Trump says the U.S. is running Venezuela, Rubio says we’re not, and America fumbles its way into empire-building. Plus, Trump sends the National Guard troops home, Berlin experiences a power outage, and a Swiss bar sees tragedy.

The first episode of 2026 is.... a special episode. The news around Venezuela is breaking fast, so let's instead cover how on earth we got to where we are today.

A look back at 2025 — from Trump’s return and ICE raids to fires, courts, survivors, labor, and voters — not to catalog what broke, but to understand what held.

The year ends with a Trump speech full of lies, a looming hospital crisis over trans care, and the DOJ still stalling on Epstein files — plus fake plaques, of course.

Speaker Johnson loses control, Trump holds Venezuela hostage, Coach Beard finds proof of insurrection, and Congress finally checks Pete Hegseth — all while the Brown University shooter remains at large.

Trump expands his travel ban, blocks healthcare votes, dodges questions on illegal boat strikes, and scrambles to fix a brutal Vanity Fair interview with his chief of staff — while fentanyl becomes the new WMD and Speaker Johnson continues to flounder.

An update on the Brown University shooting, the collapse of Democrats’ healthcare gamble, new Epstein file releases, and the shocking murder of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

A mass shooting at Brown University, a deadly antisemitic attack in Australia, and the terrifying global rise in hate.

Trump praises white immigrants, vilifies Black and brown countries at an official White House event, while Pete Hegseth faces fallout from deadly strikes and the Republican Party spirals further into chaos.

Trump praises white immigrants, vilifies Black and brown countries at an official White House event, while Pete Hegseth faces fallout from deadly strikes and the Republican Party spirals further into chaos.

Trump’s “peace prize,” another farmer bailout, SCOTUS hears a dangerous case, and Netflix tries to buy Warner Bros.

An episode all about what’s happening with Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

Quick note: no episode today because, well… apparently humans require sleep. Who knew? I’ll be back this weekend with a special episode, and the regular show returns next week.

Pete Hegseth defends ordering a possibly illegal second strike by blaming smoke, Trump takes a nap while Kristi Noem thanks him for “keeping away hurricanes,” and the MyPillow guy is running for governor.

Trump may be dodging questions about his health and his administration’s crimes, but the truth — from Afghanistan to the Caribbean — keeps breaking through.

Trump backs a Russia-led peace plan in Ukraine, Border Patrol targets sanctuary cities, the CDC promotes anti-vax language, and the military normalizes hate symbols under his command.

A federal judge blasted the DOJ for “profound missteps” in the Comey case while Trump signed the Epstein records bill—just as questions swirl over whether the DOJ will actually release the files.

The U.S. welcomes the Saudi crown prince, Congress passes the Epstein files bill, and a federal court smacks down Texas’ unconstitutional voting maps.

Trump’s Gaza “peace plan” moves forward without guaranteeing a Palestinian state, Trump suddenly pretends he wants the Epstein files released, and a judge blasts the DOJ for “profound investigative missteps” in the Comey case.

Jeffrey Epstein’s emails point to Trump as “the dog that didn’t bark”—and in this case, silence might be the loudest clue yet.