A month after the Jan. 3 U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, Latin America remains on edge with 15,000 U.S. troops in the region and fear that Trump will deploy a permanent U.S. presence in the region to threaten any government not compliant with Washington’s policies. The shifting justifications that the Trump administration cited for its actions against Venezuela have ranged from a focus on confronting narcoterrorism to supporting democracy, all of which was clearly a smokescreen for the real motive: controlling Venezuela’s vast oil wealth.
(“What’s Next for the US Military in Latin America,” Foreign Policy, Jan. 29, 2026; “Directions of Travel,” Economist, Jan. 31, 2026)
The U.S. is leading a major surge in the construction of natural gas plants to power new data centers in service to the expansion and future development of artificial intelligence technology. Global capacity of new gas-fired power plants is expected to increase by 50 percent in coming years.
(“US Leads Record Global Surge in Gas-Power driven by AI Demands,” Guardian, Jan. 29, 2026)
The grassroots protest movement against ICE violence across the U.S. is now targeting corporate enablers of Trump’s mass deportation campaign. In late January, New York City police arrested 60 activists in lower Manhattan who were conducting a nonviolent sit-in protest in the lobby of a Hilton Garden Inn, demonstrating their opposition to the hotel chain’s support for ICE agents and their mass deportation mission.
(“‘No Sleep for ICE’ Campaigns Expand,” American Prospect, Jan. 30, 2026)
