Weekend Edition: Civil Rights, Road Trips, and 2026 & The Trump Administration

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting regarding the U.S. strikes conducted in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Ambassadors representing several Latin American nations--including Venezuela--condemned these actions, saying they violated international law and sovereignty, with some claiming civilians were killed in the operation. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Michael Waltz called the action a "law enforcement operation ... against two indicted fugitives of American justice." After their capture, President Maduro and his wife were brought to New York City, where he pleaded "not guilty" to drug trafficking charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. We'll kick off with conversations with two authors who rounded out Washington Journal's annual holiday authors week series: first up - John Jay College constitutional law professor and civil rights attorney Gloria Browne-Marshall talked about her book, "A Protest History of the United States" Then: author Sarah Kendzior joins us to talk about her book " The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir." Plus: Steve Clemons -- editor at large for the National Interest magazine – previews the foreign policy challenges facing the Trump administration in the year ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FBI says it 'thwarted a potential' New Year's Eve terror attack in North Carolina and the suspect was 'directly inspired to act by ISIS'; President Donald Trump & top officials in Iran threaten each other as deadly street protests continue in Iranian cities; As Somalia's Ambassador to the United Nations takes over the rotating UN Security Council presidency, a reporter asked him about President Trump's criticisms of Somalia-Americans linked to alleged public program fraud in Minnesota; New York City's new Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) creates an Office of Mass Engagement and is asked about Israel saying Mamdani is antisemitic for revoking his predecessors' Executive Orders that barred city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism; Head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Gene Dodaro, has retired after a long career at the agency and in government. We will talk with Government Executive reporter Sean Michael Newhouse about Dodaro's accomplishments and efforts to be bipartisan and how Congress will choose his replacement (36); Full video of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's deposition before the House Judiciary Committee was made public on New Year's Eve. We will talk with Politico reporter Hailey Fuchs about what we learn about the Donald Trump election interference and classified documents cases that were ultimately dropped. (44) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On New Year's Eve, America250 Commission Chair Rosie Rios talks about the special celebrations tonight related to the U.S.'s 250th birthday in 2026, New York City & New Orleans are among the cities increasing their New Year's Eve security and world leaders issue New Year's messages; House Republicans schedule a hearing looking at Minnesota social welfare programs fraud, inviting both Republican state lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) to testify; number of Jeffrey Epstein-related files the Justice Department is working through to release now reportedly tops 5 million; New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) names a new schools chancellor a day before he takes office; former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO) has died. We  hear his 2004 remarks at the dedication for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York  City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces new members of his incoming administration, including Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services; States receive the first allotments from a $50 billion federal rural health care fund; Federal investigation into alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud of Minnesota state services expands, with some Republicans calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to resign. We will talk about it with Axios breaking news reporter Herb Scribner (16); U.S. pledges $2 billion in for United Nations humanitarian aid, down sharply from previous years; China's Foreign Minister criticizes a record $11 billion in U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan as China conducts military drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan; more performers cancel scheduled dates at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC after President Trump's name was added to the institution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Recap of Sunday's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky; US strikes Venezuela; China announces military drills near Taiwan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from the Washington Journal's annual Holiday Author Series this past week. First: a conversation with journalist, documentary filmmaker, and MS Now contributor Trymaine Lee on his book "A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America" Then: Free speech advocate Greg Lukianoff -- President & CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression -- discusses his book "The War on Words." Finally: George Washington University professor Casey Burgat joins us for a discussion about his book "We Hold These 'Truths': How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Christmas Eve, President Donald Trump & First Lady Melania Trump take children's NORAD Santa Tracker calls and speak to U.S. military servicemembers overseas; Members of Congress of both parties post their holiday greetings; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) releases his annual Festivus Report on Government Waste. He says he has identified $1.6 trillion worth; Bipartisan group of Senators sign a letter calling for an audit of the Justice Department's slow release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, they say, in violation of the law that set a deadline of 30 days after enactment. Justice Department says it may take several more weeks to release all the files now that a million more have been identified; European leaders condemn the Trump Administration blocking of five Europeans who monitor online hate and disinformation from traveling to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls them "leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex"; National Guard troops to deploy to New Orleans; White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller calls for the firing of all producers on the CBS News show '60 Minutes' who protested the pulling of a report on the Trump Administration's deportation of Venezuelan men to a prison in El Salvador. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on U.S. military actions against Venezuela; European leaders stand with Greenland in response to President Donald Trump latest moves toward his stated goal of having the U.S. own the island; Supreme Court turns down President Trump plan to plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) joins faith leaders to condemn what they call 'chaos' that federal immigration agents were sowing with their operations in Minneapolis; Commerce Department says U.S. economy grew at a very strong 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter of the year; more than 20 Democratic State Attorneys General sue the Trump Administration over its plan to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump announced a new fleet of ships Monday, known as the "Golden Fleet," as he revealed he approved plans for two new "very large battleships." Trump said the new ships would be "100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," in an address from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices