Democrats’ dilemma: Progressive push to ‘Abolish ICE’ sparks fresh divide in party
Calls to abolish ICE by some progressive Democrats are sparking a new divide in the party, as center-left groups warn about a political backlash and instead urge messaging to reform the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “We must reform ICE. But it looks at this stage, folks, ICE is beyond reform,” Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar told reporters on Wednesday. “ICE is totally out of control, and this week I intend to introduce a bill to abolish ICE.” Thanedar spoke one week after a fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent went viral, sparking protests and a national debate over the agency’s efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. Trump on Thursday warned that if Minnesota’s political leaders don’t stop what he argued were “professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place.” TRUMP’S WARNING TO MINNESOTA AMID PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING The center-left think tank The Third Way cautions Democrats to avoid calls to abolish ICE. “The impulse is emotional,” reads their memo. “The slogan is simple. But politically, it is lethal. Every call to abolish ICE risks squandering one of the clearest opportunities in years to secure meaningful reform of immigration enforcement — while handing Republicans exactly the fight they want.” And Adam Jentleson, president and founder of the center-left Searchlight Institute and former chief of staff for Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, took to social media to emphasize that any call to abolish ICE “is and always will be a political albatross. I don’t care if it gets a bump into positive territory given the horrific stuff we’ve seen — it’ll fall back and remain a drag.” PROTESTERS CLASH WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS AFTER ANOTHER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS An ICE agent shot and killed the 37-year-old Renee Good last week during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have said agents were attempting to make arrests when the woman tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting an ICE agent to fire in self-defense. Top Democrats, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, criticized the federal account of the incident and rejected the claim that the officer acted in self-defense. Minnesota has since sued the Trump administration, claiming the immigration enforcement surge in the state is “unlawful” and “unprecedented.” Good’s death sparked widespread protests in Minneapolis and across the nation, with demonstrators calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement. “I believe it should be abolished,” Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts reiterated in an MS NOW interview on Sunday, as she referred to ICE. Calls by politicians on the left to abolish ICE are not new. Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, in a fundraising email obtained last year by Fox News Digital, wrote: “I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist.” And Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota urged, “Abolish ICE,” in a social media post last September. VOTERS SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA: POLL But the Third Way compared the phrase to calls to “defund the police” amid massive nationwide protests in 2020 after the fatal shooting of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Calls by Democratic politicians to “defund the police” were later seen as explosive ammunition for Republicans to use as a cudgel to bash Democrats at the ballot box. “The lesson is clear: when the debate sinks into polarizing slogans that read as anti-law or anti-safety, space for practical reform disappears,” The Third Way memo argued. The Third Way emphasized that Democrats should focus on ending what it called the “unaccountable uses of force” by ICE agents rather than disbanding the agency. “Immigration laws are meaningless if they are not enforced. And they can be enforced in ways that protect public safety, respect legal norms, and uphold civil liberties. Voters understand this. They responded strongly to what they saw as a lack of enforcement under President Biden. But they are also recoiling from Trump’s excessive force,” the memo read. And making the case for putting ICE on a leash rather than scuttling the agency, Jentleson wrote, “Retraining, fixing the culture. Good. All these things are more popular than ‘Abolish ICE.’” Rather than call for the outright dismantling of the agency, leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus this week emphasized it would “oppose all funding” for ICE in any upcoming government appropriations bills without substantial reforms to the agency. Omar, a vocal Trump critic and frequent target of the president, said that “calling for systematic reforms is not extreme … this is the bare minimum required to restore safety and justice back to our communities.” As they negotiate with the Republican majority over 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Jan. 30 government shutdown deadline, top Democrats are demanding new mandates for ICE agents, including forcing them to wear body cameras and stop wearing masks. “House Democrats want accountability and oversight of ICE,” Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who is number three in Democratic congressional leadership, told reporters Tuesday. Pointing to ICE, Aguilar charged, “They are terrorizing people in the streets of this country.” Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who is running this year to keep the state’s open Senate seat in Democrat hands, during a MS NOW interview likened ICE’s efforts in her home state to the “1930’s in Germany” under Nazi rule. Polls suggest many Americans may agree with the Democrats’ efforts to put some political handcuffs on ICE agents. Four in 10 questioned in a Quinnipiac University poll conducted late last week through Monday said they approved of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 57% gave the
US military seizes another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela
The U.S. military has seized another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday. The U.S. has now seized six oil tankers since ramping up a campaign against illicit oil trade by Venezuela. “In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident. The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement. “These operations are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully. The Department of War, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” the statement continued. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO PROTECT VENEZUELA OIL REVENUE HELD IN US ACCOUNTS The operation comes as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. The vessels intercepted so far have been either under U.S. sanctions or part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Trump has said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK Trump told The New York Times in an interview that was published Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will be running the country, but said it would be “much longer” than a year. Additionally, Trump announced recently that Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. and that the oil would be sold “immediately.” “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.” Likewise, Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026. Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Reuters contributed to this report.
Trump to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader after praising ‘terrific’ Maduro loyalist
President Donald Trump is slated to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado at the White House Thursday. Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. had captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and that the U.S. would be running Venezuela until a safe transition could occur. But instead of endorsing Machado, Trump cast doubt on her abilities to lead the country. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told reporters Jan. 3. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration chose not to support Machado because the U.S. didn’t want to make similar mistakes to the ones it made in the Middle East in Latin America, although he said he had “tremendous admiration” for Machado. TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET “But there’s the mission that we are on right now.… A lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan,” Rubio said Jan. 4 in an interview with CBS. “This is not the Middle East. This is the Western Hemisphere, and our mission here is very different.” A classified CIA assessment, which senior policymakers requested and presented to Trump, evaluated who would be the best fit to oversee an interim government in Venezuela following the overthrow of Maduro, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. Ultimately, it was determined that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would be best situated to lead the country. Although The Washington Post reported that Trump was annoyed Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 — an award he had hoped to receive and that Machado dedicated to him — the White House claimed Trump’s choices were based on “realistic decisions.” As a result, Trump has put his support behind Rodríguez who is now serving as interim president. On Wednesday, Trump shared he had a call with Rodríguez, and later described her as a “terrific” person. “We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday. RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” Trump said. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!” Specifically, Trump said he and Rodríguez discussed oil, minerals and national security matters. On Jan. 7, Trump announced that Venezuela would provide the U.S. with 50 million barrels of oil that would be sold “immediately.” Rodríguez voiced similar sentiments, saying their “courteous” call “addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.” Meanwhile, Machado has praised Trump for his role overthrowing Maduro, and told CBS News that the president and the U.S. have “done much more than anybody thought was possible.” On Thursday, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s previous comments to Reuters, when asked what the president planned to discuss with Machado. “I think we’re just going to talk,” Trump told Reuters Wednesday. “And I haven’t met her. She’s a very nice woman. I think we’re just going to talk basics.” Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk with award for opposing antisemitism
Israel will reportedly honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk with an award for his efforts battling antisemitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that this recognition will take place at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, The Associated Press reported. Kirk, who founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while holding an event at Utah Valley University in September. “A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” Netanyahu said in a post on X on the day Kirk was fatally shot. GRAND THEFT AUTO BLACKLISTS ‘CHARLIE KIRK’ AS PLAYERS TRY TO RECREATE HIS KILLING IN THE GAME In the post, the Israeli leader called Kirk “an incredible human being” whose “boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact.” Kirk asserted in a post on X less than a month before he was killed, “Jew hate has no place in civil society. It rots the brain, reject it.” NETANYAHU AND RUBIO DISCUSS US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN AMID ONGOING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS: REPORT Kirk, who was a supporter of Israel, indicated last year on “The Megyn Kelly Show” that some in the pro-Israel camp had unfairly criticized him. “The behavior by a lot, both privately and publicly, are pushing people like you and me away. Not like we’re gonna be pro-Hamas,” he said. “But we’re like, honestly, the way you are treating me is so repulsive.” TYLER ROBINSON PROSECUTORS SAY CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING TEXTS SHOW CONFUSION, NOT BIAS, TO REBUT CONFLICT CLAIM CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have text messages, Megyn, calling me an antisemite. I am learning biblical Hebrew and writing a book on the Shabbat. I honor the Shabbat, literally the Jewish sabbath. I visit Israel and fight for it,” he noted at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats push anti-ICE bills nationwide after deadly Minneapolis shooting
Democratic legislators are proposing legislation to block federal authorities from carrying out immigration enforcement across the country. While some of the legislation is being pushed in red states where it is unlikely to find purchase, the wave of bills is also pushing blue states further to the left. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for a bill to allow people to sue federal officers alleging violations of their constitutional rights. Other New York Democrats are pushing to require federal authorities to secure warrants to search schools, hospitals and houses of worship. Oregon Democrats plan to introduce a bill to allow residents to sue federal agents for violating their Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure. New Jersey Democrats have sent a trio of bills to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk that, if passed, would establish New Jersey as a “sanctuary state.” ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES The three bills would ban local police from assisting in federal immigration raids, prohibit law enforcement from stopping someone based on their suspected immigration status, and prohibit government entities and healthcare facilities from sharing private data with ICE without a judicial warrant. President Donald Trump‘s administration has said that non-cooperation policies in sanctuary jurisdictions only make immigration enforcement more dangerous and difficult. California lawmakers are seeking to block immigration officials from making arrests at court appearances as well as ban state and local law enforcement from accepting roles with the Department of Homeland Security. DEM-BACKED ‘DIGNITY’ BILL COULD STRIP ICE OF DETENTION POWERS, ERASE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, CRITICS WARN Democrats in red states are also sounding off, though their legislation is unlikely to go the distance. In Georgia, Democrats are pushing a four-bill package that would drastically limit federal immigration enforcement in the state. Republicans are fending off similar efforts in New Hampshire and Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to file lawsuits against sanctuary cities and states. The administration points out that immigration arrests in normal jurisdictions typically see federal authorities take custody of migrants at jails. It is only in sanctuary areas where federal authorities must track down migrants after they are released. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Democrat reps involved in ‘refuse illegal orders’ video report receiving inquiry from US attorney
Three more Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video message encouraging service members to “refuse illegal orders” said they are being investigated by federal prosecutors. Reps. Jason Crow, of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan, of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander, of New Hampshire, all indicated Wednesday that they received inquiries from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro asking for an interview with them or their attorneys, according to The New York Times. “Trump’s political cronies at the Justice Department are trying to threaten and intimidate us,” Crow said in a post on X. “Well, he’s picked a fight with the wrong people. I will always uphold my oath to the Constitution.” “We are not going to back away,” he added in a video message. “Our job, our duty is to make sure that the law is followed. We will not be threatened, we will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced. I am more emboldened than ever to make sure that I am upholding my duty and I will not back down.” DEM SENATOR SAYS SHE’S UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL ORDERS’ VIDEO The controversial video, which was posted in November, featured Crow, Houlahan, Goodlander, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa. All the Democrats who participated in the video, which was slammed as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, had military and intelligence backgrounds. The video was released amid a nationwide debate about Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to various cities across the country. Trump criticized the video and said in multiple Truth Social posts that the lawmakers who participated in it had engaged in “seditious behavior.” “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET,” the president wrote on Nov. 20. The same day, Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ‘NOT AWARE’ IF TRUMP GAVE ANY ILLEGAL MILITARY ORDERS AMID VIDEO CONTROVERSY The Times reported earlier this week that Pirro’s office sent an email to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms requesting an interview with Slotkin or her private counsel. “Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.” Pirro’s office would not confirm or deny the existence of the probe. “No matter the threats, I’m not backing down,” Goodlander said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “It is sad, telling and downright dangerous that simply stating a bedrock principle of American law caused the President, our Commander in Chief, to threaten violence against me and to weaponize the Department of Justice against me.” “Like my colleagues, I was contacted by federal prosecutors who are investigating me for making a video reminding servicemembers not to follow illegal orders,” Houlahan said in another X post. “The six of us are being targeted not because we said something untrue, but because we said something President Trump and Secretary Hegseth didn’t want anyone to hear.” Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
GOP senator pushes Trump’s 10% credit card rate cap as party leaders push back
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to codify President Donald Trump’s desire to cap credit card interest rates, but it’s an idea that’s already been met with resistance among top Republicans. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., plans to introduce legislation that would make good on Trump’s push to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year. However, Republican leadership in both chambers has already pushed back against the idea, arguing that it could lead to credit scarcity. Marshall’s bill, the Consumer Affordability Protection Act, would limit the amount that credit card companies could charge for one year, capping the ceiling at Trump’s desired rate of 10%. TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO LIZ WARREN ON CREDIT CARD RATES AS GOP WEIGHS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT That cap would only apply to banks and financial institutions with over $100 billion in assets, with the idea being that smaller community banks and most credit unions would not be affected. Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the legislation was about “giving families breathing room, restoring fairness in the marketplace, and making sure the American Dream is still within reach for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules.” “Credit cards were meant to be a tool — not a trap,” Marshall said. “Right now, millions of hard-working Americans are getting crushed by outrageous interest rates that make it nearly impossible to pay down debt and get ahead.” The bill follows Trump’s demand that Americans no longer be “‘ripped off’ by credit card companies that are charging interest rates of 20 to 30%, and even more, which festered unimpeded during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration.” REPUBLICAN SENATOR VOWS TO BLOCK TRUMP FED NOMINEE OVER POWELL INVESTIGATION He set a target date for the cap of Jan. 20, the one-year anniversary of his inauguration to his second term in office. “AFFORDABILITY! Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%,” Trump said on Truth Social. Marshall’s push isn’t his first foray into the world of credit — he and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have a long-simmering bill that would boost competition among credit card payment networks. Trump endorsed that legislation earlier this week, and the bipartisan duo reintroduced it in the Senate shortly after. Durbin and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., are co-sponsors of Marshall’s latest bill. Trump and Marshall also have an unlikely ally in Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The progressive lawmaker spoke with the president earlier this week about affordability, and both found middle ground on their desire to cap credit card interest rates. But she was wary that any real action, either from the White House or the GOP-controlled Congress, would come to fruition. “I supported it for years,” Warren said. “And when he first floated the idea over a year ago, I said, ‘I’m all in,’ and so far, Trump hasn’t done anything.” FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR POWELL UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER HQ RENOVATION But despite Trump’s edict and the patchwork of bipartisan support, the top Republicans in Congress aren’t completely sold on the idea. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that capping credit card interest rates could “probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country.” “Credit cards will probably become debit cards,” Thune said. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s not something I’m out there advocating for.” And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned of “unintended consequences” of such a change. “One of the things that the president probably had not thought through is the negative secondary effect: they would just stop lending money, and maybe they cap what people are able to borrow at a very low amount,” Johnson said.
Canada’s Mark Carney seeks reset on pivotal trip to China
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in China for a visit that comes at a pivotal moment in relations between the two countries. Carney, the first Canadian leader to visit China since 2017, is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Relations between Canada and China plunged into a deep freeze after Canadian authorities arrested a key official of Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei as she was transitioning through the Vancouver international airport in December 2018. China retaliated against the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, which was carried out at the request of authorities in the United States, by detaining two Canadians. Relations have continued to face challenges. In 2024, Ottawa, following a line set by Washington, slapped Chinese electric vehicles with 100 percent tariffs, prompting Beijing to impose tariffs on certain Canadian agricultural goods, including canola. Ottawa has also accused China of political interference. Against that backdrop, Carney’s visit “marks a recalibration and change in tone and signals Canada’s desire to improve relations”, said Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. “This is probably Prime Minister Carney’s second-most challenging trip after his first visit to the White House,” Nadjibulla told Al Jazeera. Carney is keen to diversify the Canadian economy and reduce its dependence on the US, the destination for nearly 80 percent of Canadian exports. While Canada has historically been among the US’s closest allies, the relationship has gone south since Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Advertisement Trump has slapped Canada with a 35 percent across-the-board tariff and separate duties on steel, aluminium and lumber, while repeatedly threatening to make the country the 51st US state. Carney has travelled extensively, including to the European Union and the Gulf – he heads to Qatar after Beijing – to find new markets and investors for the economy. The Canadian leader has said he wants to double Canada’s non-US trade in the next decade. In a first step towards a thaw with China, Carney met Xi in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in October. “The Prime Minister is being pragmatic, and his trip will focus on specific economic deals – selling Canadian energy and agriculture products,” Nadjibulla said, adding that she did not expect to see the full lifting of tariffs between the sides. The trip, as a review of the trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, is under way. The USMCA has allowed Canadian and Mexican goods that are covered under the agreement to enter the US tariff-free. In Canada’s case, that means about 86 percent of US imports from Canada and Mexico are compliant, making the effective tariff rate on Canadian goods about 6 percent, Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics at Oxford Economics, said in a note on Wednesday. While Canada clearly would benefit from USMCA continuing, Trump, as recently as Tuesday, said the trade agreement was “irrelevant” to the US. But if an agreement to extend or modify the USMCA is not reached, it will enter a period of mandatory annual reviews until 2036, after which it would expire, resulting in a “prolonged period of trade policy uncertainty”, Stillo said. “If the North American trade agreement eventually disintegrates, the three parties could return to bilateral trade agreements to maintain market access to one another, but this would impose costs on North American trade and investments.” ‘Political and narrative win’ While Carney is keenly aware of the stakes, the visit holds significance for China, too. Beijing is not only on the lookout for new export markets and the removal of trade restrictions, such as the electric vehicle tariff, but a “political and narrative win” as well, Nadjibulla said. China has often criticised Canada for following the US too closely and will portray Carney’s visit, and any policy changes that may follow, as Ottawa “trying to correct mistakes of the past,” she said. Beijing’s ultimate hope would be compliance from Canada on sensitive issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea. Earlier this week, two Canadian MPs from Carney’s Liberal Party wrapped up a visit to self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, ahead of schedule on the advice of the government. Advertisement The lawmakers cited the need to avoid “confusion” in Canada’s foreign policy ahead of Carney’s visit. Nadjibulla said it was a “worrying” development, adding that Canada would face a “very difficult balancing act” with China. Adblock test (Why?)
Venezuela’s Rodriguez vows release of more prisoners, holds call with Trump
Trump showers acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez with praise after first phone call since the US military’s abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez has pledged to continue releasing prisoners detained under the presidency of Nicolas Maduro and described her first phone call with United States President Donald Trump since Maduro’s abduction by US forces as positive. Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, said on Wednesday that she had a long, productive and courteous phone call with the US president, in which the two discussed a bilateral agenda that would benefit both countries. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said the two discussed oil, minerals, trade and national security, describing how “this partnership” between the US and Venezuela would be “spectacular”. “I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” Trump said at the White House after the lengthy call, describing Rodriguez as a “terrific person”, adding that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also been in touch with the acting president. Trump’s praise of Rodriguez follows after President Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were abducted by the US military in an attack on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on January 3. Maduro and Flores are now being held in prison in the US. Trump said last week that a second wave of US attacks on Venezuela had been cancelled amid “cooperation” from leaders in Caracas, including the release of a large number of prisoners as a sign of “seeking peace” with Washington. Earlier on Wednesday, during her first media briefing since Maduro’s abduction, Rodriguez said Venezuela was entering a “new political moment” and the process of releasing detainees “has not yet concluded”. Advertisement “This opportunity is for Venezuela and for the people of Venezuela to be able to see reflected a new moment where coexistence, where living together, where recognition of the other allows building and erecting a new spirituality,” Rodriguez said in her address. Flanked by her brother and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the acting president also pledged “strict” enforcement of the law and credited Maduro with already initiating the release of prisoners. “Messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence will not be permitted,” Rodriguez said. The renewed promise to continue freeing prisoners followed after Jorge Rodriguez announced in parliament on Tuesday that more than 400 detainees had been freed recently. While Venezuelan authorities deny that they hold political prisoners, the release of people held for political reasons in Venezuela has been a long-running call of rights groups, international bodies and opposition figures. Rights groups in recent days have criticised the slow release of prisoners by the post-Maduro leadership. Trump is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House, their first in-person meeting since the abduction of Maduro. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, has offered to give Trump her prize, but the Nobel Committee said the Peace Prize cannot be transferred. Adblock test (Why?)
Russian attacks cause energy emergency in freezing Ukraine, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine struggles to restore heat, electricity as temperatures plummet to -19 degrees Celsius. Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that a state of emergency is being declared for Ukraine’s energy sector, as repeated Russian attacks have left thousands of homes without heat and electricity amid freezing winter conditions. Zelenskyy’s announcement came as temperatures dropped to -19 degrees Celsius (-2.2 Fahrenheit) in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where hundreds of apartment buildings remain without heat following a massive Russian attack last week. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “The consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are severe,” said Zelenskyy in a post on X late on Wednesday, adding that “repair crews, energy companies, municipal services, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine continue to work around the clock to restore electricity and heating”. Zelenskyy also said he had asked his government to review curfew restrictions during “this extremely cold weather” and that the country was working to increase its electricity imports to try to alleviate the dire situation. In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, 471 apartment buildings remained without heat on Wednesday, almost a week after a Russian attack left thousands of apartments without heat, electricity and water, according to city officials. Electricians carry out emergency repairs on a power pole after a transformer burned out due to a voltage surge caused by regular Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Wednesday [Dan Bashakov/AP Photo] The attack, which began last Thursday night, prompted Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko to urge people to leave the city, saying that “half of apartment buildings in Kyiv – nearly 6,000 – are currently without heating because the capital’s critical infrastructure was damaged by the enemy’s massive attack”. Advertisement Energy supply has been a frequent target during Russia’s war on Ukraine, with Moscow and Kyiv launching attacks on oil refineries, gas pipelines, pumping stations and nuclear and thermal power stations, which are powered by coal, oil and gas. Russian-appointed local official Yevhen Balitsky said on Telegram on Wednesday that a Ukrainian attack had left more than 3,000 people without electricity in Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhia. A screen displays a temperature of -14C in Kyiv on Wednesday [Sergei Gapon/AFP] Black Sea attacks The frequent attacks on energy supply during Russia’s war with Ukraine have also expanded beyond both countries’ borders, including to oil tankers in the Black Sea. In recent months, a number of oil tankers have come under attack from drones in the Black Sea, prompting concerns from neighbouring countries, including Turkiye and Kazakhstan. On Tuesday, drones struck two oil tankers in the Black Sea, chartered by United States oil giant Chevron, according to the companies involved. The ships were sailing towards a terminal on the Russian coast, with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday blaming the attacks on Ukraine, which had yet to publicly comment. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that three oil tankers were hit in the attack and that they were heading to a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, where an oil pipeline from the central Asian country ends. The ministry urged the US and Europe to help secure the transport of oil. “The increasing frequency of such incidents highlights the growing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure,” it said. Adblock test (Why?)