Tag Archives: venezuela

Mid-Day Digest · February 15, 2026

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

THE FOUNDATION

“But if we are to be told by a foreign Power … what we shall do, and what we shall not do, we have Independence yet to seek, and have contended hitherto for very little.” —George Washington (1796)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

  • Dems refuse to negotiate on DHS: The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown on Saturday after lawmakers failed to reach a funding compromise. Democrats have made several demands, including barring ICE agents from wearing masks to protect their identities from nefarious actors. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer disingenuously labeled his party’s demands as “common sense” while smearing ICE as “a rogue force … almost trained … to be nasty and mean and cruel.” Republican Senator Katie Britt countered that Americans voted for “securing our border and making sure that we actually do interior enforcement.” She also blasted Democrats for shutting down DHS, saying, “They are putting illegal immigrants in front of American citizens.” Border Czar Tom Homan also observed, “When it comes to masks, I don’t know of another law enforcement agency in the country that has an 8,000% increase in threats.”
  • Federal agents suspended for lying: Something about a Minnesota traffic stop that turned into a violent struggle and left one illegal immigrant with a gunshot wound isn’t adding up. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said, “Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.” In light of those unidentified untruthful statements, the two agents involved have been suspended while they are investigated. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that the investigation may result in the firing of these two agents. Details regarding what lies were told are still to come. In the meantime, Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor has successfully had charges against the two illegal immigrants who were believed to have assaulted immigration officers dismissed with prejudice. When ICE agents lie or do shoddy work, it makes it harder, not easier, for illegal immigrants to be deported.
  • Virginia gerrymandering ballot approved by state high court: Democrats in Virginia got a win from the state Supreme Court after it greenlighted their ballot measure to gerrymander a new redistricting map. The court said the referendum, scheduled for April 21, will proceed, allowing Virginia voters to weigh in on the Democrats’ power-grab plan. Democrats have drawn a redistricting map that would likely swing four seats their way, leaving Republicans with just one of the state’s 11 congressional seats. However, the court did not rule on the merits of the Republican challenge to the legality of the Democrats’ redistricting gambit, which could upend the Dems’ whole effort. Democrats have framed their gerrymandering effort as ensuring fairness, ignoring the fact that roughly half of Virginians vote Republican.
  • Meritocracy in piloting: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is concerned about the state of piloting in the U.S. A new Operations Specification will require airlines to certify that pilots are selected based on aptitude and experience, rather than other criteria such as representation or equity. Much of the new guidance and program cuts from Duffy seem aimed at his disastrous predecessor, DEI hire Pete Buttigieg. While Buttigieg touted spending more than $80 billion on DEI initiatives, Duffy is focused on keeping Americans safe when they fly. “The safety of passengers is our number one priority,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “Someone’s race, sex, or creed has nothing to do with their ability to fly and land aircraft safely.”
  • DOJ sues Harvard: Harvard is again in hot water with the Department of Justice, as the university has still not produced the documents regarding its admissions data requested on September 8 and 12. The DOJ agreed to extensions for the October 10 and 17 deadlines, but Harvard has still failed to comply. Therefore, the DOJ has filed a lawsuit alleging that administrators are withholding information necessary for the DOJ to determine whether racial discrimination exists in the admissions process. Because Harvard receives not only government funding but also DOJ funding, the feds retain the right to investigate and verify that Harvard is not violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. “At every turn, Harvard has thwarted the Department’s efforts to investigate potential discrimination,” accuses the lawsuit. “It has slow-walked the pace of production and refused to provide pertinent documents relating to applicant-level admissions decisions.”
  • Bill Maher is clueless about science: HBO host Bill Maher has been called “one of the sane ones” on the Left due largely to his opposition to woke nonsense and willingness to call out his own side. Unfortunately, Maher has his blind spots. Over the weekend, he took issue with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s correct suggestion that CO2 is not a pollutant and that “when we breathe we emit CO2.” Maher suggested that Burgum sit in a closed garage with the car running to see whether carbon is a problem. Of course, the gas at issue in a closed garage is carbon monoxide, not carbon dioxide. The bigger issue with Maher’s worldview is that all life is carbon-based; carbon exchange is essential to both animal and plant life. Any worldview that makes carbon the enemy is making life itself the enemy.
  • U.S. captures another sanctioned tanker: Another oil tanker in Venezuela’s “shadow fleet” has been intercepted. Some 16 tankers are believed to have fled Venezuela after the fall of Nicolás Maduro; since then, seven have been intercepted. Overnight on Saturday, the Veronica III was intercepted and boarded in the Indian Ocean after being pursued from the Caribbean. Another ship, the Aquila II, was also intercepted. Both ships were falsely flying Panamanian flags and had spent much of the last year “running dark” with their tracking transponders disabled. The Department of War informed any other tankers in the shadow fleet, “Distance does not protect you. … International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”
  • Russian opposition leader likely killed with frog poison: In February 2024, Alexei Navalny died suddenly in a Siberian prison, a day after the 47-year-old appeared to be in good health. The longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and leader of an opposition party was imprisoned because he was a threat to Putin’s power. Unsurprisingly, Russia declared Navalny died of natural causes. However, a report from five European countries rejects that claim, noting that a toxin from the poison dart frog was found in his system. No such frogs exist naturally in Russia. The report concluded. “There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body.” Navalny had survived a previous poisoning attempt, presumably done by Putin’s men, which only adds credibility to the conclusion that he was poisoned. Navalny’s widow responded, “I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof.”

Headlines

  • Department of Education opens investigation into alleged sexual assault by “trans” wrestler (OutKick)
  • Trump pardons five former NFL stars for wide-ranging crimes (Fox Sports)
  • Puerto Rico now recognizes babies as human beings from the moment of conception (Not the Bee)
  • Switzerland will vote on a population cap (Morning Brew)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Rubio Talks Europe Off the Ledge

Nate Jackson

Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Munich, Germany, over the weekend and proved once again that he is President Donald Trump’s most impressive cabinet member.

Rubio has spent the first year of Trump’s second administration deftly and ably laying out and defending the president’s foreign policy. He did so yet again in a fantastic speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

New York Post columnist Miranda Devine summed it up: “Rubio drew a standing ovation from the assembled European heads of state, intelligence chiefs, and military leaders for a speech that was no less forceful or frank than VP JD Vance’s address that jarred the same forum last year, but was delivered with a mellifluous voice and calm humility that disarmed even the most arch Euro-socialist.”

Rubio didn’t allow any daylight between him and Vance, though, saying, “I think it’s the same message.”

What was that message? America and Europe are inextricably bound together. Or, as Rubio put it, “Our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours.” We share the same heritage and have made many of the same mistakes — which need correcting.

Most importantly, Rubio’s thesis was this: “We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline.”

In this speech, the editors of The Wall Street Journal rightly note, “Rubio is drawing directly from Ronald Reagan’s playbook of ‘conservative internationalism’ — unapologetic about U.S. leadership and the superiority of freedom; anchored by threats to the American people and their interests; wary that diplomacy and commerce by themselves can resolve the world’s differences.”

Here, I’ll quote a chunk of Rubio’s speech because of how he brilliantly laid out our history and where left-wing choices have led us:

That infamous wall that had cleaved this nation into two came down, and with it an evil empire, and the East and West became one again. But the euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion: that we had entered, quote, “the end of history;” that every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order — an overused term — would now replace the national interest; and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.

This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature and it ignored the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history. And it has cost us dearly. In this delusion, we embraced a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade, even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies to systematically undercut ours — shuttering our plants, resulting in large parts of our societies being deindustrialized, shipping millions of working and middle-class jobs overseas, and handing control of our critical supply chains to both adversaries and rivals.

We increasingly outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions while many nations invested in massive welfare states at the cost of maintaining the ability to defend themselves. This, even as other countries have invested in the most rapid military buildup in all of human history and have not hesitated to use hard power to pursue their own interests. To appease a climate cult, we have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people, even as our competitors exploit oil and coal and natural gas and anything else — not just to power their economies, but to use as leverage against our own.

And in a pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.

We made these mistakes together, and now, together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward, to rebuild.

That is precisely the point of the Trump administration: to reverse major mistakes of previous administrations and even of allies.

What made Rubio’s speech so warmly received by European leaders — though we’ll see if that leads to any actual changes — was that he gave tough love with a path forward. He reassured Europe that American interests don’t end on our own coastline. In fact, he made the case that the Trump administration’s America First policies and preference for our Christian heritage are due to sharing those features with our European ancestors and allies.

“We are part of one civilization — Western civilization,” he said. “We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”

It was as if Rubio were saying, Remember who we are.

We can’t do that if we eliminate borders and allow Europe to become a colony of the Middle East, or if we gut our own industries in favor of the Far East.

“I am here today,” Rubio told them, “to leave it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”

It’s clear that much of Europe is antagonistic toward America and Trump in particular. But overtures like Rubio’s are part of what it will take to chart the path forward.

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MORE ANALYSIS

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lie

“Are you one of nearly 70 million American women who changed their names when they got married? Republicans in Congress want to make it harder for you to vote.” —Hillary Clinton

Non Compos Mentis

“At the end of the day, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, and sexism are all rooted in the same prejudice. … And it’s why threats toward trans people are threats toward all women.” —Congressman “Sarah” (Tim) McBride

Dezinformatsiya

“I know Tom Homan has been big on this ‘lost children’ thing. But the idea that these children were lost or missing has never been true. … His characterization of them as being lost has never been accurate.” —CNN’s Abby Phillip

Lack of Self-Awareness Awards

“When I was president of the United States, I suppose I could have simply unilaterally ordered the military to go into some red state and harass and intimidate a governor there or cut off funding for states that didn’t vote for me. … But that is contrary to how I think our democracy is supposed to work.” —Barack “Sue the Nuns” Obama

“The other side does the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics. That’s their home court. Our court is coming together.” —Barack “Bitter Clingers” Obama

Hot Air

“Doug Burgum, he’s the interior secretary. Listen to this. … He said CO2, carbon, was never a pollutant. He said when we breathe, we emit CO2. Okay, Doug, you know what? Let’s try this little experiment. Tonight, when you get home, go in the garage, close the door, turn the car on, and let’s see if carbon is a pollutant, okay?” —political pundit Bill Maher conflating carbon dioxide, upon which life and nature depend, and carbon monoxide, which will literally kill you

“This climate crisis is continuing to get much worse. … Mother Nature is staging an intervention. … We don’t have much time left to wake up and start taking action. … Our very civilization is at stake.” —former Vice President Al Gore, who wrongly predicted that sea ice would be gone by now

Village Idiot

“Is it not obvious to everyone by now that Trump is acting on Putin’s orders, and that this is a form [of] treachery towards the United States?” —actor John Cleese

Cause for Celebration

“ICE here in this state [Minnesota] have located 3,364 missing unaccompanied alien children — children that the last administration lost and weren’t even looking for.” —Border Czar Tom Homan

Re: The Left

“I just think it’s nuts that we protect our beer more than our ballots in jurisdictions across this country.” —Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI)

“If the vote in the House of Representatives broke down according to the widely shared view of the American people, the SAVE America Act would pass 361 to 74. Instead, it just barely passed 218 to 213 because every House Democrat except one voted against it.” —Gary Bauer

“The American public are broadly in support of showing voter ID. It’s a north of 80% issue for the American public. You’ve got to ask yourself, who are the Democrats in the Senate representing? Over 70% of Democrats want this, yet we won’t have a single Democrat that will support it. Why is that?” —Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN)

“How can Demos claim the SAVE Act disenfranchises women when they can’t even define ‘woman’?” —Mark Alexander

“Back in 1999, 26% of Democrats self-identified as conservative. Just 5% said that they were very liberal. … Now we’re talking about a fifth of Democrats, 21%, say they’re very liberal. … The far-Left, which used to just be a smidgen within the Democratic Party, has gained considerable power.” —CNN’s Harry Enten

For the Record

“I’ve noticed that almost all the people publicly torturing Charlie Kirk’s grieving widow also really hate Israel. An interesting connection worth exploring.” —Joel Berry

From the “Gender Confusion” Files

“The transgender cult ideology not only destroys the lives of gender-confused kids, but some of those kids then become a threat to all of us.” —Mark Alexander

“Kudos to The Telegraph, a British media outlet, for having the courage to ask, ‘Are Cross-Sex Drugs Driving Trans Shooters To Kill?’ Every American news organization should be asking the same thing.” —Gary Bauer

Upright

“Legal systems of free speech do not exist to bestow legitimacy on the idiosyncratic musings of any individual. … Rather, as was historically understood as far back as Plato’s Academy in ancient Athens, we maintain systems of free speech and free questioning because we believe it is helpful in pursuing The Truth. In bilateral or multilateral colloquy, it is the truth of the matter with which are primarily interested — not in ensuring that any individual feels heard or seen.” —Josh Hammer

And Last…

“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline.” —Secretary of State Marco Rubio

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TODAY’S MEME

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1804, Lt. Stephen Decatur and a small band of U.S. Marines conducted a daring naval raid into Tripoli harbor. The USS Philadelphia, part of President Thomas Jefferson’s military actions against the Barbary pirates, had run aground and fallen into the hands of our adversaries. Decatur made sure it was of no use to them by burning it. That’s why the Marine Hymn contains the phrase “to the shores of Tripoli.”

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

‘Nobody Else Has It’: Trump Confirms Mysterious US ‘Sonic Weapon’ Used During Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro | The Gateway Pundit

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‘Nobody Else Has It’: Trump Confirms Mysterious US ‘Sonic Weapon’ Used During Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro
Donald Trump holds out his hand, creating a glowing energy effect, set against a blurred outdoor background.
AI-Generated image by Grok: Donald J. Trump with secret Sonic Weapon.

A ‘secret’ weapon was used in Caracas Op, Trump confirms.

On January 3, US special operators realized a jaw-dropping operation that neutralized air defense over the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and invaded the heavily guarded presidential palace of Miraflores, extracting dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, taking them back to New York to stand trial.

In the raid, dozens of Cuban and Venezuelan guards were killed, while the US suffered no fatalities.

One of the most mysterious aspects of the operation, which US President Donald J. Trump has now confirmed, is that US special forces are said to have used a ‘secret sonic weapon’ during the daring capture of Maduro.

Daily Mail reported:

“The President on Tuesday night bragged that ‘nobody else’ has the weapon, while glorifying the capabilities of the US military.

[…] [NewsNation anchor Katie Pavlich] asked Trump whether Americans should be ‘afraid’ of these sonic devices.

‘Well yeah,’ Trump responded. He then added that only the US military has access to the sonic weapons by noting, ‘It’s something I don’t want to… nobody else has it’.”

WATCH: March 2025: Serbian police fires a suspected sonic weapon at Globalist protesters.

SONIC WEAPON USED ON PROTESTERS?

Serbian police allegedly deployed a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) during protests in Belgrade, causing panic and injuries. Some protesters report hearing loss, while officials deny the claims. Opposition vows legal action. #Serbia… pic.twitter.com/0igut4tIGj

— Planet Report HQ (@PlanetReportHQ) March 17, 2025

“’We have weapons nobody else knows about. Trump continued. ‘And, I say it’s probably good not to talk about it, but we have some amazing weapons’.

Following the capture of Maduro, reports surfaced that special forces used unknown sonic weapons to disable the Cuban bodyguards assigned to protect the Venezuelan dictator.”

Stop what you are doing and read this…
https://t.co/v9OsbdLn1q

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 10, 2026

From Mike Netter’s X Post:

“Interviewer: And then the battle began?

[Venezuelan] Security Guard: Yes, but it was a massacre. We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed… it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn’t do anything.

Interviewer: And your own weapons? Didn’t they help?

[Venezuelan] Security Guard: No help at all. Because it wasn’t just the weapons. At one point, they launched something—I don’t know how to describe it… it was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.”

Read more:

White House Suggests US Military Used Powerful Sonic Weapon to Take Out Venezuelan Soldiers During Maduro Capture – Witness Says He’s ‘Never Seen Anything Like It’

The post ‘Nobody Else Has It’: Trump Confirms Mysterious US ‘Sonic Weapon’ Used During Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Monday Miscellany, 1/12/26 | Cranach by Gene Veith

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New Venezuelan dictator, same as the old Venezuelan dictator. Free speech for little kids. And how Generation Z approaches politics.

New Venezuelan Dictator, Same as the Old Venezuelan Dictator

Many Americans celebrated the snatch-and-grab of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, a Marxist dictator and indicted drug dealer. With his ouster, Many Venezuelans were dancing in the streets.

But Maduro’s Marxist party is still in power.  The vice-president who took over, Delcy Rodriguez, is also a brutal dictator.  And key officials in the government are also under indictment as being drug dealers.  The military is still pro-Maduro.  And now the celebrating Venezuelans are being brutally suppressed.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the U.S. raids and abduction by insisting that Maduro is not the president of Venezuela. The evidence is that in the recent election, Maduro was overwhelmingly defeated by the opposition pro-democracy party, led by Maria Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. But Maduro stayed in office anyway, driving out the true winners.  The U.S. government, along with most of the rest of the world, refused to recognize his government.  But President Trump is recognizing Rodriguez as the new president instead of someone from Machado’s party, though he says he plans “ultimately” to implement democracy.

If one reason for U.S. involvement is to cripple the drug trade, there is much more to be done.  If one reason is to remove a Marxist dictatorship, there is much to do be done.  If the reason is simply to gain control of the country’s oil–the largest reserve in the world–there is much more to be done.

President Trump has said we will have to “run” Venezuela. He is saying that we’ll have to do so “much longer” than a year.

The point is that the quick removal of Maduro was just the first step in a long, complicated foreign entanglement.

Free Speech for Little Kids

Besides AI, another political fight over tech has emerged:  age verification laws.

Twenty-five states now require age verification for access to online pornography, which has had the beneficial effect of many big porn providers shutting down operations in those states for everyone. The porn industry is, of course, challenging those laws in court.

Other efforts include requiring age verification for social media and the purchase of apps.  Big tech is also fighting those those laws.

In Texas, big tech scored a victory when a federal judge paused a law that would require app stores to verify their users’ ages and to require parental consent for purchases.  The argument that the judge accepted has even wider implications:  that children too have a constitutional right to freedom of speech.  From a Politico article on the case (my bolds):

Lawyers for the tech lobby and student advocates successfully argued that the Texas law represents an unconstitutional restriction on the First Amendment rights of children.

“These are people who are full-fledged Americans with constitutional rights that extend almost coextensively with what adults have a right to view and access,” said Adam Sieff, a lawyer with Davis Wright Tremaine who represented students that challenged the Texas law. He said laws like it, including those in Utah and Louisiana, will face the same legal issue.

But Casey Stefanski, executive director at the Digital Childhood Alliance, argued that the law does not target protected speech, but the ability of children to contract with corporations.

“This initial ruling in Texas fails to recognize the main tenet of the App Store Accountability Act: minors cannot enter into binding contracts and lengthy terms of service agreements without parental consent,” Stefanski said in a statement.

So, parents, get ready for the time when your children start demanding their constitutional rights!

How Generation Z Approaches Politics

The City Journal, a conservative publication, studied a group of young Republicans in their late teens and twenties to see what made them tick.  Jesse Arm reports on the findings in his article Everyone Wants to Know What Gen Z Republicans Think. We Asked Them.

Contrary to common assumptions, they weren’t in despair over their economic or social prospects.

Psychologically, this group was marked by desensitization, shaped less by fear than by boredom. They were not especially anxious about their own futures. They worried more about what AI and automation might do to other people than to themselves. Politics is entertainment: a stage for mockery, transgression, and performance, not moral seriousness or policy discipline.

That sensibility helps explain their media diets—and their favorite characters. Most like President Donald Trump. Many like Tucker Carlson and other figures who keep politics loose, funny, and combative.

What about the popularity of the anti-semitic Nick Fuentes, who admires both Hitler and Stalin?  “Some described him as funny or provocative; others saw him as toxic; none was fully panicked,” says Arm. Only one person in the group agreed with him.  On the other hand,

That ambient, unserious relationship to politics has a darker side. Moral stigmas—racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny—no longer reliably do the work they used to. After a decade of hearing the same accusations leveled at everyone from John McCain to Mitt Romney to Donald Trump, some see allegations of bigotry as table stakes. In the room, this translated into moments where ugly claims were met less with agreement than with shrugging indifference—more “whatever” than “yes,” but also more “whatever” than “absolutely not.”

The participants in the focus group “want a politics that feels less uptight and more charismatic—one that can make them laugh as well as make them better off,” according to Arm. “What matters most for them all is not ideological consistency but vibe: humor, transgression, and the sense of being led by someone who can command attention.”

Now this only describes 20 young conservatives in a focus group.  Again, City Journal is a conservative publication, not out to criticize or misrepresent them.  The exercise says nothing about young leftists.  They are no doubt more idealistic and more indignant about the injustice they see in society, though I suspect they too are somewhat “vibe” driven.

But if these folks, nearly all of whom say they are Christians, are motivated mainly by cynicism rather than ideals, are we in trouble?  Or are people with high political ideals more dangerous?

What do you make of this?

Source: Monday Miscellany, 1/12/26

NEW: President Trump Issues a Dire Warning to Cuba as He Cuts Off ALL Oil and Money to the Island Dictatorship – Then He Teases a New Leader for Cuba | The Gateway Pundit

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NEW: President Trump Issues a Dire Warning to Cuba as He Cuts Off ALL Oil and Money to the Island Dictatorship – Then He Teases a New Leader for Cuba
Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Is Cuba next on the list of Marxist nations about to learn the hard way if they cross President Trump?

On Sunday morning, President Trump announced on Truth Social that the USA had cut off all oil and money to Cuba. This action follows the capture of Venezuelan tyrant Nicholas Maduro earlier this month after he taunted Trump.

In his message, Trump noted that Cuba had been dependent on Venezuelan oil for years to survive, and that several Cubans died during the U.S. invasion of Venezuela.

Then he sent a warning that should send chills down the spines of the Marxists running the island country.

Here is Trump’s full message to Cuba’s tyrants:

Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided “Security Services” for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!

Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last week’s U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years.

Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.

THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115876460615555838/embed

Trump then raised a few eyebrows by backing a certain man with Cuban ancestry to run the country in the future: Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.

“Sounds good to me!” Trump replied to a user who suggested Rubio.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115876282507423685/embed

Is Trump serious or simply trolling? While Rubio has performed incredibly in every aspect of his duties, there’s only so much one person can handle.

Given that Rubio is the son of refugees who fled the evil Cuban dictatorship, he might welcome such a position anyway.

The post NEW: President Trump Issues a Dire Warning to Cuba as He Cuts Off ALL Oil and Money to the Island Dictatorship – Then He Teases a New Leader for Cuba appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

White House Suggests US Military Used Powerful Sonic Weapon to Take Out Venezuelan Soldiers During Maduro Capture – Witness Says He’s ‘Never Seen Anything Like It’ | The Gateway Pundit

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White House Suggests US Military Used Powerful Sonic Weapon to Take Out Venezuelan Soldiers During Maduro Capture – Witness Says He’s ‘Never Seen Anything Like It’
Person wearing protective eyewear and headphones holds a water bottle while engaged in a specialized activity, showcasing safety measures in a controlled environment.

The White House on Saturday suggested that the US Military used a powerful sonic weapon to take out Venezuelan soldiers and security guards during the US’s operation to capture Nicolas Maduro.

Earlier this month, the Army’s Delta Force captured Maduro after President Trump ordered military strikes on the South American country.

According to Reuters, Delta Force created an exact replica of Maduro’s safe house and practiced how they would enter and capture him. The CIA had an asset on the ground in Venezuela who infiltrated Maduro’s inner circle.

According to an eyewitness account, the US military used weaponry and technology unlike anything he had ever seen.

“On the day of the operation, we didn’t hear anything coming. We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation. The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react,” the security guard recounted.

After those drones appeared, some helicopters arrived, but there were very few. I think barely eight helicopters. From those helicopters, soldiers came down, but a very small number. Maybe twenty men. But those men were technologically very advanced. They didn’t look like anything we’ve fought against before.

“And then the battle began?” the interviewer asked.

“Yes, but it was a massacre. We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed. It seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn’t do anything,” the witness said.

“And your own weapons? Didn’t they help?” the interviewer asked.

“No help at all. Because it wasn’t just the weapons. At one point, they launched something—I don’t know how to describe it. It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move,” he said.

“Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us. We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was,” the eyewitness said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to validate the eyewitness’s claims and said, “Stop what you are doing and read this.”

Some suggested this is just propaganda, but if so, word is spreading across Latin America: Don’t mess with the United States.

Venezuela said over 100 security officials and soldiers were killed in the US’s operation to capture Maduro.

No US forces were killed. President Trump said a few US service members were injured during the operation, but they are recovering.

Here is the original video of the security guard’s recollection of the US operation:

Maduro was indicted on four counts by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York.

Read the indictment here.

The grand jury indicted Maduro, his wife, Cilia Flores, and four others on four counts: Narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro pleaded not guilty during his arraignment earlier this week.

The post White House Suggests US Military Used Powerful Sonic Weapon to Take Out Venezuelan Soldiers During Maduro Capture – Witness Says He’s ‘Never Seen Anything Like It’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

News Weakly – 1/10/2026 | Winging It

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The Trump Card
Our president has opted to attack a foreign country, capture their president and his wife, then declare, “We’re going to run the country …” They’re still debating the “attack a foreign country” sense of this and all, but this may be his biggest blunder yet, as it appears to constitute an invasion of a foreign nation without congressional approval. (How would we react if another nation attacked Washington D.C. and arrested our president?) The War Powers Resolution only allows action like this in the case of imminent threat to Americans and it doesn’t appear that Venezuela constituted an “imminent threat.” Now … will we see a president get dismantled by the Constitution … or vice versa?

Justice or Retaliation?
The Pentagon is seeking to demote Senator Mark Kelly after he has retired because of his “seditious statements” urging the military to refuse to follow orders on Mark Kelly’s definition of “unlawful orders.” It will decrease his retirement pay. The story says “The Pentagon” is trying to do this, but it’s obviously Pete Hesgeth, the Secretary of Defense … who appears to be going to war with the Left … kind of like the “Secretary of War.”

Homeland Security?
The DHS reported that a Minneapolis Hilton Hotel canceled reservations for ICE agents assigned to work in Minneapolis during the fraud investigations. Clearly, the local owner is operating his own “homeland security” scheme of trying to protect Minneapolis against law enforcement. (Don’t make this about Hilton Hotels as a corporation. It should be noted that Hilton dropped the hotel from its listings.) It does suggest an atmosphere of opposition to federal law enforcement, which suggests that the majority of Minneapolitans are rightly represented by their local government … opposing their nation. (The whole fraud investigation is enough of a problem to force Governor Walz to drop out of his reelection bid.)

A Map to be “All Over”
Trump has pressed boundaries with things like tariffs and now an invasion of another nation for … “law enforcement,” just to name a couple. But he urged Republicans to be “flexible” in demanding restrictions on federal funds for abortion coverage. Arresting a foreign president is (apparently) a high principle, but discouraging baby-killing isn’t. He freezes $10 billion in child care funds on principle. He forces Venezuela to surrender 30 to 50 million barrels of oil on principle. He has suggested the invasion of Greenland and even talked of “owning” the Western hemisphere. He is all over the map … and his “principles” are very unclear to me.

Prejudicial
Another performer has snubbed their audience by canceling their performance at the Kennedy Center. Sonia De Los Santos cited an “unwelcoming climate” at the Kennedy Center toward immigrants … even though there is zero evidence of any bias in any sense at the Kennedy Center. Clearly the problem is the presence of Trump’s name on the building … a highly prejudiced reason to slight the audience and refuse to perform. It should be clear who the “unwelcoming” folk are these days. Thumbing their noses at audiences because they don’t like a name on the building is a classic ad hominem error in this case.

Your Best Source for Fake News
In January of 2025 before Trump took office, Biden put a $25 million bounty on the capture of Maduro (see here). So an awkward moment occurred when Biden had to pay Trump the $25 million bounty for capturing him. I had to laugh at the January 6th article in the Bee about how the Democrats were solemnly remembering the only riot they didn’t like. That’s way too close to true. And on the “What’s Next?” front, there’s a piece on Trump leading a SEAL team to capture the rogue dictator, Gavin Newsom. Funny stuff.

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

http://birdsoftheair.blogspot.com/2026/01/news-weakly-1102026.html

Mid-Day Digest · January 7, 2025

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” —George Washington (1796)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

  • Michael Reagan, RIP: On Sunday, January 4, Michael Reagan — the adopted son of former President Ronald Reagan — died at the age of 80. Reagan was a Christian, a conservative, an author, a nationally syndicated radio host, and a stalwart defender of his father’s legacy who was closely involved with the Reagan Library and Foundation. “Michael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” the Foundation stated upon news of his death, which then quoted his father: “When I read his book, I had even more of a fatherly pride in Mike than I had had before. … He was happy and at peace with himself.” The Patriot Post had the honor of sharing Michael Reagan’s weekly column with our readers. He will be greatly missed.
  • Venezuelan oil: Since the capture of illegitimate president Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, the Trump administration has claimed control over Venezuela and its oil. That will be put to the test following President Donald Trump’s announcement that interim Venezuelan authorities will hand over 30-50 million barrels of oil, to be delivered immediately to U.S. ports by ship. The oil will be sold at market price, with the proceeds controlled by the U.S. president and dispensed to enrich both the Venezuelan and American peoples. U.S. and British oil companies built the oil industry in Venezuela and brought production to its peak of 3.7 million barrels a day before Venezuelan nationalization caused production to sink below one million barrels a day by 2025. Venezuela’s oil reserves are believed to be the largest in the world, totaling over 300 billion barrels.

  • U.S. continues to seize tankers carrying Venezuelan oil: After departing Venezuela, the tanker known as the Bella-1 slipped past the U.S. maritime blockade, leading to a two-week pursuit as it attempted to reach Russia carrying sanctioned oil. During its voyage across the Atlantic, the ship was registered under the Russian flag and was renamed the “Marinera.” At some point, Russia deployed a submarine to shadow the tanker and escort it safely to Russian territory. Undeterred, the U.S. Coast Guard and other military forces intercepted and seized the tanker off the coast of Iceland this morning. Also today, another tanker, the M Sophia, which departed as part of a “shadow fleet” carrying Venezuelan oil to China, was seized in the Caribbean.
  • Venezuelan operation and AI tomfoolery: Soon after news broke of the successful U.S. operation to capture, arrest, and extract Nicolás Maduro from his residence in Caracas, videos and images rapidly spread across social media featuring the destruction of the tomb of former President Hugo Chavez. It was claimed that the U.S. had intentionally targeted the tomb. However, it turns out that these images and videos were fake, having been generated by AI. The tomb of Chavez had not been targeted, nor had it been destroyed. What this incident demonstrates is the reality of AI’s impact on people’s perception of significant events in real time. It raises the specter of narrative-controlled propaganda that can easily manipulate people into believing false reports, using videos and images that are not easily recognized as fake.
  • GOP congressman dies: One of California’s increasingly rare Republican congressmen has died following a medical emergency on Monday night. Doug LaMalfa, 65, a seven-term congressman, was hailed by colleagues as a stalwart conservative and “a genuinely kind, decent man.” President Trump remembered LaMalfa in a speech at the House GOP retreat as a friend who was “with me 100% of the time.” Details on LaMalfa’s death have not been released, but he is survived by his wife, Jill, and their children. For the Republican-controlled House, his death means the margin of control has been reduced to just 218-213.
  • Georgia sets special election to replace MTG: On Tuesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the special election for the state’s 14th Congressional District to fill the seat of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been set for March 10. The northwestern Georgia district heavily favors Republicans and is considered safe for the GOP. MTG announced her resignation in November, and her last day in office was January 5. Formerly a leading MAGA firebrand supporter of Donald Trump, she has increasingly become a loud critic of the president, most recently blasting him over his decision to arrest and extradite Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. She opposed the action, deriding the hours-long police action as another instance of the U.S. instigating and involving itself in another “forever war.” Hopefully, MTG’s seat will be filled by someone principled and committed to conservatism, not to their own brand.
  • Military recruitment soars while Pentagon considers role of women: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth noted in his speech at an Armed Forces swearing-in ceremony on Monday that military recruitment is already exceeding last year’s recruiting surge. “We’re setting new records at the War Department of historic recruitment of men and women wanting to join the ranks, and you’re a part of that. So, congratulations,” Hegseth declared. He also highlighted the importance of “mission readiness” in his remarks, and part of that “readiness” includes whether or not women should serve in combat roles. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson announced in a statement on Tuesday that the Department has made steps in that effort: “The Institute for Defense Analyses is reviewing the effectiveness of having women in ground combat roles to ensure standards are met, and the United States maintains the most lethal military.”
  • Minneapolis gets federal visitors: It was too much for Minnesota Democrats to hope that Tim Walz’s bowing out of the governor’s race would grant them any breathing room, and the Department of Homeland Security isn’t giving an inch. Hundreds of DHS agents are being deployed to Minneapolis following scandalous fraud stories that never seemed to end. The crackdown, which will include fraud investigations and immigration roundups, may culminate in as many as 2,000 agents in the Twin Cities area during a 30-day surge. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino, who oversaw roundups in Chicago, Charlotte, and New Orleans, will help lead the action, which will also include as many as 600 Homeland Security Investigations agents, rivaling the total HSI workforce in the state of Arizona.

  • Experts warn criminals exploiting aid programs in every state: A fraud-prevention firm, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, which advises upwards of 9,000 federal, state, and local agencies, has warned of extortion of state aid programs since the start of COVID. CEO Haywood Talcove said, “The level of fraudulent activity is varied by program, as well as some states.” Haywood elaborated that every state has some form of “leakage” due to fraud, but that some states, like California, New York, and Massachusetts, are worse because they are “forward” on their benefit programs and state officials ignore the issue. It generally involves federal dollars, not state dollars, so there’s hardly any impact on the state. Talcove said that criminals trade “state hit lists,” which rank states according to weakest ID checks, fastest payouts, and lowest audit risk. It’s no surprise that Minnesota has been on that list for some time.
  • People still fleeing the formerly Golden State: The nation’s most populated state is seeing the continuation of a trend that began roughly a decade ago. California is losing people, as more and more residents are moving out of the Democrat-dominated state. California isn’t the only blue state witnessing this migration pattern, but it’s leading the pack. A growing number of residents in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are packing up the U-Haul and moving to the greener, freer, more tax-friendly red states. Three of the top states attracting new residents are Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. All three also happen to have no state income tax. Meanwhile, California has the nation’s highest personal income tax rate of 13.3%.

Headlines

  • Aldrich Ames, CIA officer who spied for Russia, dead at 84 (Fox News)
  • Hilton drops Minneapolis hotel that lied about immigration agent ban (NY Post)
  • Appeals court revives California’s ban on disclosing students’ gender identity to parents (Washington Times)
  • Purdue becomes first U.S. university to impose AI graduation requirements (Washington Times)
  • Paris court finds 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron over trans conspiracy (CN)
  • Humor: Awkward: Biden forced to pay Trump the $25 million bounty for capturing Maduro (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

(The Executive Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova.)

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Trump Still Desires a Greenland New Deal

Nate Jackson

Donald Trump was reelected president for many reasons, chief among them to clean up the colossal messes created by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the economy and the border. Yet foreign policy was often overlooked as a facet of Trump’s vision, and he has focused on it more than many might have predicted. Biden’s retreat from Afghanistan caused cascading chaos worldwide, but America’s standing in the world has been declining, and Trump is on a mission to change that.

So, Greenland is back in the news.

It began with a conversation Trump had with reporters after his stunningly successful mission to extradite Venezuela’s thug/criminal/illegitimate dictator Nicolás Maduro. Riding high on his triumph, Trump once again brought up his desire to acquire Greenland from Denmark. The latter’s control, after all, violates the Monroe Doctrine, which opposes European influence and control in the Western Hemisphere.

“I will say this about Greenland: We need Greenland from a national security situation,” the president said. “It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.” He dismissed Denmark’s security efforts as having merely “added one more dog sled.”

Countering Chinese and Russian influence is also a motivator in Venezuela. The Golden Dome could be a key aspect of the Greenland play, but Trump is also right to be interested in the massive and sparsely populated island for its resources — namely rare-earth minerals.

Trump has been talking up the idea since at least 2019, but it has come up far more frequently ahead of and during his second term.

Denmark and Greenland have steadfastly rebutted any notion of parting with this territory in the North Atlantic. “Our country is not an object of superpower rhetoric,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in reply to Trump. “Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends.”

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, issued a similar joint statement with other European leaders. They called the U.S. “an essential partner” and “NATO ally,” but insisted, “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Most of the kerfuffle, however, is arguably Leftmedia-generated. As is their habit, reporters tried to get Trump to agree to a red line. They wanted to know that military action is off the table, but as usual, Team Trump wouldn’t take the bait and be boxed in by ruling anything out.

“There’s no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you’re asking, of a military operation,” argued White House adviser Stephen Miller. “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal,” noted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”

Yet Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized buying the island when he spoke to lawmakers Monday, downplaying the notion of using the military. Lawmakers from both parties called on the U.S. to “respect the sovereignty” of Denmark and Greenland, noting that Greenland has welcomed a friendly U.S. military presence on the island since World War II. Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, has been there since the early 1950s.

Naturally, military action would have serious consequences within NATO. “The world’s strongest defensive alliance … would collapse if one NATO country chose to attack another,” warned Frederiksen.

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the stuff about the military is twofold: Don’t, as I mentioned, take the Leftmedia bait, and ratchet up the negotiations for a peaceful sale. That’s usually how Trump’s Art of the Deal works. In this case, it means convincing the other players that Trump wants Greenland more than Denmark does, and that it’s worth making a deal. On top of that, getting the rest of NATO to pull its own weight has been another long-term project for Trump. Threatening a nation with whom we have defense treaty obligations is arguably unwise and could backfire, but this is chess, not checkers.

As evidence that negotiation is the real aim, Denmark and Greenland requested a meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.

Much more broadly, President Trump views American foreign policy as in need of an overhaul. He’s tired of “losing” all over the place, and he wants to “win.” We’ll see just how far he’s willing to push for a “win” in Greenland.

Follow Nate Jackson on X.

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MORE ANALYSIS

  • Emmy Griffin: Goodbye, Tim Walz — It’s not a resignation, but the Left’s favorite Midwestern dad is at least dropping out of the Minnesota governor’s race due to an epic fraud scandal under his watch.
  • Samantha Koch: Hilton Hotel Causes ICE Storm — The backlash after a hotel’s apparent ban against DHS agents staying there reveals the sometimes high cost of political posturing.
  • Michael Swartz: The Palisades Fire One Year Later — Now that we’re a full year beyond the disastrous wildfire in Southern California, not much has changed for struggling residents.
  • Sophie Starkova: California’s One-Party Government Isn’t Aging Well — It wasn’t that long ago that the Golden State was viewed as a model of the future for the rest of the country. That’s changing rapidly.
  • Thomas Gallatin: Is Scott Adams Finding Jesus? — The popular Dilbert cartoonist is dying of terminal cancer, but has recently announced he is embracing the Christian theory.
  • Gary Bauer: The Anti-American Left — Time and time again, Democrats rally around our enemies, foreign and domestic, that are trying to bring America down.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

Can’t Fix Stupid

“I’m never going to back down from these guys. I’m going to continue to speak out. I’m going to continue to do my job and — as much as I can — highlight how wrong these people are and how outrageous this is and how dangerous. So I’m not going away.” —seditionist Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)

Delusions of Grandeur

“I’m accountable for this [fraud]. And because of that accountability, I’m not running for office again. But I have a year to continue to improve on a record that I think will stand up against anybody’s. A record that has made Minnesota better.” —Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

America First

“We want what’s best for the Venezuelan people. But more importantly than that, by a factor of 100, we want what’s best for the American people. And whoever the leader of that country is is going to have to play ball with the United States.” —Vice President JD Vance

Food for Thought

“Imagine being in Venezuela with renewed hope for freedom and seeing reports of leftist protesters in America demanding Trump return your tyrant oppressor to power.” —Patriot Post publisher Mark Alexander

Iran Next?

“The United States could do many things short of military action — which is probably not off the table — to aid Iranian protestors against the regime. … Would these actions be enough? Only the one ‘who brings princes to nothing’ (Isaiah 40:23) knows for certain. But a certain former Venezuelan dictator might advise Ayatollah Ali Khamenei not to underestimate President Trump.” —Joshua Arnold

Political Futures

“Go ahead Democrats and try to make the case that Maduro should have remained in power and continued to kill Americans and his own people. That won’t benefit your electoral prospects in the next election.” —Cal Thomas

“Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City on New Year’s Day. His inaugural address was shocking in its anti-Americanism. … The danger here is not just that Mamdani is mayor of New York City. The danger is that he represents the rising wing of the Democrat Party. This is who they are — socialists and Marxists.” —Gary Bauer

“The Democrats’ problem isn’t with the way their candidates look or sound — it’s what they believe and do. And there won’t be a Democrat who can match the appeal of Republican populism until there’s a Democrat who dares take the populist side on immigration and cultural norms.” —Daniel McCarthy

Insight

“Anything that’s in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that’s invented when you’re between 15 and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you’re 35 is against the natural order of things.” —author and humorist Douglas Adams (1952-2001)

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TODAY’S MEME

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1789, American citizens voted in the first presidential election, choosing the electors who would go on to elect George Washington to be the nation’s first president under the new Constitution.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

WAYNE ROOT: Trump Gave Communist Nicolas Maduro a Taste of American Justice. But Here is a Case for Arresting Democrat Politicians & Judges Inside USA Who Are Even Bigger Threats to America. | The Gateway Pundit

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WAYNE ROOT: Trump Gave Communist Nicolas Maduro a Taste of American Justice. But Here is a Case for Arresting Democrat Politicians & Judges Inside USA Who Are Even Bigger Threats to America.

By Wayne Allyn Root

Do you realize there is literally little to NO difference between Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and Democrat politicians and judges inside the USA?

Maduro was an imminent and serious threat and danger to America. So are Democrat politicians and judges- with their radical, anti-American, Marxist agenda.

Maduro was a Marxist/communist. So are 90% of Democrat politicians and judges.

Maduro hated America and capitalism. So do Democrat politicians and judges.

Maduro was on the payroll of drug cartels and making money from drug trafficking to USA. So are Democrat politicians and judges- CLEARLY.

Maduro supported open borders, so he could bring his poison into the USA. So do Democrat politicians and judges- they are clearly on the Drug Cartel’s payroll.

You KNOW Democrats are getting a piece of the action for enabling drug and human trafficking.

Maduro was on payroll of China and the CCP. So are Democrat politicians and judges. Everything Democrats support weakens America and helps China. That’s not a coincidence.

Maduro had “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” So do Democrat politicians and judges. They are against everything Trump does.

Democrats have only met one dangerous foreigner in history they actually want to deport out of the USA- Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro would not negotiate or compromise with President Trump to the bitter end. This is the exact same strategy of Democrat politicians and judges.

Maduro loved the “climate change” and “Green New Deal” scams of Democrats because they make America more dependent on Venezuela’s foreign oil. Democrat politicians and judges clearly want to kill oil, coal, drilling, fracking and nuclear industries, so America is dependent on our enemies- like Maduro.

Maduro was elected through rigging and stealing his election. That’s exactly how Democrats have been elected- with a hundred different kinds of election fraud (but especially mail-in ballots without Voter ID). This is always how communists win elections- by stuffing the ballot box.

Maduro shut down his opposition with brutal weaponization of government. That’s exactly what Democrats did to my friends like President Trump, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro- to name a few. And nonstop IRS attacks by Obama against me. Democrats are no different than Maduro.

The only difference in each of these instances is that removing Maduro required a complicated and expensive military operation in a foreign land to remove a foreign enemy of America.

Trump has now shown it can be done, and he is willing to do it.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are now making it crystal clear there will be more to come- Cuba, Columbia, Mexico and Iran seem to be next on the agenda.

Anyone who is a threat to America is a target.

All good. I agree 110%. Remove the enemies of America. Bravo. Trump has balls! Trump is making America feared around the world again. Trump is making America great again.

All great. I agree with the message. Fantastic. America is back. I agree with taking out our enemies.

So, why not apply that strategy to our enemies within?

Tell me the difference between the threat of Maduro and our radical communist/Marxist enemies in Congress? Or running New York City? Or the Governor of Minnesota? Or the communist People’s Republic of California?

Or Obama- who spied on Trump; weaponized the government to persecute Trump; regulated and taxed business to death; destroyed healthcare with Obamacare; exploded energy bills with climate change; opened the borders to change the demographics of America and keep Democrats in power forever; and imported millions of Muslims to weaken America.

And the most tragic and extreme example of all- an out-and-out communist just like Maduro has just taken control of New York City- the biggest city in America.

Tell me the difference between communist Nicolas Maduro and communist Zohran Mamdani?

Democrat politicians and judges are doing far more damage, and pose a far bigger threat to America, American exceptionalism and capitalism than Nicolas Maduro, or Cuba, or Columbia, or Iran.

It’s time to apply this Trump strategy to communist/Marxist traitors within the USA.

It’s time to remove them from office and from courtrooms. They are a danger and threat to all of us. They are communists just like Maduro. They hate America just like Maduro. They are partners with China and the CCP just like Maduro. They are on the payroll of Drug Cartels and America’s enemies just like Maduro.

It’s time for extractions, removals, indictments and judicial impeachments within the USA.

It’s time to remove Mamdani, and AOC, and Governors like Newsom, Pritzker, Hochul and of course Tim Walz for aiding and abetting illegal alien invaders. And for the looting of America by groups that kickback the money to Democrat politicians. These are crimes against America.

This is TREASON.

It’s time to declare the “Democrat Socialists of America” “The Communist Party of America” “The Muslim Brotherhood” and “CAIR” as “domestic terror organizations.”

It’s time to close and defund all the NGOs and 501c3 charities that pay for the destruction of America; and enable open borders and illegal immigration; and steal billions from US taxpayers (like the Somali daycare centers).

It’s time to revoke citizenship and deport all the enemies of America- like corrupt Somalis.

And it’s time to start demanding forensic audits and lie detector tests for corrupt, communist “resistance” judges. Let’s ask “Are you on the payroll of the CCP, or Drug Cartels?”

These people and groups are far more dangerous threat to America than Nicolas Maduro. If we can find a way to remove a foreign leader who is a threat to America, we need to find a way to remove the same kind of threats inside our country.

Let Maduro serve as a “model” for how to make America great again by removing threats to our way of life.

Now let’s focus on Democrat politicians and judges- the far more dangerous “enemy within.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, businessman, best-selling author, and national conservative TV and radio host, who has interviewed President Trump 16 times. Watch Wayne’s TV show “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on Real America’s Voice TV Saturdays at Noon ET and his video podcast “WAR Zone presented by The Gateway Pundit” daily from 6 PM to 8 PM ET at TheGatewayPundit.com. His website is ROOTforAmerica.com. Read Wayne’s latest fun book, “How Democrats Have Made America Great.” It’s 140 blank pages. The joke is on Democrats!

The post WAYNE ROOT: Trump Gave Communist Nicolas Maduro a Taste of American Justice. But Here is a Case for Arresting Democrat Politicians & Judges Inside USA Who Are Even Bigger Threats to America. appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Mid-Day Digest · January 6, 2025

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

THE FOUNDATION

“National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman.” —John Adams (1815)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

  • Maduro update: Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York City court on Monday following his arrest by U.S. forces in Caracas over the weekend. Wearing a prison uniform, Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges connected to narco-terrorism, contending that he was “a decent man” and that he was “innocent” and “not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.” His wife, Cilia Flores, who was arrested and charged with him, also entered a not-guilty plea. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, who had been serving as vice president under Maduro, was sworn in as the country’s interim president. She spun the U.S. operation to capture and arrest Maduro as a “kidnapping.” The U.S. ambassador to the UN clarified that “there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country.”

  • Trump’s next target: Mexican drug cartels: While the response to President Donald Trump’s directive to capture and arrest Nicolás Maduro has been met with mixed reactions across the world, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unsurprisingly condemned the action. However, given Mexico’s cartel problem, she offered “cooperation.” Sheinbaum’s statement was likely in response to Trump’s warning on Saturday: “We will crash the cartels.” He also answered a question on Mexico’s cartels, saying, “So we have to do something because we lost, the real number is 300,000 people, in my opinion.” It would appear that Trump is far from done in addressing the scourge of criminal drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. Indeed, he may just be getting started.
  • Vance home attacked: It seems that the radical Left is at it again. A man attacked Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home on Monday morning, shattering windows while the VP and his family were away. Vance thanked well-wishers on X while publicly questioning the news value of sharing pictures of his home with broken windows, given his young children. The 26-year-old attacker, William DeFoor, a Cincinnati local, has been arrested and is being held by the Cincinnati Police Department while the Secret Service reviews charges. DeFoor, whose parents donated thousands to Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, has been charged with trespassing and vandalism before. In those cases, he was referred to mental health treatment, and his mother was granted legal guardianship by reason of his mental illness. Trans-radicalism may be at play in this attack, as William has recently been posting to social media as “Julia.”
  • Biden-era rule change that created a fraud loophole to be overturned: It’s starting to seem like a pattern: rules that were in place when Joe Biden took office were changed in ways that facilitated crime. The rule in question in this case is a change to the structure of the Child Care and Development Fund that required the Department of Health and Human Services to disburse payments based on prospective enrollment at childcare facilities rather than attendance. HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill says, “Paying providers upfront … invites abuse.” This administration’s proposed return to making payments based on attendance will make fraud more difficult and enable greater parental oversight of fund distribution.

  • Child vaccine schedule lowered: Under new guidance issued Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises vaccines for 11 diseases instead of 17. Dropped from the vaccine schedule are recommendations for Hep B, Rotavirus, MenACWY, Hep A, and the flu shot. Health officials, in their assessment of 20 other developed peer nations’ schedules, found that the U.S. is a “global outlier” in both the number of diseases addressed in its routine vaccine schedule and the total number of recommended doses. A press release from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s Health and Human Services said insurance “will continue to cover more vaccines for children in the United States than in peer nations, where insurance generally only pays for recommended vaccines.” While Kennedy is not discouraging vaccination, he is seeking to restore public trust in government health agencies that for years have been a “rubber stamp” for the pharmaceutical industry, prioritizing profits over science.
  • Trump and Greenland: Donald Trump still has his eyes on Greenland, an interest he raised again over the weekend, telling reporters, “We need Greenland! From a national security situation.” He added, “Right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.” Noting national security concerns, Trump stated, “Denmark is not going to be able to do it.” He then said, “You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true! They thought that was a great move.” Trump then claimed that even the European Union agrees that the U.S. should have Greenland. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Trump’s comments “very rude and disrespectful,” while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen strongly urged “the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”
  • Hilton Hotels causes ICE storm: After it came to light that a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, canceled the reservations of ICE officers, explicitly explaining “that we are not allowing any immigration agents to house on our property,” Hilton’s corporate headquarters responded with a quick about-face. The hotel giant released the following statement: “Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.” Clearly, the execs at Hilton are fearing getting the Bud Light treatment and are running damage control.
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting closes up shop: CPB officials announced on Monday that the board of directors voted to dissolve the organization. The agency created by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 distributed funds to PBS and NPR, as well as local radio and television stations. The decision to dissolve was made to prevent manipulation from new actors who did not serve public media’s best interests. Ruby Calvert, the chair of the board, said the Trump administration’s efforts to defund the organization were “devastating” and opined that her organization was “critical to our children’s education … and democracy.” NPR and PBS continue to operate, though budget and staff cuts suggest their future is in doubt. Conservatives who have felt a bias against them in the programming supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting may find little to mourn in its end.
  • Convicted ICE-interfering judge resigns: Actions have consequences, and for once, an anti-American obstructionist judge is feeling those consequences. Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who has been convicted of obstructing the arrest of illegal immigrants by ICE, has now bowed to pressure and resigned from her office. In a public statement, she defended her treatment of all people with dignity and respect and claimed the case against her was too large a distraction to continue acting as a judge. The facts are that giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants is not treating American citizens with dignity or respect, and she was forced to leave her office in disgrace. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, praised Dugan’s decision to resign, as it follows “the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution.”

Headlines

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene marks her last day in Congress after resignation (CBS News)
  • Congress rolls out $174B spending bill (Fox News)
  • NYC bus fares raised to $3 despite Mamdani’s promise to make it free (Not the Bee)
  • Biden’s pension is largest of any president in history (NY Post)
  • 9th Circuit rules against ban on open carry of firearms in most California counties (Center Square)
  • Humor: Trump leads SEAL team to capture rogue dictator Gavin Newsom (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Seditionist Kelly Censured by DOD

Douglas Andrews

First things first: Mark Kelly is no Bowe Bergdahl.

By that I mean: Kelly didn’t desert his post, didn’t turn himself over to the enemy, and didn’t cause an America-hating American president to trade five high-value enemy detainees for his release. No, unlike the man of Susan Rice’s dreams, Mark Kelly really did, by all accounts, serve our nation “with honor and distinction.”

But that’s as good as he’ll get from yours truly.

Yesterday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that he’d taken the extraordinary step of censuring the former Navy pilot and current senior senator from Arizona for his participation with five other Democrats in a sleazy, slippery, scummy seditionist video aimed at our active-duty service personnel and repeatedly suggesting that their commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, is giving them unlawful orders that they must disobey. As Secretary Hegseth put it:

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice.

Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.

Actions have consequences, and Commander Kelly — man, does that ever have a nice ring to it — isn’t immune to those consequences. Hegseth added that the censure was “a necessary process step” toward a demotion in rank and a reduction in retirement pay.

Put bluntly: Kelly fooled around with sedition, and now he’s finding out about the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

“Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy,” caterwauled Kelly in response, “thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution — including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out. I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that. My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country. I got shot at. I missed holidays and birthdays. I commanded a space shuttle mission while my wife Gabby recovered from a gunshot wound to the head– all while proudly wearing the American flag on my shoulder.”

Kelly did indeed earn his rank and retirement, but he didn’t earn the right to engage in sedition. Put another way, if I can borrow from James Madison: I cannot undertake to lay my finger upon that article of the UCMJ which granted retired officers receiving retirement pay the right to engage in seditious behavior against their commander-in-chief.

Kelly, of all people, should’ve known better. After all, he isn’t some non-rate spouting off in the E-club about Barack Hussein Obama. He’s a retired Navy captain, the equivalent of an Army or Marine Corps colonel. Furthermore, he’s a sitting U.S. senator. If anyone on planet Earth should know better, it’s him.

Kelly’s invocation of the First Amendment is equally galling, and surpassingly idiotic. Everyone in the military knows that when they take the Oath of Enlistment, they check their First Amendment rights at the door. As the Supreme Court noted in the 1974 Parker v. Levy case, “The military is, by necessity, a specialized society apart from civilian society.”

Maybe Kelly was asleep during that class about the UCMJ — the class that covered Article 133, which is Conduct Unbecoming an Officer, and Article 134, which is the glorious catch-all article that we all learned about in boot camp; the article that was specifically written to cover clear offenses that hadn’t otherwise been specifically spelled out. You know, like starring in a seditious video and promoting it via social media to the entirety of our Armed Forces. That sorta thing.

Retired Navy SEAL and popular podcaster Jocko Willink appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show last night, and he began by calling Kelly “a guy that served with distinction.” Which, again, is true. But Willink wasn’t so much defending Kelly as simply stating the obvious. Indeed, if we look back through Kelly’s military career, we can’t find any instances of him attempting to undermine the terminal end of his chain of command. Which makes what he did six weeks ago in that video so jarring and so patently unlawful.

Regarding the seditious video, Willink then added this: “It implies that there is some sort of unlawful order out there. What they’re saying is actually true. Anybody in the military will tell you you’re not allowed to obey — and you must disobey — unlawful orders. But they’re implying that there’s some unlawful orders out on the horizon or that there’s been unlawful orders without identifying any of them. So, yeah, that causes, that undermines, the chain of command, and it’s not healthy. And I think anyone that’s in the military knows and understands that. And that’s why I think it’s a dishonest video, and I think it’s just meant as a political statement.”

Yep, it’s a dishonest video. And a seditious one.

Those looking for an even harsher condemnation from Willink need to remember: He’s got a business empire to protect. And, as Michael Jordan once famously put it while explaining his refusal to take political stands in favor of Democrats, “Republicans buy sneakers too.”

Having said that, I keep going back to that part of Kelly’s tweet where he complained, “I missed holidays and birthdays.” Yeah, well, me too. Same with Jocko and his brothers, and same with every one of the tens of millions of warriors who’ve ever worn our nation’s uniform.

None of us is crying out for special treatment, though. And neither should Captain Mark Kelly.

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Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

Tone-Deaf

“From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year. Tyranny is booming over here.” —”comedian” Jimmy Kimmel to a UK audience during Christmas

Fact-Check: False

“I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country.” —indicted narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro

A Trip Down Memory Lane

“Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolás Maduro. As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy.” —Joe Biden, June 2020

Dumb & Dumber

“Donald Trump’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy. The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable.” —Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

“Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable. That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise.” —former Vice President Kamala Harris

“The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.” —Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

“He’s willing to risk American and Venezuelan lives for political gain, but refused to extend a critical lifeline to families fleeing the very crisis he claims to oppose.” —Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL)

“Clearly, the President has decided that Congress is nothing more than a pesky accessory.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)

“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality.” —Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) on Trump’s Maduro operation

Shot/Chaser

“That’s one of the problems with this action in Venezuela — how does it actually improve the quality of life of everyday Americans? How is it in America’s national security interest?” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)

“When there’s a big Trump success, Democrats pretend to not know why it was needed.” —Scott Adams

A Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day

“America is a force of good, order, and democracy, and we are promoting these kinds of values. We are the good guys.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)

“I don’t know why we can’t just acknowledge that it’s been a good thing what’s happened.” —Sen. John Fetterman

For the Record

“I don’t care what the UN says. The UN doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” —Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissing assertions that Venezuela was not involved in the drug trade

“It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country — the guy lived on a military base — land within three minutes, kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter, and leave the country without losing any American or any American assets.” —Sec. Marco Rubio

Belly Laugh of the Day

“It appears that the Cuartel de la Montaña complex, housing the remains of former President Hugo Chávez in Caracas will be closed for repairs until further notice. Chavez, who died from cancer in 2013, was buried at the mausoleum at the now Revolution Museum at the Mountain Barracks. [Saturday] night, his remains were cremated.” —Jim Geraghty

And Last…

“We can do it again… No one can stop us.” —President Donald Trump on capturing Maduro

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TODAY’S MEME

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1838, Samuel Morse successfully tested the first telegraph in New Jersey. In the preceding years, he had developed a system of dots and dashes that became known as Morse Code, which could be used to communicate using electricity via wire. It launched the modern communication age.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

The Sword, the State, and Maduro’s Arrest: A Christian Case | Standing for Freedom Center

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DEA agents lead Nicolas Maduro and his wife off of a helicopter for their initial court hearing in U.S. (right) and a courtroom sketch of Nicolas Maduro.
Nicolas Maduro (second from left) and his wife, Cillia (right), are led by law enforcement officers from a helicopter to a courtroom proceeding in New York City on January 5, 2026, where a courtroom sketch artist captured the proceedings. CREDITS: Shutterstock/Public Domain/YouTube Screenshot

How should Christians feel about the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro? There is plenty of room for questions and debate, but one thing is certain: The American government has a God-given mandate to protect its citizens from any evil that threatens to harm them.

Early Saturday morning, U.S. special operations forces executed what may prove to be one of the most consequential counter-narcoterrorism operations in American history. In a carefully planned two-hour mission involving 150 aircraft, American military forces and law enforcement personnel captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and transported him to face justice in a Brooklyn detention center for crimes that have devastated American communities.

The operation wasn’t impulsive political theater. It was the calculated culmination of years of intelligence gathering, legal groundwork, and strategic planning to stop an ongoing attack on American citizens that has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2021.

The Death Toll Americans Face

While critics focus on the reported (but unverified) 80 deaths of Venezuelan and Cuban security forces (and no Americans) during Saturday’s operation, they ignore the catastrophic American casualties that necessitated this action.

Since 2021, more than 250,000 Americans have died from fentanyl and synthetic opioid overdoses. In 2023 alone, approximately 72,776 Americans died from fentanyl — nearly 900 deaths every single day. These aren’t statistics. They’re Americans poisoned by drugs flooding across our southern border.

The threat isn’t abstract. Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, took over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, beginning in late 2023. Gang members engaged in armed home invasions, kidnappings, extortion, assault, human trafficking, and child prostitution. Property managers received death threats. And 16 suspected members were arrested after a December kidnapping. Venezuelan criminal aliens are also responsible for killing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, among others. At a press conference discussing Maduro’s arrest, Trump stated: “What really played into the decision is the fact that he [Maduro] sent millions of people into our country from prisons and from mental institutions.”

The Biblical Framework: Government’s Duty to Protect

Romans 13:1-4 establishes God’s foundational principle for righteous government: “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Government doesn’t bear the sword symbolically. It exists precisely to punish evildoers and protect the innocent. When a foreign dictator oversees narco-terrorism operations that poison American streets with fentanyl, when he weaponizes migration by emptying prisons and directing them to invade our border, when his regime enables gang violence in American cities — this is exactly the evil God ordains government to stop.

The President’s primary constitutional duty is to protect American citizens. This isn’t optional. It’s the core function of government under both biblical and constitutional frameworks. When 250,000 Americans lie dead due to narco-terrorism emanating from Venezuela, when gang violence terrorizes American neighborhoods, and when criminal aliens rape and murder innocent Americans, the question isn’t whether government should act, it’s what action best serves justice.

Christians rightly emphasize that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood,” but against “principalities” and “spiritual powers” (Ephesians 6:12), but spiritual warfare doesn’t negate earthly government’s God-given responsibility to wield the sword against evildoers. Both truths operate simultaneously. The Church wages spiritual war through prayer and Gospel proclamation, while government wages temporal war against criminals who murder citizens.

This Wasn’t Random — It Was Strategic

The operation represents calculated planning targeting multiple objectives:

Stop the drug flow. Maduro’s regime oversaw the Cártel de los Soles — Venezuelan military involvement in cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. The 2020 indictment charges Maduro with, among other crimes, narco-terrorism conspiracy. Removing him and establishing leverage over Venezuela’s government aims to dismantle drug trafficking networks at their source.

Cut Iran and China’s funding. Maduro sold sanctioned oil to Iran and China, financing his dictatorship and enabling hostile powers in our hemisphere. In the aftermath of Maduro’s arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers, a tactic that will ensure economic strangulation to eliminate this funding.

Establish regional security. Under Maduro’s regime,Venezuela had become a base for Iran, China, Russia, and Cuba, all of whom were building capabilities and exerting power and influence in America’s backyard. Removing Maduro disrupts these alliances.

End humanitarian catastrophe. Oil-rich Venezuela was once South America’s most prosperous nation, but under socialism, its oil industry and economy collapsed, with hyperinflation exceeding one million percent and its citizens forced to endure food and medicine shortages, extreme poverty, and tyranny. More than six million Venezuelans ultimately fled, directly fueling migration chaos at America’s border.

The Legitimacy Question

Critics say the Maduro operation violates Venezuela’s national sovereignty and is illegal, but the legitimacy argument contains crucial nuances.

The United States never recognized Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president. From 2019 to 2023, the U.S. recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president following Maduro’s fraudulent 2018 reelection. When Guaidó’s interim government dissolved in 2023, the U.S. continued recognizing the opposition-controlled National Assembly while explicitly not recognizing Maduro.

Nearly 60 countries — including most of the European Union, Canada, Australia, Japan, Israel, and 16 Western Hemisphere nations — also rejected Maduro’s legitimacy. The Venezuelan people themselves deemed his 2024 election fraudulent, with international observers supporting opposition candidate Edmundo González, who Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan dissident María Corina Machado had championed.

When the U.S. refuses to recognize someone as a legitimate head of state, sovereignty claims become considerably more complex. Maduro held power through fraud, violence, and oppression, not democratic legitimacy.

Moreover, Maduro was already under federal indictment. The Trump administration didn’t fabricate charges post-operation — the Justice Department filed narco-terrorism charges against Maduro and his wife in 2020 during Trump’s first term and a federal grand jury indicted them both. This operation executed an existing arrest warrant against an indicted criminal who happened to control a government the U.S. never recognized as legitimate.

The Obama and Bush 1 Precedents

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Trumps decision to apprehend a high-ranking accused criminal inside of a foreign country has happened before. In 2011, President Obama ordered Navy SEALs into Pakistan not to apprehend but to kill Osama bin Laden and he did so without notifying the Pakistani government or seeking new congressional authorization. Obama relied on the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) — congressional authorization passed after 9/11 granting the President authority to use force against those who “planned, authorized, committed, or aided” the September 11 attacks.

The Venezuela operation differs in important ways. Trump characterized it as “law enforcement executing an arrest warrant” rather than invoking the AUMF or claiming Article 51 self-defense. This framing avoids War Powers Resolution requirements for congressional authorization of military action.

Some legal scholars question whether calling a military invasion “law enforcement” legitimately bypasses congressional oversight, but the Venezuelan operation closely mirrors the decision by President George H.W. Bush to send in the U.S. military to invade Panama in order to arrest and extract Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. That operation was also predicated on executing an arrest warrant after a federal grand jury indicted Noriega on drug trafficking charges.

Precedent aside, others note that protecting Americans from ongoing mass casualty attacks falls within the President’s constitutional duty as commander-in-chief.

The capture versus kill distinction also matters. The Obama order to assassinate bin Laden required 24 SEALs and a 40-minute raid. Capturing Maduro alive and extracting him from Venezuela’s capital required overwhelming force — 150 aircraft to suppress air defenses, secure extraction routes, and safely transport the arrestee to U.S. custody. The operation’s scale reflects the mission’s complexity, not imperial overreach.

Christians should consider these questions: Does the President’s duty to protect Americans from narco-terrorism that has killed 250,000 citizens require congressional pre-authorization? Should Congress debate while Americans die daily from Venezuelan-sourced fentanyl, or does emergency action to stop ongoing mass casualties fall within executive authority to defend the nation?

Such life-or-death concerns deserve serious consideration, not reflexive answers driven by political tribalism.

Venezuelan Suffering and Gospel Need

Socialism destroyed Venezuela. The “Bolivarian Revolution,” as it was dubbed, seized property, nationalized industries, and redistributed wealth through corrupt bureaucracies. The result? A prosperous nation supported by the world’s largest oil reserves was reduced to starvation, oppression, and exodus.

Christians must understand that socialism isn’t merely flawed economics — it’s a rival faith that worships the state as its savior. This belief system violates the Eighth Commandment’s protection of property and institutionalizes the Tenth Commandment’s forbidden covetousness.

For those who lived under Maduro’s totalitarian regime, this issue isn’t complicated. They recognize the rightness of removing an illegitimate and murderous thug from the seat of power. It was hardly surprising then to see Venezuelan-Americans in south Florida erupt in celebration on Saturday. “Libertad!” they chanted through tears. As Valeria Morillo, 19, told CBS News: “This means everything. Since the moment I was born, we lived under an abusive dictatorship.”

The Path Forward

Trump says that America is “in charge” temporarily. While former Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, now interim leader, initially denounced the operation, she has since extended an invitation for the U.S. and Venezuela to work together.

This came after Trump threatened: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price.”

Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called for recognizing Edmundo González as president, who is seen as the legitimate winner of the 2024 election. But putting him in place is complicated. Secretary of State has stated that new elections will be held at a certain point. However, for the moment, he said, America’s goal “is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States first and foremost, because that’s who we work for, but also we believe beneficial for the people of Venezuela who have suffered tremendously. We want a better future for Venezuela.”

Historically, nation-building hasn’t worked well. Can the U.S. install legitimate governance without years of occupation? What prevents another strongman from seizing power once U.S. forces leave or if its policy towards Venezuela changes with a future administration?

These concerns merit attention, and Christians should demand congressional accountability and proper oversight.

The Christian To Do List

As the debates and actions over Venezuela continue in the coming days and weeks, what should Christians do? Here are five actions:

Pray for Venezuela. Pray for wisdom for leaders. Pray for Venezuela’s interim government. Pray for protection of vulnerable Venezuelans. Pray for churches to be planted and for Gospel light to shine brightly on a country that is 72 percent Catholic and 8 percent Protestant.

Think consistently. Don’t let political tribalism determine your position. Apply biblical principles consistently regardless of which party holds power.

Demand accountability. Even necessary operations require oversight. Christians can support action against evil while demanding constitutional accountability.

Reject false choices. We can oppose socialism while questioning aspects of intervention. We can celebrate a dictator’s removal while mourning deaths. We can acknowledge threats while demanding transparency.

Remember spiritual priorities. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. Christ’s Kingdom stands forever. No matter who governs Venezuela, Jesus Christ remains King of Kings and belief in Him is what will deliver ultimate freedom.

One truth remains clear: When evil threatens American citizens on this scale — hundreds of thousands dead from narco-terrorism, gang violence in American cities, a dictator funding hostile powers — government bears the God-given responsibility to act. This is precisely what Romans 13 describes.

Christians can debate tactics and timing. But we cannot deny that confronting this evil falls within government’s biblical mandate. The question isn’t whether to act against such wickedness — it’s whether this specific action serves justice rightly, proportionally, and with proper authority.

That’s a question worthy of serious Christian reflection, not reflexive condemnation of leaders attempting to stop an ongoing mass casualty attack on the people they’re sworn to protect.

Source: https://www.standingforfreedom.com/2026/01/06/sword-state-maduro-arrest-romans-13/

6 Jan 2026 News Briefing

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Democrats Disgrace Themselves Following Trump’s Daring Venezuela Raid 
Democrats’ Trump Derangement Syndrome has reached critical condition following a daring U.S. military raid that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Many of the same liberals who once criticized President Donald Trump for supposedly allowing Maduro to remain in power are now outraged that Trump has taken decisive action to end his rule. By any objective metric, the raid was a stunning success and yet another massive feather in Trump’s foreign policy cap. In a lightning strike that lasted less than three hours, American forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and brought them to face justice in the United States.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz not running for re-election
A major fraud investigation into child care in the state is underway. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has suspended federal payments for child care in Minnesota. Tim Walz says he can’t give his all in a political campaign after an “incredibly difficult year for our state.” “Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, Saint Paul and online – want to make our state a colder and meaner place,” he said in a statement.

Is Maduro’s arrest simply about stopping drugs?
Maduro, who was the President of Venezuela until his de facto removal from power this month, is the head of a criminal cartel called the ‘Cartel of the Sun’, which is run by the leaders of the military and intelligence agencies. This is way more than a counter-narcotics operation, as the president of Venezuela is head of a government criminal cartel called “Cartel of the Sun.” Newman explains, “I grew up in Mexico and Latin America, and what is happening is we are watching the total communist takeover of the entire region.” It has been aided and abetted by people like Joe Biden, Obama and George Soros, Newman said, pointing to key figures in the Council on Foreign Relations such as Julia Sweig. This is so big, and you will not be able to piece it together by reading fake news in the fake media …..

Denmark says U.S. attack on Greenland would mean end of NATO
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that if Donald Trump were to attack the Danish island of Greenland that would mean the end of the NATO alliance. “I believe one should take the American president seriously when he says that he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen said. “We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” Trump said. “Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.” Frederiksen told TV2… that she believes Trump “means it seriously.”

PM Netanyahu vows ‘severe consequences’ if Iran attacks Israel as Gantz calls to topple ayatollah regime 
A day after publicly expressing his support for the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran for the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the regime of “severe” consequences should it decide to attack Israel.

From Solomon’s Temple to scrap wood: sacred beams treated as refuse on Temple Mount
Wooden beams that once stood in Solomon’s Temple—timbers that witnessed the glory of the First Temple and survived its destruction—now lie exposed to the elements on the Temple Mount, covered only by a tattered blue tarp and surrounded by garbage. These are not replicas or reconstructions. Carbon-14 testing confirms that some of these oak beams are 2,860 years old, cut down around 880 BCE during the early First Temple period. One cypress beam dates to 630 BCE, just fifty years before Nebuchadnezzar razed the Temple to the ground.

The Latest: Hegseth and Rubio to brief Congress on Venezuela plans
Congressional leaders are expecting to hear more about the U.S. government’s plans for the future of Venezuela, as top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration head to Capitol Hill to brief select lawmakers Monday evening. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials will discuss Venezuela with House and Senate leadership, as well as top members of the intelligence committees and national security committees.

World Trade Center lit up green to keep Muslims from flying planes into it again
In a desperate and probably ultimately hopeless bid to keep Muslims from flying planes into one of New York City’s tallest surviving skyscrapers after a bunch of fellows with ‘Mohammed’ in their names knocked down the World Trade Center for the greater glory of ‘Allah’ in the hopes of getting him to push the button on his virgin dispenser, the One World Trade Center that was built to replace it was lit up green in honor of Islam.

Vance home windows smashed in Cincinnati
Police and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating an overnight incident at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati, Ohio, home in which several windows were smashed and one person was taken into custody, authorities and local media reported on Monday.​ Investigators do not believe the suspect entered the residence, and Vance and his family were not home at the time, a federal law enforcement official told CNN.

Netanyahu using Putin channel to calm Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has enlisted Russian President Vladimir Putin to convey calming messages to Iran, indicating that Israel does not intend to attack it, Kan 11 News reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources. The Prime Minister said on Monday, during a Knesset session, that Israel had conveyed a message to Iran stating that if Israel is attacked, “the consequences will be severe.” “[US President Donald] Trump and I will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry and nuclear program,” Netanyahu said during the session.

US weighing intervention in Iran, indications received by ‘Post’ show
The Jerusalem Post has received multiple indications that the US is considering some intervention in the ongoing Iran protests. At the same time, Israel is also checking if the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible. It appears that Israel was surprised by America’s intervention in Venezuela and that this action scrambled Israeli calculations about what might be possible in the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s Khamenei has escape plan to flee to Moscow if regime falls amid protests
The supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly has an “escape plan” that involves fleeing to Russia if the current nationwide protests continue to intensify, British newspaper The Times reported on Sunday. The plan, called “Plan B” by the British report, would include 86-year-old Khamenei and 20 close people, including family and aides.

Iran plotting to assassinate Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn
Iran is working together with additional hostile elements to assassinate Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn. The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria. It also comes amid rising regional tensions and is based on security intelligence indicating that Sharaa faces real threats and has been forced to invest significant efforts in protecting himself and stabilizing his regime.

Iranian Americans support protesters in Iran seeking regime change 
“Obama was silent during the 2009 protests, and Biden was silent during the 2022 protests,” the publisher of a Persian outlet in Los Angeles told JNS. “President Trump’s support to our people protesting today gives them tremendous confidence.” Nearly 500 Iranian Americans and other opponents of the Islamic regime rallied outside the White House on Jan. 3 to express solidarity with their countrymen in Iran who have been protesting for freedom from the Islamic Republic during the last week.

Mr. Prime Minister Netanyahu, history is calling, strike Iran now
An Israeli strike now could collapse Iran’s regime within days, as protests, regime weakness and Israeli capability have created a historic moment that may never return. internally it is a crumbling power. Its army is outdated, its air defense system is one the IDF could dismantle without great difficulty, and above all, its population is waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the regime.

From gamers to predators: Inside the internet’s most dangerous cybercriminal network
In the traditional cyber world, we are used to clear categories: Eastern European ransomware gangs operating like businesses; ideological hacktivists; and lone data thieves. But in recent years, something has changed on the dark web. A new threat has emerged that undermines conventional definitions and poses an unprecedented headache for the FBI, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and cybersecurity firms worldwide. It has a name that sounds almost harmless: The Com, short for Community.

Evangelical Leaders Thank God And Issue Call For Prayer After Trump Admin Arrests Venezuela’s Marxist President
Christian leaders across the world are rallying together in hope and a call to prayer, following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the Marxist Venezuelan president facing narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy charges. Franklin Graham posted on social media following news of the capture: “Thank you President Donald J. Trump for what you’ve done for the people of Venezuela. The President is strategically working to protect our nation and better the lives of people around the world. He said in an interview this morning that illegal drugs flowing into the United States by ship is now reduced by 97%—that’s incredible, and we thank God! He said that our country was previously losing 300,000 lives a year to illicit drugs.”

Mamdani’s Communist ‘Tenant Czar’ Wants To Seize ‘White Supremacist’ Private Property
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is off to a glorious communist start. His new “Tenant Czar,” Cea Weaver, has just declared that they will systematically dismantle private property rights in favor of a Soviet-style collectivism in order to stomp out “white supremacy.”

40% Of All Babies Born In Vienna Do Not Have An Austrian Passport
In short, demographics of Vienna are rapidly changing. For the first time ever, over 50% of first-graders don’t understand German, a major milestone in the troubled Vienna school system. Another milestone was also reached last year, with Muslims outnumbering Christians for the first time in the Vienna elementary school system.

Mother Awaits Higher Court’s Decision After Being Barred From Taking Her Child To Calvary Chapel
“A Maine mother is awaiting a decision from the state’s highest court on whether she has the right to take her Christian daughter to church. In the coming weeks, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court is expected to weigh in on a lower court’s decision, which ruled that the daughter of Emily Bickford cannot attend church or Christian events without her father’s approval.”

This Is The Part Of The Story That Leads To War With Russia And China
The dramatic events in Venezuela have shocked the world. A very tense geopolitical game of chess is playing out, and stakes are incredibly high. The Trump administration would love to push China and Russia out of the Western hemisphere, and setting up a new Western-friendly gov’t in Venezuela would be a huge step in that direction. Most people don’t realize this, but Venezuela has more proven oil reserves than anyone on the planet. President Trump and his team are gambling that China and Russia will allow them to do whatever they want with Venezuela. But what if they don’t? China and Russia have spent decades developing deep ties with Venezuela, and now they’re furious.

Did the US Break International Law Capturing Maduro? What Happens Now?
In recent days, global attention has focused on reports that Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces and transferred out of Venezuela to face prosecution. Such an operation represents one of the most dramatic unilateral decisions taken by Washington in decades – and one that many governments and legal experts say could violate international law. As statements from Europe, Latin America, and the BRICS countries pile up, critical questions must be answered: did the US cross a legal red line, and if so, what precedent does that set for the global order?

Netanyahu vows ‘severe consequences’ if Iran attacks Israel; Gantz calls to topple Iran regime
A day after publicly expressing his support for the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran for the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the regime of “severe” consequences should it decide to attack Israel.

‘Palestinian embassy’ officially opens in London after UK recognition
The Embassy of the “state of Palestine” was officially inaugurated in the United Kingdom on Monday. The Palestinian Authority (PA) envoy to London, Husam Zomlot, called the inauguration a “historic moment.” The opening follows the UK’s decision in September to recognize “Palestine” as an independent state. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state, saying at the time, “I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the terrible October 7th Massacre: you are giving a huge reward for terror. I have another message for you: It won’t happen. A Palestinian state will not be created west of the Jordan.”

Economic Blues: Are Blue States Driving the “Affordability Crisis”?
In practice, the president gets the blame when prices rise. Yet the reality is that under our federalist system, most powers reside with the states. They can thus do much to influence the economy. And what of conservative vs. liberal CPII (Consumer Price Index Increase) influence? Blue states tend to have significantly higher cost-of-living than purple and red states. Most of the left-wing politicians responsible for blue-state blues don’t care. Preferring to “reign in Hell than serve in Heaven,” their priority is perpetuating their power. They’re content to reduce their realm to welfare-state rubble as long as they remain king of the junk heap. It all illustrates, too, how as with a gangrenous limb, untreated localized leftism can toxify the whole nation.

Growing List Of Democratic Billionaire Kings & Queens Funnel Millions Into Terror-Tied Nonprofits
Former Wall Street Journal reporter Asra Nomani, now at Fox News, is investigating the left-wing, billionaire-funded dark money networks in the nonprofit world and offering much-needed coverage for mainstream Americans on how these NGOs influence protest movements, unleash riots, and conduct sophisticated political pressure campaigns (color revolutions). Coverage on the billionaire Democratic kings and their NGO empires that are in an all-out war against President Trump, his MAGA supporters, and anything America First is becoming mainstream in a very quick way, as the censorship cartel from Europe to the Americas has seen a degradation in their ability to control fake news narratives.

6 Jan 2026

Headlines – 01/06/2026

Israel’s decision to recognise a breakaway African state is a tactical masterstroke – By backing Somaliland, Netanyahu has gained an ally on the Horn of Africa – and a powerful riposte to the West’s recognition of Palestine

7 European countries condemn latest Israeli laws targeting UNRWA, NGOs

Ireland joins six other European countries in condemning new Israeli aid laws – Department of Foreign Affairs says legislation cutting utilities and communications breaches international law

The vast majority of Israelis are worried about declining US support for Israel, survey finds

German antisemitism commissioner’s home torched, marked with Hamas symbols

IDF says soldier seen firing volley toward Gaza in viral video to face consequences

Azerbaijan will not send peacekeepers to Gaza, president says

IDF strikes Hamas, Hezbollah targets deep in eastern and southern Lebanon

Hezbollah tried to gain foothold in northern Israeli cities through covert apartment purchases during the war

Violent protests & Nazi-comparisons surround latest round of Haredi enlistment into IDF & Knesset discussions over draft law

Senior ultra-Orthodox rabbi: Those enforcing Haredi draft are fighting against God – Degel HaTorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando celebrates release of draft dodgers from military prison, claims Haredim are ‘in exile among Jews’

Iran plotting to assassinate Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn – The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria

Netanyahu sends message to Iran through Putin: ‘Israel doesn’t want war’ – report

Netanyahu and Trump vow to block Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes

Netanyahu: Trump and I won’t allow Iran to restore its nuclear program

Shocking moment ‘Iran forces attack hospital’ just days after Trump’s threat to Tehran

At least 35 people have been killed and 1,200 detained in Iran’s economic protests

Report: Iran offers citizens $7 monthly payments as protests spiral over economic crisis – Spokeswoman Fatameh Mohajerani says measure aims to preserve purchasing power

‘Don’t Play Games’: Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran After Maduro Operation as Anti-Regime Protests Grow

Venezuela pleaded with Iran for long-range drones just months before U.S. strike on the country

Heavy gunfire near Venezuela’s presidential palace after drone sightings; US says ‘not involved’

Coup D’Etat in Venezuela? Heavy Gunfire in Caracas, Anti-Aircraft Artillery Firing Non-Stop – Armed Groups Moving Through the City, Clashing With Government Troops

X Surges To Top Of Venezuelan App Charts Despite Government’s Heavy Hand

Trump says U.S. stretch in Venezuela could last 18 months

Trump says U.S. will get Venezuelan oil flowing again, but some experts say that could take years

Trump says US might reimburse oil companies that help rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure

CNN: Big Oil doesn’t share Trump’s dream of making Venezuelan oil great again

Bernie Sanders: Trump Taking Venezuela’s Oil Is ‘Imperialism’

Maduro reportedly rejected going into exile in Turkey before being captured

Dem Rep. Dean: Maduro Should Be ‘Brought to Justice’, But Capturing Him Encourages Putin to Stay in Ukraine

Nicolas Maduro Hires Assange’s Former Lawyer, Pleads Not Guilty in U.S. Criminal Case

Maduro Pleads Not Guilty to Narco-Terrorism Charges: ‘I Am a Decent Man’

Venezuela’s deposed Maduro pleads not guilty, insists still president

Venezuelan President Maduro calls himself a ‘prisoner of war’ after pleading not guilty in court

Rabbi Kessin: Trump assisting Messiah by arresting Maduro, eliminating evil

On Venezuela, Sen. John Fetterman is Once Again the Most Reasonable Democrat: ‘Why Can’t We Acknowledge it’s a Good Thing?’

Democratic lawmakers decry Trump’s Venezuela operation as ‘impeachable offense’

Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US operation in Venezuela

Trump UN Ambassador Mike Waltz Torches UN Security Council to Their Faces as Globalists Melt Down Over Capture of Socialist Tyrant Maduro

Marco Rubio Claims ‘This Is Our Hemisphere’ And U.S. Won’t Allow It To Be a ‘Base Of Operation For Adversaries’

Mexican president rejects US sending troops to her country: ‘I don’t believe in an invasion’ – Claudia Sheinbaum condemns foreign interference as Trump says cartels are ‘running Mexico’

Mexican President Doubles Down on Rejection of Trump’s Arrest of Maduro, Blames U.S. for Her Country’s Cartel Problems

Mexico detains suspected cartel leader facing US terror charges

Colombian President Petro threatens military response after Trump warns Colombia may be next target – The former M-19 guerrilla member responds after Trump appears to send strong message following Maduro capture

Cuban Dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel Threatens America – Vows Cubans Will “Give Our Blood” and Make the U.S. “Pay a Very Heavy Price”

Colombian President Petro taunts Trump admin over threats after Maduro’s capture: ‘Want to put me in prison? Try’

“Come get me”: Colombian president’s war of words with Trump escalates

Sanctioned Oil Tankers Flee Venezuela in Defiance of U.S. Blockade

Ship Trackers Spot a Dozen Alleged Oil Tankers Fleeing Venezuela in ‘Dark Mode’

Venezuela Braces for Economic Collapse From U.S. Blockade

Switzerland Freezes Nicolás Maduro’s Assets, Will Redistribute Funds to Venezuelans After Trial

The $60 Billion Question: Is Venezuela Secretly a Bitcoin Superpower?

$30,000 Maduro bet sparks debate over insider trading in prediction markets

Stock market today: Dow jumps 600 points to record, S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally as oil stocks surge after Venezuela strike

Greenland and allies reject threats to island, as Trump reiterates US ‘need’ for it – Province’s PM urges ‘no more fantasies about annexation’; Danish premier says ‘we will not accept’ suggestions of a takeover, post-WWII security order will be ‘over’ if US attacks

Danish prime minister says a US takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO

Bjork Urges Greenland to ‘Declare Independence,’ Worries that ‘Cruel Colonizer’ May Take Over

Pentagon to cut Mark Kelly’s military pension over ‘Seditious Six’ video

Trump administration censures former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video – “This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file.”

Sen. Mark Kelly at risk of demotion, cut in military pay over ‘illegal orders’ video after Pentagon probe: Hegseth

“More to Come” – HHS Deputy Secretary Hints Something Big Is Coming as Questions Swirl Around Somali UN Ambassador’s Ties to Ohio Health Agency Convicted of Medicaid Fraud

Following news of Minnesota fraud, TX Gov Abbott directs investigation into childcare programs

Over 1,000 arrested in ‘massive’ Minnesota operation, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles

2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe

Trump Admin Feuding With Hilton, Accusing Them Of Refusing Rooms To ICE Agents In Minneapolis

Homeland Security claims Twin Cities hotel ‘maliciously’ canceled reservation for ICE agents

‘Biggest mistake’: MAGA loses it after Hilton allegedly cancels ICE agents’ reservations

Hilton distances itself from Minneapolis hotel after ICE agents denied rooms

Gov. Tim Walz drops out of Minnesota governor race amid criticism over handling of fraud

Tim Walz shocks reporters by abruptly ending press conference with no questions – In his comments, Walz denounced people who sought to “take advantage of our state’s generosity” as well as the “organized group of political actors” he said were exploiting the chaos

Trump Predicts: ‘Walz Will Possibly Leave Office Before His Term Is Up’

Kevin McCarthy says Minnesota’s ‘entire Democrat administration’ will have to resign over fraud scandal – Former House speaker says Gov Tim Walz exiting re-election race is just the beginning

Walz’s lieutenant governor and progressive Senate hopeful slammed for leadership amid Somali fraud crisis – A Minnesota Democratic operative told Fox News Digital that Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan ‘could absolutely lose to a Republican given all the fraud’

Corrupt Amy Klobuchar Mulls Campaign to Replace Walz as Governor of Minnesota

Amy Klobuchar Once Fought Blizzard to Praise Somalis: ‘We are Proud of That Community’

Wall Street Journal: Don’t Blame Somali Migrants for Minnesota Fraud – The blame for Somali fraud in Minnesota goes to the Democratic Party and to the GOP, not to imported Somalis and their zero-sum culture

HHS Ends Biden’s Massive Child Care Fraud Scheme That Let States Pay Providers Without Verifying Attendance

HHS: Biden-Era Loophole “Invited Abuse,” Funneled Billions to Childcare Centers Without Verifying Attendance

ICE Arrests 118 Illegal Aliens in Sanctuary California, Including Sex Offenders, Drunk Drivers

Car Thefts Plummet Due to Trump’s Illegal Alien Crackdown

Milwaukee judge resigns after being found guilty of obstructing ICE arrest in courthouse

Another Georgia State Democrat Lawmaker Arrested and Charged with Defrauding Federal Government

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Cancels Itself: Votes to Dissolve to ‘Protect the Future of Public Media’

Corporation for Public Broadcasting board votes to dissolve organization after Congress defunds NPR, PBS

Corporation For Public Broadcasting Shutting Down To Not ‘Be Vulnerable To Additonal Attacks’ After Trump Cuts Funding

Rumored plan to expand UK digital ID to newborns give Tories chance to attack – Labour government insists scheme will only be mandatory for right to work checks

Britain demands Elon Musk’s Grok answers concerns about sexualised photos

Mother of one of Elon Musk’s sons ‘horrified’ at use of Grok to create fake sexualised images of her – Ashley St Clair says supporters of X owner are using his AI tool to create a form of revenge porn

Hyundai plans 30,000 humanoid robots a year for factories by 2028

Robots learn 1,000 tasks in one day from a single demo – A new study shows robots learning faster and more like humans

Space Debris Could Soon Disrupt Flights Like Bad Weather – As space traffic increases, experts warn that the risk of space debris colliding with aircraft is no longer negligible, and growing

2025 was a ‘typical’ year in Yellowstone with 1,136 earthquakes and hundreds of lost hats

Strong earthquake rattles western Japan, followed by several more shakes

Major 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocks Japan sparking tsunami fears

5.7 magnitude earthquake hits near Matsue, Japan

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits northwest of the Kuril Islands

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Merizo Village, Guam

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits south of the Kermadec Islands

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Yasugicho, Japan

Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft

Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 18,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft

Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 13,000ft

Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines erupts to 11,000ft

Marapi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 11,000ft

Volcano wakes up after 700,000 years, is now considered ‘stirring’

Storm Francis triggers severe floods across Malaga Province, Spain

Flash floods kill 9 in Sitaro Islands, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

San Diego received a month’s worth of rain in just hours on New Year’s Day, flooding streets and making it one of the city’s 15 wettest days on record

Record Snowfall Sinks Boats and Spurs Avalanche Concerns in Alaska

Protest over AI, climate crisis leaves tens of thousands without power in Berlin

Berlin power outage blamed on political extremists

Berlin mayor calls arson attack behind huge power cut left-wing terrorism

Zohran Mamdani Appointee Calls to ‘Seize Private Property’ and Describes Home Ownership as White Supremacy

Seattle’s New Communist Mayor Katie Wilson Orders Police to Stand Down on Open Drug Use

‘Effective immediately’ Seattle Police will no longer enforce drug crimes, will refer offenders to diversion

Seattle police union condemns new socialist mayor’s drug enforcement approach as ‘suicidal empathy’

Arizona Supreme Court Evacuated After Suspicious Package Tests Positive For Homemade Explosives

Secret Service Detains Suspect Accused of Smashing JD Vance’s Windows

Man arrested for attempted break-in of JD Vance’s Ohio home identifies as trans, father is Dem donor: report

Florida man wearing red lace bra, G-string arrested for carrying firearm under fake breast while trespassing

Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor accused of sexually abusing a young man – Donnie McClurkin denied the allegations in the lawsuit, which was filed by a man who says he sought out the pastor after reading his book about overcoming the “curse” of homosexuality

Report: Ecuadorian Migrant Charged in Sexual Assault of 12-Year-Old Chicago ‘Girlfriend’ He Met on Instagram

Viral video shows trans male masturbating in women’s bathroom at California Planet Fitness

French court convicts 10 of cyberbullying over claims about Brigitte Macron’s gender – Defendants posted ‘malicious comments’ about French first lady, falsely saying she’s male or calling her a pedophile, but several say they were joking; one gets 6 months in prison

Kentucky Woman Faces Fetal Homicide Charge After Allegedly Taking Abortion Pills, Burying ‘Developed Male Infant’ in Backyard

Ten years after it ended its ‘one-child’ policy, China’s push for more babies isn’t winning its citizens over

Elon Musk shares plan to mass-produce brain implants for paralysis, neurological disease – Neuralink device has been implanted in 12 people with severe paralysis, according to company

This CRISPR breakthrough turns genes on without cutting DNA

HHS Moves to Overhaul Childhood Vaccine Schedule – Recommending Fewer Shots Amid Growing Safety Concerns

‘Stunning’: HHS slashes vaccine schedule as CDC promotes COVID vaccine over natural immunity

Exposed: House Republicans Quietly Slipped Pesticide “Immunity” Into Spending Bill – Now Forced to Yank Section 453 After Massive Backlash

Source: http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

Mid-Day Digest · January 5, 2025

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

THE FOUNDATION

“There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. ‘Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.” —George Washington (1796)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

  • Venezuela, the “Donroe” Doctrine, and Operation Absolute Resolve: The long-expected strike against Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, Nicolás Maduro, finally arrived on Friday night. President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to Operation Absolute Resolve, which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported was “flawlessly executed” at 10:46 p.m., and Maduro was in U.S. custody aboard the USS Iwo Jima by 3:29 a.m. Maduro has been indicted as a narco-terrorist and will face trial in the Southern District of New York, where he will make an appearance later today. This strike reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine, which opposes outside influence in the Western Hemisphere — indeed, Maduro had met with Chinese envoys to discuss a “multipolar world” hours before being taken into custody. The strike was carried out with no American casualties, and only one aircraft, which remained flyable throughout the mission, was hit by hostile fire.

  • Cuban, Colombian leaders told to watch out following Maduro capture: After Operation Absolute Resolve captured Venezuela’s illegitimate drug-dealing leader, other hostile leaders in America’s backyard have been put on notice. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela but with drug-trafficking organizations. Rubio went on to explain that Cuban intelligence was propping up Maduro, and while he declined to speak to future events, he admitted that “we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.” On a similar note, President Trump explained to the press that Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and sending it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”
  • Oil prices post Maduro: The price of oil went on a bit of a rollercoaster following the news of the U.S. raid in Venezuela. Oil prices initially rose, then fell, and rose again slightly by Monday morning. With Venezuela accounting for roughly 19% of the world’s proven crude oil reserves, oil companies are seeing a significant investment opportunity. As President Trump stated Saturday, “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country.” However, given Venezuela’s dilapidated energy industry, it will likely take years and billions of dollars before oil companies reap significant profits. That said, the market indicates that investors are lining up.
  • Trump’s meaningful energy moves: The Trump administration clearly sees expanding affordable energy as a high priority for the country, including keeping fossil fuel plants online and expanding the nation’s nuclear energy projects. For example, late last month, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order to keep online a coal-fired energy plant in Colorado that was slated for retirement. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held the first drilling lease sales in the Gulf of America since 2023, and the U.S. Army is quickly nearing the deployment of nuclear microreactors that generate less than 20 megawatts of power, which could be used to provide electricity in remote locations for both military bases and local communities. As Energy Secretary Chris Wright explained, “Like replacing a remote diesel generator in an Alaskan village or at a remote mine site, the administration is supporting all of these efforts.”
  • Daycare fraud updates in Minnesota, Washington: The Department of Health and Human Services has taken action to stymie Somali daycare fraud and ensure accountability. All funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) has been paused for all states, but with a focus on Minnesota, until HHS can be confident the money is not going to fraudsters. Minnesota faces a January 9 deadline to provide information on its daycares, with the possibility of additional penalties “if satisfactory responses are not provided.” In Washington, the Left has been scrubbing public information about its Somali-run daycares ahead of any investigation, which is being described as an attempt “to preempt and restrain investigations and accountability.” Seattle’s new mayor has called the investigation into Somali fraud a “surveillance campaign promoted by extremist influencers” and urged Somalis to report investigations as hate crimes.

  • Tim Walz drops gubernatorial reelection bid: “This is on my watch. I am accountable for this,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said last month of the rampant social services fraud in his state. “More importantly, I am the one that will fix it.” Apparently, Democrats in his state weren’t reassured because Walz dropped his bid for a third term this morning. Walz contends he decided to “focus on the work” of rooting out the fraud rather than spend time campaigning. For Democrats, this is an unexpected hurdle in a midterm election year where a former VP candidate might’ve been expected to be a sure thing. Republicans who have already thrown their hat in the gubernatorial ring include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and 2022 nominee Scott Jensen.
  • Minimum wage increases in 19 states: With the new year, new legislation takes effect, and in 19 states, the hourly minimum wage has increased. Seventeen states now have a minimum wage of $15 an hour or higher. Alaska, Florida, and Oregon are set to hike their minimum wage later this year. Meanwhile, 20 states are still maintaining the federal minimum wage level of $7.25. While the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute touts the minimum wage hikes as a $5 billion pay boost for 8.3 million workers, the overwhelming body of data on minimum wage increases shows a direct link to employment loss and fewer job opportunities, especially for entry-level, teen, and unskilled workers.
  • Qatar spends big to influence U.S. politics: Qatar has spent a lot of money to project a favorable influence in America, particularly in media, universities, and politics. The Free Press tracked roughly $100 billion in such spending. According to OpenSecrets’s calculation using Justice Department data, Qatar was the seventh-most-spending foreign nation on lobbying and public relations in the U.S. from 2016 through 2024, totaling $260.4 million. For comparison, Israel spent $195.1 million over that same time span. Furthermore, DOJ records show that since 2020, Qatari foreign agents have engaged in some 7,400 political communications with American lawmakers, whereas Israeli agents have communicated just over 2,000 times. Qatar also extends its influence through its media conglomerate, Al Jazeera, which reached over 14 billion views on its social media pages in 2023. Qatar’s influence may have much to do with the growth of antisemitism within the U.S.
  • Leftmedia malfeasance: What National Review kindly coins “media misses” are actually media lies, cover-ups, and propaganda. But NR does sum up the worst media misses of 2025. First, the BBC’s antisemitic coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and its journalistic failings in its documentary on Gaza are all symptomatic of the systemic anti-Israel bias at the BBC. ICE has been misrepresented and attacked as incompetent or malicious by the media all year. That includes hoaxes like an 82-year-old Chilean grandfather being deported and raids on elementary graduations. “Fiery, but mostly peaceful” riots made a comeback this year as Los Angeles rioters set fire to cars, injured law enforcement officers, blocked the 101 Freeway, and damaged government vehicles. CNN described the LA riots as “lawful protests” with “some unrest.” Many media outlets were over the moon for Zohran Mamdani, defending his “democratic socialism,” collectivist schemes, and radical friends. Some things don’t change with the new year.

Headlines

  • New NYC mayor sparks fury by scrapping antisemitism protections on first day (Fox News)
  • Iran’s calculations are scrambled by U.S. raid in Caracas (WSJ)
  • Another NC woman slaughtered by a mentally ill perp with a lengthy criminal record (RedState)
  • Humor: Democrats confused why Venezuelans cheering downfall of nice, warm collectivism (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

America First Gets a Big Win in Venezuela

Nate Jackson

Early Saturday morning, the U.S. Army’s Delta Force and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” in conjunction with federal law enforcement, carried out a “large-scale strike” in Caracas, Venezuela. The objective of Operation Absolute Resolve was to do one thing: capture dictator Nicolás Maduro. Okay, two things, the second being bombing the mausoleum of Hugo Chávez. Boom, done, zero American casualties, zero American equipment lost.

‘Merica!

That’s the sentiment of millions of Americans over the last couple of days. The reaction of other Americans — namely Democrats — is to defend a commie dictator and scream about Trump. It might be the dawning days of a new year, but some things never change.

“Overwhelming American military power — air, land, and sea — was used to launch a spectacular assault,” said President Donald Trump on Saturday morning. “And it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II.” We cover the details of the operation in today’s Executive News Summary, so I’ll focus on some bigger picture things.

Trump spent much of his first year in office focusing on what his administration calls the narco-terrorist regime in Venezuela. He has blown up numerous drug boats and amassed a huge U.S. Navy fleet in the Caribbean. Drug cartels traffic narcotics and people across the U.S. southern border, wreaking havoc in our nation, including causing the deaths of perhaps tens of thousands of Americans each year. Moreover, Venezuela has been in cahoots with China, Russia, and Iran, which runs afoul of the two-century-old Monroe Doctrine of American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.

Trump is completely resetting American foreign policy to put America First, including pushing the ChiComs and others out. This raid sends an unmistakable message to other regimes that are trying American patience. Despotic rulers in Tehran and Havana are at the top of that list. So is a certain thug in Moscow who signed a “Strategic Partnership Treaty” with Venezuela in October. (With a straight face, Vladimir “Ukraine Is Mine” Putin condemned this breach of Venezuelan sovereignty.) So is Beijing, which had a delegation meeting with Maduro just before the American raid. (Can I just say how incredibly fantastic that is?) So are the Mexican drug cartels and a left-wing president who’s far too comfortable with their deadly business.

The American president is restoring fear and respect for the U.S. worldwide after four years of utter ineptitude by the Biden administration. In fact, with a few exceptions since the mid-1990s, America has been on a downward trajectory in terms of global influence. Trump wants to change that, and he thinks big.

The Washington Post editorial board … [checks notes] … loved the raid, but Democrats utterly hate it.

Despite Joe Biden and Kamala Harris routinely complaining about “root causes” of the surge in illegal immigration for which they were the root cause, Democrats detest the fact that Trump just addressed one of the most significant factors driving refugees from South America — a tin-pot dictator (and his predecessor) who’d run a formerly prosperous country into the ground with what New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani might call the “warmth of collectivism.” Venezuelans loved socialism so much that they fled to the world’s greatest capitalist country.

Despite Democrats caterwauling about Trump “stealing” the 2016 election and then condemning his objections to the Democrats’ theft of the 2020 election, they won’t countenance Trump removing a man who actually stole the last election in his country.

Despite all those “No Kings” rallies, leftists are mad that Trump took out a “king.”

Despite Team Biden putting a $25 million bounty on Maduro’s head less than a year ago, Democrats can’t tolerate that Trump is the one who got him. “Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable,” Harris bitterly griped.

Senate Democrats intend to force a vote on a war powers resolution to condemn Trump’s operation. “One of the reasons the Founding Fathers gave the ability to declare war to the Congress is so there would be debate, discussion, different points of view before something so momentous happens,” complained Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “And they’re just ripping up that part of the Constitution.”

Democrats would never rip up the Constitution.

I’m not saying there aren’t constitutional questions. Republican Senator Mike Lee thinks there are: “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.” The Trump administration called it a law enforcement operation, not a military invasion. There has been a warrant for Maduro’s arrest since 2020.

In any case, Democrats are playing games if they think there aren’t precedents for this very thing. The closest parallel is Manuel Noriega in 1989. The Panamanian dictator was captured by U.S. forces and brought to Miami, where, as constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley notes, he was “convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison.” Likewise, Maduro is in New York to face similar charges, primarily for his role running the Cartel of the Suns.

More broadly, Turley argues, “Trump does not need congressional approval for this type of operation. Presidents, including Democratic presidents, have launched lethal attacks regularly against individuals. President Barack Obama killed an American citizen under this ‘kill list’ policy. If Obama can vaporize an American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior congressional approval.”

As for what’s next, Trump painted in broad, if vague, strokes. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a proper and judicious transition,” he said, though there are no U.S. forces on the ground there any longer. “We don’t want to be involved with someone else getting in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.” He added, “We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country.”

Strangely, Trump doesn’t think Nobel Peace Prize-winning María Corina Machado will be the next leader: “I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” I’m not sure why he’s saying something so demonstrably bogus, but maybe it’s the proverbial 4D chess since Maduro’s cronies are still in charge at the moment. The next leader could also be Edmundo González Urrutia, the man who took Machado’s place in last year’s election and won before Maduro stole it.

American oil companies will have a green light to help restore Venezuela’s infrastructure, too. “We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” said the president.

Trump will brief congressional leaders later today, and he’ll need approval for any long-term operations in Venezuela. For now, at least, this has to be one of the most remarkable U.S. military operations in history, and if the Trump administration supports the right players in Caracas, it could lead to very good things in Venezuela, South America, and the whole Western Hemisphere.

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MORE ANALYSIS

  • Emmy Griffin: CBS Anchor Announces Plan to Start Doing Journalism — “Here’s my promise to you,” claims Tony Dokoupil. “You come first. Not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests.” The proof will be in the pudding.
  • Michael Smith: Looking Beyond Minnesota’s Fraud Scandal — How fraud, non-assimilation, language, logistics, and an opaque informal banking system combine to create a national security issue.
  • Douglas Andrews: Trump and Musk Make Amends — A crucial relationship that went off the rails just a few months ago is now back on track — just in time for the 2026 midterms.
  • Thomas Gallatin: Property Tax Relief: A Winning Issue — Republicans can counter the Democrats’ housing “affordability” issue by touting GOP efforts to limit or eliminate state and local property taxes.
  • Roger Helle: Cursing the Darkness — What excites me at this point in my life is seeing the seeds of hope being sown into a new generation.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

For the Record

“Trump does not need congressional approval for this type of operation [in Venezuela]. Presidents, including Democratic presidents, have launched lethal attacks regularly against individuals. President Barack Obama killed an American citizen under this ‘kill list’ policy. If Obama can vaporize an American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior congressional approval.” —constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley

“Nicolás Maduro had his chance, just like Iran had their chance — until they didn’t and until he didn’t. He [fooled] around and he found out.” —Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

“We will secure our borders, we will stop the terrorists, we will crash the cartels, and we will defend our citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic.” —President Donald Trump

“If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protestors, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” —Donald Trump

“Radical Islam has shown that their desire is not simply to occupy one part of the world and be happy with their own little caliphate. They want to expand. It’s revolutionary in its nature.” —Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Dumb & Dumber

“We will govern expansively and audaciously. … To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this — no longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.” —NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

“Love will be our guide as we pursue our agenda. [W]e will return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home.” —Zohran Mamdani

“We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy.” —Zohran Mamdani

“Palestinian New Yorkers … will no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism and then makes them the exception.” —Zohran Mamdani

Reality Check

“‘The warmth of collectivism’ killed 100 million people in the 20th century.” —Allie Beth Stuckey

The BIG Lie of 2025

“We lowered the price of everything from healthcare to cost of college to junk fees and airline tickets and credit cards.” —former President Joe Biden in December

Political Futures

“What’s happening in Minnesota is a microcosm of the immigration fraud in our system. Politicians like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich. But it’s a zero-sum game, and they’re stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans.” —Vice President JD Vance

“America is toast if the radical left wins. They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud. Won’t be America anymore.” —Elon Musk

Upright

“DEI should be abolished, permanently. I never want to be chosen, promoted, or rewarded because of how I look. I want to earn every opportunity on merit, through hard work, grit, discipline, and determination. Equality means equal standards, not engineered outcomes. The dignity of achievement comes from effort, not entitlement. Judge me by my character, my competence, and my results. Anything less is an insult to everyone striving to be their best.” —Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX)

And Last…

“It seems obvious that authorities should focus on those who entered illegally and have then committed additional crimes. But it’s also obvious that crossing illegally into the U.S. should have serious consequences — like, if you do it, you don’t get to stay.” —Byron York

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TODAY’S MEME

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1781, notorious traitor Benedict Arnold led a British force that burned Richmond, Virginia. Today, Joe Biden heads to Valley Forge to exploit George Washington and his Patriot army to figuratively burn Republicans ahead of the January 6 anniversary tomorrow. Biden and Arnold are two peas in a pod.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

Maduro’s Crooked VP Delcy Rodriguez Should Never Be Allowed to Run Venezuela | The Gateway Pundit

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EXCLUSIVE: Maduro’s Crooked VP Delcy Rodriguez Should Never Be Allowed to Run Venezuela

Maduro’s VP DELCY ELOÍNA RODRÍGUEZ GÓMEZ should not be anywhere near Venezuela’s presidency. 

Remember that a year ago, President Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grennel, delivered a message in person to the former terrorist leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.  In late January 2025, only a few weeks after President Trump’s inauguration, Grennel met with Maduro and worked out the release of 6 Americans.

At that time, the US under President Trump refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela following the contested presidential election in July 2024. Venezuela released six detained Americans as Grennell was ending his visit.

More recently, after the capture and arrest of Maduro, President Trump wants nothing to do with the President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. 

President Trump mentioned this in his press conference on Saturday morning, when he shared that the VP under Maduro had offered to help put the country back together.  President Trump pointed out, however, that she is Maduro’s VP.

Overall, it is a terrible idea to allow Delcy Rodriguez to help put Venezuela back together.  Anyone who advocates for this should be viewed with suspicion. (There are rumblings that at least one person near the President wanted Rodriguez to lead the country going forward.)

However, Rodriguez’s running Venezuela will never be allowed to last.  The New York Post claims that Delcy Rodriguez didn’t like the fact that President Trump captured the terrorist leader of Venezuela and her boss Maduro:

The Maduro loyalist, who has helped him maintain his regime for over a decade, has vented her fury at Trump’s capture of the despot, whom she called her nation’s rightful leader.

Rodriguez, who also serves as minister for finance and oil, slammed Maduro’s arrest as ‘an atrocity that violates international law’ and called for his ‘immediate release’.

‘We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united, because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone,’ she asserted during a National Defense Council session after the US military operation.

Based on observations, Delcy Rodríguez functioned as the civilian operator sustaining the Maduro regime and the Cartel de los Soles.  This role put Delcy in the middle of a transnational organized crime ring and allowed her to assist in the election manipulation needed to keep the corrupt regime in power.

Delsy likely managed the regime’s financial lifelines, including crypto-based laundering networks, illicit gold revenues, narcotrafficking proceeds, and covert payments to military and paramilitary structures.  This, of course, would have put Ms. Rogriguez in the middle of negotiations with Iran, Russia, Cuba, and China.

In her role in the regime, the Vice President of Venezuela was the chief civilian operator of the Cartel de los Soles and the coordinator of foreign-state alliances and illicit finance networks.

Terrorists from the Middle East invaded Venezuela.  Members of Hamas and Hezbollah reportedly were all over Venezuela.  This could not have happened without VP Rodrigues helping them obtain passports and money.  Israel reportedly linked Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis’ financing to Maduro’s VP.

Perhaps, the US could obtain from Delcy where the terrorists running Venezuela placed their money and cryptocurrency, but no more than that.

President Trump is right.  Anyone who supports Maduro’s VP, Delcy Rodriguez, and who believes she is a good person to work with after Maduro’s capture is not thinking straight.  

The post Maduro’s Crooked VP Delcy Rodriguez Should Never Be Allowed to Run Venezuela appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Will Maduro’s Capture Signal the End of an Anti-Christian Regime? | The Daily Declaration

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Will Maduro’s Capture Signal the End of an Anti-Christian Regime?
Nicolás Maduro

Maduro’s capture shakes Latin America, exposing socialist repression, narco-terrorism, and systematic violations of religious freedom—while renewing hope that a free, faith-respecting Venezuela may finally emerge.

Nicolas Maduro, longtime dictator of Venezuela, has been captured by an incredible operation that bombed Fuerte Tiuna, the biggest military base in Caracas. The implications are still unknown, but the region has been shaken, for sure, as Venezuelans looked at the sky for Chinook, Black Hawk, and Little Bird helicopters.

In Cuba, the socialist regime concentrated in Havana will observe solidarity in support of the Chavista dictatorship. Now the frequent blackouts across the island will be more frequent. The jewel in Cuba’s iron crown has fallen.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the leftist politician Pablo Iglesias has embraced the pro-Maduro narrative: the United States is “bombarding Venezuela to steal its oil and impose a puppet government.”

The truth is that Venezuelan oil was being consumed by the barrel by the dictators of Iran, Russia, and Cuba. In the case of Cuba, it was even more outrageous, because while the Cuban people were suffering through prolonged power outages, the regime was reselling the crude oil in illicit operations.

Repressing Rehabilitation

These past few weeks, Venezuela has been in the news as a narco-terrorist state, but in addition to that, it has become a territory where anti-Christian socialism violates the religious freedom of millions of believers. And we, as Christians, cannot think of a better way to rebuild a free Venezuela than respecting religious freedom.

Some stories are terrible. In 2021, several men armed with sticks and knives occupied the Men of Valour Christian Restoration Centre in Mérida. They were members of the ferocious “colectivos” (copies of the Castroist Rapid Response Brigades) that function as paramilitaries in the service of dictator Nicolás Maduro and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

At the Centre, where Pastor Cristian Dugarte tries to reintegrate young former drug addicts into society, several people present were forced to chew pages of the Bible, beaten to the point of fracturing limbs and ribs, and felt the edge of knives cutting their skin in the shape of a cross.

Dugarte had previously received threats to stop his activities, as he had refused to provide information about the identity of the people receiving his help. Did the attackers fear that the pastor was stealing their drug customers? Or perhaps that someone would talk about the links between neighbourhood drug trafficking and Chavista officials?

A local source told the Latin American Observatory for Religious Freedom (OLIRE) about this 2021 event that the attack targeted elements of the faith that motivated this type of ministerial work; that the members of the “colectivo” and the regime did not allow leaders like Dugarte to challenge their power and work without their consent; and that rehabilitating drug addicts was an unwanted and therefore prohibited activity.

State Control

In a report, the organisation Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA), which monitors human rights in the Caribbean basin, recalled that although dictator Hugo Chávez sought to approach evangelicals during his election campaign, he soon lost their support. Especially because of his national expropriation policies, the government’s infiltration of churches, support for Cuba, his diatribes against Israel, and Holocaust denial.

Years later, Maduro, his successor, seeing how the military and evangelicals had collaborated to overthrow his Bolivian ally Evo Morales and their influence in the elections of other countries, commissioned a survey that revealed that 30% of Venezuelans considered themselves evangelical, a figure higher than most estimates, according to OAA.

As a result, Maduro provided superficial initial support to these churches, including authorising the distribution of Bibles, but ultimately followed Chávez’s failed policies and lost almost all support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic years, Maduro restrained the ministerial work of many churches and Christian organisations regarding the receipt of humanitarian aid. He was perhaps seeking control of all those resources entering the country, and he would not share the monopoly of solidarity, in order to reinforce the image of the state as the provider of aid. In the process, he violated the religious freedom of those leaders and faithful who, because of their values, sought to lend a helping hand to those in need in the impoverished South American nation.

On 30 March 2021, the Ministry of Interior and Justice published a new “anti-terrorism” requirement: NGOs and other nonprofit organisations had to provide confidential information about activities, contributions, and names of beneficiaries, which in practice amounts to government surveillance, OAA recalled.

This ordeal has continued to this day. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) confirms this in its recent report, “The Repression of Religious Freedom in the Authoritarian Triad of Latin America: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.”

Weaponised Laws and Bureaucracy

According to the document, although Chavismo has not intensified its persecution against religious groups to the level of Cuba or Nicaragua, it does engage in similar patterns of repression, such as persistent harassment of religious communities, threats and summonses, public attacks, arbitrary detentions, and surveillance of faith groups.

“In Venezuela, religious leaders who are not considered supporters of Maduro by intelligence services face intimidation, including threats from both anonymous sources and state agents,” USCIRF reported. In 2025, for example, the journalist for the Catholic radio station Fe y Alegría, Carlos José Correa Barros, was arrested by masked military personnel. He remained missing until his release nine days later.

The impact of the closing of civic space on religious organisations is clear under Chavismo, mainly with the emergence of laws that also affect freedom of religion.

Since 2024, the Law on the Supervision, Regulation, Operation, and Financing of Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Social Organisations has required NGOs to obtain government authorisation to operate, allowing the state to suspend those that promote “fascism” — that old political corpse, a cousin of socialism, which is trotted out from time to time in demonising diatribes.

As if he were a character from 1984, Maduro brandishes the application of the so-called Hate Law to punish Catholic priests critical of corruption.

Venezuela also follows in Cuba’s well-trodden footsteps in the systematic abuse of legal registration, maintaining, according to USCIRF, the requirement that religious groups register with the Directorate of Justice and Religion. Bureaucracy delays the registration process “for up to a decade for churches that do not demonstrate loyalty.”

The situation is no better in prisons. Chavista authorities frequently deny or prevent priests and pastors from entering detention centres. Caracas has learned from Havana over the years how to break not only bones but also spirits.

Let’s hope that a new Venezuela, with republican values, emerges after the Maduro capture. Maria Corina Machado, the opposition Venezuelan leader, said in a recent communication that she expects a moment for the “popular sovereignty prevails in Venezuela, the release of political prisoners and the return of exiles.” Many Christians are among them! Rejoice for the possibility of a free land in South America, and one less government oppressing our brothers and sisters.

___

Republished with thanks to The Washington Stand. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The post Will Maduro’s Capture Signal the End of an Anti-Christian Regime? appeared first on The Daily Declaration.

This Is The Part Of The Story That Leads To War With Russia And China | The Economic Collapse

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The dramatic events that just occurred in Venezuela have shocked the entire world.  But almost everyone is missing the bigger picture.  A very tense geopolitical game of chess is playing out right in front of our eyes, and the stakes are incredibly high.  The Trump administration would love to push the Chinese and the Russians out of the western hemisphere, and setting up a new western-friendly government in Venezuela would be a huge step in that direction.  Most people do not realize this, but Venezuela actually has more proven oil reserves than anyone else on the entire planet, and that includes Saudi Arabia.  President Trump and his team are gambling that the Chinese and the Russians will stand down and allow them to do whatever they want with Venezuela.  But what if they don’t?  The Chinese and the Russians have both spent decades developing very deep ties with Venezuela, and now they are both absolutely furious.

Over the past two decades, the Russians have sold the Venezuelans approximately 20 billion dollars worth of military equipment, and they just signed a major strategic partnership agreement on May 7th.

The Chinese have lent the Venezuelans approximately 60 billion dollars over the last couple of decades, and China has been purchasing more oil from Venezuela than the rest of the world combined.

An emergency session of the UN Security Council has been called for Monday, and I am sure that the Russians and the Chinese are both going to have plenty to say…

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday after the US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving autocratic President Nicolas Maduro, a move that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres views as setting “a dangerous precedent.”

Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the meeting of the 15-member council, diplomats say. The UN Security Council has met twice — in October and December — over the escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela.

Venezuela had essentially become a full-blown economic colony of China, and it took a great deal of time for the Chinese to accomplish that.

So if you look at things from a Chinese point of view, it is easy to understand why they are so upset.

A foreign ministry spokesperson has announced that China “strongly condemns” what the U.S. has just done…

China said it’s “deeply shocked” by the US’s military strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

China “strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday. “Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it.”

And the Chinese are also demanding that Nicolas Maduro and his wife be released immediately…

Beijing’s stinging rebuke expressed “serious concern over their transfer out of the country”.

It claimed the military operation was “in clear violation of international law and the basic norms in international relations and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter”, adding: “China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the Government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.”

Of course that isn’t going to happen.

Now that President Trump has Maduro, he is never going to let him go.

What makes all of this even more embarrassing for China is that a Chinese delegation actually met with Maduro just hours before he was grabbed by U.S. forces…

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received a Chinese government representative at the presidential palace in Caracas on Friday, hours before US President Donald Trump claimed Maduro had been captured following American military strikes.

Maduro met Qiu Xiaoqi, special representative of the Chinese government on Latin American affairs, at the Miraflores Palace.

“I had a pleasant meeting with Qiu Xiaoqi, Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping,” Maduro said on Telegram. “We reaffirmed our commitment to the strategic relationship that is progressing and strengthening in various areas for building a multipolar world of development and peace.”

Can you imagine how we would feel if the roles were reversed?

To the Chinese, Venezuela is not just another country.

It was supposed to provide large amounts of oil for China’s growing economy for decades to come, and the Venezuelans currently owe the Chinese tens of billions of dollars…

Venezuelan oil takes an unconventional route to end-users in China. Transport typically takes more than two months and involves multiple ship-to-ship transfers to mask the origin of the cargo. Close to half of the tankers storing Merey are sitting in waters off China and Southeast Asia, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, public data supports estimates that Beijing lent upwards of $60 billion in oil-backed loans to Venezuela through state-run banks until 2015, reaching a level of diplomatic and financial investment unmatched elsewhere in Latin America and perhaps the world.

By making a move to take control of Venezuela, we have essentially punched the Chinese in the face.

Our relationship with China will never be the same after this.

For years, experts have been talking about a coming war with China, and the U.S. military is actually “working around the clock” to prepare for such a conflict…

Across sleepy and remote islands in the Pacific, U.S. military engineers are working around the clock to revive strategically important airstrips that American troops first built under fire over 70 years ago during World War II.

The reconstruction effort is being led by a designated office within the U.S. Air Force, whose Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, doctrine has identified dozens of airfields that will be used to house and launch fighter jets, aerial refuelling tankers and weapons during a war with China. A trilateral force of the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force is now converging with a single goal in mind: re-establish a presence on the airfields once used to deliver decisive combat power for the United States during the last great power war.

The Russians are also extremely upset about what has just transpired in Venezuela.

In fact, Russia’s Foreign Ministry says that what we just witnessed “warrants condemnation”…

The US committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela, which gives rise to deep concern & warrants condemnation.

The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable.

Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

And Russia’s Foreign Ministry is also calling for the immediate release of “the lawfully elected president of a sovereign country and his wife”…

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday called for the release of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife from U.S. custody after President Donald Trump announced that they were captured during military strikes on the capital city of Caracas.

“We firmly call on the U.S. leadership to reconsider this position and release the lawfully elected president of a sovereign country and his wife,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, stressing the need to resolve the dramatic confrontation through diplomacy.

In a separate message, the ministry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez, during which he expressed his “solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of armed aggression.”

After what we just witnessed, how are the Russians supposed to trust any promises that we are making about Ukraine?

I just don’t see any possible way that there is going to be lasting peace with Russia now.

I think that the “peace plan” that the Ukrainians and the Europeans have been working on will eventually be presented to the Russians, and the Russians will immediately reject it because it is filled with provisions that the Russians could never possibly accept.

Once the Russians have rejected the “peace plan”, we will be told that there is no choice but to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

Needless to say, that will put us in very dangerous territory.

As for Venezuela, there is a possibility that the U.S. Senate could step in next week and prevent President Trump and his team from taking any further military action…

The Senate will vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block President Trump from continuing military action against Venezuela — a vote that takes on heightened importance after U.S. forces attacked the South American nation and arrested President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday.

The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.

The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

It will be very interesting to see how that vote goes.

Several Republicans will need to back that resolution in order for it to pass.

Of course President Trump will be extremely displeased with any Republicans that choose to do so.

But even if this resolution passes, the U.S. has still crossed a line that will never be able to be uncrossed.

We have reached the part of the story that will eventually lead to war with both Russia and China, and that should deeply alarm all of us.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post This Is The Part Of The Story That Leads To War With Russia And China appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

“The Donroe Doctrine”: Are Cuba, Colombia And Mexico The Next Targets, Or Will Someone Else Be First Instead? | End Of The American Dream

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We are witnessing the most profound shift in U.S. foreign policy that we have seen in decades, and it is going to have enormous implications.  President Trump and his team have determined that the entire western hemisphere is our sphere of influence.  If somebody is doing things in the western hemisphere that we do not like, we will intervene.  If that requires military action, President Trump will pull the trigger.  Many have been comparing Trump’s agenda for the western hemisphere to the Monroe Doctrine…

The Monroe Doctrine, named after its architect former President James Monroe in 1823, is one of the most consequential U.S. foreign policy agendas in the 19th century. It began as a largely symbolic document that stated American opposition to new or expanding European involvement in the Americas, after centuries of colonial activity in the region. It would go on to become a significant element of U.S. foreign policy toward the region for decades, though it has been increasingly criticized by academics and policy makers for being used to justify interventions in Latin America.

But President Trump doesn’t think that he is simply adhering to the Monroe Doctrine.

During a press conference over the weekend, Trump said that his actions have “superseded it by a lot”, and as a result many are now referring to his approach as “the Donroe Doctrine”…

In his remarks on Jan. 3, the president cast the doctrine as a continuing tenet of U.S. foreign policy, and said the operation that ousted Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro not only abides by it, but goes a step further. Trump alleged the country was “hosting foreign adversaries” and “acquiring offensive weapons” and accused Venezuela of seizing and selling American oil assets.

“All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries,” Trump said. “All the way back, dated to the Monroe doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe doctrine.”

But will we actually be able to impose our will on the other nations in the western hemisphere?

That is a very good question.

What if some of those other nations don’t like it and start asking for outside help?

This is a very risky game that Trump is playing.

After Maduro was grabbed, Trump told the press that we are “going to run” Venezuela for now…

President Trump told the nation the US would now take over running Venezuela, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was captured “in the dead of night.”

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort as he provided new details on the stunning military operation.

“We’re going to run it, essentially” through the transition, he said.

That was quite a bold statement.

Trump also warned that U.S. troops may have to be sent in if Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez doesn’t do “what we want”…

Asked by The Post if “US troops [will] be on the ground helping run the country,” Trump said: “No, if Maduro’s vice president — if the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that.”

“We’re prepared,” Trump added. “You know, we have a second wave that’s much bigger than the first wave.”

The president said that “we’ve spoken to her [Rodriguez] numerous times, and she understands, she understands.”

Of course it doesn’t appear that Rodriguez intends to be a puppet for the Trump administration.

In fact, one of the first things that she did after becoming acting president was to hold a joint television appearance with other members of the Maduro regime…

Under Venezuela’s constitution, Rodriguez becomes acting president in Maduro’s absence and the country’s top court ordered her to assume the role late Saturday night.

But shortly after Trump’s remarks, Rodriguez appeared on state television flanked by her brother, the head of the national assembly Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and said that Maduro remained Venezuela’s only president.

The joint appearance indicated the group that shared power with Maduro is staying united – for now.

Rodriguez is insisting that Maduro is still Venezuela’s legitimate leader, and she is calling for his immediate release…

But the Maduro loyalist, who has helped him maintain his regime for over a decade, has vented her fury at Trump’s capture of the despot, whom she called her nation’s rightful leader.

Rodriguez, who also serves as minister for finance and oil, slammed Maduro’s arrest as ‘an atrocity that violates international law’ and called for his ‘immediate release’.

‘We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united, because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone,’ she asserted during a National Defense Council session after the US military operation.

When President Trump heard about this, he was not pleased at all.

In fact, he is warning that if she doesn’t fall in line, her fate could be even worse than Maduro’s…

President Donald Trump threatened Venezuela’s new leader with a grim fate far worse than ousted dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Trump, who said just hours after arresting Maduro and his wife in Caracas that he preferred hardline socialist Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as Maduro’s successor rather than the country’s opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, appeared to change his tune on Sunday morning.

Now, the commander-in-chief says if Rodriguez ‘doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,’ Trump told The Atlantic.

Those that are insisting that Venezuela has already been “liberated” don’t know what they are talking about.

Maduro may be gone, but Maduro’s government is still very much in control.

If Trump actually wants full control of Venezuela, more military action will be required.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of speculation about what country in the western hemisphere could be next on Trump’s hit list after Venezuela.

When Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about Cuba during an appearance on “Meet the Press”, his answer was quite ominous…

During an interview with “Meet the Press,” Rubio sent a warning to the Cuban government, asserting “they’re in a lot of trouble.”

“Is the Cuban government the Trump administration’s next target,” journalist Kristen Welker said.

“Well, the Cuban government is a huge problem. Yeah,” Rubio replied.

“Is that a yes?” Welker asked.

“I think they’re in a lot of trouble, yes,” Rubio added.

Wow.

It definitely sounds like he is saying that regime change in Cuba is very much on the table.

When President Trump was asked about Cuba by the New York Post, he made it very clear that he considers Venezuela and Cuba to be linked…

“Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case,” Trump told The Post.

“You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.”

Of course it is entirely possible that Colombia could rise to the top of Trump’s hit list, because Colombia sends a lot of drugs to the United States.

On Saturday, Trump’s answer was quite graphic when he was asked about something that Colombian President Gustavo Petro had just said…

President Donald Trump put Colombian President Gustavo Petro on notice during a Saturday press conference, where he also addressed the fallout from the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Asked about Petro’s comment that he was “not concerned about anything happening to him in the aftermath of this operation,” Trump responded: “He has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass.”

If I was Petro, I would be taking extra security precautions from this point forward.

Mexico actually sends far more drugs into the United States than Colombia does, and President Trump is quite frustrated that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will not allow the U.S. military to take action against drug cartels on Mexican soil…

When asked about Mexico by Fox’s Griff Jenkins, Trump responded that the cartels have more power than its democratically elected left-wing president, Claudia Sheinbaum, whom Trump clashed with early in MAGA 2.0 over immigration and the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump said that Sheinbaum, 63, has rejected offers of American military aid to take action against the cartels, claiming she has told him, “No, no, no, Mr. President. No, no, no, please.”

But even though Sheinbaum is ruling out U.S. military operations on Mexican soil, Trump is suggesting that he might go ahead anyway, because “something’s going to have to be done with Mexico”…

Trump then hinted that he might order action in Mexico anyway, claiming that drugs coming over the southern border are killing Americans by the hundreds of thousands.

“Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico,” he said.

It looks like our military is going to be busy for the foreseeable future.

On top of everything else, members of the Trump administration have been openly talking about taking control of Greenland once again…

“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” Trump told The Atlantic in an interview published Jan. 4, describing the island as reportedly “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”

The same day, Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a photo of Greenland covered with the American flag. Above it, Miller wrote “SOON.”

Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, responded, saying: “We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Imagine the uproar that would be created if China or Russia was talking like this.

We really are living at a time of wars and rumors of wars, and global events are starting to get really crazy.

According to one military blog, “multiple C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft” just stopped in the UK as they were on their way to Europe…

Flight tracking data shows an increase in U.S. Air Force strategic airlift activity, including multiple C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft arriving at RAF Fairford, alongside the arrival of two AC-130 gunships at RAF Mildenhall. Approximately ten C-17 movements have been observed over a short period, with most flights originating from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.

While MH-47 Chinook helicopters have not been directly observed at RAF Fairford, several of the C-17 movements are assessed to have transported U.S. Army rotary-wing assets. The aircraft types involved, combined with departure locations and routing patterns, are consistent with the movement of special operations aviation units. Open-source imagery and flight data suggest likely involvement of assets associated with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

We saw similar movements just before the U.S. bombed Iran during the 12 Day War.

President Trump warned Iran that the U.S. would strike if the Iranians started killing peaceful protesters.

And it is being reported that quite a few protesters in Iran have been shot dead.

So is Iran the next one on the list to feel Trump’s wrath?

Only time will tell.

But whoever it is, I have a feeling that we won’t have to wait too long to see who Trump bombs next.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post “The Donroe Doctrine”: Are Cuba, Colombia And Mexico The Next Targets, Or Will Someone Else Be First Instead? appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

5 Jan 2026 News Briefing

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Will US attacks on Venezuela impact terror organizations in the Middle East? 
For Israelis, the American strikes in Caracas are seen as a potential blow to Hezbollah, IRGC whose operations are partly financed through South American drug trafficking. The operation could disrupt a key financial and logistical hub used by Iranian-backed terror organizations operating in the Middle East. For years, Venezuela has served as a nucleus linking South American drug cartels with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran and Iranian proxy Hezbollah, based in Lebanon.

Statement about Greenland in Trump’s circle – Soon
A former US government spokesperson, and the wife of one of Donald Trump’s closest associates, has posted a photo showing Greenland draped in the colors of the American flag. “Soon,” wrote former spokesperson Katie Miller when she posted the photo on X.

For Hamas to disarm, Trump must forget about all of its supporters
US President Donald Trump’s demand that Hamas terrorists completely disarm will only happen if the White House is prepared to pressure countries such as Turkey, Qatar, and Iran, which have historically backed the terror group, to force Hamas terrorists to lay down their arms. Ever since Trump succeeded in implementing the first stage of his 20-point plan for ending the Gaza conflict, Hamas has received widespread backing from its supporters in Ankara, Doha, Islamabad, and Tehran for ignoring demands to surrender its weapons.

Opposition in Venezuela says U.S. arrest of Nicolás Maduro is not enough
The U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is “not enough” for Venezuela to return to normal, according to opposition politician Edmundo González Urrutia. What is required now is that “all Venezuelans who have been deprived of their freedom for political reasons be released,” he says in an Instagram post from Spain, where he is in exile. According to several international observers, González Urrutia is the rightful winner of the 2024 election in Venezuela.

Nick Shirley says people telling him he’ll be ‘Kirked’ after viral Somali fraud video
YouTuber Nick Shirley said on “PBD Podcast” on Wednesday that people have been telling him he will be assassinated like Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk after his viral video on alleged Somali fraud. Shirley’s video showed him finding that multiple supposed Minnesota Somali-run daycare centers, including one that reportedly obtained $4 million in taxpayer funds, lacked children. On the podcast, Shirley detailed threats he has received, along with how his family has been affected. a resurfaced 2018 surveillance video from Fox 9 demonstrates how Somali scammers allegedly bilked Minnesota out of funds for services that they never delivered. The footage was taken in 2015 and showed parents bringing kids into a daycare center before departing with them shortly after, according to Fox News.

Anne Frank’s step-sister and Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss dies at 96
Eva Schloss, an Auschwitz survivor who spent decades educating people about the Holocaust and was the step-sister of diarist Anne Frank, has died aged 96, her foundation said on Sunday. Her family mourned a “remarkable woman,” praising her tireless work for remembrance, understanding and peace.

‘Zionist undertones’: Venezuelan VP, Candace Owens & and online activists blame Israel for Maduro’s capture 
With Israel embattled on the world stage due to the ongoing war, anti-Israel activists have increasingly tried to connect Israel to nearly every bad thing happening around the world – and even the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in far-away South America is no exception. The most headline-grabbing of these accusations came from Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez. Speaking in an address on Saturday, she said: “The governments of the world are shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim and target of an attack of this nature, which undoubtedly has Zionist undertones.”

Why Christians Are Disappearing Across the Middle East But Thriving in Israel
The lands where Christianity was born are becoming its graveyard. Across the Middle East and North Africa in 2025, Christians now comprise just 3% of the population, according to new research from the Pew Research Center. A century ago, they made up 13%. In Iraq and Syria, ancient communities that survived Roman persecution, Islamic conquest, and Ottoman rule have been decimated in a single generation.

Iranian regime enters ‘survival mode’ as protests intensify
Senior figures in Iran’s leadership have entered what officials privately describe as “survival mode” amid a widening wave of protests and unrest sweeping the Islamic Republic, according to a report published Sunday by The New York Times. The report described the current crisis as the most severe challenge the regime has faced to date, with Iranian officials acknowledging in closed-door discussions that the state has few remaining tools to confront mounting economic collapse or to prevent another round of military strikes.

Israel, Syria to renew talks on security deal after nearly two months’ hiatus
Senior Syrian and Israeli officials are expected to meet on Monday in Paris to resume negotiations on a new security agreement, according to a report by Axios, citing an Israeli official and another source with knowledge of the talks. The discussions will mark the first round in nearly two months and the fifth overall. The talks had been paused due to significant gaps between the sides and the resignation of Israel’s previous lead negotiator, former Minister Ron Dermer.

What Britain’s silence on Iran’s protests says about its foreign policy priorities 
Why is there no statement about supporting regime change in Iran? And why are there no comments about the international law violations by the Iranian regime as it cracks down on protesters?

US Pushes Oil Majors to Invest Big in Venezuela if They Want to Recover Debts
White House and State Department officials have told US oil executives in recent weeks that they would need to return to Venezuela quickly and invest significant capital in the country to revive the damaged oil industry if they wanted compensation for assets expropriated by Venezuela two decades ago, according to two people familiar with the outreach.

Trump Warns Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodríguez in Magazine Interview
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez may pay a bigger price than ousted leader Nicolas Maduro “if she doesn’t do what’s right,” according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine. Trump initially praised Rodriguez on Saturday after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Caracas. Rodriguez said later, however, that her country would defend its natural resources. “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,”

Yemen’s internationally recognized government announces retaking of Hadramout 
Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced on Sunday that it had regained control of the governorate of Hadramout. Shortly after its recapture, Hadramout Governor Salem al-Khanbashi announced the resumption of his duties administering the province from the city of Seiyun. The head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Rashad al-Alimi, ordered strict measures to secure public and private property in Hadramout following its recapture by government forces.

RFK Jr. Drops the Hammer — ALL Federal Child Care Funds Cut to Minnesota Over Massive Somali Fraud – EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. halts all child care funding to Minnesota after Nick Shirley exposes massive Somali daycare fraud. Meanwhile, President Trump’s FBI raids uncover Ilhan Omar’s direct link to $10B in fake daycare operations. The federal government is unleashing full-scale countermeasures, with Kash Patel warning of national security threats. This is the largest corruption takedown in years.

Venezuela Bombshell Intel Drop — Narco General Hugo Carvajal Confesses: CIA-Knowing Election Fraud, U.S. Senators Funded by Narco Regime 
Venezuelan Intel Chief Hugo Carvajal confesses from U.S. custody: Smartmatic was built for fraud, the CIA knew, and U.S. Senators were bought off by a narco-terror regime. Trump and Pete Hegseth launch a full-scale counteroffensive to destroy the Deep State from within. This is the Venezuela List. This is war. Hugo Carvajal Barrios, … “I will expose the entire network—from South America to your Senate floor.”

Record-breaking King Tides flood San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California coast, U.S.
Record-breaking King Tides struck the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of the Northern California coast on Friday and Saturday, January 2-3, 2026, causing widespread coastal flooding across multiple counties. Tide gauges across the region recorded water levels up to 0.76 m (2.5 feet) above normal, breaking multiple records and prompting road closures, flood warnings, and emergency advisories.

“The Donroe Doctrine”: Are Cuba, Colombia And Mexico The Next Targets, Or Will Someone Else Be First Instead?
“We are witnessing the most profound shift in U.S. foreign policy that we have seen in decades, and it is going to have enormous implications. President Trump and his team have determined that the entire western hemisphere is our sphere of influence. If somebody is doing things in the western hemisphere that we do not like, we will intervene. If that requires military action, President Trump will pull the trigger. Many have been comparing Trump’s agenda for the western hemisphere to the Monroe Doctrine…”

U.S. measles cases top 2,000 in 2025, highest total in more than three decades
U.S. measles cases exceeded 2,000 in 2025, reaching 2,065 confirmed cases – the highest total since 1992.  The CDC reported 49 outbreaks nationwide, with Texas accounting for more than 800 cases and ongoing outbreaks in states including South Carolina.

This Is The Part Of The Story That Leads To War With Russia And China
The dramatic events that just occurred in Venezuela have shocked the entire world.  But almost everyone is missing the bigger picture.  A very tense geopolitical game of chess is playing out right in front of our eyes, and the stakes are incredibly high.  The Trump administration would love to push the Chinese and the Russians out of the western hemisphere, and setting up a new western-friendly government in Venezuela would be a huge step in that direction.  Most people do not realize this, but Venezuela actually has more proven oil reserves than anyone else on the entire planet, and that includes Saudi Arabia.  President Trump and his team are gambling that the Chinese and the Russians will stand down and allow them to do whatever they want with Venezuela.  But what if they don’t?  The Chinese and the Russians have both spent decades developing very deep ties with Venezuela, and now they are both absolutely furious.

EXCLUSIVE: NYPD Muslim Recruit Demands Exemption from Saluting American Flag—’I Only Praise Allah’
An NYPD recruit currently training at the police academy has reportedly requested a religious exemption from saluting the American flag—asserting that his Islamic beliefs prohibit him from doing so because he may only praise Allah.

Bondi Beach Massacre: Islam in Action, Doctrine in Practice 
Bondi Beach was not a moral aberration but a doctrinally intelligible act—one that reveals how Islamic theology dehumanizes non-Muslims, replaces guilt with honor, legitimizes violence against the defenseless, and exposes the West’s catastrophic illusion of shared values.

Should Christians Demand Reparations from Muslims for Centuries of Slavery?
For more than 300 years, Muslim slavers from North Africa captured and enslaved Europeans along the Mediterranean coast. Today, the descendants of those same Barbary states, most notably Algeria, are demanding reparations from the very peoples their ancestors once enslaved.

Iran’s Khamenei has escape plan to flee to Moscow if regime falls amid protests
The plan, called “Plan B” by the British report, would include 86-year-old Khamenei and 20 close people, including family and aides.

Israeli defense officials say Hamas controls most humanitarian aid in Gaza
Senior security officials say Hamas is exploiting the increased flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and turning it into a source of civilian and economic leverage, as reported this Sunday on Kan Reshet Bet’s program “HaBoker HaZeh.”

Netanyahu struggles to hold coalition as Haredi draft crisis deepens
Ultra-Orthodox parties are threatening to block the state budget without draft exemptions, sparking internal clashes, public backlash and renewed preparations for possible early elections.

5 Jan 2026

Headlines – 01/05/2026

Freed Israeli hostage details fear of being made a ‘sex slave’ for Hamas terrorists: ‘No one will silence me anymore’

Israel kills at least 5 people across Gaza and Lebanon in latest ceasefire violations – Israeli forces continue to demolish homes in Gaza and occupy five locations in southern Lebanon

Hamas says father, 8-year-old son killed in Gaza building collapse; reports say structure previously damaged

IDF thwarts attempt to smuggle three M-16 rifles from Egypt via drone

New round of Israel-Syria negotiations said set to begin in Paris

World at War: UK and France Fighter Jets Strike Underground ISIS Weapons Cache in Syria

UK confirms joint airstrike targeting suspected ISIS weapons facility in Syria – British secretary of state for Defence says strike shows determination to prevent Islamic State resurgence, comes amid US military activity in Syria

Islamic Republic in ‘survival mode’ amid protests, Iranian officials said to believe

Iran claims Israel seeking to ‘undermine national unity,’ accuses Netanyahu, US of incitement amid protests

Netanyahu: Now could be moment Iranians ‘take their fate into their own hands’ – Senior officials reportedly say PM had been avoiding commenting on the protests, so Iran wouldn’t use remarks as pretext to attack Israel

Ayatollah Khamenei plans to flee to Moscow if Iran unrest intensifies – The republic’s supreme leader has plotted an exit route out of Tehran should his forces fail to quell dissent, an intelligence report reveals

With Venezuela raid, Trump fires a message to Iran and Hamas. Will they listen?

Rubio says US will use oil leverage to shape Venezuela’s transition after ousting of Maduro – “No more drug trafficking. No more Iran/Hezbollah presence there, and no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world.”

Venezuela still owes US energy companies billions as Trump calls for new investment – Trump says US energy firms should ‘fix the badly broken oil infrastructure’ in cash-strapped Venezuela

Shares of Chevron jump 8% after Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela

“I Think They’re in a Lot of Trouble” – Rubio Signals Cuba is Trump’s Next Target, Reveals that Cubans Controlled Venezuelan Intelligence and Guarded Maduro

Trump says Cuba is ‘ready to fall’ after capture of Venezuela’s Maduro

Cuban Dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel Threatens America – Vows Cubans Will “Give Our Blood” and Make the U.S. “Pay a Very Heavy Price”

Hunger, Suffering, and Repression: What Life Was Like Under Venezuelan Socialism

DHS encourages Venezuelans in the US to go home ‘to the country they love’ now that Maduro is gone – “President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate narco-terrorist dictator who stole from his own people”

Maduro’s Military Loyalists Issue Threatening Video – Accuse U.S. of “Colonialism” While Demanding Release of Captured Dictator

European Far-Left Rage over Ousting of Socialist Venezuela Dictator Maduro

Sen. Chris Murphy Claims Maduro Ouster “Has Nothing to do with American National Security”, Says Venezuela “Not a Security Threat” and Venezuelan Drugs “go to Europe” – White House Responds

Chuck Schumer Loses It Over Trump’s Venezuela Operation – Runs to George Stephanopoulos to Announce War Powers Resolution

Schumer: Maduro Capture Was a Reckless ‘Violation of the Law’

Senator Tim Kaine Gets Called Out on Live TV After Blaming Trump for Biden’s Failures on Venezuela

Busted on CNN: Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy Gets Confronted Live on Air With His Own 2019 Op-Ed Calling for Maduro to Be Ousted

“I Don’t Know Why That’s Confusing to You” – Marco Rubio Torches CBS’ Margaret Brennan After She Melts Down Over Maduro Raid Not Arresting ‘Every Narco Terrorist’

Rubio to Democrats who wanted Congress to approve Maduro capture: ‘Couldn’t afford leaks’

Trump Says US Troops Injured in Venezuela are “All in Good Shape” – “Don’t Ask Me Who’s in Charge. It’ll be Very Controversial… We’re in Charge”

Cotton: We Can’t Count on Maduro’s VP Rodriguez to Be Friendly ‘Until She Proves It’

Trump Puts Venezuela’s New “President” on Notice – Delcy Rodriguez Threatened With a Fate Worse Than Captured Tyrant Maduro

‘She is going to pay a very big price’: Trump issues new threat to interim leader of Venezuela – In an interview with The Atlantic, President Donald Trump said rebuilding and regime change in Venezuela “is better than what you have right now.”

Inside Job? Reports Suggest New Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodriguez, Negotiated With the US the Removal of Maduro, With the Mediation of UAE

Winning: Washington Post Praises Trump Enforcing ‘Justice in Venezuela’

Martina Navratilova under fire for calling Trump ‘insane’ and ‘serial criminal’ after Venezuela strikes – Navratilova is a former Czechoslovakia refugee who escaped communist rule

Hakeem Jeffries: Maduro’s Capture Was an ‘Act of War’ Against Venezuela

Rubio: There’s Not a War in Venezuela, Maduro’s Capture Was a ‘Law Enforcement Function’

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s narco case echoes US history of targeting alleged foreign drug kingpins

You Can’t Make This Up: 92-Year-Old Clinton Judge Who Denied Trump’s Hush-Money Removal to Federal Court and Blocked Venezuelan Gang Deportations Now Assigned to Preside Over Maduro Case in New York

Democrats Fundraise in Protest of Trump Admin’s Capture of Venezuelan Socialist Dictator Nicolas Maduro

Wayne Root: Trump Brings Back Maduro to USA. Why? I’m Betting This is About Stolen 2020 Election. Maduro Knows Where Bodies are Buried. Obama, Biden & Clinton Crime Families Aren’t Sleeping Well Tonight.

Starlink provides free internet to Venezuela following US arrest of Nicolas Maduro

American tourists stranded across the Caribbean after airspace closed for Maduro capture

Trump says U.S. needs Greenland for defense; Denmark says no

‘We need Greenland’: Trump repeats threat to annex Danish territory

Trump: US believes Ukraine did not strike Putin residence, despite Russian claims

N Korea’s Kim oversees hypersonic missile tests, cites geopolitical crisis – Kim Jong Un underscores the need to bolster Pyongyang nuclear deterrent, citing ‘recent geopolitical crisis’, state media reports

Trump posts chart proving 72% of US Somali households are on welfare

Report: Minnesota’s Somali Fraudsters Paid for Lamborghini, Rolls Royce Rentals, Luxury Resort in Kenya with Stolen Money

Gov. Tim Walz Calls Citizen Journalist Nick Shirley a ‘Delusional Conspiracy Theorist’

Trump Shares Video Questioning if Tim Walz Ordered the Assassination of Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman to Cover Up Somali Fraud Scheme

Jack Smith Stutters as He Admits He Called Biden Appointee at DOJ For a Job Before He Was Appointed as “Special Counsel” to Investigate Trump

‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton Predicts AI Will Replace Many More Jobs in 2026

The Large Hadron Collider Is Being Shut Down – CERN doesn’t expect the high-luminosity LHC to be operational again until mid-2030

5.7 magnitude earthquake hits near Prince Edward Islands region

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Dhing, India

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Vilyuchinsk, Russia

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near South Sandwich Islands region

Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft

Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 18,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft

Strong winds leave thousands without power in Humboldt County, rare tornado warning issued for Shelter Cove, California

Record highs possible as millions experience surge in winter warmth across Southern Plains to Mid-Atlantic

Record-breaking King Tides flood San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California coast, U.S.

Flights Grounded: Greece forced to close entire airspace with all flights in and out suspended amid mystery technical failure – Passengers travelling to the country have been warned to expect lengthy delays

Berlin power grid attack caused by ‘extremist leftists,’ officials say – Up to 45,000 households expected to be without power for days as a result of a fire next to a power plant; far-left group claims attack, says it targeted the ‘fossil fuel economy’

‘Real Housewives’ star accused of running cult-like church operation, ex-members allege financial exploitation

Massacre at Nigerian market leaves more than 30 dead as gunmen torch stalls, kidnap others

Dozens Missing as Migrant Boat Capsized off the Coast of Gambia

“We’ll go Back in When the Crime Starts” – Trump Says He’ll Redeploy National Guard and Use Insurrection Act in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland

Top DOJ official blasts Swalwell for suggesting he could charge ICE agents: ‘Not possible’

Two Colorado Hospitals Stop Sex Change Drugs for Minors, Citing HHS Crackdown

Source: http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

4 Jan 2026 News Briefing

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Trump shares photo of captured Maduro aboard U.S. warship
U.S. President Donald Trump has shared a photo purportedly showing Venezuela’s captured President Nicolás Maduro aboard a U.S. warship. The image, which Trump shared on his social media platform Truth Social, appears to show Maduro with his eyes covered and wearing earmuffs.

Trump says the US is taking over the government of Venezuela
The United States will govern Venezuela until further notice, including the country’s oil production, President Donald Trump said at a press conference. “We will govern until we can carry out a safe, orderly and legal transition of power,” Trump said. We cannot risk someone who does not want Venezuela’s best interests taking over the country, he said, warning that the United States is ready to strike in a second attack.

Venezuelans around the world celebrate the capture of Maduro
Scenes of celebration erupted among Venezuelans both inside and outside the country following the capture of one of the nation’s most feared criminal figures, a man whose reign of terror symbolized years of unchecked violence and lawlessness. For many, the arrest represented not just the fall of a single individual, but a rare moment of justice in a country long plagued by crime, corruption, and impunity. One Venezuelan expatriate described the moment as “a victory for the victims who never got justice,”

USDA: Undercover Investigators To Make Sure Retailers Comply With New Food Stamp Restrictions
Undercover investigators with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are going to check whether stores are complying with new restrictions on food stamps, the department said in a new notice to state and regional officials.

Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing arrest of immigrant resigns as GOP threatens impeachment
Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, has sent her resignation letter to the governor. The letter was sent Saturday. Republicans had been making plans to impeach her ever since her Dec. 19 conviction. A spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said his office received Dugan’s letter, and he would work to fill the vacancy without delay.

Democrats Now Claim They Are The “Real” American Patriots
Leftists have never understood the phrase “If you can’t beat em’, join em’”. Instead, they believe that if they can’t defeat their political opponents in terms of logic, reason, morals, facts or the law, then their next best bet is to co-opt the enemy’s message and image without actually adopting their values.. Voters witnessed the first tinges of this strategy in 2024 when Kamala Harris claimed her campaign wasn’t woke (after years of saying Americans needed to be more woke) and Tim Walz pretended to be manly by talking about football and masculinity without knowing anything about either subject. This theme has led to a number of protests which have abandoned woke symbols in favor of a carefully crafted “pro-America” costume.

Hamas officials downplay remaining weapons as Israel presses for disarmament
In interviews with Asharq Al-Awsat, the officials said the armed factions operating in Gaza are now mainly left with Kalashnikov and M16 rifles, other light weapons, a small number of anti-tank grenades, and limited explosive devices. The comments appeared aimed at conveying that Hamas’ remaining capabilities no longer pose a significant security threat to Israel. The statements come as Israel continues to demand the dismantling of Hamas’ military infrastructure

‘Ready for imminent war’: IDF displays captured terrorist weaponry
“The anti-tank rocket launchers and rockets we found belonging to Hezbollah are the most technologically advanced weapons you see here today,” Lt. Col. (res.) Idan Sharon-Kettler, deputy commander of the Israel Defense Forces Asset Confiscation Unit, told JNS at an exhibition at the army’s Tzrifin Camp in central Israel. Sharon-Kettler’s unit has been operating since 1973. He was called up for duty on Oct. 7, 2023, and since then, the unit has been actively extracting weapons and equipment from all areas in which the IDF is operating.

Iran’s leader says rioters ‘must be put in their place’ as protest death toll reaches at least 10
Iran’s supreme leader insisted Saturday that “rioters must be put in their place” after a week of protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic, likely giving security forces a green light to aggressively put down the demonstrations. The protests show no sign of stopping and follow U.S. President Donald Trump warning Iran on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

‘Dangerous precedent’: UN, world leaders decry US op. that saw capture of Venezuela’s Maduro
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres decried the strikes on Venezuela as a “dangerous precedent,” while Argentinian President Javier Milei celebrated the “excellent news.” “What we have to understand is that it’s the collapse of the regime of a dictator that was rigging elections,” Milei said. “In the last election [Maduro] was badly defeated and, despite that, he clinged on to power.” On social media, Milei wrote, “FREEDOM MOVES FORWARD. LONG LIVE FREEDOM DAMMIT,” “Israel commends the United States’ operation, led by President Trump, which acted as the leader of the free world,”

Israel Will Defend Christians Facing Radical Islamist Terror And Persecution, Netanyahu Vows
Netanyahu acknowledged that he and his government and intelligence agencies are aware that Christians are being persecuted and terrorized around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Africa. What’s more, he vowed the Jewish state would use its power, intelligence, and influence to help defend Christians.

Chinese EV Exports Are Exploding, And The West Has No Way To Stop Them
Chinese cars were once the butt of jokes, but they’ve become a major threat to Western automakers. That’s clear today as data from China’s General Administration of Customs has revealed exports of electric vehicles soared 87 percent in November. Focusing on Europe, exports to the UK soared 113 percent last month

Why Trump Targeted Venezuela, Now What with Capture of President Maduro?
The Trump administration’s opposition to Maduro was driven by a mix of political, humanitarian, and strategic concerns.

Democrats Melt Down Over Capture And Arrest Of Dictator Maduro
While Venezuelans hit the streets in wild celebration, popping bottles and celebrating freedom, Democrats in Washington, D.C., clutched their pearls and went into full meltdown mode, accusing Trump of getting us into a war and violating the Constitution.

‘Israel commends’ US op in Venezuela, says FM Sa’ar, and ‘welcomes the removal of the dictator who led a network of drugs and terror’ 
the United States detained the president and flew him, together with his wife, out of the country. According to reports, the operation was carried out by American forces during today’s attack by the U.S. military on Venezuela’s capital. In recent hours, the U.S. administration also released the first image of Maduro held captive by American forces. U.S. President Donald Trump was interviewed by Fox News and said there were no fatalities among U.S. forces operating in Venezuela, though there were several wounded.

North America Leads Largest LNG Export Surge Since 2022
North America was the key supplier of new LNG volumes, as Canada’s first-ever export facility, LNG Canada, started shipments in the middle of 2025, and Plaquemines LNG in Louisiana launched operations and ramped up shipments throughout the year. Thanks to rising capacity and volumes, the U.S. is set to become the first LNG exporter in the world to have passed in 2025 the threshold of 100 million tons of LNG exports in one year.

Dangerous new equilibrium awaits Japan-China ties in 2026
Japan’s relationship with China has entered a deep freeze following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November remarks that Tokyo could intervene militarily in a Taiwan crisis, with ties showing few signs of warming anytime soon. But a deeper look reveals that rather than a mere flare-up, which has at times punctuated the relationship, the latest deterioration of ties has highlighted that a dangerous new equilibrium between the two countries is emerging — one that will test each other’s resolve, especially in the year ahead.

Trump Says Triumphal Arch Construction Just Two Months Away
President Trump has announced that construction of a “triumphal arch” in Washington DC will begin within two months. Reminiscent of Paris’ famed Arc de Triomphe and similar European victory monuments, Trump’s triumphal arch promises to be a major addition to a capital city already laden with prominent monuments. Many details have yet to be announced, such as the size, duration of construction, cost, and — perhaps most significantly — its location. Based on Politico’s reporting, it will likely be near the Lincoln Memorial, “It will be like the one in Paris

North Korea launches multiple missiles in first tests of 2026
North Korea launched what appeared to be at least two ballistic missiles on Sunday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, less than a week after it test-fired two long-range “strategic” cruise missiles. The Japan Coast Guard said both missiles had fallen roughly 10 minutes after their launch, a short flight that could indicate shorter-range weapons had been fired.

US Reissues Urgent ‘Do Not Travel’ Warning For Russia, As NYT Confirms CIA’s Escalating Involvement
The US State Department has once once again re-issued an urgent advisory warning Americans not to travel to Russia. The renewed travel advisory also tells any American citizens currently in Russia to depart immediately. It cites the danger associated with the ongoing war with Ukraine, as well as the significant risk of wrongful detention by Russian officials, and the possibility of terrorism. This is nothing new, given such warnings have been issued going all the way back to February 2022, but it suggests that the Trump administration’s view is that things might continue to escalate as efforts toward a peace deal stall.

At least 2 dead after M6.5 earthquake strikes Guerrero and Mexico City, Mexico
At least two people were killed after a strong M6.5 earthquake hit Guerrero on January 2, 2026. Meanwhile, 17 people were injured as hundreds of homes were reportedly destroyed or damaged across Mexico due to the tremors and subsequent landslides. Over 1 000 aftershocks have been recorded since the mainshock as relief efforts and damage surveys continue.

Venezuela President Maduro to ‘stand trial’ in the US as Trump ‘captures’ leader and his wife after explosions rocked capital Caracas
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been ‘captured and flown out of the country’ to stand trial in the United States, Donald Trump has said. Trump released a statement that said the US had ‘successfully’ carried out a military strike after several explosions rocked in the capital of Caracas early Saturday.

Trump says US will temporarily run Venezuela, ‘not afraid of boots on ground’ if necessary
President Trump told the nation the US would now take over running Venezuela, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was captured “in the dead of night.” “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort as he provided new details on the stunning military operation.

Trump Admin Launches Prayer Campaign To Celebrate Nation’s Founding: ‘Let Us Rededicate Ourselves To One Nation Under God’
In July, President Donald Trump announced plans for a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday to culminate in spectacular fashion on Independence Day 2026. But before the nation’s capital is immersed in patriotic pageantry befitting such a historic milestone, the president is calling the country to pray.

France threatens to arrest British activists who are stopping the illegal boats
France has threatened to arrest British activists from the Raise the Colours movement who have been attempting to stop migrant crossings from French beaches to the UK.

Muslim American Heritage Month at Ground Zero: A Line New York Should Never Have Crossed
NYC CONQUERED: NO PLANES. NO EXPLOSIONS. JUST SURRENDER This week, New York State lit sixteen government landmarks green to celebrate the so-called Muslim American Heritage Month. Governor Kathy Hochul issued a formal proclamation. For the first time, the state officially sanctified January as a month of celebration. Among the buildings glowing green was One World Trade Center — the Freedom Tower — built on the graves of nearly 3,000 Americans murdered on September 11, 2001. The very site of the deadliest Islamic jihad attack in history was illuminated in Islamic green — not in mourning, not in remembrance, not in warning — but in celebration. This was submission.

2026: Consolidation Under Pressure — Why Power Will Not Fall, But Harden By Tania Koenig
As 2026 begins, the dominant mistake in public analysis is the expectation of rupture — a belief that systems must either collapse dramatically or be redeemed decisively. History offers a different lesson. More often than not, power does not fall when institutions weaken; it consolidates. What changes is not the existence of authority, but its character. It becomes colder, narrower, less persuasive, and more dependent on structure than trust. That is the moment we are entering now.

Gen. Michael Flynn Asks Trump to Hold the Deep State Accountable in 2026
The previous administration’s open-borders policies alone put in motion a litany of destructive changes that would’ve destroyed the country if they’d continued another four years. On that front, President Trump has delivered. The border is more secure than at any time in recent history, albeit there are grumblings about the rate of deportations. But Trump voters wanted more than preservation. Americans wanted the people who put their nation on said disastrous trajectory, the people who subverted their will on multiple fronts, to answer for what they did. Americans voted for accountability.

Is a second strike on Iran inevitable, and what would it change?
​Israeli Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi said Iran is planning to attack Israel, which is why Israel will need to strike first. “It is imminent,” Avivi told AIN. “There will be an attack on Iran.” Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told AIN that Iran has been rapidly rebuilding its missile systems with Chinese and Russian assistance.

4 Jan 2026

Headlines – 01/04/2026

Commentary: ‘We’re locked & loaded’: Trump warns apocalyptic Iranian regime not to murder swelling protest movement or US will attack – is he planning 2nd air assault, possibly to include Iranian missile facilities, possibly with Israeli involvement?

EU urges Iran to respect right to protest, calls for immediate release of arrested demonstrators

Iran Supreme Leader says will not yield as protests simmer and US threatens

Khamenei: Iranian protesters’ demands fair, but rioters ‘must be put in their place’ – Iranian supreme leader also says ‘will not yield to the enemy,’ a day after Trump said US would intervene if demonstrators are harmed

‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime – Ailing economy sparks biggest uprising in years, with protesters saying it’s time to hit regime when it’s at its weakest

Powerful image of lone Iranian protester in front of security forces draws parallels to Tiananmen Square ‘Tank Man’

Death Toll Reaches at Least 10 in Iran Protest Violence

‘A turning point’: Iranian diaspora in UK rally to support protesters in Iran

UK, France Hit Islamic State Arms Cache in Syria

U.S. Captures Maduro Following Chinese Envoy Meeting – Trump-directed operation after Venezuela-China talks strains U.S.-China relations

C.I.A. Source Inside Venezuelan Government Helped Track Maduro – The spy agency also used stealth drones to monitor the whereabouts of the Venezuelan leader

President Trump Confirms Elite Delta Force Captured Maduro in Daring Overnight Venezuela Raid – Same Legendary Unit That Took Down Saddam Hussein

‘He got bum-rushed’: Trump team describe capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro – No US soldiers killed in overnight raid, conducted after months of meticulous preparation; US blacked out parts of Caracas; operation lasted less than 30 minutes, Hegseth says

“It Could Have Happened” – Trump Reveals US Military was Prepared to Kill Maduro if Necessary – Says He Made it to Safe Room but Was Unable to Close Door Before Troops Apprehended Him

Trump says he warned Maduro to surrender before Venezuela dictator & wife were ‘dragged from bedroom’ in daring raid

Marco Rubio: Nicola Maduro Capture Sends a Message to the World, Trump ‘Is Not a Game-Player’

Venezuela Accuses US Of Bombing Residential Areas

Shocked Venezuelans hunker down, unsure of what comes next

Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Run’ Venezuela and Take Control of Oil

Venezuela’s oil reserves could be developed by US firms, Trump announces – US President Donald Trump said Maduro’s removal opens the door for US oil companies to invest billions in Venezuela’s energy infrastructure

Trump: U.S. Oil Companies Will ‘Fix’ Venezuela’s ‘Badly Broken’ Oil Infrastructure

What’s in the future for Venezuela? Trump says US will ‘run’ country – Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be among the officials working with Venezuelans to administer the country

‘We are going to run the country’: Trump says US will govern Venezuela until there’s a ‘proper transition’

Trump says US will temporarily run Venezuela, ‘not afraid of boots on ground’ if necessary

Top Commander Gives Doomsday Warning Over Trump’s Troop Boasts: “How many boots on the ground did we have in Iraq?” he asked CNN anchor Erin Burnett. “You know the answer – about 220,000 at peak. And did we subdue Iraq? Nope.”

CNN: Trump’s snatching of Maduro shows a new level of unrestrained global power

‘A dangerous ​precedent’: World leaders react to the U.S. attack on Venezuela

Moulton: We’re Setting Precedent You Can Kidnap Leaders You Don’t Like, ‘Backing Up’ Actions of Putin

Axis of Tyrants Melts Down: Cuba, Iran, Russia, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia Rush to Defend Maduro After U.S. Strike in Venezuela

China ‘Deeply Shocked’ by Maduro Capture Hours After Sending Diplomats to Venezuela

China Slams US ‘Hegemonic Acts’ After Strikes on Venezuela

Russia, Iran slam Venezuela strikes as EU and UK urge respect for ‘international law’

France denounces US, claims capture of Maduro violates international law

Shock and Skepticism in World’s Capitals After U.S. Seizes Maduro – Several Latin American leaders responded with anger, while European leaders were more cautious. President Trump’s audacious raid drew support, too

Global reaction to U.S. strikes on Venezuela includes condemnation, concern for foreign nationals

World leaders call for UN response after Maduro capture

At Colombia’s request, UN Security Council to convene Monday to discuss US operation in Venezuela

Homeland Security Slams Soros Funded Democrat Senator with Perfect Irony Over Venezuela Outrage

Bernie Moreno Praises Trump for Acting Against Nicolas Maduro, Unlike ‘Inept and Incompetent’ Biden

Hollywood Celebrities Rush to Call for Trump’s Impeachment After U.S. Apprehends Nicolas Maduro: ‘America Is a Terror State’

Dems call for removal of Trump over Maduro capture – while Venezuelans celebrate: “We are in 25th Amendment territory now.”

Democrat lawmaker Wasserman Schultz comes out in support of Trump’s operation in Venezuela

Democrats Raise Alarms After Trump Avoids Congressional Approval for Maduro’s Capture

Law Professor Jonathan Turley: Trump Did Not Need Congressional Approval to Capture Maduro

Congressman Tim Burchett: Democrats Weren’t Briefed on Maduro Operation Because ‘They Would Have Run Straight to the Media’

The Daily Beast: Trump Risks Totally Blowing Up MAGA With Shock New Invasion – Trump’s war on Venezuela is last straw for America First MAGA

Trump Rewards CBS for Going MAGA With Massive Venezuela War Scoop

Even the Liberal Washington Post Editorial Board is Praising Trump’s Venezuela Operation: ‘Unquestionable Tactical Success’

‘Israel commends’ US op in Venezuela, says FM Sa’ar, and ‘welcomes the removal of the dictator who led a network of drugs and terror’

Israel expresses hope for resumption of Venezuela ties after Maduro’s deposal – Foreign minister welcomes ‘removal of the dictator’; Netanyahu congratulates Trump for ‘bold and historic leadership’

Condemnation and applause in Latin America after US seizes Venezuela’s Maduro

Protests Erupt in NYC, Philadelphia Over Maduro Capture

Communists swarm NYC to rally, recruit – demand release of Maduro

‘Comrade Mamdani’: NYC Mayor Torched After Saying Maduro Arrest ‘Violated Federal, International Law’

Dem Rep. Strickland: Maduro Ouster a Distraction Because Dems Will Talk About J6 on Tuesday

Liberation Day: Venezuelans Worldwide Erupt in Celebration After U.S. Forces Capture Dictator Maduro While Left-Wing Democrats Rage

‘My joy is too big’: Venezuelan emigres celebrate Maduro ouster, wonder what’s next – Cheers break out on streets of Chile, Peru, and Spain, as emigrant communities welcome US military raid on Caracas; 1 in 5 Venezuelans have left the country since 2014

With Maduro gone, Venezuelans cope with uncertainty from food lines to politics

Airlines cancel hundreds of Caribbean flights after U.S. attacks on Venezuela – U.S. airlines canceled hundreds of Caribbean flights, including travel to Puerto Rico, after a large-scale attack on Venezuela

Travelers stranded in Caribbean as FAA closes airspace for Maduro capture

Traders and speculative bettors earned huge profits on prediction markets because of the capture of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela strikes continue long history of U.S. military interventions in Latin America

First picture shows Nicolas Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on USS Iwo Jima as Trump shares arrest photo

Who is Nicolas Maduro? Bus driver turned president led Venezuela with a heavy hand – After succeeding Hugo Chavez in 2013, Maduro persecuted political opponents and repeatedly staged sham elections, while his supporters hailed him as a hero who stood up to the US

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, wife indicted in US after capture, Trump’s $50M bounty

Indicted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife headed to NYC, Trump says

Maduro in NY jail after capture; Venezuela’s VP Rodriguez claims op had ‘Zionist tint’

What are the charges against Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro? Maduro, Flores and senior Venezuelan officials face charges related to alleged “drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies,” according to an unsealed indictment posted on social media Saturday by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi: Maduro Indicted on Narco Terror Charges, Will Face ‘Full Wrath’ Of U.S. Justice

DOJ: Maduro Used Diplomatic Planes to Move Drug Proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela

Maduro: All the cocaine trafficked in our region is produced in Colombia

Maduro capture echoes Noriega takedown that used rock music as psychological warfare against dictator – Both operations proceeded without congressional authorization and targeted leaders accused of drug trafficking

Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez Compares Nicolas Maduro Arrest to ‘Fall of the Berlin Wall’

Contenders To Replace Nicolas Maduro As Venezuela’s Leader – A power vacuum has opened up in Venezuela

Venezuelan VP defiantly declares that Maduro is the country’s ‘only president’

Trump: Nicolas Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodriguez Spoke to Rubio, Willing to ‘Make Venezuela Great Again’

Maria Corina Machado on Maduro’s Capture: ‘The Time Has Come for Sovereignty’

Trump hints at next target after shocking invasion: Mexico

Rubio Says Cuban Government Should Be ‘Concerned’ – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a sworn foe of Cuba’s communist government, warned Havana on Saturday after US forces deposed its ally Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela

Joe Rogan Says Drug Overdose Deaths Have ‘Dropped off a Cliff’ Due to Trump Admin’s Boat Strikes

Zelensky Suggests Trump Take Out Vladimir Putin After Maduro

Peace Deal Won’t Save Russia’s Olympic Status, IOC President Says – The current ban has been in place since 2022

North Korea Test-Fires Ballistic Missile Toward Eastern Sea

How China plans to land the world’s largest army on Taiwan – An invasion would likely start at the ‘red beaches’ – now among the most dangerous places on Earth

Trump orders Chinese-controlled firm to unwind chip asset deal, citing national security risks

Javier Milei Announces Creation of Regional Bloc to Stand up to the ‘Cancer of Socialism’

Marco Rubio voices concern that Americans may someday be arrested for social media posts when visiting Europe – ‘Are we going to live in a world where some American puts up a social media post and then gets to some airport somewhere and is arrested?’ Rubio asked

At least 2 dead after M6.5 earthquake strikes Guerrero and Mexico City, Mexico

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Korla, China

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits the Mid-Indian Ridge

Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 22,000ft

Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft

Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 18,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 18,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 17,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft

Media continues to ring climate alarm, but 2025 saw the fewest deaths from extreme weather ever

Trump admin moves to sue windmill company $32,000 for bald eagle deaths

Nick Shirley Denounces Alleged Complicity Between NGOs and Cartels at the Arizona Border

You Can’t Make This Up: Portland Rolls Out Paid “Immigration Leave” – City Workers Get 40 Hours Off for Deportation Hearings While Taxpayers Foot the Bill, No Questions Asked

Convicted Wisconsin judge, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, steps down as GOP moves toward impeachment

British Citizens Head to France and Slash Illegal Migrants’ Rubber Boats To Prevent Them From Crossing the Channel – So French Police Move To Arrest Them, Not the Illegals

‘Chinese Peptides’ Are the Latest Biohacking Trend in the Tech World – The gray-market drugs flooding Silicon Valley reveal a community that believes it can move faster than the F.D.A.

Why Not Grow Human Organs in Pigs? The Ethics of Cross-Species Organ Growth – While research on human-pig chimeras is on an indefinite pause, xenotransplantation – transplant of organs across species is moving ahead

US on verge of losing measles elimination status as outbreak surges in South Carolina

Deadly ‘superbug’ is spreading across US as drug resistance grows, researchers warn – First identified in Japan in 2009, the fungus has reportedly reached at least 60 countries and dozens of US states

Source: http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

“IT’S CLOWN HOUR” – Rubio DESTROYS So-Called Experts Attacking Him on Cable News Channels, Schools Kristen Welker on Chinese, Iranian Influence in Venezuela (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

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“IT’S CLOWN HOUR” – Rubio DESTROYS So-Called Experts Attacking Him on Cable News Channels, Schools Kristen Welker on Chinese, Iranian Influence in Venezuela (VIDEO)
Interview segment featuring Marco Rubio discussing his role as Secretary of State, with the White House in the background.
Screenshot

Secretary of State Marco Rubio went off on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, slamming the so-called experts on cable news networks for attacking the Trump Administration over Maduro’s arrest in Venezuela and schooling them on the United States’ national interests.  

“I watch these experts, and it’s clown hour,” Rubio said of the fake news contributors, who are likely the same people who said Pete Hegseth was unqualified to serve as War Secretary. “These are people that have focused their entire career on the Middle East or some other part of the world, because that’s where all the action was. Very few of them know anything about Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere.”

Rubio added, “This is about the national interest of the United States, and what I’m confident of is we are in a safer and better place because we’re taking it seriously,” noting that “The alternative would have been to allow a drug trafficker to continue to use national territory and elements of nation state power to further drug trafficking organizations.”

WATCH:

Rubio: Most of the experts that people have on— I watch these experts and it’s clown hour, okay? These are people that have focused their entire career on the Middle East or some other part of the world, because that’s where all the action was. Very few of them know anything about Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere. Venezuela looks nothing like Libya, it looks nothing like Iraq, it looks nothing like Afghanistan, it looks nothing like the Middle East, other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America. Okay? These are Western countries with long traditions among their— on a People to People and cultural level and ties to the United States. So, this is nothing like that. So, I think people need to stop ascribing the apples and oranges here, the apples of the Middle East or the oranges of the Western Hemisphere.

Number two, this is about the national interest of the United States, and what I’m confident of is we are in a safer and better place because we’re taking it seriously. The alternative would have been to leave Maduro there as an indicted— the drug trafficker illegitimate President, running the country, open invitation for all of our adversaries to do whatever they want against the United States from Venezuela. That was not going to continue. The alternative would have been to allow a drug trafficker to continue to use national territory and elements of nation state power to further drug trafficking organizations. Read the indictment This guy used the levers of their security apparatus not to arrest drug traffickers, but to cooperate and facilitate the trafficking of drugs for the purpose of getting them into the United States, and that’s going to stop.

Rubio further schooled Welker on the reasons behind Maduro’s arrest, pointing to their empowerment of dangerous drug cartels like Tren de Aragua and flooding the United States with drugs and dangerous criminals.

“You cannot continue to have the largest oil reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, not benefiting the people of Venezuela, and stolen by a handful of oligarchs around the world, including inside of Venezuela, but not benefiting the people of that country,” he continued. “That is not going to happen under President Trump.”

WATCH:

Rubio: What needs to happen for any of this to change, for our relations with Venezuela to change, and our whole approach for it to change, the things we have talked about are the ones I’ve highlighted already. You can’t flood this country with gang members. You can’t flood this country with drugs that are coming out of Colombia through Venezuela with the cooperation of elements of your security forces, you can’t turn Venezuela into the operating hub for Iran, for Russia, for Hezbollah, for China, for the Cuban intelligence agents that control that country. That cannot continue. Those things cannot continue to be in place.

You cannot continue to have the largest oil reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, not benefiting the people of Venezuela, and stolen by a handful of oligarchs around the world, including inside of Venezuela, but not benefiting the people of that country. You know, we’ve seen how our adversaries all over the world are exploiting and extracting resources from Africa, from every other country. They’re not going to do it in the Western Hemisphere. They’re not. That is not going to happen under President Trump. Read our national security strategy. He is serious about it, and he’s going to do something about it, and we’re doing something about it.

When asked why the United States needs to take control of the Venezuelan oil industry, Rubio said it’s not about the oil, and the United States does not need the oil, but “What we’re not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States.”

“Why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They’re not even in this continent,” Rubio said before declaring the Western Hemisphere will not be controlled by foreign adversaries from other continuents.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. We also want to see that oil and the proceeds from it. We want to see the oil proceeds of that country benefit the people of Venezuela.”

WATCH:

Rubio: We don’t need Venezuela’s oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States. What we’re not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States. You have to understand, why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They’re not even in this continent. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. We also want to see that oil and the proceeds from it. We want to see the oil proceeds of that country benefit the people of Venezuela.

Why have 8 million people left Venezuela? 8 million, the single largest mass migration, probably in modern history, left Venezuela since 2014 because all the wealth of that country was stolen to the benefit of Maduro and his cronies in the regime, but not to the benefit of people of Venezuela. You know how destabilizing 8 million migrants is? The number one fear that Brazil has, that Colombia has, that all these countries in the region have, about what’s happening in Venezuela and our involvement, is they’re afraid of another mass migration event. That’s what they fear. This is deeply destabilizing stuff. It’s not going to continue to happen. They are not going to come from outside of our hemisphere, destabilize our region, in our own backyard, and us have to pay the price for it, not under President Trump.

The post “IT’S CLOWN HOUR” – Rubio DESTROYS So-Called Experts Attacking Him on Cable News Channels, Schools Kristen Welker on Chinese, Iranian Influence in Venezuela (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Hunger, Suffering, and Repression: What Life Was Like Under Venezuelan Socialism | The Gateway Pundit

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Hunger, Suffering, and Repression: What Life Was Like Under Venezuelan Socialism
Protesters burn an American flag on a monument at night, illuminated by blue lights, highlighting a controversial political demonstration.
The French far left burns the U.S. flag in protest of the arrest of Venezuela’s socialist dictator, while Venezuelans celebrate freedom. Screenshot from Twitter.

In France, the far left is burning the American flag, while in New York socialists and communists are demanding the release of Nicolás Maduro. Meanwhile, Venezuelans around the world are celebrating the end of life under socialism. Zohran Mamdani is promising to govern New York under socialism, a system which can only fail to improve the lives of the average person. Venezuela is a perfect example.

Venezuela was once one of the richest countries in Latin America. After more than two decades of socialism, 82 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty, including 53 percent in extreme poverty. More than 94 percent of the population lacks sufficient income to purchase basic goods and services. As of May 2024, the minimum monthly wage is $3.56, and the average monthly salary is about $100, while the basic monthly food basket costs roughly $500. The Gini inequality coefficient has reached 0.603, making Venezuela one of the most unequal societies in the world.

Eighty-two percent of Venezuelans suffer from food insecurity, and 17 percent of children under five were malnourished as of 2018. Because of misguided socialist policies, including collectivization and nationalization, along with the inability to purchase necessary chemicals and fertilizers on the global market, food production fell by 60 percent between 2014 and 2018. While the country cannot produce enough food domestically, most people also lack the income to purchase imported food. As a result, 84 percent of basic food basket items are unavailable in supermarkets.

The healthcare system has collapsed, with both maternal and infant mortality increasing by more than 30 percent since 2015. The maternal mortality rate stands at 98.87 deaths per 100,000 live births, far above the UN target of fewer than 70. Previously eradicated or controlled diseases have returned. Malaria cases rose from only 106 in 2008 to 1.3 million confirmed cases by 2018. Diphtheria, measles, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and dengue have returned. Seventy-nine percent of hospitals lack running water, and 14 percent of intensive care units have shut down. Most laboratory services and hospital nutrition programs operate only intermittently or are completely inoperative.

Because of extremely low pay and the high cost of living, roughly half of the country’s doctors have fled Venezuela. An estimated 70 percent of medical and nursing staff have abandoned their positions in search of better-paying work so their families can survive.

Rolling blackouts and intermittent water supply affect daily life. Forty percent of school-aged children experience irregular attendance due to teacher strikes, staff shortages, lack of food, and failures in electricity, water, and transport services.

Along with economic ruin, socialism imposed repressive social controls. Venezuela ranked 156th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The government blocked websites, social media platforms, and foreign news outlets, and shut down at least 115 media organizations across print, radio, and television. So-called anti-hate laws, carrying prison sentences of up to 20 years, have been used to silence journalists and activists. Additional anti-fascism, anti-terrorism, cybercrime, and NGO surveillance laws created a rapid and comprehensive legal machinery for repression.

The government built a sweeping surveillance apparatus that collects data on large segments of the population. State-directed disinformation campaigns use paid troll accounts and fake websites to smear journalists and activists. Venezuelans have been detained simply for filming events on the street or for comments made in WhatsApp groups, creating widespread fear of discussing political or social issues online.

As of September 2024, Venezuela held 1,793 political prisoners, the highest number recorded in the 21st century. Following the July 2024 election, approximately 1,400 people were detained for protesting or expressing dissent, bringing the post-election total to 1,659 detainees, including children. Most were charged with terrorism and remain imprisoned without sentencing.

President Maduro called Roman Catholic bishops “devils in cassocks” in 2021. Diosdado Cabello declared the Catholic Church is a “political party.” Arbitrary arrests of religious leaders by the Bolivarian National Guard have been documented. Raids on places of worship and assaults on Catholic priests by intolerant citizens have occurred. The government canceled passports of religious leaders.

The government created the “Good Pastor Bonus” program offering financial incentives to pro-Maduro pastors, 495 bolivars monthly, equivalent to $14. The “My Well-Equipped Church” program provides equipment and funds only to select Protestant pastors aligned with the regime. The government withdrew financial support from Catholic educational institutions in retaliation for Church criticism.

Aid to the Church in Need classified Venezuela as a country in “aggravated discrimination” in religious matters in 2023. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom identified Venezuela as part of an “authoritarian triad” of religious persecution alongside Cuba and Nicaragua.

When Venezuelans protested the regime, they were met with lethal force. Across multiple waves of demonstrations since 2014, security forces and pro-government armed gangs repeatedly fired on protesters, killing hundreds and arresting thousands. Independent investigations documented arbitrary detentions, torture, and abuse, while those responsible were almost never prosecuted.

Pro-government colectivos operated with impunity, acting as armed enforcers of the state. Elections widely condemned as fraudulent triggered further crackdowns, including killings that human rights groups described as possible extrajudicial executions. A decade later, international bodies concluded that repression, violence, and total impunity had become systemic tools of governance in Venezuela.

Far from the workers’ paradise that was promised, Venezuela became a nightmare the population is eager to leave behind. There is trepidation and fear about what comes next. However, with Maduro removed, hope has emerged among the roughly eight million Venezuelans who have fled the country since 2014 that they may be able to return and help rebuild their nation.

The post Hunger, Suffering, and Repression: What Life Was Like Under Venezuelan Socialism appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.