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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — 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...

About 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed, wounded or are missing since its invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago, a rate of casualties for a major military power not seen since World War II, a new report from a prominent international think tank says. And the enormous human toll has secured relatively small territorial gains on the battlefield, with Russia increasing the amount of Ukrainian land under its control by just 12% since 2022, the report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says. The report calls into question assumptions in many circles, including in the...

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said Wednesday that Hamas never agreed to disarm, casting doubt on whether the terror group will fulfil a key US and Israeli demand included in the American-backed plan for postwar Gaza. Abu Marzouk’s statement runs contrary to the insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump that the terror group give up its weapons in the near future as part of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Hamas “promised” to lay down its arms, and has threatened the group over the issue. Abu Marzouk also...

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell reports from London where growing frustration over the U.K.’s migration policies has caused more citizens to align themselves with Nigel Farage’s far-right movement

The number of additional bank offices in Russia decreased by almost 1,700 by the end of 2025, follows from the data of the Central Bank, which was studied by Izvestia. This is one of the strongest annual reductions since 2019, with a comparable decrease occurring only in 2021. At that time, a little more than 1.7 thousand branches were liquidated. ...Suspicious transfers can be blocked for up to two days, and if the operation cannot be confirmed remotely, the client is offered to come to the office with a passport

A Minnesota man was arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent after he tried to enter a federal jail and release suspected murderer Luigi Mangione, according to law enforcement sources. Mark Anderson, 36, arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday evening claiming he was an FBI agent with a court order for Mangione’s release, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday and a law enforcement source. When officials with the Bureau of Prisons asked the man for his credentials, according to the complaint, the man provided a Minnesota driver’s license. He also allegedly stated...

Transcript SummaryPresident Trump opened the first Cabinet meeting of his second year (January 29, 2026) by noting improvements to the Cabinet room's appearance, including flags of U.S. forces and others.He described the administration's first year as amazing and unprecedented, citing record economic growth, achievements despite a Democrat shutdown (which he said cost about 1.5 points of GDP), and the most successful first year in U.S. history. He claimed eight wars extinguished, with another potentially ending soon via efforts involving Steve Witkoff, Jared, and others.He highlighted a record drop in the murder rate to the lowest in at least 125 years,...

[Catholic Caucus] What to make of Cardinal Cupich’s comments on the Latin Mass?Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago has said that restrictions on the Tridentine Latin Mass are necessary to preserve the unity of the Church. In a recent article published on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s website, Cardinal Cupich discussed the extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV and drew attention to a resource document prepared by Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Cardinal Cupich wrote that the liturgy before the Second Vatican Council underwent reform throughout Christian history and argued...

American beardo repeatedly rams car into entrance of Chabad World Headquarters. Comes out, screams "IT SLIPPED YOU F@#$ING A@@-HOLES!" and is arrested. Must-see video.

The Gateway Pundit reported that Mark Holodnak, a local Realtor and the Legislative District 12 Democratic Party Treasurer in Arizona, came under fire after he was seen chasing young women and screaming obscenities after they took a photo with ICE agents in Arizona. Holodnak was caught on camera with a group of leftists harassing the girls after they reportedly took a photo with agents at Zipps Sports Grill, a popular Valley restaurant chain, that has come under investigation for federal law violations likely related to immigration. Fifteen locations have been shut down since Monday, and anti-ICE protesters have shown up...

LIVE: President Trump Makes an Announcement from the Oval Office - 01/29/26

Colbert suggested ICE was worse than Nazis because at least they were 'willing to show their faces'Late-night host Stephen Colbert is facing backlash over a remark he made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, suggesting they were worse than Nazis because Nazis were willing to show their faces.Colbert made the comment during his show Monday and played a clip of Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino saying during a CNN interview that people were "trying to portray Border Patrol agents and ICE agents as Gestapo, Nazi and many other words."Colbert then said, "Yes, do not compare ICE or Border Patrol...

At a time when we Americans routinely worry about the health of our civic culture, the U.S. Department of Education has made a notable investment. Earlier this month, the department approved a $1.9-million grant for The American Civic Tradition at 250, a joint initiative of Texas Southern University and West Texas A&M University aimed at improving civic literacy in underserved communities. The timing is deliberate. With the nation approaching its 250th anniversary, the program is designed to reconnect teachers and students with the ideas and institutions that undergird American self-government—an area where national assessments show persistent weakness. According to the...

The Pentagon has ordered a pause on training new recruits living with HIV. What’s more, military leadership is considering reinstating a ban that prohibits Americans who are HIV positive from enlisting in the Armed Services altogether, reports CNN. A decision is likely to come down “in the next few weeks.”

Bruce Springsteen has released a song in honor of Alex Pretti and Renee Good titled "Streets of Minneapolis." Springsteen announced the release Wednesday on Instagram. "I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis," Springsteen said. "It's dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good." The slow-burning song builds from just acoustic guitar and voice to a fuller band tune, including a harmonica solo, and ends with chants of "ICE...

Alphabet-owned Waymo has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that one of its driverless vehicles “struck a child near an elementary school” in Santa Monica, California The Jan. 23 incident is now being investigated by the U.S. vehicle safety authority. According to records posted to the NHTSA website, the child sustained minor injuries. The Waymo collision occurred within two blocks of an elementary school during normal school drop-off hours, while other children, a crossing guard and several double-parked vehicles were nearby. “The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV towards the school and was struck by...

The truth of the matter is that bodycams may have been the single greatest idea to debunk the insane claims from the BLM communities that cops are systemically racist.More often than not, bodycam footage from police altercations actually shows the danger that police officers are in on a day-to-day basis rather than showing them acting with impunity and seeking out altercations with minorities.You could make the argument that they have been the driving force in dealing a deathblow to the BLM movement.

Seven Republican senators on Thursday voted against advancing a six-bill funding package to keep the government open past Friday, citing concerns about the ballooning federal deficit and what they saw as the failure of the so-called appropriations minibus to significantly cut spending Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voted against a motion to advance the bill, even though it had the strong support of Senate GOP leaders.The package, which was blocked on a 45-55 vote, would have failed regardless of how the Republicans...

Governor Newscum May Be Involved in Dirty Money Laundering Scheme From Mexican Cartels

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