Last week, US forces entered Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a nighttime raid. On Monday, they were arraigned in US federal court, pleading not guilty to narcoterrorism charges. The military action followed a monthslong pressure campaign that included a number of deadly strikes on boats off the Venezuelan coast […]
It’s December 31, 2025, the day before Zohran Mamdani would be inaugurated mayor of New York City. Outside a small hotel front in the Garment District, hospitality workers from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) are on strike. They’re a small, huddled group in thick coats and beanies, standing around the building’s entrance and asking would-be customers not to cross the picket line as they approach. Their demands are familiar, and could have been made at any point in the last century. They want better wages, safety protections, and a fair contract. Backing them up is one of the city’s favorite sons: Scabby the Rat, the iconic protest balloon of the New York labor movement. He’s larger in person than he seems in photos, a little scruffy and battered around the edges—clearly a veteran of many such campaigns. His red eyes shine in the morning light.
The secretary of state is playing translator for the tough-talking president. Some Republicans are paying more attention to the former than the latter.