Trump responds to post suggesting Rubio as president of Cuba: ‘Sounds good to me’
President Donald Trump reacted to a social media post joking about Secretary of State Marco Rubio becoming the president of Cuba, replying, “Sounds good to me.” Trump posted the response Sunday on his Truth Social account after a user wrote, “Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba.” Rubio’s broad portfolio in the Trump administration has fueled online jokes portraying him as being placed in charge of an ever-expanding list of roles. MADURO’S ARREST IS GOOD NEWS FOR ALL AMERICANS AND LEAVES DEMOCRATS LOOKING FOOLISH Officially, he serves as secretary of state, national security advisor, and acting archivist of the United States. He also previously served as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, before the agency’s remaining functions were discontinued or absorbed into the State Department as part of a reorganization finalized in July. RUBIO SPEARHEADS MASSIVE STATE DEPT REORGANIZATION SET TO ELIMINATE, MERGE MORE THAN 300 OFFICES Social media users on X have turned a photo of Rubio from a White House meeting into a viral “realizing” meme, joking that his growing responsibilities make him the administration’s go-to official for a widening range of positions. Users have posted AI-generated photos of Rubio that depict him in a range of imagined roles, from the Shah of Iran and the president of Venezuela to the manager of Manchester United. Rubio has leaned into the humor himself, writing on X last week that he wouldn’t be a candidate for the vacant head coach or general manager positions with the Miami Dolphins. “While you never know what the future may bring right now my focus must remain on global events and also the precious archives of the United States of America,” he wrote.
Somali Maine city councilor resigns days after taking office after felony charge, residency questions
A Somali man elected city councilor in Maine has resigned days after taking office following his indictment on a felony charge and an investigation over his residency in the district he served, according to local reports. Iman Osman, who served as a city councilor in Lewiston, wrote in a resignation letter sent to Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and City Council President David Chittim that he did not come to the decision lightly, WMTW-TV reported. “For the betterment of our community and in the best interest of our city, I believe it is time for me to step aside,” Osman wrote in the letter. “I hope my resignation serves as a call to action for those who remain — an opportunity to reflect on the values of respect, inclusivity and kindness that should guide our public service.” Osman’s resignation comes after a grand jury indicted him on Dec. 1 on charges stemming from the alleged theft of two firearms between Nov. 15, 2023, and Oct. 11, 2024, according to the outlet. SOMALI UN AMBASSADOR LINKED TO QUESTIONABLE CINCINNATI HEALTH SERVICE AGENCY, RFK JR. DEPUTY SAYS Osman pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Lewiston District Court on Tuesday, Maine Public reported. Osman also faced scrutiny over his residence, which was listed in the indictment as an address that has been condemned since October 2024, according to the reports. On Monday, the Lewiston City Council voted 6-1 for Osman to be investigated over his residency. Osman was the sole vote against the investigation. BESSENT BLAMES WALZ AS TREASURY PROBES WHETHER MINNESOTA FRAUD FUNDS REACHED TERROR GROUP AL-SHABAB Osman claimed in his letter that he faced “racist opposition” during his city council campaign and was bombarded with “vicious personal attacks” while serving in office. Osman’s attorney, Kiernan Majerus-Collins, told WMTW that he believes the national rhetoric about the Somali community sparked an increase in the backlash against Osman. “The fact that the Trump administration is targeting Somali and Somali Americans across the country, absolutely played a role in ginning up the kind of hatred and threats of violence that ultimately forced him to conclude that he could no longer serve in public office at this time,” he said.
Youngkin backs JD Vance for 2028, calls vice president a ‘great’ GOP nominee
EXCLUSIVE — If he eventually goes ahead with a likely 2028 White House run, Vice President JD Vance will have the backing of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. “I think Vice President Vance would be a great nominee,” Youngkin said in an exclusive interview on “Fox News Sunday,” as he looked to the race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump. Youngkin told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich that “as people speculate on what’s going to happen down the road in 2028, I agree with President Trump and [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio. I think JD Vance would make a great, great presidential nominee.” The answer by Youngkin, who’s been viewed the past two years by political pundits as a potential contender for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, was the first time he’s publicly weighed in the next White House race. WHITE HOUSE RACE UNDERWAY: WITH 2026 LOOMING, BOTH PARTIES ARE ALREADY PLAYING FOR 2028 Youngkin’s “Fox News Sunday” interview came just days before completing his single term as governor of Virginia, which by law prevents governors from running for re-election and serving consecutive terms. While Vance has yet to say anything publicly on whether he’ll launch a 2028 campaign to succeed Trump, he is considered by many on the right to be the president’s heir apparent to eventually take over the MAGA and America First mantles. VANCE LANDS BACKING OF INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATIVE GROUP Vance was endorsed last month by Erika Kirk at an annual summit hosted by Turning Point USA, the increasingly influential and politically powerful conservative group. The backing of the vice president by Turning Point, which is particularly influential among younger conservatives and whose political arm has built up a powerful grassroot outreach operation, could give Vance a major boost if he does launch a White House bid next year. DAVID MARCUS: WHAT JD VANCE TOLD ME ABOUT 2028, RUBIO AND THE FUTURE OF MAGA Youngkin energized Republicans nationwide in 2021, as the first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing edged out former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended toward the Democrats over the previous decade. The governor instantly became a Republican rock star and speculation stirred about a possible future White House run. But the governor always demurred when asked about a possible presidential bid, saying countless times over the past few years that his political focus was solely on Virginia and that he intended to “finish strong.” Youngkin is likely to campaign for fellow Republicans in this year’s midterm elections, when the GOP aims to hold its House and Senate majorities, and 36 states hold contests for governor. “I think the most important thing we can do, just like Vice President Vance said recently, is stay focused on the here and now. We have to deliver. We have to deliver for Americans and Virginians. We have huge elections in 2026 to keep and expand our majorities in the House and the Senate,” Youngkin said as he pointed to the midterms. And he reiterated, “I just deeply respect the vice president’s reminder that we have to stay focused on today. And if we stay focused on today and deliver results, then Americans will continue to extend our license to lead.”
Federal judge temporarily blocks DHS termination of Family Reunification Parole programs over notice concerns
A Massachusetts federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) planned termination of Family Reunification Parole (FRP) programs for migrants from seven countries, ruling the agency likely failed to give individuals proper notice before stripping their legal status. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said in a five-page order that an emergency stay was warranted and granted a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking the termination of multiple country-specific FRP programs. FRP allows certain relatives of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to enter the United States temporarily while they wait for an immigrant visa, a process that can take years. DHS said in December that it was terminating all FRP programs for migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras, and their immediate family members. LEFT-WING COURT HANDS KRISTI NOEM BIG WIN IN ‘UNVETTED IMMIGRATION’ CASE “This administration is ending the abuse of humanitarian parole which allowed poorly vetted aliens to circumvent the traditional parole process. Parole was never intended to be used in this way, and DHS is returning parole to a case-by-case basis as intended by Congress. Ending the FRP programs is a necessary return to common-sense policies and a return to America First,” read a press release from the agency. DHS said it would provide individual notice to parole recipients, informing them that their parole and related work authorization were being terminated. It noted that the terminations, set to take effect Jan. 14, would not apply to parole recipients who had filed a Form I-485, an application for permanent residency, by Dec. 15, 2025, and whose applications remain pending. JUDGE ORDERS RFK JR’S HHS TO STOP SHARING MEDICAID DATA WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS Talwani wrote that DHS likely failed to provide the individualized written notice required before ending recipients’ status, finding little evidence that people were actually notified through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) online accounts or by mail. “The Federal Register Notice opined that ‘all FRP parolees under the modernized programs should have a USCIS online account’ and that ‘DHS will . . . provide individual notice to each parolee through their USCIS online account,’” the federal judge explained. “But nothing in the record before the court suggests that most, let alone all, parolees do in fact have such accounts or when notice via such accounts was provided to the parolees.” Talwani ordered DHS to produce records explaining its decision by Jan. 13. She then set an expedited schedule for the government to file its legal response by Jan. 15, with plaintiffs given until Jan. 20 to reply.
Left-wing group backs tens of thousands of anti-ICE agitators nationwide
Tens of thousands of anti-ICE agitators took to the streets of major cities across the country this weekend in a raft of demonstrations largely organized by a coalition of left-wing groups. The ICE Out for Good coalition called for a “weekend of action” starting Saturday, organizing more than 1,000 events nationwide. The coalition was largely organized by Indivisible, the same left-wing group that pushed “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump in 2025. Protests focus on the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week. She was killed in a confrontation with ICE agents after federal authorities say she attempted to run over one of the officers. “Renee Nicole Good was a wife, a mother of three, and a member of her community. She, and the dozens of other sons, daughters, friends, siblings, parents, and community members who have been killed by ICE, should be alive today,” said Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg. MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR DEMANDS STATE BE INCLUDED IN ICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING PROBE, SLAMS PAM BONDI’S DOJ “This weekend, people across the country are coming together to grieve, honor those we’ve lost, and demand accountability from a system that has operated with impunity for far too long. ICE’s violence is not a statistic, it has names, families, and futures attached to it, and we refuse to look away or stay silent,” she added. Protests led to scuffles with police and arrests in several states on Saturday. Austin Police detained at least three anti-ICE agitators as protests escalated there. Footage also shows Los Angeles police facing down agitators outside an ICE detention center. PORTLAND AGITATORS CLASH WITH POLICE AFTER 2 SHOT BY FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENT Multiple arrests were made after a dispersal order was issued and agitators refused to leave the area as instructed, according to LAPD. Multiple agitators were seen on video being detained just before 7 p.m. local time. “You must leave the area,” police wrote in a statement on X. Members of the Trump administration have reiterated that the ICE operations are targeting criminal illegal aliens. Vice President JD Vance highlighted a list of individuals arrested in Minnesota that includes convicted child rapists and murderers. “Arresting and deporting these people is absolutely critical to national security. National democrats are going to get our law enforcement killed if they don’t stop lying about this issue and the people working to keep us safe,” Vance wrote on X.
US launches ‘large-scale’ attacks against ISIL in Syria after deadly ambush
US military says the strikes are in response to an ISIL ambush that killed three American personnel in Palmyra last month. Published On 10 Jan 202610 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United States has carried out a new round of “large-scale” attacks against the ISIL or ISIS group in Syria following an ambush that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the city of Palmyra last month. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Saturday that the attacks occurred at about 17:30 GMT and hit “multiple ISIS targets across Syria”. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” CENTCOM said. The statement did not say whether anyone was killed in the strikes. Grainy aerial video accompanying the statement, posted on X, showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas. CENTCOM said the attacks were carried out alongside partner forces, without specifying which forces had taken part. The US is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. The ambush on December 13 involved a lone gunman, who Syria’s Ministry of Interior said was a member of the security forces and had been set to be fired for his hardline views. The US military launched the operation on December 19, with a large-scale strike that it said hit 70 targets across central Syria that had ISIL infrastructure and weapons. On December 30, it said its forces had killed or captured about 25 ISIL fighters following the launch of the operation. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the US’s main partner in the fight against ISIL in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus. Advertisement Syria joined the global coalition against ISIL after reaching an agreement late last year, when Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House. Syrian officials said last month that leading ISIL figure Taha al-Zoubi had been arrested in the Damascus countryside. US President Donald Trump has long been sceptical of Washington’s presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term, but ultimately leaving US forces in the country. About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria. The US military has said it would further reduce the number of US personnel in Syria and eventually reduce its bases in the country to one. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,417
These are the key developments from day 1,417 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. By News Agencies Published On 11 Jan 202611 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Sunday, January 11: Fighting: Russian forces launched artillery and drone attacks on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday, killing a 68-year-old man, wounding three others and causing fires to break out in residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. Russian shelling also killed another person in the Kramatorsk district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the service said. Three other Ukrainians were killed, and nine more were wounded, in Russian attacks on the areas of Yarova, Kostyanynivka and Sloviansk in Donetsk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. Ukraine’s General Staff reported 139 combat clashes on Saturday and said that Russia launched 33 air strikes, deployed more than 4,430 drones and carried out 2,830 attacks on Ukrainian troops and settlements. Russian forces advanced near the villages of Markove and Kleban-Byk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring site DeepState, but no other major changes were reported. In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, engineers are working “around the clock” to restore electricity to residents after thousands of apartments lost power during Russia’s Thursday attacks, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration. Heat supplies have been returned to roughly half the homes that lost power, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko added. Russia’s TASS news agency reported that two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 people in the area were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian missile strike. Ukrainian forces also carried out a drone strike on Russia’s Volgograd region, sparking a fire at an oil depot in the Oktyabrsky district, regional authorities said. The Ukrainian military said on Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Volgograd overnight. Russian air defence systems, meanwhile, intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the agency reported. Advertisement Politics and diplomacy The United Nations Security Council will host an emergency meeting on January 12 to “address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter”, after Russia fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the Polish border, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. The foreign minister also spoke out about the antigovernment protests rocking Iran, saying that “Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its oppression of its own citizens are part of the same policy of violence and disrespect for human dignity”. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, insisted that Russia will not accept European or NATO troops in Ukraine and that “European dimwits want a war in Europe after all”. “Well, come on then. This is what you’ll get”, the deputy chairman added, accompanied by a video of the Oreshnik strike. The Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest report that Russia’s Oreshnik strike was likely “aimed to scare Western countries from providing military support to Ukraine, particularly from deploying forces to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement”. Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, “once again reached out to our American partners”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “We continue communication with the American side practically every day,” he said. South Africa kicked off a week of naval drills, also attended by Russia, Iran and China. Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony that the drills are “a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together”. Sanctions Zelenskyy pledged on X that “we will continue strengthening the sanctions toolkit” and that “all lines of pressure on Russia and individuals associated with it must be maintained”. In reference to recent news that US President Donald Trump has greenlit a bill to sanction countries that buy Russian oil, Zelenskyy said: “What is important is that the US Congress is back in motion on tougher sanctions against Russia – targeting Russian oil. This can truly work.” Energy Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russian oil products have “significantly increased” after Bloomberg reported that Russian refined fuel flows hit a four-month high in December, driven by stronger diesel shipments from ports in the Baltic Sea. Dmitriev added on X that “fake warmonger narratives are bad for decision-making”. Separately, Bloomberg also reported that Russia’s crude oil production dropped to its lowest level in a year and a half in December, hitting 9.32 million barrels per day. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Last Kurdish-led SDF fighters leave Syria’s Aleppo after days of clashes
Aleppo governor says last SDF fighters have left the city after the Syrian army took control of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood. The last fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have left the city of Aleppo, according to officials, following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations after days of deadly clashes in Syria’s second-largest city. Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib told Al Jazeera early on Sunday that Aleppo has become “empty of SDF fighters” after government forces coordinated their withdrawal on buses out of the city overnight. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list SDF commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) said the group had reached an understanding through international mediation on a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of civilians and fighters. “We have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and securing the evacuation of the dead, the wounded, the stranded civilians and the fighters from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to northern and eastern Syria,” he said in a post on X. “We call on the mediators to adhere to their promises to stop the violations and work towards a safe return for the displaced to their homes,” he added. The development came after the Syrian army took over the Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud following days of clashes that broke out when talks to integrate the SDF into the national army collapsed. At least 30 people were killed in the clashes, while more than 150,000 were displaced. Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna, reporting from Damascus, said calm has returned to Aleppo, and that the United States was instrumental in brokering the agreement between the SDF and the government. Advertisement “The US is in a unique position, because it enjoys good relations with the SDF and the government,” Oghanna said, noting that Washington has been working with the Kurdish-led force against ISIL (ISIS) for more than a decade. With the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024, the US has also built close ties with the rebel commander who became Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The Syrian president met US President Donald Trump at the White House last year and has formally joined the US-led coalition against ISIL. The fighting in Aleppo began on Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid, amid tensions over a failure to implement a March 2025 agreement to reintegrate the Kurdish forces into state institutions. The deadline for the deal passed at the end of last year, and the SDF refused to leave areas that have been under its control since the early days of the Syrian war, which erupted in 2011. Al Jazeera’s Oghanna said that though the fighting in Aleppo has ended, “the fault line, the backdrop for this fighting, remains”. “There are many difficult issues in Syria, but the greatest threat to national stability and unity remains this question of whether the SDF join Damascus and be under Damascus’s control,” he said. The SDF has a large amount of fighters, estimated at between 50,000 to 90,000. They are mainly in the northeast of the country and control almost a quarter of Syria’s territory. Oghanna said the fighting in Aleppo makes the SDF integration “look far less likely”. “There are also other sticking points, which might make the SDF refuse to put down their weapons,” he said. “The SDF don’t want to cede control of the country’s northeast, and they want to maintain a certain amount of autonomy in order to have the governance in northeastern Syria.” Adblock test (Why?)
Somnath Temple marks 1000 years: PM Modi offers prayers, participates in Omkar Mantra chanting
In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he felt “blessed” to be in Somnath, calling it a proud symbol of our civilisational courage.
Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport: Spread across 1,332.80 acres, Andhra Pradesh’s 8th airport to connect 2 major ports, highway corridors; check details here
The State Cabinet has approved the Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport project in Nellore district, in a boost to Andhra Pradesh’s aviation and industrial infrastructure. Dagadarthi will become state’s 8th airport. Planned in multiple phases, the airport will be developed on 1,332.80 acres.