SERETIS NOTES

  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing firmly behind his newly appointed Chief Equity Officer, Afua Atta-Mensah, despite a fresh furor over her past social media posts that targeted "white liberal women" and referenced "taxing the white meat." Pressed by reporters at a briefing on Monday, the mayor dismissed concerns that the inflammatory language should have disqualified her from the top City Hall post. Instead, Mamdani doubled down, calling Atta-Mensah a "brilliant addition" to his administration and confirming that his team was fully aware of her online history before she was hired.

  This tariff threat is unique compared to previous ones. Over the past year, President Trump has frequently employed tariffs to negotiate trade and investment agreements or tackle domestic issues such as illegal immigration and drug trafficking. His warning to impose tariffs ranging from 10% to 25% on several European nations if they oppose the U.S. annexation of Greenland marks a significant departure. It represents an unprecedented application of tariffs against an ally for a strategic rather than a domestic purpose.

  Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concern about a potential outburst due to rising tensions over the Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. "We're in a period in 2020 where tensions have been escalating, and I'm worried we might face another explosive situation," O'Hara mentioned in a "60 Minutes" segment on CBS News on Sunday.

 A study by the Kiel Institute revealed that U.S. tariffs are primarily paid by American importers and consumers. The research indicated that foreign exporters only covered about 4% of the tariff expenses. This finding opposes Trump's claims that tariffs are not a financial burden on Americans. A recent study suggests that a preferred strategy of President Donald Trump has been financially impacting Americans.

I do not know how Russia or Chian will reposnd to this MagicSchool said: The Trump administration has set forth several conditions that Venezuela must meet to restart oil production, according to two senior White House officials who spoke to CNN. In discussions led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Trump administration informed Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, that the country must sever connections with China, Iran, Russia, and Cuba, and agree to collaborate solely with the US on oil production, the officials

  “She's an ideologue, but a practical one,” said Lee McClenny, a retired foreign service officer who was the top U.S. diplomat in Caracas during the period of Rodríguez's outreach. "She knew that Venezuela needed to find a way to resuscitate a moribund oil economy and seemed willing to work with the Trump administration to do that." Nearly a decade later, as Venezuela’s interim president, Rodríguez's message — that Venezuela is open for business — seems to have persuaded Trump. In the days since  Maduro's stunning capture  Saturday, he's alternately praised Rodríguez as a “gracious” American partner while threatening a similar fate as her former boss if she doesn't keep the ruling party in check and provide the U.S. with  “total access”  to the country's vast oil reserves. One thing neither has mentioned is elections, something the constitution mandates must take place within 30 days of the presidency being permanently vacated. So much chess has b...

  Location, Location, Location: Greenland's Strategic Importance Greenland's location above the Arctic Circle makes it a key player in global security strategies. But who benefits from this? With rising international tensions, climate change, and shifts in the global economy, Greenland has become central to discussions on global trade and security. President Trump aims to ensure that his country has control over this mineral-rich island, which protects the Arctic and North Atlantic routes to North America.

  Cuba stated on Monday that 32 of its citizens died in a fight during a U.S. operation in Venezuela. On Saturday, U.S. forces arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took him to New York. Many of his security team were reportedly killed. The Cubans were working for the Cuban Armed Forces and interior ministry, as shared by the presidential office on Facebook. These Cubans were not civilians.  They were soldiers and the should not have been there.  This is a case of wrong place, wromg time.

  Chinese President Xi Jinping's approach to Taiwan is mainly driven by China's internal affairs rather than U.S. actions, and is separate from Latin American issues. However, analysts noted that President Donald Trump's bold move on Saturday, in capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, gives China an unexpected chance. Beijing is likely to use this to criticize Washington and enhance its international reputation in the short term.

Why didn't President Trump mention the wounded American troops? There was no confirmation on whether troops injured during President Donald Trump's military action were taken to BAMC, a Level 1 trauma center. Neither the Defense Department nor BAMC provided details about the medical evacuation flight or the number of injured American troops. BAMC directed all media inquiries to the Pentagon. However, the New York Times reported that about six soldiers were injured on January 2 during Operation Absolute Resolve. Trump stated in a press conference that there were no fatalities and no equipment was lost. He did not mention the injured troops. OSINTDefender, a flight tracker monitoring the C-17 flight from Puerto Rico to San Antonio, cited CNN, reporting that a "handful of American troops sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds during last night's operation in Caracas, Venezuela," but none were life-threatening

  While recent news often highlights events in Venezuela, the U.S. defense community remains focused on China. On Wednesday, China's military wrapped up two days of exercises near Taiwan. These actions were probably intended to affirm China's claim over Taiwan, shortly after the U.S. revealed a new arms deal with Taiwan—a decision criticized by Beijing, as reported by the Associated Press.

  There's been a lot of discussion about a possible stimulus check in 2026. Now that the new year has started, you might be curious if this will actually happen. Although it's not confirmed, President Donald Trump suggested a $2,000 stimulus check for low- to middle-income Americans in 2026. Some economists have expressed concerns, saying tariffs haven't generated enough funds to support this plan. However, Trump and his administration are confident that the payments