As we continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus 2026 years ago (it’s still the Christmas season!) and begin to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country, the staff of Souls and Liberty ICYMI remains committed to presenting you with a wide range of reputable international and local news.
Our daily commitment is to present the truest, most accurate news, however bad or ugly, arranged so you can do a quick scroll or pause at particular entries. And, always we remain committed to sharing the Good News of Christ whether it shines broadly like the sun or is hidden in the muck of Marxist machinations.
If you have requests for specific coverage, let us know at Contact@SoulsAndLiberty.com or in the comment section at the bottom of this page.
Until then, may God grant you, your families and friends a most blessed, peaceful and faithful 2026!
TODAY’S HEADLINES – Nicolás Maduro and wife to appear in U.S. Federal Court; Venezuelans around the world celebrate Maduro’s capture; Reports Tim Walz dropping reelection bid; Mamdani channels Stalin at swearing-in ceremony; After Trump’s initial Christmas Eve airstrikes, ISIS militants target Christians in Nigeria; Musk predicts successful 2026; Catholics get ready to bless their homes on Epiphany; and more —
Venezuelan Socialist Dictator Nicolás Maduro and Wife to Appear in U.S. Federal Court Today
Venezuela’s socialist dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, will appear in U.S. federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges, according to multiple reports.
A spokesperson for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York confirmed to CBS News that Maduro and his wife will “appear in federal court at 12 p.m. on Monday.”
Maduro and Flores’ appearance in court follows the couple’s arrival in New York on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced their capture …
Read more at Breitbart
Trump’s Opening Remarks on the Capture of Nicolas Maduro and his Wife Cilia Flores
Watch at the New York Post
Pope Leo’s comments after capture of Nicolas Maduro
Watch @CatholicSat
Celebrations Around the World After US Captures Maduro
Watch at New York Post; see also @EricLDaugh
A Venezuelan’s take on events after Maduro’s capture
Watch @WallStreetMav
Calls for prayers to Our Lady for Venezuela’s success popping up on X
See @RosaryMum
Gov. Tim Walz expected to drop reelection bid amid Minnesota Somali fraud probe: report
Embattled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to bow out of the 2026 re-election race as he faces mounting national criticism over a massive Somali fraud scandal engulfing his state.
“He’s likely to drop out of the 2026 #mngov race,” Minnesota political analyst Blois Olson posted on X Sunday night.
The news comes as Walz’s office has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. Monday
Read more at New York Post
Independent journalist’s bombshell expose of fraud in Minneapolis – YouTuber’s life now under threat
Watch @nickshirleyy; read more at Conservative Brief
Fraud revealed in other states, including Maine
Read more at The Maine Wire; see also @EricLDaugh
Flying back to the White House from Mar-a-Lago, Trump announces plans to cut funding to blue states
Watch @nicksortor
Mamdani channels Stalin at Swearing-in Ceremony
Watch @FoxNews
Mamdani’s housing advisor weighs in on ‘warmth of collectivism’
Watch @MarioNawfal
J. Edgar Hoover Building to close for good as FBI relocates its HQ, Patel says
After 50 years as the FBI’s main headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building in D.C. is closing permanently, Director Kash Patel announced [Dec. 26, 2025].
“We finalized a plan to permanently close the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility,” Patel said in a post on X. …
Patel noted in his post that when President Donald Trump’s administration came into office in January, “taxpayers were about to be on the hook for nearly $5 billion for a new headquarters that wouldn’t open until 2035. We scrapped that plan. Instead, we selected the already-existing Reagan Building, saving billions and allowing the transition to begin immediately with required safety and infrastructure upgrades already underway.”
Read more at Maryland Matters
Trump launches Christmas night airstrikes on ISIS ‘Terrorist Scum’ in Nigeria after killings of Christians
President Donald Trump said the U.S. launched airstrikes in northwest Nigeria on Christmas night targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians, calling the operation decisive and warning further attacks would follow if the violence continues.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social.
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
Read more at Fox News
Christian Nigerians celebrate Trump’s support
See @realrikkidoolan
Despite Trump’s initial airstrikes against ISIS militants targeting Christians in Nigeria, persecution continues
See @Sean_ADFIntl
Persecuted Convert Warns: Vatican Silence on Islam Driving Europe Toward “Self-Annihilation”
A Muslim-born Catholic convert living in exile in the U.S. is warning that the Vatican’s approach to Islam is putting Christians worldwide at risk. She is also urging Pope Leo XIV to take stronger action against their persecution.
Sabatina James, an Austrian‑Pakistani humanitarian and author of the new memoir The Price of Love: The Fate of a Woman and a Warning to the West, fled Germany in 2015 amid ongoing death threats for apostasy and her outspoken criticism of forced marriage. …
In this in-depth interview, she contends that European leaders are steering the continent toward “self-annihilation” and argues that the Catholic Church has abetted this trajectory by emphasizing “mercy” toward refugees, failing to confront the realities of Islam, and neglecting to preach and uphold the faith that shaped European culture. She further warns that the same fate could reach the United States if its leaders do not heed these warnings.
Read more at Diane Montagna
Blessed Sacrament Stolen From Monastery in Spain
The tabernacle of Holy Thorn Monastery church in Valladolid, Spain, was forced open, and the Blessed Sacrament was stolen.
The Cistercian monastery, which was founded in 1147, preserves a relic of Christ’s crown of thorns.
The monastery’s parish priest, Father Francisco Casas, filed a complaint with the Civil Guard on Dec. 28, 2025, after informing the Archbishop Luis Argüello, of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, of what had happened earlier that day.
Read more at the National Catholic Register
First Men’s Rosary in Slovakia, a nation once under communist rule
Watch @CatholicArena
Elon Musk predicting a good 2026
See @elonmusk
Enjoy Washington Monument light show celebrating America’s 250th year
Watch @WUSA9
How to ready your home for the Epiphany Blessing on January 6
Read @father_rmv
