“The risk of a partial government shutdown at the end of January is growing more likely, as protesters demonstrated with renewed furor overnight after a second person in the span of a month was [murdered] by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis. Senate Democrats vowed to block a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding package on Saturday after Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and Minneapolis resident, was [murdered] by U.S. Border Patrol agents. … President Trump and other administration officials defended the federal presence in Minnesota and tied the [murder] to an ongoing massive fraud investigation in the state.” (01/25/26)
“Gold continued to rise on Monday after breaking above $5,000 an ounce earlier than Wall Street expected. Futures hit the major milestone on Sunday, raising questions about the stunning speed of the rally in precious metals. Gold’s surge has become a hallmark of the so-called ‘debasement trade,’ with investors buying assets to protect against the erosion of purchasing power amid soaring government debt worldwide. ‘The rise in precious metals prices is breathtaking and profoundly scary,’ wrote Robin Brooks, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution on Sunday, noting the rise in gold prices is ‘part of something much bigger.’ … Bullion has made turns higher at every major geopolitical this year, including the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and President Trump’s tariff threats in pursuit of Greenland.” (01/26/26)
“Israel said Sunday its military was conducting a ‘large-scale operation’ to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire. The statement came as Israel’s cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and a day after top U.S. envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about next steps. The return of the body of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely [used as an excuse to not move] ahead with opening the Rafah crossing, which would signal the ceasefire’s second phase. … Hamas in a statement Sunday said it had provided all the information it had about Gvili’s remains, and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.” (01/25/26)
“Uganda’s opposition leader claims ‘hundreds of soldiers’ raided his home overnight and held his wife at gunpoint, leaving destruction everywhere. Bobi Wine says his wife was assaulted and documents and electronic items were taken from his home. He made the claims on X on Saturday morning. Sky News has approached the Ugandan government for comment. It comes days after President Yoweri Museveni extended his decades-long rule of the African country in an election marred by claims of ballot stuffing.” (01/24/26)
“Around 1,700 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were still without heating following a Russian missile and drone attack earlier this week, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Sunday. Moscow has sharply intensified bombardments of Ukraine’s energy system since it invaded its neighbour in 2022. Russia launched a vast attack on Ukraine’s energy system on Saturday, rocking Kyiv with explosions overnight, leaving 1.2 million properties without power countrywide during sub-zero winter temperatures.” (01/25/26)
“The Navy has relieved the commodore of the First Naval Construction Regiment of his duties, the service said Friday. Capt. Douglas Whimpey, a Navy reservist, was relieved ‘due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.’ The U.S. military routinely cites only a vague ‘loss of confidence’ when removing commanders and other leaders from authority positions. … ‘Navy leaders are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership personally and professionally, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,’ the Navy said in a statement.” (01/25/26)
“A colossal winter storm reached the US East Coast Sunday morning after dropping ice and snow across much of the nation, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power and causing a wave of flight cancellations that may last for days. New England may see up to 18 inches (0.46 meters) of snow through Monday, according to the US Weather Prediction Center, with up to a foot possible in New York City. Some of that snow may fall as sleet, leading to heavy icing on streets and roads. More than 750,000 homes and businesses across the US were without power as of 9 a.m. in New York. The majority are in Texas and Tennessee, where freezing rain has coated power lines and streets in a layer of ice.” (01/25/26)
“Iraq ’s dominant political bloc announced Saturday that it had nominated former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for prime minister. The announcement came after caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose bloc won the largest share of seats in November’s parliamentary elections, stepped aside earlier this month. That cleared the field for al-Maliki after the two had competed for the backing of the Coordination Framework, a collection of Shiite parties. Under Iraq’s constitution, a president is elected by the parliament, then names a prime minister, with the premier tasked with forming a new government.” (01/24/26)
“Canadian officials might ink a trade deal with China, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that would trigger a 100% tariff on [American buyers of] all Canadian goods sent to the United States. Trump announced the new tariffs would take effect immediately if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turns Canada into a conduit for Chinese-made goods intended for the United States. … Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week and made a deal to lower some of the tariffs imposed by one another on some of their trade goods. China will lower its tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, while Canada will lower its tariff on up to 49,000 electric vehicles that are made in China. The Canadian government in 2024 placed tariffs on Chinese vehicles in 2024 in a coordinated effort with the United States.” (01/24/26)
“Alex Honnold has done it again. The 40-year-old climber and dad of two successfully climbed Taiwan’s Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world, without any ropes or harnesses on Sunday, Jan. 25 (or Saturday, Jan. 24 in America) — and the event aired live on Netflix. The free solo special, Skyscraper Live, was originally scheduled to take place on Friday, Jan. 23, but weather prompted the streamer to postpone the event by 24 hours. … Honnold has been climbing for about 30 years. He was previously featured in the Oscar-winning 2018 documentary Free Solo, which chronicled his successful 2017 attempt to become the first person to summit El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without safety ropes.” (01/24/26)
