Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher voiced his surprise when &#8220;The Young Turks&#8221; host Ana Kasparian declared her opposition to men in women&#8217;s spaces — particularly locker rooms.
Maher was speaking to Kasparian on his &#8220;Club Random&#8221; podcast when he raised the topic, prompting Kasparian to quickly agree, despite suggesting that she wasn&#8217;t &#8220;supposed&#8221; to have a problem with biological men in women&#8217;s spaces.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Bill Maher *STUNNED* as Ana Kasparian opposes biological males in female spaces🚨
KASPARIAN: &#8220;Is it bad that I don&#8217;t want to see a d*ck in the women&#8217;s locker room? I just don&#8217;t!&#8221;
MAHER: &#8220;So good to hear you say that. Really good. I did not expect that.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a> <a href="https://t.co/RfsPvp6X9N">pic.twitter.com/RfsPvp6X9N</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1998040212170056054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Kasparian realized where Maher was going with the conversation, and began to protest that he was going to get her &#8220;in trouble.&#8221;
&#8220;Why? There&#8217;s no trouble for you. Your life is trouble,&#8221; Maher replied.
&#8220;I’m supposed to be totally okay with it. Is it bad that I don’t want to see a d*** in the women’s locker room? Is that bad?&#8221; Kasparian asked.
&#8220;No,&#8221; Maher replied, laughing.
&#8220;I just don’t. I don’t want to see a c*** in the women’s locker room,&#8221; Kasparian continued.
&#8220;And you shouldn&#8217;t,&#8221; Maher agreed. &#8220;No woman should. I mean, this is basic 101.&#8221;
Maher went on to excoriate the political Left for adopting positions that were &#8220;counterintuitive&#8221; and &#8220;not helping&#8221; in the name of progress.
&#8220;Yeah, you want to champion women, and you didn’t. You did the opposite. You made them uncomfortable, and unnecessarily, in many ways,&#8221; he continued.
&#8220;When you see everything as a hierarchy — everything is a hierarchy — well then, inevitably you&#8217;re going to find yourself in a situation where the rights of one group kind of falls by the wayside,&#8221; Kasparian explained.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a zero-sum game,&#8221; Maher interjected.
&#8220;And I don&#8217;t see it that way,&#8221; Kasparian declared, adding that she took particular issue with the idea of &#8220;self-ID&#8221; being the law of the land. &#8220;As you and I both know, there are all sorts of predators out there who are gonna take advantage of that situation, and that&#8217;s already happened.&#8221;
&#8220;This is not an indictment of transgender people. It’s an indictment of a policy that was not thought through. And as a result, there are women who are going to suffer,&#8221; Kasparian said after laying out just one example. &#8220;And as a result, there are transgender people who are going to suffer because people are going to make the mistake of thinking, ‘Oh, well, that guy was transgender, and this is how they behave.’ No. This is not how they behave. We need to be smarter about these policies. It’s that simple.&#8221;
&#8220;So, good to hear you say that. Really good. I did not expect that,&#8221; Maher replied.

Celebrities Visit SiriusXM – May 20, 2024

Bill Maher Shocked As Young Turks Host Says No To Men In Women’s Spaces

Ana Kasparian

Bill Maher

Media

Politics

The Young Turks

Transgender

At a gala in Washington, D.C., the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents USA managed a feat only today’s media establishment could pull off: honoring veteran NBC journalist Andrea Mitchell on the same night it elevated terrorists posing as “journalists.” The organization, joined by event co-sponsor Al Jazeera, even handed the Qatari state outlet its own “press freedom grant.”
The evening veered into moral fog when organizers held a moment of silence for 10 Al Jazeera “reporters” killed in Gaza. Their photos were displayed on a memorial table deliberately echoing the empty-seat tributes to Israelis kidnapped by Hamas — a grotesque appropriation of genuine suffering.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, accepting an award, used his speech to commend “fearless Palestinian journalists” and criticize Israel’s restrictions on Gaza reporting — without noting that Hamas routinely censors, intimidates, and murders reporters who deviate from its propaganda line. Instead, Yingst praised “fearless and tenacious Palestinian journalists” who supposedly “don’t have the luxury to leave.”
Those “journalists,” conveniently unnamed, include operatives whose résumés read like counterterrorism dossiers, as Honest Reporting <a href="https://honestreporting.com/exposed-foreign-press-correspondents-honor-terrorists-award-al-jazeera-cash-grant/">noted</a>:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="1384" data-end="1567">Anas Al-Sharif — not a reporter but the head of a Hamas rocket cell, photographed with senior leaders and praising October 7 murderers “roaming the country killing and capturing.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="1569" data-end="1670">Ismail Al-Ghoul — a member of Hamas’ Nukhba forces who trained operatives to film terror attacks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="1672" data-end="1837">Hossam Shabat — a Hamas sniper involved in attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, who also fronted Al Jazeera’s false gang-rape allegation at Shifa Hospital.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="1839" data-end="1936">Hamza Al Dahdouh — a Palestinian Islamic Jihad officer operating a hostile drone when killed.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="1938" data-end="2043">Mustafa Thuria — a Hamas deputy squad commander killed alongside Al Dahdouh during military activity.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" data-start="2045" data-end="2145">Mohammed Salama — an October 7 infiltrator who filmed the massacre while chanting “Allahu Akbar.”</li>
</ul>
By memorializing operatives who used cameras as camouflage for jihad, the Foreign Press Correspondents Association turned a celebration of journalism into a moral collapse. This wasn’t solidarity with the press. It was the whitewashing and elevation of militants masquerading as reporters — an abdication of integrity dressed up as virtue.
Rather than elevating truth-tellers, the group effectively legitimized terrorists posing as reporters.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

Foreign Press Gala Honors Hamas Terror Operatives Masquerading As ‘Journalists’

Hamas

journalists

Democrats and and their media surrogates have made it abundantly clear that they&#8217;re not going to let go of their chosen narrative surrounding War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Admiral Mitch Bradley, and how many strikes are necessary to neutralize the threat posed by Venezuelan narco-terrorists.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
A story that should have been on life-support by Sunday morning — published eight days earlier by The Washington Post — somehow still had legs. The initial story cited anonymous sources and described the scene that played out after SEAL Team 6 struck a boat that intelligence had identified as part of a drug-running operation.
According to the WaPo report, Hegseth issued a clear order: &#8220;Kill them all.&#8221; When the first strike left two survivors, the story alleged, a second order was given and another strike followed — this one taking out the remaining individuals on the scene.
What followed was a mad scramble for Democrats and media to take up the torch for those two survivors and give them the most sympathetic makeover possible. They were helpless, Democrats claimed, clinging to the wreckage of their boat and just hoping against hope that they might survive. Targeting unarmed survivors, they claimed, was nothing short of a war crime.
Over the following days, however, new reports added dimension to the story. ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz — who had helped sell the &#8220;helpless survivor&#8221; narrative just days earlier with &#8220;This Week&#8221; host Jonathan Karl — reported that the boat had apparently been disabled but not destroyed by the first strike. In addition, she cited sources who&#8217;d said the operators were in contact with the Judge Advocate General&#8217;s office in real time — and that because they&#8217;d believed the survivors were attempting to contact someone for help and salvage their illicit cargo, they were deemed lawful enemy combatants.
Still, the hosts of the Sunday morning shows brought in a whole new slate of guests, most of whom continued to hawk the war crimes narrative in any market where they believed it would fly.
On &#8220;This Week,&#8221; Rep. Adam Smith raised the question of land strikes in Venezuela, complaining that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration — the War Department in particular — had not kept him and others in Congress in the loop.
&#8220;They have not kept us informed on this, they did not inform us of these strikes,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith tells George Stephanopoulos that he has not been briefed on the possibility of land strikes in Venezuela. Referring to the Department of Defense, he said: “They have not kept us informed on this, they did not inform us of these strikes.” <a href="https://t.co/K7SoJZoCdk">pic.twitter.com/K7SoJZoCdk</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997701054511632452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Smith also called for the public release of video from the strike in question, claiming that President Donald Trump was trying to avoid doing so.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith calls for the release of the videos shown to lawmakers of U.S. strikes against one suspected drug boat on Sept. 2. <a href="https://t.co/AtDV1HPtg3">pic.twitter.com/AtDV1HPtg3</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997698092397645930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Following the release of the Inspector General&#8217;s report — regarding Hegseth&#8217;s use of the Signal messaging app to share information about a strike on Houthi terrorists — Smith also suggested that the War Secretary wasn&#8217;t taking the right approach: &#8220;It&#8217;s perfectly okay to look back at past actions and say, ‘Yeah, I didn&#8217;t do that right.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith criticizes Sec. Hegseth’s response to the inspector general&#8217;s report on the alleged release of sensitive information on the Signal messaging app.
“It&#8217;s perfectly okay to look back at past actions and say, ‘Yeah, I didn&#8217;t do that right.’” <a href="https://t.co/eIjxnABn3b">pic.twitter.com/eIjxnABn3b</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997682715890700594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On CBS News, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) constructed what was supposed to look like a thought experiment, behind which he hid an attack on Admiral Bradley&#8217;s character.
&#8220;Anyone who has ever worked with Admiral Bradley will tell you that he has a storied career and that he is a man of deep, deep integrity. And frankly, I have no reason to doubt that,” Himes said before pivoting to wonder aloud whether Bradley might compromise that integrity under pressure. “What happens when an apparently good man like Admiral Bradley is placed in a context where he knows that if he countermands an order that he is perhaps uncomfortable with, it is very likely that he will be fired? It’s interesting to think about how a good man in that context maybe does something that if he weren’t in that context he might not do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On the alleged Venezuelan drug boat strikes, <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> asked Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/jahimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jahimes</a> (D-CT) if he has confidence in Admiral Bradley.
“Anyone who has ever worked with Admiral Bradley will tell you that he has a storied career and that he is a man of deep, deep integrity. And frankly, I… <a href="https://t.co/Lv7AhPQYa1">pic.twitter.com/Lv7AhPQYa1</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1997761860200771693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Himes also claimed that the people on the boats were likely low-level drug runners, meaning that the cartel bosses were not necessarily feeling the sting.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/jahimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jahimes</a> (D-CT) tells <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> he does not believe all the identities of those on the alleged Venezuelan drug boats are known. He says the U.S. strikes are hitting low-level operatives, not high-ranking cartel leaders, leaving the top figures in comfortable villas while… <a href="https://t.co/fec6gEQjI5">pic.twitter.com/fec6gEQjI5</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1997763814524096587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) used back on &#8220;This Week,&#8221; however.
Democrats &#8220;have such X-ray vision and clairvoyance that they know the intentions of narco-terrorists on boats, yet were so blind to see that they had a President for four years that was operating as a vegetable&#8230; Forgive me if I&#8217;m a little skeptical,&#8221; he declared.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenEricSchmitt</a>: Democrats &#8220;have such X-ray vision and clairvoyance that they know the intentions of narco-terrorists on boats, yet were so blind to see that they had a President for four years that was operating as a vegetable&#8230; Forgive me if I&#8217;m a little skeptical.&#8221; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/fgyMRbrnel">pic.twitter.com/fgyMRbrnel</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1997687852566737239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Trump And Pete Hegseth Address U.S. Senior Military Leaders At Quantico

Spin Cycle: Media, Democrats Still Mad At Pete Hegseth For Doing His Job

ABC News

CBS News

Donald Trump

Military

NBC News

Pete Hegseth

Sports and politics analyst Stephen A. Smith ripped into Democrats on Wednesday, saying that it was impossible not to give President Donald Trump credit for political savvy after he pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).
Smith gave his assessment on his Sirius XM show &#8220;Straight Shooter with Stephen A.,&#8221; saying that Trump was essentially &#8220;giving the Democratic Party lessons&#8221; in how to navigate the complicated political climate in the United States.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Stephen A. Smith says Trump &#8220;BRILLIANT&#8221; to pardon Dem Rep. Henry Cuellar🚨
&#8220;At some point in time, we just have to give the man credit. He&#8217;s shrewd as h*ll. He really is. I mean, he is giving the Democratic Party lessons! Lessons!&#8221;
&#8220;You can&#8217;t sit up there and talk about… <a href="https://t.co/Um30i8zTEG">pic.twitter.com/Um30i8zTEG</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1996575942257291520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;[H]ow do the Democrats look when they now try to attack Trump because they say he pays no attention to the facts? How do they look now when they say he doesn’t provide leadership?&#8221; Smith asked. &#8220;How do they sound now when they accuse him of lawlessness?&#8221;
&#8220;I mean, at some point in time, we just have to give the man credit,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;He’s shrewd as hell. He really is. I mean, he is giving the Democratic Party lessons! Lessons! I mean, school is in session on how to manipulate minds and coax folks into thinking along the lines of his way of thinking.&#8221;
Smith pivoted to address the situation with Cuellar directly, and noted, as Trump did, that Cuellar had been at odds with former President Joe Biden over his handling of the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border. Trump, along with a number of others, alleged that Biden&#8217;s Justice Department had targeted Cuellar largely because of that.
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&#8220;You can’t sit up there and talk about how everything is partisan when the man sits up there and lets you off the hook and you&#8217;re on the opposite party. Now granted, that same Representative Cuellar was the same guy that spoke out against the Biden administration when it came to immigration issues and our borders. So again, that falls in line with Trump and we get that part. But he’s still a Democrat,&#8221; Smith said.
Smith concluded by noting that he&#8217;d long been advising Democrats that they needed to move to the center if they ever wanted to win — and argued that Trump, by extending his pardon power across party lines, had beaten them to the punch.
&#8220;What have I been saying about the Democrats? Get away from the far Left. Move towards the center. And Trump beat them to it. He beat them to it. That’s what he’s doing! That’s what he’s doing! It’s brilliant! Absolutely, positively brilliant politics! Nothing compares!&#8221;

Stephen A. Smith

‘School Is In Session!’: Stephen A. Smith Raves About Trump Decision To Pardon Democrat

'School Is In Session!': Stephen A. Smith Raves About Trump Decision To Pardon Democrat

Henry Cuellar

Joe Biden

An unreleased video of a second strike on suspected narco-terrorists appears to support War Secretary Pete Hegseth and the War Department, according to ABC News. The report suggests that a second strike was not only justified, it was necessary to complete the intended mission.
ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz weighed in on the new information from an anonymous source on Wednesday evening, saying that it supported reports of two survivors remaining after a first strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean. Where the new intelligence diverged, she reported, was that the suspected narco-terrorists were not simply clinging to the wreckage. The two appeared to be making attempts to salvage their illicit cargo and may have remained in contact with others in their network once their vessel had been disabled.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Wednesday’s ‘World News Tonight’ about drug boat-gate: “And tonight, new information: According to a source familiar with the incident, the two survivors climbed back on to the boat after the initial strike. They were believed to be potentially in… <a href="https://t.co/R5eHFzzDql">pic.twitter.com/R5eHFzzDql</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1996369433569161520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;And tonight, new information: According to a source familiar with the incident, the two survivors climbed back on to the boat after the initial strike,&#8221; Raddatz told host David Muir on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;World News Tonight.&#8221;
&#8220;They were believed to be potentially in communication with others, and salvaging some of the drugs,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Because of that, it was determined they were still in the fight and valid targets. A JAG officer was also giving legal advice. So, again, David, that video will be key, and Admiral Bradley will be on the Hill tomorrow behind closed doors.&#8221;
The Washington Post published an anonymously-sourced &#8220;exclusive&#8221; on Saturday claiming that things had gone very differently, however.
According to the initial story, a direct order to “kill them all” was attributed to Secretary Hegseth — and the scenario described suggested that two survivors had been clinging to wreckage when a second strike was ordered to ensure that they weren’t left alive.
Democrats and legacy media outlets were only too happy to run with that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-wapo-hit-piece-targets-pete-hegseth-and-legacy-outlets-fall-in-line">narrative</a>, and they spent much of the day Sunday declaring Hegseth — along with anyone who had been involved in carrying out his order — was likely guilty of war crimes.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whoopi-goldberg-says-pete-hegseth-set-soldiers-up-to-face-war-crimes-charges">narrative</a> continued into the week as the hosts of ABC’s “The View” not only proclaimed Hegseth guilty of “war crimes,” but insisted that if other military service members were eventually tried for war crimes, it would be because Hegseth’s orders had effectively “set them up.”

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

New Intel Appears To Support Actions Taken In Second Strike Against Drug Boat

Drug Boat Survivors Were Trying To Salvage Cocaine When Second Strike Was Ordered

narco-terrorism

Washington Post

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo does not believe that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — or any of the Democratic Party&#8217;s &#8220;horses,&#8221; for that matter — truly love more about the United States than they hate about it.
Cuomo made the comments during a recent podcast conversation with progressive podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, using his father — former Governor Mario Cuomo (D-NY) — as a point of reference.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Chris Cuomo says he doesn&#8217;t think AOC loves America🇺🇸
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe AOC — any of your horses — I have a hard time believing they love the country. I think they hate more about it than they love about it.&#8221;
&#8220;I can&#8217;t think of the last time I heard AOC say something good… <a href="https://t.co/WOiQgyg7hD">pic.twitter.com/WOiQgyg7hD</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1995881240092647543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;What did my father have? Okay, I know I’m a white guy, okay? I know, I’m not saying anything but that,&#8221; Cuomo began, noting that his father had not been considered so. &#8220;My father was not considered a white guy. He was considered an ethnic, okay? He had that other thing going.&#8221;
&#8220;He was an other. And he hated it. And he hated the people who got to decide that, and who kept opportunities from him. So he was a real one, okay? But he loved the f***ing country,&#8221; Cuomo continued. &#8220;That’s the part that you guys, in my opinion, don’t get right. I don’t believe AOC — or any of your horses — I have a hard time believing they love the country. I think they hate more about it than they love about it. And that may be unfair. But if it is unfair, it’s because of how they’ve made their own case about themselves.&#8221;
Cohen pushed back, claiming that patriotism in the United States was largely performative and &#8220;jingoistic&#8221; in the way that kids are trained to repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. He explained that he&#8217;d taught in France, and said that the students there found the concept of such actions &#8220;foreign.&#8221;
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But Cuomo wasn&#8217;t finished. He went on to expand that because Democrats had pushed away from patriotism with such force, they&#8217;d effectively allowed the Right to take complete ownership of symbolic America.
&#8220;Here’s my point: Why are people surprised when they see an American flag on my truck, or in front of my house? Why were the Democrats okay with that becoming a party symbol for the GOP?&#8221; Cuomo asked, adding, &#8220;You are absolutely right, and every political philosopher has only agreed with you that dissent and criticism of your government is one of the strongest forms of patriotism. I don’t even think that’s really an open question.&#8221;
The problem, Cuomo argued, was that the Left had not found a way to balance dissent with patriotism — and the result was that they gave the appearance that they hated the country, whether that was true or not.
&#8220;What do you balance it with?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;When’s the last time you heard Democrats say something good about this country? That’s true, too. And I think it goes to your point about, hey man, you gotta play the game where it stands. I think that a real one who hates certain things that were done to them — systemic, cultural — and is fighting to change it because they believe so much in what this country can be, is, and is at her best. That’s the sweet spot. I can’t think of the last time I heard AOC say something good about the country.&#8221;

2017 Turner Upfront

Chris Cuomo Doesn’t Believe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Loves America

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Chris Cuomo

Democrats

Even The New York Times isn&#8217;t buying The Washington Post&#8217;s hit piece attacking War Secretary Pete Hegseth and claiming that he gave an order to &#8220;kill them all,&#8221; authorizing a second missile strike on a Venezuelan drug boat when survivors were in the water.
The Post&#8217;s &#8220;exclusive&#8221; — which ran on Saturday — painted a picture of two survivors, helplessly clinging to the remnants of their destroyed vessel as a second strike was ordered to ensure they were killed. Citing anonymous sources, the outlet walked right up to the line, but stopped just short of directly accusing Hegseth of executing the two survivors in the water.
What followed immediately was absolutely predictable: anchors and guests across the legacy media Sunday shows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-wapo-hit-piece-targets-pete-hegseth-and-legacy-outlets-fall-in-line">stepped across the line</a> even WaPo wouldn&#8217;t, accusing Hegseth of committing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whoopi-goldberg-says-pete-hegseth-set-soldiers-up-to-face-war-crimes-charges">war crimes</a> and claiming those who carried out his orders might also be held to account for doing so.
But <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/us/hegseth-drug-boat-strike-order-venezuela.html">The New York Times</a> was not quite ready to go all in on the accusation, and instead cited five officials who said that while Hegseth&#8217;s initial order was to deliver a lethal strike — which would destroy the vessel and the drugs and kill those onboard — there was no specific order given regarding how to proceed if the first strike did not fully accomplish that.
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In addition, the officials told the NYT that there was no second command from Hegseth ordering another strike when drone footage showed survivors in the water. Instead, they said that the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack, Admiral Frank M. Bradley, had ordered several follow-up strikes to sink the boat that was disabled by the first hit — and that the survivors were killed as those strikes were carried out.
The Federalist&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/MZHemingway/status/1995747364196548720">Mollie Hemingway</a> noted that while it certainly tracked that WaPo had run with the story in the first place, it seemed slightly off routine for the NYT to hold back.
&#8220;It is not surprising that the WashPost, which originated the Russia collusion hoax, the Kavanaugh hoax, and the first Trump impeachment hoax, would run another false info op. It IS a bit surprising that the NYT isn’t going along with it in their normal manner,&#8221; she said.
The White House&#8217;s account of what happened squares with the NYT report, however, as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Monday&#8217;s briefing that there had been multiple strikes on the drug boat in question, but that the orders had come from Admiral Frank M. Bradley, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karoline-leavitt-says-hegseth-didnt-order-second-strike-on-narco-terrorists-boat">not Hegseth</a>.
Hegseth followed that revelation with an <a href="https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995643490152128919">X post</a> declaring his support for Bradley, saying, &#8220;Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this @DeptofWar says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it.&#8221;

US-MILITARY-DEFENSE-MEETING

Even The New York Times Isn’t Sold On Washington Post Hegseth Hit

The New York Times

Whoopi Goldberg claimed on Monday that if any American service members were charged with &#8220;war crimes&#8221; in relation to drug boat strikes, it would be because War Secretary Pete Hegseth had &#8220;set them up&#8221; to take the fall.
Goldberg and her cohosts on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; insisted that the strikes were illegal and argued that in ordering them, Secretary Hegseth was putting the service members who executed those orders at risk of prosecution.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The View wants American service members put in prison.
Admitting their speaking about something they&#8217;re totally ignorant about, The View accuses War Secretary Pete Hegseth of a setting up soldiers to be charged for war crimes:
SUNNY HOSTIN: I can&#8217;t speak to the law of it, I&#8217;m… <a href="https://t.co/Ocvbb6Mes2">pic.twitter.com/Ocvbb6Mes2</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1995538962341929323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I can&#8217;t speak to the law of it, I&#8217;m not a geopolitical expert, but in terms of the law of it, you&#8217;re right, Sara, that is why those Army vets explained do not follow — you do not have to follow illegal orders,&#8221; Sunny Hostin said.
&#8220;You know why? Because if this is deemed to have been war crimes, which by all accounts right now there are seven sources that said Pete Hegseth did say &#8216;kill them all,&#8217; even after there were two survivors,&#8221; Hostin continued. &#8220;What you are supposed to do under international law, you are supposed to take those fighters as war criminals, prisoners of war, and you are supposed to give them refuge and you&#8217;re supposed to take care of them and then you are supposed to put them into a court of law. Instead, they killed them.&#8221;
50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at <a class="c-link" href="http://dailywire.com/cyberweek" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://DailyWire.com/cyberweek" data-sk="tooltip_parent">DailyWire.com/cyberweek</a>.
Hostin went on to say that there could be legal consequences for those who gave the orders and for those who carried them out.
&#8220;That means the person who gave the order can be held accountable and put in prison, and that means the person that conducted — the people who conducted the orders, that pulled the trigger are also responsible and can be held accountable,&#8221; she said. &#8220;So, now you have people that are serving their countries, that are serving this country as patriots, perhaps following an illegal order and then themselves can be court-martialed. Imagine that.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, what he has done is he&#8217;s set them up,&#8221; Goldberg declared. &#8220;He has set them up.&#8221;
Hostin echoed comments made on Sunday by Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mark-kelly-encourages-active-military-to-question-orders-in-real-time">Mark Kelly</a> (D-AZ), who told &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; anchor Kristen Welker that he worried some service members would only learn that they had carried out illegal orders after the fact, when it was too late for them to do anything about it.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg Says Pete Hegseth Set Soldiers Up To Face War Crimes Charges

The View

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt embarrassed the New York Times on Monday after it published a story questioning President Trump’s health and fitness for the job.
A reporter asked, “The White House today launched a fake news portal. What is your objective with that, ultimately, and are you going to name the news networks, and are you also going to name correspondents?”
“Yes, we are,” Leavitt answered. “I’m glad you noticed. Much to the dismay of some of your colleagues in the room, and I think it goes to our original promise on day one to hold the media accountable, because unfortunately, and we deal with this all day, every day around here, there are so many fake stories that are unfortunately written that have inaccurate characterizations of meetings that took place, and it&#8217;s all based on anonymous sourcing.”
“The standard for journalism unfortunately has dropped to such a historic low in this country, and again, we deal with it every day, where you can have an anonymous source who has no idea of what they’re talking about, zero credibility, call up a reporter in Washington and say, ‘Hey, I heard this,’ and the next thing you know, it&#8217;s on the front page of The New York Times,” she continued.
She then took the opportunity to lacerate the Times, saying, “I will point out one fake news story over the weekend before I let you all go, from The New York Times, that took about one-third of the president’s daily calendar and his daily schedule and said that he’s doing less than he did in his first term, or he may not be fit for the job.”
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
Holding up a copy of the Times article, she asserted, “That is unequivocally false, and it’s deeply unfortunate that the story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this: Biden is ‘Doing 100% Fine’ After Tripping While Boarding Air Force One.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed in mock horror. “Same outlet, same reporter who wrote that President Trump is not fit for the job. Are you kidding me? You all see him almost every single day. He is the most accessible president in history. He is taking meetings around the clock.”
“Another one: Biden Declared ‘Healthy’ and ‘Vigorous&#8217; After His First Presidential Physical,” she pointed out, holding up the second article.
“Hmm,” she mused. “I don’t see headlines too often about this president. Again: same reporter, same outlet who wrote falsely over the weekend that President Trump is not fit for the job.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qYwnfrSQjIo?si=Qmch6Ye0IArHO61f" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

US-POLITICS-LEAVITT

NYT Humiliated: Leavitt Dismantles Fake News Narrative On Trump’s Health

Health

Karoline Leavitt

New York Times

The White House released medical results for President Donald Trump on Monday that showed &#8220;perfectly normal&#8221; scans of the president&#8217;s heart and stomach.
Trump, who turned 79 in June, underwent MRIs as part of his physical exam in October, and promised reporters on Sunday that he would release the results after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz questioned the president&#8217;s health and called on him to make the MRI results public. During the Monday afternoon White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read from a statement prepared by Trump&#8217;s doctor, Sean Barbabella.
&#8220;As part of President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s comprehensive executive physical, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health,&#8221; Barbabella wrote. &#8220;The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function.&#8221;
Barbabella said that Trump&#8217;s cardiovascular and abdominal imaging were &#8220;perfectly normal,&#8221; adding that the president remains in &#8220;perfect health.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: White House releases President Trump’s MRI results:
“This level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump&#8217;s age and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health.” <a href="https://t.co/nhOlYr6hzD">pic.twitter.com/nhOlYr6hzD</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1995568054806479205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump&#8217;s critics have questioned his health throughout his second term, pushing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-dead-at-all-trump-teases-exciting-announcement-from-oval-office">rumors</a> that he was dealing with major health issues, and some people even speculated that Trump had died in September. Trump&#8217;s health was brought into question again on Sunday by Walz.
Trump ripped Walz in a Thanksgiving Day message, calling the governor &#8220;seriously retarded&#8221; and arguing that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over” Minnesota. Walz said on Sunday that Trump is &#8220;fading physically,&#8221; adding that his behavior is &#8220;not normal&#8221; and &#8220;not healthy.&#8221;
Trump responded to Walz&#8217;s comments on Sunday and said that he had no issue releasing the MRI results.
&#8220;If you want to have it released, I’ll release it,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/01/us-news/trump-tells-reporters-hell-release-results-of-october-mri-if-you-want/">told</a> reporters. “It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.&#8221;
The president, who is approaching his 80th birthday, has maintained an intense schedule throughout his second term and remains in &#8220;excellent&#8221; condition, according to his doctor. In July, however, Trump was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-reveals-medical-condition-causing-swelling-in-trumps-legs">diagnosed</a> with “chronic venous insufficiency” in his legs, which causes his legs to swell. Barbabella said Trump&#8217;s “chronic venous insufficiency” is a “benign, common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”

White House Releases MRI Results From Trump’s Heart And Stomach Scans

White House Releases Results On Trump's Heart And Stomach Scans

White House

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) claimed on Sunday that he was worried American troops might only learn after the fact that an order they had carried out was unlawful.
Kelly, already under fire for his participation in a video that encouraged members of the military to question the validity of their orders in real time, doubled down during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) went on NBC and told active-duty U.S. military members that if they follow orders to strike drug-smuggling boats they might be committing illegal acts and could be prosecuted later.
He said troops “may find out down the road that they did something that… <a href="https://t.co/4gsRmkRbR0">pic.twitter.com/4gsRmkRbR0</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediasLies/status/1995504474161365328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I want to put the question to you,&#8221; anchor Kristen Welker began. &#8220;If you were still in uniform, if you received an order to strike suspected drug boats overseas and kill everybody onboard, would you refuse that order in real time?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, let me start by saying I&#8217;ve sunk two boats — two ships,&#8221; Kelly replied, referencing his own actions during the first Gulf War. &#8220;Never once did I question whether those orders were legal or illegal. People can tell the difference — should be able to tell the difference between something that is unlawful and something that is lawful.&#8221;
&#8220;If I was ever given an unlawful order, I would refuse — you know, even if you have time, you can certainly go to the Judge Advocate Generals, the lawyers, and have a discussion about it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If you don&#8217;t have time, you just say simply I&#8217;m not going to do that, that&#8217;s against the law.&#8221;
&#8220;It puts a lot of burden on the troops to make a decision in real time,&#8221; Welker observed.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a tremendous amount of burden on officers in the military,&#8221; Kelly agreed. &#8220;But that is their responsibility, and they can figure out — you know, a reasonable person can tell something that is legal and something that is illegal.&#8221;
Welker asked again, directly, whether Kelly would refuse the orders to strike drug boats.
Kelly did not offer a definitive answer, but instead said that he worried about troops who &#8220;may find out down the road that they did something that is illegal&#8221; because they acted on an order that reflected &#8220;the whims of a president&#8221; rather than law.
Thus far, there has been no <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/does-the-president-have-the-authority-to-strike-venezuelan-drug-boats">real consensus</a> regarding the legality of the strikes.

958A875C-CA84-4009-8B0E-B0EE1A949445_1_201_a

Mark Kelly Encourages Active Military To Question Orders In Real Time

Mark Kelly Doubles Down, Encourages Active Military To Question Orders In Real Time

Mark Kelly

The Trump administration tightens immigration restrictions following a fatal attack on National Guardsmen, illegal alien access to federal benefits comes under scrutiny, and is the United States about to strike narco-terrorists on Venezuelan soil?
It’s Monday, December 1, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251201">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/capital-attack-fallout-venezuelan-skies-closed-12-1-25/id1576594336?i=1000739099845" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Launches Immigration Crackdown After D.C. Shootings</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007687" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The tragic shooting of two National Guard members from West Virginia by an Afghan national has triggered a massive immigration response from the Trump administration. And the president does not appear to be done with his sweeping actions.
Over the course of last week and then into the weekend, President Donald Trump has taken a series of aggressive actions in response to this attack, about which some very harrowing details continue to emerge.
The attack: Police say the 29-year-old suspect approached with a revolver and was shooting at a point-blank distance. He was also reportedly shouting “Allah Akbar!”
One heroic guardsman, armed with only a pocketknife, was able to stop the shooter. The guardsman heard the gunfire, charged the shooter, and then stabbed him with the knife.
Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old woman who was one of the guardsmen shot in the attack, died as a result of her injuries. The other guardsman who was shot, Andrew Wolf, is still fighting for his life. There continues to be an outpouring of support and prayers for his recovery and his family.
The suspect was also severely wounded, but he is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-guard-shooting-suspect-expected-to-survive?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=National+Guard+Shooting+Suspect+Expected+To+Survive">expected</a> to survive.
Where the prosecution stands: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charges-upgraded-against-afghan-shooting-suspect-after-national-guard-soldier-dies">said</a> that the charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder since Beckstrom’s death. Pirro said that this appears to be a case of an ambush-style attack. The FBI is even looking at this as a possible act of terrorism.
In response, President Trump said he is considering dispatching 500 more troops to the nation’s capital to keep the peace, doubling down on his earlier executive order to protect the city and quell crime.
The suspect: He came into the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome, launched by the Biden administration after the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Many soldiers, including Afghan and American soldiers, were killed during that process, and the Taliban was able to retake the country.
The suspect fought with a group of elite Afghan fighters known as &#8220;Zero Units.&#8221; They were all so-called “death squads” working with the CIA to help fight the Taliban. A friend of the suspect’s told the New York Post that he suffered from serious mental health issues as a result of his years in combat.
Immigration crackdown: Trump has said the United States is not admitting any more Afghan nationals. The president has ordered a review of how Afghans were vetted during and after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Notably, tens of thousands of Afghan nationals came to the United States as refugees following the withdrawal.
The State Department has said it is refusing visas to Afghan nationals until it conducts further vetting of the country. The president has said that he will “deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Steps Up Enforcement Against Illegals Receiving Benefits</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007689" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is working to remove federal benefits for people who are in the country illegally.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he will “end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens.” He added that many recent arrivals depend on taxpayer-supported welfare programs while coming from “failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels.”
Bessent’s turn: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved to implement the president’s order. Bessent said that his department is working to cut off federal benefits to illegals and stressed that these must be preserved for American citizens.
Specifically, Bessent said the Treasury “will issue proposed regulations clarifying that the refunded portions of certain individual income tax benefits are no longer available to illegal and other non-qualified aliens.”
The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an alert to better crack down on the exploitation of the U.S. financial system by illegals who are seeking to move illegally obtained funds. 
The department <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-issues-alert-cross-border-funds-transfers-involving-illegal-aliens#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,to%20move%20illicitly%20obtained%20funds">said</a> that over the past several years, the United States has witnessed a “significant volume of cross-border funds transfers, including remittances” from illegals.
MN Somalis: City Journal has reported in detail on a massive fraud scheme in Minnesota under the tenure of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, where billions of taxpayer dollars intended for social services were funneled through fake nonprofits and shell companies, and — alarmingly — some of that money <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/minnesota-welfare-fraud-somalia-al-shabaab">ended up in the hands</a> of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Much of the fraud has been traced back to Minnesota’s Somali community, where fraudsters have allegedly exploited numerous loopholes in the state’s welfare system. But the story has been overlooked for a long time.
“I think it’s fair to say there was an unwillingness or inability from Democratic state officials in Minnesota to recognize some pretty obvious alarm bells here. Claims were skyrocketing, spiraling out of control,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQQ9nJPBhg&amp;t=216s">said</a> investigative reporter Ryan Thorpe, who helped break the story. “The reality is, the Somali community … is a voting bloc you have to win if you&#8217;re going to win political office in Minneapolis.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Clears The Skies Over Venezuela</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007691" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Tensions are escalating after President Trump announced that the airspace over Venezuela should be considered closed. The announcement has raised new questions over potential U.S. strikes inside Venezuela amid the president’s war on drug cartels.
The situation around Venezuela appears precarious. Trump on Saturday posted on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115633041089714842">Truth Social</a>: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
That post has again sparked predictions about when airstrikes could occur.
“We should read into it that strikes are very probably going to occur over the course of this week,” retired Admiral James Stavridis <a href="https://x.com/stavridisj/status/1994895666242257322">told</a> CNN. “When you hear the president of the United States throw that warning out there, to me it sounds like strikes are coming probably sooner rather than later.”
The fallout: Venezuela’s foreign minister called Trump’s post an “extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela.” A country can’t actually close another country&#8217;s airspace, but that seems to be a technicality in this situation.
Ten days ago, the FAA had already warned about a “potentially hazardous situation” for flights over Venezuela. Commercial air traffic has avoided the area since. Venezuela has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-trump-airspace-migrant-repatriation-flights/">said</a> that U.S. migrant repatriation flights have stopped.
Diplomacy? The New York Times and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-declares-that-airspace-around-venezuela-should-be-considered-closed-07b748ee?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdYROyIVy7gClY9Bq41wnncsq-Qat1oRTlqYoKx0V6tbAonb7EZrT7QkEcL4N8%3D&amp;gaa_ts=692c8335&amp;gaa_sig=FZG9XNJCxmFvKFgy6onM_3SgPB5tUMSPwJXqN2n4szJLOt3sdRVw2O24SgzgHNBcNUGqk8fn_gJ-kgAiYrOD0w%3D%3D">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that Trump and Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, spoke by phone recently. Trump confirmed the call on Sunday while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One. Trump did not provide details, but the call represents a shift after the U.S. cut off diplomatic talks in October.
Reportedly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the call, as well, and Trump and Maduro spoke of the possibility of a meeting, which would be a significant shift after Trump called on Maduro to step down and authorized CIA operations in Venezuela.
Allies of the president have maintained that this is a drug operation–a very intense one, but one that will not lead to war.

MRN_251201_V2 (2)

Morning Brief: Capital Attack Fallout, No Aid For Illegals, & Venezuelan Airspace Closed?

Morning Brief: Trump Cracks Down On Afghans, No Aid For Illegals, And Clear Skies Over Caracas

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