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January 21, 2026
Democrats Open Year with Big Lead on Generic Ballot
(Political Wire) A new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll finds Democrats start 2026 with their biggest lead yet on the generic congressional ballot, 51% to 43%, while the Republican Party loses ground on immigration, the economy, and public safety.
Go to discussionIt's been 1 year of Trump's second term. More Americans than ever think he's 'changing America for the worse.'
(Yahoo News) It has been exactly one year since Donald Trump was re-inaugurated as president, becoming just the second U.S. commander in chief to return to the White House after losing reelection four years earlier. Now, at the end of Trumps first year back in office, a new Yahoo/YouGov poll finds that more Americans than ever think hes been a worse president than they expected and that hes changing America for the worse as well.
Go to discussionTrump Proclaims 'God Is Very Proud' of His First Year Back in the White House
(Mediaite) The Good Lord is smiling down approvingly at President Donald Trump according to the president. Trump on Tuesday proclaimed God is very proud of him and the job he has done since returning to office during a sprawling 105-minute press briefing at the White House. "I think God is very proud of the job Ive done, Trump said.
Go to discussion'This is not good policy': Some GOP senators question advice Trump is receiving
(Roll Call) North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is one of a growing number of Republicans who believe that President Donald Trump is getting faulty policy guidance from his White House advisers, potentially jeopardizing his legacy and the GOPs chances of retaining their majority. Several in the Senate Republican Conference, including those at the top in leadership and across the partys political spectrum, have been openly questioning several policy pronouncements coming out of the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, including those that are straining international relations and conservative financial proposals.
Go to discussionDonald Trump's America-first policies are pushing countries into China's embrace
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Inside China, there's a nickname for US President Donald Trump that tells you everything you need to know about how his actions are increasingly seen as a gift to Beijing. They call him Chuan Jianguo, which translates to Chinese "nation-builder" a mocking title that suggests the US president's foreign and domestic policies are driving countries away from Washington and pushing them into the embrace of China.
Go to discussionEpstein Survivor Says Republican Members of Congress Bailed on Meeting With Victims After They 'Said They Would Show Up'
(Mediaite) Lisa Phillips, the former model and survivor of serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claimed on Tuesday that several Republican members of Congress bailed on a meeting with her and other victims after saying they would show up. Never in our history has a presidential administration worked so hard to cover up an international child sex trafficking ring, said Michael Popok during an interview with Phillips on MeidasTouch. I mean, this is one of one. This is Donald Trump, because of his conflicts of interest and the nature of his relationship with two child sex traffickers, one convicted and one dead, and his willingness to do anything.
Go to discussionTreasury Secretary Says Average Retiree Owns '5 to 12 Homes' (video)
(The Logical Leftist) At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that the "average" American retiree owns between 5 and 12 homes. Jeff breaks down this baffling display of economic illiteracy, explains where this "gibberish" statistic likely came from, and exposes just how disconnected the new administration is from the working class they claim to represent.
Go to discussionMassie rips Trump's sale of Venezuelan oil 'for his own piggy bank'
(The Hill) Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) criticized President Trump on Tuesday over his administrations handling of Venezuelas oil after ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, highlighting the funds it will receive from selling that oil. Massie, a fiscal hawk who has been known to break with GOP leaders on issues related to spending, described oil acquired from Venezuela as stolen in a post on the social platform X and argued the administration was circumventing Congresss power of the purse.
Go to discussionTrump Confronted at Davos With Giant 'No Kings' Message on Mountain
(Newsweek) A glowing No Kings message lit up a mountainside in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday night, hours before U.S. President Donald Trumps scheduled address to the World Economic Forum. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander shared a photo of the words on X from the annual event that sees world leaders, finance ministers and billionaire CEOs descend on the Alpine resort town to attend high-level discussions on global economic trends, climate policy, and geopolitical challenges shaping the year ahead.
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