said Wednesday that the U.S. has amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro.
It鈥檚 the Trump administration鈥檚 latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the U.S.
The seizure was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the Navy, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A day earlier, the U.S. military over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country鈥檚 airspace since the start of the .
Trump has previously said but has not offered any details on location.
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US condemns Houthi detention of local Yemeni embassy staff and international workers
The U.S. has accused Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed Houthi rebels of stepping up a campaign of intimidation against Yemenis who work or previously worked for international organizations and the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa.
The State Department on Wednesday condemned Houthis for what it called their 鈥渋ntensified campaign of intimidation and abuse against Yemeni citizens affiliated with international organizations and foreign governments.鈥�
鈥淭he Houthis鈥� arrests of those staff, and the sham proceedings that have been brought against them, are further evidence that the Houthis rely on the use of terror against their own people as a way to stay in power,鈥� the department said. 鈥淲e call for the immediate and unconditional release of the mission staff.鈥�
The U.S. and other governments have for years repeatedly denounced the Houthis for the detention of foreign embassy and other workers with little impact.
It was not immediately clear if a new development had prompted the U.S. statement, but Yemen was a topic of discussion in a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Saudi foreign minister on Tuesday.
Half of the seized ship鈥檚 oil is tied to a Cuban importer
The seized tanker was identified as the Skipper by a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The ship departed Venezuela around Dec. 2 with about 2 million barrels of heavy crude, roughly half of it belonging to a Cuban state-run oil importer, according to documents from the state-owned company Petr贸leos de Venezuela S.A., commonly known as PDVSA. The documents were provided on the condition of anonymity because the official did not have permission to share them.
The Skipper was previously known as the M/T Adisa, according to ship tracking data. The Adisa was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over accusations of belonging to a sophisticated network of shadow tankers that smuggled crude oil on behalf of Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah militant group.
The network was reportedly run by a Switzerland-based Ukrainian oil trader, the U.S. Treasury Department said at the time.
How US Coast Guard members stormed the oil tanker
The were taken to the oil tanker by helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Ford is in the Caribbean Sea after arriving last month in a major show of force, joining a fleet of other warships.
by Attorney General Pam Bondi shows people fast-roping from one of the helicopters involved in the operation as it hovers just feet from the deck.
The Coast Guard members can be seen later in the video moving throughout the superstructure of the ship with their weapons drawn.
Bondi wrote that 鈥渇or multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.鈥�
Venezuela鈥檚 government calls oil tanker seizure 鈥榓n act of international piracy鈥�
Venezuela鈥檚 government in a statement said the seizure 鈥渃onstitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.鈥�
鈥淯nder these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed鈥� It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,鈥� according to the statement.
Oil companies offer $279M for Gulf of Mexico drilling rights
A Department of Interior auction Wednesday was the first of 30 sales planned for the Gulf under Republican efforts to ramp up U.S. fossil fuel production.
The sale came after Trump鈥檚 administration announced plans to allow new drilling off Florida and California for the first time in decades, drawing bipartisan pushback about impacts on tourism.
Thirty companies submitted bids, including industry giants Chevron, Shell and BP. An industry official said the takeaway from the sale was that under Trump, the Gulf 鈥渋s open鈥� for business, in contrast to the Biden administration, which limited new oil leases to address climate change.
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House passes defense bill to set Pentagon budget and raise troop pay
The House has voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill that authorizes $900 billion in military programs.
The bill includes a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons. It comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and how Trump鈥檚 administration has handled the military.
The White House has signaled 鈥渟trong support鈥� for the must-pass legislation and says it is in line with Trump鈥檚 national security agenda. Yet tucked into the over-3,000-page bill are several measures that push back on the Department of Defense.
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USS Gerald R Ford plays role in US effort
to seize oil tanker
The Coast Guard members that seized the tanker were taken to that ship by a helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Ford is operating in the Caribbean Sea and arrived last month in a major show of force, joining a fleet of other warships that have been increasing pressure on Maduro.
Trump confirmed to reporters that U.S. forces seized a 鈥渓arge tanker.鈥� Asked what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump said, 鈥淲ell, we keep it, I guess.鈥�
鈥� By Konstantin Toropin
Zeldin says he鈥檚 finalizing a MAHA agenda for the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing an agenda of priorities to align with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy J.鈥檚 Make America Healthy Again movement.
EPA director Lee Zeldin teased that the framework would include replacing lead pipes, cleaning up the nation鈥檚 most contaminated sites and combating food waste, among other initiatives.
Wednesday鈥檚 announcement was made on a call with MAHA activists. It comes as some of Kennedy鈥檚 supporters have been criticizing the EPA鈥檚 recent actions related to pesticides. Some released a petition last week calling for Trump to fire Zeldin.
Zeldin said he attended a MAHA holiday party this week and has since held an hourlong meeting with a group of MAHA activists at the EPA headquarters. He implored the activists to reach out if they wanted to help craft his agency鈥檚 MAHA agenda.
Tony Lyons, head of the advocacy group MAHA Action, complimented Zeldin and blamed the media for the recent tensions.
鈥淪o many people are trying to drive wedges and we want to build bridges,鈥� Lyons said.
Trump muses on narrow House majority while praising Johnson
The president said Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been under fire from his rank-and-file as of late, is doing a great job despite his circumstances.
鈥淚 think Mike Johnson is great,鈥� Trump said. Commenting on the GOP鈥檚 majority, he continued: 鈥淗e鈥檚 had a majority of two, three, four, and back to two (votes). We actually had one. So we were one heart attack away from disaster.鈥�
Trump also said, 鈥淚 think few people could鈥檝e done that job.鈥�
Trump threatens president of Colombia
Trump was asked if he has spoken to Colombian president Gustavo Petro after having conversations in recent weeks with the leaders of Mexico and Venezuela amid his pressure campaign and push to combat drug trafficking, but Trump dismissed the idea.
Trump said Petro has been 鈥渇airly hostile to the United States.鈥�
鈥淗e better wise up or he鈥檒l be next. He鈥檒l be next,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 hope he鈥檚 listening. He鈥檚 going to be next.鈥�
Trump expects to speak with Thailand, Cambodia leaders on Thursday as truce crumbles
鈥淚 think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that?鈥� Trump said in an exchange with reporters in which he also repeated his of settling eight wars around the globe, including a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, since his return to the White House. 鈥淓very once in a while, one will flame up again and I have to put out that little flame. I have to put it out, but we鈥檙e going to put it out again.鈥�
Renewed border fighting between and showed no signs of abating Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of in strained conditions as more flooded into .
The latest fighting was triggered by longstanding territorial disputes and it followed a skirmish Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers.
Trump meeting with Warsh in hunt for new Fed chair
The president said he鈥檒l meet with former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as Trump looks to appoint the next Fed chair.
Trump added that he wants someone who will lower interest rates. 鈥淥ur rates should be the lowest rates in the world,鈥� he said.
Warsh is among a short list of candidates to replace Chairman Jerome Powell after his term ends in May.
Trump says Zelenskyy 鈥榟as to be realistic鈥�
President Trump said Wednesday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy 鈥渉as to be realistic鈥� about the war in Ukraine and mused about when Ukraine was next holding elections.
The comments came after Trump spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, who discussed Ukraine 鈥渋n pretty strong terms,鈥� the U.S. president said.
Trump said European leaders would like a meeting this weekend with both the U.S. and Ukraine, and 鈥渨e鈥檒l make a determination depending on what they come back with.鈥�
In recent days, Trump has pushed Zelenskyy to get on board with a proposed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine that Russia started in 2022.
鈥淚 think he has to be realistic,鈥� Trump said of Zelenskyy during a question-and-answer session with reporters. 鈥淚 do wonder about, you know, how long is it going to be until they have an election?鈥�
Trump says he鈥檚 鈥榥ot involved鈥� in Warner Bros. Discovery bids but that he may be involved in decisions
The president was asked about Paramount Skydance鈥檚 for the company behind CNN, including the fact that Trump鈥檚 son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has also been involved in several peace negotiations on behalf of the Trump administration, is one of the investors behind the bid.
Trump said that he thinks CNN has been 鈥渟preading poison鈥� and that 鈥測ou have some good companies bidding on it.鈥�
鈥淚 will be probably involved, maybe involved in the decision. It depends,鈥� Trump said.
Trump wanted interest rate cut 鈥榓t least double鈥� what Fed opted for
The president said the Fed鈥檚 latest quarter-point reduction was a 鈥渞ather small number鈥� and should have been at least twice that.
He complained that the Fed is killing economic growth by keeping interest rates higher than he would like.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e so afraid of inflation,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing, they kill the growth.鈥�
Trump said rates should be driven down further to boost economic growth beyond its latest expansion.
鈥淚f there is inflation, that鈥檚 OK, then we can slow it down. But we should be able to do a lot better than 3 or 4%,鈥� he said.
Maduro tells supporters Venezuela is 鈥榩repared to break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary鈥�
Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro鈥檚 remark came during a speech before a ruling-party organized demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela鈥檚 capital. He did not address the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
Maduro, flanked by senior officials, said that only the ruling party can 鈥済uarantee peace, stability, and the harmonious development of Venezuela, South America, and the Caribbean.鈥�
鈥淎nd the only president who has the preparation, the history, and the unwavering support of the people and the armed forces 鈥� is named Nicol谩s Maduro,鈥� he added.
Trump unrolls 鈥榞old card鈥� visa aimed at keeping foreign talent
The White House started taking online applications for the new path to citizenship, which the president pitched as a tool for U.S. companies hoping to hire foreign students.
Trump said business chiefs including Apple CEO Tim Cook complained it was too risky to hire foreign students without certainty they can stay in the country. With the new card, he said, 鈥測ou鈥檒l be able to buy a card and keep that person in the United States.鈥�
A card costs $1 million for individuals and $2 million for companies.
It comes even as the Trump administration presses some colleges to reduce foreign enrollment. Numbers of new foreign students coming to the U.S. this year amid a federal crackdown
Private funeral held for West Virginia National Guard member shot in DC
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was laid to rest with full military honors Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a news release.
were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. the next day.
Wolfe鈥檚 family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks, the governor said.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Trump says US seized oil tanker off coast of Venezuela
The president told reporters about the seizure as he appeared at an unrelated White House roundtable Wednesday afternoon.
He did not immediately offer additional details.
The announcement comes as the administration has undertaken a large military buildup and a series of deadly strikes on boats that it has alleged are carrying drugs in the Caribbean.
What would the Miami mayor-elect tell Trump?
Democrat Eileen Higgins鈥� victory in Miami鈥檚 mayoral election deals a blow to Trump.
The Republican president has appeared dismissive on economic worries, blaming Democrats for using the term 鈥渁ffordability鈥� as a 鈥渉oax.鈥� Higgins said she would tell Trump to 鈥渢hink deeply鈥� and that the concerns are real.
Higgins has been very critical of Trump on immigration and is vowing to look at legal options to end an agreement between city police and federal immigration agents.
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The New York Times says it won鈥檛 be deterred from writing about Trump鈥檚 health
The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is 鈥渟tarting to give President Joe Biden vibes.鈥�
In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do 鈥淔AKE鈥� reports about his health and 鈥渨e should do something about it.鈥�
The news outlet said Wednesday it won鈥檛 be deterred by Trump鈥檚 鈥渇alse and inflammatory language鈥� from writing about the 79-year-old president鈥檚 health.
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Oil companies offer $278M for Gulf drilling rights
It鈥檚 the in the region since 2023.
Wednesday鈥檚 Department of Interior auction was the first of 30 sales planned for the Gulf under Republican efforts to ramp up U.S. fossil fuel production.
The sale came after the Trump administration announced plans to allow new drilling off Florida and California for the first time in decades, drawing pushback including from Republicans worried about impacts on tourism.
Wednesday鈥檚 sale was mandated by the sweeping tax-and-spending bill approved by Republicans over the summer.
Thirty companies submitted bids, including industry giants Chevron, Shell and BP.
Bove faces judicial ethics complaint over attending Trump鈥檚 Pennsylvania speech
Judge Emil Bove鈥檚 attendance at Trump鈥檚 speech Tuesday in Pennsylvania violated the federal Code of Judicial Conduct, a courts ethics watchdog said in a complaint filed Wednesday.
Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, said in the complaint that Bove鈥檚 presence at the event that included charged partisan attacks violated the code鈥檚 admonitions to judges to refrain from political activity and avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
鈥淚t should have been obvious to Judge Bove, either at the start of the rally or fairly close to it, that this was a highly charged, highly political event that no federal judge should have been within shouting distance of,鈥� Roth鈥檚 complaint said.
Trump appointed Bove, the president鈥檚 former lawyer, to a lifetime seat on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The complaint was filed with the 3rd Circuit鈥檚 judicial council.
Fed cuts key interest rate but signals higher bar for future reductions
The move that could attract ire from Trump, who has demanded steep reductions to borrowing costs.
In a set of quarterly economic projections, Fed officials signaled they expect to lower rates just once next year.
Wednesday鈥檚 cut reduced the rate to about 3.6%, the lowest it has been in nearly three years.
Miami mayor-elect calls anti-immigrant rhetoric 鈥榙istressing鈥�
Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor鈥檚 race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump to end her party鈥檚 nearly three-decade losing streak and give Democrats a boost in one of the last electoral battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In a briefing the day after her as the first woman elected mayor of the south Florida metropolis, Eileen Higgins decried elected officials鈥� use of 鈥渓anguage that is demeaning, that is cruel, that is disrespectful about the people who live in the city of Miami.鈥�
She also called Miami 鈥渢he tip of the spear of the affordability crisis in America.鈥�
Campaigning as a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan race, Higgins on Tuesday defeated a Republican endorsed by Trump, ending Democrats鈥� nearly three-decade losing streak leading . Higgins said she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.
UK, Australia are 鈥榝ull steam ahead鈥� on submarine deal with US
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has kicked off a series of meetings with British and Australian counterparts in Washington that are aimed at moving forward with the large nuclear submarine building and technology sharing pact between the three nations known as known as AUKUS.
Ahead of the meetings, the British defense minister said he鈥檚 鈥渁ll in鈥� following a U.S. review of the deal.
鈥淭hose reviews are now done,鈥� U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey told reporters Wednesday. He added that 鈥渁ll three of us are now determined to reboot AUKUS with a new commitment and a new determination in particular to deliver.鈥�
The deal was originally inked in 2021. The Pentagon recently determined that the agreement was in the U.S. national security interest.
It includes the sale of three U.S.-built nuclear-powered submarines to Australia starting in 2032.
Crockett running for Senate is 鈥榞reatest鈥� thing for GOP, Speaker Johnson says
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters outside his office in the Capitol, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely delighted that Jasmine Crockett is running for Senate in Texas,鈥� Johnson said, eagerly rubbing his hands together.
The House GOP speaker called the liberal firebrand 鈥渢he face of the Democratic Party,鈥� and compared Crockett to New York鈥檚 new mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
鈥淕ood luck with that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat Jasmine is trying to sell will not be purchased by the folks in Texas, that is my prediction.鈥�
He said, 鈥淚 want her to have the largest, loudest microphone that she can every single day,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd we look forward to having that election down there.鈥�
Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to see boat strike video
The Republican speaker said he missed the classified briefing with Hegseth and Rubio this week because he was working with House GOP lawmakers on their emerging health care proposals.
Johnson would not say if the video should be widely released, in part because he said he had not viewed it.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see,鈥� he said.
Because of his timing conflict with the classified briefing, he said Hegseth and Rubio would meet with him separately at a later date.
US secretary of state rules out 鈥榳oke鈥� Calibri font
Marco Rubio has ordered that all diplomatic correspondence must return to the more traditional Times New Roman font.
It reverses a Biden-era shift to the less formal typeface that Rubio said was wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of official U.S. government documents.
His cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates Tuesday said the 2023 shift to the sans serif Calibri font was the result of misguided diversity, equity and inclusion policies pursued by his predecessor, Antony Blinken. Rubio鈥檚 cable, obtained by The Associated Press, said Blinken鈥檚 switch 鈥渨as promised to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities.鈥�
It says the change had cost the department $145,000 but offered no supporting evidence. The cable was first reported by The New York Times.
Budget office puts cost of health subsidy extension at nearly $83 billion over 10 years
A three-year extension of expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits would increase federal deficits by nearly $83 billion over the next decade, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
The Senate will vote on competing health plans on Thursday. The three-year extension of the subsidy is being pitched by Senate Democrats, but it is not expected to pass.
The CBO also estimates that enacting the Democratic plan would increase the number of people with health insurance by about 400,000 next year, 3 million in 2027 and 4 million in 2028.
Gross premiums, the amount consumers would pay before a tax credit is applied, have already been set for 2026. But CBO says they would fall by 5.7% in 2027 and 9% in 2028, because people who enroll in ACA plans would be healthier than they would be without the extension.
Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles
The Trump administration must return control of to the state, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled Wednesday.
Breyer granted a preliminary injunction against Trump鈥檚 extraordinary move to use state Guard troops without the governor鈥檚 approval. He put the decision on hold until Monday.
California argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first took command of the troops and deployed them in June. The administration initially called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops. By late October, only a 100 or so remained in the Los Angeles area. Justice Department lawyers said they are still needed to protect federal personnel and property.
The Republican administration extended the deployment until February while also trying to use California Guard members in Portland, Oregon.
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