The World and Everything in It: January 1, 2026

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MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning and Happy New Year!And in this new year, plenty of retirements announced by members of Congress.

ERNST: After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Also the latest on U.S. involvement in Nigeria.

Then, how one young woman is doing what she can to help families there displaced by the violence.

CROTTS: I had a lot of help in the U.S., all my Nigerian friends didn’t have that access to care.

And WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on predicting the future.

REICHARD: It’s Thursday, January 1st. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown. Good morning!

REICHARD: Up next, Mark Mellinger with today’s news.

MARK MELLINGER, NEWS ANCHOR: House committee to hold hearings on Minnesota fraud » The House Oversight Committee will hold hearings on the massive Minnesota daycare fraud, beginning next week. Among those invited to testify: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The Trump administration says fake daycare schemes run by Somali immigrants defrauded U.S. taxpayers out of millions of dollars. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says several federal investigations are underway.

LEAVITT: People will be in handcuffs as a result of the fraud that Governor Walz has allowed to occur for many, many years.

Leavitt, talking to Fox and Friends.

Walz denies turning a blind eye to the fraud, insisting he’s spent years trying to crack down on it. He’s also accusing President Trump of politicizing the issue.

As all this unfolds… the Trump Administration is auditing naturalized citizens from close to 20 countries, including Somalia. Minnesota Republican Congressman Tom Emmer has a message for any who committed fraud, either to obtain citizenship or afterward…

EMMER: You should be denaturalized and shipped back to where you came from.

Democrats are accusing Republicans of using denaturalization as a threat.

Trump ends National Guard deployments » President Donald Trump is backing off of his push to send the National Guard into some of the U.S.'s major cities. WORLD's Travis Kircher has more.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: President Trump says he's dropping his plans to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon...at least for now.

He announced his decision in an online statement yesterday.

The announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision last month that the president had insufficient justification for sending National Guard troops to Chicago.

But Trump’s statement seemed to suggest that Guard deployment wasn't off the table forever. He said it was only a matter of time before crime began to soar again. And when it does...he said the push would return...but in a different and stronger way.

He did not elaborate.

For WORLD...I'm Travis Kircher.

Jack Smith deposition video released » The House Judiciary Committee chose New Year’s Eve to release the video and transcript of Jack Smith’s testimony.

Smith is the former special counsel who brought federal charges that led to indictments of President Trump for conspiring to overthrow the 2020 presidential election results… and illegally hanging on to classified documents.

Smith dropped both cases after Trump’s reelection, citing Justice Department policy against the indictment of a sitting president. But in his closed-door testimony in December, Smith said he had enough evidence to convict Trump.

SMITH: The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine. But the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions.

Smith also pushed back on Republicans who questioned whether the prosecutions were politically motivated. And he insisted the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021 “does not happen” without Trump.

Three dead in latest drugboat strikes » The U.S. military has blown three more suspected drugboats out of the water.

It says the latest strike was on a convoy of three boats, killing three people on one vessel… while people on the other two abandoned ship. The military said the strike happened in international waters but didn’t specify where.

Previous strikes in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea have been aimed at pressuring Venezuela and its leader, Nicolas Maduro, to stop trafficking drugs.

The Trump Administration is also turning up the heat in another way… announcing new sanctions on Venezuela Wednesday. Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin.

MULLIN: What we’re trying to do is give Maduro an opportunity to leave… He clearly lost the election. He’s running a narco-state at this point.

The new sanctions target four companies and four oil tankers that the White House says are part of a shadow fleet fueling Maduro’s narco-terror regime.

New Virginia law limits younger teens’ social media use » Starting today, children in Virginia younger than 16 are limited to one hour of social media time per day. That’s the requirement of a new state law now in effect.

It’s up to social media platforms to verify users’ ages and limit their screen time. Parents do have the right to allow their kids to have more screen time.

Psychiatrist Dr. Aeva Gaymon Doomes says she’s seen the negative effects of social media on children firsthand, telling WRC-TV…

DOOMES: Clinically, there was a reason for this law, right? I don’t necessarily know that this law is going to be the solution to this. But I think it’s a starting point for our conversation.

A group that lobbies on behalf of social media companies is suing in federal court to have this law struck down, claiming it violates social media companies’ First Amendment rights.

The world rings in 2026 » It's day one of 2026...and partygoers all over the world turned out to turn the page.

SOUND: [NEW YEARS EVE IN LONDON]

Crowds gathered at the River Thames in London for a countdown and fireworks show.

And a similar scene in Egypt…

SOUND: [NEW YEARS EVE IN EGYPT]

...with fireworks over the pyramids in Giza.

Here in the United States...this new year has a special significance.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of America's founding. Patriotic events are planned throughout the year...including a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July Fourth.

I’m Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: congressional retirements and resignations. Plus, U.S. intervention in Nigeria…on the international stage and behind the scenes.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Thursday the 1st of January.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

First up, congressional retirements:

ERNST: After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.

DURBIN: In my heart, I know it's time to pass the torch. So, I'm announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.

MCCAUL: It's been an honor to serve for over two decades uh in the Congress. Um I'm looking now for a new challenge. I'm I'm going to I'm going to serve the remainder of my term. Uh but I'm looking for a new challenge

PELOSI: I've always honored the song of St. Francis. Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace, the anthem of our city. That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know, I will not be seeking reelection to Congress.

Scores of lawmakers in Washington are heading for the exits in the year ahead of the midterm elections. But why so many, and what do they have in common?

Washington Bureau reporter Carolina Lumetta has the story.

CAROLINA LUMETTA: A little-known corner of the House of Representatives website is titled the “Casualty List.” It contains the names of lawmakers who have died during the current legislative session along with all who are resigning and retiring. This year, the retirement announcements have reached a record length in modern politics.

BACON: Today I am announcing I'm not running for reelection. Slightfully emotional. It's been a great 10 years.

It’s standard for lawmakers to announce their retirements over the holiday season, after they’ve had time to discuss the upcoming election with their families. But this year many of the announcements started in the summer. 46 House lawmakers will be leaving Congress after this year, along with 11 Senators. All told, that’s roughly 10% of the current Congress.

The reasons for retirement span roughly three categories: running for another office, burning out of Washington, and redistricting.

GREENE: I'll be resigning from office with my last day being January 5th, 2026.

First to leave will be Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Unlike most of her departing colleagues, Greene is vacating her seat in the middle of her term. The three-term congresswoman came to Washington in 2021 promising to be a loyal foot soldier for President Donald Trump. But during his second term, the two have found themselves on opposite sides of what they think MAGA means. In an interview on 60 Minutes, Greene said her policy stances are America First, but when that contradicted the president, she was on the receiving end of harassing social media posts and death threats from voters.

GREENE: [Stahl] Did Donald Trump run you out of town? No, not at all. Actually, Leslie, it's more like this is I said in my statement, I will be no one's battered wife. And I meant it. And I won't allow the system to abuse me anymore.

Other lawmakers don’t want out of politics, just Washington. Congressman Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, is one of 12 House members running for a statewide office. In the spring, he’ll campaign in the primary against fellow Congresswoman Nancy Mace for the governorship.

NORMAN: I don't want to stay in Washington. Why not? I just don't. I'm needed in South Carolina. I'm just needed there.

But unlike other hopeful candidates, Norman says if he loses the primary, he still won’t return to Washington.

NORMAN: I'm big on term limits. I think that there is a point in time you get out. I think that my term limit bill was three terms in the House, six years, and two terms in the Senate or 12 years. And I just believe in that. I believe that people ought to young people, this is a young man's game too.

On the Democrat side, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of California and Illinois Senator Dick Durbin both indirectly cited age as their retirement reasons, saying it is time for the younger generation to hold office. But some retiring members say their productivity as elected representatives is at an all-time low.

Over on the Senate side:

TILLIS: We've gotten less focused on an intelligent discussion about policy differences and more about fundamentally how can you be Republican or how can you be democrat or how can you be a conservative or how can you be a liberal progressive.

Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis announced in June that he would not run for reelection, after he voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Tillis has made a name for himself in the past year as a moderate Republican who disagrees with many positions from the Trump administration. At an event in October at Georgetown University, Tillis said much of the work of Congress has become a mouthpiece for the party line.

TILLIS: Almost all the people that you all know by heart have one thing in common. They produced almost nothing the entire time they've been here. I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. There is an inverse relationship between all the incendiary divisive uh rhetoric and their results.

In 2025, Congress only enacted 61 pieces of legislation, putting the current session on track to be the least productive in history in terms of bills made into law.

But Norman disagrees. He pointed out that some of the pieces of legislation were omnibus bills that included thousands of pages of text. The One Big Beautiful Bill codified several of President Trump’s executive actions. And the controversial nature of Capitol Hill is a feature, not a bug.

NORMAN: When you go swimming, you get wet. Everything that comes with this job has been a joy. It really has. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. [Carolina: Even the floor fights and the late-night votes?] Oh, yeah. I love that. It's democracy.

Another change this year is a rash of redistricting. It all started when President Trump said he wanted Texas to draw new lines to add five Republican seats to the House. That kicked off reciprocal redistricting efforts in California, and now 6 states have done the same. The process drew some members straight out of office. That includes Lloyd Doggett and Mark Veasey, both Texas Democrats. Here’s Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

KONDIK: There's been kind of a game of musical chairs. I think you might see others decide to retire. There are a few Republicans in California who haven't maybe officially announced their plans yet, but they're in districts that are gonna be hard for them to win.

And the changes are still coming.

KONDIK: There's still more shoes to drop. I mean, we're probably going to see a new map in Florida that could hurt Democrats. We could quite possibly see a new map in Virginia that hurts Republicans. And that'll probably have ripple effects too in terms of determining who's going to run again.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Carolina Lumetta in Washington.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: terrorism and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nigeria.

On Christmas Day, the Trump Administration announced that it had struck a terrorist splinter group operating in Northern Nigeria. The military action was coordinated with the Nigerian government.

What’s behind the mission and what’s next in the region?

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Joining us now to talk about it is Nigerian journalist Victor Ayara who currently lives in Georgia. He’s a former award-winning television anchor and political analyst who’s currently pursuing a PhD in Strategic Leadership at Liberty University.

BROWN: Good Morning Victor.

VICTOR AYARA: Good morning and thank you for having me, Myrna.

BROWN: Let’s start with last week’s strike. How are Nigerians responding—both inside and outside the country?

AYARA: Absolutely. So it is a mixed reaction, as one could expect. Both Nigerians in Nigeria who have to deal with this unfortunate incident of kidnapping and terrorism, they heave a sigh of relief. They're like, “we don't care who is doing it, as long as it is done.” And then, of course, the Nigerians in the diaspora are also excited that somebody is doing something about it, but their excitement is also with a note of caution. Caution, as it has to do with the sovereignty questions. You know, Nigeria is a sovereign nation. Why should it take the United States to take out this group? So there is that, and of course, there is also fear. We cannot rule out fear and trauma. Some people would even leave their homes not knowing what is happening, because it wasn't like there was a broadcast that said, this is what we're going to do. And the diasporas are reflecting on this. Is this what it should take? Even though the Nigerian government has said that it is a joint effort.

BROWN: What does a military response to the violence in Northern Nigeria accomplish?

AYARA: I would say that it accomplishes number one, it is going to disrupt the militants' operations in that area. When they are on the run and trying to hide from being attacked, they are not able to recruit more people. They are not able to mobilize. They are not able to wreak more havoc. And of course, it is going to be a deterrence for them, preventing any large-scale attack on civilians—whether Muslims or Christians. It will be met with very serious consequences. And of course, the tactical support that this is going to provide for the Nigerian military is also something that is a plus, no matter how you look at it, because the Nigerian military really needs that support, especially from the US.

BROWN: What are some of the possible negative outcomes of a military strike like the December 25th action?

AYARA: We have to have to be careful that it does not play into the propaganda of the terrorists that say, “Yes, this is what we are all about.” Currently, what we are facing is a splinter group from the original Boko Haram group. And this splinter group, believe it or not, is winning a lot of popularity, it is winning hearts, because where there has been dysfunction, a dysfunctional government, or non-existing governments. Who structures these terrorists step in like they always do in any other place. They become the Robin Hood. They try to sell themselves as the good guys to this local population. So hitting them like this can also play into the propaganda that they have been,

BROWN: Much of the Western media has overlooked the challenges in Nigeria in recent years. Can you help us understand some of the complexity of the situation?

AYARA: There are so many things. There's so many things that play into this conflict. We have the north, which has historically been more—especially if you look at the corridor where this insurgency is happening—they have the highest rate of poverty, and they have the lowest rate of literacy. The threat of insurgency, the banditry that is going on, the criminal governance, the kidnapping, all of these things that these people are doing. You also have armed groups that are embedded in local economies and communities, and these armed groups, some of them were products of Boko Haram, saying that Western culture should not be tolerated in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, that northern Nigeria should be a Sharia state. We have that. So it gives a very fertile ground for people to be recruited and radicalized.

When you also look at the unemployment rate, that also is a factor. When you look at the fact that people who have not been trained in conventional education are only trained in Islamic Studies, and they are taught to kill and to maim other people of different faiths, that is also a problem. And you also look at the fact that there are also no, almost no, mechanisms for land disputes, because sometimes it's about land. Sometimes about grazing access for the cattle. So it's so it's a hydra headed problem, but it is not as intractable as we're meant to feel it is. If the Nigerian government is going to do something, it has to be a holistic solution.

BROWN: What role can the US and other international partners play in best helping Nigeria respond to its internal challenges?

AYARA: The role of the international community, to answer your question straight, should not just be bombing. It should be partnering with Nigeria. It should be creating a playing field for that farmer in Nigeria to know that when they have their wheat or their maize or their corn, that there is a market that they're going to sell, and they're going to get fair pricing for that market. So the international community can do more by helping Nigeria strengthen institutions that protect lives and the people that live in Nigeria.

BROWN: Anything else you think we need to know about this situation?

AYARA: Well, all I can say is that sustainable peace can only come when there is justice. The Nigerian state has to ensure that even the small man and the big man can coexist. For so long, Africa has played the big man politics. Now we should play the big beautiful institutions politics. We should put institutions in place that ensure that people are not destitute, people are not readily available to join militant groups.

BROWN: Nigerian journalist Victor Ayara. Thank you. Thank you for joining us.

AYARA: Thank you. Myrna.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It was a Christmas Eve rescue mission in Binghamton, New York for one very distressed squirrel.

A good Samaritan spotted her stuck with her head wedged in a drain hole on the side of a dumpster…cold, hungry, and maybe contemplating her poor life choices.

Firefighters and police freed the critter and turned her over to a wildlife rehab center. They named her the very festive name of “Holly,” though admitting that right now she smells like a dumpster and not amenable to a bath.

For now, she is warm, fed, and recovering in a nice heated cage. Once back on her paws, she’ll be released back into the wild.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Holly wasn’t available for comment?

REICHARD: Nah, she’s probably lawyering up over that dumpster hole!

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Thursday, January 1st. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: serving infants and their mothers in the midst of violence and instability.

As we heard earlier in the program, the situation in Nigeria is affecting more than just Christians. And one ministry there is continuing its work to save the lives of malnourished babies.

REICHARD: Severe poverty and high mortality rates have only been exacerbated by Islamic militant’s raids, further endangering mothers and their children. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has the story. 

SOUND: [Babies crying in a clinic]

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: Mandolyn Crotts is carrying a tiny baby through her clinic in Jos, Nigeria. The little girl is one of dozens of infants Crotts’ serves every day.

Crotts and her husband, Caleb, first moved to Nigeria to teach English in 2018. They adopted their daughter there the same year. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and they moved back to the United States where Crotts gave birth to their son.

CROTTS: I really struggled feeding him and I needed a lot of help.

CROTTS: I had a lot of help in the U.S., and I realized that all my Nigerian friends, they didn’t have that access to care.

She spent the next year training to become a certified lactation consultant. When the family moved back to Nigeria in 2020, she started a ministry called Carry Them —offering free lactation and infant health services at her home. Now, she and her team have cared for nearly 900 babies and their families.

CROTTS: It's gotten really busy, but it really comes down to supporting moms after birth, or supporting families when a mother passes away in childbirth, which is really common.

CROTTS: One in 22 moms don't survive childbirth here, and then one in 12 infants don't make it past the first year of life.

According to the World Bank, millions of Nigerian families don’t have access to affordable medical care. About half of all Nigerians live below the poverty line. And when it comes to feeding a baby, financial insecurity and a societal preference for formula over breastfeeding can leave many infants vulnerable to malnutrition.

CROTTS: There was formula marketing that was really popular in West Africa in the 1970s and free samples given out. They believed the Western world had stopped breastfeeding and was now formula feeding, and that was what was best for babies. So many of them switched to formula feeding, and then really quickly, they couldn't afford the formula because of how expensive it is, and they no longer had a breast milk supply.

Crotts says that in some parts of the country, a single can of formula can cost several times a family’s monthly salary. As a result, desperate parents resort to using more water in each bottle to make the formula stretch. That leaves babies without vital nutrients.

Crotts and her team spend hours each week helping women learn how to breastfeed and maintain their supply. They travel from hours away to receive the free support and supplies Carry Them offers.

CROTTS: When they see that baby survive, and they see the big difference that breastfeeding can make and a good supply and support, then they’re not going to try formula the next time. They’re going to be able to breastfeed and tell their aunties, and I hope their sisters and everybody in their village.

But that’s just part of Crotts’ work. She also helps families who bring in an emaciated baby in desperate need of help. That happens when a mother dies in or soon after childbirth, and her family is left with even fewer resources to care for her child.

CROTTS: It really comes at them from all angles.

CROTTS: Then you add this insecurity crisis, Boko Haram, other Northern, usually Islamic, well, always Islamic extremists.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom International, more than 7,000 Christians have been killed because of their faith in 2025. Millions more have relocated to refugee camps across the country.

ADFI Senior Counsel Sean Nelson.

NELSON: Unfortunately, for most of them, they are just left to their own devices. Only a small portion of the IDP camps are officially recognized, which means that they can get access to international humanitarian aid.

In some camps, Crotts said as many as one in 12 mothers die in childbirth. And formula is even more unattainable for displaced families.

Nelson and other human rights advocates have called for Nigerian officials to step in to stop the violence and protect displaced people. Nelson says disarming militants and taking seriously early warning calls from Christian communities should become top priority.

But the conflicts have impacts on families regardless of religion. Back in Jos, about 95% of the babies and families Crotts and her team serve are muslims. While the northern part of the country is largely muslim, the central region where Crotts lives is far more mixed.

CROTTS: We believe that building relationships with Islamic communities, saving the lives of their babies, showing them the humanity on all sides is huge.

AUDIO: [Reunion]

In November, the families whose babies received care this year returned to the clinic. They celebrated the thriving babies and mourned those who did not survive. Crotts and her team also distributed food and necessities as a buffer against higher holiday prices.

CROTTS: I have all these hopes and wishes for each of my client – the way that they survive, the weight that I want them to get to, what graduation will look like, who will care for them. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that what is meant to happen will happen, and it's such a better plan than I could have.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s the first day of 2026! Social media, broadcast television, and YouTube are full of predictions for the new year.

But WORLD commentator Cal Thomas looks back at some predictions from the past…and suggests there’s only one thing we can know for sure.

CAL THOMAS: There was a time when prognosticators enjoyed predicting what would happen in the future, especially around the end of the old year. It's now fun to recall them, because they seem so spectacularly wrong.

Modern future tellers take note. In 1883 Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society, predicted, “X-rays will prove to be a hoax.” A New York Times story from 1936 said a rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere. A Boeing engineer once predicted a bigger plane than the 247 would never be built. That plane was a twin engine prop that carried only 10 people.

The genius Albert Einstein said in 1932 there is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will. Here's a personal favorite. Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, said of Thomas Edison's light bulb, “everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.” The year was 1880.

In 1903 the president of the Michigan Savings Bank advised Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Company. I bet he regrets that. The great movie producer Darryl Zanuck said in 1946 “television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” Apparently not.

In 1960 Newsweek magazine recommended what it thought were great tourist locations. One of them was Vietnam. The magazine said Vietnam was a great place for wanting to get away from it all.

Recent predictions have been about climate change. Various people have predicted apocalyptic ends, like Miami being under water by now and the earth burning up. From Al Gore to Greta Sundberg have come different dates when these events would occur. All have proved wrong.

Recall what Jesus said about taking no thought of tomorrow, which will take care of itself. He holds the future, and so we don't have to be concerned about it. One prediction that can be made with certainty. As we enter 2026 we are one year closer to his return.

Happy New Year, and keep your eyes on the eastern sky.

I'm Cal Thomas.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Tomorrow: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. And, Collin Garbarino previews the movies of 2026. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio. WORLD’s mission is Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” —Psalm 150:6

Go now in grace and peace.

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