FIFA Fo Fum
There’s No Ven Diagram, CDC Goes Full RFK
In the moments that followed the bombing of sites in Venezuela and the rapid capture and removal of Nicolás Maduro, social media was flooded with explanations of why the Trump administration took this action and what it hopes to get out of it. This certitude reached a new level of Dunning-Kruger hubris on a platform where that seemed impossible. Even days after the action, Democratic members of the Gang of Eight had received no briefings from the administration. The inter-government processes that usually precede such decisions have been all but removed from the Trump administration, and even the Caracas Caucus, the small group of as seen on TV officials, haven’t expressed identical explanations for the attack or the hoped-for outcome. After talking to a few experts I know and doing a pretty thorough lit review on the topic, here’s what I’m sure of so far: Maduro is a bad guy who was not democratically elected, the military effort to remove him went about as well as it could have, and no one is quite sure how the ramifications of this move will play out in the region or across the globe. Oh, and one more thing: I fear the legitimacy of the FIFA Peace Prize has been called into question.
Given the lack of actual drug trafficking from Venezuela to the US (and the recent pardon of “a former Honduran president who’d been convicted of trafficking narcotics to the United States”), we can be reasonably sure this wasn’t about drugs. And no one in the administration is even pretending it’s about democracy. Of course, it’s a lot about oil, but it’s unclear whether that even makes much sense in the short term. This lede from Vox(Gift Article) sums things up pretty well. “Over the weekend, the United States invaded Venezuela, captured its leader, and then declared itself to be in charge of South America’s fifth-largest country. And no one — not even the US government — seems entirely sure why.” (As much as it pains me to report this, I guess there’s one more thing I’m relatively sure of: 2026 is going to be even crazier than 2025. Happy New Year!)
+ “None of this is logical, but it isn’t meant to be: Like the Party in 1984, the would-be dominators of the Western Hemisphere seem to feel no need for logic. If might makes right, if the U.S. gets to do what it wants using any tools it wants in its own sphere, then there is no need for transparency, democracy, or legitimacy. The concerns of ordinary people who live in smaller nations don’t need to be taken into account, because they will not be granted any agency.” Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s ‘American Dominance’ May Leave Us With Nothing.
+ “Truman, Reagan, and Monroe wouldn’t approve of the language, but a doctrine is a doctrine, even if it’s only five words long.” The F-ck-Around-and-Find-Out Presidency.
+ “If Trump oversees Venezuela’s transition to a transparent democracy that can attract international investment, this could provide needed resources to rebuild the country and help ease energy prices over the long run. If, however, he seeks to impose a mercantilist model in pursuit of short-term financial gain, he will undermine the global energy market on which U.S. security depends.” Jason Bordoff in Foreign Policy (Gift Article): Why ‘Taking’ Venezuela’s Oil Hurts U.S. Energy Security.
+ Following the money is a lot easier when it leaves behind oil skid marks. Venezuela raid enriches MAGA billionaire.
+ “Spy drones were part of how the CIA monitored Maduro, but after his capture on Saturday the agency also surprisingly briefed it had a human source inside the Venezuelan government.” Months in planning, over in two and a half hours: how the US snatched Maduro.
+ WaPo: Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela. (Rubio has now taken more jobs than AI...)
+ Military acts are supposed to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. Not your allies. Denmark’s prime minister says ‘stop the threats’ of U.S. annexing Greenland.
+ In a NYC courtroom, Maduro and his wife plead not guilty. Here’s the latest from BBC and NBC.
2
You Are What You Eat (Or Don’t)
“We see it across the board. Every state, every education level, every race, every gender.” WaPo (Gift Article): Why are malnutrition deaths soaring in America? (A lot of it has to do with the data we collect, but whatever it is, it’s not good.)
3
It’s a Fight to the Finnish
“For decades, the Nordic nation has woven media literacy, including the ability to analyze different kinds of media and recognize disinformation, into its national curriculum for students as young as 3 years old.” Finnish children learn media literacy at 3 years old. It’s protection against Russian propaganda. (I’m nostalgic for the days when our greatest propaganda threats came from the outside.)
4
Lost in a Football Fantasy
The worse the news gets, the more I watch sports. And I already watched a lot of sports when the news was good. Apparently, I’m not alone. Sports make up 96 of top 100 telecasts in 2025, tying an all-time record. And basically, by sports, they mean football.
5
Extra, Extra
CDC Goes Full RFK: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday an unprecedented overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule that recommends fewer shots to all children.” CDC overhauls childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark in unprecedented move.
+ The Streets of Iran: Venezuela is getting all the coverage, but big things are going down in Iran, too. “Iran’s government has in recent years weathered wave upon wave of nationwide protests challenging its rule by resorting to force. But for the first time, the country’s rulers face a more complex challenge: growing domestic unrest combined with an external military threat.” NYT(Gift Article): Iran’s Dual Challenge: Unrest at Home, Threat of Strikes From Abroad. And, what to know about the protests now shaking Iran.
+ Check, Please: “The decision comes after the Supreme Court ruled last week that Mr. Trump could not deploy troops in the Chicago area over the objections of Illinois officials.” NYT: Trump Abandons Efforts to Deploy National Guard to 3 Major Cities. (This was a big story from over the break. It’s vital that Trump is following the Supreme Court ruling, at least for now.)
+ Walz Through: “Mr. Walz said a widening scandal over fraud in social services programs in Minnesota had persuaded him to drop out of the race. He had been criticized for his administration’s oversight of the programs and its failure to prevent widespread fraud.” Gov. Tim Walz Drops Re-election Bid, and Amy Klobuchar May Run Instead.
+ Off the Mark: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the Pentagon is taking steps to downgrade Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay because of the lawmaker’s ‘seditious statements.’” (They sure are working hard to raise Mark Kelly to hero status among Dems.)
+ XXXAI: “xAI’s AI chatbot is putting Elon Musk in a bikini at his request — and doing the same to children, world leaders, and women without their consent.” Grok is undressing anyone, including minors. (Related: AI toilets are here.)
6
Bottom of the News
“For years, he has been my standard answer whenever someone asks me about the most interesting person I’ve interviewed. (Apologies to Mike Tyson, Nancy Pelosi, Guy Fieri, President Trump and their many fellow nominees.) It helped that Reisman found himself so interesting. He claimed to have made fortunes, and lost fortunes, and met everyone, and defeated everyone.” NYT (Gift Article): The Ping-Pong Hustler Who Inspired Marty Supreme.