Trump Proposes $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget To Fund Global Military Expansion

House Passes ACA Subsidy Extension As 17 Republicans Break Party Lines

Trump Naval Revival Overwhelms Korean-Owned Philadelphia Shipyard With Demand

Border Patrol Shooting In Portland Prompts Mayor's Demand For Federal Withdrawal

Iran Imposes Internet Blackout As Nationwide Protests Demanding Leadership Change Expand

Trump Proposes $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget To Fund Global Military Expansion

President Trump on Wednesday called for increasing the military budget to $1.5 trillion in 2027, a 50 percent rise from current spending levels, as his administration pursues military operations in Venezuela and other regions. The president characterized the proposal as necessary to build a "Dream Military" during what he termed "very dangerous and troubled times." The $600 billion spending increase comes as the administration has threatened military action to access Venezuela's oil reserves, proposed forcibly annexing Greenland from NATO ally Denmark, and flexed military strength in multiple global theaters. The request would mark one of the largest peacetime defense budget increases in modern American history.

NYT

House Passes ACA Subsidy Extension As 17 Republicans Break Party Lines

The House on Thursday approved legislation to restore expired Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years in a 230-196 vote, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats despite the measure having no path to enactment in the Senate. Democrats took control of the House floor to advance the bill over Speaker Mike Johnson's opposition, framing passage as validation of their focus on health subsidies during last fall's government shutdown. The symbolic vote provided political cover to vulnerable House Republicans facing competitive re-election races who sought to demonstrate commitment to addressing rising healthcare premiums. The rare bipartisan support marked an unusual instance of Republican lawmakers voting to bolster a healthcare law the party has historically opposed, potentially fueling ongoing negotiations toward an election-year compromise on healthcare costs.

NYT

Trump Naval Revival Overwhelms Korean-Owned Philadelphia Shipyard With Demand

Hanwha Ocean, the South Korean shipbuilding giant that acquired Philadelphia's historic naval yard last year, faces a capacity crisis as demand for military vessels surges under President Trump's push to revive American shipbuilding and expand the U.S. Navy fleet. The company, which has pledged $5 billion in facility upgrades and workforce expansion, is in active discussions with the Trump administration and Pentagon about contracts for surface, subsurface and unmanned vessels, but current infrastructure cannot accommodate projected production needs. Hanwha plans to increase output from one or two ships annually to 20 vessels per year by implementing automation and robotics from its South Korean operations, though achieving that goal will require expanding beyond its two current Philadelphia docks. The company is negotiating with federal, state and local officials to access unused shipyard space and exploring arrangements to build excess orders at other facilities as military manufacturing demands exceed available capacity.

WSJ

Border Patrol Shooting In Portland Prompts Mayor's Demand For Federal Withdrawal

A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot two people during a targeted traffic stop in Portland, Oregon on Thursday afternoon, triggering protests and a mayoral call for federal immigration officers to leave the city. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent fired defensively after a driver attempted to run over officers during the stop in east Portland, with federal authorities identifying both individuals as members of a Venezuelan gang involved in a recent city shooting. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson echoed statements from Minneapolis officials following a recent federal immigration enforcement incident, declaring the city cannot allow constitutional protections to erode amid mounting violence. Portland police called for calm as the FBI investigates the shooting, while protesters gathered overnight outside an ICE building, resulting in several arrests for disorderly conduct.

WSJ

Iran Imposes Internet Blackout As Nationwide Protests Demanding Leadership Change Expand

Iran shut down internet access nationwide on Thursday as protests calling for the removal of the Islamic government spread to multiple cities and grew in size despite government threats of harsh crackdowns, according to monitoring groups and witnesses. Large crowds formed Thursday night in Tehran neighborhoods and cities including Mashhad, Bushehr, Shiraz and Isfahan, with demonstrators chanting "Death to Khamenei" in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and demanding freedom, witnesses said. The internet shutdown followed warnings from Iran's judiciary and security services that authorities would take tough measures against protesters, though the threats failed to prevent demonstrations that drew diverse participants including men and women of varying ages. Protests reached Tehran's affluent Shahrak Gharb neighborhood, an area that had previously remained uninvolved in the demonstrations.

NYT

This is Tehran. Let that sink in. You are watching a revolution unfold live while the world’s media stays dead silent. Legacy media has become nothing more than a propaganda machine, because what news could possibly be bigger than this? @FoxNews @CNN pic.twitter.com/1X5PlzQAhw

— ثنا ابراهیمی | Sana Ebrahimi (@__Injaneb96) January 8, 2026

January 9 2007 Steve Jobs debuts the iPhone

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Sources

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/politics/trump-military-spending-budget.html?searchResultPosition=2
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/house-bill-aca-subsidies.html?searchResultPosition=2
3. https://www.wsj.com/business/u-s-shipyard-key-to-trumps-american-revival-is-already-too-busy-597c72ec?mod=hp_lead_pos10
4. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/two-people-shot-by-federal-agents-in-portland-ore-8e07c9ed?st=D1ZXz9&reflink=article_copyURL_share
5. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/world/middleeast/iran-protests-internet-shutdown.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share