A Mole Infiltrated the Highest Ranks of American Militias. This Is What He Found.

He sent ProPublica a massive trove of documents. The conversations that he secretly recorded give a unique, startling window into the militia movement.

ProPublica

Why Are Publications Sugar-Coating Livelsberger’s Political Minifestos?

Those documents denounce Democrats and demand they be “culled” from Washington, by violence if necessary, and express the hope that his own death will serve as a kind of bell clap for a national rebirth of masculinity under the leadership of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Bobby Kennedy Jr.

Did you miss that stuff?

Yeah, me too!

Talking Point Memos

‘It didn’t use to be like this’: woeful US healthcare system exposed by CEO killing

Americans describe treatment denials, hidden costs and deceptive practices when filing claims with insurers

The Guardian

Border shelters relieved the pressure during migrant surges. Under Trump, they could become a target

Dozens of shelters run by aid groups on the U.S. border with Mexico have welcomed large numbers of migrants, providing lifelines of support and relief to overwhelmed cities. They work closely with the Border Patrol to care for migrants released with notices to appear in immigration court, many of whom don’t know where they are or how to find the nearest airport or bus station.

AP News

All the states Pornhub is blocked in as of January 1

Age-verification laws have spread throughout the U.S. in the last two years.

Mashable

Florida was to expand children’s health insurance. Instead, it’s been kicking kids off its rolls

A Florida law that was to start January 1 would give them better coverage at a much lower rate, but the state has delayed implementing it.

Tampa Bay Times

Washington Post Cartoonist Ann Telnaes Quits After Bezos-Owned Paper Kills Trump Satire Piece

“Trying to get in the good graces of an autocrat-in-waiting will only result in undermining that free press,” the Pulitzer Prize winner says of her former employer

The Wrap

CNN goes on trial over its report alleging ‘black market’ for Afghan rescues

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, many people were desperate to flee the country. CNN reported that a security consultant was among those offering to evacuate them — for a price — as part of an investigation into claims of “black market” rescue operations.

NPR

History-making LGBTQ legislators to be sworn in to 119th Congress

Three newly elected lawmakers representing the LGBTQ community will make history Friday when they are sworn in to the 119th Congress, marking several firsts in the House of Representatives.

ABC News

Gone in 15 Days: How the Connecticut DMV Allows Tow Companies to Sell People’s Cars

What happened to Anderson exemplifies how Connecticut’s laws have come to favor tow companies at the expense of low-income residents. Connecticut’s window allowing towers to sell people’s cars is one of the shortest in the country — just 15 days if they deem the value to be $1,500 or less. Only two states — Iowa and North Carolina — have shorter time spans. Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island require at least 60 days, giving owners more time to reclaim their vehicles.

ProPublica

U.S. Military Service Is the Strongest Predictor of Carrying Out Extremist Violence

The mass murder in New Orleans and Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas fit a troubling pattern among U.S. vets, research says.

The Intercept

Fears grow for voting rights as Trump plots to reshape US justice department

Experts warn that incoming president could direct DoJ officials to scale back enforcement of Voting Rights Act

The Guardian

Higher Social Security payments coming for millions of people from bill that Biden is signing

President Joe Biden on Sunday plans to sign into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs.

AP News

How Ruben Gallego hopes his unusual path to the Senate will ‘nudge’ Democrats — and the chamber

The stretch of time between Ruben Gallego showing colleagues on the House floor how to hold pens as weapons to defend themselves against January 6 rioters and taking home the pen he used to sign his oath of office on the Senate floor is 1,458 days. The span between riding in patrol in Iraq to his wife telling him to hold still while she put his new Senate pin on his lapel is 20 years that, to him, can feel even shorter.

CNN

‘Perverse’ Incentives: How Local Governments Might Cash In on Trump’s Migrant Detention

Some local officials see President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations as an answer to their budget woes.

The Marshall Project

Supreme Court upholds Biden administration’s implementation of controversial policy: ‘Legacy impoundments leak into the surrounding soil and groundwater’

The enforcement of stricter standards has significant implications for public health.

The Cool Down

Appeals court kills FCC net neutrality rule

A U.S. appeals court blocked Biden’s effort to restore net-neutrality rules

The Week

Israel warns Lebanon truce could collapse if Hezbollah doesn’t withdraw in south

Both Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement although it has largely been holding.

CNN

Israel helps former soldier leave Brazil over investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday said it had helped the former soldier safely leave Brazil on a commercial flight after what it described as “anti-Israel elements” sought an investigation last week. It warned Israelis against posting on social media about their military service.

AP News

Faced with Trump’s tariffs − and crackdowns on migration and narcotrafficking − Mexico is weighing retaliatory options

Trump’s proposed policies threaten Mexico in three key ways: First, his goal of deporting millions of migrants would put tremendous pressure on Mexico’s economy and society as the country tried to absorb the influx. This would be exacerbated by his second threat, a sharp increase in tariffs, which could devastate the critical export sector of Mexico’s economy. And third, Trump has floated the idea of using U.S. military power to confront narcotraffickers within Mexico, which would directly impinge on Mexico’s sovereignty and could generate more violence on both sides of the border.

The Conversation

What is HMPV? China steps up emergency measures amid new virus outbreak

The outbreak comes five years after the world was first alerted to the emergence of Covid-19

Independent

Same-sex couples can now legally marry in Liechtenstein

The country is the 22nd of Europe’s 37 nations to legalized marriage equality.

LGBTQ Nation

Austrian conservatives open to coalition talks with far-right FPÖ

The conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) is prepared to engage in negotiations with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) regarding forming a government coalition, newly designated ÖVP leader Christian Stocker said on Sunday.

dpa International

South Korean protesters call for President Yoon’s arrest as deadline nears

The chief of security for Yoon, Park Chong-jun, said Sunday he could not cooperate with the arrest efforts for the impeached leader, citing the legal debate over the warrant, Reuters reported.

“Please refrain from insulting remarks that the presidential security service has been reduced to a private army,” he said in a statement.

The Hill

Student opens fire at Baghdad university, six wounded

A shooting at Al-Israa University College in Baghdad left six people injured on January 5 after a student opened fire on campus, Iraqi authorities said.

bne Intellinews

Syria’s foreign minister visits Qatar as new authorities seek regional and global diplomatic ties

Syria’s new foreign minister met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha on Sunday, as Syria’s new de facto authorities under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, establish diplomatic ties with regional and global governments.

AP News

Ukraine closure of Gazprom pipeline to Europe hurts Russia’s war effort but leaves Transnistrians in the cold

Russia will continue to supply some gas via the Turkstream pipeline across the Black Sea – mostly to Serbia and Hungary. But the loss of transit connections through Ukraine has dealt another major blow to Gazprom on top of the closure of the Yamal-Europe pipeline via Belarus and the cancelling of Nordstream 2 in 2022.

The Conversation