly call for external forces to sanction mainland and Hong Kong officials. His actions sacrificed the well-being of the people, betrayed the country, harmed Hong Kong, and damaged the interests of both the nation and the city.” Chief Superintendent Steve Li, the head of the police’s National Security Department, also welcomed the “imposition of a heavy sentence” against Lai, noting that authorities are “still investigating some matters” related to the now imprisoned media mogul. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the sentencing as “reasonable, legitimate, and legal; there is no room for argument.” Sebastien Lai, the son of the imprisoned media mogul, said the punishment is “basically a death sentence” to the BBC. Although many international press freedom groups condemned Lai’s sentencing, Hong Kong’s local press groups were silent about the decision. When contacted by the Hong Kong Free Press, Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) President Morgan Davis said they had “no comment at this time,” while Hong Kong Journalists Association Chair Selina Cheng pointed out that she was “unable to speak freely about the sentencing.” Apart from criticizing the ruling, the UK Home Office allowed “Adult children of British National (Overseas) status holders who were under 18 at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China” to apply for the route independently of their parents, estimating that around 26,000 people will arrive in the country over the next five years. In response, the Chinese embassy in Britain blasted the “contemptible tactic with malicious intent,” claiming that “The UK’s previous actions of this nature have already caused some misled Hong Kong residents to leave their homes, only to face discrimination and financial hardship upon arriving in the UK, effectively becoming ‘second-class citizens’.” On Tuesday, China’s State Council published a white paper titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems,” a day after Lai’s conviction, writing that safeguarding national security in the city is an “unrelenting fight,” adding that Beijing has the “fundamental responsibility” for national security matters and recognized “solid results” from the city’s government. The UN, joining Western countries, has urged Beijing to release Lai after his sentencing. Meanwhile, editorials in Hong Kong media have praised the ruling. SCMP’s editorial stated that the trial “shows Hong Kong’s rule of law remains robust,” adding the “sentence reflects the gravity of his crimes.” The pro-Beijing HK01 said the sentencing “marks the end of that politically chaotic period,” while the state-owned newspaper Ta Kung Pao claimed “The anti-China and pro-chaos forces represented by Jimmy Lai have been forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame.” On Thursday, the government began the process to de-register three companies related to Apple Daily and list them as “prohibited organizations.”

In other local news, the father of the now-exiled activist Anna Kwok was found guilty of handling funds linked to an “absconder” who is wanted under the national security law, marking the first family member to be convicted of a national security offense. Meanwhile, an elderly man who was found guilty of spiking soft drinks with his own urine was sentenced to a 12-month probation. On Thursday, the police declined to disclose the number of individuals arrested for suspected sedition charges related to last year’s Wang Fuk Court fire, which came a day before a Chinese University of Hong Kong student who launched a petition urging a probe into the deadly blaze was expelled by the university weeks before graduation. In some good news for Hong Kongers, the city’s minimum wage will rise to HK$43.10 in May this year.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: China, US top diplomats Wang Yi, Marco Rubio meet in Munich

France: Emmanuel Macron declares a European state of emergency

France: Marine Le Pen’s appeal trial ends with political uncertainty as defense urges ‘tolerance’ for legal ‘gray areas’

Norway: Two senior Norwegian diplomats being investigated over Epstein links | Norway | The Guardian

Norway: Norway’s former PM charged with gross corruption over Epstein links

Belgium: Belgian police raid EU Commission buildings in property sale probe

Hungary: Peter Magyar Alleges Blackmail Over Sex Tape Before Hungary Election - Bloomberg

Switzerland: Swiss to vote in referendum on right-wing party’s proposal to limit population to 10 million | CNN

North Korea: Kim Jong Un chooses teen daughter as heir, says Seoul

Canada: RCMP identify suspect in B.C. mass shooting that left 9 dead, 27 injured | CBC

Canada: Mark Carney joins hands with Canada opposition leader as he pays tribute to school shooting victims`

Venezuela: Nicolás Maduro is still the ‘legitimate president’ of Venezuela, its acting leader tells NBC News

Iran: Thousands Rally for Iran Regime Change in Cities Around the World - The New York Times

Iran: Iran’s president denies it seeks nuclear weapon and admits ‘shame’ after mass protests

World: UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruption

Law: Top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathy Ruemmler to resign over Epstein links

AI: Alibaba’s bubble tea giveaway pushes Qwen past Tencent’s Yuanbao to top of China App Store

Science: Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds

Space: SpaceX prioritizes lunar ‘self-growing city’ over Mars project, Musk says | Reuters

Space: Astronomers celebrate cancellation of $10bn Chile project that threatened clearest skies in the world

Envrionment: Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say | Climate crisis | The Guardian ​​

Environment: Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation

Culture: Bad Bunny helps Super Bowl LX peak with 137 million viewers

Culture: Casey Wasserman Is Putting His Talent Agency Up for Sale After Epstein Fallout - WSJ

Sports: Lindsey Vonn: American skier has ‘no regrets’ after sustaining tibia fracture in crash at Winter Olympics - BBC Sport

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Economist: Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford?

New Yorker: Is There a Remedy for Presidential Profiteering? | The New Yorker

Foreign Affairs: How to Avert the Tragedy of Great-Power Politics | Foreign Affairs

CNN: Trump’s growing volatility is putting the world on edge | CNN Politics

BBC: Gisèle Pelicot tells BBC: I felt crushed by horror - but I don’t feel anger

NYMag: How the Epstein Files Turned Everyone Into Conspiracists

Foreign Affairs: America and China at the Edge of Ruin | Foreign Affairs

Bloomberg: A Trial in Paris Offers Detailed View of Alleged Insider Trading - Bloomberg

FT: What America forgets about the UN

New Yorker: Even the Hospitals Aren’t Safe in Iran | The New Yorker

Economist: The world’s most powerful woman

Guardian: Rio’s bloodiest day: the untold story of Brazil’s most deadly police raid

SCMP: Opinion | How Washington’s lawyers stack up against Beijing’s technocrats | South China Morning Post

New Yorker: What Is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either | The New Yorker

Le Monde: How Donald Trump is rewriting US history

Vox: Bad Bunny’s unapologetically American Super Bowl show

FT: The FT contest that challenged readers to redraw Europe’s borders

NYT: Gisèle Pelicot, the Woman at the Center of Rape Trial That Shook France, Shares Her Story - The New York Times

Economist: How to hedge a bubble, AI edition

FP: Did Trump Really Kill the Liberal International Order?

New Yorker: I Will Be Your Next President | The New Yorker

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Feb 14, 2026: Hong Kong’s unified response to Jimmy Lai’s 20-year jail term; Election hopefuls’ lavish expenses revealed

Hong Kong: Hong Kong journalists face ‘precarious’ future after Jimmy Lai jailed

Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai jailed for 20 years in Hong Kong after nat. security conviction

Hong Kong: National security judges cite ‘extensive roles’ as 6 ex-Apple Daily staffers jailed for up to 10 years

Hong Kong: Nat. security police ‘still investigating’ after Jimmy Lai gets 20 years

Hong Kong: Hong Kong press groups silent on jailing of media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s once-vibrant press stays silent or celebrates Jimmy Lai’s 20-year jail sentence

Hong Kong: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s ex-workers ‘broke down in tears’ as they watched sentencing

Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai ‘deserves his punishment,’ Hong Kong leader says after Apple Daily founder’s 20-year jail term

Hong Kong: After Jimmy Lai’s Sentencing, Hong Kong Probes the Limits of Civic Life - Bloomberg

USA: Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the BBC is set to go to trial in 2027, US judge says ​​

USA: Don Lemon pleads not guilty in First Amendment case in Minnesota

USA: Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years

USA: Listening to “The Joe Rogan Experience” | The New Yorker

USA: Democracy Dies in Broad Daylight | The New Yorker

Israel: The TV deal bringing Israel’s media closer to Netanyahu

France: ‘We, journalists of Agence France-Presse, believe management’s plan would lead to our complete demise’

Italy: Mariah? Matilda? Italy’s Olympics Anchor Couldn’t Tell the Difference. Now His Reporters PlanTo Strike.

UK: BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen: ‘I do this to tell people what the hell is happening’

Sunday was a big day for elections in Asia. Starting with Japan, as the country’s PM Sanae Takaichi hopes the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, can broaden its razor-thin majority in the Lower House of Parliament. Although its term runs until October 2028, Takaichi dissolved the Lower House on January 23rd, aiming to strengthen her political mandate just half a year after becoming Japan’s leader. Takaichi has enjoyed high approval ratings in recent months, with polls showing public support in the 70% range. Blending nationalistic foreign policy views with rigid social conservatism, Takaichi’s characteristics as a charismatic, straight-talking, and hardworking leader resonated with many voters. But calling the election was a big risk, especially when the LDP has been deeply unpopular among the Japanese public. Setting aside the series of graft scandals and rotating PMs, Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, oversaw his party losing control of both houses of parliament during his brief tenure as leader. Analysts say Takaichi hopes her popularity can translate to support for the LDP, which only enjoys 30% public support. On January 19th, Takaichi told reporters that she was “putting my future as prime minister on this election.” As with previous elections, the economy is a big issue. Among the many economic issues Japanese voters face is rising inflation and a spike in rice prices last year that weighed heavily on consumer sentiment, a weakening yen that further hampers Japanese spending domestically while attracting tourists abroad, leading to a deeper overtourism issue that prompted more complaints, not to mention souring public sentiment against foreign workers from developing countries. Japan’s concern over immigration and tourism has an ironic twist, especially as these are the two main contributors to boosting its economy. Coalitions are also a key watch from the Japan vote, as the LDP fought its first election without its former coalition partner Komeito, which delivered dozens of seats in past votes. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito announced shortly after Takaichi’s announcement that they were forming the new Centrist Reform Alliance, which aimed to derail Takaichi’s chances of winning the election. The LDP also faces a far-right challenge from the Sanseito party, which aims to add more seats to the two spots it had before the vote by attracting conservative voters on immigration and economic issues. Adding on top of all that uncertainty, the February vote is a departure from convention that aimed to hold elections during the autumn, marking the third February lower house election in the post-war era and the first since 1990. The snow and icy conditions could affect voter turnout, on top of the already uncertain youth turnout. Days before the vote, observers were already predicting a landslide victory for the LDP as “Sana-mania” gripped the nation, with her abilities to face risks and directly engage with young voters online further boosting a “cult of personality” that echoed Trump’s political style. And in a not-at-all shocking twist, Trump endorsed Takaichi on Friday and invited her to the White House in March, writing on Truth Social, “Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing and, therefore, as President of the United States of America, it is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing. SHE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN DOWN!” By the time the polls closed, it was clear that Takaichi’s gamble paid off. NHK exit polls show the LDP would win a two-thirds supermajority, and after the votes were counted, the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party obtained 352 seats in the Lower House. It marks the first time in postwar Japanese history that a party has a two-thirds majority, cementing it as the LDP’s best performance in its history. On Monday (9/2), Japanese stocks jumped to record highs after Takaichi’s win, with the Nikkei 225 benchmark breaking the 57,000 level for the first time.

Thailand also held a consequential vote for its country, as voters decided the composition of the House of Representatives and cast their ballots in a referendum that would decide whether to draft a new constitution. PM Anutin Charnvirakul, who oversaw a weak interim government with his Bhumjaithai Party in charge, dissolved Thailand’s parliament amid ongoing tensions with Cambodia and threats of a no-confidence vote over unkept promises to coalition partners. For context, the Bhumjaithai Party partnered with the Pheu Thai Party to form the new government in 2023 with the backing of the royalist military establishment, but it collapsed spectacularly after the then-PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from office over an ethics violation. Polls ahead of the election show support for the progressive reformist People’s Party (PP), which is widely popular among young Thais and already has the most seats in parliament. However, their success would not be welcomed by the country’s military and pro-monarchy establishment. Keep in mind, the PP is the third incarnation of the progressive Future Forward Party, which was founded in 2018 before being dissolved by the country’s Constitutional Court in 2020, leading to much protest. Following that, the second incarnation as the Move Forward Party led to its massive gains during the 2023 election, before pro-establishment groups weakened its power from taking charge of parliament, and the Constitutional Court again dissolved it in 2024. Speaking of Thailand’s pro-establishment forces, the referendum also marked the latest battle point between the pro-military royalist establishment and pro-democracy social movements led by groups such as the PP. If a majority of voters vote “Yes” on the question, “Do you approve that there should be a new constitution?” It would give the parliament a public mandate to redraw a new charter, which advocates say is necessary, given that the current military-backed charter has weakened democratic checks and civil liberties in exchange for unchecked power. The current constitution was drafted by a military-appointed committee after a coup in 2014, and was ratified three years later. After the polls closed, the ruling Bhumjaithai Party declared victory after the voting counting process showed a substantial lead over rival opposition parties, meaning Charnvirakul is likely still the country’s leader. This is also a damning moment, as this marked the first time the Thai public had a majority voting for conservatism and the monarchy, rejecting the progressive movement.

The second round of Portugal’s elections was also held on Sunday, pitting the Socialist Party leader, António José Seguro, against the resurgent far-right Chega leader, Andre Ventura. The vote marked the first runoff vote in forty years after no candidate secured a 50% majority this January, and the second round was thrown into chaos earlier this week, with the deadly Storm Leonardo triggering mass floods and evacuation orders. Ventura called for the vote to be postponed for a week, arguing it was “a matter of equality among all Portuguese.” However, the request was not heard, and the election continued as normal. Observers were watching closely for the far-right’s score, even though they were widely seen to lose the election. The Socialists won the election by a landslide, with Seguro winning 66% of the vote with 95% of the votes counted.

Unsurprisingly for Myanmar, its first election since the military coup in 2021 delivered a landslide win for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Many international observers have already denounced Myanmar’s recent “sham” election as neither free nor fair, especially since the country is still in a brutal civil war. In Costa Rica, populist Laura Fernández was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election, marking a win for the governing conservative Sovereign People’s Party and Latin America’s continued rightward shift. Running on a tough-on-crime platform, Fernández was able to capitalize on the incumbent President Rodrigo Chaves’ popularity and reached the threshold needed to win the first round of voting, a feat no candidate has achieved in the country for more than a decade.

Journalistic Mayhem - The Fatal Layoff

Marking the most significant cuts to the Washington Post since billionaire Jeff Bezos bought it, the news outlet engaged in what executive editor Matt Murray called “a broad strategic reset with a significant staff reduction” by laying off more than 300 journalists, one-third of its staff. The new changes see the Post eliminating its sports department, while retaining some of its sports journalists to cover the issue in the features section as a “cultural and societal phenomenon.” Fresh cuts also affect the books section, which will be closed, as well as the newspaper’s local section. The outlet’s international footprint was also mostly wiped out, with reporters only remaining in a dozen locations. Under the layoffs, the Asia editor, its New Delhi bureau chief, its Sydney bureau chief, its Cairo bureau chief, the entire Middle East reporting team, China correspondents, Iran correspondents, and Turkey correspondents are all fired. Peter Finn, the international section’s editor, had requested he be laid off, too, when he heard of the cuts. In a sense of just how bad these cuts are, former Washington Post editor Marty Baron described the changes as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations,” while former senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker called the layoffs a “murder” and the “latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.” A day after the layoffs, Bezos’ other company, Amazon, revealed plans to spend $200 billion on AI, as well as the e-commerce platform earning $213 billion in revenue. On Saturday, the Post’s embattled chief executive and publisher, Will Lewis, stepped down from his role. Lewis, who worked for Rupert Murdoch before being hired by Bezos to run the Post in 2023, oversaw many of the editorial changes and internal controversies within the newspaper. This week, Lewis did not appear in the Zoom call where Murray announced the news of the layoffs. His role is now succeeded by Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the Post as its new CFO last year.

On Friday, the Hong Kong judiciary’s court diary noted that former media mogul Jimmy Lai would be sentenced at 10 am next Monday (9/2) after last year’s conviction on two counts of collusion with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law, and another count of sedition under colonial-era legislation. Lai faced judgment with judges handpicked to oversee national security cases, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment. When the ruling came amid heavy police presence and attendance by foreign diplomats, Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the harshest penalty for national security-related crimes yet. The three High Court judges delivered the verdict to Lai, as well as six senior executives of the Apple Daily newspaper, three associates related to the now-defunct outlet, and two activists. Assuming Lai is not going to be granted a one-third reduction for good behaviour under the national security law, Lai would be released earliest at 2044, which he would be 96-years-old. Eighteen years of Lai’s new national security-related jail term will be added on top of his five-year, nine-month fraud case sentence relating to a lease violation at Apple Daily headquarters, which was handed down in December 2022. Press freedom and human rights groups have criticized the ruling, with Reporters Without Borders stating that “the curtain falls on press freedom in Hong Kong,” the Committee to Protect Journalists arguing that the “egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong,” while Human Rights Watch said the ruling is “effectively a death sentence.” The Chinese and Hong Kong governments are highly likely to dispute such statements. In an opinion article by Legislative Council Dominic Lee for China Daily, a Chinese government mouthpiece, the lawmaker hailed the decision as “a verdict that affirms, with unmistakable clarity, that no individual, regardless of status or background, stands above the law.”

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Full On Racism

Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before Congress as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which avoids a vote by Republicans to hold them in contempt for defying subpoenas related to the testimony. In a Truth Social post, Trump threatened to sue comedian Trevor Noah after he made a joke of his relationship with Epstein and Clinton, writing, “Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!” And in a sense of how poorly the Epstein files were uncovered, some of Epstein’s victims asked a federal judge to shut down the DOJ’s website after some of their names were disclosed, and the government also published dozens of nude photos of young women within the documents. In case you lost the capacity for shock over Trump’s open corruption, Abu Dhabi Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the president’s crypto venture, just four days before the January 2025 inauguration, giving $187 million to the Trump family and another $31 million for Steve Witkoff’s family. A few months later, the Trump administration offered to supply the Sheikh with coveted AI chips, a move the Biden administration was hesitant to do so in fear of China obtaining the same semiconductors. With the ongoing fight between Trump and Harvard, the NYT first reported that the administration had to backtrack on its demand for a $200 million payment from the Ivy League university, just before the president upped the amount to $1 billion. According to the WSJ, a classified whistleblower report on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has stalled within her agency and was locked in a safe because disclosing its contents could cause “grave damage to national security.” After last week’s FBI search and seizure of Fulton County’s 2020 voting records from its election offices, the Georgia county plans to file a lawsuit to challenge the warrant’s legality. The New York Times learned that Gabbard arranged a phone call between Trump and FBI agents after the election center search, which only raised more eyebrows about the motives behind the raid. Meanwhile, Trump called local GOP officials to “take over” and “nationalize” voting in 15 states, claiming the move was to safeguard elections against illegal immigrants from voting during former Deputy Director of the FBI, Dan Bongino’s, podcast. Hinting at fears of Republicans losing power in this year’s midterm election and beyond, Trump said, “If Republicans don’t get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican.” An immigration rights group asked a federal judge to block Trump’s travel ban in 75 countries, saying the administration tried to “evicerate decades of immigration law.” Regarding immigration, a federal judge sided with Democrats to block the administration’s latest limits on lawmakers’ access to ICE facilities, and another judge blocked the government’s stripping of Haitians’ protected status. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said every DHS officer deployed to Minneapolis will be issued a body-worn camera, while reports from the agency of two Venezuelan men being shot earlier this year as “vicious” gang members quickly fell apart in court. Top DOJ officials demoted Ed Martin from most of his responsibilities, demoting a key Trump ally from helping the president’s retribution campaign. On the economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said it would not release the January jobs report as scheduled on Friday, citing the partial government shutdown.

Trump signed a bill approved by the House to fund the government, ending a partial government shutdown. As Trump made sexist remarks and attacked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins’ appearance after she asked a question about the Epstein files, the Clintons reached a deal to appear before the House Oversight Committee for videotaped depositions between February 26th and 27th, staving off a potential contempt vote from Republicans. The Pentagon warned Scouting America to restore “core values” or lose its long-standing partnership with the military, following comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the organization’s decision to allow girls to join, as well as changing its name from the Boy Scouts. In Texas, the Democratic primary for Senate is fired up between two up-and-coming hopefuls, State Representative James Talarico and firebrand Representative Jasmine Crockett. Marking an ugly turn, Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee for Senate last cycle, accused Talarico of allegedly calling him a “mediocre Black man,” which the state representative said was a mischaracterization and he was describing Allred’s campaign and not him personally. Regarding the Federal Reserve, newly nominated Fed chair candidate Kevin Warsh faces a harsh Senate battle as Democrats want the administration to withdraw their criminal investigation into current chair Jerome Powell, while Trump advisor Stephen Miran quit his White House job to continue his job as a Fed Governor. Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl and Puerto Rico artist and Grammy winner Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended platforming the artist amid right-wing criticism, saying, “This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent, and to be able to use this moment to do that. I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.” Meanwhile, Turning Point USA announced it would host its own “All-American Halftime Show,” featuring Kid Rock and other right-leaning artists, while ICE said it is not planning immigration enforcement operations at the Super Bowl event despite previously threatening to do so.

In case Trump’s nationalizing elections comment isn’t worrying enough that the president is trying to interfere in this year’s midterm elections, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon addressed Democrats and said, “We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again. And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.” Border Czar Tom Homan announced DHS was withdrawing about 700 agents from Minneapolis, vowing to roll out body-worn cameras nationwide. During an interview with NBC News, Trump said his administration could use “a softer touch” in its immigration enforcement operations. In a legal win for Democrats, the Supreme Court allowed California to use its new and Democratic-friendly congressional map. Ryan Routh, the man who tried to assassinate Trump when he played golf in Florida in September 2024, was sentenced to life in prison. In an interview with the Daily Mail, JD Vance refused to apologize for smearing Alex Pretti by labeling him an assassin with ill intent. Ending the day with an inexplicable decision, the CIA announced it is retiring the World Factbook, a popular reference manual.

Trump’s main announcement on Thursday was the launch of the TrumpRx website, which allows Americans to buy discounted drugs directly from pharma companies. Hillary Clinton said she would openly testify on Capitol Hill, tagging House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on a social media post and wrote, “You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on.” According to the WSJ, the Office of Personnel Management was set to make it easier to discipline and potentially fire more than 50,000 career government workers. Trump offered a revised account of Gabbard’s sighting at the FBI raid in Georgia, telling the National Prayer Breakfast that “She took a lot of heat two days ago because she went in at Pam’s insistence.” At the same event, Trump rekindled his rant about his post-mortality era, suggesting he “probably should” get into heaven. Kamala Harris partially rebooted her old “Kamala HQ” account as “HQ,” which aims to be “an online organizing project for next generation campaigning.” However, many people were obsessed with the account handle ending in “67,” a reference to last year’s viral meme that the account initially explained was because Elon didn’t allow them to use “headquarters.” They changed the number to “68” after online mockery.

In a disgusting act of racism, Trump posted a video on Truth Social that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes in the 60-second mark of a video, making the bogus claim that the 2020 election was stolen. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt initially said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.” Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, called on the president to take down the post and said it was “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” As the blowback intensified, the White House blamed a staffer for the post before Trump’s Truth Social account removed the post. Trump said “of course” he condemns the racist parts that depicted the Obamas as apes, but refused to apolgize, saying, ”No, I didn’t make a mistake. I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.” In other news, a federal appeals court backed up Trump’s immigration policy of locking up deportees without offering a chance for bond, and the president wanted the Dulles Airport and Penn Station named after him in exchange for releasing federal funds. At the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, JD Vance and his wife were mercilessly booed by the audience after cheering for the entrance of Team USA. Members of Congress will be able to view the unredacted Epstein files starting next week, while Bill Clinton joined his wife’s calls for a public hearing in front of the House Oversight Committee.

Sunday marked the Super Bowl, with Bad Bunny delivering an electrifying performance that focused on pan-American unity and love. Naturally, Trump had bad reviews of the show. On Truth Social, he wrote, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.” With all the chaos going on in the Trump administration, it is important to know that the dam of support is showing cracks. In a call-in session on C-SPAN, a three-time Trump voter apologized for supporting the current president. “I’m a registered Republican. I voted for Trump, but I really want to apologize. I’m looking at this awful picture of the Obamas. What an embarrassment to our country. All this man does is tell lies. He is not worthy of the presidency. He takes bribes blatantly, and now he’s being a racist blatantly,” the man said. “He’s pathetic as a president, and I just want to apologize to everybody in the country for supporting this rotten, rotten man.”

Donroe Delulu - New START Takes A Bow

Amid growing tensions in Iran, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were expected hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday. Behind the scenes, Iran feared a US strike could reignite protests and further threaten their rule. Trump suddenly announced he is lowering tariffs on India after sealing a trade deal, which came as Modi pledged to replace the country’s crude imports from Russia with oil from Venezuela.

On Tuesday, the US Navy shot down an Iranian drone heading towards an American carrier in the Arabian Sea. After the drone was downed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said talks between Washington and Tehran were still expected to be held on Friday. Despite the Trump administration approving Nvidia AI chip sales to China, the State Department has pushed for closer scrutiny, and the sales were stalled by the security review. In an interview with Politico, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said her country could hold new democratic elections in less than a year.

Behind the scenes, US-Iran nuclear talks seem to be faltering. Axios reported Washington told Tehran on Wednesday that it would not agree to its demands to change the location and format of talks planned for Friday. Soon after that, Iran confirmed the talks would take place in Oman on Friday. Trump also held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, hours after the latter called Putin and affirmed deepening ties. During the call, the leaders discussed Iran, the Ukraine war, and soybeans, while a description from Chinese state media emphasized Taiwan as one of the key issues. The Venezuelan government detained two politically connected businessmen close to Maduro, signalling closer ties between the two governments after January’s extraction of the former leader.

Thursday saw the termination of the New START treaty, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Russia that capped the number of operational missiles and warheads between the two nations. A few days before that, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned the world should be alarmed if the treaty expired, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the expiry lands at a “grave moment for international peace and security.” Russia tried to be a responsible actor by asking Trump to voluntarily extend the New START caps, but the US leader declined and said, “We should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.” Weeks after criticizing the deal, Trump backed UK PM Keir Starmer’s Chagos Island deal, but added that he would send in US troops if the deal ever fell apart. In the Americas, Cuba’s leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said his country is open for talks after weeks of Trump threats, while Argentina struck a trade deal with the US that reduced reciprocal tariffs and expanded quotas for key trading goods like Argentine beef. Meanwhile, the US launched another strike on an alleged drug boat, killing two people in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

After a meeting between American and Iranian officials in Oman, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed optimism about the talks, saying a “positive framework regarding the nuclear talks” can be reached. Following Trump’s threats on Greenland, Canada and France plan to open consulates on the island. A month after the Venezuela raid that ousted Nicolas Maduro, Trump brought up the use of a “discombobulator,” claiming that “None of their equipment worked” thanks to the new weapon. However, US officials say Trump might have conflated several capabilities into a single weapon that doesn’t exist. The FBI announced they have arrested a man who was a “key participant” in the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. Trump administration officials have expressed frustration at Machado’s election comments, seeing it as potentially undermining their work with the current regime in Caracas, with one arrogant person saying, “None of this is ‘Operation María Corina Machado.’ It’s ‘Operation U.S. national security,’ which is not tied to her in any way. She’s a spoiler, and she’s working against U.S. national security goals.”

Local News - Port Fight

Last week, Panama’s top court ruled the contract that allowed CK Hutchison’s (Owned by Hong Kong’s richest manm Li Ka-shing) subsidiary, Panama Ports Company (PPC), to run two ports in the Panama Canal was unconstitutional, nullifying its right to operate the two ports. The decision adds uncertainty to the company’s efforts to sell off the facilities to a Western consortium, and delivers a win for Trump’s efforts to rein in Chinese influence in Latin America. It stemmed from lawsuits from 2021 and a government audit in 2025 alleging irregularities, with the unanimous ruling finding the contract had “a disproportionate bias in favor of the company” without “any justification,” and to the “detriment of the State’s treasury.” Moving to this week, CK Hutchison and the PPC took Panama to arbitration on Wednesday, citing a breach of contract by Panama authorities. At the same time, the Chinese government has heavily criticized the ruling. Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office blasted the ruling as “absurd,” “shameful and pathetic,” and “self-sabotaging” to the country’s credibility. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino rejected the Chinese criticism, stating that “Panama is a state governed by the rule of law and respects the decisions of the Judicial Branch, which is independent from the Central Government. The Foreign Ministry will issue a statement on this matter and will adopt the corresponding decisions.” Meanwhile, Beijing has ordered state firms to halt talks over new Panama projects as part of its retaliation against the ruling.

On Thursday, an independent committee investigating last year’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire held its first meeting. Officials say they have “key clues” that point towards “unacceptable” systemic problems, vowing to publicize the results in subsequent hearings. During the hearing, Wang Fuk Court residents were demanding accountability and fair compensation. The committee head, Judge David Lok, said residents are welcome to submit applications to provide evidence by mid-February. Meanwhile, after the chaotic rollout of the public transit seat belt law that resulted in the government pausing its enactment last weekend, authorities repealed the law requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts with subsidiary legislation, which came after they found out it only applied to vehicles registered since late January.

In other political news, a task force led by Chief Executive John Lee will formulate the city’s first five-year plan that aligns with China’s national blueprint. The ​​Hong Kong Federation of Students, a student union coalition known for its activism, has disbanded after 68 years, citing “increasing pressure.”

Tech Turmoil - Musk’s Corporate Mania

Billionaire Elon Musk officially merged his space exploration company, SpaceX, and AI firm xAI on Monday, in an all-stock deal valued at $1.25 trillion. Following weeks of speculation about the move, the new deal values SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $25 billion, with Musk saying the acquisition aims to create a vertically integrated innovation engine.

A day later, the Paris prosecutor’s office’s cybercrime ​unit and Europol conducted a search of X’s office as part of an investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and illicit data extraction that opened in January 2025, which has broadened to look into complicity and possession of child pornography. Musk accused the move of being a “political attack” after French officials summoned him for a “voluntary interview,” which the French Response Twitter account (Run by the French government) replied, “Investigating child sexual abuse material isn’t controversial. Turning it into political theater is manipulation. Maybe that logic flies on some island. Doesn’t fly in France.” At the same time, Musk called Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez a “tyrant” for proposing a ban on social media for under-16s, following similar moves by Australia and France.

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Kyiv, Ukraine:

Just days after Vladimir Putin “agreed” to a Trump-proposed deal that would pause strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, accused Russia of violating the truce by carrying out a massive and “deliberate” attack as Kyiv experienced temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius. In a new threat to Europe, the FT reported that Russian spy spacecraft have intercepted communications of at least a dozen key European satellites. Xi held a phone call with Putin on Wednesday, telling the Russian leader that relations were on the “right trajectory” and there should be a “grand plan” to further develop ties. EU special envoy David O’Sullivan said Western sanctions are having a “significant impact” on the Russian economy, admitting sanctions are not a “silver bullet.” Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the war, Zelensky said 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war, while talks between Moscow and Kyiv agreed to exchange 157 prisoners of war, but no breakthrough on ending the war. But in good news for Kyiv, Russian forces reported losing their Starlink satellite internet, reportedly after a request by the Ukrainian side. On Friday, a general serving as the deputy head of Russian military intelligence was shot and wounded by an attacker who fled the scene afterwards. A day later, Zelensky said the US has set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement that would end the war, before adding he has intelligence that Russia is proposing huge economic deals with the US.

Dateline Gaza, Palestine:

On Monday, Gaza’s key Rafah Crossing finally reopened for limited traffic, allowing some Palestinians to travel to Egypt as part of the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. However, Israeli strikes did not stop, with a Wednesday strike killing 19 Palestinians, including women and children, after Israel claimed Hamas had violated the ceasefire deal. Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers who compose the group’s entire team on Israel and Palestine have resigned, following the NGO’s leadership decision to block a report that argued Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees’ right to return as a “crime against humanity.” On the same Tuesday, a French investigating magistrate summoned two French-Israeli nationals in relation to “complicity in genocide,” accused of blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Dateline London, UK:

A day after Peter Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party over his relationship with Epstein, we learned from the recently unveiled files that he had shared market-sensitive information with the disgraced financier when he was business minister in 2009, at the height of responding to the 2008 financial crisis. UK PM Keir Starmer said Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords, as the Labour Party revealed the Lord was facing disciplinary action before he resigned his membership. In addition, royal families in the UK and Norway are facing questions about their ties with Epstein, including Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. On Tuesday, Mandelson stepped down from the House of Lords, hours after Starmer referred the Epstein dossier to police. Former PM Gordon Brown had contacted the Met Police with “relevant information” over Mandelson’s contact with Epstein, which involves the disclosure of sensitive government information. Wednesday saw Starmer preparing to publish key documents relating to his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US, explaining the choice by pointing out he “lied repeatedly” over his links with Epstein and lashing out at the former cabinet officer’s betrayal of the country. Mandelson was also revealed to have tried to secure Epstein a last-minute Russian visa through Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch who is nicknamed a “friend of Putin.” Amid the brewing Mandelson saga, Starmer’s political position is also in jeopardy, with Labor MPs hinting at a leadership challenge against the current PM. This comes as the PM admitted for the first time that he knew Mandelson had kept ties with Epstein after conviction, before appointing him as US ambassador. On Thursday, Starmer apologized to the Epstein victims, saying, “None of us knew the depth and darkness of that relationship,” but stressing he is not going to resign. Meanwhile, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moved out of the royal lodge and was sent to the King’s private estate in Sandringham. On Sunday, Starmer’s Chief of Staff and close ally, Morgan McSweeney, announced his resignation, saying that “After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself.”

Dateline Paris, France:

Prosecutors demanded that an appeals court maintain a five-year ban on the far-right National Rally leader, Marine Le Pen, from holding public office over embezzling EU funds, which would effectively bar her from running in the 2027 presidential election, an election her party is likely to win. Meanwhile, France began an investigation into former Culture Minister Jack Lang over his Epstein links and alleged “laundering of tax fraud proceeds.” Although Lang denied wrongdoing, he resigned as president of the Arab World Institute.

Dateline Kennedy Space Center, USA:

The Artemis II mission, which aims to send astronauts around the moon and back again for the first time in decades, suffered another delay after initially preparing a rocket launch as early as next week. During the elaborate “wet dress rehearsal” process, engineers detected a liquid hydrogen leak coming from the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, as well as a problem with a valve related to the Orion capsule that will carry the astronauts during the journey. The launch date is postponed to March.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Exclusive: Hong Kong declines to confirm if formerly sanctioned UK MPs can enter city, after PM says China travel ban lifted

Japan: She’s Upending Japanese Politics With Two Words: ‘I’m Pregnant’ - The New York Times

Iran: ‘The game is over’: Critics of Iranian regime seize on killings to push for change

Iran: Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi handed further prison sentence, lawyer says

Iran: Iran arrests leading reformist politicians

Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator, killed in attack

Business: Stocks hit historic milestone as Dow crosses 50,000 points for first time ever

Business: Disney Names Theme Parks Chief Josh D’Amaro as New CEO, Succeeding Bob Iger - WSJ ​​

Crypto: Bitcoin falls below $65,000 to wipe out ‘Trump rally’

AI: Big Tech’s ‘breathtaking’ $660bn spending spree reignites AI bubble fears

AI: Inside Musk’s bet to hook users that turned Grok into a porn generator

Sports: Winter Olympics 2026 guide: All you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games

Sports: ‘We are all connected’: Winter Olympics opening ceremony stresses harmony and showcases Italy

Sports: Lindsey Vonn injured, in stable condition after crash in Olympic women’s downhill - The Athletic

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

New Yorker: Gavin Newsom Is Playing the Long Game | The New Yorker

FP: NATO Chief Mark Rutte Is Totally Lost in Dealing With Trump ​​

Vox: Minnesota shows how Donald Trump’s ego might just save democracy | Vox

NYT: Attempt to Drill Through Thwaites Glacier Is Foiled - The New York Times

Economist: China’s opacity brings Pekingology back into vogue

FT: Putin isn’t really winning. Europe needs to make that clear ​

Politico: What You’re Getting Wrong About China and AI

Bloomberg: How Japan’s Iron Lady Learned to Spend Boldly and Challenge China

Guardian: Revealed: private jet owned by Trump friend used by ICE to deport Palestinians to West Bank | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) | The Guardian

FT: A world without nuclear arms control begins this week

NYT: The Olympics Are a Show Of Global Harmony. The World is Anything But. - The New York Times

Atlantic: How Autocrats Meddle With Elections - The Atlantic

Le Monde: Najannguaq Hegelund, Greenland’s tireless activist for the Inuit cause

Rest of World: What it takes to get an H-1B visa in Trump’s America

New Yorker: What a “Melania” Cinematographer Hoped to Accomplish | The New Yorker

Economist: In America science-sceptics are now in charge

CNN: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif wants to fight – but only in the ring. She’s prepared to take a test to do so | CNN

Foreign Affairs: The Predatory Hegemon | Foreign Affairs

NYT: Mayor Mamdani and the Taxi Driver - The New York Times

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

World: As global press freedom dwindles, corrupt politicians rejoice

World: How democracies are using autocratic tools to muzzle journalism

USA: Washington Post to make ‘significant’ cuts | Semafor

USA: How Jeff Bezos Brought Down the Washington Post | The New Yorker

USA: The Washington Post Dies in Daylight - by Jonathan V. Last

USA: The Murder of The Washington Post - The Atlantic

USA: Jeff Bezos gutted the Washington Post. Can he revive it?

USA: He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years - The New York Times

USA: The Washington Post Eliminates Its Sports Department - The New York Times ​​

USA: DOJ Failed to Address Press Law in Application to Search Washington Post Reporter’s Home - The New York Times

USA: MAGA vs. MAGA: Who’s Winning the Right Wing Media Meltdown

USA: Why The Times Is Expanding Its Supreme Court Coverage

Iran: Iranian photojournalist shares unseen images of Tehran protests

Russia: ‘Enemy’ insults and questioning Putin: Steve Rosenberg on tightrope of reporting from Russia

France: France faces a crossfire of Russian and American disinformation

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Feb 7, 2026: Brief history of policy reversals; Epstein’s Hong Kong friends

China: Rights group decries detention of Chinese investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao

Palestine: A Day for Gaza | The Nation

Palestine: What Gaza’s Photographers Have Seen | The Nation ​​

AI: AI ‘slop’ is transforming social media - and a backlash is brewing

Substack: Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters

Amid growing discontent in Minnesota after the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote a letter to the state’s governor, Tim Walz, seeking federal government access to Minnesota’s voter rolls and public assistance data in exchange for helping to “bring back law and order.” At the same time, Republicans tried and failed to pin the narrative that Pretti had confronted ICE agents 11 days before his murder as some sort of justification. Trump said he is sending Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota on Monday, writing on social media that “Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.” Soon after, it was confirmed that Border Patrol “commander at large” Greg Bovino would leave Minnesota along with some fellow agents, and the DHS has suspended his access to his social media accounts. The move shows signs of Trump’s shifting approach away from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s aggressive federal crackdown, and lost confidence in Bovino, a day after he claimed the agents who shot Pretti. Moreover, The Atlantic reported that Bovino has lost his job as the “commander at large,” and will return to his former role in El Centro, California, before announcing his retirement. In a report by NBC News, a DHS spokesperson said there is body-worn camera video from the Pretti shooting. After a call between Trump and Walz, the Minnesota governor agreed to consider reducing federal forces in the state, moments before the White House eased its tone on the killing by saying Trump “does not want any Americans to lose their lives.” Behind the scenes, GOP lawmakers have raised concerns to the president about the political implications of the Minnesota crackdown, while Trump was already dissatisfied with his goons failing spectacularly at spinning a counter-narrative to the already viral videos of Pretti’s deaths filmed at different angles. Most notably, Chris Madel, a lawyer for the immigration officer who shot Renee Good, announced he is dropping out of the Minnesota governorship race as a Republican. He told the WSJ, “I can’t look my daughters in the eye and say I’m running as a Republican, when they’re pulling over Hispanics and Asians because of the color of their skin and what they look like. I did not sign up for that.” All of this happens in the backdrop of growing dissatisfaction from the American people against Trump’s immigration crackdown, which was one of the president’s best issues for years. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 39% of Americans approve of what Trump is doing on immigration (Down from 41% last month), while 53% disapprove. On other US politics headlines, Trump impeachment witness during his first case over Ukraine, Alexander Vindman, announced he is running for Senate in Florida.

Federal agents have begun leaving Minnesota after weeks of unrest and brave resistance from local Minneostans, with Trump saying his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in its operations in the state. Behind the scenes, Axios reported that Stephen Miller was behind the misleading claim that Pretti wanted to “massacre” immigration agents, while DHS told Congress that two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed Pretti. Just in case you think ICE isn’t doing enough to ruin America’s reputation in the world, someone from the Trump regime had the great idea of letting ICE agents help with security for the US delegation at the Winter Olympics in Italy. After confirmation from the US Embassy in Rome, Milan’s city mayor pushed back on the decision, “This is a militia that kills. It’s a militia that enters people’s homes by signing permits for themselves. … It’s clear that they’re not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about that.” A federal judge blocked the deportation of a 5-year-old and his father after they were detained in Minnesota last week by immigration agents. Minnesota Chief Federal Judge Patrick Schiltz demanded that Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons appear in court, threatening contempt if he does not come by Friday to explain why detainees have been denied due process. One person who won’t receive repercussions amid the controversy is Noem, whom Trump defended and stated she won’t step down despite pressure from Democrats and Republicans calling for her to go. Seemingly talking against the Second Amendment, Trump said to reporters, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns.” Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has been a vocal critic of the Pretti shooting, called for the Border Patrol agents involved in the murder to be put on leave. In the latest horrifying display of political violence, a man attacked progressive Minnesota congresswoman and Trump foe, Ilhan Omar, with an unknown substance at a town hall she was hosting. FBI director Kash Patel said it will launch a criminal investigation into Minneapolis activists following a post from a right-wing influencer about anti-ICE Signal chats, which he announced on another far-right influencer’s podcast. In Arizona, a 34-year-old man with an alleged criminal history was shot near the US-Mexico border in an incident involving Border Patrol agents. In a mixed day for Democrats, a Virginia state court blocked a redistricting plan that would have given them more seats in the House of Representatives, while the party also won two Minnesota special elections that brought the state House back to a tie. Meanwhile, the US has officially withdrawn from the Paris Agreement. On the same day, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced the world is closer than ever to destruction, with the Doomsday Clock now set at 85 seconds to midnight.

Continuing the “de-escalation” campaign, the two Border Patrol agents involved in Pretti’s shooting were placed on administrative leave. However, nobody knows the identity of the shooters, including Governor Walz, who said he still did not know who they were during an interview with The Bulwark. ICE’s lawlessness also extended to Ecuador’s consulate in Minneapolis, in which an ICE agent tried to enter the building but was turned back by an employee, leading to a complaint to the US embassy in Quito. On the legal front, Schiltz criticized ICE for violating more than 100 court orders in January alone, Trump lawyers tried to justify in another case that the surge in federal agents was a legitimate exercise of government power, and another federal judge blocked the Trump regime from detaining refugees in Minnesota. Bruce Springsteen released a new anti-ICE song, saying it was a response to “the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis.” The FBI executed a “court-authorized law enforcement action,” aka a warrant, on the main elections office at Fulton County, Georgia, over an investigation into the 2020 election. What alarmed Georgia lawmakers even more was the involvement of the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who had an overt and unexplained appearance. During a celebration of “Trump Accounts” for newborn children, the president was joined by rapper Nicki Minaj, who proclaimed herself as “his number one fan” and said Trump gave her the $1 million “Gold Card” visa for free.

In a press conference, Homan vowed his immigration enforcement team is working on making the operation “safer, more efficient, by the book.” This comes as ICE officers were directed not to interact with “agitators” in Minnesota. On the business side of the immigration crackdown, companies like Palantir and Deloitte have reaped in $22 billion thanks to government contracts with ICE and CBP. Senator Amy Klobuchar officially launched her bid for Minnesota governor, pledging unity in her press conference by saying, “These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state.” Meanwhile, Walz said he will never seek elected office again. In Congress, Senate Democrats blocked a GOP funding bill that would fund DHS, prompting more backdoor negotiations. Senate Democrats later made a deal with the White House to avoid a partial shutdown and fund DHS for two weeks, so more time can be made to discuss Democrats’ demands on reining in ICE. House Republicans unveiled their new election reform bill, dubbed the Make Elections Great Again Act, which would mandate long-sought requirements such as presenting a photo ID for voting and citizenship verification to register to vote. Trump sued the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10 billion, citing his tax returns being disclosed to the media in 2019 and 2020. The DOJ filed federal charges against Anthony Kazmierczak, the man who sprayed Congresswoman Omar with apple cider vinegar from a syringe, which comes as Trump claimed Omar staged the whole attack.

In a shocking attack on the First Amendment and press freedom, former CNN anchor turned independent reporter, Don Lemon, was arrested on Thursday evening on federal civil rights crimes while covering a protest in a Minnesota church earlier this year. The move revived a case that was rejected by a magistrates’ judge last week. Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the journalist will “fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court” and defended her client’s “constitutionally protected” work. CNN, Lemon’s former employer, also issued a statement defending the journalist and press freedom, “The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ’s attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable. We will be following this case closely.” Lemon was released on Friday without bail, declaring he would not be silenced and “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now.” Buried in the news is that Georgia Fort, an independent journalist, was also arrested by masked federal agents for reporting on the church protest. Deputy AG Todd Blanche said the DOJ was releasing three million additional pages of documents, as well as 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images, adding that they have completed their review of the Epstein files. The new documents include allegations of Trump’s misconduct, with one of which stated, “Reported an unidentified female friend who was forced to perform oral sex on President Trump… She was approximately 13-14 years old.” The DOJ removed the documents mentioning Trump minutes later. Blanche added that the DOJ has opened a federal civil rights probe into Pretti’s death. On the economy, Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, a central bank insider-turned-critic, to replace Jerome Powell as the new Fed chair. The Senate passed the bill that would fund most of the government and buy more time for debating accountability measures for immigration enforcement, but the country still went into a partial shutdown since the House will not reconvene until next Monday. House Speaker Mike Johnson is confident that the bill passed in the Senate will receive a fast-track approval in the House, but it will require help from the Democrats.

Continuing to deal with the consequences of Operation Metro Surge, a Biden-appointed federal judge rejected a bid by Minnesota’s state and local officials to halt the ongoing campaign, while another federal judge ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, leading to their return to Minneapolis the next day. The FBI said it is leading the investigation into Pretti’s death, as the NYT reported that Bovino had mocked the US attorney in Minnesota’s Jewish faith with his lawyers in an unsettling conversation. ProPublica revealed the immigration agents responsible for Pretti’s death, Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. Bad Bunny made Grammy history as the first artist to win album of the year with an album all sung in Spanish, and before his performance in the Super Bowl, he said, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out, We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.” Billie Elish echoed a similar message, “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land. And, yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and fuck ICE.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies said DHS should be “dramatically reformed,” as many Democrats have called for the abolishment of ICE. Amid the growing and damning revelations from the new batch of Epstein files, Democrats from the House Judiciary Committee have asked the DOJ to have full access to the Epstein case files, while Blanche announced the prosecutors’ review of the sex-trafficking case “is over.” Months after renaming the Kennedy Center into the “Trump Kennedy Center,” the president announced the institution would close for a two-year renovation. In a surprising win for Democrats, Taylor Rehmet defeated his Republican opponent in a special election runoff for the Texas Senate, located in a district that favored President Trump by 18 points in 2024. Finally, the week ended with The New Yorker estimating that Trump has profited $4 billion from his presidency one year into his second term.

Donroe Delulu - Dialing Up Iran

On Iran, Trump claimed “They want to make a deal” after weeks of threats against the Tehran regime, and with the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region. It comes as testimony from medics and graveyard staff alleges a cover-up by the state to conceal its systemic killing of protesters, with estimates rising to 30,000 dead. Trump received multiple US intelligence reports on Iran, reflecting the protests that began last year had fundamentally shaken the Tehran regime and were weakening its position. Flexing its military might, the US announced on Tuesday that it is holding multi-day military drills in the Middle East. A day later, Trump made renewed threats about the “armada” heading towards Iran, warning it was larger than the one sent to Venezuela before capturing Maduro. The Wednesday post urged Iran’s leadership to “Come to the Table” and negotiate a deal, claiming “The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.” Reuters reported that Trump was considering targeted strikes on security forces and leaders in a bid to inspire more protests, with attacks on nuclear or missile programs also being considered. As warnings of a “regional war” continue to grow, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country is open to “fair and equitable” talks with the US.

Pushing back against Trump, Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Monday she has had “enough” of Washington’s orders. Then on Tuesday, family members of two Trinidadian men killed in an alleged drug boat strike last October sued the US government, alleging wrongful death and extrajudicial killings in the first of its kind lawsuit against the Trump administration. In a tense Senate hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared that Venezuela’s interim government will share its monthly budget with the US, while Democrats questioned Qatar’s role in managing money from an account that is funded by the Latin American nation’s oil sales. On Thursday, Rodriguez signed an overhaul to the country’s oil industry, opening the door to privatization after decades of state control.

In other geopolitical chaos, Trump also decided to raise tariffs on South Korea to 25%, accusing the country’s legislature of “not living up to” the agreement signed between Seoul and Washington last year. The US Embassy in Copenhagen removed flags honoring fallen Danish soldiers outside the building, angering veterans who are close allies with America. As Trump threatened more tariffs on Canada, administration officials met with Alberta separatists, which was described by British Columbia Premier David Eby as “treason.”

War Watch - Pause Firing At Energy Centers

On the Ukraine war, Washington signaled it would give Kyiv more security guarantees if its forces agreed to a peace deal that would involve conceding the Donbas region to Moscow, a key Russian demand. According to a new study, the troop casualties on both sides in the Ukraine war are nearly 2 million people, a month before the war enters its fourth anniversary. A civilian passenger train was struck by Russian missiles in northeastern Ukraine, killing five people. On Thursday, Trump suddenly announced Putin had agreed not to strike Kyiv for a week, as Russian forces continued to attack energy infrastructure during a cold snap. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had agreed to Trump’s request to halt strikes against Ukrainian cities, but Ukraine pointed out that there was no official deal to stop Moscow from targeting energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the “efforts in favour of a truce,” with Merz condemning “the systematic and brutal destruction of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure by Russian attacks.” Zelensky then proposed a “least problematic solution” to the disputed territorial issue, daring Putin to visit Kyiv while rejecting Russia’s proposal for him to meet the Russian leader in Moscow. Over the weekend, a Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian bus killed 12 people, wounding seven more.

Israel’s military confirmed it has retrieved and identified the remains of the final hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, clearing the way for the next phase of the ceasefire. Moving to strengthen its relationship with the US, Israel said it was ready for negotiations related to a new 10-year security deal. On Tuesday, thousands of school kits and materials were allowed to enter Gaza for the first time in two-and-a-half years. In peace talks, Hamas seeks to incorporate police officers and civil servants into the US-backed Palestinian administration in Gaza. Then on Friday, the Israeli government announced it would reopen the Rafah Crossing on Sunday, while South Africa and Israel expelled each other’s top diplomats in an escalating row that began over the Gaza war. After years of claims that the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll figures were unreliable propaganda, the Israeli military accepted that about 70,000 Palestinians were killed during the nearly two-year-long Gaza war.

European Mayhem - Starmer Visits Beijing

French lawmakers in the lower house of the National Assembly passed a bill that would ban social media for under-15s, a move backed by the country’s President Emmanuel Macron. Lawmakers voted 116-23 in favor before moving it to the Senate, paving the way to block young teenagers from using apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Ironically, Macron celebrated the vote as a “major step,” in of all places, Twitter… A French ban follows in the footsteps of an Australian social media ban for young people, which took effect last December. Meanwhile, ex-senator Joel Guerriau went on trial over allegedly spiking lawmaker Sandrine Josso’s champagne with MDMA in November 2023 to sexually abuse her. Guerriau denied the allegations, and the case has resonated with the French public following the 2024 conviction of Dominique Pelicot, who was found guilty of repeatedly drugging his wife Gisèle and inviting men to rape her. Guerriau was found guilty the next day and sentenced to four years in prison. By Tuesday evening, France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived the latest no-confidence vote attempts to oust him over the country’s embattled finances, marking one agonizing step towards securing a budget for the year. Days later, Lecornu forced his final budget through Parliament without a vote for the third and final time on Friday, prompting the far-left and far-right parties to file no-confidence motions against him.

For the EU, the bloc announced a landmark trade deal after more than two decades of on-and-off talks on Tuesday. The trade deal eliminates up to €4bn worth of tariffs and will phase out or reduce levies on cars, alcohol, and machinery while protecting the agricultural sector. The announcement came after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa visited New Delhi and met India’s PM Narendra Modi and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal. Europe also opened a major probe into Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok. The move comes after weeks of growing international condemnation over the chatbot’s generation of sexualized images of women and minors without their consent, including a barrage of digitally undressed images in response to users’ requests.

In the UK, former home secretary and immigration hardliner Suella Braverman announced she has defected to Reform UK, becoming the populist party’s eighth MP and the latest prominent Tory to jump ship from the Conservatives. During Monday’s event, Braverman said, “I feel like I’ve come home,” justifying her move by arguing, “Loyalty demands honesty and honesty compels me to say this: today Britain is indeed broken. She is suffering. She is not well.” Meanwhile, the Labour Party was up in arms after last weekend’s decision to block the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, from standing in an upcoming by-election. UK PM and Labour leader Keir Starmer said the move would “avoid an unnecessary mayoral election,” though many believe the decision stems from Burnham’s ambitions to mount a leadership challenge if he becomes an MP. Domestic news aside, Starmer left for Beijing for a three-day visit. Before arriving in China, the UK leader said he wants “a comprehensive and consistent approach to China,” and not transitioning “from golden age to ice age.” On Thursday, Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi stated that “China stands ready to work with the UK to foster a long-term and stable comprehensive strategic partnership,” while Starmer said it was “far too long” since the last visit by a British PM to the country. Soon enough, Starmer announced that UK citizens will be able to enjoy visa-free travel to China for 30 days, while Beijing lifted sanctions on several MPs critical of the Chinese government. Trump was unhappy about Starmer’s meeting, telling reporters, “Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that, and it’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China.” Starmer defended his visit, saying the remarks were addressed to Ottawa and not London. As Starmer then took the trip to Japan, he called on Andrew Mounbatten-Windsor to testify in the US Congress over his relationship with Epstein, a day after the new release of the Epstein files featured a photo of Andrew kneeling on all fours over a female on the ground. By Sunday, Peter Mandelson resigned from Labour to prevent “further embarrassment” from his Epstein connections, as the new documents show the disgraced financier sending $75,000 to accounts linked to the senior official.

On other European news, the Netherlands has a new minority coalition government after the Christian Democrats and the VVD joined the D66 party, three months after the centrist party’s shock win. Budapest’s Mayor Gergely Karácsony was charged for calling on people to defy Hungary’s Pride ban, marking the latest crackdown on opposition against PM Victor Orban’s authoritarian agenda. The EU labelled Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, sanctioning 15 officials over the brutal protest crackdown. ​​

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Hong Kong to suspend bus seat belt rules over ‘deficiencies’ in law ​​

Hong Kong: Panama court kicks Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison out of canal ports

Hong Kong: Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional Mainland Affairs, resigns citing cancer risk

China: Stable genius? How a defective ‘crying horse’ toy went viral in China

Japan: Snow and freezing cold may shape outcome of Japan’s snap general election

South Korea: South Korea’s ex-first lady jailed 20 months for bribery

South Korea: Mexico president asks South Korea for more BTS concerts

Canada: ‘I’m not above taking credit’: Carney jokes he stood up to U.S., ‘greenlit’ ‘Heated Rivalry’

Iran: ‘We all know someone who was killed’: Iran protesters describe personal toll of crackdown

Iran: ‘Don’t take us to a hospital’: Iran protesters treated in secret to avoid arrest

Education: Yale Offers Free Tuition to Families With Incomes Under $200,000

Business: Elon Musk says Tesla ending Models S and X production

Business: Iger Has Told Associates He Plans to Leave CEO Role Before Contract Expires - WSJ

Business: Apple sales surge 16% on ‘staggering’ iPhone demand

Business: Meta’s record sales boost shares 10% despite massive spending plans

Business: Microsoft shrugs off AI bubble fears again with strong financial results

Tech: French MPs demand explanation over tech firm’s contract to help ICE in US

Tech: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is Said to Consider Merger With Tesla or xAI - Bloomberg

Tech: California governor Gavin Newsom accuses TikTok of suppressing content critical of Trump

Tech: Tiktok settles social media addiction lawsuit ahead of trial

AI: The $100 Billion Megadeal Between OpenAI and Nvidia Is on Ice - WSJ

AI: Inside an AI start-up’s plan to scan and dispose of millions of books ​​

Science: Eiffel Tower to honor 72 women scientists for posterity

Obituary: Catherine O’Hara, actor known for Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, dies aged 71

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Economist: Immigration agents have become Donald Trump’s personal posse

Time: After 54 Years, Astronauts Are Going Back to the Moon | TIME

New Yorker: What MAGA Can Teach Democrats About Organizing—and Infighting

FT: How Nato is preparing for war in the Arctic

Economist: China fears a flood of unemployed workers in rural areas

Bloomberg: The World Is Drowning in Tourists. Who Should Pay the Price?

Atlantic: Hillary Clinton: MAGA’s War on Empathy - The Atlantic

NYMag: Your Friendly Neighborhood Resistance

WSJ: Why China Cares About Being Cool All of a Sudden - WSJ

Bloomberg: China’s Middle East Moment Is Stalling Out

Vox: The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is a grim turning point | Vox

WaPo: Jeff Landry is Trump’s envoy to Greenland. He wants to celebrate gumbo.

FT: Xi Jinping’s purge of top general sends China’s military into uncharted waters

Bulwark: Our Gettysburg Moment - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark

Wired: He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive | WIRED

Economist: Lots of world leaders are attacking Europe. Why?

Atlantic: Yes, It’s Fascism - The Atlantic

FT: Trump is the wrong answer to the right questions

NYMag: Donald Trump: ‘The Superhuman President’

Economist: Xi Jinping is immensely powerful. Why can’t he stamp out corruption?

FP: Trump Is Pandering to China as Beijing Threatens U.S. Allies

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon Over Minnesota Church Protest - The New York Times

USA: Tucker Carlson’s Nationalist Crusade | The New Yorker

USA: Bari Weiss to CBS News staff: Without a shift in strategy, “we are toast.” - The Washington Post

USA: MAGA-Curious CBS Boss Bari Weiss Dangles Buyouts Speech Daring Staffers to Quit

USA: Amazon’s $35 Million ‘Melania’ Promotion Has Critics Questioning Its Motives - The New York Times

USA: ‘Melania’ Review - by Sonny Bunch - The Bulwark

USA: All the President’s Bozos - by Jonathan V. Last

USA: Barry Diller Told Warner Discovery He’s Interested in Buying CNN

USA: FCC Chairman Responds to Jimmy Kimmel on Equal Time Rule Change

USA: Are people really going to see Amazon’s $75m Melania documentary?

UK: Older women ‘disappear’ from BBC presenting roles, internal review finds

Ukraine: ‘Frontline journalism and filmmaking as we know it is dead’ — documenting the war in Ukraine

Azerbaijan: European court rules Azerbaijan prosecuted Khadija Ismayilova in retaliation for journalism - Committee to Protect Journalists

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Jan 31, 2026: Democrats outside bars; lawmaker in hot water

India: Mark Tully spoke to Indians as one of them

Kicking off Greenland week with a deranged message from Trump to Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre, the US leader linked his country’s not giving him the Nobel Prize with the island he intends to annex. In a text, Trump said, “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.” In a Monday press conference, UK PM Keir Starmer warned the Greenland row is serious, adding that the tariff war is “completely wrong” and not in anyone’s interest. Telling NBC News that he would “100%” follow through with the European tariff plan, Trump would not say whether he would use force to seize Greenland. Meanwhile, Sky News reported that Trump admitted to Starmer during last Sunday’s phone call that he might be misinformed about the motivation behind European nations deploying troops to Greenland.

As more Danish troops landed in Greenland amid rising tensions, Trump told reporters, “We have ‌to have it (Greenland). They ​have to have this done. ‍They can’t protect it, Denmark.” After a “very good telephone call” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the US leader confirmed he will hold talks with European leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. On Truth Social, Trump leaked a private text message from French President Emmanuel Macron, who wrote, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” right before doubling down on his stupid position by posting memes of the US acquiring Greenland. Trump also leaked a text message from Rutte, who flattered the president on his successes. Ahead of the Davos summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent openly mocked Europe’s ability to conjure up a forceful response to new US tariffs, joking that the bloc would rather form “the dreaded European working group” than rapid decisions. At the same time, the dollar fell sharply, and stock futures in the US wiped out their 2026 gains before the markets opened. (After the markets opened on Tuesday, the Dow tumbled by more than 850 points) Back in Davos, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen opposed the Greenland takeover hours after Trump said there is “no going back” from the move, vowing the European response to be “unflinching, united and proportional” if necessary. Belgium’s PM Bart De Wever went further, telling the World Economic Forum conference that “The idea of appeasing Trump has reached its endpoint. We have to call his bluff now. We cannot back down.” Macron said Europe’s attachments to national sovereignty and independence are “not an old-fashioned” way to live, blasting the “endless accumulation of new tariffs” as “fundamentally unacceptable.”Joking that “It’s time of peace, stability, and predictability,” which prompted laughter from the audience, Macron ended a Q&A session by stressing, “Let’s not open Pandora’s box or new topics. And it’s not a time for new imperialism or new colonialism. This is a time of cooperation in order to fix these three global challenges for our fellow citizens.” In a useless attempt to cool tensions, Bessent told Europe to “sit back,” “take a deep breath,” and “not retaliate.” California’s Governor Gavin Newsom was also at the summit, attacking European leaders for their “complicity” in not standing up to Trump. Newsom added, “People rolling over. I should have brought kneepads for all the world leaders … this is pathetic.” Making an even blunter statement on the current situation, Canada’s Mark Carney said the “rules-based international order” is effectively dead. Carney stated, “Stop invoking the ‘rules-based international order’ as though it still functions as advertised. Call it what it is: a period where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as a weapon of coercion. We shouldn’t allow the rise of hard power to blind us to the fact that the power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules will remain strong — if we choose to wield them together.” Out of the spotlight, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told the country’s parliament, “As Europe, if anyone starts a trade war against us, which I really cannot recommend, we must of course respond. We are compelled to do so.” In the European parliament, a Danish MEP told Trump bluntly, “fuck off.” Greenland’s PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen stressed “international law is not a game,” warning NATO would collapse and alliances would fail. “It would be bad,” Nielsen said. As anti-US protests grew in Greenland in recent days, bright red baseball caps mocking the US have grown in popularity, with the slogan “Make America Go Away” making a playful twist to the “Make America Great Again” slogan used by many Trump supporters. In other foreign policy news, Trump said the UK’s Chagos Islands deal was an “act of great stupidity,” despite the administration supporting the move just months ago.

Before heading off to Davos, Trump responded to a reporter’s questions on how far he will go on Greenland by saying, “You’ll find out.” This comes hours after Trump said on Truth Social that NATO would “have been in the ash heap of history” if not for him. The Air Force One headed for Davos was forced to turn around after a “minor electrical issue,” which landed safely, and the president boarded a different aircraft after that. In the UK, Starmer said he “will not yield” to Trump’s pressure over Greenland, marking his strongest remarks on the issue in recent days. Back in Davos, Trump delivered a low-energy speech touting US economic success to its “friends and a few enemies.” Attacking Europe as “not heading in the right direction,” the president bragged that people are doing “very well” and are “very happy with me.” Moving away from touting about affordability and Elon Musk’s DOGE scheme, Trump claimed Venezuela will make more money in the next six months than it has made in the last 20 years. “The attack ended, and they said let’s make a deal,” Trump said. “More people should do that.” Bragging that the US is “leading China by a lot” on AI, Trump claimed, “I think President Xi respects what we’ve done.” On energy, Trump said the US is “going heavy into nuclear” despite his personal skepticism, attacking the UK for not drilling in the North Sea and China’s wind power strategy. Then, he brought up Greenland after joking he was going to leave the topic out of his speech. “I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark, tremendous respect. But every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory. And the fact is, no nation or a group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States.” Lashing out that the US should have taken Greenland after WWII, Trump made the extraordinary claim that “This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere. That’s our territory.” As a matter of national security that the US alone could protect, Trump announced that he seeks immediate negotiations to acquire the island from an “ungrateful” Denmark. Offering an illusion of false hope, Trump claimed he would “not use force on Greenland.” Turning to NATO, the US leader threatened, “We won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive force; we’d be unstoppable, but we won’t do that.” Ukraine is Europe’s problem, according to Trump. “The United States is very far away. We have a big, beautiful ocean separating us,” the US leader said. “We have nothing to do with it, until I came along.” Making an even more alarming threat, Trump said he would tariff Europe to oblivion: “We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it. We’ve never asked for anything else, and we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn’t. So they have a choice. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.” Aside from then joking about Macron’s “beautiful sunglasses” that he had to wear due to an eye condition and bringing up Mark Rutte’s “daddy” comment last year, Trump claimed Canada “lives” because of the US and pointed to the Canadian PM, warning, “Remember that, Mark.” Pivoting to domestic economics by discussing home ownership and interest rates in the country, the US president hinted at a new male Fed chair announcement soon. In addition, Trump said he might send the National Guard or immigration officials to California soon while offering tepid comments on Newsom, saying, “We’re going to help the people in California. I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president. Gavin is a good guy.” Wrapping up his speech with a focus on national dominance, the Davos crowd gave a timid response, with only some standing up to clap. Oh, and Trump repeatedly mistook Greenland for Iceland… Soon after the speech ended, we learned the EU halted its approval of the US trade deal following the Greenland threat. The FT offered juicy details on Tuesday night’s World Economic Forum dinner, which saw the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick getting heckled and jeered by the crowd, including former US Vice President Al Gore, as event host Larry Fink tried to diffuse tensions. European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde was reportedly one of the people who left during that disastrous speech. Adding more irony to the mix, this year’s event in the Alps was named “A spirit of dialogue.” Then, in a sudden move, Trump said he is holding off on European tariffs, citing a “framework” for a future deal with NATO as having been reached. Trump told CNBC the agreement was a “concept of a deal,” which involves mineral rights for the US and the administration’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system. In addition, the framework Trump agreed to includes recognizing Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland. However, many analysts say Trump has effectively TACOed, given that most of the provisions are similar to what the US and Denmark agreed upon in the 1950s. Aside from Greenland, the WSJ reported the US is actively seeking Havana insiders to help enact regime change in Cuba by the end of the year, while Canada is preparing contingencies in the case of a potential US invasion for the first time.

On Thursday, NATO Military Committee head Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said the alliance remains “steady” and united despite recent challenges. Touting a “total access” Greenland deal with NATO, the president claimed he had secured permanent and total access to the island’s land and resources. This comes as Trump talked with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as a promise to renegotiate a pact between the US and Denmakr helped prompt the president to back off from his threats. The NATO deal will see a boost in US missiles and security on the island, America will have sovereign claims on pockets of Greenland’s territory, and the move will block Russia and China from mining natural resources there. Meanwhile, Reuters reported Trump had a change of mind after his aides pushed against using a military option. Newsom said the Trump administration barred him from entering the USA House for a fireside chat with a Forbes editor, but he did get an audience during a World Economic Forum event on Thursday, which he proclaimed an eventual return from “dormant” American leadership, and denounced “corruption and graft at a scale we’ve never seen” by waving red kneecaps at CEOs and American politicians. While in the US, House Republicans rejected a Democratic-backed war powers resolution that would have prevented Trump from sending US forces to Venezuela.

Further proving Trump’s mind is still on Greenland, the White House posted “Embrace the penguin,” which features an AI-generated photo of a penguin holding Trump’s hand while holding an American flag on the other side, with a Greenland flag in the background. One small issue, penguins don’t live in the Arctic Circle! In a potential plan to push for regime change in Cuba, the Trump administration has begun weighing a naval blockade to halt Cuban oil imports. In an interview with Fox News, Vietnam War draft dodger Donald Trump disparaged NATO troops by claiming they “stayed a little back” during the Afghan conflict. The comment naturally angered many NATO members in Europe (Per capita, Denmark lost the most soldiers in the Afghanistan war after Article 5 was invoked in response to the 9/11 attacks in the US), including the UK, in which Starmer called such comments “insulting and frankly appalling.” Onboard Air Force One, Trump said an “armada” is heading towards Iran, adding he hopes it will not have to be used. This is happening while Trump immigration officials are seeking to deport gay Iranian asylum seekers back to the country, which effectively means a death sentence, as homosexuality is punishable by death. Undermining Trump’s claims on Iran, which led to his actions in not backing the protesters and enabling the Iranian regime’s massacre, Iran’s top prosecutor said the US leader’s repeated claims that he had halted the hangings of 800 detained protesters were “completely false.” In the latest boat strike, US forces struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people,

The Trump Show: Series 2 - ICE Execution

In domestic US politics news, Monday was a relatively chill day, given all the chaos in foreign policy. Most local news centered around legal issues and immigration enforcement, coming after a week of tense anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. A Washington judge blocked lawmakers from making unannounced visits to ICE facilities, lawyers from the Trump administration say they would appeal last week’s ruling that limited how immigration agents interact with protesters, and the DOJ asked a federal judge to allow a surge in immigration agents despite a lawsuit from state and local officials. Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s civil rights chief, threatened to charge journalist Don Lemon for covering an anti-ICE protest that interrupted a church service, even going so far as to threaten arrests against demonstrators. Meanwhile, in a boost to Second Amendment advocates, the DOJ seeks to consider loosening a slate of gun regulations.

In a rambling and meandering address at the White House press room, Trump celebrated his first term in office by listing all his accomplishments one by one. He touted, “We’ve done more than any other administration has done by far in terms of military, in terms of ending wars, in terms of completing wars. Nobody’s really seen very much like it.” The president showed off a “picture book” of his perceived accomplishments, repeatedly brought up the Nobel Peace Prize gifted by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, said she felt sad about Renee Good’s murder because her father is a Trump supporter, showcased headshots of people under a template that read “Minnesota: worst of worst,” and bragged “god is very proud of me.” As The Guardian’s David Smith put it, “The ‘very stable genius’ zigzagged wildly in a packed press room – Nato’s future lies in the hands of a modern Caligula.” Federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as part of their inquiry. Despite vowing zero releases, USA Today reported that ICE has released several detained families. Following court orders from two federal judges seeking a replacement for Lindsey Halligan, the now-former Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced she has left the post. According to a report by Times Higher Education, Trump’s university crackdown has benefitted Hong Kong, which saw a 55% surge in job applications from US academics. In other headlines, US forces seized their seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, court filings show DOGE members shared sensitive Social Security data that aimed to overturn election results, and JD Vance and his wife, Usha, announce they are having a fourth child.

In the Supreme Court, the justices are leaning towards keeping Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on the Fed Board as they appear wary of Trump’s justifications for firing her. The Washington Post demanded that federal law enforcement return electronic devices seized during last week’s search warrant in reporter Hannah Natanson’s home, arguing in a court filing that the search “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.” Hours later, a federal judge in Virginia blocked government officials from examining Natanson’s electronic devices. On immigration news, an internal ICE memo noted immigration officers have asserted sweeping powers to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, ICE officials began arrests in Maine, officials say pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil will likely be deported to Algeria, an autopsy confirmed a recent detainee death under ICE is a homicide, and an autopsy commissioned by Renee Good’s family found she was shot in the head by an ICE agent and would have likely survived if she received urgent medical care (Which ICE agents prevented a doctor at the scene from treating her). In the House, the Oversight Committee voted to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after their no-show at an Epstein probe hearing. Re-aiming regulatory fire on ABC, Brendan Carr’s FCC has targeted “The View” and Jimmy Kimmel Live with an aim to get equal time for Republicans on the two famously liberal-leaning programmes. Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral removed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, announced she is running for Congress in Republican Representative Nancy Mace’s district.

The big event on Thursday is Jack Smith’s public congressional hearing. During Smith’s opening remarks, the former special counsel defended his investigations into Trump, “President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the very laws that he took an oath to uphold. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.” Michael Fanone, a former DC officer who defended the Capitol on January 6th, had a tense altercation with right-wing conspiracy theorist Ivan Raiklin during the Smith hearing. In the House, Democrats failed to block final spending bills that involve DHS funding over concerns about ICE conduct. The White House Office of Management and Budget ordered Cabinet agencies to review federal funding to Democrat-run states, as Trump said resources will be cut off from “sanctuary cities” on February 1st. Marking major business news, the White House and China finalized the deal that would hand over TikTok’s US operations to a Trump-backed consortium that includes David Ellison’s tech firm Oracle, private equity fund Silver Lake, and a UAE investment firm. Trump sued JPMorgan and its head Jamie Dimon for at least $5 billion, alleging the lender had stopped providing the president with banking services for political reasons. The US officially withdrew from the WHO, creating a giant funding gap since America is the largest funder of the organization. At Independence Park in Philadelphia, the National Park Service removed a slavery exhibit at the President’s House Site, which discussed George Washington’s history of owning enslaved people. Weeks after Walz announced he is dropping out of the Minnesota Governor’s race, Senator Amy Klobuchar has filed paperwork to look into a potential gubernatorial run. On immigration news, an appeals court delivered the Trump regime a win by permitting ICE to arrest and pepper-spray peaceful protesters in Minnesota, while local school authorities in Minnesota say ICE detained a five-year-old kid as he left school for home and used him as bait so they could arrest his father. This is just days after ICE agents arrested restaurant workers in Willmar after visiting the same business for lunch. Attorney General Pam Bondi said three protest leaders who spearheaded an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration at a Minnesota church service last weekend were arrested. The White House posted an AI-manipulated image showing one of the protest leaders crying after being arrested, which was later found to be digitally altered. Meanwhile, a judge rejected a bid from federal prosecutors to charge Lemon for following the protesters into the church. But in a sign of how the immigration debate has debased America thanks to Trump’s rhetoric, a now-viral video showed a young child crying and heartbroken as he said of a bully, “The goalkeeper told me I’m an illegal immigrant even though I was born in America, and he said Trump was gonna get me and send me back. It makes me really sad.”

Hundreds of businesses joined a state-wide general strike on Friday, as an FBI agent who tried to investigate the immigration officer who killed her had resigned. NBC News reported that ICE started entering homes without judicial warrants last summer, in blatant violations of the Fourth Amendment. As around 100 clergy were arrested in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport for protesting against deportation flights, the three protest leaders arrested for their anti-ICE church protest were freed on Friday. A federal judge warned the Trump administration against changing the immigration status of university association members as retribution for their views on the Gaza war. Continuing the harrowing accounts of ICE cruelty, immigration agents arrested a two-year-old child and her father in Minnesota and sent them to a Texas detention facility. Amid a severe snowstorm sweeping through the country, the Trump administration had to pause funding cuts to FEMA’s disaster response team. Top US border patrol official Greg Bovino has long been under scrutiny for his remarks and outfits, so much so that German media has likened a greatcoat he wore to a specific “Nazi look.” Ending on a stupid note, ICE accidentally deported a prime suspect in the largest jewel heist in US history after the man volunteered to be deported and avoided criminal charges.

On Saturday, a person was shot by federal border patrol agents in Minneapolis. The 37-year-old man later died, marking the second fatal shooting involving ICE murdering a US citizen in a month. Based on footage shared online, several federal agents tackled a man onto the sidewalk with at least one officer striking him with an object, before at least 10 shots were fired in under 5 seconds. DHS claimed the agents tried to disarm the man after he was seen coming to them “with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.” More than 100 protesters swarmed the scene after the shooting, while Governor Walz, who broke the news in the first place, said Trump “must end” the immigration crackdown. In a press conference, Mayor Frey said, “How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” As the Minneapolis police chief urged calm after the shooting and confirmed the man had a lawful permission to carry, the AP reported an officer said “boo hoo” in response to angry demonstrators. The Minnesota Star Tribune named the dead person as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a registered ICU nurse who worked for the VA, from South Minneapolis. A DHS spokesperson said the officers fired “defensive shots,” as Bovino said the officer who fired the fatal shots is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran with “extensive experience.” Weighing in on the protests, Trump accused Walz and Frey of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.” According to new footage obtained by DropSite, Pretti was seen filming and helping a fellow protestor who was pushed to the ground by an ICE agent before getting shot. Despite attempts by the regime to portray Pretti as a “terrorist,” the immigration agent took away his gun before shooting the man. Walz decried the “federal invasion,” urging the president to “Remove this force from Minnesota. They are sowing chaos and violence.” Walz then authorized the Minnesota National Guard to assist local police, saying his state will investigate because “the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation.” Pretti’s family stated Alex’s death, writing that they were heartbroken and angry, adding that “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman.” A federal judge then ordered the Trump regime not to destroy or alter evidence related to the Pretti shooting.

By Sunday, Democrats are threatening to shut down the government unless Republicans defund additional DHS funding passed by all Republicans and seven Democrats in the House earlier this week. Senator Chuck Schumer called for the GOP to move the funding package without DHS money to avoid a shutdown. Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said the killing should be a “wake-up call,” adding that “They are a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms and hold our government accountable.” Bill Clinton also posted a statement on Twitter, calling it a historic moment that will shape the US for years to come. Wading into the national conversation, the usually pro-Trump NRA and other gun advocacy groups called for an investigation into Pretti’s death. In other news that got buried among the chaos, HHS paused roughly $5 billion in public health grants to states’ health departments and partners.

War Watch - Global Leaders Do Model UN

This week saw Trump’s Board of Peace taking shape, which has generated controversy for multiple reasons. From Trump being chairman of the board for life with sole veto power, to its mission potentially overlapping with the UN’s aim of maintaining international peace and security, as well as the fact that countries have to give the president $1 billion to join the club. On Monday, the Kremlin said Trump requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to join his Gaza Board of Peace. This is on top of the US leader inviting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to join the exclusive board. We later learned that Trump sent dozens of invites to different heads of state, with the administration eyeing a Thursday signing ceremony in Davos to seal the deal. China’s foreign ministry confirmed it had received Trump’s invitation, but Beijing did not say whether it would actually join the pseudo-UN Security Council. After Macron snubbed the Gaza peace board, Trump threatened 200% tariffs on French wine as retaliation. Meanwhile, Israel began demolishing UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, an act condemned as a violation of international law. By Wednesday, Netanyahu confirmed he is joining Trump’s Board of Peace, days after his government made complaints over Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s involvement as a member of the Gaza Executive Board and other components of the coalition. Israel has joined the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Argentina, and Belarus to take part in the Board, which is totally under Trump’s control. In Gaza, Israel killed 3 journalists in Gaza by striking their car, with the IDF claiming they struck “several targets” who were operating a drone.

On Thursday morning, seven more countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt, have agreed to join the peace board. Trump claimed Putin was also on board with the project, even though the Kremlin said they were still studying the plan. In reaction to the news, the UK snubbed the signing ceremony over Putin’s involvement. During the signing ceremony, which featured Orban and Argentina’s Javier Milei, Trump hailed the board as “one of the most consequential bodies ever created.” Bragging that the world is “richer, safer and much more peaceful than it was just one year ago,” the US leader claims he will also bring peace to Ukraine by following a similar peace board model for Kyiv and Moscow. Many pointed out the Board of Peace sign strikes a close similarity with the UN logo, but just painted in tacky gold and features America prominently. Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, unveiled the US’s “master plan” for the Palestinian enclave, which would involve working with Hamas on demilitarization and bringing “free market economy principles” to Gaza. After a meeting between Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader said it was a “good meeting” before addressing the Davos crowd. In a blistering speech to European leaders, Zelensky lambasted Europe for loving “to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today.” Referencing Groundhog Day, Zelensky said, “No one would want to live like that, repeating the same thing for weeks and months and of course, four years.” After thanking Europe for freezing Russian assets and working on security guarantees, the Ukrainian leader still criticized its allies for not doing enough in using frozen assets to defend Ukraine and “no real progress” on establishing a tribunal for Russian aggression. Citing the examples of Iran, Belarus, and Venezuela, Zelensky stated, “action defines what kind of future we will have,” as he criticized further international inaction and misgovernance. Noting the continent faces challenges to the “European way of life,” Zelensky referred to Trump’s changing positions before bringing up documents aimed at ending the conflict, which were “nearly ready.” Zelensky added, “Ukraine is working with full honesty and determination, and that brings results.” In a follow-up Q&A session, Zelensky hailed the US for positive talks before stating the “first trilateral meeting” between Ukraine, Russia, and the US will take place in the UAE on Friday. Soon after that, Zelensky said an agreement had been reached with the US on post-war security guarantees. Meanwhile, Trump withdrew Canada from his Board of Peace, days after Carney’s blistering speech that had indirect jabs at the US president. During the trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the US in Abu Dhabi on Friday, the Kremlin maintained its maximalist demands on Ukrainian territory. Russia demanded that Ukraine’s troops leave the eastern Donbas region, as the aggressor launched strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv. Meanwhile, Israel is quietly backing new Palestinian militias to target Hamas, and the Israeli government agreed to a “limited reopening” of Gaza’s Rafah crossing.

China Watch - The Newer Bigger London Embassy

Months after the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kongers are allowed to observe the first open meeting of the independent committee probing the Tai Po fire. In Hong Kong national security headlines, the city’s Chief Justice Andrew Cheung criticized calls to free media tycoon Jimmy Lai, saying such moves “strike at the very heart of the rule of law.” The case against political commentator Wong Kwok-ngon has moved to a higher district court, raising the maximum penalty to seven years in jail. On Wednesday, a Hong Kong court ruled that a 2012 crash between two ferries off Lamma Island that killed 39 people was an unlawful killing, but the families of the ferry crash victims say the verdict will not bring closure to the worst maritime disaster in the city’s history. By Thursday, the national security trial for three activists and organizers of the formerly annual Tiananmen vigils began. In the ongoing wrongful dismissal lawsuit between the Hong Kong Journalists Association head, Selina Cheng, and her ex-employer, the Wall Street Journal, Cheng denied “deliberately” hiding a HK$3 million settlement demand within the lawsuit, while the Journal was only willing to meet for mediation talks under certain conditions. Over the weekend, Hong Kong experienced K-pop hype as Blackpink held its first concert in the city at the newly built Kai Tak Stadium, while a mandatory seat belt rule took effect on Sunday, which many passengers are unaware of.

In Beijing’s domestic affairs, China’s GDP rose by 5% in 2025, a year marked by geopolitical instability and an ongoing trade war with the US. Hong Kong’s economy also showed decent developments, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 3.8%, as visitor numbers saw a 12% increase in 2025 compared to the year before (Although the figures still lag pre-pandemic numbers). However, China’s population fell for the fourth year in a row, with registered births in 2025 down 17% compared to 2024. Over the weekend, Beijing placed top military leaders Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli under investigation over suspected “serious violations of discipline and law.” According to the WSJ, Zhang was accused of leaking information related to China’s nuclear program to the US and accepting bribes for official acts.

On foreign relations, Vice-Premier He Lifeng urged support for global cooperation and free trade, while defending its economic record, in a speech at the Davos summit. He warned, “Everyone should be equal before the rules; a very small number of countries should not enjoy the privilege of pursuing their own selfish interests. The world must not return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak.” Hong Kong also promoted its regulatory strengths, with the city’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan touting its “responsible and sustainable” system for digital assets. Days later, Milei defended Argentina’s trade relations with China, calling Beijing a “great trading partner” and “If you look at China’s weight in the world, you’ll understand I have to trade with China.” Meanwhile, Trump continued his attack on Carney a week after he visited Beijing, saying that China will “eat” Canada within the first year of doing business. A day later, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canada if they agreed on a trade deal with China. Carney then responded by saying Canada has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China, clarifying that “What we have done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”

After years of delays and wrangling, the UK government approved China to build Europe’s largest embassy on the site of the old Royal Mint Court near London. The move comes ahead of Starmer’s expected visit to Beijing later this month after years of frosty relations under the Tory-led government. UK government officials reassured that intelligence services were consulted throughout the process, as Housing Secretary Steve Reed issued the approval “with conditions” for the Chinese side. The decision is not without intense scrutiny from human rights campaigners and local politicians from across the political spectrum. Human rights advocates fear the new embassy could be used to ramp up its alleged “intimidation campaign” against the Chinese diaspora and those in exile from Hong Kong, while both Tory and Labour lawmakers raise issues with potential espionage concerns since the location is close to London’s financial center and above sensitive fiber-optic cables.

Odd News Out - All In For Takaichi

Japan’s Prime Minister announced a snap election on February 8th, setting the stage for a new competition between an ascendant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and a new coalition formed by key opposition parties. During her announcement, Takaichi plans to campaign on a temporary cut to food sales taxes if she wins a fresh mandate for the ruling coalition. Putting her career on the line, Takaichi said she would resign from the top job if her coalition did not get more than 50% of seats in the lower house. By Friday, the lower house of Japan’s parliament dissolved, making way for next month’s vote.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

South Korea: South Korea jails ex-PM Han Duck-soo over martial law crisis

Vietnam: Vietnam Communist Party elects To Lam for 5 more years as chief

EU: EU lawmakers vote to block Mercosur trade agreement over legal concerns

France: France PM survives no-confidence vote over forced budget

France: My party had no ‘system’ to misuse EU funds, Marine Le Pen tells appeal trial

France: Louvre closes for the day due to fresh strike ​​

France: The Podcaster Poking at France’s Biggest Secrets

UK: Andy Burnham’s bid to return as MP blocked by Labour ruling body

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia to scale back Neom megaproject

Haiti: Haiti’s transitional council votes to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé | AP News

UN: US believes its power matters more than international law, UN chief António Guterres tells BBC

Adventure: Climber Alex Honnold scales 101-floor skyscraper without safety gear

Education: University of Hong Kong ranks seventh globally for education as East Asia ‘makes strides’ | South China Morning Post ​​

Business: Nearly 400 millionaires and billionaires call for higher taxes on super-rich | Business | The Guardian

Business: Netflix Revamps Its Warner Bros. Bid, Seeking to Thwart Paramount - The New York Times

AI: Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests

AI: Elon Musk’s Grok A.I. Chatbot Made Millions of Sexualized Images, New Estimates Show - The New York Times

AI: DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis warns AI investment looks ‘bubble-like’

Space: NASA astronaut Suni Williams retires months after return from troubled mission to orbit | CNN

Space: Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis

Space: NASA is about to send people to the moon — in a spacecraft not everyone thinks is safe to fly | CNN

Space: Sun releases the largest solar radiation storm ‘in over 20 years,’ forecasters say | CNN

Environment: Antarctic penguins have radically shifted their breeding season – seemingly in response to climate change | Antarctica | The Guardian

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

FP: Trump’s America Is Drifting Toward Constitutional Authoritarianism

Bloomberg: The Historian Who Says Finance Is Wasting a Generation of Talent

NYT: Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’ - The New York Times

Economist: The true danger posed by Donald Trump

Wired: 23 Ways You’re Already Living in the Chinese Century | WIRED

FT: Decoupling from Trump’s America

NYT: No Country Has Ever Been Held Responsible for Genocide. Can This Lawyer Change That? - The New York Times

Bulwark: How the Media Fails With Trump. Over and Over. (And Over.)

FP: What Spheres of Influence Are—and Aren’t

Economist: The meaning of “America First” is in flux

Vox: You don’t need to be a liberal to oppose Trump’s ICE

Bloomberg: An Untethered Trump Is Expanding Xi’s Sphere of Influence ​​

Kyiv Independent: Europe’s far-right parties face growing obstacle: Donald Trump

New Scientist: New Scientist’s guide to the 21 best ideas of the 21st century

Bulwark: Trump Butchers the Golden Goose

Atlantic: What Happened to Pam Bondi?

NYT: Opinion | How Trump Has Used the Presidency to Make at Least $1.4 Billion - The New York Times

FP: How Far Do China’s Ambitions Reach?

Bulwark: ‘A Great Rupture of the World Order’ - by Jonathan V. Last

WSJ: Europe Contends With a Big New Threat: The U.S. - WSJ

FT: Greenland, America and the end of Atlanticism

BBC: As the world inches back to a pre-WW2 order, the ‘middle powers’ face a grave new challenge

Sci Am: What is consciousness? Science faces its hardest problem yet | Scientific American

New Yorker: Trump’s Greenland Fiasco | The New Yorker

Economist: Western leaders navigate a lonely world

Bulwark: This Is the End - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark

CNN: How Gregory Bovino became the face of Trump’s immigration crackdown | CNN Politics

FT: Greenland is ground zero for Arctic ‘Great Game’

Atlantic: America vs. the World - The Atlantic

NYT: Trump Tests Presidential Power: Venezuela Operation, Iran Bombing and More - The New York Times

BBC: Confronted over Greenland, Europe is ditching its softly-softly approach to Trump

FT: From ‘Taco’ to the ‘Donroe doctrine’: a year of Trump 2.0

Economist: Xi Jinping is carrying Deng Xiaoping’s authoritarian torch

New Yorker: The Lights Are Still On in Venezuela | The New Yorker

FP: Canadian Leader Carney’s Davos Speech Is Both Admirable and Hypocritical

Bulwark: Davos Won’t Save Us

FP: The World Is Adjusting to an Unreliable United States

NYT: Opinion | I’ve Covered Police Abuse for 20 Years. What ICE Is Doing Is Different.

Bloomberg: What Stanley Kubrick Got Right About Artificial Intelligence

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Washington Post demands government return materials seized from reporter

USA: FCC Targets ‘The View’ and Jimmy Kimmel With Eye Toward Getting Equal Time For Republicans

USA: Inside Bari Weiss’s Hostile Takeover of CBS News | The New Yorker

USA: DOJ civil rights chief blasts Don Lemon for covering anti-ICE protest inside church, vows charges against protesters

USA: Judge rejects federal prosecutors’ bid to charge journalist Don Lemon, AP source says

USA: The Cruelty and Theatre of the Trump Press Conference | The New Yorker

USA: 6,000 Truth Social Posts Later, Here Are the Promises Trump Kept—and Broke - WSJ

Hong Kong: Nat. security case against political commentator to move to higher court, raising max. penalty to 7 years’ jail

Hong Kong: Calls to free pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai go against rule of law, says Hong Kong’s top judge

Hong Kong: Hong Kong slams European Parliament’s calls for officials to be sanctioned over Jimmy Lai’s national security conviction

Hong Kong: Ex-Wall Street Journal reporter denies ‘deliberately’ hiding HK$3M settlement demand in unlawful termination suit

Hong Kong: Wall Street Journal only willing to meet for mediation talks under ‘conditions,’ court hears in wrongful dismissal suit

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Jan 24, 2026: Annual Tiananmen vigils - from remembrance to forbidden

Russia: Teaching journalism the Russian way: How RT Academy spreads propaganda in Global South

Design: 2025 Cover Story | The Economist

Following weeks of growing protests in Iran, the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, claimed the situation is “under control,” further stating that the demonstrations had “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene. On the ground, Iranian authorities are trying to pursue people who use Starlink services to connect with the world, sharing protest images days after the government blocked internet access throughout the country. Meanwhile, pro-government forces held a rally to downplay the anti-government protests. Marking his first concrete actions against the Iranian regime since the protests began, Trump said any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff. Amid growing threats from both Washington and Tehran, Trump’s White House said US airstrikes are “on the table,” as Iran confirmed it has an active connection with top diplomats to discuss the ongoing protests. Inside the White House, the WSJ reports that Trump is in favor of Iranian strikes, while Vice President JD Vance prefers negotiations with the Tehran authorities. In Europe, Iranian diplomats were banned from the European Parliament after a vote by its members.

In an early Tuesday post, Trump told the Iranian protesters to “KEEP PROTESTING” and take over the institutions, claiming that “help is on its way.” Hours later, Trump told reporters Iran’s leaders should show “humanity” and warned of “strong action” against Tehran. According to a US-based human rights group, Iranian forces have killed at least 2000 people in their demonstration crackdown, while other estimates put the number in the tens of thousands. White House envoy Steve Witkoff had a secret meeting with Iran’s exiled former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, last weekend to discuss the raging protests. After reported talks between Trump and close ally Elon Musk, the SpaceX billionaire announced free Starlink access for Iran.

Amid growing tensions with Iran, the US evacuated some personnel from a military base in Qatar. The Washington Post reported that Israel and Iran secretly reassured each other last month that they would not preemptively attack each other, with the help of Russia as a middleman negotiator. In a sudden shift in tone, Trump said he has heard “from good authority” that the “killing has stopped,” with Tehran saying executions are now “out of the question.” With Arab states confirming that US-Iran tensions are de-escalating, so are the anti-government demonstrations across the country, which have appeared to be smothered. In an interview with Reuters, Trump expressed skepticism towards Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. The US leader said he “seems very nice,” but questioned whether he can muster support if he is in power. The WSJ reported that Trump was told an attack on Iran would not guarantee regime collapse in Tehran, as Arab nations continued their efforts to dissuade Trump from striking the country. In the meantime, the US accused South Africa of cozying up to Iran, after Iran was allowed to participate in joint naval drills off the coast of Cape Town.

In a phone call between Trump and Israel’s Netanyahu, the two leaders discussed the Iran situation twice in two recent calls. Activists raised the alarm that Iran is planning to permanently break the country from the global internet, only allowing vetted individuals to access the online world. By the weekend, locals in Tehran say the protests are completely squashed, citing the large troop deployment in the nation’s capital and the “massive disappointment and disillusionment” many people face. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made his first public acknowledgment of the protest crackdown, saying some were “in an inhuman, savage manner” while still blaming the US. Despite the Iranian regime promising not to execute any protesters, a hard-line cleric has nonetheless called for capital punishment against demonstrators. Two protesters detained by Iranian authorities, including a teenager, tell a human rights group they were sexually assaulted during custody. Some Iranian protesters feel betrayed by Trump’s inaction after initially supporting the movement, with one telling Time magazine, “Everyone was enraged; they just kept saying this bastard used us as cannon fodder. Iranians feel that they were played, that he fooled them, deceived them.”

Donroe Delulu - Buying Greenland And Getting A Nobel Participation Prize

On social media, Trump posted himself in a Wikipedia entry as “Acting President of Venezuela.” Totally no dictator vibes here. As Trump seeks to help oil companies earn a fortune by allowing them access to Venezuela’s oil, the president suggested he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of the country, days after its chief executive raised concerns about Trump’s proposals. In some alarming developments on Greenland, a US official told USA Today that actions on the island could come within “weeks or months.” Ahead of a trip to Washington, the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland strongly rejected US pressure in a press conference. Trump administration officials say multiple Americans detained in Venezuela were released, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a federal judge that same day that more than 100 Venezuelans who were sent to be imprisoned in El Salvador cannot be located, adding it would jeopardize “extraordinarily delicate” discussions with the new Venezuelan regime.

Hours before Vice President JD Vance and Rubio met with Denmark and Greenland officials on Wednesday, Trump claimed anything less than US control of Greenland is unacceptable. After the meeting ended, Denmark said there is still a “fundamental disagreement” on Greenland, adding, “The discussions focused on how to ensure the long-term security in Greenland, and here our perspectives continue to differ, I must say. The president has made his view clear, and we have a different position.” Right after the officials left the White House, journalists caught a shot of them having a smoke in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Trump repeated his claim that Greenland is important for national security, while estimates say buying the island could cost the US as much as $700 billion. In other parts of US foreign policy, special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which includes the creation of a Palestinian technocrat committee to run the territory during its transition period. In the Senate, Republican leaders were able to flip Senators Josh Hawley and Todd Young to vote against a resolution that would force Trump to seek congressional approval related to his actions in Venezuela, allowing Vance to be the tiebreaker and kill the bipartisan proposal that was approved in a procedural vote last week.

On Thursday, Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Ahead of the meeting, US forces seized a sixth oil tanker that’s linked to Venezuela. After Machado left the White House, she told reporters she “presented” Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize medal. A photo showed Machado gifting a golden frame that includes the Peace Prize to Trump, who happily smiled for that photo op. Reporters also saw Machado leaving the White House with a Trump swag bag. Even though Trump got the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Committee said the prize does not belong to him. In a statement, the Nobel Committee said, “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.” For Venezuelan oil, Trump gave his first oil sale deal to, surprise surprise, the company of a megadonor who contributed to his re-election campaign and attended a White House event last week. Regarding Greenland, European nations have flown in to boost the island’s defenses, as Danish PM Mette Frederiksen emphasized the issue as a “common concern” for NATO. France’s finance minister warned his US counterpart that any action to seize Greenland crosses a red line, warning that it could endanger the EU’s trade relations with the US.

In a potential snub to the pro-democracy opposition, CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly met with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez. The AP obtained US government documents showing that Rodriguez has been on the DEA’s radar for years. On Greenland, Trump went to his toolkit and picked up his favourite coercion tool, new tariffs, and told people that he would impose levies on countries “if they don’t go along with Greenland.” In a bid to calm tensions, a bipartisan delegation visited Denmark to show their support. On Middle East peace, Trump (Who acts as the chairman) appointed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Rubio, Donald’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff to become members of the Gaza “board of peace.”

By Saturday, Trump announced he is slapping 10% levies on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. Trump wrote that the new tariffs will take effect on February 1st, and will last until “such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” Claiming “it’s time for Denmark to give back,” Trump claimed Greenland is only protected by two dogsleds and “World Peace is at stake! China wants Greenland, and there is not a thing Denmark can do about it.” There were large protests in Greenland and Denmark, and Republican lawmakers joined the backlash against Trump’s decision, with Tillis and Murkowski warning that such levies would hurt the US and damage NATO if the country invades Greenland. In Europe, as a growing number of public officials (Including the far-right ones) slammed Trump’s threats, France’s Emmanuel Macron seeks to activate the EU’s anti-coercion instrument to defend its interests, while other rumors have spilled out claiming that the EU will halt its trade deal with the US. In a joint statement on Sunday, NATO allies issued a joint statement, warning that Trump’s actions risk undermining “transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.” In addition, the EU proposed €93 billion in tariffs as retaliation against Trump’s Greenland threats. Regarding the Gaza ceasefire, it became clear that the Board of Peace is another Trump-style cash grab. According to a draft charter obtained by Bloomberg, countries that want to join the exclusive board must contribute at least $1 billion in cash funds. Soon later, Hungary’s strongman, Victor Orban, also became a peace board member. In Syria, the US announced on Saturday that its military says it killed an Al Qaeda affiliate leader in the country’s northwest region.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Flipping The Bird

In reaction to last Sunday’s stunning announcement that the DOJ is criminally investigating Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, former Fed Chairs Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, and Alan Greenspan were among the signatories who warned that Trump is using “prosecutorial attacks” to undermine the independence of the financial agency. The White House is also concerned about the wider blowback in the financial markets, which are rattled by the sudden attack on monetary stability. Moreover, top GOP lawmakers like Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski have criticized the probe, potentially disrupting Trump’s next Fed chair pick from getting passed by the Republican-led Senate. In a boost for Democrats’ chances in the Senate, former Representative Mary Peltola of Alaska announced she is running for her state’s Senate race. Regarding the environment, the EPA said it will stop considering lives saved in a dramatic reversal of air pollution rule-setting.

On Tuesday, new government figures showed annual inflation hitting 2.7% in December, wrapping up a year of persistent inflation. In a joint statement, global central bankers rallied to defend Powell amid continued attacks from Trump. Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, said Trump’s attacks on the Fed could lead to higher inflation and boost borrowing prices while backing Powell. Sticking by his guns, Trump pushed back on Dimon’s assessment. Ending temporary protected status for Somalis in the country, the Trump administration has ordered these immigrants with TPA protection to leave the country by March 17th. The move comes hours before Trump announced he would cut off federal funding to so-called “sanctuary cities.” In a visit to Detroit, Michigan, Trump mouthed “fuck you” and flashed his middle finger after a Ford plant worker heckled, “pedophile protector. The heckler was identified as the 40-year-old United Auto Workers Local 600 line worker, TJ Sabula, who was suspended from work pending an investigation and said he has no regrets for the move. The UAW, the union Sabula belongs to, said it will fight Ford’s move to suspend the heckler. After Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to testify under a Republican House committee by calling it “legally invalid,” the House GOP seeks to hold them in contempt of Congress. Six senior federal prosecutors quit after the DOJ pushed them to investigate the widow of Renee Good, the poet and mother killed by an ICE officer last week. According to immigration data, the US experienced negative net migration for the first time in 50 years. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under new fire for violating the law of “perfidy,” as more evidence came out showing the US attacked an alleged drug boat with a military aircraft that looks like a civilian airplane, an act that violates the laws of war. In other headlines, Axios reported that Trump has been texting with Mamdani, the WSJ reported that Trump privately criticized federal prosecutors as weak during a private event, aides of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were placed on leave amid a misconduct investigation into the top woman in the job, and the Treasury and State departments labelled three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.

In media news, FBI agents executed a search warrant on the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. According to the outlet, the move was part of an investigation “into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials” at the request of the Pentagon, adding that Natanson is involved in “The Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.” Days after Good’s murder, DHS said federal agents shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg while he tried to escape, claiming the man and two other people attacked an officer with a snow shovel or a broom. It comes as the latest horrific example of violence by immigration officials against protesters, immigrants, and US citizens. One of the more notable examples of such horror involves an autistic, disabled woman being handcuffed and dragged out of her car by ICE agents. Taking the wrecking ball to mental health services, the regime sent hundreds of termination letters that cut federal funding for supporting mental health and drug addiction services. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he will hold Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after the Clintons were a no-show for a scheduled Wednesday deposition related to the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The State Department suspended visa processing for 75 nations, including Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, and Thailand. According to officials, the ICE agent who fatally shot Good suffered internal bleeding after the shooting.

With growing chances of the GOP losing the midterm elections in November, Trump told Reuters, “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the statement was made as a joke. Amid growing protests in Minnesota, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, allowing him send troops to quell demonstrations. DHS identified Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis as the Venezuelan man shot in the leg by an ICE agent. He remains hospitalized. Officials say Renee Good was shot in the chest, forearm, and possibly in the head. Meanwhile, a medical examiner believed a Cuban immigrant who died in an ICE detention center in Texas was murdered by being choked to death by guards, a statement backed up by a fellow detainee. In other headlines, Trump told Reuters he will not replace Powell amid the legal chaos surrounding the Fed, Democrats called on the FTC to investigate Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump’s mobile phone venture for “potential violations of consumer protection law.”

Backing down from his earlier threat, Trump said there is no reason “right now” to use the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis. Hours later, the DOJ issued subpoenas for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as part of an unprecedented criminal investigation widely seen as a political prosecution. Then, in another stark twist, a judge limited ICE officers from using crowd control tactics against demonstrators, as well as barring them from arresting peaceful protesters. Amid the growing immigration crackdown, an internal memo revealed that the number of ICE detainees has reached a record high. On the search for a new Fed chair, Trump poured cold water on National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett’s chances of getting the top job, saying he prefers the close ally to stay in his White House role. In other headlines, Trump installed his loyalists on a review panel to secure rapid approval for his White House ballroom, California demanded Elon Musk’s xAI stop producing sexual deepfake content, which comes days after the state AG began an investigation into the matter. Virginia lawmakers passed a redistricting amendment, with the final say to be approved by voters in the ballot box. In an interview with USA Today, RFK Jr claimed a flu shot damaged his voice, adding he stopped getting the vaccine in 2005.

Over the weekend, sources told NBC News that federal officials are investigating Renee Good’s widow in the ICE shooting probe. Adding fuel to the political fire, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has ordered about 1500 active-duty soldiers to prepare a possible deployment to Minnesota. Responding to the DOJ investigation, Frey defended himself and Walz by insisting they have “done nothing wrong,” adding he would comply with the probe. Trump’s former fixer turned anti-Trump crusader, Michael Cohen, claimed in his Substack that he was “coerced” by NY AG Letitia James and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to provide testimony that secures convictions against Trump in the Stormy Daniels case, leading to MeidasTouch dropping Cohen’s podcasts from their platform. In Trump’s extremely selective list of asylum seekers allowed into the country, top officials are reportedly discussing offering asylum for Jewish people from the UK fleeing antisemitism. On Sunday, Bari Weiss’s CBS News aired the “Inside CECOT” segment on 60 Minutes, a month after it was pulled from the air due to the lack of response from Trump administration officials. Next week, the Federal Reserve will be front and center again, as justices will hear arguments on whether Trump can fire embattled Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations.

Law And Disorder - Lawsuit Time

In local (Double duty for yours truly) legal news, we start with Hong Kong and former media mogul Jimmy Lai’s mitigation hearing on Monday. The hearing comes a month after a Hong Kong court found Lai guilty of national security and sedition charges, with the first day’s focus being on the media mogul’s health. Lai’s lawyer cited the client’s “advanced age” and different ailments, but the High Court justices hand-picked by the city’s government to handle national security cases are doubtful if Lai’s health justifies a sentence reduction. Meanwhile, the prosecutor handling the case said Lai may complete non-national security jail terms by June, which comes as a one-third guilty plea discount was factored into the sentencing. According to the HKFP, court watchers attending the mitigation hearing must register their ID cards with police officials. On Tuesday, one of the justices, overhearing the case, said the sentences in Lai’s trial will be handed down “as soon as practicable” after the mitigation hearing ends. On the other side of the world, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s conviction appeal has its first court hearing on Tuesday. Last year, a Paris court ruled Le Pen guilty of misappropriating EU public funds and barred her from running for office for five years “with immediate effect.” The hearing could decide whether the popular far-right leader is able to run in next year’s presidential race, or whether she has to pass the baton to the younger and equally popular far-right leader Jordan Bardella. In other global legal developments, South Korean prosecutors said they are seeking the death penalty for the impeached and disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration in December 2024. On Friday, a Seoul court sentenced Yoon to five years in jail, marking the first of four verdicts related to his martial law declaration. He was found guilty of obstruction of official duties, abuse of power, falsification of official documents, and destruction of evidence.

In the US, marking the latest shift in an ongoing business battle to purchase Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), Paramount prepares to launch a proxy war to gain ownership of the media brand. Paramount has already filed a lawsuit against WBD, citing “a lack of transparency” from the group over its decision to favor Netflix’s bid. At the Supreme Court, justices ruled on Monday to leave the multibillion-dollar Boy Scouts bankruptcy settlement in place, rejecting a complaint filed by a group of childhood sex-abuse victims. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his bid to censure and lower the lawmaker’s retirement rank, saying he was punished by the military head for “disfavored political speech.” The BBC seeks a Florida court to dismiss the $10 billion Trump lawsuit, which was prompted by a misediting of Trump’s January 6th rally speech by a Panorama documentary. Following last week’s tragic ICE shooting in Minnesota, the state and Illinois sued the Trump administration to block a surge in federal immigration enforcement. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in blockbuster cases challenging state bans on transgender students playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. During the hearing, the conservative-leaning court appeared sympathetic to state bans on trans girls competing in women’s sports teams. In a win for Democrats in California, a panel of federal judges upheld California’s new gerrymandered congressional maps. Opening the door to a rearrest on Thursday, an appeals court reversed the decision that freed pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. By Friday, Trump plans to pardon former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez, who pled guilty to campaign finance violations last year. A Reagan-appointed federal judge condemned the “breathtaking” constitutional violations by Trump Cabinet officials in regard to the regime’s detentions of pro-Palestinian students last year, saying the officials took a “fearful approach” to the freedom of speech.

Voterama 2025 - Dates Set For Exciting Elections

Political rumors from the incumbent Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have swirled in Japanese politics, claiming that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling a general election as early as next month. Following numerous electoral setbacks under her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, Takaichi’s government has enjoyed sky-high approval ratings thanks to her populist politics and a spat with Beijing that has rallied domestic support. One plan under discussion is to dissolve the lower house of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, immediately after it reconvenes on January 23, setting a general election date around the second week of February. On Wednesday, Nikkei Asia reported that Takichi told LDP leaders about her intention to trigger a snap February election. The LDP’s coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party, confirmed Takaichi had informed her colleagues on the move, while the LDP’s secretary-general says the PM will provide more details in a January 19 press conference. In an unrelated note, Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung picked up their drumsticks and played some K-pop hits after summit talks between the two nations. In a bid to consolidate “centrist forces,” the leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) and the lay Buddhist organization-backed Komeito agreed to form a new party ahead of the February vote.

The most anticipated global election of the year is set for April 12, as Hungarian President Victor Orban faces his greatest test of power in 16 years. As a standard-bearer for the growing populist anti-EU pro-Russia movement in the first quarter of the 21st century, Orban faces a key challenge from the center-right Tisza party leader Peter Magyar. Kicking off his campaign, Orban featured a who’s who of right-wing leaders endorsing the Hungarian strongman. Some of the leaders featured in the video include Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni and Italian far-right leader Matteo Salvini, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, France’s Marine Le Pen of the National Rally, and Germany’s Alice Weidel from the AfD.

In electoral result news this week, Ugandan voters went to the polls on Thursday to select their next president. The results showed 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni taking a commanding lead with 74% of the vote, winning his eighth election. Opposition leader and challenger Bobi Wine called for non-violent protests following the vote, accusing the electoral authorities of “fake results” and “ballot stuffing,” claims not verified by African Union observers. The call came after members of his party were arrested, while an ongoing internet shutdown is in effect. Adding more drama to the post-election developments, Wine said he had escaped house arrest during a police raid in his home after being abducted by authorities, while unrest broke out in the country’s capital, Kampala.

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Beijing, China:

Marking the latest world leader to visit Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday. Marking the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in more than a decade, many saw the meeting as a great chance to thaw tensions between the two countries. After their meeting, Ottawa agreed to lower tariffs to 6.1% for some Chinese electric vehicles, while Beijing agreed to lower similar tariffs on some Canadian canola products. Not only did Carney get a “preliminary but landmark” trade deal, but the two leaders also hailed a “strategic partnership” under a “new world order.” During his meeting with Xi, Carney told the Great Hall of the People, “Together we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past to create a new one adapted to new global realities.”

Dateline London, UK:

In another recruiting coup for Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK, the former Tory Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi became the latest senior Conservative Party member to switch sides to the insurgent populist party. Making his announcement on Monday, Zahawi said the UK is in a “dark and dangerous” moment and needed “a glorious revolution.” Such comments were a drastic shift from a few years ago, as Zahawi said he would be “frightened” to live in a Farage-run Britain. According to The Guardian, Zahawi failed to get a peerage from senior Tory members weeks before his Reform defection. Days later, the Conservative political psychodrama intensified. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch sacked shadow justice secretary and former leadership contender Robert Jenrick from his shadow government role and removed his Conservative whip. Badenoch accused the shadow justice secretary of “plotting to defect,” while Tory sources say they had “incontrovertible evidence” that Jenrick had a “full [resignation] speech and media plan” at the ready once he defects. Then, in a totally unsurprising move, Jenrick joined Farage as a new member of the Reform Party.

Dateline Planet Earth:

Scientists from three independent agencies say 2025 was the third hottest year on record, only trailing the second-hottest year of 2023, and the hottest year of 2024. What’s even more worrying is that 2025 was an El Nina year, which means heat from greenhouse gases has overcome the cooling influence from El Nina. In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) reported 2025 as the city’s sixth hottest year on record. At the same time, 2025 broke more than 20 weather records, including the hottest October and the highest average temperature for the second half of the year.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Gaps laid bare by deadly Hong Kong fire focus of first Legco meeting of new term

China: China blames US for trade imbalances as surplus hits record $1.2tn

China: China to cut key policy relending rates, expand credit support for private and tech firms

China: China pressing European countries to bar Taiwan politicians or face crossing a ‘red line’

Singapore: Singapore’s PM Lawrence Wong removes Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition

Afghanistan: Rift at top of the Taliban: BBC reveals clash of wills behind internet shutdown

EU: EU chief diplomat Kallas: World’s woes mean it’s time to start drinking – POLITICO

EU: EU and Mercosur seal historic trade deal – POLITICO

Ukraine: Exclusive: Trump says Zelenskiy, not Putin, is holding up a Ukraine peace deal | Reuters

Ukraine: EU ‘membership-lite’ plan for Ukraine spooks European capitals

Ukraine: Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko accused of bribing MPs

Uganda: Uganda election: Police deny Bobi Wine abduction claims as Yoweri Museveni heads for victory

Education: Harvard Slips on a Global Ranking List, as Chinese Schools Surge Ahead - The New York Times

Education: Chinese student numbers at Harvard rise despite Trump visa crackdown | South China Morning Post

AI: AI Implicated as Escaped Monkeys Rampage Through St. Louis

AI: Elon Musk bows to pressure over Grok creating sexualised AI images

AI: ChatGPT ads are coming, and they’ll be influenced by your conversations

AI: Apple picks Google’s Gemini to run AI-powered Siri coming this year

Space: Astronauts splash down after cutting space station mission short due to a medical issue

Space: Nasa readies its most powerful rocket for round-the-moon flight | Science | The Guardian

Environment: ‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body | Plastics | The Guardian

Health: New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’

Obituary: Hong Kong shareholder activist David Webb dies aged 60

Obituary: Scott Adams, ‘Dilbert’ creator and conservative commentator, dies at 68

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Atlantic: The Government Workers Donald Trump Discarded - The Atlantic ​​

Wired: Trump Declared a Space Race With China. The US Is Losing | WIRED

Economist: China obsesses over America’s “kill line”

Bloomberg: I’ve Studied How Democracies Fail. Here’s My Unified Theory of Trump

FT: Dispatch from Tehran: the week Iranians revolted against the regime

NYMag: The Takeover of Kirk Country

Economist: A private memo from central banks to governments

Bulwark: The People Are Turning Against ICE. Will the Politicians Take Notice?

NYT: How to Make Sense of the Federal Forces on the Streets

Guardian: Davos 2026: the last-chance saloon to save the old world order?

WaPo: These prosecutors spent years on cases. Then Trump pardoned the perps. - The Washington Post

Bloomberg: What Happens Next in Iran: Strongman, Coup, Collapse?

New Yorker: Why Trump Supports Protesters in Tehran but Not in Minneapolis | The New Yorker

FT: Iran’s road to revolt

Time: How Trump’s Foreign Policy Gambits Are Reshaping the World | TIME

Atlantic: Trump Is Risking a Global Catastrophe - The Atlantic

Guardian: Mapped: how the world is losing its forests to wildfires

New Yorker: How Marco Rubio Went from “Little Marco” to Trump’s Foreign-Policy Enabler | The New Yorker

Bulwark: Trump’s Nobel Peace Lies - by Jonathan V. Last

Wired: Reid Hoffman Wants Silicon Valley to ‘Stand Up’ Against the Trump Administration | WIRED

Economist: A new generation of Chinese companies is expanding around the world

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

Hong Kong: Red lines and increasing self-censorship reshape Hong Kong’s once freewheeling press scene | AP News

Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai’s health stable, solitary confinement by his own will, Hong Kong court hears

Hong Kong: Court watchers at Jimmy Lai mitigation hearing must register ID cards with police

Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s gov’t-funded broadcaster RTHK axes all podcasts

Hong Kong: Ming Pao to cease operations in Canada, last issues to be published Friday

Hong Kong: HKFP Monitor Jan 17, 2026: Jimmy Lai trial ignites courtroom queue rivalry

Macau: HKFP Lens: Portuguese photojournalist Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro’s sequel on Macau’s past and present

USA: FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home

USA: Journalists confront new reality in reporting after FBI raid

USA: BBC seeks dismissal of $10bn Trump lawsuit over Panorama ‘fight like hell’ clip

USA: Trump may have to disclose details about assets as part of BBC lawsuit

USA: ‘60 Minutes’ is finally airing the shelved ‘Inside CECOT’ segment | CNN Business

USA: Can Larry and David Ellison’s Oracle Money Buy Hollywood?

USA: Tony Dokoupil’s Road Trip on CBS News Hits a Rough Patch - The New York Times

USA: Media Matters Says It’s Ending Its Presence on X

USA: If You Think MAGA Journalism Is Bad Now, Just Wait

Thailand: General elections in Thailand: RSF raises alarm over persistent harassment of women journalists and calls for reforms

UK: Survey reveals Britons value human journalism and worry about use of AI

Just days after capturing Nicolas Maduro, Trump has openly suggested similar actions in Colombia, telling reporters, “We have a very sick neighbor. That’s Venezuela. Colombia is very sick too.” Trump also reiterated his interest in Greenland, saying the US needs it “from the standpoint of national security.” Denmark warned Trump is “very serious” about annexing Greenland, warning it could be the end of NATO. On the subject of Cuba, another potential US target, authorities in Havana say 34 Cuban officers were killed in last weekend’s US attack, most of them being guards for Maduro. In Venezuela, acting president Delcy Rodriguez asked the US for a “cooperation agenda,” marking a stunning turnaround from her initial remarks on Maduro’s capture. We learned more about why Trump stopped backing the Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader María Corina Machado from the Washington Post. Quoting two sources, Machado committed the “ultimate sin” of accepting last year’s Nobel Prize, an award that Trump desperately sought, despite repeatedly flattering and praising the US leader. One person said, “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today.” In New York, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted from a detention centre in Brooklyn to a Manhattan courtroom. The Maduros pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a hearing is set for March 17th. During the court hearing, Maduro insisted “I’m still the president” and declared himself a prisoner of war, while an attorney for Flores says she was badly injured during last Saturday’s extraction effort by the US. Meanwhile, Switzerland announced it has frozen assets held by Maduro and “other persons associated with him with immediate effect,” saying it was done in order to prevent such assets from being taken out. While at an unrelated note, US oil company share prices experienced an exciting jolt on Monday morning. As the UN Security Council debated the US attack in New York, Rodriguez was officially sworn in as Venezuela’s new president in Caracas. Back in the US, Trump posted a social media post with the words “This is our hemisphere,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed America is not engaging in regime change in Venezuela.

In Venezuela, the new government has committed to the same oppression tactics as the previous regime. Armed militias patrol the streets, citizens have their phones checked, and journalists are arrested amid a crackdown on dissent. According to the WSJ, Trump told oil executives to “get ready” weeks before the Maduro operation. In a rambling speech to GOP lawmakers, Trump acknowledged that “many, many” Cubans were killed during what he referred to as a “brilliant” military operation. We also learned that at least 24 Venezuelans were killed during last Saturday’s operation, while the White House is pressuring Rodriguez to expel official advisers from China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia. Following the Washington Post report, Machado told Fox News she is willing to share her Nobel Prize with the US president. After Reuters initially reported Venezuela and the US were in talks to export Venezuelan oil to America, Trump confirmed hours later that Venezuela will give up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US, in a move that could cut $2 billion worth of oil supply to China. In alarming developments regarding Greenland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is considering “utilizing” the US military as an option to acquire the island, senior advisor Stephen Miller insisted the US has the right to invade Greenland, while Rubio told lawmakers that Trump plans to buy Greenland instead of invading it.

In two separate operations on Wednesday, the US intercepted a Russian-flagged tanker after weeks of pursuit and seized another one in the Caribbean Sea. Among new comments by Trump officials, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US plans to control Venezuelan oil “indefinitely,” Rubio hinted that hardline interior minister Diosdado Cabello must back Rodriguez or suffer a similar fate as Maduro, while Leavitt stated the US would not rule out forcing Venezuela to cut ties with China and Russia. In other potential military ventures, Rubio said he will meet Danish officials to discuss Greenland next week, while Trump said he will meet Colombia’s Gustavo Petro days after suggesting a similar operation in the Latin American country. Regarding less important developments, Machado will publish a book outlining her vision for Venezuela in March, while protests emerged in Colombia against the US operation in Venezuela.

In an interview with the NYT, Trump said he doesn’t need international law, “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” Five GOP senators joined Democrats in advancing a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act, which would block Trump from using further military action in Venezuela. Responding to the news, Vice President JD Vance called the War Powers Act “fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law.” In an interview with the NYT, Trump said “only time will tell” when asked about how long the US will control Venezuela. Shifting his tone on the opposition leader, Machado is expected to meet Trump in Washington next week. Bloomberg reported that the White House has excluded the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, over previous comments against military action. Venezuela announced it will release an “important number” of political prisoners, in the first moves by Rodriguez to placate and collaborate with the US administration. According to Reuters, the Trump regime has considered sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders to bribe them to join the US.

Citing cooperation with the US, Trump said he has called off the “second wave of attacks” on Venezuela. Showing more normalization in diplomatic relations, the US and Venezuela both acknowledged they are sending a delegation to each other’s countries. Meanwhile, the US seized its fifth Venezuelan oil tanker on Friday, ramping up its bid to remove the dark fleet of tankers from service. Hours later, Trump held a meeting with the executives of big oil and gas companies to discuss development in Venezuela, during which he delivered a senior moment by reading out loud a memo given to him by Rubio. During the discussion, ExxonMobil’s chief executive, Darren Woods, warned Venezuela remains “uninvestable” in pushback against the president. The Washington Post uncovered a Christmas Eve meeting in Vatican City between Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, as part of numerous global attempts to secure safe harbour for Maduro. While on CBS News, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he hopes dialogue with Trump will “stop a world war.”

Over the weekend, the US launched another round of large-scale strikes on ISIS targets across Syria, as retaliation for last year’s attack that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter. Amid reports of the growing presence of pro-regime militias inside Venezuela searching for evidence of American citizens or collaborators, the US urged its citizens to leave Venezuela. In Nicaragua, human rights groups say authorities arrested more than 60 people for reportedly supporting the capture of Maduro. Pressuring Cuba more, Trump told the communist regime to “make a deal, before it’s too late.”

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Turmoil In Minnesota

In domestic US politics, hours after Trump controversially tweeted a conspiracy theorist’s video claiming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was involved in last year’s murder of state representative Melissa Hortman, the former VP candidate announced he is ending his bid for reelection. It comes as Republicans tried to tie Walz to the recent fraud scandal in Minnesota, while his family repeatedly came under insults and attacks by partisan trolls. Senator Amy Klobuchar is reportedly considering a gubernatorial run. In a petty move by Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon began its censure of Mark Kelly’s military rank over last year’s illegal orders video, which could result in a possible demotion. On public health, the US cuts universal childhood vaccine recommendations, including for COVID and hepatitis.

Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of January 6th, which The Atlantic magazine marked the occasion with an article titled, “Donald Trump Wants You To Forget This Happened.” The White House marked the occasion by opening a new webpage, claiming Democrats had “staged the real insurrection.” As Trump held a closed-door meeting with House Republicans, he admitted he could get impeached again if the GOP falters in the midterm elections. California Representative Doug LaMalfa died on Tuesday, narrowing the GOP majority to 218-213. In good news for reproductive rights, abortion remains legal in Wyoming as the state ruled against restrictive abortion laws, including a ban on the abortion pill. Zeroing in on affordability, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren led the election-year affordable housing blitz.

Amid a growing immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, ICE fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in her car on Wednesday. Good was an award-winning poet and a mother of three. An eyewitness told local media, “She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in – like his midriff was on her bumper – and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times.” Going on a full denial campaign, DHS claimed the woman “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey refuted claims of self-defense, saying DHS is “trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit.” In addition, Frey told ICE to “get the fuck out” of the city. Walz also issued a statement on the tragedy, issuing a “warning order” to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. RFK Jr announced new US dietary guidelines, urging people to consume less sugar and more protein. Continuing to undermine efforts to fight climate change, the US withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foundational agreement in addressing the climate crisis. This is among the dozens of international agreements Trump decided to pull the US out of on Wednesday. Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat, was set to announce his early retirement from Congress after decades of service.

Minnesota was on edge after Good’s murder by an ICE agent, with the Minneapolis public school system cancelling classes for the rest of the week. At the same time, protests erupted around the country against the cruel immigration crackdown. The ICE agent who shot Good was identified by the Minnesota Star Tribune as Johnathan Ross, who was described by federal officials as an “experienced” officer. State officials and investigators say federal authorities will not allow them access to evidence regarding the ICE shooting, as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension noted that the FBI reversed its initial agreement on working together on the investigation. During an interview with the NYT, Trump said of Good’s death, “I watched the one woman screaming, the one woman in the car before she got shot, I heard was unbelievably bad, badly behaved. You’re supposed to listen to law enforcement.” And somehow one-upping that cruel statement, Vice President JD Vance blamed the victim for being killed by ICE, saying, “I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making.” Making things worse, two people were shot by federal agents in Portland. On legal developments, a federal judge ruled that a fifth federal prosecutor appointed by Pam Bondi was serving unlawfully, while the Trump regime’s pick to be the US Attorney for the Northern District of New York must stop working on two investigations related to New York Attorney General Letitia James. In Congress, the House approved minibus spending bills to continue funding the government. Trump’s first vetoes on supporting infrastructure in Florida and Colorado survived override votes in the House despite initial bipartisan support, while House Republicans joined Democrats in reviving expired Obamacare funds.

In the latest jobs numbers for December last year, the US added 50 thousand more jobs while unemployment fell slightly. Funny enough, Trump posted some of the December statistics 12 hours before their official release. Speaking out for the first time since Good’s murder, her wife said she stopped by to support neighbors before she was fatally shot by ICE. The agent in question was seriously injured a few months ago, after he was dragged by an alleged fugitive who sped off and dragged him down the street. Minnesota officials asked the public to submit evidence related to the ICE shooting, as Minneapolis schools announced they will offer remote learning for students as the immigration crackdown intensifies. The White House then shared the cellphone footage of the Minneapolis shooting from the ICE officer’s perspective. Good can be heard saying, “That’s alright, dude, I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at you,” before she got shot. Moments after the shooting, Ross can be heard saying, “Fucking bitch.” After the footage was released, Vance used the video to further defend the ICE officer, while Trump repeated the baseless claim that Good was part of a “leftwing network” of paid agitators. Regarding the Portland shooting, Oregon officials began their probe into the incident as DHS revealed the victims’ names to be Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. In the cultural front, the Washington National Opera announced it is leaving the Kennedy Center after Trump’s renaming effort. Ending Friday with an all-timer headline from Politico: “France delays G7 to avoid clash with White House cage fighting on Trump’s birthday,” because that’s the world we live in now, apparently.

Over the weekend, anti-ICE demonstrations continued across the US. A more alarming political development was announced by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said the DOJ served subpoenas to the Fed and is threatening a criminal indictment over his Senate testimonyabout renovations to Federal Reserve buildings. With questions growing about political interference on the independent Fed, Trump denied he is involved in the subpoenas, telling NBC News, “I don’t know anything about it.”

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Tehran, Iran:

In Iran, protests related to the country’s economic problems continued into its second week, with anti-government demonstrations having spread to most of Iran’s provinces. Human rights groups and increasingly violent actions by Iranian security forces have shown signs of “indiscriminate targeting of civilians,” including an incident on Tuesday where security forces cracked down in a sit-in protest at Tehran’s grand bazaar. At least 35 people were killed, including 3 children. The Times of London reported that Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, has planned to flee to Moscow if Iran’s unrest intensifies. By Thursday, multiple sources reported that Iranian authorities had cut off internet access in areas such as Tehran after massive demonstrations in the capital. The new wave of protests, which were prompted by calls from Iran’s exiled crown prince, prompted hospital raids, while state TV warned of “casualties” and alleged “terrorist agents” from the US and Israel had sparked the violence. On social media, photos of Iranian women burning photos of the Ayatollah, including one who lit a cigarette with a burning Khamenei photo, went viral. Lashing out at the US, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blasted protesters for “ruining their own streets” to please Trump, and threatened the death penalty to demonstrators moving forward. Despite the warnings, new and growing protests emerged across Iran, mobilizing people from diverse social classes and political views. In hospitals, doctors told the BBC that their facilities were overwhelmed by injured patients from protests, as there were reports of security forces killing more than 200 demonstrators. With demonstrations continuing to erupt inside Iran over the weekend, the protests are also held in other countries, including in the UK, where a protester climbed onto the balcony of the Iranian embassy and pulled down the national flag. According to CNN, Trump was weighing a series of potential military options in Iran by the weekend in response to the regime’s protest crackdown. Earlier that weekend, Tehran warned it would retaliate if attacked by the US. Human rights groups and activists say the nationwide protests have killed more than 538 protesters and arrested 10,000 more.

Dateline Kyiv, Ukraine:

In personnel changes within the Kyiv government, Zelensky announced Vasyl Maliuk would step down as head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), but remain in the agency to focus on asymmetrical operations against Moscow. Meanwhile, former Canadian Liberal cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland quit her MP job and was appointed by Zelensky as an economic development adviser. After a gathering of leaders from the coalition of the willing in Paris, the signatories of the new Paris Declaration have agreed on strong security guarantees for Kyiv, including sending troops to Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal.” Reacting to the development, Russia claimed any foreign forces in Ukraine would be perceived as “legitimate targets.” In addition, Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities, leading to power outages in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Marking Friday’s attacks on Ukraine’s Lviv region, Russia said it has used its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Dateline International Space Station:

On Friday, NASA said it will return a four-person crew from the International Space Station (ISS) a month earlier than scheduled due to a “serious medical condition” affecting one of the crew members. Citing health privacy, NASA did not reveal which astronaut was sick or what their medical condition was, but it did say they were in stable condition. It comes a day after NASA cancelled a planned spacewalk that was supposed to take place on Thursday, citing health reasons. The four astronauts returning home early are Pilot Mike Fincke, Commander Zena Cardman, as well as Mission Specialists Oleg Platonov and Kimiya Yui.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

China: Selfies and smiles: South Korea seeks ‘new phase’ in ties with China

India: India arrests environmental campaigners for ‘activities against the national interest’

EU: EU-Mercosur mega trade deal: The winners and losers – POLITICO ​​

France: Paris court finds 10 guilty of harassing Brigitte Macron online

Switzerland: Swiss safety officials admit shortcomings after bar fire, French owners express regret

Israel: Binyamin Netanyahu’s plan to win Israeli—and global—hearts and minds

Israel: Israel Tells Doctors Without Borders to End Its Work in Gaza - The New York Times

Israel: Israel pushes ahead with vast illegal settlement in heart of West Bank

Business: Warner Bros. Discovery board again rejects Paramount’s hostile bid

AI: Elon Musk’s xAI restricts Grok after outcry over sexualised images

AI: China to Approve Nvidia H200 Buying as Soon as This Quarter - Bloomberg

AI: ​​Nvidia unveils self-driving car tech as part of physical AI push

Space: Astronaut’s ‘serious medical condition’ forces Nasa to end space station mission early

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

Atlantic: Trump’s ‘American Dominance’ May Leave Us With Nothing - The Atlantic

NYT: Stephen Miller Offers a Strongman’s View of the World - The New York Times

Wired: The 3 Keys to Understanding Trump’s Retro Coup in Venezuela | WIRED

FT: Expansionist Donald Trump’s whirlwind week

BBC: The painful questions for Nato and the EU as Trump threatens Greenland

Atlantic: Gavin Newsom Would Rather Be Wrong Than Weak - The Atlantic

FP: The Real Reason China and Russia Won’t Try a Maduro-Style Raid

Economist: America’s raid on Venezuela reveals the limits of China’s reach

NYMag: The Lessons of Trump’s First Year Back in Office

Bulwark: F— It: Let’s Do Greenland - by Jonathan V. Last

Atlantic: Donald Trump Wants You to Forget This Happened - The Atlantic

FT: The long wait of María Corina Machado

Reuters: A scammer’s blueprint: How cybercriminals plot to rob a target in a week

Atlantic: An Act of Cosmic Sabotage

BBC: Analysis: Why Trump chose Maduro’s VP over Nobel winner

FP: Iran’s Currency Crisis Could Be the Regime’s Downfall

NYT: China Touts Hainan, Its Duty-Free Island, Amid $1 Trillion Trade Surplus - The New York Times

Bulwark: Welcome to the Heat Death of Neoconservatism

FT: The new era of resource imperialism

Atlantic: MAGA’s Foundational Lie - The Atlantic

FP: The World-Minus-One Moment

Bloomberg: As Trump Eyes Greenland, Greenlanders in Denmark Debate Independence - Bloomberg

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

Venezuela: Venezuelan security forces detain journalists from foreign news organisations

Venezuela: Venezuela detains journalists and seizes communication devices after Maduro’s removal

Venezuela: Venezuela Detained and Deported Members of the Foreign Press - The New York Times

USA: Cable news networks scramble to cover fatal Minnesota ICE shooting – with both caution and commentary | Minneapolis | The Guardian
USA: CBS removes Tony Dokoupil calling out ‘big problems’ on first ‘Evening News’ show

USA: New ‘CBS Evening News’ anchor ends broadcast with ‘salute’ to Rubio

Despite optimistic comments by Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky after last Sunday’s Mar-a-Lago meeting, there are still major sticking points on land concessions and who takes control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Zelensky said Trump has offered a 15-year security guarantee for Kyiv, but the Ukrainian leader said the promise has to be at least three times as long as that. Russia claimed it is “revising” its position on a peace deal after claiming Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s residence in Novgorod, a claim Kyiv denied as Zelensky argued Moscow is attempting to sabotage peace talks and justify further attacks. In response to the news, Trump said the allegations made him “very angry,” but admitted he is not sure about the Russian narrative. Doubling down on the “mass attack” narrative, Moscow claimed Washington is “definitely” behind the alleged assassination attempt, adding that it would toughen its already unreasonable demands to end the conflict. According to an in-depth NYT report, Trump called Keith Kellogg an “idiot” to other advisers after the latter described Zelensky as a “brave” man in a “tough spot.”

On Monday, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to discuss the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. The US leader said he shares “very little differences” with Netanyahu, but noted they “don’t agree on the West Bank 100%.” Hinting that reconstruction would begin soon, Trump warned Hamas that it has a “very short period” to disarm, while adding he would back another strike on Iran. Trump further claimed a pardon for Netanyahu is on its way, even though it is disputed by Israel’s President Issac Herzog. In Israel, the government passed formal legislation that revokes diplomatic immunity for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, while its representative in the UN defended last week’s decision to recognize Somaliland amid skepticism that its recognition sets the stage for relocating Palestinians or building military bases there. Marking further discontent in the Middle East, the UAE pulled troops from Yemen after Saudi Arabia bombed a Yemeni port. Israel’s allies roundly condemned the Israeli government’s move to suspend three dozen international aid groups from operating in Gaza, including the International Rescue Committee and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Further escalating tensions in Latin America, Trump said in a radio interview that US forces have “knocked out” a “big” facility in Venezuela, which American officials then referred to as an alleged drug facility, but provided not much more information. CNN then reported that the CIA carried out a drone strike at a port facility on the coast of Venezuela, marking the first known US attack inside the country. Continuing the boat strike campaign, the US killed two more people in a vessel located in the eastern Pacific. Meanwhile, Maduro said he is open to dialogue with the US about drug trafficking, oil, and migration issues.

On American politics, the US said it will provide an initial $2 billion next year to fund UN-backed humanitarian aid, but warned aid agencies that they need to “adapt, shrink, or die.” Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and granddaughter of JFK, has died of cancer at age 35, just a month after revealing her diagnosis and criticizing Health Secretary RFK Jr this November. Following a series of fraud schemes and a viral investigation video that alleged widespread fraud at child care facilities, the Trump administration said it is freezing child care funds to Minnesota. Marking Trump’s first second-term vetoes, the president terminated a bipartisan-supported drinking water project in Colorado supported by staunch ally Lauren Boebert. The DOJ said it is now reviewing more than 5.2 million Epstein documents, as internal files show department leaders pushing for charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. A Democrat won a state Senate race in Iowa, blocking the Republicans from regaining a supermajority. Then on Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee released the transcript and full video of former special counsel Jack Smith’s deposition to Congress, in which he said he had “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” in his cases against Trump. The president announced he is removing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, adding that “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again — Only a question of time!”

In a massive display of military might, Beijing encircled Taiwan and conducted live-firing exercises in response to a recent major US arms deal. Despite that, Trump said he is not worried about the Chinese military drills. Meanwhile, China’s manufacturing activity expanded for the first time since March. In business, Warner Bros Discovery planned to reject Paramount’s latest hostile bid to own the media company, still viewing the earlier Netflix offer as superior despite the backing of Oracle’s Larry Ellison. On AI, Meta announced it is buying the Chinese-founded AI start-up Manus.

Bonjour, 2026 - Already A Disappointment

New York, new year, new mayor. Zohran Mamdani was officially sworn into office moments after the city entered 2026. Held in an abandoned relic of the NYC subway, Mamdani was sworn in by NY AG Letitia James and his wife, Rama Duwaji. Before swearing in, Mamdani announced a reversal of his plans to end mayoral control of public schools. After Mamdani was officially inaugurated by Bernie Sanders, the new mayor vowed to “govern expansively and audaciously,” before immediately moving to nullify all of former Mayor Eric Adams’ orders made after his indictment in September 2024 on federal corruption charges. On the first day of Mamdani’s job, Israel accused the new mayor of antisemitism by scrapping a recent order by Adams to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. In a recent interview with the WSJ published on Thursday, Trump said he is taking more aspirin than his doctors recommend, while doing less sports apart from golf. The report added that Trump stopped wearing compression socks for his swelling ankles, and regretted doing further checks on his health due to the public speculation. Meanwhile, Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies have expired, leaving millions of Americans with much higher healthcare costs in the new year. On law and order, the FBI said it had foiled a “potential terrorist attack” planned in North Carolina for New Year’s Eve, while a judge ordered the DC pipe bomb suspect to remain in custody ahead of trial. Citing vaccine misinformation from the Trump regime, Canadian officials say US health institutions, led by RFK Jr, are no longer dependable for accurate information.

In Venezuela, residents of the capital, Caracas, reported loud explosions and smoke on Saturday morning. Aircraft were spotted by local Venezuelans, while some areas of the city are without electricity. CBS News confirmed that Trump had directed military forces to strike targets in Caracas, as Maduro’s government accused the US leader of trying to “seize oil and minerals” and declared an emergency. Saying it “rejects, repudiates, and denounces” the US’s “military aggression,” the Venezuelan government added the strikes targeted civilian and military areas of Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. According to Bloomberg, Maduro signed a decree that declares a “foreign disturbance,” which enables the start of “armed struggle.” A statement by Maduro also called on its supporters to take to the streets, saying, “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.” The FAA then announced it is banning US commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace, citing “ongoing military activity” ahead of explosions in Caracas. Rosali Hernandez, a local journalist, told Sky News that official communication lines were “silenced,” while the public is not informed about the cause of the explosions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on social media, “Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately.” Petro then released an alleged list of bombed targets, including the Cuartel de la Montaña barracks in Caracas, a military base home to the mausoleum of Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s mentor and former Venezuelan leader. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the attack, calling it “state terrorism,” while Iran’s regime reiterated “Venezuela’s inherent right to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” In the Caribbean region, the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Carla Barnett, started arranging an emergency leaders summit of the 15-nation bloc. In the US, Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona called the conflict the “Second unjustified war in my life time,” while Republican Senator Mike Lee expressed skepticism when he wrote, “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.” Trump confirms Maduro was captured and flown out of the country along with his wife, telling the NYT in a brief phone interview after the operation, “A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people. It was a brilliant operation, actually.” According to Sky News, Venezuelan opposition members said Maduro’s capture was a “negotiated exit.” Venezuela’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino, said the country will resist the presence of foreign troops, as he called the attack “deplorable” in a video statement. We also learned hours before the attack that Maduro met with a high-level Chinese delegation, telling Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Latin American Affairs Qiu Xiaoqi and fellow diplomats that he is a tiger. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded the US provide proof of life of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Petro announced his country’s forces were being deployed to the border, adding he will provide additional support “in the event of a massive influx of refugees.” Russia’s foreign ministry condemned the US’s “act of armed aggression against Venezuela,” and Argentina’s Javier Milei tweeted on social media, “Liberty advances.” After a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lee posted on Twitter that Maduro will “stand trial on criminal charges in the United States,” adding that “He anticipates no further action in Venezuela” since Maduro is in US custody. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife were charged in a New York district court, being indicted on drug and weapons charges as he faces the “full wrath of American justice.” In a Saturday morning interview with Fox News,  Trump said Maduro and his wife had a “good flight” and were aboard the USS Iwo Jima, before confirming the couple will be sent to New York to face justice. It comes as Trump released a photo of a blindfolded and handcuffed Maduro wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, while holding a bottle of water in his right hand. During the Fox News call, Trump confirmed that two American soldiers and a helicopter were hit during the Saturday morning raid. Offering details of the US operation to capture Maduro, also known as “Operation Absolute Resolve,” the president and senior officials watched in real time from Mar-a-Lago the Delta Force raid that captured the Venezuelan leader. With assistance from a CIA source within the Venezuelan government, the Army’s Delta Force broke through the doors of a safe house “in a matter of seconds” after repeated practice on similar models. In the US, the Venezuelan community celebrated Maduro’s ouster after years of oppression. Democrats raised alarms over Trump’s avoidance of congressional authority before launching the attacks, and even though some Republicans also expressed concerns, most of them celebrated Maduro’s arrest. In a much-anticipated press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Trump announced the US plans to temporarily run Venezuela and sell its oil reserves to other countries. The president said, “We’re going to run the country [Venezuela] until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” adding that “We’re there now, and what people don’t understand, but they understand as I say this, we’re there now. But we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place.” Trump added the US is prepared for a second attack, saying, “We probably don’t have to do a second, but we’re prepared to do a second wave, a much bigger wave, actually.” Praising his “Donroe Doctrine,” Trump said of his foreign policy vision, “The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot.” On selling Venezuelan oil, Trump said, “We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it.” Claiming he’s not afraid of US “boots on the ground,” Trump said of who’s going to run Venezuela, “We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly. We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars.” As Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said that she and the opposition are ready to run the country, Trump threw her under the bus, first by saying the administration has not talked with her since the operation, before adding, “She does not have the support in Venezuela. She is a very nice woman, but she does not have the support.” Pete Hegseth, true to form, said in his remarks about the Maduro operation, “He f’ed around, and he found out. Welcome to 2026.” Meanwhile, Cuba is also in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. Trump said, “Cuba, as you know, is not doing very well right now. That system has not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now.” One person notably absent from the press conference is Vice President JD Vance, who only praised the “truly impressive operation” on social media. By Saturday afternoon, a US military aircraft carrying Maduro and his wife landed at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, New York. The couple was processed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center prison, and is set to appear in court by Monday evening. New York’s newly inaugurated mayor, Zohran Mamdani, personally called Trump and opposed “a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal and international law.” Despite earlier reports that Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was in Russia, she delivered a televised address saying Maduro is their country’s only president, vowing the nation “will never return to being the colony of another empire.” In Ukraine, Zelensky said of the US operation, “If it’s possible to deal with dictators like that, just like that, then the United States knows what to do next.” While in the UN, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is “deeply alarmed” by the recent developments in Venezuela, as the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday regarding the US operation. In Venezuela, few people celebrated, as most rushed to supermarkets to stock up supplies in fear of further military operations. On Sunday, China’s foreign ministry urged the US to immediately release Maduro and “stop toppling” regimes, while protests erupted within the US against a potential new war in Venezuela. Further threatening regional security, Trump told The Altantic that the new President Rodriguez must comply with US demands, adding the not-so-veiled threat, “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.” in a Sunday show press tour, Rubio says the US is not in war with Venezuela and it does not have “forces on the ground,” stating that US will govern Venezuela but will dictate policy through enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country. In a slightly lighter note, according to the NYT, Maduro’s recent public displays of dancing were seen by some in Trump’s team as mocking and calling their bluff, which made the White House follow through on its military threats.

Regarding Ukraine, a CIA assessment concluded that Kyiv did not try to kill Putin at his country residence, as alleged by the Kremlin. During Zelensky’s New Year’s Eve address, the Ukrainian leader said a peace agreement with Russia is “90% ready.” Meanwhile, Moscow said New Year strikes in Russian-occupied Ukraine have killed 24 people. On Friday, Zelensky appointed Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, to head the President’s Office. The move comes as Ukrainian intelligence warned Russia may be preparing a “large-scale provocation with human casualties,” while recent polling in Ukraine showed 74% of Ukrainians are against any peace plan that involves Kyiv’s withdrawal from Donbas. Days of protests over soaring inflation in Iran have turned violent, with media and human rights groups reporting several people were killed during the unrest. Responding to the news, Trump says the US is “locked and loaded,” adding his country will intervene in the case of violent suppression. Amid the recent developments in Venezuela, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Trump does not have the right to annex Greenland, as there are growing voices inside the GOP circle to invade the island.

In Hong Kong, lawmakers are sworn in at the Legislative Council oath-taking ceremony, with city leader John Lee urging them to “be public representatives, not commentators.” Lee was in pain while standing for the ceremony, and a cane was spotted nearby. The Chief Executive’s Office later confirmed that Lee is suffering from sciatica, which can cause severe pain down the back of the leg and up into the pelvis and buttocks. This comes as the city’s new harsher smoking rules came into effect, while higher rates in Hong Kong’s public hospitals have sparked confusion about the more expensive fees. A day later, veteran lawmakers Starry Lee and Ronick Chan announced their bid to become the next Legislative Council president.

While in other global news, Bulgaria became the 21st member to join the Eurozone and adopt the Euro, just weeks after Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s coalition government lost a confidence vote amid unrest over the country’s new budget. In sad news, a deadly ski resort fire in south-west Switzerland has killed dozens of people on New Year’s Day, and injured more than 100. Officials believe the bar fire was started by sparklers on champagne bottles, which came close to the ceiling of the bar, causing the blaze to spread. Tesla lost its title as the world’s biggest electric vehicle maker to BYD, a Chinese electric carmaker, as its sales fell for the second year in a row. Regarding AI, AI safety expert David Dalrymple said the world might not have enough time to deal with AI safety risks. The Guardian reported that “Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice,” while Elon Musk’s Grok has generated images of “minors in minimal clothing” due to safeguard lapses.

All The News That’s Unfit To Meme: Other Headlines You Might Want To Check Out

Hong Kong: Hong Kong gov’t completes disciplinary probe into fraudulent water supply contract

Hong Kong: Hong Kong leader vows to boost livelihoods, fast-track housing projects in 2026

China: Xi Jinping hails China’s rising ‘national power’

China: We must not give corrupt officials any hiding place, Xi Jinping tells cadres

Myanmar: ‘We are always living in fear’: inside Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election

UK: Starmer ready for closer EU alignment ‘in the national interest’

France: French government defends granting citizenship to George and Amal Clooney | AP News

Germany: Germany’s far-right AfD invited to join Munich Security Conference 2026 | Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) | The Guardian

Gaza: The Gaza bookshop that refuses to shut

AI: ‘This will be a stressful job’: Sam Altman offers $555k salary to fill most daunting role in AI | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

Space: How to export life to Mars

Science: Fresh bone analysis makes case for earliest ‘ancestor of humankind’, but doubts remain | Palaeontology | The Guardian

Your Weekly Dose of Outstanding Journalism

FT: Forecasting the world in 2026

NYT: Inside Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Break With Trump and MAGA - The New York Times

WSJ: The Incident That Prompted Trump to Ban Epstein From Mar-a-Lago’s Spa - WSJ

Economist: China’s museum boom, take two

NYMag: Mayor Mamdani Begins

Atlantic: Maybe Russia and China Should Sit This One Out - The Atlantic

FT: The Big Read. Charts of the year: Trump’s attempt to reshape world trade

SCMP: Jimmy Lai verdict and Panama port saga: what shaped Hong Kong’s 2025 political scene | South China Morning Post

Guardian: The ‘Putinization’ of US foreign policy has arrived in Venezuela

WSJ: A Shrimper, a Carmaker, a Lawyer: How the World Tackled Trump’s Trade War

FP: 6 Trump Lessons for Global Leaders in 2026

NYT: Grim Evidence of Trump’s Boat Strikes Washes Ashore on a Colombian Peninsula - The New York Times

WaPo: As Russia’s war grinds on, its society is fraying

Economist: Brazil’s President Lula should not run again

Atlantic: The Messiness of a Post-Maduro World - The Atlantic

BBC: Bowen: Trump’s action could set precedent for authoritarian powers across globe

New Yorker: What Zohran Mamdani and Michael Bloomberg Have in Common | The New Yorker

Vox: 26 things we think will happen in 2026 | Vox

Guardian: ‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime

NYT: Before Nicolás Maduro, There Was Manuel Noriega - The New York Times

FT: How the bubble bursts

HKFP: Explainer: How deadly Tai Po fire brings to light bid-rigging epidemic in Hong Kong renovation industry

Bloomberg: Embracing the Radical Right Is Killing Conservatism as We Knew It

Economist: The United States has captured Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro

FP: 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2026: From Gaza to Ukraine to Venezuela

Sky: The race to replace the International Space Station | Science, Climate & Tech News

Atlantic: Trump Threatens to Launch ‘Operation Iranian Freedom’ - The Atlantic

NYT: Opinion | The 2025 Politics Yearbook: Most Likely to Be Extreme and Chaotic - The New York Times

Vox: AI: What voters really think about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT | Vox

BBC: Venezuela could now define Trump’s legacy - and America’s place in the world

FT: The events that defined world politics in 2025

NYMag: The Making of Mayor Mamdani

CNN: Ten years after it ended its ‘one-child’ policy, China’s push for more babies isn’t winning its citizens over | CNN

Economist: The truth about affordability

Atlantic: Trump’s Critics Are Falling Into an Obvious Trap - The Atlantic

FT: Business trends, wild cards and companies to watch in 2026

Video Highlights From All Sides

Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week

USA: Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and granddaughter of JFK, dies at 35 - The Washington Post

USA: CBS’ Tony Dokoupil urges viewers to hold him accountable ahead of new hosting gig

USA: Trump Books Aren’t Selling Anymore - The Atlantic

Hong Kong: Hong Kong gov’t condemns BBC over ‘unfounded report’ on Jimmy Lai’s health

Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club granted new 3-year lease at historic Central location, gov’t says

Gaza: 128 journalists killed worldwide in 2025, says press group, many of them in Gaza | The Times of Israel

Gaza: Israel kills over 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza: Report | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Guinea-Bissau: Safeguards needed for journalism in Guinea-Bissau after military coup | RSF

Tech: Kara Swisher on the Blind Spot That Broke Big Tech

Hours before 60 Minutes was set to air a report on the infamous CECOT prison in El Salvador, the program suddenly announced it was dropping that segment and postponing it until further notice. A CBS News representative claimed the segment “needed additional reporting,” but an email sent by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to her colleagues, saying the segment was dropped by the newly-appointed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, for political reasons, adding that “the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship.” In a statement last Sunday, Weiss wrote, “My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.” CBS insiders say the segment was fully fact-checked and legally vetted before the network publicized it on Friday, as some journalists threatened to quit over the move. During the morning editorial call within CBS News, Weiss further defended her decision, saying the story “did not advance the ball” and demanding, “We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.” The veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelly stood by Alfnosi’s reporting, saying during the meeting that “We’re incredibly proud of you, Sharyn, and everybody else on this story. You are doing exactly what you’re supposed to do — what this broadcast is about. And I think you’re going to find all of us standing and cheering around you.” 60 Minutes Executive Producer Tanya Simon told her staff that she stands by the CECOT reporting, noting that “We pushed back, we defended our story, but she wanted changes, and I ultimately had to comply.” In totally unrelated news, Paramount (Which owns CBS News) has amended its hostile bid to purchase Warner Bros Discovery, with Larry Ellison providing a personal guarantee of $40.4 billion of equity to finance the bid. At the same time, Trump has reportedly complained of his dissatisfaction at 60 Minutes, coming at the heels of a settlement earlier this year between CBS News and the president regarding the Kamala Harris interview before the 2024 presidential election.

Adding another stunning twist, the original 60 Minutes episode that included the “Inside CECOT” story aired on Canada’s Global TV app, allowing users to record the segment and let it go viral on social media. In a statement, Paramount said Global TV “mistakenly published” the CECOT segment, adding that “Paramount’s content protection team is in the process of routine take-down orders for the unaired and unauthorized segment.” Defending her decision to drop the 60 Minutes segment, Weiss wrote in a memo, “In our upside-down moment, this may seem radical. Such editorial decisions can cause a firestorm, particularly in a slow news week. And the standards for fairness we are holding ourselves to, particularly on contentious subjects, will surely feel controversial to those used to doing things one way. But to fulfill our mission, it’s necessary.” She added that “no amount of outrage” would “derail us.” Meanwhile, White House special advisor Stephen Miller has called for the firing of 60 Minutes producers who led a “revolt” against Weiss.

On Christmas Day, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered the UK broadcaster Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message and spoke directly with British viewers as a counterpoint to King Charles’s address. Saying that “from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” Kimmel warned viewers of the slow burn to authoritarianism. “And the reason I’m telling you this story is that maybe you’re thinking: ‘Oh, a government silencing its critics is something that happens in places like Russia, or North Korea, or LA, not the UK’. Well, that’s what we thought, and now we’ve got King Donny the Eighth calling for executions. It happens fast.”

In Hong Kong, the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR summoned the representatives of the US and the UK consular generals, and expressed “strong concern and firm opposition” over their comments on former Apple Daily chief Jimmy Lai, following his conviction last week. The legal fight between the head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Selina Cheng, and her former employer, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), continued. Cheng denied that money was the “primary motivation” for suing her former employer on Monday, saying it was to hold the WSJ accountable. During cross-examination by the WSJ’s lawyer, Cheng said it is her “legally protected right” to run for the union chair, and denied she had “deliberately concealed” the decision to run for the HKJA’s top job from her then-employer.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - More Epstein Chaos

The Epstein saga continues after last weekend’s partial release, as abuse survivors criticized the DOJ for releasing “a fraction of the files, and what we received was riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation.” Seemingly bending to public pressure, the DOJ restored a photo featuring Trump back to the publicly available Epstein files after it was mysteriously taken down over the weekend. As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would introduce a resolution directing the Senate to take legal action over the impartial release, former President Bill Clinton’s spokesperson called for a full release of the Epstein files to “produce the full and complete record the public demands and deserves.” When asked about the release of Clinton photographs in the Epstein files, Trump described it as a “terrible thing” and said he had a great relationship with the former president. Advertising the building of a new “Golden Fleet,” the US military plans to build “Trump-class” military vessels with the president’s name slapped on them. In a move that infuriated both Danish and Greenlandic leaders, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the new US special envoy to Greenland. Amid renewed attention to the Venezuelan migrants sent to El Salvador’s CECOT concentration camp, a federal judge ruled that the US violated due process through its Alien Enemies Act deportations. Trump halted five wind farm projects off the East Coast, citing potential national security risks and jeopardizing billions in investments. Conservative lawyer and prominent Trump critic George Conway has filed to run as a Democrat for New York’s 12th Congressional District, joining an already packed race to replace Jerry Nadler after he retires from Congress in 2027. Amid growing discord within the GOP coalition, top officials from the Heritage Foundation think tank have left for former VP Mike Pence’s new political group.

Tuesday saw the DOJ drop another large batch of Epstein files, which included more mentions of Trump, which officials claim contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” about the current president. Some of the documents include a subpoena to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 related to Maxwell’s case that documented the number of times Trump flew to Epstein’s island, and in one instance, together with a 20-year-old woman and the disgraced financier. In addition, there were several tips collected by the FBI about Trump’s potential involvement with Epstein and parties at their properties during the early 2000s. However, the DOJ came out to clarify that a letter signed by “J. Epstein” and addressed to disgraced ex-USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar (Which contained references to Trump) is fake. Meanwhile, there were also damning non-Trump Epstein files revelations, from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asking Maxwell to arrange meetings with “inappropriate friends,” to the fact that some of the documents were so poorly redacted that users can just copy and paste them to read the full text. In economic news, the US GDP saw third-quarter growth at an annualized rate of 4.3%, while America labelled Chinese chips as an economic threat but delayed tariffs until 2027. Marking a major legal loss for Trump, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court blocked the president from deploying the National Guard to Chicago. On student loans, the Trump administration said it would begin to garnish the pay of student loan borrowers in default starting next year. In other headlines, former GOP Senator Ben Sasse said he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a judge rejected a challenge to Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee, Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty sued to remove Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs quietly banned abortion and counseling services, and the administration ordered nearly 30 US ambassadors to leave their posts.

In a ridiculous social media spree on Christmas Eve, Trump went on a tirade against late-night hosts, calling for “pathetic trainwreck” Stephen Colbert’s show to be immediately cancelled and “put him to sleep,” before targeting all other late-night hosts and threatening to terminate the broadcast licenses of CBS, ABC, and NBC. Trump also participated in the jovial tradition of talking to children dialing into the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which tracks Santa’s progress around the globe, warning against an infiltration by a “bad Santa” and defending coal during a call with a youngster. The DOJ said it needs “a few more weeks” to process what it claims are more than one million documents related to Epstein’s prosecutions, which comes as lawmakers criticized the agency for failing to release all documents by the December 19th deadline. In Europe, leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron have accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation” after visa bans have targeted five Europeans who advocated for regulatory laws against American tech companies.

On Christmas Day, Trump announced the US military had launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Nigeria, accusing the terrorist group of killing Christians in the country. Hailing the strikes as an “amazing Christmas present,” Nigerian authorities confirmed they had provided intelligence and strategic support to America on the attack. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of more strikes, as Nigeria’s foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar hinted at more “joint ongoing operations.” The leader of the Trump-Kennedy Center threatened to sue after musician Chuck Redd called off the annual Christmas Eve performances as a protest to its name change, before demanding Redd pay $1 million in damages for cancelling the show. In other holiday news, Thomas Massie used Trump’s “lowlife” taunt to raise funds against his GOP primary candidate, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she is pregnant with her second child.

War Watch - Christmas Peace Negotiating

On Monday, Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed in a car bombing in Moscow, with officials blaming Ukrainian intelligence for the death. In peace talks, US envoy Steve Witkoff said they had “productive and constructive” talks with Ukrainian and European officials, adding they share the goals of stopping the war and supporting Kyiv. By Tuesday, Ukraine weathered another intense drone and missile attack by Moscow, killing at least three people. In a move that could complicate territory talks for Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said its forces had withdrawn from the eastern town of Siversk, a stronghold in eastern Donetsk still under Ukrainian control that Moscow wants to take over. By Wednesday, two police officers and another person were killed in an explosion, after the policemen approached a suspicious man near the site where the Sarvarov car bomb took place. The US and Ukraine are close to a new joint plan to end the war, with Zelensky accepting the principle of a demilitarized and free economic zone in Eastern Ukraine as part of a new 20-point peace proposal. Bloomberg reported Russia was set to demand changes to the latest US peace plan, including further restrictions on the Ukrainian military. In Zelensky’s Christmas message, the Ukrainian leader made a not-so-subtle reference to Putin when he said, “Today, we all share one dream. And we have the same wish: for him to perish.”

After a Thursday call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Zelensky said the chat had yielded “new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and... timing on how to bring a real peace closer.” It comes as Russia continued bombarding parts of Ukraine over Christmas, but it did not stop some Ukrainians from celebrating the holiday. During his first Christmas address, Pope Leo XIV urged Kyiv and Moscow to find the “courage” to hold direct talks. In Russia, pro-war and anti-Putin critic Sergei Udaltsov was sentenced to six years in prison, while a state poll found a majority of Russians believe the Ukraine war will end in 2026. By Friday, Zelensky said he plans to meet Trump “in the coming days,” with the Kyiv Post initially reporting that the Ukrainian leader is expected to travel to Florida as soon as Sunday. Hours later, the Ukrainian leader confirmed to journalists he will meet Trump on Sunday, adding to Axios that he is “ready” to set up a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire deal of at least 60 days. As the meeting between Trump and Zelensky was just set up, Kyiv experienced a brutal assault by hundreds of Russian drones.

Ahead of visiting Florida, Zelensky met with Canadian PM Mark Carney, who announced C$2.5 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine. Responding to the Kyiv attack, Zelensky said the strikes show Moscow “doesn’t want peace.” Meanwhile, Poland made plans to complete setting up a new set of anti-drone fortifications within two years. By Sunday morning, Zelensky expressed optimism ahead of the meeting, while Trump said he had a “good and productive” talk with Putin via phone call. At a press conference following their talks in Florida, both men showed positive signs of negotiations going well. Trump said he had a “terrific meeting,” as Zelensky added that “I do think we are getting a lot closer” to a peace deal. However, whether an actual peace deal is approved remained elusive at the time of writing.

Voterama 2025 - A Sham Junta Election

On Sunday, Burmese voters turned out for the first election in Myanmar since the junta ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Marking the first round of voting in a multi-phase election based on the 2008 military-drafted constitution, many saw the election as illegitimate and a facade to boost the junta’s political legitimacy. Sunday’s vote marks the first phase of the Burmese election, with a second phase on January 11 and a third phase on January 25. It comes amid a continued civil war between the military and rebel groups, which saw the junta commit to intense airstrikes and a ground offensive that has impacted many civilians. Given that the civil war has generated rebel-held territories and contested areas, there were questions over how to conduct an election in those regions. Ahead of the vote, there were already reports of repression under a July legislation dubbed the Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections, which criminalizes speaking out against the election or poll workers. Amnesty International criticized the new election law, saying it has led to “unlawful attacks that may amount to war crimes as well as a drastic increase in arbitrary detentions and further crackdowns on freedom of expression.” Under the law, more than 200 people were charged with attempting to sabotage the election process, with some being opposition leaders who had held an earlier December protest calling for people to stay indoors as a show of boycotting the vote.

Interestingly enough, Myanmar is one of four countries that held elections on Sunday. In Kosovo, exit polls showed Acting PM Albin Kurti’s governing Self-Determination party is on course to win the most seats in Kosovo’s parliament, but not enough to get a majority ina continuation of political paralysis that has plagued the country for most of 2025. In Guinea, the vote was widely expected to give junta leader Mamady Doumbouya his seven-year mandate after seizing power through a coup in 2021, and he has led the election with no meaningful challenger. The Central African Republic also voted, as President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who seeks an unprecedented third term, is likely to win at least the first round of voting.

Meanwhile, Honduras’ national electoral council declared Nasry “Tito” Asfura of the right-wing National Party as the country’s new leader after winning 40.27% of the November 30th election. The announcement comes after a nail-bitingly close margin between Asfura and Liberal Party rival Salvador Nasralla, with the final vote count showing a gap of 27,000 votes. Asfura was endorsed by Trump days before the election, which his opponents claim constitutes electoral interference.