United States Politics and Government

• Jobs Report Shows U.S. Hiring Slowed One Year Into Trump’s Second Term - As economists pointed to some of the president’s policies to explain the latest Labor Department data, White House aides sought to make the case for optimism in the new year.
• U.S. Hiring Continues at Modest Pace, but Weaknesses Are Evident - The unemployment rate fell in December, but job growth across 2025 was the lowest in five years.
• Federal Officials Identify Pair Shot by Border Patrol in Portland, Ore. - The shooting during a traffic stop, a day after the killing of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, generated angry denunciations by local officials.
• Why Many Republican Voters Support Trump’s Use of Force in Venezuela - They don’t like nation building, but they do want to project American power.
• Wary of Investing in Venezuela, Big Oil Heads to the White House - The amounts of money, time and political uncertainty trouble executives at large Western oil companies, who plan to meet with President Trump on Friday.
• Federal Agents Shoot 2 During Traffic Stop in Portland, Ore. - The shooting in a city previously targeted by the Trump administration came as Minneapolis grappled with a federal agent’s killing of a woman a day earlier.
• The Many Faces of Trump: What We Saw When We Interviewed the President - During an extensive sit-down with The New York Times, President Trump showcased the various personas he employs in his role. There were unpredictable turns throughout.
• These 5 Republicans Broke With Trump on Venezuela War Powers - The Republican defectors paved the way for a debate that could expose bipartisan concern about President Trump’s actions in Venezuela. Mr. Trump called for them to lose their seats.
• Fact-Checking Trump’s Justifications for the Venezuela Operation - The president has repeatedly tied Venezuela to drug overdose deaths, claimed the Maduro regime sent an influx of criminal migrants and accused the country of stealing American oil.
• Prosecutors Said to Pursue New Investigation of Letitia James - A longtime hairdresser for the New York attorney general has come under scrutiny as the Justice Department’s efforts to charge Ms. James on other fronts falter.