From the weekend:

• 🏛️ Capitol Reset: A Major Test for Trump →

• 🌎 Geopolitics 101: Sorting Out Syria →

• 🔴 Redshift: Trump Beat ABC →

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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🚨 FBI informants were involved in the Jan. 6 riots and broke laws. A bombshell DOJ watchdog report revealed that 26 FBI informants were present during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, with most engaging in illegal activity. While the FBI denied orchestrating the riot, the report found that — after years of FBI officials denying involvement in the riots — 13 informants entered restricted areas, and four breached the Capitol itself.

👨‍⚖️ Biden commuted the sentence of a "Kids-for-Cash" judge. One of the offenders who President Biden pardoned in the largest clemency order in modern American history was Judge Michael Conahan, convicted in Pennsylvania’s notorious "kids-for-cash" scandal. Conahan took $2.8 million in kickbacks for sending juveniles to for-profit detention centers. PA Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) condemned Biden’s decision, calling it "absolutely wrong."

📱 A new court ruling threatens TikTok’s US operations. A federal court denied TikTok’s appeal to overturn a law requiring its US operations to be sold to an American owner or face a ban by January 19, 2025. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, has been accused of granting Beijing access to Americans’ user data, raising significant security concerns.

🔫 Biden is pushing for Israel to fund Palestinian security forces. The Biden administration asked Israel to approve US military assistance to Palestinian Authority forces conducting a major operation in the Jenin refugee camp. The operation, targeting militants linked to the Iran-funded groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, comes amid fears of an Islamist overthrow of the Palestinian Authority.

WHAT WE’RE HEARING

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) believes Pete Hegseth will be confirmed as defense secretary.

• Sports personality Stephan A. Smith slammed Democrats after discovering that FBI informants were involved in the Capitol riots.

• Progressive commentator Van Jones acknowledged that Donald Trump “is smarter than all of us” and that he makes Democrats “look like idiots.”

• Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) complimented JD Vance and claimed he will be the 2028 GOP presidential nominee.

NARRATIVE TRACKER

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IN THE LOOP

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had her hip replaced in Luxembourg after suffering a fall.

• Donald Trump is reportedly interested in privatizing the US Postal Service.

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• Crystal Mangum, who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, admitted to making up the entire story. The three male students were arrested and put on trial before the case was dismissed.

• An Israeli strike on a munitions depot in Syria triggered an enormous explosion, registering as a 3.0 magnitude earthquake.

MY THOUGHTS

Can You Feel It?

Good morning. America has changed. Last week made it obvious. Trump graced the cover of Time Magazine as Person of the Year. He rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Daniel Penny was acquitted. A majority of New Yorkers voiced support for mass deportation. NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleasantly met with Trump’s head of mass deportation, Tom Homan — a meeting hilariously brokered by Dr. Phil. Senator Mitt Romney praised Trump. Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Altman all donated to Trump’s inauguration fund. Can you feel it?

NATIONAL SECURITY

Why are drones flying over New Jersey?

The unidentified drones flying over New Jersey continue to captivate the nation — because nobody is quite sure where they are from or what they are doing. Videos of drones are flooding X, with some saying they have seen drones the size of cars.

Politicians on both sides of the political aisle seem perplexed. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he saw some near his house, as did former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) also demanded “transparency” from the Biden administration.

Attempting to calm the waters, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI released a joint statement, saying the aircraft do not “pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” This came after Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) put forward the idea that the drones originated from an Iranian “mothership.”

The statement, lacking an explanation of the drones’ origin, did not do anything to quiet the discussion — if anything, it increased it. One analyst suggested the drones were being used by foreign powers to distract Americans from other threats.

Some believe the US military has been conducting some sort of classified operation. Joe Rogan highlighted a TikTok from the CEO of a drone manufacturer, who claimed the federal government may be searching for a lost Ukrainian nuke — though there is no evidence to support this.

Novelist and commentator Walter Kirn asserted a similar idea, saying a “good source” told him the drones are “looking for a very serious weapon.” As the government stays silent, speculation grows.

President-elect Donald Trump jokingly guessed the drones were delivering McDonald's to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). But he also demanded the government tell the public what the drones were; otherwise, he suggested Americans should “shoot them down.”

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took the opportunity to request expanded powers from Congress for both state and federal authorities, claiming the department is “limited” in its ability to “incapacitate those drones.” Klobuchar also said that more regulations will be required as drones become more popular.

The situation highlights two major trends that have been developing over the past decade: rapid technological advancement and degrading trust in official institutions. Drones do objectively pose a problem; a drone sighting shut down a New York airport and, as Sen. Klobuchar said, localities might have reason to ban drones from spying on people’s picnics.

With so much rising distrust, vague statements from government officials do nothing to help (New Jersey Senator-elect Andy Kim called them “unhelpful”). The Biden administration’s failure to be transparent with the American people will only serve to create a vicious cycle of speculation and mistrust.

OUR QUESTION TO YOU

Instead of a poll today, take 10 seconds to answer one question.

(We need your input. Big updates are coming, and your feedback is critical)

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Which do you think has the most radicalizing effects on young people?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 📱 Social Media (475)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🏠 Lack of Family (136)

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ ⛪️ Lack of Religion (423)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤬 Heated Political Rhetoric (94)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Other (Comment) (119)