| 'A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE': Accusing what he called "the illegitimate Maduro Regime" of having stolen "oil, land, and other assets," from the United States and using the ill-gotten gains to finance "drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping," President Donald Trump effectively declared all-out economic war on President Nicolas Maduro, declaring his government "a foreign terrorist organization." "For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons," Trump posted on Truth Social, "I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela." The threat against what is Venezuela's primary source of revenue — oil sales, often on sanctioned vessels — comes after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela's coast last week. In his special media post, Trump threatened to escalate the campaign to cripple the country's economy. "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before," Trump said, again referring to "Oil, land, or any other assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY." In a statement, Venezuela's government said it rejected Trump's "grotesque threat." TRUMP DESIGNATES VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, ORDERS BLOCKADE ON OIL TANKERS 'A DEEPLY UNSATISFYING BRIEFING': The ratcheting up of pressure on Maduro followed an appearance on Capitol Hill, in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed senators and House members separately on the goals and progress of the attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The latest strike on Monday killed eight people, bringing the number of strikes to 25 and the death toll to 95. "This has been a highly successful mission that's ongoing," Rubio told reporters between the two briefings. Hegseth defended his decision not to make the controversial video showing the deaths of two survivors of the first strike on Sept. 2 available to the public, but said members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee would be able to review the full, unedited video. "We're also going to tomorrow allow the HASC and SASC to see the unedited video of the September 2nd alongside with Adm. Bradley, who has done a fantastic job, has made all the right calls," Hegseth said. "But in keeping with longstanding Department of War, the Department of Defense policy, of course we're not going to release the top secret, full unedited video of that to the general public." "We had a deeply unsatisfying briefing," Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said afterward. "It asked more questions than it answered." "Look, there is almost no transparency in this administration," Schumer said, noting that Hegseth refused his direct request that all senators have a chance to see the Sept. 2 video. "What the hell is Hegseth hiding? His excuse about classification, it's false." "I've seen it. It turns your stomach. It is awful, and people should see it," Schumer said. "I believe with the proper safeguards, all of the American people should see it.' HEGSETH AND GOP CLASH OVER REFUSAL TO RELEASE VENEZUELAN BOAT STRIKES VIDEO A WALK ON THE 'WILE' SIDE: Both Rubio and Hegseth told Congress that the boat strikes conducted under "Operation Southern Spear" are purely a counter-terrorism mission aimed at drug cartels, which are "designated terrorist organizations" and who are bringing weapons in the form of drugs to the U.S. "to poison the American people." But in a viral Vanity Fair article that was the talk of Washington on Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was quoted as suggesting Trump's ultimate goal is to force Maduro from power. The comment came in a meeting last month between Wiles and Vanity Fair's Chris Whipple at the White House. "Over lunch, Wiles told me about Trump's Venezuela strategy," Whipple reported. "'He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle. And people way smarter than me on that say that he will.'" "Therein lies a major problem," said Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), one of many Democrats who seized on the comments to accuse the Trump administration of concealing its true motives. In a post on X, Wiles called the Vanity Fair article a "disingenuously framed hit piece," and said, "Significant context was disregarded.' "We just had the secretary of state, secretary of defense come before all of the United States House of Representatives and say, this is about stopping the scourge of drug trafficking," Smith said on CNN. "They didn't say anything about Venezuela, anything about their intent there." "Now, we have the chief of staff at the White House, basically, putting the lie to all of that and saying, no, this is about putting pressure on Maduro to affect regime change in Venezuela, again, without any congressional authority," Smith said. "So, I mean, if they can't even be honest about why it is that they're blowing these boats up, as dramatic an action as that is, as I've said, major expansion of presidential power to kill people without congressional authorization in this way, they ought to at least be clear on why it is that they're doing it and what it is that they're hoping to accomplish in the action." "Absolutely damning that the White House chief of staff admits that the Caribbean bombings aren't about drugs or keeping Americans safe," Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) posted on X. "They're about sleepwalking us into war for regime change in Venezuela." WILES SAYS VENEZUELA STRIKES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MADURO 'CRIES UNCLE' Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be on holiday break beginning the week of Monday, Dec. 22, and continuing through Jan. 1, 2026. We'll be back in the new year. HAPPENING TODAY: President Trump is promising an uplifting television speech tonight, posting on his Truth Social network, "My Fellow Americans: I will be giving an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST." "Americans across the country will tune in to hear from their president as well about the historic accomplishments that he has garnered for our country over the past year," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an appearance on Fox News. "President Trump will be talking about what's to come …. And so he will be addressing the country about all of his historic accomplishments over the past year and maybe teasing some policy that will be coming in the new year as well, as we head into this Christmas season." "It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!" Trump said in his post. I look forward to 'seeing' you then." WILES: "THE PRESIDENT BELIEVES IN HARSH PENALTIES FOR DRUG DEALERS': In the Vanity Fair profile of the Trump Cabinet, which primarily focused on Trump's trusted chief of staff, Susie Wiles defended the lethal strikes on suspected drug boats, even as she conceded that smuggling is not generally a death penalty offense. "No, it's not. I'm not saying that it is," she told author Chris Whipple. "I'm saying that this is a war on drugs. [It's] unlike another one that we've seen. But that's what this is." "The president believes in harsh penalties for drug dealers, as he's said many, many times," Wiles said. "These are not fishing boats, as some would like to allege." Trump views the targeted kills as "lives saved, not people killed," she said. "The president says 25,000. I don't know what the number is." VANCE LEADS DEFENSE OF SUSIE WILES IN WAKE OF VANITY FAIR COMMENTS: 'SOMETIMES I AM A CONSPIRACY THEORIST' WILES: HEGSETH PART OF 'A WORLD-CLASS CABINET': While Wiles had mild criticism of some Cabinet members — Attorney General Pam Bondi "completely whiffed" in her handling of the Epstein files, while Vice President J.D. Vance had "been a conspiracy theorist for a decade" — she had nothing but praise for Pete Hegseth, whom she helped select. "People talk about the deep state being at the State Department," Wiles told Whipple. "It's not. It's the military-industrial complex." "Hegseth, in her view, is just the guy to take on the powers that be," Whipple wrote, who is a key member of what she called "a world-class Cabinet, better than anything I could have conceived of." VANCE LEADS DEFENSE OF SUSIE WILES IN WAKE OF VANITY FAIR COMMENTS: 'SOMETIMES I AM A CONSPIRACY THEORIST' TRUMP SAYS PEACE IS 'CLOSER' IN UKRAINE, BUT THE SIDES ARE FAR APART: When it comes to finding a way to end the war in Ukraine, President Trump is on an emotional roller coaster, the eternal optimist one day, a disappointed pessimist the next. "We had numerous conversations with President Putin of Russia," Trump said Monday. "And I think we're closer now than we have been ever." But the latest analysis by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War contains two key assessments that foreshadow how Trump may be headed for another disappointment. "The Council of the European Union confirmed that European countries and the United States will provide 'robust' security guarantees to Ukraine as part of the peace deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine," read one section. "The Kremlin explicitly rejected U.S. and European offers to provide Ukraine with 'NATO-like' security guarantees as part of a peace deal and continued to signal its unwillingness to compromise on Russia's territorial claims to Ukraine's sovereign territory." There are two seemingly intractable sticking points remaining, Brett McGurk, a former Biden administration diplomat, said on CNN. "It's security guarantees for Ukraine, and it's the line on the map in Eastern Ukraine of where that ceasefire line is going to be drawn." "There's an area in eastern Ukraine, about 25% or so of the territory being fought over. Russia has not been able to take it. Ukraine calls it its 'Fortress Belt.' It's an area that's heavily defended, and Ukraine sees that area — if they give it up, they are prone for a future war, and the Russians can just roll right in," McGurk says. "Every signal from Moscow is that Putin is determined to take this territory — the remaining territory in the Donbas — either by military force or at the negotiating table, and he's not going to stop until he gets that." "I give the administration credit here for keeping this moving, but it comes down to Putin. If Putin is determined to keep this war going regardless of losses he's taken, you're not going to get this deal," he said. In her Vanity Fair interview, Susie Wiles seemed to suggest that in his heart, Trump knows Putin doesn't want peace. "In the walk-up to the August summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump had publicly sought a ceasefire in Ukraine. It seemed he was finally getting tough with Putin. But in fact, Trump gave up on a ceasefire before the Anchorage meeting began," the article reported, noting "Trump's team was divided on whether Putin's goal was anything less than a complete Russian takeover of Ukraine." "'The experts think that if he could get the rest of Donetsk, then he would be happy," Wiles told me in August. But privately, Trump wasn't buying it — he didn't believe Putin wanted peace. "'Donald Trump thinks he wants the whole country,' Wiles told me," wrote Whipple. TRUMP SAYS 'FANTASTIC' WILES WAS RIGHT TO SAY HE HAS 'ALCOHOLIC'S PERSONALITY' THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Trump designates Venezuelan government terrorist organization, orders blockade on oil tankers Washington Examiner: Wiles says Venezuela strikes will continue until Maduro 'cries uncle' Washington Examiner: Trump administration rolls out new designations in effort to curb drug trade Washington Examiner: ISIS ambush spotlights shrinking US military presence in Syria Washington Examiner: New Trump travel ban targets countries in Middle East and Africa Washington Examiner: Hegseth and GOP clash over refusal to release Venezuelan boat strikes video Washington Examiner: Mark Kelly spars with Pete Hegseth in classified briefing Washington Examiner: Trump administration rolls out new designations in effort to curb drug trade Washington Examiner: Wiles panned Bondi's 'binders full of nothingness' during Epstein files stunt Washington Examiner: Trump says 'fantastic' Wiles was right to say he has 'alcoholic's personality' Washington Examiner: Vance leads defense of Susie Wiles in wake of Vanity Fair comments: 'Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist' Washington Examiner: US and UK will need to offer a sweet deal for Jimmy Lai as China stands firm on conviction Washington Examiner: Ex-Marine arrested in connection to left-wing terrorist group plotting attack in New Orleans Washington Examiner: The gas corridor sanctions forgot: Tehran's quiet expansion into Turkey Washington Post: Trump announces 'complete blockade' of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela Wall Street Journal: After a Generation of Peace, Europe Tells Its People to Prepare for War Bloomberg: Trump Weighs Pressuring Defense Firms to Cut Buybacks, Dividends Washington Post: Trump Makes Pick to Lead NSA Spy Agency After Months of Leadership Limbo Reuters: US Air Force to Buy 2 More 747-8s for Presidential Fleet Support Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lamontagne Nominated for Vice Chief, Guardsman for Top JAG, New ANG Director Picked Breaking Defense: Space Force Acquisition Reform: 'Cleanup' Rather Than Remodel Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Wants Lower-Cost, Commercial Capabilities for Silent Barker Replacement Air & Space Forces Magazine: US, France Conduct Joint Space Domain Awareness Operation Defense Scoop: The Army Is Hoping for a Big New Drone by 2028 Stars and Stripes: USS Nimitz Comes Home for the Last Time Task & Purpose: Medical Shaving Waivers Will Be Invalid Under Air Force Grooming Policy Air & Space Forces Magazine: Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | DECEMBER 16 9:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee and Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee joint hearing: "Biden Afghan Parolee Program – A Trojan Horse with Flawed Vetting and Deadly Consequences" http://judiciary.senate.gov 10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee hearing: "Hybrid Warfare in Europe Against U.S. Interests: Moscow and Beijing Playbook," with testimony from: Craig Singleton, China Program senior director and senior fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Christopher Walker, vice president, Center for European Policy Analysis; and Laura Cooper, adjunct assistant professor, Georgetown University http://foreignaffairs.house.gov 1 p.m. Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: beginning at 1 p.m., on "The Great Heist: China Epic Campaign to Steal America Secrets," with author David Shedd, former deputy director and acting director, Defense Intelligence Agency https://www.csis.org/events/chinas-campaign-steal-americas-secrets-talk-david-r-shedd 2 p.m. 2167 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: "Changes in Maritime Technology: Can the Coast Guard Keep Up?" http://transportation.house.gov WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 17 9 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies virtual discussion: "The Future of New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties): Implications for the U.S. and Europe," with Lukasz Kulesa, senior associate at the European Leadership network; Robert Peters, senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation Center for National Security; Nikolai Sokov, senior fellow, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation; and Mallory Stewart, executive vice president, Council on Strategic Risks https://www.iiss.org/events/2025/12/the-future-of-new-start 10:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: "Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base," with Michael Cadenazzi, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy; Jenna Ben-Yehuds, executive vice president, Atlantic Council; and Steven Grundman, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Forward Defense Program https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-pentagons-michael-cadenazzi 10:30 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va.— Satellite Industry Association and U.S. Space Command "Commercial Satcom Workshop," with Rear Adm. Tracy Hines, deputy director of operations (J3), U.S. Space Command RSVP: [email protected] 11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: "Are We Running Out of Missile Defense Interceptors?" with Tom Karako, director, CSIS Missile Defense Project; and Wes Rumbaugh, fellow at the CSIS Missile Defense Project https://www.csis.org/events/are-we-running-out-missile-defense-interceptors 1:30 p.m. — American Security Project virtual discussion: "Defending Against AI-Powered Threats from Cyberspace," with Edward Wittenstein, director, Yale University Schmidt Program on Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies and National Power; Emelia Probasco, senior fellow, Georgetown University Center for Security and Emerging Technology; and Courtney Manning, director, AI Imperative 2030 at the American Security Project https://www.americansecurityproject.org/event/defending-against-ai-powered-threats 2:30 p.m. 1763 N St. NW — Middle East Institute discussion: "U.S.-Saudi Relationship in the Wake of MBS (Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman) Visit," with former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney; Karen Young, MEI senior fellow; F. Gregory Gause III, MEI visiting scholar; and Kenneth Pollack, MEI vice president for policy https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register THURSDAY| DECEMBER 18 9 a.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual discussion: "Europe at War," with Nathalie Tocci, professor, practice at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe and director at Isituto Affari Internazionali https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events 10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW,— Brookings Institution Center on the U.S. and Europe virtual discussion: "Ukraine: Pressure on Zelenskyy and prospects for peace," with Fiona Hill, senior fellow, Brookings Foreign Policy Program and Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; Thomas Wright, senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and Brookings Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Mariana Budjeryn, nonresident senior fellow, Brookings Foreign Policy Program and Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; and Anton Troianovski, global affairs correspondent at the New York Times https://www.brookings.edu/events/ukraine-pressure-on-zelenskyy 10:30 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, Va. — Satellite Industry Association and the U.S. Space Command "Commercial Satcom Workshop," with Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) [email protected] 11 a.m. 222 Russell — Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing: "Bosnia and Herzegovina at a crossroads, focusing on 30 years after Dayton," with former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint Williamson, senior director for international justice, Georgetown University; and Christopher Chivvis, director, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace American Statecraft Program; https://www.youtube.com/live/58JLQOFZOqM FRIDAY | DECEMBER 19 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: "Strategic Perspective on Nuclear Modernization," with Dave Hoagland, acting National Nuclear Security Administration administrator for defense programs https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/strategic-perspective-on-nuclear-modernization | | | | QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Some clinical psychologist that knows one million times more than I do will dispute what I'm going to say. But high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I'm a little bit of an expert in big personalities.'" Wiles said Trump has "an alcoholic's personality." He "operates [with] a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing." | | Except from Vanity Fair's profile: "Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the 'Junkyard Dogs': The White House Chief of Staff On Trump's Second Term." |
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Megyn Kelly -> Pete Hegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation. 🔥 vol. 3, issue 13 | December 6, 2024 Quick Hits All the news you need in...
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