Live Updates: Trump Leans on Kushner for Diplomacy Amid Rising Tensions with Venezuela
As the holiday season descends on the nation’s capital, the second Trump administration is showing no signs of slowing down. This Sunday, the political landscape is dominated by a major shift in Middle Eastern and Eastern European diplomacy, a high-stakes naval blockade in the Caribbean, and a deepening rift between the White House and the tech sector.
The Return of the ‘Shadow Secretary’
In a move that has caught many seasoned diplomats off guard, President Trump has reportedly brought his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, back into the inner circle of foreign policy. While Kushner holds no formal government title in this second term, he has been spotted in high-level meetings alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Sources suggest that Kushner is being utilized as a “closer” for complex negotiations involving the Abraham Accords and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Most recently, Kushner was part of a delegation that met with Russian officials in Germany, a move that critics say bypasses traditional State Department channels but supporters argue is necessary for “unconventional peace.”
Brinkmanship in the Caribbean
Tensions have reached a boiling point off the coast of South America. President Trump’s recently announced “Total Blockade” of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has led to a direct confrontation with the Maduro regime.
- Naval Intercepts: U.S. forces intercepted a second merchant vessel, the Centuries, east of Barbados this weekend.
- The Russian Warning: The Kremlin has weighed in, with Vladimir Putin warning the U.S. that a naval blockade is a “stone’s throw away” from kinetic warfare.
The administration maintains that the blockade is a necessary tool to choke off the funding of “dictatorial regimes,” though the move has sent ripples of anxiety through global energy markets.
Tech Giants Sound the Alarm on Visa Crackdown
Inside the Silicon Valley bubble, the mood is one of extreme caution. Both Apple and Google issued internal memos this morning warning employees on H-1B visas to avoid all international travel.
The warning follows a new Department of Homeland Security policy requiring a five-year social media screening for all visa renewals. “The risk of being stranded abroad is currently too high,” one memo reportedly stated. This, combined with a new $100,000 fee for H-1B applications, marks the most significant friction between the White House and Big Tech since the administration took office in January.
The Epstein File Fallout
Back in D.C., the Department of Justice is facing a bipartisan firestorm over the release of the so-called “Epstein Files.” While the President signed the Transparency Act just 30 days ago, the documents released this weekend were heavily redacted.
Representative Thomas Massie and others have slammed the DOJ, claiming the redactions violate the spirit of the law. The release did include a previously seen photograph of Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell, which has reignited social media debates even as the White House dismisses the photos as “old news from a different era.”
Domestic Retaliation?
In Colorado, the dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) continues to draw fury from local leaders. Critics, including Senator Michael Bennet, allege that the closure is a direct act of “political revenge” against Governor Jared Polis. The administration’s budget director, Russell Vought, defended the move, labeling the facility a hub of “climate alarmism.”
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