“The United States has finalised a sale of Venezuelan oil – the first since Washington took control of the sector following the toppling of Nicolas Maduro, a US official told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. According to the official, who did not identify the buyer, the deal is worth US$500 million, and additional sales could take place in the coming days or weeks. ‘President Trump brokered a historic energy deal with Venezuela, immediately following the arrest of narcoterrorist Nicolas Maduro, that will benefit the American and Venezuelan people,’ said White House spokesman Taylor Rogers. Last week, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform ‘the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America.’ He added: ‘This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America.'” (01/15/26)
“Israel killed at least eight Palestinians across Gaza, just as the United States announced that the two sides had progressed to the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire deal with Hamas to end the conflict. The Wafa news agency reported that the Israeli military bombed two houses belonging to the al-Hawli and the al-Jarou families in the central town of Deir el-Balah on Thursday evening, with health officials confirming a 16-year-old minor was among those killed. The Israeli military announced that one of the victims, Muhammad al-Hawli, was a commander in the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.” (01/15/26)
“Money is often described as neutral, technical, or merely instrumental — a passive medium facilitating exchange within an otherwise political society. This view is not only mistaken; it is profoundly misleading. Money is the hidden constitution of every political order. It determines which actions are possible, which institutions survive, which risks are rewarded, and which failures are forgiven. While constitutions proclaim rights and legislatures debate policy, money silently governs outcomes. For this reason, the structure of a monetary system is never merely economic. It is moral, political, and civilizational.” (01/15/26)
“A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to obtain California’s voter rolls, delivering a setback to President Donald Trump’s administration as it seeks to gather private information on millions of voters. The Justice Department last year took the unusual step of asking states to provide copies of their lists of voters, which include names, addresses, partial Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and other information. Most states resisted, and the administration filed separate lawsuits against 23 states and Washington, D.C. The judge in the California case, David O. Carter, is the first to issue a ruling, and his decision could influence courts in other states. He found the administration had no authority to use federal civil rights and voting laws to gain the voter lists.” (01/15/26)
“Liberalism has always had its critics. But in 2018, Patrick Deneen went a step further: he declared liberalism a failed project — and explained how in Why Liberalism Failed. Since then, multiple obituaries for liberalism have been written, and Postliberalism, which calls for a replacement of the liberal order that shapes the West, has become a formidable movement on the right. Nevertheless, as if it had never heard a report of its own demise, liberalism endures today as a political order, political philosophy, and a way of life. Yet Deneen is not the first to give a failing grade to liberalism.” (01/15/26)
“Robby Soave delivers Radar on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) pushing back hard after being confronted by Laura Loomer’s reporter on Epstein files and forever wars.” (01/15/26)
“Gresham’s Law isn’t about greed or bad behavior. It describes rational decision-making under fixed rules. When people are given the option to spend weaker money or save stronger money, they do what makes sense. The outcome isn’t a flaw in character — it’s a predictable response to incentives built into the system.” (01/15/26)
