Trump: US still pursuing oil tanker near Venezuela; Maduro would be “smart” to step down – National & International News – MON 22Dec2025
Trump: US still pursuing oil tanker near Venezuela; Maduro would be “smart” to step down.
Judge orders Trump admin to submit plan to return deportees from notorious Salvadoran prison.
Trump: US still pursuing oil tanker near Venezuela; Maduro would be “smart” to step down
President Trump told reporters today that the US military is still pursuing a sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela, over 24 hours after the pursuit began. The US has identified the ship, Bella 1, as being part of an international “shadow fleet” of tankers who transport oil from sanctioned countries. Trump says he believes the Navy will soon catch up with Bella 1. This would be the third such seizure of an oil tanker in the Caribbean this month. The US has confiscated both the ships and the cargo of crude oil.
This new campaign of seizing oil tankers is a shift in tactics in the US pressure campaign on Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, who Trump said would be “smart” to step down. Since these ships have court orders for their seizure, the administration is on firmer legal ground than its campaign of striking small boats, although those continue as well. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has criticized both the tanker seizures and the boat strikes, calling them “a prelude to war”.
Trump has also not ruled out land strikes on Venezuela and has said publicly that he does not believe he needs Congressional authorization for direct military action in Venezuela. However, in a recent interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles acknowledged that Congressional authorization would be necessary for such an action.
Related:
Trump announces plans for new “Trump-class” battleships.
Judge orders Trump admin to submit plan to return deportees from notorious Salvadoran prison
US District Judge James Boasberg ruled today that the Trump administration violated the due process rights of over 100 deportees flown to El Salvador earlier this year. In March, the administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport two planeloads of migrants without a hearing, defying Boasberg who ordered them brought back. Since then, many of those deportees have been held in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT supermax prison.
Boasberg has ordered that the Trump administration must submit plans either to return these deportees or otherwise provide lawful hearings for them.
Related:
CBS postpones broadcast of 60 Minutes exposé on Trump deportees, raising questions about journalistic integrity as parent company pushes hostile takeover bid for CNN.
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Israel: Netanyahu moves to shutter Israeli Army Radio, the only Israeli public broadcaster which has, at times, been critical of his government.
Moscow car bomb kills Russian general.
