1 No one in the community or local firearms communities knows anyone associated with this group. They activated their website ACATUSA on January 10th.

2 Their domain: ACATUSA, has, since the early 2000s, linked directly to the FBI .gov website, and previously presented itself as Armed Citizens Against Terrorism, which also had links for FBI tiplines.

3 Public and private requests for clarity on who this organization is and where they came from have been met with opaque, repetitive responses.

4 Organizations across the political spectrum, from the SRA, Atlas Defense, and the MN Gun Owners Caucus, have all warned against participation in the event.

Do Not Engage with this march. They are requesting people with Permits To Carry identify themselves to the group and march with unloaded firearms *while also stating they will allow “former” law enforcement/military to march with loaded firearms. They are also requesting unarmed people follow and march with them, as well as volunteers to help marchers check in.

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, saying he took “full responsibility” for advising Keir Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US.

In a resignation statement released on Sunday, McSweeney said the decision to appoint Mandelson – who was forced to step down from the role in September – was “wrong”, adding: “He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”

McSweeney said: “When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.

“In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”

His departure follows mounting pressure from Labour MPs and peers, many of whom blamed McSweeney for pushing through Mandelson’s appointment despite his past association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The i Paper reported earlier this week that McSweeney was being touted as a “sacrificial lamb” by MPs to allow the Prime Minister to stay on in Downing Street.

The row intensified in recent days after the release of further Epstein files, which suggest Mandelson shared sensitive Government emails with Epstein during his time as business secretary. Mandelson has previously said he regrets his association with Epstein and denies any wrongdoing.

Several Labour MPs privately welcomed McSweeney’s resignation, arguing it was necessary to draw a line under weeks of turmoil and refocus the Government on delivery.

One Labour MP said: “I think it’s the correct decision. We need an end to games and a focus on delivery and governing. Mario Cuomo said you campaign in poetry but govern in prose – it’s a different skill.”

Another Labour MP described the move as “the bare minimum”, arguing that McSweeney’s strengths were better suited to internal party management than running Downing Street. “For all Morgan’s undoubted skills when it comes to organising to win elections and internal factional fights, he has not proved good at governing,” the MP said.

They added that the Mandelson appointment, and the fallout that followed, had exposed deeper problems at the heart of Number 10.

“The advice to appoint Mandelson and the subsequent fallout is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the MP said, arguing that McSweeney’s departure must “mark a turning point, away from the culture of the backroom boys and towards a more inclusive, authentic No10 operation”.

The revelations have prompted growing questions over Starmer’s judgement, with senior figures warning that the controversy was damaging public trust in the Government.

Earlier on Sunday, Labour peer David Blunkett said the Government was in a “major crisis” and argued that Starmer needed to rethink who was advising him at the centre of power.

“My view now is that he needs a new chief of staff,” Blunkett said, calling for “an opening up of the routes to him so that people can reach him and he can hear what people are thinking and feeling”.

He added that in moments of crisis, prime ministers must “go back and take a look at who gave you advice and who turned out to be right”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said McSweeney’s resignation did not absolve Starmer of responsibility.

“It’s about time,” she said in a post on X. “But once again with this PM it’s somebody else’s fault: ‘Mandelson lied to me’ or ‘Morgan advised me’. Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.”

Downing Street has not yet said who will replace McSweeney or whether an interim chief of staff will be appointed.

FM Wang rejects interference in Havana’s affairs as Cuba signals openness to renewed cooperation with Washington. On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing’s unwavering support for Havana in defending its sovereignty and national security.

During a meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez held in Beijing, Wang voiced his country’s firm rejection of unjustified interference by external forces in the internal affairs of the Caribbean nation. He noted that Latin American situation is undergoing complex and profound changes and underscored China’s opposition to attempts to deprive the Cuban people of their right to existence and development. China’s top diplomat emphasized that defending justice is a longstanding tradition of Beijing’s foreign policy. He said China is willing to work with Cuba to implement the agreements reached by the leaders of both states, provide assistance within its means and strengthen friendly bilateral relations.

Wang also expressed China’s readiness to work with like-minded nations to reinforce solidarity among Global South countries and safeguard regional and global peace.

For his part, Rodriguez expressed gratitude for the involvement and sensitivity shown by China on issues related to Cuba, highlighting its decisive contribution to strengthening bilateral relations.

Both diplomats acknowledged the special and strategic nature of the historical ties linking the two socialist nations. The dialogue underscored their mutual commitment to cooperation and joint development, which are core elements of both countries’ foreign policies.

Earlier, on Jan. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over an alleged threat to U.S. national security originating from Cuba. He signed an executive order allowing Washington to impose additional tariffs on countries that supply oil to the Caribbean nation.

Trump later said Cuba was “very close to collapse” after losing access to money and oil from Venezuela following the U.S. military attack on Jan. 3 in Caracas, which culminated in the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

In response to these measures, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the new U.S. tariff action targeting Cuba’s oil supply as “fascist, criminal and genocidal.”

On Sunday, Trump said the United States was negotiating with Cuban leaders to reach an agreement, though he provided no further details. The following day, Rodriguez said the Cuban government is willing to “reactivate” and “expand” bilateral cooperation with the United States to address transnational threats such as terrorism.

Since Dec. 3, when the U.S. began a naval blockade against Venezuela, Cuba has not received a single drop of fuel- This situation has had a broad impact on public health, the economy, transportation, and electricity generation.

Diaz-Canel denounced an intensification of U.S. pressure as part of an “economic suffocation” strategy, which is aimed at sowing fear among oil shipping companies and international suppliers. Nevertheless, his administration is working to ensure that this new form of external aggression has the least possible impact on the Cuban people and economy.

“Cuba will not renounce receiving fuel. It is a sovereign right,” Diaz-Canel stressed, adding that surrender is not an option and making clear that the U.S. has no right to impose its economic warfare on the Caribbean island or on third countries.

The Ministers Council approved guidelines for a contingency plan designed to confront attempts at economic strangulation. Diaz-Canel acknowledged that while temporary restrictions on consumption and increased energy savings will be necessary, those measures will not be permanent.

The Cuban government’s response is based on a comprehensive strategy to transform the energy matrix, including the recovery of electricity generation capacity — more than 900 megawatts have been restored — the use of domestic energy sources, increased storage capacity affected by the accident at the Matanzas supertanker base, higher national crude oil production, electricity generation from associated petroleum gas and the development of a national shipping fleet.

In 2025, Cuban authorities completed the construction of 49 photovoltaic solar parks, adding about 1,000 megawatts to the country’s energy supply. Currently, those parks are generating 38% of the national energy, at a time when Cuba has been unable for several weeks to rely on distributed generation due to fuel shortages.

Diaz-Canel said 5,000 photovoltaic systems of 2 kilowatts each are being installed in an equal number of homes that previously lacked electricity, which will allow Cuba to reach 100% electrification.

Another 5,000 photovoltaic systems are also being installed at prioritized service centers, including maternity homes, nursing homes, senior centers, polyclinics, residences for vulnerable children and bank branches, among others.

Authorities are also distributing another 10,000 photovoltaic systems to workers in the education and health sectors, while new investments in wind power generation capacity are underway. The Cuban government also expects to increase production of associated petroleum gas and supply manufactured gas to 20,000 new customers in Havana.

The Cuban president recalled that successful tests were conducted in December for refining crude oil and producing derivatives, as well as for acquiring engines capable of using that fuel.

While none of these actions alone solves the problem immediately, they allow for changes in the energy matrix and help prevent the situation from becoming more severe. “The will to resist, recover and create will include expanding local production of goods and services,” Diaz-Canel said.

His remarks come amid a growing diplomatic offensive in international forums, where Cuba has systematically denounced the economic, social and humanitarian impacts of the U.S. blockade, which has been in place for 64 years as a policy of “collective punishment”.

“What does it mean to prevent fuel from reaching a country?” Diaz-Canel asked, before pointing out that it is a measure that directly affects the lives of millions of people. He reiterated, however, that surrender is not an option and that Cuba will not renounce its sovereign right to receive fuel.

In his most recent report to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced that between March 2024 and February 2025, damages caused by the U.S. blockade totaled US$7.5 billion, representing a 49% increase over the previous period. Cumulative losses now exceed US$171 billion.