“Venezuela’s navy has escorted commercial oil tankers to Asia in direct defiance of a U.S. military blockade targeting the country’s oil industry. Three ships carrying urea, petroleum coke and other oil-based products sailed on Tuesday and Wednesday and were accompanied by naval escorts ordered by President Nicolas Maduro, according to the New York Times. A U.S. official said that Washington was aware of the escorts and was considering various courses of actions. The vessels were not on a list of sanctioned tankers maintained by the Treasury and threatened with attack, according to a review by the publication.” (12/18/25)
“Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony count of obstructing federal agents seeking to make an immigration [abduction] outside her courtroom, a precedent-setting case that has been closely watched nationally and drawn passionate protests. A jury of seven men and five women deliberated more than six hours before delivering a split verdict. They found the judge not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person. … The case has become a bellwether in the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration as it executes a sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide.” (12/18/25)
“TikTok has signed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, per an internal memo seen by Axios. A deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company’s U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate [fake] national security concerns. … Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the U.S. entity, which will be called ‘TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.’ Nearly one-third of the company will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, and nearly 20% will be retained by ByteDance.” [editor’s note: MGX used Trump’s “World Liberty Financial” stablecoin for a $2 billion deal; Oracle’s Larry Ellison is also a Trump crony – TLK] (12/18/25)
“India’s parliament passed a bill that will open up its nuclear industry to private firms and unlock investment opportunities worth $214 billion, after tight regulations stifled the sector for decades. The bill comes at a time of renewed global interest in nuclear as a steady source of clean energy, and as part of India’s plan to expand its atomic fleet to to support economic growth and help decarbonize its coal-dependent economy. The proposed law abolishes the decades-old state monopoly in atomic power generation and makes sweeping changes to the country’s liability provisions that had spooked investors.” (12/18/25)
“American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country. Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage. … It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.” (12/18/25)
“The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill aimed at making it easier to get federal permits to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence projects. The bill, known as the SPEED Act, is backed Big Tech giants such as OpenAI, Micron and Microsoft. The bill cleared the House in a 221-196 vote, overcoming a conservative rebellion that nearly sank the legislation in a procedural vote earlier this week. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be part of a larger conversation around permitting reform. The SPEED Act’s proponents argue it is critical to help the U.S. outpace China and other global competitors in the race for AI dominance.” (12/18/25)
THANK YOU to PD, KL, and DY, whose contributions yesterday, totaling $120, bring our year-end fundraiser total to $2,093.84!
We’re $656.66 short of our goal — once we reach $2750.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the finish line. Please support the freedom movemement’s daily newspaper at:
Sometimes our supporters include notes with their donations. I’d like to share KL’s:
“I hope this extra gift brings you some Christmas cheer and the knowledge that your fine work is highly valued by those of us who love freedom and honest intelligent journalism.”
It does! And I’d like to note the “extra” in that note. Several of you have gone an extra mile to get us to our goal, and we appreciate that more than it’s possible to express.
We’re reader-supported, and you’re a reader. If you’ve never supported us to the tune of even a buck or so, please do so now instead of letting long-time supporters carry your weight with those “extra gifts.”
“Families, lawyers and supporters of the detained pro-Palestinian activists who are on hunger strike in Britain issue an urgent plea to the government, warning that their loved ones face life-threatening danger. Eight people have joined the hunger strike, some from its start in early November, and lawyers say the health of the six who are still striking, aged 20-31, is deteriorating and that death is likely unless the government intervenes. One of the six is on partial hunger strike due to diabetes-related health concerns. … Palestine Action was banned in July, putting it on a par with Islamic State or al-Qaeda and making it a crime to be a member, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.” (12/18/25)
“Peter Arnett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter whose international war journalism brought him widespread renown from the Vietnam era through the Gulf wars, died December 17 of prostate cancer in Newport Beach, CA. He was 91. … Born on November 13, 1934, in Riverton, New Zealand, Arnett rose to prominence for his work as a wire-service correspondent in Vietnam from 1962 until the war’s end in 1975. He won the 1966 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for his war coverage for The Associated Press. Arnett remained with the AP until 1981, when he signed on with the fledgling CNN. Later in his career, Arnett would re-emerge as a leading journalistic voice for his 1991 reports on the Gulf War for CNN. He and his team were among the last foreign reporters broadcasting from Baghdad after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein forced out most international journalists.” (12/18/25)
“The Senate on Wednesday confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator on Wednesday, placing him atop the agency after a monthslong saga where President Donald Trump revoked his nomination as part of a feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk. Isaacman, who has promised to bring a business-minded approach to the space agency, was confirmed in a bipartisan vote, 67-30. He will take over after an unusual confirmation process upended by the Republican president’s oscillating and at times tumultuous relationship with prominent tech leaders who backed his campaign, most notably Musk, the Tesla CEO who is a close ally of Isaacman. Trump picked Isaacman last year but withdrew the nomination in May after feuding with Musk over the administration’s policies on issues such as electric vehicles and the performance of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.” (12/17/25)
