Europe and Rest of World Try to Come to Terms With Trump the Imperialist  —  Needing U.S. support to fend off Russia in Ukraine, European leaders have been cautious about criticizing President Trump on Greenland, Iran, Venezuela and much else.  —  It had the makings of one of the most awkward trans-Atlantic meetings in a long time.

Venezuela Live Updates: U.S. Forces Seize Two Tankers, One Under a Russian Flag  —  The U.S. military intercepted a Russian-flagged tanker as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela, escalating a conflict with Moscow after ousting its ally, Nicolás Maduro.  —  Here's the latest.

Trump says Venezuela will turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to US  —  Investing Oil & gas South America Donald Trump  —  President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that Venezuela will turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States …

Grok Is Pushing AI ‘Undressing’ Mainstream  —  Paid tools that “strip” clothes from photos have been available on the darker corners of the internet for years.  Elon Musk's X is now removing barriers to entry—and making the results public.  —  Elon Musk hasn't stopped Grok …

Republicans risk erasing gains with young voters  —  Some Republicans are concerned they could be erasing their gains with young voters, a blue-leaning demographic that President Trump made significant inroads with in 2024.  —  Recent polling has shown young voters overwhelmingly disapproving …

The Military Isn't MAGA  —  The Uniform Code of Military Justice should not suppress free speech.  —  Mark Kelly will probably be fine.  The senator and Navy veteran isn't likely to be cowed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's lawless attempt to silence him by seeking to demote him post-retirement.

Texas A&M Bans Plato  —  Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course.  You have a day to decide.  —  That's a paraphrase of what Martin Peterson, professor of philosophy at Texas A&M University, was told by university officials today …

DOJ admits it has still not released 99% of Epstein files, violating law  —  The DOJ said it is still reviewing millions of Epstein files, after previously claiming it completed the review in July  —  In an extraordinary letter sent to a federal judge Monday evening, Attorney General Pam Bondi admitted …

“They say that when you win the presidency you lose the midterm,” President Donald J. Trump said today to House Republicans.  “I wish you could explain to me what the hell is going on with the mind of the public because we have the right policy.  They don't.  They have a horrible policy.

After Removing Maduro, Trump Needs a New Venezuela Plan  —  Political pundits love black-and-white answers, but a realistic assessment of President Trump's actions in Venezuela is a shade of gray.  How dark or light that gray becomes will depend on Mr. Trump's future actions.

Congress, the President, and the Use of Military Force in Venezuela  —  This is part of Just Security's Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers.  —  On Jan. 3, President Donald Trump ordered a military operation that bombed Venezuelan air defenses and other targets in the country …

Trump administration tells 5 states their child care funds have been frozen  —  The Trump administration sent out letters Tuesday night to five blue states, freezing about $10 billion in funding for child care and social services programs pending a “thorough review,” citing concerns over “systemic fraud.”

Judge orders Lindsey Halligan to explain why she's using U.S. attorney title  —  A federal judge ordered Trump ally Lindsey Halligan to explain why she's identifying herself as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia despite a court ruling that she was unlawfully appointed to the role.

We Need to Get Off the Defensive About Immigration … History is replete with times when an army in fighting retreat draws a line, digs in, and then counterattacks.  The Russians in WW2 took world-historic losses, before turning the tide with a massive counteroffensive around Stalingrad.

‘Whata Bod’: An AI-generated NWS map invented fake towns in Idaho  —  Amid a big agency push to use AI models in weather prediction, an AI-generated forecast graphic with errors was pulled from NWS sites.  —  At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Saturday's wind forecast for Camas Prairie, Idaho.

Professor Fired for Charlie Kirk Post Gets $500,000 From School, Is Reinstated  —  Darren Michael, associate professor at Austin Peay State University, has reportedly been reinstated and given $500,000 after being fired over posts about assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Life Under a Clicktatorship  —  What happens to government when everything is content?  —  One of the strangest moments to emerge from the U.S. kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro was the flurry of images posted by President Trump on Truth Social.  It felt a bit like a student who can't decide …

The Smart Money Is Turning Out to Be Green Money  —  Climate and money are too often divorced in our imaginations, the assumption being that you can't make money or properly run an economy and keep the climate from imploding at the same time.  People who actually handle money for a living could tell you otherwise.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting's patriotic goodbye  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🌈 Subscribe to PN 🌈  —  On Monday, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shut itself down.  —  Defunded by Congress and fearing …

Gabbard MIA on Venezuela operation amid tensions over Trump policy  —  The director of national intelligence was conspicuously absent among Trump's top national security advisers during the planning for the Maduro mission.  —  President Donald Trump's top national security advisers …

Polymarket refuses to pay bets that US would ‘invade’ Venezuela  —  Prediction market disputes US raid amounted to an invasion in fight over more than $10.5mn in wagers  —  Polymarket is disputing that the mission to capture Nicolás Maduro constituted an invasion and said it will only settle …

Warren cuts checks to state Democratic parties  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren is donating $400,000 to 23 state Democratic parties in an effort to fund Democratic infrastructure ahead of the 2026 midterms.  In an interview, the Massachusetts Democrat called the “early money” investment “crucial” for state parties.