January 8, 2026
Marco Rubio left the Senate. But he’s still part of the club.
As senators woke up Saturday with questions on President Donald Trump’s audacious decision to order the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, one of their old colleagues was ready with answers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio worked the phones in the wee hours of the morning and, in the days since, has played an outsize […]
January 8, 2026
Trump greenlights Russian sanctions bill, paving way for 500% tariff on countries supporting Moscow: Graham
Sen. Lindsey Graham announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump has approved a Russian sanctions bill designed to pressure Moscow to end its war with Ukraine. Graham revealed the development in a post on X, describing it as a pivotal shift in the U.S. approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ‘After a very productive meeting today with […]
January 8, 2026
‘Irregular’ armed guards aboard Russian shadow tankers alarm Nordic-Baltic governments
The seizure of a Russian-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic has highlighted ‘worry’ among NATO and Nordic-Baltic governments over dark fleet vessels and the type of crews onboard, according to a maritime intelligence analyst. U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel boarded the Marinera between Iceland and the U.K. Wednesday as it operated under deceptive […]
January 8, 2026
Trump orders US withdrawal from 66 ‘wasteful’ global organizations in sweeping ‘America First’ crackdown
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw from 66 international organizations, ordering executive departments and agencies to cease participation in and funding of entities the administration says no longer serve U.S. interests. The memorandum follows a State Department review ordered earlier this year under Executive Order 14199 and […]
January 8, 2026
Cruz demands impeachment of Boasberg and judge who sentenced Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday called on Congress during a Senate hearing to impeach two federal judges, making his most elaborate case yet for imposing the extraordinary sanction on a pair of closely scrutinized jurists. Cruz acknowledged that impeaching federal judges is exceedingly rare — 15 have been impeached in history, typically for straightforward […]
January 8, 2026
Steny Hoyer set to announce retirement from Congress
Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer is set to announce his retirement from the House as soon as Thursday, capping off a decades-long career in Congress, according to two people who were granted anonymity to confirm the news ahead of a public announcement. Hoyer, who represents a district stretching from the eastern Washington suburbs to southern Maryland, […]
January 8, 2026
9 House Republicans defy Mike Johnson, join Dems to advance Obamacare extension vote
Nine House Republicans bucked their party leaders on Wednesday evening to advance a vote on a Democrat-led healthcare bill. The nine GOP lawmakers’ support was key to pushing ahead on a vote to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that expired at the end of last year. A vote on the bill itself is now expected Thursday […]
January 8, 2026
Venezuelan oil shipments surge to US ports with heavy crude after Maduro capture
Venezuelan crude oil is being shipped to the U.S. at speed and in bulk following the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro, according to a maritime intelligence analyst. As many as ’15 very large crude carrier shipments’ carrying 50 million barrels will end up en route, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at […]
January 8, 2026
House Oversight panel to issue more subpoenas in Epstein case
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will subpoena Les Wexner, the longtime friend and client of Jeffrey Epstein, along with two men who worked for the late convicted sex offender. It was the culmination of a flurry of subpoena requests Wednesday from rank-and-file members of the panel, several of which were ultimately approved. The […]
January 7, 2026
Trump has ‘greenlit’ Russia sanctions bill, Lindsey Graham says
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday after meeting with President Donald Trump that the Senate could vote as soon as next week to impose new sanctions aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war with Ukraine. “After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia […]
January 7, 2026
Johnson praises Trump’s ‘bold action’ in formal State of the Union invitation letter to Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday sent a letter inviting President Donald Trump to deliver the annual State of the Union Address before a Joint Session of Congress next month. ‘As our nation marks the Semiquincentennial Anniversary of American Independence, the United States stands stronger, freer, and more prosperous under your leadership and bold action,’ […]
January 7, 2026
‘You don’t get a promotion’: GOP rival urges Peggy Flanagan to quit Senate race after Walz bows out
Minnesota’s Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is also running for Senate, is facing a call from one of her GOP opponents to drop out of the race amid Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to drop out of his re-election race as a massive fraud scandal continues to unfold in the state. ‘In the military, if […]