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U.N. Experts Blast U.S. Universities for Human Rights Violations Against Gaza Protesters A commission of top United Nations human rights watchdogs sent a series of blistering letters to the heads of five U.S. universities raising sharp concerns over the treatment of pro-Palestine students, The Intercept has learned. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/un-human-rights-universities-columbia-gaza-protests/?

Despite Declining Support for the Death Penalty, Executions Nearly Doubled in 2025, Report Says Public support for capital punishment continued a decadeslong decline in 2025, dropping to the lowest level recorded in 50 years. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/15/death-penalty-executions-2025/?

Congress Squanders Last Chance to Block Venezuela War Before Going on Vacation The House voted down a pair of measures to halt strikes on alleged drug boats and on Venezuelan land on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump announced a blockade on the South American country. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/17/venezuela-war-powers-vote-congress/? Republicans Are Splitting Over Israel. Will Democrats Take Advantage? In a presidential primary election, a significant number of Republican voters — 44 percent — said they would vote for a Republican candidate who supports reducing the flow of U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons to Israel, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project and conducted by YouGov. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/aipac-israel-republicans-democrats-midterms-trump/?

Sixth Circuit says Michigan law likely violates First Amendment by discriminating against religious viewpoint TLDR (Too Long / Didn’t Read Summary) On December 17, 2025, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court and ordered a preliminary injunction […] The post Federal Appeals Court Blocks Michigan Ban on Talk Therapy Aimed at Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV / Founders' First Freedom® - News and Updates on Religious Liberty and Freedom. View the full article

Meet the U.S. Donors Funding ELNET, the AIPAC of Europe U.S. donors are funneling millions to a group its leaders describe as the AIPAC of Europe. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/15/elnet-aipac-israel-lobby-europe/? AIPAC Head Hosts Fundraiser for House Candidate Who Swears AIPAC Isn’t Backing Her The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is not publicly backing any candidate in the race to replace Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District. But in private, the group is fundraising for Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine, who has distanced herself from AIPAC and said she isn’t seeking its endorsement. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/laura-fine-illinois-primary-aipac-donors/? NY Times’ Bret Stephens Blames Palestine Freedom Movement for Bondi Beach Shooting The total number of people killed in the antisemitic Bondi Beach massacre was still not known when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to blame Australia’s mere recognition of a Palestinian state. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/15/nyt-bret-stephens-bondi-beach-shooting/? U.N. Experts Blast U.S. Universities for Human Rights Violations Against Gaza Protesters A commission of top United Nations human rights watchdogs sent a series of blistering letters to the heads of five U.S. universities raising sharp concerns over the treatment of pro-Palestine students, The Intercept has learned. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/un-human-rights-universities-columbia-gaza-protests/? Olivia Nuzzi Is Completely Oblivious Olivia Nuzzi’s world is populated by beasts, and by monsters. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/17/olivia-nuzzi-american-canto-book-review/?

Longtime Paid FBI Informant Was Instrumental in Terror Case Against “Turtle Island Liberation Front” An FBI investigation into an alleged terror plot in Southern California bears the familiar hallmarks of the bureau’s long-running use of informants and undercover agents to advance plots that might not otherwise have materialized, court documents show. https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/fbi-informant-turtle-island-terror-plot/?

Israel launches intense airstrikes in Lebanon as deadline looms to disarm Hezbollah BEIRUT (AP) — Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries’ tense frontier. https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-airstrikes-rihan-hermel-berri-0b10ae30cbec1ab92a9c1b14652d8467?

Russia wants to drain Europe's investigative resources with its sabotage campaign, officials say The Associated Press has documented 145 incidents in what Western officials say is a campaign of disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. Officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive Kyiv of support, create divisions among Europeans and identify the continent’s security weak spots. The Kremlin denies any connection with it. Read more. What to know: So far in this hybrid war, most known acts of sabotage have resulted in minimal damage — nothing compared to the tens of thousands of lives lost and cities decimated across Ukraine. But officials say each act sucks up valuable security resources. The head of one large European intelligence service said investigations into Russian interference now swallow up as much of the agency’s time as terrorism. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Officials say Russia wants to drain Europe investigative resources with sabotage campaign - AP Explains

Trump demands Venezuela pay for seized US oil assets after calling for ‘blockade’ President Trump demanded Wednesday that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a “blockade” against oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions. Read more. What to know: Trump cited the lost U.S. investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against leader Nicolás Maduro, suggesting his administration’s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. Some sanctioned tankers are already diverting away from Venezuela. Venezuela first moved to nationalize its oil industry in the 1970s, a process that expanded under Hugo Chávez, who nationalized hundreds of private businesses and foreign-owned assets, including oil projects run by ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. While Venezuela’s oil has long dominated relations with the U.S., the Trump administration has focused on Maduro’s links to drug traffickers, accusing his government of facilitating the shipment of dangerous drugs into the U.S. In his social media post Tuesday night, Trump said Venezuela was using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US military says strike on alleged drug boat kills 4 in eastern Pacific House rejects resolutions to limit Trump’s campaign against Venezuela and drug cartels A timeline of the US military's buildup near Venezuela and attacks on alleged drug boats

FACT FOCUS: Trump’s glowing account of progress is at odds with his government’s own stats WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s glowing account of progress under his watch Wednesday was out of tune with the experience of price-squeezed Americans and the story told by some of his government’s own statistics. https://apnews.com/article/trump-speech-fact-check-inflation-9d18903505dae93beb783594e435c72b?

DeSantis’s proposed budget changes how state funds cancer programs Gov. Ron DeSantis’s eighth and final legislative budget makes another run at redirecting cancer funding in Florida, including jettisoning a requirement that funds be awarded only to peer-reviewed projects and empowering an eight-member “collaborative” to direct how the state spends hundreds of millions of dollars on cancer care and research. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/18/cancer-recurrence-desantiss-proposed-budget-changes-how-state-funds-cancer-programs/? Trackers, AI translators, pepper spray: Cabinet approves cops’ immigration requests Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Wednesday approved more than $2 million in immigration enforcement money for local agencies seeking AI language translators, pepper spray, GPS trackers, handcuffs, bonuses, and more. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/17/trackers-ai-translators-pepper-spray-cabinet-approves-cops-immigration-requests/? Florida lawmakers promote ‘Blue Ribbon’ developers at public’s expense During the holidays you see ribbons and bows everywhere you look. You find them on the packages under the tree and at the gift wrap counter. Dealers even stick big bows on top of new cars. But the biggest gift of all is working its way through the Florida Legislature right now, complete with a great big bow on top. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/18/florida-lawmakers-promote-blue-ribbon-developers-at-publics-expense/?

All the Crazy Claims in Trump’s Frenzied Primetime Address Gasoline, unemployment, affordability—the list goes on. President Donald Trump was immediately on the defensive in his 18-minute primetime address Wednesday, insisting he’s “fixing” his predecessor’s “mess”—but his arguments were filled with holes. The 79-year-old president, known for making tens of thousands of false claims, was at it again during his rushed speech from the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room. For one, Trump claimed that gasoline was under $2.50 in much of the country, but the national average last week was $2.90, according to the Energy Information Administration. He also asserted that prices reached $1.99 in many states, but AAA says no state averaged that amount or lower. The president then repeated his assertion that he lowered drug prices by as much as 600 percent—a mathematical impossibility, even though administration officials like Dr. Mehmet Oz tried to spin it otherwise. In his address, Trump tried to credit his tariffs for how companies in the U.S. are “building factories and plants at levels we haven’t seen.” However, factory construction spending fell this year after peaking during the last year of his predecessor’s term. Trump’s claim that he has brought in $18 trillion in investments also doesn’t square with the White House’s figure of $9.6 trillion. Another problematic claim by the president: that more Americans are working than ever before. The nation’s unemployment rate reached a four-year high last month, and about 700,000 more Americans were unemployed in November than before Trump took office.In an effort to confront the issue of “affordability,” which he has been claiming is “hoax” created by Democrats, Trump argued that the price of a Thanksgiving turkey fell by one-third in the last year. He may have been exaggerating by more than double, as the American Farm Bureau estimated turkey prices dropped about 16 percent. When it comes to wholesale, however, prices rose this year due to avian flu outbreaks, according to Purdue University. The White House last month was called out for promoting how Walmart’s Thanksgiving food package was less than it was last year—without mentioning that it had fewer items. Also on affordability, Trump declared that “inflation is stopped.” But the September rate was three percent—about the same as it was back in January. And on migration through the southern border, Trump claimed that the Biden administration saw 25 million entries in total. As of last December, though, Customs and Border Protection said there had been under 11 million “encounters” with migrants under Biden. Interestingly, one of the new plaques on the White House’s “Walk of Fame” puts the number at 21 million, so it’s unclear how Trump gained an extra 4 million in the span of a few hours. Finally, Trump repeated his claim that he had “settled eight wars.” That’s hyperbole, as has been previously noted. https://www.thedailybeast.com/all-the-crazy-claims-in-trumps-frenzied-primetime-address/?

Trump Spills Real Reason for Manic Address When Cameras Stop Susie Wiles made me do it, the president explained after his disastrous televised address. President Donald Trump was heard explaining why he gave his bizarre national address as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. In seemingly unguarded comments made in front of journalists after the address, the president admitted that it had not even been his choice—but that his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, had made him do it as she plays cleanup amid the fallout from her embarrassingly candid Vanity Fair article. In Wednesday night’s 18-minute double-speed diatribe, the 79-year-old president fired off mistruth after mistruth about how well his administration is doing and attacked his predecessor, Joe Biden, without having anything new to say. The White House address was carried live by the major networks, with CBS forced to interrupt the live finale of its reality TV show hit Survivor so viewers could catch the presidential speech. Trump announced the rare national address on Truth Social on Tuesday evening, just hours after Vanity Fair published its profile of Wiles. His post prompted speculation of a major public announcement, perhaps even a declaration of war on Venezuela. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN’s medical analyst who served as Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist for three decades, was one of many to voice alarm about the president’s “manic” address even as the cameras rolled. “I’m seriously concerned about the health of the president,” Reiner posted on X. “No one should be happy to see the president like this. He looks unwell.” Detailing what happened after the cameras stopped rolling in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room, the Independent’s White House correspondent, Andrew Feinberg, posted on X: “@realDonaldTrump turned to his staff and asked how he did. They all responded [with] some version of great. ‘Very good, it looked really good!’” According to The Hill’s White House correspondent, Julia Manchester, the staff in question were Wiles and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, communications director Steven Cheung, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and his executive assistant Natalie Harp—none of whom were ever likely to say anything else. Tellingly, Feinberg added: “He then said @SusieWiles told him he had... to give an address to [the ] nation." Freelance political journalist Laura Rozen confirmed Feinberg’s version of events and revealed further details of what was said as Trump was “reviewing his speech with staff.” “He... said (not exact) ‘Susie told me I have to give an address to [the] nation,’” she wrote on X. “They went back and forth on length, and he said ‘how did I do?’ Wiles said ‘I told you 20 minutes and you were 20 minutes on the dot.’ The president then thanked the press and walked out.” While those Trump aides present may have said they thought the address went down well, Zeteo report that “several close Trump allies” had said that “it was shocking—or at least puzzling—that anyone in the White House would think that this speech was a wise idea." “As they put it: The speech didn’t refocus the national conversation. It wouldn’t move the needle. And it did not look like the strategic move of somebody operating from a position of strength,” the outlet added. But the revelation that Wiles—upon whom Trump so heavily relies and has praised to the point of even calling her “Susie Trump”—engineered the entire primetime event as her Vanity Fair embarrassment lingers is telling. In the magazine’s two-part epic on Trump’s first year back in office, built on 11 on-the-record interviews, the previously discreet Wiles showed remarkable and surprising candor. She described Trump as having an “alcoholic’s personality,” drawing on her experience of her own father’s addiction, and said he openly judges people by their “genes.” She told the reporter she had read the Epstein files and concluded there was “no evidence” Bill Clinton visited the island, directly contradicting one of Trump’s favorite attacks, while conceding the president himself appears in the records but “not doing anything awful.” Wiles also branded Vice President JD Vance a “conspiracy theorist”—lumping him in with FBI Director Kash Patel and his outgoing No. 2, Dan Bongino—and portrayed Elon Musk as a ketamine-using “odd duck” who naps in a sleeping bag at work. The fallout was immediate and brutal, leading to MAGA unrest over her “swampy” lobbying past, critical TV segments, and a frantic damage-control campaign by Wiles and the West Wing—which culminated in Trump’s inexplicable address to the nation. In the primetime speech itself, which was reportedly shorter than usual due to the insistence of TV bosses that it didn’t eat too much into the finale of reality show Survivor, Trump rattled through a greatest-hits reel of economic boasts that crumbled under basic scrutiny. He promised troops a $1,776 “warrior dividend” Christmas bonus, even though Congress, not the president, controls the purse strings. He bragged that gas was under $2.50 “across much of the country,” and even $1.99 in many states, despite federal data showing an average of around $2.90 and no state at $1.99. He claimed to have slashed drug prices by “as much as 600 percent,” a mathematical impossibility, and to have attracted $18 trillion in new investment, even though his own White House puts the number below $10 trillion. He insisted more Americans are working than ever, while unemployment has hit a four-year high. And he declared the affordability crisis “fixed” even as food prices and inflation remain stuck around 3 percent. All of it was delivered at breakneck speed, leaving the public—and Trump’s own aides—baffled. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-forced-to-address-the-nation-to-cover-up-susie-wiles-vanity-fair-disaster/? ps:Right, lets just blame someone else except the one that's really to blame!!

Health care House Republicans have approved a narrow package aimed at lowering health care costs for some Americans in the coming years — marking a win for party leadership, even as some of their members say it falls short of addressing rising prices in 2026. The House voted 216-211 to send the measure to the Senate, which is unlikely to vote on it before lawmakers leave for the holiday recess. However, House Republicans are largely ignoring the issue of the expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies that help people afford premium costs. Those tax credits are set to expire at the end of the month, likely causing premiums to spike for tens of millions of Americans next year. Moderate US House Republicans join Dems to force vote on extension of health care subsidies WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in the U.S. House will face a floor vote in early 2026 on Democrats’ plan to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for three more years, after passing their own legislation Wednesday night that has little chance of a future in the Senate and does not address the tax credits. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/17/repub/moderate-us-house-republicans-join-dems-to-force-vote-on-extension-of-health-care-subsidies/? US Senate Democrats warn of fallout from Trump Education Department transfers WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted ongoing efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle the Department of Education, including plans to shift several of its responsibilities to other Cabinet-level agencies. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/17/repub/us-senate-democrats-warn-of-fallout-from-trump-education-department-transfers/?

Brown University manhunt As the manhunt for the Brown University gunman enters another day without a suspect in custody, authorities stress that community tips are crucial to resolving the case. Police on Wednesday asked for the public's help identifying a person shown in a photo who crossed paths with the person of interest. Authorities also released a map showing the streets where the person of interest was present in the hours before Saturday's attack. Meanwhile, limited security camera footage around the campus building where the attack occurred has spurred questions, including from the White House. The shooting left two students dead and nine injured at the Ivy League school.

Presidential address President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address to the nation on Wednesday, touting his economic achievements despite many Americans' concerns about affordability. He opened his speech by airing grievances against Democrats and his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, blaming them for inflation and rising health care costs. The president went on to pledge fresh relief for Americans in 2026, pointing to new tax measures passed under Republicans' "one big beautiful bill." Throughout the address, Trump defended his administration's actions — from tariffs to his immigration crackdown — though he repeated several false claims that have been previously debunked. Christmas checks More than 1.4 million members of the US military will receive checks for $1,776 before Christmas, President Trump announced Wednesday. Trump called the payment the "Warrior Dividend" in honor of the country's founding in 1776. Trump did not specify how the initiative would be funded, but credited his tariffs for bringing in revenue. "We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs … Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody," Trump said. A senior administration official told CNN that the Pentagon has been directed to distribute $2.6 billion as a "one-time basic allowance for housing supplement" to all eligible service members in pay grades O-6 and below. ps:He's actually taking credit for this!! This was already OK by congress!!!!! Boat strikes At least four people were killed in the latest US strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in international waters. US Southern Command said the vessel, operated by a "designated terrorist organization," was targeted on Wednesday in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It marks the second US strike this week on an alleged drug boat in the region. At least 99 people have been killed since the US launched Operation Southern Spear in September. The strikes are a part of increased US military action in South America, focused on Venezuela, a nation that President Trump has accused of stealing US "oil, land and other assets."

With no actual proof! You need to check some factual websites that do fact checking!!

Can I ask where you get that from? If you're talking about anyone being created before Adam on this planet I don't see that at all!! If you're talking about someone being created before Adam as in someone on a previous world somewhere out there in the Universe I might agree with you there, because in Job it talks about the sons of God getting together. So from that I would gather that these sons of God are representative's from other worlds that didn't sin. So maybe the 24 elders could be one from each of these other worlds?? Anyway just a thought!!

The 24 Elders are the First 24 Men Created before Adam who sit on their seats before throne. The First Fruits of men.

Amos 3:12 - Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the Lion two legs, or a piece of a ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. Proverbs - 2:2 - So that thou incline thy ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding. Proverbs - 4:7 Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs - 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Rev 2:7 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

In Trinitarianism the Divine Essence, AKA Substance or Nature is simple, meaning indivisible & infinite (eternal). If The Son were to be annihilated / eternally cease to exist, the Divine Essence would have to be "divided" (destroyed). This is why the Nicene Creed is worded the way it is - "True God from True God, Consubstantial (same nature of/) the Father". It's 3 Persons IN ONE BEING (single undivided substance) - Not 3 Beings which are made up of the same stuff (like 3 soldiers that make up one military team) thereby allowing one of the Beings/ team members to eternally cease to exist while the other 2 are left behind. I'm trying my best here to explain not such much what God is (because no one really can) but more of explaining what we can know from Sacred Scripture that God is not.

We had attorney Jonathan Zirkle from Liberty and Health Alliance come and go over religious liberty issues with some pretty amazing sermons as we see in these videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B_gse6sYXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er_3Amcy3lI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S8C1Po9LM4 Then I checked with my wife and coincidentally we are going on a mission trip sponsored by Liberty and Health Alliance to Vieques, Puerto Rico so looked more closely at who they are. They state they are a 'ministry founded by Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we believe in the gift of life and whole-person health bestowed by God, medical freedom, and liberty of conscience. Our commitment is reflected in the many thousands of lives touched by our clinics offering medical, dental, eye care, and other essential services 100% free of charge to the public.' Pretty neat, we are getting on zoom to go over all our tasks and its intense what we will have to do, so we pray the Lord gives us strength and keeps His hand of protection over us as well as all those going, as we both have health issues to say the least. We go by faith and depend on the Lord when we come across roadblocks as I can say this organization does. We have been with them before on mission trips so are familiar with how they go about it, with Adventist colleges and students assisting. Well, on the zoom meeting they told us of what I can truly say shows how the devil works to undermine Gods work. The tickets for the plane flight for the students from the west coast was all set, when the flight was suddenly cancelled. As the hotels, bus rides, events are all set, they tried everything they could to find another as closely comparable as they could. But, the only flight on a close timeline was routed through New York, and added a additional port fee tax for every student, and they cannot take that off and no way to adjust. Now the students are not rich as some of you may remember from your college days. So we prayed on it, and put it in the Lords hands, but the amounts are bit much for some of them, and other substantial charges have come up so more prayers are being said. We are relying on God to see a way forward for the group, as my wife and I are former Pathfinder leaders, and used to 'roughing it' as they say. So if you keep us in your prayers, and as the Lord moves you, this is a chance to help out this group which has done much and looks to go forward for the Lord and His work. Here is their site... https://libertyandhealth.org/

December 18, 2025 By Sam Sifton Good morning. I’m still in London, where Paddington Bear is unavoidable. President Trump defended his economic record in a combative televised address. He also added plaques to his “Presidential Walk of Fame” near the Oval Office. They mock his Democratic predecessors. We have more news below. But I’d like to start today by asking a question you may have had yourself as the United States and Venezuela square off. That is: What is Trump trying to achieve? In Venezuela, in 2021. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times Petrostate Yesterday, Venezuela said its military would escort oil tankers heading to Asia to stop the United States from seizing them. Washington spent the fall punishing and pressuring the Caribbean nation in an ostensible campaign against drugs. Now we may have a glimpse of where this conflict is going. Venezuela, which once welcomed American energy companies, has the world’s largest oil reserves. President Trump wants access to them again. He wrote on social media that U.S. operations there would continue until the country returned to the United States “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.” That helps explain the last three months. An escalation The campaign began on Sept. 2, with military strikes on small speedboats that the Trump administration claimed, without offering evidence, were trafficking drugs. Then the strikes continued, again and again. There have been 26 so far, killing 99 people across the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, acts that legal experts say may amount to war crimes. Then the campaign escalated. Trump authorized planning for covert C.I.A. action and deployed the largest naval force in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The military positioned warships off Venezuela’s coast, sent bombers to fly just offshore and dispatched troops and sensitive radar equipment to Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation just a few miles away. These moves didn’t always make sense. Officials explained each development as an effort to stop the flow of drugs from Venezuela to the United States. They call the country a narcostate and its president, Nicolás Maduro, a cartel leader. But Venezuela is not a drug producer, and most narcotics smuggled through the country are headed for Europe, not the United States. U.S. officials say it’s about dislodging Maduro from power. Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, told Vanity Fair. Why? Developments in the last week offered another rationale. Liquid gold In the last week, the United States has seized a Venezuelan oil tanker and promised to blockade “ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” going to and from the country. Officially, these boats are trading crude in violation of U.S. sanctions on Iran, as they’ve done for many years, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But there’s more, as my colleagues Edward Wong and Julian Barnes put it: Venezuela and its oil lie at the nexus of two of Mr. Trump’s stated national security priorities: dominance of energy resources and control of the Western Hemisphere. Venezuela has about 17 percent of the world’s known oil reserves, or more than 300 billion barrels, nearly four times the amount in the United States. And no nation has a bigger foothold in Venezuela’s oil industry than China, the superpower whose immense trade presence in the Western Hemisphere the Trump administration aims to curb. Trump wants that oil for the United States. He has wanted it for years. During his first term, he backed attempts to oust Maduro. After he left office, he lamented their failure. “When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse,” he said in a 2023 speech. “We would have taken it over. We would have gotten all that oil.” This time, Edward and Julian report, he’s pushing harder. In secret negotiations with the Trump administration, Maduro offered to open Venezuela’s oil industry to American companies. But that would have left Maduro in charge of dispensing it. The White House said no deal. Prospecting Acquiring oil is not the administration’s only argument for a sudden and fierce Venezuela policy. The U.S. strikes have also targeted boats off Colombia, suggesting the attacks are not entirely about Maduro. Additionally, much of Venezuela’s oil trade violates U.S. sanctions — and props up governments like Cuba’s. But Trump remembers a past when South and Central America were open markets. Before Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976, foreign companies accounted for 70 percent of production there. American drillers like Exxon, Mobil and Gulf Oil were major players. (Today, only one American company, Chevron, still operates in Venezuela.) In the early 1960s, my colleague Simon Romero explains, Venezuela had the largest American expatriate community in the world. Yesterday, Stephen Miller, the White House homeland security adviser, recalled that bygone era on social media. His post, a political gambit filled with misrepresentations, read like the beginning of a mission statement. It was an explanation of all that had come before, from the boat strikes to the military buildup to the threat of a blockade. It read like a prologue. “American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela,” he wrote. “Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property. These pillaged assets were then used to fund terrorism and flood our streets with killers, mercenaries and drugs.” For more The House rejected two resolutions that would have forced Trump to go to Congress for approval before attacking Venezuela. The U.S. military has a long history in Latin America. Read about it here. DENATURALIZATION A naturalization ceremony. Tony Luong for The New York Times The government is ramping up efforts to strip naturalized Americans of their citizenship, according to internal guidance from the Trump administration. Under federal law, naturalized Americans — people who have acquired U.S. citizenship, numbering around 26 million — can lose that status if they committed fraud while applying for citizenship, or in a few other narrow circumstances. Around 120 total denaturalization cases have been filed since 2017. Now, though, the administration’s new guidelines call for 100 to 200 new cases per month. Activists warn that such an effort could lead immigration officials to go after people who made honest mistakes on their citizenship paperwork, and that the program would sow fear among law-abiding Americans. THE LATEST NEWS Trump’s Speech President Trump Doug Mills/The New York Times In a televised address from the White House, Trump argued that the economy was doing better than many Americans felt it was — and that the bad parts were the Biden administration’s fault. Read takeaways. The president cited misleading statistics to insist, wrongly, that prices were coming down. We have a fact check. China The Trump administration asked Congress to approve more than $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. It’s a signal of Trump’s commitment to supporting Taiwan, which fears an invasion from China. A video of the secret 1989 court-martial of a Chinese general who refused to crush protesters in Tiananmen Square appeared on YouTube. Reiner Killings Nick Reiner, who faces murder charges in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, appeared before a judge for the first time. Reiner spent much of his life battling drug addiction, an affliction that millions of Americans have. For their families, this news has felt close. Bondi Attacks Australia’s prime minister announced measures to combat hate speech and antisemitism. “She should be alive”: At a funeral, mourners remembered the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach attacks, who was 10. Her name was Matilda. Some British police forces said they would arrest protesters who used the phrase “globalize the intifada.” They said a “more assertive” approach was needed after the terrorist attack in Australia and a previous assault on a synagogue in Manchester, England. Congress The House will vote on extending Obamacare subsidies in January. Four Republicans joined Democrats in forcing the measure. The Senate passed a $900 billion defense policy bill that advances much of Trump’s national security agenda, with some measures to reassert congressional oversight. More on Politics In an audio recording from 2020, which The Times obtained, Trump pressed a Georgia lawmaker to help overturn his election loss. Listen to it here. Dan Bongino, the No. 2 official at the F.B.I., will step down next month. He had a brief but tumultuous stint at the bureau, where he was known for his volcanic temper. The Health Department canceled grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group has repeatedly criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine policies. The Trump administration will dismantle a major center for weather and climate research, the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, to lead NASA. Trump first nominated Isaacman last year, then pulled his nomination, and then nominated him again. Other Big Stories Pope Leo has named an Illinois bishop to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan in New York. Police in Providence, R.I. are trying to find a person who may have crossed paths with the Brown University gunman shortly before the attack. OPINIONS If Democrats want to make good on their affordability message, they should support oil and gas production, Matthew Yglesias writes. Here is a column by Nicholas Kristof on addressing addiction. The Times Sale starts now: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Clockwise from top left, Diane Keaton, Kanzi, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Angie Stone, Roberta Flack and Jill Sobule. Photographs by Norman Seeff, Gregg Segal, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Yves Beauvais, Anthony Barboza/Getty Images, Marc Baptiste The Lives They Lived: Many artists, innovators and thinkers died this year. The New York Times Magazine has tributes to them, which aren’t obituaries so much as explorations of brilliance lost. Click here to read them. A new Gilded Age: Conspicuous consumption has returned to restaurants in New York City, Julia Moskin reports. Here, for example, is a $435 tomahawk steak at Le Chêne in the West Village, along with a $260 turbot fillet. At La Grande Boucherie in Midtown, there’s a whole suckling pig, $600. The lobster roll at Lex Yard in the Waldorf Astoria? It’ll run you just under $70. “The more expensive it is, the faster it sells,” the chef at Le Chêne said. Stealing the show: The Oscars are leaving network television. They will be streamed live on YouTube starting in 2029. TODAY’S NUMBER 2,400 — That is the approximate number of dinosaur footprints a nature photographer discovered recently in the Italian Alps. They are more than 200 million years old and so well preserved that the marks of toes and claws are visible in the stone. SPORTS College football: Sherrone Moore, the former Michigan coach, had a “long history of domestic violence” against a female staff member, the woman’s lawyer told the police. Moore told the police he did not physically assault her. N.F.L.: Referees told the Detroit Lions to stop pretending to flick their boogers in a celebration, said Amon-Ra St. Brown, a wide receiver. RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times Here’s a light and lovely recipe for chicken ragù bianco, a simple preparation of shredded chicken mixed with a sofritto, herbs and water that pairs beautifully with what you might call a grabby pasta, one with texture that can hold the brothlike sauce. It does well in the freezer, too, so we’ve written the recipe for twice the amount you’ll need for a pound of pasta. (Save the rest for another dinner.) Before adding the water to braise the chicken, I might add a splash or two of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. PADDINGTON’S STATION Paddington Bear Kalpesh Lathigra for The New York Times The biggest star in London right now? My colleague Alex Marshall says it’s a four-foot-tall bear, the title character of “Paddington: The Musical.” I took a walk around the city’s West End recently, and it was hard to disagree. There were happy crowds bunched up tight in front of the Savoy Theater to see him, many children wearing marmalade merch and red bucket hats. I looked into getting tickets for later in the week. Oh, how they laughed. More on culture Also in London: Minnie Driver, who spoke to our reporter Alexis Soloski in advance of her debut in the new season of “Emily in Paris,” which starts tonight on Netflix. Driver plays a penniless princess who supports herself through cheeky sponsored content and livestreams. “They’ll buy anything I tell them to,” her character says. Late night hosts mocked Trump’s prime-time speech. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The New York Times Avoid these breakup lines. They’re real — and really bad. “It’s not me — it’s 100 percent about you” is a standout. Procrastinate no longer. Here are 41 terrific last-minute holiday gifts from the Santa-confident experts at Wirecutter. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was plaudit. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 18 1620 Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor On December 18, 1620, with the English ship Mayflower anchored in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, a small party of sailors from the vessel go ashore, as its passengers prepare to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony. The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1961 The Tokens earn a #1 hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” Crime 1878 Last member of Irish secret society is executed Slavery 1865 Slavery abolished in America with adoption of 13th amendment Sports 1932 First NFL playoff game is played indoors 2022 Argentina wins the World Cup, Messi’s first U.S. Presidents 1915 Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Bolling Galt 1972 Joe Biden loses first wife and daughter in tragic car accident 2019 President Donald Trump impeached for the first time Vietnam War 1972 Nixon announces start of “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam World War I 1916 Battle of Verdun ends World War II 1941 Japan invades Hong Kong