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Tag: Washington

  • Keeler: How can Broncos’ Jarrett Stidham beat Patriots? Gary Kubiak, Bubby Brister see a path

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    Eight no mountain high enough.

    “Oh shoot, I mean, he knows what he’s doing,” Gary Kubiak said of quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who’s slated to start Sunday’s AFC championship against New England. “He’s been preparing with Sean (Payton), he’s been preparing with Bo (Nix), each and every day.

    “I just think, as a coach, and I’m sure Sean (and Bo) have done that, just remind the kid what kind of team he’s on.”

    Funny how history rhymes, isn’t it? Kubiak wore No. 8 as John Elway’s understudy for almost a decade. Stidham now sports that same 8, Kubiak’s old number, as Nix’s relief, one cruel ankle twist away from the throne, over the last two seasons.

    Speaking as one No. 8 to another, our man Kubes, who coached the Broncos to the franchise’s last Super Bowl win a decade ago, offered Stidham eight simple words of advice.

    “Just get in there,” the ex-Broncos backup QB told me by phone earlier this week, “and do your job.”

    Handed the keys to a stock car in the middle of the race? Thrust into the driver’s seat on short notice? Asked to drive your team to the Super Bowl? Kubes has been there.

    Kubiak was Elway’s stand-in from 1983-91, the Cal Naughton, Jr. to John’s Ricky Bobby, a couple of buds shaking and baking all over the AFC West. While Elway was forging one of the great QB careers in NFL history, years of preparing and processing alongside No. 7 molded Kubiak into a championship coach.

    “Sometimes, you’ve got stretches where you may go a year or two years (of not playing),” Kubiak said. “Or you may get out there in a crazy spot.”

    Kubes landed one of the absolute craziest, right at the very end. He was carrying the clipboard for Elway at the ’91-’92 AFC Championship Game in Buffalo when the Broncos icon had to leave the game with a deep bruise in his right thigh.

    Kubiak had already made up his mind before the playoffs that the 1991 season would be his last, that he would retire whenever the ride came to an end.

    “And all of a sudden, there I am in the game,” the former Broncos signal-caller recalled. “It was kind of ironic for me, (spending) all those years backing up John, here I am playing in the AFC Championship Game and had a really good chance to win.”

    Gary literally went into that contest cold. Although he does remember it being surprisingly warm for upstate New York in mid-January.

    “It was an unseasonable 32 degrees in Buffalo,”  he laughed. “I couldn’t have played if it was cold. My back was too bad. I’m glad the Good Lord gave me a game I could play in.”

    Kubes played admirably, too. No. 8 completed 11 of 12 throws for 136 yards. His touchdown run with 1:46 left got the Broncos to within 10-6 before the extra point.

    Denver recovered the ensuing onside kick, but, alas, on the next play, Steve Sewell fumbled the ball back to Buffalo. Three missed field goals at Rich Stadium proved fatal. The Broncos ultimately fell, 10-7.

    “Our defense was really good (in ’91) — a lot like this Broncos team,” Kubiak said. “We were in a lot of low-scoring games. We missed a few plays in the second half. We had ourselves in a position there at the end and unfortunately, the ballgame got away from us … we had our opportunity, but it just didn’t end the right way.”

    How can this one end better? Kubiak likes that Payton doubled down on Stidham publicly, and almost immediately, after getting the worst injury news imaginable.

    “I used to tell my teams, when you’re a coach, you’re going to go through some QB issues and lose a QB,” Kubiak explained. “And I used to always remind guys that when you start to worry about what’s going on at other spots on the team, then you don’t take care of your job. Just stay focused on your job, what you do. ‘We’ve got Stiddy here, he’s going to be ready to play.’ You have to stay focused and (then do) what you have to do to help him out.”

    Bubby Brister went 4-0 as Elway’s No. 2 in the fall of 1998, keeping things afloat as the Broncos eventually repeated as Super Bowl champions. Brister told me Tuesday that he thinks 90% of the battle for Stiddy, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, will be half mental.

    “I believe Jarrett knows he can do the job,” Brister said via text. “He also knows he has a great team and staff around him. Not to mention Sean Payton is in his ear, one of the best ever at calling plays.

    “To top it off, (there’s a) big advantage playing at home with our awesome fans and at Mile High. Just go play! Just go do your job.”

    Even if that means jumping on a moving train. Sportradar says Stidham is only the seventh NFL QB since 1950 to start a playoff game during a season in which he never started once.

    The last three guys who’ve been thrust into that position since 2000 — Joe Webb (Minnesota, 2012), Connor Cook (Oakland, 2016) and Taylor Heinicke (Washington, 2020) — went 0-3. Their average stat line? 216 passing yards, one passing TD, two picks.

    Their teams scored 10 points, 14 points and 23 points, respectively. That’s about 16 per game. Which is asking an awful, awful lot of your defense. Even one as good as Vance Joseph’s.

    “He’ll be all right,” Kubiak said of Stidham. “The thing I always go back to is, it’s all about the team.

    “Denver’s got a great football team. Stidham, that’s Sean’s hand-picked guy. He trusts him. And he’s on a great football team. It’ll be fun to watch the young man. He’ll do a great job.”

    Eight no valley low enough. And just because Frank Reich was a leprechaun doesn’t mean you can’t get lucky all over again.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Coast Guard Approves Fixed-Span Interstate Bridge Replacement – KXL

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    Photo: Oregon Department Of Transportation.

    VANCOUVER, WA / PORTLAND, OR – The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program reached a major milestone, as officials announced that the U.S. Coast Guard has approved the construction of a fixed-span replacement across the Columbia River.

    The new bridge, designed with 116 feet of vertical clearance, will eliminate bridge lifts, improve earthquake resilience, and keep river traffic, vehicles, transit, and air traffic moving without interruptions.

    “A fixed-span bridge has overwhelming support from the maritime industry, businesses and community groups,” said Washington Governor Bob Ferguson. “This is the right decision for our economy and for commuters who use this bridge every day.”

    Oregon Governor Tina Kotek added that the Coast Guard decision gives the program “the clarity it needs to advance and build a safer, multimodal river crossing and corridor that will serve both states for generations.”

    With federal approval in hand, the IBR Program will finalize updated cost estimates, select a final bridge design, identify a construction contractor, and continue working on the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.

    The Interstate Bridge, built more than a century ago, will finally get a modern replacement designed to serve both Washington and Oregon for decades to come.

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    Tim Lantz

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  • Senators Worry That US Postal Service Changes Could Disenfranchise Voters Who Cast Ballots by Mail

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    Updated agency policy says postmarks might not indicate the first day the Postal Service received the mail but rather the day it was handled in one of its processing centers. Those centers are increasingly likely to be further away from certain communities because of recent USPS consolidations, which could further delay postmarks, the 16 senators wrote.

    “Postmark delays are especially problematic in states that vote entirely or largely by mail,” they wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner, noting that many states use postmark dates to determine whether a mail ballot can be counted. “These changes will only increase the likelihood of voter disenfranchisement.”

    The consequences could be particularly acute in rural areas where mail has to travel farther to reach regional processing centers, they added.

    “In theory, a rural voter could submit their ballot in time according to their state law, but due to the changes you are implementing, their legally-cast ballot would not be counted as it sits in a local post office,” they wrote. “As we enter a year with many local and federal elections, the risk of disrupting this vital democratic process demands your attention and action.”

    The Postal Service has received the letter and will respond directly to those who sent it, spokesperson Martha Johnson said.

    “While we are not changing our postmarking practices, we have made adjustments to our transportation operations that will result in some mailpieces not arriving at our originating processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed,” its website says. “This means that the date on the postmarks applied at our processing facilities will not necessarily match the date on which the customer’s mailpiece was collected by a letter carrier or dropped off at a retail location.”

    Johnson said the language in the final rule “does not change any existing postal operations or postmarking practices.” She added that the agency looked forward to “clarifying the senators’ misunderstanding.”

    “Our public filing was made to enhance public understanding of exactly what a postmark represents, its relationship to the date of mailing and when a postmark is applied in the process,” she said.

    People dropping off mail at a post office can request that a postmark be applied manually, ensuring the postmark date matches the mailing date, the Postal Service’s website says. Manual postmarks are free of charge.

    The agency said the “lack of alignment” between the mailing date and postmark date will become more common as it implements its initiative to overhaul processing and transportation networks with an emphasis on regional hubs. The aim of the initiative is to cut costs for the agency, which has grappled with losses in the billions of dollars in recent years.

    Under the plan, the Postal Service got rid of twice-daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers. That means mail received after the only transfer truck leaves sits overnight until the next daily transfer, the senators wrote.

    Election officials in states that rely heavily on voting by mail expressed concern with the change.

    “Not being able to have faith that the Postal Service will mark ballots on the day they are submitted and mail them in a timely manner undermines vote-by-mail voting, in turn undermining California and other elections,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement.

    She said her office will “amplify messaging to voters” who use mailed ballots that they must return their ballots early if they plan to use the post office.

    Election officials in Washington state, where voting is done almost entirely by mail, are recommending that those who return their ballot within a week of Election Day do so at a drop box or voting center.

    “Given the operational and logistical priorities recently set by the USPS, there is no guarantee that ballots returned via mail will be postmarked by the USPS the same day they are mailed,” the secretary of state’s office said in a statement.

    The senators urged Steiner to restore “timely postmarks” and fully stand up an election mail task force. The Democratic lawmakers who signed the letter represented California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • US Drops Appeal of Order Blocking Trump Plan to Tie State Transportation Funds to Immigration Enforcement

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    WASHINGTON, Jan ‌13 (Reuters) – ​The U.S. ‌Justice Department on ​Tuesday asked a federal ‍appeals court to ​dismiss ​its ⁠appeal of a lower court order blocking President Donald Trump’s administration from forcing 20 ‌Democratic-led states to cooperate ​with immigration ‌enforcement to ‍receive billions ⁠of dollars in transportation grant funding.

    In July, a U.S. judge in Rhode Island ruled the ​U.S. Department of Transportation lacked authority to require the states to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to obtain transportation funding and that ​the condition violated the U.S. Constitution.

    (Reporting by David Shepardson in ​Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Can states ban transgender athletes from school sports? Supreme Court takes up cases

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    The Supreme Court will hear two cases Tuesday that address whether state laws restricting transgender women and girls from participating in sports are constitutional. The first case involves 25-year-old Lindsay Hecox who transitioned from male to female and sued over Idaho’s ban to try out for the women’s track and cross country teams at Boise State University. She did not make either team and is no longer looking to do so, but competed in club-level soccer and running while she studied in Idaho. The second case centers around 15-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson. She has been taking puberty-blocking medication, has identified as a girl since age 8, and was issued a West Virginia birth certificate recognizing her as female. Pepper-Jackson is the only transgender person who has attempted to compete in girls’ sports in West Virginia. The lower courts in both cases ruled in favor of the transgender athletes who challenged the state bans. More than two dozen Republican-led states, including Idaho and West Virginia, have enacted bans on transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s teams. Today, the mainly conservative justices are expected to focus on whether these sports bans violate the Constitution or Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education. A decision in both cases is expected to be released by early summer. In the past year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and allowed restrictions on transgender people to be enforced. Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The Supreme Court will hear two cases Tuesday that address whether state laws restricting transgender women and girls from participating in sports are constitutional.

    The first case involves 25-year-old Lindsay Hecox who transitioned from male to female and sued over Idaho’s ban to try out for the women’s track and cross country teams at Boise State University.

    She did not make either team and is no longer looking to do so, but competed in club-level soccer and running while she studied in Idaho.

    The second case centers around 15-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson. She has been taking puberty-blocking medication, has identified as a girl since age 8, and was issued a West Virginia birth certificate recognizing her as female.

    Pepper-Jackson is the only transgender person who has attempted to compete in girls’ sports in West Virginia.

    The lower courts in both cases ruled in favor of the transgender athletes who challenged the state bans.

    More than two dozen Republican-led states, including Idaho and West Virginia, have enacted bans on transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s teams.

    Today, the mainly conservative justices are expected to focus on whether these sports bans violate the Constitution or Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

    A decision in both cases is expected to be released by early summer.

    In the past year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and allowed restrictions on transgender people to be enforced.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:


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  • FBI Says It Has Found No Video of Border Patrol Agent Shooting 2 People in Oregon

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    PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The FBI said in a court document made public Monday that it had found no surveillance or other video of a Border Patrol agent shooting and wounding two people in a pickup truck during an immigration enforcement operation in Portland, Oregon, last week.

    Agents told investigators that one of their colleagues opened fire Thursday after the driver put the truck in reverse and repeatedly slammed into an unoccupied car the agents had rented, smashing its headlights and knocking off its front bumper. The agents said they feared for their own safety and that of the public, the document said.

    The FBI has interviewed four of the six agents on the scene, the document said. It did not identify the agent who fired the shots.

    None of the six agents was recording body camera footage, and investigators have uncovered no surveillance or other video footage of the shooting, FBI Special Agent Daniel Jeffreys wrote in an affidavit supporting aggravated assault and property damage charges against the driver, Luis David Nino-Moncada.

    The truck drove away after the shooting, which occurred in the parking lot of a medical office building. Nino-Moncada called 911 after arriving at an apartment complex several minutes away. He was placed in FBI custody after being treated for a gunshot wound to the arm and abdomen.

    During an initial appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Portland, he wore a white sweatshirt and sweatpants and appeared to hold out his left arm gingerly at an angle. An interpreter translated the judge’s comments for him. The judge ordered that he remain in detention and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Wednesday.

    The agent’s affidavit said that after being read his rights, Nino-Moncada “admitted to intentionally ramming the Border Patrol vehicle in an attempt to flee, and he stated that he knew they were immigration enforcement vehicles.”

    His passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, was hospitalized after being shot in the chest and on Monday was being held at a private immigration detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, according to an online detainee locator system maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras are Venezuela nationals and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the Department of Homeland Security said. It identified Nino-Moncada as an associate of Tren de Aragua and Zambrano-Contreras as involved in a prostitution ring run by the gang.

    “Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday in a news release announcing charges against Nino-Moncada. “This man — an illegal alien with ties to a foreign terrorist organization — should NEVER have been in our country to begin with, and we will ensure he NEVER walks free in America again.”

    Oregon Federal Public Defender Fidel Cassino-DuCloux, whose office represents Nino-Moncada, did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. He told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the federal shooting of and the subsequent accusations against Nino-Moncada and his passenger follow “a well-worn playbook that the government has developed to justify the dangerous and unprofessional conduct of its agents.”

    Portland Police Chief Bob Day confirmed last week that the pair had “some nexus” to the gang. Day said the two came to the attention of police during an investigation of a July shooting believed to have been carried out by gang members, but they were not identified as suspects.

    Zambrano-Contreras was previously arrested for prostitution, Day said, and Nino-Moncada was present when a search warrant was served in that case.

    Johnson reported from Seattle.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Watchdog report finds concerns over potential FEMA changes

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    The nonpartisan watchdog arm of Congress finds praise among local and state officials over how the Federal Emergency Management Agency initially responded to Tropical Storm Helene.

    This comes as the Trump administration has delayed its report on whether to eliminate or shrink the agency.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump has had his sights on FEMA since taking office last January

    • The watchdog said doubts about the agency’s future have left many state and local officials concerned

    • Trump created a FEMA Review Council but it hasn’t released a final report

    The watchdog said doubts about the agency’s future have left many state and local officials concerned.

    President Donald Trump has had his sights on FEMA since taking office last January.

    “I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away and we pay a percentage to the state,” Trump said during a visit to North Carolina in January 2025.

    His opinion of FEMA is reflected in part by his criticism of the agency’s response to Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina.

    But a new report by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office found support for how FEMA initially handled the storm.

    “We talked to state and local officials, and they were very, very complimentary of the support, the coordination, they were getting from FEMA. FEMA was there all along.” said GAO Director Chris Currie.

    Currie wrote the report, which was based on 50 interviews with local, state and federal officials, including in North Carolina and other states battered by the storm.

    FEMA’s future has been uncertain ever since Trump created a review council to look at what to do with the agency, including possibly disbanding its current form.

    The council was expected to release its recommendations in December, but the report was delayed. A month later, it’s unclear when or if the report will actually come out. Spectrum News asked the White House and DHS, FEMA’s parent agency, when that report might be released but did not get an answer by deadline.

    “They don’t know what to prepare for. That’s the biggest concern I think states have right now,” Currie said.

    Currie said it’s also put FEMA officials in a difficult spot.

    “It is clear to me right now they are a little bit hamstrung in what they can do and what they can say about the future because they’re waiting on the council report,” Currie said. “They don’t know what their mandate is going to be from the administration in terms of change.”

    The report said at least one state is preparing contingency plans, including for potential reductions in federal assistance.

    “FEMA and the federal government provided a tremendous amount of support to state and local governments, and so if you were to yank that away, or to change that drastically without the states having an opportunity to prepare, that could be very bad,” Currie said.

    Although the report found praise for FEMA’s initial handling of Helene, Currie said there is across the board agreement that changes should be made to FEMA, specifically when it comes to long-term response.

    “No doubt there is a lot of frustration with FEMA,” Currie said. “People are very frustrated with the bureaucracy, the slowness of the monies, the grants, the back and forth, the fighting with FEMA on reconstruction projects.”

    The concern, Currie said, is what changes the administration will choose to make, especially coming off a slow hurricane season.

    “There may be changes made or staff reductions made, based on assumptions that states don’t need as much support, or states can handle this on their own and we don’t find out that they actually can’t until something bad actually happens,” Currie said. 

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    Reuben Jones

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  • Five Years On, Democrats May Be Losing the Fight Over January 6

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    “You should be put down like a dog, diseased fucking animal you are,” one man says to a police officer, according to video captured by a HuffPost reporter. Another man hurls slurs, calling the officers “fucking r-tards,” “f-ggots,” and the N-word. In another video, the first man tells an officer, “The only solution for animals like you is public execution.”

    That man is Edward Jacob Lang, a January 6 rioter who was charged with beating cops with a baseball bat. Having received a pardon from President Donald Trump before he stood trial, Lang is now running for Senate as a Republican. He’s one of a few dozen rioters who descended on Washington this week for the five-year anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol, walking free thanks to sweeping clemency from the president.

    “Your day will come and I will be there for it,” Lang told an officer at one point, according to video footage. “Look left and right when you cross the street, motherfucker.”

    Nearby, in a packed room in the basement of the Capitol Building, another January 6 rioter sat before a panel of House Democrats convened to mark the grim anniversary of the attack.

    “I’m a mother and a grandmother and a cancer survivor and a retired addiction counselor. I am also a convicted criminal for what I did on January the 6th, 2021.” So began the testimony of Pam Hemphill, a woman known as MAGA Granny when she joined the mob that stormed the Capitol five years ago.

    The hearing was convened as part of an effort to push back on Trump’s attempts to rewrite the history of the attack. Hemphill spoke alongside former Capitol police officer Winston Pingeon, who described being punched in the face, pepper sprayed, and called a traitor by the rioters. There was a former prosecutor who worked on the cases against the rioters—more than 600 of whom were charged with assaulting or obstructing police officers—and resigned from the Justice Department after Trump offered clemency to those charged over the attack. That included Hemphill, who publicly rejected Trump’s pardon, testifying that she did not deserve to evade justice.

    “I had fallen for the president’s lies, just like many of his supporters,” Hemphill said. She became emotional and had to pause as she described the start of the riot. “The police officers were the heroes. They protected the Capitol and everyone inside the Capitol. And even people like me. I was trampled on by the rioters. And if it weren’t for the Capitol Police helping me that day, I might have died.”

    She addressed Pingeon directly. “I want the Capitol Police to know how truly grateful I am to them and how deeply sorry I am,” she said, her voice quavering. “I can’t believe people are still disrespecting you and trying to lie about January the 6th.” In the room, Congressman Steve Cohen dabbed tears from his eyes.

    Pam Hemphill, also known as MAGA Granny, testifies about her role in the January 6 attack and why she rejected a pardon from President Donald Trump, at a hearing held on the 5th anniversary of the riot.

    Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images.

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    Aidan McLaughlin

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  • Suspect in Vandalism of Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio Home Is Behind Bars

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An individual accused of vandalizing the Ohio home of Vice President JD Vance in the dark of night and causing other property damage was behind bars Tuesday, awaiting action in separate state and federal cases.

    William D. DeFoor, 26, appeared in two different courtrooms after being detained early Monday by Secret Service agents assigned to Vance’s Cincinnati home in the upscale East Walnut Hills neighborhood east of downtown. The vice president and his family were not home.

    According to an affidavit filed in federal court, the Secret Service saw someone run along the front fence of Vance’s residence and breach the property line around midnight. The person later identified as DeFoor was armed with a hammer and tried to break out the window of an unmarked Secret Service vehicle on the way up the driveway before moving toward the front of the home and breaking its glass windows, the affidavit says.

    Fourteen historic window panes were broken and damage was done to security enhancements around the windows valued at $28,000, according to the filing.

    A judge set bonds totaling $11,000 on state charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging and obstruction of official business that were brought in Hamilton County court. There, DeFoor was previously deemed incompetent to face trial on a 2023 criminal trespassing charge and referred for treatment after a 2024 vandalism charge. A grand jury hearing was scheduled for Jan. 15.

    A hearing in the federal case to determine whether DeFoor can be released on bond from the Hamilton County jail was set for Friday in federal District Court in Cincinnati.

    The U.S. Attorney’s office in Ohio’s southern district brought charges of damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against property in a restricted area and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.

    The first two charges are each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

    Messages left with possible relatives and with DeFoor’s attorney were not immediately returned.

    Vance expressed gratitude in a post Monday on the social platform X to the public for all the well wishes and to the Secret Service and Cincinnati police for their quick response to the incident.

    “As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows,” he wrote.

    According to his office, Vance and his family were home in Cincinnati over the weekend. Court filings indicate that they left to return to Washington around 3 p.m. Sunday.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Trump Tells Republicans to Be ‘Flexible’ on Abortion Restrictions to Get a Health Care Deal

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    President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants Republicans to reach a deal on health care insurance assistance by being willing to bend on a 50-year-old amendment that bars federal money from being spent on abortion services.

    “You have to be a little flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, Trump told House Republicans as they gathered in Washington for a caucus retreat to open the midterm election year. “You gotta be a little flexible. You gotta work something. You gotta use ingenuity.”

    With his suggestion, Trump, who supported abortion rights before he entered politics in 2015, is asking conservatives to abandon or at least ease up on decades of Republican orthodoxy on abortion and spending policy. At the same time, he is demonstrating his long-standing malleability on abortion and acknowledging that Democrats have the political upper hand on health care after Republicans, who control the White House, the Senate and the House, allowed the expiration of premium subsidies for people buying Affordable Care Act insurance policies.

    As negotiations on Capitol Hill continue, some Democrats are pushing to end the Hyde restrictions as part of any new agreements on health care subsidies.

    Trump’s road map on the Hyde Amendment came more than an hour into a stem-winding speech intended as a part strategy session and part cheerleading as Republicans attempt to maintain their threadbare House majority in the November midterms.

    The president touted the House GOP proposal to replace ACA subsidies — which taxpayers typically steer directly to insurance companies after selecting their policies — into direct payments that taxpayers could use for a range of health care expenses, including insurance. The expanded ACA subsidies expired on Dec. 31, 2025, hitting millions of policy holders with steep premium increases.

    “Let the money go directly to the people,” Trump said, before casually slipping in a reference to the Hyde Amendment.

    “We’re all big fans of everything,” he said. “But you have to have flexibility.”

    Turning directly to GOP leaders, Trump added, “If you can do that, you’re going to have — this is going to be your issue.”

    But the GOP faces considerable pressure from parts of its coalition that want absolute opposition to any policy that might ease abortion restrictions.

    At Americans United for Life, a leading advocacy group that opposes abortion rights, Gavin Oxley penned an op-ed this week for “The Hill” titled, “Republicans must hold the line: No Hyde Amendment, no deal on health care.”

    “If they play their cards right,” Oxley wrote, “Republicans just might earn back enough of their base’s trust to sustain them through the 2026 midterms.”

    The Hyde Amendment, named for the late Rep. Henry Hyde, originally applied to Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program for poor and disabled Americans, and barred it from paying for abortions unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Hyde first introduced it in 1976, shortly after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.

    Over the years, Congress reauthorized Hyde policy as part of spending bills that fund the government. Democrats who support abortion access often joined Republicans who opposed abortion rights as a bipartisan compromise to pass larger spending deals. But as the two parties hardened their respective positions on abortion, Democrats became more uniform opponents of the ban, most famously when presidential candidate Joe Biden reversed his long-standing support for Hyde on his way to winning the 2020 Democratic nomination and general election.

    Republicans, meanwhile, have maintained their near absolute support for the amendment.

    The anti-abortion movement was initially skeptical of Trump as a presidential candidate in 2015 and 2016. But he has mostly aligned with the key faction of the Republican coalition, especially on Supreme Court appointments that led to the 2022 decision overturning Roe.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Seattle police union condemns new socialist mayor’s drug enforcement approach as ‘suicidal empathy’

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    The president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild issued a statement on Sunday slamming the newly elected self-described democratic socialist Mayor Katie Wilson‘s approach to drug enforcement as “suicidal empathy.”

    “The recent naive, ignorant political decision to not arrest offenders for open drug use in the City of Seattle is horrifically dangerous and will create more death and societal decay,” the Seattle Police Officers Guild President, Mike Solan, said. “It embodies an enormous flaw in those in our community who think that meeting people where they are who are in the throes of addiction, is the correct path to lift them up.”

    Wilson responded to Solan’s claims in a statement sent to Fox News Digital that did not confirm the allegation that the city had ordered police to stop arrests of open drug use.

    “You’ll know when I announce a policy change, because I’ll announce a policy change. Several weeks ago I published a vision for public safety, which begins with the commitment that everyone in Seattle, of every background and every income, deserves to be safe in their homes, streets, parks, and places of business in every neighborhood across our city,” Wilson said.

    SEATTLE ABOUT TO GET NY’S HAMMER-AND-SICKLE TREATMENT. SOCIALISM IS COMING YOUR WAY

    The president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild issued a statement on Sunday explaining that police were ordered to halt open drug use arrests and instead redirect such cases away from the criminal legal system to mental health services. (Seattle Police Department / File)

    The confusion on whether there is a change in policy when arresting drug use, appears to stem from an internal email from Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. According to KOMO News, the Barnes’ email said, “effective immediately, all charges related to drug possession and/or drug use will be diverted from prosecution to the LEAD program. All instances of drug use or possession will be referred to Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)—a program designed to redirect lowlevel offenders in King County from the criminal justice system into supportive social services.”

    Seattle Police Chief Barnes also explained that when someone does not follow the requirements of the LEAD program, the case will move forward through normal prosecution. He noted that LEAD has long been used as an alternative to arrest and that this update is consistent with Seattle City Ordinance. He also clarified that the diversion option is limited: it does not apply to people who are not eligible for LEAD or to those arrested for selling or delivering drugs. Only cases involving personal-use quantities may be diverted, not sales or delivery offenses.

    The Seattle police told KOMO News that “nothing has changed when it comes to police continuing to make drug-related arrests in Seattle.” 

    SEATTLE’S SOCIALIST MAYOR MAY BE ‘LESS CONSTRAINED’ THAN MAMDANI, WASHINGTON POST WARNS

    Seattle Police

    Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion seeks to redirect such cases away from the criminal legal system to mental health services. (Fox News Digital )

    Solan criticized Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), which describes itself as a “replicable model that enhances public safety and equity by diverting people with unmet behavioral health needs away from jail and prosecution and into nonpunitive, collaborative, community-based systems of care.”

    “This is wrong and is commonly referred to as ‘Suicidal Empathy.’ Most cops know that the LEAD program supports this ideology, and they don’t want to refer cases. It is a waste of time. We’ve all seen how our streets can be filled with death, decay, blight and crime when ideology like this infects our city. Now with this resurrected insane direction, death, destruction and more human suffering will be supercharged,” Solan continued. 

    MEET THE SOCIALIST MAMDANI-STYLE MAYOR JUST ELECTED TO RUN WEST COAST’S 5TH LARGEST CITY

    Mayor-elect of Seattle Katie Wilson

    (Katie Wilson was sworn in as Seattle’s mayor during a Friday morning inauguration at City Hall. )

    In her statement to Fox News Digital, Wilson said LEAD’s framework would be implemented. 

    “I remain committed to that vision. Our work now is to carry it out, including enforcement of the possession and public use ordinance in priority situations and ensuring that the LEAD framework and other effective responses to neighborhood hot spots are implemented with an appropriate level of urgency, sufficient resources, and a commitment to results,” she said. 

    Wilson was sworn in as Seattle’s mayor on Friday after she beat then-incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell.

    The Seattle Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

    Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

    Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.

    Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program. 

    Story tips can be sent to joshua.nelson@fox.com and Joshua can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

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  • Oil stocks sharply higher after U.S. action in Venezuela

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    Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it would be American companies helping to revitalize it following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

    While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets and have an impact on the geopolitical landscape.

    The shale oil revolution made the U.S. the world’s largest crude producer. Recent, massive oil finds off the coast of Guyana are largely controlled by ExxonMobil and Chevron. U.S. control of the Venezuelan energy industry, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, could “reshape the balance of power in international energy markets,” analysts with JP Morgan wrote Monday.

    “The combined total could position the US as a leading holder of global oil reserves, potentially accounting for about 30% of the world’s total if these figures are consolidated under US influence,” JP Morgan wrote. “This would mark a notable shift in global energy dynamics.”

    Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions. Yet some oil industry analysts believe that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and return the nation to historic production levels relatively quickly.

    “With greater access to and influence over a substantial portion of global reserves, the US could potentially exert more control over oil market trends, helping to stabilize prices and keep them within historically lower ranges,” according to JP Morgan. “This increased leverage would not only enhance US energy security but could also reshape the balance of power in international energy markets.”

    If or when that would happen, however, is more complex. Many energy analysts see a longer and more difficult road ahead.

    “While the Trump administration has suggested large U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela and spend billions to fix infrastructure, we believe political and other risks along with current relatively low oil prices could prevent this from happening anytime soon,” wrote Neal Dingmann of William Blair. Material change to Venezuelan production will take a lot of time and millions of dollars of infrastructure improvement, he said.

    And any investment in Venezuelan infrastructure right now would take place in a weakened global energy market. Crude prices in the U.S. are down 20% compared with last year. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude hasn’t been above $70 since June, and hasn’t touched $80 per barrel since the summer of 2024.

    A barrel of oil cost more than $130 in the leadup to the U.S. housing crisis in 2008.

    There’s several factors that could impact Venezuelan production, including how quickly a government transition can take hold and how fast and willing multinational oil companies are to reenter the country, wrote John Freeman of Raymond James.

    At the opening bell, shares in the energy sector moved broadly higher, particularly companies with large refinery operations.

    Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

    Big refiners like Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 rose between 5% and 6% at the opening bell.

    Oilfield service companies, those that actually go into the field and do the drilling and upkeep, rose even more sharply. SLB and Halliburton rose between 7% and 8%.

    Major oil exploratory companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose between 2% and 4%.

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  • Oil stocks sharply higher after U.S. action in Venezuela

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    Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it would be American companies helping to revitalize it following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

    While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets and have an impact on the geopolitical landscape.

    The shale oil revolution made the U.S. the world’s largest crude producer. Recent, massive oil finds off the coast of Guyana are largely controlled by ExxonMobil and Chevron. U.S. control of the Venezuelan energy industry, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, could “reshape the balance of power in international energy markets,” analysts with JP Morgan wrote Monday.

    “The combined total could position the US as a leading holder of global oil reserves, potentially accounting for about 30% of the world’s total if these figures are consolidated under US influence,” JP Morgan wrote. “This would mark a notable shift in global energy dynamics.”

    Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions. Yet some oil industry analysts believe that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and return the nation to historic production levels relatively quickly.

    “With greater access to and influence over a substantial portion of global reserves, the US could potentially exert more control over oil market trends, helping to stabilize prices and keep them within historically lower ranges,” according to JP Morgan. “This increased leverage would not only enhance US energy security but could also reshape the balance of power in international energy markets.”

    If or when that would happen, however, is more complex. Many energy analysts see a longer and more difficult road ahead.

    “While the Trump administration has suggested large U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela and spend billions to fix infrastructure, we believe political and other risks along with current relatively low oil prices could prevent this from happening anytime soon,” wrote Neal Dingmann of William Blair. Material change to Venezuelan production will take a lot of time and millions of dollars of infrastructure improvement, he said.

    And any investment in Venezuelan infrastructure right now would take place in a weakened global energy market. Crude prices in the U.S. are down 20% compared with last year. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude hasn’t been above $70 since June, and hasn’t touched $80 per barrel since the summer of 2024.

    A barrel of oil cost more than $130 in the leadup to the U.S. housing crisis in 2008.

    There’s several factors that could impact Venezuelan production, including how quickly a government transition can take hold and how fast and willing multinational oil companies are to reenter the country, wrote John Freeman of Raymond James.

    At the opening bell, shares in the energy sector moved broadly higher, particularly companies with large refinery operations.

    Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

    Big refiners like Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 rose between 5% and 6% at the opening bell.

    Oilfield service companies, those that actually go into the field and do the drilling and upkeep, rose even more sharply. SLB and Halliburton rose between 7% and 8%.

    Major oil exploratory companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose between 2% and 4%.

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  • Lawmakers return to Washington facing Venezuela concerns, shutdown threat

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    WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are returning to Washington this week confronting the fallout from the stunning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and familiar complaints about the Trump administration deciding to bypass Congress on military operations that have led to this moment.

    Democratic leaders are demanding the administration immediately brief Congress. Republican leaders indicated over the weekend those plans are being scheduled, but some lawmakers expressed frustration Sunday that the details have been slow to arrive.

    President Trump told the nation Saturday that the United States intends to “run” Venezuela and take control over the country’s oil operations now that Maduro has been captured and brought to New York to stand trial in a criminal case centered on narco-terrorism charges.

    The administration did not brief Congress ahead of the actions, leaving Democrats and some Republicans expressing public frustration with the decision to sideline Congress.

    “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a social media post Saturday.

    Appearing on the Sunday news shows, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, ticked through a growing list of unknowns — and laid out plans for their party to try and reassert Congress’ authority over acts of war.

    “The problem here is that there are so many unanswered questions,” Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week.” “How long do they intend to be there? How many troops do we need after one day? After one week? After one year? How much is it going to cost and what are the boundaries?”

    Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was worried about Trump running Venezuela, saying he has “done a terrible job running the United States of America” and should be focused on the job at home.

    In the coming days, Jeffries said Democrats will prioritize legislative action to try and put a check on the administration, “to ensure that no further military steps occur absent explicit congressional approval.”

    As discussions over Venezuela loom, lawmakers also face major decisions on how to address rising costs of healthcare, prevent another government shutdown and deal with the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.

    Much of the unfinished business reflects a Congress that opted to punt some of its toughest and most politically divisive decisions into the new year, a move that could slow negotiations as lawmakers may be reluctant to give the other side high-profile policy wins in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.

    First and foremost, Congress faces the monumental task of averting yet another government shutdown — just two months after the longest shutdown in U.S. history ended. Lawmakers have until Jan. 30 to pass spending bills needed to keep the federal government open. Both chambers are scheduled to be in session for three weeks before the shutdown deadline — with the House slated to be out of session the week immediately before.

    Lawmakers were able to resolve key funding disputes late last year, including funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, and other government programs. But disagreements over healthcare spending remain a major sticking point in budget negotiations, intensified now that millions of Americans are facing higher healthcare costs after lawmakers allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire on Thursday.

    “We can still find a solution to this,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who has proposed legislation to extend the tax credits for two years. “We need to come up with ways to make people whole. That needs to be a top priority as soon as we get back.”

    Despite that urgency, Republican efforts to be the author of broad healthcare reforms have gotten little traction.

    Underscoring the political pressure over the issue, four moderate House Republicans late last year defied party leadership and joined House Democrats to force a floor vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies. That vote is expected to take place in the coming weeks. Even if the House effort succeeds, its prospects remain dim in the Senate, where Republicans last month blocked a three-year extension.

    Meanwhile, President Trump is proposing giving more money directly to people for their healthcare, rather than to insurance companies. A White House official said the administration is also pursuing reforms to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

    Trump said last month that he plans to summon a group of healthcare executives to Washington early in the year to pressure them to lower costs.

    “I’m going to call in the insurance companies that are making so much money, and they have to make less, a lot less,” Trump said during an Oval Office announcement. “I’m going to see if they get their price down, to put it very bluntly. And I think that is a very big statement.”

    There is an expectation that Trump’s increasing hostility to insurance companies will play a role in any Republican healthcare reform proposal. If Congress does not act, the president is expected to leverage the “bully pulpit” to pressure drug and insurance companies to lower healthcare prices for consumers through executive action, said Nick Iarossi, a Trump fundraiser.

    “The president is locked in on the affordability message and I believe anything he can accomplish unilaterally without Congress he will do to provide relief to consumers,” Iarossi said.

    While lawmakers negotiate government funding and healthcare policy, the continuing Epstein saga is expected to take up significant bandwidth.

    Democrats and a few Republicans have been unhappy with the Department of Justice’s decision to heavily redact or withhold documents from a legally mandated release of files related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

    Some are weighing options for holding Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi accountable.

    Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), who co-sponsored the law that mandated the release with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), said he and Massie will bring contempt charges against Bondi in an attempt to force her to comply with the law.

    “The survivors and the public demand transparency and justice,” Khanna said in a statement.

    Under a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump, the Justice Department was required to release all Epstein files by Dec. 19, and released about 100,000 pages on that day. In the days that followed, the Justice Department said more than 5.2 million documents have been discovered and need to be reviewed.

    “We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said in a social media post on Dec. 24. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”

    Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told MS NOW last week that pressure to address the matter will come to a head in the new year when lawmakers are back at work.

    “When we get back to Congress here in this next week, we’re going to find out really quick if Republicans are serious about actually putting away and taking on pedophiles and some of the worst people and traffickers in modern history, or if they’re going to bend the knee to Donald Trump,” said Garcia, of Long Beach.

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  • Health coverage at risk as expanded ACA subsidies lapse nationwide

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York: Millions of Americans are beginning 2026 facing sharply higher health insurance bills after enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expired, locking in premium increases that could force some households to drop coverage altogether.

    The tax credits, first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended by Democrats, had lowered insurance costs for most people who buy coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Their expiration comes after months of political deadlock in Washington, despite warnings from both parties that the issue could carry significant electoral consequences.

    Democrats pushed unsuccessfully to extend the subsidies, even triggering a 43-day government shutdown over the issue. Some moderate Republicans urged action, while President Donald Trump floated — then abandoned — a potential compromise after opposition from conservative allies. With no agreement reached before the deadline, the credits expired at the start of the new year.

    A House vote expected later in January could reopen the debate, but there is no guarantee that lawmakers will succeed in restoring the subsidies.

    The lapse affects millions of Americans who do not receive health insurance through an employer and are ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare — including self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers, and ranchers. The timing also coincides with a midterm election year in which affordability, particularly healthcare costs, ranks among voters’ top concerns.

    “It really bothers me that the middle class has moved from a squeeze to a full suffocation, and they continue just to pile on and leave it up to us,” said Katelin Provost, a 37-year-old single mother whose premiums are set to soar. “I’m incredibly disappointed that there hasn’t been more action.”

    Costs Jump Sharply for Many Households

    The expanded subsidies, introduced in 2021, allowed some lower-income enrollees to obtain coverage with no monthly premium, capped costs for higher earners at 8.5 percent of income, and broadened eligibility for middle-class households. Democrats later extended the program through the end of 2025.

    With those credits gone, the impact is substantial. On average, more than 20 million subsidized Affordable Care Act enrollees are seeing premium increases of 114 percent in 2026, according to an analysis by KFF.

    The higher premiums come amid broader increases in U.S. healthcare costs, which are also pushing up deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses.

    Some enrollees are absorbing the added burden. Stan Clawson, a 49-year-old freelance filmmaker and adjunct professor in Salt Lake City, said his monthly premium will rise from just under US$350 to nearly $500. Clawson, who lives with paralysis from a spinal cord injury, said the increase is painful but unavoidable.

    Others face far steeper hikes. The Provost said her premium is jumping from $85 a month to nearly $750.

    Enrollment Fallout Still Uncertain

    Health policy experts warn that higher premiums could lead many people — particularly younger and healthier enrollees — to abandon coverage, raising costs further for those who remain insured.

    An analysis by the Urban Institute and the Commonwealth Fund last September projected that about 4.8 million Americans could lose coverage in 2026 due to the expiration of subsidies.

    However, enrollment effects remain uncertain, as the deadline to select or change plans runs through Jan. 15 in most states.

    Provost said she is hoping Congress revives the subsidies early this year. If not, she plans to drop her own coverage and keep insurance only for her four-year-old daughter.

    Political Stalemate Continues

    In December, the Senate rejected competing partisan proposals — a Democratic plan to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative centered on health savings accounts. In the House, four centrist Republicans joined Democrats to push for a vote on a three-year extension, though prospects for passage remain unclear.

    For many Americans, the impasse feels detached from everyday realities.

    “Both Republicans and Democrats have been saying for years, oh, we need to fix it. Then do it,” said Chad Bruns, a 58-year-old Affordable Care Act enrollee in Wisconsin. “They need to get to the root cause, and no political party ever does that.”

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  • In Venezuela after Maduro, a common refrain: The oil is ours

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    CARACAS, Venezuela — Like many other Venezuelans, Ramón Arape said the image of ex-President Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody was a stunning — and welcome — sight.

    “I confess that I felt a sense of relief when I saw the photo of Maduro in the hands of los gringos,” said Arape, 59, a welder and father of three.

    Less reassuring, however, were President Trump’s comments about Washington’s determination to take over the government and the oil industry, the nation’s defining natural resource.

    “We’ve already had it with outsiders — Cubans, Iranians, Chinese — and now the Americans come along and want to name leaders and sell our oil?” said Arape, referring to a series of foreign allies sought out by the socialist governments of Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez. “It’s a violation of law and sovereignty.”

    Many Venezuelans are hoping for a deliverance, but not, it seems, at the cost of selling off the country’s riches. How that plays out with Trump’s view that Venezuela “stole” a U.S.-built oil industry is one of the big questions as Washington embarks on a massive nation-building endeavor in South America.

    Like many other nations, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in the 20th century, a process begun in the 1970s under a U.S.-allied government in Caracas. Several U.S. oil giants later made claims of illegal expropriation against the government of Chávez, Maduro’s mentor. But few here seemed inclined to believe in Trump’s assertion, made on social media, that Venezuela must return “all of the Oil, Land and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”

    Sunday was just a day after the shocking events that saw U.S. forces sweep into the capital and snatch Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Miraflores Palace, the seat of government, and fly them out of the country — and, eventually, to New York, where both face drug-trafficking charges. Both deny the charges, calling them U.S. propaganda.

    Venezuelans with internet access had the opportunity to view the unlikely image of Maduro, bundled up for distinctly non-tropical temperatures and flanked by federal agents, doing a perp walk at a military base in New York and apparently telling onlookers: “Happy New Year.”

    In the Venezuelan capital, life was slowly returning to a semblance of normalcy on Sunday, albeit on a weekend pace.

    Cars and some public transport circulated on streets that had been deserted the day before. People ventured cautiously from their homes after spending much of Saturday indoors, fearing the explosions and a potential aftermath. Many went to church in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation. Sermons called for peace.

    There was a palpable sense of relief that the threat of war had abated, at least temporarily. Many were still absorbing the almost unbelievable turn of events that has surely transformed the nation’s future — albeit in still unpredictable ways.

    But there was an overriding determination, among both supporters and critics of the ousted president, that the country’s oil and other resources were sacrosanct, and not to be handed over to the United States — or anyone else.

    “Really it was very emotional to finally see Maduro and Cilia handcuffed and prisoners,” said Fernando González, 29, a plumber who says he supports Marína Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and longtime opposition leader. “Those two have to pay for their crimes. For that we thank Trump. But that’s not to say we are in agreement with everything he seems to want to do.”

    The president’s determination to “run” Venezuela — and take over its oil — didn’t go down well with González, a fervent nationalist in a country with a long history of nationalist activism.

    “This is all a farce if they get rid of Maduro just to appropriate and sell the oil,” he said. “It can’t be that way. We want progress, change, but a transition led by Venezuelans. It can’t all be at the will of the Americans.”

    González saw a role for the United States: “To help us deal with this social drama of an impoverished country.” But, he added: “They must respect our will.”

    Arape, the welder, summed up the sentiment of many. “We didn’t go through all this so that Trump can name his people and take over our oil,” he said.

    On Saturday, Trump had said, “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” On Sunday, however, administration officials walked back that statement, saying the U.S. would pressure the Venezuelan government to acquiesce to U.S. demands.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the threat of more military action would serve as “leverage” over the Venezuelan government.

    In Caracas, confusion about the future was a prevalent sentiment, among both critics and supporters of Maduro.

    “We would like to know who is really in charge,” said William Rojas, 31, a father of two who lives in the El Valle district, long a Maduro stronghold.

    In his news conference Saturday, Trump said that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, had been named interim president, a fact seemingly confirmed Sunday by Telesur, the government broadcast outlet. But Rodríguez, in an address Saturday from Miraflores Palace, demanded that Washington return the “kidnapped” Maduro, whom she called the “sole” president of the country.

    “Delcy Rodríguez says that Maduro remains the president, but he’s no longer here,” said Rojas. “And how were they able to whisk him away? Who betrayed our president?”

    He added, “We can’t live with the idea that the ones who really govern us are Trump and Marco Rubio! We are totally confused.”

    Amid all the prevailing ambiguity, authorities called on people to revert to everyday patterns — as though Maduro were still around.

    There were still no official casualty counts from Saturday’s raid. In an address, the defense secretary, Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, called the operation a “cowardly kidnapping” that was carried out “after cold-bloodedly assassinating a large part of the president’s security detail, soldiers and innocent civilians,” according to Telesur.

    Padrino urged Venezuelans to return to their jobs and to school, adding, “I call on the Venezuelan people to peace, to order, to not fall to temptations or a psychological war, to threats, to the fear that they want to impose upon us.”

    Special correspondent Mogollón reported from Caracas and staff writer McDonnell from Boston.

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    Mery Mogollón, Patrick J. McDonnell

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  • To ‘run’ Venezuela, Trump presses existing regime to kneel

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    WASHINGTON — Top officials in the Trump administration clarified their position on “running” Venezuela after seizing its president, Nicolás Maduro, over the weekend, pressuring the regime that remains in power there Sunday to acquiesce to U.S. demands on oil access and drug enforcement, or else face further military action.

    Their goal appears to be the establishment of a pliant vassal state in Caracas that keeps the current government — led by Maduro for more than a decade — largely in place, but finally defers to the whims of Washington after turning away from the United States for a quarter century.

    It leaves little room for the ascendance of Venezuela’s democratic opposition, which won the country’s last national election, according to the State Department, European capitals and international monitoring bodies.

    Trump and his top aides said they would try to work with Maduro’s handpicked vice president and current interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, to run the country and its oil sector “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” offering no time frame for proposed elections.

    Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem underscored the strategy in a series of interviews Sunday morning.

    “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told the Atlantic, referring to Rodríguez. “Rebuilding there and regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can’t get any worse.”

    Rubio said that a U.S. naval quarantine of Venezuelan oil tankers would continue unless and until Rodríguez begins cooperating with the U.S. administration, referring to the blockade — and the lingering threat of additional military action from the fleet off Venezuela’s coast — as “leverage” over the remnants of Maduro’s regime.

    “That’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,” Rubio told CBS News. “We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes — not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.”

    Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told CNN that he had been in touch with the administration since the Saturday night operation that snatched Maduro and his wife from their bedroom, whisking them away to New York to face criminal charges.

    Trump’s vow to “run” the country, Cotton said, “means the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demands.”

    “Delcy Rodríguez, and the other ministers in Venezuela, understand now what the U.S. military is capable of,” Cotton said, while adding: “It is a fact that she and other indicted and sanctioned individuals are in Venezuela. They have control of the military and security forces. We have to deal with that fact. But that does not make them the legitimate leaders.”

    “What we want is a future Venezuelan government that will be pro-American, that will contribute to stability, order and prosperity, not only in Venezuela but in our own backyard. That probably needs to include new elections,” Cotton added.

    Whether Rodríguez will cooperate with the administration is an open question.

    Trump said Saturday that she seemed amenable to making “Venezuela great again” in a conversation with Rubio. But the interim president delivered a speech hours later demanding Maduro’s return, and vowing that Venezuela would “never again be a colony of any empire.”

    The developments have concerned senior figures in Venezuela’s democratic opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate who won the 2024 presidential election that was ultimately stolen by Maduro.

    In his Saturday news conference, Trump dismissed Machado, saying that the revered opposition leader was “a very nice woman,” but “doesn’t have the respect within the country” to lead.

    Elliott Abrams, Trump’s special envoy to Venezuela in his first term, said he was skeptical that Rodríguez — an acolyte of Hugo Chávez and avowed supporter of Chavismo throughout the Maduro era — would betray the cause.

    “The insult to Machado was bizarre, unfair — and simply ignorant,” Abrams told The Times. “Who told him that there was no respect for her?”

    Maduro was booked in New York and flown by night over the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he is in federal custody at a notorious facility that has housed other famous inmates, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ghislaine Maxwell, Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried.

    He is expected to be arraigned on federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices as soon as Monday.

    While few in Washington lamented Maduro’s ouster, Democratic lawmakers criticized the operation as another act of regime change by a Republican president that could have violated international law.

    “The invasion of Venezuela has nothing to do with American security. Venezuela is not a security threat to the U.S.,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut. “This is about making Trump’s oil industry and Wall Street friends rich. Trump’s foreign policy — the Middle East, Russia, Venezuela — is fundamentally corrupt.”

    In their Saturday news conference, and in subsequent interviews, Trump and Rubio said that targeting Venezuela was in part about reestablishing U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, reasserting the philosophy of President James Monroe as China and Russia work to enhance their presence in the region. The Trump administration’s national security strategy, published last month, previewed a renewed focus on Latin America after the region faced neglect from Washington over decades.

    Trump left unclear whether his military actions in the region would end in Caracas, a longstanding U.S. adversary, or if he is willing to turn the U.S. armed forces on America’s allies.

    In his interview with the Atlantic, Trump suggested that “individual countries” would be addressed on a case-by-case basis. On Saturday, he reiterated a threat to the president of Colombia, a major non-NATO ally, to “watch his ass,” over an ongoing dispute about Bogota’s cooperation on drug enforcement.

    On Sunday morning, the United Nations Security Council was called for an urgent meeting to discuss the legality of the U.S. operation inside Venezuela.

    It was not Russia or China — permanent members of the council and longstanding competitors — who called the session, nor France, whose government has questioned whether the operation violated international law, but Colombia, a non-permanent member who joined the council less than a week ago.

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    Michael Wilner

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  • California sets up a showdown with Washington by reissuing licenses to migrant truckers

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    California has delayed its cancellation of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses held by migrants, setting it up for another showdown with Washington.

    The Department of Motor Vehicles announced on Tuesday that the 17,000 migrant truck drivers whose licenses had been revoked can now keep them for 60 more days, which could enable the drivers to retake tests and do whatever is necessary to remain legal.

    “Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon in a statement after the extension.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted by threatening to cut $160 million in federal funding to California if the state doesn’t meet the Jan. 5 deadline to revoke unvetted foreign trucker licenses.

    “California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” Duffy posted on X.

    He had earlier withheld $40 million in federal funding to California for failing to enforce English proficiency tests for truckers.

    California’s move to delay license revocations comes days after the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus, filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the DMV failed to offer proper recourse for affected drivers, refused to renew or issue new commercial driver’s licenses, and violated their rights.

    The 60-day extension allows those drivers whose licenses were set to expire on Jan. 5 to continue driving until March 6.

    “It’s one small positive step forward,” said Manpreet Kaur, the vice mayor of Bakersfield, home to many migrant truckers. “We were extremely relieved to see this within the community here in Bakersfield.”

    Bakersfield is a hub for trucking in the Central Valley, with a large concentration of the Punjabi Sikh community that was affected by the decision to revoke licenses. Kaur said truckers have been unfairly targeted in the political tussle between state policy and federal rules.

    Punjabi Sikhs are a pillar of the American trucking industry. An estimated 150,000 work in trucking, with the majority based on the West Coast.

    Commercial licenses for non-American drivers became a political flash point in 2025 after an undocumented Punjabi trucker was involved in an accident in Florida that resulted in the death of three people.

    A federal audit found that many commercial licenses issued to immigrant drivers were set to expire long past the duration of immigrant truckers’ legal stay in the U.S.

    Critics have contended that drivers shouldn’t be punished for clerical errors of the DMV.

    “I believe all 17,000 truckers will be able to take the [commercial driver’s license] test by March,” said Matt Cartwright, a transportation and personal injury attorney and former U.S. representative from Pennsylvania. “The safe drivers will have no problem passing.”

    The extension could be used to do more thorough screening, such as verifying status, confirming qualifications, and documenting the process so the public can trust the outcome and safety is ensured, said Tray Gober of LGR Law Firm.

    Trucking trade groups once complained about driver shortages and welcomed immigrant drivers. Now, the associations say the shortages no longer exist because of the freight recession and are supportive of the federal crackdown on foreign drivers. Some have backed the move to remove unqualified drivers who can’t read road signs.

    One new issue that might emerge from reapplication is whether, “by submitting to the new rules, immigrants with revoked licenses are giving up any right to sue for improper revocation,” said attorney Doug Burnetti, who has been closely following the policy changes.

    “I suspect that may be fact-specific and depend on each case, but if I were representing the federal government, I would argue that reapplication under the new rules waives any objections to the revocation under the old rules,” Brunetti said.

    On the other hand, he said, the truckers would argue they had no choice but to reapply to try to get their licenses back.

    “That’s an interesting question that will ultimately have to be resolved by a judge,” he said.

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    Nilesh Christopher

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  • Conspiracy theorist-podcaster joins crowded GOP race for Colorado governor, but will candidacy ‘go nowhere’?

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    A conservative podcaster who’s trumpeted false election conspiracies and called for the execution of political rivals, including Gov. Jared Polis, has formally joined the Republican race to become Colorado’s next governor.

    Joe Oltmann, who filed his candidacy paperwork Monday night, now seeks to participate in an electoral system that he has repeatedly tried to undermine.

    He is the 22nd Republican actively seeking to earn the party’s nomination in June. It’s the largest gubernatorial primary field for a major party in Colorado this century, surpassing the GOP’s previous records set first in 2018, and then again in 2022 — and it comes as the party hopes to break Democrats’ electoral dominance in the state.

    That field will almost certainly narrow in the coming months; four Republicans who’d filed have already dropped out. No more than four are likely to make it onto the ballot — either through the state assembly or by gathering signatures — for the summer primary, said Dick Wadhams, the Colorado GOP’s former chairman.

    The size of the primary field doesn’t really matter, he said, because few candidates will actually end up in front of voters. Eighteen candidates filed ahead of the 2022 race, for instance, but just two were on the primary ballot.

    On the Democratic side, a smaller field of seven active candidates is headlined by Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Polis is term-limited from running again.

    For 2026, Wadhams counted only a half-dozen or so Republican candidates whom he considered “credible,” a qualifier that Wadhams said he used “very, very loosely”: Oltmann, state Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer and Mark Baisley, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, ministry leader Victor Marx, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell and former Congressman Greg Lopez.

    Wadhams said that other than Kirkmeyer, all of those candidates had either supported election conspiracies or a pardon for Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk now serving a nine-year sentence for convictions related to providing unauthorized access to voting equipment.

    Oltmann, of Castle Rock, has repeatedly — and falsely — claimed that the 2020 presidential election was not won by Democrat Joe Biden, while calling for the hanging of political opponents. He previously said he wanted to dismember some opponents to send a message, according to the Washington Post, before adding that he was joking.

    In his Dec. 26 announcement video, Oltmann baselessly claimed that Democrats, who have won control of the state amid demographic shifts and anti-Trump sentiment, were in power in Colorado only because of election fraud.

    He said Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold, along with 9News anchor Kyle Clark, were part of a “synagogue of Satan.” Polis and Griswold are both Jewish.

    In his announcement, Oltmann painted an apocalyptic picture of the state and said he hoped that three of its elected leaders — Polis, Griswold and Weiser — would all be imprisoned. He pledged to eliminate property taxes, to focus on the “have-nots” and to pardon Peters, whom President Donald Trump has also sought to release by issuing a federal pardon that legal experts say can’t clear Peters of state convictions.

    Oltmann’s decision to join the field is an example of “extreme candidates” from either major party “who file to run but will go nowhere,” predicted Kristi Burton Brown, another former state GOP chair. She now sits on the Colorado State Board of Education.

    She said the size of the Republican primary field was a consequence of Republicans’ difficulties winning statewide races in Colorado. Democrats have won all four constitutional elected offices for two straight election cycles.

    Burton Brown said it “might be a good idea moving forward” to require candidates to do more than just submit paperwork to run for office. That might include a monetary requirement: She said she didn’t support charging candidates significant sums but thought that “requiring some skin in the game” could prevent “unreasonable primaries.”

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    Seth Klamann

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  • Idaho Company Recalls Nearly 3,000 Pounds of Ground Beef for E. Coli Risk

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    An Idaho-based company is recalling nearly 3,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

    The recall involves 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef.” Affected packages were produced Dec. 16 and have a label telling customers to use or freeze the meat by Jan. 13. The affected beef also bears the establishment number “EST 2083” on the side of its packaging.

    The meat was produced by Heyburn, Idaho-based Mountain West Food Group and was shipped to distributors in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania and Washington.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which announced the recall Saturday, didn’t say which retailers may have sold the meat. The USDA and Mountain West Food Group didn’t respond to messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press.

    The USDA said there have been no confirmed reports of illness due to consumption of the meat. The issue was discovered in a sample of beef during routine testing.

    The USDA said the type of E. coli found can cause illness within 28 days of exposure. Most infected people develop diarrhea, which is often bloody, and vomiting. Infection is usually diagnosed with a stool sample.

    The USDA said customers who have purchased the affected products should either throw them away or return them to the place they were bought. The agency also advises all customers to consume ground beef only if it has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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    Associated Press

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