U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
Trump’s Name Appears on U.S. Institute of Peace Ahead of Rwanda–Congo Deal Signing 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Trump and Lula Discuss Trade, Sanctions, and Security in “Productive” Phone Call 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
In part because of having no social media platform to use, Donald Trump has mostly been silent following the riots that occurred at the Capitol last week by a mob of people that supported him. During his visit to Texas, the outgoing president denies taking responsibility for the riots, standing by his incendiary remarks.
Trump traveled to Texas this week to visit parts of the border wall that have been in construction, as part of his immigration policy. In what would be his first public address, Trump stood by the remarks he made hours prior to the storming of the Capitol by the mob, denying any responsibility for inciting the violence. In an attempt to shift the blame that was mostly directed at him and his allies, Trump said that his speech was appropriate and tried to compare it to the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred in the country last year. The latter was mostly a peaceful protest yet law enforcement was fully deployed compared to last week’s riots.
Despite saying that an orderly transition to Joe Biden would be done, Trump still stands by the unfounded claim that the election was stolen from him or rigged. Democrats in Congress have since rejected his attempt to shift the blame, and some lawmakers have already drafted articles of impeachment that are slowly gaining traction amongst their Republican counterparts. Both Republican leadership in Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy have reportedly considered censuring or voting to impeach. Senior Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney was also among the members of the House that have called for Trump to resign.
The riots at the Capitol have also become the tipping point for companies that have donated to Republicans, now including Trump. Deutsche Bank is the latest among the companies that have decided to cut ties to the outgoing president. The bank has backed the Trump Organization for years and has survived scandals with Trump, who has accused them a few times before. Deutsche Bank refused to elaborate after the New York Times reported on its break from Trump. It has yet to be seen if this would also apply to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who are also clients of the bank.
