Trump's "plan" for Venezuela: The United States pulled off a shocking tactical victory in its removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — but the next steps seem less carefully choreographed, writes James Story, former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. The Trump and Biden administrations agreed on a fundamental point: Maduro was an illegitimate president that the United States has not recognized since January 2019. But at Saturday's press conference, U.S. officials made some surprising comments about Delcy Rodríguez, the executive vice president of Venezuela. Meanwhile, the Trump administration apparently has no plans to bring into the governing process either of the opposition figures who would have legitimate claims to lead a democratic Venezuela. As we say in South Carolina, there is no education in the second kick of a mule. Read more. |
Price cut: Starting Jan. 1, prices for 10 prescription drugs are lower for Medicare patients under a law signed by President Joe Biden. But while the lower costs represent a sea change in federal policy on drug prices, they are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to addressing high out-of-pocket prescription costs for all Americans, writes Emma Freer, senior health policy analyst at the American Economic Liberties Project. The federal government could do more to prevent brand-name drug patent abuse, from breaking up monopolies to banning prior authorization for prescription drugs. Read more. |
New York New Deal: In his first address as mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani offered a "bold left-wing populist vision for the city," writes Zeeshan Aleem. He also promised not to back away from bold campaign pledges to enact universal child care and other sweeping social services by raising taxes on the rich. But more broadly, Mamdani called for a vision of a government held to a high bar, applying exacting standards to his own administration and the policy goals he's pursuing. Read more. |
Stamp act: A new U.S. Postal Service policy could cause your mail-in ballot to be thrown out. Under the new approach, postmarks will reflect when a piece of mail is processed, not when it's dropped off at the post office, which means mail ballots dropped off on Election Day could get marked with the next day's date, writes Ryan Teague Beckwith. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is considering a case that could end "grace periods" for late-arriving ballots, which would lead to even more being thrown out on technicalities. Read more. |
The Center does not hold: Performances scheduled for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center in Washington were canceled as artists announced they will not perform at the center after Trump's takeover and attempted renaming. But while conservatives cry foul about so-called Trump derangement syndrome, the cancellations are part of a rich tradition of artistic protest, writes Hayes Brown. Although Trump's allies argued their changes to the center were necessary to bolster its financial health, it seems to be hurting more financially from the rebranding than it is gaining. Read more. |
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When Trump was elected president a second time, civil rights attorney Charles F. Coleman Jr. wrote that he was terrified of what it would mean for civil rights. Almost a year after Trump took office, Coleman writes that he is surprised by the speed and breadth of the attacks, from withdrawing consent decrees on law enforcement agencies to attempting to impose voter ID by executive order to calling for white men to file workplace discrimination cases. "Trump's administration has shown no signs of discontinuing its onslaught against our civil rights in 2026," Coleman writes. "It's possible that the most frightening part isn't the harm that has already been done but rather the harm he's yet to cause." Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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In the latest episode of "Main Justice," MS NOW Legal Analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord closed out the year by discussing the Supreme Court's decision that blocks President Trump's effort to deploy troops into Chicago. Plus, they examined a federal judge's ruling that says the U.S. owes deported Venezuelans due process. Listen now. |
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