BREAKING [2:22 AM EST]: The Associated Press reports that seven explosions were heard in Caracas overnight with low-flying aircraft. Pentagon silent. US has killed 115+ in Venezuelan boat strikes since September and attacked a land target last week.
They choose their enemies, attack, and then build the case later.
A Kentucky woman went to a medical clinic and told them she’d taken abortion medication. The clinic called police. She’s been charged with capital homicide. In Minnesota, Trump was attacking “Somali fraud” before a YouTuber posted a viral video. State inspectors checked nine child care centers and found nothing wrong, but conservative media and Trump’s fans are now attacking Minnesota, its leaders, and its Somali residents. Now the government is demanding personal data on every family receiving assistance. They’ll find something.
This is their playbook. ProPublica exposed it last month at UCLA. DOJ sent investigators with orders to “find” evidence backing a preordained conclusion. Nine federal prosecutors resigned, calling it a sham. One said it was “a political hit job.”
If you’re a woman who needs medical care, a Somali family in Minnesota, or a university Trump doesn’t like, you were identified first and then investigated to find a charge.
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IRS retirees who took government's Deferred Resignation Program have received no income since September 30, with 29,000 retirement applications still pending at OPM.
Today’s GovBrief News
FBI arrests 18-year-old who planned ISIS-inspired New Year's Eve attack on NC grocery store and restaurant after investigation that began when he was a minor in 2022.
Source: Queen City News Charlotte
January 2, 2026
DHS begins cutting FEMA disaster response staff on New Year's Eve, terminating contracts within days as task force prepares recommendation to cut agency workforce in half.
Source: CNN
January 2, 2026
Trump orders HieFo Corp. to divest $2.9 million defense chip technology within 180 days, citing owner's Chinese citizenship in deal that closed during Biden administration.
Source: The Associated Press
January 2, 2026
Trump threatens to intervene in Iran's domestic protests with "locked and loaded" warning, seven months after US strikes on nuclear sites prompted Iranian missile attack on US base in Qatar.
Source: BBC
January 2, 2026
Minnesota has until January 9 to hand over identifying data on all child care fund recipients despite state inspections of nine centers targeted by right-wing influencer finding no operational issues.
Source: ABC Newes
January 2, 2026
Trump claims he "aced" third cognitive exam and is in "perfect health" a day after admitting October imaging was CT scan, not MRI as he originally stated.
Source: The Hill
January 2, 2026
Louisiana will use existing congressional map with two majority-Black districts in 2026 after Supreme Court failed to rule in time for Republicans to redraw boundaries.
Source: The Louisiana Illuminator
January 2, 2026
Ninth Circuit strikes down California's ban on openly carrying firearms in counties with more than 200,000 residents, ruling state failed to prove law consistent with historical tradition of gun regulation.
Source: Courthouse News Service
January 2, 2026
Kentucky woman faces capital fetal homicide charge after disclosing medication abortion to medical clinic, which then reported her to state police.
Source: The Kentucky Lantern
January 2, 2026
Trump posts AI-generated image depicting Illinois Gov. Pritzker holding a cheeseburger in a burning Chicago days after Supreme Court blocked National Guard deployment.
Source: The Hill
January 2, 2026
Stephen Schwartz, who performed at the Kennedy Center's 1971 opening, says he will not appear at planned May opera gala after board voted to add Trump's name to the venue.
Source: Deadline
January 2, 2026
Trump's motorcade stops at industrial park stone supplier that furnished Mar-a-Lago's ballroom in 2004 so he can personally select marble for $400 million White House addition.
Source: USA Today
January 2, 2026
Danish energy company Ørsted files legal challenge over Trump's suspension of Revolution Wind project that is 85% complete with all federal permits secured since 2023.
Source: Euronews
January 2, 2026