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Year: 2026

Trump says he’s backing Cuellar’s GOP rival despite pardoning him after daughters’ ‘heart-wrenching’ plea

Trump says he’s backing Cuellar’s GOP rival despite pardoning him after daughters’ ‘heart-wrenching’ plea

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed Republican challenger Tano Tijerina against Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, just weeks after pardoning the longtime Democrat in a corruption case Trump said was driven by Biden-era political retaliation. Trump pardoned Cuellar in December after the Department of Justice, under the Biden administration, indicted him and his wife for allegedly taking roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned energy company and a Mexican bank. “Nobody knows Henry Cuellar better than Donald J. Trump,” Trump wrote in a fiery Truth Social post Tuesday afternoon. “I studied his records, learned about his financing, and listened to his two wonderful daughters beg me to help the mother and father that they love.” Trump described Cuellar’s daughters’ letters as “heart-wrenching and beautiful,” noting only he could “solve” their father’s “problems.” HOUSE DEM PARDONED BY TRUMP REVEALS WHETHER HE WILL SWITCH POLITICAL PARTIES “He and his wife were headed to jail for up to 20 years because he was ‘stupid’ in what he did but, above all, because the Biden Administration practiced Political Weaponization on Cuellar and his wife because they didn’t agree with his policies on the Southern Border,” Trump wrote. “He was a weak and incompetent version of me, who wanted the Border closed to criminals, drug dealers, people from mental institutions and, above all, murderers and heavy-handed criminals that were sitting in jails and mental institutions, and should never have been given the right to be released into our Country.” The president added Cuellar’s views were “not strong,” but alleged Democrats retaliated against him in an effort to jail him for life. “Being an expert on Political Weaponization, based on what the Biden Losers had done to me, and without having ever met Henry Cuellar, and in particular because of the magnificence of the letter drawn by his daughters asking me to help ‘Mom and Dad,’ I gave him and Mrs. Cuellar a full and unconditional Pardon,” Trump wrote. “In doing so, I never assumed he would be running for Office again, and certainly not as a Democrat.” WATCH: DEM LAWMAKER THANKS TRUMP FOR PARDON, SAYS IT CAME AS A SURPRISE AMID RE-ELECTION BID Trump said “despite doing [Cuellar] by far the greatest favor of his life, 20 years of FREEDOM,” he will endorse Tijerina for Congress because Cuellar’s views are “not nearly as good or strong.” The Justice Department previously said Cuellar’s alleged bribe payments were laundered through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by his wife, Imelda, who performed “little to no legitimate work under the contracts.” In exchange, the DOJ said Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. Tijerina, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993, served three terms as Webb County judge after retiring from baseball.

Seven US service members injured in Venezuela raid to capture Maduro, official says

Seven US service members injured in Venezuela raid to capture Maduro, official says

Seven U.S. service members were injured in the Venezuela operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, an administration official told Fox News Digital Tuesday.  Five service members already have returned to duty and two are still recovering from the operation.  “They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery,” the official said. “The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors.” On Saturday, service members landed in Caracas, Venezuela, during a secretive mission to strike Venezuelan territory and capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, known as Operation Absolute Resolve. The mission was led by the Army’s elite special operations unit Delta Force.  DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE Officials said Tuesday that 24 Venezuelan security officials were killed during the raid, along with 32 Cuban military and police officers, who were responsible for guarding Maduro.  Venezuelan officials have claimed the operation also killed civilians, but those claims have not been independently verified.  Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Trump ordered the “apprehension mission” Friday night, and it involved 150 planes, including B-1 Lancer bombers and helicopters from 20 bases. MOBS OF MOTORCYCLE-RIDING ARMED MILITIA HUNT VENEZUELAN STREETS FOR TRUMP SUPPORTERS AS CRACKDOWN INTENSIFIES U.S. intelligence officers had reportedly tracked Maduro’s whereabouts for months ahead of the operation.  One helicopter was hit during the operation, which began at 2:10 a.m. local time and lasted around two and a half hours, but remained flyable.  At the same time, a U.S. cyber attack had rendered much of Caracas, Venezuela, powerless, leaving the city and its communication lines in the dark.  Maduro and his wife were flown to New York to face federal charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. 

Georgia calls special election in March to fill MTG vacancy after Trump rupture and resignation

Georgia calls special election in March to fill MTG vacancy after Trump rupture and resignation

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Tuesday called a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after the lawmaker resigned following a very public break with President Donald Trump. Raffensperger’s office said the special election will be held March 10 to fill the vacancy in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, with a special runoff election scheduled for April 7, if needed. “Notice is hereby given that a Special Election shall be held on March 10, 2026, in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield, and portions of Cobb counties for U.S. House of Representatives, District 14, to fill a vacancy due to the resignation of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. A Special Runoff Election, if needed, shall be held on April 7, 2026,” the call stated. According to the state’s Secretary of State office, candidate qualifying will be held at the secretary’s elections division in Atlanta on Jan. 12, through Jan. 14. The qualifying fee for interested candidates is $5,220. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RETURNING TO ‘THE VIEW’ JUST DAYS AFTER SHE’LL LEAVE CONGRESS The office also set key voter deadlines. Feb. 9 is the final day to register to vote for those not already registered, and advance in-person absentee voting will begin Feb. 16. Greene’s resignation followed Trump’s decision in November to publicly withdraw his endorsement of the outspoken Georgia Republican. Trump announced in a Truth Social post in November that he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of Greene, calling her a “ranting lunatic,” accusing her of “complaining,” and claiming she told people she was upset he no longer returned her calls. Trump also gave Greene the nickname “Wacky Marjorie” and vowed “Complete and Unyielding Support” to any conservative primary challenger. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY WARNS MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE IS ‘THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ Greene responded at the time on X, writing: “President Trump just attacked me and lied about me.” Greene later announced she would resign, citing what she called the “Political Industrial Complex” and saying Americans are used as “pawns.” “Americans are used by the Political Industrial Complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more,” Greene wrote in a lengthy statement posted to X. “And the results are always the same — nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman.” Greene also shared her faith in the statement, writing: “My heart remains filled with joy, my life is filled with happiness, and my true convictions remain unchanged because my self worth is not defined by a man, but instead by God who created everything in existence.” “I will be resigning from office with my last day being January 5, 2026,” Greene wrote. “I’m going back to the people I love.” Trump responded to Greene’s resignation with another Truth Social post, writing that “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it ‘quits.’” He also claimed Greene “went BAD” after he “refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls.” Asked later whether he was willing to forgive Greene, Trump told reporters, “Forgive for what? No. We just — I just disagreed with her philosophy. … And once I left her, she resigned because she would never have survived a primary. But I think she’s a nice person.”‘ The Cook Political Report rates Georgia’s 14th Congressional District as “Solid R.”  After Greene’s resignation Monday and the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., on Tuesday, the House has a narrow Republican majority of 218-213 heading into the 2026 midterms. Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind and Greg Norman contributed to this reporting.

I won the Oxford Union presidency. Then my identity was put on trial

I won the Oxford Union presidency. Then my identity was put on trial

In December 2025, I was elected president of the Oxford Union, the world-famous debating society. I made history as the first Palestinian to hold the role in the institution’s 203-year history. I won the presidency by a significant margin, in an election that saw turnout far exceed recent contests. Throughout my campaign, I was open about my background as a Palestinian from Gaza, and about how my identity and family history have shaped my understanding of the importance of representation and debate. That openness, however, quickly became the basis for sustained attempts to discredit me. Rather than engaging with my stated platform or my record, early press reporting questioned my suitability for office purely on the basis of who I am. The aim was clear: to portray me as a radical, an extremist, someone inherently suspect. These reports did not emerge in isolation. They formed part of a wider smear campaign that accompanied my presidential run, in which I was cast as an extremist and a security concern. Within that framing, false rumours began circulating that students who supported my campaign could face consequences themselves, including the loss of visas, placement on security watchlists or formal investigations. No evidence was ever produced to substantiate any of this. I always expected student politics to involve a certain level of hostility. What shocked me was the extent to which supposedly reputable outlets adopted these narratives without basic due diligence, and in some cases went further, presenting insinuations as fact in order to depict me as unfit for office. Advertisement That pattern became unmistakable when I received an email from the Jewish Chronicle seeking my response to a forthcoming article, a month after I had already been reported on by the Jerusalem Post. The email was framed as an opportunity for a “right of reply”, but in practice it set out a series of claims and insinuations, presented as evidence of extremism. The most glaring of these was a supposed family link to a Hamas member. The claim referred to Mohammed Al-Rayis, a man killed in an Israeli drone strike in Beirut in January 2024. He is not related to me. The suggestion relied on pairing one of the most common first names in the Arab world with a widely shared family name from Gaza. My father, Mohammed Elrayess, who bears the same name, is a scientist at Qatar University and is very much alive. Other points raised in the same email were not allegations of wrongdoing at all, but descriptions of my speech and activities, reframed to appear suspicious. One concerned a social media post in which I mourned the killing of Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian journalist killed in Gaza in October 2025, shortly after the announcement of the latest “ceasefire”. In the email, the Jewish Chronicle journalist described Aljafarawi as a “Hamas propagandist”. Israel’s assault on Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists in recorded history. My post was a defence of press freedom and a tribute to a media worker killed in the line of duty. Another concerned my involvement in a documentary I helped produce, Heart of a Protest, which followed pro-Palestine demonstrations across the UK. It was a zero-budget film that allowed protesters to explain why they continued to mobilise and the obstacles they faced in doing so. All proceeds went to families in Gaza. Another line of attack focused on a speech I made at the Oxford Union in November 2024, in favour of the motion, “This house believes that Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide”. There was no interest in the substance of what I said. The objection was to my participation itself. I am proud that I spoke at that debate to rebut arguments that justified or supported the genocide in Gaza. I am proud that I was able to speak about my relative, Maisara Al-Rayis, who was killed alongside his family in an Israeli air strike on his home. If that is an allegation, I accept it without hesitation. For me, these patterns of attack do not reflect strength. They reflect weakness. If the concerns raised about me were genuine, if I truly posed a danger to the institution I now lead, there would be no need to recast lawful and legitimate political expression as evidence of extremism, or to imply guilt through invented family associations. Advertisement These attempts to discredit me sit within a broader effort to silence Palestinians in public life, and to discourage Palestinian participation altogether. They are meant to warn us off. They will not. Let a hundred articles be written to mischaracterise or defame us. We have long passed the point where this can intimidate us into silence. If anything, it makes the need to speak all the more urgent. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)

Children dying from water-borne disease at Sudan displacement camp

Children dying from water-borne disease at Sudan displacement camp

NewsFeed Families forced to flee their homes because of Sudan’s war have been cut off from health care services and are living in camps with no clean water. Now their children and some of the elderly are dying from bilharzia, a disease caused by a parasitic worm that lives in infested water. Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Vall filed this report from the Khor Ajwal camp in White Nile State. Published On 6 Jan 20266 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)

Real Madrid’s Mbappe out of Spanish Super Cup derby with Atletico

Real Madrid’s Mbappe out of Spanish Super Cup derby with Atletico

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out of the Saudi Arabia-hosted Spanish Super Cup due to a knee injury. Published On 6 Jan 20266 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Real Madrid’s French international striker Kylian Mbappe will miss the Spanish Super Cup this week as he recovers from a knee sprain. The Spanish giants did not name the French superstar, the team’s top goalscorer, in their squad on Tuesday for the tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Mbappe was diagnosed with the issue last week, with the expectation that the 27-year-old would likely be sidelined for at least three weeks. Xabi Alonso’s side face city rivals Atletico Madrid on Thursday in the semifinals, with Barcelona taking on Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday. The Spanish coach is under pressure after a disappointing start to the season, with his team trailing champions Barca by four points in La Liga. Alonso had told journalists last week that would “do everything we can to get him back as soon as possible”. Adding, “We’re going to be pushing the deadlines; it’s very much a matter of feelings. When is as soon as possible? That’s the question. I don’t know. The Super Cup? We hope.” Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 ⁠goals in a calendar year for Real in their 2-0 La Liga win over Sevilla ​on December 20. The former Paris Saint-Germain striker’s form is in stark contrast with his strike partner, Vinicius Junior, who scored 22 goals last season, but has struck just five times ‌across all competitions this term and has not ⁠found the net since October. Adblock test (Why?)