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.

U.S. Has Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (Updated)  —  A major U.S. military operation, which included airstrikes and the use of special operations forces, resulted in the capture of Maduro. … Videos and images are emerging on social media showing what appears …

Unnamed Source in Viral Minnesota Somali Fraud Video Is Right-Wing Lobbyist Who Called Muslims “Demons”  —  David Hoch, identified only by first name in Nick Shirley's video, got info for his anti-Somali campaign from a GOP state House staffer.  —  IN HIS VIDEO ALLEGING fraud at Somali-owned …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

A month out, no one looking to repeat October's historic shutdown … “I don't think either side wants to see that happen,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said of a shutdown next month.  “I think that's toxic for both parties.”  —  Publicly, Trump hasn't weighed in on the next government funding deadline …