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US congressional delegation visits Denmark amid backlash over Trump’s push to acquire Greenland

US congressional delegation visits Denmark amid backlash over Trump’s push to acquire Greenland

A bipartisan, bicameral group of U.S. lawmakers set off to Denmark to reassure the NATO ally amid President Donald Trump‘s push for a takeover of Greenland. The group was mostly made of Democrats, but included two Republicans: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Murkowski, Tillis, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., were among those who traveled to Europe for meetings with Danish and Greenlandic officials. Some members of the delegation are expected to go to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week. “The trip will highlight bipartisan support for our allies in the Kingdom of Denmark and discuss how to deepen this partnership in line with our shared principles of sovereignty and self-determination, and in the face of growing challenges around the world, especially bolstering Arctic security and promoting stronger trade relations between the two countries,” a statement Shaheen issued prior to the visit read. TRUMP AFFIRMS US ‘WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR NATO,’ WHILE EXPRESSING DOUBTS ABOUT ALLIANCE Coons, who led the delegation, underscored the lawmakers’ desire to “reaffirm Congress’ commitment” to Denmark, calling it one of the U.S.’s “oldest, strongest NATO allies.” “A great day leading our bipartisan delegation to Copenhagen meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials to reaffirm Congress’ commitment to one of our oldest, strongest NATO allies. In an increasingly unstable world In which our adversaries are cooperating, our alliances are more important than ever,” he wrote in a post on X. The visit comes as Trump’s renewed push for the U.S. to takeover Greenland continues to draw criticism from both sides of the aisle and some of America’s allies. “That rhetoric doesn’t just undermine our bilateral relationship, it undermines the NATO alliance at a time when our adversaries seek to benefit from division,” Shaheen said during a speech at the University of Copenhagen. TRUMP’S GREENLAND TAKEOVER WOULD LIKELY ENTAIL ENORMOUS PRICE TAG: REPORT The trip began before Trump announced on Saturday planned tariffs for Denmark and several European nations in a bid to force a deal for the U.S. purchase of Greenland.  While the lawmakers were visiting, Denmark saw massive protests of crowds voicing their opposition to the U.S. taking the semiautonomous Danish territory. Thousands gathered across the country to show their solidarity with Greenland. The crowds chanted “Greenland is not for sale” and held banners with slogans such as “Hands off Greenland,” according to Reuters. “I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive… we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,” Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, told Reuters. “Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights,” she added. TRUMP EYES ACTION ON GREENLAND, SETTING UP WHITE HOUSE FACE-OFF WITH DENMARK Trump has insisted that the U.S. needs Greenland for purposes of national security, saying that Russia and China were eyeing the island.  During her speech at the University of Copenhagen, Shaheen argued that Trump’s approach is unnecessary, saying the U.S. already has pathways to secure its interests in the Arctic. “Anything the president might want — whether it is U.S. bases to defend against Arctic threats or critical minerals deals — the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have made clear they are happy to partner with us. So, the threats are not only unnecessary, they are also counterproductive, and they risk undermining the broader NATO Alliance in the process,” Shaheen added. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker pushed back against growing European backlash over Washington’s focus on Greenland after France announced new military exercises with Denmark, saying Arctic security is a core American defense interest and that Europe “has a tendency to overreact.” Americans appear divided on the idea, however, with 86% of voters nationwide saying they would oppose military action to take over Greenland, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. The survey found that voters opposed any U.S. effort to buy Greenland by a 55%–37% margin, suggesting the idea has yet to gain broad support among American voters. Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Fetterman’s former progressive backer says he ‘sold us out,’ escalates efforts to primary Democrat senator

Fetterman’s former progressive backer says he ‘sold us out,’ escalates efforts to primary Democrat senator

The Pennsylvania affiliate of the Working Families Party said it has launched a new website as part of its campaign to primary Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and “defeat him.”  “We supported John Fetterman in 2022. Since then, he’s sold us out. It’s time to replace him,” reads a message on the homepage of PrimaryFetterman.com, which was paid for by the Working Families Party PAC.  “He has supported more of Trump’s nominees than any Democratic Senator. He consistently skips votes and Senate work. We deserve better,” the website adds.  Fox News Digital has reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment. The effort to primary him was announced last November, and at the time, Fetterman told Fox News, “I guarantee whoever they put up, they’re going to make me look the reasonable guy that’s going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania.” SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS TO ‘RESIST’ ADVOCACY OF ‘EXTREME’ STANCES LIKE ABOLISHING ICE Fetterman was elected to the Senate in 2022. He isn’t up for re-election until November 2028.   When PA Working Families launched their effort to primary him, they said in a post on X, “We’re training potential candidates, recruiting volunteers, and soliciting donations to help us defeat him.”  “If you previously donated to any of Fetterman’s campaigns, you can request a refund of your contributions on the site in just a few clicks,” it added Friday in a post about PrimaryFetterman.com. On its website, the Working Families Party describes itself as, “a multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful.” FETTERMAN BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATS TO BACK TRUMP TAKING MILITARY ACTION IN IRAN IF NECESSARY While some Democrats advocate for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Fetterman pressed his party this week not to advocate for “extreme” ideas.  “Even Mayor Frey of Minneapolis doesn’t support abolishing ICE. The party must resist the destructive tendencies to push extreme positions,” Fetterman noted Thursday in a post on X.   “Secure the border. Deport all the criminals. Stop targeting the hardworking migrants in our nation,” he added.  Fetterman also said Monday that he would surely support President Donald Trump taking military action in Iran if it was deemed necessary. “Sure, absolutely,” he said on CNN. “If it continues to make more sense, absolutely. I think I was the only Democrat that fully supported our strike of their Iranian nuclear facilities last year.”  Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report. 

Trump asks Turkiye’s Erdogan, Egypt’s el-Sisi to join Gaza ‘board of peace’

Trump asks Turkiye’s Erdogan, Egypt’s el-Sisi to join Gaza ‘board of peace’

United States President Donald Trump has invited the leaders of Egypt and Turkiye to join his “board of peace” to oversee the post-war transition in Gaza, according to authorities in Ankara and Cairo. The so-called board of peace revealed by the White House on Friday will oversee the temporary governance of Gaza under the US president’s plan to end Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged territory. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the proposal in a letter sent on Friday by Trump inviting him to “become a founding member” of the board, Turkish presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran posted on social media on Saturday. Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, said at a news conference on Saturday that the country was reviewing a separate invitation from Trump to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to join the board. The White House on Friday announced several members of the board, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump is to chair the board. The establishment of the board was part of Trump’s plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza that was unveiled in October. The plan says a Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by the international board, which will supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period. Many rights experts and advocates have said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembled a colonial structure, while the prospect of Blair’s involvement was criticised last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East. Advertisement Reporting from Gaza City on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said Palestinians in the war-ravaged territory have noted that many of the people named to the “board of peace” have been major supporters of Israel and its war on the Gaza Strip. He said the major concern among Palestinians in Gaza is that the board members could prioritise “dominance [and] control over justice, reconstruction and the self-determination of the Palestinian people”. Mahmoud added that, if Palestinians had a voice on the board, they would demand safety first and foremost. “They want to live their day without the sounds of drones, … without sudden air strikes and forced displacement,” he said. The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the “founding executive board”. It said more members will be announced over the coming weeks. The board will also include private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser, the White House said, adding that Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations Middle East envoy, will be the high representative for Gaza. Army Major-General Jasper Jeffers, a US special operations commander, was appointed commander of the international stabilisation force, the White House said. Gaza force authorised A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorised the board and countries working with it to establish that force in Gaza. The White House also named an 11-member “Gaza executive board” that will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Sigrid Kaag, the United Arab Emirates minister for international cooperation, Reem al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, along with some members of the executive board. This additional board will support Mladenov’s office and the Palestinian technocratic body, whose details were announced this week, the White House said. A tenuous ceasefire has been in effect in Gaza since October, but Israel has repeatedly breached the truce, killing more than 450 Palestinians, including more than 100 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian armed groups. At least 71,548 people have been killed and 171,353 wounded by Israeli forces across Gaza since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say this amounts to genocide. Adblock test (Why?)

Thousands join ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests amid Trump’s takeover threats

Thousands join ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests amid Trump’s takeover threats

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Denmark to show support for Greenland and reject United States President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the self-governing Danish territory. Waving the flags of Denmark and Greenland, the protesters formed a sea of red and white outside Copenhagen city hall on Saturday, chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat” – the Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Rallies were also organised throughout the day in the Danish cities of Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, as well as in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. “I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive … We are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,” said Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organisation for Greenlanders in Denmark. “Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights,” she added. The demonstrations come as Trump said 10 percent tariffs would be imposed on several European allies opposing US control of Greenland from February 1, hitting ​Denmark, ‌Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The US president, who says the move is critical for his country’s interests, added those tariffs ‌would rise to ‌25 percent on June ⁠1 and would continue until an agreement is reached ‌for the US to purchase Greenland. Protesters rally in support of Greenland in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on January 17, 2026 [Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images] While Greenland and Denmark have rejected the idea of the island being “owned” by the US, efforts to get the US administration to change its stance have so far appeared to fail. Advertisement The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland left a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, this week, saying that they “didn’t manage to change the American position”. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters. According to the latest poll published in January of last year, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the US, while only 6 percent were in favour. Reporting from Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands said Saturday’s rally is expected to be a large one. “This is … the capital city, but [home to] only about 19-20,000 people. Everyone we spoke to yesterday said that they were going to be coming out and marching today,” Challands said. “This essentially is Danes and Greenlanders coming together. Everyone here believes that at some point, there should be some form of independence [for Greenland],” he added. “But for the moment, Denmark and Greenland are saying that their best way out of this crisis is to remain united.” Some US lawmakers – including members of Trump’s own Republican Party – also have raised opposition to the president’s push to take control of Greenland, saying it threatens global stability and the US commitment to NATO. A bipartisan group of US Congress members travelled to Denmark on Friday, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who said there was no security threat to Greenland to justify the Trump administration’s stance. “Greenland is a part of Denmark. Denmark is our NATO ally. That should be the end of this discussion, in my view,” Coons told reporters in Copenhagen. Trump has repeatedly accused Denmark of failing to do enough to secure Greenland’s territorial waters in the Arctic. European NATO members are deploying troops in Greenland for a military exercise designed to show that they will “defend [their] sovereignty”, French armed forces minister Alice Rufo said this week. Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced they are sending small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the Arctic. Adblock test (Why?)

Senegal hope Morocco final will not be Mane’s AFCON farewell

Senegal hope Morocco final will not be Mane’s AFCON farewell

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane announced after the semifinal that he would not appear at another AFCON for Senegal. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw says he hoped the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco would not be Sadio Mane’s last game at the tournament, insisting the former Liverpool forward could reconsider walking away from the team. “His decision is no longer up to him. There is a whole people behind him, too, and they would like to see him continue,” Thiaw told reporters in Rabat on the eve of the final against the host nation. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Mane, 33, said after Wednesday’s semifinal against Egypt, in which he scored the winner, that he would not play at another AFCON. His comments indicated that he may retire from international football altogether following the World Cup in North America in June and July, by which time he will be 34. The next Cup of Nations is due to take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, while the 2029 edition is being brought forward to 2028. “I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment and the country does not agree, and I, as coach of the national team, do not agree at all,” said Thiaw. “We would like to keep him for as long as possible.” Mane helped Senegal win the Cup of Nations for the first time in their history in 2022, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout in the final against Egypt. The two-time winner of the African player of the year prize also played in the side that lost the 2019 final to Algeria – Sunday’s match will be Senegal’s third final in four editions of AFCON. “Sadio is an exceptional player who would have deserved to win a Ballon d’Or. Above all, he is just an incredible man,” said defender Moussa Niakhate. Advertisement “He doesn’t have a big ego. He just works hard and loves his country – the fact this is his sixth AFCON shows his longevity and consistency.” Thiaw reiterates Senegal’s AFCON complaint against Morocco Meanwhile, the Senegal coach expressed anger at the welcome his team received on arriving in the Moroccan capital on Friday. The Lions of Teranga travelled to Rabat, having been based in the northern port city of Tangiers since the start of the competition. The Senegalese Football Federation released a statement early on Saturday complaining about “serious concerns” including a “lack of adequate security” for the team’s arrival “which put the players and staff at risk”. It also complained about the hotel offered to the delegation, about the number of tickets given to their supporters for the final, and said they were not happy at being offered a training pitch at the Moroccan team’s base. “What happened yesterday was not normal,” insisted Thiaw. “Given the number there, anything could have happened. My players could have been in danger. “That type of thing should not happen between two brother countries.” Morocco ready for ‘hardest’ step against Senegal The final brings together the top two teams in Africa according to the FIFA rankings, with Morocco hoping to make the most of home advantage to take the AFCON title for the first time in 50 years. There is, however, enormous pressure on the 2022 World Cup semifinalists to take the trophy. “We dreamt of being here and now we are, but the last step will be the hardest one,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “Senegal are a great side and this is their third final out of four, but it is great for African football to have a final between the two best teams.” He added: “How we handle the emotion of the occasion will be important. We can’t put too much pressure on ourselves. “The final is 50/50 but maybe it will be 51 percent in our favour with the crowd behind us.” Adblock test (Why?)