US/World News
Chicago Tribune: Bondi Beach. Brown University. The Reiners. A weekend of hellish violence.
BBC: What we know about Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting
Australian officials say the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack was carried out by a father-and-son pair; 15 people were killed (including a 10-year-old) and dozens injured.
Police and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an act of antisemitic terrorism.
The older gunman (50) was a licensed firearms holder and was killed by police; the younger gunman (24) is hospitalized in critical condition.
A bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, is credited with wrestling a gun away and was wounded; officials described him as a hero who likely saved lives.
Far-right disinfo machine springs into action, inventing a white hero, Edward Crabtree, out of whole cloth. [Agence France-Presse]
NYT: Suspect in Brown and M.I.T. Killings Is Described as Brilliant but Bullying
Authorities say Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former physics graduate student, killed two students at Brown University and later shot and killed an Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor before dying by apparent suicide in New Hampshire.
Investigators recovered two 9mm pistols in a storage unit and say forensic evidence links the weapons — and DNA from the Brown scene — to both attacks.
A Reddit tip about a suspicious rental car helped crack the case, but officials say the motive remains unclear, with no known connection to the Brown victims and only an academic link to the MIT professor.
Patel’s FBI criticized for AGAIN rushing to social media to tout detention of the wrong “person of interest.” [Guardian]
Lack of a known motive didn’t stop wild speculation from the MAGA right [Daily Beast]
The Hill: Trump critics note Charlie Kirk in ripping remarks over Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed in a violent attack - allegedly by their own son, who has been arrested. The shocking murders prompted remembrances of Reiner’s long career in Hollywood and widespread condolences across the political spectrum.
President Donald Trump responded by blaming the killings on “Trump derangement syndrome” and attacking Reiner personally, triggering bipartisan condemnation, including from prominent Republicans.
Critics pointed out the remarks came soon after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, making Trump’s response appear hypocritical and politically damaging as he refused to walk it back.
The Hill: Takeaways from Trump’s White House address
Trump gave a short, rally-style speech marking one year back in office: loud, fast, combative, and light on coherence, with poll numbers and affordability dragging him down.
No major policy announcements, aside from a $1,776 “warrior dividend” bonus for active-duty troops — popular, but not politically transformative.
Lots of familiar claims, little credibility: exaggerated investment numbers, impossible math on drug prices, and false claims about inheriting “historic” inflation.
Culture war and blame-shifting dominated: Trump touted immigration crackdowns, attacked “woke radicals,” and blamed Democrats for inflation and health care costs.
Big foreign-policy suspense fizzled: despite hype about Venezuela, Trump said nothing substantive, avoiding escalation that could split his own base.
Al Jazeera: Trump orders naval blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers
Trump ordered a “total and complete” blockade of US-sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, a move critics and lawmakers are openly calling an act of war.
The U.S. has already seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, escalating tensions as Trump labels Maduro regime a “foreign terrorist organization” and claims justification via drugs, terrorism, and trafficking — without providing evidence.
Venezuela, Russia, and international law experts are sounding alarms, with Caracas calling the blockade “state piracy,” appealing to the UN Security Council, and warning of regional destabilization.
Congressional backlash is forming: Rep. Joaquin Castro says the blockade is unconstitutional and lawmakers will soon vote on a resolution to force an end to hostilities.
This fits a broader pressure campaign: tightened sanctions, military buildup off Venezuela’s coast, lethal US vessel strikes, and legal moves to liquidate Venezuelan assets — all amid accusations of regime-change ambitions tied to oil.
Congress Squanders Last Chance to Block Venezuela War Before Going on Vacation [The Intercept]
Vanity Fair: Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the “Junkyard Dogs”: The White House Chief of Staff on Trump’s Second Term
The Nation: The Shocking Confessions of Susie Wiles
Chris Hayes: Susie Wiles interview exposes the scam at the core of the Trump admin.
Trump’s presidency is operating as an openly lawless project, not a disciplined administration: impulse-driven decision-making, revenge politics, and contempt for legal limits are normalized at the highest level, confirmed on the record by his own chief of staff.
The Venezuela policy exposes the core deception: U.S. boat bombings, seizures, and now a naval blockade were never about drug interdiction. Susie Wiles admits the real objective is forced regime change, making the administration’s actions an undeclared war justified after the fact.
The inner circle is chaotic, radical, and mutually contemptuous: Wiles describes JD Vance as a conspiracy theorist, Elon Musk as a ketamine-using saboteur of government, Russell Vought as a religious zealot, and Pam Bondi as incompetent — while still enabling them.
Authoritarian behavior is not accidental, it’s facilitated: mass pardons for January 6 rioters, extrajudicial deportations, weaponized prosecutions, National Guard deployments in cities, and tariff whiplash are all treated as acceptable tools of power rather than constitutional violations.
The real scandal is impunity, not leaks: Wiles spoke so freely because this White House believes exposure doesn’t matter. When confronted with tapes, the response wasn’t accountability — it was denial, spin, and circling the wagons.
Axios: The Epstein files are out. Here is what’s in them and what’s still missing
The Justice Department released thousands of Epstein-related documents Friday, but acknowledged the release is incomplete, with additional files still missing and no firm timeline for full disclosure.
The newly released DOJ files include surveillance video from Epstein’s jail, flight logs, Maxwell interview transcripts, and disturbing victim statements, alongside heavily redacted materials.
DOJ says key records remain withheld or redacted to protect ongoing investigations, survivor identities, and claimed national security concerns.
Lawmakers from both parties are pressing the DOJ for answers, warning the department missed Congress’s Dec. 19 deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Separately, Congress continues releasing estate-sourced Epstein records, including emails, photos, schedules, and documents referencing Trump, Clinton, Musk, and others — underscoring that major portions of the Epstein record still remain unreleased.
The Hill: BREAKING 16 Epstein files, including photo of Trump, disappear from DOJ website
DOJ quietly removed at least 16 Epstein-related files from its website within a day of release, including photos and materials tied to Epstein’s property—without explaining why. Some removed files reportedly included a photo featuring Donald Trump alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Lawyers raised redaction concerns after publication, with Gloria Allred saying her team contacted DOJ about names that should not have been publicly disclosed. DOJ reportedly acknowledged some names would be redacted, suggesting the files were posted sloppily, then pulled.
The removals sparked bipartisan backlash and cover-up accusations, with House Democrats questioning transparency and Rep. Thomas Massie accusing DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding materials and asserting privilege beyond what the law allows.
A bevy of healthcare-adjacent stories for Dr. Rob
CIDRAP: US hot spots see more measles cases as national total nears 2,000
The U.S. is on the brink of losing measles elimination status, with 1,958 cases recorded this year, just one month shy of the 2,000-case threshold. That includes 46 new cases in the latest update.
Measles is spreading almost entirely through outbreaks: 49 outbreaks across 44 jurisdictions, accounting for 88% of all cases. An additional 24 cases involve international visitors, underscoring how porous this has become.
This is overwhelmingly a vaccine-preventable crisis: 93% of cases are among unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccination status. Only 4% of patients were fully vaccinated.
Children are bearing the brunt: 67% of U.S. cases are under age 20, with significant spread in elementary schools tied to low vaccination rates.
Hospitalizations and deaths are rising: 222 people (11%) hospitalized so far this year, with three confirmed deaths
Guardian: CDC ends recommendation for all US newborns to receive hepatitis B vaccine.
The CDC ended its 30-year recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth, now limiting it to infants whose mothers test positive or whose status is unknown.
This shift follows pressure from RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel and reframes routine vaccination as “individual-based decision making,” pushing parents to decide with their doctor instead of following a clear public-health standard.
Public health experts are alarmed, warning the change will increase preventable childhood infections, create confusion, and reduce vaccine uptake by weakening insurance coverage and clinical guidance.
The policy abandons a proven success: hepatitis B infections dropped nearly 90% after universal infant vaccination was introduced.
Critics say the CDC is abandoning science in favor of anti-vaccine ideology, signaling a broader retreat from evidence-based public health under Kennedy’s influence.
AP: Trump administration moves to cut off transgender care for children
The Trump administration moved to effectively eliminate gender-affirming care for minors by proposing to cut off Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP funding to hospitals that provide it.
RFK Jr. framed gender-affirming care as “malpractice,” directly contradicting every major U.S. medical association that supports evidence-based treatment for transgender youth.
The threat isn’t just symbolic: because nearly all U.S. hospitals rely on federal health funding, the rules would functionally ban care nationwide, even in states where it remains legal.
The proposals aren’t final yet, but they are already chilling care, with providers pulling back in anticipation of federal retaliation and lawsuits looming.
This is part of a broader federal crackdown on transgender rights, including redefining sex in federal law, excluding gender dysphoria from disability protections, and criminalizing providers.
NewsNation: ‘RFK Jr. must go’: Mike Pence’s conservative advocacy group
Mike Pence’s conservative group is demanding Trump fire RFK Jr., accusing him of failing to review the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone, despite promising to do so at his confirmation hearing.
The complaint isn’t that RFK is too extreme — it’s that he hasn’t gone far enough: anti-abortion groups want stricter controls or rollback after the FDA approved a generic version of the drug.
Pence’s allies argue RFK “ignored data” and blocked oversight, framing the issue as regulatory failure rather than ideological disagreement.
This exposes a crack inside the Trump coalition: RFK Jr.’s anti-vax, “crunchy” contrarianism doesn’t line up cleanly with the religious right’s abortion absolutism.
The Hill: House passes GOP health care bill without ACA extension
Bloomberg: Speaker to Allow January Vote on Democrats’ Health Care Bill
House Republicans passed a symbolic health-care bill that dodges the real crisis: their package offers conservative tweaks but does nothing to stop ACA premium subsidies from expiring Dec. 31, which would spike costs for 22 million Americans.
GOP leadership refused to allow a vote on extending the subsidies, triggering a rare revolt: four moderate Republicans joined Democrats on a discharge petition to force a House vote on a three-year extension.
Speaker Mike Johnson is running out the clock, delaying the vote into January even though the subsidies expire at year’s end — a choice Democrats and moderates say guarantees immediate harm to constituents.
Moderate Republicans openly blame their own leadership, saying “doing nothing is worse than a flawed extension” and accusing Johnson of late, unserious policymaking that leaves families exposed to higher premiums.
The path forward is procedurally messy and politically volatile: a forced House vote could pressure the Senate into a bipartisan compromise, but GOP leadership is still trying to peel moderates away and avoid owning the fallout.
NBC News: Trump signs executive order fast-tracking reclassification of marijuana
Trump signed an executive order fast-tracking marijuana’s reclassification to Schedule III, directing the DOJ and DEA to finish a stalled process and allowing the FDA to more easily study medical uses of cannabis.
The order explicitly does not legalize marijuana, and Trump went out of his way to reject recreational use, framing the move as “common sense” relief for people with chronic pain — not a cultural shift.
Reclassification would lower regulatory barriers and potentially expand medical access for seniors, veterans, and patients, regardless of state-level politics.
The directive also targets CBD, instructing the White House to work with Congress to expand safe access while restricting products deemed risky.
Democrats acknowledged the move as incremental, with Sen. Chuck Schumer calling it “a step in the right direction” but stressing that decriminalization, banking reform, and War on Drugs harms remain unresolved.
Indiana News
Rokita
WISH 8: Rokita is blunt in disagreement with Trump’s marijuana order
ΩIndiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is formally opposing the reclassification, joining AGs from eight other Republican-led states in arguing marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug — on par with heroin — despite the federal shift.
Rokita claims the “science” still supports Schedule I status, citing alleged harms to children, adolescents, and public safety, particularly around impaired driving — without pointing to new or changed evidence.
Indiana officials are signaling resistance, not adaptation: Rokita’s office says it will “evaluate the order closely,” framing the move as a public-health threat rather than an opportunity for medical research or pain treatment for Hoosiers.
Reason: Porn Sites Must Block VPNs To Comply With Indiana’s Age-Verification Law, State Suggests in New Lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is suing Pornhub’s parent company and other adult websites, claiming they violated Indiana’s age-verification law.
Indiana’s law requires sites with material “harmful to minors” to verify users are 18+, leading Pornhub to block access in Indiana rather than collect IDs.
Rokita now argues that geoblocking is insufficient and that sites must also block VPNs and other tools that mask users’ locations.
The lawsuit claims adult sites violated both the age-verification law and Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by allowing potential workarounds.
Privacy and civil liberties advocates warn the logic could extend far beyond porn, threatening VPN use, online anonymity, and digital privacy more broadly.
Beckwith
24sight News: Families flee embattled Life Church amid abuse reports, child porn arrest
Life Church is losing congregants amid fallout from reports involving lead pastor Nathan Peternel, including allegations of inappropriate sexual conversations with minors and the arrest of his son on child sexual abuse material charges.
Former congregants estimate at least 100 families have left the church’s largest campus, led by Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who is also a church employee and close ally of Peternel.
Peternel and church leadership have allegedly pressured departing families to return and offered conflicting explanations about how explicit videos involving Peternel and his wife were found on his son’s phone.
Beckwith has publicly defended Peternel, urged congregants not to ask questions, and framed the controversy as attacks by “demonic enemies,” while declining to address the underlying allegations.
The scandal has raised concerns about the church’s close ties to state power, including connections to the lieutenant governor’s office and Republican legal figures, as investigations and public scrutiny continue.
Indiana Citizen: ‘IS SOMEONE LYING?’: Gov. Braun calls Lt. Gov. Beckwith’s claims about redistricting fallout for federal funding ‘fake news’
Gov. Mike Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith are publicly contradicting each other over whether the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding after Indiana lawmakers rejected new congressional maps.
Braun called Beckwith’s claims “fake news,” saying there was no explicit threat or quid pro quo, even as he previously warned lawmakers that rejecting the maps could strain Indiana’s relationship with the Trump administration.
Beckwith has doubled down, citing conversations and a now-deleted Heritage Action post claiming federal funds could be stripped if Indiana failed to pass the maps.
Indiana Democratic Party chair Karen Tallian called the conflicting accounts “irreconcilable,” raising questions about whether threats were made and who is telling the truth.
GOP legislative leaders downplayed any fallout, saying Indiana’s relationship with the federal government is expected to remain stable.
WFIU: Greene County hospital to end labor, delivery services
Greene County General Hospital will stop offering labor and delivery services on Jan. 31, 2026, forcing pregnant women to travel 30–45 minutes to deliver at hospitals outside the county.
Hospital leadership says staffing shortages and long-term financial losses, driven in part by Medicaid cuts and low insurer reimbursement, made the service unsustainable.
Prenatal, postpartum, and other women’s health services will remain local, along with a perinatal navigator program to help patients transfer care.
The hospital’s emergency department will remain prepared for unexpected labor cases, with continued OB training for ER staff.
Hospital officials warn the closure reflects broader threats to rural healthcare access in Indiana if Medicaid reimbursement and insurer accountability do not improve.
Other GOP Fuckery:
Post-Tribune: Jennifer-Ruth Green agrees to pay $10,000 fine in ethics probe
Jennifer-Ruth Green, now running again for Congress in Indiana’s 1st District, agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and waived a public hearing to settle an ethics complaint.
Investigators found Green misused state staff and resources for political purposes and retaliated against an employee who reported her conduct.
The settlement closes the case with no further penalties, leaving the findings uncontested as Green campaigns for federal office.
Capital Chronicle: Indiana lawmakers tee up new death penalty bills ahead of short 2026 session
Sen. Mike Young (R-Indianapolis) and Reps. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) and Andrew Ireland (R-Indianapolis) filed bills to expand execution methods, adding firing squad and, in the House bill, nitrogen hypoxia.
Sponsors cite drug shortages and rising costs for lethal injection, with Indiana spending over $1 million in the past year, including on drugs that expired unused.
The proposals have reopened a broader fight, with prosecutors backing retention of the death penalty and faith leaders and abolition advocates pushing to end it, while Gov. Mike Braun has downplayed its priority.
Capital Chronicle: Independent Indiana wants state to end straight-ticket voting
Independent Indiana is urging lawmakers to end straight-ticket voting, arguing it hides independent candidates and reinforces one-party dominance.
The group cites a new poll showing 62% of Indiana voters oppose straight-ticket voting, with opposition spanning party lines.
Organizers say straight-ticket voting, combined with gerrymandering, makes Indiana elections uncompetitive by letting a small slice of primary voters decide most races.
Dems Not Without Fault
Chalkbeat: ILEA backs plan to create new education authority to oversee IPS, charter schools
The state-mandated Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, voted 8–1 to recommend creating a new agency to oversee both Indianapolis Public Schools and charter schools.
The proposal would shift major powers away from the elected IPS board to a mayor-appointed body with authority over property taxes, buildings, transportation, accountability, and enrollment.
Charter supporters praised the plan as a structural overhaul, while IPS advocates and community groups warned it weakens democratic oversight and accelerates privatization.
If enacted by the GOP-led legislature, the recommendation would represent one of the biggest changes to Indianapolis school governance in decades.
Lawmakers will decide whether to turn the recommendations into law when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
Axios Indy: Rep. Bob Behning will file bill to exempt IPS from $1 law
Capital Chronicle: Marion Co Sheriff to run for State Senate
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal announced he will run for the open Indiana Senate District 31 seat, one of the state’s few competitive districts.
Forestal, a Democrat who is term-limited as sheriff, is pitching himself as a pragmatic leader focused on lowering costs for utilities, health care, and groceries while emphasizing public safety.
The seat is open after Republican Sen. Kyle Walker said he will not seek reelection.
Forestal brings decades of law enforcement experience, including serving as U.S. Marshal for southern Indiana under President Obama.
His record includes both praise for diversity and violence-prevention efforts and criticism over cooperation with ICE and housing immigration detainees.
WTHR 13: Amid travel ban expansion, more people denied participation in Indianapolis naturalization ceremony
More than a dozen people were denied participation in a naturalization ceremony in Indianapolis this week, following a similar incident last week where 38 prospective citizens were turned away.
The denials coincide with the Trump administration’s expansion of a travel ban and a broader pause on immigration adjudications for people from “high-risk” countries.
At least one person turned away in Indianapolis is from Niger, a country newly added to the expanded travel ban.
Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell condemned the turn-aways, noting the affected individuals had already completed all requirements for citizenship.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed USCIS has paused adjudications for applicants from designated countries while additional vetting is conducted.
Fox 32 Chicago: Bears’ potential move to Indiana draws sharp reactions from both states
The Chicago Bears announced they’re exploring Northwest Indiana for a new stadium, immediately igniting a cross-state political fight.
Mike Braun welcomed the idea, while JB Pritzker blasted it as a “slap in the face,” with Illinois lawmakers pushing back on proposed tax breaks.
Critics say the Bears may be using Indiana as leverage to secure favorable tax terms in Illinois, raising questions about the team’s strategy and political read of the moment.
