Uncensored Free Speech Platform

NATO chief warns Europe it’s ‘dreaming’ if it thinks it can defend itself without the US
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

RUTTE: ‘GOOD LUCK’ DEFENDING EUROPE WITHOUT THE U.S.: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte — who has turned out to be one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest defenders in Europe — is warning European nations that they lack the resources and industrial base to field a military force fully capable of defending the continent. In a speech and Q-and-A session to a pair of European Union committees in Brussels, Rutte laid out a harsh reality to EU lawmakers, warning that their discussion of creating a European army independent of the U.S. is folly.

“If anyone thinks here, again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t,” Rutte said. “We need each other. And why do we need each other? I tell you, first of all, because also the U.S. needs NATO.”

The blunt assessment comes as the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy asserts that “European NATO dwarfs Russia in economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power” and that “NATO allies are therefore strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”

But Rutte warned that Europe is in no position to go it alone. For one thing, it would cost far more than the 5% of GDP in defense spending NATO countries have pledged to achieve by 2035. “Those who you are pleading for that, forget that. You can never get there with 5%. It will be 10%,” Rutte said. “​​You have to build up your own nuclear capability. That costs billions and billions of euros. You will lose then in that scenario; you would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So, hey, good luck.”

ON THE ARCTIC: ‘I THINK HE’S RIGHT’: Despite Trump announcing that, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, he had secured a framework agreement for total U.S. access to Greenland, Rutte made clear he had no authority to do that. “I have no mandate to negotiate on behalf of Denmark, so I didn’t, and I will not.”

Instead, Rutte said, he focused on the need for NATO to do much more to secure the entire Arctic region and on how to prevent Russia and China from gaining access “in a military sense or an economic sense” to the region, not just Greenland.

“President Trump, by the way, and I will defend him,” Rutte said. “I really feel that he deserves some defense. He was the one during Trump 45 who already said there is an issue with Arctic security. And again, he did so when he came back into …

Democrats’ ICE funding halt could leave FEMA stranded after monster snowstorm
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

Senate Democrats’ threats to withhold Homeland Security funding over the Trump administration’s immigration policies could put federal emergency assistance funding at risk, coming after a massive snowstorm that swept the country over the weekend and left thousands without power.

The DHS bill provides $64.4 billion, of which $32 billion is allocated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Of that $32 billion, $26.4 billion is for the Disaster Relief Fund and $3.8 billion for grant programs, education, and training of firefighters, first responders, and others.

The Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for several states ahead of the winter storm, dubbed “Winter Storm Fern” by the Weather Channel, that brought freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall to many states.

But FEMA’s funding is at risk now that many Democrats have come out against a six-bill appropriations legislation that includes funding for Homeland Security after another shooting death involving a U.S. citizen. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern after Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent.

But Democrats are now largely calling for the DHS bill to be removed from the bill so they can place more guardrails on ICE. Doing so, however, would affect funding to other agencies under the legislation, including FEMA.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), one of eight Democrats who voted with Republicans to reopen the government last November, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that he “strongly supports” FEMA funding and criticized the Trump administration’s actions to slash the agency’s funding and some of its programs.

But, Kaine said, “I also strongly oppose this Administration’s out-of-control Department of Homeland Security, which has killed multiple U.S. citizens this year in entirely preventable shootings.” 

“I will not let Republicans force us to choose between keeping Americans safe from storms or from reckless violence by federal agents,” Kaine added.

Republicans are asking their Democratic counterparts to rethink a partial shutdown amid concerns about the other agencies at risk.

“I urge my colleagues to recognize the vital role DHS plays across our country and the many agencies they oversee such as FEMA, the Coast Guard, the TSA, Secret Service, and more,” said Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), chairwoman of the Senate’s DHS appropriations subcommittee. “These programs are critical to …

Third round of January Social Security payments goes out in one day
Every delay has consequences.

The third round of January Social Security payments for retirees, now capped at $5,108, will be issued in one day.

When will payments arrive?

Retirees born on or after the 21st of a month will receive this payment on Wednesday, Jan. 28. 

The first round of payments went out on Jan. 14 to recipients born on or before the 10th of a month, and the second round went out on Jan. 21 to those born between the 11th and 20th of a month.

When am I eligible?

Citizens are eligible for Social Security payments beginning at 62 years old.

When am I eligible?

Social Security payment amounts are determined by several factors, including age of retirement, the amount paid into Social Security, and the number of years paid into Social Security.

Payments largely depend on a recipient’s retirement age. A beneficiary retiring at the youngest age, 62, could receive up to $2,831 per month, while a 70-year-old retiree could receive up to $5,108 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.

Beneficiaries can see a personalized estimate of how much they could expect each month through the SSA’s calculator.

VANCE: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL, WHEN ‘JUSTIFIED,’ DISCIPLINE ICE OFFICERS WHO MAKE ‘MISTAKES’

How is it financed?

Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid for by employers and employees.

Social Security payment amounts are set to shrink unless Congress takes action to prevent it. Analysts estimate the SSA will no longer be able to issue full payments as early as 2034, due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking workforce.

Dollar falls to multi-month lows on uncertainty over tariffs, the Fed, and shutdown threat
Who benefits from this decision?

The value of the dollar continued to drop on Monday, falling to a four-month low as uncertainty surrounding tariffs, the Federal Reserve, and a potential government shutdown put downward pressure on the greenback.

The dollar index dropped as low as 96.85 on Monday, down from recent highs of over 99 just last week. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index reached nearly 110 in January 2025. The relative value of the greenback has fallen 11.7% since that time in January of last year.

ACCUSATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING ON MADURO OPERATION BRING PREDICTION MARKETS INTO FOCUS

The most recent dip is attributable to quickly evolving factors, such as a possible intervention to help the struggling Japanese yen and the growing potential for yet another government shutdown in the coming days.

But in the longer term, experts contend the dollar’s slide is being fueled by uncertainty in the U.S. economy, mounting concerns about the independence of the Fed and questions about what might come next for federal tariff policy.

“If I had to summarize the dollar, defining in one word, it would be uncertainty,” Steve Swedberg, finance and monetary policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told the Washington Examiner.

Still, while the dollar has fallen directionally in recent days, and more broadly over the past year or so, it is still at levels that historically haven’t set off alarm bells. For instance, it was in the 70s and 80s for years following the 2008 financial crisis.

The White House told the Washington Examiner on Monday that President Donald Trump remains committed to a strong dollar.

“President Trump remains committed to the strength and power of the U.S. Dollar as the world’s reserve currency,” spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. “Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasuries reaching an all-time high and trillions in investment commitments to make and hire in America are all proof that the Trump administration’s policies are cementing America’s economic might.”

The yen

On Monday, speculation began to mount that given weakness in the Japanese yen, there might be some sort of intervention.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has reportedly checked dollar and yen rates with dealers, which is seen as a precursor to a possible intervention. The yen strengthened on the news, while the dollar dipped in response.

“[The Bank of Japan] would sell dollars and buy yen to strengthen the yen currency — that would strengthen the yen, you would offer more dollars to …

Federal judge blocks Trump DOJ access to Oregon voter rolls
Ask who never gets charged.

A federal judge in Oregon ruled against a Trump administration request to view the state's unredacted voter rolls on Monday.
Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he plans to dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit and will file a final written opinion in the coming days. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield hailed Monday's ruling, arguing the DOJ was seeking a "backdoor" to grab Oregon residents' personal information.
"The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these records in the first place," Rayfield told NBC News in a statement. "Oregonians deserve to know that voting laws can’t be used as a backdoor to grab their personal information."
President Donald Trump's administration has filed lawsuits seeking voter registration data in at least 23 states. The lawsuits request access to names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
OREGON ELECTION SYSTEM FACES SCRUTINY AS STATE MOVES TO ADDRESS 800,000 INACTIVE VOTERS: ‘ASTOUNDING’
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz this weekend laying out steps to quell unrest in the state, with turning over voter data being listed among them.
"You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers, and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota," Bondi wrote. "Fortunately, there are common sense solutions to these problems that I hope we can accomplish together."
One of Bondi's requests was that Minnesota state officials give the DOJ Civil Rights Division access to voter registration lists. Basic voter registration lists, also known as voter rolls, are typically publicly accessible, but the DOJ has demanded from Minnesota and many other states a wealth of sensitive data associated with the voter rolls that Minnesota has resisted giving up.
FBI DIRECTOR PATEL WARNS ELECTED OFFICIALS 'NO ONE' IS EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL SCRUTINY AMID MINNESOTA PROBE
Democrats framed her letter as a nefarious bargain designed to affect the battleground state’s elections.
"‘ICE will leave Minnesota if you hand over your voter rolls’ tells you everything you need to know.… It was always about rigging elections," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote on X.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., misstated on X that Bondi’s letter said ICE would "leave if the state turns over its voter database to Trump."
Murphy said the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota was a "pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states."
In a federal court hearing Monday over ICE's broader operations, Lindsey …

February Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in three days
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

February 2026 Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $994, will be issued to recipients in three days.

SSI payments are typically issued on the first day of a month; however, February’s payment will go out on Jan. 30. When the first of a month falls on a weekend or holiday, SSI payments are issued on the last business day of the previous month. This year, Feb. 1 falls on a Sunday. 

Beneficiaries are people with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have a qualifying disability.

The amount beneficiaries receive varies based on several factors, including the number of people filing. For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498. 

In addition to the previous prerequisites for receiving SSI payments, recipients must also be U.S. citizens or noncitizens in one of the alien classifications granted by the Department of Homeland Security.

GAVIN NEWSOM: TROLLING DOESN’T STOP AT THE WATER’S EDGE

Additionally, recipients must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and must not be absent from the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.

A full calendar for the Social Security Administration payments can be viewed on the agency’s website.

ICE Maine operation nabs 200 as governor seeks to ask Trump to remove agents
Every delay has consequences.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 200 people in Maine over the past five days as part of an enforcement surge that has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has called on President Donald Trump to remove agents from the state.
"The brave men and women of ICE have already arrested more than 200 illegal aliens in Maine in the last five days," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, per WMTW.
"Some of the arrests of the worst of the worst from the first day of operations include criminal illegal aliens charged with and convicted of horrific crimes, including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child."
ICE launched Operation Catch of the Day last week across Maine as part of a Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration overseen by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
TRUMP BRIEFED ON BORDER PATROL-INVOLVED SHOOTING AS MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR DEMANDS END TO ENFORCEMENT OPERATION
DHS said the initiative prioritizes what it describes as the most dangerous offenders living unlawfully in the state.
Mills has requested a meeting with Trump so that she can ask him in person to withdraw ICE agents from Maine, per WMTV.
"I'm hearing that many of the people being detained, or on that list, I think, are family members here in Maine, people who are working here in Maine, people who have children in the school system, people who have children in homes in Maine, people with no criminal record, and that's concerning," Mills said, per the outlet.
MINNEAPOLIS-AREA LEADERS CONDEMN ICE, CALL FOR REMOVAL AMID TRUMP DEPORTATION CAMPAIGN
On Saturday, Mills issued a statement condemning the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis and demanding an immediate withdrawal of ICE agents from Maine. 
The governor cited what she described as ICE agents' "untrained and reckless" actions as a public safety threat.
Meanwhile, Mills, who is seeking her party’s nomination to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, accused the Republican lawmaker of failing to use her authority as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to rein in ICE operations in the state.
It comes after Collins warned that a government shutdown would be extremely harmful and should be avoided at all costs as lawmakers raced to pass a six-bill funding package ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline. 
Collins said she had spoken with Noem about ICE activity in Maine but declined to provide details, pointing instead to provisions in the funding …

Conservative immigration experts split on whether Trump is 'backing down' in MN ICE fight
Every delay has consequences.

Conservative immigration experts were split on whether President Trump was "backing down" after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the president told him he was considering reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota after they went into the state to enforce immigration law. 
In addition to reported plans to retreat from Minnesota, the top border patrol official leading deportation operations around the country, including in Minnesota, will be reassigned back to his former duties as chief of border patrol in the El Centro, California sector as of currently, Fox News' Bill Melugin reported..
"If the Trump Administration accedes to Minnesota's unreasonable, unlawful demands, it will have surrendered the rule of law to thugs and brigands. Lawlessness is a choice and it's not a choice that the Trump administration should make, or support in any way," Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Executive Director Dale Wilcox told Fox News Digital. 
"FAIR believes that Congress charged ICE with enforcing the immigration laws of the United States. And that is exactly what ICE should do. The Supreme Court has opined that the power to enforce immigration law belongs exclusively to the federal government. The mere fact that irresponsible state and local leaders in Minnesota have mistakenly led their citizens to believe that they are free to interfere with federal government operations, and have thereby incited civil unrest, is not a valid reason to keep ICE from doing its job."
BORDER PATROL COMMANDER GREGORY BOVINO TO LEAVE MINNESOTA, AS TOM HOMAN TAKES OVER
But, Executive Director at the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian, clapped back at the idea that Trump was "backing down."  
"I didn't think that's what Trump is saying – rather, based on his Truth Social post, he was saying ICE won't have to do at-large arrests if Minnesota changes its sanctuary policies and allows ICE into the jails and prisons to take custody of illegals once the locals have finished with them," Krikorian told Fox News Digital. "That's not ending enforcement – that's returning enforcement to the ways it's always been done and the way it's being done even now in non-sanctuary jurisdictions."
On Monday, President Trump said that "Tim Walz called [him] with the request to work together," calling it a "very good call" in a post on his platform Truth social.
"I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be …

Aphra Brandreth: On this Holocaust memorial day – memory is now becoming a choice
This framing isn't accidental.

Aphra Brandreth is member of Parliament for Chester South and Eddisbury.

Each year, on 27 January, we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

Today marks 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi Germany’s largest extermination camp, where it is estimated that one million Jews — men, women and children — were murdered in gas chambers.

Although a crucial act of remembrance, Holocaust Memorial Day has never been only about the past. It has always been about the future, and about the kind of world we choose to build when we know, beyond doubt, where hatred and dehumanisation can lead.

In 2026, we are fast approaching a turning point as the Holocaust increasingly fades from living memory. The generation who survived the camps, who hid children, who resisted, and who bore witness is almost gone. As those voices fall silent, responsibility does not disappear; it transfers to us. We must ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten, so that we never go back.

As we assume responsibility for remembrance beyond those who experienced the Holocaust firsthand, we do so in an age where information is ubiquitous and easily accessible. This brings both opportunity and risk. Technology can help preserve memory and testimony, yet misinformation and disinformation now spread rapidly across media platforms, often amplified by conspiracy theories that travel further than evidence or lived experience. Holocaust denial and antisemitism, once relegated to the margins, have become disturbingly commonplace, cloaked in the language of “alternative facts” and “just asking questions.”

Among the most transformative of these technologies is artificial intelligence. Used well, AI can be extraordinary. It can translate survivor testimony into dozens of languages; archive, search and connect millions of records across museums and memorials; and create interactive educational tools that allow young people to explore history deeply and personally. It can preserve voices, faces and stories for generations yet to come.

But AI also has a darker side. The same tools that can preserve truth can also fabricate it. Deepfakes, fake documents, manipulated videos and automated misinformation campaigns are already being used to distort history. When falsehoods can be generated at scale, the danger is not simply confusion, but the erosion of trust itself.

That is why Holocaust education can no longer be about remembrance alone. It must also equip young people with digital literacy, critical thinking skills, and the confidence to question what they see and hear.

It is both tragic and dangerous that we are increasingly failing to do so.

The most alarming reality is that the number of schools across the UK marking Holocaust Memorial Day has halved over the past …

India and EU clinch the ‘mother of all deals’ in a historic free trade agreement
This is how power hides.

NEW DELHI (AP) — After nearly two decades of negotiations, India and the European Union announced Tuesday they have reached a free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties. The accord, which the EU chief described as the “mother of all deals,” could affect as many as 2 billion people.

The deal between two of the world’s biggest markets comes as Washington targets both India and the EU with steep import tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships.

“This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe,” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a virtual address to an energy conference. “It represents 25% of the global GDP and one-third of global trade.”

The accord will see free trade on almost all goods between the 27 members of the EU and India, covering everything from textiles to medicines and bringing down high import taxes for European wine and cars.

India and the EU also agreed on a framework for deeper defense and security cooperation, and a separate pact aimed at easing mobility for skilled workers and students, signaling their partnership extends beyond commerce.

US pressure propels India-EU trade deal

The negotiations for the India-EU deal got a new impetus after U.S. President Donald Trump’s strong-arm trade tactics, including threatening his European allies with punitive tariffs over their objections to Trump’s attempt to take control of Greenland.

Speaking at a joint news conference in New Delhi with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, the Indian leader said the partnership with the EU “will strengthen stability in the international system” at a time of ”turmoil in the global order.”

“Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals,” von der Leyen said in a post on X.

In a speech later, she said the accord was a tale of “two giants” who chose partnership “in a true win-win fashion.” She also said it sends “a strong message that cooperation is the best answer to global challenges.”

The deal is expected to further integrate supply chains and strengthen joint manufacturing power between the two economies. It will also cut up to 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in annual tariffs for exporters and create jobs for millions of workers in India and in Europe.

Deal to cut tariffs and ease regulatory barriers

A formal signing of the deal could …