Sanctioned Oil Tankers Try Mass Run At US Blockade Of Venezuela

/0 Comments/in , /by

At least 15 U.S. sanctioned oil tankers have reportedly broken the complete blockade of Venezuelan oil exports since the Saturday capture of ousted socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, using so-called “dark mode” tactics to evade capture.

The now-departed ships had been docked in Venezuelan ports for weeks, the New York Times (NYT) reported Monday. Tankers in the group used techniques employed by the modern “ghost fleet” of sanction skirting ships, including painting names of decommissioned vessels on ships’ hulls, misrepresenting their positions, and leaving in coordinated fashion to escape the blockade.

Four tankers, now some 30-miles off port, were tracked by satellite sailing east, according to the NYT. These tankers did not secure authorization from the new interim government led by Maduro’s former vice president, the NYT reported citing internal communications and two anonymous sources in the Venezuelan oil industry. The remaining ships have not been located and are not broadcasting any signals.

“The embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect,” President Donald Trump said on Saturday during a press conference detailing Maduro’s capture. “The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied.”

All fifteen of the identified tankers are under U.S. sanctions Trump imposed on Dec. 16 against Maduro, according to a Reuters report Monday. (Read more from “Sanctioned Oil Tankers Try Mass Run At US Blockade Of Venezuela” HERE)

Shocking Video Captures Fatal ICE Shooting During Minneapolis Protests

/0 Comments/in , , /by

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fired multiple shots at a driver while standing in front of her car during protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, video footage shows.

At least three federal agents were seen approaching the now-deceased driver’s SUV and ordering her to step out just before the altercation occurred in a video posted on X by Minnesota Reformer journalist Max Nesterak and by Insider Wire. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blamed the driver for the incident in a statement, claiming she attempted to run an officer over just before he fired.

“Get out of the car. Get out of the f**king car,” one agent was heard saying in the video as the group approached the vehicle on a snowy road in a suburban neighborhood. The agent then grabbed the car’s door handle, and a bystander is heard yelling “No!” as the driver begins to move the car backward.

Another agent was seen circling the car just as it was moving, eventually standing in front of it just before it lunged forward. He fired at least two shots at the driver as the car came towards him before moving out of the way as it continued moving forward, the footage shows. The car then veered off the side of the road and crashed into another vehicle. (Read more from “Shocking Video Captures Fatal ICE Shooting During Minneapolis Protests” HERE)

Reports: China Expected to Replace Venezuelan Oil with Iranian Crude

/0 Comments/in , /by

Oil industry analysts expect China to replace its oil imports from Venezuela with increased purchases of Iranian crude, following the arrest of China’s ally Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces over the weekend.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Maduro’s successor, interim president Delcy Rodríguez, and other Venezuelan officials have agreed to sell up to $2 billion in crude oil to the United States. The deal would divert oil coveted by China to U.S. refineries.

Trump explicitly instructed Rodríguez to evict Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and Cuban agents from Venezuela and sever all economic ties with those nations. He also demanded exclusive contracts and favorable prices with American refiners for Venezuelan crude oil. The socialist Maduro regime long ago destroyed Venezuela’s refining capacity, so the oil-rich but desperately impoverished nation is heavily reliant upon foreign refineries.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told U.S. lawmakers that Venezuela has filled every available tanker and storage facility with crude oil, frustrated by Trump’s blockade on sanctions-defying oil shipments, and the post-Maduro government faces financial collapse in a few weeks if it cannot generate income by selling its crude oil. These two factors would presumably make Caracas receptive to Trump’s demands to divert its shipments from China to the United States.

Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela would hand over 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States immediately. Other administration sources said shipments to American refiners would continue “indefinitely” thereafter, with the profits to be held in U.S.-controlled accounts and shares released back to Venezuela at U.S. discretion. Most of that oil would have otherwise gone to China. (Read more from “Reports: China Expected to Replace Venezuelan Oil with Iranian Crude” HERE)

California Billionaires Bolt as Looming Wealth Tax Rattles Tech Elites

/0 Comments/in , /by

As the clock ticks on California’s billionaires facing a proposed wealth tax, some of America’s top business leaders are making strategic moves to leave the Golden State.

Google co-founder Larry Page appears to be distancing himself from California, as public filings reviewed by Fox News Digital from the California Secretary of State’s office show several business entities linked to Page were moved out of the state in December, ahead of the Jan. 1, 2026, residency date tied to the proposed tax. Those filings indicate his family office, Koop LLC, and his influenza research fund, Flu Lab LLC, no longer list California, while a flying-car venture, One Aero, now lists its primary address in Florida.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison has taken steps that signal a potential pullback from California, though details of a reported $45 million off-market sale of his San Francisco home have not been independently confirmed by major outlets. The New York Post reported the sale and said it would mark the city’s largest real estate transaction of 2025.

While the initiative has not yet qualified for the November 2026 ballot, the proposal — backed by the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West — would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of California residents worth more than $1 billion. The tax would be due in 2027, and taxpayers could spread payments over five years, with additional costs, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

The financial costs would vary. For example, Ellison could be forced to hand over roughly $9.6 billion from his estimated $192 billion net worth, according to Forbes data. Page would owe about $7.2 billion based on his estimated $144 billion valuation. LAO says real estate, pensions and retirement accounts would be excluded from the tax. (Read more from “California Billionaires Bolt as Looming Wealth Tax Rattles Tech Elites” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Calls for $1.5 Trillion to Build ‘Dream Military,’ Pay Down Debt, Give Dividend to ‘Moderate Income Patriots’

/0 Comments/in , /by

President Donald Trump said the 2027 military budget should be increased to $1.5 trillion, pointing to national security needs and strong tariff revenues as reasons the higher amount is both necessary and achievable.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump released a statement on Truth Social calling for an increase in the 2027 military budget, raising the target from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. He attributed the shift to “long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives.” Trump remarked that the decision was made “for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times.”

The proposed increase, according to Trump, would support building what he referred to as the “Dream Military,” asserting that such a force would ensure the United States remains “SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.” He linked the feasibility of the higher budget figure to revenue generated from tariffs, claiming that “tremendous numbers” from tariff income had made the larger figure viable. “Because of Tariffs, and the tremendous Income that they bring, amounts being generated, that would have been unthinkable in the past … we are able to easily hit the $1.5 Trillion Dollar number,” Trump wrote. He added that this approach would also allow for “pay[ing] down Debt” and providing a “substantial Dividend to moderate income Patriots within our Country.”

Trump contrasted current tariff revenues with what he described as the lower expectations under “the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, the Worst President in the History of our Country!”

This statement comes in the context of ongoing debates about defense spending under both the Biden and Trump administrations. Under President Joe Biden, the Department of Defense’s budgets have seen incremental increases — reaching $886 billion in the 2024 request — but have also faced criticism from Republicans who argue that inflation has effectively turned these increases into cuts. (Read more from “Trump Calls for $1.5 Trillion to Build ‘Dream Military,’ Pay Down Debt, Give Dividend to ‘Moderate Income Patriots’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Dan Bongino Returns to Civilian Life by Trading Brutal Insults With Ex-Lawmaker Matt Gaetz: ‘Piece of S***’

/1 Comment/in , , /by

Former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino returned to his life as a conservative content creator this week and kicked things off by getting into a profanity-filled argument with former congressman Matt Gaetz on X.

The two MAGA-affiliated media personalities began trading barbs at one another Tuesday morning, after Gaetz undermined Bongino’s political credentials by asking Grok, X’s artificial intelligence chatbot, to recount Bongino’s three unsuccessful congressional elections.

“Maybe if I spent more time at shady parties with monied insiders I would’ve won. I heard you’d know a bit about that. You’ve always been a d*** by the way,” Bongino responded to Gaetz. “Grifting off your daddy like a suckling little doggie. When I first met you in the panhandle I knew you were a piece of s***. It’s written all over that phony face of yours,” he added.

Bongino’s harsh insult kicked off a series of exchanges between the two that lasted through the afternoon.

Gaetz told Bongino to “take a chill pill,” Bongino referenced accusations of Gaetz being antisemitic, Gaetz reminded Bongino that he once endorsed him, and Bongino maintained his belief that Gaetz is “a d***.” (Read more from “Dan Bongino Returns to Civilian Life by Trading Brutal Insults With Ex-Lawmaker Matt Gaetz: ‘Piece of S***’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Judge Presiding Over Netanyahu Corruption Case Killed in Highway Collision

/0 Comments/in , /by

Judge Benny Sagi, president of Israel’s Beersheba District Court, who presided over the corruption case against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed in a traffic accident on Route 6 when a vehicle struck his motorcycle.

Police said the vehicle had been driving off-road, entered the highway, and collided with Sagi’s motorcycle, according to Israeli media.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of the crash, which occurred near the Kfar Menachem kibbutz. Officers from the Kiryat Malachi police station, along with traffic accident investigators, are examining the scene. (Read more from “Judge Presiding Over Netanyahu Corruption Case Killed in Highway Collision” HERE)

Trump Kept Venezuela Under Maduro Loyalists After CIA Flagged Opposition Risks: REPORT

/0 Comments/in , /by

A classified U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that top figures within Nicolás Maduro’s regime would be best positioned to maintain short-term stability in Venezuela in the immediate aftermath of the dictator’s removal, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysis, which was briefed to President Donald Trump and shared with a small circle of senior administration officials, reportedly shaped Trump’s decision to back Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado as an interim leader, WSJ reported.

“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader if she doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within the country,” Trump said during a Saturday press conference after U.S. forces captured Maduro to face federal narco-terrorism charges in New York. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”

Trump concluded that Venezuela’s short-term stability would depend on whether the next leader retained the loyalty of the country’s military and ruling elites, according to people familiar with the intelligence review cited by the outlet.

Senior administration officials commissioned the CIA to analyze day-after scenarios amid internal debates over how Venezuela might be governed if Maduro were removed. While the report did not recommend regime change or speculate on how Maduro might lose power, it evaluated who could maintain order if that outcome occurred, WSJ reported. (Read more from “Trump Kept Venezuela Under Maduro Loyalists After CIA Flagged Opposition Risks: REPORT” HERE)

Hegseth: America’s Military Is ‘Already Surpassing’ Last Year’s Recruiting Figures

/0 Comments/in , /by

The U.S. military is “already surpassing” the recruiting numbers it saw during last year’s recruiting surge, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth disclosed on Monday.

The revelation came during a swearing-in ceremony for new recruits conducted in front of military recruiting stations in Newport News, Virginia. Hegseth officiated the oath for incoming members of the armed services, including new members of the Virginia National Guard.

While acknowledging the Biden-era recruiting crisis, Hegseth noted that the recruiting environment is “exceedingly different today than it was just a year ago following the election of President Trump and the changes we’re making at the War Department.” The secretary went on to reveal that “for this year that we’re entering into,” the military is “already surpassing” last year’s figures.

“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 said.

The secretary did not provide specific numbers during his remarks. (Read more from “Hegseth: America’s Military Is ‘Already Surpassing’ Last Year’s Recruiting Figures” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr. Hit With Federal Indictment on Jan. 6 Anniversary

/0 Comments/in , /by

DC pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. was hit with a federal indictment on Tuesday — roughly five years after he allegedly planted explosives on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The federal indictment charged Cole with interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives, for allegedly placing two pipe bombs by the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021, the US Department of Justice announced.

“Given that Cole crossed state lines and targeted the political leadership of both parties, for which there is an inherent crime of federal jurisdiction, handling this in federal court is most proper,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The FBI and my office worked around the clock to ensure that this defendant is charged with the right crimes for his dangerous acts,” Pirro said.

The charges in the federal indictment were the same as those waged against him in a complaint filed last month. (Read more from “DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr. Hit With Federal Indictment on Jan. 6 Anniversary” HERE)