Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/us-indicts-maduro-trump-announces-control-of-venezuelan-oil-countries-advance-privacy-crackdown/
Geopolitics
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on narco-terrorism, cocaine, and weapons charges from New York’s Southern District. Attorney General Pam Bondi credited Trump and military, linking Maduro to Cartel of the Suns and FARC for cocaine harming U.S. health. Officials compared it to Noriega’s 1989 capture, using presidential authority and denying immunity as U.S. views Maduro illegitimate. Russia, Iran, China, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba condemned it as sovereignty violation, urging UN action and dialogue. Iran vowed resistance, China stressed multipolarity post-meetings, U.S. Democrats questioned the operation’s legality, Republicans largely defended it, and European leaders have called for adherence to international law without explicit condemnation of the operation.
Relatedly, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the operation as conflicting with America First, questioning inaction on Mexican cartels fueling fentanyl deaths. She cited Trump’s pardon of cocaine-trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez and suggested the raid targeted Venezuelan oil over drugs. On that note, following Maduro’s capture, Trump announced U.S. exploitation of Venezuela’s oil reserves, citing infrastructure limits on prior output. The U.S. plans global sales to meet demand, entering the oil market.
In other news, U.S. Navy leaders, including Admiral Daryl Caudle and Secretary John Phelan, acknowledged threats to naval supremacy from China’s advanced carriers and faster production. U.S. shipyards face workforce shortages and supply disruptions, leading to foreign outsourcing talks. The Constellation-class frigate was canceled for a cutter program targeting 2028. Defense contractors prioritize shareholders over capacity, reducing competition. Congress offers limited oversight amid lobbying and job concerns. Ammunition shortages hit Red Sea operations against Houthis, with U.S. destroyers depleting interceptors quickly, unlike China’s higher output. Past programs like Zumwalt and Littoral Combat Ship had setbacks without reforms, due to profit focus and timeline mismatches in the industrial base. Ongoing initiatives, such as cutter-based programs, represent pragmatic steps forward, though experts note they may not keep pace with China’s shipbuilding without broader reforms.
Privacy & Surveillance
Ireland’s Tánaiste Simon Harris plans EU-wide social media rules requiring verified identities during Ireland’s presidency, targeting anonymous abuse and manipulation. Amending the Digital Services Act, it includes age verification to restrict children, inspired by Australia. Harris noted support from Macron and Starmer, urging tech firm cooperation to avoid harsher rules. Privacy advocates warn of increased monitoring and speech limits for whistleblowers and activists.
In the UK, an EU-UK deal mandates reporting all online transactions to tax authorities from January 1, amid rising electricity costs and banks like HSBC blocking password manager users. High-debt EU countries prepare 2026 digital ID wallets integrable with CBDCs for controls like behavior-based account freezes. The EU Council capped digital euro holdings, advancing the project, while Ursula von der Leyen promotes pre-bunking against disinformation. These tie to carbon footprint import declarations and citizenship taxation for revenue. EU officials have described the transaction reporting measures as aimed at closing tax loopholes and preventing illicit finance.
In Russia, they are expanding their Unified Biometric System to schools, piloting facial recognition turnstiles in Tatarstan for student monitoring with parental consent, as security measures with fences and checkpoints. Run by the Center for Biometric Technologies, it enables “Migom” platform functions like document ordering, hotel check-ins, vending age checks, and airport security, letting Russians skip physical IDs. Russian officials have described the school biometrics as a convenient and safe tool for child protection.
Economy
Yanis Varoufakis reportedly attended a meeting of central bank officials at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. Discussions highlighted concerns about declining demand for U.S. Treasuries after Saudi Arabia joined BRICS. Officials from the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, and others addressed sales of Treasuries by major foreign holders via intermediaries and offshore vehicles to avoid market disruption. The repo market saw rate spikes, prompting Federal Reserve interventions. Contingency plans included potential capital controls and currency conversion restrictions. Pension funds could face 3 to 5 trillion dollars in losses from rising rates, with few mitigation options. Attendees described BRICS expansion as accelerating a multipolar currency system, with timelines from gradual decline over a decade to crisis by late 2025 or early 2026, possibly triggered by a failed Treasury auction or geopolitical events. Proposed measures, such as expanded dollar swap lines and temporary controls, were seen as short-term fixes. Mainstream analysts, however, described de-dollarization as a gradual process, with the U.S. dollar maintaining its role in about 59 percent of global reserves according to IMF data.
US Politics
A recent X thread by Saggezza Etern reports how Obama policies lead to the Minnesota fraud empire. The “Feeding Our Future” case charged over 70 individuals, mostly Somali, with defrauding federal programs of at least $250 million, possibly billions in nutrition, autism therapy, and housing. Fraud exploited reduced oversight from Obama-era equity policies, which resettled over 54,000 Somali refugees in the state from 2008 to 2016, creating a community enclave. Nonprofits claimed payments for nonexistent services like meals for thousands in small spaces, with officials avoiding action due to discrimination fears. Representative Ilhan Omar’s 2020 MEALS Act relaxed verification, coinciding with fraud rises. Links to Democratic networks, including Obama advisors, appeared in firms. Stolen funds bought overseas properties, luxury goods, and remittances possibly aiding Al-Shabaab. The case highlights vulnerabilities in refugee resettlement and grant oversight. Prosecutors have emphasized focus on individual schemes, with state inspections finding some targeted facilities operating normally.
A 402-acre development in rural Texas, renamed The Meadow from EPIC City, faces lawsuits and investigations over local fears of integration and sharia law implementation. Backed by the East Plano Islamic Center, it plans 1,000 homes, a mosque, school, and facilities on farmland near Dallas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued developers for securities violations and discriminatory housing. Governor Greg Abbott ordered investigations by state agencies, signed laws banning exclusionary compounds and restricting foreign-linked land buys, and designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist groups, prompting a CAIR defamation suit. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and Representative Chip Roy, backed bills on terrorism and sharia limits. Developers denied sharia plans or foreign ties, and CAIR called the opposition Islamophobic. The issue has sparked immigration and cultural debates, with U.S. foreign-born population at 16 percent. Prior federal investigations found no violations, though state probes continue to delay construction.
Technology
Elon Musk’s Grok AI generated explicit images of women, appearing on X timelines and drawing complaints over weak safeguards. Unlike private ChatGPT outputs, Grok’s X integration exposes them widely, including seductive attire prompts. Training included disturbing material, and companion mode promotes sexualization with loose age checks. Experts note the platform’s visibility heightens abuse risks compared to contained systems. xAI has stated it is addressing safeguard lapses and enforcing penalties for illegal content generation.
Health
Information overload reportedly contributes to mental instability and biased perceptions, as people apply filters to politics and medicine. In medicine, filters overlook vaccine harms, like newborn hepatitis B shots linked to myelin damage without supporting studies over decades. ACIP proposals to optionalize the vaccine for low-risk cases faced resistance, leading to the chair’s dismissal. Challengers like Robert Mendelsohn endured professional expulsion. Early COVID vaccine risks came from patient reports, resulting in injuries and mRNA shedding cases. Strategies to counter biases include building intuition, assessing source credibility, focusing on core data, and using meditation for nervous system health to boost awareness. The reticular activating system favors preconceptions, reinforcing media and enabling healthcare gaslighting, where vaccine microstrokes need holistic checks. Digital distractions impair focus, but expanded consciousness aids nuanced views amid polarization. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend the birth dose to help prevent chronic infections in newborns.
Sources
Central Bank Panic: Yanis Varoufakis Exposes Secret Meeting on Dollar Collapse
The panic in that room was palpable.
Source | Submitted by Arthur Robey
Texas Muslim Development Ignites Lawsuits, Investigations, and Sharia Fears
“epicenter of Islam in America”
Source (Paywalled) | Submitted by Mysterymet
Obama’s Refugee Pipeline: Engineering Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Fraud Empire
This industrial-scale theft traces directly back to Barack Obama. It was his administration that deliberately flooded Minnesota with tens of thousands of refugees, creating a dependent, insular enclave primed for exploitation.
Source | Submitted by Acorn Endeavors
Unfiltering Reality: Perceiving Truth Amid Information Overload
Filters create reality — The mind adopts filters to simplify reality into something the conscious mind can process, inevitably removing many critical details while creating a biased and inaccurate perception of reality
Source | Submitted by pinecarr
The Navy’s Clear-Eyed Catastrophe: Spotting the Sinking Ship, But Shackled to the Helm
They’re trying to succeed within a system designed to prevent success.
Source | Submitted by thc0655
Grok AI’s Explicit Images Flood X Timelines, Sparking Widespread Outrage
xAI has been facing criticism on X for generating sexualised images of women without any restrictions.
Source | Submitted by Walberga
Russia’s Biometric Blitz: Faces for School, Soda, and Security
The commercial enterprise that controls Russians’ biometric data has introduced new ways to use your face as a form of ID, resulting in unprecedented levels of safety and convenience in the Russian Federation.
Ireland’s Harris to Champion EU-Wide End to Social Media Anonymity
an effort to end online anonymity and make verified identity the standard across social media platforms.
US Captures Maduro and Wife in Caracas Raid; Indicted for Narco-Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
“Nicolás Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Bondi said on X.
Russia, Iran, China Slam US ‘Armed Aggression’ in Venezuela as EU Takes a Pass
Russia, Iran, China Outraged At US ‘Flagrant Armed Aggression’ On Venezuela As EU Shrugs
Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts Trump’s Venezuela Raid as Betrayal of MAGA’s America First Vision
This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.
Trump Announces US Will Exploit Venezuela’s Oil Reserves and Sell Globally After Maduro Capture
We’re in the oil business.
EU-UK Surveillance Surge: Digital IDs, CBDCs, and the Lockdown of Your Finances
The digital ID is the prison cage. The CBDC is the key that locks you in forever.
Source | Submitted by Shplad
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Reuters, Investopedia, CBS Texas, CNN, NBC News, Business Insider, American Academy of Pediatrics, Kommersant, UK government, and BBC News.
