This Week’s Under-reported News Summary – Jan. 21, 2026

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • Chevron uniquely positioned to profit from U.S. takeover of Venezuelan oil
  • Federal tax prosecutions fell over 27 percent due to staffing cuts
  • Outside investors buying up 2/3 of rebuilt Altadena, California

Not long after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to bomb Venezuelan military bases and kidnap the nation’s president, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Trump wasn’t focused on narco-trafficking or political reforms, but solely on Venezuela’s oil. This Latin American nation has the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, but after years of political turmoil and harsh U.S. sanctions, Venezuela today accounts for barely 1 percent of global crude production.

(“How Chevron Played the Long Game in Venezuela,” Grist, Jan. 9, 2026)

During Donald Trump’s first 12 months of his second term back in the White House, federal tax prosecutions fell to their lowest level in decades, declining more than 27 percent from 2024. Reuters reports that the administration has carried out a sweeping overhaul of U.S. law enforcement, forcing out scores of attorneys and focusing large sections of the Justice Department on the president’s mass deportation of immigrants.

(“Tax Prosecutions Plunge As Trump Shifts Crime Fighting Efforts,” Reuters, Dec. 10, 2025)

A year after massive wildfires swept though greater Los Angles, the scars and empty lots are still visible along the Pacific Palisades and in Altadena.  Thirty-one people were killed during the fires and more than 16,000 structures — homes, businesses, churches and schools were destroyed by the out-of-control flames. While rebuilding efforts are under way, progress has been slow. Thousands of displaced Angelenos remain in limbo.

(“The LA Wildfires were a Perfect Storm: Is the City Ready for the Next One,” Guardian, Jan. 7, 2026)

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