The Venezuela crisis is getting worse. In the US, new speculation is circulating that US President Donald Trump may soon send troops to South America. The reason for this is a photo of the memo pad of Trump's security adviser John Bolton . Coincidence or not, photographers were able to get a picture of the paper in the White House. On it was written: "5000 soldiers to Colombia." Colombia is the neighbor of Venezuela.

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Although the use of the US military among experts continues to be unlikely, he is not completely ruled out. When asked, the White House said on the Bolton notice that what the president said was "all options are on the table."

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has meanwhile accused Washington of stealing. The reason is the recently imposed sanctions of the Americans against the largest oil company in the country. Although he is still allowed to sell his oil in the US, the proceeds must not go to the government of Maduro, but go to blocked accounts.

US judicial authorities accuse Huawei

REUTERS

In the growing rivalry between the US and China, Washington is giving Beijing another blow: The US Department of Justice has presented a whole list of charges against Chinese telecom giant Huawei at a press conference. Among other things, the investigators accuse the group of having cheated four major banks, it is about violations of the Iran imposed by the US sanctions and a case of industrial espionage against the competitor T-Mobile.

Some of the charges are also directed against Huawei Chief Financial Officer detained in Canada, Meng Wanzhou . The US authorities have requested their extradition in Canada. The American approach is unlikely to meet with much approval in Beijing. On Wednesday and Thursday, talks between the US and China on a settlement of the current trade conflict are supposed to continue in Washington. These meetings are now likely to be overshadowed by recent tensions.

Kramp-Karrenbauer gets visitors from Bavaria

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Does anyone remember the crisis of the Union parties last year? Since there was even talk of a termination of the group community in the meantime. Now CDU and CSU are trying hard to appear like a heart and a soul. The new CSU boss Markus Söder wants to visit the new CDU chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Berlin today, to discuss joint priorities for the coming months. In addition, the joint top candidate of the two sister parties for the European elections, Manfred Weber , as a guest in the parliamentary group is expected.

Obviously, the newcomers want to do many things differently than their predecessors Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer . In any case, their relationship is less biased, which helps. The big question now is how long the "honeymoon" phase will last - and whether it will survive the European elections. After big defeats, friendships in politics are known to get cold quickly.

Another Brexit showdown in London

REUTERS

The British House of Commons may again make important decisions on Brexit today. With Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit roadmap failing, parliamentarians now have the opportunity to make their own plans. There are several proposals that compete with each other for the majority of votes. One idea, for example, is to force May's government by law to request a postponement of the withdrawal date on 29 March in Brussels if necessary. Other plans include holding a new referendum. And and and. The votes should begin after 20 clock German time. After that we all know more. Or not.

Lashes blasphemes

DPA

Armin Laschet , Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, has once again presented himself as a friend of clear words. During a lecture at the NRW State Representation in Berlin he talked a lot about the "very ambitious" coal compromise and pointed out, among other things, how difficult it is to save renewable energy. One way is large salt pans, which could arise at the old coal sites. Lashes literally: "A salt basin, in which a gigabyte of energy can be stored, I prefer, as that we build 50 nail studios, which cause no value."

According to my colleague Melanie Amann, who was there, Laschet also spoke to the Élysée Treaty , which was just closed in Aachen. That was a very important success, because: "Many countries that share our European conviction, there are no more." He explicitly mentioned Hungary and Italy in this context. And of course he praised the federalism, because, as we know, the federal government gets nothing properly baked: "The Bundeswehr does not even get their aircraft off the ground to promote the ministers."

Winners of the day ...

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... is US President Donald Trump . After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had canceled his State of the Union Address because of the shutdown, he is now allowed to hold it. The new date is the 5th of February. Trump will be happy because this performance is generally a good opportunity for the president to present his policy. He can also exude statesmanlike greatness, if he is able to do so.

Trump needs a few positive headlines. According to a survey by broadcaster ABC and the Washington Post, only 37 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their work. On average, in all recent polls, its popularity score is 41 percent. 53 percent of Americans are therefore dissatisfied with him. So there is still room for improvement - but also downwards.

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The latest news from the night

  • Conflict with China: US charges Huawei
  • US impose sanctions against Venezuela's oil sector
  • After a dispute with Pelosi: Trump is now to hold speech on the state of the nation on February 5
  • Mueller's investigation into the Russian affair is apparently nearing completion
  • Weapon parts smuggled into toys: Australian police capture three suspects
  • "Speak English, not Chinese": Lecturer apologizes for controversial e-mail
  • In house of US billionaire: cleaner after less than three days freed from elevator

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I wish you a nice start to the day.

Your Roland Nelles