“It was a common refrain for Donald J. Trump and his allies during the 2024 campaign: The Biden administration was purposely encouraging mass numbers of immigrants to cross the border in order to vote illegally. As president, Mr. Trump has pushed his administration to address the alleged crimes, including prompting many states to upload tens of millions of voter records through a federal immigration verification tool run out of the Department of Homeland Security. But with the review underway, the results so far indicate there is no evidence of widespread fraud, according to interviews with government officials and documents reviewed by The New York Times. Out of 49.5 million voter registrations that have been checked, the department referred around 10,000 cases to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation of noncitizenship, or roughly .02 percent of the names processed, according to Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the D.H.S. agency that oversees the program.” (01/14/26)
“Senate Republicans on Wednesday defeated a war powers resolution to block President Trump from using military force ‘within or against’ Venezuela after two Republicans who voted last week to advance the measure reversed themselves and joined their leaders in quashing it. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) voted on Wednesday to support a point of order against the resolution after coming under intense pressure from Trump, who called for their ouster from the Senate after they defied him last week.” (01/14/26)
“U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine — not Russia — is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskiy, the U.S. president said, was more reticent. ‘I think he’s ready to make a deal,’ Trump said of the Russian president. ‘I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.’ Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since World War Two, Trump responded: ‘Zelenskiy.'” (01/14/26)
“Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez signaled Wednesday that the country would continue releasing prisoners detained under former President Nicolás Maduro in what she described as ‘a new political moment’ since his ouster by the United States earlier this month. … Rodríguez opened her first press briefing since Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces with a conciliatory tone. Addressing journalists from a red carpet at the presidential palace, she offered assurances that the process of releasing detainees — a move reportedly made at the behest of the Trump administration — ‘has not yet concluded.’ A Venezuelan human rights organization estimates about 800 political prisoners are still being detained.” (01/14/25)
“The Trump administration is suspending all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries starting January 21, Fox News reported on Wednesday, citing a memo from the U.S. State Department. Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand are among the affected countries, according to the report. Representatives for the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported memo, which Fox News said directs U.S. embassies to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses its procedures. No time frame was provided.” (01/14/26)
“House Oversight Republicans will begin contempt of Congress proceedings against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she failed to appear for a deposition Wednesday as part of the committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Both Clintons will face contempt of Congress proceedings — a rarely used congressional enforcement tool. … The Oversight panel will vote to hold Hillary and Bill Clinton in contempt next Wednesday, Comer said. Criminal contempt of Congress carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, though not every witness who defies a subpoena is referred for prosecution.” (01/14/26)
“The British government has watered down plans for mandatory digital identification cards, a contentious idea it had touted as a way to help control immigration. It’s the latest policy U-turn by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s embattled center-left government, which is under fire from both opposition politicians and governing Labour Party lawmakers. Officials confirmed Wednesday that it won’t be compulsory for citizens and residents to show a digital ID card in order to get a job, ditching a key plank of the policy announced in September. … Britain has not had compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since shortly after World War II, and the idea has long been contentious. Civil rights campaigners argue it infringes personal liberty and puts people’s information at risk.” (01/14/26)
“The home of a Washington Post reporter was searched by the FBI as part of an investigation by the bureau into the leaking of classified documents tied to President Trump’s efforts to trim the size of the federal government. The search, which was first reported by The New York Times and the Post itself, came at the home of journalist Hannah Natanson …. Natanson was home at the time of the search, the Post reported, and the FBI seized her two laptops, cell phone and a Garmin watch during the operation. A warrant tied to the search noted the investigation was focused on a government system administrator in Maryland who ‘has a top secret security clearance and has been accused of accessing and taking home classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement,’ the outlet reported.” (01/14/26)
“Verizon said on Wednesday that its wireless service was suffering an outage impacting cellular data and voice services. The nation’s largest wireless carrier said that its ‘engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly.’ Verizon’s statement came after a swath of social media comments directed at Verizon, with users saying that their mobile devices were showing no bars of service or ‘SOS,’ indicating a lack of connection. Verizon, which has more than 146 million customers, appears to have started experiencing services issues around 12:00 p.m. ET, according to comments on social media site X. … In Washington, D.C., the District’s official emergency notification system sent out a message to residents saying that the Verizon outage was ‘nationwide.’ … New York City’s Office of Emergency Management also said it was aware of the outage without mentioning Verizon by name.” (01/14/26)
“A fundraiser for a man who was suspended for calling President Donald Trump a ‘pedophile protector’ has raised more than $222,000 in just a few hours. Ford factory worker TJ Sabula was recorded getting into a confrontation with Trump during the president’s tour of one of the automaker’s plants in Michigan on Tuesday. Video of the incident shows Trump — who has faced widespread condemnation over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files — appearing to mouth ‘f— you’ and flip the bird after Sabula is heard calling him a ‘pedophile protector. The worker said he was suspended over the incident but told The Washington Post that he has ‘no regrets whatsoever.'” (01/14/26)
