Claim OwnershipMallen Baker: Faultlines
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'Dangerously reasonable' analysis on politics, science, and particularly the bit where they bump into each other. I aim to give an independent, fact-focused, non-ideological take on the issues that matter.
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In this news round-up of the week for January 30th 2026 - Trump's string of humiliating retreats in recent days continued with this week's abject U-turn on the subject of ICE operations in Minnesota, and the killings there of protestors. The Trump administration also is caught out having meetings with Albertan separatists, looking for support to break up Canada. And the UK risks enraging Trump by striking deals with China. But it's all happening as China's Xi Jinping has been purging the top ranks of his military - which seems significant.
From the start of his second term, President Trump has been 'flooding the zone' with large numbers of major norm-breaking initiatives. The strategy was intended to overwhelm the opposition, exhaust the watchdogs, to get as much done as possible in the shortest time. The problem with that strategy, especially when so many of the initiatives are frankly misconceived, is that the consequences will eventually outpace the intensity and quantity of the original actions. We're starting to see that happen now. So let's review just a few of the unintended consequences we noticed in the last few days.
European leaders have become clear post-Greenland crisis that Europe needs to disentangle itself from President Trump's America. But Mark Rutte, Secretary-General of NATO, and most famously the 'Trump-whisperer', has other ideas - arguing that purely on a practical basis, Europe is incapable of defending itself without the central participation of the United States. But does that really hold up - when the debate is no longer whether Trump will WALK AWAY from Europe, rather it is how many ways will Trump ACTIVELY ATTACK Europe? Let's discuss.
The yawning gulf between the claims made by the Trump administration after the shooting of Alex Pretti and the events shown by the video evidence widely seen since, has put the US into a major pivot point. Moreso than after the first event, which could have been dismissed as a one-off, an aberration, now all Americans, including GOP senators, including former presidents, and including an awful lot of people who have been taking to the streets, have to decide whether this is the point where the line gets drawn. Or does America follow the downward spiral further towards the unhappy place this obviously takes it. Well, let's discuss.
We already knew President Donald Trump was irritated that Canada's Mark Carney's speech got rave reviews at Davos. And that it plainly laid out - in words that other leaders have not been daring to voice out loud - how Trump has changed the world, and what medium powers should be doing collaboratively to deal with it. Now, Trump is venting big time by threatening 100% tariffs against Canada should it go ahead with its agreed trade deal with China. But, of course, that's not the real reason Trump's taking action. Let's discuss.
In this news round-up of the week for Friday January 23rd, 2026 - Trump's America has a major armada of military force currently heading for Iran. Trump says it's "just in case", but then similar type messages were made about Venezuela. Mark Carney is disinvited from Trump's Board of Peace, which deprives him of the chance to sit down with autocrats and even war criminals from across the world. And Trump sparks yet more fury across the NATO allies by suggesting that their military - some of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice - were kept away from the action. Plus, I reply to a few comments.
So Trump did a complete U-Turn on Greenland, and everything is now all right again. Right? Well, not so fast. Why hasn't this detail been written down, and how can the Trump administration have any trust for the process when, just a week ago, they immediately tried to reframe their discussions with Greenland to their own benefit? The fact is that the process of negotiating an 'off-ramp' deal seems just as likely to go horribly wrong as ... well, the last deal. So Denmark and Greenland are not happy. But still - rejoice! The Board of Peace has been launched. It's a truly bizarre creation - but it has a purpose not many people are talking about yet. Let's discuss.
The Trump administration has stormed the World Economic Forum at Davos in force - and his senior lieutenants, such as Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent have been ruffling feathers and making waves. Today it was Trump's turn, and on the topic that everyone has been talking about, we saw the start of a climbdown from the reckless rhetoric of threatening the use of the military against Greenland. This followed Mark Carney's highly regarded speech the day before which set the standard for countries looking to stand with dignity in the face of Trump's America. A fact that did not escape Trump's notice. Let's discuss.
President Trump told Norway that because - in his mind - the country snubbed him for the Nobel Peace Prize, now he believes he no longer needs to only be about peace. Make of that what you will. Meanwhile, he has been announcing and gathering together his so-called Board of Peace, which already has some eye-catching invitees, and a rapidly expanding remit. Meanwhile, Trump is still refusing to rule out using military force on Greenland, while European leaders continue to try to get to grips with an obviously changed world reality. Let's discuss.
Yesterday, Trump made good on his threats and announced new tariffs to be levied against eight European countries for daring to defy his wish to annex Greenland against the wishes of its residents and of Denmark, whose territory it currently is. And FINALLY this move seems to have pushed the European leaders to the point where they are now ready to give up on the ever-lasting strategy of seeking to appease Trump, flatter him and woo him. Instead, they are threatening retaliation, on the principle that bullies only respect strength, and it might just be time to show some. Well, we'll see. But in the mean time, let's discuss.
In this news round-up of the week for Friday January 16th, 2026: Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado hands her medal to President Trump - and it's as cringeworthy as you would expect. Trump threatens punitive action against the countries standing up for Greenland, even as US lawmakers are drawing a line. More consequences of Trump's policies become visible, as Canada's Mark Carney agrees a major deal with China's Xi Jinping. And President Trump is taking a major delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos - which is odd, because they're supposed to be the anti-MAGA.
He was a highly influential Trump endorser in the election - but he has been critical several times since the Trump administration took office. And this week, in his most forthright commentary yet, even comparing ICE officers to the Nazi Gestapo. This is just a side-note, of course, to the massive chorus of concern that President Trump's souped up immigration police is morphing before our eyes into something more expansive, and something that feels it can act with impunity. Well, let's discuss.
Staring directly in the face of the End Of NATO, the European NATO countries, along with Denmark and Greenland, have come up with their best version of an off-ramp - a solution that would enable President Trump to claim a win, while still keeping Greenland's territorial integrity intact, and the NATO alliance, at least in name. But Trump dashed all hopes with new contributions that made it clear he was not interested in anything short of total ownership. Meanwhile, Danes and Greenlanders had a one-to-one summit with JD Vance and Marco Rubio today ... and it went about as well as you would expect. Let's discuss.
Over the weekend, we heard that Trump had instructed options to be drawn up for taking Greenland through military action. Also, the European NATO members discussed what could be done to fend this off. And the proposal was made that they should send their own military forces to Greenland as soon as possible. But the reason they said they were doing this is certainly not the actual reason. Let's discuss.
To mark the start of 2026, and also the milestone of 150k subscribers for this channel, a Q&A, where we cover Trump, Venezuela, Europe, Greenland, economic collapse, and a great deal more besides. Also, I recount the moment where I nearly died in Washington DC. Seriously.
Trump enjoyed his most dramatic "success" at the start of the year, with his military's flawless operation to grab Nicolas Maduro, and to extort Venezuela into giving the US exclusive access to its oil resources. He promised big as a result - American oil companies would now invest $100 billion into Venezuela's crumbling oil infrastructure to bring it back up to peak productivity. But in a major humiliation to arguably his biggest achievement so far, the oil companies are turning him down. It turns out that Trump's promises are not something they feel they can take to the bank. Even an industry used to managing risk finds President Trump plain too risky. Let's discuss.
In this news round-up of the week for Friday January 9th, 2025. The US takes another step towards normalising political violence with the shooting of a woman by ICE in Minneapolis. President Trump declares that it might well be that he has to choose between taking Greenland and keeping NATO intact. Elon Musk’s Twitter is on the verge of being banned from the United Kingdom, and maybe the European Union. And the White House launches a new website with its own version of recent history - that is as bad as you might expect.
Since the operation against Nicolas Maduro, the Trump Administration has been in bullish mood about its ability to use military power to get anything it wants around the world. And one of the most commonly mentioned targets in the last few days has been Greenland. They assume that the US has such overwhelming force, nobody would try to stop an armed invasion. But Denmark is a member of NATO, and the pledge is that an attack on one is an attack on all. So will European NATO members actually fight for Greenland should it come to it? Let's discuss.
Two things we've learned in the last couple of days. One - the Trump administration officially could not care less about international law, at least - if it should ever prove to be a constraint on them doing exactly what they want to do. And two - for all that MAGA social media posts have been bigging up the initial celebration of Venezuelans at Maduro's downfall, Trump actually is just fine with an authoritarian regime staying in place, just with someone different at the head of it. So all those people who initially celebrated are now feeling crushing disappointment, and the ones actually living in Caracas are hiding from the armed militia crackdown. Let's discuss.
So the plan to oust Nicolas Madura resulted in an attack, during which the dictator and his wife were seized and transported to the United States. This is an undoubted breach of international law, but Trump and MAGA don't care about that. It also broke the rules of the United States, but nobody seems inclined to enforce those. Nevertheless, this isn't just another mad President Trump moment - this has pushed Trump, the bully who used tariffs to put extreme pressure on other countries - across the line into the use of military force to do likewise. This makes it highly likely more will follow. Let's discuss.
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