The Morning Report — 1/5/26

Good morning kids. Obviously the gigantic story this morning remains the American raid over the weekend on Venezuela and the capture of its Communist tyrannical thug president Nicolas Maduro, whose regime for more than a decade under him and his predecessor the roasting-in-hell Hugo Chavez, has been a narco-terror state and as such, along with being closely linked and allied to Red China and Iran a major threat to our national security and the security of the western hemisphere. First and foremost , I am overjoyed for the long-suffering Venezuelan people who thanks to President Trump at long last have a chance to restore their nation and culture from the smoking ruin of a failed socialist/communist kleptocracy to once again being among the most vibrant, prosperous and free in Latin America.

Considering the carnage in terms of death and wastage of life caused by all the poisonous narcotics that either originated in Venezuela or were otherwise smuggled into our country via that nation as a hub, the removal of Maduro was more than justified. And just as a reminder. long before President Trump placed a bounty on Maduro, none other than Joey Sponge-Brain Shits-Pants had one on him years earlier.

Along with the destruction of the Iranian nuclear weapons sites, the action to take down Maduro will likely be another jewel in the crown of President Trump's foreign policy triumphs and there are still three years left to his presidency.

The deterrent effect of this operation cannot be overstated. The cartels and kingpins that have historically poisoned the US with drugs are now on notice.

Sure, the US military will continue to bomb their vessels on the high seas. But what scares them more now is the prospect of being captured and then getting shipped to the United States to face justice.

Don’t expect everyone in the United States to cheer this historic event, though.

Ever since the failed experiments to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, neo-isolationists in Washington have warned that America must avoid regime change at all costs. Their howls of disapproval can be expected in the days and weeks to come. For now, Trump intends for the United States to run the government in Venezuela until a suitable government can be installed. And that carries with it significant risk.

If Venezuela unravels, Trump will be blamed. If the wider region descends into chaos, the president will be saddled with that, too. Will Trump’s base give him the opportunity to improve upon the regime-change failures of his predecessors? He appears determined to try.

In truth, the regime-change controversy is of secondary importance.

Bringing down Maduro was about bringing the Western hemisphere back under the influence of the United States. Maduro was not just the head of a narco-state. He was an ally of America’s nastiest enemies. n fact, Maduro met with a senior Chinese delegation in Caracas shortly before he was captured by US special forces.

But Maduro’s regime was not just an ally to China. The regime in Caracas was also a valuable partner to other rogue states like Russia, Cuba and Iran.

Even the Republic of Turkey, a notoriously unreliable NATO ally, has been an ally to the Maduro regime.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fifth member of Venezuela’s “Fabulous Five” — the countries that helped prop up the Venezuelan strongman. One or more of these regimes may try to exploit the vacuum in Venezuela.

They may not be able to restore Maduro to power. But they can try to make America pay a price for ousting their ally. The Trump administration must bare its teeth now, and warn them to keep out.

If done right, the ousting of Maduro will weaken the influence of America’s adversaries in our hemisphere. It will deprive the cartels of a transit hub for shipments to the United States. And it will deprive our enemies of a valued ally.

If that’s how things play out, not a bad start to 2026.

Now just to play devil's advocate for a moment . President Trump has indeed reasserted and reinvigorated the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine. Now, if taking Maduro out along with the rise of Milei, Bukele and Kast, which hopefully leads to the ouster of Lula in Brazil and who knows, even the fall of Communism and the ultimate liberation of the tropical gulag of Cuba.

While the Red Chinese have been worming their way into our hemisphere, what if Xi and the Chi-Coms ultimately do make a move to take Taiwan, could they not then if not right now cite the President's actions against Maduro as justification?

And of course it's a good thing to check the rise of communism abroad especially in our own hemisphere but then again, look what the hell is going on right here at home in NYC!

So We bagged Maduro. Can we put the bag on Soros and decapitate the leadership of Antifa, BLM, the ACLU/SPLC/CAIR and the DNC???

Have a great day.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• “I wanted to share a brief health update. I recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and am now recovering. I’m doing well and hopeful as I move forward,” Hanson said in the statement. “Thank you for the many messages of support and prayers—they truly mean more than I can say. As I focus on recovery, I may not be able to respond to everyone, but please know how grateful I am.”
  Victor Davis Hanson Gives Health Update After Undergoing Major Operation

MADURO TAKEN DOWN
• Roger Kimball: Trump’s lightning seizure of Maduro was not recklessness but doctrine in action: the Monroe Doctrine revived, enforced, and demonstrated—decisively—on the ground.
  Trump Ended Venezuela’s Dictatorship in a Single Night
  
• Will Trump’s base give him the opportunity to improve upon the regime-change failures of his predecessors? He appears determined to try. In truth, the regime-change controversy is of secondary importance. Bringing down Maduro was about bringing the Western hemisphere back under the influence of the United States. Maduro was not just the head of a narco-state. He was an ally of America’s nastiest enemies.
  Why Trump bared his teeth and nabbed Venezuela’s Maduro — and it’s not just drugs
  
• The brilliantly executed US operation to snatch Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro benefits American citizens in many different ways.
  Nine Reasons Why Trump’s Venezuela Operation Is Great for America
  
• “President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere.”
  U.S. Captures Maduro, Flies Him Out of Venezuela
  
• While critics fixated on Trump’s supposed decline, a decisive operation against Nicolás Maduro revealed a president still playing multi-level chess.
  Trump’s Venezuelan gambit and the return of American power
  
• Multitasking Trump takes Venezuela while warning global rivals.
  The Trump Doctrine Rebuilds Fortress America
  
• A lot of our enemies are gonna be sleeping poorly tonight. 
  Trump Made America Feared Again
  
• “All eyes on Venezuela. This [are] historical news. This is history in the making,” the man said. “I mean, my chest, it feels like it’s going to explode with joy because … I mean, before I was even born, there had been struggles, my family has been fighting for so many years…..before I was even here. They have told me about it, they told me about a time where democracy existed and now, I can finally look forward to that.”
  Venezuelans Celebrate U.S. Arrest of Nicolás Maduro
  
• What looked like another endless war was instead a clean Monroe Doctrine strike—neutralizing Maduro, securing U.S. interests, and leaving without a quagmire.
  The Strategic Necessity of Taking Out Maduro
  
• This last few weeks, Donald Trump changed the war on drugs. He made it kinetic.
  The Kinetic War on Drugs

• A 12-second video posted to X late Saturday by the White House’s Rapid Response account shows Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents escorting an apparently handcuffed Maduro, wearing a hat and grasping a water bottle, through the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn). In the video, which the social media account captioned “Perp walked,” the ex-leader can be heard saying “good night” in both English and Spanish, as well as “happy new year” in English — apparently his first public remarks since being taken into U.S. custody. (RELATED: Scathing Indictment Claims Nicolás Maduro Orchestrated Drug-Fueled ‘Culture Of Corruption’ Which Plagued Entire Region)
  Notorious Socialist Dictator Nicolás Maduro Perp Walked Ahead Of Facing ‘Full Wrath Of American Justice’
  
• Donald Trump waited barely two days before fulfilling a major new year resolution. Early Saturday morning, U.S. warplanes filled the skies above Caracas while Delta Force commandos swooped in on the ground. Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife didn’t even have time to escape their bedroom before being arrested. By nightfall, they had arrived in New York City to begin processing for narcotrafficking and other charges.
  Trump Resolves the Maduro Problem
  
• "If [Trump] says he's serious about something, he means it."
  Rubio’s Message To World After Venezuela Strike: ‘If You Don’t Know, Now You Know’
  
• Maduro reportedly claimed that air-defense systems his government received from Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would protect Venezuela from any attack, according to a post on X by Ahmed Quraishi, a journalist covering national security in the Middle East and North Africa who previously served as a war correspondent in Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gulf region.
  (Just like they protected Iran's nuke sites from the IAF/USAF, ¿eh pendejo? - jjs)
  Maduro Bragged Just Days Before Capture That Iranian Air-Defense Systems Would Protect Venezuela
  
• What Venezuelans feel today is not bloodlust or vengeance. It is relief, gratitude, and hope.
  Why Venezuelans Are Dancing In The Streets
  
• "We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda."
  Maduro’s No. 2 Drops Tough Talk, Offers Cooperation With United States
  
• Since the operation that led to us capturing and arresting Maduro, Milei has been one of the most vocal supporters of President Trump's actions and vows that Argentina will help with Venezuela's transition to democracy. 
  Milei to the Latin America Lefties: 'Not Today, Comrades'

• EU says it is “closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela”; UK Prime Minister Starmer: “I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved.” 
  China, Russia, Iran Condemn Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro; Hezbollah Decries ‘American Arrogance’
  * * * * *

• Unlike Democrats and RINOs, I want America to be great again.
  I Voted For This
  
• For It Before They Were Against It.
  Democrat Hypocrisy on Venezuela
  
• Chlamydia was part of a junta that wanted to bring Maduro to justice. Trump delivered the results they couldn’t, and now she's rebranding his success as recklessness.
  Kamala Harris Humiliates Herself Condemning Capture of Maduro
  
• The Democrat Party is cancer - jjs
  SHOT: Democrats Fundraise in Protest of Trump Admin’s Capture of Venezuelan Socialist Dictator Nicolás Maduro
  
• A group of centrist House Democrats are privately criticizing their party’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s military operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.Several swing-district and battleground members spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity to express frustration with their colleagues’ messaging. They warned the party risks a political miscalculation by failing to celebrate the removal of a brutal dictator.
  CHASER: ‘It Looks Weak’--Some Democrats Reportedly Displeased With Party’s Response To Venezuela Operation
  
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman (-Test) Schultz, a South Florida Democrat with a sizable Venezuelan population in her district, bucked her party Saturday to praise President Donald Trump’s capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
  Senior Democrat, Bucking Party’s Knee-Jerking Reaction, Praises Trump’s Capture Of ‘Illegitimate’ Maduro
  
• “Portland chants ‘free Maduro’ while actual Venezuelans celebrate in the streets.”
  Dems’ TDS Leaves Them Defending a Narco-State
  
• Predictable
  ‘No Kings’ Becomes ‘Yes Dictators’ Over Venezuela

  CIVIL WAR 2.0, LEFTIST PERSECUTIONS, DEMOCRAT PUTSCH, AMERICAN DISSOLUTION

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new director of the city Office to Protect Tenants, Cea Weaver, said she wants to “seize private property!”, according to an archived statement on her deactivated X account.
  Right at home New NYC tenant advocate called to ‘seize private property,’ blasted home ownership as ‘white supremacy’
  
• We have seen this movie before. Mamdani has identified a class of property owners supposedly ripping off the masses, and now he is targeting them. In the Soviet days they were called Kulaks. In NYC under Mamdani, landlords are the new Kulaks.
  Kulaks Beware: Mamdani Orders Public Hearings To Shame “Ripoff” NYC Landlords

• “Militant centrism treats popular sovereignty as a threat rather than as a source of legitimacy.”
  The Rise of Militant Centrism

• . . . denouncing what they term a “genocidal US-Israel axis,” and urging resistance, protests, and “direct action” in the United States and abroad. (attention DOJ and Homeland Security, round them all up and Pinochet them to GITMO or directly into Kilauea - jjs)
  ‘Imperialist Aggression’: Pro-"Palestinian" Groups Lash Out over U.S. Action in Venezuela, Call for ‘Resistance’

  
  "DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST BORDER BLOODBATH," AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, BORDER SECURITY, NEWSOM/DEMOCRAT VIOLENT INSURRECTION RIOTS

• “Dugan asked for her resignation to take immediate effect.”
  Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan Resigns After Felony Conviction

  THE GREAT SOMALIAN SAMOLIAN SWINDLE

• The news comes as Walz’s office has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. TODAY.
  Gov. Tim Walz expected to drop reelection bid amid Minnesota Somali fraud probe: report
  
• Minnesota Democrats more focused on photo ops than accountability for billions vanishing in massive statewide fraud schemes.
  Confederacy of Enablers Downplays Somali Fraud
  
• While galling to watch Shirley's 42-minute video, the potential daycare fraud represented is small potatoes in the context of the rest of the fraud at issue in these programs. Right now, the prosecutors are obviously picking their shots to produce the biggest bang—deterrent effect—for the bucks involved in the cases that remain under investigation. A more comprehensive approach would be ideal. In short, Joe Thompson needs help. Send reinforcements.
  Bring in More Prosecutors: Finally Ending Minnesota’s ‘Never-Ending’ Somali Fraud Schemes Requires Reinforcements

  DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE COURTS, WASTE/FRAUD/ABUSE

• The chaos is just beginning.
  Mamdani Appoints Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Responsible for $32B Fraud

• After losing a $100 billion surplus, Dems want a $100 billion wealth tax.
  California’s ‘Wealth’ Tax Wouldn’t Even Cover the Cost of Fraud

  WE-ALL-SLAM-FOR-I-SLAM

• Within one hundred years of Muhammad's death in 632, Islamic armies had conquered territories stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the borders of India.
  ASSAULT ON CHRISTIANITY: Half of Christendom fell to Islam in just 100 years

• A curse on “cross worshipers”
  U.S. Teen Converts to Islam, Plots New Year’s Eve Attack on “Non-Muslims”
  
• How Islamist organizations, taxpayer funding, and sharia-based enclaves threaten Texas’ constitutional order — and why state leaders are finally pushing back.
  Don’t Let Texas Become Texasistan
  
• New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been in office only a few days, has already noticeably gone after the New York Jewish population. What he is doing, however, is not only about the Jews. It is an attack on all of Western culture.  He is not just rejecting the government of Israel; Mamdani is actually launching a global attack on the capitalist economy of Western civilization. It is conscious. It is dangerous. And although it is beginning with the Jews of New York, it is about something much, much more threatening and insidious.
  Behind the Curtain: Mamdani’s Antisemitism Is Only His First Step Toward Destroying the West

  OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY/LEFTIST-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM, ANTI-CHRISTIANITY

• Mamdani’s actions have sparked criticism and concerns about the safety and support for Jewish New Yorkers, with many questioning the motives behind the repeals.
  One of Mamdani’s First Moves? Overturning Orders Protecting Synagogues from Attack.

  
  SHAMPEACHMENTS, 2016 CLINTON/OBAMA COUP, CONGRESSIONAL PERSECUTION, SPYGATE, DEEP STATE, MUELLER DECEPTION

• Margot Cleveland: If Smith were truly committed to transparency, he would respond to Sen. Grassley’s request for information concerning the special counsel’s investigation.
  Here Are The Top Six Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Preposterous White-Hat Posturing

  
  CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY

• The suspect was booked into King County Jail, issued a one-year trespass warning, and the case was referred to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for review.
  Cops Thwart New Year’s Eve Threat at Seattle Space Needle.

  FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, MEDIA, BIG BROTHER TECH

• 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.”
  Winning: Washington Post Praises Trump Enforcing ‘Justice in Venezuela’
  * * * * *

• Why the president chose speed, scale, and national power over state-level technocratic pieties.
  Fifty Algorithms and a Funeral: Trump’s War on America’s AI Patchwork
  
• It would be a small step toward restoring the credibility of mainstream journalism.
  Politico Should Fire Josh Gerstein

  RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,

• The leftists claimed that their vandalism was an “act of resistance” against “greed for energy."
  Environmentalists Cut Power to Hospitals to Protest Global Warming
  
• The nation is poised to enter 2026 with greater energy security and a clear message that American prosperity will be built on a foundation of abundant domestic energy.
  Trump Kicks Off 2026 with Coal Plant Retentions, New Oil Leases, and Nuclear Power Push

  EDUCATION, AND WHAT PASSES FOR IT

• Public education has been undergoing a type of ideological and administrative mutilation for many decades.
  The Slow Decline of Public Education

  POLITICS

• “The speech did not include new timelines, funding details or specific policy proposals.”
  The Other Socialist Mayor: Katie Wilson Sworn in in Seattle (the Space Needle and the Damage Done - jjs)

• Successful individuals with wholesome personal lives may occasionally be critical about certain issues or individuals, but they do not elevate their object of criticism to the focus of their existence.
  Decoding Trump Derangement Syndrome -- A Deeper Dive
  
• "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism." 
  Zohran Mamdani's fiery 'warmth' of socialism comes for NYC
  
• Mamdani’s error isn’t praising collectivism alone, but pretending its opposite is “rugged individualism,” when the true antidote has always been community, family, and tradition.
  Rugged Individualism vs. Collectivism vs. Community: The Truth about ‘The Right’
  
• Zohran Mamdani’s first speech as mayor promised a no-pain new order. (unlike a certain Viennese house painter - jjs)
  Socialism Made Easy

  ISRAEL vs IRAN & GAZA/HAMAS . . . AND LEFTISTS

• Welcome to the manic mind of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, where there’s one standard of “justice” for Israel and the Jews, and another for everyone else. Just days after swearing to “support the Constitution of the United States,” and thus the laws of our country, the young mayor decided to ignore American law and instead follow international law. Even when American law explicitly forbids the arrest of the Israeli leader on American soil. Because Mayor Mamdani hasn’t backed down from his threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
  Mamdani Claims It’s Wrong & Illegal to Arrest Maduro, Says It’s Only Legal to Arrest Jews Like Netanyahu

• Tehran's monsters lose their Latin American beachhead.
  The Capture of Maduro: A Massive Blow to the Mullahs

• Police investigations are ongoing, and the site has faced repeated activism linked to Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
  Pro-Hamas Activists Vandalize F-35 Component Factory.

• The Scott-backed Solidaire Network funds leading anti-Israel groups like Students for Justice in "Palestine" and American Muslims for "Palestine". Both face federal probes.
  MacKenzie Scott,the billionaire ex-wife of Jeff Bezos Sends Millions to Terror-Tied Nonprofit Network (Dear Mossad, what are you waiting for?! - jjs)

• “They often silenced my story and told me not to tell it. Now I am here, sitting in front of the camera, and honestly, no one will silence me anymore.”
  No longer silenced Freed Israeli hostage details fear of being made a ‘sex slave’ for Hamas terrorists

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL

• The BBC reports “careful” intelligence analysis led officials to believe the jihadist facility was storing weaponry and explosives, a statement by the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed, adding the arms dump was in mountains just north of Palmyra, an ancient site in central Syria.
  UK, France in Joint Air Strikes on Underground IS Arms Dump in Syria
  
• The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t need to beat us on the battlefield. It only needs the West to stay asleep.
  We’re Sleeping through a Chinese Takeover
  
• “It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
  Trump renews calls to takeover Greenland — as admin warns Cuba ‘is in a lot of trouble’ — after Maduro capture
  
• Cuba's economy is already crumbling. The country experiences long-term blackouts daily, and without Venezuelan oil, which Rubio said has been "quarantined" from the world now, that's probably going to get much worse. Over in Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum has been sending Cuba oil as a "humanitarian gesture," but the Trump administration is working to curtail that too. 
  Cuba in a Panic

  DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY AFFAIRS

• As leaks mount and devices proliferate, Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems may be the only reliable way to keep careless tech from becoming a national security catastrophe.
  How to Stop Leaks from Undermining National Security

  HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

• Charles Sullivan | Doctors are fleeing, and they have good reason to. Which state has this sad mark of distinction?
  Why Would Any Doctor Want to Practice in this State?

  ACTUAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

• Trump’s proposed cap on NIH overhead exposed a decades-old reality: billions meant for science quietly bankroll university bureaucracies, while reform remains politically untouchable.
  The Trump Administration’s Fight To Fund Scientists
  
• I love how this European press release about a lunar orbiter somehow makes its most important mission studying climate change on Earth. Utterly idiotic.
  ESA funds Danish lunar orbiter (cheese or prune - jjs)
  
• Today’s picture also illustrates again the grand scale of the Martian landscape. This canyon is in many ways comparable to the Grand Canyon in its lower western regions. Yet on mars it is merely a minor canyon in the larger landscape of Mars, hardly distinct or unique. The humans who eventually settle the Red Planet and terraform it are going to be surrounded by majestic scenery, unending in variety and size.
  Many Martian mysteries in one spot

  CULTURE WARS, NATIONAL SUICIDE
  
  

• A new cancel culture is coming. Consumerism, bad customer service, and corporations beware!
  It’s Time To Cancel Our Subscription Culture Once And For All
  
• Christian Toto: 'The Crown' star sounded very different during the first MAGA administration
  Actress Claire Foy Does Abrupt 180 on anti-Trump Talk

  HITHER & YON

• Thad McCotter: Make your New Year’s resolution simple and sustainable: exercise not just for your body, but by doing practical work that helps others—strengthening body, mind, and soul at once.
  Altruistic Exercise: A Sustainable and Rewarding New Year’s Resolution
  
• Another custom is chalking the door. Above the main entrance of the home, the head of the household inscribes the year with the initials C ☩ M ☩ B and the numbers of the current year. The letters stand for the traditional names of the three kings—Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar—and also for the Latin blessing Christus Mansionem Benedicat: “May Christ bless this house.”
  The Tenth and Eleventh Days of Christmas: The Holy Name and the Coming of the Three Kings.

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posted by J.J. Sefton at 07:50 AM

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