WTF Just Happened Today? – Audio Edition

Matt Kiser
  • 4.9 (461)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY

A sane, once-a-day update on today’s essential political news. Chronicling the daily shock and awe since 2017.

  1. 2D AGO

    Day 1829: "Exploit the violence."

    Thursday, January 22, 2026 An internal ICE memo signed by acting director Todd Lyons authorized immigration officers to forcibly enter a person’s home to arrest someone with a final order of removal using only an administrative warrant; House Democrats helped Republicans pass a Homeland Security funding bill that includes $10 billion for ICE; JD Vance said Minneapolis would be "less chaotic" if state and local officials would "cooperate" with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement; the Trump administration ordered most federal agencies to review funding sent to 14 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.; no written documentation memorializing Trump’s verbal "framework" deal with NATO about Greenland exists; Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion; Former special counsel Jack Smith testified publicly before the House Judiciary Committee, saying his investigation produced “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump “engaged in criminal activity” and that “no one should be above the law in our country”; 49% of voters say the country is worse off than a year ago and 56% disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance; and Trump said he’s expanding his defamation lawsuit against the New York Times after an unfavorable public opinion poll. Read more: Day 1829: "Exploit the violence." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    5 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Day 1828: "In the midst of a rupture."

    Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Trump said he would drop planned tariffs on eight European countries, claiming he had “the framework of a future deal” on Greenland and Arctic security; Trump said “Canada lives because of the United States” after Prime Minister Mark Carney argued at Davos that the U.S.-led “rules-based order” bargain “no longer works” and that “we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition”; Congress released a bipartisan funding package to keep most of the federal government open ahead of a Jan. 30 shutdown deadline; House Democrats said they’ll oppose a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security; and the Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Catch of the Day” and started arresting immigrants in Maine. Read more: Day 1828: "In the midst of a rupture." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    5 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Day 1827: "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control."

    Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Global markets fell sharply after Trump threatened 10% tariffs on imports from Denmark and seven other European countries if they refuse to support his effort to acquire Greenland; Trump said he was confident the U.S. would acquire Greenland and declined to set any limits on his approach, saying "You’ll find out"; Trump, in a text message to the Norwegian prime minister, wrote that losing the Nobel Peace Prize made him feel less obligated to “think purely of Peace”; federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and at least three other Democratic officials; the Justice Department said it discovered evidence suggesting members of DOGE improperly accessed and shared Social Security data with a political advocacy group seeking to overturn election results in certain states; and 58% of Americans call the first year of his second term a failure. Read more: Day 1827: "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    4 min

  4. JAN 15

    Day 1822: "Turn the temperature down."

    Thursday, January 15, 2026 Trump threatened to “institute the INSURRECTION ACT” after an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during an arrest; Trump delayed a decision on U.S. strikes on Iran after senior advisers warned him that even a large-scale attack was unlikely to topple the regime and risked wider regional retaliation; María Corina Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize for peaceful pro-democracy activism weeks after Trump ordered military raid that captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro; several NATO allies began deploying small numbers of troops to Greenland after U.S. talks resulted in a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland’s future; Trump announced what he called “The Great Healthcare Plan” and urged Congress to “pass this framework into law without delay,” but the White House released only a high-level outline with no legislative text, no cost estimates, no eligibility rules, no enforcement mechanisms, and no timeline for implementation; and more than half of the 24 members of Congress who are 80 or older have decided to run again. Read more: Day 1822: "Turn the temperature down." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    4 min

  5. JAN 14

    Day 1821: "Definitely no regrets whatsoever."

    Wednesday, January 14, 2026 FBI agents searched the Virginia home of a Washington Post reporter; Denmark said it still had a “fundamental disagreement” with the Trump administration over Greenland; the Pentagon began evacuating nonessential personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precaution while Trump weighs possible military strikes over Iran’s crackdown on protests; the State Department said it will indefinitely pause immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries; Trump gave an autoworker who called him a "pedophile protector" the middle finger and twice mouthed “f**k you” while touring a Ford plant in Michigan; and 2025 was the third-warmest on record, and the past 11 years have been the 11 warmest. Read more: Day 1821: "Definitely no regrets whatsoever." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    4 min

  6. JAN 13

    Day 1820: "That jerk will be gone soon."

    Tuesday, January 13, 2026 At least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota and at least five senior prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division resigned over the Trump administration’s handling of the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE officer; Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul sued the Trump administration to block what they called an “unprecedented” surge of thousands of federal immigration officers into the area; Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to “keep protesting” and to “take over your institutions,” saying “help is on the way”; Jeanine Pirro subpoenaed the Federal Reserve without seeking approval from senior Justice Department officials; Global central bank leaders issued a rare joint statement backing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell; consumer prices rose 2.7% in December from a year earlier; and about 1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans so far this year. Read more: Day 1820: "That jerk will be gone soon." Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free Feedback? Let us know what you think

    4 min
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A sane, once-a-day update on today’s essential political news. Chronicling the daily shock and awe since 2017.

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