03 World

Mexico president trolls Trump with “Mexican America” map after his “Gulf of America” name change proposal– www.cbsnews.com
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Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded sarcastically on Wednesday to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

Standing before a 17th-century world map in her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum proposed dryly that North America should be renamed “América Mexicana,” or “Mexican America,” because a founding document dating from 1814 that preceded Mexico’s constitution referred to it that way.

“That sounds nice, no?” she added with a sarcastic tone. She also noted that the Gulf of Mexico had been named that way since 1607.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on January 8, 2025.. She suggested that the United States should be called “Mexican America,” in response to Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Taiwan demonstrates sea defenses against potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing– abcnews.go.com
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KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.

The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.

The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.

Burma War Escalates With Significant Implications for US Interests– www.dailysignal.com
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As war rages in Europe and as Israel confronts adversaries from all sides in the Middle East, Americans would be forgiven not knowing about the yearslong conflict raging in Burma—the world’s longest-running civil war.

The violence has ravaged the Southeast Asian nation for decades, and battlefield developments indicate the conflict may be reaching a new stage—with consequences for both the region and the United States.

Burma’s long-running civil war cooled during the 2010s, under the democratic government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), but fighting erupted again following a military coup in 2021.

The military, which has always been the most powerful player in Burmese politics, feared a loss of power on the heels of the NLD’s landslide victory in the 2020 elections, and it violently seized control of the government.

Since the coup, Burma’s military junta has imprisoned thousands of anti-junta activists and waged war against Burma’s array of powerful ethnic militias, often killing civilians in the process.

Former Israeli Military Officials Float Audacious Plan To Strike Iran in Final Days of Biden Presidency– freebeacon.com
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JERUSALEM—Two former Israeli military officials have proposed that Israel launch a major attack on Iran in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Kobi Michael and Gabi Siboni, now prominent national security analysts who often appear on Israeli TV and radio, argued in a policy paper published last month that a series of airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear, military, economic, and government infrastructure are the only way to prevent Iran from rebuilding its regional terrorist network, which Israel has degraded over 15 months of war. Israel should start the attack just ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, according to the analysts—thereby minimizing the risk of diplomatic retaliation by Biden and forcing the hand of the president-elect.

“With this attack, Israel will demonstrate to the United States … its absolute refusal to accept the continuation of the Iranian nuclear program and its unwillingness to risk Iran’s breakout to a bomb,” Michael and Siboni wrote. “As several rounds of attacks on Iran will be required, [the subsequent rounds] will take place after Trump takes office and under a U.S. administration that is more sympathetic than Biden’s.”

The proposal—published by the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, a think tank in Jerusalem, and picked up by Hebrew media—is an audacious answer to Israel’s most pressing national security question: Will Trump support an attack on Iran’s nuclear program?

Biden Set to Announce Parting Gift of $500 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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Joe Biden is set to announce a parting gift of $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The move is meant to give Kyiv “a stronger negotiating position” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to the AP.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in November that “every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20th” when Trump takes office.

The weapons package will reportedly be drawn from existing stockpiles under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program, and is expected to Biden’s final handout to Ukraine before he leaves office.

The announcement is expected during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s final trip to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of about 50 partner nations that Austin brought together months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to coordinate weapons support.

The meeting on Thursday is the 25th and potentially last gathering of the U.S.-led group, as the participating countries wait to see whether it will be continued under Trump.

Fani Willis Owes Judicial Watch a Boatload of Money– townhall.com
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A Fulton County court has ordered anti-Trump DA Fani Willis to pay Judicial Watch thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses for flouting the state’s public records law.

BREAKING: The Superior Court in Fulton County, GA, issued an order granting $21,578 “attorney’s fees and costs” in the open records lawsuit for communications Willis had with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee (1/3). https://t.co/qcVL9VTlfT

— Judicial Watch ⚖️ (@JudicialWatch) January 7, 2025

In December, the same Superior Court found that the Fulton County district attorney violated Georgia’s Open Records Act (ORA) in a lawsuit brought by the government watchdog group. Under court order, Willis then confessed to wrongly withholding records that Judicial Watch had repeatedly requested.

“The ORA is not hortatory; it is mandatory,” Judge Robert McBurney declared in Friday’s five-page filing finding Willis financially liable. “Non-compliance has consequences. One of them can be [financial] liability,” McBurney chastised, like covering court costs.

Blinken says Trump’s push for US to take control of Greenland is ‘not going to happen’– abcnews.go.com
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PARIS — Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is advising the world “not to waste a lot of time” on what President-elect Donald Trump has been saying about Greenland.

Trump made clear again this week that he’d like the semiautonomous territory of Denmark to come under U.S. control and said he would not rule out the use of military force to make that happen.

“We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said.

But Blinken said Wednesday that the incoming president’s ambitions are unlikely to amount to anything more than talk.

“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one,” the senior U.S. diplomat said during a stop in Paris for meetings.

Trump nominees face confirmation delays with inauguration approaching– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Senate Republicans are falling behind schedule on President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees as administrative delays threaten to push back the date of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in on Jan. 20 or shortly thereafter. But paperwork holdups, including slower-than-expected FBI background checks, could get in the way of that time frame.

The delays have sparked tensions in the Senate as Democrats accuse Republicans of needlessly fast-tracking the process.

UK Parliament Liberals Block National Inquiry Into Migrant Grooming Gangs– americanactionnews.com
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The United Kingdom’s Labour Party blocked a Conservative Party amendment that would have forced a nationwide inquiry into the decades-long epidemic of migrant grooming gangs.

The Conservatives proposed an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would compel the government to launch a national investigation into the grooming gangs that have terrorized the nation for decades, according the House of Commons records. The amendment was voted down by 364 to 111, with Labour and Conservatives voting down party lines.

“Bang on from Kemi Badenoch – Starmer’s argument against an inquiry is that government can’t do two things at once – it can’t implement previous actions and have an inquiry at the same time – that’s just obviously nonsense,” Niel O’Brien, Conservative party MP, said on X.

 

The EU will be without cheap Russian gas following a decision by Ukraine to no longer allow Russia’s gas transferal to occur on Ukraine soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.” The “Brotherhood pipeline” shutdown will allegedly cause Russian gas giant Gazprom more than $6 billion yearly.

EU on brink of gas war after Ukraine cuts off Russia’s £5bn supply | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Ukraine will no longer allow Russian gas to pass through en route to European neighbours in a move that will hurt both the Kremlin and EU states dependent on Putin’s energy supply.

On January 1, the 2019 deal, which saw gas transit through Ukraine to states like Slovakia and Austria, expired.

President Zelensky heralded the move as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats”, while his energy minister branded it “historic”.

The closure of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod, which is also known as the Brotherhood pipeline, will cost Russian gas company Gazprom around £5bn a year – a bitter blow for Putin’s creaking war economy.

However, it’s not just Russia that is reeling following the expiration of the gas deal. Several European states are heavily dependent on Russian gas transported through Ukraine.

Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his intention to resign as Canada’s Prime Minister as well as leader of the Liberal Party. He intends on serving until the party selects a new leader to replace him. The Liberal Party is facing an uphill challenge holding on to power in the upcoming election, which happens “on or before October 20, 2025.”

The Prime Minister claimed, “If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election — well, probably many regrets that I will think of. But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation. What happens now? – CNN
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he intends to step down from the top job and as the leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party once a new party leader is chosen.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader,” the 53-year-old leader told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Canada’s parliament will be suspended until March 24 while a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, he also said.

The dust has not settled in the recent events in South Korea that has seen one President under siege, refusing to submit to being arrested after being impeached, and another one also getting impeached, though no arrest warrant was issued for him, so far. Meanwhile, citizens are marching in protest of the current government, alleging the China-friendly leftist government “won” the election by cheating.

South Korea’s Political Crisis Deepens Amid Chinese Influence and U.S. Military Concerns– warroom.org
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There is a rapidly escalating situation, South Korea is witnessing a political crisis that could have far-reaching implications for the region, as protests and political unrest intensify.

In a Saturday WarRoom conversation between Steve Bannon and retired Colonel John Mills, the two highlighted the dangerous convergence of internal political turmoil and external Chinese interference that threatens the stability of one of the U.S.’s most trusted allies in East Asia.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing a political and social storm as thousands take to the streets in opposition to his government. Demonstrators have called for an end to martial law, but a significant portion of the protesters, according to Bannon and Mills, are reportedly Chinese nationals who have been flown in to incite further unrest. “One-third to two-thirds of these protests are Chinese,” Mills claimed, raising alarms about China’s growing influence in South Korea’s internal affairs.

The political landscape in South Korea has become increasingly divided. The left-wing Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, has mounted a significant challenge to President Yoon’s leadership, accusing him of authoritarianism. Lee, who was recently convicted of malfeasance, has been a vocal critic of U.S. military presence in South Korea, calling American forces an “occupation force” and pushing for the removal of THAAD missile systems. His anti-U.S. stance aligns with China’s broader geopolitical goals, as Beijing seeks to expand its regional influence.

In response to mounting political pressure, President Yoon declared martial law on December 3rd, 2023, a highly controversial move. However, as Bannon and Mills pointed out, Yoon’s decision was strategic. The martial law declaration allowed him to launch a raid on the National Election Commission, which, according to Yoon’s government, was necessary to investigate suspected Chinese interference in South Korea’s elections. While legally justified, this move has sparked widespread outrage and fear of authoritarianism, fueling the protests.

Venezuelan opposition leader says his son-in-law has been kidnapped in Caracas – WETM – MyTwinTiers.com
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 Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was kidnapped Tuesday in Venezuela’s capital.

González, who was traveling in the United States, said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while on his way to drop off González’s two grandchildren at school in Caracas.

In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.” He did not say what happened to his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren.

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The EU is nervous that Elon Musk’s social media app, x, will give Europeans freedom of expression outlets that that consider too dangerous for the little people to have. The European Commission is looking to craft a narrative that will allow it to target an American, Elon Musk, for future potential arrest, and his American app to be banned in Europe.

EU considers legal action against Musk over election interference – The Telegraph
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Brussels is considering punishing Elon Musk over his alleged interference in the German elections.

The European Commission is under mounting pressure to use its legal powers over social media platforms to rein in the tech billionaire ahead of next month’s ballot.

There are fears across the European Union that Mr Musk is trying to embolden the far-Right and peddling pro-Kremlin propaganda.

One of the chief concerns is that the richest man in the world has tweaked the algorithm of his social network X to deliberately push his posts to the top of users’ timelines.

In recent weeks, Mr Musk has declared Alternative for Germany (AfD) the “last vestige of hope” for Germany, as well as inviting Alice Weidel, the hard-Right party’s candidate for chancellor, for a one-on-one interview hosted on his platform ahead of the Feb 23 ballot.