Monday, January 12, 2026
GOP senators seek to rein in Trump amid concerns over military escalation in Venezuela
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5682429-trump-venezuela-foreign-policy-clash/
Several Senate Republicans are seeking to rein in President Trump’s plans for Venezuela amid concerns that the president may deploy thousands of U.S. troops to South America.
“We’ve seen things escalate,” Murkowski said. “I’ve [been] in classified briefs where it has been unscored to me, ‘Nope, there was never an intention to do anything other than to intercept these drugs,’ because that’s what the mission was. And when you ask questions about, ‘Well, was this about regime change?’ ‘No.’ ‘Is this going to bring military assets into the country?’ ‘No.’ And yet here we are.”
Republican senators applauded Trump’s successful nighttime raid to seize Maduro, but they are alarmed by the president’s willingness to put “boots on the ground” in Venezuela and his declaration that the United States could run the country for years.
Learning from Experience
I'm reading "1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation" by Andrew Ross Sorkin and wanted to share this quote with you.
"The ordinary human being does not live long enough to draw any substantial benefit from his own experience. And no one, it seems, can benefit by the experiences of others. Being both a father and teacher, I know we can teach our children nothing…Each must learn its lesson anew. —Albert Einstein, October 26, 1929"
Start reading this book for free: https://a.co/6CKxsgZ
Historic Mississippi Synagogue Torched in Arson Attack, Suspect Arrested
Ultra-Orthodox children are being left to poverty and lawlessness
Ultra-Orthodox children are being left to poverty and lawlessness
Ultra-Orthodox leaders are blamed for deepening poverty among large families and encouraging reckless protests that endanger children, raising questions about how parents surrendered responsibility for their children’s education and lives, with deadly consequences
Mississippi’s largest synagogue severely damaged in suspected arson attack
Mississippi’s largest synagogue was heavily damaged Saturday morning in a predawn fire that local authorities believe was caused by arson, though investigators did not immediately say whether they suspected it was a hate crime.
The Jackson Fire Department, along with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arrested a suspect who they believe caused the fire intentionally, according to local media. The suspect’s name and the allegations against them were not immediately released.
The synagogue’s library and administrative offices were destroyed in the fire, as were two Torah scrolls stored in the library. The main sanctuary was not damaged, and the Torahs there were later removed for safekeeping. A Torah rescued from the Holocaust and stored in a glass case was not damaged.
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Iran threatens to hit Israel if US intervenes; Israel said to be on high alert
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-january-11-2026/
Iran warns US President Donald Trump that any US attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional US military bases as “legitimate targets,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf tells parliament.
Israel is on high alert for the possibility of a US intervention to support a nationwide anti-regime protest movement in Iran, sources say.