US tracks third Venezuelan oil tanker; Epstein files draw contempt calls
The U.S. is pursuing a Venezuelan oil tanker amid escalating tensions from Trump’s tightening blockade. While the White House claims to be cracking down on black-market oil, a prominent Republican criticizes it as a provocation.
Plus, more pressure to release the Epstein files and more anger over what remains hidden. Heavy redactions, missing details and growing demands for answers.
And Jim Beam is suspending production at its main plant. The company said it’s a pause, not a crisis. What’s behind the slowdown, and whether the bourbon giant is really on the rocks.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, December 22, 2025.
US Coast Guard tracking third Venezuelan vessel as part of blockade
The U.S. is intensifying its efforts to forbid Venezuelan oil shipping, with Coast Guard forces in pursuit of a sanctioned tanker in international waters. It comes as Washington and Capitol Hill debate the broader strategy.
The U.S. Coast Guard is now actively going after an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela that officials say is part of a “dark fleet” used to evade U.S. sanctions. The vessel, called Bella 1, is described as flying a false flag. It is subject to a judicial seizure order but has not yet been boarded or captured.
On Saturday, a separate operation saw American forces board and seize a Panama-flagged tanker, with a helicopter helping crew members rappel to the deck.
That followed a Dec. 10 interdiction of another Venezuela-tied vessel.
The administration said these efforts are part of a larger push to cripple Venezuela’s sanctions evasion. It said it’s not concerned about impacts on U.S. gas prices.
“I don’t think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up because of these seizures of these ships,” Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said. “There’s just a couple of them, and they were black market ships.”
But reaction in Congress cut across lines.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, does not support the aggression toward Venezuela and is worried about starting a war.
“I consider it a provocation and a prelude to war, and I hope we don’t go to war with Venezuela,” Paul said. “It isn’t the job of the American soldier to be the policeman of the world. I’m not for confiscating these liners, I’m not for blowing up these boats of unarmed people that are suspected of being drug dealers, I’m not for any of this.”
But others, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., say the administration is right to target President Nicolás Maduro.
But Venezuela has condemned the efforts, calling the seizures a “theft” and “hijacking.”
All of this is unfolding as the U.S. quietly builds a major military presence in the region.
According to ABC, the Pentagon now has roughly 15,000 personnel operating across the Caribbean and near Venezuela, including Navy warships, advanced aircraft, drones and marine units staging out of Puerto Rico.
Lawmakers threaten Bondi with contempt amid Epstein file release
The fight over the Jeffrey Epstein files is now heading straight for a constitutional showdown. Lawmakers from both parties are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress.
Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., say the Justice Department has failed to meet a congressional deadline to release all files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The pair co-authored a law, passed nearly unanimously and signed by President Trump, requiring the DOJ to release the records within 30 days.
So far, more than one hundred thousand pages have been posted, but many are heavily redacted, and some key documents, lawmakers say, are still missing.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi, and that doesn’t require going through the courts and give her and, and- basically, Ro Hhanna and I are talking about and drafting that right now,” Massie said.
Khanna says this is about accountability, not politics, and about naming the people who escaped the consequences.
“They’re rich and powerful people who either engaged in this abuse, covered it up or were on this island. And what the American people want to know is, who are these people?” Khanna said. “And instead of holding them accountable, Pam Bondi is breaking the law. And this is the corrupt system, the Epstein class that people are sick of.”
The Justice Department is pushing back.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the department is following the law, and says lawmakers are ignoring the scale of the task.
“Bring it on … we’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing to comply with this statute, and Congressman Massie and these other congressmen who are coming out speaking negatively about Director Patel and the attorney general have no idea what they’re talking about,” Blanche said.
Blanche also addressed claims that the department is shielding Trump. He said that any mentions of Trump in the Epstein files will not be redacted as future releases continue.
He acknowledged one photo in a credenza drawer. It shows Trump among other images of other people. It was temporarily removed due to victim safety concerns, but Blanche said it was restored without changes after review.
CBS News pulls 60 Minutes report after White House declines interview
CBS News is facing a rare internal revolt on Monday after pulling a 60 Minutes investigation at the last minute.
The segment focused on Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot Prison.
But according to emails obtained by the Washington Post, the story was spiked after the White House refused to grant an interview.
The decision came from new CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, prompting a sharp rebuke from 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.
In an internal email reviewed by the Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Alfonsi warned that letting governing silence kill a story hands the White House a “kill switch” over journalism.
Alfonsi wrote, “Government silence is a statement, not a veto. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story.”
CBS says the piece needs more reporting and will air later.
Weiss called the move a routine editorial decision.
But Alfonsi said lawyers and standards had already cleared the segment, and that pulling it now “is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”
US calls Ukraine talks productive, Russia downplays progress after Miami meetings
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff described weekend talks in Florida among the Trump administration, Ukrainian leaders and European officials as “productive and constructive.”
Witkoff said Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. But the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide who attended pushed back, saying that Ukrainian and European input did not improve the chances of a deal.
Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and the four-year anniversary of the war is now approaching.
The Trump administration has already unveiled a 20-point plan to end the war. Witkoff said this weekend’s meetings in Miami, including talks with Russian officials on Saturday, focused on a few key areas, such as security guarantees for Ukraine and plans to expand support for rebuilding the country’s economy.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goal isn’t to impose America’s will but to determine what both sides need and what they’re willing to give to reach a peace agreement.
Jim Beam to pause production amid tariffs
One of America’s most iconic bourbon brands is slowing production, a sign of broader economic pressures building beneath the surface.
Jim Beam announced that it will halt production at its main Kentucky distillery beginning Jan. 1, due to a record oversupply in the bourbon industry and increasing uncertainty related to Trump’s trade wars.
Kentucky now holds over 16 million barrels of aging bourbon — the highest ever — and distillers are incurring hefty taxes to store it.
At the same time, exports have been hit by retaliatory tariffs, including ongoing restrictions in Canada and the threat of higher duties in Europe.
Jim Beam said this is a temporary slowdown, not a shutdown.
Distilling will continue at two other Kentucky facilities, and bottling and warehousing remain active. The company said it has not announced layoffs.
Powerball jackpot soars, prize hits $1.6 billion
The Powerball jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.6 billion after another drawing passed without a grand prize winner over the weekend.
It’s now the fourth-largest jackpot in the game’s history, and lines are already forming. People across the country are buying tickets, fueling the dream and doing the math.
If someone wins Monday night’s drawing, they will receive $735 million in cash upfront, before taxes, or annual payments spread out over nearly 30 years. While the odds are still a long shot — roughly one in 292 million — that hasn’t stopped people from imagining the possibilities.
“My wife encourages me to buy a ticket because she wants to go on a big trip, and she wants to do something good in society, and she thought, ‘Well, we can do both if we win, for crying out loud.’ In fact, what would we do with all that money anyway? You’ve got to give some of it away,” said lottery player Bob Wehner.
Tickets are $2, and the odds are crazy, but the dream is very much alive.
More from Straight Arrow News:
As elite college admissions tighten, early decision faces new scrutiny
Thousands of high school seniors received an early holiday gift this month: admission to their first choice college through early decision, often called “ED.” With binding ED, students apply to one school in November, agree to enroll if admitted and receive an answer in mid-December — months before many of their peers will even apply through the regular admission cycle.
Supporters say ED can be a win-win: students save time and gain an admissions advantage, while colleges assemble a more predictable incoming class. Critics, however, say it favors students from affluent families who can commit without comparing financial aid offers across schools, rewards strategy over merit and distorts the broader admissions process.
Now, the practice faces a new challenge: accusing elite colleges of illegally colluding to enforce ED commitments that drive up college costs. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
