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Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer faces mounting allegations of misconduct while her department operates largely without her showing up for work, according to The Washington Post.In addition to ongoing investigations into allegations of an affair with a staffer and drinking on the job, new reports describe alcohol stored in her office and attendance at strip clubs with staff members. The Post reported that insiders claim Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling effectively runs the Labor Department.Chavez-DeRemer has maintained minimal presence in Washington, focusing instead on a 50-state "America at Work" tour. Her absence has prompted criticism from both agency stakeholders and business representatives, according to the report.One lobbyist with department dealings commented, "Keith has been running the Labor Department since Day 1, as we thought he would. Her substantive interest is not that great in many areas. She hasn't been in the building much. She has had, from what I can determine, minimal involvement in substantive matters."Career staff members echoed similar concerns. A longtime Labor Department employee stated, "The career staff view her as a ghost. She doesn't publish her schedule. We don't know where she's at. We find out from the press releases that the public gets."Outside consultants report declining morale within the agency. Government affairs specialist Judy Conti observed, "Morale is in the toilet in that building."Staff frustration intensified following Chavez-DeRemer's arrival during a period of workforce uncertainty. The Post reported that when she was sworn in last year, the department faced potential layoffs. Her swearing-in ceremony featured champagne and cake, a celebration some staff found jarring given the employment crisis.

The Trump administration has been quietly expediting plans to put a nuclear plant on the moon in a geopolitical race with China and Russia to control the future of space. NASA has awarded contracts to three companies to develop small nuclear reactors that could supply power in space by 2030, according to Politico which published a list of "under-the-radar developments" during President Donald Trump's first year in office during his second term. The move was aimed to help prepare the United States for future space missions and could cost billions of dollars, although the space agency reportedly still needs to find the funding for the initiative. Start-ups and aerospace firms, including Lockheed Martin, have begun to craft plans for NASA's "call to industry" request that asks companies to give feedback and updates on its plans to create a fission power system on the moon. "The directive orders the reactors to provide at least 100 kilowatts of power — more than double what the agency had previously envisioned," Politico reported. Part of the motivation to quicken the project is connected to its competition with China, a geopolitical race as both countries are working "to build long-term bases on the moon, and nuclear reactors will be key to powering those outposts."Russia and China have reportedly discussed potentially building a joint nuclear power plant by 2035 — prompting NASA to expedite its own plans. "Officials argue that whoever does it first will write the rules of the road for space," Politico reported.

President Donald Trump has a plan for an instant strike back if the Supreme Court rules against his tariffs, according to a report Monday. In an interview with The New York Times, the United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — Trump's top trade negotiator — revealed that the president intends to impose tariffs no matter what. And even if the high court's ruling does not favor his current trade policies, he has readied actions to put levies in place to replace them "almost immediately." Even if the Supreme Court rules his tariffs unconstitutional in its ruling, which could come as soon as Tuesday, Trump has plans to add new tariffs to “start the next day” and “to respond to the problems the president has identified," Greer told The Times. Trump has leaned on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law, to justify his use of global tariffs issued on U.S. trade partners throughout his first year in office. The Supreme Court will determine if his authority could be revoked.“The reality is the president is going to have tariffs as part of his trade policy going forward,” Greer said.The Supreme Court justices could also side with Trump and allow him to continue his policies, including his move to initiate "numerous international emergencies to swiftly raise and lower tariffs on trading partners for a variety of reasons," according to The Times. Trump has claimed that his tariffs have focused on preventing the flow of illegal narcotics into the U.S., decreasing trade deficits and using the levies to address foreign policies. His actions have been criticized as a "brazen misuse of the emergency statute."

European nations singled out for tariff hikes by Donald Trump could hit back with an economic sanction of their own. While the eight nations, including the UK, Denmark, France, and Germany, are set to receive a 10% tariff on the price of goods, they could counter this with a "trade bazooka" move that could cripple the president's clear hopes of subsuming Greenland into US control, according to a report.A possible loophole could be exploited by seven of the eight sanctioned nations, with the European Union crucial to the plan should it come to pass. CNN commentator Auzinea Bacon believes the Greenland stand-off could be set for an ugly continuation, and that some EU member nations would be pressed into causing economic disturbances in the US.Trump levied the tariffs last week, furious that the nations were speaking out against his ambition to take over Greenland.Bacon wrote, "Trump may have allowed for a loophole, however: Trump’s tariffs are directed at a select few member nations, not the entire European Union. So the eight countries could reroute trade within the EU’s free trade bloc to avoid those tariffs."An immediate 10% tariff won’t rattle the economy as significantly as the long-term effects of a strained relationship with America’s largest trading partners."It’s the uncertainty about whether Trump will escalate his tariff threats or back out before imposing new duties that could make trading partners steer clear of America long-term."An expert speaking with Bacon about the implied price hikes also suggested there may be a workaround of stock location to deal with. New York University Stern School of Business professor Joseph Foudy said that allied European nations could simply move stock from one location to another. He said, "There’s no border between Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Anybody can ship a good through another country quite easily if we try and tariff individual states."Bacon went on to suggest the EU could inflict damage on the US economy should tariff prices remain against the member nations. Tariffs against the eight countries would rise from 10% to 25% on June 1 if an agreement is not reached. Bacon said, "That triggered an emergency meeting of European countries’ representatives Sunday, and French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly asked the European Union to activate its so-called anti-coercion instrument, colloquially known as a 'trade bazooka.' "The trade bazooka could block some of America’s access to EU markets or impose export controls, among a broader list of potential countermeasures."The trade bazooka was created with countries like China in mind, not allies like the United States, noted Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation."

Museveni’s opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protestsYoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent.His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”. Continue reading...

Atlas Lions face Senegal in final of Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday and Moroccan diaspora scents victoryLondon’s Little Morocco is brimming with pride and anticipation. The Moroccan diaspora in North Kensington is in no doubt that on Sunday the Atlas Lions will triumph against Senegal in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.“There’s not just an excitement, it has completely taken over everything else,” said Souad Talsi, who runs the Al-Hasaniya Moroccan women’s centre at the base of 31-storey Trellick Tower, at the north end of Golborne Road. Continue reading...

Online reactions rolled in Friday after news that President Donald Trump's foreign policy approval rating had sunk to its lowest yet. A new Marist poll found that only 37% of adults in the United States approve of how Trump has handled foreign policy, Newsweek reported. The results were gathered from January 12 to 13 and showed that 56% of those polled disapproved of Trump's international actions, while 7% were unsure.Users on social media had thoughts about the polling results and Trump's policies abroad. "A majority of Americans (56%) either strongly oppose or oppose the U.S. taking military action in Venezuela. 36% of Americans approve of how President Trump is handling the economy. 57% disapprove. 38% approve of how President Trump is performing in office. 56% disapprove," Sarah Longwell, founder and publisher of the Bulwark, wrote on X."How could 38% of those polled still approve of him? None are so blind as those that will not see," technology reporter and author Lance Whitney wrote on X."These numbers are brutal—and entirely justified. A majority of Americans finally see him for the profoundly unfit, narcissistic menace he is. Yet 38% remain in the cult. Astonishing," user Dr. Cole wrote on X."How can 38% approved of anything he does?" Retired educator Terry Hongell wrote on X."If you get your news on X, you probably thought Trump has a 90% approval," political commentator Tom Santos wrote on X."I am envious of the six percent of people who are not sure. I will never know what that is like," writer Andy Hutchins wrote on X."Buyers remorse, America? Oh well. You were warned. Still you said, let’s do it again!! Not a lot of sympathy here," Canadian novelist Jeffrey Luscombe wrote on X.

A new poll shows that President Donald Trump's approval rating on his handling of foreign policy has dipped to its lowest since he returned to the White House, according to reports Friday. A new Marist poll found that only 37% of adults in the United States approve of how Trump has handled foreign policy, Newsweek reported. The results were gathered from January 12 to 13 and showed that 56% of those polled disapproved of Trump's international actions, while 7% were unsure. The changes in Trump's international policy approval highlighted how Americans have responded to the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and the military incursion of that country, and Trump's continued threats to seize Greenland — signaling a major challenge for the Trump administration and growing concern among voters. Trump's moves could put the Republican Party in a tough spot ahead of the midterms in November. "These figures represent Trump’s lowest net approval on foreign policy (-19 points) with the pollsters during his second term, with it dropping from 41 percent in July 2025 and 39 percent in April 2025," according to Newsweek.Other recent polls, including CNN's new polling results Friday and a recent AP-NORC poll, echoed similar responses among voters.About six in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump's international policies, according to the AP-NORC poll conducted from January 8 to 11. That survey also found that a majority of Americans — 56% — felt Trump had "gone too far" with his use of military interventions in other countries. The White House has argued that Trump has a different approach compared to past presidents. "President Trump was not elected to preserve the status quo—he is a visionary leader who is always generating creative ideas to bolster U.S. national security," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek. “Many of this president’s predecessors recognized the strategic logic of acquiring Greenland, but only President Trump has had the courage to pursue this idea seriously," Kelly said. “As the president said, NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States, and Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region,” she added.