Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“In the face of an effort to impeach her and remove her from the bench, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan announced she is resigning. The announcement came on Jan. 3, weeks after a federal jury found Dugan guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents seeking to [abduct an immigrant] outside her courtroom. Dugan was found not guilty of concealing a wanted person, which is a misdemeanor.” (01/03/26)
https://archive.is/iJr2G
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Did Ukraine Try to Kill Putin?” (01/02/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-did-ukraine-try-to-kill-putin
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“Newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani promises to ‘replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.’ Funny that he chose those words. In Europe, where collectivist anti-fossil-fuels ‘green’ policies have been enacted in the name of combating a conjured-up climate emergency, many people get dangerously cold in the winter. So far, this hasn’t happened on a large scale in America, where the climate collectivists have not been as adept in imposing their lethal program as their European counterparts. Freer markets keep people warmer in winter.” (01/02/26)
https://sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com/2026/01/tgif-warm-individualism-or-cold.html
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A Kenyan elephant believed to have been one of Africa’s largest male tuskers has died of old age. The pachyderm, fondly known as Craig, died of natural causes on Saturday morning at Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, conservationists confirmed. ‘Craig had just turned 54 years old. He led a long life and no doubt fathered many calves,’ said the Amboseli Trust for Elephants in its farewell message. Famed for his long tusks, Craig the elephant was a major attraction at the park near the Tanzanian border. In 2021, he was named an ambassador for the popular Kenyan lager brand Tusker – a name also used for adult male elephants with tusks. The Kenya Wildlife Service described Craig as an ‘icon’ of successful conservation.” (01/03/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8e5k7p5222o
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jennifer Kavanagh
“There is a right way and a dumb way to show US support for the island. China’s moves since the announcement indicates which is which.” (01/02/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/taiwan-china-us/
Source: The American Prospect
by Harold Meyerson
“I do not mean this as a negative assessment when I say that what Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural address as mayor of New York reminded me most of was Woody Allen’s Manhattan (albeit with a more all-encompassing view of the city. Like Manhattan, Mamdani’s speech was a love-besotted tour of New York) though with a focus on the city’s multiracial working and middle class you can’t find anywhere in the Allen oeuvre. For Mamdani, this focus was intended to be a means of identification and reassurance (I am one of you, I know you), legitimacy (I represent all of you), and commitment (I will fight for you all). It was a homeboy speech. A local, not an express, was stopping at every other street corner to celebrate the halal carts and the delis.” (01/02/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/01/02/enter-stage-left-mayor-mamdani/
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Saudi-backed troops on Saturday made advances in Yemen’s resource-rich Hadramawt province, military officials said, as confrontations between forces backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deepened a rift between the two Gulf allies. The Saudis and Emiratis have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s fractious government. But a recent offensive by the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to capture Hadramawt angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich regional powers on a collision course. In a statement, the military of the Saudi-aligned government announced that ‘all military and civilian facilities’ in Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province, had ‘been secured’ by Riyadh-backed forces.” (01/03/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260103-saudi-backed-forces-make-advances-in-yemen-s-hadramawt-military-officials
Source: The Weekly Dish
“Laura Field On Trump’s Intellectuals.” (01/02/26)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/laura-field-on-trumps-intellectuals
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
Zohran Mamdani was not yet the new mayor of New York City when the city council signaled that it would serve as willing accomplice in his assault on fundamental property rights. In December, the city council passed legislation that had been hanging fire for several years, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), to further limit New Yorkers’ right to use and dispose of their own stuff. COPA would give ‘give certain nonprofits … an early shot to bid on certain residential properties that go up for sale, before they hit the wider market.’ The law pertains to buildings ‘with poor conditions or where an affordability provision is expiring.’ … If COPA is not dead on arrival, it will depress market prices as the city strongarms owners into making deals at lower-than-market prices.” (01/02/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/01/02/hot-in-new-york-city/
Source: SFGate
“The Trump administration and California appear to have officially severed ties as the state moves forward with the long-delayed high-speed rail without the help of federal funds. On Dec. 23, the California High-Speed Rail Authority pulled the lawsuit it filed after the Trump administration scrapped $4 billion in funding this summer for the bullet train that would stretch from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The rail authority has now decided to seek funding from a private investor as early as summer 2026. ‘Moving forward without the Trump administration’s involvement allows the Authority to pursue proven global best practices used successfully by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,’ a spokesperson for the rail authority said in a statement.” (01/02/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/high-speed-rail-seeks-private-investor-21268482.php
