The Full Belmonte, 1/15/2024
Snow falls at the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
POLITICS
Donald Trump’s grip on Republican politics is put to the test in Iowa’s caucuses
“With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner, voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as former President Donald Trump eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that neither life-threatening cold nor life-changing legal trouble can slow his march toward the Republican Party’s 2024 nomination. Read more.
Why this matters:
The campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a strong indication as to who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election.
Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa. The former president’s political strength heading into the caucuses tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative to the former president, who has alienated many Americans and could end up being a convicted felon by year’s end.” [AP News]
Arctic freeze continues to blast huge swaths of the US with sub-zero temperatures
“A dangerous Arctic blast will continue sweeping across the U.S. on Monday and linger through at least midweek, prolonging a bitter cold that set record-low temperatures in parts of the country and threatens to further disrupt daily life, including an NFL playoff game as well as the Iowa caucuses. Read more.
Recent developments:
Arctic storms left at least four dead in the Northwest, brought snow to the South and walloped the Northeast with blizzard conditions.
Sub-zero wind chills will grip much of the country, with an estimated 95 million people nationwide having received weather warnings or advisories on Sunday. Montana and the Dakotas plunged to 50 degrees below zero, while other parts of the country could see temperatures drop 25 to 40 degrees below normal, from the Rockies to the Ohio Valley.
As temperatures in Texas plunged, the state’s power grid operator appealed to residents to voluntarily conserve electricity Monday morning. In Oregon, more than 120,000 homes and businesses were without electricity after high winds, snow and ice brought down trees and power lines.” [AP News]
‘Selfless and heroic’: Iowa principal who was wounded in school shooting dies
Dan Marburger was injured in shooting at Perry high school on 4 January, during which an 11-year-old student was killed
“An Iowa high school principal who was wounded in a school shooting has died, the state’s governor said.
Dan Marburger was injured during a mass shooting at Perry high school on 4 January. One person, an 11-year-old student, was killed, and six others injured. The suspect, a 17-year-old pupil at the school, was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
‘Our entire state is devastated by the news of Dan Marburger’s death,’ Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa said in a statement.
‘Kevin [Reynolds] and I offer our deepest condolences to his wife and family as we pray for their comfort during this very difficult time.’
‘Dan courageously put himself in harm’s way to protect his students, and ultimately gave his own life to save them. He will forever be remembered for his selfless and heroic actions. May he rest in peace.’… Read more at The Guardian
Houses set alight as lava from volcano eruption reaches Icelandic town
Seismic activity intensified overnight near Grindavík, the fifth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in two years
“Houses have caught fire in the fishing town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month.
Two fissures formed near the town on Sunday after an increase in seismic activity that prompted authorities to evacuate the community the day before.
A first eruption began at 8am when a crack opened in the ground about 450 metres from the town. Protective barriers of earth and rock pushed lava from the first fissure away from the town. However, a second crack then opened around midday on the edge of town, measuring around 100 metres by the evening, with that lava engulfing the homes.
At least three houses were engulfed by fire, live images from TV broadcaster RUV showed.
Jets of glowing orange lava flowed out and a huge smoke cloud rose against the dark sky.
‘In a little village like this one, we’re like a family, we all know each other as family – it’s tragic seeing this,’ one local resident, Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson, told Agence France-Presse. ‘It’s unreal, it’s like watching a film,’ added the 55-year-old, who works in the fishing industry.
The nearby geothermal spa Blue Lagoon had closed on Sunday, it said on its website….” Read more at The Guardian
Protests sweep Germany as far-right spots an opening
Farmers demonstrate against government plans to scrap diesel tax subsidies for agriculture vehicles in Frankfurt, western Germany, on January 11, 2024. Farmers have been up in arms over government plans to withdraw tax breaks for the agricultural sector. The government already partially walked back the planned subsidy cuts. A discount on vehicle tax for agriculture would remain in place, while a diesel subsidy would be phased out over several years instead of being abolished immediately, the government said. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
“Farmers across Germany have been bringing major roads to a standstill in protests in recent days, piling misery on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition amid fury over subsidy cuts.
The protests are expected to reach new heights on Monday, with a crowd of over 10,000 people and their tractors set to descend on the capital in a rally organized in conjunction with the German freight industry.
Multiple other protests are planned across the country, which come as official data showed Germany’s economy shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, many are warning that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is capitalizing on the chaos for its own political gain.
In the shadow of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate, a convoy of up to 500 tractors lined up every day last week in freezing pre-dawn temperatures.
To keep themselves warm, farmers lit fires and drank hot mugs of tea and coffee.
Major road blockages have stretched across cities from east to west including Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg and Munich – with up to 2,000 tractors registered for each protest. Images showed convoys of tractors and trucks, some with protest banners, blocking German roads from the early-morning hours.
Outside cities, Germany’s fast-moving motorways have also been targeted by protesters, severely disrupting the flow of traffic….” Read more at CNN
Bernardo Arévalo sworn in as Guatemala’s president despite months of efforts to derail inauguration
Guatemalans prepare for the inauguration of Bernardo Arévalo as the country’s 52nd president after months of protests as the Attorney General’s office continues to persecute members of Arévalo’s party, election officials, and those previously involved in anti-corruption efforts. (AP Video: Santiago Billy) (Jan 13)
“GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s president on Monday minutes after midnight despite months of efforts to derail his inauguration, including foot-dragging and rising tensions right up until the transfer of power.
Arévalo arrives in the presidency after winning August’s elections by a comfortable margin. But nothing has been straightforward since, with Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the establishment forces observers say she represents throwing one legal challenge after another at Arévalo and his party.
Despite hundreds of Arévalo’s supporters pressuring lawmakers to follow the constitution, even clashing with riot police outside the congress building Sunday, the inauguration process dragged for hours into the night before he took the oath of office just past midnight
A progressive academic-turned-politician and son of a Guatemalan president credited with implementing key social reforms in the mid-20th century, Arévalo takes office with expectations of confronting Guatemala’s entrenched corruption. But it will not be easy.….” Read more at AP News
“Military drills, trade tariffs and harsh rhetoric were all ways Beijing was predicted to punish Taiwan for its democratic election. In the end, President Xi Jinping delivered his clearest response via a tiny Pacific Island of 13,000 people.
The government in Nauru announced today that it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a shock move after its leader had congratulated current Vice President Lai Ching-te on his victory.
Taipei is now left with only a dozen official partners including the US to advocate for its interests at global bodies such as the United Nations, where it’s been banished by Beijing.
China’s Foreign Ministry was brazen about the timing. ‘Of course, we release the information after the election,’ said spokeswoman Mao Ning. Taipei said the announcement was ‘retaliation’ for its democratic values.
Taiwan’s tightest election in decades dealt a blow to Xi on Saturday. The two camps that favor dialogue with Beijing failed to capitalize on fatigue with the US-friendly ruling party, leaving room for a man China deems a ‘separatist’ to take power.
Despite never having ruled Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party claims the global chip hub as its own and has vowed to bring it under its control one day, by force if necessary. That’s put huge focus on Xi’s potential military intentions toward the island of 23 million people.
Beijing has so far skipped major airspace incursions or economic curbs in the wake of the vote. Its ability to convince Nauru to ditch Taiwan was a reminder it has a range of tools for intimidation.
Still, Nauru’s departure is mostly symbolic. It’s a minuscule economy with close to zero diplomatic sway.
When it comes to Xi’s bigger goal of unifying with Taiwan, the weekend’s ballot exposed that his playbook of military force, banning Taiwanese fruit exports and bombarding the island with angry rhetoric isn’t bringing Taipei closer anytime soon.”— Jenni Marsh [Bloomberg]
Anti-landing barriers on a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan, with buildings in Xiamen on mainland China in the background. Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg
“As the Israel-Hamas war enters 100 days, concern is mounting that it will spread from Gaza into a wider conflict. With the appetite growing in Israel for war against Hezbollah and US influence on its ally apparently waning, the time for a diplomatic resolution looks to be running short as Israel pushes the Iranian-backed group to retreat from the Lebanese border.” [Bloomberg]
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week seeking to refocus global attention on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and to unblock $100 billion in vital aid. The money is stalled in Washington and Brussels as allies grow weary of the expensive war effort with Ukraine’s months-long counteroffensive failing to deliver a breakthrough.” [Bloomberg]
Ukrainian soldiers in the Serebryan Forest on Friday. Photographer: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
“North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s trip to Russia today could facilitate a visit by Putin to Pyongyang and enhance arms transfers that have replenished the Kremlin’s arsenal to attack Ukraine. A flood of munitions that opened after Kim Jong Un’s visit in September is coming as Kyiv’s stocks of certain types of weaponry are running thin.” [Bloomberg]
“UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will address Parliament today after his government said it’s ready to carry out further strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.” [Bloomberg]
“Polish President Andrzej Duda rejected the government’s decision to dismiss a top prosecutor, complicating Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s effort to overhaul the judiciary.” [Bloomberg]
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked his officials to skip this year’s meeting in Davos over the organizers’ stance on Israel’s war against Hamas, sources say.” [Bloomberg]
‘The Honeymooners’ star Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton, dies at 99
“NEW YORK (AP) — Joyce Randolph, a veteran stage and television actor whose role as the savvy Trixie Norton on “The Honeymooners” provided the perfect foil to her dimwitted TV husband, has died. She was 99.
Randolph died of natural causes Saturday night at her home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, her son Randolph Charles told The Associated Press Sunday.
She was the last surviving main character of the beloved comedy from television’s golden age of the 1950s….” Read more at AP News