News of the World

[kyonides]

USA

---

Trump Kicks Off Second Week in Office With Raft of New Executive Orders

President Donald Trump continued his executive order spree on Monday, signing a slew of new actions related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and transgender military service members, the development of an "American Iron Dome" and more.
...
Trump hit the ground running after being inaugurated last week and has signed dozens of executive orders and other actions undoing the Biden administration's policies and forging ahead with his campaign pledge to crack down on immigration, increase offshore drilling, roll back DEI programs and transgender rights and purge the federal government of officials deemed insufficiently loyal to the president's agenda.

What To Know

The president announced Monday's orders while addressing Republican lawmakers at a retreat at Trump National Doral Miami.

As Reuters reported, one of the executive actions orders the reinstatement of military service members who were discharged because they refused to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Another requires the development of an American missile defense system akin to the Iron Dome in Israel.

A third eliminates "gender radicalism in the military," while a fourth order eradicates DEI military initiatives. The fifth action was a proclamation commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"We have to have a strong, strong defense," Trump told Republicans at his south Florida resort earlier Monday. "And in a little while, I'll be signing four new executive orders."

Monday's announcements came after Trump ordered all federal government Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) staff be placed on paid leave as their offices begin closing down.

What People Are Saying

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X, formerly Twitter, Monday: "Thank you for your leadership Mr. President. We will execute!"

Conservative radio host Dan Bongino posted a meme to X on Monday of a person appearing to yell, "More!"

Pete Hegseth Says Air Force Restoring Tuskegee Airmen Videos Amid Backlash

The Air Force says it has reinstated training material on the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) after a brief delay to revise it in line with the Trump administration's rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Hegseth clarified that any attempt to cut the Tuskegee Airmen training material had been "immediately reversed."

The decision resolves a controversy that emerged as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day at the Pentagon.
...
The temporary removal of the training, which was primarily intended to educate Air Force members on the history of those who are regarded as trailblazing figures, sparked a backlash.

It followed the removal of courses highlighting the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs, the pioneering female pilots of World War II, which led to criticism from various groups, including the Tuskegee Airmen organization.

The Air Force had initially pulled these materials as part of broader efforts to reduce DEI references across the department.
...
While Hegseth, who was confirmed by the Senate on Friday in a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance, did not directly address the issue upon his arrival at the Pentagon Monday morning, he emphasized that the military's focus would shift back to readiness.

He also mentioned that he would be issuing more executive orders aimed at rolling back DEI programs and reinstating troops dismissed over COVID-19 vaccine mandates, along with other national security initiatives.

US Border Patrol Agents Exchange Gunfire With Mexico Drug Cartel: Reports

U.S. Border Patrol agents near Fronton, Texas, reportedly exchanged gunfire at the southern border with suspected drug cartel gunmen from Mexico.

There were no injuries in the incident near Fronton Island, an uninhabited island in the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas, according to reports. The island is a disputed territory about which Texas and Mexico have made conflicting ownership claims.
...
NewsNation's Ali Bradley reported that while the suspected cartel has fired shots from the Mexican side of the territory for years, things in the area have escalated "in unprecedented ways since President [Donald] Trump was elected—Even giving orders to shoot at agents recently."

Since taking office last week, Trump has issued a massive crackdown on illegal immigration, signing a slew of executive orders that have paved the way for mass deportations and the return of some of his first-term policies. Among those orders is one that designates Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign, and Americans largely support his mass deportation plans. A New York Times/Ipsos poll from January 2 to 10 found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported "Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records." Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.
...
"Per multiple law enforcement sources, within the last hour, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, TX were fired upon from MX by suspected cartel gunmen as a group of illegal aliens were being brought across the river. I'm told BP returned fire, nobody hit on either side, and that the illegal aliens did not make it across," Fox News's Bill Melugin reported on X, formerly Twitter.

Clarence Thomas Calls Out Judges for Disrespecting Supreme Court Rulings

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas slammed a circuit court of appeals for not adhering to legal precedent in a dissent released on Monday.

Thomas dissented from a denial by the court to review a lower court's decision. Justice Samuel Alito joined the opinion.

"Because I would not overlook the Sixth Circuit's blatant and repeated disrespect for the rule of law, I respectfully dissent," Thomas said in his dissent.

Thomas' dissent focuses on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' application of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). The law limits federal courts' power to review state criminal convictions.

Thomas said this case is the latest in a "long line" of AEDPA errors made by the Sixth Circuit. The Supreme Court has reversed the lower court's decisions at least two dozen times for misapplying the statute, according to Thomas.
...
David Smith, an Ohio man, was convicted of attempted murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary after he attacked Quortney Tolliver in her mobile home in 2015.

Before the trial, Smith asked the court to suppress Tolliver's identification of him as the suspect, arguing that law enforcement was "unnecessarily suggestive" when interviewing her. The motion was unsuccessful and the evidence was admitted.

CANADA

---

Canada PM Hopeful Says How She Wants to 'Painfully Target' U.S. With Tariffs

Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister running to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada's prime minister, said on Monday that Canada should release a "retaliation list" of American goods to target if U.S. President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian products.
...
Trump has vowed to slap both Mexic[o] and Canada with steep tariffs beginning next month, which would upend the U.S.'s trade relationship with both its neighbors.

The president claims the tariffs won't affect Americans, but most economists disagree and say U.S. consumers could end up paying a significant price for Trump's tariffs.

The Washington Post also published a lengthy report last October detailing how, if implemented, Trump's tariff plan could be disastrous for the U.S. economy, with American consumers bearing the brunt of the cost.
...
Freeland said in a statement that listing products worth $200 billion Canadian dollars (US $139 billion) would effectively communicate to U.S. exporters the detrimental impact such tariffs would have on them.

"Being smart means retaliating where it hurts," Freeland said Monday. "Our counterpunch must be dollar-for-dollar — and it must be precisely and painfully targeted: Florida orange growers, Wisconsin dairy farmers, Michigan dishwasher manufacturers, and much more."

"Now is the moment when Canada must make clear to Americans the specific costs that will accompany any tariff measures by the Trump administration," she added.

Freeland said that listing products worth $200 billion Canadian dollars ($139 billion U.S. dollars) would show American exporters how tariffs could negatively affect them.

EUROPE

---

Germans Rally Against Far-Right Party Supported by Elon Musk

Tens of thousands of people protested across Germany against the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Saturday, the same day that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk gave a speech to members of the far-right party.

A huge crowd denounced the AfD at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, and also protested against the far right around Europe and the Donald Trump administration. Meanwhile, Musk gave a surprise video address at the party's campaign launch ahead of next month's elections.

It came days after Musk, the owner of X, provoked fierce debate in Germany after making a gesture at the inauguration of President Donald Trump that was denounced by some as a Nazi salute.

The German economy, which lies at the heart of the EU, is facing turbulence after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party governing coalition collapsed last year. A federal election will be held on February 23.

Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union has 30 percent support, followed by Alice Weidel's AfD at 21 percent and Scholz's Social Democrats with 16 percent, according to the latest poll by research institute INSA published by Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

As the country goes to the polls, mainstream parties have said they refuse to work with the AfD, which has in Musk a powerful supporter who controls the influential social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

US Ally Has 'First Dibs' on Greenland, Former Envoy Says

The United Kingdom would have "first dibs" on Greenland, before the U.S, according to Greenland's last Danish minister.

Tom Høyem, Copenhagen's last permanent representative in Greenland, said Trump would have to get approval to buy the island from U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer—because of an agreement made in 1917.
...
The Context

Trump has threatened to take control of Greenland with military force or economic action, declaring the autonomous territory of Denmark an "absolute necessity." Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede has insisted it is "not for sale" and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea "absurd" in 2019, when Trump made the suggestion during his first term.
...
Høyem told The Sunday Times: "If Trump tried to buy Greenland, he would have to ask London first. The United Kingdom demanded in 1917 that if Greenland were to be sold then the U.K. should have the first right to buy it."

This undertaking exists because Canada, which is only a few miles from Greenland, was still part of the British Empire at the time—although it was self-governing.

Why Does Trump Want Greenland?

Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system as the island is on the shortest route from Europe to North America.

It also comes at a time when Trump has signaled a strong "America First" approach to trade and foreign policy for his second term, pushing for rebalanced deals on U.S. foreign financial commitments.

The U.S. has previously made inquiries about buying Greenland. In 1867, a report from the State Department said that the island's location and natural resources would make it an ideal acquisition.

President Harry Truman offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark in 1946 for $100 million in gold.

In the 1970s, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller also discussed buying Greenland for its mineral resources, according to The Washington Post.

Two NATO Allies Commit to 5% Defense Spending Amid Trump Pressure: Report

Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to pledge an increase in defense spending to five percent of GDP, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys and Estonian Prime Minister Kristan Michal confirmed their countries' commitment to strengthening defense capabilities in response to regional security concerns, the report said.

Why It Matters

The decision comes amid growing pressure from the U.S. President Donald Trump for allies to boost military expenditure while he seeks to end of the war in Ukraine and turn American military resources increasingly toward China and the Asia-Pacific.

According to the report, Budrys stated that his country plans to allocate between five percent and six percent of its GDP to defense starting in 2026 and continuing through at least 2030. He described U.S. pressure to boost military spending as "good and constructive," emphasizing the importance of strengthening defense capabilities in the face of growing regional threats.

The new policy will make Lithuania and Estonia the highest defense spenders in NATO in percentage terms, surpassing Poland, which currently allocates over four percent of its GDP to defense.

What Pressure Has Trump Put on NATO Allies?

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged NATO members to substantially increase their defense budgets, advocating for a minimum threshold of five percent of GDP, a significant jump from the current two percent target.

I won't blame people for not reading the next 2 articles in full.

Top Ally Advised Putin To Replace Lenin's Corpse With His Own: Report

Atop ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin has advised him to remove Vladimir Lenin's body from a mausoleum in Moscow in order to seal his legacy as Moscow's leader.

Alexander Dugin, a far-right political philosopher, has advised the president to remove Lenin's body from the burial site in order to "make room there for the real Emperor" and make other changes to the mausoleum, according to the Telegram post by the account Kremlin Snuffbox.
...
Dugin's advice to Putin to remove Lenin's body from the Moscow mausoleum to make room for the president's own suggests that Putin's legacy has not yet been cemented, which could potentially damage their relationship.

As this idea has been discussed for years and no change has been made, there is a possibility Dugin's efforts will be in vain, and Lenin will remain in the mausoleum.
...
The philosopher reportedly told the Kremlin Snuffbox that he approached Putin with the suggestion and said: "I once wrote that faith in Putin is like faith in the Emperor. I believe that our Emperor lacks a number of attributes that would finally make his role in the history of Russia sacred.

"And the future place of his burial, a place of worship for all the successes of modern Great Russia - that is what is sorely lacking now."

This was in reference to a post on Dugin's own Telegram channel in which he wrote: "Faith in Putin is like faith in the Emperor. No, not in God, but not in just a man. It is faith in Russia. The better the people who believe, the better the one they believe in. Sounds like the code of the samurai. If your struggle is true, then its goal is true."

The Russian philosopher also reportedly advised Putin to make improvements to the mausoleum by rebuilding the structure, decorating it with military trophies accumulated during the special military operation (SVO), and preparing it for his eventual burial.

Dugin added that "Putin's Mausoleum can already be worshiped. And when Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] finishes his earthly journey, there will be queues at his coffin. We will bring here the flags of the European states that we will conquer in the coming years and decades. And Western tanks taken from our enemies."

The Kremlin has allegedly confirmed that they received Dugin's proposal to the Kremlin Secrets Telegram account, and did not provide a comment on the matter. The channel said that Russia's government only noted that the president "will outlive many more."

Rumors about Putin, 72, and his health began to circulate after the beginning of the war, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president has no health problems following a hospital visit for "ordinary medical examinations" in October 2024.

Dugin, 63, is known for his influence on Putin and has been credited as the key architect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has also been referred to as "Putin's brain" has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU, and has been charged by the Security Service of Ukraine in connection with his support of the Kremlin's war.

New Russian School Textbook Says Moscow 'Forced' Into War in Ukraine

Anew school textbook introduced in Moscow on Monday claims Russia was "forced" to send soldiers into Ukraine in 2022, according to Reuters.

Why It Matters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has often characterized his war in Ukraine as an attempt to thwart Western forces backing Kyiv against Russia.

After launching his invasion of the country in February 2022, he has called the conflict a "special military operation," and he has compared it to the Soviet battle against Nazis.

Meanwhile, Kyiv and its allies accuse Putin of an unjustified attack in order to seize more territory for his country.

According to Reuters, the book is the third volume in the Military History of Russia series and was published to educate children aged 15 and older.

The textbook series was edited by Vladimir Medinsky, an adviser to Putin who was once involved in peace negotiations with Ukraine soon after the war broke out. Those peace talks eventually fell apart.

A section of the book that discusses how Russia was "forced" to send its military into Ukraine appears in a chapter entitled "Professionalism, indomitability and courage: Russian troops in the Special Military Operation."

Putin's Forces Retake Control of Border Village in Russia's Kursk Region

Russia's military on Monday reported its forces had retaken control of the village Nikolayevo-Darino in the Kursk region.

Why It Matters

Nikolayevo-Darino had been captured by Ukrainian soldiers during last summer's cross-border incursion into the southwestern Russian region that borders Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.

On August 6, Kyiv began the military operation into Kursk, which appeared to take Russian President Vladimir Putin and even Ukraine's allies by surprise. Kyiv later announced it had seized 500 square miles at what was then the lightly-defended border of the Russian region.
While Moscow was slow to respond at first, it later deployed 50,000 troops there, drawing away considerable resources from its operations on the Donbas front.

According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), thousands of Kursk residents have been evacuated from the region since Ukraine began its offensive there.

What To Know

Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said its forces had recaptured control of Nikolayevo-Darino, which sits on the border and has a population of less than 150 people.

According to the AFP, Russia has managed to gain back territory in Kursk seized by Ukraine during its incursion after bringing reinforcements to the region. Some of these reinforcements reportedly include thousands of North Korean soldiers.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry also announced that its forces had captured the strategically significant settlement of Velyka Novosilka in the west of Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast. However, Ukraine's military only acknowledged there had been a partial withdrawal and said fighting was ongoing elsewhere in the settlement.

North Korean Troops Pull Back From Frontline in Russia: Ukraine Military

North Korean troops have pulled back from at least one section of the frontline in the Kursk region of Russia, according to members of Ukraine's military.

Sky News on Monday reported a Ukrainian special forces commander said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's servicemen fighting on behalf of Moscow had temporarily withdrawn from the Kursk frontline after suffering heavy casualties.

The Kyiv Independent followed up by speaking with Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, who said Kim's soldiers had seemingly withdrawn from only one section of the Kursk frontline.
...
North Korea has been supplying large quantities of artillery and other conventional weapons to Russia, and according to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence reports, it sent approximately 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia in October 2024.

Officials in Seoul, Washington and other capitals are concerned that Moscow could reciprocate by providing Pyongyang with advanced weapons technology that could further enhance its nuclear capabilities.

Fighting In Kursk

Last summer, Kyiv began a military incursion into the southwestern Russian region, which borders Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. The operation appeared to take Russian President Vladimir Putin and even Ukraine's allies by surprise. Kyiv later announced it had seized 500 square miles at what was then the lightly-defended border of the Russian region.

However, Russia responded by deploying more troops to Kursk—reportedly including members of Kim's military—and have regained control of portions of the area seized by Ukraine's forces.

What To Know

A Ukrainian special forces commander, who goes by the call sign "Puls," told Sky News that North Korean troops seemingly retreated from Kursk because they had either learned from past battlefield errors, they are treating their wounded members or they are holding back until more soldiers arrive.

ASIA

---

US Ally To Put More Missiles Near China's Coast

Japan plans to deploy anti-air missiles on the front line of China-Taiwan tensions, Tokyo's defense chief says.
...
Why It Matters

Type 03 Chu-SAM surface-to-air missiles are set to be deployed on Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni, 110 kilometers (68 miles) from Taiwan. Yonaguni is part of Okinawa Prefecture and the first island chain, which stretches southward to the Philippines and which Washington considers key to hemming in Chinese forces in the event of a conflict.

China claims Taiwan as its territory, though the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled there, and Chinese threats toward the democratic island are a source of friction between Tokyo and Beijing.
...
Japan will construct facilities to house the domestically developed Type 03 missiles, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told press Wednesday while visiting Yonaguni as part of a tour of the country's outlying islands.

"Strengthening the defense system in the Nansei area is an urgent issue," he said.

Nakatani also discussed the plan with Yonaguni mayor Kenichi Itokazu.

"I hope the government will address the issue firmly," said Itokazu, who reportedly asked the defense chief for help building air raid shelters for the island's 1,700 residents.

Rare Public Photo Shows China's Long-Range Missile Radar

Chinese state media on Saturday published rare footage showing one of the country's long-range radars that is designed for detecting missiles from thousands of miles away.
...
The revelation of the Jiamusi Large Phased Array Radar (LPAR) station, located in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, came after the United States test-launched an unarmed but nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2024.

The radar station can be used for tracking satellites and space surveillance in addition to providing early warning against launches of nuclear ballistic missiles. China has seven known LPAR stations, according to the Alabama-based China Aerospace Studies Institute.
...
On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his Spring Festival—commonly known as the Chinese New Year—greetings to all servicemen via video link when he inspected the People's Liberation Army Northern Theater Command, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to report and footage from the Chinese military, one of the units that Xi spoke to is an aerospace force's "monitoring and early warning station." China established the aerospace force in April 2024, which is responsible for nearly all the Chinese military's space operations.

While the report did not reveal the full name of the station, Joseph Wen, a defense analyst in Taiwan, identified it in a post on X (formerly Twitter) as the Jiamusi Monitoring and Early Warning Station, which was built before 2011 and had renovations completed in 2021.

This is the first time China has unveiled the radar station, capable of detecting targets up to "thousands of kilometers away," Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group reported, serving as an essential part of China's anti-intercontinental ballistic missile system.

According to the same report, China, the U.S, and Russia are currently the only countries capable of developing such long-range radars for early warning against incoming nuclear missiles. China conducted at least seven anti-ballistic missile tests from 2010 to 2023.

In its report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon said the LPARs supported China's implementation of the early warning counterstrike nuclear posture, which provides missile warning that leads to the country's counterstrike before an enemy first strike can detonate.

Emphasis is mine.

Chinese Military Confronts US Ally in South China Sea

The Philippines says it was forced to halt a scientific survey after Chinese maritime forces intercepted the mission and created "hazardous conditions."
...
The Filipino ships had been en route to Sandy Cay, a collection of three sandbars a few miles west of the Philippines-administered Thitu Island, the only permanently populated feature in the contested Spratly Islands.

Beijing's claims to most of the heavily trafficked South China Sea overlap with those of several neighboring states, including the Philippines.

The U.S. ally's pushback under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has prompted forceful responses from China, which on several occasions left Filipino servicemen injured and raised the specter of Manila's Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington.

Two vessels belonging to the Southeast Asian country's fisheries bureau "encountered aggressive maneuvers" by three Chinese coast guard ships, Philippine Coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday.

Video footage released by both the Philippine and Chinese coast guards shows one of the heavily armed Chinese ships coming within a few meters of a fisheries bureau ship in what Tariella called a "blatant disregard" for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, established by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization in 1972.

In a separate video, a People's Liberation Army Navy low-flying helicopter can be seen hovering just overhead the pair of inflatable rafts transporting the Philippine researchers to one of the sandbars.

Donald Trump's Proposal To 'Clean Out' Gaza Opposed by Arab Nations

President Donald Trump's proposal to "clean out" Gaza has sparked a backlash from the Arab nations he would need to help implement it.

Egypt and Jordan have spoken out against Trump's plan to resettle Palestinians in their countries, stating that it would not achieve peace sought by many in the region, according to their foreign ministries. Trump's idea has provoked widespread opposition from people not directly affected, and an ally of his has also branded the plan not "overly practical."
...
Why It Matters

Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war and promised to facilitate a ceasefire during his 2024 election run, drawing support from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian voters. But his proposal to 'clean out' Gaza has faced a fierce backlash, with some opponents labeling it "ethnic cleansing." Trump said such a population movement could be either temporary or long-term.
...
Trump introduced his plan to "clean out" Gaza in a 20-minute interview with reporters aboard Air Force One, saying that the region is a "demolition site right now." Trump said he would "rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

The president proposed resettling Palestinian refugees in Egypt and Jordan and said, "You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it's over.'"

Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to Trump's proposal and said that they "affirm Egypt's adherence to the constraints and determinants of the political settlement of the Palestinian issue, stressing that it remains the central issue in the Middle East, and that the delay in settling it, ending the occupation, and usurping the rights of the Palestinian people, is the basis of the instability in the region."