Deep in the night of January 2, Chinook helicopters crossed the skies of Caracas, Venezuela. America’s Operation Absolute Resolve had begun, and by the time it concluded President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would be in custody on their way to New York. It was a perfectly planned and carried out surprise military action that took place in the capital city of a hostile nation. During the action, close to 60 Venezuelan military and security personnel were killed, while seven US soldiers were injured.
According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Maduro and his wife will now face charges in the Southern District of New York, including conspiracy to engage in drug-terror activities, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
Not surprisingly, all the usual suspects lost their minds over this decisive action by the President. Russia, Turkey, Colombia, Qatar, Iran, Panama, Cuba, and other UN states and anti-western countries condemned the extraction. Hamas and Hezbollah threw in their two cents against, as did all the angry liberals in the US and beyond who hate everything that Trump does. Anti-imperialist protests sprang up immediately around America, all part of a coordinated plan of attack by the radical left that began even while the extraction was still taking place.
On the flip side, Venezuelans in Venezuela and many other nations are dancing in the streets, praising the United States for freeing the citizenry from the crushing thumb of Maduro. Another place we can see celebration is in the US stock market which hit an all-time high on Monday.
This action by the United States has truly changed the global picture. On Tuesday, President Trump issued an ultimatum to Venezuela to abandon its alliances with China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba, and place its oil industry under an exclusive partnership with Washington. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz emphasized this split with America’s enemies, saying to the United Nations, “You cannot continue to hold the world’s largest energy reserves under the control of US adversaries.”
The US Department of State added on X, “This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened.” This is all part of the Trump Doctrine of the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East.
As the attack was taking place, Amir Tsarfati posted a question on Telegram asking how long it would take before Israel would be blamed for the attack. For the acting president of Venezuela, the answer was two days. Delcy Rodriguez, who had been vice president when Maduro was taken, said on Sunday that the US operation was actually a “Zionist attack” orchestrated by Israel. Candace Owens, along with other antisemitic loons, also put Israel in a direct influencing rule for the extraction of Maduro.
“Death to the Dictator”
The protests in Iran that began eleven days ago are only growing. In more than 200 locations around the country, people have taken to the streets chanting “Death to the Dictator!” Buildings have been burned, pictures of the ayatollahs have been desecrated, and government structures have been mobbed. The military is fighting back with live fire, thus far killing at least 36 citizens and arresting more than 2000 more, according to human rights groups.
The people are fed up with the Islamist regime caring more about arming their proxies than providing food, water, and energy to their population. On Tuesday, the Iranian rial reached a new low of 1,470,000 to one US dollar on the open market with no signs of potential turn-around.
The country’s leaders are trying to distract the people by attempting to focus on a common enemy. For two days in a row, Iran has threatened a preemptive strike against Israel. But for many in Iran, they find a greater affinity with those in Jerusalem than with those in the government buildings in Tehran. For Israel’s part, Netanyahu has warned, “If we are attacked, the implications for Iran will be very dire.”
Meanwhile, dozens of US Air Force refueling tankers and heavy military transport aircraft have departed to the Middle East, with numerous sources saying it is in preparation for strikes against Iran. Other countries see the threat, and Canada, Russia, and Australia have each asked their citizens to leave Iran immediately.
The ayatollahs certainly understand their predicament and have deployed air surveillance radar systems in Tehran and several other cities in case either the US or Israel comes calling. There are also rumors that Ayatollah Khamenei has a contingency plan to flee to Moscow if either the protests grow or another major attack comes. These rumors are bolstered by a claim by British MP Tom Tugendhat that there were reports of Russian cargo aircraft landing in Tehran and “large amounts of gold leaving Iran.”
Israel Targets Hezbollah in Lebanon
Throughout the last week, Israel has hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The Lebanese government is scrambling to show that they are attempting to disarm the terrorist group, even releasing footage of the military neutralizing a Hezbollah underground weapons facility. But their overall effort has not been effective, and sources say that Israel is not interested in waiting for Lebanon to transition to the second phase of the agreed-to weapons-consolidation plan which would focus on areas north of the Litani River.
Peace Stalled in Gaza
Hamas may say it’s ready to move on to stage two of Trump’s plan, but there are still two major hurdles which must be overcome. First, the terrorist group must disarm, something they are unwilling to do. Second, Israel demands the remains of the final hostage, St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, before it will open the Rafah Crossing. Until these two issues are resolved, the process will remain stalemated.
The US takes Two Russian-Flagged Oil Tankers
A cat-and-mouse game has been taking place for two weeks between the US military and two Russian “shadow” tankers that broke through the American blockade of Venezuela. Eventually, the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Tanker Sophia were located and boarded by US forces – one in the North Atlantic Ocean and one in international waters in the Caribbean. While the pursuit was taking place, Russia dispatched a submarine and a ship to assist the tankers, but they didn’t arrive in time. Both tankers have been seized.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide. We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narcoterrorism wherever we find it, period. This is our country’s greatest fighting force at their best. This is America first at sea.”
Greenland, USA
It is the intention of the Trump administration to purchase Greenland, according to a statement made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to certain US lawmakers. The purpose of the acquisition is security, particularly with rising threats coming from Russia and China.
European leaders warned against a military takeover of the country, saying that it could amount to an end of NATO. While the White House didn’t rule out a military option, they did assert that it would not be their preferred option. Rubio will be meeting next week with key international players in the discussion.
Tim Walz Drops from Minnesota Governor Race
Amidst a rampant scandal involving Somalis, day cares, billions of federal funds, and, some say, his own office, incumbent Tim Walz has withdrawn from the 2026 governor race. “Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences,” Walz said, attempting to firmly plant himself on the moral high ground.
Critics, however, say that he is running scared, claiming that even more allegations are coming against him. This once beautiful state is not what it used to be, and this is going to be a very difficult year for Minnesotans. As a native of the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I find that, despite Walz stepping out of the race, I can at least take solace in the fact that Amy Klobuchar is waiting in the wings. Yikes! Like I said, it’s going to be a very difficult year.
An Attempt To Shift The Spotlight
Minnesota has once again exploded the media cycle. Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old activist, tried to use her car to block ICE vehicles in Minneapolis. The situation escalated, and Good drove directly at an ICE agent, hitting him. The agent fired his weapon in self-defense, killing Good. Immediately, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called it an act of murder.
Governor Tim Walz, seeing his opportunity to get the spotlight off his own scandal, urged Americans everywhere to take to the streets, saying, “If you’re in Portland, or you’re in LA, or you’re in Chicago, or you’re wherever they’re coming next, stand with us. Stand with us against this.” These are words that get law enforcement officers killed, and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association quickly responded by condemning this kind of “irresponsible” and “reckless” rhetoric.
Federal government officials also quickly came out against the inflammatory verbal attacks by Frey, Walz, and other leftist firebrands like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As before, Amir had recently predicted that the left would find a way to draw attention away from the appalling fraud in Minnesota. Seems he was right again. Protests and riots against the shooting broke out in several cities across the country. This is a story that has legs, and we may be talking about how it plays out for weeks to come.
