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Both Kinds of Sanctions – MS NOW
Sure, he CALLED them illegal, but that did not mean we should do something about it!
Of course, the latest outrage across the media sphere involves the recent seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers. A corrupted socialist regime is selling crude to hostile nations against international rulings, but the demon in this story is, of course, President Trump.
Jen Psaki was discussing this with Democratic Rep. Adam Smith (WA-9), and she was positively beside herself over this development.
“Now, that announcement comes just a week after the Trump administration seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. And all of that has been done without any congressional approval.”
Of course, what she does not address is that Venezuela has been sanctioned from making these oil shipments. Those were put in place by her former boss in the Spring of last year.
"A blockade is literally, by definition, an act of war." Rep. Adam Smith sounds the alarm that Donald Trump is inching the U.S. closer to war with Venezuela.
— The Briefing with Jen Psaki (@briefingwithpsaki.bsky.social) December 16, 2025 at 11:33 PM
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Gilded Reframe – MS NOW
Maybe those are considered mostly peaceful narcotics?
On "Morning Joe," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) continued his endless media tour of telling the world every single day how he will not be silenced by President Trump. We know, Mark – WE KNOW!
Yet, as his incessant ratchet-jawing continued, he let slip a curiosity that no one on the Scar-Joe panel felt the need to address.
He was complaining about the narco boats that have been taken out by our military, and he was astounding in his revised criticism. According to Kelly, these efforts to halt the drug trade are wrong because they are not moving fentanyl; these drug runners are simply trafficking in cocaine.
Democrat Senator Mark Kelly says killing narco-terrorists is "not making us more safe" because they are only trafficking cocaine instead of fentanyl. pic.twitter.com/r26CMNsmQK
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 16, 2025
Democratic Custodial Services – CNN
It is becoming clear that congressional Democrats have this network on speed dial.
In the latest effort to clean up the image of a sullied Democrat, this time it was Ilhan Omar (MN-5) who needed to burnish her image, and Wolf Blitzer was more than willing to give her the forum to spin away.
This was due to her claims that her son had been pulled over by ICE agents in an act of retribution. However, DHS issued a statement that there was no record whatsoever that the agency had any involvement with her son in any capacity. After being asked about this, Wolf dutifully sat back and allowed Omar to spew nonsensical deflections away from her proven false comments.
.@Ilhan Omar—caught in a lie about her son being profiled by ICE—says "ICE has been known to lie..."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 17, 2025
Says the woman who lied about her marriage to her brother. https://t.co/7v1hYYlzTE pic.twitter.com/A6rgpeRHZx
Low-Octane Gaslighting – AXIOS
This man is deeply influential in the party, if only somebody would notice…
Axios correspondent Barak Ravid has some trenchant evidence that there is a supposed shift taking place within the Republican Party. He offers up as proof an election video from a gubernatorial candidate in Florida, James Fishback. In it, the candidate makes a curious case about being critical of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that calling him a war criminal, or suggesting Israel has committed genocide, could see you "convicted" of antisemitism.
As misguided as he might be, we are not aware of who has been convicted of this supposed crime. (We see people nearly daily saying these things, and worse, without getting shipped off to the Grey Bar Inn.) But Ravid is no less imbalanced here, by suggesting Fishback's position is somehow being mainstreamed and rocking the political party to its foundations. He is currently polling at a level so low that the margin of error sports a bigger number. But sure – there is a "shift" in the GOP…
You cannot be serious.
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) December 17, 2025
He is running against Byron Donald’s, and is polling at a level that is BELOW the margin of error.
Saying that represents a “shift inside the Republican Party” is some desperate wishcasting on your part. https://t.co/SttT0tEKhV pic.twitter.com/V9QCai5cqz
Prose & Contradiction – THE BULWARK
This is simply magnificent.
We have strained mightily to avoid any kind of involvement in the ongoing blather involving Candace Owens. She is an easily dismissed voice of non-reason, but this woman is constantly badgered about on social media anyway. In one case, we did stumble across this tangential commentary that was just too rich to pass up.
Seeing a discussion with some on the Right declaring Candace a less-than-important factor, Tim Miller could not abide having her portrayed as less than representative of the majority conservative movement, so he offered up what he deemed to be proof.
He said she is more influential than just those online – just go ask those people addicted to TikTok!
I'm sorry but this assessment of Candace is totally wrong and if you think she's an only online phenomenon it's bc your social circle is college-grad newspaper reading Republicans/Dems. Speak on a campus or talk to someone who gets news from TikTok and report back. pic.twitter.com/CKXjU7z7r7
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) December 16, 2025
