Drug war rationale emerges in tanker seizure; Noem faces calls to resign

The U.S. is now highlighting its significant seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker as part of a larger effort to fight drug trafficking, even as Venezuela describes the move as “piracy.”

Plus, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced a heated hearing on Capitol Hill over immigration raids and FEMA’s storm response. Critics are now calling for her resignation.

And in Indiana, a political shockwave. Republican state senators teamed up with Democrats to sink a Trump-backed redistricting plan in a clear and very public break from the president.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, December 12, 2025.

Noem links oil tanker to Venezuelan drug fight, says operation disrupts Maduro-backed trafficking networks

New information has come to light about the Venezuelan oil tanker recently seized by the U.S., marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure tactics against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the operation targeted Maduro’s network at its financial source, specifically focusing on the money trail linked to the drug trade.

“It was a successful operation directed by the president to ensure we are pushing back on the regime systematically, covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans. The drugs the Coast Guard has been able to interdict on the waters since President Trump has been in office have been enough lethal doses of cocaine to kill 177 million Americans. That is two-thirds of our country that has been saved by blowing, going after and bringing to justice these individuals out at sea. Those individuals funding it with the shadow fleet of sanctioned oil that should never be sold to benefit their profits and pockets to kill Americans.”

— Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security secretary

Noem’s claims followed the U.S. unveiling new sanctions, this time aimed at three of Maduro’s nephews and six additional ships linked to Venezuelan oil shipments. The administration said that it is increasing pressure on what it refers to as Maduro’s “illegitimate regime.”

Maduro has denounced the tanker seizure as piracy.

The operation took place in international waters, and U.S. officials persist in accusing Maduro of drug trafficking and corruption. The Venezuelan leader already faces narcoterrorism charges in the U.S.

Two U.S. officials told NBC News that the Trump administration intends to keep the seized tanker at a port in Texas but will release the crew. The ship, they said, has been used to transport sanctioned oil from both Venezuela and Iran.

A new ABC News satellite analysis indicates the tanker might have manipulated its location data — a common tactic in the shadow oil trade — possibly to avoid sanctions before the U.S. stepped in.

Noem pressed on immigration crackdown, Democrats demand her resignation

While Noem revealed new details about the seized Venezuelan tanker, that’s not why she was called to Capitol Hill on Thursday. She was there for an annual hearing on threats to U.S. security, but it quickly turned into a confrontation over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Democrats pressured Noem intensely, demanding her resignation, raising concerns about due process, and at one point, being interrupted by a protester. 

Noem defended the department’s increased removals and the quick policy changes enacted after last month’s shooting of two National Guard members.

Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., urged the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Noem for possible “impeachable offenses.”

Lawmakers also questioned her about reports of misconduct by immigration officers, including instances where non-criminal migrants — and even U.S. citizens — were allegedly caught up in enforcement actions.

“There are many problems with your leadership, but the biggest problem is this. You don’t seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Go after the bad guys, go after the terrorists, do not go after veterans, marines, children,” Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-RI, said.

“Sir, it is not my prerogative, my latitude or my job to pick and choose which laws in this country get enforced and which ones don’t. We need to follow the laws,” Noem responded.

And while some Republicans privately doubt her future, President Donald Trump pushed back on reports that he’s considering replacing her, saying Wednesday she’s doing a “fantastic” job and that he’s “so happy with her.”

Judge weighs media restrictions in Charlie Kirk murder case

The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday, highlighting the ongoing debate over media access.

Tyler Robinson, 22, sat with his attorneys, dressed in a shirt and tie but still wearing wrist and ankle restraints, which the judge said must remain on. Cameras caught him smiling at family members in the front row, while his mother wiped away tears as he walked in.

Security was noticeably strict, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. Nine sheriff’s deputies encircled the courtroom. Now, Judge Tony Graf will decide how much of this case the public should actually see.

Robinson’s lawyers and the sheriff’s office seek an order prohibiting all cameras, asserting that intense media coverage jeopardizes his right to a fair trial.

Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder for the September shooting of Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus, and they plan to seek the death penalty.

Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, has pushed back, demanding full transparency, saying, “We deserve to have cameras in there.”

Media organizations are also fighting to keep the courtroom open, noting that the judge has already barred video of Robinson’s restraints to prevent prejudicing future jurors.

The judge is likely to decide soon what the public will be permitted to see and what they will be excluded from later this month.

Health care bills fail, ACA subsidies still in limbo

Back in Washington, there is still no agreement. The deadlock over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies continues into the second week of December after two opposing health care bills failed to pass in the Senate.

First, the Democrats plan to extend the Obamacare subsidies for three more years. It failed 51 to 48, falling short of the 60 needed.

Four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska — crossed party lines to support it, but not enough to advance it. 

A Republican alternative plan also failed with the same 51-48 vote. That bill would have delivered funds directly to individuals via health savings accounts, bypassing insurance companies altogether.

So — what’s the next step now that the clock is ticking toward the Dec. 31 deadline for those subsidies?

House Republican leaders said they plan to bring a health care package to the floor next week. However, they haven’t unified behind a single bill, and time is running out.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, said there may be a window to pass something in January. But for now, Congress is preparing to head home for the holidays, and nothing appears close to a deal.

Indiana GOP joins Democrats to reject new redistricting map

The Indiana Senate rejected a Republican-backed proposal to redraw the state’s congressional map, a plan Trump strongly supported, aiming to secure two additional GOP-leaning House seats next fall.

The final score was 31 to 19, with the majority against. 

Twenty-one Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the bill. Outside the chamber, crowds erupted when the vote was announced.

The proposed map would have divided Democratic areas, including splitting Indianapolis into four districts, giving the GOP a chance to win all nine U.S. House seats. But senators said Trump’s pressure campaign went too far.

Protesters had filled the statehouse for days.

Several lawmakers reported being swatted or threatened after Trump called them “RINOs” and promised primary challenges.

One GOP senator described it as “over-the-top pressure” that eroded trust in the process.

Late Thursday, Trump pushed back on the defeat, downplaying how hard he fought for the map, even as he once again threatened Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray.

“But there’s a man named Bray, as I guess, head of the Senate. Was that Bray? Is that the name? Bray? And, I mean, he’ll … I’m sure that whenever his primary is, it’s I think in two years, but I’m sure he’ll go down. He’ll go down. I’ll certainly support anybody that wants to go against him,” Trump said.

The rejection marks one of the most significant setbacks yet for Trump’s national efforts on mid-cycle redistricting. It’s a sign that even in strongly red states, his pressure campaign has limits.

US Mint reveals new coin designs for America’s 250th birthday

America will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, and the U.S. Mint is honoring the nation’s semi-quincentennial with a new set of commemorative coins.

The Mint unveiled new designs for the nickel, dime and quarter, along with special collector versions of the penny and half dollar.

But one design is still missing: the dollar coin.

In October, officials announced that a potential dollar coin featuring Trump was in the works. There’s no update on whether that’s progressing. By law, a president can’t be featured on U.S. coins until at least two years after their death.

The coin program has been years in the making. The Biden administration had earlier drafted designs celebrating women’s suffrage and civil rights, but the Trump administration scrapped them and opted for more classical, traditional imagery instead.

The semi-quincentennial coins will be available for only one year.

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Testosterone for women: Emerging menopause treatment or ‘wild west medicine?’

Menopause is having an overdue moment. Midlife women are talking more openly about debilitating symptoms like hot flashes, fatigue, brain fog and sexual dysfunction. Seeking relief, their social feeds and group chats fill with discussions about hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. 

Lately, the hormone testosterone has stepped into the spotlight. Fans tout life-changing benefits: more energy, stronger bodies and better sex. A-list celebrities like Halle Berry, Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet have said they use it.

“I found my libido again,” Berry told influencer and podcast host Tamsen Fadal in a recent interview.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a range of estrogen and progesterone products to treat menopausal symptoms, and last month announced it would remove long-standing black box warnings from a number of labels. 

But there is still no FDA-approved testosterone product for women. Without one, insurance plans rarely cover treatment, leaving women with about $100 a month or more in out-of-pocket expenses. (Australian regulators approved a testosterone product for women called AndroFeme that’s now available in the U.K., South Africa and New Zealand, but not approved in the U.S.)

Clinicians who prescribe testosterone to women in the U.S. do so off-label, typically as a compounded topical cream, a reduced dose of an FDA-approved testosterone gel for men or a pellet inserted under the skin.

The result is a patchwork system in which testosterone is widely used off-label but without a product that has been specifically formulated to meet women’s needs, and thoroughly tested in large, long-term safety trials. Some experts say testosterone has been proven effective and relatively safe for many women, while others fear its widespread use is too experimental. Read the full story now>

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief