NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that European countries should be happy that Donald Trump is the US president. He claimed that Trump’s pressure has forced the continent to boost its own defense spending.  Speaking [...] The post NATO Chief Says Europe Should Be Happy That Trump Is In Charge appeared first on The People's Voice.

Jamie Dimon said during an interview at Davos that raising taxes means that all of it goes to special interest groups. “They give it to their friends and all that, which is why the people consider it a swamp. If raising taxes means giving it to the people who need it, do it. He doesn’t […] The post Unfiltered Sound Bites From Chase CEO Jamie Dimon at Davos appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Donald Trump puts Greenland center stage at Davos, veteran sports reporter Michele Tafoya jumps into the Minnesota Senate race, and former special counsel Jack Smith testifies in Congress. It’s Thursday, January 22, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below: Trump At Davos Strikes A Deal On Greenland President Trump gave a highly anticipated speech on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum, slamming European leaders and reiterating his desire to acquire Greenland, which he now says he has a framework agreement on. Before Trump’s arrival in Switzerland, European leaders had banded together, offering a unified front against the United States, and Trump came out swinging, essentially telling members they need the United States a lot more than America needs Europe. The World Economic Forum is typically a venue for heads of state to discuss global cooperation and to push for policies they say will offer equal benefit to every nation. But in a wide-ranging 90-minute speech and Q&A session, the president reiterated what he has been saying for years on the campaign trail and from the Bully Pulpit: his number one priority is benefiting the American people, not the global order. Michele Tafoya On The Mess In Minnesota The investigations into officials in Minnesota have shaken the state – and shaken up its topline political races. Amid the turmoil, popular political commentator and former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya is jumping into the race for the Senate as a Republican candidate. Tafoya said she was inspired to jump into politics in part because of a “crisis of leadership” in the state. The former sideline reporter is running to replace retiring Democratic Senator Tina Smith. Despite the open seat, Tafoya faces a challenging campaign ahead in a state that has not been represented in the U.S. Senate by a Republican in 20 years. Mr. Jack Smith Goes To Washington (Again) Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. His investigation into President Trump and the questionable tactics he used is expected to be a central focus of lawmakers’ questions. Expect fireworks. Smith has already been deposed once by the committee. It was closed to the public, though Republicans released a transcript. In front of the cameras, Republicans will have plenty to question Smith about, including some topics that have only come to light after Smith’s deposition last month. Lawmakers will also have another shot to ask Smith about spying on the phone records of some Republicans in Congress.

Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed Justice Department subpoenas issued to him and other Minnesota Democrats, calling the federal government’s probe “political retribution.” Frey, along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, was served subpoenas by the FBI earlier this week as they are accused of conspiring to interfere with federal law enforcement operations. Asked about his subpoena by NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night, Frey said the Trump administration’s action “should be of deep concern for everybody.” “Obviously, it’s frivolous,” Frey said. “I’m going to let some of the lawyers handle the way this is handled as it works its way through the process. And again, this should be of deep concern for everybody.” “This is political retribution that we are seeing here,” he added. “This is some form of retaliation, because I don’t know, the state didn’t support the president in like three consecutive elections. And we have an important role right now.” Minnesota Democrats have argued that President Donald Trump is targeting their state as part of a “retribution” campaign. The state leaders point to Trump’s post on Truth Social on January 13, when the president wrote, “FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!” Last week, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Frey and Walz, looking into whether the Democratic leaders violated a federal statute by interfering with federal immigration enforcement. After the shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good on January 7, Frey told ICE to “get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.” Good was shot and killed after she was confronted by federal law enforcement agents when she parked her vehicle in front of them. She then drove her vehicle toward an ICE officer after another officer attempted to open her car door. After the fatal shooting, the mayor said that ICE agents were “causing chaos” in Minneapolis and suggested that residents were asking for the city police to “fight” ICE agents “on the streets” before he urged residents to remain peaceful. Last week in Minneapolis, tensions escalated following a confrontation between federal immigration agents and agitators after an ICE agent fired defensive shots during an operation, leaving a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with non-life-threatening injuries, federal officials said. Agitators showed up on the scene and threw fireworks at law enforcement officers and vandalized federal law enforcement vehicles, and in at least one case, broke into a federal vehicle. On Wednesday night, Frey doubled down on the city’s refusal to cooperate with ICE. “We will not [cooperate],” Frey told Cuomo. “And there’s a good reason, by the way, that we won’t. And it’s not just the moral imperative here. It’s also the fact that I want our police officers focusing on safety. I want our police officers arresting perpetrators of violent crime and preventing carjackings from taking place and doing that basic work of 911 response.” The Trump administration has said that the surge in immigration agents in Minneapolis is due to city and state leaders refusing to work with ICE and hand over detained illegal immigrants. The White House said last week that Trump has a mandate from the American people to carry out deportations, but argued that Minnesota Democrats “have chosen defiance over partnership.” “This toxic combination of ‘sanctuary’ policies and anti-ICE rhetoric has created a climate of hostility that endangers federal officers and incites violence,” the White House added. “Make no mistake: the responsibility for the enhanced enforcement operations in Minnesota — and the tension and violence — lies squarely with these officials who refuse to partner with the Trump Administration and instead put their Radical Left agenda over public safety and the rule of law.”

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, whose blunt declarative side has manifested in criticism of political figures, blasted California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom for criticizing President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. Newsom sharply criticized Trump, dismissing Trump’s address as “boring,” “insignificant,” and largely empty rhetoric, particularly on Greenland. He argued the United States was operating under the “rule of Don” rather than the rule of law, claiming democratic norms had eroded. Newsom urged global leaders to stop being “complicit,” mocking their deference as “pathetic.” He also attacked Trump’s tariffs as harmful, criticized weakened institutional pushback, and positioned California as a counterweight on climate and clean energy policy. “Gavin Newsom, respectfully, what are you doing?” Smith asked rhetorically. “You’re the governor of the state of California in the United States of America. Why are you over in Davos, Switzerland, talking to folks and speaking negatively about the president of the United States?” “I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil,” he continued. “To go over to another country, Switzerland; to go over there and to be in the presence of other European leaders speaking against the president of the United States, I’m not down with that. Y’all might be; I’m not down with that — at all.” “Say whatever you want here, as a governor from the opposite of the aisle of a state in the United States on American soil, fine,” he declared. “But I’m one of those people, when we go somewhere else, it’s America first. Our problems are our problems. But we ain’t taking dirty laundry outside. … You don’t go on a world stage to disrespect your own house, which is the United States of America. I don’t like that at all, not even a little bit.” “Now, I know that sounds juvenile,” he said. “I get that. Very simplistic in the eyes of a lot of people, but some things are worthy of being simple. I understand you trolling Trump. I understand that you’re aiming to run for the presidency in 2028. But we got problems here in the United States. And don’t tell me they don’t exist in California. But specifically when it pertains to sanctuary city, sanctuary state, border issues, safety in the streets, and I’ll be damned if affordability ain’t at the top of the list in the state of California. It’s expensive as hell. And a lot of it has happened on Gavin Newsom’s watch.”

The children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, under fire for her associations with the far-left, is now on the ropes over liking a comment on one of her posts that read, “Free America from the Jews.” In an emotional video posted after the internet spotted the like on her Instagram page, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, claimed she accidentally liked the comment on her post because she’s old and “not as good with touching things online.” The antisemitic comment was posted under her own message reading “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, and Free Iran.”  Over the course of the one minute and forty-six second apology video, she walked viewers through what she believes happened. Ms. Rachel said she was alerted Tuesday by a user who noticed the antisemitic comment had been marked “liked by author.”  “Hi Rachel, just wanted to let you know there’s a comment under your latest post that says ‘free America from the Jews’ that says liked by author,” the user wrote. “I’m sure that’s an accident so wanted to let you know.”  READ MORE: Ms. Rachel Isn’t The Innocent YouTuber You Think She Is Rachel responded within the hour saying, “Deleted, how horrible. Oh wait let me check, I did delete one like that.” In a followup message, she added, “Ya I believe I deleted that earlier right when I saw it! I hate antisemitism.”   However, the next day, the comment was still visible and continued to show as “liked by author” prompting a wave of backlash. She claimed she thought she had deleted the comment but accidentally hit like and hide instead. As a result, “the internet, I guess, has picked it up, believing that’s what happened,” Ms. Rachel said. “I feel like we can’t be human anymore online.”    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles) She apologized for the confusion, saying, “I am super sorry for any confusion it caused. I delete antisemitism any time I see it. I am against all forms of hate including antisemitism against the Jewish people.”  The video was captioned, “I’m so broken over this.” Some followers rushed to her defense. One account, “boomlumbus,” wrote, “I do that all the time on accident. We understand.” Another added, “We love you. Accidents happen.” Others were more skeptical. “You left it up for two days..you had more than ample [time] to unmistake this.”  Other Instagram users noted that the button to “like” one of your posts is nowhere near the one to delete a post. Not helping her case, Ms. Rachel also responded to a comment left by “thepalestinenewsnetwork” that said, “Spoiler alert: they left the comment themselves.” Ms. Rachel responded “oooooooooohhh.” It is unclear who the “they” refers to in her post. As the controversy around her post and liked comment unfolded, Ms. Rachel leaned further into her political messaging, stating, “My advocacy is wonderful and beautiful and I’m so proud of it.” Earlier this week, she appeared alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a sing-along for pre-K children featuring rhymes about free child care. Prior to their Monday collaboration, Ms. Rachel was named to Mamdani’s inaugural committee.