NEWS - SUNDAY, JANUARY 04, 2026 - NEWS
The Trump administration's new top voting rights lawyer is Eric Neff, a former L.A. County prosecutor who led a failed case against a voting software company that was the subject of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. LA Times
Truckers whose licenses were revoked now have 60 days to legally qualify for their licenses LA Times
VOA VIEW: They must be legal.
The justices granted emergency appeals and set aside rulings from district judges who blocked Trump's orders from taking effect. But the court also put two important checks on his power. LA Times
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A decision by the party chairman to bury an autopsy report on the 2024 election has sparked anger among partisans. The reversal comes amid bright prospects for November's midterm vote. LA Times
VOA VIEW: They are fearful of their stupidity.
Trump offered few details about how the U.S. plans to run Venezuela, saying only that he intends to designate 'a group' from his administration to oversee the eventual transition of power. LA Times
VOA VIEW: Legal, but a mistake.
Trump has floated Vance as his potential successor multiple times without ever explicitly endorsing his nomination. LA Times
VOA VIEW: It is a little too early.
The tricky work is ensuring that the followup to Operation Absolute Resolve is every bit as much of a smashing success. Will Trump’s domestic critics help make that happen, or stand in the way? Consider that a litmus test of patriotism. New York Post
Russian athletes at the Winter Olympics are still being barred from representing their country. New York Post
VOA VIEW: Putin would have clean his act.
The Venezuelan president and his wife were flown out of Caracas by helicopter to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, a warship taking them to New York. New York Times
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A Ninth Circuit panel said the ban ran afoul of a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that required courts to evaluate gun laws based on the country’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation.” New York Times
VOA VIEW: It is unconstitutional.
California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who officially entered the crowded Democrat gubernatorial primary in November, vowed in a recent interview that he would strip drivers licenses from federal immigration officers wearing masks during operations in California, if elected as Governor. OANN
VOA VIEW: Swalwell is a fool.
A Texas appeals court acquitted a former Austin Police Department detective who was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting a knife-wielding man. Washington Times
Reactions from U.S. lawmakers poured in after the Trump administration announced strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country's president. CBS
VOA VIEW: Liberal Dems cry about everything positive.
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President Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was "highly guarded" when he was captured early Saturday morning and he confirmed that Maduro was heading to New York. CBS
Many U.S. adversaries condemned the U.S. strikes on Venezuela, while other governments called for deescalation. CBS
VOA VIEW: Positive and negative from enemies.
Proposed California ballot initiative would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires, with the revenue funneled toward health care and education. CBS
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A Chinese-controlled company must divest semiconductor assets it bought from Emcore after the White House said the deal could threaten U.S. national security. CNBC
VOA VIEW: China can't be trusted.
The milestone caps an extraordinary rise for BYD, a company Tesla's Elon Musk once dismissed by laughing at their products. CNBC
Fired University of Oklahoma teaching assistant appeals decision, denies wrongdoing in grading Christian student's paper on gender roles and biblical beliefs. FOX News
California delays crackdown on immigrant commercial driver's licenses until March, defying federal deadline and risking $160 million in funding cuts. FOX News
Travel restrictions for 20 more nations and locales took effect on Thursday in accordance with President Donald Trump's order expanding travel bans. UPI
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Saudi Arabia's military struck United Arab Emirates-backed separatists in Yemen on Friday, prompting an unofficial declaration of "war." UPI
Mexico closed 2025 with weak economic growth and is heading into 2026 with limited expansion prospects, according to estimates and projections. UPI
VOA VIEW: Cartels is destroying the country.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday launched a nationwide campaign urging travelers to improve their behavior at airports and on flights, as disruptive incidents remain far above pre-pandemic levels. They should all act right.
The effort, called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You,” aims to restore civility in the skies and address a surge in disruptive behavior. The department said the initiative is meant to “jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel.” Disruptive passenger incidents doubled in 2024 compared with 2019, while in-flight outbursts — ranging from inappropriate behavior to physical attacks — surged 400% by 2025.
The Department of Transportation said the campaign aimed to improve the travel experience while ensuring the safety of passengers, flight crew and airport staff. In a video promoting the campaign, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged travelers to consider their conduct, asking whether they help pregnant passengers or older adults with overhead luggage, or simply say “please” and “thank you.” He also asked passengers to “dress with respect” ahead of the holiday travel season.
Of the 82 million Americans expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, about 6 million are expected to commute by plane this year, or a 2% increase from 2024, according to a forecast by the American Automobile Association. International tourism grew 5% in the first half of 2025 from a year ago, reaching almost 690 million passengers, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said. That figure is 4% above the comparable period in 2019.
The U.S. isn’t alone in pushing for better passenger behavior. The United Kingdom′s aviation industry introduced the “One Too Many” campaign in 2018 to curb alcohol-related incidents. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also launched an initiative in 2019 to raise awareness of unruly behavior, noting then that unruly passengers threaten flight safety every 3 hours, with 70% of incidents involving some form of aggression.
