Top Items:
Bloomberg:
US Forces Seize Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela — US forces intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries. — “We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela …
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NBC News:
U.S. seizes oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, Trump says — President Donald Trump told reporters about the seizure just after he said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's “days are numbered” in an interview. — The U.S. military has seized an oil tanker off of Venezuela's coast …
New York Times:
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Trump Says — The seizure comes as the United States builds up its forces in the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. — The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela …
Reuters:
US seizes oil tanker off coast of Venezuela, officials say — The U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, three officials told Reuters on Wednesday, a move that raised oil prices and is likely to further inflame tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Discussion:
HotAir, The Atlantic, NOTUS, The Hill, The Post Millennial, CNBC, Daily Mail, CBS News, Modern Diplomacy, Reuters and The Gateway Pundit
Politico:
Frustrated Republicans move to force Obamacare vote as warnings mount about the midterms … The move to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson came as a growing number of mainstream House Republicans publicly warned that their leaders' apparent plan to allow the tax credits to expire without a replacement …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, CBS News, PoliticusUSA and Axios
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Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP erupts over health care as leaders hunt for a plan — House Republican leaders presented no firm plan Tuesday for advancing health care legislation as anxiety rises in the GOP ranks over the impending expiration of key Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year.
Discussion:
Popular Information, KDFX-TV and The Hill
Benjamin Guggenheim / Politico:
New ACA subsidy extension bill draws 16 GOP co-sponsors — A bipartisan bill to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies has attracted 16 Republican co-sponsors, according to an official list obtained first by POLITICO. The mounting support for the legislation, offered by Reps. Jen Kiggans …
Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
Tourists from 42 countries will have to submit 5 years of social media history to enter U.S. under Trump plan — The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, New York Post, Bloomberg, Metro.co.uk and ABC News, more at Techmeme »
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Federal Register:
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision; Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) — Published Document: 2025-22461 (90 FR 57208) — This document has been published in the Federal Register.
NBC News:
Foreign tourists could be required to disclose 5 years of social media histories under Trump administration plan — The Customs and Border Protection proposal would apply even to countries that don't require visas to enter. — The Trump administration plans to require all foreign tourists …
Joseph De Avila / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Wants to Screen Foreign Visitors' Social-Media History for Entry
Trump Administration Wants to Screen Foreign Visitors' Social-Media History for Entry
Discussion:
Associated Press and NewsMax.com
Erin Doherty / Politico:
New poll paints a grim picture of a nation under financial strain … Americans are struggling with affordability pressures that are squeezing everything from their everyday necessities to their biggest-ticket expenses. — Nearly half of Americans said they find groceries, utility bills …
Discussion:
Salon, The Independent, Quartz, Alternet.org, The Hill, Democrats and New Republic
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Daniel Nichanian / Bolts:
In 2025, Democrats Flipped 21 Percent of GOP-Held Legislative Seats — At the start of Donald Trump's first presidency, in 2017, large Democratic victories in New Jersey and Virginia, paired with overperformances in special elections, foreshadowed the blue wave of the 2018 midterms.
Discussion:
Wonkette, Mother Jones, New Republic and Alternet.org
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Ethan Cohen / CNN:
Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler flips a state House seat in district Trump won by double digits, CNN projects
Discussion:
New York Times, Newsweek, Advocate, NBC News, Associated Press, Raw Story, Florida Politics, The Downballot, Alternet.org, New Republic and NOTUS
Adriana Gomez Licon / Associated Press:
What a Democrat's victory in the Miami mayoral election may mean for Trump
What a Democrat's victory in the Miami mayoral election may mean for Trump
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, One America News Network, USA Today, The Independent, Washington Times, Alternet.org, UPI and NBC News
Connor O'Brien / Politico:
House passes defense bill, forcing Pentagon's hand on boat strike videos — The must-pass legislation also restricts the Trump administration from significantly reducing U.S. troop levels in Europe … Lawmakers' $901 billion compromise bill is the result of months of negotiations between House and Senate leaders.
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Post, Joe.My.God., The Daily Signal, KDFX-TV, CBS News, The Hill, Dailyfly News, The War Zone and MS NOW
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Jordain Carney / Politico:
Senate Judiciary Dems request administration records related to ‘Seditious Six’
Morgan Phillips / Fox News:
House passes $901B military defense bill after Republican revolt collapses
House passes $901B military defense bill after Republican revolt collapses
Discussion:
RedState and Deseret News
Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing / Politico:
'He's going to be next': Trump threatens Colombian president … Trump's comments mark a sharp escalation of Trump's threats against the Colombian leader. In a conversation with POLITICO earlier this week, the U.S. president floated expanding his anti-drug trafficking military operation …
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Jonathan Chait / The Atlantic:
What Explains Trump's Aggression Toward Venezuela? Who Knows.
What Explains Trump's Aggression Toward Venezuela? Who Knows.
Discussion:
Townhall, Rolling Stone and Mediaite
CBS News:
Tony Dokoupil named anchor of the “CBS Evening News” — Emmy Award-winning journalist Tony Dokoupil has been named anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” the network announced Wednesday. He begins his new role on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, ushering in an ambitious new era for America's longest-running …
Washington Post:
DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of Boeing 737s for deportations — The agency will spend nearly $140 million to buy the planes, funding that comes from a massive budget increase for immigration enforcement approved by Congress. … The Department of Homeland Security recently signed …
Discussion:
The Guardian, CNBC, Fox News, Financial Times, Raw Story, The Hill, New Republic, Bloomberg, UPI, The Independent, NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God., more at Techmeme »
Associated Press:
Live updates: Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard deployment in Los Angeles — The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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Molly Guinness / archive.ph:
Father's anger at girl's potentially fatal testosterone dose — The child, who was 15 at the time, was given the prescription by the private GenderGP clinic after one online counselling session — The father of a child who was prescribed a potentially fatal dose of testosterone …
Ben Jacobs / New York Magazine:
The Messy New York GOP Fight Trump Tried and Failed to Avoid — What he told Bruce Blakeman about challenging Elise Stefanik for governor. — Bruce Blakeman's announcement that he is running for governor against fellow Republican Elise Stefanik caught many by surprise, not least of which was the White House.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Washington Examiner
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Grace Ashford / New York Times:
Trump Didn't Clear a Path for Stefanik in the N.Y. Governor's Race
Trump Didn't Clear a Path for Stefanik in the N.Y. Governor's Race
Discussion:
Politico, NewsMax.com and Washington Examiner
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Divided Fed approves third rate cut this year, sees slower pace ahead — A Federal Reserve split over where its priorities should lie cut its key interest rate Wednesday, but signaled a tougher road ahead for further reductions. — Fulfilling expectations of a “hawkish cut,” …
Discussion:
Board of Governors …, CBS News, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Politico, Bloomberg, Scripps News, NPR, Straight Arrow News, Washington Examiner, RedState, The Guardian, Washington Times, Townhall, Fortune, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Daily Signal, UPI, El País, HousingWire, San Diego Union-Tribune and The Post Millennial
Erika Edwards / NBC News:
South Carolina measles outbreak is ‘accelerating,’ driving hundreds into quarantine — Some students who remain unvaccinated are now in a second 21-day quarantine since the beginning of the school year. — The measles outbreak in South Carolina is “accelerating” with no end …
Discussion:
KDFX-TV, Ars Technica and Gizmodo
Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters:
Exclusive: US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump — President Donald Trump's administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials …
Discussion:
The Parnas Perspective, Foreign Policy, New Republic and Raw Story
Mattathias Schwartz / New York Times:
Judge Emil Bove Faces Ethics Complaint for Attending Trump Rally — One of the president's appeals-court nominees, a former lawyer for the president, was in the crowd at a raucous event in Mt. Pocono, Pa. — Judge Emil Bove III, a federal appeals court judge who made his career …
Discussion:
Law Dork and New Jersey Online
Arthur Jones II / Reuters:
Trump administration moves to end major student loan forgiveness plan: 'We won't tolerate it' — “The law is clear: if you take out a loan, you must pay it back.” — Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Adam Downer / The Daily Beast:
Lauren Boebert Torched for Using Campaign Funds to See Rumored Rockstar Lover — ROCK RECEIPTS — It's unclear how seeing Kid Rock contributed to Lauren Boebert's campaign. — Rep. Lauren Boebert is being blasted for tapping into her campaign funds to see her rumored boyfriend, MAGA rockstar Kid Rock, in concert.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, TMZ.com, The Independent, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., NewsMax.com and Alternet.org
Lexi Lonas Cochran / The Hill:
Family sues school district over student's Charlie Kirk message — The parents of a student who painted a pro-Charlie Kirk message on a school's spirit rock are suing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for its handling of the incident. — The parents of a student at Ardrey Kell High School …
Discussion:
The Daily Signal
Associated Press:
Judge grants Justice Department request to unseal records from Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department's requests …
Discussion:
New York Times, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, WTTG-TV, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, UPI, Metro.co.uk, Straight Arrow News, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, New York Daily News, HotAir, Dailyfly News, The Hill and Politico
David Smith / The Guardian:
Wrong voters, wrong message: progressives' autopsy lays bare Kamala Harris failures — RootsAction report finds Harris courted moderates instead of working-class Democrats - and Gaza stance did not help — Kamala Harris lost last year's US presidential election because she chased …
Nicholas Wu / Politico:
Henry Cuellar faces opposition as he seeks to regain powerful spending post … The matter is in the hands of the 27 Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee, who are set to take a secret ballot vote Thursday to determine Cuellar's future on the panel.



