Johnson: ‘No boots on the ground’ for Trump’s Greenland acquisition plans amid military speculation
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed back on the idea that the U.S. would intervene militarily in Greenland, saying he does not anticipate war or U.S. troops being deployed there. Johnson told The Hill there is no declaration of war pending for Greenland and said he does not expect any boots on the ground. “We’ve been very clear. I mean, the Article 1 branch is clear. There’s no declaration of war pending for Greenland,” Johnson said. “It’s just not a thing. I don’t anticipate any boots on the ground anywhere, anytime soon.” Johnson echoed the foreign policy objectives of President Trump, noting the administration views Greenland as strategically important to U.S. interests. STEPHEN MILLER DISMISSES THE IDEA DENMARK WOULD FIGHT FOR GREENLAND, CLAIMS IT SHOULD BE PART OF THE US “Look, there are negotiations. There is interest in Greenland. For U.S. interests, America’s first interest,” Johnson said. “It has to do with national security and critical minerals and many other reasons. And we’ve long acknowledged that,” he added. Trump has made acquiring Greenland a key strategic and national security objective, warning last week that if the United States does not acquire the territory, superpowers Russia or China could move in. He said Sunday the U.S. must acquire Greenland — not lease it — arguing the Arctic territory lacks adequate defenses and warning that Russia or China would move in if Washington does not act, a move he said is critical to U.S. and NATO security. Greenland has rejected Trump’s repeated advances, and on Tuesday the island’s prime minister said the country would prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than become a U.S. territory. “We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the U.S. and Denmark here and now then we choose Denmark,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said while appearing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at a joint press conference in Copenhagen. TRUMP ADMIN REPORTEDLY CONSIDERS PAYING EACH GREENLAND RESIDENT UP TO $100K AMID US TAKEOVER TALKS “We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark.” Johnson’s comments come as bipartisan lawmakers move to restrict any unauthorized U.S. military action against NATO allies amid growing debate over Trump’s remarks about Greenland. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., is leading legislation that would block funding for military action taken without congressional approval, arguing the effort is aimed at preventing U.S. intervention against allied nations. “This isn’t just about Greenland. This is about our security,” Keating said. The push follows Trump’s statement Friday that the U.S. would act on Greenland “whether they like it or not,” raising alarm among European leaders over a potential violation of NATO’s collective defense commitments. The developments also come as Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, are expected to meet Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House, according to Reuters. Fox News’ Greg Norman and Landon Mion, as well as Reuters contributed to this report.
11 House Dems buck party to side with Republicans in reversal of Biden-era shower regulation
The House of Representatives voted 226-197 along bipartisan lines Tuesday to reverse Biden-era regulations on shower heads, a move Republican lawmakers framed as a quick and easy way to return choice to homeowners. “Washington bureaucrats have gone too far in dictating what happens in Americans’ own homes,” Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., the sponsor of the legislation, said of his bill. “This is about defending consumer choice, pushing back on regulatory overreach and standing up for commonsense policy.” WHITE HOUSE ‘LASER FOCUSED’ ON AFFORDABILITY AS TRUMP SOFTENS TARIFF STRATEGY Asked what his thoughts were on the bill, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine., kept his thoughts simple. “Shower pressure is a good thing,” Golden said. Golden was one of 11 Democrats who joined Republicans to pass the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act, or SHOWER Act. The bill looks to codify an executive order President Donald Trump issued in April of last year, directing the Department of Energy to repeal the way the Biden administration interpreted water pressure in showers. Under current law, shower heads can only produce a set amount of pressure. That Biden-era regulation interpreted that to mean that the combined flow of showers with multiple nozzles had to stay below that bar. In other words, the more shower heads, the less pressure the individual nozzles could have. JOHNSON WARNS OF ‘UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES’ IN TRUMP’S CREDIT CARD RATE CAP IDEA Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., characterized it as a way Democrats had gone out of their way to create unnecessary restrictions. “It seems like the Democrats want to tax you out of existence and overregulate you. So, [the bill] is a step in the right direction. Less regulation,” McGuire said. Fry, the sponsor of Tuesday’s bill, said the legislation would reinstate what he viewed as the common interpretation of what a “shower head” meant to most audiences. “That rule was widely criticized as overreach and emblematic of a broader regulatory agenda targeting everyday household appliances,” Fry said in a statement. “The SHOWER Act is a smart fix that reaffirms each shower nozzle is just that — its own shower head — and should be treated accordingly under the law.“ Rep. Brett Guthrie, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, echoed the comments from Fry. MIKE JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE GOP WORKING FULL STEAM AHEAD ON TRUMP’S ‘AFFORDABILITY AGENDA’ “For far too long, federal regulations and red tape have limited consumer choice and forced Americans to live with limited water pressure,” Guthrie said. “By codifying how different nozzles are categorized, the SHOWER Act offers a commonsense fix that will allow households to choose what meets their needs, not what Washington mandates.” The bill now heads to the Senate, where it must receive the support of at least seven Democrats before making its way to President Trump’s desk.
Looming war powers Senate vote ramps up pressure on Hawley after MAGA backlash
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is facing backlash from the MAGA base after voting with Democrats and a small group of Republican senators to advance a war powers resolution related to Venezuela — marking a break with President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to hold a full vote on the resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct future military operations against Venezuela without Congressional approval, teeing up a test for Hawley with MAGA and its base. The vote comes after Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. military carried out a successful operation in Venezuela, capturing dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The couple is now being held in a New York City jail on sweeping narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. The operation set off condemnation among Democrats who took issue with Trump ordering the mission and strike on Venezuela without prior congressional approval. HOUSE REPUBLICANS RIP SENATE WAR POWERS PUSH AS ‘POLITICAL THEATER’ AFTER TRUMP’S VENEZUELA RAID Days later, on Jan. 8, the Senate advanced a bipartisan war powers resolution by a 52–47 vote that would require the president to seek congressional authorization before engaging U.S. armed forces in “hostilities within or against Venezuela.” The procedural vote set up a full Senate vote slated for Wednesday. Hawley joined Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind., in voting with Democrats to require Trump obtain congressional approval prior to military action in Venezuela, sparking condemnation and surprise from the MAGA base on social media earlier in January. “The Republicans who sided with Democrats today on the War Powers resolution are STUPID & WEAK,” former campaign aide Alex Bruesewitz posted to X following the procedural vote. “It came as no surprise to see Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, or Todd Young vote against President Trump, they’ve all shown clear signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome in the past.” Bruesewitz added that he was “surprised and disappointed” by Hawley for aligning “himself with the anti-Trump faction and Democrats, particularly since he represents Missouri, one of the most staunchly pro-Trump states in the nation.” “Shameful,” he added. Hawley previously defended his procedural vote by framing it as a constitutional issue rather than a rebuke of the administration. “My read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it,” Hawley posted to X explaining the vote. Fox News Digital spoke to a longtime Republican campaign operative working on midterm races, who said Hawley has broken with the administration over a handful of issues, and compared him to former Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who frequently take shots at the president and his policies and draw media attention. DEMOCRATS’ OWN WORDS BACK UP TRUMP ACTION IN VENEZUELA, TOP INTEL LAWMAKER SAYS “It seems like every other month he does something that’s opposed to the president and the party more broadly,” the source said. Trump needs two of the five Republicans to switch their positions ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The president put the five senators on notice following the procedural vote, warning on social media that they “should never be elected to office again.” “This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” he wrote earlier in January. “In any event, and despite their ‘stupidity,’ the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.” MAGA allies echoed Trump’s Truth Social message in their own posts, describing Hawley as a “RINO” whose political career is allegedly teetering over the vote. “President Trump ERUPTS on the Republican senators who just voted to approve the War Powers resolution that would rein in his Venezuela operations, says NEVER ELECT THEM AGAIN,” Eric Daughtery posted to X Jan. 8. “Remember this in November. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again! We are sick of compromised GOP dirtbags going against our President,” another MAGA-aligned social media account, Farm Girl Carrie, posted. Hawley told Fox News Tuesday, when asked how he plans to vote, that he’s spoken with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and DOJ officials about his top concern of having American troops on the ground. He said they “assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela” and that there “are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela.” “My big concern has been ground troops in Venezuela and, making sure that if there’s going to be ground troops in Venezuela, (which) I would hope we would not do, that Congress authorizes that. But I will tell you, I’ve talked to the president. I talked to the secretary of state. I talked to the Department of Justice here in the last few days and have had tremendous conversations in the Secretary of State, who I just talked to recently, assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela. There are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela,” he said. “The administration will notify Congress, will seek congressional approval where necessary.” Hawley has drawn Trump’s ire before, including during a fight over Hawley’s stock-trading ban proposal in July. Trump, who previously said he liked the idea “conceptually,” accused Hawley of siding with Democrats to block a GOP-backed effort tied to reviewing Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading. “Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years. The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote — Very much like SABOTAGE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hawley has also broken with the administration on domestic policy, repeatedly criticizing Medicaid reforms
Mamdani, President Trump have been texting at least twice a week — as unlikely bromance blossoms: sources
Hey, you up? Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Trump have been exchanging “friendly” missives at least twice a week — as the unlikely bromance between the socialist and conservative commander-in-chief continues to blossom, The Post has learned. ‘JUST SAY YES’: TRUMP CUTS IN AS NYC MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI DODGES ON CALLING HIM A ‘FASCIST’ AT OVAL OFFICE The former Astoria lawmaker and the Queens native have semi-regularly been chatting via text since their chummy White House meeting in November, discussing a wide range of topics, from the toppling of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and zoning red tape in Big Apple real estate, according to sources. Insiders with knowledge of the conversation described the tone of the texts as “friendly.” MAMDANI CALLS ICE DETENTION OF NYC EMPLOYEE ‘ASSAULT ON OUR DEMOCRACY’ “It wouldn’t make practical, political sense for them to scream at each other — in public or private,” one politico said, while also noting, “Of course, they can’t appear too cozy.” The source added: “Mamdani would be smart to kiss Trump’s ass … Especially when the federal government can withhold billions from the city.” The budding relationship and the regularity with which the two chat personally are a marked departure from previous interactions between presidents and New York City mayors in recent history. MAMDANI STRONGLY CONDEMNS TRUMP’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO AS ‘ACT OF WAR’ Even Mamdani’s predecessor Mayor Eric Adams, who cozied up to Trump and rushed down to DC in the middle of the night to attend his inauguration last year, had to connect with the president through intermediaries. Andrew Kirtzman, CEO of the strategic communications firm KSX, said it was “remarkable that Trump feels so comfortable with [Mamdani].” “He hated (Bill) de Blasio, the last left-wing mayor, and probably felt estranged from the city because of it,” he said. “He seems to feel an emotional connection with Mamdani. The mayor must be totally amazed by what’s happening.” Asked how this might play with Mamdani’s base of Democratic Socialists of America members who despise the Republican White House, Kirtzman said he believed they’d likely give the lefty mayor a pass. “I think the left understands this is purely transactional from Mamdani’s perspective,” he said.
Delhi-NCR shivers at 3°C, Gurugram dips below zero for 2nd day, air quality remains ‘very poor’; IMD issues alert for Punjab, Haryana
The IMD indicated that yellow alerts will remain in place until January 17, signalling a prolonged spell of biting cold across the region. The impact was stark on the ground, with massive ground frost and ice formation reported across Gurugram’s outskirts for the second consecutive morning.
West Bengal Nipah virus scare: Two nurses ‘very critical’, all you need to know about causes and symptoms
Two nurses from a private hospital in Barasat, West Bengal, are in critical condition with suspected Nipah virus infection. Samples have been sent to AIIMS Kalyani for confirmation as authorities step up surveillance, contact tracing, and precautionary measures.
Germany allows visa-free transit for Indians, here is what it means
A transit visa is a short-term permit that allows travellers to pass through a country for a layover, en route to their final destination. To obtain this visa, travellers must provide proof of onward travel and demonstrate that they do not intend to stay in the country for an extended period.
Republic Day 2026: Delhi airspace to remain closed from January 21, over 600 flights to be affected, here’s all you need to know
The Delhi airspace will remain closed daily from January 21 to 26 for Republic Day rehearsals and celebrations, disrupting over 600 flights. The restrictions may cause delays, cancellations, and missed connections during an already challenging winter travel period.
Stray dogs case: SC to impose heavy penalties on states for every dog bite death, says, ‘will be fixing heavy compensation’
During the hearing, the Supreme Court asked, “For every dog bite, for every death, we will be likely fixing heavy compensation for states for not making requisite arrangements.”
Maharashtra: Zilla parishads, panchayat samitis elections to be held on Feb 5; check details
The election schedule was announced a day after the Supreme Court extended the January 31 timeline for completing the poll process for local body elections by two weeks.