How Delcy Rodríguez courted Trump and rose to power in Venezuela

How Delcy Rodríguez courted Trump and rose to power in Venezuela

The Associated Press reports: In 2017, as political outsider Donald Trump headed to Washington, Delcy Rodríguez spotted an opening. Then Venezuela’s foreign minister, Rodríguez directed Citgo — a subsidiary of the state oil company — to make a $500,000 donation to the president’s inauguration. With the socialist administration of Nicolas Maduro struggling to feed Venezuela, Rodríguez gambled on a deal that would have opened the door to American investment. Around the same time, she saw that Trump’s ex-campaign manager was…

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Hundreds of judges reject Trump’s mandatory detention policy, with no end in sight

Hundreds of judges reject Trump’s mandatory detention policy, with no end in sight

Politico reports: Federal judges are increasingly exasperated by the Trump administration’s effort to lock up nearly everyone facing deportation proceedings — a draconian expansion of decades-old policies that hundreds of courts have rejected as illegal or unconstitutional. More than 300 federal judges, including appointees of every president since Ronald Reagan, have now rebuffed the administration’s six-month-old effort to expand its so-called “mandatory detention” policy, according to a POLITICO analysis of court dockets from across the country. Those judges have ordered…

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All living things emit a visible light that vanishes at death, surprising study says

All living things emit a visible light that vanishes at death, surprising study says

Science Alert reports: Life truly is radiant, according to an experiment conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada. An extraordinary experiment on mice and leaves from two different plant species has uncovered direct physical evidence of an eerie ‘biophoton’ phenomenon ceasing on death, suggesting all living things – including humans – could literally glow with health, until we don’t. The findings might seem a little fringe at first glance. It’s hard not…

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Murder in Minneapolis

Murder in Minneapolis

The murder of Renee Nicole Good:   Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey:   Minnesota Governor Tim Walz:   Jennifer Brooks writes: Renee Nicole Good. George Floyd. Different tragedies, but the same grief for a community betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect and serve. Crowds gathered again in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, marching through the same streets where some of them were protesting five and a half years ago after Floyd’s murder. The full force and fury of…

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Stephen Miller’s fascism on full display

Stephen Miller’s fascism on full display

The Atlantic reports: Stephen Miller runs his daily 10 a.m. conference calls—yes, even on Saturdays—less like a government adviser and more like a wartime general. His is the dominant voice, as he plays the role of browbeater, inquisitor, and bully. He accepts no excuses, entertains no dissent. Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy ruthlessly pursues the president’s vision, especially when it comes to pushing immigrants out of the country, and he runs a tight, efficient meeting. Consensus is…

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Europe draws red line on Greenland after a year of trying to pacify Trump

Europe draws red line on Greenland after a year of trying to pacify Trump

Steve Hendrix writes: For the past year, European friends-turned-frenemies of the United States have delicately navigated one shock after another, hoping for the best as President Donald Trump threatened to lay waste to the global order. When Trump scolded NATO allies, lambasted Ukraine’s president, laid on tariffs and framed ratified treaties as conditional deals, the go-to play by European leaders was to placate — with military spending pledges, trade concessions, disciplined summits, in language scrubbed of morality or judgment. It…

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Europe needs an ally against Russia and Trump: China

Europe needs an ally against Russia and Trump: China

Dean Baker writes: It’s clear to all but the determinedly ignorant that Europe and the United States under Donald Trump are no longer allies. Trump is prepared to go to war to extend his racist vision of the world. Trump is not using euphemisms or code words; he wants white power and as long as European countries are open to immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, they will be on his enemies list. The prospect of a hostile United…

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Trump’s former Russia adviser says Russia offered U.S. free rein in Venezuela in exchange for Ukraine

Trump’s former Russia adviser says Russia offered U.S. free rein in Venezuela in exchange for Ukraine

The Associated Press reports: Russian officials indicated in 2019 that the Kremlin would be willing to back off from its support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, an adviser to President Donald Trump at the time. The Russians repeatedly floated the idea of a “very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine,” Hill said during a congressional hearing in 2019. Her comments surfaced again this week and were shared…

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Power of the people: Trump triggers a renaissance for grand juries

Power of the people: Trump triggers a renaissance for grand juries

Politico reports: Grand juries — written off for decades as a pointless anachronism — are making a comeback under President Donald Trump. “They have been resurrected,” said Thaddeus Hoffmeister, a defense attorney and University of Dayton law professor. “For a long time, many people have been questioning why we even have grand juries. Like, what’s the purpose? …They don’t do anything. They don’t protect people. And then the last couple months, we start to see that, maybe the founding fathers…

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Jellyfish sleep a lot like us — and for the same reasons

Jellyfish sleep a lot like us — and for the same reasons

Science reports: You don’t need a brain to benefit from a good night of sleep. Despite lacking a central nervous system, jellyfish and sea anemones have sleep patterns remarkably similar to those of humans, researchers report today in Nature Communications. The work supports the idea that sleep arose early in animal evolution to help the first neurons repair themselves, says Cheryl Van Buskirk, a geneticist at California State University, Northridge who was not involved with the research. “This study is…

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Rubio tells lawmakers Trump plans to buy Greenland — but it’s not for sale

Rubio tells lawmakers Trump plans to buy Greenland — but it’s not for sale

European leaders and Greenland residents respond to President Trump’s renewed threats to seize Greenland. nyti.ms/4jtK8Dn [image or embed] — The New York Times (@nytimes.com) Jan 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM The New York Times reports: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told lawmakers that President Trump plans to buy Greenland rather than invade it, while Mr. Trump has asked aides to give him an updated plan for acquiring the territory, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Mr. Rubio made his remarks…

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Republican lawmakers warn, a U.S. attack on Greenland would be ‘an attack on NATO’

Republican lawmakers warn, a U.S. attack on Greenland would be ‘an attack on NATO’

The Wall Street Journal reports: Some Republicans who have largely cheered the Venezuela mission said that talk of taking over Greenland was inappropriate. “Sabre-rattling about annexing Greenland is needlessly dangerous,” said Rep. Blake Moore (R., Utah) in a joint statement with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D., Md.). The co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Friends of Denmark Caucus said that Denmark is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and one of America’s closest partners and an attack on Greenland “would tragically be…

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Insider trading: A mystery trader made $400,000 betting on Maduro’s downfall

Insider trading: A mystery trader made $400,000 betting on Maduro’s downfall

The Wall Street Journal reports: Less than five hours before nighttime explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, an unknown trader doubled down on bets that Nicolás Maduro would soon be out as the country’s leader. The wagers on Polymarket, a popular crypto-based betting platform, netted the trader more than $400,000, a 12-fold return on investment—and fueled suspicions that someone used inside knowledge of the closely held U.S. operation to make a quick profit. Insider trading is illegal in the…

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U.S. oil companies remain non-committal about investing in Venezuela

U.S. oil companies remain non-committal about investing in Venezuela

The Wall Street Journal reports: Investors appeared to like the idea that Venezuela could become a new frontier for U.S. oil companies, or a bigger one for Chevron. Chevron’s shares rose about 5% Monday. Exxon Mobil’s shares rose about 2%; ConocoPhillips was up almost 3%. For now, Chevron has no plans to increase spending or boost production significantly, people familiar with the matter said. The Houston oil giant is wary of committing new capital there until the country is more…

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