Live Updates: U.S. Captures Venezuelan Leader, Trump Says  —  President Trump announced that U.S. forces had carried out “a large scale strike against Venezuela” and were flying President Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of the country.  The Trump administration had been building pressure on Mr. Maduro for months.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Can We Really Afford to Let Health Care Get Any Worse?  —  This is what America has come to:  —  A disabled widow, Melinda Price, 43, set out with her walker at 4 a.m. in hopes of getting health care not covered by her Medicaid insurance.  A cancer survivor, she had lost her car to medical debt, and she could not afford an Uber.

Column of smoke seen, loud noises heard in Venezuelan capital  —  Airplanes, loud noises and at least one column of smoke were being heard and seen in Venezuelan capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Reuters witnesses, and the southern area of the city, near a major military base, was without electricity.

Minnesota child care centers accused of wrongdoing were operating as expected, report says  —  Minnesota child care centers at the heart of widespread fraud allegations fueled by a viral video were operating as expected when visited by investigators, the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families said in a news release Friday.

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 …

A top DoJ official trained Pam Bondi on ethics rules in the department.  Then he was fired  —  Joseph Tirell says before he was fired as the DoJ's senior ethics attorney, he fought battles over matters like the US attorney general accepting gifts  —  Joseph Tirrell was reaching the end …

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:

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …