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Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:05:00 +0000 Trump Cancels 2nd Wave Of Strikes On 'Cooperative' Venezuela - Political Prisoners Freed
Trump Cancels 2nd Wave Of Strikes On 'Cooperative' Venezuela - Political Prisoners Freed
The post-Maduro Venezuelan government has begun releasing political prisoners as a gesture of 'good will' to the United States, signaling that
Read more.....
Trump Cancels 2nd Wave Of Strikes On 'Cooperative' Venezuela - Political Prisoners Freed
The post-Maduro Venezuelan government has begun releasing political prisoners as a gesture of 'good will' to the United States, signaling that the new Delcy Rodriguez government is ready to play nice with Trump. There are reasons to believe that this former Maduro number two (as his vice president) had cooperated with the CIA to hand the longtime Venezuelan president and socialist strongman over to invading American forces during last Friday night's raid.
President Trump said early Friday that he had cancelled a "previously expected" second wave of attacks on the Latin American country as Caracas is now cooperating with the US. It must be recalled that soon after the attack which ousted Maduro and brought him into US custody, Trump had warned, "We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so . He added: "We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not." Presumably this meant cartel targets, but this brings up the question: where are all the 'narco-terrorists' and did they magically disappear now that Maduro was taken out?
via AP In a Friday Truth Social post , the president emphasized the White House and new Caracas authorities are "working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure ."
"Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes," he added.
Trump confirmed that the government is busy "releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace ,'" adding, "This is a very important and smart gesture." Local news footage also appeared to verify this - a longtime demand of Washington and its allies in Europe.
AFP reports: Venezuela begins releasing a "large number" of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro
The head of the country's National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced the release of a "significant number" of political prisoners, which is being taken to mean by outside observers that this is most, if not all, political prisoners which the US has demanded the release of.
One prominent name among those reportedly freed is the following :
Rocío San Miguel, a vocal critic of Maduro and a defense expert, was the first prisoner confirmed to be freed. Her family told the New York Times that she was taken to the Spanish embassy in Caracas.
Arrested in 2024, she was accused of being involved in a plot to kill the then-president and faced charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism. Her arrest shocked human rights activists and, because her whereabouts were unknown, was labelled as potential "enforced disappearance" by the UN Human Rights Office.
As for Trump's claim that he has called off a 'second strike' - there's as yet no real evidence that the Pentagon was actually preparing such a new offensive, but heavy US assets are certainly still in the region and in regional waters. Trump could be bluffing on this , and very likely is, in order to keep Caracas on edge and cooperative.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 12:05 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:20:00 +0000 Ayatollah Breaks Silence: Blames US For Instigating "Vandals & Saboteurs" As Cities Burn
Ayatollah Breaks Silence: Blames US For Instigating "Vandals & Saboteurs" As Cities Burn
Iran's supreme leader has just taken to X where he for the first time explicitly called out the United States for instigating ongoing u
Read more.....
Ayatollah Breaks Silence: Blames US For Instigating "Vandals & Saboteurs" As Cities Burn
Iran's supreme leader has just taken to X where he for the first time explicitly called out the United States for instigating ongoing unrest in the Islamic Republic , where raging economic protests have taken root in more that one hundred cities and towns - with in some instances rioters torching buildings and cars.
"Today like the past, the US is wrong in its calculations about Iran," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote . Importantly he added context to this assertion in a Friday speech - his first since protests began in a Tehran market 13 days ago - that authorities will "not back down" as Tehran officials have charged that the unrest has a foreign hand behind it.
This Guardian image is sourced to the MEK(!) The Ayatollah denounced the protesters as "vandals" and "saboteurs" and called out their alleged foreign agendas, amid increased images of city sectors burning, ongoing clashes with police, and reports of some limited exchanges of gunfire.
Protesters are now "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy … because he said he would come to their aid" - in reference to President Trump, after the US leader has warned at least twice that there could be American military intervention if Iran starts killing protesters.
Trump also claimed in a FOX interview, but without citing specific intel or any evidence that the Ayatollah is "looking to go somewhere. It’s getting very bad." The claim is based on anonymously sourced reports that he could flee to Moscow if things got bad enough.
However, given the nature of Iran's brand of Shia revolutionary Islam, it remains highly unlikely that the country's Supreme Leader and top Shia cleric would simply or hastily just flee (perhaps would face 'martyrdom' first?) - especially during the opening phase of such unrest, given also the country has weathered similar ones over several years prior, including the so-called 'anti-hijab protests'.
By some international accounts, these current protests have yet to reach the size of the 2022 large-scale demonstrations, but that could change at any moment at this rate.
Thursday saw an escalation as the internet was cut throughout almost the entirety of the country, as much more images emerged of largely peaceful demonstrations quickly turning violent in some areas :
There were violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in several locations in Iran on Wednesday, as a wave of unrest sparked by the country's economic crisis continued for an 11th day.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, said two policemen were shot and killed by armed individuals in the south-western town of Lordegan.
Videos posted on social media showed a tense stand-off between protesters and security forces, with the sound of gunfire in the background . In footage from several other areas, security forces appear to fire guns and tear gas towards crowds of protesters, some of whom are throwing stones.
Like with Syria of the last decade of the anti-Assad insurgency, information out of Iran can be hard to assess and interpret, given almost no international reporters or observers are on the ground. This means that professional activist networks and NGOs outside the country can dominate the narrative , cheerleading the spiraling crisis from afar.
To be expected, Israel is also cheering this on, and had even last week issued brazen statements - including that Mossad stands 'with' the protesters and is even helping them (a statement full of the usual ambiguity and psychological warfare). Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo has stated the same.
Below is an example of some of the worst and most simplistic propaganda which has no basis in any presentable evidence , and by 'anon' sources which don't tend to have any understanding of the internal dynamics of the country and people:
According to one such 'anti-Iran media' source and agency , "The 42 documented fatalities include 29 protesters, eight security personnel and five children or adolescents , figures released on Thursday by the US-based rights group HRANA showed."
Russian state media sources have alternately been highlighting the ample evidence of rioting and crowds attacking police, in some locales:
The clear admission from even Western mainstream reports that some eight or at least several among the security forces have been killed seems a full-on admission that this is sliding into more than just economic protests by common people. Will Tehran be targeted by the external 'powers that be' for regime change next after Maduro? Will the protests be hijacked and fully driven by nefarious actors and enemy intel? ...The next proxy war for the fate of the Persian heartland?
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 11:20 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:40:00 +0000 GM Cuts EV Exposure After Policy Shift, Takes $6B Charge
GM Cuts EV Exposure After Policy Shift, Takes $6B Charge
Imagine all of the malinvestment that took place in autos, on EVs, thank to the government distorting markets and forcing EV adoption when genu
Read more.....
GM Cuts EV Exposure After Policy Shift, Takes $6B Charge
Imagine all of the malinvestment that took place in autos, on EVs, thank to the government distorting markets and forcing EV adoption when genuine demand may not have been robust. Now, we're seeing the consequences of returning to a freer market.
General Motors will record a $6 billion charge after scaling back several electric-vehicle projects, reflecting both weaker demand and the impact of new federal policies under President Donald Trump, according to Reuters .
Most of the charge — $4.2 billion in cash — stems from terminating contracts and compensating suppliers that had prepared for higher EV production. GM said the charge will appear as a special item in its fourth-quarter earnings. Additional costs are expected in 2026 but will be smaller than the current year’s EV-related charges.
Despite the pullback, the company said its U.S. lineup of about a dozen EVs remains intact: “We plan to continue to make these models available to consumers.”
GM’s announcement follows Ford’s much larger move in December, when it revealed a $19.5 billion writedown after canceling several EV programs. Ford CEO Jim Farley said at the time: “When the market really changed over the last couple of months, that was really the impetus for us to make the call.”
Automakers across the industry began retreating from aggressive EV expansion last summer after a sweeping Trump tax and spending package and the elimination on September 30 of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which triggered a sharp drop in sales. GM’s EV deliveries fell 43% in the fourth quarter, after customers had rushed purchases before the credit expired.
Reuters writes that while GM once pledged to phase out gasoline vehicles by 2035, analysts have since lowered long-term EV forecasts. GM CEO Mary Barra has said the company will adjust based on customer demand.
The company has already slowed EV operations: halting battery production at two joint-venture plants, cutting shifts at its Detroit EV factory, and repurposing a planned Michigan EV facility to build gas-powered pickups and the Cadillac Escalade. GM also disclosed a separate $1.1 billion charge tied to restructuring its China joint venture.
Some analysts question GM’s heavy focus on fully electric vehicles. CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson warned: "GM’s lack of hybrid exposure could partially reverse recent market share gains," citing surging hybrid demand.
Industrywide, EV sales growth has slowed dramatically. Research firm Omdia reported U.S. EV sales rose just 1.2% in 2025, and Edmunds projects EVs will represent about 6% of U.S. vehicle sales in 2026, down from 7.4% last year.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 10:40 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:17:10 +0000 UMich Confidence Rebounds In January Off Record Lows As Tariff Fears Abate
UMich Confidence Rebounds In January Off Record Lows As Tariff Fears Abate
Having ended 2025 at the lowest Current Conditions Sentiment levels in, well, ever... expectations for preliminary January data were for a modest rebound...
Read more.....
UMich Confidence Rebounds In January Off Record Lows As Tariff Fears Abate
Having ended 2025 at the lowest Current Conditions Sentiment levels in, well, ever... expectations for preliminary January data were for a modest rebound... and it did (very modestly).
The preliminary January sentiment index climbed to 54 from 52.9 in December, according to the University of Michigan (better than the 53.5 expected).
The expectations index rose to a five-month high of 55. The survey reflected improvements in both the short- and long-term economic outlooks.
The current conditions gauge climbed to a three-month high after slipping to a record-low in December. Consumers’ perception of their current financial situation improved in January, while expectations declined.
Source: Bloomberg
Short-term inflation expectations were flat while longer-term rebounded modestly...
Source: Bloomberg
Democrats appear to be slowly but surely realizing all the Trump tariff fears projected up on them were just wrong. Republicans appear to be primed for deflation - but the gap remains huge (1% vs 5%)...
Source: Bloomberg
On a longer term basis, Democrats really abandoned their fears... Rather oddly, all of the political cohorts saw longer-term inflation expectations lower BUT overall inflation expectations rose on the month?
Source: Bloomberg
If Democrats are right, shit's about to get real...
Source: Bloomberg
The always unbiased UMich commentary makes sure to balance the positives of an admission that tariffs fears tumbled with some subjective view of the economy (as sentiment improved)
“Although consumers’ worries about tariffs appear to be gradually receding, they remain guarded about the overall strength of business conditions and labor markets,’’ Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a statement.
The Michigan survey showed consumer views on the labor market remain soft, with nearly two-thirds expecting unemployment to rise in the year ahead. Concerns about joblessness have been worse among higher-educated and higher-income Americans than for other consumers.
UMich also makes a point of noting that more than 90% of interviews for this release were collected prior to the capture of Maduro in Venezuela.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 10:17 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:05:00 +0000 Happening Today: Trump Meeting With US Oil Execs From Exxon, Shell, Others, To Discuss Venezuela
Happening Today: Trump Meeting With US Oil Execs From Exxon, Shell, Others, To Discuss Venezuela
President Trump is convening top oil executives at the White House on Friday as part of a push to steer
Read more.....
Happening Today: Trump Meeting With US Oil Execs From Exxon, Shell, Others, To Discuss Venezuela
President Trump is convening top oil executives at the White House on Friday as part of a push to steer U.S. companies toward investing in Venezuela’s struggling oil industry, CBS reported today .
Leaders from Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Continental, Halliburton, HKN, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Trafigura, Vitol Americas, Repsol, Eni, Aspect Holdings, Tallgrass, Raisa Energy and Hilcorp are expected to attend, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Wright has already held separate talks with several executives earlier in the week.
According to the White House, the discussions will center on “investment opportunities that will restore Venezuelan oil infrastructure.”
Trump has argued that Venezuela’s vast oil reserves could help revive its economy while also benefiting U.S. consumers and energy companies. In a recent interview, he said he wants companies to commit at least $100 billion to “rebuild the whole oil infrastructure” in the country.
The administration has tightened pressure on Venezuela through a new oil “quarantine,” including the seizure of another tanker Friday, the fifth such action in recent weeks. Rubio said the strategy gives the U.S. “tremendous leverage” and that Washington plans to sell up to 50 million barrels of sanctioned crude on the open market, with the proceeds under U.S. control.
Chevron remains the only major U.S. oil producer still operating in Venezuela after the industry was nationalized under Hugo Chávez, and it is unclear how quickly other firms would move in. Analysts caution that high costs, political uncertainty and Venezuela’s history of asset seizures could slow new investment. Venezuelan crude is also heavy and more difficult to refine, though some Gulf Coast refineries are equipped to handle it.
Recall, we wrote Energy Sec. Chris Wright will be in Miami for the Goldman Sachs Energy, Clean Tech & Utilities Conference, a major industry gathering that will bring together executives from Chevron, ConocoPhillips and other producers. Chevron remains the only global oil supermajor maintaining operations inside Venezuela.
Bloomberg writes that despite Venezuela holding the world’s largest proven crude reserves, experts estimate restoring its oil system would require approximately $10 billion in investment every year for the next decade.
Industry participants say interest in the country is real, but the recent removal of President Nicolás Maduro alone is not enough to unlock capital. Companies want clarity on whether a durable government will emerge, whether contracts and the rule of law will be respected, and whether US political support for their presence in Venezuela will extend beyond Trump’s term in office.
Earlier this week we wrote that President Donald Trump said the US may subsidize American oil companies to help rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector, arguing the plan would strengthen Venezuela’s recovery and protect US economic interests after the removal of Nicolás Maduro.
In an interview with NBC News on Monday, Trump said US firms could have expanded operations in the country “up and running” in less than 18 months — a timeline that sharply conflicts with expert estimates that reconstruction could take a decade and cost more than $100 billion.
“I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” Trump said. “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 10:05 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:00:19 +0000 US Adds Only 50K Jobs In December, Missing Estimates, But Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.4%
US Adds Only 50K Jobs In December, Missing Estimates, But Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.4%
Ahead of today's jobs report, expectations were that the NFP number would show another rebound from the terrible Sept/Oct prints, but remain m
Read more.....
US Adds Only 50K Jobs In December, Missing Estimates, But Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.4%
Ahead of today's jobs report, expectations were that the NFP number would show another rebound from the terrible Sept/Oct prints, but remain muted (or else spark fears about reheating and an end to the Fed's easing cycle). Well, that's precisely what we got moments ago when the BLS reported that in December the US gained 50K jobs, a modest miss to estimates of 50K, but smack in the middle of JPM's sweet spot range of 35K-75K (as previewed earlier ) which would be best for the market.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for October was revised down by 68,000, from -105,000 to -173,000, and the change for November was revised down by 8,000, from +64,000 to +56,000. With these revisions, employment in October and November combined is 76,000 lower than previously reported. Notably, as shown in the chart below, the initial NFP print has now been revised lower in every single month of 2025.
While there was NFP print was on the weak side, there was a modest improvement in the unemployment rate, which dipped from a downward revised 4.5% (was 4.6% originally) to 4.4%, which still is the highest since 2021, save for Nov 2025. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men was 3.9%, adult women 3.9%, teenagers 15.7%, Whites 3.8%, Blacks 7.5%, Asians 3.6%, and Hispanics 4.9%.
Labor force participation dipped fractionally from 62.5% to 62.4%, in line with estimates. The employment-population ratio, at 59.7%, was also unchanged in December. These measures have shown little change over the year.
While jobs came on the cool side, hourly earnings came slightly hot: rising 0.3% MoM, up from 0.2% in November (and in line with estimates), this translates to a 3.8% increase YoY, up from 3.6% and above the 3.6% expected.
Some more details from the report:
The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks edged down to 2.3 million in December. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little over the month at 1.9 million but is up by 397,000 over the year. The long-term unemployed accounted for 26.0 percent of all unemployed people in December.
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 5.3 million, changed little in December but is up by 980,000 over the year. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.
The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job was little changed at 6.2 million in December but is up by 684,000 over the year. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached to the labor force changed little at 1.8 million in December. These individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, decreased by 183,000 in December to 461,000.
Taking a closer look at the Establishment survey, we find that employment continued to trend up in food services and drinking places, health care, and social assistance. Retail trade lost jobs. Payroll employment rose by 584,000 in 2025 (an average monthly gain of 49,000), less than the increase of 2.0 million in 2024 (an average monthly gain of 168,000). Here is the breakdown:
Employment in food services and drinking places continued to trend up in December (+27,000). Food services and drinking places added an average of 12,000 jobs per month in 2025, similar to the average increase of 11,000 jobs per month in 2024.Health care employment continued its upward trend in December (+21,000), with a gain of 16,000 jobs in hospitals. Health care employment rose by an average of 34,000 per month in 2025, less than the average monthly gain of 56,000 in 2024.In December, employment in social assistance continued to trend up (+17,000), mostly in individual and family services (+13,000). Retail trade lost 25,000 jobs in December. Over the month, employment declined in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers (-19,000) and in food and beverage retailers (-9,000). Electronics and appliance retailers added 5,000 jobs. Retail trade employment showed little net change in both 2024 and 2025. Federal government employment was little changed in December (+2,000). Since reaching a peak in January, federal government employment is down by 277,000, or 9.2 percent. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.) Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and other services.
And the visual breakdown:
Elsewhere, there were some notable improvements in other qualitative metrics we track, including the full/part-time breakdown, where last month's ugly push to Part-Time jobs was almost entirely reversed as full-time jobs rose 890K to 135.215MM, offset by a 740K plunge in part-time jobs -740K to 28.712MM...
... while the number of multiple jobholders slumped by 444K - the second biggest drop since Covid - to 8.848MM.
And one red flag: the number of native-born workers dropped by 656K to 132.6 million, while foreign-born workers rose by 310K to 32.426 million, a modest reversal of the trends observed in 2025.
Commenting on the data, TradeStation's head of market strategy, David Russell said that "the labor market has reached an equilibrium after a year of policy shocks. There are no red flags compelling the Fed to cut now. Inflation is a bigger factor on rates than employment, which focuses attention on next week’s CPI. Investors may see less impact from macro-level data in the next few months and more impact from company-level events like earnings ."
Overall, this was a goldilocks report: neither too hot (with NFP missing) nor too cold (as unemp rate dropped), which leaves the Fed on autopilot and likely to cut at least 2 more times this year, absent any major changes.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 10:00 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:55:00 +0000 Supreme Court Skips Tariff Ruling
Supreme Court Skips Tariff Ruling
Supreme Court Skips Tariff Ruling
Update (1004ET): not rule on tariffs Monday, instead issuing a ruling on Bowe vs. United States
And so, we wait. Wednesday is scheduled for the next round of opinions.
* * *
The US Supreme Court may rule today on the legality of President Trump's sweeping global tariffs, marking a major test of presidential powers. Specifically, the Court is considering whether Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) - which constitute about half of the tariffs we've seen under Trump.
As we noted yesterday , the court never says in advance which decisions are ready for release, only that rulings in argued cases are possible when the justices take the bench at 10:00 a.m. Washington time. That said, a tariff decision is a possibility given the court’s expedited handling of the case so far.
Trump invoked IEEPA to impose his 'reciprocal' tariffs on nearly every foreign trade partner to address what he called a national emergency over US trade deficits. He invoked it again to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico over fentanyl trafficking into the United States.
During arguments on Nov. 5, the court seemed skeptical over Trump's authority to use IEEPA , leading most observers observers, including betting markets, to conclude a high probability they're struck down at least in part. The Trump administration is appealing lower court rulings that he overstepped his authority, while Trump himself said a Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs would be a "terrible blow" to the United States.
That said, even if that happens, the Trump administration has several other legal avenues they can pursue. As Deutsche Bank notes;
For instance, the sectoral tariffs (e.g. on steel and aluminum) aren’t covered by the court ruling, whilst another option would be to use Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act , which permits temporary 15% tariffs for 150 days.
And Goldman:
This won’t be the end of tariffs… the administration will almost certainly roll out alternative legal frameworks. Net result is probably slightly fewer tariffs, materially more trade uncertainty, and some incremental deficit concerns. Net-net, that’s mildly supportive for equities and mildly negative for bonds… but largely priced for both.
The cases under consideration by the Supremes were brought by businesses affected by the tariffs and 12 mostly blue US states.
The opinions will be available here .
Customs Gets Ready In anticipation of a ruling against the tariffs, US Customs has set a new deadline for US importers to file for electronic refunds: February 6th.
The agency also published details of a new process on Jan. 2, which was established as part of a March 24 Trump executive order on modernizing government payments and phasing out physical checks, CNBC
The new digital Customs system is called ACE (Automated Commercial Environment), a secure electronic portal allowing businesses to file import/export data, manage trade information, and comply with regulations. ACE will manage the ACH refunds.
Prior to this, importers had to manually set up an account in the ACH network with Customs to pay duties or receive funds by email. Once that email was received by Customs, someone in the agency had to enter the data and then confirm the account had been set up, according to Lori Mullins, director of operations at Rogers & Brown Custom Brokers.
The Court is also considering cases involving the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and a Colorado law banning psychotherapists from conducting "conversion therapy" to try and un-gay a child.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 09:55 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:30:00 +0000 "World's Criminals On Notice": Trump's Gunboat Diplomacy Seizes Another Tanker In Caribbean
"World's Criminals On Notice": Trump's Gunboat Diplomacy Seizes Another Tanker In Caribbean
Update (0930ET):
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that U.S. Coast Guard forces "executed a boardin
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"World's Criminals On Notice": Trump's Gunboat Diplomacy Seizes Another Tanker In Caribbean
Update (0930ET):
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that U.S. Coast Guard forces "executed a boarding and seizure" of the motor tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea.
Noem said Olina was part of a vast network of so-called "ghost fleet" tankers suspected of carrying embargoed oil. She stated that the ship had departed Venezuela and was attempting to evade U.S. forces.
She added that the operation was conducted in close coordination with the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the Department of Justice.
"The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality. The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity, including narco-terrorism," Noem said.
U.S. forces, under President Trump's Western Hemisphere reposturing and gunboat diplomacy against Venezuela, have now seized five tankers. We expect these seizures to increase as efforts to dismantle this tanker network expand.
Trump has requested a 50% increase in the U.S. military budget to $1.5 trillion by 2027, suggesting that pushing China and Russia out of the Western Hemisphere and asserting control in what is called 'Donroe Doctrine' will come at high cost.
* * *
The foreign policy move to dismantle the so-called "dark fleet" of crude oil tankers moving Venezuela's oil around the world, through President Trump's gunboat diplomacy to secure the Western Hemisphere, was once again on full display on Friday morning.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Coast Guard forces boarded a fifth oil tanker, Olina, as part of a widening blockade targeting sanctioned dark-fleet vessels.
Olina, previously sanctioned for transporting Russian oil, was last tracked near Venezuela.
The seizure of Olina is likely to further ignite tensions between Washington and Moscow, days after the US seized Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic. Russia previously told the US not to seize Bella 1, which was shadowed by Russian Navy assets.
Latest from the Western Hemisphere:
The Trump administration is using these seizures to dismantle Venezuela's dark fleet of about 1,000 tankers that evade sanctions - a network that carries about 70% of the country's oil exports, much of which ends up in Asia.
Marco Rubio said earlier this week that the blockade provides maximum leverage over Caracas, while also warning Russia, China, and Iran against backing Venezuela. This gunboat diplomacy is supported by the U.S. Navy, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, and backed by Justice Department resources, signaling that more tanker seizures are just ahead.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 09:30 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:26:46 +0000 Meta Signs Massive Nuclear Energy Deal
Meta Signs Massive Nuclear Energy Deal
Meta Signs Massive Nuclear Energy Deal
Meta revealed this morning a slew of new agreements
The initial plan is to offtake over 2000 MW of power from nuclear power plants owned by Vistra energy in Ohio, assist with fast tracking two reactors from TerraPower, and send a pre-payment to Oklo for securing nuclear fuel and advancing the first stage of a project in Ohio.
Shares of VST and OKLO spiked about 10% and 20%, respectively, in the premarket.
As we’ve noted repeatedly a roadmap for upwards of 6.6 GW of power
Instead, Meta will thankfully be using this new power for a higher calling: ensuring you get just the right ads on your Instagram feed coupled with more AI slop videos. Why pay for rent when you can have targeted advertising, sending you power bills sharply higher
Impressively claiming that multiple gigawatts of nuclear energy isn’t enough, the 20-year power purchase agreement with Vistra will be used to finance over 400 MW of power up rates at existing nuclear plants in Ohio in Pennsylvania.
While keeping to the nuclear theme but executing a heavy shift from time-tested light water reactors to comparatively untested liquid sodium reactors, Meta has also signed deals for additional expansion plans with Oklo and TerraPower after the initial phase described above.
Bill Gates' TerraPower will provide up to six additional reactor plants, which hold power peeking abilities of about 500 MW each, for Meta’s data centers. Oklo will also commence the development of their newly announced nuclear energy campus in Ohio with a goal of 1200 MW of sodium cooled reactor power production.
There seems to be an interesting split in the preference of technology between hyperscalers and the US government. The Department of Energy recently dumped $400 million each for light water reactor developers GE Vernova and Holtec for their 300 MW designs, while hyperscalers seem to be preferring light water only when they are already built and operating. Outside of the existing plants, the tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Meta have signed major agreements with the more novel plant designers with reactors in the liquid sodium and molten salt categories.
Even taking in account the billions of dollars invested in advanced nuclear, only half the headaches are addressed by conquering the engineering headaches of designing and constructing these novel plants. Consistent operations with high uptime could take years to master, as evidenced by how many decades it took the large light water reactor fleet to reach their golden 90%+capacity factor.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 09:26 Close Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:15:00 +0000 Ukraine Hit With Oreshnik Hypersonic As Retaliation For Attempted 'Terror Attack' On Putin Residence
Ukraine Hit With Oreshnik Hypersonic As Retaliation For Attempted 'Terror Attack' On Putin Residence
Russia launched another massive overnight strike on Ukraine using its hypersonic Oreshnik missile as part of a large-scale assault
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Ukraine Hit With Oreshnik Hypersonic As Retaliation For Attempted 'Terror Attack' On Putin Residence
Russia launched another massive overnight strike on Ukraine using its hypersonic Oreshnik missile as part of a large-scale assault said to be retaliation for the alleged Ukrainian attempt to drone strike Putin's residence last month.
Kiev was hit hard in the fresh missile and drone attack which set apartment buildings on fire and killed at least four people. Importantly, Ukrainian officials said a ballistic missile traveling at hypersonic speed hit an "infrastructure facility " near the far western city of Lviv.
via AFP Russia's Defense Ministry followed by confirming that it sent an Oreshnik hypersonic missile at "strategic targets" overnight, and specifically described that it was retaliation for the December drone strike on one of the residences of President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has rejected that it targeted the residence, and President Trump recently flipped his initial position that it happened. The White House now says it has more intelligence information, and Trump has expressed that while drones were in the area that night, Putin's residence was not directly targeted.
Former career State Dept official highlights the timing of the rare hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine, linking it with the latest Russian 'dark fleet' tanker seizure in the Atlantic:
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the ballistic missile traveled at roughly 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) per hour and was observed shortly before midnight (local).
The last well-publicized use of an Oreshnik missile with a conventional warhead by Russia had reportedly hit the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro in late 2024. Its use has marked a significant milestone in the war.
This new, rare hypersonic attack on Lviv - a city not very often targeted - also seems aimed at the West and NATO . The Kremlin is warning that it will not tolerate any 'peace plan' which features Western boots on the ground in Ukraine to 'monitor' a future ceasefire.
Any such deployment would be "considered legitimate military targets" - according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who also charged that Zelensky's American and European are forming an "axis of war."
Drones were observed flying low over Kiev for much of the night, terrifying residents...
Ukrainian Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the damage in Kiev the result of a "massive enemy missile attack." According to the statement carried in Russian media :
The overnight bombardment was carried out in response to an attempted “terrorist attack by the Kiev regime” on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Novgorod Region, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Further the Russian Defense Ministry said "The objectives of the strike have been achieved," adding that "None of the terrorist actions by the criminal Ukrainian regime will go unanswered." This puts peace on a far back seat, despite the latest Paris summit of European and world leaders.
Tyler Durden Fri, 01/09/2026 - 09:15 Close
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