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Trump Takes U.S. out of 66 Globalist Organizations and Treaties

The Trump administration announced Wednesday it’s taking U.S. taxpayer dollars away from 66 globalist organizations, nearly half of them affiliated with the United Nations and all of which are identified as “contrary to the interests of the United States.”

Most notable is the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the parent treaty underpinning all major international climate agreements, AFP reports.

The treaty adopted in 1992 is a global pact by nations to cooperate to drive down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of so-called “climate change.”

A despairing European Union climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said the UNFCCC “underpins global climate action” and brings nations together in the collective fight against the crisis.

“The decision by the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter to retreat from it is regrettable and unfortunate,” Hoekstra said in a post on LinkedIn.

“We will unequivocally continue to support international climate research, as the foundation of our understanding and work. We will also continue to work on international climate cooperation.”

Trump, who has thrown the full weight of his domestic policy behind fossil fuels, has openly scorned speculation human activity is warming the planet, deriding it as a “hoax.”

His administration sent no representative to the most recent U.N. climate summit in Brazil in November, which is held every year under the auspices of the UNFCCC.

Now Trump is making sure U.S. taxpayer dollars are no longer spent at the discretion of the U.N. and its associated globalist affiliates. The AFP reports on just some of the organizations impacted:

The memo also directs the United States to withdraw from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body responsible for assessing climate science, alongside other climate-related organizations including the International Renewable Energy Agency, UN Oceans and UN Water.

As in his first term, Trump has also withdrawn the United States from UNESCO — the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — which Washington had rejoined under Biden.

Trump has likewise pulled the US out of the World Health Organization and sharply reduced foreign aid.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the move was made by a “brainless president” who is “surrendering America’s leadership on the world stage and weakening our ability to compete in the economy of the future — creating a leadership vacuum that China is already exploiting.”

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani quietly makes it harder for feds to monitor Tren de Aragua gang at Rikers

Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has quietly made it harder for federal agents to monitor Tren de Aragua and other brutal gangs in Rikers Island.

Mamdani revoked Executive Order 50 on his first day in office — which gave federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the ability to monitor the brutal Venezuelan gangbangers inside the city jail.

Hizzoner killed the initiative as part of a broad directive that repealed all executive orders issued by his predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, between Sept. 26 and Dec. 31.

The feds worry the gang could now beef up its capabilities inside the jail, a federal source said.

“The federal government has long been worried about Tren de Aragua in Rikers Island because they have a more robust communication system to get information to the outside world,” the source said.

The gang relies on corrupt prison guards, released inmates, and visitors to ferry messages in and out of the lockup, the source said.

Federal agents are worried because this is the first time the gang’s thugs in the US are just 15 miles apart from their leader, Venezuelan strongman Nicholas Maduro, who’s locked up in a federal jail in Brooklyn.

“Zoran kills exec order No 50 just as we should be more focused on the Venezuelan gang in Rikers — did he know that? Does he think that the gang should have one less pair of eyes,” the source said.

“With dad away, the kids will play. Instead of Zohran making sure there’s a babysitter, he took one away,” the source said. 

Stephen A Smith doubles down on calling ICE shooting in Minneapolis 'completely justified'

Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most-well known sports commentator in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator's perspective outside the sports arena has landed him in a firestorm.

The furor is due to his pointed comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman driving away from him.

Just hours after the shooting on Wednesday, Smith said on his SiriusXM "Straight Shooter" talk show that although the killing of Renee Nicole Good was "completely unnecessary," he added that the agent "from a lawful perspective" was "completely justified" in firing his gun at her.

He also noted, "From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did he have to do that?"

Smith's comments about the agent being in harm's way echoed the views of Deputy of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an "act of domestic terrorism" by attacking officers and attempting to run them over with her vehicle.

However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the agent was not standing directly in front of Good's vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local officials contend that Good posed no danger to ICE officers. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good talking to agents before the shooting, saying, "I'm not mad at you."

The shooting has sparked major protests and accusations from local officials that the presence of ICE has been disruptive and escalated violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE, telling agents to "get the f— out of our city."

The incident, in turn, has put a harsher spotlight on Smith, raising questions on whether he was reckless or irresponsible in offering his views on Good's shooting when he had no direct knowledge of what had transpired.

An angered Smith appeared on his "Straight Shooter" show on YouTube on Friday, saying the full context of his comments had not been conveyed in media reports, specifically calling out the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann, while saying that people were trying to get him fired.

He also doubled down on his contention that Good provoked the situation that led to her death, saying the ICE agent was in front of Good's car and would have been run over had he not stepped out of the way.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismisses new ICE shooting video, says agent ‘walked away with a hop in his step’

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed a newly released video showing the moments before anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot, saying the federal agent “walked away with a hop in his step.”

The 44-year-old Democrat was shown the video — which was filmed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross and first shared by Alpha News — in a report that aired during “ABC World News Tonight” on Friday.

“He walked away with a hop in his step from the incident,” Frey said. “There’s another person that’s dead. He held on his cell phone. I think that speaks for itself.”

The video shows the 37-year-old Good in the driver’s seat of her plum-colored Honda as her wife, Rebecca, stands outside the car on the street antagonizing ICE officers, at one point telling Ross, “You wanna come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy. Go ahead.”

The tense situation reached a deadly crescendo when another ICE agent instructed Renee to get out of her SUV, prompting her to reverse and then hit the gas as her wife encouraged her to flee.

“Drive, baby, drive, drive!” Rebecca yelled.

Ross fired off three shots as Renee drove off and clipped the agent, fatally striking the mom of three.

Frey said his perspective on the deadly shooting didn’t change after he watched the video, insisting only an official report would change his view.

“I think an investigation could change or affirm my perspective,” Frey said. “But we’ve (all got) two eyes, and I can see a person that is trying to leave. I can see an ICE agent that was not run over by a car. That didn’t happen.”

Later on Friday, hundreds of anti-ICE protesters surrounded a Minneapolis hotel where federal agents were believed to be staying during the operations in the city.

The frenzied crowd flooded the outside of the Hilton Canopy Hotel — and some parts of the interior — blowing whistles and banging on drums while chanting “f–k ICE” and waving various signs calling for the federal agency to “GET THE F–K OUT OF MN,” according to social media videos and the Daily Mail.

“They need to get the hell out of our city,” a pink-haired demonstrator, 27, told the outlet.

“I don’t know for sure they are here but we will do whatever it takes to keep Minneapolis safe.”

Bill Gates-backed ‘Cowboy Chernobyl’ nuclear reactor races toward approval in Wyoming

A Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor dubbed “Cowboy Chernobyl” by critics is barreling toward approval in rural Wyoming, alarming residents and nuclear safety experts as regulators fast-track the project under a Trump-era order.

TerraPower, founded by the Microsoft guru, is seeking federal approval to build the western hemisphere’s first Natrium nuclear reactor in Kemmerer, a coal town of roughly 2,000 people near the Utah border and about two hours north of Salt Lake City.

The plant would use liquid sodium rather than water to cool the reactor, a design pitched as safer and more efficient.
Critics say it introduces new risks while cutting corners on containment.

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed its final safety evaluation in December, concluding there were no issues that would block issuance of a construction permit.

The five-member commission is expected to vote on the permit later this month. TerraPower still needs a separate operating license before the reactor can run.

Local residents say the fast pace has left them uneasy.

“We’re probably two hours away from that place when it comes to how long it takes the wind to get here,” Patrick Lawien of Casper told the Daily Mail. “Obviously, if anything goes wrong, it’s headed straight for us.”

TerraPower began building the non-nuclear portion of the 44-acre site in June 2024, near the retired Naughton coal plant, which shut down at the end of 2025.

The company says the reactor will generate 345 megawatts of power, with the ability to reach 500 megawatts during peak demand. It aims to have the plant operating by 2030.

Controversial ‘doggie doors’ built into US-Mexico border wall — commissioned by the DHS

Builders contracted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are installing roughly 50 “doggie doors” in sections of the US-Mexico border wall along Arizona and California.

And, as if on cue, wildlife experts are up in arms.

They argue the openings — about the size of an 8-by-10-inch piece of paper — are too small and will prevent larger animals from moving in their natural migratory patterns while also disrupting ecosystems. Experts fret population declines and even starvation.

Animals like skunks, badgers, foxes, opossums, weasels, rabbits, snakes, and desert tortoises can get through. But larger creatures — including mountain lions, jaguars, deer, and bighorn sheep — will be affected by their inability to move to the other side, according to National Geographic Magazine.

They’re also concerned about the low number of “doors” for such a long, sprawling fence.

The southern US border with Mexico is roughly 1,933 miles long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the tip of South Texas. Some 700 miles already have fencing in place, according to CNN, and the rest are undergoing the lengthy process of being contracted and built.

“This has got to be an obscene joke,” said Laiken Jordahl, an advocate for public lands and wildlife with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, bemoaning that only there’s “only fifty of these tiny openings.”

Christina Aiello and Miles Traphagen, two of the researchers for Wildlands Network, went to the wall to see the conditions up close and came away shaking their heads.

“We came out to look at the condition of the border where they plan on building a border wall,” Traphagen told KTSM El Paso news in a Border Report. “We can’t simply be throwing away all of our biodiversity and our natural history heritage to solve a problem we could do more constructively, with, you know, overhauling our immigration programs.”

To keep building the wall, the DHS is waiving several environmental laws to expedite the work.

“This is necessary to ensure the expeditious construction of physical barriers and roads. Projects executed under a waiver are critical steps to secure the southern border and reinforce our commitment to border security,” the agency said in a statement.

In response to the criticism, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson Matthew Dyman said the agency worked closely with the National Park Service and other federal agencies to pick the best placements for the passages, relying on existing data about the distribution of species and migration routes.

Portland police chief cries while admitting DHS was right about Tren de Aragua ties in CBP shooting
Portland Police Chief Bob Day choked up while revealing two Venezuelan illegal immigrants shot by federal agent have suspected Tren de Aragua connections

Portland Police Chief Bob Day wiped away tears Friday as he addressed new information showing that two illegal immigrants shot during a federal immigration enforcement encounter had ties to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).

Day confirmed a Department of Homeland Security statement identifying the two individuals — Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras — as Venezuelan criminal illegal aliens with suspected ties to TdA.

Both were shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent after Moncada, the driver of the vehicle, allegedly "weaponized his vehicle" and attempted to run over agents, prompting an agent to fire in self-defense, according to DHS.

"They do have some nexus to involvement with TDA. We can confirm that," Day said, pausing and choking up.

Day said he initially hesitated to disclose the suspected gang connection, citing what he described as the "historic injustice of victim blaming" by law enforcement, including within his own agency.

"I want to speak for just a moment, specifically to my Latino community," Day said.

"It saddens me that we even have to qualify these remarks because I understand or at least have attempted to understand your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger," Day said, removing his glasses mid-sentence and wiping tears from his eyes.

"This information, in no way, is meant to disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday," the chief added.

Day emphasized that he was disclosing the suspected gang ties for transparency only and that the information should not be interpreted as excusing or justifying the shooting, which remains under investigation.

"But it is important that we stay committed to the rule of law, that we stay committed to the facts, that we stay a trustworthy and legitimate police department for all Portlanders," he said.

Day said both suspects remain hospitalized in stable condition and are in federal custody.

"They are in custody of federal law enforcement, but they appear to be on the road to recovery, and I’m grateful for that," Day said.

It's ridiculous to cry or sob because of 2 criminals being arrested. Even the Latino community is a little bit safer now than before the arrests took place. Or did they ignore on purpose how members of Tren de Aragua have killed other Latinos like a young girl in other states?

POST-MADURO VENEZUELA

Venezuela to release ‘significant number’ of political prisoners, Delcy Rodriguez’s brother announces

Venezuela’s top lawmaker and brother of interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday announced that Caracas would release certain political prisoners held captive, following demands from the US.

“The Bolivarian government, together with state institutions, has decided to release a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign individuals, and these release processes are taking place as of this very moment,” Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said.

The Trump administration had previously privately asked for the prisoners’ release in their dealings with Delcy Rodriguez since toppling dictator Nicolas Maduro with an arrest raid on Saturday, multiple sources familiar told The Post.

“This is one example of how the President is using maximum leverage to do right by the American and Venezuelan people,” White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

More than 800 political prisoners are believed to be held captive, including at least five Americans, according to advocates.

The announcement comes as Delcy Rodriguez has been under pressure to release prisoners — who are often subjected to torture — as a show of “goodwill” that they are willing to work with Washington.

US could lift additional sanctions on Venezuela next week to facilitate oil sales

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told Reuters that additional U.S. sanctions on Venezuela could be lifted as soon as next week to facilitate oil sales, and that he will also meet next week with the heads of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on their re-engagement with Venezuela.

Bessent said in an interview late on Friday that almost $5 billion worth of Venezuela’s currently frozen IMF Special Drawing Rights monetary assets could be deployed to help rebuild the country’s economy.

“We’re de-sanctioning the oil that’s going to be sold,” Bessent said during a visit to a Winnebago Industries engineering facility. The Treasury was examining changes that would facilitate the repatriation of sale proceeds of the oil stored largely on ships back to Venezuela.

“How can we help that get back into Venezuela, to run the government, run the security services and get it to the Venezuelan people?” he said of the Treasury’s sanctions analysis.

Asked when more sanctions could be removed from Venezuela, Bessent said, “It could be as soon as next week,” but did not identify which ones.

The moves are part of the Trump administration’s effort to stabilize Venezuela and encourage the return of U.S. oil producers to the country a week after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and brought him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

U.S. sanctions have banned international banks and other creditors from engaging with the Venezuelan government without a license. The institutions have cited this as an impediment to a complex $150 billion debt restructuring widely viewed as a key to the return of private capital to Venezuela.

On Friday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking courts or creditors from impounding Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. Treasury accounts, declaring that these funds should be safeguarded to help Venezuela create “peace, prosperity and stability.”

IMF, World Bank Re-engagement

Bessent, who controls the dominant U.S. shareholding in the IMF and World Bank, said that the two institutions had already reached out to him about Venezuela.

The Treasury chief said that the U.S. Treasury would be willing to convert Venezuela’s IMF Special Drawing Rights held at the Fund to dollars for use in rebuilding Venezuela.

Venezuela currently has about 3.59 billion SDRs, which are worth about $4.9 billion at Friday’s exchange rate, but it cannot currently access them. SDRs are made up of dollars, euros, yen, sterling and Chinese yuan.

US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

WASHINGTON — The US used a powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees, “bleeding through the nose” and vomiting blood during the daring raid to capture dictator Nicolas Maduro, according to a witness account posted Saturday on X by the White House press secretary.

In a jaw-dropping interview, the guard described how American forces wiped out hundreds of fighters without losing a single soldier, using technology unlike anything he has ever seen — or heard.

“We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,” the guard said. “The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react.”

Moments later, a handful of helicopters appeared — “barely eight,” by his count — deploying what he estimated were just 20 US troops into the area.

But those few men, he said, came armed with something far more powerful than guns.

“They were technologically very advanced,” the guard recalled. “They didn’t look like anything we’ve fought against before.”

What ensued, he said, was not a battle, but a slaughter.

“We were hundreds, but we had no chance,” he said. “They were shooting with such precision and speed; it felt like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute.”

Then came the weapon that still haunts him.

“At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it,” he said. “It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside.”

MIDDLE EAST

Exiled Iranian crown prince urges Trump to help as protests against Islamic regime intensify: 'Man of peace'
Reza Pahlavi says millions face 'total communications blackout' as Supreme Leader threatens brutal crackdown

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is calling on President Donald Trump to intervene after the Islamic regime implemented a nationwide internet blackout amid intensifying anti-government protests. He said the president has proven himself to be a "man of peace and a man of your word."

"Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action. Last night you saw the millions of brave Iranians in the streets facing down live bullets. Today, they are facing not just bullets but a total communications blackout. No Internet. No landlines," Pahlavi wrote on X.

"Ali Khamenei, fearing the end of his criminal regime at the hands of the people and, with the help of your powerful promise to support the protesters, has threatened the people on the streets with a brutal crackdown," Pahlavi added. "And he wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently took a swipe at Trump, saying that protesters in Iran were "ruining their own streets" to appease the U.S. president, according to The Associated Press.

Pahlavi added that he believed Trump's threat to intervene if the Iranian government used violence against protesters "kept the regime's thugs at bay" during Thursday night's protests. The prince called on the people of Iran to demonstrate on Thursday night and renewed his call for more protests on Friday night.

Recently, Pahlavi predicted that the regime was "very close to collapsing" amid the nationwide unrest.

"Over a hundred cities and millions of people on the street chanting ‘Death to the dictator,’" Pahlavi told "Hannity" on Tuesday. "The regime is crumbling and is very close to collapsing," he added.

He said the movement is "unprecedented" and differs from past efforts, pointing to participation from Iran’s powerful merchant class.

As of Friday, at least 36 people had been killed, including 34 protesters and two members of security and law enforcement forces, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Jan. 2 that the U.S. was "locked and loaded and ready to go" defend protesters if the regime used violence against them.

Who would rule Iran if the Islamic Republic falls?
Regional experts say outcome depends on whether Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and security forces fracture

As anti-regime protests continue to spread across Iran and questions swirl about the durability of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule, a central question looms: Who would actually take power if the Islamic Republic were to collapse?

The answer, according to regional experts and Iranian opposition figures, is far from clear. It may depend less on ideology than on how the regime falls and whether Iran’s security forces fracture or hold.

Collapse matters as much as succession

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the critical variable is not simply whether the regime collapses, but how it happens.

"Despite being supreme leader, one has to wonder, especially post-war and with limited public appearances, how much Khamenei is directly governing the affairs of the country," Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. He warned Western governments against backing a cosmetic transition that merely reshuffles elites.

"One thing I fear is the Western temptation for a Maduro-type or Egypt-type model," he said, referring to scenarios in which entrenched security forces retain power under new leadership. "That will only be playing musical chairs at the top and will not provide the Iranian people a pathway for meaningful change."

Ben Taleblu argued that Iran’s opposition faces a logistical challenge more than an ideological one: translating sustained street protests into organized political power before security forces reassert control.

The decisive role of security forces

Multiple experts agreed that Iran’s future hinges on whether the regime’s coercive apparatus, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij militia and the regular military, remains intact.

Ben Taleblu said the key factor is whether segments of the security forces defect, refuse orders or fragment. "What has to be chipped away is the regime’s coercive power," he said, adding that a transition would require sustained protests, economic strikes and cracks within security units.

Without that, analysts warn, Iran could see a scenario in which clerical figureheads disappear but real power remains in the hands of armed institutions.

"That’s the fear," Ben Taleblu said. "If the state plays musical chairs, the street will not settle for it. That means a bumpier road ahead."
Could the military take over?

Some analysts point to historical precedents, including Egypt, where the military stepped in amid unrest. Benny Sabti, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said a military-led transition cannot be ruled out, but would be fraught.

"IRGC generals could theoretically attempt a coup," Sabti told Fox News Digital, stressing that Iran’s military institutions are not monolithic. He distinguished between the IRGC, which he described as an ideological and asymmetric force, and the regular army, which he said is more professional and nationally oriented.

Sabti highlighted former armed forces chief Habibollah Sayyari as an example of a figure who has voiced limited criticism from within the system. Still, he cautioned that criticism alone does not make a leader and said charisma matters deeply in Iranian politics.

"There is a problem of charisma," Sabti said. "In Iran, it is very important."

Political prisoners and internal leaders

Despite international attention on jailed activists, experts are skeptical that Iran’s next political leadership would emerge from within the country’s prison system.

Ben Taleblu said decades of repression have made it nearly impossible to cultivate political leadership inside Iran. "What will come from within are the forces of revolution," he said. "Political leadership has to be built outside."

Sabti echoed that view, saying freed prisoners would likely become part of a broader system rather than dominant leaders.

"There won’t be leaders coming out of prison," he said. "They will be part of a new system, but not charismatic leaders."

The exiled opposition and the Pahlavi question

Supporters of Reza Pahlavi say he is emerging as a focal point for opposition mobilization amid escalating unrest. On January 8, Pahlavi publicly called on Iranians to chant at 8 p.m. from their homes or in the streets and his aides said large crowds responded across multiple cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Ahvaz and Tabriz.

Those close to Pahlavi describe him as advocating a secular, democratic Iran committed to human rights, while rejecting claims that he is seeking to restore the monarchy. Pahlavi has repeatedly said the form of Iran’s future system should be decided by the people through a free constitutional process.

"My role is not to tip the scales in favor of either monarchy or republic," Pahlavi said. "I will remain entirely impartial in the process to help ensure that Iranians finally have the right to choose freely."

Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the "Iran So Far Away" Substack, told Fox News Digital that Pahlavi is the only viable unifying figure capable of guiding a transition, a view strongly contested by others in the diaspora.

Iranian hospitals overwhelmed with injuries as protests rage across Islamic Republic
Death toll from protests in Iran has risen to at least 72, with 2,300 detained, report says

Staff at hospitals in Iran said their facilities have become overwhelmed with injuries — including people suffering from gunshot wounds — as anti-government protests rage across the Islamic Republic, a report said.

A doctor from Tehran’s Farabi Hospital, the city’s main eye specialist center, told the BBC late Friday the center entered crisis mode with emergency services slammed and non-urgent admissions suspended.

A medic from a hospital in the city of Shiraz also told the network that large numbers of injured people were being brought in despite the hospital not having enough surgeons to treat them. He added that many of those wounded had gunshot injuries to the head and eyes, according to the BBC.

As of Saturday, the death toll in the protests has grown to at least 72 with over 2,300 others detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The protests began late last month with shopkeepers and bazaar merchants demonstrating against accelerating inflation and the collapse of the rial, which lost about half its value against the dollar last year. Inflation topped 40% in December. The unrest soon spread to universities and provincial cities, with young men clashing with security forces.

At a news conference in Washington, D.C., Friday, President Donald Trump said Iran was facing mounting pressure. 

"Iran’s in big trouble," Trump said. "It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We’re watching the situation very carefully."

Trump warned that the United States would respond forcefully if the regime resorts to violence.

"We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts."

Armed Iran protesters battle police in Tehran streets as Trump warns of forceful US response
Demonstrations spread to 190 cities as authorities imposed an internet blackout and the death toll reached 65 by Friday

Armed protesters clashed Friday with security forces in the Tehranpars neighborhood of Iran’s capital, as nationwide two-week-long anti-regime demonstrations became more violent in the country.

Repeated gunfire could be heard for minutes in cellphone video sent to Iranian TV and shared with Fox News Digital as Iran’s State Security Forces clashed with so-called "rebellious youth." 

In the video, people on the streets were seen running and shouts of "Death to Khamenei!" "Death to the dictator!" "Shame on you!" and "We are all together!" could be heard.

The protests entered their 14th day on Saturday, with 65 killed, including children, and 2,311 arrested by Friday, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran.

Authorities imposed a sweeping internet blackout this week that largely cut the country off from the outside world and escalated threats of harsh punishment while anti-regime protests spread.

The protests expanded to 190 cities in Iran by Saturday, according to the National Council of Resistance in Iran.

"By defending the demonstrators, the rebellious youths did not allow the flames of the uprising to be extinguished," dissident politician Maryam Rajavi said in a statement. " They have shown their determination to triumph over the regime."

At a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday, President Donald Trump said Iran was facing mounting pressure as unrest spreads across the country.

"Iran’s in big trouble," Trump said. "It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We’re watching the situation very carefully."

Trump admin weighing preliminary attack plans on Iran — as officials consider what sites to target: report

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing preliminary plans for an attack on Iran, including the option of large-scale airstrikes.

Officials are considering how to follow through on President Trump’s recent elevated threats against the Islamic Republic, including what sites might be targeted, insiders told the Wall Street Journal.

A massive aerial strike campaign on multiple Iranian military targets is one option being considered — although Washington has not reached consensus on a plan of action.

No military equipment or personnel have been moved for a potential attack, the insiders said.

The conversations do not indicate that the US will strike, with the sources explaining that the planning is routine.

Trump, however, teased that the US was gearing up to retaliate should Tehran continue killing protesters in a post on Truth Social.

“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” he wrote Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”

A US attack on Iran would not be unprecedented — Trump ordered the first-ever US strike on Iranian territory back in June.

The US dropped at least six “bunker buster” bombs across three sites, including Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, a deeply fortififed facility hidden nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain.

The bombing came after Iran threatened to use its nuclear muscle against Israel during their 12-Day War, and was coordinated with the Jewish state’s own extensive attacks on Tehran’s military infrastructure.

The US military’s threat to intervene follows repeated warnings by Trump that the Washington would repsond in support of protestors should the Iranian regime continue to show violence against its civilians.

“You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too,” Trump warned Friday.

In response, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians” in remarks aired Friday.

US military launches airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, officials say
Strikes come as US special envoy for Syria said he met in Damascus with Syria’s new leadership

The U.S. military has launched airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News.

The operation marks the second time the U.S. military has struck Islamic State targets in Syria since Dec. 19 following the killing of two Iowa National Guard soldiers and their American interpreter by a lone ISIS gunman.

The strikes come as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said he met in Damascus with Syria’s new leadership to discuss the country’s future.

"Today, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus," Barrack wrote.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes were carried out "at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time" and targeted "multiple ISIS targets across Syria."

In a statement, CENTCOM said the operation was part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which it said was launched Dec. 19 "in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria."

Barrack said the talks focused on "recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition," adding that the United States "welcomes Syria’s historic transition and extends its support to the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa."

UKRAINE WAR

Russian attacks devastate Ukraine’s power grid, leaving Kyiv without heat as temps plummet toward zero

Parts of Kyiv are still without heat as temperatures plunged into the single digits Saturday, following timed Russian strikes that left half of the capital city in darkness.

The shelling that began overnight Thursday was among the heaviest of the war, as Russia pounded Ukraine with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones.

The attack left more than 6,000 apartment buildings — half of the city’s housing stock — without heat, according to Kyiv’s mayor, who urged residents to flee the frigid capital.

“The combined attack on Kyiv last night was the most painful for the capital’s critical infrastructure,” Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram Friday.

“Weather conditions, unfortunately, according to forecasts, will be difficult in the coming days. I appeal to residents of the capital who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city, where there are alternative sources of power and heat, to do so.”

By Saturday morning, heat was restored to half the houses that had lost it, the mayor said — only for the state grid operator to order the system shut down by noon after it became overloaded.

With the accumulated damage to the grid from four years of constant war, the utility operator has put the country on rolling power outages, making this winter the coldest and darkest of the brutal conflict yet.

“We hope they will give us heat,” said Galina Turchin, a 71-year-old living on Kyiv’s eastern bank. “If not power, then at least heat.”

But the cold is bringing with it additional challenges. With temperatures expected to drop below zero, it will be difficult to repair heat and power units even in the absence of new strikes, a power engineer told the Kyiv Post.

“The attack is exactly when a significant cold snap occurs,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “It is against the ordinary life of ordinary people.”

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s troops also launched assaults on Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine.

UK PM Starmer Vows to Let MPs Vote Before Sending Troops to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that while he signed a declaration of intent on Tuesday to deploy UK troops into Ukraine following a potential peace deal with Russia, Members of Parliament will be given the opportunity to vote on the matter before any soldiers are sent to the war-torn country.

In a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Paris on Tuesday, Prime Minister Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed that British and French soldiers would be sent as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, with the United States providing a backup insurance force should they come under attack, as a part of the security guarantees sought by Kyiv before inking any armistice agreement with Moscow.

While firm details on the scope and scale of the operation were not made public, President Macron said that the Anglo-Franco force would number in the “thousands”, providing a deterrence against further Russian aggression and protection for “military hubs” to house defensive stockpiles of weapons and equipment in case of another incursion.

During Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Starmer vowed to put the matter of troop deployments before MPs for a vote.

However, according to the BBC, a Downing Street spokesman refused to comment on whether such a vote would be binding, given that the Prime Minister does not require parliamentary approval for military actions. Indeed, the public broadcaster noted that Starmer has previously authorised the use of the Royal Air Force to target Houthi terrorists in Yemen without a vote from Parliament.

The head of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, accused the Prime Minister of a “lack of respect” for parliamentarians by failing to give a full briefing to the House of Commons on the deployment of British troops.

The potential for British troops to be sent on the ground in Ukraine — in addition to the UK Special Forces apparently already operating in the country — has been floated since last March.

However, there have been questions about Britain’s ability to project military force in Ukraine, given the years of neglect and underfunding of its Armed Forces. Indeed, last year, the number of active British Army troops fell below 73,000 for the first time since the Napoleonic era.

Brexit’s Nigel Farage reacted with incredulity to the plan on Wednesday afternoon, asking of the boots-on-the-ground plan at a time where Britain’s military is contracting: “what boots? What equipment?”. He compared the idea to the previous British occupation of mainland Europe, the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), which existed at a time when well-north of five per cent of GDP was spent on defence and just the deployed force was the size of the whole British Army today.

On top of the chronic underfunding of the military — as Britain and other European allies became increasingly reliant on the United States to underwrite their defence as they ploughed money into domestic welfare schemes — the UK has also been facing a major recruiting crisis to replenish its forces.

There have been suggestions that many young people in Britain are souring on the notion of putting their lives on the line for a country which is apparently intent on demographically displacing them, with white Britons set to become a minority in their homeland by the 2060s amid the desperate drive from the establishment towards multiculturalism through mass migration.

At the same time, the military has had a number of significant public relations blunders, including in 2023 when it was revealed that Royal Air Force staff were reportedly told to focus on recruiting more ethnic minorities and women instead of “useless white male pilots”, who have been traditionally the largest cohort within the British force.

A poll in June found that nearly half of Britons (48 per cent) would not take up arms for their country under any circumstances, compared to 35 per cent who say they would.

UK Allocates £200m to Prepare Troops to Deploy to Ukraine, France Reportedly Ready to Send 6K Soldiers

The British government has announced that it has allocated £200 million to begin preparing the UK Armed Forces for deployment to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force in the event of an armistice between Kyiv and Moscow.

Following the signing of a declaration of intent by the British and French governments with Ukraine in Paris this week, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday that £200 million has been allocated to help British troops be “ready to deploy if required” to Ukraine.

Additionally, the funds will go toward upgrading military vehicles and communication systems, as well as purchasing new counter-drone protection systems for the British arm of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU).

The MoD said that the funds demonstrate “a clear signal to allies and adversaries of the UK’s intent to lead the MNFU, fulfil our promises to secure the peace in Ukraine and deliver a ‘new deal’ for European security to make Britain safer.”

Speaking during a visit to Kyiv, Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “As we approach the fifth year of Putin’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage – civilians and military alike.

“We are surging investment into our preparations following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s Armed Forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK.

“As we look towards a potential peace deal, we continue to step up for Ukraine in the fight today – strengthening its air defences while backing British industry, jobs and innovation at home.”

The announced investments, which will be drawn from Britain’s core defence budget, come amid concern about the UK and other European NATO allies’ ability to project military power internationally after years of chronic underinvestment and low recruitment. Indeed, last year, the number of active troops in Britain fell to just 73,000, the lowest since the Napoleonic Era.

It remains to be seen how many troops the UK will be willing to deploy to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached between Kyiv and Moscow. However, reports have emerged about the potential deployment size of Britain’s main partner in the planned operation, France.

Following a meeting in Paris this week between President Emmanuel Macron and the heads of the major parties in the National Assembly, it was leaked that the French government is planning to send around 6,000 troops to the Eastern European country, Le Figaro reported.

Although President Macron held the meeting under a confidentiality condition, the parliamentary leader of the far-left La France Insoumise (France in Rebellion/LFI) party, Mathilde Panot, briefed the Paris press on the planned number of soldiers. The leftist MP said that she “does not agree that French soldiers could be deployed under these conditions.”

The declaration of intent to deploy “coalition of the willing” troops to Ukraine was signed this week, with the assumption that the United States will provide backstop insurance, meaning that the American military would come to the aid of the British and French should they come under attack from Russia.

Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian President Zelensky, a bilateral agreement with the United States concerning security guarantees for Ukraine “is now essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the President of the United States.”

On top of a security agreement, Kyiv and Washington are also working on a “prosperity” deal that would see around $800 billion in loans, investments, and grants issued to jump-start the Ukrainian economy and rebuild the war-torn country. London’s Daily Telegraph reported that the deal is expected to be signed later this month at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

EUROPE

Germany Finally Opens Terror Investigation Into Infrastructure Sabotage That Left Berlin Districts Without Power For Days

Some 45,000 homes were left without power after an attack on transmission cables on Saturday, the latest such act of sabotage against a European city in recent years, but the first in which authorities showed any outward intent to figure out who is responsible.

Federal prosecutors took over control of the investigation on Tuesday evening of the Berlin power sabotage attack, seizing it from city prosecutors, and adding potential terrorism charges after targeted arson against an electricity cable bottleneck left 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses.

The final 19,000 homes were only reconnected on Wednesday morning, after having been deprived of power and, in some cases, heat for four days in freezing weather. The return of schools and businesses is being delayed to avoid overloading the new, temporary power lines laid to neighbourhoods including Wannsee, Zehlendorf, and Nikolassee.

Berlin’s regional government hailed the reconnection taking place ahead of schedule, saying this was possible because of the declaration of a major emergency, which allowed the central allocation of resources and effort. German Army field kitchens were deployed to Berlin to serve hot meals, supermarkets with backup generators opened their doors, and the nation’s THW civil defence body was activated.

Police patrols focussed on detecting criminal gangs taking advantage of the darkness to loot homes in wealthy areas.

The Berlin attack is only the latest in a long series of similar acts of sabotage targeting the delicate systems that underpin the modern world and urban life. As reported, the radical left, ultra-environmentalists, and Antifa have persistently claimed responsibility for these acts, but governments across Europe remarkably have shown little inclination to discover who is behind the strikes. Even months or years later, high-profile incidents like the Paris Olympics sabotage remain officially unsolved, and the perpetrators free from personal consequence.

This may be finally about to change, however, with prosecutors saying they are considering terrorism law charges for the new Berlin attack, alongside accusations of “unconstitutional sabotage”, arson, and disruption of public services. The nature of the allegedly left-wing authors of the sabotage has also become a subject of spirited public discussion for the first time, in contrast to the prevailing establishment narrative best described in an op-ed in Germany’s Die Welt, which argued that “left-wing extremism is an exaggerated problem” and consequently unworthy of investigation or study.

Extremism expert Professor Hendrik Hansen spoke out this week against this paradigm, stating: “It was a mistake that in the past, politicians focused very one-sidedly on right-wing extremism and neglected Islamism and left-wing extremism”. Berlin has become a “safe haven” for anarchists, he said, warning it would take “a considerable commitment of personnel in the security authorities” to take on such entrenched, rarely-monitored, and little-understood groups.

Indeed, the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), which claimed responsibility for this set of Berlin attacks, has been sabotaging power infrastructure and publishing public letters taking responsibility for the strikes for 15 years without the German authorities taking the time to discover who they are. As noted in that dispatch, in Germany, concern about power blackouts has for years been rubbished as the sole concern of right-wing conspiracy theorists, and a narrative used only to smear the nation’s transition to green energy.

That this has now happened has exposed a “credibility trap” for the authorities, it was stated, with the op-ed continuing:

Protester Hoists Pre-Islamic Revolution Iran Flag Above London Embassy

(AFP) — A protester briefly replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran on its London embassy with a former flag, flown before 1979, during a demonstration Saturday, witnesses told AFP.

A video posted to social media showed a man on the balcony of the embassy, near Hyde Park, replace the country’s current flag with one used during the rule of the ousted shah to cheers from hundreds of demonstrators below.

The flag — tri-coloured, with a lion and sun, surrounded by a wreath and crown — was a ceremonial one used in Iran before the Islamic revolution.

It stayed in place for several minutes before being removed, witnesses on site told AFP.

“Democracy for Iran. Shah Reza Pahlavi. Justice for Iran,” chanted the demonstrators, referring to the son of the late shah of Iran who now lives in the United States. Some also held placards reading “Free Iran”.

“I’m here to support Iranians, my loved ones inside Iran — they’ve been protesting for two weeks today,” said one demonstrator, Taraneh, 33, who declined to give her last name.

“The internet has been shut down … We get very little information from inside Iran,” she added.

“But, you know, people are still in the streets. They’re being attacked. The Islamic Republic is murdering people,” she said. “I want this regime to go. I just want to be able to go back.”

London police, in an online post, said that after the flag incident “additional officers are being deployed to prevent any disorder” and to protect the Iranian embassy.

They said they had arrested two people, “one for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker and one for aggravated trespass” and they were seeking another another individual for “trespass”.

Iran has been roiled by street protests since December 28, which have since taken hold nationwide.

Initially triggered by a devaluation of the country’s currency and growing concerns over the cost of living, they have since spiralled into mass demonstrations calling for an end to the Islamic Republic.

Iranian authorities have cut off internet access in the country, and NGOs and monitoring organisations say they fear that blackout will be used to crack down on the protesters.

At least 51 people have been killed so far, including nine children, with hundreds wounded, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

Emirates Blocking Citizens From Studying at British Universities Over Campus Islamism Fears

The United Arab Emirates has removed British universities from its generous foreign study funding programme, reportedly over fears its young people could be influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood on radicalised UK campuses.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said “Decent Muslim countries cannot believe how weak the UK is on extremism” as it was claimed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was blocking its young people from going to university in Britain over extremism fears. The Financial Times states the UAE revised its approved list of foreign universities where young Emirates could take advantage of their government’s well-funded grant scheme, and no British universities now feature, despite many of them being among the highest-regarded in the world.

The very best-performing students studying abroad from the Emirates get their tuition fees, flights, living costs, and health insurance paid if they study a programme their government considers useful. Previously, the UK had been among the favourites for UAE students.

The report states when the change was noticed the British government approached the UAE for clarity, and was told it was not a mistake but a deliberate decision.

The Times states the UAE has cited the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on British campuses as a major reason for the change. The Brotherhood has been called an “incubator of Sunni Islamic terrorism” and is banned by the UAE’s comparatively liberal government as a terrorist organisation.

In 2025, the French government leaked a major internal report on the Muslim Brotherhood, finding it had spent decades infiltrating institutions in Europe and migrant communities to defeat the Western world. Both the United Kingdom and France have considered banning the Brotherhood in decades past, but have never made the move. Brexit’s Nigel Farage has said he would do so if elected to power, a move for which he has received accusations of being influenced by the UAE.

Farage’s London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, who is of Egyptian-heritage and professes Muslim faith, expressed her concern about the influence of the Brotherhood in the UK. She said: “The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed across the Middle East because they know exactly what it is. The ideological backbone of Islamist terror.

“Yet Britain lets it operate freely and even grants asylum to its convicted bomb makers. We are sitting ducks. It’s treason against the British people.”

Thousands Without Power Amid Snow Storms, 99mph Winds Across Britain and France

LONDON (AP) – Thousands of homes and businesses across northern France and southern England were without power Friday morning and residents faced widespread travel delays after a storm swept in off the Atlantic, bringing high winds, rain and snow to the region.

The low-pressure system, named Storm Goretti, pummeled the Isles of Scilly overnight with wind gusts up to 99 mph (159 kph) recorded in the archipelago off the southwestern tip of England. Local government officials reported blocked roads, unstable buildings and power outages that left some people without water.

More than 57,000 were without power across southwestern England, the Midlands and Wales, according to National Grid, which runs the country´s electricity transmission network.

As the storm moved across the United Kingdom it collided with an existing mass of Arctic air, bringing snow to northern areas and heavy rain to the south.

That extended the misery in northern Scotland, where snowplows have been working overtime to keep roads open after more than half a meter (20 inches) of snow fell earlier in the week. More than 250 schools across Scotland were closed on Friday, with some remaining shut for a fifth straight day.

National Rail warned people across the U.K. to check before traveling because the storm had disrupted services across England, Scotland and Wales. Birmingham Airport, which closed briefly due to snow, said had reopened with “reduced runway operations.”

The disruptions came after the Met Office, Britain´s national weather service, issued a rare red weather warning – its highest – in southwestern England for Thursday evening.

Red warnings are issued when the forecaster considers it “very likely” there will be life-threatening conditions.

Strong winds from Storm Goretti also battered northwestern France on Friday.

Majority of Sweden’s Migration Agency Staff Have Migrant Background: Claim

A whistleblower from within the Swedish Migration Agency has claimed that the majority of staff deciding who is allowed into the country are foreign and that clan-like networks have developed, in which ethnic and religious compatriots are given special consideration.

In an interview with the Swedish news outlet Samnytt, a source within the country’s Migration Agency, which has the power to determine who is granted asylum, residency, work permits, and citizenship, has claimed that the federal agency has seen a drastic overhaul since the 2015 Europe Migrant Crisis.

The whistleblower said that not only did the Migration Agency’s culture see significant changes, in which “values” of multiculturalism were prioritised, but also in the makeup of the staff, claiming that ethnic Swedes now represent a minority within the very agency supposedly tasked with controlling the nation’s borders.

The source said that many officials do not even have Swedish citizenship themselves and that it has become commonplace for multiple other foreign languages to be spoken within the office. This, the whistleblower said, has incentivised the formation of “clannish” networks of certain ethnicities within the board.

“What has the biggest impact is that everyone speaks their own language, so you don’t understand what is being said between groups and employees,” the informant explained.

“It has a fairly big impact, because groups sit together with those who speak their own language. Kurds normally sit together with other Kurds, even if there are different clans among the Kurds, Somalis sit with other Somalis and Syrians with other Syrians and so on.”

The impact of multiculturalism being played out within the Migration Agency itself has not only impacted the social cohesion of the office, the source said, claiming that the development of ethnic networks within the agency sees them prioritise immigration from their own groups over others in order to strengthen their ethnicity’s position within Sweden.

“It’s not just the language that affects this, that people don’t understand each other or what is being said, but it also causes different groups to form within the agency, clans that are committed to bringing their own clan members or relatives from their home countries here. The clan mentality of the Middle East has been brought here, into the agency,” the whistleblower claimed.

According to the source, around one-third of all Migration Agency employees are Muslims, many of whom have allegedly become more radical in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks on Israel, after which the source saw “more and more” Muslim women wearing hijabs at the office.

“Muslims are also divided into many different clans and faiths, so it is mainly clan affiliation that is decisive, but when it comes to views on Jews and Israel, they come together more. There is clearly a closeness between Muslims.”

The informant said that the only solution would be to “shut down the entire agency,” arguing that it “cannot be changed”.

“If you change the name or transfer responsibility to other agencies, the same people will follow. It will be the same thing again. If you want to change this, you have to take a completely new approach, with new people.”

‘We Will Not Die in Silence’: Farmers Overwhelm Police in Paris to Protest Outside National Assembly

Some leaders of a farmer’s union opposed to a massive European Union free trade deal that could wipe out agriculture on the continent have been arrested as tractors overwhelmed police roadblocks to drive into the centre of Paris.

Farmers across Europe turned out to protest the so-called Mercosur deal due to be voted on by the European Union on Friday, a massive free trade agreement with South America which would so flood the continent with cheap food the agricultural sector fears it would all but wipe out farming in Europe. Highways have been blocked in Greece and convoys of tractors are descending on Paris, leading to tense standoffs with police ordered to seize tractors from drivers who disobey commands.

The French government called the protest in Paris “illegal” and “unacceptable” on Thursday, after farmers overwhelmed and sidestepped police roadblocks to get into the city, against government orders. Tractors have been used to block key roads, and “we will not die in silence” protest farmers have set up camp around key junctions and landmarks including the Arc de Triomphe and outside the National Assembly parliament buildings.

Many more tractors are on the outskirts of Paris, in showdowns with riot police deployed by the interior ministry. Police are ordered, reports Le Figaro, to arrest farmers who are not cooperative and to seize their tractors. This itself has become a major point of contention between farmers and the government in recent months, as the seizures are of equipment farmers need to do their jobs.

Some farmers brandished ‘Frexit’ signs, signalling opposition to the European Union’s trade policy so strong that total withdrawal from the bloc is preferred.

Overnight, regional leaders of one of the more militant right-wing farmers unions Coordination Rurale were arrested, leading to yet more farmers to blockade the city of Rodez in response. Separately, a fuel depot has been blockaded in the Bordeaux region.

As it is, the French government is likely to vote against the Mercosur deal at the European Union, but protesters say it lacks conviction and hasn’t fought for them hard enough in Brussels. France also lacks allies in the bloc to defeat the deal, which is strongly backed by Brussels and wealthy European nations as it would open South America to high-tech and industrial exports in return for food. The leader of France’s centre-right Republicans has warned President Emmanuel Macron that he will impeach the government if they vote for the deal.

In neighbouring Germany, Mercosur protesters also saw tractors take to the highways, with the A4 and A9 motorways blocked by farmers. In the eastern city of Dresden, farmers called a protest in the centre today, with tractors due to descend on the famed Frauenkirche later today, local media reports. In Catalonia, Spanish farmers built blockades across major roads to support the protests.

Across the continent in Greece farmers are also protesting on Thursday. Convoys of tractors are enacting a 48-hour nationwide blockade of key highways and junctions to protest Mercosur, but did clash with police as the nation’s conservative government ordered officers to stand back, reports the Associated Press. It notes the government made last-minute concessions to farmers including a tax cut on Wednesday night to smooth over divisions.

GREENLAND

France and Germany Working With European Partners to Prevent Trump From Acquiring Greenland

Paris and Berlin are reportedly coordinating efforts to craft a European plan to respond to overtures from the Trump administration regarding the prospect of the United States acquiring Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark.

Renewed focus has been placed on the fate of the semi-autonomous island of Greenland this week in the wake of Washington’s bold military operation to overthrow socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, in what the White House has described as a demonstration of the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts that America has hegemonic control over the Western Hemisphere and it is therefore within its rights to take action against any foreign incursion into its sphere of influence.

Naturally, questions quickly arose over the status of Greenland, which, despite being in the Western Hemisphere and a part of North America, remains under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Denmark as a self-governing territory.

Despite Greenland not being a member of the European Union, and even withdrew from the preceding European Community in 1985 to become an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) associated with the bloc through Denmark, EU nations have been vocally opposed to the stated aims of the Trump administration to acquire the island and have reacted with exasperated indignation over suggestions from the White House that the U.S. would be willing to use force to achieve its goal.

On Tuesday evening, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region… The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

In response, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, in comments reported by Reuters, that Paris will partner with Berlin and Warsaw this week to craft a response to the United States, saying: “We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners.”

The news wire service went on to cite an unnamed German government source who said that Berlin is “closely working together with other European countries and Denmark on the next steps regarding Greenland.”

Although much focus has been placed on President Trump’s apparent hardline negotiating stance, top administration figures such as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller have downplayed the likelihood that America would actually need to use military force to obtain Greenland.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed lawmakers in a closed hearing this week that the administration’s public posturing around military force was intended to bring Denmark to the negotiating table for a sale of the island.

Canadian Officials Plan Greenland Visit as Trump Eyes Purchase of Territory

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Governor General Mary Simon are reportedly planning a visit to Greenland early next month to open a new Canadian consulate, in a show of Ottawa’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s move to acquire Greenland for the United States.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Canadian embassy in Paris on Tuesday, where both were attending a meeting on Ukraine. Carney declared Canada’s support for Denmark’s sole authority to decide the fate of Greenland.

Anand posted a video of the Carney-Frederiksen meeting on social media and said she would be on hand to open a new Canadian consulate in the Greenland city of Nuuk next month, as a “concrete step in strengthening our engagement in support of Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Greenland.”

The Canadian government is relying heavily on Simon’s presence in Nuuk to get the diplomatic mission taken seriously. Simon is Canada’s first governor general of indigenous descent, and was the ambassador to Denmark before she became governor general in 2021. Greenland’s sparse population includes a large portion indigenous people, most of them Inuits. Simon’s mother was Inuk, while her father was English.

Simon’s position also makes her a representative of British King Charles III, who is officially the Canadian head of state, adding a bit more international clout to her prospective trip to Greenland. She said on Monday that Prime Minster Carney personally asked her to make the trip.

Carney on Tuesday signed a joint statement with Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom declaring that only Denmark and the people of Greenland should “decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

The statement took a careful tone, urging all of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to work together on Arctic security, including the United States, Denmark, and Greenland. The statement hailed the United States as “an essential partner in this endeavor, as a NATO ally and through the defense agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.”

European and Canadian leaders rushed out their joint statement after President Trump restated his “very serious” desire to acquire Greenland, although he said he had “no timeline” for doing so. Fredericksen panicked and warned that if Trump uses force to annex Greenland, it would destroy NATO.

Greenland Parties Say People Want Independence From Denmark and United States

NUUK, Greenland (AP) – Greenland’s party leaders have rejected President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the U.S. to take control of the island, saying that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people.

“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders said in a statement Friday night.

Trump said again on Friday that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region that’s part of NATO ally Denmark, “the easy way.” He said that if the U.S. doesn’t own it, then Russia or China will take it over, and the U.S. does not want them as neighbors.

“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said, without explaining what that entailed. The White House said it is considering a range of options, including using military force, to acquire the island.

Greenland’s party leaders reiterated that “Greenland’s future must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”

“As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends,” the statement said.

Officials from Denmark, Greenland and the United States met Thursday in Washington and will meet again next week to discuss the renewed push by the White House for the control of the island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO.

The party leaders’ statement said that “the work on Greenland’s future takes place in dialogue with the Greenlandic people and is prepared on the basis of international laws.”

“No other country can interfere in this,” they said. “We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for quick decision, delay or interference from other countries.”

The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.

While Greenland is the largest island in the world, it has a population of around 57,000 and doesn’t have its own military. Defense is provided by Denmark, whose military is dwarfed by that of the U.S.

It’s unclear how the remaining NATO members would respond if the U.S. decided to forcibly take control of the island or if they would come to Denmark’s aid.

Former British Spy Chief Backs Trump’s Efforts to Take Control of Greenland

A former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency has argued that it would be good for “European security” if U.S. President Trump succeeds in taking control of Greenland.

Amid increasing speculation over the fate of the island, with suggestions that the U.S. would be willing to either provide financial compensation to the 57,000 Greenlanders or potentially use military force to annex the strategically important Danish territory, European leaders have reacted with shock and indignation.

However, former British Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service Sir Richard Dearlove has argued that it would be in Europe’s interests to cede control of Greenland to the United States, as only America has the military prowess necessary for long-term deployments in the Arctic territory or the might required to deter hostile actors such as Communist China or Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Speaking to TalkTV, Sir Richard said: “There is a strong argument for reinforcing Europe’s security by putting a much greater representation of American forces, which are the only ones that can effectively cope up in Greenland.

“Now, I would have thought that it’s possible for Denmark and the United States to make some agreement. Why the hell don’t the Danes lease them Greenland for a hundred years?

“I think it’s really important that we look at this, not in terms of, ‘Gosh, isn’t Trump doing dreadful stuff?’ It’s about European security and the safety of the area in which we live.”

Ownership of Greenland, which has been under the control of the Kingdom of Denmark to varying degrees for centuries, has long been a goal of U.S. administrations, with attempts to acquire the island dating back to the 1860s.

The issue has become more pressing in recent years, however, with relations with Moscow deteriorating after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and similarly with Beijing amid the ongoing trade dispute.

Several strategic elements have been cited as motivations for the White House’s keen interest in the island, including securing its large mineral deposits, protecting against intercontinental missiles, access to the Arctic, and protecting the

GIUK gap, a naval choke point between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, the control of which would be critical in fending off any attempts by the Russian navy to attack the mainland United States or indeed much of Western Europe.

Dearlove said that American control of the island would “make the Northern approach a hell of a lot safer for all Europeans, and it keeps the Chinese out too, which is also massively important.”

AUSTRALIA

Left-Wing Australian PM Backflips, Announces National Inquiry into Antisemitism After Bondi Terror Attack

Australia’s left-wing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday finally caved to public pressure and announced a wide-ranging national inquiry into antisemitism. His capitulation comes 25 days after two terrorist gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday event at Bondi Beach in an Islamic State-inspired atrocity that claimed the lives of 15 people.

The Royal Commission will investigate the nature, prevalence and drivers of antisemitism generally as well as the circumstances of the Bondi mass terror shooting, Albanese told reporters in Canberra, AP reports.

It will also make recommendations for law enforcement countering the spread of extremism, coming as increasing numbers of Australians despair at the Albanese government and its embrace of forces that represent antisemitism around the globe.

An Australian Royal Commission has broad, coercive powers to gather evidence and information, which are often greater than those of a judge in a standard court case.

The commission can compel individuals to appear before it to give evidence, either publicly or in private and witnesses are typically required to swear an oath or make an affirmation to tell the truth.

It will be led by former High Court judge Virginia Bell, Albanese said.

A report is due by Dec. 14, which will be a year to the day since the shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney landmark.

That tragedy followed other examples of antisemitism that have roiled the country under Albanese’s Labor government.

“This was an antisemitic terrorist attack, aimed at Jewish Australians, inspired by ISIS, the deadliest that has ever occurred on Australian soil,” said Albanese, referring to the Islamic State group and its role in inspiring the Bondi Beach atrocity.

Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had sent a letter to Albanese in August, accusing the left-wing leader of pouring fuel “on this antisemitic fire” by recognising Palestine as a state.

“It encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets. Antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent; it retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve,” Netanyahu said he wrote.

The surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, faces dozens of criminal charges including murder and terrorism.

INTERNATIONAL

U.N. Demands U.S. Fulfill ‘Legal Obligation’ to Fund Globalist Agencies After Trump Withdrawal

Do as you are told, obey your “legal obligation” and keep sending U.S. taxpayer dollars. That was the message delivered Thursday to the Trump administration from U.N. headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, in the hours after the White House announced it is withdrawing billions in financial support from 66 organizations affiliated with the globalist entity.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese Socialist Party leader and prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, said he regretted President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the U.N.-related agencies but no avenue exists for it to stop paying its dues.

These include the U.N.’s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations, AP reports.

The U.S. also intends to exit dozens of other global organizations or initiatives not affiliated with the U.N. but still reliant on massive U.S. funding, as Breitbart News reported.

“As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the U.N. Charter for all Member States, including the United States,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement before reaffirming the U.S. cannot withdraw its funding.

“All United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given by member states.”

As Breitbart News reported, the Trump administration announced Wednesday it’s taking U.S. taxpayer dollars away from 66 globalist organizations, nearly half of them affiliated with the United Nations and all of which are identified as “contrary to the interests of the United States.”

Most notable is the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the parent treaty underpinning all major international climate agreements.

The treaty adopted in 1992 is a global pact by nations to cooperate to drive down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of so-called “climate change.”

Trump, who has thrown the full weight of his domestic policy behind fossil fuels, has openly scorned speculation human activity is warming the planet, deriding it as a “hoax.”

His administration sent no representative to the most recent U.N. climate summit in Brazil in November, which is held every year under the auspices of the UNFCCC.

Now Trump is making sure U.S. taxpayer dollars are no longer spent at the discretion of the U.N. and its associated globalist affiliates.