Following Nicolás Maduro’s arrest, President Trump openly suggested the United States could take military action against Colombia.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump lashed out at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, portraying him as deeply entangled in the cocaine trade and hinting that his time in power may be short. “Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.
When pressed directly on whether the United States might launch military operations against Colombia, Trump did not rule it out, replying, “it sounds good to me.”
The comments sparked immediate outrage in Bogotá, where Colombia’s government accused Trump of crossing a dangerous line. In a sharply worded statement released late Sunday, the country’s Foreign Ministry said the remarks were unacceptable, declaring that “It represents an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law.”
Trump’s escalation comes in the wake of Maduro’s capture and impending court appearance in New York City on federal drug-trafficking and related charges. The arrest followed months of U.S. airstrikes targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, an operation that later widened to include ships in the eastern Pacific believed to have originated from Colombia.
The administration has already taken punitive steps against Petro. In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Colombian president, members of his family, and one senior official, citing allegations that Colombia was complicit in the global cocaine trade.
Trump doubled down on his rhetoric Sunday, again accusing Petro of overseeing cocaine production facilities. “He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump said of the Colombian leader. “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”
At the same time, an unexpected diplomatic opening emerged from Caracas. Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez struck a markedly different tone from her earlier denunciations of the raid, which she had described as an illegal attempt to seize national resources.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodriguez said.
She followed with a direct appeal to Trump, adding, “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
Rodriguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s oil minister, is widely viewed as the most pragmatic figure within Maduro’s inner circle, and Trump has previously indicated that she was open to engagement with Washington.
Despite her conciliatory remarks, Rodriguez has continued to insist publicly that the arrests of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, amounted to a “kidnapping,” and she maintains that Maduro remains Venezuela’s president.
{Matzav.com}
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has pulled the plug on his campaign for a third term, a sudden move that comes as the state grapples with a widening fraud scandal tied to public assistance programs that exploded during his tenure.
Until the announcement, Walz had been regarded as the clear favorite heading toward November, benefiting from nearly two decades of consistent Democratic victories in statewide races. He formally launched his bid back in September, aiming for an unprecedented third term since Minnesota governors began serving four-year terms in the 1960s.
Explaining his decision, Walz said the demands of another campaign would distract him from what he sees as more pressing responsibilities. “In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,” Walz said in a statement.
He continued that, after extended reflection, he chose to step aside. “But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said.
Walz argued that his focus must remain on the fallout from the massive fraud investigation. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”
The scandal hanging over the administration involves widespread abuse of Minnesota’s social safety net. While estimates differ, authorities believe at least $1 billion was stolen, with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson suggesting late last year that the figure could climb as high as $9 billion.
Investigators say the fraud was concentrated within segments of the state’s Somali community, where sham nonprofit organizations were allegedly created to siphon state funds intended for homelessness services, food programs, and childcare assistance. To date, prosecutors have brought charges against more than 90 individuals.
Republicans quickly seized on Walz’s exit. “Good riddance,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.
Walz’s departure opens the field for a crowded race. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as the leading Democrat who could enter the contest. If she does, she would join several sitting senators from both parties who are seeking governorships elsewhere, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Michael Bennet of Colorado.
Klobuchar, reelected in 2024, is not scheduled to face voters again for her Senate seat until 2030. National Democrats had hoped to aggressively challenge Republicans in the 2026 midterms, defending only 13 Senate seats compared with the GOP’s 22. That strategy has been complicated by retirements in states such as New Hampshire, Michigan, and Minnesota, where Sen. Tina Smith has announced she will not run again. With Republicans holding a 53–47 Senate majority and only a handful of competitive GOP seats in places like Maine and North Carolina, Democrats already face a narrow path.
Other Democrats rumored to be weighing a gubernatorial bid include Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon. On the Republican side, possible contenders include My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
In recent months, Walz had been traveling extensively, hosting town halls and appearances nationwide following Kamala Harris’ loss in the presidential race, a move seen as an effort to raise his national profile after serving as her running mate in 2024.
In announcing his withdrawal, Walz also took aim at President Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Minnesota over the welfare fraud revelations. “I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.”
He went further, accusing Republicans and conservative activists of reckless behavior. “We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children,” Walz said. “We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on.”
Walz concluded his remarks with a stark warning about the tone of the debate. “It is disgusting. And it is dangerous.”
{Matzav.com}
A shul in Beitar Illit has posted a striking new notice warning mispallelim to silence their phones before entering for davening — or face a financial penalty.
The sign, which appeared over the past week at the Breslover shul Kollel Chatzos – Nachalas Yehoshua, a central shteibelach-style venue hosting early-morning Shacharis minyanim, states that anyone whose phone rings during davening will be required to pay a 50-shekel fine to the shul‘s fund.
According to the posted notice, “Anyone entering to daven in this beis medrash does so on the condition that their cellphone is switched to silent mode. If a cellphone rings during the davening, the owner must pay a fine of 50 shekels to the shul fund.”
The notice further adds that charging phones in the building is prohibited throughout the day unless the device is set to silent.
A gabbai explained the move, saying that while reminders to turn off phones have long been standard in shuls, enforcement has slipped in recent times, leading to repeated disruptions. “It has become a real disturbance to the mispallelim,” he said. “Just last week, during a single minyan, phones rang three separate times in the middle of tefillah. We felt it was time to awaken the public to the issue.”
While similar measures have been adopted in the past by other communities, the sums involved were typically modest, often between 10 and 18 shekels. The newly announced 50-shekel fine marks a significantly tougher stance.
{Matzav.com}
