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January 15, 2026
Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act to 'put an end' to protests in Minneapolis
(AP News) President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act allowing him to deploy troops as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement persist in Minneapolis. Trump made the threat after a federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis on Wednesday after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle. The incident further heightened the sense of fear and anger radiating across the city a week after an immigration agent fatally shot a woman in the head.
Go to discussionTrump Is Reportedly Funneling Money From Venezuelan Oil Sales To a Bank Account in Qatar
(Mediaite) President Donald Trump is funneling proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil to a bank account in Qatar, Semafor reported on Wednesday. Semafor reported that the Trump administration’s first sale of Venezuelan oil was valued at $500 million, and that the money is being held in multiple bank accounts, the biggest of which is in Qatar: "Revenue from the oil sales is currently being held in bank accounts controlled by the US government, as indicated in Friday’s order, according to the administration official. The main account, according to a second senior administration official, is located in Qatar."
Go to discussionWhile Average US Residential Electrical Rates Rose 10%, Industrial Rates Fell 3%
(Washington Post) Over the past few years, millions of Americans have seen their electricity bills skyrocket. But the rise in costs hasn’t affected each type of user equally. According to recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), residential electricity costs — the average price faced by ordinary home and apartment dwellers in the U.S. — rose by 10 percent between 2022 and 2024. Commercial users, spanning everything from small corner stores to giant, energy-sucking data centers, have seen rates increase just 3 percent. And industrial users saw prices fall by 2 percent during the same period.
Go to discussionTrump administration sends letter wiping out addiction, mental health grants
(NPR) The Trump administration sent shockwaves through the U.S. mental health and drug addiction system late Tuesday, sending hundreds of termination letters, effective immediately, for federal grants supporting health services. Three sources said they believe total cuts to nonprofit groups, many providing street-level care to people experiencing addiction, homelessness and mental illness, could reach roughly $2 billion.
Go to discussionRepublicans Ripped For Flipping on Trump War Powers Effort
(Newsweek) Republican Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana were hit with some backlash on Wednesday evening for flipping on a previous vote and ultimately ending the war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority. The Senate vote on a Venezuela War Powers Resolution and the subsequent reversal by Republican senators has ignited a debate about presidential authority in military interventions and Congress' constitutional role in declaring war.
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Murphy says he believes in 'correlation between' Trump's falling approval and 'authoritarian behavior'
(The Hill) Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Wednesday he believes in a “correlation between” President Trump’s falling approval rating and “his increasing authoritarian behavior.” “I do think there’s a correlation between the two things that you’re opening this hour talking about: his declining approval, the unpopularity of his policies and his increasing authoritarian behavior,” Murphy told MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace on “Deadline: White House.”
Go to discussionNo widespread evidence of migrant voting fraud despite Trump's claims, review finds
(The Independent) A federal review of voter data found no evidence of widespread voting fraud by non-citizens, contradicting frequent claims from the president and his allies that undocumented immigrants are flocking to the polls. Under the Trump administration, states and local election departments have voluntarily submitted voter records to the Department of Homeland Security for review.
Go to discussionGOP lawmaker said trans people "harm" children. Now he's going to prison for child porn.
(LGBTQ Nation) South Carolina state Rep. RJ May (R) — an anti-LGBTQ+ politician who has accused drag queens and transgender people of harming kids — was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to five counts of distributing child sex abuse material (CSAM). May — who was honored by the anti-LGBTQ+ “parents’ rights” group Moms for Liberty in 2023 as its Legislator of the Year — first denied the charges after investigators found evidence that he had shared hundreds of images of kids.
Go to discussionChanging Defense Department's name to Department of War could cost up to $125 million, CBO estimates
(CBS News) The Trump administration's push to change the Defense Department's name to the Department of War could cost nine figures, according to a new estimate by Congress' budget watchdog. President Trump signed an executive order last September to start the process of renaming the federal government's largest employer. The agency now refers to itself as the Department of War on its website and in many official communications, though the agency is still formally called the Department of Defense under federal law.
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