January 15, 2026
Vote and Turmoil
Good morning, everyone!
Welcome to all of our new readers. It is an honor to have you here.
Today, we will look at U.S. political developments, the situation in Iran, and other news spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-Minnesota Governor Tim Walz addressed the ongoing federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis last night, calling it an “occupation.”
View his full remarks here:
-The Senate failed to adopt a resolution that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to take further military action against Venezuela, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
Last week, the upper chamber advanced the measure with the backing of five Republicans. After that vote, Trump scorned the lawmakers, saying they “should never be elected to office again.”
-The State Department announced yesterday that it would suspend processing visas for applicants from 75 countries.
-Trump signed a bill into law yesterday that will return whole milk to public school lunches.
Democratic Senator Peter Welch was present at the bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office.
View the full event here:
-Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin said yesterday that she was under federal investigation for a video that she and other Democratic lawmakers published last year calling on service members and intelligence officials to not obey unlawful orders.
-A federal court upheld California’s new congressional map.
-Americans are divided on the question of the United States acquiring Greenland, according to a new poll.
-Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed lackluster support for Trump’s push for legislation that would cap credit card interest rates.
-The House of Representatives passed a two-bill government funding package yesterday.
-Trump said yesterday that he would hold off on imposing new tariffs on rare earths, lithium, and other critical minerals and would direct his administration to seek supplies from trading partners.
-House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said his panel would vote to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress.
-Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have reportedly texted since the 34-year-old Democratic socialist took office earlier this month, according to Axios.
-The governors of Colorado, Georgia, and Nebraska will deliver State of the State addresses today.
-The White House unveiled a new sign labeling the Rose Garden.
-Overdose deaths in the United States fell through most of 2025, according to federal data released yesterday.
-On this day in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon.
In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced a halt to U.S. military operations in Vietnam, citing progress in peace talks with the North Vietnamese.
A peace agreement was signed days later.
In 1976, Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford one year earlier.
Moore’s attempt on Ford’s life in San Francisco came just over two weeks after Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme made her own attempt on the president in Sacramento.
Other Links:
No decision on request to stop immigration sweeps in Minnesota. Military lawyers may join the effort - AP
Renee Good’s family hires George Floyd law firm to investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting - AP
ICE agent who shot Renee Good gets $10K donation from Bill Ackman - USA Today
Some Democrats fume as Kristi Noem impeachment gains steam - Axios
F.B.I. Searches Home of Washington Post Journalist in a Leak Investigation - The New York Times
Crapo, Wyden pursue health deal that’s not about Obamacare - Politico
Newsom rejecting Louisiana call to extradite California doctor over abortion pills - The Hill
Schumer thinks these 4 states will deliver for Dems in November - Politico
Trump flips off Michigan auto worker who criticized handling of Epstein case - Reuters
Donations pour in for suspended Ford worker who heckled Trump - The Detroit News
Africa
-Uganda will hold a presidential election today.
President Yoweri Museveni, 86, is seeking a seventh term after four decades in power. In the days leading to the vote, authorities have shuttered the internet and deployed soldiers to the capital, Kampala.
In a report released last week, the United Nations cited “widespread suppression” ahead of the contest.
Opposition candidate Bobi Wine, who challenged Museveni in the 2021 presidential election, is once again contesting the vote.
Museveni came to power in 1986 after ousting the government and years of civil conflict. He is Africa’s third-longest serving leader.
-Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates agreed to deepen bilateral trade ties as Nigerian President Bola Tinubu seeks to jumpstart economic growth by attracting investment to the West African country.
-Talks to end Sudan’s nearly three-year civil war kicked off yesterday in Egypt.
Other Links:
Chad: at least six killed in fighting between rebel group and armed forces - Africa News
Nigeria hires US lobbyists to nurture Trump ties, communicate Christian protection efforts - Reuters
Ghana settles $1.47 billion in energy debts - Semafor
Benin offers citizenship to African diaspora, with help from Spike Lee - Reuters
Community leader says armed men kill 15 people in northwestern Cameroon - AP
Americas and the Caribbean
-President Trump and acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez spoke by phone yesterday, with both leaders describing the talk as positive.
In a social media post, Trump said they discussed oil, trade, and security. He later described Rodríguez as a “terrific person.”
Rodríguez assumed her post following a U.S. operation that seized the country’s strongman president, Nicolás Maduro, on January 3. She has called the operation a “kidnapping” and has demanded his return to the country.
-Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leads his two prospective conservative opponents ahead of this year’s presidential election, according to a new poll.
-El Salvador’s strongman President Nayib Bukele visited neighboring Costa Rica yesterday to inaugurate a new mega-prison modeled after his country.
Other Links:
Rubio announces aid for Cuba: Trump ‘stands with the Cuban people’ - The Hill
Multiple Americans detained in Venezuela have been released, State Department says - NBC
U.S. completes first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million, official says - CBS
US ambassador praises Mexico’s cartel arrests amid Trump’s pressure for more action - Mexico Daily News
31.5% – Argentina records lowest annual inflation since 2017, says INDEC - Buenos Aires Times
Quebec premier quitting ahead of election that separatists look set to win - Reuters
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to dissolve parliament next week and call for a snap election.
Takaichi assumed her post in October, becoming the country’s first female leader, and will be seeking a mandate for her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The party suffered a major electoral defeat last year in upper house elections, losing its majority there for the first time since its founding in 1955.
Late last year, Takaichi set off a major diplomatic row with China after she suggested that a move by Beijing to take over the self-governing island of Taiwan would be “a survival-threatening situation” for her country.
China, which claims the island and regards it as a renegade province, demanded that Takaichi retract her comment before moving to impose a ban on dual-use exports and issue a travel advisory.
Takaichi has since sought to build regional support, hosting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Nara for a summit meeting this week.
-China’s trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion in 2025, a 20% increase over the year before.
-Cambodia’s foreign minister said yesterday that Thailand’s military continues to occupy civilian areas inside Cambodia despite a December ceasefire agreement.
-Singapore’s parliament voted yesterday to remove the opposition leader from the body after he was convicted of lying to lawmakers.
-Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said yesterday that South Korea’s push for better bilateral relations “can never come true.”
Other Links:
Chinese warships not surrounding Greenland, Danish minister tells White House - ABC
Chinese warships not surrounding Greenland, Danish minister tells White House - Nikkei
Australia’s leader announces a royal commission into antisemitism after Bondi mass shooting - AP
Vietnam’s Most Powerful Man Channels China’s Xi With Eyes on Twin Prize - Bloomberg
Jailed Chinese AI chatbot developers appeal in landmark pornography case - South China Morning Post
Europe
-Germany, along with several other European nations, will send a small number of soldiers to Greenland today as President Trump has stepped up his call to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Yesterday, the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark met with Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
Following the talks, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters that a “fundamental disagreement” remains between their governments and the Trump administration.
In recent weeks, President Trump has renewed his call for the takeover of the vast Arctic region, saying he would seize it “whether they like it or not” while citing geopolitical tensions with China and Russia.
-The French government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament yesterday.
-Portuguese far-right candidate Andre Ventura holds a slight lead ahead of Sunday’s presidential vote, according to a new poll.
Other Links:
Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid in recent strikes, Zelenskyy says - CBS
Brussels unveils plan to fill up Ukraine’s war chest with billions to spend on weapons - Politico
Ukraine’s new defense chief reveals 200,000 soldiers have gone AWOL and 2 million are dodging draft - CNN
Ukrainians endure freezing temperatures at home as emergency crews rush to restore power - AP
The UK is expected to approve a ‘mega’ Chinese Embassy in London despite objections - AP
Thousands protest in Bulgaria to call for fair vote as the country seems headed to an early election - AP
Middle East
-President Trump said yesterday that Iran had called off executions of protestors it scheduled for Wednesday, but did not rule out military action against the country.
Trump added that he would authorize “very strong action” if Tehran continued to execute protesters.
The country has been rocked by widespread protests since late last month, with differing accounts of casualties amid a forceful government crackdown. The anti-government demonstrations are the largest since 2022, and pose a grave risk to the theocratic government.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Iran’s leadership is in its “final days and weeks.”
Separately, several countries, including the United States, have urged their citizens in the country to leave amid the rising tensions.
-The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will release its monthly report today.
-On this day one year ago, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced following two years of war in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Sporadic fighting has continued since then, threatening the fragile deal.
To mark yesterday’s anniversary, Washington announced the second phase of Trump’s peace plan for the coastal enclave, forming a committee that will administer the territory.
Other Links:
Trump’s Gulf Allies Do Not Want Him to Bomb Iran - The New York Times
U.S. evacuates troops from Middle East bases as Trump weighs Iran strikes - Axios
Free Starlink access for Iran seen as game changer for demonstrators getting their message out - AP
US oil prices dip more than $1 as Trump remarks reduce fears about Iran - Reuters
Syrian military tells civilians to evacuate contested area east of Aleppo amid rising tensions - AP
Lebanon arrests Syrian citizen suspected of funding pro-Assad fighters - AP
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Thank you, Jacob. I have neglected to express my appreciation for your highlighting the presidential election in Uganda; really quite a story that I would never have known without your product.💡
For once, we disagree; it does not strike me that the country is divided on the issue of Greenland. The forty per cent approval rate within my erstwhile party likely reflects the Trump-base only.🫱🏻🫲🏽
Since Republicans represent forty-five per cent of registered voters, forty per cent of that figure implies an eight per cent approval rate, almost exactly in line with the overall national rate of support of seventeen per cent.🙂
Watch this space to see more narcissism