January 30, 2026 – Short News

Shutdown Averted for Now – Homeland Security Funded on a Temporary Basis!

In Washington, a last-minute deal has been reached that prevents a partial government shutdown. Democrats and the White House agreed to temporarily decouple the funding of the Department of Homeland Security from the broader budget bill and secure it separately for two weeks. The background is explosive. The country is still under the impression of the deadly deployments by federal officers in Minneapolis. That is exactly where Democrats are applying pressure. They are demanding clear limits on the actions of the immigration authorities and stronger oversight of their operations.

The interim solution buys time, but not calm. While the rest of the federal budget runs through September, Homeland Security remains under political scrutiny. The previous vote had been deliberately blocked to build pressure. The president publicly spoke of a bipartisan breakthrough and called for approval. In reality, this is a ceasefire on borrowed time. The fundamental question remains unanswered: how much power should an agency have that is increasingly associated with deadly force inside the country. Democrats have failed once again. After two people were killed by federal officers, their response does not go beyond tactical delay. Two weeks of transitional funding is not a political breakthrough, but an evasion. ICE remains untouched, the practice unchanged, responsibility postponed. Anyone who lacks the courage to enforce real consequences after deadly violence inside the country forfeits all moral authority. Gaining time in this case means changing nothing. And that is exactly the problem.

EU Sanctions Prominent Faces of Kremlin Propaganda

The European Union has significantly expanded its sanctions list and for the first time has explicitly named well-known figures from Russia’s media and cultural sphere. Six Russian citizens are affected, now subject to EU-wide travel bans and asset freezes. The measures are justified by Russia’s ongoing efforts to destabilize Europe. On the list is Ekaterina Andreeva, for decades the face of the main news program Vremya on the state-run Channel One, which has consistently accompanied the war against Ukraine with propaganda. Also sanctioned is Maria Sittel, longtime host of the program Vesti on the state-controlled channel Rossiya-1, who in 2022 moderated a regime-loyal mass rally featuring war insignia.

Also added is Dmitry Guberniev, a popular sports commentator, advisor to the management of Rossiya and an official campaign representative for Vladimir Putin. The fourth media figure listed is Pavel Zarubin, author and host of the format Moscow. Kremlin. Putin., who has accompanied the president for years and consistently staged his appearances in a positive light. Figures from the cultural scene are also affected. Sanctioned is the rapper and actor Roma Zhigan (Roman Chumakov), who has openly mobilized for the war, raised funds for the army and visited units at the front. Also on the list is ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, former star of the Royal Ballet, head of an academy in occupied Crimea and a political supporter of Putin, also known for his publicly displayed loyalty.

With these names, the EU makes clear that propaganda is not produced only in ministries, but in studios, on stages and in front of cameras. Those who legitimize power and glorify violence are now expected to personally bear the consequences.

Trump Threatens Canada with Punitive Tariffs on Aircraft

The trade conflict between the United States and Canada continues to escalate and is now targeting the aviation sector. Donald Trump is threatening to impose a fifty percent tariff on every Canadian aircraft sold in the United States. The trigger is the allegation that Canada is refusing to certify business jets from a US manufacturer based in Georgia. As a countermeasure, Trump has floated the idea of barring all Canadian aircraft from certification in the United States, explicitly including models from manufacturer Bombardier. The president speaks of retaliation, but has named neither a specific timeline nor a formal process for the threatened measures.

The threat fits into a series of escalations after Trump had already warned of extreme punitive tariffs on Canadian goods should Ottawa deepen its trade relations with China. The message is clear: trade is once again being used as a political pressure tool. For the industry, this means growing uncertainty. For Canada, it is further evidence of how quickly economic cooperation under Trump becomes hostage to personal power politics.

Europe as a Countermodel to Power Politics

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz drew a clear foreign policy line in the Bundestag that deliberately distances itself from imperial power rhetoric. The European Union, Merz said, is an alternative to imperialism and autocracy and can offer partnerships on equal footing in a world of growing great power rivalry. Merz spoke of an increasingly harsh international climate in which new power blocs are forming. Europe must soberly recognize this shift, but must not allow itself to be intimidated. Precisely here lies an opportunity for democratic states with open markets that are seeking reliable partners.

At the same time, the chancellor reaffirmed the importance of NATO and announced that Europe would significantly strengthen its defense efforts. Cooperation with the United States would remain central, but not in a subordinate role. Partnership means equality. Merz clearly rejected statements by the US president claiming that non-American NATO troops had avoided the front in Afghanistan. Germany had borne responsibility for almost twenty years, lost fifty-nine soldiers and suffered many wounded. That contribution would not be diminished. Europe must learn to understand the language of power politics, Merz said, without abandoning its principles. This includes greater technological independence, economic strength and a self-confident foreign policy. The claim is clear: Europe does not want to be a spectator, but a shaping force in an unsettled world.

Hegseth Warns Iran and Points to Military Readiness

War minister Pete Hegseth has sharply escalated his tone toward Iran and made it unmistakably clear that the US military is ready to carry out any order from the president. One day after Trump publicly urged Tehran to make a deal on its nuclear program, the military threat followed from the cabinet. Hegseth said Iran has all options for an agreement, but should not pursue nuclear capabilities. At the same time, he demonstratively referred to the recent US military operation in which then Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was captured. Just like that, Hegseth said, the military is prepared to act again now.

The message is directed not only at Tehran, but at the entire region. At the same time, the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, with its escort ships, arrived in the Middle East. Military presence and political threat are once again tightly linked. What is sold as a warning is in truth an announcement of escalation. Diplomacy recedes into the background while military options are openly displayed.

A Cabinet Post Decided by a Horse Video

Donald Trump has himself explained why Doug Burgum became interior secretary. Not because of expertise, not because of experience, but because of a video. It showed Burgum’s wife Kathryn on a horse. Trump described his reaction to it on camera. He said he asked who that woman was and then decided to hire her husband.

The president explicitly said he was talking about her, not about Burgum. Nevertheless, the result was a cabinet post. The statement exposes the full incompetence of the Trump administration. Personnel decisions resemble a FOX entertainment show, and the citizens of the United States and the world pay the price.

After Three Months in Detention: Martin Reunited With His Family

After nearly three months in detention, it was finally possible to secure Martin’s release last night from an immigration detention facility in the U.S. state of Michigan. He has no criminal record and was taken into custody while he was at his regular job. Following his release, he was driven straight to Chicago, where his pregnant wife was waiting for him. Their child is due on February 12. Martin’s case is emblematic of a practice in which people with no criminal history are deprived of their freedom for months at a time — solely as a result of actions by ICE.

Cabinet on the Red Carpet

For the premiere of the documentary film about Melania Trump, the Kennedy Center is being transformed into a political VIP zone on Thursday evening. Expected are not only members of the administration, but also numerous lawmakers, diplomats and well-known figures from the conservative media environment. Announced attendees include Usha Vance, wife of the vice president, as well as around a dozen cabinet members. From Congress, about twelve representatives are expected, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Several US ambassadors will also attend.

Also on the guest list are Donald Trump Jr.; businessman Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots; and the controversial FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The political figures are flanked by media propaganda amplifiers such as Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Bret Baier, commentator Benny Johnson, and activist Riley Gaines. What comes together here is not a cultural event, but a right-wing conservative power and networking evening. Government officials, media figures, and regime-aligned voices appear together on the red carpet. Public office and political spectacle blur into an image that says more about the state of America than any speech ever could.

After Maduro: Venezuela Opens Its Oil Sector to Foreign Corporations

Venezuela has taken a step that is realigning the country politically and economically. Transitional president Delcy Rodríguez has signed a law opening the oil sector to privatization and foreign investors, abandoning a central dogma of the Chavista era. Parliament approved the reform just weeks after the military capture of Nicolás Maduro. Almost simultaneously, and to little surprise, the US Treasury Department eased sanctions on Venezuelan oil and expanded opportunities for US energy companies to operate in the country. Companies from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Cuba remain explicitly excluded.

The new legislation transfers control over production and sales to private firms, lowers taxes, caps license fees and allows for international arbitration. Disputes are no longer to be handled exclusively by Venezuelan courts, whose political dependence has deterred investors for years. Rodríguez speaks of the country’s future and of responsibility toward coming generations. For the government, the law is a signal to international corporations that lost billions under Hugo Chávez and later Maduro due to expropriations and contract breaches.

There are also warnings within parliament. Opposition lawmakers are calling for transparency, public oversight and clear accountability mechanisms to prevent a repetition of systemic corruption. The course change marks more than an economic reform. It is the expression of a geopolitical shift triggered by pressure, sanctions and the end of the previous order. For a country with the largest known oil reserves in the world, a risky new beginning is underway, the price and benefit of which remain uncertain.