You might have thought it wasn’t possible, but leftist activist rhetoric has become even more unhinged than usual in the past month as ICE agents try to do their lawful jobs in Democrat controlled sanctuary cities like Minneapolis. 

During the Obama Administration, ICE carried out millions of deportations of illegal aliens without a peep from progressives.  Suddenly, under Trump these same operations are now being called “fascism” and grounds for insurgency.  The reason these arrests have led to more violence today is not because of ICE, it is because NGO paid and trained activists are getting in the way.

First, impeding law enforcement officials, blocking roads, sabotaging vehicles and physically assaulting agents is not a legal form of protest. 

Second, the American public voted for mass deportations to happen; not just for migrants who break the law after they sneak into the US, but for all migrants who sneak into the US.  Democrats and a radical minority of activists are therefore attempting to disrupt the democratic process and prevent the Trump Administration from carrying out the will of the people.

But it doesn’t stop there. 

A narrative is building among Democrat politicians and NGO activists alike which is essentially calling for a political purge of conservatives if progressive leaders return to government power in the next few years.  Multiple blue city mayors, governors and police administrators have already threatened to “arrest ICE agents” for carrying out deportations within sanctuary city jurisdictions. 

Jacob Frey and Tim Walz made thinly veiled threats suggesting that local police could intervene.  Walz called on residents of Minneapolis to film all ICE agents so that they could be “prosecuted later.”       

Jacob Frey says residents are calling on Minneapolis police to fight ICE agents.

Watch the police chief’s face when he says this.pic.twitter.com/fwHVCTsxd7

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) January 15, 2026

These speeches echo sentiments of leftists on social media calling for a Stasi-like purge if Democrats get back control of Congress and the White House.  They assert that ICE agents can be identified and later imprisoned for enforcing basic immigration laws, even if their deportation arrests were legal and constitutional at the time.

TIM WALZ: “If you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record.”

“Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans, not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution.” pic.twitter.com/V7fCMY3WZ1

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 15, 2026

The Trump Administration and ICE have responded, asserting that such actions would constitute an insurrection.  In other words, blue cities would be at war with the federal government.  

Philadelphia “Sheriff” @PhilaSheriff Rochelle Bilal should resign before she embarrasses herself any further.

“Arresting ICE officers”?

Try it. See what happens. pic.twitter.com/IZgvHN9RyV

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) January 10, 2026

The insanity of leftists, however, is not to be taken lightly.  Activist influencers want Trump and anyone associated with him thrown in the gulag.  They are even suggesting that they can drag Trump and his allies before a tribunal and Democrats will “find the crimes” they are guilty of.  As Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin’s secret police in the Soviet Union allegedly stated:

“Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime…”

Ex-CNN host Jim Acosta and Democrat podcaster Jennifer Welch recently agreed that the left needs to take revenge on President Donald Trump.  Not just by winning elections, but by putting him in prison for winning his election.

WEAPONIZATION: Democrat activists Jennifer Welch and Jim Acosta say mass prosecutions of Trump and Republicans would be necessary for national reconciliation when Democrats regain power, arguing that expanding the SCOTUS would be required to jail Trump. pic.twitter.com/0a8hfU9qiq

— @amuse (@amuse) January 17, 2026

Elon Musk took to X and posted a warning to conservatives in response to the clip, stating: “They mean it.” 

This is not a new tactic for Democrats.  They attempted to jail Trump a number of times on fabricated charges in order to prevent him from running for office in 2024.  They imprisoned around 1270 J6 protesters for an insurrection that never happened in order to make an example.  They went after Trump’s political allies with arrests and lawsuits. They tried to bury Musk with investigations and red tape.  All of this was designed to undermine any chance of conservatives regaining a presence in government.  

Without a doubt, if Democrats somehow steal the kind of power they once had during the Biden Administration, they will take action to ensure no one is able to take it from them again.  Or, they will start a civil war in the process.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger has accused the radical left of getting people killed through ongoing delusions and interference with federal immigration enforcement, pointing to the fatal shooting of Renee Good as a prime example.

Appearing on FOX News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Shellenberger highlighted how leftist rhetoric and actions are radicalizing individuals like Good, leading them into perilous situations while obstructing lawful operations.

“I think left is getting people killed at this point. There’s no other way to say it,” Shellenberger stated. “These are not difficult issues, legally, morally. The public voted for a president who is implementing his policies, it’s undemocratic to halt the implementation of those policies, which is what is happening.”

Michael Shellenberger on ICE Protests: ‘The Left is Getting People Killed’ | Mike LaChance, The Gateway Pundit

Writer and political analyst Michael Shellenberger appeared on the Jesse Watters show this week to talk about the unhinged anti-ICE protests and the consequences of… pic.twitter.com/S4oUKaKndy

— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) January 19, 2026

He referenced prior incidents of leftist extremism, noting, “A year ago, we were talking about the left setting Teslas on fire. Obviously, between then and now, Charlie Kirk was murdered, the radicalization of the left is ongoing here.”

Shellenberger portrayed Good as a victim of this radicalization, caught in a web of misinformation. “Renee Good, the woman that was killed, is a victim of all this herself. She’s in the grip of a delusion. Her partner afterwards said that she couldn’t believe that they were using real bullets. They’re not in reality. They’re in some total fantasy universe.”

He continued, “They imagine they’re fighting Nazis. They don’t understand that a majority of their fellow Americans, you know, voted to implement the policies that ICE is implementing, and they imagine the police would use fake bullets.”

Shellenberger called for accountability, suggesting intervention in cases where protesters endanger children. “They’re going to need Child Protective Services if those reports are true of these people bringing children to a violent protest. That’s putting their children at risk.”

He emphasized the broader implications: “I mean, it’s a dangerous moment, Jesse. I hope this will finally serve as a wake-up call to the left, because, yes, they’re getting people killed. It’s as simple as that.”

Addressing host Jesse Watters’ point about media figures like Wolf Blitzer misrepresenting the incident, Shellenberger criticized the disconnect. Watters remarked, “I mean, Mike, did you see Wolf Blitzer? It’s like day 10 of this, and he still thinks this woman was just randomly caught in traffic after dropping her six-year-old off at school?”

Shellenberger also targeted professional politicians like Ilhan Omar and Tim Walz for cynically amplifying the narrative. In response to Watters asking if they truly believe their own rhetoric comparing the situation to the Civil War or Nazi Germany, Shellenberger replied, “Oh, no, of course they don’t. I mean, it’s very cynical, as you’re pointing out. I think you’re spot on.”

“The real villains here are the people that were spreading – that are spreading the lies that are deceiving people like Renee Good, who is going and committing acts, imagining that she’s invulnerable, getting in the middle of a police operation, imagining that that is somehow – that really, I mean, that’s the only way that that could have happened, is that she thought she was invulnerable,” the journalist urged.

He reiterated, “Her partner said she couldn’t believe it was real bullets. That’s the level we’re dealing with here.”

Shellenberger underscored the illegality of interfering with federal operations: “So, I mean, the whole thing – this is what the left wanted, unfortunately. I think the question of whether or not this is good politics is a different one, but at least on the moral level, you know, federal government, we have a democracy. The federal government is implementing its policy, and it is illegal and dangerous to interfere in that.”

The critique aligns with the revelations about Good’s involvement in anti-ICE activism. As detailed in our previous report, Good was part of the “ICE Watch” network, trained to disrupt deportation efforts, and footage showed her blocking traffic before accelerating toward agents.

Protests have spread, with clashes in Minneapolis and other cities, prompting the Trump administration to deploy additional federal agents. Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act amid escalating tensions.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

The Maryland power bill crisis first came to our attention in August 2024, when years of poor power-grid management by Democrats (mostly due to backfiring ‘green’ policies) in the state collided with surging electricity demand from AI data centers.

Fast forward to today: the power bill crisis in the one-party rule state of Democratic Party kings and queens, headed by leftist Gov. Wes Moore, who has presidential ambitions, is getting hammered in the polling numbers (new data from Annapolis-based Gonzales Research & Media) as struggling Marylanders are financially crushed by mounting power-bill debt and venting their frustration in a Facebook group with nearly 14,000 angry residents.

The Facebook group called “BGE Victims” has amassed 13.7k members, with many in the group pointing fingers at not just the local utility BGE or the grid operator PJM, but also the one-party rule of Democrats in the state who have masqueraded as competent managers but in reality are far-left activists looting the state’s coffers to fund pet projects from supporting illegal aliens to all things woke.

Epic grid mismanagement, such as retiring fossil fuel power plants and de-growthing the grid with unreliable solar and wind to solve what Democrats say is a climate crisis emergency, has been nothing more than mismanagement, and the end result has been the financial destruction of the working class.

“I just joined this post and I’m in the same situation as a lot of people my BG& bill is 800dollars a month and I have no idea why I’ve called them and they’ve even came out and they told me the same thing that they told other people change my lightbulbs do this do that and it’s still that much right now I’m in a worse situation than ever my BgE bill has accumulated. I’m not kidding to almost $6000 behind they can’t cut the electric off till the end of February,” Baltimore resident Sheryl Harrison wrote in the group, posting her total past due amount from her electricity bill that tops nearly $6,100.

The panic is real in Maryland. Working-class folks are drowning in power bill debt.

Some residents are instructing folks how to bypass meters to get free power. That’s how bad the power crisis is in Maryland.

Folks are learning that their power bill crisis is merely the result of grid mismanagement by Democrats.

Power bill debt is mounting.

Folks are learning.

About 1.5 years ago, we wrote a note explaining how Maryland “couldn’t import itself out of an energy crisis,” amid the urgent need to boost in-state power generation. At the time, we noted that roughly 40% of the electricity consumed by Marylanders was imported from surrounding states.

ESG Legal Solutions penned a note warning that Maryland’s “apocalyptic environmentalism” was one of the key drivers of the state’s power-grid crisis, a reality that was well visible to anyone except left-wing politicians as they pursued state-killing green policies in the name of fighting climate change.

On top of the epic grid mismanagement that failed to properly expand spare capacity for data centers, we have also warned that the latest PJM auction suggests that, absent price controls, power bills in the state could rise even further.

Here’s the latest:

• Inside The PJM Auction Report, Something Crazy: Without Price Controls, Electricity Bills Would Explode

• “Emergency Intervention”: Trump To Cap Residential Electric Bills By Forcing Tech Giants To Pay For Soaring Power Costs

Local elections matter. It’s time for Marylanders to wake up or risk being financially slaughtered by decades of bad decisions made by Democrats.

Seeking to tamp down speculation that US bombs and drones could actually be flying south of the border to do cartel raids, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Washington has assured her there will be no American military flights over Mexico.

Sheinbaum said Monday she received “written” guarantees from the US that American military aircraft would not operate over Mexican territory or in its sovereign airspace, adding that Washington also pledged to notify Mexico City and seek approval in advance of any such potential military operations.

Her comments followed notifications from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning civilian pilots to be alert for possible military flights over Mexico and parts of Central and South America.

For example, last Friday:

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued notices to airlines, urging them to “exercise caution” over Mexico and other Central American countries, as well as Ecuador and Colombia, due to “military activities”.

On Friday, the FAA released a series of advisories that come amid an ongoing US military buildup in the Latin America region, including US military attacks on Venezuela, and US President Donald Trump’s warning to Cuba and threats of strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia, leaving many in the region on edge.

The central American country has understandably been on edge going back to the January 3rd US military raid on Caracas to overthrow and apprehend Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, and also amid the months-long major build-up of US naval forces in the Caribbean Sea.

Still, President Trump has been pressing Sheinbaum to greenlight US military action against drug cartels operating in Mexico, a demand she has repeatedly rejected in defense of Mexican sovereignty, which would also be immensely unpopular with her constituency. 

Various media reports have speculated that Trump could still move forward with authorizing strikes on suspected drug laboratories and raids targeting cartel leadership, given that during this administration Washington has designated several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. 

On the question of illegal drugs and weapons flowing into the United States, Sheinbaum has said, “The other side also has to do its part. This consumption crisis they have over there also has to be addressed from a public health perspective, through education campaigns.”

Trump’s own clear warnings have sparked fears of military incursions into Mexico…

Trump confirmed on Hannity that the US will begin conducting land strikes on cartel assets in Mexico.

He says “the cartels are running Mexico”.

The Deep State racketeering network is going to be obliterated. The South/Central American cartels are going to be wiped out. pic.twitter.com/BW142m90M9

— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 9, 2026

Since Maduro’s ouster by military force, the US drone attacks on alleged narco-trafficking boats have gone curiously silent – suggesting the series of actions were all about public signaling, or in other words propaganda and even just a distraction.

Ukraine’s energy crisis continues, not only with nationwide rolling blackouts, but with fresh overnight Russian strikes on the capital having plunged nearly 6,000 of the city’s buildings into darkness amid subzero temperatures.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced Tuesday he is skipping the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) summit given his country’s energy emergency is his top priority. “For now, I am choosing Ukraine, not an economic forum,” Zelensky said, but noted the situation could change quickly and that he’s urging immediate support from outside partners.

KyivPost reports that “According to the mayor, 5,635 high-rise buildings were left without heating following the strike, nearly 80% of which had only recently had heat restored after outages on Jan. 9.” Kiev is experiencing -14C temperatures on Tuesday, or 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Already, authorities had declared a power emergency, and planned further rolling blackouts to keep the national grid functioning as parts get urgently replaced and emergency repairs are underway. But even water outages have hit Kiev too:

Power and water outages were recorded on Kyiv’s Left Bank, where social infrastructure facilities were switched to autonomous power supplies.

At least one woman was wounded in the overnight strikes, which also involved drones. This month has ranked as the worst for the capital after nearly four years of war in terms of keeping the lights on:

“Municipal and energy services are working to restore heating, water and electricity at homes throughout the city,” the mayor said.

Russia’s latest air attacks come several days after the worst strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Half of Kyiv had lost electricity and heating as a result of those strikes, which took place on Jan. 9.

Local Ukrainians have expressed extreme frustration, given massive repairs all across the city have just been completely undone:

Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said almost 80% of those buildings had just had their heating restored following the large-scale attack on 9 January, which knocked out power for much of the city. Since then, relentless efforts by technicians had managed to reinstate electricity and gas for thousands – only for that work to be undone overnight.

“I have no electricity and no water,” Oleksandr Palii, a 29-year-old veteran, told the BBC. “I didn’t sleep until 3am because of the strikes either – there were explosions all night.”

Some officials are reportedly advising citizens of the capital region who are in freezing conditions to leave until to the situation is stabilized. Some other parts of Ukraine currently have more access to heating and water.

Still, the overnight drone and missile attack impacted other areas and cities, which has become a nightly occurrence:

• Kyiv’s air force reported Russia fired some 339 long-range combat drones and 34 missiles, while DTEK energy company said over 335,000 residents lost electricity after the strikes.
• Sheltering in metro stations, Kyiv residents faced school closures until February as municipal and energy services and repair crews worked to restore heating, water, and electricity.
• The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants over strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, and Ursula von der Leyen announced a €78bn loan to support basic services.

Meanwhile, some anti-Russia outlets worry that Trump’s threat to take Greenland will ‘distract’ from the Ukraine war at Davos. “President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and impose punitive tariffs on European countries who oppose him are set to dominate the annual World Economic Forum meeting this week,” the Amsterdam-based Moscow Times writes.

Minus fifteen.
This is no longer weather. This is a weapon.

Russia struck thermal power plants.
Not the front line. Not the army.
Heat. Light. Survival.

Kyiv is dark.
Dnipro is dark.
Odesa is dark.

Minus fifteen.

People will die now without bleeding.
From cold rooms. From… pic.twitter.com/8n5PCI0byx

— inna shevchenko (@femeninna) January 9, 2026

Ukraine is still expected to be high on the WEF agenda, but all eyes will be on Trump and his interactions with European allies over the pressing Greenland issue. “Europe was anxious when Trump was elected. It’s even more anxious now, largely because of Greenland,” a diplomat has been cited as saying.

Trump is expected to appear at Tuesday’s White House press briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of his second term.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt teased the surprise in a post on X, saying, “A very special guest will be joining me at the podium today…. TUNE IN.”

The rare appearance at the briefing podium comes as the president faces extraordinary pushback from America’s European allies over his planned tariffs over Greenland, tensions he’ll face in person this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Watch the full briefing here… “Brace!”

Authored by Daniel Lacalle, 

Most of the recent reports about the potential opportunity in Greenland and Venezuela focus on the large capital expenditure required, technical challenges, and legal security risks. However, markets may exaggerate the risks and underestimate the potential.

It is interesting to read that the United States should not invest in Venezuela and Greenland because they are high-risk, low-potential areas, but the same analysts find no problem in China and Russia developing those resources.

The oil market will likely lose most of its geopolitical risk premium with Venezuela’s transition to a transparent democracy and a possible regime change in Iran. Adding the development of Greenland may have the same effect that the shale revolution had. The potential of lower gas prices and tech disinflation, higher investment, and more transparent price formation is significant.

The world does not have resource scarcity. It has legal and regulatory excess. In fact, most of the limitations in Greenland and Venezuela are legal and regulatory, more than technical, even if the technical aspect may include some challenges. Deregulation and a transparent legal framework are key to unlocking the enormous potential.

Greenland is undeniably a high-return mining opportunity. The Malmbjerg Molybdenum project offers an estimated 33.8% IRR with $1.17 billion Net Present Value on $820 million capital expenditure. All the feasibility studies have been completed, the permitting is done, and it is just a question of taking the decision to act. The Tanbreez rare earth project offers an exceptional 180% estimated IRR with around $3 billion NPV on just $290 million capex. Similar economics can be found in its graphite & gold resources. Manageable capital expenditure and a return on invested capital that comfortably exceeds the weighted average cost of capital with rapid payback periods.

In oil and gas, the Greenland opportunity finds more legal and regulatory resistance, but the returns may be significantly higher. Greenland holds very large but still unproven oil and gas resources, with technically attractive volumes but slightly more challenging economics due to government policy.

A USGS Circum‑Arctic assessment estimates mean undiscovered conventional resources in the East Greenland Rift Basins at about 31.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent (oil, gas, and natural gas liquids). The Greenland government mentions a separate West Greenland/Baffin Bay assessment with a mean resource of more than 18 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Independent basin studies for onshore Jameson Land suggest around 4 billion barrels of unrisked recoverable oil, with about 1.2 billion barrels targeted by the first two planned wells. Onshore blocks are less expensive and logistically safer than deep‑offshore Arctic projects. Analysts highlight that even a significant discovery would likely carry high break-even prices due to Arctic logistics, absence of infrastructure, export‑terminal requirements and harsh operating conditions. Different independent analyses show breakeven oil prices at $75/bbl and IRRs of 13%. However, the inflated cost estimates come mostly from the estimates of small independent exploration companies, not from more efficient and cost-effective majors.

The problem in Greenland is not navigating the technical challenges and reducing costs but government interventionism. In 2021, the government stopped issuing new oil and gas exploration licenses, citing climate-related reasons. This limits the potential, as there is little option of improving costs via economies of scale and major player involvement. Many other areas with technical challenges have proven to be economically viable at $60 a barrel with a better combination of cost structures and engineering economies of scale.

​Greenland suffers a policy paradox. Legal licenses exist, but an overtly anti‑oil stance and strong so-called environmental scrutiny have made investor confidence The challenges posed by Arctic logistics and infrastructure limitations primarily stem from the difficulty of installing large-scale operations, which discourages oil companies from making productive investments. cost-efficient systems. Litigation, regulatory animosity, political opposition, and permitting delays are the main problems. Greenland’s undeniable oil and gas opportunity can be unlocked with a solid program of environmentally respectful and technically efficient investments where major players can leverage economies of scale and find the technical solutions to reduce costs.

Analysts’ estimates of high costs in Greenland are made with a static view of the industry, which has proven to be able to slash expenses and boost productivity numerous times in equally challenging areas.

The case in Venezuela is also very attractive and only limited by legal and political insecurity.

Venezuela’s oil production has plummeted from 3.5 million barrels per day to less than a million due to the dictatorship’s plundering of PDVSA, the national oil company, and abandoning productive investment. The Maduro regime weaponized PDVSA to make it a cash machine for its political spending, financing of dictatorships, and making the leaders of the regime rich.

A speedy recovery of 500 thousand barrels per day is relatively easy and would require Chevron’s four joint ventures to currently produce around 200 kb/d, which accounts for about 22–25% of total Venezuelan output, and this figure could increase by 50% in less than a year and a half by simply leveraging existing resources. Productive capacity of existing fields would require the intervention of the main service providers to solve the leaks and revamp the technically outdated infrastructure.

Adding one million barrels per day to the country’s output would require a maximum of $70 billion of capital expenditure. However, restoring to 2018 levels only needs $20 billion. In fact, once legal, regulatory, and safety hurdles are lifted, companies may find that the cost is substantially lower.

Many existing projects in Venezuela could raise production and improve project‑level IRRs once political risk, legal limitations, and contracts normalize. Petropiar, in the Orinoco Belt, is currently at 50% of capacity because the upgrader did not have major maintenance in six years as the government corruption and interventionism soared. With full maintenance and recovery, production can double from current levels. The Petroboscán project in Lake Maracaibo can easily increase production by 40% through workovers and incremental recovery technology.

In Venezuela’s main projects, infrastructure and wells already exist. Therefore, adding incremental production from infill drilling, artificial lift, and maintenance is relatively fast with low additional costs, which could double IRRs rapidly.

Chevron’s four joint ventures currently produce around 200 kb/d, about 22–25% of total Venezuelan output, and this figure could increase by 50% in less than a year and a half “just leveraging what’s on the ground,” which means high‑return, short‑cycle investments in maintenance and debottlenecking, according to the company.

The Junín and Carabobo projects are older development plans (Junín 2, 4, 5, 6 and Carabobo 1–3) that can produce between 200 and 450 kb/d for each block, but progress has stalled due to corruption, insecurity, and the country’s financial problems.

A 2025 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI) report estimates that six major heavy-oil projects would need about $47.4 billion in investment and could increase production capacity by around 2.1 million b/d, showing the large amount of production that could be restarted if conditions become safe, clear, and appealing. Venezuela currently has four upgrading units, but only one (at Petropiar) is operational. Therefore, the implementation of new or restored upgraders is crucial for rapidly increasing Orinoco crude production.

The most attractive return and the best way to recover the economy of Venezuela come from rehabilitating existing joint ventures and partially built Orinoco projects, where sunk infrastructure plus large in‑place reserves combine to provide small incremental capex and large production increases, according to the EAI report.

The recovery of Venezuela’s oil industry can generate significant benefits for the nation and its citizens once a transparent system of ownership, royalties, and legal framework is implemented. Venezuela will, therefore, need to implement a system like what Milei has created for Argentina, the RIGI framework, designed to provide legal and investor security for large-scale international investments. The Venezuela investment opportunity must be syndicated and implemented through consortiums to accelerate the capital deployment and maximize the output improvement.

The Venezuela opportunity for the world is enormous. It has the world’s largest crude reserves, and a new government that guarantees international arbitration, transparent and solid contracts and a hydrocarbon law reform can also create tens of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, strengthening the domestic supply chains, bringing back the more than 18 thousand technical experts the Maduro regime dismissed, and restoring PDVSA’s management and workforce to incorporate credible professionals instead of political figures.

The Venezuela opportunity offers an average 20% IRR at current oil prices once the initial restoration phase is completed. Decades of underinvestment and political dysfunction can be solved rapidly with decisive actions and technical skill. In five years, Venezuela can double current production levels and lead to an economic recovery that requires restoring private property security and eliminates the dictatorship’s parallel administrations and opaque agreements.

A more stable post‑Maduro setting can give results quickly and start a multi-year process of unlocking investment and recovering production. A Breakwave Advisors special report shows that a recognized government and market reintegration can allow production to trend back toward historic peaks (around 3.5 mbpd). Wood Mackenzie highlights that with regulatory clarity and access to capital, Venezuelan supply could become a significant medium‑term growth source for refiners configured to heavy crude. An Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC) technical report says that, with “proper investment,” Venezuela could sustain roughly 2.5 mbpd over 20–30 years, highlighting scope for production growth using horizontal wells, artificial lift, and other secondary recovery technologies.

In Venezuela, less than $10B dedicated to productivity technologies in specific heavy‑oil projects could double recovery factors over a 5-year period, showing +20% IRR project‑level economics relative to reserves in place.

Can it be done quickly? An Atlantic Council study highlights that licensing and contract reforms letting existing operators expand, plus new and transparent participation contracts, could add 500–600 thousand barrels per day in 12–18 months.​

The only reason why analysts see the current challenges as insurmountable is because it seems difficult to believe that the legal and investor security framework will change drastically to an investment-friendly and transparent system.

What Greenland and Venezuela show is that the enormous resource and development opportunities may have technical challenges, but those are easily solvable once the legal and regulatory framework changes from a corrupt and unstable system, in Venezuela, or an interventionist one, like Greenland, to a political and regulatory system focused on facilitating investment and looking for solutions, not creating problems.

Once politics stop interfering, investment will thrive. If you want respect for the environment, economic development, and sustainability, you should trust engineers, not politicians.

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating the city of Minneapolis’s “comprehensive racialized housing plans,” the department said in a statement on Jan. 16.

HUD’s Office for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) notified the city of the investigation and stated its belief that the city’s race-based housing programs violate the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In a Jan. 15 letter to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, FHEO Assistant Secretary Craig W. Trainor said the Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate against any person on the basis of race or national origin in the sale or rental of a dwelling. Title VI bans racial or national origin discrimination in any program that receives federal funding.

The letter alleged an increase in racial and ethnic favoritism within the Minnesota government, calling it “alarming.”

Trainor cited fraud committed by Somali citizens in the state that he said cost U.S. taxpayers at least $9 billion. Trainor accused Gov. Tim Walz’s administration of allowing the fraud to flourish and of trying to politically align with the Somali community, primarily for election favoritism.

“This racial favoritism appears to extend to Minneapolis’s housing policy,“ the letter reads.

”Specifically, Minneapolis has committed to making available and allocating housing resources based on race and nationality.”

The letter cited the “Minneapolis 2040” plan issued by the city, which aims to prioritize housing resources to “cultural districts,” which are defined in the plan as areas rooted in “communities significantly populated by people of color, Indigenous people, and/or immigrants.”

The plan promises to expand programs that support existing homeowners in affording and maintaining their homes, with a “focus on people of color, indigenous people.” It vowed to use “racial equity goals” as one criterion when examining various state programs and services.

The city’s Community Planning and Economic Development department also intends to prioritize rental housing to black people, indigenous people, people of color, and immigrant groups by leveraging its rental licensing authority, the letter reads.

“As a result of Minneapolis’s racialized housing policy, I have directed the Office of Special Investigations to investigate Minneapolis,” Trainor wrote.

“If FHEO finds reasonable cause to believe Minneapolis has or intends to violate the civil rights of its citizens, we will file charges of discrimination or refer the matter to the United States Department of Justice for further enforcement.”

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Eric Scott Turner, testifies before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 16, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

HUD Secretary Scott Turner called Minnesota ground zero for fraud and corruption, accusing the state of choosing to ignore the law and instead serving a “cynical political agenda.”

These alleged actions undermine American values and the commitment to equal treatment under the law for all citizens, he said.

“In Minnesota, @HUDgov has uncovered up to $84 million in ineligible assistance during Biden’s final year—including $496,000 in improper assistance to 509 dead tenants,” Turner said in a Jan. 13 post on X.

The Epoch Times reached out to Walz and Frey for comment and did not receive a response.

Minnesota Operations, Fraud

Both Walz and Frey have been highly critical of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions in the state.

In a Jan. 15 statement, Walz accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of “pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens, and demanding to see their papers.”

On Jan. 17, Walz’s office dismissed reports that the governor was being investigated by the Department of Justice.

“Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a Jan. 7 statement, Frey asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave Minneapolis and the state “immediately.”

“We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities—know that you have our full support,” he said.

Multiple federal agencies are probing Minnesota for the fraudulent use of federal funds.

Last month, a federal prosecutor suggested that more than 50 percent of the approximately $18 billion in federal funds assigned to the state since 2018 may have been stolen.

The funds were channeled into 14 state programs, including housing, autism, and child nutrition services run by Somalis.

Since 2022, almost 100 people have been charged in various Minnesota fraud schemes, and most of them are of Somali descent.

US natural gas futures surged for a second straight session as an Arctic cold blast and mounting winter storm threats forced traders to reassess energy demand, with heating demand across much of the eastern US now forecast to surge sharply.

As of 09:00 ET, NatGas futures are up nearly 27%, marking the largest intraday jump since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late January 2022. The move comes as weather models flipped sharply colder, now forecasting a massive deep freeze across the eastern half of the country through the end of the month.

NatGas prices are set to reclaim the $4 per mmbtu level.

Average temperatures across Washington, DC, are plunging and could average around 10°F by the weekend. This cold blast is far more extreme than the one in the first half of December. Notably, this period typically coincides with the most intense part of winter.

The cold blast has sent the heating demand forecast for the next two weeks through the roof.

More details on the cold blast:

• A colder outlook indicates a higher heating demand that would erase the modest storage surplus seen earlier this month.

• Hedge funds had increased bearish bets last week, leaving the market vulnerable to a short-covering rally once forecasts changed.

• Forecasters at Atmospheric G2 said earlier that weather models underestimated both the intensity and the geographic reach of the Arctic cold.

• Commodity Weather Group expects average temperatures around 8°F below normal across much of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and parts of southern New England through this weekend.

• The US Weather Prediction Center warned two dozen weather stations could break or tie daily temperature records through Jan. 26.

Among meteorologists on X, discussion has abruptly shifted toward what could become a historic winter storm stretching from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic, beginning Friday. Weather observer Ryan Hall detailed this winter threat in a report Monday titled “This Could Be The Big One.”

Here’s what meteorologists are saying:

On Sunday morning, snow and ice is forecast to stretch 2,000 miles from the Southwest to the East Coast.

Around 160 million people are forecast to experience wintry precipitation simultaneously!

Here’s a sampling of possible precipitation types in some cities early Sunday:… pic.twitter.com/L0scgoZJv7

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 20, 2026

Odds are increasing for a particularly memorable winter storm late this week into the weekend… pic.twitter.com/fopHLEj40G

— Ryan Hall, Y’all (@ryanhallyall) January 20, 2026

⚠️A potentially historic winter storm is gearing up for weekend impact across a large portion of the country.

I’ll be live with in-depth analysis to Clarity clients at 7am est.

To access our platform and our client lives you can by signing up now: https://t.co/5NjlJjOeSS pic.twitter.com/5xkF0JvQFf

— BAM Weather (@bam_weather) January 20, 2026

All eyes are on the Mid-Atlantic late this week as winter storm threats rise.  

Authored by Travis Gillmore and Cathy He via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump used his first year back in the White House to set the tone for his second presidency, changing the nation and the world in the process.

Through more than 225 executive orders, the president reorganized federal government policy and focus, while advancing his America First agenda.

On the world stage, Trump reset global trade policy, brokered peace deals, and used the U.S. military in several defining moments.

Here are 30 ways the Trump administration has transformed the country and beyond.

1. One Big Beautiful Bill Act

In July 2025, Congress passed Trump’s signature domestic policy legislation—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—that implemented sweeping changes to tax and social policies over the next 10 years.

The legislation included making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent; tax breaks on tips, overtime, and Social Security income; completing the border wall, adding $150 billion in defense spending, and imposing work requirements for Medicaid.

Other elements allow for accelerated depreciation deductions meant to incentivize business development and tax exemptions for interest paid on American-made vehicles.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak on his policy to end tax on tips in Las Vegas on Jan. 25, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

2. Curbing Illegal Immigration

After the president enacted strict border security policies, including invoking the Illegal Alien Enemies Act of 1798, illegal immigration plummeted to the lowest numbers ever recorded.

Zero illegal immigrants were released by authorities for eight straight months, starting in May 2025, and more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States were deported, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Administration officials prioritized the removal of known gang members and violent criminals, while nearly 2 million illegal immigrants chose to self deport, some using Customs and Border Protection’s Home app.

Efforts to secure the border included hiring thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, ending catch and release policies, and expanding detention capacity.

Trump said deportations of illegal immigrants will benefit Americans by lowering crime and reducing competition for jobs and housing.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Big Bend Sector takes part in a binational patrol called “Operation Mirror” with Mexican Army personnel to deter migrant crossings from Ojinaga, Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, on Nov. 4, 2025. Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images

3. Expanded Travel Bans

Trump cited national security concerns when he fully restricted travel from 12 countries last year—including Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia—then expanded the directive in December 2025 to include five more nations. Nineteen countries are also subject to partial restrictions.

Beginning Jan. 21, the State Department will halt immigrant visa processing for nationals from 75 countries. The move stems from concerns that those nationals would require welfare or public benefits in the United States.

Soldiers of the Somalia National Army walk near the frontlines at Sabiid, one of the towns they have liberated from the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists, Al-Shabaab, in Somalia’s lower-Shabelle region on Nov. 11, 2025. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

4. Birthright Citizenship

One of the first executive orders signed in Trump’s second term challenged traditional interpretations of the 14th Amendment by ending birthright citizenship for those born to illegal immigrants or individuals in the country on temporary visas.

States and groups filed lawsuits against the administration, and lower courts ruled to block the president’s order. A challenge to the blocks reached the Supreme Court, prompting a landmark decision restricting courts’ use of nationwide injunctions.

The high court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship.

The entrance to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services location where a New York City Council data analyst of Venezuelan origin was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while making an immigration appointment, in the Long Island town of Bethpage, N.Y., on Jan. 14, 2026. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

5. Visa Changes

The administration increased fees for H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers to $100,000, expressing hope that this would incentivize businesses to hire American workers.

A newly introduced Trump Gold Card, available for purchase for $1 million for individuals and $2 million for businesses, will expedite residency processing for qualified applicants who pass background screenings.

The administration also suspended the green card lottery program in the wake of the Brown University shooting in December 2025. The diversity visa lottery awarded approximately 50,000 green cards each year to people from countries with limited representation in the United States.

A Trump Gold Card is displayed in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders on Sept. 19, 2025. Trump signed an order creating the Trump Gold Card expedited residency progam for a fee of $1 million for individuals and $2 million for sponsorships by corporations. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

6. National Guard Deployments

The president first deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell riots that erupted in June 2025 after protests targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Trump then sent troops to Washington to help combat high rates of violent crime in the capital. Subsequent deployments sent National Guard members to Portland, Chicago, and Memphis.

Democratic leaders challenged the deployments, and the Supreme Court in December 2025 ruled on a preliminary basis that the administration could not deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to protect federal immigration agents. Trump later withdrew guardsmen from Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles.

National Guard members patrol the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 27, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

7. DOGE

On the first day of his second term, Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to investigate and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government..

Initially led by Elon Musk, the department cites $215 billion in taxpayer savings on its website, derived from contract cancellations, lease terminations, the elimination of duplicate payments, and halting fraudulent activities.

Agencies most impacted by DOGE include the Department of Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, and the Social Security Administration.

Efforts also included the large-scale layoff of federal workers, totaling about 317,000, of which approximately 92 percent left voluntarily after taking up buyout offers, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk receives a key from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025. Musk served as an adviser to Trump and led the Department of Government Efficiency. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

8. Jan. 6 Pardons

On Day One, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged with various crimes for participating in protests and riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

He also commuted the sentences of 14 incarcerated individuals rather than granting full, unconditional pardons, thus leaving criminal convictions in place for some charged with seditious conspiracy—including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and others.

People gather outside the DC Central Detention Facility, after President Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants, in Washington on Jan. 20, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

9. Pulling US Out of Climate Pacts

Trump initiated the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords for a second time on Jan. 20, 2025. In January 2026, the United States pulled out of the global benchmark climate treaty, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, and withdrew from the Green Climate Fund, which finances much of the U.N.’s climate initiatives.

Domestically, the administration has moved to overhaul climate-related regulations, including rescinding electric vehicle mandates, halting offshore wind projects, and revoking a climate finding that would pave the way for expansive deregulation.

The COP30 logo is seen in front of the central building ahead of the COP30 Brazil Amazonia 2025 in Belem, Brazil, on Nov. 3, 2025. The Conference of the Parties (COP) meets annually to discuss and negotiate on climate-related issues. Wagner Meier/Getty Images

10. Eliminating DEI

Federal guidelines pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were eliminated on Trump’s first day in office. The change terminated training programs and requirements, along with positions related to DEI, and reprioritized merit-based hiring practices.

The administration, citing civil rights law, has also sought to ban DEI in universities and public schools that receive federal funding.

The moves were made amid a broader backdrop of corporations—including Amazon, McDonald’s, and Meta—rolling back their DEI policies.

President Donald Trump, joined by golf legend Tiger Woods, speaks during a reception honoring Black History Month in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 20, 2025. The Black History Month celebration comes as Trump has signed a series of executive orders ending federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and cutting funding to schools and universities that do not cut DEI programs. Win McNamee/Getty Images

11. Dismantling Education Department

Trump is pushing Congress to eliminate the Education Department, with Secretary Linda McMahon leading the charge to phase it out. More than half of the department staff has been laid off, and many functions are being transferred to other departments.

The administration wants states to oversee administrative functions for their own education systems.

The Department of Education building in Washington on July 6, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

12. Probing Universities

The federal government has withheld billions of dollars in funding from colleges and universities with recent histories of alleged civil rights violations and disruptive or violent pro-Palestinian protests, prompting legal challenges.

Settlements were reached with Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and others. Columbia agreed to pay a $200 million fine plus $21 million to Jewish employees harassed by co-workers and students.

The administration is currently locked in a legal battle with Harvard, with billions in federal funds frozen.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on July 4, 2025. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times

13. MAHA Agenda

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services prompted a reimagining of the federal government’s approach to managing food and medicine.

Under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, Kennedy called on states to remove junk food from food stamp programs. Eighteen states have moved to do so.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a new inverted food pyramid that prioritizes healthy fats, proteins, fruits, and vegetables.

“The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs,” Kennedy said while unveiling the new guidelines.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins hold up ice cream cones during a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington on July 14, 2025. Kennedy held a press conference along with Rollins, and others, as they announced that ice cream makers who are responsible for 90 percent of the nation’s ice cream and frozen dairy desserts are pledging to eliminate many artificial food dyes by the end of 2027. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

14. Lowering Drug Prices

The administration balanced the threat of tariffs on imported medications and ingredients with financial incentives to change the longstanding practice of major pharmaceutical companies of charging U.S. customers 400 percent or more for brand-name medications than they charge overseas customers.

More than a dozen pharmaceutical companies have entered into Most Favored Nation agreements with the United States so far, and Trump has asked Congress to codify this pricing policy into law.

Among the price reductions included in these agreements are Amgen’s cholesterol lowering drug Repatha from $573 to $239; HIV medication Reyataz, by Bristol Myers Squibb, from $1,449 to $217; and Hepatitis C medication Epclusa, by Gilead Sciences, from $24,920 to $2,425.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks next to charts displaying drug prices at an event in which President Donald Trump delivered remarks on lowering drug prices in the Oval Office on Nov. 6, 2025. Trump announced that his administration has reached agreements with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that would lower the price of some GLP-1 weight loss medications. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

15. Gender Clarification

On his first day in office, Trump defined the federal government’s position on gender with an executive order declaring that the United States recognizes “two sexes, male and female.”

“These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” the order reads.

Trump later barred federal funding from schools and institutions that allow men to compete in women’s sports.

The University of Pennsylvania, which was sanctioned for allowing a male to compete on the women’s swim team, agreed to strip that athlete, Lia Thomas, of all awards, including his 2022 NCAA national championship, and send a letter of apology to all female swimmers who competed against him.

Health officials in December 2025 moved to cut federal funding for hospitals that perform transgender procedures for minors.

In the wake of Trump’s policies, more than 20 medical clinics that offered gender transition procedures have paused or halted the treatments.

President Donald Trump joined by women athletes signs the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025. The executive order, which Trump signed on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, prohibits males who identify as transgender women from competing in women’s sports. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

16. Redistricting Push

Trump’s push for Texas to redraw its congressional maps precipitated a nationwide effort to redistrict for partisan gain.

After Texas adopted new maps aimed at giving Republicans five extra House seats, California responded with a voter-approved ballot measure that redraws districts to favor Democrats in five seats.

Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina redrew maps in favor of Republicans, while Utah helped Democrats. Other states, including Florida, are in the process of redistricting or are considering redistricting options.

Texas state Rep. Matt Morgan holds a map of the new proposed congressional districts in Texas, during a legislative session as Democratic lawmakers, who left the state to deny Republicans the opportunity to redraw the state’s 38 congressional districts, begin returning to the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Aug. 20, 2025. Sergio Flores/Reuters

17. Eyeing Greenland

Trump upped the ante on his bid to acquire Greenland for national security purposes in January, prompting Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers to meet with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Jan. 14.

The White House has said purchasing the island is under consideration, along with other options, including military force.

Denmark, Greenland, and European leaders have pushed back on Trump’s comments. The president has reiterated that the island is critical for the United States’ security.

“There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do,” Trump said on Jan. 14.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak to the press after a meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 14, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

18. Resolved Global Conflicts

Trump threatened tariffs and applied economic pressure to help negotiate resolutions to eight conflicts around the world, some of which had been ongoing for decades.

Brokered cease-fires include those between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, as well as Thailand and Cambodia.

The president prioritized diplomatic solutions while wielding tariffs as a negotiating tool, emphasizing outcomes based on development and financial opportunities.

(Left) U.S. President Donald Trump (C) hosts the signing ceremony of a peace deal with the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame (L) and the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi (R) at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington on Dec. 4, 2025. (Right) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (R) watch as Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (2nd L) and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet (2nd R) hold up a document after the ceremonial signing of a cease-fire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images, Mohd Rasfan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

19.  Ending Israel–Hamas Conflict

Trump oversaw a landmark peace treaty between Israel and Hamas, known as the 20-point Peace Plan, which resulted in the release of all Hamas-held hostages, living and deceased.

Trump called the moment the “historic dawn of a new Middle East,” celebrating an opportunity to pave a path toward peace in a region engulfed in struggles that date back millennia.

Egypt awarded Trump its highest honor, the “Order of the Nile,” and Israel made him the first non-citizen to ever receive its Israel Prize for his peacekeeping efforts.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump sign a Gaza cease-fire agreement in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct. 13, 2025. Trump is in Egypt to meet with European and Middle Eastern leaders in what’s being billed as an international peace summit, following the start of a US-brokered cease-fire deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

20. Shifted Ukraine Policy

Trump ramped up pressure on Ukraine and Russia to bring the fighting to an end, suggesting Ukraine will have to cede territory it already lost in the war.

The Trump administration halted the Biden-era policy of free aid to Ukraine and negotiated arms sales instead.

Trump repeatedly expressed disappointment with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for failing to work towards a peaceful resolution, though he said talks are ongoing and productive.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following their meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2025. Trump invited Zelenskyy to work on the U.S.-proposed peace plan to end the Russia–Ukraine war. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

21. Iran Strikes

Ten days into the Israel–Iran conflict in June 2025, Trump flexed America’s military might during a top-secret operation known as Midnight Hammer that destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The Fordow fuel enrichment plant—buried deep underground—was targeted along with two other plants by a fleet of B-2 bombers dropping 14 bunker buster bombs, and a barrage of Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines.

Two days later, the conflict ended in a cease-fire.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine discusses the mission details of a targeted strike on Iran during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on June 22, 2025. President Donald Trump addressed the nation last night after three Iranian nuclear facilities were struck by the U.S. military. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

22. Backing Iranian Protesters

Iran’s violent clampdown on people protesting the Islamic regime drew criticism from the president.

Trump repeatedly voiced his support for the protesters, telling them to “take over the institutions” in a Truth Social post and promising them that “help is on the way.”

Human rights groups reported that more than 2,200 people were killed by Iranian officials since the protests began.

The president, on Jan. 16, said that the regime’s decision not to go ahead with scheduled executions of protesters impacted his decision not to strike Iran.

People gather during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026. Demonstrations have been ongoing since December 2025, triggered by soaring inflation and the collapse of the rial, and have expanded into broader demands for political change. Anonymous/Getty Images

23. Maduro Capture

In what may be a legacy-defining foreign policy action, Trump ordered the audacious military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their fortified compound in Caracas on Jan. 3.

The two were brought back to the United States and indicted in a New York federal court on several charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Both pleaded not guilty

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that prior to his capture, Maduro was given multiple opportunities to avoid the outcome.

In December 2025, the United States designated the Cartel de Los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, with Maduro as its head. The Cartel de Los Soles is the umbrella term used to describe Venezuelan regime officials involved in drug trafficking.

Rubio said on Jan. 7 that the United States has a three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilization, recovery, and transition.

Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores (rear), are escorted by federal agents after landing at a Manhattan helipad, as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026. XNY/Star Max/GC Images

24.  Drug Boat Strikes

Since September 2025, the U.S. military has targeted narcotics trafficking operations by striking boats smuggling drugs out of Venezuela. The United States has also amassed an unprecedented armada in the Caribbean Sea.

The first known land strike was conducted on a facility used to load illicit shipments in December last year.

Since December, U.S. forces have seized oil tankers attempting to evade sanctions by turning off their transponders and flying false flags to avoid detection.

(Left) A vessel used for drug smuggling burns after the U.S. military struck it in the Eastern Pacific, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released Dec. 18, 2025. (Center) A still taken from footage of a boat strike targeting drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific on Dec. 4, 2025. (Right) A still taken from footage of a strike on a drug boat in the Caribbean on Nov. 6, 2025. U.S. Southern Command/Handout via Reuters, @Southcom/X, @SecWar/X

25. Focus on Latin America

Trump resurrected and redefined the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine as the “Donroe Doctrine,” establishing U.S. strategic dominance in the Western hemisphere. The strategy culminated in drug boat strikes and U.S. forces deposing Maduro in the latter half of Trump’s first year, but the region was a key focus of the administration early on.

In early 2025, the president launched a pressure campaign threatening to retake control of the Panama Canal if Chinese influence was not removed from the area.

Last February, Panama announced it would not renew its Belt and Road infrastructure investment agreement with Beijing, a win for the U.S. administration.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino looks on as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) signs a bilateral agreement, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images

26. Trade War, Truce With China

Trump imposed two sets of tariffs on China: fentanyl tariffs over the country’s role in sending chemical precursors to Mexican cartels that traffic the drug into the United States; and reciprocal tariffs over Beijing’s decades-long unfair trade practices harming the United States.

Tit-for-tat tariffs imposed after last April’s “Liberation Day” saw U.S. levies reach as high as 245 percent for some Chinese products. After several bouts of escalation and de-escalation, the two sides reached a 1-year trade truce during Trump’s meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in South Korea in October.

Under the deal, Beijing agreed to resume buying U.S. soybeans, allow for the export of rare earths, and take measures to mitigate the flow of fentanyl precursors to the United States.

Shipping containers are seen at the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong Province on Aug. 12, 2025. China and the United States delayed higher tariffs on each other’s imports for 90 days, hours before a trade truce between the world’s two largest economies was due to expire on Aug. 12. STR/AFP via Getty Images

27. Tariffs and Trade Deals

The president’s expansive tariff policy has sought to reset global trade and reshore manufacturing to undo what U.S. officials describe as decades of unfair trade practices against the United States.

“Liberation Day” tariffs kicked off trade negotiations with dozens of countries. They’ve resulted in agreements with a host of nations, including the UK, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea.

Meanwhile, tariffs have raised record revenues—approximately $264 billion so far.

The trade deficit in October fell to the lowest level in 16 years.  Tariff revenues have lowered the national debt, and the president has proposed $2,000 tariff rebate checks for citizens. Such a measure would require legislative approval.

The Supreme Court, however, is set to decide whether Trump’s global tariffs are legal. U.S. officials have said that even if they are overturned, the government has other authorities to use to continue levying tariffs.

A chart that shows the reciprocal tariffs the United States is charging other countries is on display at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 2, 2025. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs targeting goods imported to the United States from most trading partners, including China, Japan, and India. Alex Wong/Getty Images

28. Trillions in Investments

Trade negotiations led to a record level of investment in the development and expansion of manufacturing facilities nationwide.

Trump’s May 2025 visit to Gulf countries led to deals totaling more than $2 trillion with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Trade deals with the U.K., the European Union, Japan, and South Korea have led to more than $2 trillion in purchases and investment commitments in the United States.

The United States and Taiwan in January announced a $500 billion deal aimed at reshoring American semiconductor manufacturing.

Trump recently said the “unbelievable success” of tariffs will drive an economic revival in the United States.

Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator, Yang Jen-ni (L), Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (C), and Taiwan’s top representative to the United States, Alexander Yui (R), speak at a press conference at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington on Jan. 16, 2026. Eva Fu/The Epoch Times

29. Shuttering USAID

The federal government reorganization included the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Trump administration eliminated approximately 94 percent of contracts, about $54 billion.

Rubio said the organization “strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad.”

Since December, the United States has signed health deals with more than a dozen African countries under a new aid model, called the “America First Global Health Strategy.” The United States has pledged billions to improve the health systems of the countries, which have committed billions in matching funds.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Kenyan President William Ruto (L) as they arrive for a Health Framework of Cooperation signing ceremony at the State Department in Washington on Dec. 4, 2025. Trump administration officials said the agreement would be the first in a series of agreements with developing countries, based on the “trade not aid” policy. Allison Robbert / AFP via Getty Images

30. Securing Rare Earth Supply Chain

The administration, recognizing the threat posed by China’s chokehold on rare-earth refining, has made a series of domestic and international investments to build an alternative supply chain for critical minerals. Rare earth elements are essential for modern manufacturing, including for cars, electronics, and weapons systems.

Ramaco Resources plans to extract more than 450 tons of rare earths from its 4,500-acre Brook Mine near Ranchester, Wyo., on July 11, 2025. John Haughey/The Epoch Times

In July 2025, the Pentagon entered into a landmark partnership with MP Materials, the country’s largest rare earth miner, committing billions of dollars to support the company and becoming its largest shareholder. MP Materials and the Pentagon also entered into a joint venture with a Saudi state-owned mining company to build a rare earths refinery in the Gulf country.

In October 2025, the United States and Australia agreed to invest $3 billion in rare earth projects.