Tues Blogcast: More Maduro; Low gas prices; Denver murders; Boebert v Trump
January 6, 2026
Just One Thing: Now what?
I could write thousands of words about Trump's Venezuelan adventure but instead I'll just write a few dozen. The Trump administration seems to be leaning toward leaving a socialist dictatorship in place in Venezuela, just with a different dictator. If that happens, it's reasonable to expect that the financial temptations for government and military leaders to keep working with the cartels will be irresistible. Trump has long opposed "regime change" and, to be fair, this is NOT like deposing Saddam Hussein where the regime is really about the one man. The Venezuelan government is slightly more robust than that, though we're already seeing some chaos in Caracas that may be the result of factions vying for power.
Not surprising, really: CIA concluded regime loyalists were best placed to lead Venezuela after Maduro
The worst case for Trump would be if Venezuela enters a period of chaos that actually worsens the situation for the Venezuelan people AND doesn't give American energy companies a legitimate opportunity to partner with Venezuela to develop that nation's massive oil resources.
Venezuela launches wave of repression after US seizure of Nicolás Maduro
This can go a lot of different ways, including a potential good outcome such as the military asserting short-term control and guiding the country toward free and fair elections. How likely is that? I have no idea but I'll say it's more than 10% and less than 50%.
I'm just guessing and so is literally everybody else.
I think Trump has made and repeated a serious mistake by claiming that the recent Nobel Prize-winning opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, doesn't have enough respect or trust of the people to be the next leader. And for some boneheaded reason he also said she shouldn't have won the prize. Trump always finds a way to add a stupid comment even when he accomplishes something that could be a political win for him.
Here's what I think the American people don't yet understand -- and I know I don't: Was this about drugs, or about oil, or about sending a message to other nations, or...??? Actually, it was probably a little of all of those things. But what happens if all we get out of it is the arrest of Maduro (which is not nothing) but nothing else important changes?
Trump’s stunning shift on ‘America First’ | CNN Politics
Another obviously huge question: Will Trump actually attack any other country? He is threatening lots of them. And, to be clear, all of them except Denmark (regarding Greenland) are run by bad people who would hurt America and Americans given the opportunity. Reining them in is a legitimate goal, but the methods matter.
Again, I have no idea what comes next and neither does anybody else. Including the Trump administration. And that's a problem.
This is some great insight, assuming she's as well informed as she seems to be:
Have been saying all along that the pseudo-experts on Venezuela that popped up over the past few months were miscalculating the internal situation in the country and government. The story the opposition and Machado were telling was not the reality inside the country, but they…
— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) January 5, 2026
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Today's Guests
Leland Vittert is the host of "On Balance" which airs weeknights at 7 PM MT (and again at 10 PM). I think it's the best show on cable news.
I highly recommend you sign up for Leland's daily (on days when he has a show) "War Notes" newsletter. It's free and it's great.
"On Balance with Leland Vittert" on NewsNation
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Patrick DeHaan is Head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy and proprietor of his own Substack called Fuel Insights. He’s arguably the nation’s leading public expert on oil, gas, and diesel prices.
We'll talk about how I was able to buy gas (without a supermarket/loyalty discount) for $1.79 yesterday, and we'll also discuss implications for the oil market of America's arrest of Nicolas Maduro and our ongoing blockade of Venezuelan oil.
GasBuddy: Yearly Average Gas Prices to Fall Below $3 in 2026 — Lowest Since 2020
Oil settles $1 higher as traders assess Venezuela upheaval | Reuters
Why is Donald Trump so interested in Venezuela's oil? | World News | Sky News
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Other Stuff
Trump is coming after Colorado at every opportunity now: Exclusive | Trump freezes $10B in funding to five blue states for child care, social services over fraud fears | New York Post
Trump administration freezes aid to Colorado for child care funding - Axios Denver
(How do you think Gabe Evans feels about that news?)
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Good riddance: The Fall of Tim Walz Is a Comedy Turned Tragedy
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I know we like our refunds, and I know that Dems have manipulated the law to steal them. But all else being equal, I'd rather not have had the government take so much extra money from us that there need to be refunds: No TABOR refunds this year, as Colorado Gov. Polis warns of tight fiscal outlook - Colorado Politics
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Trump's moves on Venezuela were slightly, but only slightly, hypocritical. They are actually consistent with at least some of what he's said in the past: Trump’s stunning shift on ‘America First’ | CNN Politics
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RFK Jr is a charlatan and a grifter. I don't EVER believe him when he says he consults or even cares about science. Yesterday he changed the US recommended vaccine schedule for children. For some reason he and others are talking about making the US schedule closer to that of Denmark as if there's some reason that should be an important or even understandable benchmark.
It's important to remember that this is just a recommendation and most likely all the current vaccines will remain available and covered (at no cost to the parent) by insurance. After all, insurance companies would rather pay a few bucks for a vaccination than thousands or millions to cover a preventable disease.
I have absolutely no idea how the health of American kids would change if parents follow the new recommendations and give their kids far fewer vaccinations. Could be hardly any change, could be lots more illnesses and at least some unnecessary deaths. Could be anything in between. I don't know. The thing is: neither does RFK. There is absolutely zero transparency to how or why this decision was made. And that's my main problem with it.
I also note that these changes are likely to be overturned as soon as a Democrat becomes president. I doubt they'll do much better in explaining the science.
RFK Jr. overhauls childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark's in unprecedented move
Opinion | RFK Jr.’s vaccine schedule overhaul sidesteps scientific review - The Washington Post
RFK Jr., CDC reduce number of recommended vaccines for children
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I owe you this topic from yesterday:
A couple of newly active laws (as of January 1) to mention, though there are many more:
Colorado law to ban 'junk fees' for renters, but some landlords find workarounds
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JOINT RELEASE: Right to Repair Electronic Equipment Law Goes Into Effect — Colorado Senate Democrats
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Abortion, cell phone repairs, bison among topics of new Colorado laws
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This is good news, though there is more skepticism than there used to be about the reliability of the data:
Substantial Decline in Homicides for 2025 - City and County of Denver
More data: Google Gemini
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A bad policy causes Denver to have to spend/waste $2 million: Denver mayor’s sanctuary city legal bill hits $2M limit - Denver Gazette
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A good result from a (Biden appointee) judge: Federal judge blocks Colorado law requiring that consumers be warned of air quality effects of gas stoves - The Colorado Sun
How a Colorado court decision could set back a push to label gas stoves like cigarettes
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Another that I owe you from yesterday:
Arkansas Valley Conduit veto draws a mixed reaction in southeast Colorado
Trump vetoes bipartisan bill to provide clean water to rural Colorado
Trump ally Lauren Boebert blasts surprise veto of Colorado project
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I hope she gets as long as possible in prison, and I hope that while she's there she's treated the way she treated these defenseless kids. (I bet she will be, actually. Not that I'm an expert but we sure do hear a lot about how inmates have no tolerance for child-abusers.)
Former Littleton bus aide pleads guilty to assault
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Wouldn't surprise me if Vance Joseph gets another head coaching job. I hope he learned enough from Sean Payton that he does better than he did as head coach of the Broncos. Broncos DC Vance Joseph to interview for Tennessee HC job
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Update on a sad story from the past few days: Human DNA found on all four paws of mountain lion that killed hiker in northern Colorado - The Colorado Sun
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Edgewater, not famous for good policy, gets one right: Edgewater’s tipped workers won’t get a wage increase. Here’s why
Today's Video
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