Posts on Monday, January 5, 2026
Ousted former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance Monday after the U.S. seized him in Caracas in a remarkable military operation over the weekend.
Surrounded by federal agents, the socialist strongman arrived at a New York City courthouse Monday morning to face charges related to drug trafficking. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the federal charges against Maduro and his wife on Saturday after U.S. forces carried out the successful operation to capture the pair from their heavily fortified home.
During the proceedings, Maduro insisted he was “kidnapped” from his home and remains president of Venezuela, an outburst that Manhattan federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein
Indian Illegal Alien Truckers (Based in
CA) Caught With $7 Million in Cocaine
During IN Traffic Stop replies
CA) Caught With $7 Million in Cocaine
During IN Traffic Stop replies
Indian illegal alien truck drivers aren't just killing Americans with their reckless driving; they're running drugs nationwide, too.
Gupreet Singh of Fresno, CA, and Jasveer Singh of Santa Clara, CA were arrested in Putnam County, Indiana on Saturday on a charge of dealing narcotics after over 300 pounds of cocaine were found in the sleeper berth of the semi tractor-trailer during a routine DOT inspection. Now those both those drugs and the truckers are off the street, and both Mr. Singhs are subject to ICE deportation holds.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially moved to dismantle a sweeping Biden-era child care scheme that allowed states to shovel billions in federal dollars to child care providers without verifying whether children were actually present (snip.) The Biden regime's insanity included: Forcing payments on enrollment alone; Mandating upfront cash to providers before any care was even provided; [and] Push states toward provider contracts instead of parent-directed vouchers.
The more the onion gets peeled back, the more it looks like the Democrat Party has been heavily invested for years in perpetrating fraud via daycare centers. First, it was the mostly Somali-operated "learing centers" in Minnesota, and, now, it looks like upwards of $19 billion in taxpayer money was sent by the Biden admin to daycare centers without first verifying that children were actually attending the centers.
As we've learned from Nick Shirley's fantastic coverage from Minnesota, there's apparently a booming market of "ghost centers" that have the signage and the storefronts, but not so much the children. Shirley visited several centers that looked like
The only son of captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro called on his countrymen to take to the streets of Caracas to protest his father’s arrest, warning that those who betrayed his family will be found.
The response, though, was muted — with some armed and masked paramilitaries reportedly seen on the streets of Caracas on Monday.
Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, 35, who was also indicted by the US alongside his father and mother in 2020, remained defiant on Sunday as he claimed that he will do whatever possible to free his parents and oppose US-backed rule in Venezuela.
“You will see us in the streets.
American company fighting globalism goes
viral after Maduro wears their hoodie
during arrest… replies
viral after Maduro wears their hoodie
during arrest… replies
There are moments when history has a great sense of humor. (snip) For
years, Origin has been quietly telling a deeply American story by actually doing the hard work. They’re making products in the United States and rebuilding manufacturing from the ground up. Dragging old Singer sewing machines out of abandonment and putting people back to work in communities that globalism hollowed out and left behind.
The deranged hammer-wielding vandal who busted several windows at Vice President JD Vance’s home in Cincinnati is allegedly the son of a prominent millionaire family — and appears to have been going by “Julia” in recent weeks.
William DeFoor, 26, was arrested early Monday after allegedly shattering four windows at Vance’s home. Police said that DeFoor was attempting to break into the home around midnight.
The Vances, who moved into the vice president’s official residence in Washington, DC, after the inauguration, were not in Ohio at the time. It’s unclear whether DeFoor identifies as transgender or nonbinary, but he recently appeared to be posting under the name Julia DeFoor. Cops listed
How Long Would It Take for Venezuela to
Bounce Back From Socialism? Wall St. Analyst
Has Thoughts replies
Bounce Back From Socialism? Wall St. Analyst
Has Thoughts replies
The arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro will reverberate around the world in ways we have yet to see. You have to love watching the American left protest Maduro's arrest and demand his release, while Venezuelans are literally dancing in the streets of Caracas and other places like Miami. After decades of socialism, Venezuela is in an economic shambles. However, with Maduro's ouster, Venezuelans are now rejoicing at the prospect of the opportunities they will now have to improve their lives. But what steps might be needed to take a nation mired in socialism and return it to prosperity? (X) On Monday, Fox Business host Charles Payne appeared
The Trump administration has begun a massive deployment of hundreds of Department of Homeland Security agents to the Twin Cities area as it escalates its federal crackdown amid a widening fraud scandal in Minnesota, officials familiar with the plan told CBS News. The crackdown could involve roughly 2,000 agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement 's deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, the agency's investigative arm tasked with fighting transnational crimes, the officials said. They requested anonymity to discuss operations that have not been publicly announced.
Amy had this earlier today: ICE agents in the Minneapolis area were denied lodging at the Hilton hotel. The Department of Homeland Security described it as a “coordinated campaign,” and screenshots of the canceled reservations accompanied their tweet:
Curtis added:
In the email, the employee wrote, "After further investigation online, we have found immigration work connected with your name, and we will be canceling your upcoming reservation. You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton."
The hotel chain now responded, racing to do damage control, but is it too late? Fox News’ Bill Melugin posted their statement:
It was a chaotic day for staffers inside the Arizona Supreme Court building, which had to be evacuated over a suspicious package that tested positive for explosives. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is on the scene, with assurances from authorities that the package will be safely dealt with, though details remain scarce (via 12News):[snip] This region of downtown Phoenix, located near 15th Avenue and Washington Street, is the site of several state government buildings.
According to the latest news from the government of Cuba, two days of official mourning have been declared as they announce 32 members of the Cuban military and Intelligence services were killed in Venezuela while protecting Nicolas Maduro. There were no American fatalities.REUTERS – HAVANA, Jan 4 (Reuters) – The Cuban government said on Sunday that 32 of its citizens were killed during the U.S. raid on Venezuela to extract President Nicolas Maduro for prosecution in the United States.
Havana said there would be two days of mourning on January 5 and 6 in honor of those killed and said funeral arrangements would be announced.
Margaret Brennan is one of the most controversial and adversarial "journalists" working in media today. Earlier, we told you how she pushed Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the Venezuela raids, asking why we didn't arrest more of Maduro's comrades. Rubio shut her down in his usual brilliant fashion, of course. Earlier this year, Brennan was the journalist who blamed the Holocaust on free speech, showing both her disdain for the First Amendment that protects her job and her historical ignorance of what led to the rise of the Nazis in Germany (hint: the Weimar Republic's strict speech codes were a contributing factor).
We don’t need to invade Greenland. We can instead buy the Greenlanders. Here’s my scheme.
First, let’s review what’s at stake. Greenland is the size of Texas. It’s strategically positioned in the North Atlantic. It extends almost to the North Pole (a spot that is on ocean ice north of Greenland).
We already have an air base in Greenland above the Arctic Circle which serves to provide early warning of incoming Russian missiles and bombers. And we also have our own bombers and missiles stationed there.
Greenland is rich in natural resources, including petroleum, fish, fresh water, gold, lithium and rare earth metals.
A new era of common sense and accountability arrives in California on January 26. That is the launch date of the California Post — the brand new, seven-days-a-week digital and print newspaper for the Golden State. The sister publication to the New York Post brings all the hard-charging, plain-spoken journalism of The Post to the West Coast. In announcing the date, California Post editor-in-chief Nick Papps said, “It’s time to hold the powerful to account and start fighting for hard-working Californians. “The California Post will be a game-changer across news, sports, opinion and entertainment,” Papps said. “This is a massive year for California from elections for LA mayor, governor and the midterms to the
Hilton Hotels is going to have a very bad week. They've decided to opt for the Bud Light Treatment and align themselves with the Left's anti-Trump "Resist" movement.How?
By denying hotel rooms in Minneapolis to government officials. Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have called out the hotel mega-chain.
Flailing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) does not believe he can win statewide reelection and is allegedly scheming with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to remain in public office, according to a report. Walz
announced Monday he would not run for a third term as Minnesota’s governor.[snip]Sen. Klobuchar began emerging as a potential gubernatorial candidate Sunday night as rumors swirled that Walz would forego reelection.Importantly, were Klobuchar to win a gubernatorial bid, she could appoint her successor to her Senate seat — perhaps even the governor whose decision to forego reelection cleared her bath.
Homeland Security used an X post Monday to say that Hilton Hotels are denying rooms to Department of Homeland Security officers in the Minneapolis area. DHS titled the post, “No Room at the Inn!” Last week, KATV noted that DHS officers were on the ground in Minneapolis investigating fraud claims in Minnesota.
They noted the DHS was there after reports of “federally funded businesses that don’t do that they say they do.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he had “zero sadness and zero regret” in ending his re-election campaign on Monday before denouncing “political actors seeking to take advantage” of his state’s fraud scandal.
“In September, I announced that I would seek a historic third term as Minnesota’s governor, and I have every confidence that if I gave it my all, we would win the race,” Walz said at a press conference. “But as I reflect on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all.”
Globalize the Intifada: Zohran Mamdani
Cuts NYPD Out of Mayoral Briefings Put
in Place After 9/11 replies
Cuts NYPD Out of Mayoral Briefings Put
in Place After 9/11 replies
Since September 11, 2001, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been included in one-on-one briefings with New York's mayor as a response to the Islamic terror attack in the city. Until January 1, 2026, that is.
Zohran Mamdani has demoted the NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will now report through a deputy mayor and no longer be included in the briefings that lasted almost a quarter of a century. "After 9/11, New York’s mayors kept the NYPD commissioner in a direct, daily intelligence loop. That model is now ending. Mamdani has removed the Commissioner Jessica Tisch direct line to his office, relegating police leadership to the same access level
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the U.S. had received or would soon receive $600 billion in revenue from his tariffs but bemoaned the lack of media coverage. "(Snip)the fake media refuse to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever," he posted on Truth Social. "Because of Tariffs, our country is financially, and from a security standpoint, far stronger and more respected than ever before. God bless America," he added.
The Venezuelan regime, now led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, issued a decree ordering police to "immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack" by the Trump administration.
Reuters noted that the decree has been in effect since Saturday but was published in full on Monday.
The decree comes even as Rodriguez called on the U.S. to "work jointly on a cooperation agenda" and appealed for peace and dialogue after assuming the role following the capture of Maduro.
Secretary Pete Hegseth – “Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice.Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The department has initiated retirement grade determination
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, will have his military pay cut as part of a disciplinary action over a video he made that told service members they have the right to refuse to execute illegal orders. Defense [sic.] Secretary Hegseth also issued a formal letter of censure against Kelly. Hegseth called Kelly's statements on the video "seditious." (snip) Hegseth said that the Defense [sic.] Department has began a proceeding reducing Kelly's rank in retirement, which would in turn lead to a decrease in retirement pay.
Five Years After 2020 Election, Georgia
Is Still Ground Zero For Election Integrity Problems replies
Is Still Ground Zero For Election Integrity Problems replies
"It's not about vindication, it's just about accuracy and the integrity and security of future elections," voting integrity advocate Garland Favorito said. Only last month did state officials announce that critical records were not maintained. (snip) Fulton County notified the State Elections Board that tabulator tapes were not properly signed after the 2020 election (snip.) About 130 of the unsigned tapes from the voting machines accounted for 315,000 early voters in 2020, which is almost every ballot cast before election day.
China tells Trump to stay away from Venezuela's
oil - and calls for Maduro's 'immediate release' replies
oil - and calls for Maduro's 'immediate release' replies
China today urged Donald Trump to stay away from Venezuela's oil after the US said it would run the country following an operation to capture president Nicolas Maduro. Its call came as the captured Venezuelan leader was driven to a court in New York this morning after being indicted alongside his wife on charges of 'narco-terrorism'.
The US president revealed American oil firms will 'go in and rebuild this system' as he signalled a plan to take control of huge and largely untapped reserves in Venezuela.
Following the inauguration of Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, it was revealed that the Seattle Police Department issued an internal email announcing officers “are not going to enforce drug use,” instead, they will refer all open consumption cases to failed diversion programs.
According to the message originally obtained by Homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle, “effective immediately,” officers are being instructed to refer all open drug consumption incidents to the diversion program LEA-PDA (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion–Purpose. Dignity. Action, a diversion initiative connected to community-based behavioral health and outreach services. Critics warn the move will likely accelerate the city’s ongoing drug and overdose crisis.
The legacy media have been viscerally angry over President Trump and the United States daring to conduct a successful law enforcement operation resulting in the arrest of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
So, naturally, Margaret Brennan of CBS’s "Face the Nation" wanted to know why they hadn't made more arrests. There's just no winning with these people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an appearance with Brennan on Sunday morning, nearly had to stifle laughter as he pointed out how "absurd" the premise of the argument was.
The host wondered why others, such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, hadn't been swept up
J.D. Vance’s Home Attacked
replies
A hammer-wielding maniac who smashed four windows at JD Vance's Cincinnati home has been arrested by the Secret Service after an overnight break-in. William DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism. Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and spotted DeFoor running from the home, which is the secondary residence for Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children, who were out of town at the time.
Sen. Mark Kelly is set to get his military pension docked as punishment for participating in a video with five other congressional Dems who urged service members to “refuse illegal orders,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Monday.
“In response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly,” Hegseth posted on X. "The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings … with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.”
Kelly (D-Ariz.) will have a month to respond
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he will not seek reelection for a third term (snip.) Walz, who also was the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, issued the following statement (snip) "Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025. (snip) For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state's generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis."
It's official. Minnesota's scandal-plagued Democrat governor, Tim Walz, will not be seeking reelection.
RedState's Rusty Weiss reported earlier Monday morning that rumors were swirling of an imminent Walz announcement, with pundits speculating that Walz's political future was indeed bleak after the massive fraud scandal involving the state's Somali community was blown wide open. From Rusty's reporting:
Walz has been reeling for weeks now from ongoing fraud probes plaguing Minnesota's social services programs. That alleged fraud exploded after a viral video, extensively covered here at RedState, reportedly showed empty "daycare" facilities with misspelled signs, locked doors, and no trace of children.
What Maduro knows
replies
I was inspired to write this by a more than routinely interesting article by Wayne Root, “Trump Brings Back Maduro to USA. Why? I’m Betting This is About Stolen 2020 Election.”
That article affected me in a surprisingly personal way. It impelled me to talk about some things I have mainly kept on the down low, including the story of why I resigned from The Epoch Times, and how a recent book of mine had to be printed twice, and why that might relate to the secrets of dictators.
Mr. Root writes of several things, which you should read at the link, but what most caught my attention was this:
“Was this strike
In the latest episode of the Deep State circus that’s turned our justice system into a bad joke, a 92-year-old federal judge appointed by none other than Bill Clinton back in the ’90s has been assigned to oversee the high-profile case against Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in New York.
This is the same judge who has a track record of rulings that seem tailor-made to thwart President Trump’s agenda and protect left-wing interests.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who took senior status way back in 2011, but somehow keeps popping up in major cases.
He has issued several controversial rulings adverse to Donald Trump and his administration.
Some are estimating that more than half of federal income tax revenues are devoured by fraud. This should not come as a shock. A massive government that funds everything from small businesses to health care to child care to housing is a rich target for thieves. Sharply reducing its size would limit the opportunities to steal from taxpayers.
Bandits have been defrauding of the U.S. government on such a colossal scale that even the legacy media has had to cover it, at least somewhat. The Minnesota Somalis looting the public fisc blew the lid so high that now smart folks are finding institutionalized fraud far, wide, high and low.
Exit Walz, stage Biden?
replies
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called a press conference at 11:00 a.m. (Central) this morning. He has not specified the subject. Those usually in the know speculate that he will announce the abandonment of his campaign for reelection to a third term despite the stellar job he has done, at least by his own lights.
Walz is guilty of an old-fashioned kind of political corruption magnified to the nth degree by an absurdly creative welfare state. He has compiled the worst record of any governor in the history of Minnesota. It has surpassed his ability to talk his way out of it in his accusomed Joe Isuzu style. He should ride
My family plays a regular Dungeons & Dragons game, which I’ve referenced before in A Knight’s Tale. For those who have never played, D&D is essentially a shared story constrained by rules, terrific fun for people who enjoy storytelling. In our game, we kept running into cultists devoted to Orcus, a demon king.
Eventually, it became clear that something more ambitious was going on. These cultists were not merely serving a powerful demon. They were advancing his attempt to become something more. Alongside Orcus the demon existed Orcus the Roman god, a judge of the dead associated with oaths, punishment, and the underworld. By infiltrating temples meant for the god,
In The Mandalorian series, which was pretty good when Gina Carano was in it and the only Star Wars spin off I managed to really get into (it helped that Pedro Pascal was just a suit of armour) The Mandalorian has a repeated catch phrase that sums up the ethos of his people:
This is the Way.
It means there’s a right way of doing things, an honourable way of doing things, a right and competent way of doing things. The measure of a people is found in the degree to which they apply a code and the strength they show in holding to it.
Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is real, and it's infected the Democratic Party in ways that defy all understanding. One of the most TDS-afflicted Democrats is Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who hasn't met an illegal immigrant he didn't want to have margaritas with, but who has scant time for the victims of Biden's open-borders policies, including Maryland mom Rachel Morin, who was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant named Victor Martinez-Hernandez.
Like most of his fellow Democrats, Van Hollen is upset his communist comrade in Venezuela was deposed and captured by President Trump. Van Hollen issued a statement on X about it earlier on Saturday.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s newly appointed tenant advocate called to “seize private property” and blasted home ownership as a “weapon of white supremacy” in a series of pro-communist social media posts.
Cea Weaver, Mamdani’s new director of the city Office to Protect Tenants, made the statements and urged her followers to elect more communists in several lecturing posts on her now-deleted X account that were unearthed by internet sleuths. “Seize private property!” she said on June 13, 2018. She later doubled down on that in a mini-manifesto on August 2019.
Tantrums, Tarmac Cash, Trump Boycotts,
and a French-Fried Clooney: RedState's
Week in Review replies
and a French-Fried Clooney: RedState's
Week in Review replies
Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. What do you suppose caught people's attention as we moved past the holiday lull? Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if you're so inclined), and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication. Now, if Walz had any sense, his response should have been, "Thank you for the help, we will do everything we can to comply and help ensure that any fraud is stopped." He would take responsibility and say he's going to clean things up.
In a panic over the United States arresting Nicolás Maduro this weekend, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro and Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on Sunday, with the support of Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum.
For those who don't know, CELAC is an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS) that includes 33 countries from the Caribbean and Latin America. Unlike OAS, it excludes the United States and Canada, citing a desire for regional autonomy.
Petro, Lula, and Sheinbaum had the idea that they were going to issue a CELAC communiqué
After Maduro, who’s next? Trump spurs
speculation about his plans for Greenland,
Cuba and Colombia replies
speculation about his plans for Greenland,
Cuba and Colombia replies
A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.”
The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.
With thinly veiled threats,
Khamenei Preparing to Flee
replies
The London Times reports that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is making plans to flee to Russia if protests against his misrule continue:
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a back-up plan to flee the country should his security forces fail to suppress protests or desert, according to an intelligence report shared with The Times.
Khamenei, 86, plans to escape Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family, should he see that the army and security called on to quell the unrest are deserting, defecting or failing to follow orders.
Which is how unpopular dictatorships collapse.
Elon Musk shared a photo of himself dining with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, adding that “2026 is going to be amazing.”
“Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS,” Musk wrote in a post on X on Sunday. “2026 is going to be amazing!”
Musk’s post included a photo of himself sitting at a table with the president and the first lady. Breitbart News’s Nick Gilbertson reported in September that Trump and Musk were seen sitting together and shaking hands at a tribute service for Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, after Kirk was assassinated.
The moment between Trump and Musk
The Washington Post editorial board on Saturday broke with the predictable Democrat response of condemning President Donald Trump’s capture of embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores and called the military operation “a major victory for American interests.”
In an editorial titled “Justice in Venezuela,” the board wrote:
Millions of people around the world, most of all in Venezuela, are celebrating the downfall of the dictator Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump’s decision to capture him on Saturday was one of the boldest moves a president has made in years, and the operation was an unquestionable tactical success. The next step is ensuring
It was hardly necessary to consult the Delphic Oracle to know that every Democrat within reach of a microphone would denounce President Trump’s military action against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. It was, however, surprising to discover how ignorant the Democrats are about the President’s authority to deploy military forces. Saturday morning, for example, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) brayed, “The Trump administration has not sought congressional authorization for the use of military force and has failed to properly notify Congress in advance of the operation in Venezuela.” Jeffries is evidently unaware of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (WPR).