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Thousands of people have now signed a petition expressing their anger towards Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, who reportedly joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd US state. Just hours before Denmark and Greenland were supposed to meet in the U.S. to try to deter Donald Trump’s annexation rhetoric, news site Politico released comments directed at the issue from a top U.S. official. According to Politico, Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked on the floor to fellow representatives that Iceland will become the 52^nd state of the U.S.

Iceland responded to the article immediately, with the foreign ministry reaching out to U.S. officials, questioning the validity of the statement. Shortly after, a petition from the Icelandic public surfaced, calling on Iceland’s foreign minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, to reject Long as ambassador to the country. The petition recognized that, even if the statements were made in jest, they remain offensive to the Icelandic people and insulting to Iceland’s longstanding support for the U.S. Within hours of the petition’s launch, it had garnered nearly 3,500 signatures, encouraging the U.S. to find a more fitting representative.

Rep Billy Long apologized for his comments hours later, claiming they were indeed said in jest during a conversation with Jeff Landry, Trump’s US special envoy to Greenland. Certainly, neither Iceland nor Greenland would appreciate their envoys joking about the nation’s annexation. While Long acknowledged that the comments could have been offensive, he also refused to apologize any further, stating that the comments were a joke and that he looks forward to working with the people of Iceland. Rep Long will have to wait and see whether Trump will heed the wishes of Iceland’s population and find a new special envoy for the Nordic country, or whether he will become the least-popular U.S. envoy in Icelandic history.

Trump’s annexation dreams

While Trump has never explicitly threatened to annex Iceland, if he’s seriously considering actions in Greenland, Iceland is a natural next step. Iceland is one of the countries most publicly opposed to Trump’s proposed actions in Greenland and was placed on a list of countries to be slapped with a tariff if they interfere with Trump’s plans to annex Greenland. With Trump seemingly committing to advancing action in Greenland, a series of Nations have sent troops to the country, and others, including France, plan on sending land, air, and ground units to defend Greenland. There is currently a bipartisan bill being introduced to the U.S. Congress attempting to halt Trump’s annexation of Greenland, but Republican congresspeople have sponsored a bill of their own in support of the annexation. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The island governs its own domestic affairs, but decisions on foreign and defence policy are made in Copenhagen.

Renee Good suffered four gunshot wounds in a fatal and controversial ICE encounter in Minneapolis, as new information continues to emerge despite the Trump administration’s refusal to grant Minnesota authorities an independent investigation. According to reporting from multiple outlets, including CNN and USA Today, 911 calls and a paramedics’ report detail that Good sustained four gunshot wounds during the incident: one to her arm, two to the chest and one to the head. The medical findings have added critical detail to the timeline of the shooting, which occurred during an ICE operation and has intensified scrutiny over the use of lethal force as public pressure for accountability continues to grow.

Since Jan. 7, the Trump administration has promoted an official narrative claiming that an ICE agent fired in self-defense during the fatal Minneapolis confrontation, accusing Renee Nicole Good of attempting to run over federal officers with her vehicle. That account persisted despite the early circulation of multiple bystander videos, which quickly raised doubts about the government’s explanation and the level of threat posed at the scene. Now, beyond footage that has been publicly available for days, additional details obtained by news organizations — including extensive 911 call transcripts and official incident reports — are shedding new light on the encounter, offering a more precise reconstruction of the events that led to Good’s death at the hands of ICE agents who were attempting to pull her from her vehicle for reasons that remain unclear.

According to reporting from CNN and USA Today, the timeline begins at approximately 9:38 a.m., when a wave of 911 calls reported that a woman had been shot by federal agents while sitting in her SUV. Several callers told dispatchers they saw agents fire through the windshield as Good tried to drive away, while another call placed on behalf of Homeland Security officers described agents surrounded by protesters. Paramedics arrived minutes later and found Good unresponsive, not breathing and with an irregular pulse. A Minneapolis Fire Department report cited by both outlets states that she suffered four gunshot wounds — two to the chest, one to her forearm and a possible wound to her head — before she was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 10:30 a.m.

Taken together, the accounts documented in 911 calls, eyewitness statements and incident reports stand in tension with the federal government’s insistence that the shooting was an unavoidable act of self-defense, raising unresolved questions about decision-making, escalation and the use of force. Those questions have only intensified as the Trump administration has refused requests from Minnesota officials for an independent state-level investigation, arguing that federal authorities alone should review the case. The combination of conflicting narratives and institutional resistance has fueled anger in Minneapolis and beyond, helping to sustain protests and deepen mistrust toward ICE operations, particularly as the shooting came amid a broader surge in aggressive immigration enforcement and was followed days later by another ICE-related shooting in the city.

The first agreements announced between China and Canada form a bundled package rather than a single deal, marking what Ottawa has described as a “landmark” reset after years of strained diplomatic and economic relations. Speaking in Beijing at the start of a multiday foreign trip, Mark Carney framed the deal as a pragmatic recalibration driven by global realities, arguing that China has become a more predictable partner than the United States amid escalating trade pressure from the Trump administration. Analysts note that the agreement reflects Canada’s broader effort to diversify trade ties away from heavy reliance on the U.S., even as officials acknowledge that mistrust, security concerns and human-rights issues with Beijing have not disappeared.

In concrete terms, the package includes a tariff-quota arrangement allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market, replacing the 100 per cent tariff imposed in 2024, in exchange for major concessions on Canadian agricultural exports. Ottawa expects Beijing to cut canola seed duties to 15 per cent from 84 per cent by March, a move Carney called «enormous progress», while tariffs on Canadian canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas will be removed from March through at least the end of 2026. The agreement also includes commitments to expand tourism and cultural ties, with China pledging visa-free travel for Canadians, though the EV component has already drawn criticism from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, underscoring the political and economic risks embedded in Canada’s pivot.

The agreement has already triggered unease in Washington, where U.S. officials have signaled displeasure with Canada’s decision to deepen economic ties with Beijing at a moment of heightened trade friction. According to U.S. trade officials cited in international reporting, the move is seen as problematic and could complicate future negotiations over the Canada–U.S.–Mexico Agreement, as the Trump administration continues to wield tariffs as leverage against allies and rivals alike. For Ottawa, however, the backlash underscores the very rationale behind the pivot: reducing vulnerability to an increasingly unpredictable U.S. trade posture by broadening its network of partners, even as it risks short-term diplomatic strain with its closest ally.

As Venezuelan oil sales begin, the Trump administration is moving toward the use of private military contractors to protect oil and energy infrastructure in Venezuela rather than deploying U.S. troops, according to CNN, marking a significant shift in how Washington plans to secure its interests in the country. The strategy comes as the United States has completed its first official sale of Venezuelan oil since the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the seizure of several oil tank vessels, a transaction valued at roughly $500 million, according to an administration official. With major U.S. energy companies being encouraged to reinvest in Venezuela’s struggling oil sector, the White House is seeking to reassure investors that long-term security can be maintained amid lingering instability, criminal networks and the risk of retaliation against energy assets in a volatile post-Maduro landscape.

The Trump administration continues to push its plan to take complete control over Venezuela’s oil operations even after a White House meeting with major U.S. oil executives in which Trump urged companies to invest $100 billion to rebuild the country’s deteriorated infrastructure — a pitch met with skepticism, with Exxon’s CEO calling Venezuela “uninvestable” under current conditions. As the U.S. has already begun selling Venezuelan oil, Washington is seeking ways to secure the sector, and the Department of Defense issued a Request for Information to private contractors about their ability to support potential U.S. military operations in Venezuela — a move that could cost billions of taxpayer dollars if it leads to long-term engagements.

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had a «very good call» with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, saying the United States and Venezuela were making «tremendous progress» on issues including oil, minerals, trade and national security, and predicting a «spectacular» partnership that would help Venezuela become «great and prosperous again.» Meanwhile, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado is visiting Washington, where she is expected to meet congressional leaders and push for democratic transition policies in Venezuela, adding pressure on Trump to support a broader political opening beyond economic cooperation.

Several major European countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland, have moved to send troops to Greenland, joining Denmark in expanding its military presence «in close cooperation with NATO allies», according to officials, in response to what has been described as an unprecedented threat by one NATO member against another. The deployments follow remarks by Donald Trump suggesting the United States could take control of the Arctic territory «like it or not», a statement that sent shockwaves through European capitals and raised alarm over the stability of alliance norms. While Denmark has long overseen Greenland’s defense, the decision to reinforce the island with broader European support underscores growing concern that rhetorical escalation from Washington has crossed a line, prompting allies to demonstrate unity.

Officially, the NATO deployment has been framed as European leaders have moved to frame the deployment of troops to Greenland as a symbolic and cooperative operation, carefully emphasizing Arctic security and alliance coordination rather than confrontation. Officials in France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland have described their participation as part of a Danish-led military exercise intended to reinforce stability in the High North, improve interoperability among allies and signal unity at a moment of heightened geopolitical tension. The operation, carried out in close cooperation with NATO partners, focuses on Arctic defense, surveillance and logistical readiness in a region increasingly shaped by climate change and strategic competition, with governments stressing that the troop movements are defensive, rotational and designed to preserve regional security rather than escalate disputes over Greenland’s sovereignty.

Donald Trump repeated his challenge to Greenland’s sovereignty on Truth Social as the White House convened an emergency meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials that produced few tangible results, highlighting the growing rift between allies. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he and his Greenlandic counterpart had «a frank but also constructive discussion» with Marco Rubio and JD Vance, but acknowledged that a «fundamental disagreement» remains unresolved. Shortly afterward, Trump escalated his rhetoric online, writing: «The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable.»

Donald Trump delivered one of his starkest remarks yet on Greenland, openly challenging its sovereignty as tensions with European allies continued to mount. Speaking about the strategic importance of the Arctic territory, Trump said the United States would «do something on Greenland whether they like it or not», arguing that failure to act would allow Russia or China to take control of the island. The comment underscored a hardening posture that has unsettled NATO partners, who view Greenland as part of the Danish realm and a cornerstone of Arctic stability. By framing the issue as a zero-sum geopolitical contest, Trump reinforced concerns in Europe that his rhetoric is eroding alliance norms and transforming a long-standing strategic partnership into an open dispute over territory and authority.