The Paper Trail: January 13, 2026

Trump’s Mandate to Protect Killer ICE Agents; X Hasn’t Fixed Grok Sexualized Image Problem; Find Out Where Your Generic Prescription Drugs Were Made; And More.

January 13, 2026

The Paper Trail

Announcements

Applications are now open for a two-day intensive Boot Camp on the art and practice of oversight and investigations hosted by POGO, the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, and The Lugar Center. This training is only open to staff in Congress. Apply at THIS LINK by January 21.

U.S. Invasion of Venezuela

Trump team works up sweeping plan to control Venezuelan oil for years to come: A plan under consideration envisions the U.S. exerting some control over Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PdVSA), including acquiring and marketing the bulk of the company’s oil production. The president intends to lower oil prices to $50 a barrel while boxing out Russia and China. (Brian Schwartz, Benoît Morenne, and Josh Dawsey, Wall Street Journal)

U.S. plane used in boat strike was made to look like civilian aircraft: The administration’s first strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat last year was conducted by a military aircraft disguised to look like a civilian plane. According to legal experts, feigning civilian status and then carrying out an attack with the intent to kill or wound the target is a war crime. (Noah Robertson, Tara Copp, and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post)

House votes to subpoena journalist over report on Delta Force commander: The House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena journalist Seth Harp after he shared on X a photo of a U.S. military officer he identified as the commander of the Army unit that captured Nicolás Maduro. A member of the committee accused Harp of “doxing” the officer and leaking classified information, and the committee referred Harp to the DOJ. (Scott Nover and Kadia Goba, Washington Post)

Insurrection

White House posts false Jan. 6 narrative on riot’s 5th anniversary: A new web page on the official White House site blames the Capitol Police and Democrats for the riot and accuses former Vice President Mike Pence of "cowardice and sabotage" for allowing the 2020 election results to be certified, absolving Trump of responsibility and calling the rioters “innocent.” The page also contains blatant falsehoods about the DOJ’s efforts to hold the rioters accountable. (Luke Broadwater and Alan Feuer, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Five years on, Trump keeps pushing Jan. 6 conspiracies (Luke Broadwater and Dylan Freedman, New York Times)

Analysis: Trump may have accidentally pardoned the Jan. 6 pipe bomber: President Trump’s sweeping clemency to the January 6 offenders could cover Brian Cole Jr., the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC headquarters the night before the insurrection. (Ankush Khardori, Politico)

Weaponization of the Government

Federal prosecutors open investigation into Fed Chair Powell: Prosecutors opened an investigation into whether Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell lied to Congress about renovations to the central bank’s buildings. The investigation escalates Trump’s long-running feud with Powell, whom the president has continually attacked for resisting his demands to slash interest rates. (Glenn Thrush and Colby Smith, New York Times)

Trump administration freezes food stamps in Minnesota: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the agency would suspend funding of food stamps and other hunger relief programs in Minnesota, just as a federal judge blocked a similar effort to freeze $10 billion in social service funding in Minnesota and four other Democratic-led states. The administration blocked the funding while claiming without evidence that there was widespread fraud in these states’ social safety net programs. (Chris Cameron, New York Times)

Prosecutors said to pursue new investigation of Letitia James: Federal prosecutors are investigating financial transactions involving the New York attorney general and her longtime hairdresser. The hairdresser, Iyesata Marsh, was charged last month with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors are focusing on payments James’s 2018 campaign made to Marsh. (Devlin Barrett and Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Judge disqualifies U.S. attorney in Albany investigating Letitia James (Jeremy Roebuck, Shayna Jacobs, and Perry Stein, Washington Post)

Out of spite, Trump used veto power to punish Florida tribe that opposed “Alligator Alcatraz”: The House failed to override President Trump’s veto of a bill that would transfer 30 acres of the Everglades to the Miccosukee Tribe. In vetoing the bill, Trump cited the tribe’s lawsuit challenging the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz.” (Miacel Spotted Elk, Mother Jones)

Court rules against cancellation of some green grants in blue states: U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled the Trump administration’s canceling funding for several green-energy projects violated awardees’ Fifth Amendment rights, finding the decisions were made based on whether the awardee resided in a state that voted for Trump in 2024. (Rachel Frazin, The Hill)

DOGE

Data reveals details about DOGE, government hiring in 2025: OPM data obtained through FOIA reveals that dozens of people were hired as DOGE employees during the first three months of 2025. The data also lists the salaries of some of those employees. (Aaron Gordon and Jason Leopold, Bloomberg)

U.S. DOGE Service is hiring following mass workforce losses across the government: In what was formerly the U.S. Digital Service, dozens of employees were dismissed or chose to resign last year. This part of the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) has been recruiting at least since the summer and appears to still be hiring a permanent team. USDS has largely continued to work on technology projects. (Natalie Alms, Government Executive)

Natural Disasters

L.A. wildfire victims remain stuck in toxic homes: “We have nowhere else to go”: A year after the wildfire, returning residents confront lingering toxic contamination and little clarity from local officials. (Dani Anguiano, Mother Jones)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

Trump calls for record $1.5 trillion defense budget, a 50 percent jump: The president will ask Congress for a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027 to fund his “Dream Military.” (Paul McLeary, Connor O’Brien, and Joe Gould, Politico)

Trump orders defense companies to stop stock buybacks, dividends: In a series of social media posts, the president blasted defense contractors for moving too slowly to produce military equipment and not properly maintaining it, and he said that he won’t allow such underperforming companies to buy back their own stock, pay executives large salaries, or issue dividends to shareholders. Trump singled out contracting giant Raytheon. (Declan Harty and Jack Detsch, Politico)

A Green Beret went on a shooting rampage. Is the Army at fault? Special Operations training can cause brain injuries that accumulate unnoticed. Sgt. First Class Duke Webb says that’s why he snapped and shot up a bowling alley in 2020. (Dave Philipps, New York Times)

Federal watchdog reports “suicide hazards” at VA hospitals: Three inspector general investigations found conditions at VA hospitals that posed “suicide hazard” risks to mental health patients. The IG also found that staff at some hospitals didn’t meet their annual requirements for environmental hazard training. (Patty Nieberg, Task & Purpose)

Analysis: Will Trump allow private equity to gut the Army too? The experience of privatizing the construction and management of military housing should serve as a cautionary tale as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent consider tapping private equity firms to manage other military assets and infrastructure. (Margaret Mullins and Ben Dinovelli, Just Security)

Business and Finance

Gambling platform Polymarket not paying bets on U.S. invasion of Venezuela: Polymarket is disputing that the capture of Nicolás Maduro constituted an “invasion” and said it will only settle more than $10 million in wagers if the U.S. military takes control of Venezuelan territory by January 31. The decision angered gamblers and added to the controversy surrounding prediction markets. (Lauren Almeida, The Guardian)

🔎 See Also: Traders bet on the U.S.’s next airstrike target (Jack Pitcher and Alexander Osipovich, Wall Street Journal)

Trump wants to bar Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes: President Trump wants Congress to take immediate steps to stop private equity firms and other large investors from buying more single-family homes. For years, Wall Street-backed firms have bought up homes and rented them out, which critics say drives up prices and makes it harder for first-time buyers to purchase homes. (Maureen Farrell and Matthew Goldstein, New York Times)

A construction worker’s suicide highlights a wider crisis: The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any major industry in the country, according to the CDC. Add to that drug overdoses, of which construction workers die at a greater rate than in any other industry. (Ronda Kaysen, New York Times)

The soaring price of youth sports: $50 to try out, $3,000 to play: Youth sports have transformed from low-cost grassroots programs run mostly by local groups into a high-priced industry bankrolled by private equity and venture capital firms. Many parents can no longer afford it. (Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post)

Tech

X didn’t fix Grok’s “undressing” problem. It just makes people pay for it: After creating thousands of nonconsensual sexualized imagery of women and apparent minors, the X social media platform limited who can generate images with Grok. But the chatbot is still creating this content when prompted by X users with paid “verified” accounts. (Matt Burgess, Wired)

🔎 See Also: Senators demand Apple, Google take X and Grok off app stores over sexual images (Raphael Satter and A.J. Vicens, Reuters)

🔎 See Also: Grok AI being adopted by Pentagon despite growing backlash against it (CBS News)

Wegmans is scanning your face at some stores. It’s not the only company: National chains including Wegmans, Walmart, Kroger, and Home Depot use facial recognition technology to try to stop shoplifting. Customers are often unaware their faces are being scanned and get upset when they find out. Experts warn of the technology’s bias and lack of oversight and transparency. (Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN)

Health Care

Several of Kennedy’s dietary advisers have ties to meat and dairy interests: The new HHS/USDA dietary guidelines for Americans, which emphasize protein, meat, cheese, and milk, were informed by a panel of experts with ties to the meat and dairy industries. (Alice Callahan and Maggie Astor, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: The government’s about-face on alcohol limits follows a yearslong industry lobbying campaign (Lucy Dean Stockton and Helen Santoro, The Lever)

A judge orders HHS to restore children’s health funding as a lawsuit continues: U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that HHS likely had a “retaliatory motive” when it terminated grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics. (NPR)

CDC staff “blindsided” as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled: Vaccine experts at the CDC say they were surprised by the agency’s decision to unilaterally overhaul the childhood immunization schedule. Public health experts and medical organizations warn the new schedule could weaken protections against preventable deadly diseases. (Lena H. Sun, Washington Post)

EPA to stop considering lives saved when setting rules on air pollution: The EPA plans to stop tallying gains from the health benefits caused by curbing air pollutants, fine particulate matter, and ozone when regulating industry. Instead, the agency will calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits. (Maxine Joselow, New York Times)

Grassley releases report accusing UnitedHealth of “gaming” Medicare Advantage to boost diagnoses: Sen. Chuck Grassley’s report accused UnitedHealth Group of using “aggressive strategies” to maximize profits. The report also noted that these practices are spreading throughout the industry. (Joseph Choi, The Hill)

These drugs are risky for dementia patients. Doctors prescribe them anyway: An estimated 25% of Medicare beneficiaries with dementia are prescribed risky drugs despite years of clinical guidelines cautioning against the practice. (Akilah Johnson, Washington Post)

Rx Inspector: Look up where your generic prescription drugs were made: The FDA won’t tell Americans where their generic drugs are made; this resource will. Use information on your prescription label to locate the factory where it was made and when that factory was inspected for quality and safety violations. (ProPublica)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ Rubio rejects judge’s options for Venezuelans illegally deported from U.S.

→ Administration jails migrant teens in facility known for child abuse

→ U.S. citizens are joining the military to protect undocumented parents

→ Avelo Airlines withdraws from ICE deportation operations, closes Mesa Gateway base

→ US O-1 visas now welcome OnlyFans models under “extraordinary ability”

Other News:

→ Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, Hegseth over bid to censure, lower senator’s retirement rank

→ White House creates new assistant attorney general focused on fraud

→ Commentary: Safeguarding the federal merit system at the Office of Special Counsel

→ Elon Musk’s SpaceX wins $739 million Space Force contract

→ Pro-Trump super PAC paid U.S. Army musicians $950 each for event entertainment

→ Medicaid’s chief got a pass on his family’s health-tech investments

→ Jeanine Pirro is investing in an e-commerce company facing legal scrutiny

→ Former U.S. Navy sailor gets more than 16 years for selling secrets to China

→ Congressional staffer allegedly stole 240 cell phones from government

→ University to pay $500,000 to professor it fired over Charlie Kirk post

On The Lighter Side

Lawsuit accuses McDonald’s of deception on grounds that McRib has no rib meat: “Despite its name and distinctive shape — its meat patty has been deliberately crafted to resemble a rack of pork ribs — the McRib does not contain any actual pork rib meat at all,” the lawsuit alleges. “Instead, its meat patty is reconstructed using ground-up portions of lower-grade pork products such as, inter alia, pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach.” (Adam Harrington and Tim Jacobi, CBS News)

Upcoming Events

📌 Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Subcommittee on Government Operations. Tuesday, January 13, 2:00 p.m., HVC-210.

📌 Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Wednesday, January 14, 10:15 a.m., 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.

📌 WEBINAR: Census Matters: Why an Accurate Count is Essential to Funding Our Communities. Project On Government Oversight and Census Counts. Wednesday, January 14, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET.

Hot Docs

🔥📃 Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction: SIGAR Oral History Project: Overview Document and Interview Transcripts | Interview Videos

Nominations & Appointments

Nominations

Andrew Davis - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
David Clay Fowlkes - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
John Shepherd - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Anna St. John - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Chris Wolfe - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Three fights. One week.