Conservative Blogger
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Maduro Now in New York Jail as Trump Says US to Run Venezuela
Venezuela’s ousted dictator, Nicolás Maduro, was being held in a New York detention center Sunday as he awaited court proceedings on U.S. drug charges, a day after President Donald Trump ordered a raid to capture him and said the United States would take control of the oil-producing nation. Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed during
his transfer to the United States stunned many Venezuelans and drew
international criticism. The operation was Washington’s most contentious
intervention in Latin America since the U.S. invasion of Panama 37
years ago.
Maduro was scheduled to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Monday. Trump said the United States would temporarily manage Venezuela, a nation of about 30 million people, along with its oil reserves, which he described as the largest in the world. He provided few details. “We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. He said Maduro was seized as he approached the door of a safe room. Maduro’s allies remained in control in Caracas and denounced his capture as a kidnapping. Trump played down the idea of opposition leader María Corina Machado assuming power, saying she lacked support. Machado, who was barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 election, has said her ally Edmundo González should take office, citing opposition claims and some international observers who said he won the vote. Diaspora reaction Once among Latin America’s wealthiest countries, Venezuela’s economy deteriorated further under Maduro, contributing to an exodus that has sent about one in five Venezuelans abroad. Many Venezuelans living overseas celebrated Maduro’s removal. His security forces have repeatedly crushed opposition demonstrations. Maduro, a former union leader and bus driver, succeeded Hugo Chávez as president in 2013. “We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country,” said Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan living in Santiago, Chile. Trump has accused Maduro of directing the flow of drugs into the United States and maintaining power through election fraud. Maduro has denied the allegations. Venezuelan officials demanded his release and accused Washington of seeking control over Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources. Succession dispute “There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” Delcy Rodríguez said in a statement. Rodríguez has assumed interim presidential powers under a Venezuelan court order, despite Trump’s comments suggesting she might work with U.S. authorities. U.S. special forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday after strikes on military installations in Caracas and elsewhere, according to U.S. officials. While many Western governments oppose Maduro and have questioned the legitimacy of Venezuela’s elections, several leaders called for restraint, respect for international law and a diplomatic resolution. In the United States, some lawmakers questioned the legality of capturing the head of state of a foreign government. Democrats said they were misled during congressional briefings and demanded details about what would follow. Trump said major U.S. oil companies would return to Venezuela and begin restoring deteriorated oil infrastructure, a process experts said could take years. “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” Trump said. A plane carrying Maduro arrived near New York City late Saturday. He was flown by helicopter to the city and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. U.S. authorities released images showing Maduro being led through a hallway at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s offices in New York, where he was heard wishing a “happy New Year.” Indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, Maduro is expected to make an initial appearance Monday in Manhattan federal court. Uncertainty and international response It remained unclear how Trump planned to oversee Venezuela, where a court ordered Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, to assume interim presidential powers. In Venezuela, residents rushed to buy groceries and fuel as uncertainty spread. Maduro opponents were cautious, while some supporters held small rallies. Soldiers patrolled parts of the country. The U.N. Security Council planned to meet Monday to discuss the U.S. action, which U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called a “dangerous precedent.” Russia and China, both key Maduro allies, criticized the United States. China’s foreign ministry said it opposed what it called U.S. hegemonic behavior and said the operation violated Venezuela’s sovereignty. Trump’s comments about a potentially open-ended U.S. presence in Venezuela drew comparisons to past U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which ended with American withdrawals after years of war and thousands of U.S. casualties. Trump said a U.S. occupation “won’t cost us a penny,” arguing the United States would be reimbursed through Venezuelan oil revenues. The episode also injected new political tension into Washington. Democrats criticized Trump’s foreign policy approach ahead of November’s midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Trump also risked alienating some supporters who back his “America First” agenda and oppose foreign interventions. |
Vice President Vance Has a Timely 'PSA' for Dems Melting Down Over 'Illegal' Venezuela Op
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Nicolás Maduro, the Illegitimate Venezuelan leader, is now in custody in New York City awaiting his first in-person appearance in an American court, after U.S. special forces extracted him in an early morning raid in Venezuela on Saturday. Maduro and wife Cilia Flores were indicted on a range of charges in the Southern District of New York, as well. President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War
Pete Hegseth spoke to media on Saturday morning on the audacious op
that captured the Maduros, as RedState previously wrote. Here are some of the images the White House released as the operation happened in real time: More in a minute on some whisperings people have been making about who is, and isn't, in those snapshots. As I wrote earlier, one of the leading opposition voices to Maduro's dictatorial regime, Maria Corina Machado, made remarks on Saturday after the news broke about Maduro's capture and extraction, stating her preference on who will take over the Venezuelan presidential seat immediately. But it is still up in the air who will lead the country on a long term basis. READ MORE: Venezuela Promises to Be a Geopolitical Game Changer If Trump Can Convert a Triumph Into Victory Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Shares Who She Thinks Should Lead After Maduro Capture The leftists in our country, however, did not take it well, pretty much suffering a massive meltdown, including the newly sworn-in mayor of New York City, Dromcratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who swiftly placed a phone call with POTUS over the matter. Then there were the performative posts by Congressional Democrats, who bemoaned the move as "illegal," and a "war" that was not authorized by Congress. READ: Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani Rages Over Maduro Capture, Speed Dials Trump Hot Takes: Trump's Middle of the Night Op Is Giving the Democrats Heartburn Vice President JD Vance, though, has bad news for them. First, when responding to the immediate reporting on Venezuela, he stated that the administration gave the alleged narcotrafficker and despot "multiple off ramps," then he praised the U.S. military for its precise work: The post continued: "Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation." Vance turned next to any of the Dems who are conflicted over this, adding this timely PSA (public service announcement): Boom. Plus, if they have any follow-up questions, AG Bondi helpful has the full charges for them to examine. Some on social media wondered why the vice president wasn't in the war room snapshots, or at the president's press conference. Now there's an explanation, according to Fox News White House correspondent, Aishah Hasnie:
The White House is "trying to limit co-locating POTUS and VP when they are away from the White House due to increased security concerns," Fox News reported. In the meantime, Rubio may be adding more jobs to his workload: |
Kamala Condemns Trump for ‘Unlawful and Unwise’ Take Down of Maduro, Gets Hit by Inconvenient Fact
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Kamala Harris issued a statement in response to the nearly flawless operation that led to the capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. To nobody's surprise, she condemned President Trump's actions and echoed leftist agitators' sentiments that the strongman's capture was illegal. Harris posted her thoughts to X late Saturday. They included the
oft-used trope that 'Maduro is a bad guy ... but here's why he should
have been allowed to roam free.' "Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable," she said, despite the fact that the Maduro takedown undoubtedly makes America safer, while the operation demonstrated our nation's clear strength. "That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise," the former vice president continued. "We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price." "The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to." DIVE DEEPER: Trump Announces Venezuelan Leader Nicolas Maduro and His Wife Captured Following ‘Large Scale’ US Strike Maduro and His Wife Have Been Indicted in SDNY, Bondi Says: Here Are the Charges Harris went on to suggest that Trump had put troops at risk (the operation led to zero U.S. troop losses) and has no exit plan following Maduro's capture. Which is rich. The low-I.Q. Wine Mom who defended the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which infamously resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members and wounded dozens more, specifically because the Biden-Harris administration had no coherent plan, has some thoughts on troop risks and exit strategy. Thank goodness this woman is not sitting in the White House right now. "America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first," she concluded. Harris, of course, was part of an administration that did the exact opposite of every talking point in that last sentence. Aside from the vapid response, Kamala has a slight issue in the previous administration to contend with. While she's out here condemning Trump for capturing Maduro, it was former President Biden who, in one of his last moves in office, announced a $25 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of Maduro. Kamala's rush to condemn President Trump's
decisive, zero-casualty capture of Nicolás Maduro exposes her stunning
hypocrisy. But it also serves as a handy reminder that America has
strong leadership delivering real-world results. Harris would have been the antithesis of that. In the end, Kamala's partisan meltdown only underscores why voters rejected her—and why Trump's America-first strength is delivering wins she never could. |
The UK’s Patience With Mass Migration Is Gone
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Is it possible that British citizens — and any politician who isn't a member of the Labour Party — are finally getting fed up with mass migration from the Third World? They'd have every right to be. Mass migration has been an unmitigated
disaster for the U.K. The nation now leads in reported rapes per
capita, thanks to an influx of men from countries where women aren't
equal or free. That was the excuse a lawyer gave
for his Afghan client who raped a 15-year-old girl, after all, saying
his client wasn't "used to a society where women are free and deemed
equal to men." Yesterday, Townhall reported that another Afghan man was arrested for attacking people at a hospital, including a nurse who suffered a massive head laceration and said she was "lucky to be alive." Keir Starmer even said violence against women and girls was a "national emergency," but failed to say exactly why. It's long past time to stop coddling these migrants and acting like racism is a worse offense than rape, murder, and terrorism. MP Rupert Lowe has been banging this drum on deportations for a while. Back in October, he lambasted the Metropolitan Police for blocking a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) protest calling for mass deportations. At the time, Lowe wrote, "So what? What's so offensive about mass deportations? We have Islamist hate spouted on our streets most weekends, yet you allow that with seeming joy. People have a right to peacefully protest to demand mass deportations." The prohibition on UKIP came as U.K. authorities did find the wherewithal to crack down on Jews wearing the Star of David and the kippah in public. Now Lowe is back, and this time he's not mincing words about deporting migrants. "Please, spare me the continued moral outrage," Lowe said. "I am bored of it. The British people are bored of it. It is not cruel to deport criminals. It is not inhumane to defend our own citizens." There are many examples of U.K. officials refusing to deport criminals because it would be "cruel." In March, a judge refused to deport a Pakistani sex offender who raped a teenage girl because the man is an alcoholic, saying he would face "inhuman or degrading treatment" in Pakistan because of his drinking problem. Ironically, a few weeks later, authorities refused to grant asylum to an Afghan woman and human rights advocate, saying she faced "no risk" from the Taliban. Lowe continued, "What is cruel and what is inhumane is allowing foreign killers and sex offenders to walk amongst us in the name of...human rights. They should have forfeited the moment they committed their crimes." A U.K. social media user echoed Lowe's sentiment. "Human Rights are a communist universalist fallacy," the user wrote. "The principle that the freedom we’ve won & enjoy, within the jurisdiction we subsidise, are automatically transferred globally is bulls**t. This principle is riddled with opportunity for our enemies, as we’re witnessing." As this writer often says, mass deportations are the moderate option to address the problems migration has caused in the U.K. and the U.S. |
It's Official: Dan Bongino Has Left the FBI
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It’s not a shock: this move was announced before Christmas, but Dan Bongino is no longer the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There will be palace intrigue about this move; no doubt, someone will try to thread an ‘FBI in chaos’ narrative, though Trump offered his reasoning last month, which is that Bongino wishes to return to private life and his show Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino said [on 12/16] … he will
step down from his role at the bureau in January, departing less than a
year after he took the job.
And now, it’s official:
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Democrats Can’t Help but Side With America’s Enemies
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We now control Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro, their former president, is now in American custody and will face trial in New York on major drug charges. And, as if on cue, Democrats are exposing themselves as being on the side of cartels and drugs, ending the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year for the simple reason that President Donald Trump is on the other side. Yeah, they’re that sick. I have to start off by saying that I don’t really care what happens
to Venezuela. I don’t wish it ill, but I don’t care what happens there,
except in how it impacts the United States. I believe it is up to each
country, no matter how big a pit or worthless their culture or
government, to take care of itself. It is why I oppose immigration from
the third world – I get that the “best and brightest” could contribute
to modern and civilized countries, but since assimilation is now frowned
upon, with Democrats actively fighting it, maybe let the “best” stay
where they are and improve their countries, if they can be improved
upon. There’s also the reality that, despite the bumper stickers and chants, importing adherents to backward cultures that treat women like garbage and people who do not share their irrelevant characteristics as rubes is not worth having or saving; they can save themselves at home. I’m not a fan of anywhere that has kidnapping for ransom as a top 5 industry; I’m old-fashioned that way. The White House, naturally, is very happy with how the apprehension of Maduro went – as everyone should be, since no Americans were killed. And some Democrats recognize the good that taking out a despot aiding the smuggling of drugs into the US will do. The Washington Post, of all places, wrote a glowing editorial celebrating it. Entitled “Justice in Venezuela,” the Editorial Board of the Post wrote, “Millions of people around the world, most of all in Venezuela, are celebrating the downfall of the dictator Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump’s decision to capture him on Saturday was one of the boldest moves a president has made in years, and the operation was an unquestionable tactical success. The next step is ensuring that this triumph sets Venezuela up for stability and prosperity rather than more of the same, or worse.” More than that, the Post took a well-deserved swipe at Democrats and the Biden administration, adding, “Maduro’s removal sends an important message to tin-pot dictators in Latin America and the world: Trump follows through. President Joe Biden offered sanctions relief to Venezuela, and Maduro responded to that show of weakness by stealing an election.” This was the position of the Editorial Board; no doubt the leftist “reporters” were fuming over all of it, as their fellow travelers on the left were. Remember David Hogg, the weenie booted from the Democratic National Committee for being too vocal in his active campaigning to make the party even more anti-American? The guy with less muscle definition than Stephen Hawking wrote in a fundraising email, “This morning, Donald Trump bombed Venezuela, dropped U.S. Army soldiers in the capital, and abducted the Venezuelan president and his wife. This is the same man who said, ‘I will be the greatest peace president.’” I guess you can’t understand the concept of peace through strength if you’ve never been able to open a jar of pickles. You can expect anger from someone like Pig Boy – there’s a high probability that people he knows only get pure drugs don’t have to worry about stepped-on junk being cut with worse poison – but the head of the Democrat Party should know better, right? The head of the “party of diversity,” a weasel named Ken Martin – a guy so white his camouflage in a snow storm is nudity – wrote in a fundraising email, “Another day, another unconstitutional war from Trump, who thinks the Constitution is a suggestion.” Putting aside the gross idea of Democrats trying to raise money by rooting against something that will save American lives, Kenny wrote, “The most important thing we can do right now is work to elect more Democrats who will check this administration’s power and prevent more disaster.” After decades of floundering, the United States scored a decisive battle victory in the war on drugs, while putting the rest of the world’s scum on notice that the lip service game is over, and Democrats side with the scum. Actually, it’s not that surprising – Democrats siding with the filth of our species against Americans isn’t shocking, it’s what they do here. The only difference between Somali grifters, illegal alien criminals and international drug traffickers is geography to them, and they view them all more favorably than they do Americans. Remind your friends of this throughout the year so we can return the favor to them in November. |
Maduro and wife arrive in N.Y. after capture
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores,
have touched down in Newburgh, New York, where they are to be held before they face trial on charges of narcoterrorism after their seizure at the hands of the United States. The socialist dictator arrived on U.S. soil at Stewart International Airport in New York after 5:00 p.m. EST after “Operation Absolute Resolve” resulted in his capture early on Saturday morning in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro left the aircraft surrounded by a large group of federal agents. Video footage, though dark, shows him appearing to have been shackled. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump posted an image of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima wearing a grey sweat suit and having been supplied a water bottle. Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who also previously announced a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. The ousted president has denied any wrongdoing. President Trump has built up pressure on Maduro for months, including “Operation Southern Spear,” in which the U.S. military conducted at least 35 known strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats from Venezuela, strengthening the U.S.’s military presence near the Venezuelan coast, declaring Maduro’s government to be a terror organization and seizing two oil tankers off the coast of the country. Fox News has reported that the socialist leader could make an appearance in federal court as early as Monday. |
Independent Journalist Uncovers Shocking Daycare Scandal in Minnesota
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When a 23-year-old independent journalist named Nick Shirley
dropped a 42-minute exposé in late December 2025, he didn’t come with polishing from the mainstream press — he came with footage, questions, and a refusal to let taxpayer money be swept under the rug. Shirley’s on-the-ground video, filmed in mid-December and posted publicly on December 26, lit a fuse by showing multiple state-funded daycare sites that appeared inactive and bystanders who said they’d never seen children at those addresses. The clip spread like wildfire across
social platforms, racking up tens of millions of views on X and millions
more on YouTube, because it addressed something growing Americans know
all too well: government programs without proper oversight. Shirley
cited public payment records and walked through seven to nine locations,
finding locked doors, strange signage, and empty parking lots that
begged basic questions about where those federal dollars were going. The federal government responded quickly — rightly so — and the Department of Health and Human Services announced a temporary freeze on certain child care payments to Minnesota as auditors and investigators sorted through records. That action arrived alongside increased work by federal investigators, because when millions of taxpayer dollars are in play, a pause for documentation and verification is not political theater, it is fiscal responsibility. Predictably, the story escalated into chaos. On December 30–31, Nokomis Day Care in Minneapolis reported a break-in and the theft of “important documentation,” a troubling development that came after Shirley’s video went viral — and the story immediately splintered into competing narratives about cause and effect. Whether that burglary is linked to outrage over the footage or is a separate criminal act, the theft of enrollment and employee records only underscores the need for transparency and lawful inquiry. Minnesota officials and some center directors rushed out rebuttals, saying inspectors had seen children at many of the sites in recent months and arguing Shirley filmed during nonoperational hours. Those are fair points to consider, but they do not negate the fact that regulators and taxpayers deserve verifiable attendance logs, inspection reports, and a full accounting of federal reimbursements. The proper response to an exposé is not to weaponize indignation and cry “racism” the moment senses of impropriety are raised; it is to produce the records that confirm legitimacy. Meanwhile, the usual suspects in the national media and on the left pivoted from skepticism to victim narratives, framing accountability-seeking as harassment rather than a demand for proof. High-profile conservatives and the White House’s allies amplified Shirley’s work, while federal auditors moved to follow the money — an encouraging reminder that citizen journalism can force government to answer uncomfortable questions. The American taxpayer, not political correctness, deserves the final say on whether public dollars are properly spent. This moment should be about protecting whistleblowers, protecting taxpayers, and protecting children, not shielding potentially fraudulent operators behind claims of identity politics. If state or federal probes find abuse, the perpetrators must be prosecuted regardless of background; if the centers are innocent, then bring out the documentation and clear their names. The break-in and the subsequent blame-shifting cannot become a cover for obfuscation — every allegation must be met with a transparent audit and, where warranted, consequences. Americans are tired of public servants and activist media treating fraud allegations like political footballs while real families lose services and taxpayers lose billions. Demand audits, demand exact dates and records, and demand accountability — not slogans, not victim optics. If Shirley’s reporting exposed corruption, we should applaud the sunlight; if it mischaracterized events, the accused should be allowed to prove their innocence with documents. Either way, the era of reflexive excuses must end and the era of transparent stewardship of taxpayer money must begin. |
Trump's Autopen Art Sparks Outrage, Reveals Biden's Accountability Failures
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Reagan Reese’s Daily Caller sit-down with President Trump in early September wasn’t just another routine Oval Office walk-through — it was the moment the president decided to use art to make a point. While showing the new “Presidential Wall of Fame,” Trump told Reese they planned to hang a photo of an autopen where Joe Biden’s portrait would normally go, a cheeky but calculated symbol to highlight the questions that never got straight answers from the left. That revelation came straight out of the Daily Caller transcript, and it set the tone for the media tantrum that followed. When the gallery was unveiled weeks
later, the White House followed through: pictures of past presidents
lined the colonnade, and where Biden’s framed likeness belonged there
hung a photo of an autopen signing his name. The stunt was precisely
what the left expected to get outraged about, and outrage they delivered
— but the American people deserve plain talk, not sanctimonious
lecture. The photographs and coverage made clear that this wasn’t a
rumor but a deliberate choice by the administration. Reagan Reese found herself at the center of a story the mainstream press had downplayed for years, and that has made the liberal media squirm. Reporters who once ignored or buried probing questions about Biden’s handling of his duties were suddenly lecturing about decorum while missing the bigger point: accountability. Those outlets scrambled to condemn the Trump display, but their outrage looks a lot like the flailing of a press corps caught stealing yesterday’s headlines from scrappy conservative reporters who actually go get the story. This isn’t just theater; Republicans on Capitol Hill have been asking hard questions about autopen usage for months, and a GOP-led House Oversight report later this year formalized that scrutiny by questioning whether some actions signed with an autopen were properly authorized. Whether you find the art tasteless or brilliant, the underlying concern — that executive power must be exercised transparently and by the person elected — is one every patriot should care about. The White House’s visual jab forced a national conversation the left has been doing everything to avoid. Let’s be clear: autopens are not new to the executive branch and presidents have used mechanical signature devices in the past, but history doesn’t excuse opacity or dodge responsibility. The autopen’s long pedigree doesn’t erase the fact that voters and lawmakers have the right to know who’s making consequential decisions. Conservatives who have fought for institutional accountability should cheer anyone, from the White House to the press gallery, who shines a bright light on how power is actually exercised. At the end of the day, President Trump used humor and symbolism to puncture the media’s protective bubble around the last administration, and reporters like Reagan Reese did what real journalists do: they asked questions and brought readers the answers. If the left and their press allies want to shout “disrespect” while covering up real concerns, let them — the American people can see through that noise. Now more than ever, hardworking patriots should demand transparent records, honest reporting, and an end to the double standard that shields elites while punishing anyone who dares to demand the truth. |
Saturday, January 3, 2026
President Trump's Win in Venezuela Sends a Strong Message at Home and Abroad
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President Donald Trump has rapidly, efficiently, and successfully cured one of the western hemisphere's greatest scourges: Mr. Maduro of Venezuela. By removing Nicholas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela from power, President Trump has demonstrated America is serious about reasserting America's strength and disposition in Latin America. This is clearly a win for the Trump administration. This is also a win for President Trump's key lieutenants, namely:
Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and John Ratcliffe. It's clear
this team has been working hard behind the scenes over the last month
to ensure that the necessary intelligence, operational and tactical
measures necessary carry out a quick and "warless'" change of regime in
Venezuela were in solidly in place.
The other benefit of this swift and rapid success in Venezuela is that President Trump will be able to maintain a positive rapport with his anti-war MAGA political base. Over the last few months, many leading influencers in the MAGA base have rightfully expressed serious concerns about possible U.S. military engagement in Venezuela. This rapid success will alleviate those concerns and will also appease members of Congress. America's intelligence and military apparatuses have clearly demonstrated that they are well honed and ready to effectuate action in the Latin American and Caribbean regions – if necessary. Rebuilding and enhancing America's military and intelligence capabilities in the western hemisphere is critically important to ensure that America's 'home region' is secure. Peace begins at home. This success in Venezuela also sends a strong message to America's global adversaries that have tried to gain strategic foreign influence footholds in Latin America over the last few decades. It's now very clear that the Trump administration will seek to purge maligned foreign influence elements of out the Latin American region. The swift removal of Nicholas Maduro speaks to the Trump administration's regional intentions and vectors. Moving forward, there will likely be domestic political volatility in Venezuela over the coming months. At least the country can now move forward with exercising genuine democracy. Venezuela's oil sector will require massive investment over the coming years to enjoy its full potential. A lot of work remains for the next President of Venezuela, but brighter days are likely ahead. Venezuela's diaspora of its citizens living overseas – numbering in the millions - will likely be able to return home soon. There will be significant economic and strategic opportunities for Venezuelans to now work hard to develop their own country. This success also allows the Trump administration to make an even stronger argument to enforce U.S. immigration laws when it comes to Venezuelan citizens living in the U.S. illegally. In addition, political asylum claims for Venezuelan citizens in the U.S. will no longer be necessary. Venezuela is now liberated, and its citizens can now return home. Over the coming days and weeks there will be a tremendous amount of noise regarding Venezuela's future; there may even be some short-term setbacks. However, there is no doubt that this is a major win for America and for regional stability. The rapid removal of Nicholas Maduro is a very significant success for President Trump and key members of the Trump administration. In addition, America's military, diplomatic and intelligence communities should take great pride a job well done. |
Seriously? Kathy Hochul Orders One World Trade Center Lit in Honor of Muslim American Heritage Month
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Just hours after New York City’s first Muslim-American Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was sworn in, Empire State Gov. Kathy Hochul declared January to be “Muslim American Heritage Month” and ordered One World Trade Center and 15 other state landmarks to be bathed in green light to celebrate “the heritage and culture of Muslim Americans." Many on social media were quick to point out
that we can’t illuminate the Twin Towers because they are no longer on
the skyline after the horrific 9/11 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, which
took down the buildings and killed almost 3,000 innocents. September 11,
as all Americans know, was carried out by 19 hijackers affiliated with
the Islamist extremist group led by the late Osama bin Laden. But 9/11 was evidently not on Hochul’s mind Friday evening: The
governor also released a statement vowing to protect Muslims from
Islamophobia. She did not mention a report released Monday from the
NYPD, which showed that Jews were targeted more than all other minority groups combined in the Big Apple in 2024, and combined for more than 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city. Hochul:
Meanwhile, Mamdani, in one of his first acts in office, rescinded several executive orders from his predecessor, Eric Adams, that targeted antisemitism. The state of Israel and many Jewish organizations were outraged. READ MORE: It’s Time to Escape From New York Never Forget, Never Fade: Why 9/11 Deserves a National Holiday Although local Muslim politicians and groups were pleased with the Appreciation Month and the green lights, there was plenty of negative reaction on social media as well. One conservative author wrote, “The betrayal of the nation's veterans continues.” Another blistered:
Interesting — I wonder why Hochul waited till 6:49 p.m. to post the move, which is almost certain to provoke reactions from many? If you’re going to be bold, why not be bold in the sunlight of the day? President Donald Trump has not weighed in as of this hour, but I’m betting he will at some point. |
It’s Time to Escape From New York
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The "lucky" people of New York City have a new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, whom I have unaffectionately dubbed the Commie Radical Muslim (CRM). My fellow RedStater Brad Essex has already reported on Mamdani’s midnight swearing in an abandoned subway, which is being called “romantic” and “historic” by the usual hacks in the MSM. Another fellow Redstater, Ward Clark, has noted that the block party CRM held was “disastrous” with no food or toilets. READ MORE: THE ESSEX FILES: Midnight Politics in the Subway - What Mamdani’s Oath Really Signals Mamdani's Inaugural Block Party, Bolshevik Style: No Bread, No Bathrooms, Just Fail And Nick Arama has even more here. The real questions now facing the people of New York City are, who, exactly, will “get it good and hard,” and how much will they suffer? Well, based on CRM’s inauguration speeches, and his earlier record, it seems clear to me that CRM is fully embracing his socialism/communism. After listening to his speeches, to paraphrase Theodore White, I immediately slapped my forehead and cried out, “My God, he’s going to govern as Zohran Mamdani!” The second Mamdani inaugural dove right into the socialism, starting with the singing of the socialist anthem, “Bread and Roses.” During CRM’s speech, he promised:
And:
More explicitly, he confirmed, “I was elected as a Democratic Socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.” CRM also swore to “replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” He also acknowledged that the leader he seeks most to emulate is Socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who once worked at a Communist kibbutz in Israel and later honeymooned in the Soviet Union. In terms of specific policies, CRM promised to “create a new Department of Community Safety,” which may take precedence over the police, to deliver universal childcare, to freeze rent, and to make city buses free. Despite his claims to be a socialist, it is important to remember that in 2021, CRM blurred the boundaries of his ideology by babbling about “the end goal of seizing the means of production.” Which is pure communist pablum. And as we all should know, communism and socialism can be synonyms, although communism has a far worse public image, which might prompt a smart leftist to insist he is a socialist, rather than a communist. Of course, CRM promises to pay for his generous new entitlements solely by targeting the “rich,” the “one percent,” or the “billionaires and oligarchs.” But we all know this won’t work, as the problem with socialist governments “is that they always run out of other people's money.” Which means that a large portion of New York City’s business community is going to have major economic distress thanks to CRM. Normal taxpayers should beware, too. But far more dangerous is the coming physical peril for most New Yorkers (and other visitors). Islamist and other radical leftists will assume that with CRM in Gracie Mansion, they will have political cover for their violence. And then there are the criminals. The New York City Jewish community, which makes up 11 percent of the city’s population, is in grave danger. CRM is a radical Shia Muslim, and he has had a long record of supporting radical Muslims and being supported by them. In 2017, he rapped his love for the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, who were all convicted of funding (Sunni Muslim) Hamas. In 2025, CRM palled around with Mahmoud Khalil, an Arab non-citizen who spent most of his time at Columbia University organizing riots against Jews, and whom the Trump administration is strenuously trying to deport. In 2025, he took a picture – smiling, of course – with an unindicted (Sunni Muslim) terrorist who was involved in the World Trade Center bombing. In his campaigns, he has received substantial funding from Islamist groups with terror ties. CRM has made it clear that he hates Israel — and most Jews — with a passion. It was his anti-Israel BDS activism that brought him to socialism. And he has steadfastly refused to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada.”* CRM is such a Jew-hater that on the very day of his inauguration, he was caught deleting former Mayor Adams’ posts and Executive Orders about combating antisemitism, which is a violation of the law. The New York City civilians are also in danger from criminals and illegal aliens. As mentioned in his speech, CRM has vowed to use mental health personnel instead of cops in many situations. Also, in the past, CRM has advocated for defunding the police, although he did later walk back from that when it proved unpopular. The fact that the left-wing Soros organization sunk up to $40 million into a possibly illegal scheme to elect CRM, almost certainly means that CRM will push Soros-favored, soft-on-crime policies and pro-illegal alien policies. These policies have already been partially implemented in areas within New York City (looking at you, Alvin Bragg). As a result, there may be more deranged homeless criminals released who threaten the public, and fewer heroes available to prevent crimes from being committed. There may also be more illegal aliens murdering citizens. ICE personnel, or other federal government workers enforcing federal laws, can also be expected to face mounting physical risks from the left-wing Soros groups. Perhaps along the lines of what is currently happening in Portland, Oregon? This is a sad time for the people of New York City, and I feel sorry for them. (At least those who didn’t vote for CRM.) I have to say, though, I never thought while watching “Escape from New York” that I was watching the future. Granted, the timing was a bit off, but who knew that John Carpenter was a prophet? *Calls to “globalize the intifada” are really calls to riot and murder Jews, worldwide. During the two intifadas, and many other times since then, Palestinian Arabs attacked any person who was not Palestinian Arab, and were frequently heard screaming “death to the Yahud’s.” This meant Jews; not Israelis. |
'Then It Is War:' Elon Musk Responds to Somali TikToker's Death Threat
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Back in February, Elon Musk made a very bold claim. In a post on X, Musk wrote, "At this point, I am 100 percent certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Disability, etc) exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you've ever heard by FAR. It's not even close." And it turns out Musk was probably right about that. His efforts to
combat fraud with DOGE uncovered significant amounts of fraud from day
one, which ruffled more than a few feathers in Washington and elsewhere.
Leftists torched Teslas and Tesla dealerships in an effort to "punish"
Musk for his DOGE work, and even Tim Walz was positively gleeful at the
thought that Tesla stock would take a hit. That was a remark Walz later had to walk back when he learned his state's retirement fund owned more than 1.5 million shares of the company. For days, Musk has been hammering the fraud. On December 27, he wrote, "Yes. We found hundreds of fraud schemes. This [referring to Minnesota's daycare scandal] is one of many. There was massive fraud in every government program, especially Federal funds sent as block grants to states."
When Walz said the investigations into the Somali daycares and the fraud was driven by "white supremacy," Musk blasted the Left again. "Just stop caring whether they call you racist or not. They do that to scare away inquiries. Doing so used to work, but not any more. Fraud is fraud and it doesn’t matter what race someone is," he wrote on X.
He also wrote, "My lower bound guess for how much fraud there is nationally is ~20% of the Federal budget, which would mean $1.5 trillion per year. Probably much higher."
It probably is. Imagine how much our national debt and taxes could decrease if there weren't so much fraud. And yesterday we learned Musk was throwing money behind Republicans once again to stop Democrats from taking control of D.C. in the midterm elections. "America is toast if the radical left wins. They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud. Won’t be America anymore," he wrote on X.
And we're glad Musk is on our side, because he just declared war after a Somali TikToker threatened his life. "I wouldn't worry too much about him. He about to die," she says.
According to MSN, the burqua-clad TikToker also accused Musk of "interfering in Minnesota affairs and later alleged that his actions were racist." Musk also joined the Katie Miller Podcast, where he said, " Ilhan Omar, who was voted into Congress by a large group of people from Somalia, which is really far from Somalia, or Mamdani, who was elected mayor, by a majority of people not born in America. That’s my understanding at least.” He also said, “We just don’t want to turn into a, you know, communist hellhole, basically.” In response to the TikToker's video, Musk kept it short and sweet: "Then it is war," he wrote on X.
That's a bold strategy for a TikToker to threaten the world's richest man. |
President Trump Announces the Capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
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UPDATE: Massive strikes ordered against Venezuela by Trump. President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured. A press conference will be held at 11 am today. Delta Force was part of this operation. Troops on the ground confirmed. Wow.
***Original Post*** We have reports of multiple explosions rocking Caracas, Venezuela, right now. It was initially unconfirmed, but a major US military operation is underway, which could be part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against narco-terrorism vis-à-vis Operation Southern Spear. For weeks, narco-boats have been taken out through airstrikes. Yet, there are reports that this could be an anti-terror operation, with strikes being conducted to degrade Hezbollah and Iran's capabilities in the region. The two are the same, to be honest. Trump did tease that something was going to happen on land in Venezuela soon. Some land strikes already occurred, but this is a significant operation. Capturing Maduro is quite the surprise. Nice work.
This massive military operation has understandably caused total chaos in the Venezuelan capital.
UPDATE: So, this wasn't an Operation Southern Spear mission. It was allegedly done to cripple Hezbollah and Iran's activities in the region. This is unconfirmed.
UPDATE II: It's now confirmed that President Trump ordered these strikes. Reuters reports that troops are on the ground. That was US Special Forces nabbing Maduro.
UPDATE III: Venezuelan defense minister cannot be reached.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 3, 2026
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