US President Donald Trump said Thursday it was "very dangerous" for close ally Britain to deal with China, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Beijing for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump made the remarks to reporters while attending the premiere of a documentary about his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. Asked on the press line for his reaction to Britain "getting into business" with China, the president said: "Well it's very dangerous for them to do that." Starmer's visit to China is the first by a British premier since 2018 and follows a slew of Western leaders seeking a rapprochement with Beijing recently, seen by many as a pivot from an increasingly unpredictable United States. On Thursday, Starmer met with Xi and other Chinese officials, and signed several cooperation agreements. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also visited China in mid-January and reached agreements on trade and tourism. Afterward, Trump threatened to hit Canadian imports with 100-percent tariffs if Carney made further deals with Beijing -- a threat the Canadian PM later dismissed as a negotiating tactic. Trump, after remarking Thursday on Britain, added: "It's even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China. Canada is not doing well. They're doing very poorly, and you can't look at China as the answer." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
30 January,2026 12:02 PM IST | Washington | AFPBruce Springsteen is dedicating his new song to the people of Minneapolis, criticising President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the city. The lyrics of ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, released on Wednesday, describe how “a city aflame fought fire and ice ‘neath an occupier’s boots,” which Springsteen calls “King Trump’s private army.” Springsteen, in a statement, said he wrote and recorded the song over the weekend and released it in response to a second deadly shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” he wrote, naming the two victims of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, responded: “The Trump Administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities… not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.” Springsteen’s slow-burning song builds from just acoustic guitar and voice to a fuller band tune, including a harmonica solo, and ends with chants of “ICE Out!” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 10:45 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesA Chinese robotics firm has demonstrated what it calls a major step toward the scalable deployment of humanoid robots. LimX Dynamics released this week a video showing 18 of its full-size Oli humanoid robots autonomously emerging from shipping crates, standing up, walking in formation, and performing a coordinated routine without human intervention. In the demonstration, 18 Oli units are placed inside standard shipping containers. The containers open, and each robot independently stands up, reaches full height, and begins walking on two legs without human assistance. Operating within a confined space, the robots avoid collisions, exit the containers, and move forward in coordinated formation before completing a synchronised routine. The demonstration builds on earlier showcases of the Oli platform, which previously highlighted individual robots performing tasks such as navigating uneven terrain, climbing rubble, and balancing on one leg. The Shenzhen-based company describes the demonstration as the world’s first practical autonomous deployment of humanoid robots. The showcase highlights advances in multi-robot coordination and suggests how teams of humanoids could be deployed and operated on future manufacturing floors. 18No. of robots that were part of the video This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 10:43 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesUS President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order warning of fresh tariffs against countries supplying oil to Cuba, stepping up economic pressure on the communist island nation. According to the order issued by the White House, "An additional ad valorem (estimated value) duty may be imposed on imports of goods that are products of a foreign country that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba." Issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the directive labels the Cuban government an "extraordinary threat" to US national security, alleging that "The regime aligns itself with and provides support for numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States," including Russia, China and Iran, along with Hamas and Hezbollah. Amid this escalating pressure, Mexico has temporarily suspended oil shipments to Cuba, Al Jazeera reported, as Trump seeks to further isolate Havana. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the move was a "sovereign decision" and not the result of US pressure. Addressing reporters, she said, "It is a sovereign decision, and it is made in the moment when necessary." Asked whether supplies would resume, she replied, "In any case, it will be reported," while stressing Mexico would "continue to show solidarity" with Cuba. The suspension carries significant implications for Cuba's energy security. According to Al Jazeera, Mexico and Venezuela had been supplying most of Cuba's oil, but Venezuelan crude stopped after former President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation and taken to the US on January 3. Until last month, Mexico accounted for 44 per cent of Cuba's oil imports, Venezuela 33 percent and Russia about 10 per cent, with smaller volumes from Algeria. Mexico's state oil firm Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels per day to Cuba between January and September 30, 2025, making Mexico a critical though limited lifeline after Venezuela went offline. Trump has since hardened his stance toward Havana, writing on Truth Social on January 11: "THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," adding, "Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela." During a visit to Iowa, he said Cuba is "really a nation that's very close to failing." Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected pressure from Washington, saying, "We have always been willing to maintain serious and responsible dialogue with the various US administrations, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and the principles of international law." As tensions mount, Al Jazeera reported that a Cuban diplomat in Bogota accused Washington of "international piracy" over efforts to block Venezuelan oil shipments. "The US is carrying out international piracy in the Caribbean Sea that is restricting and blocking the arrival of oil to Cuba," Carlos de Cespedes said, adding that Havana is facing stronger US threats than at any point in the 67 years since the revolution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the government in Havana as a "huge problem," while Trump has publicly suggested Rubio could one day lead Cuba, writing, "Sounds good to me!" Relations between Havana and Washington remain deeply strained, despite a brief thaw in 2014 that Trump reversed during his first term by reimposing sanctions and banning cruise ships in 2019. Al Jazeera reported that Cuba is now facing its worst economic crisis since 1959, driven by fuel shortages, power cuts and disruptions to food and water supplies. Conditions could worsen as Mexican and Venezuelan oil flows dry up, while rising tensions with the US have slashed tourism by nearly 70 per cent since 2018, cutting income that once reached up to USD 3 billion annually. Mexico, meanwhile, is negotiating a trade agreement with Washington amid tariff threats, as Trump increases demands on Mexico over drug cartels, further complicating Mexico's efforts to balance long-standing ties with Cuba against growing US pressure. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 10:33 AM IST | Washington | ANIUS President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans to decertify all Canada-made aircraft and warned of imposing a 50 per cent tariff on such planes until American-made Gulfstream jets receive certification in Canada, signalling a fresh escalation in trade tensions between the two countries. In a post on Truth Social, Trump specified that the move would include Bombardier's Global Express business jet, produced in Quebec. "Canada is effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process," Trump wrote. "If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America." The warning marked another sharp turn in US-Canada relations following a series of trade and policy disputes since Trump returned to office last year. Just hours earlier, CNN reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Trump to "respect Canadian sovereignty" following reports of meetings between Alberta separatists and US officials, adding to the growing diplomatic strain. Against this backdrop, Trump has also repeatedly threatened broader trade action. Days earlier, he warned that he would impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canada, the US's second-largest trading partner, should Ottawa proceed with a trade agreement with China. Reiterating that stance on Saturday, Trump issued a fresh warning to Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney against pursuing economic agreements with Beijing, again threatening steep trade penalties if Ottawa moves ahead. Referring to Carney as "Governor," Trump said the United States would impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods should Canada deepen trade ties with China. In another Truth Social post, he wrote, "If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a 'Drop Off Port' for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken." Escalating his criticism further, Trump added, "China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life. If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump also accused Canada of opposing his proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence system over Greenland while expanding economic engagement with China. "Canada is against The Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though The Golden Dome would protect Canada," he wrote, adding, "Instead, they voted in favor of doing business with China, who will 'eat them up' within the first year!" These remarks followed Carney's recent visit to Beijing aimed at reviving economic cooperation with China, Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States. During the visit, Carney also criticised US and Western policies while addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos. The China trip resulted in an understanding to lower tariffs on certain Canadian agricultural exports and introduce quotas on Chinese electric vehicles entering the Canadian market, with the framework also potentially opening the door to increased Chinese investment in Canada. Marking the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in nearly a decade, the talks were described by both sides as reflecting a changing global environment, with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping welcoming what he termed a "turnaround" in bilateral relations. Speaking earlier about the agreement, Carney appeared to allude to ongoing trade frictions with Washington, describing Canada's engagement with China as more "predictable" and characterising discussions with Beijing as "realistic and respectful." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 10:28 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIIn Jaranwala, district Faisalabad, a six-year-old Christian girl was sexually assaulted. According to the victim’s father, a daily-wage labourer, the incident occurred on December 10, 2025. The girl had gone for tuition at the residence of her teacher when she was abducted by the teacher’s brother, Muhammad Uzair Dogar. When the six-year-old did not return home after her tuition hours, her parents began searching for her. At the premises, which include a school, tuition room, and clinic, they heard the girl crying and screaming for help. Upon entering the room, the family reportedly witnessed Dogar sexually assaulting the child. He fled immediately after being discovered by the family. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 09:57 AM IST | Karachi | AgenciesUS President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Iran on Wednesday, issuing a warning to Tehran over its nuclear program and threatening military action if negotiations fail. The warning comes against a backdrop of mounting regional strain and divergent positions on diplomacy and defence. Trump said a large US naval force, described as a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was moving toward Iran. He expressed urgency on Iran returning to the negotiating table and urged Tehran to reach an agreement that would bar nuclear weapons development. “Hopefully Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - No nuclear weapons,” Trump wrote, warning that “time is running out” and that if Iran does not comply, the next attack “will be far worse” than prior strikes. Meanwhile, Iran’s leadership rejected the notion that talks could proceed under the shadow of military threats. According to state media, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “There can be no negotiations in an atmosphere of threats,” and criticised Washington’s pressure tactics as ineffective and counterproductive. While Tehran reiterated openness to a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable nuclear deal,” it insisted such discussions must occur free of coercion. The Iranian response also conveyed warnings of strong retaliation. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 09:45 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesU.S. President Donald Trump on Friday renewed his attacks on what he described as massive fraud in Minnesota, saying authorities must remove criminals from the country and investigate alleged financial thefts he claims total billions of dollars. Trump criticised state leaders and called for a deeper look into fraud that he says has occurred in social welfare programmes, while federal agents probe related cases in the Minneapolis area. His remarks follow broader Republican criticism of Minnesota governance and ongoing immigration enforcement actions in the state Watch | Trump claims Minnesota lost at least USD 19 billion to fraud VIDEO | Washington: US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) says, "We have to take criminals out of our country. So from that standpoint, nothing's going to change. And we have to find out all of the fraud that's taken place in Minnesota. We have to get to it. They've stolen at least… pic.twitter.com/318dtLvz4a — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 30, 2026 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 January,2026 09:38 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesGold prices soared to a fresh record near $5,600 on Thursday, while oil rallied after Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions with his threatened military strike on Iran. The surge in safe-haven precious metals also saw silver hit another peak and has been helped by a softer dollar sparked by speculation that the US president is happy to see the world's reserve currency weaken. An uneventful policy announcement by the Federal Reserve did little to inspire buying, although observers said traders are optimistic interest rates will come down as Trump prepares to name his pick as the next governor. Bullion piled on more than $300 at one point to top $5,595 after Trump said Tehran needed to negotiate a deal over its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb. "Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal -- NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS -- one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again," he added, referring to US strikes against Iranian targets in June. A US naval strike group Trump described as an "armada", led by aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln, is now in Middle East waters, with the president saying it was "ready, willing and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary". CNN said he was mulling an attack after nuclear talks failed to advance. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that Tehran would respond immediately and forcefully to any US military operation -- adding that its forces have their "fingers on the trigger" -- but did not rule out a new nuclear deal. 'Inverse of confidence' Stephen Innes said the surge in gold indicated deeper structural concerns. "After blowing through $5,500 in early Asia, bullion is no longer trading like a commodity. It is trading like a referendum. Not on inflation. Not on rates. On trust," he wrote. "Gold is the inverse of confidence. When belief in policy coherence weakens, gold ceases to behave like a hedge and instead acts as an alternative. That is what we are watching now. This is not fear of recession. There is doubt about fiat stewardship." Rising tensions sent oil prices up more than one percent -- with WTI at its highest since September and Brent at levels not seen since July -- amid supply worries. On equity markets Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai and Seoul rose, while Tokyo was flat. Sydney, Wellington, Taipei and Bangkok dropped. London and Frankfurt edged up at the open but Paris fell. Manila sank as data showed the Philippines economy grew last year at its slowest non-pandemic rate since 2011. Jakarta tanked eight percent, prompting a temporary halt and extending Wednesday's collapse that came after index compiler MSCI called on regulators to look into ownership concerns. Stocks later pared those losses to sit around three percent lower. MSCI also said it would hold off adding Indonesian stocks to its indexes or increasing their weighting, while there are concerns it could announce a downgrade from emerging market to frontier market, which could spark an outflow of foreign capital. "I think this sharp downward pressure may last one or two days," said Hans Kwee, a stock analyst at PasarDana. "It was yesterday and today; at most, tomorrow it starts to move sideways. "Then next week the market should be more normal." The dollar remained under pressure, even after Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC that "the US always has a strong dollar policy", a day after Trump appeared to welcome its recent weakness. The Fed's policy meeting ended with few surprises as boss Jerome Powell said officials were keeping tabs on data. But Matthias Scheiber and Rushabh Amin at Allspring Global Investments said attention was now on Trump's choice to take the helm when Powell steps down in May. "The big focus will remain on the announcement of the new Fed chair, with the race wide open though a general expectation of someone more dovish to succeed Jerome Powell," they wrote in a commentary. Hong Kong-listed property stocks surged on the back of a report saying Chinese leaders had rowed back on stringent measures aimed at reining in borrowing, which helped spark a chronic debt crisis in the country's real estate sector that is still weighing on the economy. Troubled developers soared, with Country Garden up around 17 percent, Sunac rocketing 30 percent and Agile Group 15 percent higher. Key figures at around 0815 GMT Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 53,375.60 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 27,968.09 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 4,157.98 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 10,189.97 West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $64.24 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.5 percent at $69.43 per barrel Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.21 yen from 153.38 yen on Wednesday Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1974 from $1.1944 Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3829 from $1.3797 Euro/pound: UP at 86.58 pence from 86.56 pence New York - Dow: FLAT at 49,015.60 (close) This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
29 January,2026 05:25 PM IST | Hong Kong | AFPUS President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan was set Thursday to present his plans at his first press conference as the new face of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, after the agents involved in the fatal shooting of a nurse were placed on leave. The two officers were on leave -- a move US officials said was "standard protocol" -- since Saturday, when 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by camouflaged agents in a scuffle captured on video. Trump has scrambled to stem outrage across the political aisle over the killing, saying Tuesday he wanted to "de-escalate a little bit" in Minneapolis. But the president backpedaled his conciliatory note Wednesday, accusing the city's mayor Jacob Frey of "PLAYING WITH FIRE" for refusing to rally local police to enforce the federal immigration crackdown. The political battle could soon move to Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up authorization for swaths of US government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling military-style immigration agencies. Frey responded Wednesday to Trump ramping up his rhetoric, writing on X: "The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws." "I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad," he added, referring to the Ecuadoran father of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, both of whom are being held in a Texas facility after being detained by federal agents in the suburbs of Minneapolis. The White House initially justified Saturday's fatal shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse whom Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem described as a "domestic terrorist." But the backlash that ensued has forced Trump to shuffle the leadership of immigration agents deployed in Minneapolis. He replaced the confrontational Greg Bovino, known for reveling in aggressive, televised immigration crackdowns, with the policy-focused Homan. Homan was set to hold a press conference at 7 am (1300 GMT) Thursday in Minneapolis, the White House said. Another high-ranking official, Attorney General Pam Bondi, was in Minneapolis on Wednesday as she announced the arrests of 16 Minnesota "rioters" for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement. Fury While the White House insists it is targeting hardened criminals, the use of masked, heavily armed men to snatch people from streets, homes and workplaces has caused widespread shock. That turned to fury this month after immigration agents shot dead two Minneapolis protesters at point-blank range in separate incidents -- Pretti and Renee Good, both US citizens. Top Trump aide Stephen Miller initially justified Pretti's killing by branding him a "would-be assassin" -- despite video evidence clearly showing the nurse posed no threat as he was shot in the back while pinned down on the ground. Late Tuesday, Miller said the Customs and Border Patrol agents who killed Pretti "may not have been following that protocol." Meanwhile, US networks aired video reportedly showing Pretti in another violent scuffle with agents more than a week before his killing. The footage could not be immediately verified. Clashes between protesters and federal immigration officers who are deployed to Democratic cities are increasingly common. In Minneapolis, 39-year-old community activist Jennifer Arnold said little has changed since Trump's promise to ease tensions in the city. "The Trump administration is saying that they're going to change tactics...but we are not experiencing anything different on the ground, people are still being snatched off the streets," Arnold told AFP. Immigrant politician attacked Trump's focus on Minnesota is linked to a probe into alleged corruption by Somali immigrants in the state, which he and right-wing allies have amplified as an example of what they say is a fight against criminal immigrants. The president has persistently targeted Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar for insults and mockery, saying she should be sent back to Somalia. In the latest sign of a deteriorating political climate, a man sprayed Omar with an unknown liquid while she was giving a speech late Tuesday, before being tackled by security. The suspect, 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested on suspicion of assault. Speaking to reporters in Minneapolis Wednesday evening, Omar said Trump's attacks against her helped fuel the incident. "I wouldn't be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security, if Donald Trump wasn't in office, and if he wasn't so obsessed with me," Omar said. She added, however, that such intimidation "hasn't worked thus far, and it's not going to work in the future." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
29 January,2026 03:08 PM IST | Minneapolis, United States | AFPDonald Trump lost his bid for reelection in 2020. But for more than five years, he's been trying to convince Americans the opposite is true by falsely saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. Now that he's president again, Trump is pushing the federal government to back up those bogus claims. On Wednesday, the FBI served a search warrant at the election headquarters of Fulton County, Georgia, which includes most of Atlanta, seeking ballots from the 2020 election. That follows Trump's comments earlier this month when he suggested during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that charges related to the election were imminent. "The man has obsessions, as do a fair number of people, but he's the only one who has the full power of the United States behind him," said Rick Hasen, a UCLA law professor. Hasen and many others noted that Trump's use of the FBI to pursue his obsession with the 2020 election is part of a pattern of the president transforming the federal government into his personal tool of vengeance. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, compared the search to the Minnesota immigration crackdown that has killed two U.S. citizen protesters, launched by Trump as his latest blow against the state's governor, who ran against him as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024. "From Minnesota to Georgia, on display to the whole world, is a President spiraling out of control, wielding federal law enforcement as an unaccountable instrument of personal power and revenge," Ossoff said in a statement. It also comes as election officials across the country are starting to rev up for the 2026 midterms, where Trump is struggling to help his party maintain its control of Congress. Noting that, in 2020, Trump contemplated using the military to seize voting machines after his loss, some worry he's laying the groundwork for a similar maneuver in the fall. "Georgia's a blueprint," said Kristin Nabers of the left-leaning group All Voting Is Local. "If they can get away with taking election materials here, what's to stop them from taking election materials or machines from some other state after they lose?" Georgia has been at the heart of Trump's 2020 obsession. He infamously called Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, asking that Raffensperger "find" 11,780 more votes for Trump so he could be declared the winner of the state. Raffensperger refused, noting that repeated reviews confirmed Democrat Joe Biden had narrowly won Georgia. Those were part of a series of reviews in battleground states, often led by Republicans, that affirmed Biden's win, including in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. Trump also lost dozens of court cases challenging the election results and his own attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud.His allies who repeated his lies have been successfully sued for defamation. That includes former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who settled with two Georgia election workers after a court ruled he owed them USD 148 million for defaming them after the 2020 election. Voting machine companies also have brought defamation cases against some conservative-leaning news sites that aired unsubstantiated claims about their equipment being linked to fraud in 2020. Fox News settled one such case by agreeing to pay USD 787 million after the judge ruled it was "CRYSTAL clear" that none of the allegations were true. Trump's campaign to move Georgia into his column also sparked an ill-fated attempt to prosecute him and some of his allies by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat. The case collapsed amid conflict-of-interest charges against the prosecutor, and Trump has since sued Willis for the prosecution. On his first day in office, Trump rewarded some of those who helped him try to overturn the 2020 election results by pardoning, commuting or vowing to dismiss the cases of about 1,500 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He later signed an executive order trying to set new rules for state election systems and voting procedures, although that has been repeatedly blocked by judges who have ruled that the Constitution gives states, and in some instances Congress, control of elections rather than the president. As part of his campaign of retribution, Trump also has spoken about wanting to criminally charge lawmakers who sat on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, suggesting protective pardons of them from Biden are legally invalid. He's targeted a former cybersecurity appointee who assured the public in 2020 that the election was secure. During a year of presidential duties, from dealing with wars in Gaza and Ukraine to shepherding sweeping tax and spending legislation through Congress, Trump has reliably found time to turn the subject to 2020. He has falsely called the election rigged, said Democrats cheated and even installed a White House plaque claiming Biden took office after "the most corrupt election ever." David Becker, a former Department of Justice voting rights attorney and executive director of The Center for Election Innovation & Research, said he was skeptical the FBI search in Georgia would lead to any successful prosecutions. Trump has demanded charges against several enemies such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York's Democratic Attorney General, Letitia James, that have stalled in court. "So much this administration has done is to make claims in social media rather than go to court," Becker said. "I suspect this is more about poisoning the well for 2026." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
29 January,2026 11:47 AM IST | Denver | APADVERTISEMENT
-1769665808055_d.png "Donald Trump uses federal power to pursue false 2020 election allegations. File Pic")