Happy 2026!
It looks like we'll have as much to talk about this year as last year.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and holiday season overall. 2025 felt simultaneously like it flew by and took forever. In case you were wondering if 2026 would slow down a little, the Trump administration answered that question emphatically over the weekend with a remarkable military mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and bring him and his wife to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges.
I wrote about the initial news for the American Spectator here: Maduro Captured, Hemisphere Jolted | The American Spectator
And a follow-up on Sunday to discuss President Trump's obsession with Venezuelan oil and his ill-considered statement about one of the most likely next presidents of Venezuela: Trump and the Pottery Barn rule - by Ross Kaminsky
Elliott Abrams is a real expert, and he's right: Mr. President: Let the Venezuelan People Run Venezuela
Was Trump’s Venezuela Attack Legal? - by Jed Rubenfeld
But Rubio says Trump didn't really mean "run the country" the way a normal people would understand that wording: Rubio: U.S. would be running Venezuelan ‘policy’ - Denver Gazette
Rubio says we're running "policy" rather than the country. What does that mean? How can the US implement Venezuelan gov't policy if we're not effectively running the government? (By the way, I'm not saying we can easily do either, nor am I saying that we should...that's an important question.)
This could go a lot of different directions: Trump Plunges the U.S. Into a New Era of Risk in Venezuela - The New York Times
It seems as if Trump might be willing to let a socialist dictatorship remain in power if they'll give him a good enough oil deal. Is that really what the US should be doing? Venezuela interim leader vows to work with US after Trump threats
CO Gov Jared Polis one of a few Dems not to immediately respond with criticism of Trump: Gov. Jared Polis celebrates ouster of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro - Colorado Politics
In addition to Trump's surprising statement during his Saturday morning press conference that the US is going to "run the country" (of Venezuela) until a "judicious transition" is achieved, the most riveting information came from Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan "Raisin" Caine. It should remind adventurous competitors or enemies about American military capability when we have the will to use it. (There is a legitimate conversation about whether the mission into Venezuela was wise or legal but the statement about the abilities of our armed forces were reinforced with an exclamation point.)
U.S. raid to capture Maduro relied on months of preparation, surprise strike - The Washington Post
Here's the whole press conference, set to start playing with General Caine's comments about how the mission was executed. Note that Caine talks about the mission as an arrest rather than a war or a regime decapitation:
I don't know whether this is a great schadenfreude troll or if it's the world's oldest 8th-grade bully having control of the greatest military in the world. Maybe it's both.
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(You can probably read the whole press conference much faster than you can watch it, if interested: Roll Call Factba.se - Press Conference: Donald Trump Discusses the Capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela - January 3, 2026)
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Trump "won't be fooled" by this guy who never honors a deal even though he's constantly fooled by Putin: Maduro rejected US offers to leave Venezuela, Rubio says. Live updates.
Keep an eye on Rubio (as I discussed in my Substack above as well): Rubio faces ghosts of U.S. interventions after spearheading Maduro raid
If Trump doesn't try to get a truly democratic regime in place, this will likely all be wasted. Who is Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s leader after Maduro’s capture?
Is Cuba next?
And how about this warning to Iran?
Trump Warns Iran Against Shooting Protesters, Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ - WSJ
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The domestic (US) politics of all this is fascinating: In Toppling Maduro, Trump Risks Blowback from ‘America First’ Base - The New York Times
Marjorie Taylor Greene, just a day or two from being out of Congress, is none too pleased:
This guy is the mayor of New York City now. I'm so looking forward to watching how the warmth plays out, like the warmth of Mao and Stalin and Pol Pot.) His economic policies are so warped and dangerous that I don't know if I want him to succeed or to fail.
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A good read, from the Colorado Sun: 14 things that will make headlines in Colorado in 2026
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Will the Trump administration stop Colorado's wolf importation and management? Federal officials threaten to take over wolf management from Colorado
Speaking of predators in Colorado: Hiker dies in suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado - Colorado Politics
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Keep an eye on this, especially as Trump has said the US would intervene if the Iranian gov't starts shooting protesters: What to know about protests in Iran | AP News
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If I get a more recent update, I'll post it, but for now: Massive apartment construction site fire in Denver burns into Saturday
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An unusual fight between Rep Lauren Boebert and President Trump. Though Boebert was one of the handful of Republicans to force the House vote on releasing the "Epstein Files". US Rep. Lauren Boebert calls for override vote after Trump vetoes bipartisan Colorado water bill - Colorado Politics
Trump ally Lauren Boebert blasts surprise veto of Colorado project
Trump vetoes bipartisan bill to provide clean water to rural Colorado
Arkansas Valley Conduit veto draws a mixed reaction in southeast Colorado
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Great note...Niall Ferguson: Maduro’s Capture Takes Us Back to the Future
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A couple of newly active laws to mention, though there are many more:
Colorado law to ban 'junk fees' for renters, but some landlords find workarounds
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HB24-1121 Consumer Right to Repair Digital Elec Equipment | Colorado General Assembly
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More here: Abortion, cell phone repairs, bison among topics of new Colorado laws
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This is very good news though these days some folks don't trust police statistics. (In other words, some people think that some police departments underreport crime in order to make themselves or the political bosses look better.) I don't have reason to believe there's a problem with this data, though. Substantial Decline in Homicides for 2025 - City and County of Denver
More info comparing the number of homicides to recent years, including as a percentage of the population: Denver homicide rate info
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Today's Video
This is for no particular reason but I've wanted to post it in a blogcast for a month: Rocket Sled Track – Validation and Qualification Sciences Experimental Complex
