Venezuela under Fire

Hi Global Recap readers,

Yesterday, I said this:

And as soon as I say this, trump posts the following:

I seem to have the worst timing always. That said, will we see the U.S. intervene?

🇮🇷 IRAN
More Shootings
Despite Warning

News outlets like CNN are reporting that the White House is not confirming any major change in troop levels—calling President Trump’s post as a strong warning.

But it should be noted that no nation in its right mind would broadcast its troop movements or upcoming aerial strikes beforehand. Remember Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025?

Video Update

🇻🇪 VENEZUELA
Caracas under Fire

Caracas snapped awake around 2 a.m. Saturday after at least at least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft echoed across the city. Neither the Venezuelan government nor the White House has commented on the attacks yet.

• Although it’s too early to say for certain (reports began coming in just minutes ago), various sources seem to point to the targets being military installations.

• Reuters witnesses also described loud noises and a power outage in southern Caracas near a major military base.

Low-Flying Aircraft

Cheering?

“Free Venezuela”

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
FBI Blocks Radical
Islamic Terror Plot

The FBI says it stopped an alleged New Year's Eve attack plan in North Carolina, fueled by a self-styled martyr narrative and a month of undercover messaging.

• Suspect: Christian Sturdivant, 18, from Mint Hill outside Charlotte, was arrested on December 31 as he was being released from a special medical facility.

• Charge: Federal prosecutors say he attempted to provide "material support" to Islamic State. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

• Plot: Investigators say he planned for about a year to hit a grocery store and restaurant in North Carolina on New Year's Eve, targeting Jews, Christians, and LGBTQ+ people, then trying to die in a confrontation with responding police.

• Evidence: A December 29 search of his home allegedly turned up knives and hammers under his bed, plus detailed notes describing the intended attack. Authorities said he later sent an undercover agent a photo of two hammers and a knife, along with a voice note pledging allegiance and messages asking for help getting guns.

• Trail: Officials say his radicalization happened online, including posts on a TikTok account supporting Islamic State. They also said he tried to pledge allegiance on an Islamic State site, but was actually interacting with an undercover New York police department agent across multiple social platforms.

🇺🇦 UKRAINE
Kharkiv Strike,
Moscow Denies

A Russian attack on Kharkiv left a residential block in ruins, killing at least two people and injuring about 25, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow issued a flat denial and argued the blast came from Ukrainian ammunition instead.

• Hit: Officials said Russian missiles struck a multi-story apartment building in Kharkiv on Friday, January 2, 2026, collapsing floors and leaving smoke and rubble where people had been living hours earlier.

• Casualties: Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said rescuers found the bodies of a woman and her son under the debris, and reported 25 injured, with 16 hospitalized, including one woman in serious condition.

• Claim: Russia’s Defense Ministry, also posting on Telegram, called the strike reports untrue and suggested the explosion came from a detonation of Ukrainian military ammunition allegedly stored at the "Persona" shopping center.

• Spillover: Russia claims the Kharkiv narrative was meant to distract from a New Year’s Eve strike on a hotel in Russian-held Kherson region that Moscow blamed on Ukraine, while Kyiv said its strikes target Russian military and energy sites.