Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

[phkrause]

Catholic Paper Calls JD Vance a Moral Stain for ICE Victim Smear

A National Catholic Reporter op-ed says the vice president’s Catholicism is “little more than a political prop.”

A leading Catholic paper has branded JD Vance a “moral stain” and accused the vice president of having a “twisted and wrongheaded view of Christianity” for his comments on a woman killed by ICE.

Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was shot three times in her car by a federal officer carrying out immigration raids on Jan. 7. Vance, 41, who identifies as Catholic, has since joined the government’s push to brand Good a “domestic terrorist” who tried to run the officer over, calling her death “a tragedy of her own making.”

In a blistering op-ed column on Thursday, the National Catholic Reporter accused Vance of “justifying” Good’s killing, saying his comments are “a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith.”

The outlet’s digital editor John Grosso wrote: “In times past, a politician might offer thoughts and prayers, encourage those reacting to wait for the full results of the investigation and generally try to lower the temperature. A leader might take the opportunity provided by a fresh day to soothe the broken heart of a nation.“

But, Grosso added, “JD Vance went in a different direction.”

Good, 37, a U.S. citizen, was killed when an ICE officer fired into her SUV on a residential street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Multiple videos show agents shouting conflicting orders at her before one officer moved toward the driver’s door and another stood in front of the vehicle and opened fire as it rolled forward.

The Trump administration quickly framed the killing as an “act of domestic terrorism,” with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleging that Good had “weaponized her vehicle” and Trump claiming she “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer.” Local officials who reviewed the footage, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have called that version of events “garbage.”

Undeterred, Vance went even further. In posts on X and in a White House briefing, he argued that Good’s death was “a tragedy of her own making” and that she was part of “a broader left-wing network to attack” ICE officers. In response, Grosso wrote: “As a Catholic, Vance knows better than to peddle this brand of gaslighting and agitation. Vance knows that only God can take life. Vance knows that protesting, fleeing or even interfering in an ICE investigation (which there is no evidence that Good did) does not carry a death sentence. Vance knows that lying and killing are sins.”

But, Grosso added, “He doesn’t care. Vance’s twisted and wrongheaded view of Christianity has been repudiated by two popes.”

Suggesting that Vance’s Catholicism “seems to be little more than a political prop, a tool only for his career ambitions and desire for power,” Grosso said: “The vice president’s comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel. Our only recourse is to pray for his conversion of heart.”

The critique is part of the latest episode in the long-running tension between Vance and the Vatican over the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown. In 2025, Pope Francis skipped an official meeting with Vance at the Vatican, sending Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin instead to deliver a lecture on compassion and migrant rights, before granting the vice president only a brief Easter greeting the next day.

Francis’ final months were marked by increasingly sharp rebukes of Trump-era mass deportations, which he called a “disgrace” and “not Christian,” and by a behind-closed-doors dressing-down of Vance over the White House’s treatment of migrants shortly before the pontiff died at 88.

His successor, Pope Leo XIV, 69, has also seemed to distance himself from the Trump immigration agenda. When Vance led the U.S. delegation to Leo’s inaugural Mass in Rome last year, the new pope greeted him briefly in public but held private meetings that day with Ukraine’s president and Peru’s president instead.

A longer sit-down with Vance followed a day later, but the Vatican’s statement on it emphasized humanitarian concerns and “current international issues,” which was interpreted as a subtle signal of disagreement.

Outside Rome, Catholic criticism of the administration’s immigration campaign has intensified. An essay on the Letters From Leo website this week declared that Trump’s renewed crackdown—“championed by our nominally Catholic Vice President JD Vance”—has “inflicted mounting inhumanity,” and said the policies have drawn “scathing rebukes from two popes and the vast majority of bishops.”

The Daily Beast has contacted Vance’s office for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-paper-calls-jd-vance-a-moral-stain-for-ice-victim-smear/?

[phkrause]

Trump’s Bonkers 80th Birthday Plans Derail Major Summit

The president’s unprecedented plans for cage fighting at the White House are causing havoc for world leaders.

Donald Trump’s bizarre plan to hold an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House for his 80th birthday has reportedly forced some of the world’s most powerful people to reshuffle their schedules.

France has had to adjust plans to host this year’s G7 summit in the town of Évian-les-Bains because it would clash with Trump’s mixed martial arts event on June 14, according to Politico.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced last June that the 2026 G7 summit—where the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union meet to discuss economic policy and other international concerns—would take place from June 14 to 16.Just a few weeks later, however, Trump unveiled big plans for his birthday bash, later designating June 14 as the day when he and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White hope to stage a UFC match on the White House lawn. The start of the annual G7 summit has subsequently been pushed back by a day.When approached by Politico, Macron’s office declined to confirm that moving the summit to June 15–17 was a result of Trump’s plan to host a cage-fighting spectacle, saying instead that the change was “the result of our consultations with G7 partners.”

The idyllic French town of Évian-les-Bains, known for its eponymous water brand, sits on the shores of Lake Geneva and previously hosted the G8 summit in 2003.

Trump has been discussing his hopes to hold a UFC event at the White House since last year as part of a series of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

In addition to being Trump’s birthday, June 14 is also National Flag Day.UFC boss White told CBS News on Thursday that logistical planning for the event is still being ironed out.“It’s looking like we’ll have 5,000 people live at the White House, on the South Lawn, and then across the street is the park, the Ellipse, and we’re going to have 85,000 people there,” White said. “We’re going to have big screens and we’re going to have a stage, music throughout the day. We’re basically going to take over D.C.”

“The fighters will actually walk from the Oval Office to the octagon,” he added.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-bonkers-80th-birthday-plans-derail-major-summit/?

[phkrause]

Trump’s Treasury Goon Admits House Prices Are Not Going to Come Down

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent left social media users going, “Huh?”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attempted to explain President Donald Trump’s latest bid to make housing more affordable, but ended up stirring confusion instead.

Bessent, 63, joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, 62, on Thursday night to discuss Trump’s new order directing “representatives” to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds in an effort to bring mortgage rates down and make housing more affordable.

The 79-year-old president claimed in a Truth Social post that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are padded with billions of dollars in cash thanks to his decision not to sell the government-owned companies during his first term.

“Because of this, I am instructing my Representatives to BUY $200 BILLION DOLLARS IN MORTGAGE BONDS,” he wrote. “This will drive Mortgage Rates DOWN, monthly payments DOWN, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable. It is one of my many steps in restoring Affordability, something that the Biden Administration absolutely destroyed.”

Federal Housing chief Bill Pulte said in an X post that “Fannie and Freddie will be executing” the order.

Ingraham heaped praise on the president for “hearing the people” amid growing calls for the Trump administration to address the cost-of-living crisis, an issue that took center stage in key off-year races that were swept by Democrats in November.

“They want these housing prices to come down. They’re artificially inflated. Is this all going to hold up?” she asked Bessent.

“Well, we don’t necessarily want the prices of houses to come down,” the Treasury secretary replied. “What we want is affordability to get better.”

A clip of the exchange made the rounds online, with several social media users left scratching their heads and simply saying, “Huh?” and “What?”

The Treasury Department did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.

After Democrats hammered down on affordability messaging and won high-profile races last year, Trump was quick to blast the issue that is top-of-mind for many Americans as a “hoax.”

As the midterm elections inch closer, however, Trump has begun to roll out measures to address affordability—while blaming the issue on his predecessor, Joe Biden.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that he was taking steps to ban institutional investors from snapping up single-family homes and urged Congress to codify it.

“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream,” he said on Truth Social. “It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans.”

“People live in homes, not corporations,” he went on. “I will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-admits-house-prices-are-not-going-to-come-down/?

[phkrause]

Hennepin County prosecutor calls on the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in Minnesota on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to her office, challenging the Trump administration’s decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

ICE officer who shot Renee Good in Minneapolis has served decades in military and law enforcement Minneapolis schools will offer remote learning amid federal immigration enforcement Sluggish hiring closes out a frustrating year for job seekers though unemployment slips to 4.4% UN says the US has ‘legal obligation’ to fund agencies after Trump withdraws from several US will provide $45 million in aid to Thailand and Cambodia in a bid to ensure regional stability Wisconsin man accused of killing parents to fund Trump assassination plot pleads guilty to homicide US intercepts fifth sanctioned tanker as it exerts control over Venezuelan oil distribution U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration targets sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela as part of a broader effort to take control of the South American country’s oil. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US sends delegation to Venezuela in first step toward restoring relations after Maduro’s capture Venezuela releases imprisoned opposition figures and activists, which Trump says US requested Why boosting production of Venezuela’s ‘very dense, very sloppy’ oil could harm the environment As Trump promises Venezuelan renaissance, locals struggle with crumbling economy China, Russia and Iran join South Africa for naval drills as tensions run high

[phkrause]

Trump administration can’t block child care money for 5 Democratic-led states for now, judge says

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot block federal money for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.

https://apnews.com/article/social-service-child-care-5-states-trump-c4af28914687e6b95a3122a225676a8c?

?️ Trump's pitch to Big Oil

President Trump hosted top oil executives at the White House yesterday and urged them to invest $100 billion in Venezuela, which he suggested the U.S. may "run" for years, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

• ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods was blunt: "We've had our assets seized there twice. And so you can imagine to reenter a third time would require some pretty significant changes. Today, it's uninvestable."

Drill deeper ... Exxon statement.

[phkrause]

Less Transparency (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty)

View in browser Will Gottsegen: To what extent is ICE no longer subject to some of the guardrails that once helped keep it in check? Caitlin Dickerson: Formally and informally, since Donald Trump took office, there’s been this push away from transparency and accountability, which is exactly what would discourage an officer in a tense situation, under pressure, from using deadly force. We still need to learn a lot more about what happened in Minnesota and Portland, and an investigation needs to transpire, but we do know that ICE officers shot more people last year than in 2023 and 2022. There are clear examples of how training and policy seem to have been violated in some recent incidents. So I think the fact that these three offices for accountability are going away is significant in that it’s sending a message to everyday officers that they’re not being watched as closely as they once were and, in fact, that the only thing they can really get in trouble for is not being aggressive enough. There has been a constant churn within leadership. In addition to high-level reassignments, a significant number of field-office directors were replaced with Border Patrol leadership, who are perceived to be more aggressive. Former officials who spent their whole careers at ICE told me that they don’t recognize the agency anymore. They said things like: I don’t know who these people are anymore, because the standards seem to have changed so much. It’s almost become a completely different agency with a completely different mission. The pressure that ICE officers are facing is unprecedented, and it’s not just the pressure to carry out as many deportations as possible—the administration is actually celebrating aggression. When you look at its statements, the memes, and the imagery that it’s publishing, all of these signs seem to be encouraging officers to be as aggressive as possible. There’s no emphasis on trying to minimize harm. Will: How does this pressure on ICE officers affect immigration-enforcement operations? Caitlin: The kinds of conflicts that we’re seeing on social media every day are not what typical immigration enforcement looks like at all. It’s not what officers are trained to do, and it’s not what veteran officers have any experience with. Normally, with law enforcement, the goal is to have things happen as discreetly as possible: without tension, without conflict, without getting a lot of attention and disrupting the general public. And immigration enforcement looks the opposite of that right now. In the case of Minneapolis and Portland, law-enforcement training 101 says, Do not shoot into a moving vehicle. A retired officer I spoke with today told me what he would have done in that situation: “I’m going to follow them until I get them somewhere where I can control the environment.” Not taking those kinds of precautions could be dangerous for the officers and for people nearby. Will: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has said that he’s skeptical that the FBI is going to be able to do an impartial investigation, because multiple federal officials have already adopted the party line that Renee Good got herself killed. The vice president blamed “left-wing ideology” for her death. Do you anticipate that the investigation will be affected by political interests? Caitlin: It’s going to depend on who’s put on the investigation but also which high-level officials get to review and sign off on any assessments before they’re made permanent and public. What we do know is that there are numerous examples of law-enforcement work being co-opted for political purposes under this administration, specifically under Kash Patel’s FBI, which has at times prioritized going after the president’s enemies and critics despite what the facts show. I think there is cause for concern, making it even more important that certain oversight offices have been eliminated from within the Department of Homeland Security. Historically, the FBI may have done the first investigation, but ideally an objective inspector general would have come in next, followed by the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility and then the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. There were lots of layers to get to the truth and to mitigate any political bias. And those extra layers are effectively gone now. Related: How ICE lost its guardrails Lethal force on a frozen street

[phkrause]

Trump ramps up Greenland threats and says US will intervene ‘whether they like it or not’

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threats to acquire Greenland, saying the US is “going to do something [there] whether they like it or not”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/09/trump-greenland-threats-white-house?

[phkrause]

Trump's limitless view of power

Illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios

The first week of 2026 left little ambiguity about what President Trump thinks of power — or whether there are any limits on his. Just listen to him and top aide Stephen Miller this week: Trump to The New York Times, when asked if there are any checks on his global ambitions: "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me." Miller to CNN's Jake Tapper: "[Y]ou can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. But we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power." Why it matters: That worldview drove one of the most frenetic, forceful starts to a year. Through it all, the White House barreled forward with swagger, speed and open disdain for guardrails, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. ? Zoom in: Americans awoke last Saturday to stunning news that the U.S. military had attacked Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro, in a daring overnight raid. Condemnation at the UN Security Council fell on deaf ears. Trump raised the threat of further interventions against Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Iran and even Greenland, sparking a diplomatic crisis with NATO. Determined to enforce the "Donroe Doctrine" of American supremacy in the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. seized five oil tankers accused of violating sanctions — including a Russian-flagged vessel. When the Senate voted to rein in Trump's military authority in Venezuela, the White House rejected the premise outright. Vice President Vance said, "The War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law." "I don't need international law," Trump told the Times. "I'm not looking to hurt people." Zoom out: Back home, Trump ushered in the new year with a domestic show of force, deploying 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis for what the Department of Homeland Security called the largest immigration operation ever. During that surge, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was fatally shot by an ICE officer — triggering mass protests nationwide. ? The big picture: Maduro and Minnesota swallowed this week's news cycle, obscuring other norm-shattering moments. On the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot, the White House published an official government web page falsely claiming the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol was "peaceful." Trump used Truth Social to call for a $600 billion Pentagon spending increase, announce sweeping interventions in housing and financial markets, and order crackdowns on defense contractors and institutional investors. His health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., upended decades of public health policy by rewriting the federal vaccine schedule to recommend fewer shots for children. The bottom line: Trump is a master of flooding the zone. Now in the second year of his second presidency, his strategy is more focused on domination than distraction.

[phkrause]

?️ MAGA's "Manifest Destiny"

Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

MAGA is pressing the Trump administration to write a new chapter in America's expansionist history — one that adds territory and influence as part of a new Western empire, Axios' Tal Axelrod reports. Why it matters: On its face, MAGA's imperial turn is a head-spinning reversal for a movement built around hostility to "endless wars" in the Middle East. But reframed as hemispheric dominance, the right's expansionist impulse fits a civilizational worldview: America as enforcer of the West, bending weaker nations to its will. ?️ In the days after President Trump's stunning capture of Nicolás Maduro, even some of MAGA's loudest non-interventionists began casting strategic lands in America's hemisphere — Colombia, Cuba, Greenland — as ripe for colonization. "How can you get more 'America First' than Manifest Destiny 2.0?" "War Room" host Steve Bannon told NBC News. "Expansion is the American way. It has been since literally the first moments of its existence," wrote The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh. "t's up to us to keep pushing for the orderly governance of the world via American imperialism," MAGA influencer Mike Cernovich said this week on Tucker Carlson's podcast. Yes, the populist right remains deeply wary of foreign quagmires, especially in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. But MAGA sees places like Greenland and Venezuela as categorically different: The Western Hemisphere is America's sphere of influence. Shows of force in the U.S. backyard should not be frowned upon, especially when rivals like China and Russia seek their own regional footholds.

[phkrause]

?? Trump eyes options to back Iran protests

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran Friday. Photo: MAHSA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images President Trump is considering options for supporting the protests in Iran and weakening the regime, two U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: Those discussions are happening as protests intensify and the death toll rises — and after Trump said publicly he was willing to use military force if the Iranian regime killed protesters. A U.S. official said the discussions included military strikes, but most options presented to the president are "not kinetic." ⚡ The latest: Massive protests swept Iran yesterday for the third straight night. The country remains under an internet blackout as security forces intensify the crackdown, according to reports from Tehran and U.S. and Israeli officials. Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios the true death toll is likely several times higher than the 116 reported Saturday by human rights group HRANA. Iran has blamed Trump for fueling the protests and accused the U.S. and Israel of importing "rioters." President Masoud Pezeshkian warned today that if the U.S. attacks, Iran will hit U.S. bases and Israel in response. Read on.

[phkrause]

⚖️ Stat du jour: "Superstar" Trump judges

Appeals court judges chosen by President Trump in his first term are reliably reversing rulings by district court judges in his second —133-12 in 2025, or 92% of the time, a New York Times tally finds.

• Why it matters: These judges form "a nearly united phalanx to defend his agenda … clearing the way for his policies and gradually eroding a perception early last year that the legal system was thwarting his efforts to amass presidential power," The Times notes.

? By the numbers: The Times analysis found that district courts ruled for Trump policies 25% of the time last year … appeals courts, 51% … and the Supreme Court, 88%

• Trump appointees voted pro-Trump 92% of the time … other GOP appointees, 68% … and Democratic appointees, 27%.

? Trump's long game: Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society co-chair who guided Trump's first-term judicial picks under the banner of "originalism," told The Times: "The Supreme Court's docket is so tiny, and there's so little attention paid to the appellate courts … Trump has filled them with these superstar judges. They're not buffoons. They're very effective. And they are going to be there for a long time."

• Gift link.

[phkrause]

Trump administration can’t block child care money for 5 Democratic-led states for now, judge says

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot block federal money for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.

https://apnews.com/article/social-service-child-care-5-states-trump-c4af28914687e6b95a3122a225676a8c?

Greenland’s harsh environment and lack of infrastructure have prevented rare earth mining

Greenland’s harsh environment, lack of key infrastructure and difficult geology have so far prevented anyone from building a mine to extract the sought-after rare earth elements that many high-tech products require. Even if President Donald Trump prevails in his effort to take control of the Arctic island, those challenges won’t go away. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Greenland’s party leaders firmly reject Trump’s push for US control of the island Trump promises oil executives ‘total safety’ if they invest in Venezuela after Maduro ouster Trump signs executive order meant to protect the money from Venezuelan oil Nobel Institute says Venezuelan opposition leader Machado can’t give Peace Prize to Trump   Trump Weighs Iran Widespread protests across Iran entered their third week yesterday, a continuation of the largest antigovernment demonstrations in the country since 2022. Human rights groups relying on activist networks estimate roughly 540 people have been killed and at least 10,000 others arrested amid an intensifying crackdown by the government (48 of those killed were said to be security forces).  The unrest began Dec. 28 (see timeline), sparked by a plunge in the value of the Iranian rial and surging prices for food and goods. Accurate reports of the scale of protests have been limited by a near-total internet shutdown by the government, though hundreds of demonstrations have been held across all 31 provinces. Notably, footage shared on social media showed cars and buildings burning in the capital of Tehran.    President Donald Trump suggested US military strikes were possible if violence against protesters continued. See a deep dive on factors underpinning the unrest here.

[phkrause]

? DOJ threatens Powell with indictment

Federal prosecutors are investigating Fed Chair Jay Powell over the central bank's multibillion-dollar headquarters renovation, Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown write.

• Why it matters: It's an extraordinary escalation of President Trump's campaign against Powell, whom he has attacked over interest rate policy. Powell's term as Fed chair ends in about four months.

Powell, in a rare and unusually blunt public statement late last night, said the investigation — which includes grand jury subpoenas — is a pretext to pressure the Fed over interest rate policy:

• "The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."

What to watch: The investigation threatens to derail the confirmation process for Trump's next Fed chair pick and other central bank nominees. News of Powell's replacement might come as soon as this month.

• Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who's on the influential banking committee, said he'll "oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed — including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy — until this legal matter is fully resolved."

Keep reading.

[phkrause]

? Noem: "Hundreds more" agents to Minnesota

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to send in "hundreds" more agents to Minneapolis days after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman in the city, Axios' Avery Lotz writes.

• Noem said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that more officers will arrive by today so ICE and Border Patrol agents can work in Minneapolis "safely."

?️ Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and two other Minnesota House members were blocked from accessing an ICE detention facility outside Minneapolis yesterday.

• Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote they "were notified that their visit was improper and out of compliance with existing court orders and policies, which mandate that members of Congress must notify ICE at least seven days in advance of Congressional visits."

[phkrause]

? "Donroe Doctrine" backstory: Rubio's roots

The famed Dexter Filkins profiles Secretary of State (and national security adviser) Marco Rubio in the new issue of The New Yorker, writing that for Rubio, "who grew up among Cuban immigrants in Florida, hostility toward leftist governments in Latin America was a kind of birthright."

• A former U.S. official tells Filkins that Rubio "really believed that Venezuela and Argentina and Brazil and Colombia should be great countries, and that they should be staunchly anti-Communist ... engines of a reinvigorated South America."

"Rubio has a special loathing for Nicolás Maduro, whose regime devastated Venezuela's economy and sent millions of citizens streaming out of the country," Filkins writes in the 15-pager.

• A former Florida politician who knows Rubio said: "If Rubio took down Maduro and the regime in Cuba, he'd be a hero in Miami forever."

Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Fed chair says DOJ has subpoenaed central bank, threatens criminal indictment Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Sunday the Department of Justice has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony this summer about the Fed’s building renovations. Read more.

Why this matters: The move represents an unprecedented escalation in President Donald Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he has repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as sharply as he prefers. The renewed fight will likely rattle financial markets Monday and could, over time, escalate borrowing costs for mortgages and other loans.   The subpoenas relate to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June, the Fed chair said, regarding the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings, a project that Trump has criticized as excessive. Powell issued a video statement in which he bluntly characterized the threat of criminal charges as simple “pretexts” to undermine the Fed’s independence when it comes to setting interest rates.   In a brief interview with NBC News Sunday, Trump insisted he didn’t know about the investigation into Powell. When asked if the investigation is intended to pressure Powell on rates, Trump said, “No. I wouldn’t even think of doing it that way.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump pushes a 1-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates and banks balk   Trump says Iran wants to negotiate as the death toll in protests rises to at least 544   Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles   Video captures Minneapolis immigration arrest in a city on edge after shooting of Renee Good   George Floyd and Renee Good: 5 years between Minneapolis videos, and confusion has increased   Trump’s motorcade in Florida rerouted due to ‘suspicious object’   Doctors say changes to US vaccine recommendations are confusing parents and could harm kids   Transgender teen athlete in a Supreme Court fight knows the upcoming sports season could be her last   Head of FBI’s New York field office to serve as co-deputy director after Dan Bongino’s departure   Poor communities threatened by aging sewers see crucial aid slashed under Trump    Fractures are starting to show in Trump’s GOP at the start of this election year   New York attorney general sues Trump administration over offshore wind project freeze   Reference to Trump's impeachments is removed from the display of his Smithsonian photo portrait   Washington National Opera bows out of Kennedy Center   Trump wears a new ‘Happy Trump’ lapel pin, but insists he’s never happy

[phkrause]

Trump ‘inclined’ to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after CEO response at White House meeting President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro. Read more.

Why this matters: During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government. Some, however, weren’t convinced.   “If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.   Getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help rebuild the country’s infrastructure is a top priority of the Trump administration after Maduro’s capture.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Venezuelans in the US are torn between joy and worry after ousting of Maduro   With Cuban ally Maduro ousted, Trump warns Havana to make a ‘deal’ before it’s too late

[phkrause]

Trump’s list of targeted opponents grows longer with action against Powell and the Federal Reserve

Jerome Powell isn't the first high-profile official to find himself targeted by the Justice Department since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The Republican president pledged in his inaugural address his government would apply the law fairly — unlike the way he said federal power had been turned against him. What's happened since is a string of indictments and inquiries and failed attempts at indictments against a long line of people who've crossed Trump. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Sen. Kelly sues the Pentagon over attempts to punish him for his warnings about illegal orders Bringing charges against the Fed: What we do (and don't) know Why the Federal Reserve has historically been independent of the White House DOJ investigation of Fed Chair Powell sparks backlash, support for Fed independence   Young Americans are increasingly rejecting the Democratic and Republican parties, a new poll shows Americans are increasingly rejecting the two major political parties, according to new polling. Just under half, 45%, of U.S. adults now identify as independents, a new Gallup survey found. That’s a substantial shift from 20 years ago, when closer to one-third of Americans said they didn’t identify with the Democrats or Republicans. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Mexican president tells Trump that US intervention against cartels is ‘unnecessary’ Judge orders HHS to restore funding for children's health programs as lawsuit continues As Canada tries to reduce its dependence on the US, its leader will visit China to rebuild ties Lawsuits by Trump allies could shape how the 2030 census is done and who will be counted Judge to temporarily block effort to end protections for relatives of citizens, green card holders

[phkrause]

Fed probe makes a "mess"

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told President Trump yesterday that the federal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell "made a mess" and could be bad for markets, two sources familiar with their call tell Axios' Marc Caputo. ? One source tells Axios: "The secretary isn't happy, and he let the president know." ? Bessent "thought that when the president named a new Fed chair, that Powell would go. But now that's not going to happen," one source said. "Now [Powell is] dug in. This really made a mess of things." Bessent didn't question the investigation and wasn't defending Powell, the sources tell Axios. ☀️ A Treasury spokesperson told us: "There is zero daylight between Secretary Bessent and President Trump. The sources in the story do not speak for the secretary." ?️ Trump is distancing himself from the probe, which involves allegations that Powell misrepresented the costs of renovations at the Fed's D.C. headquarters. ? "I don't know anything about" the related subpoenas, Trump told NBC News yesterday. ? Powell, in a video yesterday: "The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president." The office of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, launched the probe without warning Treasury, White House officials or the main Justice Department, sources tell Axios. A spokesperson for Pirro's office couldn't be reached. A DOJ spokesperson said the department doesn't comment on investigations. Senior administration officials tell Axios they believe the idea came partly at the urging of Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Pulte to Bloomberg TV today: "The DOJ is outside of my purview. This is out of my purview. I don't know anything about it, and I would defer you to the DOJ." Go deeper.

[phkrause]

Minnesota and the Twin Cities sue the federal government to stop the immigration crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota and its two largest cities sued the Trump administration Monday to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer and evoked outrage and protests across the country.

https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-renee-good-immigration-sweeps-6ae64be5a0d6a718b658a938fb56e567?

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate as the death toll in protests rises to at least 646

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protesters that activists said had killed at least 646 people.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-us-israel-war-nuclear-economy-53f2b79c8a0de827b1b8602ac9f0a57b?

‘A bone-headed move’

President Donald Trump wants interest rates to fall, stocks to boom and for the Federal Reserve chairman to get off the stage. His administration’s unprecedented criminal investigation of Jerome Powell puts all that at risk, CNN’s Matt Egan writes.

[phkrause]

Trump, 79, Makes Awkward Joke About ‘Grabbing’ Karoline Leavitt in Air Force One Turbulence

The president mused about using his 28-year-old press secretary to steady him.

President Donald Trump has made a new odd remark about his twentysomething press secretary.

Air Force One hit turbulence on Sunday as it carried Trump, 79, back to Washington, D.C., after his weekly retreat at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

As the aging president swayed left to right, ignoring reporters’ questions about the next phase in his plans for Venezuela, he turned towards Leavitt, 28, then back toward the press gaggle.“I’m looking for something to grab here. Because it’s going to get rough. I think you did this to me, you put me in a position where there’s absolutely nothing to grab,” he said, turning back towards Leavitt. “So I’m looking for something to grab. And it’s not going to be Karoline.”

He turned back to the gaggle, then back towards Leavitt, pawing for a handle again. Reporters ignored the bizarre comment, pressing the president to answer questions on international matters.

At the beginning of the huddle, Trump had warned the assembled press that turbulence would hit. “It’s going to be very rough in about 10 minutes, so we’ll have to go a little bit quickly. They just said, very, very rough,” he warned.

Leavitt is a frequent target of Trump’s lusty gags. Speaking to reporters after leaving Israel following the release of hostages as part of the Middle East ceasefire agreement in October last year, Trump swung from discussing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to land on Leavitt’s facial features.

“How’s Karoline doing? Is she doing good?” Trump asked the reporters.

He then asked the press, “Should Karoline be replaced?”

When one reporter replied, “That’s up to you, sir,” Trump quickly stated, “It’ll never happen. That face... and those lips, they move like a machine gun, right?”

It is not the first time Trump has made the bizarre analogy about his press secretary’s lips and ammunition.

In August, in an interview with Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty, he said almost the same thing.

“She’s become a star,” Trump said of Leavitt. “It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun... She’s a star and she’s great.”

Her lips garnered more attention after White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ unusually candid Vanity Fair interview in December. The two-parter featured an unsettling shot of Leavitt’s face that revealed heavy makeup and apparently enhanced lips.

Revealing why he didn’t edit the image, photographer Christopher Anderson told The Washington Post: “I didn’t put the injection sites on her. People seem to be shocked that I didn’t use Photoshop to retouch out blemishes and her injection marks. I find it shocking that someone would expect me to retouch out those things.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-79-makes-awkward-joke-about-grabbing-karoline-leavitt-in-air-force-one-turbulence/?

[phkrause]

Defiant Fed Chair Busts Open Petty Trump’s Revenge Plot

The president has long been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the Federal Reserve chairman.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell took a defiant stance Sunday after federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into his renovation of the Central Bank’s headquarters.

Powell, 72, released a rare video message after the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas last week. The New York Times reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has opened a probe that includes a review of Powell’s public statements and an examination of spending records, marking the latest legal action targeting a high-profile Trump foe.

“I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law,” he said. “But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” he went on. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”

Trump and his budget chief, Russell Vought, fixated on the renovation of the Fed’s Washington, D.C., headquarters last year, claiming that the “ostentatious” project failed to comply with government oversight regulations. The 79-year-old president also branded Powell as “Too Late” for his impatience with the Fed’s rate cuts.

“Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats. I will continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do, with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people,” Powell said. His term ends in May.

The White House referred the Daily Beast to the Justice Department, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

Trump, meanwhile, appeared to take a swipe at Powell as he spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night.

“We have a total stiff at the Fed,” he said.

The feud over the Central Bank’s headquarters stems from a $2.5 billion renovation project that the Fed said involves “a complete overhaul and modernization” that preserves two historic buildings, which have not been renovated since they were constructed in the 1930s.

In July, Trump and Powell put on white hard hats to visit the construction site, where they bickered in front of the cameras about the cost of the project. Trump claimed that the total cost had gone up to $3.1 billion, prompting Powell to shake his head. The Fed chair later had to explain that the numbers the president was referring to included the costs for a building that had already been completed years earlier.

After blasting Powell over the renovation project, Trump went on to tear down the 123-year-old East Wing to make way for his 90,000-square-foot White House Ballroom, which is now expected to cost $400 million.

The president repeatedly fired shots at Powell over the past year, blasting him as “incompetent” for not slashing interest rates soon enough amid rising inflation and the administration’s sprawling trade war.

Trump also amped up his campaign against the Fed by announcing in August that he was terminating Lisa Cook, the first-ever Black woman to serve as a Central Bank governor.

Presidents can only remove Fed officials for “cause,” which is widely understood to mean malfeasance or neglect of duty. Cook shot back by suing Trump and Powell over the “unprecedented and illegal” move. Supreme Court arguments for Cook’s case are scheduled for Jan. 21.

It remains to be seen whether the probe into Powell will hold up in court. Cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey failed last year after a judge threw them out, ruling that they were unlawful because the U.S. attorney who filed them—beauty queen and former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan—was appointed illegally.

Powell still enjoyed the highest approval rating among current political leaders despite the attacks against him. A Gallup poll conducted in December found that Powell had a 44 percent approval rating while Trump garnered 36 percent.

Trump told the Times last week that he had already decided on Powell’s successor. He previously named two Kevins as frontrunners: former Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Kevin Warsh and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fed-chair-jerome-powell-stands-up-to-trump-after-unprecedented-probe/?

[phkrause]

This Is What Greedy Trump’s Really Up To With Oil: Scaramucci

Anthony Scaramucci joins Joanna Coles for a conversation about what Donald Trump is really doing in Venezuela—and why the chaos is the point.

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci knows the real reason Trump wrenched Nicolás Maduro out of Venezuela—and it has nothing to do with narcoterrorism.

“I think Trump looks at this and sees that there’s a possible self-enrichment angle for him. I think that’s pretty obvious,” the 62-year-old former White House Communications Director told Joanna Coles on The Daily Beast Podcast.

The second key reason for the strike, according to Scaramucci, is that Trump wanted oil money.

“Somebody went to [Trump], because he’s a great conspiratorialist, and said, ‘OK, listen, you’ve got 46 billion or so barrels of known reserves. They’ve got 300 plus. You take them, Canada, US, and we’re roughly 50 percent of the known reserves,’” Scaramucci said.

“‘You can put a herd on potentially people in the Soviet Union, now known as Russia... You could put another big herd on people in the Middle East,’” Scaramucci continued. “‘You might be able to change our geo-strategic footprint.’”

“Okay, so essentially we’re reducing our reliance on foreign actors and helping ourselves to Venezuela’s oil coffers?” asked Coles.

“It’s imperialism, is what it is, yeah,” Scaramucci replied. “That’s what he’s doing.”

After the U.S. military abducted the Venezuelan dictator and his wife in a stunning Jan. 3 smash-and-grab operation, top Trump administration officials have attempted to emphasize a story that Maduro was the head of a narcoterrorist cartel funneling drugs into the United States.

Trump, meanwhile, has barely mentioned Maduro’s alleged crimes as he’s gushed about the untapped oil at his fingertips.

At the Jan. 3 press conference about the Maduro operation, the president said, “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, to go in, spend billions of dollars to fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”

Scaramucci acknowledged Maduro’s dictatorial regime, but noted that his problems were also known by Trump’s predecessors, who declined to take such a drastic action in Venezuela. The difference between Trump and previous U.S. presidents is that Trump prioritized money over another nation’s “sovereign integrity,” according to the former communications director.

“There’s a tremendous amount of drug trafficking and terrorism and terrorist training that comes out of Venezuela,” said Scaramucci. “And so you would say to yourself, should we do something there or not?”

“I think past presidents have said, we don’t want to do anything there because of the rules-based society and the sovereign integrity and things like that, but we’re going to sanction them and players that don’t act in the interest of the United States,” he continued.

Scaramucci, who served in the first Trump administration for eleven days, said he would’ve counseled against the attack.

“I‘m a realist, but I will tell you that it was the wrong thing to do,” he said. “If I were in the position to make that decision, I would have never sanctioned that. I don’t think a Harris, a Biden, a George W. Bush would have sanctioned that.”

Trump’s naked play for foreign oil has divided the MAGA base so far, as Republicans have grumbled for the president to enact his promised “America First” agenda instead of busying himself with foreign military conflicts.

But Scaramucci warns that Venezuela is just another broken promise that core Trump supporters will convince themselves to accept.

“They don’t care. They’ll stay with him,” said Scaramucci of Trump’s voters. “He said, ‘No forever wars.’ He’s now prosecuting forever wars. No problem. They said, ‘You know, we want the Epstein files. There’s a lot of pedophilia out there, and there’s pizza rings and all this other nonsense, and they said, ‘Okay we’re going to give that all to you.’ Now, ‘We’re not going to give it to you. Elon Musk told you why, because he’s in the file, and they said, ‘Okay, all right, no problem.’”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spokesman Kush Desai previously said of Scaramucci, “After getting caught up in the drug of relevance, Anthony Scaramucci is marveling at the fact that The Daily Beast still takes him seriously.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-is-what-greedy-trumps-really-up-to-with-oil-scaramucci/?

[phkrause]

Egomaniac Trump, 79, Gives Himself a Deranged New Job Title

The president’s imperial ambition is on display in the latest Truth Social message.

Donald Trump has declared himself the “acting president of Venezuela” in an unhinged Truth Social post.

The apparent “America First” president shared an edited screenshot of his Wikipedia page suggesting he is the leader of the South American country as of January 2026, alongside his actual titles as the 45th and 47th president of the United States.

The fake image was shared as the 79-year-old continues to suggest he will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces attacked the country and abducted its president, Nicolás Maduro, so he could face “narcoterrorism” charges in New York.

Ironically, after detaining Venezuela’s authoritarian leader and threatening to take control of the country’s state-run oil reserves for an unspecified period, Trump has given no indication of when Venezuela will be able to hold an election for a new president.

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, became Venezuela’s acting president soon after he was captured as part of the brazen operation.

Trump has suggested that U.S. oil companies—whom he tipped off about the Venezuela attack without notifying Congress—will invest in the South American country to help rebuild its dilapidated energy infrastructure. Venezuela has the world’s largest estimated oil reserves, although much of it is dense crude that is uneconomic to extract and process at current market prices.

Days after Maduro’s capture, Trump announced on Truth Social that the Venezuelan government would be “turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels” for the U.S. to sell, adding that “that money will be controlled by me.”

Trump told top oil executives during a White House meeting last week that he is seeking $100 billion in investment to revive Venezuela’s oil production under his plan to “control” the country during this turbulent period.

However, Trump has suggested he may block ExxonMobil from participating in any Venezuela plans after the oil company’s CEO, Darren Woods, called the country “uninvestable” during the meeting.

“We have had our assets seized there twice and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes from what we’ve historically seen and what is currently the state,” Woods said. “Today it’s uninvestable.”

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday while returning to Washington, D.C., Trump said he “didn’t like Exxon’s response” to his plans for Venezuela.

“I’ll probably be inclined to keep Exxon out. I didn’t like their response. They’re playing too cute,” Trump told reporters.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/egomaniac-trump-79-gives-himself-a-deranged-new-job-title/?

[phkrause]

Trump Boasts He’s Taking Greenland ‘One Way or the Other’

The president has clarified he is interested in “acquiring, not leasing” the autonomous territory.

Donald Trump has increased his threats to acquire Greenland.

Trump, 79, issued his latest warning to the autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark during a press gaggle on Air Force One on Sunday.

The president was asked if he was still planning U.S. military action against the territory, which has a population of less than 60,000 people.

“If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will,” Trump said. “And I’m not letting that happen.”

When questioned if he believed there was anything Greenland could “offer” him, Trump said, “Sure, I’d love to make a deal with them, that’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re gonna have Greenland.” Trump made a similar threat in a speech to Congress last March.

On Sunday, Trump then clarified how he sees the Greenland takeover rolling out.

“Look, we’re talking about acquiring, not leasing, not having it short term. We’re talking about acquiring,” he said. “And if we don’t do it, Russia or China will. And that’s not going to happen when I’m president.”

When asked if he was going to increase the military bases on Greenland, the president said, “I could put a lot of soldiers there right now if I want, but you need more than that. You need ownership. You really... need title, as they say in real estate business.”

Trump made similar threats to exert American control over the mineral-rich island on Friday, telling reporters, “We are going to do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not.” The president stated he would “do it the hard way” if he couldn’t strike a deal to acquire the territory.

Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly stated that the territory is not for sale, with Denmark warning Trump that U.S. military action could lead to the demise of the NATO military alliance.

Greenland’s government and the opposition released a joint statement last week after Trump’s claims. “We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders. The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”

Speaking on Sunday, the president seemed unconcerned about NATO’s reaction to his plans, boasting “I’m the one that saved NATO,” then adding “You wouldn’t have NATO if I weren’t president.”

He also flagged the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. despite being one of the 12 original nations to sign the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949.

“Maybe NATO would be upset if I did it,” Trump said of his vision for owning Greenland. “Maybe. Maybe NATO would would save a lot of money. But I like NATO, you know. I just wonder whether or not if we needed NATO, would they be there for us? I’m not sure they would. You know, we spend a lot of money on NATO. And I’m not sure they would.”

Trump also admitted he had yet to make a tangible offer to Greenland, despite reports last week his administration were toying with the idea of sending lump-sum payments to citizens of the island to secede from the Nordic country.

“I haven’t done that, but Greenland should make the deal because Greenland does not want to see Russia or China take over,” Trump said. “They don’t go there. It’s very far away from Greenland. And Greenland basically their defense is two dog sleds. Do you know that? You know what their defense is? Two dog sleds.”

He repeated his fears of having “destroyers and submarines” from China and Russia “all over the place” without American intervention, despite NATO’s misgivings.

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. “And if it affects NATO then it affects NATO but you know they need us much more than we need them I will tell you that right now.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-confirms-hes-taking-greenland-one-way-or-the-other/?