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Uruguay President Orsi defies Trump ‘Donroe Doctrine’ with China deals | Fox News

By Morgan Phillips | Fox News
Published February 3, 2026 10:54am EST

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi stood alongside Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People Tuesday, becoming the first South American leader to openly defy the Trump administration’s “Donroe Doctrine” by signing a flurry of strategic trade deals with the Chinese Communist Party.

Xi told Orsi that China and Uruguay should work together toward an “equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalisation,” according to pool media reports.

Xi said China supported Latin American and Caribbean nations in upholding their sovereignty and development interests and would help defuse international volatility and “escalating unilateral bullying.”

Orsi said China and Uruguay’s relationship was going through its “best moment” and said both nations should “commit to raising it to a new level.”

[MADURO MET CHINESE ENVOY HOURS BEFORE US CAPTURE FROM CARACAS AS BEIJING SLAMS OPERATION]

Uruguayan President Orsi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, defying the “Donroe Doctrine.”(Jessica Lee/Pool via Reuters)

Orsi and his delegation of 150, including Uruguayan business leaders, will be in Beijing and Shanghai through Saturday.

The meeting serves as a direct litmus test for the “Donroe Doctrine” — the Trump administration’s 2025 update to the Monroe Doctrine that asserts absolute U.S. “deterrence and dominance” over the Western Hemisphere.

Trump signaled his willingness to follow through on the doctrine with strikes on Caracas, Venezuela, and a mission to capture Nicolás Maduro.

[IRAN STRIKES COULD SIGNAL LIMITS OF BEIJING, MOSCOW’S POWER AS US FLEXES STRENGTH]

Orsi signed 12 deals to collaborate with China.(Jessica Lee/pool via Reuters)

Trump declared “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again” after the Jan. 3 operation.

The Trump corollary to the White House’s National Security Strategy specifically lists”ownership of key assets” by foreign adversaries as a violation of U.S. interests.

Orsi signing 12 deals may pose a direct “ownership” challenge. The deals outline cooperation in areas ranging from science and technology to the environment, intellectual property and the meat trade.

China was the top destination for Uruguayan exports in 2025.

The meeting comes amid a slew of visits by Western leaders to China since the start of 2026: in late January Britain’s Keir Starmer was in Beijing promising to strengthen trade cooperation. The week before that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inked a major trade deal with Xi.

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China “is willing to work with Uruguay and other regional countries to deepen and solidify the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future,” Xi said.

Asked to comment on the meeting, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said: “President Trump has undoubtedly restored American strength in the Western Hemisphere, showing the entire world that the days of Biden-era weakness are over. He has effectively stopped our backyard from becoming a refuge for drug traffickers, Iran proxies, and criminals that endanger our national security. He will continue to deliver on that mission, making America – and the world – safer and more secure.”

Texas Dem Senate candidate’s ‘mediocre’ comment rocks race

James Talarico faces backlash after TikTok influencer Morgan Thompson alleged that he made a remark about former Rep Colin Allred after a town hall

By Rachel Wolf Fox News

Published February 3, 2026 1:19pm EST

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388721359112

The former U.S. congressman slammed James Talarico for “tearing down a Black man.” (Credit: X/@ColinAllredTX – Feb. 2, 2026)

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A Texas Democrat running for Senate is facing backlash over his comments about his former opponent.

Morgan Thompson, a political influencer who posts on TikTok under the username @morga_tt, claimed that state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, referred to former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, as a “mediocre Black man.”

Thompson, who is Black, said the remark was made after a Jan. 12 town hall in Plano, Texas. Talarico, who is now facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, allegedly told Thompson that he “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent Black woman.”

Talarico was reportedly referring to Allred as the “mediocre Black man” and Crockett as “a formidable, intelligent Black woman.” Allred had ended his campaign in early December as Crockett prepared to enter the race. She formally launched her bid for the Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, the same day Allred ended his campaign.

James Talarico, who is facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate nomination, was slammed for allegedly calling former Rep. Colin Allred a “mediocre Black man.”(Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, Talarico’s campaign pointed to a statement that was released after Thompson’s video went viral. In the statement, Talarico claimed that it was a “mischaracterization of a private conversation.”

“In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race,” Talarico’s statement read. “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others.”

Talarico asserted that Democrats are “all on the same team” and said he “deeply” respects Allred.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred reacts at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25.(Reuters/Marco Bello)

Allred, a former NFL linebacker, civil rights attorney and congressman, responded to Talarico in a video posted on X. He slammed Talarico for having “the temerity and the audacity” to make the remark to Thompson.

“First, let me give you some free advice James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it,” Allred said in the video. “Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man, okay?”

“We’re tired of folks using praise for Black women to mask criticism for Black men. That’s not good for our community,” Allred added.

State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat U.S. Senate candidate, left, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a U.S. Senate candidate, shake hands during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.(Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The former congressman suggested that there was “a bit of confession” in Talarico’s remarks, saying, “Maybe you used the word ‘mediocre’ because there was something creeping into your mind about yourself because I know you’re not talking about somebody who’s been better at three things than you’ve ever been at one.”

At the end of his video, Allred encouraged people to vote for Crockett, and said that Talarico “should not be our nominee for United States Senate.”

Crockett and Talarico will face off in the state’s March 3 primary. The winner will then run against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office for comment.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

A single Trump announcement sparks billions in losses across gold and silver

By Amanda Macias | Fox News | February 3, 2026 10:29am EST

A single announcement out of Washington sent gold and silver prices plunging, erasing billions of dollars in market value and catching investors off guard almost overnight.

The dizzying boom ended abruptly Friday morning after President Donald Trump confirmed Kevin Warsh as his pick to lead the Federal Reserve, sending the dollar to its strongest level in months and reshaping expectations for U.S. monetary policy.

Warsh is widely viewed as a free-market, inflation hawk who breaks with much of the current Federal Reserve leadership. Influenced by his studies under economist Milton Friedman, he has long argued that inflation is driven by printing too much money.

That view departs from years of Federal Reserve policy focused on keeping borrowing costs low.

TRUMP NOMINATES KEVIN WARSH TO SUCCEED JEROME POWELL AS FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR

Kevin Warsh built his career at Morgan Stanley and, at 35, became the youngest person to serve on the Fed’s board in 2006.(Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

For investors, Warsh’s record has signaled a more disciplined approach to inflation and monetary policy.

Addressing inflation under that framework would likely require tighter monetary policy, including higher interest rates. And higher rates typically strengthen the U.S. dollar, giving investors less reason to seek refuge in gold and silver and prompting a selloff in both metals.

WHAT TRUMP’S NEXT PICK TO LEAD THE FEDERAL RESERVE MEANS FOR YOUR WALLET

For months, a gravity-defying rally had pushed gold and silver prices to fresh highs, as investors piled into the traditional safe-haven assets amid inflation, trade tensions and concerns about the long-term stability of the dollar under Trump’s economic policies.

Hours before Trump announced Warsh’s nomination, gold and silver were still holding onto recent gains. The news sparked a swift bust, with gold suffering its worst selloff since 2013 and silver posting its steepest one-day drop since 1980.

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The sudden reversal rattled investors who had turned to gold as a hedge against inflation and policy uncertainty, including many retirement-age Americans who viewed the metal as a safer place to park their savings.

The sharp swings also raised questions about how much more volatility could lie ahead, as markets brace for further policy signals from Washington and potential changes at the Federal Reserve.

TRUMP’S ECONOMIC WINS ARE REAL — NOW HE NEEDS TO CONVINCE THE COUNTRY

A person walks past a poster showing ‘American Eagle’ gold and silver bullion coins at a gold dealer’s window in Madrid, on Jan. 30, 2026.(Oscar Del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images)

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Even so, longer-term demand for gold has been supported by steady buying from foreign central banks, including China, which has been diversifying reserves away from the U.S. dollar amid geopolitical tensions.

Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

NASA begins mission to map the boundaries of our heliosphere

February 3, 2026 / 10:07 AM EST / CBS News

A NASA probe has started its mission to map the heliosphere, which is a huge protective bubble around the solar system that was created by the sun, the space agency announced on Monday.

The space agency’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, is expected to continue its mission for two years, using scientific instruments to chart the boundaries of the heliosphere and what’s going on inside of it.

The probe is focusing on high-energy particles bursting from the surface of the sun, the magnetic fields that form in the spaces between planets, and the dust left behind by collapsed stars farther out in the galaxy.

“The spacecraft studies the Sun’s activity and how the heliosphere’s boundary interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond,” NASA said.

The mission could help scientists answer fundamental questions about the universe. Scientists also hope it will help them understand what NASA says are “two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics, namely the energization of charged particles from the Sun and the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space.”

https://youtu.be/omv-fxd4EAE?si=L05XVWStjt6lAjVC

It will also give insight into solar activity’s influence over space weather, and the relationships between those patterns and phenomena like solar flares, solar storms and coronal mass ejections. NASA said tracking space weather and broadcasting near-real-time observations about the conditions may be helpful for forecasters as they “issue advanced warnings and alerts of potential adverse space weather effects on the health and safety of spacecraft and astronauts.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center now provides updates on space weather conditions using data from the IMAP mission. Its last update early Tuesday warned of a strong solar flare that occurred Monday evening just before 7 p.m. ET. Described by scientists as “eruptions of energy” from the sun’s surface, flares as powerful as this latest one can potentially impact communication on Earth for up to a few hours, according to the prediction center.

NASA’s IMAP mission began shortly after researchers pinpointed[a steady increase in solar activity] following a decades-long lull. Their study, published in September, showed that the sun became more and more active over the last 16 or so years, in a reversal that scientists said may affect space weather and technology on Earth.

The Senate’s top Republican leader threw cold water on President Donald Trump’s desire to nationalize elections, arguing he was in favor of “decentralized, distributed power.”

Trump, during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s podcast, contended that it was “amazing Republicans aren’t tougher” on elections.

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting in at least many — 15 places,’” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.”

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TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., threw cold water on President Donald Trump’s insistence that Republicans move to nationalize elections.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., rejected the notion. He said that while he was supportive of only citizens voting and showing identification at polling places to do so, he was not in “favor of [federalizing elections.”

“That’s a constitutional issue. You gotta be a citizen to vote in our elections,” Thune said.

Trump’s ability to morph and shape the election landscape runs into constitutional barriers, notably that elections are run by state and local officials in all 50 states. The federal government has a limited role in that process.

WATCHDOG SOUNDS ALARM OVER POTENTIAL NONCITIZEN VOTING AND FOREIGN INFLUENCE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

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President Donald Trump arrives ahead of the wedding of Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff, and Erin Elmore, the director of Art in Embassies at the U.S. Department of State, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2026.(Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Thune also noted that echoes of the idea were once pushed by congressional Democrats years ago — something that Senate Republicans resoundingly crushed.

“But there are other things that the Dems had in their proposal to federalize elections which are really bad outcomes for the country,” he said. “I’m a big believer in decentralized, distributed power. And I think, you know, it’s harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one.”

[image_4]

Congressional Republicans strongly pushed back against pushes by their counterparts to pass election reform legislation, notably the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act, which they argued at the time would effectively nationalize elections and give Democrats control of the election system across the country.

‘OPENING PANDORA’S BOX’: MIKE JOHNSON BACKS TRUMP AFTER WARNING WHITE HOUSE ABOUT DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., hold a joint news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2026.(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Trump’s suggestion came after the FBI raided an election hub in Fulton County, Ga., where federal law enforcement officials were authorized to seize election records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election.

It also comes as congressional Republicans wrestle with the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which previously passed the House but has not gotten a vote in the Senate.

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That legislation would require states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and remove noncitizens from voter rolls. A modified version of the bill gaining steam among conservatives would require photo ID when voting.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Trump’s comments and the SAVE Act and affirmed that the bill would never pass through the Senate.

[image_6]

“Now as for the SAVE Act itself: it has nothing to do with protecting our elections and everything to do with federalizing voter suppression,” Schumer said. “The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0.”

Thune rejected the idea, citing constitutional concerns about federalizing elections

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Top teachers union under fire as lawmakers push to strip union of unique federal charter: ‘Lost their way’

GOP Reps Buddy Carter and Mary Miller spoke to Fox News Digital about why the NEA’s charter should be revoked

By Andrew Mark Miller
Fox News
Published February 3, 2026 10:30am EST

Fox News Digital spoke to GOP Rep. Buddy Carter about what Congress can do in response to the top teachers union far-left push while students are suffering.

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With the National Education Association being thrust into the spotlight after increasing its public opposition against the Trump administration and having been accused of financially backing far-left agenda items, two Republicans are taking steps to revoke its federal charter.

The National Education Association holds a rare distinction in Washington, D.C., as the only labor union granted a federal charter, a status it received from Congress in 1906, and critics have argued that the functions of the NEA then and now are much different.

Republican Reps. Buddy Carter and Mary Miller have been vocal critics of the NEA in recent years and are calling for that charter to be revoked, a move that Carter tells Fox News Digital would be “significant” and “carries with it a lot of clout.”

“Let’s face it, the NEA is nothing more than a liberal political organization masquerading as a teachers union,” Carter added. “Remember in 1906, Congress gave them this charter to elevate the profession. They’re not elevating the profession right now.”

TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT CALLS TRUMP A ‘DICTATOR’ ON UNEARTHED CALL WITH ANTIFA-LINKED GROUP

The NEA has been actively opposing President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, labeling him a “dictator” and organizing protests nationwide against ICE.

“You only have to look at their actions here recently to see that they have turned into a liberal political organization,” Carter told Fox News Digital. “Calling President Trump’s policies fascism, calling for allowing biological men to participate and grow sports, going against the Anti-Defamation League, which is trying to stamp out anti-Semitism. All the policies that they’re enacting, 98% of their donations are going to Democrats now, and the liberal Democrats. And then, of course, what they’ve done in Minneapolis and in Minnesota — all of those actions lead us to believe that they should be, that their charter should be pulled.”

Fox News Digital has extensively reported on criticisms of the NEA in recent months, including in November when a federal labor filing showed the organization sent millions to far-left causes. Last month, an NEA whistleblower told Fox News Digital the organization operates like a “cult” and views conservatives as the “enemy.”

UNCOVERED DOCS SHOW TOP TEACHERS UNION GUIDING GENDER TRANSITIONS, BASHING CONSERVATIVES: ‘INSANE ASYLUM’

“They’ve lost their way. They are not about educating the kids,” Miller told Fox News Digital. “This is a social engineering program. That’s what the NEA has become.”

“For a long time, I’ve been calling out the NEA as being a disastrous organization,” added Miller, who has cosponsored legislation to remove the NEA’s federal charter.

“I think they have done immeasurable damage to our country in light of losing the focus of educating our children, and they’ve gotten into social engineering and completely political.”

While the NEA’s actions have been gathering increased scrutiny in recent months, Miller told Fox News Digital her objections to the NEA go back decades.

“Back in the 90s, I got a hold of the NEA’s resolutions from their annual convention, and I was horrified when I saw those. I was actually a teacher. After that, I had my alarm bells up. I ended up home educating my children because of the curriculum, and the NEA is definitely trying to drive that curriculum.”

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Miller continued, “But instead of pushing the basics in education — so our children are literate, so that they can do math and they know our history, they understand our civics, they are educated in science, and basic education, what American parents want — they’ve gotten into pushing DEI, weird sexual stuff, they don’t want parents involved. They’re anti homeschooling. They’ve called for boycotts of corporations they felt weren’t pushing their cause. They’ve gone off onto things like calling for the statehood of District of Columbia. I mean, so many things that have nothing to do with education. They lost their way and that’s why I want their charter revoked.”

If Miller’s legislation were to pass through Congress, she told Fox News Digital that it would “send a strong message that people and lawmakers are rising up to the NEA.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the NEA for comment.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388679643112

UK govt-backed review says Britain’s national parks feel ‘white’ and unwelcoming

Critic says, as growth slows and public services are stretched, ‘it’s astonishing ministers are worrying about the ‘whiteness’ of the countryside’

By Efrat Lachter
Fox News

Published February 3, 2026 11:28am EST

Authorities overseeing some of Britain’s most famous countryside landscapes are launching targeted outreach programs aimed at ethnic minority communities, after a government-commissioned review warned rural areas are widely perceived as a ‘white’ and unwelcoming space.

“The countryside is seen by both black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and white people as very much a ‘white’ environment,” the report stated, “We are all paying for national landscapes through our taxes, and yet sometimes on our visits it has felt as if National Parks are an exclusive, mainly white, mainly middle‑class club, with rules only members understand and much too little done to encourage first time visitors.”

Autumn mists hang over villages and the countryside in the South Downs National Park near Amberley in Southern England Oct. 7, 2013.(Luke MacGregor/Reuters)

Critics say the initiative reflects misplaced government priorities. Michael McManus, director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital: “At a time of low growth, high taxes and stretched public services, it’s astonishing that ministers are spending time and money worrying about the ‘whiteness’ of the countryside. Government exists to grow the economy and fix real problems, not to indulge in culture war distractions that deliver nothing for working people.”

The initiatives stem from the 2019 Landscapes Review, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and led by author Julian Glover. The review concluded that England’s protected landscapes often feel disconnected from large parts of the population.

[LIZ PEEK: TRUMP DECLARES WAR ON WOKE—AND THIS BELOVED MUSEUM IS IN HIS CROSSHAIRS]

Sheep pass by entrants in the annual Friends of the Lake District Dry Stone Walling Competition, who were working on their section of wall, in Little Asby Common, northern England, July 3, 2010.(Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)

The review also criticized the leadership of protected landscapes, arguing that governance bodies do not reflect the country they serve. “Of the almost 1,000 people on National Park and AONB boards today, the great majority are male… and a tiny fraction are of black, Asian or minority ethnicities,” the report said, calling that imbalance “wrong for organizations which are funded by the nation to serve everyone.”

Following the review, organizations representing National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, have published updated management plans outlining steps to attract more diverse visitors. According to individual plans published between 2024 and 2025, and as reported by U.K. outlets including LBC and GB News, the measures apply to landscapes including the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, the Malvern Hills and others.

[AMERICAN HISTORY WON’T BE DISPLAYED ‘IN A WOKE MANNER’ AT SMITHSONIAN, TRUMP SAYS]

Tourist on a nature trail in lakeland countryside at Easedale Tarn lake in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, UK(Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Under those plans, the Chilterns National Landscape will launch targeted outreach programs in Luton and High Wycombe, areas with large Muslim populations. One barrier cited in follow-up research was concern among some visitors about unleashed dogs in rural areas.

The Cotswolds National Landscape referenced the DEFRA findings directly, saying it is seeking to broaden its appeal to reach “the widest demographic.”

In its own management strategy, the Malvern Hills National Landscape said many minority communities lack a generational connection to the countryside because parents and grandparents “did not always feel welcome in it.” The plan added that while many white English visitors value solitude, ethnic minority visitors may be more inclined toward group or family-based activities.

A red panda walks on a snowy branch at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Burford, western England Jan. 6, 2010. Blizzards swept across central and southern England on Wednesday, bringing more road and rail chaos, forcing airlines to suspend flights and hundreds of schools to close.(Eddie Keogh/Reuters)

Other landscapes raised similar concerns. Nidderdale National Landscape in North Yorkshire warned that ethnic minority visitors may worry about how they will be received in unfamiliar rural settings. Dedham Vale, Surrey Hills, and Suffolk and Essex Coast Heaths said they aim to identify and address barriers limiting access for under-represented groups, including people without English as a first language.

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Together, the plans signal a broader shift in how Britain’s publicly funded countryside is managed, as landscape authorities face growing pressure to demonstrate cultural relevance to a changing society, even as critics warn the focus risks sidelining economic priorities and traditional conservation goals.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in England for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Efrat Lachter is a world reporter for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

PepsiCo cuts prices of Cheetos, Doritos and other snacks

February 3, 2026 / 11:05 AM EST / CBS News

PepsiCo is lowering the prices of its Cheetos, Doritos, Lays and other snack brands by up to 15%, saying it wants to bring “relief” to consumers facing an affordability crunch.

The food and beverage company said the price cuts — announced just before this weekend’s Super Bowl game — are an effort to respond to the financial strain facing many consumers, who conveyed that “rising everyday costs are making their daily decisions harder.”

The new pricing will start rolling out across the U.S. this week, according to PepsiCo.

The move comes amid a pullback in demand from consumers after PepsiCo instituted a series of price hikes. In the fourth quarter, PepsiCo increased beverage prices by 7% in North America, while its snack prices were up 1%. Food manufacturers like PepsiCo are also contending with the impact of appetite-suppressing weight-loss drugs, which are hurting demand for snacks.

Which snacks are getting cheaper?

PepsiCo said it will lower the suggested retail price on each of the following snacks by up to 15%, while noting that retailers can further lower the cost:

• Cheetos
• Doritos
• Lay’s
• Tostitos

Why is PepsiCo cutting prices?

PepsiCo Foods U.S. CEO Rachel Ferdinando said the move is part of the company’s wider push to make products more affordable for consumers.

“We’ve spent the past year listening closely to consumers, and they’ve told us they’re feeling the strain,” she said in a statement on Tuesday. “Lowering the suggested retail price reflects our commitment to help reduce the pressure where we can.”

No other changes are being made to the snacks. Packaging and quantities will remain the same, the company noted.

PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a call with Wall Street analysts on Tuesday that the company tested price cuts in some markets last year and found that it boosted sales.

“Volume return is pretty good, and that’s what the category needs,” Laguarta said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-administration-takes-on-high-food-prices-as-president-says-affordability-is-a-hoax/

瞄准职场新鲜人 新加坡聚焦亚洲九国推广旅游 | 联合早报

发布时间: 2026-02-03T15:23:49.000Z
来源: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20260203-8293981

瞄准职场新鲜人 新加坡聚焦亚洲九国推广旅游

根据新加坡旅游数据分析网络资料，造访我国人数最多的两大旅客群年龄层为25岁至34岁和35岁至44岁，自2023年以来，这两个年龄层旅客总数从581万人次持续增长至去年的708万人次。 （林明顺摄）

去年到访新加坡的访客中，年龄介于25岁至44岁的旅客占逾四成。为把触角深入这个年龄层的旅客，我国今年将聚焦初入职场的部分千禧年代和Z世代群体，陆续针对九个亚洲国家，推出更多旅游推广活动。

新加坡旅游局局长欧燕媚说，千禧世代和Z世代对旅游抱有强烈兴趣，且旅游消费意愿较高，一项旅游趋势调查显示，52%的Z世代每年会至少旅游三次。

根据新加坡旅游数据分析网络（STAN）资料，造访我国人数最多的两大旅客群，年龄层为25岁至34岁和35岁至44岁，自2023年以来，这两个年龄层旅客总数从581万人次，持续增长至去年的708万人次。

旅游局瞄准初入职场的25岁至39岁客群，去年推出“出发！新加坡反正好玩”（We don’t wait for fun）的推广活动。这包括与各品牌娱乐合作，例如去年5月女神卡卡（Lady Gaga）来新开唱时邀请区域内社媒网红体验新加坡；和国际艺人如中国女歌手刘雨昕等合作，到我国为新歌MV取景，以提升新加坡在各地市场的能见度。旅游局也和这一群体惯用的主要平台如天巡网（Skyscanner）、Grab、音乐串流平台Spotify等合作，以触达这一客群。

旅游局将在多国展开宣传 让更多客群视我国为旅游首选地

今年旅游局将率先在中国、印度尼西亚、印度、日本、马来西亚、韩国、菲律宾、泰国和越南，通过数码和社媒、户外推广活动，以及业界合作项目等逐步展开宣传活动，争取让更多相关客群视新加坡为旅游首选地。

延伸阅读

欧燕媚说：“我们将继续与本地提供体验服务的业者分享洞察，让他们能继续深入发展面向这一客群的旅游体验。”

淡马锡理工学院商学院高级讲师卡辛（Benjamin Cassim）说，旅游局新锁定的这批刚踏入职场群体，和趋向方便、安全可控和预先准备规划行程的X世代和婴儿潮旅客有所不同。

“对这一市场群体而言，旅行是个性的延伸，不仅是假期消费，也为旅客的生活增添价值，还要能够将旅行中获得的价值和体验与他人分享。”

星展银行高级经济师蔡汉廷也认同说，初入职场群体在旅行中重视全新的体验、探索和冒险，同时熟悉数码工具。他认为大型演唱会、音乐节、运动赛事对年轻群体极具吸引力，“而新加坡具备良好条件承办此类活动，并能像近年一样，成功吸引大量区域客群”。

卡辛也认为，这一群体更看重有意义的在地特色体验多于参观标志性景点，有利于带来更多深度体验、延长逗留时间及重复造访。

“这一群体不仅在推动游客到访和旅游收入上至关重要，也为新加坡建立忠实游客群体提供重要契机。他们在旅行决策上往往更随性，临近出行才做计划，因此开展及时且具针对性的互动营销，将带来机遇。”

[新加坡旅游局][游客][旅游][淡马锡理工学院][星展银行]

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Russia hammers Ukraine after halt announced by Trump, plunging thousands into frigid dark on eve of talks

February 3, 2026 / 1:37 PM EST / CBS News

Kyiv — It was another frigid morning without power in Dorohozhychi, a neighborhood in the northwest of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, Russian drones and missiles battered energy facilities across Kyiv as temperatures dropped to minus 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was the first Russian attack on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure since President Trump announced during a Jan. 29 cabinet meeting that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had agreed to pause strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities for a week.

The five day respite, according to engineers working on a damaged electrical substation in Dorohozhychi Tuesday morning, was not long enough.

A worker with Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK works to repair an electrical substation in Kyiv’s Dorohozhychi neighborhood, Feb. 3, 2026. CBS News/Aidan Stretch

“Since there is currently severe frost outside, the load on the power grids and on the equipment is increasing, and it is wearing out,” Maxim Yevchuk, an engineer with DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity provider, told CBS News.

Yevchuk and his crew managed to repair the substation in Dorohozhychi, but they expected to face similar problems in other Kyiv neighborhoods throughout the day. The underlying issues behind the long power outages, they said, will persist regardless of the intensity of Russian strikes.

“Almost every day we have an emergency like this,” Yevchuk said, explaining that the combination of Russian attacks and extreme weather have overwhelmed the country’s power grid.

Because of the overload, he said, minor technical failures “now lead to power outages for entire neighborhoods.”

Energy truce ends on eve of peace talks

Discussion of an “energy truce” — with both sides stopping attacks on each other’s power infrastructure — emerged after the first trilateral peace negotiations held among Ukrainian, Russian and American officials in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

President Trump announced during a cabinet meeting following the summit that he had asked Putin to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, and that the Russian leader had agreed.

“Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post weeks ago. We expect the agreements to be implemented. De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war.”

Now, as Ukrainian, Russian, and American officials plan to return to Abu Dhabi for a second round of trilateral negotiations, currently scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the mood has shifted.

Russia launched 450 drones and more than 60 missiles at Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who said the strikes had left 1,170 apartment buildings in Kyiv without heating.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes showed that “attitudes in Moscow have not changed: they continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously. The work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte echoed Zelenskyy’s sentiments during a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, telling members of Ukraine’s parliament that, “Russian attacks like those last night, do not signal seriousness about peace.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal visit a thermal power plant heavily damaged by Russian missile and drone strikes, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 3, 2026. Denys Shmyhal via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS

There was no immediate response from Moscow to the criticism.

Both Rutte and Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s capacity to endure the war’s harshest months.

“Putin has long thought he could wait us out, that Ukraine was weak, that your supporters would grow weary, that our will would falter,” Rutte said in his address. “He was gravely mistaken. Ukraine is strong, and our support is unwavering.”

As the energy crisis deepens, public opinion surveys conducted in Ukraine appear to support Rutte’s assessment of the nation’s resolve. A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from January 23-29 found that 65% of Ukrainian respondents said they were, “ready to endure war for as long as necessary” to secure what they perceive as a fair peace.

According to DTEK, Monday night’s attack was the worst so far in 2026, and the 12th major attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the last four months alone.

Yevchuk said, for his crew, the work “does not change from attack to attack.”

They remain focused on the same task every day: “We continue to do whatever is necessary so that our customers receive as much power as possible.”