“The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday, in what would be the second such operation this weekend and the third in less than two weeks if successful. ‘The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned ‘dark fleet’ vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,’ a U.S. official said. ‘It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.’ … British maritime risk management group Vanguard, along with a U.S. maritime security source, identified the vessel as Bella 1, a very large crude oil carrier that was added last year to the sanctions list of the U.S. Treasury Department, which said the vessel has links to Iran.” (12/22/25)
“Reps. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) said Sunday that they will seek to find Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress for not releasing more documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. … Khanna and Massie wrote legislation that passed Congress nearly unanimously and was signed by President Donald Trump last month requiring the Justice Department to release a trove of Epstein files in its possession within 30 days. … Khanna said in an interview with The Washington Post that he and Massie were pursuing contempt findings because the measure would take effect when it got through the House and would not need to go through the Senate. He said they were likely to give Bondi a 30-day grace period and then start fining her daily until she released all the records.” (12/21/25)
“Israel’s security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new [squats] in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion push. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, said the decision was about blocking the [geographic coherence of the] Palestinian state. Israeli [squats] in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law. … Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of new [squats]s and begun the legalisation [sic] process for unauthorised outposts, recognising them as ‘neighbourhoods’ of existing settlements.” (12/22/25)
“The former Cleveland officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 was fired from his post as a ranger at a West Virginia resort community, the fourth known time in seven years that he left a small department following public backlash. Timothy Loehmann was fired on Friday from his position at the Snowshoe Resort Community District (SRCD). The district’s board announced Loehmann’s firing in a statement following their emergency meeting. A Cleveland-based attorney for Rice’s family, Subodh Chandra, said that ‘Loehmann’s determination to inflict himself on other people seems pathological. So does the craven poor judgment required by any public officials who hire him.'” (12/21/25)
“Lawyers for Luigi Mangione on Friday renewed and expanded their effort to have the death penalty thrown out in his case, arguing Attorney General Pam Bondi has a disqualifying financial conflict of interest. In court filings reviewed by Fox News Digital, the defense argued that Bondi’s calls for the death penalty following Mangione’s arrest were improper because she was previously a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that represented UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of slain CEO Brian Thompson. The defense argues Bondi continues to receive financial benefits through Ballard’s profit-sharing plan and should have recused herself from any role in the case. … Bondi announced in April that she was directing Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty, declaring even before Mangione was formally indicted that capital punishment was warranted for what she called a ‘premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.'” (12/20/25)
One of our long-time supporters, RB, sends this note:
“I’m not senile. I remember I already did this once, but I know it’s moving slow this year. Appreciate what you do. Good luck.”
What RB already did once this year, and did again over the weekend, was send us a $100 donation, bringing our year-end fundraiser total to $2,208.84. THANK YOU, RB!
Where are those of you who read the freedom movement’s newspaper every day, but have never financially supported it?
We’re $541.66 short. Once we reach $2,750.50 — but NOT UNTIL we do — supporter GL will “match funds” for the other half, getting us to our goal of $5,501.
“Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world’s cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate. The consistory, as such gatherings are called, will be held Jan. 7-8, immediately following the Jan. 6 conclusion of the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter century celebration of Christianity. Leo’s first few months as pope have been dominated by fulfilling the weekly Holy Year obligations of meeting with pilgrimage groups and celebrating special Jubilee audiences and Masses. Additionally, much of his time has been spent wrapping up the outstanding matters of Pope Francis'[s] pontificate. As a result, the January consistory in many ways will mark the first time that Leo can look ahead to his own agenda following his May 8 election as the first American pope.” (12/20/25)
“Saudi Arabia has quietly expanded access to its only store that sells alcohol, allowing wealthy foreign residents to buy booze in the latest step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom’s experiment in liberalization. There’s been no official announcement of the decision, but word has gotten out, and long lines of cars and people can now be seen at the discreet, unmarked store in the Diplomatic Quarter of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The store opened in January 2024 for non-Muslim diplomats. The new rules allow non-Muslim foreigners who hold Premium Residency to buy. The residency permit goes to foreigners with specialized skills, investors and entrepreneurs. Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has banned alcohol since the early 1950s.” (12/21/25)
“The Trump administration suffered a rare defeat at the Supreme Court on Friday, as the justices turned down an emergency request to halt a lawsuit over the government’s effort to bar immigration judges from speaking publicly about their work. In a brief order, the high court suggested it might step into the dispute in the future, but allowed the litigation to continue to play out in the lower courts. … The judges’ union filed suit in 2020 over a policy enacted during the first Trump administration that prohibited immigration judges from public comments about their work. Previously, judges were free to discuss those issues, if they made clear they were not speaking on behalf of the Justice Department, which runs the immigration courts.” (12/19/25)
“Four people in immigration detention have died over a four-day period this month, increasing concern among advocates and some members of Congress over detention conditions. One death took place Dec. 12, another two took place on Dec. 14 and the fourth on Dec. 15, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement news releases. … The recent deaths bring total detainee deaths to 30 in 2025, the highest number since 2004, when 32 people died in ICE custody.” (12/20/25)
