Energy Secretary Wright asked Chevron CEO Mike Wirth to give some information about the current status of the Venezuelan oil industry. Chevron has been on the ground in Venezuela for a long period of time and has significant infrastructure investment already in place.
Wirth notes that with current personnel (3,000) and equipment (4 locations) on site, Chevron could likely double capacity almost immediately, however, from there it would take approximately 18-months to gain more significant outputs.
President Trump asked if Chevron was in a position of advantage from already having their people and material already in operation, Wright noted generally yes, they do; however, the opportunities for industrial capacity gains are significant.
During the energy roundtable, Secretary Rubio made remarks outlining the three phases within the U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Essentially the core of the policy is: (1) Stabilization; (2) Transition, and (3) a Return to sovereign representative democracy.
The initial phase is ‘stabilization,’ where the U.S. government is working with existing leadership in Venezuela under tight controls and clear expectations. Reconciliation of political factions is supported. The U.S. leverage is maintained by financial and economic control, provided by the threat of U.S. military. Venezuela’s oil production pays for U.S. oversight.
The second phase involves ‘transition’, where the civic and governing responsibilities are shared between the existing Venezuelan leadership and aligned policy of the U.S. government. In the transitional phase the economic wealth is apportioned to the people of Venezuela with oversight by the U.S. government.
The third phase ‘sovereign representative democracy’ happens when the reformed government holds legitimate elections to decide the representative form of government, the voice of the people, within Venezuela. The U.S. influence then begins to withdraw, and new sovereign political leadership takes control.
President Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio participate in a roundtable discussion with major oil and gas executives on the issue of energy investment in Venezuela.
The primary concern for oil executives is stability within Venezuela. The Maduro government previously seized the assets of U.S. oil companies, and the investment required to restart the industry at scale are significant.
On Wednesday, a confrontation between ICE agents and an aggressive anti-ICE protester in Minneapolis resulted in the ICE officer defending himself while a vehicle was weaponized against him. The female driver named Renee Nicole Macklin Good (37) was shot and killed.
Antifa aligned activists had been chasing and using their vehicles to block ICE officials, while trying to disrupt immigration enforcement operations throughout the Minneapolis area. In newly obtained video (w/audio) from the event, Renee Good and her wife are shown in the moments of the encounter. The video is from Alpha News:
I suggest turning the audio on to understand the nature of the hostility being faced by the ICE officers.
BREAKING: Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/p2wks0zew0
She really doesn’t have much choice. President Trump has shown the Venezuelan government how the U.S. can put a complete stranglehold on the South American country if they do not adhere to the transition plans of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the enforcer.
Following the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s new government under Delcy Rodríguez has begun releasing political prisoners in a bid to foster unity and peace. The change in Venezuelan politics comes directly as the result of President Trump using the military to block oil shipments, the major source of revenue for the nation.
The move seems to indicate a potential shift in Venezuela’s political landscape, though compliance with the Trump administration is likely happening through gritted teeth.
MIAMI – The interim government of Venezuela is releasing of “an important group” of Venezuelan and foreign political prisoners to guarantee unity and peace, according to Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the parliament and brother of the new president in charge of the South American country.
Rodríguez, who also represented now-deposed Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro for years in political negotiations with the opposition and the United States, indicated Thursday that the government of his sister, Delcy Rodríguez, was working together with the rest of the state institutions to carry out what he defined as “a unilateral gesture” of the executive branch.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading the charge to focus on Minneapolis, Minnesota Somali fraud rings for targeted regional actions. The IRS Criminal Investigations division has been dispatched to focus on the Minneapolis region to identify fraudulent use of public assistance services, combined with the abuse of federal taxpayer funds.
These fraud cases, ongoing since the early 2020s and intensifying in 2024–2026, involve allegations of misappropriating hundreds of millions (potentially up to several billions) in taxpayer funds intended for child nutrition, autism therapy, housing stabilization, personal care assistance, and other Medicaid programs.
In a remarkable approach, Secretary Bessent announced during a Fox News interview that a regional targeting effort is now underway that will block anyone who receives public assistance from sending money overseas (remittances to foreign countries). This is not a fee or tax on the remittance, or financial transaction; this is a complete block of their ability to send money overseas. Anyone receiving public assistance will not be able to send money to foreign lands.
Yes, it seems like this is initially going to be subject to the honest admission of the money sender. However, with the IRS reviewing each transfer and cross referencing to public assistance records anyone who attempts to work around this regulation will be subject to federal laws on financial fraud, wire service fraud and potentially money laundering. WATCH:
The interagency focus will eventually go nationwide, as with the new USAO position that focuses on public assistance fraud; but for now, that focused effort will target Minnesota. Minneapolis will be the beta test for a national rollout.
All of the money service businesses in the region will now be reviewed and all financial transactions of $3,000 will be required to have an accompanying Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). With DHS, FBI and now IRS investigators focused exclusively on the two counties involved in the Somali fraud rings, the fraudsters will be identified and prosecuted.
In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.
This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright gives an outline of energy production in three-minutes. I especially liked this part: “Germany invested half a trillion (in renewables) and now produce 20% less electricity at 3x the price,” Wright noted.
$10 trillion has been invested/deposited within the Climate Change Bureau of Imaginary Problems; Secretary Wright discusses the outcome. Now, I know it is easy for us to laugh and enjoy this type of fact-based mic drop, however, as we watch this short video think seriously about the position of Canada as it relates to what Wright is mentioning.
Yes, the examples of the United Kingdom and Germany are excellent in their representative value to drive home the point; however, ¹Canada is more predestined toward failure in their energy policy than Germany. WATCH:
The U.S. Energy Secretary just obliterated Net Zero ideology in 60 seconds.
Oil, gas, and coal power EVERYTHING including green energy.
¹Canada’s climate change energy policy is orders of magnitude worse than the EU. Canadian carbon trade platforms and the government’s insufferable economic stupidity is a major part of the reason why the USMCA must be dissolved. The North American continent cannot have comingled economic dependency where Mexico and the USA are expanding through low-cost energy outputs, while Canada generates high-cost energy outputs.
In the long term, the slowly unfolding Canadian economic collapse will be devastating. Big Panda has previously prepositioned their interests and is awaiting final purchase of the Snow Mexicans for pennies on the dollar.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accurate in his outline to president-elect Trump that began the point of the USA just taking ownership of Canada (2024). If something similarly radical doesn’t happen soon, a Chinese protectorate will be our northern neighbor.
Prior to the discovery of rampant fraud in Minnesota, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was already scheduled to deliver remarks to the Economic Club of Minnesota. Treasury Secretary Bessent is also the Acting IRS Commissioner, which gives him a very unique position from which to review and discuss the explosive issues of fraud within the state.
This is a MUST WATCH video in totality to understand exactly what Secretary Bessent is focused on.
Secretary Bessent begins visit by delivering prepared remarks to the audience outlining the success in President Trump’s economic policy approach, giving specific examples of granular policy accomplishments and what they mean to the average American. Secretary Bessent then sits down for a question-and-answer session where he drills into the issue of the fraud within the Minneapolis, Minnesota region.
Regarding the Somali fraud issue, Bessent notes the IRS Criminal Investigations department are leading the charge to identify the specific individuals and larger network groups within the region who will be held to account. In the bigger picture roughly 10% of all government spending has been identified by the General Accounting Office as fraud. This is a really good overall review of the current approach being taken by the Trump administration. WATCH:
