Source: Politico
“Roberto Vannacci, an MEP and former general, is preparing to launch his own political party, which would formalize a break with Matteo Salvini’s League and potentially reshape the Italian far right. He announced the launch of the new party on Instagram on Wednesday. Vannacci had already registered the name and logo of the movement, Futuro Nazionale (National Future), on Jan. 24, according to trademark filings. His new project is being described by Italian media as an attempt to build an Italian version of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and create a new force that would sit to the right of Salvini.” (01/29/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/italy-roberto-vannacci-launch-new-far-right-party
Source: Cato Institute
‘Why Propping Up Maduro’s Allies Won’t Save Venezuela.” (01/29/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/why-propping-maduros-allies-wont-save-venezuela
Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“The world can be an ugly place, and Washington sometimes faces terrible choices. However, the U.S. president possesses neither the moral nor legal authority to wander the globe randomly imposing his will and killing anyone in the way. Someone claiming to be a peacemaker should stop irresponsibly visiting death and destruction upon other people. Even in Venezuela.” (01/29/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-forgotten-casualties-in-trumps-wars/
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Gary W Houchens
“Different families have different educational needs. Scholarship tax credits can help many struggling Kentucky students succeed. While the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act created the opportunity for these scholarships, each state must opt into the program each year. House Bill 88 could begin Kentucky’s process for adopting a more-robust form of educational freedom for low-to-middle income families. Here are some upsides for families of a scholarship tax credit program that Kentucky lawmakers might adopt this year.” (01/29/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/scholarship-tax-credits/
Source: Seattle Times
“Venezuela’s legislature on Thursday approved opening the nation’s oil sector to privatization, reversing a tenet of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that has ruled the country for more than two decades. The National Assembly approved the overhaul of the energy industry law less than a month after the brazen seizure of then-President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military attack in Venezuela’s capital. The bill now awaits the signature of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who proposed the changes in the days after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would take control of Venezuela’s oil exports and revitalize the ailing industry by luring foreign investment.” (01/29/26)
https://archive.is/aSSRY
Source: The Hill
“Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Thursday officially threw her hat in the ring to run for governor of Minnesota. … Her gubernatorial bid comes after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced earlier this month that he will not seek a third term amid scrutiny over his handling of a massive welfare fraud scandal in the North Star State.” (01/29/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5712254-klobuchar-launches-minnesota-governor-bid
Source: Townhall
by Cal Thomas
“[E]scalating and using vile rhetoric is guaranteed to make things worse. It can also fire up one’s political base and raise money. On this latter point, I have two stories. One involved a pastor of a large Florida church who had decided to dabble in politics. He told me of the criticism he had received for sending out so many negative letters about how he saw the condition of the country. He decided to try a positive letter and described the response this way: ‘No one sent any money.’ … You might make money and shore up your base by denouncing others and using foul language, but the result is a deeper and wider divide and a hatred of fellow Americans.” (01/29/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2026/01/29/cal-thomas-the-language-we-use-n2670260
Source: Houston Chronicle
“President Donald Trump reminded everyone of what some politicians have long joked — no one likes Ted Cruz — while floating his name yet again, for a potential Supreme Court nomination. ‘If I nominate Ted Cruz for the Supreme Court, the Democrats will vote for him because they want to get him the hell out,’ Trump said at an event promoting his ‘Trump accounts’ on Wednesday. ‘And the Republicans will vote for him because they want to get him the hell out, too.’ Trump shifted from discussing the federal program that allocates funds to eligible children, to spotlighting Cruz, suggesting the Texas senator could be a nominee likely to secure approval for the nation’s highest court.” (01/28/26)
https://www.chron.com/politics/article/trump-cruz-supreme-court-21320424.php
Source: Politico
“Shutdown déjà vu.” (01/29/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL8361686218.mp3
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“On Monday India and the European Union concluded negotiations on a breakthrough free trade agreement. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission — the EU’s executive branch — called it ‘the mother of all deals.’ That description is somewhat over the top. Yet the agreement is in fact historic and important in ways that go beyond economics. For it shows that the world is becoming ever more estranged from an erratic, abusive United States. In other words, other countries are moving, step by step, toward an economic divorce from America.” (01/29/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-world-files-for-economic-divorce
