by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, January 5.
- Understanding how a warming climate might affect a crucial ocean current
- This Is Where the Smart Green Tech Money Is Heading in 2026
- Trump’s Venezuela gambit tests investor appetite for geopolitical risk
- In Ukraine, a New Arsenal of Killer A.I. Drones Is Being Born (“As the war grinds on, sophisticated Russian defenses have pushed Ukraine to develop a frightening new weapon: semiautonomous killing machines.”)
- Trump says that Ukraine didn’t target Putin residence in a drone strike as Kremlin claims
- Xi Faces Higher Costs in Taiwan Than Trump Does in Venezuela
- Taiwan Sees Trump’s Arrest of Maduro as Helpful in Deterring Xi
- After Maduro, Who’s Next? Trump Spurs Speculation About His Plans For Greenland, Cuba And Colombia
- The Real Donroe Doctrine (“Seeking cash and an ego boost, not regime change”)
- Trump’s Venezuela coup sends America down a dark path (“He got a taste of violence and clearly wants more.”)
- This Is What Happens When America Goes Mad (“Vote in Donald Trump, surround him with sycophants, expect an insane circus. The lawlessness and chaos was so knowable, alas.”)
- Donald Trump Isn’t Anti-War. He’s Anti-West. Learn the Difference.
- Trump on return trip to Washington predicts demise of Cuba, warns Colombia, threatens Greenland
- Gunboat Diplomacy Is Back. What Could Go Wrong?
- U.S. plan to ‘run’ Venezuela clouded in confusion
- Trump Threatens Venezuela’s New Leader With a Fate Worse Than Maduro’s (“The president told The Atlantic that Delcy Rodríguez needs to comply with U.S. wishes—or else.”)
- Live Updates: As Venezuela Projects Defiance, Rubio Says U.S. Will Use ‘Leverage’ to Advance Its Interests
- Trump Was Skeptical of Ousting Maduro—Until He Wasn’t (“Fed up with repeated efforts to persuade Maduro to leave office, the president decided in favor of military action” What would Republicans’ reactions have been if Biden or Harris had done this?)
- Maduro to appear in US court as emboldened Trump threatens other countries after Venezuela strikes
- Even Close Allies Are Asking Why Trump Wants to Run Venezuela (“Nicolás Maduro was plucked out of Caracas, but the more shocking news was what the White House plans next.”)
- The Biggest Question About Venezuela (“Not just the specifics—but the broader global context—will determine what happens next.”)
- Venezuela’s Men With Guns Remain the Ultimate Power After Maduro’s Ouster
- Trump: Venezuela leader to pay “big price” if “she doesn’t do what’s right”
- The Politics of Trump’s Idiotic and Illegal Venezuela War
- The Wildest Things Trump Said About the Venezuela Attack (“Trump’s remarks on the attack were staggeringly dumb and brazen”)
- Few in Caracas are celebrating as they face an uncertain post-Maduro future
- 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.'”)
- “It looks weak”: Dems fume at their party’s response to Maduro capture
- Trump Has Once Again Made Fools Out of His “Populist” Supporters (“Trump’s new GOP looks a lot like the old GOP, especially after his invasion of Venezuela.”)
- Top Democrats Say Trump Has Still Not Briefed Congress on U.S. Military Action in Venezuela (“By Sunday evening, Trump administration officials had agreed to provide a briefing on Monday, after pleas from Democrats to fill them in on action that President Trump had taken circumventing Congress.”)
- PMs of Greenland, Denmark tell Trump to stop U.S. takeover threats
- Denmark in ‘crisis-mode’ as Trump sets sights on Greenland after Venezuela attack
- Scoop: Israel-Syria talks planned in Paris with U.S. mediating
- Three children dead in Iran protests as security forces accused of ‘indiscriminate targeting’
- Battery electric cars will overtake diesels in Great Britain by 2030, analysis suggests
- After U.S. Strikes on Christmas, Fear Grips Muslims in Rural Nigeria
- ICE Is Using Facial-Recognition Technology to Quickly Arrest People
- ‘The perfect storm’: Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say
- Congress returns to Venezuela clash, a shutdown deadline and a health care fight (“The New Year brings a new list of legislative issues to address, including a funding deadline, a fight over Obamacare, a war powers debate, a stock trading ban and rules for AI and privacy.”)
- Old headaches will plague Mike Johnson in the new year (“The speaker is working to refocus Republicans on cost-of-living matters. But he will find it hard to escape nasty internal clashes.”)
- Supreme Court Increasingly Favors the Rich, Economists Say (“A new study found that the court’s Republican appointees voted for the wealthier side in cases 70 percent of the time in 2022, up from 45 percent in 1953.”)
- Trump push to politicize US military ‘reminiscent of Stalin’, top general warns
- Key Epstein Deadline Arrives as Attention Turns to Venezuela (“The House Oversight Dems noted the convenient timing of Trump’s surprise attack.”)
- Trump amplifies conspiracy theories on killing of Minnesota lawmaker (Trump is pure scum/evil.)
- Slain Minnesota lawmaker’s children call on Trump to remove social media video amplifying false claims about her death
- Minnesota day care hoax is fueled by MAGA psychosexual weirdness (“The racism underlying MAGA’s latest obsession is intertwined with misogyny”)
- Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Declares “It’s never the wrong time to enforce the Constitution”; Says the Monroe Doctrine “got us hostility in a region where we should be more connected with our neighbors” (“Why are [Republicans] ducking votes on whether this is a wise strategy?”)
- Video: Brilliant MSNOW Interview with Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA05), Who Says Trump’s Venezuela Operation Is About Oil, “Rehemisphering,” a “Huge boon” for “private security contract [and infrastructure] services” (Riggleman also says “I laughed at Rubio’s answer” this morning about why they didn’t capture others in the regime)
- Here’s what Virginia is doing so far to reduce its SNAP error rate
- Youngkin reflects on his legacy as the ‘transformation’ governor (This headline is pure stenography/propaganda. In fact, Youngkin was in no way/shape/form a “transformation governor,” certainly not for anything positive!)
- After Virginia judges’ misconduct became public, lawmakers reinstated secrecy (“A 2025 law unwound a short-lived glimpse into judicial discipline in Virginia, leaving the public in the dark on local judges who’ve violated the state’s judicial cannons.”)
- Emergency rooms in Virginia see spike in people seeking treatment for the flu
- Push to rein in Virginia FOIA costs heads back to General Assembly (“Legislation backed by Sen. Danica Roem would limit fees, streamline deadlines and expand public access.”)
- The SCC approved Dominion’s gas plant. Now it’s reconsidering. What’s going on? (“A Southern Environmental Law Center suit alleges state regulators erred in four areas in approving the plant: environmental justice, the cost of the gas plant compared to alternatives, the burden of proof on reliability and the legal mechanism for cost recovery.”)
- John McAuliff: Data center growth is fueling a statewide energy crisis
- Report shows Southside Virginia has more than 3,400 health care jobs that are unfilled
- Shenandoah Valley rail-to-trail project turns into ‘alarming surprise,’ mayors say
- CWG Live: A steady warming trend as highs pass 60 later this week

![[UPDATED 1/6/26] Several Upcoming Virginia Special Elections in January – for SD15, HD77, HD11, HD23, HD17; Also a Dem “Firehouse Primary” for Fairfax County School Board (Braddock District)](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/montagespecialelections010226-238x178.jpg)
![Video: Sen. Tim Kaine “commemorate[s] the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that led to the tragic death of five law enforcement officers from Virginia”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/kainejan6-238x178.jpg)







![[UPDATED 1/6/26] Several Upcoming Virginia Special Elections in January – for SD15, HD77, HD11, HD23, HD17; Also a Dem “Firehouse Primary” for Fairfax County School Board (Braddock District)](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/montagespecialelections010226-100x75.jpg)
![Video: Sen. Tim Kaine “commemorate[s] the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that led to the tragic death of five law enforcement officers from Virginia”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/kainejan6-100x75.jpg)
