More independents lean Democratic than Republican, giving Democrats edge in party affiliation for first time since 2021. A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, equal shares of U.S. adults " 27% each " identified as either Democrats or Republicans.
A reading from Plato's "Symposium" has been removed from the syllabus of a philosophy course in order to comply with revisions to Section 8.1 of Texas A&M's Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure policy, fostering national attention and online controversy.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he may veto a bill to extend Obamacare subsidies if Congress sent one to his desk. Trump's remark to reporters on Air Force One comes after nine swing-district House Republicans joined Democrats Wednesday in advancing legislation to revive expired Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. Read more
Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada. The question seeks a yes or no answer to: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?" Elections Alberta says the proponent " the Alberta Prosperity Project and its chief executive officer, Mitch Sylvestre " have until early January to appoint a financial officer for its petition campaign, after which signature collection can begin. Read more
An Iranian is due to be executed tomorrow, just four days after he was seized for taking part in anti-government protests. His execution will be the first of a protester since the uprising began at the end of last year. Read more
The fundraiser collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for the ICE agent who killed Renee Nicole Good has been busted spewing antisemitism. A description for the GiveSendGo account, titled "Stand With Our Brave ICE Hero," called Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey an "anti-American traitor" and pointed out that he is Jewish"a head-scratching aside that was called out by CNN host Jake Tapper, among many others. The Atlantic journalist James Surowiecki called out the antisemitism. "This preferred method to donate' to the ICE agent who shot Renee Good calls Jacob Frey an anti-American traitor' and, even more offensively, makes a point of saying he's Jewish," he wrote on X. "Seems like a bad sign when the people raising money for you are Nazis."
China has quietly begun a strategic expansion into U.S. territory, starting with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), including Saipan. This video explains how the quiet moves could have major geopolitical consequences without firing a single shot.
The Trump administration is taking a $150 million equity stake to build the US's only big producer of gallium, a critical mineral used in satellite systems and military radar.
The Los Angeles Times obtained an internal review of US Border Patrol's use-of-force policies, which US Customs and Border Protection has refused to release publicly (members of Congress have seen a summary). While the Times did not offer the report in full, the paper did publish previously unseen snippets that portray a law enforcement agency operating under loose use-of-force standards and little accountability. The review was completed in February 2013 by the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit that develops best practices for law enforcement use-of-force policies. It examined sixty-seven use-of-force incidents by federal border agents near the US-Mexico border that resulted in nineteen deaths.
"USCENTCOM forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria. Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice."
A suspect has been arrested following an arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, that heavily damaged the historic synagogue early Saturday morning, according to chief fire investigator Charles Felton. The fire, reported shortly after 3 a.m., destroyed two Torah scrolls and damaged five others while reducing the library and administrative offices to charred ruins, Mississippi Today reported. The Jackson Fire Department, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the arrest Saturday night after investigators ruled the blaze arson. No congregants were injured in the fire, which erupted during Shabbat, the weekly Jewish day of rest. The synagogue has suspended services indefinitely, according to congregation president Zach Shemper.
Ecuadoran police on Sunday found five human heads hung on display on a tourist beach in Puerto Lopez, as the country reels from a wave of gang violence. Beside them a wooden board had a message threatening gang members who extort protection payments known locally as "vaccine cards".
Jan 11, 2026 Stranger Things
I've always been a fan of political cartoons because I feel that they can just cut through all the nonsense that goes on, and with just one picture and a sentence or two, they can speak volumes. Here are a few of them that I noticed from this past week.
Robert Kiyosaki warns of massive unemployment around the corner. And it'll be caused by the biggest change in history. Are you at risk in 2026?
Iran's parliamentary speaker warned on Saturday that Tehran could carry out preemptive strikes against Israel and U.S. military assets in the region, sharply escalating rhetoric as tensions rise across the Middle East. Speaking during a session of parliament broadcast live on Iranian state television, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Israel -- which he referred to as "the occupied territory" -- as well as U.S. military centers, bases and ships would be considered "legitimate targets" in the event of an attack on Iran, according to media reports. "We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action," Qalibaf said. "We will act based on any objective signs of a threat."
Iranian regime elites, in a massive money laundering operation masquerading as a private bank that essentially allowed high-ranking officials to steal the savings of ordinary Iranians and loot Iran's national treasury for themselves, now face a public who cannot access their bank accounts. Watch the video to see how this massive money laundering operation was done as the regime sees its end coming. Very interesting ... Read more
