Syria Extends Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces Amid Rising Tensions 
WHO Expresses Regret Over U.S. Withdrawal and Urges Return to Global Health Cooperation 
White House Urges Congress to Pass Funding Bill Ahead of January 30 Deadline 
California Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Authority on Sable Offshore Pipelines 
More Than 100 Venezuelan Political Prisoners Released Amid Ongoing Human Rights Scrutiny 
U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Visit Azerbaijan and Armenia Following Historic Peace Deal 
Trump Remains Committed to Ukraine Peace Efforts 
Russian Drone Attack Hits Kyiv and Kharkiv Amid Ongoing Peace Talks 
Trump’s Centralized Foreign Policy Sparks Greenland Controversy and Ally Concerns 
Brazil Assumes Mexico’s Diplomatic Representation in Peru After Bilateral Rift 
Haiti Transitional Council Pushes to Remove Prime Minister Despite U.S. Warnings 
Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shootings Intensify Political Fallout Over Trump Immigration Crackdown 
Pentagon Signals Reduced U.S. Role in Deterring North Korea as South Korea Takes Lead 
Iran Warns of All-Out War Response as U.S. Sends Aircraft Carrier to Middle East 
U.S. Imposes Visa Restrictions on Haiti Transitional Council Over Gang Allegations 
Japan Signals Readiness to Act as Yen Volatility Raises Intervention Concerns 
The recent shootings in Atlanta and in Boulder have prompted many current and former government officials to speak up, including former President Barack Obama. Fox News host Tucker Carlson took the opportunity to blast Obama following the shootings, calling the former president a “racial arsonist.”
Carlson accused Obama of being a “racial arsonist” and using divisive rhetoric that prompted the recent shootings. This comes as Obama issued a statement calling out Congress to push for stricter gun control laws and that racism, sexism, and indifference were driving factors that lead to the mass shootings that recently occurred. The shooting in Atlanta highlighted the violence against the Asian American community as six of the eight victims at the Asian spa that the gunman attacked were of Asian descent.
“More than any other contemporary leader, Barack Obama is a racial arsonist,” said Carlson Tuesday, discussing the responses to the recent shooting at Boulder, Colorado that left 10 people dead. “He emerges at our most vulnerable moments to deepen the wounds that divide us. He sows hate. Why does Barack Obama do this? Well, it would take a psychiatrist to answer that question fully, though it seems obvious that deep loathing of some kind plays a role. It must play a role.”
That same day, President Joe Biden said he wanted Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Biden also urged the Senate to pass the two bills that would close loopholes in terms of background checks on gun buyers. The White House has also said that Biden is open to using executive action.
In other news, the newest episode of Obama’s podcast with Bruce Springsteen discussed manhood and toxic masculinity as well as their personal struggles with their fathers. In the opening of the episode, Obama said that society’s definition of masculinity has not changed since he and Springsteen were children, noting “narrow distorted ideas” that stemmed from society’s definition of masculinity.
The former president cited traits such as suppressing emotions, an emphasis on being tough physically, and determining success by what is owned and a man’s ability to dominate rather than the ability to love and care for other people.
