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8:45 PM ET, January 2, 2026

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 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.
RELATED:
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 …
Kat Tenbarge / Spitfire News:
How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point  —  Nonconsensual deepfakes on X are nothing new, but now it's built into the platform.  —  To start the new year off, Elon Musk's X has yet again become a conduit for sexual violence, sparking another wave of backlash.
Parker Molloy / The Present Age:
Grok Can't Apologize.  Grok Isn't Sentient.  So Why Do Headlines Keep Saying It Did?  —  Over the past week, users on X discovered something horrifying: strangers were replying to women's photos and asking Grok, the platform's built-in AI chatbot, to “remove her clothes” or “put her in a bikini.”
Discussion: The Register, The Atlantic and Mediaite
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.
RELATED:
Ron Filipkowski / Meidas+:   Today in Politics, Bulletin 278. 1/2/26
Jeet Heer / The Nation:
Mar-a-Lago Was Key to Jeffrey Epstein's Criminal Enterprise
Discussion: Grabien and Mock Paper Scissors
NBC News:
Trump says U.S. will intervene if Iran kills peaceful protesters as economic unrest spreads
Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
Trump and top Iranian officials exchange threats over protests roiling Iran
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Trump threatens military force if Iran kills protesters
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.
RELATED:
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.
Jack Ewing / New York Times:
Tesla Car Sales Dropped 9% in 2025, Falling Behind China's BYD  —  As the largest maker of electric vehicles in the United States, Tesla suffered more than other carmakers from the elimination of federal incentives.  —  Tesla has lost its status as the world's biggest seller of electric vehicles …
RELATED:
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 …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
A Diminished Congress Weighs Whether to Reassert Its Power … Congress learned some hard lessons about the limits of its power during the first year of the second Trump administration, when Republican leaders in both chambers largely declined to check a president unconstrained by law or custom.
RELATED:
Matthew Purdy / New York Times:
After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It.
Discussion: Sky Dancing and Raw Story
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 …
RELATED:
Reuters:
US says it thwarted potential ISIS-inspired New Year's Eve attack in North Carolina
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.
New York Times:
The Full Transcript of Zohran Mamdani's Inauguration Speech  —  New York's new mayor challenged his supporters and his opponents to make the city better, and to hold him to account.  —  The following is a transcript of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's remarks at his inauguration, as recorded by The New York Times.
RELATED:
Pamela Herd / Can We Still Govern?:
Understanding Mamdani's Vision
Discussion: CNN and New York Times
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
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.
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
SBA says it has suspended ‘6,900 Minnesota borrowers’ over suspected fraud  —  Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler said Thursday night that her agency has suspended “6,900 Minnesota borrowers” over suspected fraudulent activity regarding COVID-era lending programs.
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 …
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:
Trump Super PAC Raised More Than $100 Million in Recent Months  —  The haul highlights how the president's team has continued aggressive fund-raising from donors with interests before the administration.  —  President Trump's team raised more than $100 million for a super PAC in the second half of 2025 …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Today's Deep Question: What Exactly Is ‘The Warmth of Collectivism’?
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Offshore wind companies challenge Trump anti-wind orders
Dustin Gardiner / Politico:
As Mamdani rises in New York, San Francisco turns away from the left
 Earlier Items: 
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Marjorie Taylor Greene bets the Republican troll era is over
Discussion: Raw Story
Steve Benen / MS NOW:
Trump gives away the game on his motivations for the first vetoes of his second term
Discussion: NewsMax.com, HuffPost and KUSA-TV
Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Talarico brings in nearly $7M with latest haul for Texas Senate race
Discussion: Washington Examiner and Raw Story
Max Rego / The Hill:
Ex-Cheney physician says Trump aspirin regimen ‘makes no sense’
Gabe Cohen / CNN:
Exclusive: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begins
Mark Hertling / The Bulwark:
What ‘Regime Change’ in Venezuela Would Really Mean