Week 61 — The Return – The Weekly List

The main takeaway of this week’s list is what we are NOT discussing: the Epstein files, the five-year anniversary of Jan. 6, the affordability crisis and Trump’s tariffs exacerbating rising prices, rising healthcare premiums, the MAGAverse implosion, and of course, Trump’s health decline. Those story lines were the top themes amid his falling approval on every issue and overall, until he decided to orchestrate a coup — a classic ‘wag the dog’ operation.

Trump has been, throughout both regimes, a master of distraction — of throwing shiny coins and having what remains of our media chase that story instead of the ones he did not want covered. We saw this earlier in the second regime, when he bombed Iran’s nuclear sites. He was itching for another story to drive the headlines from his considerable problems, and he got it.

In what clearly was not a well thought out, if thought out at all, plan, Trump ordered the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In the days after, the regime teetered from claiming it was “running” Venezuela, to not running, to running again. When that story started to become stale, the narrative switched to seizing Greenland through military action, to buying Greenland, to all options are on the table. Trump, who ran both campaigns on an anti-interventionist “America First” platform, and claimed rights to the Nobel Peace Prize as the peacetime president, also threatened longtime U.S. allies Mexico and Colombia, as well as Cuba. He finds himself increasingly at odds with the MAGAverse, including notably his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who removed herself from the public discussion.

The other big story this week is Trump’s visible efforts to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, quite literally on the White House website, and in the MAGA ecosystem. The both-sides narrative also bled over to CBS News, whose owner seeks to win Trump’s favor in a proposed takeover of Warner Bros. This week Trump continued to publicly claim he won the 2020 election, although according to the testimony by former special counsel Jack Smith, we learn this week that Trump had privately acknowledged that he in fact lost.

WSJ reported on Trump’s health issues, including his poor dietary habits, lack of exercise, poor sleeping habits, and increased trouble with hearing. Trump told the Journal he no longer wears compression socks for his swollen ankles as recommended, because he does not like them.
Trump also takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day, far more than his doctors advised, saying, “I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart.” He easily bruises. His staff has sought to cut back on his schedule, and advised him not to fall asleep in front of the media.
Trump said he underwent an MRI test, while his doctors said it was a CT scan, and claimed Trump was in “exceptional health.” Trump complained about having to discuss his health, adding, “My health is perfect.” His aides advised him to have a light schedule for the past two weeks.
Shortly after, Trump posted on Truth Social that White House doctors said he was in ““PERFECT HEALTH.” and that I “ACED” …for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination,” adding, “something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take.”
On Wednesday, Trump vetoed a second bill that Congress had passed in bipartisan fashion, this time a bill to expand land reserved for the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida and to mitigate flooding there, sparking criticism over his retaliation against perceived enemies.
Like his veto of the Colorado bill in Week 60, Trump’s veto was over his personal grievances, this time with the tribe joining a lawsuit to block the regime from constructing an immigrant detention center in the Everglades, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz.
On Wednesday, December 31, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would abandon efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, but added, “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again.”
Also on Wednesday, a federal appeals court ordered Trump to end his command of the California National Guard, and return it to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said, “We’ve said all along the federalization of the National Guard in California is illegal.”
Trump also sent more than 10 Truth Social posts, calling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “crooked,” attacking Somalis, calling California and Colorado “the TOP OUTBOUND STATES IN 2025,” and calling Democrats a “bunch of cheaters and thieves.”
On New Year’s Eve, Trump hosted an opulent gala at Mar-a-Lago, which some senior regime members attended. Trump auctioned off a painting for charity, and after bidding $100,000, described $2 million as “peanuts” for another bidder.
Trump also told attendees, “We’re going to take back our country,” claiming that Minnesota “stole $18 billion,” adding, “That’s peanuts. California is worse. Illinois is worse. Sadly, New York is worse.”
FT reported the Trump Organization will push back Trump Mobile‘s release date of its gold-colored phones, called the T1 Mobil, with its “American-proud design,” which were supposed to launch by the end of 2025, citing the government shutdown.
On Thursday, New Years Day, Trump delayed more of his tariffs, including tariff rate increases on furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities that were set to go into effect on Jan. 1, amid many Americans’ concerns with affordability and rising prices.
The WSJ Editorial Board wrote, “Another Trump Tariff Retreat,” citing claims of tariffs as a “rousing success even as he carves out hundreds of exceptions,” adding, “Rarely has a President worked so hard to cover the damage from his policies without admitting it.”
NYT reported that MAGA Inc., a Trump Super PAC, raised more than $100 million in the second half of 2025, from wealthy individuals and corporations with business before the regime. Some Republicans expressed concern that Trump was siphoning donations away from the party.
Donors included: Greg Brockman, co-founder of OpenAI and his wife who each donated $12.5 million; the parent company of crypto trading platform Crypto.com donated $20 million; a nursing home entrepreneur seeking an ambassadorship; and pro-Cannabis groups.
Tony Dokoupil, the incoming anchor of the “CBS Evening News” under Bari Weiss, said in an usual video on X that the network had often “missed the story” because it had “taken into account the perspective of advocates” and “academics or elites,” and not the “average American.”
Dokoupil drew harsh criticism for his flattering coverage of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his both-sides coverage of Jan. 6, without telling the facts of what happened that day.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, established in 1967 and defunded by Trump, said its “final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values” by voting to dissolve, rather than being “vulnerable to additional attacks.”
On Friday, Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” announced he he would no longer host an annual gala in the spring at the Kennedy Center, citing the Center is “no longer apolitical and appearing there has now become an ideological statement.”
On Monday, House Republicans declined to change the name of the Kennedy Center to include Trump in an appropriations bill being considered. Experts say an act of Congress would be necessary to change the name of the center.
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee released 255 pages of transcripts from special counsel Jack Smith’s closed door testimony. Smith said Trump acknowledged repeatedly to others that he lost to Biden, but said that win or lose, “You still fight like hell.”
Smith also told members of the committee that the Jan. 6 riot “does not happen” without Trump, adding the evidence make clear that Trump “was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit.”
Smith added, “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
On Wednesday, the Trump regime canceled the 50 year-lease given to nonprofit National Links Trust in 2020 to manage Washington D.C.’s three public golf courses, citing failure to complete required capital improvements and to cure alleged defaults under the lease.
WAPO reported the White House is seeking a nine-week timeline to get approvals needed for Trump’s ballroom project, whereas projects of this scope typically take years. One federal review panel had yet to receive formal building plans as of the new year.
The Department of the Interior updated its “Void if Altered” rules for 2026, saying placing stickers on national park passes to cover the image of Trump’s face, the addition of which is subject to a lawsuit, would void the pass.
On Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on a U.S. intelligence assessment that there was no Ukrainian attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence, as he had claimed. In Week 60, Trump had sided with Putin, and said he was “very angry.”
On Wednesday, Russia made a formal diplomatic request to the Trump regime to stop pursuing a fleeing oil tanker that had been sailing for Venezuela, and which had asked for Russian protection. U.S. forces had been tracking the tanker for nearly two weeks.
On Friday, Trump inserted the U.S. into protests in Iran, posting on Truth Social at 3 a.m. that the U.S. was “locked and loaded,” and would intervene if Iran used lethal force on protestors. It was unclear what Trump meant, as no preparation was made in the region.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after Trump’s threats to come to protestors’ aid that the Islamic Republic “will not yield to the enemy” and that rioters should be “put in their place.” Human rights group said at least 25 protestors were dead.
On Saturday, at 4:21 a.m. ET, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. had “carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela,” and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and flown them out of the country, adding, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that Maduro and his wife were indicted in a New York federal court, and would stand trial for drug trafficking and conspiring with terrorists, posting they will “face the full wrath of American justice.” Maduro was first indicted in 2020.
Trump told “Fox & Friends” in an interview that the U.S. will be deciding what comes next in Venezuela, saying, “We’ll be involved in it very much” as to who will govern the country, adding, “We can’t take a chance in letting somebody else run and just take over what he left, or left off.”
Trump added, “If you had seen what happened, I mean, I watched it literally like I was watching a television show,” and “If you would have seen the speed, the violence… It was an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people did.”
Asked about China, which buys the majority of Venezuelan oil, Trump said, “There’s not going to be a problem. They’re going to get oil. We’re going to allow people to have oil,” adding, “Nobody can stop us. There’s nobody that has the capability that we have.”
Trump dismissed criticism from Democrats that the strike was illegal, saying, “all they do is complain, and calling Democrats “weak, stupid people” while also blaming them for U.S. inflation. Trump added that the operation in Venezuela was “really genius.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression,” adding, “Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention.”
United Nations secretary general António Guterres said in a statement that he was alarmed by the events in Venezuela, calling for international law to be respected, adding, “these developments constitute a dangerous precedent.”
The EU foreign policy chief said it “defended a peaceful transition” and called for “restraint.” Spain called for “de-escalation” and respecting international law and principles of the UN charter. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said international law should be upheld.
China strongly condemned the strike, saying it was “deeply shocked,” adding, the strike “seriously violates international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty and threaten peace and security” in the region. Maduro had met with Chinese diplomats just hours prior to his capture.
NYT Editorial Board called the attack illegal and said it would enable other dictators, citing Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which said the U.S. would “reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere.”
Shortly before a scheduled news conference, Trump posted a photo of Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed, with a caption, “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”
Later Saturday, Trump spoke to reporters from Mar-a-Lago, saying the U.S. will “run” Venezuela, until “we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” adding, “We can’t take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn’t have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.”
When pressed by reporters to clarify what running the country meant, Trump was vague. When asked who would run the country, Trump pointed at the three men standing behind him: Rubio, Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth, and Ratcliffe.
Trump also cited the Monroe Doctrine, saying it “is a big deal,” but added, “we’ve superseded it by a lot. By a real lot,” and “they now call it the Donroe Document,” seeming to name it after himself.
Trump said the occupation would not cost the U.S. money, citing, “We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela” and “also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement.”
Trump also said “our very large U.S. oil companies,” many of which had been big donors to him, will “spend billions of dollars” to “fix the badly broken infrastructure, oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
Trump repeated his often cited lie about U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, baselessly claiming, “Each boat kills on average, 25,000 people.” CDC data showed 76,516 annual drug overdose deaths in the U.S., down 24.5% from the year prior.
Trump also baselessly claimed that “Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs, including the bloodthirsty prison gang Tren de Aragua, to terrorize American communities nationwide.” There is no evidence for his claim, nor was it mentioned in the Maduro indictment.
Rubio claimed Congressional committees were not notified citing, you can’t “pre-notify because it endangers the mission,” with Trump adding information leaked could have had “a very different result.” Ironically, Hegseth had leaked classified information about a strike.
Semafor reported that both the NYT and WAPO learned about the raid shortly before it was set to begin, but held off on public reporting “to avoid endangering US troops.”
Trump said of Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodríguez, “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary,” but Rodríguez, in a fiery address to the nation, called for Maduro’s release, and said the country will never be a colony of any nation. She was named acting president on Sunday.
Notably, Trump in his speech did not back María Corina Machado, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and won the presidential election in Venezuela in 2024, saying she was a “very nice woman,” and baselessly claiming she “doesn’t have the support” in Venezuela to lead.
Democrats noted that Hegseth and Rubio had previously testified before Congress in a closed door setting, and reportedly testified that the U.S. operations in Venezuela were focused solely on drug trafficking and not on regime change or the removal of Maduro.
Republicans largely got in line behind Trump, save for the few voices like Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who posted,
“if prosecuting narco terrorists is a high priority” then why did Trump “pardon the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez?”
The raid led to a rift in the MAGA movement, after Trump ran both of his campaigns on an anti-interventionist “America First” platform that was critical of past presidents for similar moves, that seem to benefit corporations but not the American people.
WAPO reported a flash poll found 40% of Americans approved of the raid, 63% said Trump should have gotten approval from Congress first, and 94% said “the Venezuelan people” should choose their next leader, while just 6% said “The U.S.” should decide
WSJ reported that U.S. finance industry players were already considering investment opportunities in Venezuela, with one saying, “There is a huge amount of interest in Venezuela reconstruction opportunities. And it will bounce back faster as it is in our hemisphere.”
Elon Musk cheered the capture of Maduro, whom he had sparred with over Maduro’s blocking of access to X in his country, and offered “free broadband service,” although it was unclear if Venezuelans could access Starlink.
Trump and his regime also made threats that Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia could be next. Trump said “Cuba is a failing nation right now,” told Fox & Friends that drug cartels are running Mexico, not the president, and that president of Colombia should “watch his ass.”
Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S. reacted after Katie Miller, wife of White House senior aide Stephen Miller, posted an image on X of Greenland covered in a U.S. flag, posting, “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark.
On Saturday, in the midst of the conflict, Trump reposted a social media post on Truth Social that questioned whether Gov. Walz had ordered the assassination of deceased Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman.
On Sunday, in a turnaround from Trump’s statements on Saturday, Rubio told ABC News that the U.S. would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela, other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on sanctioned tankers.
On Sunday, Trump threatened interim president Rodríguez, telling The Atlantic, “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” adding he would not stand for her “defiant rejection” of military intervention by the U.S.
Later Sunday, Trump contradicted Rubio when asked by reporters on Air Force One who was in charge, saying the U.S. was “dealing with the people that just got sworn in,” adding, “I’ll give you an answer, and it’ll be very controversial,” and when pressed said, “We’re in charge.”
Trump also revealed that while he did not inform or seek approval from Congress before the raid, he did speak to U.S. oil companies, telling reporters he spoke to “all” of the oil firms before the raid took place, adding, “They want to go in. ..And they’re going to represent us well.”
On Cuba, Trump also said “a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday” trying to protect Maduro, adding, “Cuba looks like it is ready to fall,” and “I don’t know if they’re going to hold out,” adding, “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action.”
Trump threatened Colombia and its president, saying the country is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” adding, “He’s not going to be doing it for very long.” Asked if he would conduct operations in there, he said “it sounds good to me.”
Trump also threatened Mexico, saying, “Mexico has to get their act together because they’re pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something,” and again threatened to annex Greenland, “We need Greenland from a national security situation.”
On Sunday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, “No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation,” calling Trump’s comments “utterly unacceptable.”
WAPO reported the Trump regime is considering given Stephen Miller the role of overseeing post-Maduro operations in Venezuela. Notably Trump gutted the National Security Council, and has yet to nominate an assistant secretary of state to handle the Western Hemisphere.
The Post also reported according to two sources, Machado’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize was viewed by Trump as an “ultimate sin,” despite dedicating the award to him, and added if she had turned the prize down, “she’d be the president of Venezuela today.”
On Monday, Machado said on Fox News’ “Hannity” show in prime-time that she wanted to give the prize to Trump, saying, “I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people…want to give it to him and share it with him.”
On Monday, the State Department posted a graphic on social media of Trump superimposed with the words “this is OUR hemisphere,” and with the verbiage, “This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened.”
On Monday, in a Manhattan court, Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty. Maduro referred to himself as the president of Venezuela, and said he was “kidnapped” and “captured” from his home, adding, “I am a prisoner of war,” in Spanish.
On Monday, Trump told NBC News that the U.S. government could reimburse U.S. oil companies for rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, saying, “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent…and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”
Later Monday, speaking to CNN, Miller claimed, counter to what Rubio has said, that “The United States of America is running Venezuela,” adding, “We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce.”
Miller also said Greenland rightfully belonged to the U.S., and “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” adding, “We live in a world…that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
On Tuesday, leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the U.K. joined Denmark in pushing back on Trump’s comments about annexing Greenland, saying in a statement that “Greenland belongs to its people,” and is part of the NATO military alliance.
On Monday, Hegseth posted on X that the Pentagon will formally censure Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly for his participation in a video, accusing him of making “seditious statements,” and launch proceedings to decide whether to reduce his Navy rank and pay in retirement.
NYT reported that the Trump regime planned to close NASA’s largest research library, the Goddard Space Flight Center, as part of the regime’s larger reorganization, which includes the closure of 13 buildings and more than 100 science and engineering laboratories.
DOGE cuts had slashed Goddard’s staffing from more than 10,000 to 6,600. With the closure, tens of thousands of books, documents and journals, many of which are not digitized or available anywhere else, will be discarded.
On Monday, the CDC dropped universal recommendations for certain childhood vaccines, a dramatic shift made by Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr., done while circumventing the government’s usual vaccine recommendation procedures.
The new guidelines recommend children get 11 vaccinations, down from 17, doing away with recommendations for rotavirus, Covid-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B; and recommended RSV, dengue, and meningitis only for high-risk patients.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said it would not be changing its guidelines. A spokesperson said of the new guidelines, “Tragically, our federal government can no longer be trusted in this role.”
On Monday, the Trump regime’s HHS expanded its freeze on social-service funds for child care and poor families to include $10 billion of aid to blue states California, Colorado, Illinois, and New York, over alleged fraud concerns, without providing evidence.
On Monday, the Trump regime’s HHS told Head Start providers applying for grants to avoid dozens of terms, including “race,” “belonging,” “pregnant people,” “Black,” “Native American,” “disability,” and “women.”
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security accused Hilton Hotels of canceling a reservation for immigration agents at a hotel in Minneapolis, posting on X that Hilton “launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”
On Tuesday, Hilton said it had removed “the independent hotel” from their system, posting on X, “we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is — and has always been — a welcoming place for all.”
FT reported that in 2025 under the Trump regime, social media influencers and OnlyFans models dominated awards of US O-1B extraordinary visas, which traditionally were reserved for people with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, business, education, or sports.
On Monday, the Trump regime added seven countries to a list whose passport holders must post a bond of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the U.S. The list includes 13 countries, 11 of which are in Africa.
On Monday, WAPO reported draft plans in an email from DHS Sec. Kristi Noem outlined cutting the Federal Emergency Management Agency staff by half in 2026. Among those cut would be staffers who arrive early after disasters and stay to help communities recover.
On Monday, the DOJ said in a court filing that it had released 12,285 documents, which represented less than 1% of its Jeffrey Epstein-related files. The deadline from Congress to release all the files was December 19.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the five year anniversary of the insurrection, the plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day, required by law in 2021 to be displayed at the Capitol, was not up. House Speaker Mike Johnson said hanging the plaque was “not implementable.”
The White House website posted a false version of what occurred on Jan. 6, lying that Capitol Police officers started the assault, and Democrats failed to prevent it, and former vice president Mike Pence certified a “stolen election” in an act of “cowardice and sabotage.”
The webpage did not mention that 140 police officers who were injured that day, or those who died in its aftermath, lying that “Zero law enforcement officers lost their lives.” The webpage did however mention members of the pro Trump mob who died by name.
The webpage also downplayed Trump’s role in inciting the riot, by posting select information. And in a section titled, “Mass Arrests of Patriotic Protesters,” lied that the “Biden DOJ” began “a coordinated nationwide dragnet,” leading to the arrest of 1,500 rioters.
The webpage made no mention of the far-right extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, and their roles in leading the insurrection; instead baselessly claiming that Capitol Police “aggressively” fired tear gas and other crowd control munitions at the crowd.
Speaking at a small rally in D.C., former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio called for “retribution” against the media and federal prosecutors, saying, “They made an example out of us, and we need to make an example out of them.”
On Tuesday, speaking to House Republicans at a offsite at the Kennedy Center, Trump lied, “Our elections are crooked as hell.” The lie came after a year-long effort to rewrite history, and install loyalists and election deniers to positions to investigate 2020 unsubstantiated claims.
Trump also lied that he said, “‘Walk or march peacefully and patriotically to the Capitol,’” claiming the media and select committee “never reported it — it’s a scandal,” also lying that “They never reported that Nancy Pelosi was offered 10,000 soldiers.”
Trump said he would not call for midterms to be canceled, even though he will likely be impeached again if Democrats win, “They’ll find a reason to impeach me,” and mused about running for a third term, “There’s gonna be a constitutional movement.”
Trump baselessly claimed that the “radical left” paid protesters to carry “Free Maduro” signs. He claimed of Maduro, he “tries to imitate my dance a little bit. But he’s a violent guy and he’s killed millions of people,” after NYT reported the dancing was a factor in the raid.
Trump also said he was the only president to pass a cognitive test, adding, “Do you think Walz could pass a cognitive test? Do you think Kamala could? I don’t think Gavin could. He’s got a good line of crap but, other than that, he couldn’t pass.”
House Democrats invited a former Capitol police officer, federal prosecutor, and members of Congress to testify. In his opening remarks, minority leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries accused Trump and the GOP of trying to “rewrite history and whitewash the horrific events.”
Later Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that Venezuela will be “turning over” 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., valued at $2 billion, adding, “that money will be controlled by me….to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”
On Tuesday White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump was considering a “range of options” to take Greenland, adding that “utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
Rubio tried downplay military action against Greenland, telling lawmakers on Monday in closed session that the regime’s goal was to buy Greenland, and their threats did not signal an imminent invasion.
In a rare public disagreement with Trump, House Speaker Johnson said on Greenland, “No, I don’t think that’s appropriate.” House Republicans were also set to vote this week on overriding Trump’s two vetoes, a rare open defiance of Trump.
On Tuesday, a Reuters-Ipsos poll found 33% of Americans approve of the raid in Venezuela, including 65% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats. 72% worried that the U.S. would get too involved in the country, including 54% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 52–48 along party lines to confirm Sara Carter, a former Fox News contributor, as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the White House’s drug czar. Carter had no experience serving in public office.
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Virginia ordered Lindsey Halligan to explain why she’s still serving as U.S. attorney, after previous rulings against her maintaining the role. The judge gave Halligan seven days to respond in writing.

Trump posted an image of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro being held on a U.S. warship on his social media platform.