Top Items:
Reuters:
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of ‘minors in minimal clothing’ on X — Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in “images depicting minors in minimal clothing” on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this.
Discussion:
Axios, Futurism, TechCrunch, TMZ.com, The Verge, Raw Story, Straight Arrow News, Mediaite, The Hill, The New World, Joe.My.God., CBS News and Metro.co.uk, more at Techmeme »
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CNBC:
Musk's xAI faces backlash after Grok generates sexualized images of children on X … Elon Musk's xAI saw user backlash after its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok generated sexualized pictures of children in response to user prompts. — A Grok reply to one user on X on Friday stated that it was …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Post, Mashable, Los Angeles Times, CBS News and New Republic, more at Techmeme »
Parker Molloy / The Present Age:
Grok Can't Apologize. Grok Isn't Sentient. So Why Do Headlines Keep Saying It Did?
Grok Can't Apologize. Grok Isn't Sentient. So Why Do Headlines Keep Saying It Did?
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
Trump Super PAC Raised More Than $100 Million in Recent Months — Israel Accuses Mamdani of Antisemitism Over Canceled Orders — The orders had been widely seen as Eric Adams's show of support for Israel. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in one of his first acts in office, revoked them. — 6 MIN READ
Discussion:
CNN, New York Post, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, Politico and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
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Joe Anuta / Politico:
Mamdani defends eliminating executive orders on antisemitism, boycotting Israel … “My administration will also be marked by a city government that will be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, and we will showcase that by fighting hate across the city,” he said.
Discussion:
Politico, The Guardian, RedState, Jewish Insider, New York Times, Fox News, The Intercept, The Gateway Pundit, One America News Network, City & State New York, The Daily Signal, Algemeiner.com, New York Post, NewsNation, NewsMax.com, Mediaite, abc7NY, Associated Press and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York Times:
Israeli Government Accuses Mamdani of Antisemitism Over Canceled Orders — Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York canceled executive orders issued by his predecessor that had barred city agencies from boycotting Israel and defined some criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
New York Times:
Stephen Schwartz Criticizes Kennedy Center, Saying He Won't Host Gala — The Washington National Opera said the “Wicked” composer was scheduled to host its annual event at the center this spring. — Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” announced on Friday that he would no longer host …
Discussion:
Deadline and Joe.My.God.
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Michael O'Keeffe / Newsday:
‘Wicked’ composer Stephen Schwartz says he won't appear at Kennedy Center — The iconic “Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz told Newsday on Thursday that he will join the artists who have said they will not perform at the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump's name was added to the building.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., The Hill, Rolling Stone, Forbes, RedState, Mediaite, The Wrap and Variety
Ron Filipkowski / Meidas+:
Today in Politics, Bulletin 278. 1/2/26 — ... WSJ: “Jeffrey Epstein wasn't just a frequent visitor to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The club was also sending spa employees—usually young women—to Epstein's nearby mansion for massages, manicures and other spa services …
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President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Regarding the Acquisition of Certain Assets of Emcore Corporation by Hiefo Corporation — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (section 721), 50 U.S.C. 4565, it is hereby ordered:
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, UPI and NewsMax.com
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Julia Manchester / NewsNation:
Trump blocks chipmaker merger, citing national security risk
Trump blocks chipmaker merger, citing national security risk
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
Private jets, armed security and ‘Bari pitches’ including jet-skiing with DJ Khaled: Inside Weiss' chaotic ‘CBS Evening News’ reboot — EXCLUSIVE: The new CBS News editor-in-chief has chartered private flights for her armed security detail, made last-minute logistical changes …
Discussion:
Wonkette, Deadline, Mediaite, The Wrap, Variety and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
The blame for alleged fraud in Minnesota belongs to conservatives — 🆕 🕛 PN 2026 SPECIAL 🆕 🕛 Click the button below to sign up for an annual paid subscription for the special price of $40 ⬇️ — The internet is currently awash in right-wing propaganda …
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Independent, Metro.co.uk and The Gateway Pundit
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Anna Staver / Plain Dealer:
DeWine defends Ohio's childcare oversight after GOP calls for fraud probe
DeWine defends Ohio's childcare oversight after GOP calls for fraud probe
Discussion:
Breitbart, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner and CBS News
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
Offshore Wind Projects Challenge Trump Administration's Order to Stop Work — The developers of Revolution Wind off Rhode Island and Empire Wind off New York are the latest to sue the Trump administration. — Developers of five offshore wind farms that were ordered last week …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Washington Examiner, UPI, The Daily Beast and Bloomberg
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Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Offshore wind companies challenge Trump anti-wind orders
Offshore wind companies challenge Trump anti-wind orders
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Nathan Bomey / Axios:
Tesla sales hit lowest point since 2022 after Musk backlash and end of tax credit — Tesla vehicle sales declined for a second consecutive year in 2025, hitting their lowest point since 2022. — The results mean that Chinese automaker BYD sold more EVs in 2025 than Tesla …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, UPI, TechCrunch, New York Post, The Verge, CBS News and NewsMax.com
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
In Trump's Second Year, Congress Weighs How to Reassert Its Power — Lawmakers head into President Trump's second year facing questions about whether they can reclaim congressional clout in the face of his power grab. — ANALYSIS
Discussion:
Raw Story, NewsMax.com and Election Law Blog
Tim Quinson / Bloomberg:
Banks Notch Higher Fees From Green Bonds Than Fossil Fuel Debt — Wall Street's biggest banks made more money financing green projects than they did from working with fossil fuel companies for a fourth straight year, even as they faced ongoing pressure to pull back from the business.
Nate Raymond / Reuters:
California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules — A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that California's ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional. — A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided 2-1 …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Axios, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Wire, The Hill, Reason, Politico and Fox News
US Department of Justice:
FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year's Eve Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS — For Immediate Release — Today, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that a Mint Hill …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Fox News, Straight Arrow News, WSOC-TV, Los Angeles Times, Metro.co.uk, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Bangor Daily News, Joe.My.God., RedState, Wall Street Journal, KUSA-TV, The Daily Caller, NewsNation, New York Post, UPI, CBS News and Grabien
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Reuters:
Trump threatens Iran over protest crackdown as deadly unrest flares — U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fired on them, days into unrest that has left several dead and posed the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years.
William Vaillancourt / The Daily Beast:
Health Authorities Issue Measles Alert at Creationist Museum — EVOLVING SITUATION — In 2025, the U.S. had the most infections of the vaccine-preventable disease since 1992. — Measles may have been spread at a Noah's Ark-themed creationist museum in Kentucky earlier this week, the state's health authority said.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Joe.My.God.
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
The latest effort to hold Gregory Bovino accountable for his disregard of the rule of law — Gregory Bovino always finds a way. — Unfortunately for the rule of law, it appears generally to be a way to violate court orders, the law, or the Constitution itself.
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
Scoop: ICE Plans to Descend on Phoenix — ALTHOUGH DONALD TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION AGENDA is becoming less and less popular with voters, the president has shown no interest in slowing it down or scaling it back in the new year. — In fact, the federal crackdown is likely to only grow in scope and intensity, as Reuters reported.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Independent and Joe.My.God.
Gregory S. Schneider / Washington Post:
He exposed myth of the South's ‘Lost Cause.’ His death shook Richmond. — William J. “Bill” Martin, director of the Valentine museum in Richmond, died after being struck by a car Dec. 27. — RICHMOND — In a cavernous gallery of the Valentine museum filled with marble busts and giant images of maps …
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Today's Deep Question: What Exactly Is ‘The Warmth of Collectivism’? — Ah, yes. The “warmth of collectivism,” as demonstrated by more than a century of collectivist experiments? Or as pledged by those who insist that all of the previous collectivist regimes had never practiced true collectivism?
Discussion:
New York Post, Townhall, twitchy.com, Althouse, Newsbusters and Fox News
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Maduro says US ‘invented’ accusations of Venezuelan drug trafficking amid Trump pressure campaign … Trump has piled on the pressure against Maduro in recent weeks, imposing a blockade on Venezuela in December and classifying Maduro and other high-ranking members of the country's government …
Discussion:
UPI, teleSUR English, Ace of Spades HQ, HotAir, Fox News, Axios and Washington Examiner
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Tom Phillips / The Guardian:
Maduro urges Trump to abandon ‘illegal warmongering’ and start ‘serious talks’
Maduro urges Trump to abandon ‘illegal warmongering’ and start ‘serious talks’
Discussion:
Reuters, JURISTnews, New York Sun, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, CBS News and Semafor

