Trump Authorizes Covert C.I.A. Action, and Hamas Starts Bloody Crackdown

Plus, where are all the pennies?!  Here’s what we’re covering: Trump Administration Authorizes Covert C.I.A. Action in Venezuela by Julian E. Barnes and Tyler Pager Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People by Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz How the Pentagon Is Blocking Out News Organizations by Erik Wemple Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump From Firing Government Workers During Shutdown by Tony Romm Hamas Says It Has Returned All Hostage Remains It Can Recover by Ephrat Livni With Truce in Place, Hamas Pursues Bloody Crackdown on Rivals in Gaza by Iyad Abuheweila, Aaron Boxerman and Sanjana Varghese The Penny’s Demise Is Leaving Some Businesses Shortchanged by Sopan Deb Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: theheadlines@nytimes.com. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.