US flexes military muscles in Venezuela and neutralizes Russian-made air defenses

The U.S. military launched strikes against Venezuela and captured its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, on Jan. 3 — emerging from the operation largely unscathed as it handicapped Venezuela’s defense systems and potentially conducted cyber operations against Caracas. 

Altogether, more than 150 aircraft — including U.S. bombers and fighter jets — were involved in the operation, successfully completing a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela, according to President Donald Trump. Additionally, Caracas, Venezuela, suffered power outages early Jan. 3 — an indication of a potential cyber operation. 

Trump signaled that the U.S. may have been behind the blackout in Venezuela but did not provide details regarding the nature of a possible cyber operation targeting Venezuela’s civilian infrastructure. 

“The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” Trump said. 

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Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ defense and security department, said that while it’s unclear what exactly U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and Space Command (SPACECOM) contributed to the operation, they may have penetrated some of Venezuela’s infrastructure.

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“We don’t really know what cyber did, some of the lights did go out, and Caine did talk about it,” Cancian told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “It’s possible that (they) got into some of their command and control systems.” 

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that as U.S. helicopters with the extraction force and other law enforcement assets started to approach Venezuela’s shores, the U.S. “began layering different effects provided by SPACECOM, CYBERCOM, and other members of the inter-agency to create a pathway.” 

According to Caine, U.S. aircraft involved in the operation included F-22, F-35, F/A-18 and EA-18 fighter jets, E-2 airborne early warning aircraft, B-1 bombers and “other support aircraft, as well as numerous remotely piloted drones.” 

“As the force began to approach Caracas, the joint air component began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area,” Caine told reporters. 

​​These aircraft involved in the mission also likely employed weapons including the AGM-88 HARM, or high-speed anti-radiation missile, which neutralizes radar-equipped enemy air defense systems and other air-to-ground munitions to take out Venezuela’s air defense systems, according to Cancian. 

A spokesperson for SPACECOM said that the command could not comment on the specific details of support SPACECOM provided to Operation Absolute Resolve, due to operational security concerns. But the spokesperson added that space-based capabilities including positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) that the military uses to support electronic warfare, in addition to other things, as well as satellite communications are “foundational to all modern military activities.” 

“To protect the Joint Force from space-enabled attack and ensure their freedom of movement, U.S. Space Command possesses the means and willingness to employ combat-credible capabilities that deter and counter our opponents and project power in all warfighting domains,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday.

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CYBERCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Other factors that contributed to the U.S. military’s success undermining Venezuela’s defenses were that CIA assets had been on the ground leading up to the raid, according to Cancian. Trump confirmed in October 2025 that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. 

“They gave detailed descriptions of Maduro’s headquarters, and I’m sure located all of the air defense batteries around Caracas,” Cancian said. “So we had an excellent sense about where everything was, combining that with overhead surveillance and also electromagnetic intelligence.”

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Although Venezuela “on paper” has powerful air defense systems, Cancian said that success pulling off the operation stemmed from solid efforts from the U.S. military to destroy and disrupt Venezuela’s air defense system, in conjunction with poor training for Venezuela’s military. 

Venezuela is equipped with Russian S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, as well as Buk-M2E and Pechora-2M medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, according to the Modern War Institute at West Point. 

Of the more than 150 U.S. aircraft involved in the operation, only one was hit, and zero were shot down. An administration official told Fox News Digital that seven U.S. service members were injured during the operation, but were “well on their way to recovery.”

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“Seems those Russian air defenses didn’t quite work so well, did they?” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters in Newport News, Virginia. 

Trump announced that U.S. special forces conducted a strike against Caracas, Venezuela, and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two were taken to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 on drug charges. Both pleaded not guilty.

The raid came after months of pressure on Venezuela amid a series of strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug traffickers in alignment with Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

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The Trump administration repeatedly stated that it did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and insisted he was the leader of a drug cartel. Trump also said in December he thought it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down. 

The Trump administration has since claimed that its actions seizing Maduro were justified as a “law enforcement” operation, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said congressional approval wasn’t necessary since the operation didn’t amount to an “invasion.”

Even so, lawmakers primarily on the left have questioned the legality of the operation in Venezuela, which was conducted without Congress’ approval.

“This has been a profound constitutional failure,” the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement Jan. 3. “Congress — not the President — has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power.” 

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“The question now is not whether Maduro deserved removal. It is what precedent the United States has just set and what comes next.”

Poll finds significant political shift among Americans’ political party identification

There has been a significant political shift in Americans’ political party identification in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, according to a new poll.

The findings of a Gallup survey released Monday found that 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025 — a record number that surpassed the previous high of 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024.

U.S. adults who identified as either Democrats or Republicans were tied at 27% each, according to the poll.

The rise in political independence reflects generational shifts, with younger adults today far more likely to identify as independents than in the past.

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About 56% of Gen Z adults now call themselves independents, compared with 47% of millennials in 2012 and 40% of Gen X adults in 1992, the poll found.

Gallup, which has regularly asked political independents since 1991 whether they lean toward the Republican or Democratic Party, found that more independents said they lean Democratic than Republican in 2025.

Of the 45% of Americans who identify as political independents, 20% leaned Democratic, 15% leaned Republican and 10% did not lean either way, according to the poll. Compared with 2024, that reflects a three-point drop in Republican leaners and a three-point increase in Democratic leaners.

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Factoring in party identification and leanings, about 47% of Americans identified as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, compared with 42% who identified as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents.

The shift ends a three-year period in which Republicans held an advantage in party affiliation, and more closely resembles the numbers seen during Trump’s first term, when Democrats held an average lead of about five points.

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Gallup said the findings were based on interviews with more than 13,000 U.S. adults conducted throughout the year.

Khamenei sends warning to Trump in Russian as Iran faces deadly protests

As Iran faces escalating nationwide protests and rising verbal threats from the Trump administration, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a pointed warning to the United States this week from an unusual platform — his Russian-language account on X — a move analysts say underscores Tehran’s alignment with Moscow as pressure mounts on the regime.

In a post dated Jan. 11, Khamenei wrote in Russian, “The United States today is miscalculating in its approach toward Iran.” Hours later, he followed with a second message, also in Russian, warning that Americans had suffered defeat before because of “miscalculations” and would do so again because of “erroneous planning.”

Ksenia Svetlova, executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economy and Security (ROPES) and an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the language choice was telling, even if the execution was clumsy.

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“This is bad Russian,” Svetlova told Fox News Digital. “It seems that it’s translated by Google Translate, not by a human being.” Still, she said the use of Khamenei’s Russian-language account was no surprise given how closely Iran and Russia have aligned in recent years.

Khamenei’s warning came as Iran’s internal crisis continued to deepen. According to HRANA, a human rights organization tracking the unrest, at least 544 people have been killed in nationwide protests, with dozens of additional cases still under review. Opposition group NCRI has claimed the death toll is far higher — more than 3,000 — though exact figures remain difficult to verify amid widespread internet blackouts imposed by Iranian authorities.

President Donald Trump has led U.S. criticism in response to the rising death toll. In response to a question about whether Iran had crossed a red line, Trump responded by saying, “They’re starting to, it looks like. And they seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent. If you call them leaders, I don’t know if their leaders, or just they rule through violence. But we’re looking at it very seriously,” he said on Sunday aboard Air Force One. 

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“We’re looking at some very strong options,” he added.

Iranian leaders have pushed back, accusing Washington of interference and warning that any U.S. military action would trigger retaliation against American forces and allies in the region.

At the same time, Tehran has signaled it wants to keep diplomatic backchannels open. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that communication between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff remains active. Axios separately reported that Araghchi reached out to Witkoff over the weekend amid Trump’s warnings of possible military action.

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Despite those overtures, analysts say Khamenei’s Russian-language message reflects where Iran sees its most reliable strategic partner.

Russia has become a critical lifeline for Tehran, particularly as Moscow relies on Iranian-supplied drones and other military equipment for its war in Ukraine. That dependence, Svetlova said, means Iran’s internal instability could carry serious consequences for the Kremlin.

“I think that could be a dramatic effect, because they do depend on Iran — specifically military production, the drones and ballistic missiles,” she said. “They need them to continue their war against Ukraine.”

Yet the partnership has also fueled resentment inside Iran. Svetlova pointed to criticism following the 12-day war with Israel, when many Iranians accused Moscow of failing to come to Tehran’s aid.

“There was a lot of criticism in Iran against Russia that it did not come to help,” she said. “It didn’t reach out. It didn’t do anything, basically.”

Still, she said Russia has few alternatives as its global position narrows. With longtime allies weakened or toppled, such as Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Moscow is increasingly reliant on Tehran — even as it remains largely silent about the protests rocking Iran.

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Against that backdrop, Svetlova explained, Khamenei’s warning in Russian appears like a signal — to Washington and to Moscow — that Iran sees its confrontation with the United States as part of a shared front with President Vladimir Putin.

The Fed’s Powell outlines conditions for stepping down as pressure mounts

As political pressure and legal scrutiny intensify, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has made clear what would force him to step down.

Powell, who holds one of the most influential posts in U.S. economic policymaking, has made clear he won’t step aside absent a legal violation.

That stance is detailed in an excerpt from “Trillion Dollar Triage,” in which Wall Street Journal economic correspondent Nick Timiraos chronicles Powell’s measured public responses and more candid private reactions to Trump’s ongoing threats to fire him.

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Powell’s commitment to the Fed, amid Trump’s mounting criticism, became apparent in 2019 during a House Committee on Financial Services hearing. When asked by California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters what he would do if Trump fired him, Powell said he would continue to serve his four-year term.

According to Timiraos, in private, Powell was more forthright about his determination to continue leading the world’s most influential central bank.

“I will never, ever, ever leave this job voluntarily until my term ends under any circumstances. None, whatsoever,” Powell said. “You will not see me getting in the lifeboat,” he said, invoking a metaphor to signal his resolve to stay the course.

“It doesn’t occur to me in the slightest that there would be any situation in which I would not complete my term other than dying,” Powell said, according to Timiraos.

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Powell’s long-standing insistence on finishing his term, which ends in May, now comes amid a Justice Department criminal investigation into his congressional testimony on the Federal Reserve’s headquarters renovation.

Powell confirmed the investigation and said he respected the rule of law and congressional oversight, but described the action as “unprecedented” and driven by political pressure.

“This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings,” Powell said in a video statement Sunday evening.

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” he added.

The White House referred questions to the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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The project to update the Federal Reserve’s two main Washington, D.C., office buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood is expected to cost $2.5 billion and is being paid for by the central bank, not taxpayers. The Fed funds its operations without congressional appropriations, drawing revenue primarily from interest on government securities and fees charged to financial institutions.

In June 2025, Powell told members of the Senate Banking Committee that “There’s no new marble. There are no special elevators. They’re old elevators that have been there. There are no new water features. There are no beehives, and there’s no roof garden terraces.”

Powell also told lawmakers that no one “wants to do a major renovation of a historic building during their term in office.”

“We decided to take it on because, honestly, when I was the administrative governor, before I became chair, I came to understand how badly the Eccles Building really needed a serious renovation,” Powell said, adding that the building is “not really safe” and not waterproof.

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He also said that the cost overruns are due, in part, to unexpected construction challenges and the nation’s inflation rate.

The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027, with Washington-based employees expected to begin working on the building in March 2028.

Dem-run city stops drug busts, ‘creating havoc’ with crime-fueled addicts: advocate

Seattle’s new approach to drug enforcement is triggering alarm among police and public safety advocates, who warn the city is quietly sliding back toward the conditions that once fueled crime, open-air drug markets and deadly overdoses.

City leaders last week pushed back against criticism that they had effectively stopped prosecuting drug users, saying there had been no formal policy change. The clarification came in an email from the Seattle Police Department, which said officers were still expected to enforce drug laws despite an internal communication that sparked backlash.

“There has been no policy change,” new Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “You’ll know when I announce a policy change, because I’ll announce a policy change.”

Critics, however, say the reality on the ground tells a different story.

SEATTLE LEADERS SLAMMED FOR POLICE ORDER TO STOP PROSECUTING DRUG USERS

Andrea Suarez, founder of the nonprofit We Heart Seattle, which works with people experiencing homelessness and addiction, said the city’s policies have created a “safe place” for drug addicts and criminals.

“It will trap people longer in the cycle of addiction, creating havoc in our communities as they survive off theft, by and large,” she said.

Conservative radio host and Seattle-based commentator Jason Rantz told Fox News Digital city officials are downplaying concerns by insisting nothing has changed, even as enforcement practices shift in practice.

According to Rantz, the change did not originate with Wilson but with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, which he said has signaled prosecutors will decline to pursue most drug cases except those deemed “egregious.”

“That’s de facto decriminalization,” Rantz said, regardless of how city officials describe it. He warned that when officers believe arrests will not be charged, enforcement inevitably collapses. “Officers aren’t going to risk injury or their careers for arrests they know won’t stick.”

Rantz said the city risks returning to conditions it has already experienced — widespread public drug use, open-air dealing and surging overdoses. He pointed to past diversion-based approaches that failed to deliver promised results, arguing Seattle is repeating a cycle with well-documented consequences.

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“This isn’t speculation,” Rantz said. “We’ve already lived this.”

As a resident who lives and works in Seattle, Rantz said the effects are already felt daily. He described routinely encountering people actively using fentanyl or meth while walking his dog and said many residents, particularly downtown workers and small business owners, live with constant fear that city leaders dismiss.

That fear, he said, is not unfounded. Rantz cited a recent attack on an elderly woman who was struck in the face with a board containing a nail, leaving her blind. The suspect has a long criminal history but remained on the streets.

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“These crimes are random,” Rantz said. “It can happen to anyone — a tourist, a worker, someone just going to a doctor’s appointment.”

Rantz also warned the shift could worsen Seattle’s ongoing police staffing crisis. City leaders said last year that the department was 260 officers short, KOMO News reported.

“If cops can’t police, they won’t stay,” Rantz said, warning retirements and resignations could push the department toward dysfunction.

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Rantz argued the people most harmed by lax enforcement are the same ones city leaders say they are trying to help.

“The first victims are the homeless and drug-addicted individuals themselves,” he said. “Instead of getting help, they’re being emboldened to continue habits that will kill them — while the rest of the city pays the price in crime and disorder.”

Public safety advocates working directly on the streets say those concerns are already playing out.

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Suarez said drug activity has rapidly spread into residential neighborhoods and public spaces.

“Today looked more like Gotham City than the Emerald City,” Suarez wrote in a post on X, citing growing drug scenes in Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, city parks and along sidewalks.

Suarez told Fox News Digital that diverting offenders away from prosecution removes a critical point of accountability.

“Not prosecuting for possession and public consumption and instead diverting to Community Court or the LEAD program simply removes rock bottom for an addict,” Suarez said.

She questioned what actually happens after an officer decides to arrest someone or divert them, arguing the process remains unclear years after diversion programs were introduced.

“Nobody can explain what the system within the system is once an officer decides to arrest or hand off to LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion),” Suarez said. “It is 2026, and we still do not have answers on how this proclaimed, award-winning, evidence-based program is better than sweating it out in jail.”

Suarez warned that diversion without consequences can trap people in addiction and fuel property crime. She also argued Seattle’s permissive approach has turned the city into a magnet for drug activity.

“Seattle has been and seems to forever be a safe place for drug addicts and criminals to come to easily score and use drugs and avoid accountability,” Suarez said. “It is why our homeless numbers never improve.”

“We have an inflow crisis in ‘Freeattle,’” she added.

SEATTLE LEADERS SLAMMED FOR POLICE ORDER TO STOP PROSECUTING DRUG USERS

The Seattle Police Officers Guild also weighed in, releasing a statement from President Mike Solan sharply criticizing the city’s direction. Solan described the decision to limit arrests for open drug use as “horrifically dangerous” and warned it would lead to “more death and societal decay.”

“This is commonly referred to as ‘suicidal empathy,’” Solan said. He added that officers are reluctant to refer cases to diversion programs they believe are ineffective and said Seattle’s streets have already shown the fallout from similar policies: “death, decay, blight and crime.”

“Now, with this resurrected insane direction, death, destruction and more human suffering will be supercharged,” Solan warned.

In response to concerns raised by police, advocates and residents, the Seattle Police Department said officers will continue enforcing drug laws and making arrests when they have probable cause, despite criticism that enforcement is being scaled back.

“Our mission remains the same and we are aligned with the City Attorney and Mayor’s Office when it comes to keeping Seattle safe from dangerous drugs,” a Seattle Police Department spokesperson said. “Our officers will continue to make drug-related arrests if they have probable cause. They will also collaborate with prosecutors.”

The department said officers can flag cases where diversion may be ineffective and coordinate with prosecutors on other options, including prosecution. 

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Chief Shon Barnes reiterated that position in a recent message to officers, writing, “Our mission remains unchanged, and we fully support programs and policies aimed at reducing recidivism and breaking the cycle of repeated criminal justice involvement.”

The Seattle City Attorney’s Office said guidance that took effect January 1, 2026, directs most drug possession and public use cases to be reviewed for diversion before charges are filed.

Under the memo, when an officer submits a report for knowing possession or public use, the case is first referred to the LEAD Liaison Team, which evaluates whether the individual has previously engaged with the program. If the person has refused or failed to meaningfully participate, prosecutors can consider other options.

The guidance also allows officers or prosecutors to elevate cases involving “unique, articulable circumstances” for possible prosecution. In those situations, the Criminal Division Chief may consult with LEAD officials, prosecutors and the referring officer before making a final decision.

Critics argue that while the policy preserves the possibility of prosecution, the default reliance on diversion could still discourage enforcement and leave neighborhoods dealing with increased disorder.

Nearly 90 passengers fall ill as cruise vacation turns into nightmare at sea

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed a norovirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship — the first one of the year that’s been reported. 

The Holland America Line was hit with a norovirus outbreak that sickened nearly 90 passengers and crew during its Dec 28-Jan. 9 voyage.

The cruise notified the CDC of the outbreak on Jan. 8, according to the agency’s report.

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The outbreak spread on the cruise line’s Rotterdam ship.

The vessel departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with stops in Curaçao, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica and other destinations, according to CruiseMapper.

Eighty-one passengers plus eight crew members reported diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC’s data shows.

Over 2,593 passengers, plus 1,005 crew members, were on board at the time.

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A Holland America Line spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Monday that “during its previous voyage, a number of guests onboard Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.”

“The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved,” the spokesperson added. 

“The health of our guests and crew is a top priority, and consistent with CDC protocols, we conducted a comprehensive sanitization of the ship when the cruise ended Friday in Fort Lauderdale.”

“We conducted a comprehensive sanitization of the ship when the cruise ended Friday in Fort Lauderdale.”

Since the outbreak, the cruise line has increased its cleaning and disinfection procedures, according to their outbreak prevention and response plan, the CDC noted.

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Holland America Line collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing and isolated ill passengers and crew, the CDC reports.

In order to track gastrointestinal issues, medical staff evaluated symptoms of three or more loose stools from individuals within a 24-hour period, or that which is more than normal for individual travelers. 

Scott Weisenberg, M.D., medical director of the NYU Langone Infectious Disease Associates and the NYU Travel Medicine Program, previously told Fox News Digital that the virus is highly contagious — and it can spread quickly in crowded settings such as cruise ships.

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“If people have acute vomiting, they should avoid public areas, since even if they don’t touch anything, the virus can spread through the air,” he said.

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Weisenberg also noted that proper hygiene plays a key role in preventing transmission. 

Shared surfaces can easily become contaminated, putting anyone who touches them at risk of infection.

Former Cowboys QB Romo under fire for bizarre call of Bills-Jaguars playoff game

Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback-turned-commentator, took heat again for his broadcasting chops during the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Romo’s bizarre noisemaking and analysis of the playoff game sparked criticism from NFL fans on social media.

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Awful Announcing noted a few times in which Romo may have fallen short, including a scene-setter in which he suggested the Jaguars were the underdog in their home playoff game against the Bills.

The former NFL player has routinely drawn the ire of those watching the game and Sunday afternoon’s broadcast was no exception.

Romo’s strange noises and a “DTF” remark sparked complaints from fans earlier in the 2025 NFL season.

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Before Super Bowl LVIII, he addressed some of the criticism he’s received.

“It’s a normal arc of someone’s career,” he said at the time. “Honestly, I think a lot of people were rooting against (Patrick) Mahomes because he’s been there. They want to see people new.

“It’s just part of an arc when you do something at a very high level. I think that’s normal. Same thing happens in football. You become dominant at things, and then all of a sudden people are like, ‘OK.’ Then at the end, Tiger Woods comes back and everyone roots for you. It’s just a normal arc of a career. It’s not abnormal. It’s absolutely what’s supposed to happen.”

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He did say he received some praise for how he called games, though his chemistry with legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz had also been put under the microscope.

Luigi Mangione case rocked as judge orders new evidence hearing over backpack

In an about-face on Monday, a federal judge has decided to hold an evidentiary hearing to determine if Luigi Mangione’s backpack was lawfully seized and searched inside an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s during his arrest. 

Judge Margaret Garnett wrote in a court order that she considered “both the arguments made by counsel” during Friday’s hearing and “the seriousness of the charges the Defendant is facing” before walking back her previous decision, deeming the hearing unnecessary. 

The hearing is expected to include testimony from an Altoona police officer regarding the department’s procedures “for securing, safeguarding [and] inventorying the personal property of a person arrested in a public place.” 

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However, the judge clarified that the witness chosen by the prosecution was not required to be one of the officers involved in Mangione’s arrest, while adding the short hearing will likely take place within the next two weeks. 

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The move comes after several Altoona officers testified in state court regarding Mangione’s request to exclude evidence seized by police during his arrest, including a backpack carrying the alleged murder weapon. 

His lawyers are also asking the judge to eliminate the same items from his federal case. 

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On Friday, Mangione’s defense team asked the court to bar the government from making his federal trial a capital case. 

Mangione’s federal case is expected to go to trial in December – or possibly January 2027 – if the death penalty remains on the table. If not, the judge said Friday that Mangione could stand trial as early as October.

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No trial date has been set in Mangione’s state murder case, which is expected to be first. 

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Mangione is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk in 2024. He has pleaded not guilty in both courts.

Your body may be betraying you when drinking alcohol after a certain age, experts warn

Dry January is prompting many Americans to face the sobering reality that their bodies may no longer shrug off a night of drinking as they used to — and experts say the shift often begins earlier than expected.

Many people feel the difference as early as their late 30s and early 40s, according to Dr. Meena Malhotra, an Illinois-based internal medicine and obesity physician.

“The body processes alcohol differently even if the diet or the habits haven’t changed,” Malhotra told Fox News Digital.

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“As we age, body composition shifts. Liver enzymes, for example, slow down and hydration levels change, too.”

The liver becomes less efficient at breaking down alcohol, allowing it to remain in the bloodstream longer and raising blood alcohol levels from the same amount of drinking. 

People typically lose lean muscle and gain more body fat with age, which also changes how alcohol is processed in the body, Malhotra added. 

For women in menopause, hormonal changes can further intensify alcohol’s effects and slow recovery.

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While the change might be gradual, it is real, according to Derek Brown, a Washington, D.C.-based veteran mixologist and National Academy of Sports Medicine wellness coach. 

“The same amount of alcohol can lead to a higher blood alcohol concentration and greater impairment,” Brown told Fox News Digital. He said reduced muscle mass and lower total body water can make alcohol more concentrated in the bloodstream.

Metabolism is another piece of the puzzle, he added. 

While overall energy metabolism can remain stable from young adulthood through about age 60, it tends to slow more noticeably after that, meaning some people clear alcohol from their system more slowly as they age.

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Harvard Health has reported similar findings, noting that older adults reach higher blood alcohol concentrations than younger people drinking the same amount, even at “normal” levels.

The idea that hangovers worsen with age is nearly universal, but Brown points out that the science is more nuanced.

“Some research suggests older people report less severe and fewer hangovers overall,” he said. 

“Anecdotally, I know many of us feel that hangovers get worse, and [research suggests] one possible mechanism: We become more sensitive to pain as we age.”

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“With children, early mornings and high-pressure jobs, feeling lousy has a greater impact on your life,” Brown added. “That may be part of why it feels subjectively worse, even if the hangover isn’t always worse itself.”

Malhotra agreed that midlife hangovers often feel worse because the body is less resilient.

“Alcohol is inflammatory, and inflammation increases with age,” she said. 

“Sleep quality is already poorer, dehydration hits harder and blood sugar regulation isn’t as strong. All of that adds up to headaches, fatigue and body aches that last longer.”

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Alcohol also disrupts sleep more in midlife, a problem compounded by age-related changes in REM and deep sleep, The New York Times recently reported.

Beyond hangovers and poor nights’ sleep, doctors warn that alcohol carries greater long-term risks with age.

AARP and public health experts have highlighted increased risks for falls, medication interactions, high blood pressure, cognitive decline and cancer. 

Alcohol is now classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco.

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But that doesn’t mean you have to stop completely, experts agree.

Dr. Ken Koncilja, a geriatrician at the Cleveland Clinic, recently told NPR that he makes it a point to talk with aging patients about the benefits of cutting back on alcohol.

“These conversations about alcohol use — being proactive with people in their 50s and 60s — [have] a huge impact on their health and wellbeing when they’re in their 80s and 90s,” Koncilja told the outlet.

Malhotra advised, “You can try slowing down, drinking alcohol with food, choose lower alcohol options, always drink alcohol with water to prevent dehydration and avoid late-night drinking.”

Another useful tip to limit hangovers is to alternate each drink with water or a non-alcoholic drink, Ian Anderson, co-founder of Sunnyside, a mindful drinking app, previously told Fox News Digital.

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Many alcohol-related symptoms improve when people cut back, doctors say, though how strongly alcohol affects someone depends on factors like genetics, medications, health conditions and drinking habits.