News of the World
01-18-2026, 10:28 PM
USA
Quote:The Secret Service wasted no time this week getting face to face with a twisted lefty agitator in Nebraska after she appeared to write a threatening post about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on X.
An agent showed up Friday at the home of activist Jamie Bonkiewicz, who posted the day before: “When Karoline Leavitt gets what she deserves, I hope it’s televised.”
During the videotaped conversation, which took place on a front porch and which Bonkiewicz posted on her X account, she denied seeking to physically harm Leavitt, telling the agent that “I want to see her trials.”
The unidentified law enforcement officer told her “you don’t want to perceive any ill-will towards these people,” while asking her if she attends demonstrations or had any weapons in her house.
After a man off camera asked him what would constitute “crossing the line,” the agent explained that a “direct” threat like “I will go kill the president” would be outside the bounds of protected free speech.
He said he would take such a threat to the US Attorney’s office, but Bonkiewicz wasn’t arrested.
“Something like this, a veiled threat. Is it a threatening nature? Now that I know that you didn’t mean anything by it, it’s basically a non-issue,” he responded.
“I never said anything about killing anybody,” claimed Bonkiewicz, whose Facebook page shows snaps of her flaunting a t-shirt that reads “F— Pete Ricketts,” Nebraska’s Republican senator, and posing with embattled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). In 2023, she streamed controversial Nebraska legislative debates on abortion and transgender health, and in 2024 she spoke at a state Board of Education hearing on sexually explicit books in school libraries.
Given another chance to explain herself, Bonkiewicz appeared to reference the Nuremberg trials, where multiple caged Nazi defendants faced the death penalty for their atrocities.
“Like the trials – the Nuremberg trials, like, when all this s— is over, I want to see all of them go to trial, and I want it to be televised so I can watch it,” she claimed.
Quote:White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned CBS News that President Trump would sue the network if his recent interview was not aired in full, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times.
The remark came moments after Trump finished taping a 13-minute interview Tuesday with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil in Michigan.
Leavitt approached the CBS team and relayed that the president wanted assurances the segment would run unedited, adding he would “sue your ass off” if it did not, according to The Times.
“He said, ‘Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full,’” Leavitt told Dokoupil and his colleagues, according to the recording.
“Yeah, we’re doing it, yeah,” Dokoupil replied.
Leavitt added: “He said, ‘If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off.’”
CBS staffers who witnessed the interaction initially thought Leavitt was speaking in jest, according to The Times.
When CBS employees heard her comment, Kim Harvey, the executive producer of “CBS Evening News,” can be heard in audio obtained by The Times as saying: “Oh, great, OK!”
Dokoupil tried to lighten the mood, telling Leavitt: “He always says that!” according to the report.
But Leavitt did not laugh in response, it was reported.
During the interview, Trump took a personal swipe at Dokoupil, telling the newly minted anchor he “wouldn’t have a job right now” if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election.
Dokoupil pushed back, saying that “for the record,” he believed he would still be working at CBS regardless of the outcome, prompting Trump to quip the anchor would be earning “a lesser salary.”
CBS News later told The Post the network had already decided to air the interview in full before it was taped, and that Leavitt’s comments did not alter its editorial plans.
Quote:An outbreak of deadly bacteria at a Bay Area homeless encampment has sparked urgent calls for action in Los Angeles, with officials warning the disease may already be circulating in the city.
The bacterial disease leptospirosis was found in rats at encampments in the hippie college town of Berkeley, leading health officials there to issue an urgent warning to the homeless to clear out.
Officials told them to relocate at least a third of a mile from the “red zone” encompassing several square blocks as soon as possible. The warning comes as authorities attempted remove the encampment last year but were blocked by a federal judge.
Humans can contract leptospirosis by coming into contact with contaminated water or surfaces.
Flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and vomiting appear between five and 14 days. If the infection isn’t detected and treated with antibiotics, it leads to organ failure, internal bleeding, meningitis — and death.
“It’s a breeding ground for disease, where you see people living in squalor and surrounded by trash and human waste. It’s a petri dish.”
“The conditions here are the same as they are in Berkeley. It’s only a matter of time before it’s here as well,” LA Councilwoman Traci Park, whose district covers Venice, where homeless encampments have long plagued the iconic boardwalk, told The Post.
The scourge in Berkeley has raised fears the disease is already in LA because the city’s Homeless Services Authority does not test for the bacteria in homeless encampments.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health declined to answer questions about potential outbreaks, instead referring questions to the Homeless Services Authority.
Quote:New York’s largest nurses’ union has denied that the biggest nurses’ strike in the Big Apple’s history has turned deadly — after claims that an ICU patient had died as a result of the work stoppage.
“NYSNA is not claiming that any deaths directly derived from the strike,” Andrea Penman-Lomeli, press secretary for the New York State Nurses Association, confirmed in an email to The Post.
“Union officials and NYSNA members do not have any direct knowledge of specific incidents or overall conditions inside of the hospitals because we are on the picket line,” she added.
The denial came after Darla Joiner, a striking nurse at the Mount Sinai Health System in East Harlem, claimed on Saturday that at least one death is attributable to reduced care because of the strike.
Katie Duke, a retired nurse practitioner at Mount Sinai who was also picketing on Saturday for NYSNA, told The Post she regularly hears from other hospital staffers that the strike has turned deadly, including a case of an ICU patient on a machine that helps circulate blood and support breathing.
“It is the highest level of life support for somebody who’s waiting on, like, a lung transplant,” Duke said. “So, the patient … wasn’t restrained and sedated properly,” and pulled the tube out of their neck.
“There are things happening inside, because this hospital is settling for staff who are not qualified to take care of patients, because they refuse to negotiate with the nurses and give them their contract,” she claimed.
A hospital official also strongly denied the claims of a strike-related death.
“This is completely false, defamatory, and we are pursuing legal action,” said spokesperson Lucia L. Lee, who refused to comment on the specific case, citing federal privacy laws. City Health Department officials did not immediately return a message.
Quote:California governor hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell vowed to strip Immigration Customs Enforcement officers of their driver’s licenses in a candidates forum — even though the state grants licenses to illegal immigrants.
“They’re going to lose their immunity, they’re not gonna be able to drive. I will take your driver’s license. Good luck walking to work, a–holes,” Swalwell said at the Empowerment Congress California Governor Forum Saturday.
Swalwell’s pledge to strip ICE officers of their ability to drive legally would create an odd landscape in California, where illegal immigrants are granted driver’s licenses but federal law enforcement would have theirs revoked.
Former California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that allowed illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in 2013, and the law went into effect two years later.
“There’s only one side of the ball to be on, on behalf of Californians when it comes to ICE, and it’s offense,” Swalwell said at the forum, which was also attended by other California gubernatorial candidates such as Rep. Katie Porter.
The California rep. went on to state that he would direct local law enforcement to use “every power” to prosecute ICE officers.
“I will direct law enforcement to use every power to prosecute [ICE officers] for battery, false imprisonment and murder,” Swalwell said.
Immigration activists have been attempting to sabotage and combat ICE as it has stepped up its enforcement efforts around the country since President Trump returned to office.
Nationwide protests broke out after an ICE agent gunned down a woman who drove at him in her SUV in Minneapolis.
Quote:Rank-and-file police officers have blasted an “activist” federal judge for what they say is a dangerous ruling that strips cops of critical tools needed to control violent street protests In Los Angeles.
In a decision that has sparked fury within law enforcement, Judge Consuelo B. Marshall ruled that the Los Angeles Police Department violated federal law by deploying 40mm “less-lethal” projectile launchers during violent protests sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE agents in June 2025.
The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League — which represents roughly 8,700 sworn LAPD officers — accused the judge of ignoring the real-world dangers officers face on the streets.
“We urge this activist judge to come down from her ivory tower and witness the behavior of these so-called peaceful protesters who are rioting on the streets of Los Angeles,” the board said in a blistering statement.
“These criminals throw rocks, frozen water bottles, and chunks of concrete at police officers. They shoot military-grade projectiles, light cars on fire, and ransack businesses.
“Yet somehow, they are the victims.”
The 40mm launchers — which fire rubber, foam and plastic munitions — were first restricted in 2020 following their use during widespread protests after the murder of George Floyd. That earlier court order, stemming from litigation brought by Black Lives Matter activists, barred officers from targeting sensitive areas, required warnings when feasible, and limited use to situations involving immediate threats of violence.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, a 40-year veteran of the department who was appointed by Mayor Karen Bass in November 2024, warned the ruling removes a key de-escalation option.
The launcher, McDonnell said, allows officers to “maintain a safe distance from protesters, de-escalate dangerous situations, and protect the public without resorting to higher levels of force.”
Quote:Authorities begged for help trying to contain a “hostile” crowd just moments after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, frantic 911 calls and incident reports show.
Transcripts of the calls and reports, which were released late Thursday and obtained by the New York Times, shed light on the chaos that unfolded as Minneapolis cops and fire units rushed to the scene of the Jan. 7 shooting.
“Need crowd control and area blocked off,” one report said at 9:47 a.m. — just minutes after paramedics arrived and started treating the 37-year-old anti-ICE protester.
“Crowd getting hostile,” another report noted three minutes later.
At 10:07 a.m., authorities reported: “Contact who is in charge of feds and have them leave scene.”
But reports flooded in roughly an hour later that federal agents were “being surrounded.”
The unruly crowd only calmed when all ICE agents had left the scene at about 11:30 a.m., according to the reports.
Meanwhile, a flurry of calls also came through to 911 dispatchers as frantic witnesses described the moment immigration agent Jonathan Ross opened fire after Good clipped him with her SUV during a tense standoff, the transcripts show.
An incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department found that Good was shot four times — in the chest, arm and head, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
“There’s 15 ICE agents, and they shot her, like, because she wouldn’t open her car door,” one 911 caller said.
“I witnessed it,” another caller said, adding that a blood-soaked Good “tried to drive away, but crashed into the nearest vehicle that was parked.”
Quote:The Justice Department has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to probe whether the two Democrats engaged in a conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents.
The investigation is in its early stages and appears to stem from statements made by Walz and Frey denouncing the nearly 3,000 of federal law enforcement agents deployed to the Minneapolis area in recent weeks, a source told CBS News.
“When the governor or the mayor threaten our officers, when the mayor suggests that he’s encouraging citizens to call 911 when they see ICE officers, that is very close to a federal crime,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.”
Walz accused the Trump administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department in response to the reports.
“Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” the governor wrote on X.
“The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” he added, referring to last week’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
Frey described the reports of an investigation as “an obvious attempt to intimidate.”
“I will not be intimidated. My focus remains where it’s always been: keeping our city safe,” the mayor wrote on X.
“America depends on leaders that use integrity and the rule of law as the guideposts for governance. Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid,” Frey added.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried the immigration crackdown in his city as an “invasion” by the federal government and fretted about the possibility of local cops clashing with the feds.
The Democrat encouraged protesters to remain peaceful and defended their right to record ICE agents as they conduct immigration enforcement operations on city streets.
“We will not counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos here,” Frey told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “And we’re not going to give them an excuse to do the thing that clearly they’re trying to set up to do right now.”
“I never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government.”
The Trump administration began a crackdown across Minnesota last year in response to a massive welfare fraud scandal roiling the state.
Since then, roughly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol officers have been deployed to his city, which has a local police force of about 600. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is preparing 1,500 military personnel to enter the city, Reuters reported.
Last week, Frey warned that residents were asking police to “fight ICE agents on the street.”
“We can’t have that in America,” Frey insisted Sunday when pressed about that prior warning. “What we are hopeful for here is the judicial system to do its part to see that necessary check and balance.”
Minnesota and Illinois have sued the Trump administration in a bid to push the surge of federal personnel out of their respective states.
Trump has also publicly floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which was last used in 1992, to deploy the National Guard to Minnesota. Frey said that would “be a shocking step.”
Border czar Tom Homan recently claimed that the Trump administration is prepared to scale down the surge if local officials agree to “let us in the jail.”
Quote:Newly sworn in Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, rescinded her predecessor Republican Glen Youngkin's order that mandated state and local law enforcement must cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
"Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws—law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws, and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters," Spanberger's order states.
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What To Know
Spanberger, who is the first woman to hold the office of governor in Virginia, was sworn into office on Saturday. She defeated Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, who had backing from President Donald Trump.
Following her inauguration, Spanberger got right to work and signed Executive Order No. 10 (2026), which rescinded directives under Youngkin's Executive Order No. 47 (2025) that required and encouraged state and local law enforcement to "divert their limited resources for use in enforcing federal civil immigration laws," according to Spanberger's order.
"Accordingly, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor under Article V of the Constitution of Virginia and under the laws of the Commonwealth, I hereby rescind Executive Order No. 47 (2025), which is not an appropriate use of state or local resources," Spanberger wrote.
The order is effective upon its signing, which was done by Spanberger and Secretary of the Commonwealth Jennifer B. Moon.
Quote:Pardoned January 6 rioter Jake Lang has given an update on his injuries after taking part in protests in Minneapolis.
Lang, a right-wing influencer who was pardoned on charges tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack after spending several years in jail, said he was stabbed at a rally outside Minneapolis City Hall on Saturday. Lang alleged that a counter-protester attacked him during his “March Against Minnesota Fraud” event.
Newsweek has not been able to independently verify Lang's claim. A Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) spokesperson told Newsweek that authorities are "aware of social media accounts of him being assaulted," but said no police report has been filed.
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What To Know
Writing on X, Lang said in an update that he had been to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.
"I was just literally LYNCHED by an anti white mob of liberals & illegal immigrants- I’m at the hospital now getting staples in my skull…Nearly ripped limb from limb in Minneapolis!!!!" he wrote.
Lang has also set up a fundraising page to help pay for his hospital bills, which has so far raised more than $8,000 of a $20,000 target.
On Saturday, Lang first said on social media that he had been stabbed by a "crazie white commie leftist rioter."
Hundreds of counter protesters descended on the site of Lang's demonstration outside Minneapolis City Hall. Videos from the scene show Lang struggling with people while trying to get out of the vicinity.
Before his protest began, Lang announced it on X and said he would "burn a Quran on the steps of Minneapolis City Hall."
Quote:President Donald Trump has taken aim at an Indiana Republican, State Senator Rodric Bray, over redistricting in the state.
Writing on Truth Social this weekend, Trump wrote: "I was with David McIntosh of the Club for Growth, and we agreed that we will both work tirelessly together to take out Indiana Senate Majority Leader Rod Bray, a total RINO [Republican In Name Only], who betrayed the Republican Party, the President of the United States, and everyone else who wants to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! We’re after you Bray, like no one has ever come after you before!"
McIntosh, who is the former Republican representative for Indiana, backed the president. "President Trump and I are aligned. Rod Bray is going down," he wrote on X.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for Bray for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
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What To Know
The Indiana State Senate voted down a proposal to redraw the state’s congressional maps in December, rejecting the measure after it advanced to a third reading. The defeat halted the bill before it could reach the desk of Governor Mike Braun, who had backed the redistricting effort and in October convened a special legislative session to allow lawmakers to debate the issue.
Support for redrawing Indiana’s congressional boundaries also came from Vice President JD Vance—who traveled to Indianapolis in October to meet with state lawmakers to discuss redistricting—and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Vance also took aim at Bray this weekend, writing on X: "I’d like to thank @bray_rodric for not even trying to fight back against this extraordinary Democrat abuse of power. Now the votes of Indiana Republicans will matter far less than the votes of Virginia Democrats. We told you it would happen, and you did nothing.”
Quote:The Nobel Foundation, the group responsible for administrating the various Nobel prizes, on Sunday issued a clarification around the rules for handing out the prizes after Venezuela's opposition leader María Corina Machado offered her peace prize to President Donald Trump, which he accepted.
"The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations," the foundation wrote in a statement posted to X on Sunday. "It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who 'have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,' and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize."
"A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed," the foundation stressed.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday morning for comment.
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What To Know
Following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the question as to who would replace him remained open, with the administration supporting the Interim President Delcy Rodriguez while engaging with Machado in her bid to oust Maduro's regime and install a democratically elected government free of the suspicion and doubt that surrounded Maduro's most recent electoral victory.
However, Trump has said that he does not believe Machado has the support of the Venezuelan people to effectively take over as leader of the country, despite overwhelmingly winning the primary to face Maduro in an election in 2024 as the candidate for the Vente Venezuela party. The Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice ultimately disqualified her from running for president, much to the outcry of several world and regional leaders.
During her visit to the White House last week, Machado offered Trump her Nobel prize, which he accepted. Some analysts believed she made the offer in an attempt to bring the president around to supporting her bid to lead Venezuela.
The Nobel Peace Center issued a statement following the exchange between Machado and Trump, stressing in a post on X that the Peace Prize is not designed to be transferred.
"One truth remains," the committee wrote, in part. "As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: 'Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.' A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot."
The Nobel Foundation followed on Sunday, saying that "one of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration" before also stressing that the prize cannot be transferred, even symbolically.
"A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time," the Nobel Norwegian Committee, the body responsible for handing out the Peace Prize, said in a statement posted on its website.
It added: "The Committee does not comment on laureates’ subsequent statements, decisions, or actions. Any ongoing assessments or choices made by laureates must be understood as their own responsibility. There are no restrictions in the statutes of the Nobel Foundation on what a laureate may do with the medal, the diploma, or the prize money. This means that a laureate is free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items."
So why do they complain about what Machado did?
I thought she was free to do anything she wanted with her prize or her medal. GREENLAND
Quote:WASHINGTON — Some GOP lawmakers are irked at President Trump’s vow to slap new 10% tariffs on eight European nations as part of his pressure campaign to acquire Greenland.
Trump’s announcement came after those countries deployed troops to the icy island in an apparent show of support for Denmark retaining control over it.
But numerous GOP lawmakers are squeamish that the US is clashing with its NATO ally.
“Congress must reclaim tariff authorities. There’s a reason James Madison put tariff authorities under Article One,” wrote retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who has been no stranger to criticizing Trump, on X.
Trump indicated on Truth Social that he intends to slap the 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland starting Feb. 1.
He then plans to ramp those tariffs up further to 25% in June if the US doesn’t acquire Greenland by then.
But retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) bemoaned on X, “This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.
“It’s great for [Vladimir] Putin, Xi [Jinping] and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided,” Tillis wrote.
“The fact that a small handful of ‘advisors’ are actively pushing for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid.”
The vowed new tariffs are likely to be implemented under America’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which is currently facing a review from the US Supreme Court.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) teased that they are mulling steps to block President Trump from invading Greenland and quash the retaliatory tariffs he announced against eight European countries for sending troops there.
The two senators, who previously teamed up on an unsuccessful measure to restrain Trump from taking more military action against Venezuela, are eyeing a War Powers Act resolution to similarly block him from attacking Greenland.
“Senator Paul and I have talked about that. We are on a recess until a week from tomorrow,” Kaine told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday about a war powers resolution precluding a military invasion of Greenland.
“We’re kind of in discussion about filing that and the timing.”
Last week, Trump managed to kill a war powers resolution championed by Kaine and Paul that had initially made advancements in the Senate, after the president’s team flipped two votes.
“On the war powers, around militarily invading Greenland, I’ve heard of no Republican support for that,” Paul told “Meet the Press,” when asked about the chances of succeeding. “Even the most hawkish members of our caucus have said they won’t support that.”
Numerous GOP lawmakers, such as Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Susan Collins of Maine, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell, have raised various concerns about Trump’s hot rhetoric about Greenland.
It’s unclear if they’d back a war powers resolution, which, unlike most legislation in the Senate, only requires a simple majority rather than the 60-vote threshold to go into effect.
In addition to a war powers resolution, Kaine revealed that he’s mulling legislation to curb the president’s recently unveiled tariffs against European allies and to block him from either suspending US participation in NATO or denouncing it without congressional action.
Quote:Senate Democrats will try to block President Donald Trump's tariffs on eight of the U.S. closest allies as Washington's crusade to control Greenland further splits NATO unity.
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What To Know
"Senate Democrats will introduce legislation to block these tariffs before they do further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement late on Saturday.
Schumer called Trump's tariffs "foolhardy," and said the measures had damaged the U.S. economy and spiked prices. "Now he is only making things worse," Schumer added.
European leaders have rallied around Denmark and Greenland, sending military forces to the strategic Arctic island and backing its right to determine its own fate. Copenhagen, which oversees Greenland's defense and foreign policy, said it was upping drills in the Arctic island "in close cooperation with NATO allies."
Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said earlier this week the territory would stick with Denmark, the European Union and NATO over the U.S., while Washington insisted it needed to control Greenland, not least for its new, extensive missile defense project, dubbed Golden Dome.
The U and the U.S. reached a trade and tariff deal in July 2025. The agreement has not yet been ratified and European politicians suggested over the weekend the deal was in jeopardy over the tariffs.
"Tariffs would undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
"Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context," added French President Emmanuel Macron.
"Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong," British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement. "We will of course be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters she had spoken with Trump and said the tariffs would be a "mistake."
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials late this week, said after Trump alluded to tariffs that "continuing down this path is bad for America, bad for American businesses and bad for America’s allies."
Quote:Eight nations targeted by new White House tariffs have hit back at President Donald Trump, accusing the U.S. of undermining trans-Atlantic relationships and risking a "dangerous downward spiral."
"As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared trans-Atlantic interest," Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement published on Sunday. "We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response."
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What To Know
"We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the alliance members said in their joint statement.
Many Greenlanders are in favor of the territory eventually cutting ties with Denmark, but opinion polls show the overwhelming majority do not want the island to become part of the U.S.
"Greenland is not for sale. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States," Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, said on Thursday. Trump officials have derided defenses against Russia and China in Greenland and insisted Copenhagen, which dictates Greenland's foreign and defense policy, is not equipped to be in charge of protecting the territory.
"Europe will not be blackmailed," Danish leader, Mette Frederiksen, said on Sunday.
European politicians have said the tariffs could derail a U.S. trade and tax deal with the European Union, agreed last summer, that is still waiting to be ratified.
The countries slapped with new tariffs have deployed military forces to Greenland in recent days, while high-level talks between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials failed to resolve the "fundamental disagreement," Denmark's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers had sought to reassure Copenhagen and Nuuk during a visit to Denmark on Friday, ahead of the tariff announcement.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:A Ukrainian delegation was in Miami Saturday to sign off on a pair of key peace documents it hopes to ink with the US next week on the world stage, while the war-torn country faced freezing temps and another wave of Russian attacks on its electricity grid back home.
The Ukrainian team — led by Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov — met in a high-level sitdown with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to iron out details of US security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression and postwar reconstruction for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to put pen to paper next week in Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump said he may meet the Ukrainian leader.
“I would — if he’s there,” he told Reuters. “I’m going to be there.”
An economic deal between the two countries is also close to being finalized in Florida — using the blueprint of the minerals deal signed last year — that grants US companies preferential access to Ukraine’s critical minerals.
Zelensky said Ukraine needs about $800 billion in reconstruction investments over the next decade to get back on its feet after Russia’s invasion is ended.
While in Miami, the Ukrainian delegation also hoped to get clarity from the US on where Russian strongman Vladimir Putin stands in the diplomatic efforts to end the war — with growing pressure on Kyiv to concede the Donbas region.
“I think we have worked well with the American side, we are just not on the same side on some issues,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv Friday.
Russia would still need to be consulted on the more contentious parts of the peace proposals, like territorial concessions.
Quote:KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian drone strikes damaged energy networks in Russia-occupied parts of southern Ukraine, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power on Sunday, according to Kremlin-installed authorities there.
Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.
More than 200,000 households in the Russia-held part of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region had no electricity on Sunday, according to the Kremlin-installed local governor.
In a Telegram post, Yevgeny Balitsky said that nearly 400 settlements have had their supply cut, because of damage to power networks from Ukrainian drone strikes.
Russia has hammered Ukraine’s power grid, especially in winter, throughout the nearly four-year war. The strikes aim to weaken Ukrainians’ will to resist in a strategy that Kyiv officials call “weaponizing winter.”
Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa region overnight on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service. A fire broke out and was promptly extinguished.
At least six people were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian attacks, the emergency service said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that repairing the country’s energy system remains challenging, “but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible.”
He said that two people were killed in overnight attacks across the country that struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa.
In total, more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types were used by Russia to strike Ukraine this week, Zelenskyy said.
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:The Iranian regime has killed at least 16,500 people and injured over 330,000 more as they continue to ruthlessly target demonstrators – and even uninvolved civilians – in nationwide anti-government protests, a shocking new report claims.
The alarming death toll – far exceeding the roughly 3,100 verified by activist groups – was detailed in a new report from doctors on the ground treating victims amid the slaughter, the Sunday Times reported.
The disturbing figures, compiled from eight major hospitals and 16 emergency departments, revealed between 16,500 and 18,000 people have been killed, with most victims believed to be younger than 30.
“This is a whole new level of brutality,” Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German eye surgeon, who spoke to the outlet on behalf of dozens of medical professionals in Tehran.
“[In 2022] they were using rubber bullets and pellet guns taking out eyes. This time they are using military-grade weapons and what we are seeing are gunshot and shrapnel wounds in the head, neck and chest,” he continued.
“I’ve spoken to dozens of doctors on the ground and they are really shocked and crying. These are surgeons who have seen war.”
Another 330,000 to 360,000 have been injured, including children and pregnant women, according to the report.
At least 1,000 people have lost an eye, with one hospital in Tehran reporting 7,000 eye injuries.
“There are so many shotgun-related eye injuries that we do not know whom to treat first,” said one ophthalmologist, the outlet reported.
The report comes as an Iranian official, citing verified figures for the first time, estimated that at least 5,000 people have been killed in the protests, Reuters reported.
The official noted that most of the killings unfolded in Iran’s Kurdish areas, with the minority group seeing the greatest violence from Tehran’s security forces.
Shocking video captured one such clash last week, which saw security forces raid a hospital in Ilam’s Kurdish-majority community and attack patients and doctors as they arrested wounded protesters.
The Iranian official added that it was unlikely for the death toll to further “increase sharply,” with the exact number still difficult to pin down given the chaos on the ground.
The protests, which exploded on Dec. 28, spread rapidly across all 31 provinces, morphing from demonstrations over a collapsing economy into the most serious threat to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The regime answered with overwhelming force, deploying the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia to crush the unrest, according to rights groups and witness accounts.
Quote:We are witnessing the greatest progressive movement of our time, but the loudest progressives are nowhere to be seen.
Courageous men and women, young and old, across over a reported 30 provinces in Iran have been taking to the streets in unified revolutionary fervor to take charge over their futures. They chant for an end to the Islamic Regime, democracy, equal rights and freedom of expression, movement and belief—values upheld in many other nations.
The regime they have risen up to responded with a brutal crackdown and state violence. At least a reported 2,571 Iranians, dubbed "CIA-backed rioters and terrorists" by Islamic Regime officials, have been killed, according to reports from a Regime official to Reuters, but some rights groups fear the death count could have surpassed 12,000. Thousands have been arrested, the majority reportedly under 30. Now, Iranians are reportedly facing a form of undeclared martial law, a communication blackout, and conditions the diaspora have dubbed the largest hostage taking in history.
Iranians have risen up against the regime several times. They have called for free elections, secularism, and equal rights, notably for the nation's women, minorities and animals, in a way that is rarely seen in the Middle East. Despite the push for progressiveness, influential humanitarian figures and groups have remained silent on the tragedy or have spoken up late.
It took the U.N. days to put a statement together on the current unrest, despite getting a statement and a moment's silence sorted within a day of Ebrahim Raisi's death. Raisi, Iran's former president, was nicknamed the "Butcher of Tehran" by many Iranians due to his involvement in mass executions.
Through the ongoing communication blackout, Iranians have been calling on those outside of Iran to be their voice. On top of that, the values they have been trying to restore in their nation are those that humanitarian voices in the West claim to champion—so why did it take many so long to speak up? And why have others remained silent?
Khosro Isfahani is a senior research analyst at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization. He told Newsweek that there are several reasons why both the public figures and ordinary people who usually speak up for humanitarian causes have been silent about Iran.
Why Are Progressive Activists Silent?
Isfahani said he knows that it is unrealistic to expect people to speak out about everything, all the time, but feels disappointed in the lack of popular support for the Iranian people—especially by Hollywood figures associated with progressive causes, such as Mark Ruffalo and Angelina Jolie.
"This is a point of frustration for all of us," said Isfahani, who spent most of his life in Iran and now lives in Washington, D.C. "The loudest voices who wouldn't stop talking about Gaza are silent now."
The analyst said that several factors have led to this.
Firstly, people have been conflating the grassroots, decades-long struggle of the Iranian people against the Islamic Regime with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Many, Isfahani said, took the Islamic Regime's performative support for Palestine to heart.
During the Iran-Israel War, posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were held up by some protesters in the West while they screamed "hands off Iran." Not all activists of a leftist persuasion feel compelled to prop up the Ayatollah, but the presence of Israel flags by Israelis attending Free Iran rallies taking place worldwide, and the conflation of the regional issues, has prompted some to feel they cannot stand with Iranians, as it would mean they are abandoning their support for Palestinians.
Isfahani also believes that many in the West hold a troubled view of Iran. He said that many Westerners view Iranians as staunch supporters of their Islamic dictatorship—even if recent events have clearly shown otherwise—and believe the unrest is cultural, complicated or even Islamophobic for them to speak out on.
"Iranians last rose up in 2022 trying to reclaim their homeland for the 10th time. We have been on the streets nonstop. We have tried again and again," Isfahani said. "The Islamic Republic has tried to erode life in Iran from existence with mass executions or censorship, and unfortunately, we have people who like to exotify the image of Iranian women in chadors.
Quote:The Trump administration is reportedly asking countries that want a permanent spot on President Donald Trump's new "Board of Peace" to contribute at least $1 billion, according to Bloomberg on Saturday who obtained a draft charter for the proposed international organization.
The White House Rapid Response account on X called Bloomberg's report "misleading," stating the proposal "offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity."
The charter reportedly reveals that Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman and would decide on who's invited to be members. The draft charter says that member states would serve three-year terms subject to renewal by the chairman, but this term limit would not apply to countries contributing more than $1 billion in cash funds within the first year.
...
What To Know
The Board of Peace is described in the charter as "an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict," according to Bloomberg's report. The organization would become official once three member states agree to the charter.
On Friday, the White House announced the executive panel for the Board of Peace that will supervise the temporary governance of Gaza that would include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, with Trump serving as chair. The board also includes private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, Trump adviser Robert Gabriel, and former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov as high representative for Gaza.
According to the draft obtained by Bloomberg, decisions would be taken by majority vote, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman's approval. Trump would also be responsible for approving the group's official seal.
The draft charter's provisions give Trump extensive control over the organization. Trump would have the power to remove a member, subject to a veto by a two-thirds majority of member states. The charter also reportedly states that "the Chairman shall at all times designate a successor for the role of Chairman," according to Bloomberg.
The draft appears to suggest Trump himself would control the money, something that would be considered unacceptable to most countries who could have potentially joined the board, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
Israel and Hamas signed off in October on Trump's plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by the international Board of Peace meant to supervise Gaza's governance for a transitional period. A U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, commanded by Major General Jasper Jeffers, a former U.S. special operations commander.
Quote:World leaders from across the globe have been invited to sit on U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace, a collective that appears to be designed initially for nailing down a path for the devastated Gaza Strip before turning its attention to "world peace."
Multiple heads of state posted to social media over the weekend to confirm they had received requests from the Republican to join the Board of Peace, which will install Trump as chairman.
In his missives, Trump said the organization would become "the most impressive and consequential board ever assembled" and will be "one of a kind."
...
What To Know
It is not clear how many countries have been asked to join the Board of Peace since the United Nations Security Council endorsed the idea last year. However, the wording of the U.N. resolution only greenlit the board until the end of 2027 and referred specifically to Gaza.
Also murky is how the Trump-led organization would interact with the U.N. as the latter's global reputation and funding take painful hits.
Jordan, Argentina, Egypt, Paraguay, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Hungary and Cyprus have publicly confirmed they received an invite from Trump.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, said on Sunday he had agreed in principle to the suggestion but details were still to be ironed out.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment via email.
The White House said on Friday that the founding members of the executive board would include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank chief Ajay Banga and Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Also named on the board are Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, U.S. billionaire Marc Rowan and Robert Gabriel, a national security adviser in the U.S.
Witkoff, Kushner, Blair and Rowan will also sit on the Gaza Executive Board, alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egyptian intelligence chief General Hassan Rashad and Reem Al-Hashimy, who is currently serving in the Emirati foreign ministry.
Nickolay Mladenov, formerly Bulgaria's foreign and defense minister who was previously a United Nations envoy for the Middle East, will join Cypriot-Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay and former Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag on the board.
Israel, in a rare show of disunity with the U.S., said it had not been consulted and on the membership and it "runs contrary to its policy." No Israeli politicians or officials were listed on the White House announcement.
Permanent membership on the board will come with a $1-billion price tag which will help fund reconstruction in Gaza, although a three-year stint will not require a contribution, an anonymous U.S. official told The Associated Press.
CHINA / CANADA
Quote:Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has hailed a thaw in China ties, telling Chinese President Xi Jinping the renewed engagement had put both countries on a path toward what he called "the new world order."
The Canadian delegation also broke with the U.S. and announced plans to a trade deal, in what policy analysts have suggested may signal a sea change in Ottawa's dealings with the East Asian power and the United States.
...
What To Know
"Mine is the first visit of a Canadian prime minister to China in nearly a decade. The world has changed much since that last visit. I believe the progress that we have made and the partnership sets us up well for the new world order," Carney told Xi during a meeting attended by top officials from both sides.
"I'm extremely pleased that we are moving ahead with our new strategic partnership," he added. "A partnership founded on five pillars will not only deepen our bilateral ties to the benefit of our peoples but will also, in my judgment, help improve the multilateral system, a system that in recent years has come under great strain."
Xi hailed the progress made since the two leaders met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in October, saying the meeting put Beijing-Ottawa ties on "an upward trajectory."
"I am ready to continue working with you with a sense of responsibility for the history, for the people and for the world, to advance the relationship in a positive direction and bring it on a track of healthy, steady and sustainable development for the benefit of the people of both countries," Xi said.
Carney was accompanied by five Cabinet members—the ministers of foreign affairs, natural resources, industry, agriculture and international trade—and the premier of Saskatchewan.
What People Are Saying
Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to Beijing, told NBC News: "The United States used to be a friend and ally. ... [Now] we are treated as an enemy."
He added: "Canadians know also that China is a very difficult partner. We know very well how they can contravene international rules."
Jia Wang, a senior fellow at the University of Alberta's China Institute, wrote in an analysis for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: "In an era marked by growing uncertainty and increasingly unilateral actions by Donald Trump's administration to assert American primacy, Beijing is striving to position itself as a more reliable and responsible global power, one that upholds the international trading system and respects the broader international order."
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
