Trump’s Venezuela Problem, Greenland, Nuclear Warhead Waste, and More

Hello, everyone.

We’re not even a month into 2026, but US President Donald Trump’s administration has seized the Venezuelan president and his wife, threatened a host of countries from Latin America to Europe, and launched a federal crackdown in Minneapolis that has turned deadly.

Here at Inkstick, Lee Schenkler has taken a hard look at how divisions within Trump’s team could, it turns out, decide the future of Venezuela.

Closer to home, Inkstick field reporter Taylor Barnes has done a deep dive on a problem pitting military defense contractors in South Carolina against officials in New Mexico.

That’s not all we’ve got at Inkstick. And if you’re not already, please follow us on LinkedIn, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube.

“How a Battle Inside Trump’s Team Could Decide Venezuela’s Fate” by Lee Schenkler (Jan. 20)

Earlier this year, a battle roared inside the Trump administration over the future of the South American country between two of his top deputies. The outcome may determine how the US handles its engagement with Venezuela for years to come.

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“The Violence Trump Sees, and the Violence He Ignores” by Alexandra Menter (Jan. 21)

The way Trump apparently sees it, the main source of violence in the Western Hemisphere is the flow of narcotics from Venezuela and the Caribbean islands into the US. But his administration is ignoring another source of violence: one that flows south from the US.

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“A Grave Problem with South Carolina’s New Nuclear Warhead” by Taylor Barnes (Jan. 22)

In South Carolina, contractors say new plutonium pit warhead waste will be shipped to New Mexico. But there’s one glaring issue that could derail the new nuclear arms race at this key node of the production complex: New Mexico increasingly raising objections.

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“Deep Dive: Greenland’s Store of Rare Earth Minerals” by Inkstick (Jan. 23)

As Trump jockeys for Greenland, a new report breaks down the country’s geologically promising yet commercially dormant sources of rare earth minerals (REEs) — strategic elements critical to modern technology, clean energy systems, and national defense.

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