“On Tuesday, Iraq’s parliament postponed the presidential election session after failing to reach a quorum due to low attendance and ongoing disagreements among Kurdish parties. This delay increases uncertainty over forming a new federal government. The constitution requires at least 222 of 329 lawmakers to be present to elect a president. Only 85 attended, well below the threshold. Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi postponed the session, citing the lack of quorum and formal requests from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for more time to negotiate a presidential agreement.” (01/27/26)
“Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has called upon President Donald Trump to fire Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. In a Tuesday post on X, the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania accused Noem of ‘betraying’ the department’s central mission. Tagging the @POTUS and @realDonaldTrump accounts on X, Fetterman declared, ‘I make a direct appeal to immediately fire @Sec_Noem.’ ‘Americans have died. She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy. DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary,’ the senator warned. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.” (01/27/26)
“Alex Vindman, who became a key player along with his twin brother in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, announced on Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Florida. Vindman, an Army veteran, was serving on the National Security Council in 2019 when the Republican president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, then a Democratic candidate. He and his brother, Eugene, a lawyer on the National Security Council, reported their concerns and sparked investigations. Eugene Vindman now serves as a congressman from Virginia. If Alex Vindman clinches the Democratic nomination, he’ll challenge Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, a former state attorney general who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Marco Rubio as he became secretary of state.” (01/27/26)
“Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast are signaling their willingness to launch new attacks, likely trying to back Iran, as officials acknowledged the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier to the region Monday. President Donald Trump ordered the carriers to move to the Middle East as he threatened military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests. … the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other guided missile destroyers in its strike group arrived in the region to ‘promote regional security and stability,’ U.S. Central Command said Monday on social media.” (01/27/26)
“More than 47,000 hourly workers at General Motors Co. will get profit-sharing payments of $10,500 for 2025 as the automaker posted full-year earnings of $2.7 billion despite sliding to a $3.3 billion fourth-quarter loss, according to financial data released Tuesday. For every $1 billion GM makes in North America, the automaker’s hourly U.S. employees receive $1,000, according to the Detroit automaker’s agreement with the United Auto Workers. The company posted $12.7 billion in EBIT-adjusted earnings for the year. The payments are down compared to last year, when GM doled out record payouts of up to $14,500.” (01/27/26)
“Asian countries are on high alert after cases of the deadly Nipah virus were detected in West Bengal, India. The zoonotic virus can spread between animals and people, mostly fruit bats and pigs, with mild to severe symptoms from fevers to brain infection and death, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Five people have contracted the Nipah virus, the Thai government confirmed. … Countries in the region have been put on alert, with health officials implementing tracking and prevention rules similar to those implemented during the COVID pandemic.” (01/26/26)
“A French court Tuesday found a former senator guilty of drugging a woman lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her, and sentenced him to four years in prison, of which 18 months must be behind bars. The high-profile trial of former senator Joel Guerriau comes months after France was stunned by a case that saw Frenchman Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his then-wife so he and dozens of strangers could rape her. Guerriau, 68, has been on trial since Monday for allegedly using a synthetic drug known as MDMA or ecstasy to spike a glass of champagne that National Assembly MP Sandrine Josso was drinking in November 2023.” (01/27/26)
“A Los Angeles homeowner opened fire on a pair of burglars as they were trying to break into the resident’s $2.4 million home overnight, leaving a 16-year-old suspect injured. The shooting happened at the Laurelcrest Drive home in Studio City around 4 a.m. Tuesday, when the suspects allegedly forced their way into the home – but were met by the gun-toting owner, NBC Los Angeles reported. The Los Angeles Police Department told the outlet that one of the suspects was shot at before both fled in a black Chevy Traverse. Police said that a vehicle matching the suspects’ description dropped off a 16-year-old with gunshot wounds at a hospital. It remains unknown if the homeowner will face any charges for discharging the weapon.” (01/27/26)
“Legislators in France took the first step toward becoming the first European country to block children from social media with a ban that would take effect at the beginning of the new school year in September. National Assembly members voted 116-23 for the ban for children younger than 15, which was introduced by a lawmaker representing France’s Champagne region in President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, late Monday. The MPs amended the bill to empower the country’s media regulator to decide which social media services will be included in the ban and not limited to just those most popular with teens such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.” (01/27/26)
“The US immigration agency whose officers have been involved in two [murders] in Minneapolis has said it is sending agents to help support American security operations during the Winter Olympics, which start in Italy on 6 February. Confirmation of the agency’s role came from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after reports prompted alarm and anger in Italy. ‘This is a militia that kills … of course they’re not welcome in Milan,” the city’s mayor, Beppe Sala, told Italian radio on Tuesday. An ICE spokesperson stressed that ‘all security operations remain under Italian authority.’ US embassy sources in Rome had already explained to Italian media that various federal agencies had worked at previous Games in the past, although it was not clear if the customs and enforcement agency had itself taken part.” [editor’s note: It was actually a related gang (“Border Patrol”), not ICE, responsible for the second recent Minneapolis murder – TLK] (01/27/26)
