Good evening, everyone. The news cycle was mercifully quiet today, so I’m going to spend the rest of the night with my wife—we’re watching season one of The White Lotus. But before I log off, I want to leave you with something that matters. The full news updates are below.

Someone told me today they’re already exhausted by the news in 2026. I understand that feeling deeply. But here’s what I need you to hear clearly: 2026 is the year they cannot tire us out.

Exhaustion is not accidental—it’s strategic.

Those in power want you worn down. They want you overwhelmed. They want you craving silence, not because things are better, but because you’ve stopped paying attention. Their goal is to flood the zone with noise—endless headlines, nonstop “breaking news,” manufactured crises stacked on real ones—until truth becomes hard to see and accountability feels impossible.

If you believe this work matters—if you don’t want exhaustion to win—subscribe today to support independent reporting and start the year strong. Your support is what allows me to keep showing up, keep pushing back, and keep telling the truth in moments like this. Even as we started 2026, the attacks are out in full force. They want us to stop. I will never.

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When everything is urgent, nothing feels actionable. When every moment is a crisis, no single crisis feels solvable. And when nothing feels solvable, people disengage.

That disengagement isn’t a personal failure. It isn’t apathy. It isn’t weakness. It’s a completely human response to a system designed to exhaust you until stepping away feels like self-preservation.

But here’s the truth we’re grounding ourselves in this year: disengagement is not the same as peace.

The day we stop having breaking news should be a day we celebrate—because justice was delivered, because systems were repaired, because people are safer. Not because we were worn down into silence.

I want to acknowledge the fatigue without surrendering to it. To say: yes, this is hard. Yes, it’s overwhelming. And no—you are not weak for feeling that way. But you are powerful for staying present anyway.

My commitment is to show up every day—not just with headlines, but with clarity, context, and honesty. To cut through the noise, hold the powerful accountable, and expose the truth to millions. And we are going to do it together.

Because truth is worth the fight. And so are you.

Here’s what you missed:

  • This afternoon I interviewed Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries called for an immediate congressional investigation into Donald Trump’s health, accusing the White House of lacking transparency amid renewed concerns about the 79-year-old president’s ability to perform his duties, while the administration insists Trump is in good health. Watch the full interview here:
  • From the Gun Violence archive. We are already on track for more mass shootings than days in the year. This is just in 2026:42 gun deaths117 gun injuries3 mass shootings6 children shot6 teenagers shot1 incident of defensive use10 unintentional shootings
  • 42 gun deaths
  • 117 gun injuries
  • 3 mass shootings
  • 6 children shot
  • 6 teenagers shot
  • 1 incident of defensive use
  • 10 unintentional shootings
  • A deadly New Year’s Eve fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, likely sparked by bottle sparklers igniting ceiling soundproofing and causing a rapid flashover, killed 40 people and injured more than 100, prompting a criminal investigation as Swiss officials ruled out terrorism and called it one of the country’s worst tragedies.
  • A group of Buddhist monks on the 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. has been traveling through Georgia since late December, passing through Atlanta-area communities including Morrow, Decatur, Scottdale, Snellville, and Loganville, reuniting at Wat Lao Buddha Khanti temple with their injured abbot Maha Dam Phommasan—who lost a leg after a Texas vehicle accident—before continuing east toward Monroe, Athens, and South Carolina around Jan. 10, with the monks emphasizing personal responsibility for peace and updating their evolving route via social media.
  • Donald Trump’s long-standing McDonald’s habit has gone viral again after he publicly denied age-related health concerns, with reports highlighting a nearly 2,000-calorie single order (and over 2,700 calories with a milkshake), high cholesterol intake managed by prescription statins, visible bruising on his hand he attributes to aspirin use, and repeated claims that he is in “perfect” health despite contradictory explanations about medical scans and multiple public instances where he appeared to doze off during meetings.
  • The U.S. Department of Homeland Security drew backlash after using a beach image by Japanese artist Hiroshi Nagai without permission to promote deportations, prompting criticism over unauthorized use of artists’ work and the agency’s hardline immigration messaging.
  • The FBI said it thwarted an ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror plot in Mint Hill, arresting 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant on charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after investigators found weapons and detailed attack plans targeting public locations.
  • Newly sworn-in NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani revoked several late-term Eric Adams executive orders—especially those tied to Israel and antisemitism definitions—and shifted his administration’s immediate focus toward accelerating housing development and auditing city-owned land for new housing.
  • A federal judge ordered Brian Cole to remain in custody ahead of trial, ruling he poses a potential danger to the public after prosecutors alleged he planted pipe bombs at the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., citing the severity of the alleged plot, his access to bombmaking materials, and the risk of future violence.
  • Electric-vehicle sales fell for a second straight year, costing Tesla its crown as the world’s top EV maker after China’s BYD sold more cars in 2025, a slide blamed on expiring U.S. tax credits, overseas competition and backlash to Elon Musk’s politics, even as investors bet on future growth in robotaxis, energy storage and robotics.

    • See you in the morning.

    — Aaron