Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Fog this morning will give way to clouds for the rest of the day, with highs around 52. More clouds tonight, with lows dipping close to 41. The Washington Wizards will play the Orlando Magic at home tonight.
You can find me on Bluesky, I’m kmcorliss.19 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
A great book on my nightstand:
“Blob” by Maggie Su. In this quirky novel, a down-on-her-luck young woman finds a living lump of goo outside a dive bar and takes it home with her. As it grows more sentient, she decides to mold it into her ideal boyfriend. Another year of dating in DC, and you might find me rummaging around outside Dan’s Cafe for a blob of my own.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
The latest on Venezuela: Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty yesterday to the federal narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and weapons charges that he faces. His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty to similar charges. It could take more than a year for either to stand trial. (NYT) President Trump told NBC News that he is now in charge of Venezuela and has to “fix” the country before any elections can be held there. He also suggested that the US might reimburse oil companies that spend money rebuilding the nation’s energy infrastructure. (NBC News) “We are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions,” Stephen Miller told CNN yesterday. “We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce.” (Politico) He also said the US has the right to take Greenland by force. (NYT) Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Pentagon’s decision not to notify Congress about Saturday’s military action, saying it was not an “invasion” but rather an “arrest operation” targeted at Maduro. (The Hill) At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the US was widely criticized. (NYT) Trump reportedly backed Delcy Rodríguez as interim president—rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado, who dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to him in October—due to insight from the CIA. (WSJ) Meet Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old federal judge overseeing Maduro’s case, who has ruled against Trump before. (Politico)
Shot in the dark: Per Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr., the CDC has slashed the number of vaccines it recommends for children from 17 to 11, nixing guidance in favor of immunizations against influenza, meningococcal, RSV, rotavirus, and hepatitis A and B for kids who the agency doesn’t consider “high-risk.” (The Hill) “The new schedule circumvents the detailed and methodical evidence-based process that has underpinned vaccine recommendations in the nation for decades. Until now, a federal panel of independent advisers typically reviewed scientific data for each new vaccine, and when and how it should be administered to children.” (NYT) Kennedy’s team says the changes are meant to align US recommendations with those of other wealthy countries. The American Academy of Pediatrics called the cuts “dangerous and unnecessary.” (STAT)
The rainbow disconnection: The board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which runs public media outlets including PBS and NPR, voted to shut down its operations. The move comes about five months after Republicans clawed back $1.1 billion in federal funding that had already been allocated to the CPB for the next two fiscal years. (Deadline) “CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attack,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison of the decision. (The Guardian) Up to 80 public radio stations could shutter within the next year. (Gizmodo)
January 6, five years later: Some January 6 defendants, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, will march from the Ellipse to the Capitol today in honor Ashli Babbitt and “four others who died on or after” the insurrection, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick. (CBS News) Sicknick collapsed the night of the riots and died the following day after suffering strokes. Rioters had attacked him with pepper spray. (NBC Washington) “I don’t give any credence to anything that those individuals do,” Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn said of the rally. (WTOP) New reports released by House Democrats yesterday examine the aftermath of January 6 and Trump’s pardons. (ABC News) A plaque honoring law enforcement officers on the scene that day is nowhere to be found at the Capitol, where it’s supposed to be displayed. (AP)
Administration perambulation: We’re two weeks out from the Justice Department’s deadline to finish releasing the Epstein files. The DOJ says it’s still reviewing more than 2 million documents. (Axios) More than 2,000 federal agents are deploying to Minneapolis for the administration’s first immigration crackdown of the New Year. (CBS News) The Hilton hotel chain issued an apology after employees at the Hampton Inn Lakeville reportedly cancelled agents’ room reservations. (AP) Speaking of Minnesota: Amid a scandal over fraud in Minnesota’s social welfare programs, Governor Tim Walz dropped his re-election bid. Senator Amy Klobuchar might run for the seat instead. (NYT) The Pentagon is censuring Arizona senator Mark Kelly over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls “seditious statements.” Officials are also considering reducing his Navy rank. (Washington Post)
How to practice self-care this year, by Daniella Byck:
Hello, it’s me, here to absolve you of new year’s resolutions. You can change your life at any point in the year, I promise! That being said, this post-holiday season is ideal for leaning into self-care, the quiet work that allows us to fuel those annual aspirations. Perhaps self-care looks like a spa day with a luxe massage or facial. Personally, I’m a fan of contrast treatment, where you can switch between the sauna and cold plunge at places such as Hope Floats in Bethesda and Awarehouse in Arlington. Maybe it’s moving your body. If you prefer to avoid the January treadmill line, there are other fun options. Try a bellydancing workshop at Sahara Dance in Tenleytown, do some yoga with goats in Arlington, or scale a climbing wall at DC Bouldering Project in Eckington and Sportrock, which has locations in Maryland and Virginia. Some of my colleagues have delved into the more creative ways they unwind: taking a long lunch, indulging in a little treat, and even finding a spot at the grocery store wine bar. However you choose to prioritize your well-being this January, I suppose self-care is one resolution I can always get behind.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• What’s IN and OUT in DC restaurant trends for 2026, according to our food editor Jessica Sidman.
• We read and compared recent memoirs by Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman and actress Cheryl Hines, which share similar titles and were released on the same day.
• Don’t miss our January culture guide.
Local news links:
• DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson hopes to fill likely mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie‘s seat with an interim representative by the end of the month. He says “about 29” people have expressed interest in the position. (The DC Line)
• Violent crime in DC fell for the second consecutive year in 2025. Homicide rates dropped by nearly a third. (Axios DC)
• The National Park Service will spend at least $54 million to repair broken DC fountains, including at Meridian Hill Park, Freedom Plaza, and outside Union Station. (Washington Post)
• Median apartment rents in Arlington fell by 1 percent in 2025, the first such annual decrease for the county in five years. (ARLNow)
• One man was killed and two other people were wounded in a series of shootings around Upper Marlboro on Sunday. A person of interest has been arrested. (WTOP)
• H&M is closing a downtown DC location. (WBJ)
• Those booms you might have heard outside last night were actually fireworks, which went off on the Mall to celebrate the final day of Freedom 250’s semiquincentennial New Year’s celebration. (PoPville)
Join the conversation!
Kate Corliss
Junior Staff Writer