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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
🇺🇸 US travel ban expands to 30+ countries. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Trump administration will extend the travel ban to more than 30 nations with unstable governments or weak vetting systems. The move follows a pause on asylum decisions after an Afghan national shot National Guard members.
🛠️ Hegseth vows to rebuild America's arsenal of freedom. War Secretary Pete Hegseth promised to overhaul military production through open competition. He said the "vendor-locked, cost-plus" era is over and the War Department will focus on AI, hypersonics, and directed energy.
🇮🇱 Trump and Netanyahu prepare Gaza plan's next phase. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he will meet President Trump to finalize the second stage of the Gaza peace plan. The phase would disarm Hamas, deploy a multinational security force, and establish a transitional authority in Gaza.
📱 Republicans pressure Apple and Google over ICE-tracking apps. The House Homeland Security Committee demanded Apple and Google explain why apps like ICEBlock were allowed to track immigration officers. Both companies have since removed the apps, which had over a million users.
INSIDER RADAR
Dr. Oz threatens Minnesota over fraud scandal
Insiders behind the paywall: Mehmet Oz, Steve Scalise, Tom Homan, and Scott Bessent.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
The new QAnon and JD Vance’s choice, with Sam Tanenhaus
Historian and writer Sam Tanenhaus unpacks William F. Buckley’s playbook, Tucker Carlson’s ascent, and how media figures are now leading the American Right.
THE MAIN STORY
Uncertainty remains around the Jan. 6 pipe bomber
_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Federal agents arrested 30-year-old Brian Cole on Dec. 4 for allegedly planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters before the Jan. 6 riot.
_FACTS AND INSIGHTS_
Cole was arrested at his mother’s home in Northern Virginia after the FBI re-examined old evidence linking him to the bombs.
The FBI offered only a bare-bones explanation of how they identified the suspect…
Exclusive analysis and uncensored facts behind the paywall: The suspect and his claimed motives, his family’s business with illegal migration, and the skepticism around the FBI’s investigation.
_JOIN THE DISCUSSION_
Do you trust the FBI’s investigation and arrest of the pipe bomb suspect?
MEDIA BIAS SPOTTER
How left and right outlets frame the Jan. 6 pipe bomber arrest
Mentioned behind the paywall: The New York Times, The AP, Newsmax, and The Daily Signal.
_THE DAILY DEBATE_
📊 Which agency leader do you approve of the most?
POLLS RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY
Does Qatar’s influence with conservatives concern you?
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (1,106)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (154)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (91)
👍 Yes: “No foreign country should be able to influence our elected representatives.” — Anne
👎 No: “This doesn’t bother me because we now all know about it.” — Marc
🤔 Unsure: “All politics runs on influence. It takes time to tell who will be good partners.” — PN
COMMENT OF THE DAY
“It is very disturbing to see GOP members taking paid trips to Qatar. I don’t think it’s a safe move, no matter how much we want their cooperation in the Abram Accords.”
_POP QUIZ_
What is NOT part of the Phase 2 Gaza plan?
Today’s newsletter was written by Brandon Goldman, Anthony Constantini, and Ariel David. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won’t find in the mainstream media.
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