Trump kicks off 2026 with a return to imperialism, launching a military assault in Venezuela and abducting President Nicolás Maduro. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy react to the news, the administration's open acknowledgement that they want Venezuela's oil, and Trump's hint that military action may be coming to more places in the Western Hemisphere—including Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland. Then, the guys discuss Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's decision to end his reelection campaign in response to a fraud scandal that has captured the attention of right wing media, what we've learned (and not learned) from the Epstein files that were released before Christmas, and the most online stories that you may have missed over the holidays. Then, Lovett talks to Senator Mark Kelly about Secretary Hegseth's move to censure him in response to his reminder to service members that they need not follow "illegal orders." CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SIMPLISAFE: https://www.simplisafe.com/CROOKED WILDGRAIN: https://www.wildgrain.com/CROOKED Code: CROOKED QUINCE: https://www.quince.com/crooked ARTICLE: https://www.article.com/CROOKED SQUARESPACE: https://www.squarespace.com/CROOKED BILT REWARDS: https://www.joinbilt.com/crooked CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 1:01 - Venezuela updates 16:22 - Ad break 18:50 - Venezuela cont. 35:55 - Early polls on Venezuela 42:25 - Dems on Venezuela 51:05 - Ad break 53:31 - Tim Walz 1:07:25 - Epstein files 1:12:38 - Online stories you may have missed 1:24:03 - Ad break 1:26:15 - Senator Mark Kelly Join this channel to get access to perks like ad-free episodes and exclusive videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRoXz3hHAu2XL_k3Ef4vJQ/join Subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/crookedmedia?sub_confirmation=1 Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive Crooked believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. At a time when it’s increasingly easy to feel cynical or hopeless, former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor have created a place where people can have sane conversations that inform, entertain, and inspire action. In 2017 they started Crooked with Pod Save America—a no-bullshit conversation about politics. Since then, we continue to add shows, voices, and opportunities for activism, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world. That’s it. End of mission. Learn more about Crooked at http://www.crooked.com Follow the pod on Twitter https://twitter.com/podsaveamerica Follow Crooked on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CrookedMedia/ Follow Crooked on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/