Drug war rationale emerges in tanker seizure; Noem faces calls to resign

The Trump administration says that seized tanker, not just about oil, now they're calling it a direct hit in the drug war

Plus, Kristi Noem in the hot seat, lawmakers seeking answers and some demanding her resignation

And a stunner in Indiana, Republicans buck Trump on redistricting, and now the president's targeting their leader

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli

We begin this morning with new details on that Venezuelan oil tanker seized by the United States this week

and a sharp escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro

The Homeland Security Secretary says the operation was designed to hit Maduro's network where it hurts

in the money trail behind the drug trade. And it was a successful operation directed by the president to ensure that we're pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans

Just the drugs that the Coast Guard has been able to interdict on the waters since President Trump has been in office has been enough lethal doses of cocaine to kill 177 million Americans

That's two-thirds of our country that has been saved by blowing up, by going after and bringing to justice these individuals that are out at sea

and those individuals that are funding it with a shadow fleet of sanctioned oil that should never be sold to benefit their profits and their pockets to kill Americans

Kristi Noem's claims came as the United States unveiled new sanctions, this time targeting three of President Maduro's nephews

and six additional ships tied to Venezuelan oil transports. The administration says it's intensifying pressure on what it calls Maduro's illegitimate regime

Maduro is blasting the tanker's seizure as piracy. The operation occurred in international waters

and U.S. officials continue to accuse Maduro of drug trafficking and corruption

The Venezuelan leader is already facing narco-terrorism charges in the U.S. Two American officials tell NBC News the Trump administration plans to hold the seized tanker at a port in Texas, but release the crew

The ship, they say, has been used to move sanctioned oil from both Venezuela and Iran

And a new ABC News satellite ysis shows the tanker may have falsified its location data a common tactic in the shadow oil trade potentially to dodge sanctions before the U moved in

While Secretary Noem did reveal new details about that seized Venezuelan tanker

that's not why she was called to Capitol Hill. She was there for an annual hearing on threats to U.S. security

but it quickly morphed into a showdown over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown

Democrats went after Noam hard, calling for her resignation, raising questions about due process

and at one point even getting interrupted by a protester. Noam defended the department's stepped-up removals and the rapid-fire policy changes

made after last month's shooting of two National Guard members in D.C

Illinois Democrat Delia Ramirez urged the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Noam for possible impeachable offenses

Lawmakers also pressed her on reports of misconduct by immigration officers, including cases where non-criminal migrants and even U.S. citizens

were allegedly swept up in immigration operations. There are many problems with your leadership, but the biggest problem is this

You don't seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys

Go after the bad guys. Go after the terrorists. Do not go after veterans, Marines, children

Sir, it is not my prerogative, my latitude or my job to pick and choose which laws in this country

You have broad discretion as the secretary. You can issue parole. You can do all kinds of things

And while some Republicans privately question her future, President Trump pushed back in reports he's considering replacing her

saying she's doing a fantastic job and that he's, quote, so happy with her

The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday in Utah, and the battle over media access is now front and center

22-year-old Tyler Robinson sat with his attorneys, wearing a dress shirt and tie, still in wrist and ankle restraints the judge says must stay on

Cameras caught him smiling toward family members in the front row, his mother wiping away tears as he walked in

Security was noticeably tight, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. Nine sheriff's jeopardy ring the courtroom

Judge Tony Graff is now deciding how much of this case the public should actually see

Robinson's attorneys and the sheriff's office want all cameras banned, arguing the intense media attention threatens his right to a fair trial

Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the September shooting of Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus

and they do plan to seek the death penalty Kirk widow Erica Kirk is pushing back calling for full transparency saying quote we deserve to have cameras in there

Media organizations are also fighting to keep the courtroom open, noting the judge has already barred video of Robinson's restraints to avoid prejudicing future jurors

The judge is expected to rule soon on exactly what the public will and won't be allowed to see later this month

Back in Washington, still no deal. The stalemate over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies is dragging deeper into December

after two competing health care bills went down in the Senate. First, the Democrats planned to extend the Obamacare subsidies for three more years

It failed 51 to 48, well short of the 60 needed. Four Republicans, Collins, Hawley, Murkowski and Sullivan, crossed over to support it

but not enough to move it forward. Then a Republican alternative also failed by the same 51 to 48 vote

That bill would have sent money directly to individuals through health savings accounts

bypassing insurance companies entirely. So what now with the clock ticking toward the December 31st expiration of those subsidies

House Republican leaders say they hope to bring a health care package to the floor next week

but they haven't coalesced around a single bill, and time is running out

Democratic Senator Gene Shaheen says there may be a window to pass something in January

But for now, Congress is preparing to head home for the holidays, and nothing appears close to a deal

Now to a stunning political upset in deep red Indiana and a rebuke of President Trump from inside his own party

The Indiana Senate voted down a Republican-backed plan to redraw the state's congressional map

a plan Trump pushed hard for, hoping to lock in two additional GOP-friendly House seats next fall

The final tally, 31 to 19 against. 21 Republicans joined Democrats to kill the bill

Outside the chamber, as you see here, crowds erupted when the vote came down

The proposed map would have carved up Democratic areas, including splitting Indianapolis into four districts

giving the GOP a path to sweeping all nine U.S. House seats. They currently control seven

But senators said the pressure campaign from Trump World went too far

Protesters had filled the statehouse for days. Several lawmakers say they were swatted or threatened after Trump labeled holdouts as

RINOs, short for Republicans in name only. And he vowed primary challenges against them

One GOP senator called it over pressure that undermined trust in the process Late Thursday Trump pushed back on the defeat downplaying how hard he fought for the map even as he once again

threatened the state Senate's top Republican, Roderick Bray. But there's a man named Bray as a

I guess, head of the Senate. Was that Bray? Is that the name, Bray? And I mean, I'm sure that

whenever his primary is, it's I think in two years, but I'm sure he'll go down. He'll go down

I'll certainly support anybody that wants to go against it. The rejection marks one of the

biggest setbacks yet to Trump's national push for mid-cycle redistricting and to sign that even in

solid red states, his pressure campaign has limits. Finally this morning, America turns 250 next year

and the U.S. Mint is marking the country's semi-quincentennial with a fresh set of commemorative coins

The Mint revealed new looks for the nickel, dime, and quarter, plus special collector versions of the penny

Hey, the penny's back, everybody! And half dollar. But one design still missing? The dollar coin

Back in October, officials confirmed a possible dollar coin featuring President Trump was in the works

No word on whether that's moving forward. And remember, by law, the president cannot appear on U.S. coins until at least two years after their death

The coin program has been years in the making. The Biden administration drafted earlier designs that celebrated women's suffrage and civil rights

But the Trump administration scrapped that plan and opted for more classical, traditional imagery instead

The semi-quincentennial coins, try saying that five times fast, right, will be available for one year only

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That'll do it for Unbiased Updates for this Friday. Before we go, a quick thank you to all our loyal viewers, listeners, and readers

We certainly appreciate you so very, very much. And a note about next week

I'll be off on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Just a little vacation time

Some Christmas shopping, family time, things of that nature. a couple of holiday gatherings. Nothing more than that. Just getting in the holiday spirit and

actually looking forward to it. I'll be back on the air next Thursday, December 18th. In the

meantime, please keep up with the written version of Unbiased Updates at san.com and the SN app

The team will be here keeping you informed, so make sure to tune in. For all of us here

at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great weekend