The Mad King's Madness Deepens  —  Trump wants war, war and more war - even against Americans  —  Things are not going well politically for Donald Trump.  The polls show him underwater on every major issue.  And while he insists that these are fake, it's clear that he knows better.

Transcript: Can Trump's Thugs Be Reined In?  These Dems Have an Idea.  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the January 9 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

Support for abolishing ICE hits a a new high  —  Americans have turned sharply against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and say it too often resorts to violence … On Wednesday morning, Jan. 7, an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot and killed a 37-year-old mother, Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

2 shot by federal immigration agents in Portland  —  Portland police said Thursday that federal agents shot and injured two people in east Portland, prompting strong condemnation from the mayor.  —  “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement.

Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery  —  Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action  —  Grok, Elon Musk's AI tool, has switched off its image creation function for the vast majority …

Capitol agenda: GOP pushes back on Trump  —  Donald Trump's grip on congressional Republicans is slipping.  A series of rebukes on the Hill on Thursday highlighted how rank-and-file Republicans are starting to move with less regard for the president heading into the midterms.

ICE Agent Who Reportedly Shot Renee Good Was a Firearms Trainer, Per Testimony  —  Jonathan Ross told a federal court in December about his professional background, including “hundreds” of encounters with drivers during enforcement actions, according to testimony obtained by WIRED.

Trump Posted Unpublished Jobs Data Early on Social Media  —  President Donald Trump posted a chart on social media Thursday evening that included figures in the yet-to-be released December employment report.  —  The chart, which showed the private sector added 654,000 jobs “since January …

Trump says he will meet Machado — and would accept Nobel Peace Prize from her  —  Speaking to Fox News, Trump said it “would be a great honor” if the Venezuelan opposition leader decided to share her Nobel Peace Price with him.  —  President Donald Trump said he will meet …

Iranian government shuts down internet as violent crackdown continues  —  Authorities have struggled to contain the protests after 12 days, and top officials have given conflicting messages about how to deal with the unrest.  — Add NBC News to Google  —  Protests broke out in several …

Jim Jordan commits to public hearing for Jack Smith  —  House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan said in an interview Friday he will invite former special counsel Jack Smith to testify in an open hearing as soon as this month in what would be a politically high-stakes event for members of both parties and the White House.

The Shadow Over ‘60’ … Earlier this week, on Tuesday, members of the “60 Minutes” team gathered for a meeting to discuss the future of Sharyn Alfonsi's delayed piece on migrants deported by Donald Trump's administration to a notorious El Salvadorian prison.

European Union Agrees to Landmark Free-Trade Deal With South America  —  The agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay represents a push for deeper global cooperation, in contrast to the United States turning to coercion in its dealings with other countries.

US Authoritarian Regime Executes Unarmed Civilian as Ruler Grows More Erratic, Isolated  —  WASHINGTON DC, USA - In what diplomats and historians of yore dubbed the “shining city on a hill,” the United States of America now appears to be anything but.  The nation is a powder keg.

Scoop: White House contacted Secret Service about MTG, sources say  —  The relationship between President Trump and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene grew so poisonous that the White House told the Secret Service that Greene may have tipped off Code Pink protesters about his surprise visit …

Renee Macklin Good's wife releases statement about ICE shooting  —  {"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"parag raph", “content”:[{"text":"On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent.  Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.","type":"text" …

The right-wing dehumanization machine is speeding up  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  Subscribe to PN  —  For the first time in the era of high-profile police killings caught on film, a federal agent under the direction of Donald Trump's authoritarian …

U.S. Forces Board Fifth Tanker in Campaign to Track Down Venezuelan Oil  —  Coast Guard targets sanctioned vessel Olina in waters near Venezuela  —  The U.S. Coast Guard boarded a fifth oil tanker early Friday morning and continued to eye other vessels trying to evade the U.S. blockade …

Revealed: ICE shooter has an IMMIGRANT Filipina wife and is an Iraq veteran as father comes to his defense  —  The ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good is unmasked for the first time by the Daily Mail - as his shaken father defends his decision to shoot dead the 37-year-old mother.

France delays G7 to avoid clash with White House cage fighting on Trump's birthday  —  French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the new schedule is “the result of our consultations with G7 partners.”  —  PARIS — France will delay this year's Group of 7 summit to avoid a conflict …