This week on The Lonely Liberal: the biggest headline is Venezuela. The U.S. carried out strikes, captured Nicolás Maduro, and President Trump declared America will “run Venezuela” — while also saying U.S. oil companies will be heavily involved. We break down what’s known about the operation, why it’s detonating international-law alarms, and the reality behind the “oil prize” narrative: Venezuela has massive reserves, but its production has been depressed for years and rebuilding capacity would take serious time and money.

Back at home, we hit the politics of power and control: Trump says the National Guard is leaving Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland — a flashpoint that quickly turns into a federalism fight over who actually has authority over troops and public order. We also cover Trump’s first veto of his second term, killing bipartisan Colorado water funding for a major drinking-water project — and what it signals about spending politics, intraparty feuds, and governing priorities.

On the economy, Trump postpones furniture tariffs for a year, a move with real near-term implications for household prices and retail supply chains. In the clean energy culture war corner, Trump claimed wind turbines will wipe out America’s bald eagles — using a viral photo that wasn’t even a bald eagle — and we talk about how misinformation both distracts from and cheapens legitimate wildlife and permitting issues.

And then there’s the gut-punch governance story: millions are feeling the effects of Social Security delays amid a crushing backlog, which for many people functions like a benefit cut. Finally, we close with the lighter-but-telling saga of Trump Mobile pushing back its gold phone release — a brand-meets-business story with a whole lot of scrutiny attached.

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