Le Journal

US President Donald Trump reignited tensions with European allies on Monday by linking his push for control of Greenland to the Nobel Peace Prize — arguing that, because he did not receive the award, he no longer feels “obliged to think only about peace.” In a message addressed to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre —later circulated to European embassies in Washington— Trump pivoted from the Nobel grievance to Greenland, saying the world would not be safe without “total and absolute” US control of the Arctic island.

Iran warned it would deliver an “appropriate response” after the Argentine government designated the Quds Force—an external-operations unit within Iran’s Revolutionary Guards—as a “terrorist organization” and added it, along with 13 linked individuals, to Argentina’s Public Registry of Persons and Entities Connected to Terrorism and its Financing (RePET).

Kentucky Basketball has been nothing short of resilient in SEC play this season. After a shaky start with losses on the road at Alabama and at home to Missouri, the Wildcats have rattled off three straight SEC wins to climb back onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Up next is a home date with the Texas Longhorns set for Wednesday night at Rupp Arena. Game time is 7:00 PM ET on the SEC Network. The Wildcats’ recent winning streak began with a blowout victory over Mississippi State at Rupp Arena. Kentucky trailed by double digits early but turned the game around with suffocating defense and improved ball movement, despite the loss of point guard Jaland Lowe in the opening minutes. Then came an all-time road win at LSU, where Kentucky erased an 18-point deficit to score a 75-74 victory on a last-second buzzer-beater from Malachi Moreno in Christian Laettner fashion. That was also the first game after the announcement that Lowe would miss the season due to shoulder surgery after his latest setback came during the Mississippi State game. The next game would see the Cats go down to Knoxville and upset the No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers. After trailing by 17 points in the first half, Kentucky slowly chipped away and finally took the lead in the final minute when Collin Chandler’s steal led to an assist to Otega Oweh, who drew a foul and converted the basket, which helped the Cats eventually come away with an 80-78 victory. Kentucky now stands 12-6 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, tied for third in the conference. Texas enters this matchup under new head coach Sean Miller at 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play. Their season started with a 75-60 loss at Duke, followed by a close defeat at Arizona State in the Maui Invitational. However, Texas has also had key wins, including a 102-97 victory over NC State and a road upset of an Alabama team that thrashed this very Kentucky team. Texas’ most recent SEC loss came in a narrow home loss against rival Texas A&M, 74-70, after nearly rallying from a double-digit second-half deficit. Kentucky and Texas met last season in Austin, where the Wildcats fell 82-78 thanks to a late-game collapse. With this being the only meeting of the season between the two teams, both squads have plenty on the line as they look to climb the SEC standings and bolster their postseason resumes. What to Watch For Stopping Tramon Mark: Texas senior guard Tramon Mark has been a consistent scorer in SEC play, averaging 18.4 points per game. He has a streak of clutch performances, including key shots in crunch time to take down Alabama and Vanderbilt. He also scored a season-best 26 points last season in Texas’ win over Kentucky, as well as 23 points in Rupp Arena against the Cats as a member of Arkansas during the 2023-24 season. Limiting his touches and forcing other players to create is essential for Kentucky. 3-Point Defense: Texas relies heavily on perimeter shooting, averaging 22.8 3-point attempts per game and making 34.5% of them. Four players account for the majority of attempts: Mark, Jordan Pope, Simeon Wilcher, and Camden Heide. Kentucky, which has struggled to defend against 3-point-heavy teams like Louisville and Alabama, must contest every shot and prevent Texas from getting into a rhythm from deep. Offensive Execution: Kentucky has consistently fallen behind early in SEC games, largely because of its poor offense. While they have eventually gotten things going, this issue cannot continue if the Wildcats are going to win enough SEC games to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s time for Mark Pope to come up with a game plan that leads to his team executing for 40 minutes. Texas Players to Know Dailyn Swain (6-7, Jr., Forward): Swain is averaging 15.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.7 steals while shooting 55.7% from the field and 26.2% from deep on 2.3 attempts per game. Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, So., Center): Averaging 15.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 65.1% FG. Big test for Malachi Moreno. Tramon Mark (6-5, Sr., Guard):…

The prime minister of Norway says President Trump cited the Nobel Prize as a reason for not pursuing a peaceful resolution on Greenland.