Via Thursday
January 7, 2026
Word
Jamelle Bouie, NY Times - There are many ways to diagnose the state of the nation, but if there is a sickness eating away at American democracy, it is our culture of elite impunity. Trump is at once a symptom of this disease and its apotheosis, a living representation of all the ways the United States has encouraged, tolerated and rewarded the most selfish and antisocial behaviors imaginable, at least among a certain class of person. And with the full might of the federal government in his hands, Trump hopes to institutionalize impunity — to make it the only rule, both here and abroad.
Stupid Trump stuff
Express UK - Donald Trump launched an attack against former US presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden as he attended a Republican event on Tuesday. The US president repeated the unfounded claim that the election in which he was defeated by Mr Biden "was rigged", and said "nobody is worse" than Mr Obama.
He also said "the fake news" would call him a dictator after launching into a bizarre rant on elections and former Democrats leaders. Mr Trump said: "They have the worst policy. How we have to even run against these people. Now I won't say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news will say, 'He wants the elections canceled. He's a dictator.'
Amtrak cutting rates for late Janaruy and much of February
Newsweek - Amtrak has announced it started its “Big City Savings” sale on January 5, 2026, slashing some selected fares by up to 30 percent.
What Is Amtrak’s Big City Savings Sale?
Amtrak has launched the limited-time sale—which started on January 5, 2026—by reducing the cost of adult coach class fares by up to 30 percent on trains running between Boston and Washington, D.C., including all cities served along the route.
Passengers must book their travel tickets by January 9 for journeys taking place from January 20 through February 12, 2026.
The discounts are only available for coach class tickets on Northeast Regional and other eligible trains operating along the corridor; Acela and NextGen Acela services are excluded from the sale.
Sample one-way fares include Boston to Providence for $20, Boston to New York City for $59, New York to Philadelphia for $36, and Washington, D.C. to Manhattan for $59, according to Amtrak's official announcement.
Amtrak also states that customers booking during the sale can also enroll in the free Amtrak Guest Rewards program, where they can earn points for all travel—including bonus points for business class and Acela first class bookings—that can be redeemed for reward trips, upgrades, and exclusive lounge access.
What Is Amtrak’s Big City Savings Sale?
Amtrak has launched the limited-time sale—which started on January 5, 2026—by reducing the cost of adult coach class fares by up to 30 percent on trains running between Boston and Washington, D.C., including all cities served along the route.
Passengers must book their travel tickets by January 9 for journeys taking place from January 20 through February 12, 2026.
The discounts are only available for coach class tickets on Northeast Regional and other eligible trains operating along the corridor; Acela and NextGen Acela services are excluded from the sale.
Sample one-way fares include Boston to Providence for $20, Boston to New York City for $59, New York to Philadelphia for $36, and Washington, D.C. to Manhattan for $59, according to Amtrak's official announcement.
Amtrak also states that customers booking during the sale can also enroll in the free Amtrak Guest Rewards program, where they can earn points for all travel—including bonus points for business class and Acela first class bookings—that can be redeemed for reward trips, upgrades, and exclusive lounge access.
Boys living with their parents
The Guardian - Are boys becoming men later? In recent decades, the markers of adulthood have shifted for young American men: they are almost twice as likely to be single, less likely to go to college and more likely to be unemployed. Most significantly for their parents, they are also less likely to have fled the nest, with the term “trad son” springing into social media lexicon in recent months. In the 1970s, only 8% of Americans aged 25 to 34 were living with their parents, but by 2023, that figure had jumped to 18%, with men more likely to live at home than women, according to a Pew survey.
States with the most Indians in the US:
Stats Globe
1. 
California: 830,259
2. Texas: 480,566
3. New Jersey: 415,342
4. New York: 387,376
5. Illinois: 260,055
6. Florida: 187,236
7. Georgia: 165,895
8. Virginia: 157,635
9. Pennsylvania: 157,635
10. Washington: 140,817
11. Massachussets: 125,534
12. Michigan: 122,245
13. North Carolina: 121,974
14. Maryland: 104,617
California: 830,259
2. Texas: 480,566
3. New Jersey: 415,342
4. New York: 387,376
5. Illinois: 260,055
6. Florida: 187,236
7. Georgia: 165,895
8. Virginia: 157,635
9. Pennsylvania: 157,635
10. Washington: 140,817
11. Massachussets: 125,534
12. Michigan: 122,245
13. North Carolina: 121,974
14. Maryland: 104,617
Health
The Hill - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention upended the childhood vaccine schedule Monday, reducing the number of recommended shots for kids. Effective immediately, the agency will recommend only vaccines for 11 diseases, down from 17. The shots for the other six diseases will be recommended for “high risk” children only, or under a framework called “shared decision making” based on individual conversations with physicians.
The erasure of Janaury 6
Davod Corn, Mother Jones - In 1984, George Orwell observed that a fascist state relies upon its ability to control—or obliterate—memory. As Winston Smith, the ill-fated protagonist, ponders the Party’s ability to manipulate reality and history, Orwell writes, “Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.” Another passage in the novel describes the Party’s relentless effort to construct the dominant narrative: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
It’s been five years since a mob of thousands of Donald Trump supporters—which included Christian nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Confederate flag wavers, militia members, and other extremists—assaulted the US Capitol to try to halt the peaceful transfer of power from an outgoing president to an incoming president. The basic facts are well established: Trump refused to accept legitimate election results. He falsely claimed he had won the 2020 contest and spread baseless lies and conspiracy theories about the election. He spent weeks scheming to overturn the election and remain in power. Promoting these falsehoods, he incited that insurrectionist attack on Congress in which more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured. While the melee was occurring, he abandoned his duty to defend the Constitution and waited 187 minutes before calling on his brownshirts to leave the Capitol. More
It’s been five years since a mob of thousands of Donald Trump supporters—which included Christian nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Confederate flag wavers, militia members, and other extremists—assaulted the US Capitol to try to halt the peaceful transfer of power from an outgoing president to an incoming president. The basic facts are well established: Trump refused to accept legitimate election results. He falsely claimed he had won the 2020 contest and spread baseless lies and conspiracy theories about the election. He spent weeks scheming to overturn the election and remain in power. Promoting these falsehoods, he incited that insurrectionist attack on Congress in which more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured. While the melee was occurring, he abandoned his duty to defend the Constitution and waited 187 minutes before calling on his brownshirts to leave the Capitol. More
Meanwhile. . .
Jack Ohman / Tribune Content Agency
Fun history
Ask Baby - When Einstein took the train from Princeton University, a conductor boarded to check passengers' tickets. When he reached Einstein, he began searching his jacket pockets for his ticket but couldn't find it. He then looked in his trouser pockets, then in his small carry-on suitcase, without success. Finally, he started looking on the seat next to him…
Seeing this, the controller said to him:
— Dr. Einstein, I know who you are, everyone here knows you, and I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry.
Einstein nodded in gratitude. The conductor continued punching the tickets of the other passengers, but as he was about to move into the next carriage, he saw Einstein on his knees, searching under his seat for his ticket.
Intrigued, the controller returned to the great physicist and said to him:
— As I told you, we all know who you are, it's not a problem, so please drop this ticket!
Einstein then looked up at him and replied:
— Thank you, young man, I too know who I am. But what I don't know is where I'm going! That's why I keep looking for my ticket!
Does US even need to buy Greenland to accomplish Trump's goals
NY Times - Does the United States even need to buy Greenland — or do something more drastic — to accomplish all of Mr. Trump’s goals?
Under a little-known Cold War agreement, the United States already enjoys sweeping military access in Greenland. Right now, the United States has one base in a very remote corner of the island. But the agreement allows it to “construct, install, maintain, and operate” military bases across Greenland, “house personnel” and “control landings, takeoffs, anchorages, moorings, movements, and operation of ships, aircraft, and waterborne craft.”
It was signed in 1951 by the United States and Denmark, which colonized Greenland more than 300 years ago and still controls some of its affairs.
“The U.S. has such a free hand in Greenland that it can pretty much do what it wants,” said Mikkel Runge Olesen, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen.
“I have a very hard time seeing that the U.S. couldn’t get pretty much everything it wanted,” he said, adding, “if it just asked nicely.”
But buying Greenland — something that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday was Mr. Trump’s latest plan — is a different question.
Greenland does not want to be bought by anyone — especially not the United States. And Denmark does not have the authority to sell it, Dr. Olesen said.
In the past, Denmark would have been the decider. In 1946, it refused the Truman administration’s offer of $100 million in gold.
Today, things are different. Greenlanders now have the right to hold a referendum on independence and Danish officials have said it’s up to the island’s 57,000 inhabitants to decide their future. A poll last year found 85 percent of residents opposed the idea of an American takeover.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has repeatedly scoffed at the idea of being bought, saying this past week, “Our country is not for sale.”
Over 99% of Epstein files have not been made public
Time - More than two weeks after the deadline for the release of all files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, top Department of Justice officials have disclosed that more than 99% percent of the materials have not yet been made public.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in an update to a federal judge who oversaw the case against Epstein’s case on Monday that over two million documents “remain in various phases of review and redaction.”
According to the letter, the DOJ has released roughly 12,285 documents to date, totalling around 125,575 pages of material.
The officials reiterated that the review of the remaining files will require an enormous undertaking, estimating that around 400 lawyers “will dedicate all or a substantial portion of their workday to comply” with the law Congress passed in November to compel the material’s release, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, for the “next few weeks ahead.”
They added that more than 100 “specially trained document analysts with experience handling sensitive victim materials” from the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be assisting.
NPR recalls Jan 6
NPR - On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Trump held a "Save America" rally at the Ellipse, a site near the White House and U.S. Capitol. Multiple speakers promoted voter fraud myths and urged Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election. Meanwhile, a group of 200 Proud Boys marched toward the Capitol. Before Trump’s speech ended, violence erupted on Capitol grounds. The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol “was the most videotaped crime in American history, if not world history,” according to Greg Rosen, a former federal prosecutor who led the Justice Department unit that investigated the riot. But conspiracy theories still falsely label the assault a "normal tourist visit." NPR’s review of thousands of court videos shows rioters assaulting officers with weapons, calling for executions and looting the building. These videos show the exact timing of events as they occurred. Corresponding maps show the locations where the conflict took place.
To learn more, explore NPR's database of federal criminal cases from Jan. 6. You can also see more of NPR's reporting on the topic.
To learn more, explore NPR's database of federal criminal cases from Jan. 6. You can also see more of NPR's reporting on the topic.
Co-ops
Doug O'Brien, President/CEO National Cooperative Business Assn - As we look toward the year ahead, like all businesses, cooperatives face a great amount of uncertainty—in the economy, in policy and in how people engage with their work and each other.
The accelerating pace of technological change in AI and beyond presents both opportunities for businesses to increase productivity and major risks for individuals, both as workers and private citizens. Meanwhile, the long-term slide in people’s confidence in institutions, both public and private, continues. Finally, while some economic indicators show positive signs for the overall economy, far too many households find it nearly impossible to keep up with rising costs. With each of these dynamics—technology, institutional confidence and affordability—cooperatives have a unique and important role to play. When people own and control their own businesses, they can make sure those businesses benefits their members and communities. To put it plainly, the country and the world need cooperatives now more than ever.
For co-ops to thrive, they need to work together. This fact is baked into the Cooperative Identity in the 6th Cooperative Principle, “Cooperation among cooperatives.” While this principle includes the idea of co-ops doing business together, it also focuses on co-ops working together in association to ensure a better policy environment and to increase the public’s understanding. For these reasons, a group of co-ops came together 110 years ago to establish a cross-sector association for the U.S. then called the Cooperative League of the United States of America—what is currently known as the National Cooperative Business Association. Because co-ops are so critical for this moment, our work is as important as ever.
NCBA - There are 1300 worker cop=ops nationwide, a number that has tripled in the past decade—with more than half launched in the past five years.
Politics
The Hill - House Republicans mapping out their legislative agenda for 2026 got a start-of-year pep talk on Tuesday from President Trump, who has been key in unifying the GOP behind his priorities, at a policy retreat at the Kennedy Center — newly renamed the “Trump Kennedy Center.” But the meandering off-script, hour-and-a-half speech provided few specifics or directives, even as the president stressed the importance of electoral success.
The midterms do have big stakes, and the months leading up to them are likely to show off the conflicting opinions within the House GOP about what kind of priorities to pursue.
The midterms threaten to end the GOP’s control of Congress, and the Republicans’ razor-thin majority is a reminder of how easily it could be lost this fall.
"You got to win the midterms. Because if we don’t win the midterms … they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Trump said.
The midterms do have big stakes, and the months leading up to them are likely to show off the conflicting opinions within the House GOP about what kind of priorities to pursue.
The midterms threaten to end the GOP’s control of Congress, and the Republicans’ razor-thin majority is a reminder of how easily it could be lost this fall.
"You got to win the midterms. Because if we don’t win the midterms … they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Trump said.
Justices Trigger Policy Earthquake
Newsworthy News - The Supreme Court’s shadow docket has emerged as a pivotal instrument in the Trump-Vance administration’s strategy to implement significant policy changes. This tool allows for emergency orders without full briefing, facilitating rapid shifts in immigration profiling, military policies, and federal agency operations. The administration has submitted an unprecedented 28 emergency applications since mid-September 2025, compared to eight during the previous 16 years under Bush and Obama.
Critics argue that this process undermines the Court’s deliberative function, eroding constitutional protections and due process. The liberal justices, including Justice Sotomayor, have voiced strong dissent, particularly against policies that allow racial profiling in immigration enforcement. This division among the justices highlights the ideological split, with conservative justices such as Justice Kavanaugh supporting the administration’s enforcement efficiency.
Venezuela
Time - The United Nations on Tuesday said the action from the U.S. has made “all States less safe around the world.” This follows significant criticism and caution from world leaders regarding the Venezuela operation. Furthermore, since Saturday’s pre-dawn raid in Caracas, Trump has threatened that the U.S. may carry out interventions elsewhere in the world, prompting further concern and disapproval.
The Hill - Days after a daring military operation to seize its leader, President Trump’s gambit for Venezuela’s massive oil reserves is coming into focus. That, and the future of Venezuela, are raising questions on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. on Wednesday also seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the North Atlantic. One vessel was flying a Russian flag.
Trump plans to meet later this week with American oil executives, a senior White House official confirmed to NewsNation, as he pushes for investment in the South American nation’s oil industry.
Meanwhile, Greenland has also found itself again in Trump’s crosshairs, resulting in quick pushback from European leaders and even some GOP senators. Here’s what you need to know.
Axios - Forget talk about elections and democracy in Venezuela. The Trump administration has a simple goal there: Back a pro-U.S. government — and prop it up with millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil.
The plan hinges on the U.S. taking de facto control of oil production in Venezuela, which may have the largest crude reserves in the world but has been crippled by the twin forces of kleptocracy and U.S. sanctions....
President Trump announced yesterday on Truth Social that the U.S. would receive as many as 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil from Venezuela, worth about $2.5 billion. Venezuela would share in the profits from the sale, Trump said...
Trump's announcement yesterday came at a crucial time for Venezuela's petrol-funded government. It's teetering on economic collapse, partly because of a U.S. blockade of most oil tankers leaving the country, sent there to pressure Maduro to leave office...
The toppling of Maduro was a surgical strike that left the rest of his socialist regime in place in Caracas, an effort to keep it stable. Some members of Venezuela's opposition have continued to press for fair elections after widespread voter fraud has kept Maduro in power....
Friday's meeting is expected to include representatives from Chevron, Exxon and ConocoPhillips, the Wall Street Journal reports. And Energy Secretary Chris Wright will meet with several companies at an industry conference in Miami today, a spokesman said. Full Story
The Hill - The U.S. has seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela. The U.S. European Command said Wednesday on the social platform X that the Defense Department, in conjunction with the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security, seized the M/V Bella 1 ship in the North Atlantic “for violations of U.S. sanctions.” This marks the third such vessel the U.S. has captured in the last month. It also comes less than a week after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
January 6, 2026
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