https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6rYLzfZu6U
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
‘An illegal war’: Democratic 2028ers scold Trump on Venezuela - POLITICO
Most would-be Democratic White House hopefuls piled on the president — while his possible Republican successors quickly voiced their support...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-venezuela-democrats-2028-president-00709912
Jan. 6, 2021: A visual archive of the Capitol attack : NPR
A visual archive of Jan. 6, 2021, through the lenses of those who were there.
https://apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
Trump administration launches new bid to pressure US oil companies on Venezuela - POLITICO
Calls that Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are planning with chief executives represent some of the first official outreach that the administration has made to the U.S. companies after months of informal discussions with people in the sector, these people said — days after President Donald Trump told reporters that "our very large United States oil companies" will "spend billions of dollars" in Venezuela...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-venezuela-oil-fields-00710893
Inside Congress Live
Negotiators have finalized a compromise on the Energy-Water, Commerce-Justice-Science and Interior-Environment spending measures...
House will vote Thursday to override Trump veto of two GOP-backed bills - Live Updates - POLITICO
It’s not yet clear whether the override votes will clear the Senate.
HHS dramatically overhauls childhood vaccine schedule, downgrading advice for flu, meningitis, other shots - POLITICO
Federal officials say the U.S. schedule should be more in line with slimmer recommendations in other countries. Public health experts say the goal belies big differences between health systems and disease prevalence...
1 in 3 Americans supports US ousting Maduro, per new poll - POLITICO
More than two-thirds of Republicans approved of the Trump administration's military operation in Venezuela, while Democrats were largely opposed...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/maduro-ouster-american-support-poll-00711771
Pentagon moves to punish senator for anti-Trump video - POLITICO
He said the department has initiated proceedings to demote Kelly from a retired Navy captain to a lower rank, with a corresponding reduction in pay. The senator has 30 days to appeal the move...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/hegseth-kelly-punish-video-00710555
Trump has a list of demands for Venezuela’s new leader - POLITICO
"She also needs to move herself away from what happened," Berg said. "While at the same time, she needs to be open to pushing pro-U.S. policies that are going to be very difficult for her regime to swallow, given that they have a 27-year history of seeing the United States as the greatest enemy."…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-demands-venezuela-leader-00711728
Trump’s Venezuela moves shake Florida politics as midterms heat up - POLITICO
Florida politicians have long harnessed opposition to Nicolás Maduro to energize Venezuelan American voters. Now, Republicans are eager to turn his capture under President Donald Trump into a midterm mobilization moment...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-venezuela-florida-politics-midterms-00711537
GOP hawks cheer Trump’s Maduro grab - POLITICO
Saturday's surprise operation has produced a partisan split-screen much like the reaction to Trump's months long strikes against suspected drug ferrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean — with Democrats decrying a thin legal justification and an unneeded use of the military while many GOP hawks appear willing to give Trump latitude to deal with what they contend is a national security threat...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/gop-hawks-trump-maduro-venezuela-00709776
Dense, sticky and heavy: why Venezuelan crude oil appeals to US refineries
Venezuelan oil is particularly dense and sticky. The high-sulphur crude more closely resembles a semi-solid tar than the far clearer liquids produced in US shale heartlands, making it more difficult to extract and process into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and feedstock for the chemicals industry. But it is exactly what many refineries in the US were built to treat.
As a result, the US remains a major importer of crude to feed its refineries, despite being one of the biggest oil exporters in the world. Access to Venezuelan crude at an attractive price could play an important role in sating Trump's appetite for cheap energy to fuel the "reindustrialisation" of the US economy...
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/venezuelan-crude-oil-appeals-to-us-refineries
Jack Smith Testifies (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
Jack Smith testified for 8 hours to House Judiciary.
Allison picked some of the key moments to talk about.
You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/6a1TCDYI4cE?si=5noQnlq3M-REYTaf
Interview:
You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/6a1TCDYI4cE?si=5noQnlq3M-REYTaf
Interview:
Christian thinks the bible has been proven true.... learns tough lesson. (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
Interesting caller attempts a litany of bad talking about for the bible being true. Goes about as well as expected.
Interview:
Monday, January 5, 2026
‘It’s our turn’: gun-safety advocates are riding a ‘seismic’ wave to US legislatures
A new generation of young political leaders is gaining power in the US by using their personal experience with gun violence to push for reforms they say the US is ready for...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/02/gun-safety-law-us-legislation
Trump circumventing Congress is different from previous presidents
"Where will this go next? Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies?"…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/04/trump-congress-venezuela-attack
California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules
Ninth circuit sides with gun owner that ban in counties with more than 200,000 people violates second amendment…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/02/california-ban-open-carry-unconstitutional
Protests erupt in US cities over Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela
Protests bubbled up in several US cities over the weekend as people demonstrated against the Trump administration's unilateral military intervention in Venezuela – even as many in the diaspora publicly celebrated the forced removal of president Nicolás Maduro...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/venezuela-trump-protests-us-cities
‘They lied to our face’: Democrats decry Trump’s military raid on Venezuela
"They literally lied to our face," said Chris Murphy, a US senator from Connecticut, on Sunday, referring to a briefing on Venezuela that the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, gave to his chamber last month. "The message they sent was that this wasn't about regime change … They said this is just a counter-narcotics operation."
In an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Murphy called the action in Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday "wildly illegal", adding: "There is no way to trust this administration."
‘The perfect storm’: Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say
Donald Trump has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, according to emergency management experts.
The first year of his second term was marked by crackdowns on climate science that produced world-class weather forecasts and the gutting of frontline federal agencies - policies that have left the country, already struggling to keep pace with severe storms, even more at risk...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/04/donald-trump-disaster-response-preparedness
Flooding forces hundreds to flee homeless shelter in San Diego
For the third time in seven years, hundreds of people had to flee a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego this week after a heavy storm dropped a month's worth of rain, causing floods...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/04/san-diego-flooding-evacuation-homeless-shelter
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
Two Jacked Christians FLEX on Soyboy Atheism (Wes Huff response) (Paulogia on YouTube)
Two alpha Christians try to flex their way through the toughest atheist arguments — from the Big Bang to moral realism and the resurrection. But do the arguments hit as hard as the bench press? In this breakdown, we separate muscle from logic and see what really holds up under pressure.
Interview:
Sunday, January 4, 2026
‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate?
"It was jaw-dropping," said Wilson, a former oil and gas worker from Texas who has documented methane releases for more than a decade and estimates xAI's Colossus datacentre was spewing more of the planet-heating gas than a large power plant. "Just an unbelievable amount of pollution."…
Why has US attacked Caracas and captured Venezuela’s president?
Trump's unprecedented capture of Nicolás Maduro follows months of military campaign and years of strained relationship…
Trump claims US has captured Venezuela’s President Maduro and wife
In a statement, Venezuela's government urged citizens to rise up against the assault and said Washington risked plunging Latin America into chaos with "an extremely serious" act of "military aggression".
"The entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression," it added.
In a defiant online video, Venezuela's defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, accused the US of launching a "deplorable" and "criminal" regime change operation and said the "barbaric" invading forces had "desecrated our sacred land".…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/explosions-reported-venezuela-caracas
‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime
They execute, and arrest us anyway. So people now think, if they continue to kill us when we are not even on the streets in protest, why the fuck are we waiting for the right moment?" said Mehnaz, speaking under a pseudonym for fear of repercussions...
"Joining these protests is a matter of ruining our future, but we have realised there is no future for us under this regime, so why cower and hide now?" said Reza, who asked to use a pseudonym…
Johnny's call to DZ Debates, 11/19/2025
I recommend this select portion of this video because:
- Johnny asks good questions that religious people have of non-believers,
- Justin and Sarah are good at explaining, and
- Included is a demonstration of how sloppy and misleading ChatGPT can be in answering theological questions.
- How can you not believe in a creator? How can something come from nothing?
- The universe runs on laws. How can there not be a law-giver?
- How do you explain consciousness?
- Where do our concepts of right and wrong come from?
- Doesn't the fact that I know right from wrong mean I have a soul? If not, how do you explain that?
- What is spirit?
- What do we need science for?
- Didn't Jesus fulfill prophecies? (Hint: No. None.)
- What about the trinity? (Hint: It breaks the laws of logic.)
Justin explains the fundamental laws of logic:
- The Law of Identity: A thing cannot be "A" and "not A" at the same time and in the same way.
- The Law of Non-Contradiction: A thing cannot be both true and false at the same time.
- The Law of the Excluded Middle: Every proposition or claim must be either true or false. It cannot be both true and false. There is no in-between.
Can God be identical to himself and also not himself? The God of the Christian Bible has contradictory properties, which therefore, by definition, cannot be true. Conclusion: The God of the Bible cannot exist. You have to drop some properties. Therefore, either the God of the Bible does not exist entirely, or the description of the God in the Bible is wrong.
Johnny calls upon ChatGPT for help. Did Jesus fulfill any prophecies? ChatGPT says yes; Justin proves it wrong, by showing that if you use a loose definition of "fulfill" that ChatGPT uses, and ignore the context of verses, then Justin himself fulfills the same prophecies in the same way Jesus did. Sarah and Justin explain why ChatGPT will never reliably give the correct answer because it has no ability to evaluate the quality of its sources of information; it just guesses based upon what is most popular.
The following questions are asked of ChatGPT:
Q: Is Jesus 100% God?
Q: Can you be 100% of something while not having all of its attributes?
Q: What are the essential properties of God?
Q: Are the Omni properties essential properties of the God of the Bible?
Q: Is Jesus omniscient?
Q: How is Jesus omniscient if he does not know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36)?
Q: How can an omnipotent being be limited?
At first, ChatGPT agrees with Johnny by saying Jesus only seemed to not be God because he turned off his all-knowingness temporarily. Justin suggests Johnny keep pressing ChatGPT with detailed follow-up questions, and ultimately, ChatGPT agrees with Justin, that Jesus could not logically be identical to God because he was not omniscient or omnipotent; it just a Christian mystery.
One big take-away is the astonishing degree to which ChatGPT has been trained to defend Christian theology unless you force it to acknowledge its logical inconsistency.
Interview with Johnny begins at 4:40:06 in the video:
Feeding 5,000: Origins of a Miracle (Dan McClellan; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Gather 5,000 of your best friends and let's have a pot-luck. We're talking loaves, we're talking fishes, and we're comparing not two, not three, but ALL FOUR GOSPELS! It's a miracle!
Interview:
Shiny Jesus: The Transfiguration (Dan McClellan; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Get some sunglasses, because this week we're shining bright like a diamond! That's right, we're diving into all the glowy sparkle that is the transfiguration of Jesus. What is that story really about? What happened on that hill? And why does everyone drag Peter for offering to set up tents? He was just brainstorming! No stupid questions, right?
Interview:
FFRF's 2025 legal accomplishments and John's book, "Separation of Church and Hate" (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
Actor, comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang describes his new book, Separation of Church and Hate. FFRF’s Legal Director Patrick Elliott sums up our many accomplishments in 2025.
Interview:
Saturday, January 3, 2026
"Is Good From God?" — The God Debate II: Harris vs. Craig - YouTube
The second annual God Debate features atheist neuroscientist Sam Harris and Evangelical Christian apologist William Lane Craig as they debate the topic: "Is Good From God?" The debate was sponsored in large part by the Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters: The Henkels Lecturer Series, The Center for Philosophy of Religion and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.
Trump and MAGA leaders LASH OUT after UNEXPECTED LOSSES
Ken Harbaugh reflects on a year of escalating authoritarianism under Trump—and the growing resistance pushing back—as he shares a chilling example of MAGA paranoia aimed at his friend and frequent guest, Kris Goldsmith. As America enters 2026, this conversation exposes how threats and intimidation are signs of weakness, not strength, and why bullies lash out when they’re losing.
Friday, January 2, 2026
Abortion may no longer be a top priority for Democratic voters ahead of 2026 midterms, polls show
Abortion was seen as one of Democrats' strongest issues in the 2024 election – new polls indicate that may be shifting…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/01/abortion-states-2026-midterms
Gavin Newsom Taunts 'Total Loser' Trump In New Year's Message | HuffPost Latest News
"We will never forgive him for marching soldiers into our beautiful cities, raising taxes so he can give your money to his rich friends, his stupid tariffs, ripping babies away from their mothers, throwing grandmas off their healthcare, promising aid for the people of Los Angeles to rebuild homes and then vanishing," Newsom posted. "He is a total fraud, total coward, and total loser!""
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gavin-newsom-trump-new-year-message_n_695621f3e4b0570458f0b579
Democrat Renee Hardman wins Iowa state Senate seat in special election - The Washington Post
A Democrat won a special election for an Iowa state Senate seatTuesday, denying Republicans the opportunity to regain a supermajority in the chamber and handing the Democratic Party a large-margin victory ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Renee Hardman, a member of the West Des Moines City Council, received 71.4 percent of the vote…
Kennedy Center changed board rules months before Trump renaming vote - The Washington Post
Whitehouse said the statute "makes no distinction between ex officio and presidentially appointed Trustees when it comes to members' rights and responsibilities on the board, including voting," and he accused the Trump-appointed board of attempting to "illegally change the bylaws to silence dissent."…
‘We want the mullahs gone’: economic crisis sparks biggest protests in Iran since 2022
"If the administration wanted to talk, they wouldn't fire teargas, shoot at protesters and if dialogue is what they wanted, they would not have executed protesters in 2023. There is no willingness from any of us to talk to them, we want the mullahs gone and we want democracy," Farhad added...
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Comer wants Walz to appear before Congress amid Minnesota fraud allegations - POLITICO
"We're always happy to work with Congress, though this committee has a track record of holding circus hearings that have nothing to do with the issue at hand," the office said. "While the Governor has been working to ensure fraudsters go to prison, the President has been selling pardons to let them out."…
Trump ends National Guard deployment in 3 cities after Supreme Court loss - POLITICO
The president said troops will no longer be in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland...
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/31/donald-trump-national-guard-deployment-00708714
Trump administration reportedly freezes all childcare payments to all states
Trump official says funds will be released 'only when states prove they are being spent legitimately'…
Minutes of latest Federal Reserve meeting reveal deep divide over interest rates
Even some of those who supported the rate cut acknowledged "the decision was finely balanced or that they could have supported keeping the target range unchanged", given the different risks facing the US economy, according to the minutes released on Tuesday...
7 takeaways from Jack Smith’s congressional testimony - POLITICO
The New Year's Eve transcript release buries details from the former special counsel's investigation into Donald Trump…
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/31/takeaways-jack-smith-congressional-testimony-00708747
Russians enraged by plans to cut mobile internet on New Year’s Eve - The Washington Post
"Thank you, Big Brother! Finally, someone has decided what I should watch. Otherwise, I would have chosen for myself, like a fool," one reader posted on the Telegram channel of Astra, an independent news site. "Next year, we are looking forward to a power outage so that we can take a break from the harmful light of electric bulbs and sit by candlelight, like in the good old days."…
🚨 FULL JACK SMITH VIDEO DEPOSITION ON TRUMP CRIMES (MeidasTouch)
Watch the full video of the House Judiciary Committee’s closed-door hearing with former Special Counsel Jack Smith, conducted on December 17, 2025, where he speaks candidly about Trump’s crimes and the cases he brought against him.
Interview:
Trump administration freezes childcare funding to Minnesota in wake of fraud scheme allegations
The senior health official credited the rightwing influencer Nick Shirley, who posted video of himself confronting workers at day care centers operated by Somali Americans in Minneapolis last week. Shirley's video, which was widely viewed online, has been criticized for falsely presenting as new revelations allegations of fraud schemes that were extensively reported on in the local and national media during the Biden administration…
"This is Trump's long game," Walz wrote on social media in response to the announcement from O'Neill, "We've spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It's a serious issue – but this has been his plan all along. He's politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans."…
Ex-Evangelical Apologetics: Are Leavers Broken and/or Just Giving Up? (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad revisits the idea that exvangelicals are just broke and giving up on faith. He responds to an interview at the Remnant Radio with Skillet's John Cooper.
Topics discussed:
Topics discussed:
- Do non-Evangelicals allow culture to shape them, while Evangelicals allow Scripture to be the formative influence?
- Is Truth all or nothing?
- Why are Evangelicals so upset when exvies "share the Gospel" of their deconstruction?
Interview:
Trump family business delays launch of $499 gold smartphone
US-made device planned by end of year hit by recent government shutdown affecting shipments…
40 Years of Fighting Christian Nationalism with Rob Boston (Andrew Seidel; One Nation, Indivisible podcast Episode #045)
Rob Boston has been fighting Christian Nationalism for nearly 40 years. This week, he retires from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. A role model and mentor for Andrew, Rob and Andrew talk about what Rob’s learned over his decades of work and why he has hope for the future.
- Support Rob’s legacy and Americans United here.
- Get Rob’s books (while supporting your local bookstore) here.
This Racist Video Fooled Millions — Here’s the Truth (Find Out podcast on YouTube)
In this episode of Find Out, we’re joined by civil rights attorney Qasim Rashid to tear apart a right-wing propaganda video designed to inflame fear, spread disinformation, and turn an immigrant community into a political weapon. We break down how the video was engineered, why its claims about “fraud” and “crime” collapse under even basic scrutiny, and how MAGA influencers knowingly push false narratives because outrage is profitable.
This isn’t about “free speech.” It’s about clicks, clout, and cash — and the deliberate use of racism to drive all three.
If you’ve ever wondered how viral lies are built, why they spread so fast, and who benefits when the truth gets buried, this episode lays it all bare.
👇 Watch, share, and don’t let disinformation win.
This isn’t about “free speech.” It’s about clicks, clout, and cash — and the deliberate use of racism to drive all three.
If you’ve ever wondered how viral lies are built, why they spread so fast, and who benefits when the truth gets buried, this episode lays it all bare.
👇 Watch, share, and don’t let disinformation win.
Interview:
The man taking over the Large Hadron Collider – only to switch it off
Next head of Cern backs massive replacement for world's largest machine to investigate mysteries of the universe…
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
John Fugelsang on weaponized religion fueling Christian nationalism | Freethought Radio: In Studio
FFRF Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker introduce highlights from actor and comedian John Fugelsang's speech at the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s annual convention. Fugelsang offers some hilarious yet important reflections on the rise of Christian nationalism in America and how many believers have misused the Bible for political power.
- Watch John Fugelsang's full speech: John Fugelsang: Separation of Church and Hate
- Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at https://ffrf.org/
Interview:
New Year’s Eve concert is latest cancellation at the Kennedy Center - The Washington Post
"I would never even consider performing in a venue bearing a name (and being controlled by the kind of board) that represents overt racism and deliberate destruction of African American music and culture," he said…
Israel to ban dozens of aid agencies from Gaza as 10 nations warn about suffering
Failure of groups including MSF and ActionAid to hand over staff details means they will not be able to operate in Gaza, say Israeli officials…
Court orders Vought to keep CFPB funded while case is underway - POLITICO
The order from a DC District Court judge also casts doubt on the Trump administration's efforts to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau…
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/30/vought-cfpb-funding-order-00707866
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