[Sunday, January 04] US News Headlines from r/politics

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DAILY BRIEFING

By Dr. Headline, HeadlineSquare January 4, 2026

Executive Summary

• U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in “Operation Midway Blitz” and moved him to a New York jail.
• President Trump declared the U.S. will “run” Venezuela under a new “‘Don-roe Doctrine’” to control oil, sparking a fierce constitutional debate.
• The intervention ignited a leadership crisis in Venezuela and intense domestic backlash, with Democrats raising impeachment threats and the GOP showing fractures.
• Simultaneously, the administration renewed its push to annex Greenland, provoking tensions with Denmark.
• On the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6, a new report alleges government efforts to erase information on the attack.

1. The U.S. Intervention in Venezuela

1.1. Operation ‘Midway Blitz’: Maduro’s Capture and Detention

A targeted U.S. military operation in Venezuela, named “Operation Midway Blitz” by President Trump, has culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro [1]. He is now being held in a “notorious Brooklyn jail,” with the U.S. government unsealing an indictment to provide a legal basis for the action [2]. Upon being taken into custody, Maduro was quoted as wishing U.S. agents a “Happy New Year” [3]. The military strike reportedly proceeded despite an earlier offer from Venezuelan leaders for a “path to stay in power without Maduro,” suggesting a potential diplomatic off-ramp was available [4]. The specific timing for why the “U.S. went after Maduro” is now the subject of intense media analysis [5].

1.2. The ‘Don-roe Doctrine’: U.S. Strategy and Rationale

President Trump declared the U.S. will temporarily “run” Venezuela and coined the term “‘Don-roe Doctrine’” to describe the new policy [1, 2]. He stated the goal is to “fix oil infrastructure” to “‘Get the Oil Flowing’,” confirming he is “not afraid of boots on the ground” if necessary [3]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, dubbed the “Viceroy of Venezuela” by The Washington Post, asserted the U.S. is running “’the direction’ of Venezuela situation” and will use an oil blockade to “press for changes” [4]. The administration is framing the action as a “law enforcement operation,” with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arguing it is the “’exact opposite’ of Iraq” and Vice President JD Vance contending it will help “curb fentanyl crisis” [5, 6].

1.3. Contested Governance and the On-the-Ground Situation

The intervention has created a power vacuum. In a key development, Venezuela’s military has recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the nation’s acting leader [1]. President Trump, however, has issued direct threats to Rodriguez, warning she will “pay a very big price” and could face a “fate worse than Maduro’s” [2]. Other Venezuelan officials have vowed defiance, declaring, “‘We will not be anyone’s colony’” [3]. A Venezuelan official stated that “at least 40 people were killed” during the U.S. attack, and civilians are described as “shocked,” with reactions starkly divided between celebrations among exiles in South Florida and apprehension in Caracas [4, 5].

2. U.S. Political Fallout & Landscape

2.1. A Nation Divided: Fierce Partisan Reactions in Congress

The attack has triggered deep political fractures. Democratic leaders are described as “furious” over the “‘insane’ Venezuela attack,” with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it a “violation of the law” [1, 2]. In a significant escalation, Rep. Maxine Waters stated that Democrats are beginning to call for President Trump’s impeachment and that she is “reconsidering” her view on its political possibility [3]. On the Republican side, the action has “rallied Republican hawks” but exposed fissures in the ‘America First’ coalition [4]. Several top Republicans are “backpedaling” from Trump’s claim that the U.S. will run Venezuela, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene broke with the President, calling the move “’the same Washington playbook’ that we’re ‘sick and tired of’” [5, 6].

2.2. The Jan. 6th Capitol Riot: Five Years On

On the fifth anniversary of the January 6th attack, the event remains a point of deep national division and new controversy. An NPR investigation alleges that “the government tried to erase information about January 6,” suggesting a potential official cover-up of facts related to the riot [1]. This development comes amid reports of a “stubborn fight over the basic facts” of the attack, demonstrating a lack of public consensus on its history and meaning five years later [2]. Meanwhile, officers who defended the Capitol report that their “struggles linger,” highlighting the lasting personal toll of the event [3]. Prominent Jan. 6th defendants are also reportedly planning a march on the Capitol to mark the anniversary [4].

3. International Reactions & Expanded Foreign Policy

3.1. Global Outcry and Allied Dismay Over Venezuela

The U.S. operation has prompted a “global outcry,” with key allies expressing confusion [1]. The UK government, for example, stated it is “’not entirely clear’ what it means for US to run Venezuela” [2]. China directly responded, signaling it “won’t give an inch to the U.S. in Latin America” [3]. Pope Leo XIV has issued a call for Venezuela to “remain an independent country,” and critics warn the unilateral action sets a dangerous precedent that could empower other global powers to “carve up the world” [4, 5].

3.2. A Broader Assertive Posture: Greenland and Cuba

The Venezuela intervention appears to be part of a wider foreign policy, with President Trump declaring “the whole hemisphere is in play” [1]. Hours after the strike, he renewed his push to annex Greenland, stating, “‘We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense’” [2]. The move provoked a swift rebuke from the Danish Prime Minister, who told the President to stop his “’threats’ against Greenland” [3]. Extending this posture, Secretary Rubio has refused to rule out a future U.S. strike against Cuba, which President Trump separately noted is “something we’ll end up talking about” [4].

4. Legal, Economic, and Domestic Affairs

4.1. Constitutional Crisis: The War Powers and Legality Debate

The decision to bypass Congress has raised profound legal questions, with analyses examining “how Trump circumventing Congress is different from previous presidents” [1]. Critics have argued the President “should have tried to get congressional authorization,” and a report noted senior official Susie Wiles had previously stated such an action would require it [2, 3]. The cost of the operation is also under scrutiny, with the price tag for “Operation Midway Blitz” reported as “$59M and counting” [4].

4.2. Economic Headwinds and Financial Scrutiny

Oil remains the central economic factor in the intervention, but despite President Trump’s claim that U.S. firms will invest billions, major oil companies have remained “silent” [1]. Separately, The New Republic has raised questions about potential insider trading immediately prior to the attack [2]. Domestically, a Wall Street Journal analysis warns that the next class of senators will be forced to confront the Social Security program’s projected 2032 insolvency during their term [3]. Critics also argue that while President Trump claims the U.S. has the “‘hottest’ economy,” markets indicate the country has “fallen behind its global peers” since 2025 [4].

4.3. Domestic Policy and Eroding Public Trust

The administration continues its restrictive immigration agenda, with the DHS reportedly having “paused immigration applications for an additional 20 countries” and at-large ICE arrests having “more than doubled” [1, 2]. In a concerning development, Canadian officials now publicly state they no longer consider U.S. health agencies “dependable for accurate information,” citing “misinformation from the Trump administration” as a driver of public health issues in Canada [3]. This coincides with new warnings about a growing measles outbreak in South Carolina [4].

4.4. The Judiciary: Supreme Court & Other Matters

The Supreme Court has reportedly “delayed direct conflict with Trump,” pushing decisions on birthright citizenship and presidential tariffs into its 2026 term, though it will hear a major gun rights case in its February sitting [1, 2]. In a separate electoral matter, the Court declined to expedite a ruling on Louisiana’s challenged congressional map, allowing the state to use it in upcoming elections [3]. Additionally, a deposition of Special Counsel Jack Smith concerning his probes into Donald Trump has been released, while a “Key Epstein Deadline” has been reached, though it was largely overshadowed by the Venezuela crisis [4, 5].

References

Section 1.1
[1] Egomaniac Trump Names Stunning Venezuela Move for Himself, https://www.thedailybeast.com/egomaniac-trump-names-stunning-venezuela-move-for-himself/
[2] After capture and removal, Venezuela’s Maduro is being held at notorious Brooklyn jail, https://apnews.com/article/maduro-federal-prisons-jails-mdc-brooklyn-f985d47a1aa82ac330aa8a2e004f3db2
[3] Maduro wishes US agents ‘Happy New Year’ as he is escorted to jail, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/04/maduro-wishes-us-agents-happy-new-year-perp-walk-new-york/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_fb_photo_year-perp-walk-new-york%2F
[4] Venezuelan leaders offered U.S. a path to stay in power without Maduro, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article312516272.html
[5] Why the U.S. went after Maduro, https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-reasons-us-venezuela

Section 1.2
[1] Trump says US will temporarily run Venezuela, ‘not afraid of boots on ground’ if necessary, https://nypost.com/2026/01/03/world-news/trump-says-us-will-now-take-over-running-venezuela-after-nicolas-maduro-was-captured-in-the-dead-of-night/
[2] Trump coins ‘Don-roe Doctrine’ as he explains Venezuela operation, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5671516-trump-donroe-doctrine-venezuela/
[3] Donald Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela and ‘fix oil infrastructure’, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9enjeey3go
[4] Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/04/rubio-venezuela-maduro
[5] Pete Hegseth says U.S. intervention in Venezuela is "exact opposite" of Iraq, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/pete-hegseth-cbs-evening-news-us-military-venezuela-iraq/
[6] Vance argues Venezuela attack will help curb fentanyl crisis, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/04/vance-venezuela-attack-fentanyl-00710281

Section 1.3
[1] Venezuela’s military recognizes Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting leader after Maduro’s capture, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-military-delcy-rodriguez-acting-leader-nicolas-maduro/
[2] ‘She is going to pay a very big price’: Trump issues new threat to interim leader of Venezuela, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/venezuela-trump-maduro-rcna252177
[3] ‘We will not be anyone’s colony’: Venezuela’s government seeks to reassert control, https://www.ft.com/content/a0e1c485-03d6-4e5b-b16c-b3ca36429de9
[4] Venezuelan Official Says at Least 40 People Were Killed in U.S. Attack, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/world/americas/venezuela-airstrike-civilian-deaths.html
[5] Nicolás Maduro’s capture by US met with celebrations in South Florida and apprehension in Caracas, https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/us/reaction-us-venezuela-maduro-capture

Section 2.1
[1] Furious Dems float retaliation over Trump’s "insane" Venezuela attack, https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/trump-venezuela-maduro-democrats-congress
[2] ‘It’s a violation of the law’: Schumer criticizes Trump’s decision to strike Venezuela, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/violation-law-schumer-criticizes-trumps-decision-strike-venezuela/story?id=128885148
[3] Democrats begin to call for Trump’s impeachment over Venezuela attack: “Many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality,” Rep. Maxine Waters said. “I am reconsidering that view.”, https://www.notus.org/democrats/democrats-trump-impeachment-venezuela-nicolas-maduro-maxine-waters-dan-goldman
[4] In Toppling Maduro, Trump Risks Blowback from ‘America First’ Base: President Trump’s pledge that the United States would “run” Venezuela for an indefinite period showed he is willing to enter foreign conflicts he once promised to end., https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/us/politics/maduro-trump-base-america-first.html
[5] Top Republicans backpedal from Trump claim that US will run Venezuela, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/venezuela-trump-rubio-republicans
[6] Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says Maduro capture is ’the same Washington playbook’ that we’re ‘sick and tired of’, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/marjorie-taylor-greene-maduro-capture-america-first-trump-rcna252147

Section 2.2
[1] NPR investigation shows how the government tried to erase information about January 6, https://www.npr.org/2026/01/04/nx-s1-5649713/npr-investigation-shows-how-the-government-tried-to-erase-information-about-january-6
[2] 5 years later, a stubborn fight over the basic facts of the Jan. 6 riot, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/january-6-attack-5-years-later-trump-pardons/
[3] Officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 say their struggles linger, 5 years after the riot, https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/donald-trump-washington-fbi-bureau-of-prisons-congress-b2894192.html
[4] Prominent Jan. 6 defendants plan to march to Capitol to mark 5 years since attack, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/january-6-capitol-march-5-years/

Section 3.1
[1] Global outcry after US launches strikes on Venezuela and captures president, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/colombia-sends-armed-forces-venezuela-border-concern-refugee-influx
[2] UK ‘not entirely clear’ what it means for US to run Venezuela, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/04/uk-unclear-us-attack-venezuela
[3] China Signals It Won’t Give an Inch to the U.S. in Latin America, https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/china-signals-it-wont-give-an-inch-to-the-u-s-in-latin-america-ba03bd24
[4] Pope Leo calls for Venezuela to remain an independent country, https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/pope-leo-calls-venezuela-remain-an-independent-country-2026-01-04/
[5] Trump Has Started Carving Up the World. Now It’s Putin and Xi’s Turn., https://newrepublic.com/article/204892/trump-venezuela-carving-world-putin-xi-next

Section 3.2
[1] After Venezuela operation, Trump says the whole hemisphere is in play, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-venezela-mexico-00710063
[2] Trump Renews Push to Annex Greenland Hours After Venezuela Strike: ‘We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.’, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/04/greenland-trump-venezuela/88018306007/
[3] Danish PM tells Trump to stop ’threats’ against Greenland., https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0zg974v1o
[4] “They’re in a lot of trouble”: Rubio refuses to rule out Cuba strike from US, https://www.salon.com/2026/01/04/theyre-in-a-lot-of-trouble-rubio-refuses-to-rule-out-cuba-strike-from-us/

Section 4.1
[1] How Trump circumventing Congress is different from previous presidents, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/04/trump-congress-venezuela-attack
[2] Trump should have tried to get congressional authorization if he wanted to strike Venezuela and capture Maduro, https://reason.com/2026/01/03/trump-should-have-gotten-congressional-authorization-to-strike-venezuela-and-capture-maduro/
[3] Susie Wiles Told Vanity Fair That Military Action in Venezuela Requires Congressional Approval, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/susie-wiles-congressional-approval-venezuela-war
[4] Cost of Operation Midway Blitz: $59M and counting, https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/operation-midway-blitz-cost/

Section 4.2
[1] US oil giants silent on Trump claim they will spend billions on Venezuelan oil industry, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/03/us-oil-trump-venezuela
[2] Was Someone Insider Trading Right Before Trump’s Attack on Venezuela?, https://newrepublic.com/post/204885/insider-trading-trump-attack-venezuela-maduro-polymarket
[3] The Next Class of Senators Won’t Be Able to Dodge the Social Security Crunch: Those elected this fall will face program’s 2032 insolvency deadline during their six-year terms, https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/the-next-class-of-senators-wont-be-able-to-dodge-the-social-security-crunch-67193b54?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqezdLy_w9adQkDHQXq2814TrVqkvqprshfzBrclAC60ck-LtbRPrq7q&gaa_ts=695a9c67&gaa_sig=VqefxiKYplLau7UrYY67sJividPQ7Zm0X83QlSc665QK5-3H9RU45yfSWWS82L3TD7fJaX76szTfvUeL2nxZSg%3D%3D
[4] Trump Says We Have the “Hottest” Economy. Markets Tell a Different Story. | The U.S. economy entered 2025 as the “envy of the world.” It exited well behind its peers., https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-says-we-have-the-hottest-economy-markets-tell-different-story

Section 4.3
[1] DHS pauses immigration applications for an additional 20 countries, https://www.npr.org/2026/01/02/g-s1-104284/dhs-pause-immigration-applications-20-countries
[2] ICE At-Large Arrests Has More Than Doubled as Enforcement Shifts to Communities: Report, https://www.latintimes.com/ice-large-arrests-has-more-doubled-enforcement-shifts-communities-report-593021
[3] Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information | Misinformation from the Trump administration is cited as fuelling Canadians’ concerns over childhood vaccinations, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/canada-us-health-institutions-information
[4] New health warnings as measles outbreak grows in South Carolina, https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/02/health/video/measles-outbreak-antivax-vaccination-maha-lead

Section 4.4
[1] The Supreme Court has delayed direct conflict with Trump, but history suggests that will soon change | The court, with its conservative majority, pushed decisions on contentious issues like birthright citizenship and President Trump’s tariffs into 2026., https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-new-term-trump-tariffs-birthright-citizenship-fed-rcna249340
[2] Court announces it will hear case on gun rights among several others in February sitting, https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/01/court-announces-it-will-hear-case-on-gun-rights-among-several-others-in-february-sitting/
[3] Louisiana will use challenged congressional map after Supreme Court declines to expedite ruling, https://lailluminator.com/2026/01/02/louisiana-will-use-challenged-congressional-map-after-supreme-court-declines-to-expedite-ruling/
[4] 5 key takeaways from Jack Smith’s deposition on the Trump probes, https://www.axios.com/2025/12/31/trump-jack-smith-election-transcript-testimony-fbi
[5] Key Epstein Deadline Arrives as Attention Turns to Venezuela, https://www.thedailybeast.com/key-epstein-deadline-arrives-as-attention-turns-to-venezuela/

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