🇿🇦🇺🇸 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to US President Donald Trump on the stopping of aid to the country

@SouthAfricaReports

🇺🇸🇿🇦 Elon Musk in reply to President Ramaphosa:

"Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?"

📝 Musk may be referring to the SA government stopping Musk's Starlink from operating in the country as it is not a black-owned business

@SouthAfricaReports

🇿🇦🇺🇸 Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe, responds to Trump:

"Let's withhold minerals to the US. If they don't give us money, let's not give them minerals."

📎 Newzroom405

🇿🇦🇺🇸 Julius Malema, leader of the Communist Economic Freedom Fighters, warns Trump:

"We want to make it categorically clear to the President of the USA that we are going to expropriate land without compensation and pursue legislative measures to do so, and no threat will stop us. "

📎 EFF

🇺🇸 Why There Won’t Be a Deportation Apocalypse

History shows labor markets adapt to strong immigration restrictions

https://commonplace.org/2025/01/21/why-there-wont-be-a-deportation-apocalypse/

🇺🇸 "USAID staff were sent an email informing then that headquarters are closed today.

Note the reply-to: Gavin Kliger, a DOGE appointee, who appears to have gotten himself a USAID email. Kliger has no previous government experience and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021."

📎 Dylan Matthews

🇺🇸🇵🇦 Secretary Marco Rubio:

"Yesterday's announcement by President Jose Raul Mulino that Panama will allow its participation in the CCP’s Belt and Road Initiative to expire is a great step forward for U.S.-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of POTUS' leadership to protect our national security and deliver prosperity for the American people."

📎 SecRubio

🇺🇸 "Elon has six adderall-fueled autistic tech bro zoomers sleeping overnight at the DOGE offices and working 24/7 on maximizing government efficiency?!"

📝 Elon Musk: Not many Spartans are needed to win battles

📎 Elon Musk

🇺🇸🇲🇽 Mexico's president says tariffs will be PAUSED for 1 month after her discussion with President Trump.

As part of pausing tariffs, Mexico will:

1. Deploy 10,000 national guard troops to help secure border

2. Work with US on "security and business"

📎 The Kobeissi Letter

🇺🇸 NBC News has confirmed reporting by The New York Times that FBI personnel have been given a survey asking them questions about their participation in January 6 cases. And also that the head of the New York field office sent a message to colleagues saying: “Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and FBI policy.”

📎 Ken Dilanian

🇺🇸🇵🇦🚢 US Says Its Navy Ships Will Have Free Passage Through The Panama Canal After Marco Rubio's Visit

US Navy ships will go through the Panama Canal for free, an American official said following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Central American country during the weekend, Bloomberg reported. Panamanian authorities did not comment on the claim.

Panama's canal authority did say late Sunday that it will "optimize transit priority" of US Navy ships through the waterway. It is one of the concessions made by President Jose Raul Mulino following the visit from Rubio, who had warned of "consequences" if the country did not take actions regarding what the US has described as China's large influence over the canal.

While Trump made threats of taking control of the canal from the Panama Canal Authority, Mulino said Rubio made "no real threat of retaking the canal or the use of force."

The Panamanian government also said it will not renew a memorandum of understanding with China regarding its "Belt and Road Initiative," the country's project to finance infrastructure projects across several continents.

https://www.latintimes.com/us-says-its-navy-ships-will-have-free-passage-through-panama-canal-after-marco-rubios-visit-574420

🇺🇸 According to CBS, USAID will be merged with the US State Department and placed under the control of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The agency will see significant cuts in staff and, likely, its budget.

📎 OSINTdefender

🇺🇸 Secretary Rubio: "I'm the acting director of USAID. I've delegated that authority to someone..."

📎 CSPAN