This is America in 2026

Just days into 2026, Mary and Andrew dive into a fresh slate of legal questions brought on by the United States’ surprise extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife to New York to face criminal charges. Unpacking why the operation is widely viewed as illegal in both Venezuela and here at home, they focus on the Trump administration’s pattern of self-excusing questionable tactics under the banner of fighting crime and drug smuggling. Next, as the fifth anniversary of the January 6th insurrection approaches, Mary previews her upcoming testimony in front of House Democrats on the impact the broad swath of pardons for J6 convictions has had, before the co-hosts review Jack Smith’s now public deposition before the House Judiciary Committee. Last, Mary and Andrew turn to the newly unsealed order in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, in which the judge believes DOJ officials may have pushed to prosecute him only after he was wrongly deported to El Salvador.

Further reading:

• Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s testimony transcript is HERE,  the video is HERE
• HERE is Judge Gary R. Brown’s ruling from 12/18 on the awful conditions in an ICE detention facility in Long Island, NY.

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