Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Invading Greenland Would Be a Disaster (w/ Mark Hertling).” (01/08/28)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Spheres of influence stem from the very nature of states and international relations. States will always seek to secure their interests by exerting influence over their neighbors, and the more powerful the state, the greater the influence that it will seek. That said, sphere of influence strategies vary greatly, on spectrums between relative moderation and excess, humanity and cruelty, discreet pressure and open intimidation, and intelligence and stupidity; and the present policies of the Trump administration in the Western Hemisphere show disturbing signs of inclining towards the latter.” (01/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-spheres-of-influence/
Avelo Airlines to stop providing gang abductee transportation
Source: United Press International
“Avelo Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline, announced it will end its contract with the U.S. government to conduct deportation flights. The airline had been flying deportees for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security since May. … ‘We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy,’ CEO Andrew Levy said in an email to employees Tuesday, CNBC reported. ‘The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.’ … The company’s decision to contract with the government for deportation flights sparked backlash, boycotts and protests.” (01/08/26)
Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/08/26
Source: Antiwar News
“US Claims It’s ‘Dictating’ Venezuela’s Decisions, US Bombs Somalia During Helicopter Raid, and More.” (01/08/26)
An Illegal and Unwise Incursion
Source: The Dispatch
by Erwin Chemerinsky
“President Donald Trump’s military invasion of Venezuela to capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, was illegal and unconstitutional. There is no legal authority, in American or international law, for the United States, in Trump’s words, to be ‘running’ another country. And it is chilling that rather than acknowledging these legal issues, the president is instead talking about possible blatantly illegal military actions against Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, and Mexico. The fact that the United States has the ability to overpower other nations does not make its actions legal or just.” (01/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/debates/illegal-invasion-venezuela-trump-constitution/
Is The “Forever Winter” Our Future?
Source: The Realist Review
by Chris Mott
“Thoughts on AI, nuclear weapons, and forever wars …” (01/08/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/is-the-forever-winter-our-future
Reasonably Optimistic, 01/07/26
Source: Washington Post
“How the internet changed politics — and our lives — forever.” (01/07/26)
The Trump Administration Says It’s Illegal To Record Videos of ICE. Here’s What the Law Says.
Source: Reason
by CJ Ciaramella
“The Trump administration believes you don’t have the right to record Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in public. This stance is both factually wrong and an attempt to chill free speech by conflating it with violence. … Recording government agents is one of the few tools citizens have to hold state power accountable. Any attempt to redefine observation as ‘violence’ is not only unconstitutional — it’s authoritarian gaslighting. When a government fears cameras more than crimes, it isn’t protecting the rule of law. It’s protecting itself.” (for publication 02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/08/you-have-the-right-to-record-ice/
Russia: Regime frees French political prisoner
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year prison sentence in Russia for violating Moscow’s foreign agent laws, has been freed as part of a prisoner exchange, French and Russian officials said on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: ‘Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones.’ He added he was grateful for work done by French diplomatic officials. Russia’s FSB security service said Vinatier, 49, had been swapped for Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player who was arrested at a Paris airport last June and who was wanted in the United States for alleged involvement in ransomware attacks.” (01/08/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260108-russia-frees-french-researcher-laurent-vinatier
The Kyle Anzalone Show, 01/07/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Patrick Henningsen: Venezuela: America’s Next Disaster?” (01/07/26)