“The Libertarian Party of Georgia has nominated Chase Oliver, the party’s 2024 presidential nominee, to run for governor in 2026. … In addition to candidate nominations, the party also conducted its regularly scheduled even-year leadership elections and selected its state delegation for the 2026 Libertarian National Convention, with the state receiving 31 available delegate seats this year. … The party further announced additional statewide nominations, including Allen Buckley for U.S. Senate and Ted Metz for secretary of state. It did not indicate whether it plans to field a candidate for lieutenant governor, which is elected separately from the gubernatorial race. In addition, the party shared its endorsement of Andrew Underwood for the special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, which it publicized on social media several days ahead of the convention.” (01/19/26)
“Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of France announced on Monday that he would push through the country’s long-awaited budget without a vote in the lower house of Parliament, leading opposition lawmakers to announce plans to topple his minority government with a vote of no confidence. Mr. Lecornu’s decision followed more than four months of failed negotiations to reach a consensus over the budget in France’s gridlocked Parliament, where the prime minister’s centrist coalition lacks a majority. To break that deadlock, Mr. Lecornu said that he would use a contentious constitutional tool to force through the budget on Tuesday, a tool that he previously pledged not to use.” (01/19/26)
“The Syrian government and Kurdish forces traded accusations on Monday over the fate of Islamic State (IS) group prisoners held in Kurdish-run facilities, as Syria’s army deployed in the north and east under a recent deal. Despite the deal, the government and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) traded blame Monday for fresh attacks the military said killed three soldiers, as well as accusations over the fate of Islamic State (IS) group prisoners in Kurdish-run jails. Following continued clashes, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump discussed developments in Syria in a phone call on Monday evening, the Syrian presidency said.” (01/19/26)
“Gold and silver prices hit record highs but share prices fell on Monday as investors reacted to the threat by US President Donald Trump to impose fresh tariffs on eight European countries opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland. The price of gold touched $4,689.39 (£3,499) an ounce on Monday, while silver rose to a peak of $94.08 an ounce. Precious metals are seen as safer assets to hold in times of uncertainty, and the prices of both gold and silver have soared over the past year. But stock markets in Europe fell as investors worried over the latest increase in geopolitical tensions.” (01/19/26)
“The European Commission is exploring a ban on artificial intelligence-powered apps that undress [sic] people online in the wake of abusive content generated through X’s Grok. European Parliament lawmakers last week launched a call — first reported by POLITICO — to ban apps and tools that allow users to generate fake intimate images of individuals without consent under the bloc’s flagship AI law.” [editor’s note: If it is a fake image, it is not an image of a real individual — and in what universe does creating an image of someone violate their rights anyway? It neither picks their pockets nor breaks their legs. And no such ban would be effective in any case – TLK]
“Scientists have been forced to rethink the intelligence of cattle after an Austrian cow named Veronika displayed an impressive – and until now undocumented – knack for tool use. Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker from a small town in Carinthia near the Italian border, keeps Veronika as a pet and noticed that she occasionally played with sticks and used them to scratch her body. Wiegele said Veronika began playing with pieces of wood years ago, then worked out how to scratch herself with sticks. He said she also recognised family members’ voices and hurried to meet them when they called. … Word soon got around and before long a video clip of the cow’s behaviour reached biologists in Vienna who specialise in animal intelligence. They immediately grasped the importance of the footage. ” (01/19/26)
“Russia has sentenced an American man to five years in prison for illegally transporting weapons, a court said Monday, noting that a rifle was found on his yacht after it docked in the port city of Sochi last June. Russian media said he smuggle[d] the weapons [sic] on his private yacht from July 2024 – June 2025. … According to the court, the man sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It cited him as saying he’d met a Russian woman online and decided to visit her and that he didn’t know he was forbidden to keep a weapon on his yacht while it was docked in Russia.” (01/19/26)
“Three U.S. Catholic cardinals urged the Trump administration on Monday to use a moral compass in pursuing its foreign policy, saying U.S. military action in Venezuela, threats of acquiring Greenland and cuts in foreign aid risk bringing vast suffering instead of promoting peace. In a joint statement, Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington and Joseph Tobin of Newark, N.J., warned that without a moral vision, the current debate over Washington’s foreign policy was mired in ‘polarization, partisanship, and narrow economic and social interests.’ … The statement was unusual and marked the second time in as many months that members of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy have asserted their voice against a Trump administration many believe isn’t upholding the basic tenets of human dignity. In November, the entire U.S. conference of Catholic bishops condemned the administration’s mass deportation of migrants and ‘vilification’ of them in the public discourse.” (01/19/26)
“Hackers disrupted Iranian state television satellite transmissions to air footage supporting the country’s exiled crown prince and calling on security forces to not ‘point your weapons at the people,’ online video showed early Monday, the latest disruption to follow nationwide protests in the country. … The footage aired Sunday night across multiple channels broadcast by satellite from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the country’s state broadcaster which has a monopoly on television and radio broadcasting. The video aired two clips of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, then included footage of security forces and others in what appeared to be Iranian police uniforms. It claimed without offering evidence others had ‘laid down their weapons and swore an oath of allegiance to the people.'” (01/19/26)
“Don Lemon admitted he was embedded with anti-ICE agitators in Minneapolis and knew of their plans before they burst into a St. Paul church during Sunday services — despite claiming he was there as a journalist and had no advance knowledge of what was going down. Speaking on camera from a snowy parking lot in the Twin Cities, Lemon said he had done some ‘reconnaissance’ with activist groups ahead of the storming of Cities Church. ‘These are resistance protesters, they’re planning an operation we’re going to follow them on. I can’t tell you exactly what they’re doing, but it’s called Operation Pull-Up,’ he said in the livestream. ‘It’s Nekima Armstrong, she’s been doing this since George Floyd, Daunte Wright and others, where they surprise people, catch them off-guard and hold them to account,’ the former CNN host added, dropping the name of a prominent local activist.” (01/19/25)
