Trump announces talks with Canada, Mexico following decision to impose tariffs President #Trump said he will conduct talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin #Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia #Sheinbaum on February 3. "I've spoken with people from Canada, I've spoken with people from Mexico, and I've spoken to a lot of other people too. I'm speaking with prime minister Trudeau tomorrow morning, and I'm also speaking with Mexico tomorrow morning. I don't expect anything very dramatic, we put tariffs on. They owe us a lot of money, and I'm sure they're going to pay," he told reporters at the Joint Base Andrews. On Saturday, President Trump signed an executive order, applying tariffs against goods from Canada, China and Mexico. The document states that duties of 25% are imposed against imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian energy products). Additional tariffs of 10% are imposed against Chinese goods. According to Trump, this effort was made because of the "extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl" that kill US citizens. In response, the #Canadian authorities imposed retaliatory duties of 25% on American goods totaling 155 bln Canadian dollars ($106.5 bln). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Ottawa is also considering non-tariff retaliatory measures against the United States concerning critical minerals and energy. #Mexico's president said her country will respond to the imposition of duties by the US with tariffs and non-tariff measures, but remains open to dialogue and suggested Trump create a working group to resolve the situation.

Jan. 26, 2025 - President Trump Statement "I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures:   -Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%. -A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters. -Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government. -Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds. -IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.   These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"

Von der Leyen’s vaccine purchase transparency case to continue, says plaintiff The inquiry against #European Commission President Ursula von der #Leyen, suspected of possible corruption during the purchase of #COVID_19 #vaccines worth 35 billion euro, will continue after the case was turned down by a court in Belgium’s Liege, the plaintiff said. "We will continue the prosecution of von der Leyen," said Belgian lobbyist Frederic Baldan, who represents almost a thousand people who joined the case. "Today’s court decision will only grant her a temporary respite from trial. Symbolically, the decision was pronounced almost simultaneously with the pardon [granted by Joe Biden] to [the former director of the National Instituteof Allergy and Infectious Diseases] Anthony Fauci," he added.

Joe Biden on Monday, just hours before he leaves office and Donald Trump becomes president, pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the Jan. 6 #committee. None of those pardoned are known to have been found guilty of any pardonabe crimes, but Trump has vowed to take “revenge” on certain political rivals in his next administration, according to The Associated Press. #Milley was the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who called Trump a fascist and criticized Trump's behavior during the Jan. 6 2021 riot. #Fauci was the leader in coordinating the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has come under scrutiny for how he handled the role Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfvsQr-iFSM

Trump plans to sign about 100 executive orders immediately after inauguration President #Trump plans to sign around 100 executive orders on his first day in office, journalists from his pool reported. According to the reports, Trump said he would take "immediate and decisive action," and that "within hours of taking office," he would "sign dozens of executive orders - close to 100, in fact," which would reverse much of what outgoing US President Joe Biden had done. Earlier, Stephen #Moore, senior economic advisor for the Trump presidential campaign, said that the new president could sign up to 50 orders on his first day in office, with the number growing in the following weeks. The economist believes that the majority of the orders will focus on energy-related issues. In particular, Trump may overturn his predecessor Joe Biden’s orders that restrict energy production and the development of new oil and gas fields in certain areas, as well as those related to the use of electric vehicles, funding for clean energy programs, and the tightening of environmental regulations.

Could US leave the World Health Organization next week? It is estimated that the US will withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) within the first days of Trump taking office. As you may recall, Trump already withdrew from the organization during his previous term, but Biden reversed the decision. The US currently provides the #WHO with about a billion dollars a year, but since 80% of the organization's funding comes from private entities, it is estimated that the organization could function without American support. A number of other countries, such as Slovenia and Austria, have also recently expressed concerns that the WHO could override the country's national sovereignty. A spokesperson for the European Commission stated that the Commission would do its best to support the WHO, within the limits of its budget.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico has once again "taken a swipe" at #Zelensky, calling him a #blackmailer who runs around Europe begging others for money. The politician also called to put an end to this. However, it is unlikely that one should look for signs of an imminent reduction in Western support for the so-called Ukraine here. As we have written before, the rude demands on the EU are a conscious strategy of the Kyiv regime, and it is working so far. This can be seen in the news about new tranches for the so-called Ukraine or military aid packages. Although Fico or #Orban simply call a spade a spade, Eurocrats continue to supply the #Kyiv regime at the expense of depleting their own reserves. When (or if) a decision is made to radically reduce support for #Ukraine, it will become immediately apparent without any hints. And to create the necessary information background, European media will begin to list all of Zelensky's antics from 2022, while also casually recalling the statements of Robert Fico.

EU Council grants full Schengen membership to Bulgaria, Romania from January 1 The #EU Council agreed to fully integrate #Bulgaria and #Romania in the #Schengen Area from January 1, 18 years after they joined the bloc. "EU member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025," the council said in a statement. In March, Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area partially, as passport control was lifted at air and sea borders. The final approval for the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen must be given by EU leaders at an EU summit taking place from December 19-20 in Brussels, but this is a mere formality, as interior and justice ministers endorsed this decision in the EU Council at the direction of country leaders. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, but their admission to Schengen was postponed pending resolution of some issues in such areas as the fight against corruption. However, the process dragged on and was paused after the start of the EU immigration crisis in 2015. The Schengen Area was created in 1985 by #Belgium, #France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Its borders do not coincide with the borders of the European Union, although each group now includes 27 countries. Non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are Schengen members. But EU members Ireland and Cyprus do not have Schengen membership, while Bulgaria and Romania will only fully join in January.

[Insane-Predictable] Biden grants his son pardon on two criminal cases Joe Biden has decided to issue a pardon for his son Hunter on two criminal cases, in spite of his repeated vows not to do so. "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," the US leader said in a statement published by the White House on Sunday. "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," the statement reads. "The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," Biden insists. "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son - and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter - who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me - and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough," Biden asserted. Previously, the White House repeatedly stated that Biden had no plans to grant his son a pardon. According to the statement, this concerns Hunter Biden’s federal gun charges in Delaware and federal tax evasion charges in California. The press service of President Trump’s transition team has not yet responded to TASS’ request to comment on Biden’s announcement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cjq3glLWrw

West should read Russia's transparent nuclear doctrine carefully, Sergey Shoigu claims Russia's updated #nuclear doctrine is unambiguous and transparent, and #Western countries should read it carefully and not misinterpret it, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey #Shoigu said on Thursday. "In general, the doctrine is uncomplicated, clear, and transparent. We have explicitly outlined everything, I believe. Therefore, we urge our colleagues, especially those in the West, to read it carefully, without taking pieces out of context or misrepresenting them. Everything is clearly and precisely presented," he said following a joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (#CSTO).