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US-Venezuela Latest: Maduro Vows to Outlast Trump Amid Intervention Threats (New York Times)
As the threat of US military intervention in Venezuela grows, President Nicolás Maduro has grown fearful of being targeted in a precision strike or raid and has upped security measures, according to Politico. He has tightened his personal security, including changing sleeping locations and cellphones, and has leaned on Cuba, a key ally.
To reduce the risk of betrayal, Maduro has also expanded the role of Cuban bodyguards in his personal security detail and attached more Cuban counterintelligence officers to Venezuela’s military, the New York Times reported.
In public, however, Maduro has sought to downplay Washington’s threats by conveying a nonchalant, relaxed appearance, showing up for public events unannounced, dancing, and posting propaganda videos on TikTok.
Immigration Escalation: Trump to Expand Travel Ban to Around 30 Countries After National Guard Shooting (Bloomberg)
'Cocaine Superhighway' Pardon: Trump Pardons Ex-Honduras Leader Convicted of Drug Trafficking (Bloomberg)
President Trump delivered on his promise to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, freeing the onetime leader from US prison, where he was serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking.
The US Department of Justice said
last year that Hernandez was “at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world,” claiming that he “abused his powerful positions and authority in Honduras” and with co-conspirators facilitated the trafficking of more than 400 tons of cocaine into the US — an amount equivalent to about 4.5 billion doses. He "paved a cocaine superhighway to the United States," according to Assistant US Attorney Jacob Gutwillig.
Read the former Honduran President's letter to Trump here, as reported by the New York Times.
The
move has drawn scrutiny,
coming as the Trump administration has built up its largest military presence in the Caribbean Sea in years as part of an effort to combat drug trafficking.
Catching Some Z's: Trump Appears to Fight Sleep During Cabinet Meeting (New York Times)
Russia Warning: Putin Threatens Possible Strikes on Ukraine Allies’ Ships in Retaliation Move (Bloomberg)
Vladimir Putin warned that Russia may consider striking the ships of countries supporting Ukraine if a surge in attacks on Moscow’s tanker fleet continues, according to local media reports.
There have been at least nine attacks on Russian commercial ships, most of them tankers, in the past year. For the most part, the perpetrators haven’t claimed responsibility for the incidents. There’s been a notable surge in the past week, with four such incidents.
Asia Toll Rises: 1,300+ Dead from Floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as Rescue Efforts Intensify (Associated Press)
Mideast Latest:
Israel and Lebanon Take Part in Rare Talks in Bid to Ease Tensions (Bloomberg)
Diplomacy in the North: Canada Will Press NATO Allies to Focus More on Arctic Threats (Bloomberg)
Canada will raise concerns about NATO’s
approach to Arctic threats at a meeting in Brussels today, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said. Once considered a low-tension zone, the Arctic is now at the heart of geopolitical tensions as melting ice reshapes sea routes and Russia and China vie for control.
Half-Hour Crash: Crypto Firm Tied to Trump Family Sees Share Price Halve in 30 Minutes (Bloomberg)
Mega Philanthropic Gift: Michael Dell Gives $6.25 Billion to Launch ‘Trump Accounts’ for 25 Million Kids (Bloomberg)
In an unprecedented philanthropic gift, Michael and Susan Dell will give 25 million American children $250 each to jumpstart an investment account for their futures.
The $6.25 billion gift builds on the Invest America initiative — better known as “Trump accounts” — created earlier this year as part of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under the program, the government will automatically seed an account with $1,000 for each child born between 2025 and 2028.
The Dells’ gift will go to the Treasury Department and will fund accounts for an additional 25 million children ages 10 and under who aren’t already eligible for the government money. Dell, 60, said he is initially targeting zip codes with median household incomes below $150,000 and expects to reach 80% of US children in that age range.
TN Close Call: GOP Survives with Win in Tennessee, But Tight Margin Fuels Midterm Fears (Axios)
Republicans
won
Tennessee's hotly watched special US House election last night. But the single-digit margin in a conservative district was the party's latest warning sign ahead of next year's midterms, according to Axios.
Republican doomsters winced at their massively reduced margin in a district Trump won by 22 points last year. “This is one of the biggest flashing red light warning signs we’ve seen yet for Republicans,” wrote Matt Whitlock.
“If every House district in the country shifted left by this same amount — about 15 points — we would be looking at a blue wave far worse than 2018,” Politico reported.
Red Alert: House Members are Quitting Congress at Record Rate, Alarming GOP Speaker Mike Johnson (Axios)
Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year.
Forty-four lawmakers, 26 Republicans and 18 Democrats, have announced they plan to leave the chamber or already have. In previous cycles, the party with more departures tends to lose seats — if not the majority, according to Axios.
The record number of exits also guarantees that the next Congress will look considerably different than the current one, forcing leaders of both parties to contend with fresh faces and new challenges.
🎧 New Episode Alert! Tune in to the Daily Read Podcast, an AI-powered rundown of today's news. Stream now on Spotify and
Apple Podcasts.
Memoir Review: Tom Freston’s Unplugged Chronicles a Life From Hitchhiking to the MTV C-Suite (Wall Street Journal)
Tom Freston’s Unplugged: Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu is a freewheeling memoir that traces his unconventional journey from global wanderer and clothing entrepreneur to cofounder of MTV and CEO of Viacom, weaving together stories of risk-taking, cultural exchange, and reinvention.
Mike Bloomberg joined Tom at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC-NYC) to celebrate the book's release, writing that
"Tom spent his career redefining the modern media landscape, shaping American culture, and traveling the world." Buy your copy of the book here.
Top 10 of '25: The Ten Best Books of the Year, Spanning Australian Novels to Immersive Journalistic Accounts (New York Times)
NYC
Lights Up Tonight: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to Shine Bright Through January
(Time Out - New York)
After tonight's star-studded light-up night ceremony in midtown Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit for the holiday season. This year's massive Norway Spruce stands 75 feet tall and hails from East Greenbush, New York.
Light-up activities begin at 7 pm, with the tree typically lighting up just before 10 pm. You can watch in-person, but prepare for crowds, or catch the broadcast on TV from the comfort of your couch.
Holiday light installations across the city are already switched on and others will illuminate very soon, transforming NYC into a winter wonderland aglow in spectacular colors.
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center in Central Park
will host its tree lighting tomorrow, Dec. 4. Madison Square Park follows on Tues., Dec. 9, and Washington Square Park’s tree beneath the iconic arch will shine on Thurs., Dec. 11.
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