Banners of various G20 leaders are displayed along a Johannesburg freeway, in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 20, 2025
WORLD leaders from the Group of 20 rich and developing economies broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday despite opposition from the United States.
The US is boycotting the two-day talks in a diplomatic rift with the host country and had put pressure on South Africa not to adopt a leaders’ declaration in the absence of a US delegation, South African officials said.
Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said that a leaders’ declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members at the start of the talks in Johannesburg.
Declarations are usually adopted at the end of G20 summits.
The 122-point declaration urged more global action on issues that specifically affect poor countries, like climate-related disasters and sovereign debt levels, and was promoted by the hosts as a victory for the first G20 summit to be held in Africa.
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While President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said the declaration was unanimous, Argentina said it did not endorse it.
Protesters demonstrate near members of the National Guard as they stand watch outside Union Station in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2025. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP)
A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump’s deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops to police Washington, DC, is illegal and must come to an end.
Over objections from city officials, Trump ordered the troops to flood the nation’s capital in August to deter what he claimed was an unstoppable crime wave, even though crime was falling precipitously and was at a 30-year low.
Federal District Judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, wrote that the Trump administration “exceeded the bounds of their authority” and “acted contrary to law” by deploying the National Guard “for nonmilitary, crime-deterrence missions in the absence of a request from the city’s civil authorities.”
She wrote that while Trump is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Trump’s legal authority to deploy troops around the country is subject to limits by Congress, especially in DC, where it has the ultimate authority under the Constitution.
She wrote that the court “rejects defendants’ fly-by assertion of constitutional power, finding that such a broad reading of the president’s Article II authority would erase Congress’ role in governing the district and its National Guard.”
Cobb also said that the Pentagon lacked statutory authority to deploy more than 1,000 out-of-state National Guard members to DC. She wrote that “the district’s exercise of sovereign powers within its jurisdiction is irreparably harmed by defendants’ actions in deploying the guards.”
While finding the administration’s actions illegal, Cobb said it will not be required to pull back troops immediately. She gave the administration until December 11 to file an appeal.
“There is generally no public interest in the perpetuation of unlawful agency action,” Cobb concluded. “There is a substantial public interest in having governmental agencies abide by the federal laws that govern their existence and operations.”
The ruling follows a lawsuit in early September from the office of DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
“The court has ruled that the National Guard deployment to DC is illegal and granted a preliminary injunction,” Schwalb said after the ruling was handed down. “As we made clear from the start: The US military should not police American citizens on American soil. This is a victory for DC, home rule, and American democracy.”
The ruling comes amid legal battles over Trump’s moves to deploy the National Guard in other US cities. The US Supreme Court is expected to soon weigh in on his deployment in Chicago, even as some troops sent to Illinois are headed home.
“Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent,” Schwalb continued. “No president should be empowered to disregard states’ independence and deploy troops anywhere—with no check on their military power. This federal overreach is not normal or legal.”
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Protesters march through uptown after gathering at First Ward Park for the “No Border Patrol In Charlotte” rally on November 15, 2025 in North Carolina’s largest city. (Photo by Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)
“I want to keep my neighbors protected because they deserve protection and they deserve to live in a world where they’re not scared,” said one woman patrolling the streets of Charlotte with a whistle.
Backlash against the Trump administration’s assault on immigrant communities—in which some US citizens are also getting caught up—is growing in Charlotte, North Carolina this week, as over 30,000 students staged walkouts to protest the federal invasion, people rallied to condemn the arrest of day laborers, and communities mobilized to protect their friends and neighbors targeted by federal agents.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Home Depot on North Wendover Road Wednesday morning, lining both sides of the street, holding signs supporting immigrants and denouncing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents, and cheering as motorists honked in support.
The protest came on the fifth—and reportedly penultimate—day of Operation Charlotte’s Web, which the Department of Homeland Security claimed targeted the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that it has been informed by federal officials that Operation Charlotte’s Web has wrapped up.
Over 100 people are protesting outside The Home Depot on Wendover Road in east Charlotte, calling on the company to stop allowing CBP & ICE onto their property to carry out operations against immigrants. pic.twitter.com/gMyTHODYte
The administration’s “worst of the worst” claim does not seem supported in the vast majority of the hundreds of arrests made in the Charlotte area, as ICE and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have targeted locations including a church, grocery stores, construction sites, homes, and hardware store parking lots where day laborers gather every morning in search of work.
“From guns being drawn on pedestrians, windows broken at restaurants and US citizens being detained and later released, it is clear that CBP’s main mission is to disrupt public safety and everyday life in Charlotte,” Zamara Saldivar of the Carolina Migrant Network toldWFAE at the Home Depot protest.
Protester Norm Perreault told the CharlotteObserver that “they say they’re deporting the worst of the worst, but day laborers are the best of the best.”
“We are here to support the immigrant community,” said former Charlotte mayor Jennifer Roberts.
Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat, was also at the Home Depot demonstration, where she declared: “We are here to support the immigrant community. We know they’re an integral part of our economy, education, culture, and growth.”
“It’s time for them to leave,” Roberts said of the federal invaders. “We need business to get back to normal. We need our schools to be able to educate our children.”
On Monday, an estimated 30,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students walked out of their classrooms in protest of the crackdown. Students marched, held signs, and chanted messages including, “No borders, no nations, stop the deportations!”
Wow. Thirty thousand students just walked out in Charlotte to protest ICE. When kids are willing to shut down an entire city to push back on state power, that’s a political awakening. pic.twitter.com/zx2wVhlmB8
“It’s stressful seeing my mom ‘cuz, like, she struggled with bills already going to work. I mean, even without her going to work, she’s struggling even more.” said one unidentified student protester from East Mecklenburg High School toldWCNC, discussing his family’s fear of being targeted during the crackdown.
Another unidentified East Mecklenburg High student lamented “little kids losing their parents by ICE and getting taken, seeing them cry, and that, like, it breaks my heart seeing them like that.”
East Mecklenburg High multilingual teacher David Gillespie toldWJBF that “a school should be a safe place for a child to come. They should be able to come here to get their education, they should be able to come here and spend time with their friends, socialize, they should feel secure.”
“I’m not sure which of my students I’m going to see again,” Gillespie said in a separate interview with WCNC. “Whether because their parents were involved in detainments or because their parents have to make that unfortunate safety calculus—Is it worth it to send my kids to school and put myself at risk?”
Parent Portia James toldWBTV that she supports the walkout as an avenue for “students to be able to say something and voice their opinion in a positive way.”
“This is not the kind of behavior that we want in Charlotte going forward,” James said of the federal crackdown.
This week’s demonstrations followed Saturday’s “No Border Patrol in Charlotte” rally and march, which drew thousands of protesters to First Ward Park and the city’s streets.
Concern is also growing over federal agents arresting and terrorizing US citizens who legally follow, monitor, and record their activities. Vigilant residents have been confronting federal agents, shouting, blowing whistles, and recording them. Federal agents have also seized US citizens who’ve shown proof of their citizenship.
🚨ICE/Border Patrol agents assaulted and kidnapped a U.S. citizen… then dumped him on the side of the road two miles away.
In the video, you can see agents uncuffing him, tossing his wallet and belongings onto the ground, and driving away. No apology. No explanation. Just… pic.twitter.com/CBE0iag9zZ
“Our country is facing a constant constitutional assault unlike we’ve experienced in many decades,” David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said on X Wednesday. “Don’t give an inch of your freedom.”
Undaunted, some democracy defenders have taken to mocking the invaders:
ICE IN CHARLOTTE NC‼️ This is the appropriate energy needed for this moment in history‼️ pic.twitter.com/bzdFLSWLyt
Others are mobilizing to resist the invasion and protect their immigrant relatives, friends, and neighbors. Residents have formed volunteer patrols, parents and educators have monitored schools and surrounding areas for agents, and church parishioners armed with whistles are alerting community members when “la migra esta aquí”—the immigration agents are here.
On Saturday, Manolo’s Latin Bakery, which has operated in Charlotte for 28 years, was rocked as federal agents in tactical gearchased, tackled, and arrested people outside the business.
“I have seen these people in SUVs, cars that are not marked with their faces covered… throwing immigrants to the floor and taking them away,” owner Manolo Betancur toldQueen City News on Saturday, saying he would temporarily shut down his business.
“I’m going to close the door right now,” he said. “Yeah, I’m not going to risk my customers… I don’t want to risk myself even though I am an American citizen. Because the way they look, because they’re way that my accent, because the way that I talk, they’re just going to throw me down to the floor.”
Local resident Beth Clements toldCNN Thursday that she’s been outside the bakery for three days wearing a yellow vest and whistle.
“I’m going to walk the streets with my whistle,” she said, “and I want to keep my neighbors protected because they deserve protection and they deserve to live in a world where they’re not scared.”
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Protest against US and UK sanctions on Venezuela. Photo: Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
Left parties and organizations across Europe are calling for respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and action against escalating US aggression in the Caribbean.
European leaders continue to subordinate themselves to the Trump administration, including on the United States’ escalating military threats against Venezuela. Shortly before this month’s CELAC–EU summit in Colombia, several high-ranking figures, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron, suddenly announced they would not attend the meeting. Their move has widely been understood as an attempt to avoid displeasing US President Donald Trump at a moment of mounting US aggression in Latin America.
In contrast, left parties in the region warn against this approach. Instead of supporting US militarism, they insist, Europe should uphold international law, respect the sovereignty of Latin American states, and push for diplomacy over war.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented military escalation in 20 years, a multifaceted aggression that threatens not only Venezuela, but any project of sovereignty and social justice in Latin America,” the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) wrote in response to the situation. Italy’s Potere al Popolo echoed this concern, noting that US interests in Latin America have remained unchanged for decades. “On the one hand, it’s about securing access to the immense oil, water, and raw materials reserves, but also to the food production capacities of the Latin American continent (an economic and trade war),” the party wrote. “On the other hand, they want to stifle the efforts of progressive and socialist governments (an ideology war).”
For left organizations from Greece to Britain, there is little doubt that the current US threats against Venezuela amount to a push for regime change. Most see this as yet another step that could trap Latin America and the rest of the world into an even deeper cycle of violence. Despite such concerns, most European governments have not shown any sign of questioning US plans or proposing alternatives. Just the opposite: in addition to skipping multilateral discussions with Latin American counterparts, some have even chosen to reduce diplomatic representation in the region.
Belgium recently announced it would close several diplomatic missions, including those in Havana and Rio de Janeiro. The PTB-PVDA warned against this decision, emphasizing that it is both dangerous and short-sighted. “This is a very bad idea,” said party General Secretary Peter Mertens. “At a time when international law and international relations are already under heavy pressure, and US President Donald Trump is announcing new military aggressions in the Caribbean region, we need more diplomacy.”
Peace networks and organizations are similarly calling for a change of approach. Belgian associations Vrede and Intal appealed to parliamentary bodies to take action in light of recent US announcements regarding the launch of its new military initiative, Operation Southern Spear. “Venezuela is risking being plunged into chaos similar to the most devastating conflicts of recent decades, and a prolonged instability could arise across the region,” the groups wrote.
They also warned that Belgium has legal and political obligations to uphold international law and therefore support peaceful solutions. Similar calls have appeared in Britain, where several MPs and peace networks have criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to oppose the US militarization drive. “There are deep fears that US military intervention in Venezuela would be the first step in a wider military escalation by Trump in Latin America,” their appeal warns. “The US has a long history of interference in the continent, where so-called ‘regime change’ has caused widespread suffering and lasting harm.”
The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign in Britain also urged action, saying: “The task now is to maximize support for solidarity with Venezuela on the basis of respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, a recall of the US fleet, and end to US military aggression in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Those calling for solidarity with Venezuela are well aware that their initiatives stand in stark contrast to the interests of powerful actors poised to benefit from the escalation. “War is beneficial for some, not least those who are well aware that Venezuela sits on the world’s largest oil reserves,” Jeremy Corbyn noted for the Stop the War Coalition.
Despite anticipating a response from conservative and right-wing forces, left parties and progressive networks insist that now is the time to intensify solidarity. “Trump is responding to the crisis of US hegemony with greater militarization of the world. Europe – including Giorgia Meloni’s government – is following suit by increasing military spending and attacking the rights of the working class,” Potere al Popolo stated. “Today, more than ever, we have a duty to stop this expanding war economy, as the dockworkers demonstrated with their recent general strikes and as millions around the world showed by marching for peace.”
US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Oval Office. Photo: The White House
While Trump increases military pressure in the Caribbean Sea, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of resuming talks with Caracas. Meanwhile, Maduro supports the diplomatic route and rejects the possibility of war
The Trump administration claims that a large amount of the drugs entering the United States comes from Venezuela, whose government is allegedly part of a criminal structure called the “Cartel of the Suns”.
Caracas has flatly denied these accusations and claimed that they are part of a justification to overthrow the Venezuelan government (which controls the world’s largest oil reserves) and thus force a change of direction in the country that is aligned with Washington’s economic and geopolitical interests.
Washington insists on its accusations
On November 16, the US State Department announced that it will designate the Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles) a foreign terrorist organization. Defense Secretary Marco Rubio stated: “The Cartel of the Suns, along with other designated foreign terrorist organizations, including the Aragua Train and the Sinaloa Cartel, are responsible for terrorist violence throughout the hemisphere, as well as drug trafficking to the United States and Europe.”
Despite these warnings, the Trump administration has already launched attacks on small boats in the Caribbean Sea that, according to Washington, were carrying drugs to the United States, although no reliable evidence has yet been presented to prove this. Dozens of deaths have been reported so far.
The big question arising from the recent military and administrative maneuvers by the United States is whether Washington will dare to attack Venezuelan territory on the grounds that it is an attack to destroy a terrorist organization. For the moment, Trump has moved forward with these measures, although he has been cautious in stating that the attack will take place.
Trump says he will speak with Maduro soon
While the Trump administration increases pressure on Venezuela, even authorizing covert actions in the Caribbean country according to the New York Times, it also claims that there may be an open channel of communication with Caracas.
This was seemingly confirmed at the November 17 press conference, when, in response to questions from reporters about possible communication with Maduro, Trump said, “At some point, I will talk to him.”
Maduro’s response
In response to these statements, the Venezuelan president reacted by saying that the conversation should take place: “Only through diplomacy can differences be resolved … Anyone who wants to talk to Venezuela will talk face to face, but the Venezuelan people cannot be allowed to be massacred.”
Maduro warned that one of the consequences of a possible military invasion of Venezuela would be the loss of legitimacy of the Trump administration: “A war against Venezuela would be the political end of his leadership and his name. [Some people are trying to push Trump to] make the most serious mistake of his entire life.” He also said that public opinion in the United States is increasingly rejecting a possible military intervention in South America.
For now, Washington wants to maintain all options available when negotiating with Maduro’s government, whether through military or diplomatic means. Thus, Trump is deploying his military and intelligence assets in South America while keeping the lines of communication open with Maduro. For its part, the Venezuelan government is betting on diplomacy while preparing for a possible military invasion that would seek to end more than 25 years of Chavista rule, although such an operation could have unforeseen effects in the region, even for Washington.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Banners of various G20 leaders are displayed along a Johannesburg freeway, in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 20, 2025
