Shoutout to Stanford men’s basketball for a big 95-90 win over No. 14 North Carolina. Ebuka Okrorie (36 points) is a freshman to watch. Stanford’s second straight home win against a ranked team.

Cavs putting it all together tonight. They seem to play well on national TV and save their bad games for local-only broadcasts, which is nice for us fans in exile.

Directed against the United States. I spent 35 years as a US diplomat abroad and at the Department of State, often working closely with our NATO and European allies. We prepared for all sorts of contingencies. Except this one. I have no words.

Steelers offense reminding me why the Browns were able to beat them a couple weeks ago.

From the department that told Americans, work makes you free, another blockbuster! Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer… #radiofreeamerica

“God will not abandon you, nor will we.”

The Trump Administration is no longer hiding their Nazi inspiration, with Noem adopting a slogan coined by convicted Nazi war criminal Kurt Daluebe, who ordered the murder of every male in Lidice in retaliation for the death of a single SS officer. Is this Trump's plan for American cities?

"I believe, deeply, that the best way for me to keep my kids safe is to make sure everyone else’s kids have safety and all the things they need. I will keep yours safe, and I know now that this city will do everything they can to keep mine safe, too."

From the Wikipedia entry on Denmark’s military HQ in Greenland: “The Joint Arctic Command share their premises with the American Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland.” Basically, the invasion plan is the Marine guard on his lunch hour walking next door with his sidearm. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_A...

Check out Interior Secretary Doug Burgam’s bio on Wikipedia before it gets taken down. “To date, he is the largest disappointment to come out of North Dakota and seems to have the spine of a jellyfish.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Bu...

George Will can turn a phrase. Re: the proposed Arc de Trump on Memorial Circle: “The fact that he revels in being a vulgarian takes a toll on the nation’s soul. … Trump has the terrible strength peculiar to people who are incapable of embarrassment and cannot fathom that they look ridiculous.”

Arlington is turning out, standing up, and speaking out. ICE out of Virginia. America respects human rights or it is not America.

Another shooting by federal agents today. www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/0...

As ICE ramps up inhumane actions, including killing a widowed mother in Minnesota today, a leading bishop has said Catholics will have to say, “In conscience, I can’t do this.”

This is what it looks like when a government turns its weapons inward.

Anyone who grew up in Northeast Ohio in the 1970s knows damn well what happens when the authorities order the guns pointed at protesters.

Historian here 2026 and we are back there.

Browns need to hire John Harbaugh. Tonight.

A reminder that the United States invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty after Sept. 11, 2001. As our NATO allies, Danish soldiers fought and died alongside Americans in Afghanistan. And this administration repays Danes by threatening to annex a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Shameful.

Here is the key nugget: “On August 1, 2025, DOI Secretary Doug Burgum and Solicitor William Doffermyre pitched President Donald Trump on transforming East Potomac Golf Links into a high-end professional tournament venue named ‘Washington National Golf Course.’ ” www.thefriedegg.com/articles/dc-...

“If the United States were to choose to attack another NATO country, then everything would come to an end. The international community as we know it, democratic rules of the game, NATO, the world’s strongest defensive alliance — all of that would collapse ...” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/w...

Democracy promotion under Trump (WaPo): "The president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado ... stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. ... 'If she had turned it down and said, "I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s," she’d be the president of Venezuela today.' "

Nice way to end the Browns season. Two rivalry wins plus a near miss against Buffalo. #Browns

Congratulations to Myles Garrett on setting the NFL single-season sack record with 23. A bright spot in another dark season for the Browns. Their defense has scored both Cleveland touchdowns and looks determined to do whatever it takes to win. #Browns

They’re not even bothering to hide that it’s just about the oil. “In preparation for regime change, there had been engagement [with oil companies]. But it’s been sporadic and relatively flatly received by the industry. It feels very much a shoot-ready-aim exercise.” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

"Democracy would yield to power if necessary. The opposition leader and Nobel peace prizewinner, María Corina Machado, whose party was defrauded of victory in the presidential elections in 2024, would have no role for the foreseeable future." www.economist.com/the-americas...

And there ya have it… Officials from top Wall Street firms will be traveling to Venezuela to investigate “investment prospects” of the country. “The trip will feature about 20 officials from the finance, energy and defense sectors.”

"The big strategic idea of the second Trump administration is that major powers are entitled to dominate their neighbors: Russia to dominate Ukraine, China to dominate its neighborhood, and the US to rule over Venezuela, Greenland, Panama and ultimately Canada...” www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Remember that there is a legitimately elected president of Venezuela: Edmundo Gonzalez. He won the election in 2024.

Trying to process the disrespect toward Nobel laureate Maria Machado and failure to endorse Edmundo Gonzalez as Venezuela's legitimately elected president. Are we looking at a U.S.-approved military dictatorship, with oil money split among U.S. oil companies, Trump cronies, and Venezuelan military?

It feels like Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia are carving up the globe into spheres of influence. "After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere ..." www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

Trump on Venezuela: “We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth ... goes also to the United States of America ..." Getting some serious Iraq 2.0 vibes from a guy who thought that should have been a war of conquest. www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncn...

Very good and timely piece about the governance and stability challenges in Venezuela the day after. "There are many scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela that in fact do not make America 'safer,' 'stronger,' and 'more prosperous ...' ” www.justsecurity.org/125552/trump...

First this administration forces me into retirement by dismantling USAID, and now they want to take away my favorite retirement activity by turning an affordable, nearby muni golf course into an overpriced Trump monstrosity. 2025 cannot end soon enough. #golf #ETTD wapo.st/44Nedrw

Very appropriate that Tom Wilson gets named to Team Canada today and records a Gordie Howe hat trick and the most Tom Wilson goal imaginable. #ALLCAPS www.instagram.com/reel/DS8JvfO...

Your daily reminder that Russia is not winning. Ukraine must win. Russia must lose. wapo.st/3N5WEN6 #NAFO #StandWithUkraine

Ask yourself again: If Trump were a Russian agent, would he do anything different than he is doing? www.nytimes.com/interactive/... #NAFO #StandWithUkraine

How do we know that it is not true that Ukraine attacked one of Putin’s residences? 1. Putin said it. 2. Putin is still alive. wapo.st/4qtW1ey #NAFO #SlavaUkraini #StandWithUkraine

No surprise that Trump phones Putin right before he met with Zelensky. Trump had to get his orders.

Having worked at a newspaper in Toledo in the 1990s, I was excited to find time to watch the new TV series “The Paper,” set at a newspaper in Toledo. The show is a major letdown. What is sad is that a show based on the quirky but dedicated journalists with whom I worked could have been comedic gold.

Such a Browns way to lose a game today: botched hold on a FG attempt to end the first have, end up losing by 3.

The Trump family has amassed a $4 billion fortune since his re-election. During my time as Ambassador, I was accused of "focusing too intensely on the issue of corruption." There's no such thing. We need leaders who serve the people — not themselves. www.wsj.com/politics/tru...

This week’s profile in cowardice: “Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever … said that the Kremlin has threatened him personally. … ‘I personally will feel the consequences for eternity.’ … He added that it would be undesirable for [the Russians] to lose …” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1... #NAFO

I’m liking the Minnesota Wild’s third jerseys tonight vs. the Caps. Channeling the 1970s Minnesota North Stars. I’m old enough to remember when the AHL Cleveland Barons were the North Stars’ farm club. Memories of trying to watch the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals CBC feed on Channel 10 from London, Ont.

Now it's personal. wapo.st/44tLgk6

Several years ago, my son and I saw first-hand the tremendous work that Sister Norma and others were doing in McAllen and around the Rio Grand Valley. Truly heartless action by the regime.

You can really trace America's decline from the fact that we once had Zbig Brzezinski, and now have Steve Witkoff. www.ft.com/content/746f...

Ranked choice voting in congressional elections would be a positive development for American democracy, reducing incentives for partisan extremism, combating polarization, and incentivizing candidates to form broad and diverse coalitions. www.arlnow.com/press-releas...

Leo has moved Vatican policy in a positive direction by recognizing the moral imperative in standing firmly with Ukraine as it fends off Russian aggression. www.newsweek.com/pope-critici... #NAFO #StandWithUkraine