WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
🚨 Pro-Maduro gangs target Trump supporters. Armed “Colectivos” with Russian weapons are stopping cars in Caracas, searching phones for evidence of support for Trump’s operation to capture Maduro. Journalists are hiding, and at least 14 have been detained. The regime’s interim president declared a state of emergency and banned public celebrations.
💸 Soros-funded groups paying for pro-Maduro protests. The Alliance for Global Justice, which received $250,000 from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, is part of a coalition organizing global protests against the US action. The "No War on Venezuela Coalition" is calling for "mass resistance" at US embassies and military bases.
🕵️ Trump surges 2,000 ICE agents to Minneapolis. The Trump administration is sending immigration agents to Minnesota for a 30-day surge following reports of massive fraud at Minneapolis daycares. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons called the crackdown the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever.”
🐻 Trump opens fraud probe into California. The president announced the investigation on Truth Social, calling the state "more corrupt than Minnesota." This follows claims by Republican Steve Hilton of up to $250 billion in annual welfare fraud. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office dismissed the probe, calling Trump a "deranged, habitual liar."
INSIDER RADAR
The White House confirmed it is considering using the US military as one option to acquire Greenland.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff said the Trump administration has made “significant progress” in peace talks with Russia and Ukraine.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are opposing a $5.7 billion refugee funding provision in a new spending bill.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) criticized President Trump’s pardons of January 6 defendants, saying “we let bad people go” and that some have since reoffended.
HOAX TRACKER
Washington Post dodges the real reason vaccine trust collapsed
The Washington Post reported falling childhood vaccination rates and blamed distrust, polarization, and “misinformation.” In reality, trust eroded after COVID-era officials overstated certainties, suppressed dissent, quietly revised failed claims, and refused any honest audit of potential vaccine harms.
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QUICK AND IMPORTANT
Roughly 600,000 Venezuelans now face deportation as the Trump administration ends temporary protections.
At least 24 Venezuelan officers were killed during the US raid that captured Maduro.
The Justice Department is still reviewing over 2 million Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
At least 36 people have been killed in the ongoing protests in Iran.
The most clicked link in our last newsletter was our exclusive article, “Trump’s Art of War and Global Power in Venezuela.”
INSIDER EXCLUSIVE
Mass protests threaten to topple the Iranian regime
Protests across Iran have spread to around 70 cities, escalating into deadly clashes between demonstrators and government forces…
ASK THE EDITORS
Mamdani’s impact on the Maduro trial
Q: With Zohran Mamdani now the mayor of New York City, will his socialist regime have any adverse effect on the trial of Nicolás Maduro on drug trafficking charges? — Alison from North Carolina
A: As we’ve seen in today’s article, Zohran Mamdani was not supportive of President Trump’s raid to capture the Venezuelan dictator.
However, he may not be able to have any direct legal impact on Maduro’s federal trial. This is because the prosecution and court proceedings are handled by the Department of Justice and the Southern District of New York, not City Hall.
Mamdani likes to talk tough about his role as mayor, even to the point of misleadingly claiming he was “briefed” on the Maduro capture — he was not (at least not by the Trump White House), as he does not have security clearance.
But at the end of the day, federal prosecutors and judges operate independently of the mayor. Mamdani’s rhetoric may play locally, but it probably won’t affect how the feds prosecute Maduro.
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THE MAIN STORY
Mamdani embraces “woke” as NYC mayor
_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Zohran Mamdani, the socialist mayor of New York City, rode the wave of economic discontent into office, promising to enact policies that lower costs for the middle class and squeeze the rich. However, his candidacy revealed his sympathy for Islamic terrorists, his embrace of language adopted by communists like Karl Marx.
In the lead-up to his mayoralty and in its nascent days, Mamdani is proving to be less in the mold of Lenin and Trotsky and more similar to a 2020s woke leftist, prioritizing race, gender, and sexual orientation over competency.
_THE FACTS_
Mamdani was sworn in on January 1, pledging to replace “the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”
Russian official Kirill Dmitriev mocked Mamdani’s collectivist rhetoric, posting a Simpsons meme of Vladimir Lenin and quipping: “Dear Comrade Mamdani — just a friendly reminder that this has been tried before.”
Mamdani revoked executive orders that defined antisemitism and prohibited city agencies from boycotting Israel, prompting condemnation from Jewish groups and Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
He also appointed Cea Weaver as his tenant-protection chief; Weaver previously wrote that homeownership is “a weapon of white supremacy.”
He named retired, openly gay EMS chief Lillian Bonsignore to lead the FDNY despite the fact that she’s never been a firefighter.
Mamdani called President Trump to oppose the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
He later admitted he has no federal security clearance, despite claiming he had been “briefed” on the operation.
Mamdani’s early agenda includes free public buses and higher taxes on the wealthy, though Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has already rejected the funding plan.
_OUR INSIGHTS _
Mamdani’s embrace of hard-left rhetoric and woke appointees doesn’t suggest a leader focused on effective governance.
The fact that he rescinded an antisemitism order — in a city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel — risks alienating a key constituency and signals that Mamdani may not be thinking strategically about the coalition he needs to advance his ambitious agenda; an agenda which is not going to be fully funded by New York Governor Kathy Hochul or President Donald Trump.
_JOIN THE DISCUSSION_
Do you think Mamdani will be able to accomplish his policy goals?
BIAS SPOTTER
The biggest stories underreported on the left and right
_WHAT THE LEFT MISSED_
Pro-life Americans respond to Trump’s Hyde Amendment comments: “President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Republicans should be ‘flexible’ when it comes to the Hyde Amendment, a policy that prevents taxpayer funding for abortions.” (Daily Wire)
_WHAT THE RIGHT MISSED_
The QAnon Shaman turns on Donald Trump: “Jacob Chansley, who became known as the ‘QAnon Shaman’ after rocking a horned headdress and makeup during the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, is reiterating why he no longer supports President Donald Trump.” (Huffington Post).
Bayer sues COVID vaccine makers over mRNA technology: “Bayer's Monsanto sued COVID-19 vaccine makers Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna … for allegedly misusing its messenger RNA technology in manufacturing their vaccines.” (Reuters)
_THE DAILY DEBATE_
📊 Who is more likely to stop Mamdani’s agenda?
POLLS RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY
Who do you think should lead Venezuela?
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ✊ Maduro loyalists (15)
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🕊️ Opposition leaders (238)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇺🇸 A US-backed government (172)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🇻🇪 Let the people decide (990)
🕊️ Opposition leaders: “The people already decided with the last election but Maduro refused to accept the results. The opposition leader was the people’s choice.” — Carol
🇺🇸 A US-backed government: “US needs to maintain strong influence until internal struggles play out.” — Laura
🇻🇪 Let the people decide: “Only an honest and open election will give legitimacy to a new government.” — Mark
_POP QUIZ_
Where did President Trump open a new fraud probe?
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.
See you tomorrow.
