ADVERTISEMENT

View in Browser

Policy changes, but facts endure. AP delivers accurate, fact-based journalism to keep the world informed in every administration. Support independent reporting today. Donate.

In the news today: From Minneapolis to Venezuela, Trump’s risks as he faces midterm elections; the plane used in a boat strike off Venezuela was painted to look like a civilian aircraft; and how climate change is shrinking the options for the Winter Olympics. Also, what happens when a heavy metal-loving prime minister sits down at a drum set at a summit.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters Tuesday at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

POLITICS

Trump’s latest moves could create new risks for GOP in midterm elections

It’s only two weeks into the new year, and President Donald Trump has already claimed control of Venezuela, escalated threats to seize Greenland and flooded American streets with masked immigration agents. And that’s not even counting an unprecedented criminal investigation at the Federal Reserve. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Voters across the nation will have their next chance to weigh in on Trump’s leadership at the ballot box this November, when Republicans hope to retain control of Congress for the last two years of his presidency.
  
  

• Recent Trump decisions carry tremendous risks, from the possibility of an overseas quagmire to undermining the country’s financial system, but Trump seems undeterred by the potential blowback. “Right now I’m feeling pretty good,” Trump said Tuesday in Detroit.
  
  

• Republican leaders have overwhelmingly rallied behind Trump throughout his turbulent second term. But new cracks began to appear this week. Going after Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared to be a step too far for some conservatives.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Trump visits Ford plant and defends his tariffs, hoping to counter jitters about the economy
  
  
• Democrats will spend millions to shift voter registration strategy ahead of the midterm elections
  
  
• Vance to meet Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington as locals say Greenland is not for sale
  
  
• Justice Department sees no basis for civil rights probe in Minnesota ICE shooting, official says
  
  
• Minneapolis duo details their ICE detention, including pressure to rat on protest organizers
  
  
• China’s trade surplus surges 20% to a record $1.2 trillion, even with Trump’s tariffs
  
  
• Louisiana seeks California doctor’s extradition over abortion pills
  
  
• Smithsonian responds to White House pressure by handing over more plans on its exhibits
  
  
• Georgia lawmakers move to strike Savannah ban on guns in unlocked cars
  
  
• A suspect in the vandalism of JD Vance’s Ohio home must stay in jail until trial
  
  
• Proposed billionaires’ tax in California rattles Silicon Valley, entangles Gov. Newsom
  
  
• Demonstrator injured after federal agent fired projectile from close range during California protest
  
  
• Ex-Navy SEAL convicted of planning to fire explosives at police during San Diego ‘No Kings’ rally
  
  
• Maui braces for possible end to FEMA rental assistance and more housing strain for fire survivors
  
  
• Prosecutors want 20-year sentence for ex-South Carolina lawmaker for sharing child sex abuse videos
  
  
• Ex-Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly about his Trump investigations
  
  
• House passes bill codifying Trump order to rinse away showerhead regulations

WORLD NEWS

Plane used in boat strike off Venezuela was painted to look like a civilian aircraft, AP sources say

The plane used by the U.S. military to strike a boat accused of smuggling drugs off the coast of Venezuela last fall was painted to look like a civilian aircraft, a move that appears to be at odds with the Pentagon’s manual on the laws of war. Read more.

Why this matters:

• U.S. military guidelines on the laws of war prohibit troops from pretending to be civilians while engaging in combat. The practice is legally known as “perfidy.” The Defense Department manual specifically notes that “feigning civilian status and then attacking” is an example of the practice.
  
  

• Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement that “the U.S. military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard aircraft depending on mission requirements.” Wilson said each aircraft goes through a “rigorous procurement process to ensure compliance with domestic law, department policies and regulations, and applicable international standards, including the law of armed conflict.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Multiple Americans detained in Venezuela have been released, Trump administration says
  
  
• Senate readies vote on Venezuela war powers as Trump pressures GOP defectors

SPORTS

The list of possible Winter Olympics host sites is shrinking because of climate change

With the Earth warming at a record rate, the list of locales that could reliably host a Winter Games will shrink substantially in the coming years, according to researchers. The situation is serious enough that the International Olympic Committee is considering rotating the games among a permanent pool of suitable locations and holding them earlier in the season. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Out of 93 mountain locations that currently have the winter sports infrastructure to host elite competition, only 52 should have the snow depth and sufficiently cold temperatures to be able to host a Winter Olympics in the 2050s, according to research conducted by University of Waterloo professor Daniel Scott and University of Innsbruck associate professor Robert Steiger that the IOC is using.
  
  

• The situation is bleaker for the Paralympic Winter Games, which are typically held at the same venues two weeks after the Winter Olympics conclude.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• WATCH: How climate change is reshaping the future of the Winter Olympics
  
  
• Ticket registration for 2028 Los Angeles Games kicks off with Olympic legends event

ADVERTISEMENT

IN OTHER NEWS

READ

Protests: Iran signals fast trials and executions as death toll in crackdown goes over 2,500

Thailand: A construction crane falls onto a moving train, killing at least 29

GLP-1 drugs: