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U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela and his overall strategy for the Western Hemisphere should serve as a warning to all Canadians and require a more fulsome response from its political leaders, Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations says.
Bob Rae, who finished his five-year ambassadorship last November, told Global News in an interview that the U.S. under Trump is rejecting multilateralism in favour of asserting its dominance over the hemisphere, without “any notion of legality.”
As a wave of protests swept across Iran last night, the internet was completely shut down.
I have no idea what is happening to my friends, my family, or anyone else.
My best friend Champ was at the demonstration.
I desperately hope he is safe.
Iran is a nation wanting its soul back.
VLADIMIR Putin has lost at least 19 generals since launching Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This staggering toll has ripped through the upper ranks of his military and laid bare the brutal cost of war at the very top.
The unprecedented losses have hollowed out Russia’s senior command, exposing a leadership crisis rarely seen in any modern conflict.
US Vice President JD Vance has launched a scathing attack on Europe’s handling of “critical” Greenland as its locals reject both Danish and US rule.
Vance told Fox News that Europe and Denmark have “not done a good job” in securing the area, claiming they underinvested in defences and failed to engage with Trump on the matter.
- Newspaper headlines: ‘PM is turning UK into military pygmy’ and ‘Love Island wildfire crisis’ BBC
- Senior military chiefs warn Keir Starmer of £28bn defence shortfall The Times
- No 10 defends military funding amid warnings of £28bn black hole Peeblesshire News
- Demands on defence are rising following reports of £28bn shortfall, MOD warns Forces News
- Labour’s refusal to prioritise defence over welfare leaves Britain exposed The Telegraph
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Indonesia suspends Musk’s Grok AI over porn New Age
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The UK government says X limiting Grok AI image edits to users who pay a monthly fee is “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.
It follows backlash after Elon Musk’s AI engine digitally changed images of people by undressing them – something it says it now can only do for those who pay a monthly instalment.
The BBC’s technology editor Zoe Kleinman explains what’s happened and why.
The UK government “wants any excuse for censorship”, Elon Musk has said, amid a growing backlash over deepfake sexual images produced by his social media site X’s artificial intelligence tool.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said X needed “to get a grip of” its AI chatbot Grok, and he had asked media regulator Ofcom for “all options to be on the table”.
Hypocrisy was in high gear on Morning Joe today regarding the Minneapolis ICE shooting. The panel accused President Trump and JD Vance of “prejudging” the situation and “jumping to conclusions.” But the panel repeatedly described Renee Nicole Good as “the victim.” If Good is the victim, that, ipso facto, makes the ICE agents the guilty parties. So who’s prejudging now?
That wasn’t the only instance of hypocrisy/double standards on display. Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson lamented that instead of “trying to calm people’s fears down,” leaders “are simply playing to [their] base and trying to amp it up.” While Johnson didn’t name names, this is MS NOW, so his accusation clearly seemed aimed at the Trump administration.
But when it comes to playing to the base and amping things up instead of calming people’s fears, consider these statements by an array of Democrats:
- Tim Walz called ICE “Trump’s Gestapo,” and declared, as he mobilized the MN National Guard, “we’ve never been at war with our federal government [until now?]”
- Jasmine Crockett called ICE “slave patrols.”
- Ilhan Omar called ICE agents “vile and beyond cruel.”
- Hakeem Jeffries implored people to “fight” the Trump administration “in the streets.”
- Good old Maxine Waters called Trump “lowdown, no good, filthy,” over ICE raids.
Musk Calls UK ‘Fascist’ as Row Over Grok AI Images Escalates Bloomberg.com
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Newly obtained footage of the fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday appears to strengthen the case that he was acting in self-defense.
CNN aired the surveillance video taken from a home nearby, which showed an SUV being driven by Renee Nicole Good, 37, pulling into the middle of a Minneapolis street to obstruct ICE officers during an operation.
CNN noted that agents converged on the vehicle, and when Good tried to flee the scene, that’s when the shots were fired.
Anderson Cooper explained that the video showed the four minutes leading up to the shooting.
So in the new CNN footage, it is quite clear that the officer did not walk up to the front of the car. When Good backs up the car, it places him in the front and would give him very good reason to believe she was aiming at him as the car guns forward. pic.twitter.com/8yE5fj5BdT
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) January 9, 2026
While the accomplice media go about making the next “Maryland Man” out of the Minneapolis woman fatally shot after allegedly trying to ram an ICE agent with her vehicle, more details are emerging about the radical life and times of Renee Nicole Good.
As the New York Post reports, the 37-year-old woman was known as an anti-ICE “warrior” in a group called “ICE Watch.” The Post describes the resistance movement as a “loose coalition of activists dedicated to disrupting ICE raids” in sanctuary city Minneapolis.
In fact, ICE Watch and radical groups like it have popped up around the country, emerging during President Donald Trump’s first term and exploding in this first year of a second term laser-focused on cleaning up America’s illegal immigration mess.
The left has been protesting and attending memorials for Renee Good, the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent after an act of self-defense. Liberals can protest and mourn all they want, but they do so because they don’t live in this little thing called “reality.” Because in reality, people would not mourn a woman en masse after her actions could have killed someone. This is not to say that it wasn’t tragic that she lost her life, but it was of her “own making.” Nonetheless, one white woman would like to chime in and cry about why this is somehow an issue regarding skin color.
According to this liberal woman, “it feels wrong” to be at the memorial. Why the left obsesses over feelings so much is beyond reason, but feelings are not facts. This is why she should not overanalyze how she “feels,” because it’s rooted in her imagination. Nonetheless, her faulty reasoning then concluded that she’s a white woman and she “has a lot of privilege,” and that she “feels like white tears are not always helpful or necessary.” She then claimed Black and Brown people have been dealing with this for a long time.
Yesterday in Minneapolis, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were conducting a lawful immigration operation when Renee Nicole Macklin Good allegedly weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to run over federal agents. An ICE agent fatally shot Macklin in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as self-defense. The investigation is ongoing, and body camera footage has yet to be released.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey immediately blamed federal agents for the shooting, telling ICE, in an expletive, to “get out of Minneapolis” and accusing them of sowing chaos. This despite the fact that ICE agents were performing their constitutional duty to enforce immigration laws — the same laws that apply in every state, including Minnesota.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association condemned the “irresponsible” and “reckless rhetoric from political leaders attacking law enforcement,” stating it “has real and dangerous consequences for officers on the street” and “fuels hostility.” DHS reports a 1,300 percent increase in assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against ICE agents — directly linked to the demonization by sanctuary politicians in deep-blue cities and states.
This week, President Trump sent shockwaves through Wall Street when he announced via Truth Social his plan to ban large corporations and foreign entities from purchasing single-family homes. The proposal targets institutional investors like Blackstone and other real estate investment trusts that have been buying up American homes by the hundreds of thousands — driving up prices and locking out first-time buyers.
Political support came swiftly from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, announced that he would introduce legislation to codify the ban, saying, “Millions of young Americans have been locked out of the American Dream.” Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., called it “huge,” while Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., signaled support. Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she’s been advocating for years to limit Wall Street from buying up America’s homes.
The market reaction was severe. Invitation Homes tumbled 6 percent. Blackstone fell 9 percent. American Homes 4 Rent dropped 6.3 percent. And Wall Street understood completely: Trump means business. But for Main Street families, this proposal offers real hope.
Yeah, some woman got wrecked trying to murder federal agents and got a face-full of lead. Sorry, not sorry. We’re taking a victory lap here. We all saw how the Left reacted when Charlie Kirk got assassinated, so excuse me as I couldn’t give less of a #$%^ about your indignation right now, liberal America. These agents were doing their job: enforcing federal immigration laws. This leftist clown, Renee Nicole Good, 37, tried to run over an ICE agent and was shot and killed.
During a press conference this evening with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the officer was struck by Good’s vehicle and went to the hospital. ICE operations will not end. The deportations will continue. And the memes from this incident have been gold. A great way to not get shot by law enforcement is to not try and run them over.
“I’ll handle them, Mr. Frey.” https://t.co/60jjjWtb3R pic.twitter.com/jZ152qOxjq
— Frasier Payne (@MeinGottNiles) January 7, 2026
On Wednesday, an anti-ICE protester thought it would be a good idea to attempt to run over ICE agents in Minneapolis. She learned the hard way that attacking a federal law enforcement officer is not a good idea, and officers wound up shooting and killing her.
Ever since, the left has been gaslighting the public, claiming that the ICE agent shot her without provocation, that he wasn’t in front of the car when she hit the gas, that she was just turning her vehicle when she was shot, and that she wasn’t even involved in the anti-ICE protests.
An eyewitness to the incident has completely blown apart the left’s false narratives and even directly contradicted claims from the victim’s own mother that she had nothing to do with the protest that turned violent.
The situation on the ground in Venezuela is a mixed bag right now, which is to be expected. One doesn’t just pluck the lead narco-terrorist from a “government” that’s basically organized crime and expect sunshine and roses within a week. It’s going to take time for Donald Trump and Marco Rubio and the United States team to pull all the weeds, and I have no doubt that, if anyone can do it, those two men can.
It’s also changing so quickly that it’s hard to keep up with everything.
That said, I’m seeing a lot of misinformation, speculation, confusion, and biased reporting out there — surprise, surprise — and I want to set the record straight on what’s happening in Venezuela right this minute. Everything I’m going to say comes from our State Department, credible human rights groups, sources on the ground, and people with whom I’ve connected who are from that country. None of them are anonymous.
Despite Democrats’ raging against the agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are continuing to arrest illegal migrant child rapists and killers in Minnesota.
Amid their enforcement surge, federal immigration authorities are nabbing “the worst of the worst” criminal illegal migrants all across the Land of 10,000 Lakes, according to ICE Director Todd Lyons. While deportation officers nab gruesome individuals throughout Minnesota, high-profile Democratic politicians are publicly demanding they leave immediately.
Donald Trump repeated his interest in acquring Greenland, issuing a new thinly-veiled threat at the territory, the kingdom it is part of and the wider NATO alliance. As he chaired a meeting involving oil and gas industry leaders discussing their possible future work in Venezuela, Mr Trump also discussed other key issues, including the war in Ukraine and his desire to acquire Greenland.
He said: “Right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not because if we don’t do it Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour. Okay? I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
The response came after the US President was asked about the territory and how much money he would offer Denmark for it. Mr Trump said he isn’t talking about money “yet”, but he “might talk about that”.
At a march held by dozens of supporters of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, which included pardoned rioters, a brawl erupted after a counter-protester used a bullhorn to interrupt speeches. One attendee tried to wrestle the bullhorn out of the protester’s hands while she called those present “traitors”. Eventually, she was handcuffed by the police.
Many of those at today’s march, including Enrique Tarrio – the former Proud Boys leader who was convicted and later pardoned for his role in the January 6 insurrection – said that they were there to protest against the death of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was killed by Capitol police on the day of the attack.
A reporter asked President Donald Trump about the protests in Iran:
REPORTER: There’s been protesters killed in Iran. You said we were locked and loaded, ready to go. What is the line there for when the US is going to get involved in those protests?
TRUMP: We’ll take a look. We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.
Elon Musk says Neuralink will ramp up production of brain-chip implants in 2026 Business Insider
from news.google.com
California has delayed its cancellation of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses held by migrants, setting it up for another showdown with Washington.
The Department of Motor Vehicles announced on Tuesday that the 17,000 migrant truck drivers whose licenses had been revoked can now keep them for 60 more days, which could enable the drivers to retake tests and do whatever is necessary to remain legal.
“Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon in a statement after the extension.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted by threatening to cut $160 million in federal funding to California if the state doesn’t meet the Jan. 5 deadline to revoke unvetted foreign trucker licenses.
The US military struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard and may have survived, US Southern Command said in a social media post on Thursday.
Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred.
Previous similar attacks have taken place in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he seeks to reset frayed ties with his country’s biggest trading partner.
Regional security and Beijing’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture are also on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, which is their second summit since November, when Xi visited South Korea.
Given what a vital economic partner China is, experts say Lee is looking for assurances that it would not weaponise that relationship in the face of political tensions in the region.
China says it ‘stands firmly against external interference’ in Iran amid protests Anadolu Ajansı
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- Trump said Venezuela stole America’s oil. Here’s what really happened CNN
- Trump’s Goals for Reviving Venezuela’s Oil Industry Will Not Come Easily or Cheaply The New York Times
- America’s century-long interest in Venezuelan oil Vox
- What investors are watching after Venezuela: Five signals that matter for markets CNBC
- Trump says US is taking control of Venezuela’s oil reserves. Here’s what it means CNN
from news.google.com