Well, howdy there, internet people, it's Bell again, and welcome to the Roads with Bell.

Today is January 25th, 2025, and this is episode 75 of the Roads Not Taken, which is a weekly series

where we go over the news that was unreported, underreported, didn't get the coverage we felt

that it should, or we

just found it interesting. And then we go over a few questions from y'all. Today is January 25th,

and it's International Environmental Education Day. And on this date, in 1887, construction of the Eiffel Tower began. It was constructed for the 1889

World's Fair and was meant to be temporary. The iconic structure of France was supposed to only be there

20 years. And starting with foreign policy. The Trump administration has reportedly frozen all

foreign aid except for aid to Israel, Egypt, and some emergency food aid. It also looks like U.S.

agencies have to stop publishing foreign aid proposals. U.S. officials are trying to get

Ukraine on the list, too. Ukraine used a massive drone attack and struck a Russian oil refinery.

Russia has reportedly rejected a proposal involving NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Trump continued his process of pushing away longtime allies during a phone call with officials from Denmark.

They described him as aggressive and confrontational.

China warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act accordingly, using phrasing that is most

often used to scold a child.

The ICC is reportedly proposing arrest warrants for top members of the Taliban over their treatment of women.

The number of North Korean troops who have been lost in combat in Ukraine is now estimated between 500 and 1,000.

North Korea's government is considering sending more troops.

Mexico has reportedly refused to accept one of Trump's deportation flights.

In U.S. news, Vice President J.D. Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm the new Secretary of Defense.

The Democratic Party leader in the House has indicated the Dems will not play along with efforts to politicize disaster aid.

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