Paul Kiernan

Exclusive | Classified Report Finds Kristi Noem Created Security Vulnerabilities at Airports The Homeland Security secretary’s handling of an issue related to allowing travelers to keep shoes on at checkpoints fits pattern that has alarmed some national-security officials.

As one of the millions of Americans who view taking their shoes off as a severe nuisance, I have mixed feelings about sharing this story.

www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

Venezuela’s Leaders Killed the Economy. They Are Still In Charge. With Nicolás Maduro in custody, the U.S. expects regime leaders to attract investors by fixing all they broke—from property rights to the rule of law.

Venezuela's largest shrimp producer was seized by the government in late 2024. Shrimp exports promptly tanked. The reason for the takeover? An alleged plot by the company's owners to overthrow the regime, sabotage Venezuela's electrical grid...and cancel Christmas.

www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Court’s Tariff Ruling Puts $133 Billion in State of Limbo The Supreme Court’s decision puts into issue billions collected in tariffs over the past year.

The Supreme Court struck down a swath of President Trump’s tariffs, paving the way for businesses to try to reclaim billions

www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

Over 65? Congratulations, You Own the Economy The elderly are physically and financially healthier than ever. So why do their needs keep taking priority over younger generations?

The elderly are physically and financially healthier than ever. So why do their needs keep taking priority over younger generations? www.wsj.com/economy/over...

Besides LAX, is there any other airport in America where it can take 30 minutes to reach your gate (after clearing security) due to traffic jams of buses ferrying passengers to/from island terminals located in the middle of the tarmac?

Inflation Slowed to 2.4% in January A cooler-than-expected reading and a strong jobs report are likely to keep Federal Reserve interest rates on hold.

Headline inflation came down in January. But under the hood, there's still evidence of tariff pressures: Prices for goods excluding food, energy and used cars rose 0.36% month-over-month, their biggest increase in three years.

www.wsj.com/economy/cons...

A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS Secretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations.

Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of their affair, but sources said they do little to hide it inside the department. The DHS spokeswoman said the department “doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip.”

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Bafflement with Bezos The whole debacle of the Washington Post brand hara-kiri last week dispatched the myth that a tech billionaire could save serious journalism.

“Oligarchs gonna oligarch,” Tina Brown writes in a searing piece on Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis at the Post.

open.substack.com/pub/tinabrow...

Immigration Raids in South Texas Are Starting to Hit the Economy Trade groups are raising alarms about aggressive immigration enforcement hurting businesses in the region.

One builder noted the oddity of silent construction sites, where workers would normally be playing music.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

L.A. public defenders are on a win streak as Trump's Justice Department charges activists The federal public defender's office in L.A. was 5 and 0 against prosecutors in trials related to immigration raids and protests. Trial No. 6 was last month.

In a system where acquittals are statistical outliers, experts say the federal public defender’s office’s recent wins raise questions about prosecutorial decision-making and the credibility of cases being brought.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Amazon’s pretax U.S. profit increased 44.5% in 2025, to $89.5 billion. The company paid $2.8 billion in federal income taxes last year after paying more than $7 billion in each of the prior two years.

www.wsj.com/business/tru...

Western Ski Resorts and Their Terrible, Horrible, No Snow, Very Bad Year

In Utah, November and December featured the warmest average temperatures in roughly 130 years of record keeping. The weather is “aligned with what we’ve been predicting to occur as a result of climate change.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/t...

Weak Hiring, Layoff Plans Paint a Gloomy Labor-Market Picture Ahead of the government’s delayed January jobs report, a mix of other federal and private data points to a rough start to the new year.

U.S. job openings dropped by 386,000 roles in December to their lowest level since September 2020, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Also, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas said companies announced 108,400 job cuts in January.

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

The attorney working for DOJ who asked to be held in contempt so she could get some sleep and said "this job sucks" was assigned **88** federal cases in less than a month, per a court docket search.

www.fox9.com/news/federal...

U.S. Manufacturing Is in Retreat and Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Helping Levies on imports were supposed to bring back a golden age of U.S. manufacturing. They haven’t worked, so far.

The manufacturing boom President Trump promised his tariffs would bring ain’t happening.

www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-...

Essay | How America First Risks Becoming America Alone U.S. allies are growing increasingly disenchanted and insulted by the country’s aggressive foreign policy strategy.

It’s not just Europe. Nearly two-thirds of Canadians and Mexicans hold unfavorable views of the U.S., according to various surveys, and view their neighbor as a bigger threat than China, a sentiment echoed in Brazil.

www.wsj.com/world/how-am...

This $14 Billion Meme Stock Says It Is Developing a Herbal Remedy for Autism The Nasdaq-listed company has recurring losses and no revenue.

Biotech startup Regencell says it is developing traditional Chinese medicine, primarily herbal formulas, to treat autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its market value has climbed 126x since 2021, finishing last week at $15.5 billion. www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...

Killings in Minneapolis Invert Usual Dynamic Over Policing the Police

Killings in Minneapolis Invert Usual Dynamic Over Policing the Police www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...

With the Fate of Greenland in Flux, It’s Back to the Age of Empire The White House is reviving a game of territorial expansion that treats foreign lands as real estate and their people as Americans-in-waiting.

At Arctic Games every two years, teenagers from Greenland are often shocked at how few words of their ancestral languages are now spoken by modern native Alaskans - and their poverty.

www.wsj.com/articles/wit...

‘You Feel Betrayed.’ In Denmark, People Are Stunned by Trump’s Greenland Threats. Of all the U.S.’s allies in Europe, Denmark was among those that fought closest alongside Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s an irony of fate that the country, which has been the most pro-American, also gets punished the hardest.”

www.wsj.com/world/europe...

I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed—including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy—until this legal matter is fully resolved.

Trump’s attack on Fed already starting to backfire. Republican Sen. Tillis: “I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed—including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy—until this legal matter is fully resolved.”

Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.

The Minneapolis shooting shares characteristics with others the Journal reviewed: Agents box in a vehicle, try to remove an individual, block attempts to flee, then fire.

Most law-enforcement organizations reserve boxing in a vehicle for high-risk felony stops.

www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...

Slowest Labor Market in Years Leaves Job Seekers Stuck Job hunts are getting desperate for Americans who find themselves locked out of stable, full-time work in a stagnant job market.

America’s unemployment rate is low. But so is its job growth. That means many Americans are locked out of stable, full-time jobs, and many are struggling.

“We just want work,” said Glenn Jones, who is on a waiting list for to drive for DoorDash. “Any work.”

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

The Economics of Taking Venezuela’s Oil: Low Risk, Low Reward The world has changed, and controlling the country’s oil now has only modest and uncertain benefits.

China is practicing doing to Taiwan what the U.S. just did to Venezuela: imposing a blockade. Given Taiwan’s dominance producing the world’s most advanced semiconductors, that is a risk magnitudes more urgent than anything going on in America’s backyard, Greg Ip writes.

www.wsj.com/business/ene...

Venezuela's interior minister says 100 people died in U.S. attack Venezuela's interior minister Diosdado Cabello said late on Wednesday that 100 people died in the U.S. attack which removed President Nicolas Maduro from power on Saturday.

Venezuela's interior minister says 100 people died in U.S. attack reut.rs/3L8Fqye

Exclusive | Newsom Waives a Fire-Rebuilding Hurdle for Businesses in State Park California’s governor plans to unveil an executive order aimed at making it easier for some businesses destroyed by last year’s Palisades fire to rebuild.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is planning to unveil an executive order aimed at making it easier for some businesses destroyed by last year’s Palisades fire to rebuild

www.wsj.com/us-news/news...

Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick—Trump’s Approach to the Americas President Trump’s audacious decision to seize Nicolás Maduro heralds a new geopolitical strategy: the U.S. and the U.S. only will dominate the Western Hemisphere.

A critical variable is whether this leads to democracy, as opposed to a grab for Venezuela’s oil resources. If the latter, then other Latin American countries will become increasingly wary of the U.S.

www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Venezuela’s Men With Guns Remain the Ultimate Power After Maduro’s Ouster Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino command Venezuela’s police and military, and represent a wild card for Trump.

Also, their names translate roughly to Godgiven Hair and Vladimir Godfather.

www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Trump Is Turning to Venezuela but Voters Are Focused on the Economy The president’s move against Venezuela comes as high prices and economic unease continue to shape the midterm landscape.

Voters elected Trump because of the economy. Yesterday he told them we’ll be running Venezuela.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

U.S. Plays Down Quick Return to Democracy in Venezuela Many Venezuelans welcome the ouster of Maduro, but worry his repressive regime remains in place.

Trump has spoken of drugs, gangs and oil as reasons for deposing Venezuela's president. One thing he conspicuously hasn't mentioned: returning the country to democracy.

www.wsj.com/world/americ...