Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will not manage Venezuela’s daily affairs following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, but will keep enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” to curb drug trafficking and reform Venezuela’s oil industry. Maduro and his wife have been indicted in New York on federal charges accusing them of narco-terrorism conspiracy. (Story URL)
President Trump said the U.S. needs Greenland “for defense,” according to an interview published Sunday by The Atlantic. Trump has discussed annexing the island since before returning to office, despite opposition from Denmark and Greenland. At a Saturday news conference, Trump called Greenland “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships” and said, “We need it absolutely.” (Story URL)
Protests across Iran have continued for nearly a week, sparking violent clashes with security forces and drawing a warning from former President Trump, who said on Truth Social that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the U.S. would “come to their rescue,” though he gave no details. Iranian officials blamed the U.S. and Israel for fueling the demonstrations. (Story URL)
British and French aircraft carried out a joint airstrike Saturday night on an underground ISIS weapons site in Syria. The Royal Air Force used Typhoon jets and a Voyager tanker alongside French planes to hit a mountain facility north of Palmyra. The British Ministry of Defense said the mission aimed to stop ISIS from rebuilding in the region. (Story URL)
The CDC reports flu activity continues to climb across the U.S. So far this season, influenza has caused 3,100 deaths, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 7.5 million cases. Eight pediatric deaths have been confirmed, including five during the week ending December 20. The CDC says flu activity was high or very high in 32 states that week, nearly double the previous week. (Story URL)
